Perpetual Embrace

Chapter 2: True nature

Today marked the culmination of years of effort as I embarked on my first day of work. My mother, dressed in her finest attire, accompanied me. As I stepped out of the car, I noticed her lingering emotional state, while I, as usual, remained impassive. Despite my lack of emotions, a flicker of hope for what the future might hold persisted within me after all those years of striving.

Upon entering the building, I was greeted by the receptionist to whom I presented my acceptance letter.

"Oh, you are the new employee? The boss mentioned you multiple times; he deeply thinks that you are a genius like one sees every thousand years," she said.

"That is not the case at all," I was not particularly interested in this topic.

She guided me to the third floor where the office I would be working in was located. The room was very spacious, with many high-quality technological instruments. It was Japan's number one company; it was not surprising to see all of that. The receptionist advised me to see the floor manager in his office to get a tour from him and receive my first tasks.

When I arrived at the door, I knocked.

"Come in," he said.

As I entered the room, I felt a sort of discomfort, but I told myself it was nothing serious. I proceeded to greet him, and he introduced himself.

"I am Watanabe. I'll be mentoring you for a while," he said.

"I will rely on you," I replied.

Watanabe: "The boss has spoken highly of you. I hope you will exceed the expectations."

His smile seemed forced, clearly a fake smile, the kind I have often encountered throughout my life. Once again people were expecting something from me.

He stood up and began to show me around the premises, I took the opportunity to introduce myself to everyone; it was quite exhausting.

The tour did not last long; he showed me my desk and assigned me a stack of tasks. He gave a smile and said, "Since the boss has such a high opinion of you, I suppose it's normal to give you more work."

Ah, I understood. He must have been with the company for a long time and had not received praise from his boss throughout his career. His frustration must be consuming him; such is human nature. Most people have an oversized ego and are willing to affect others only because passion blinds their reason.

But, after all, that was my life, working like an empty shell all along.