Volume 3 Chapter 48 Decision
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The number of shops and houses decorated with lights is gradually increasing, giving the familiar streets a different look than usual. Special features are aired on TV day after day, forcing me to be conscious of Christmas whether I like it or not. When I was a student, I thought Christmas had nothing to do with me… but now, I’m driving with my best friend and fellow mom, Akari, to buy presents for the youngsters.
The reason I, a mother, and Akari, a single parent, can go out just the two of us is thanks to my husband, Mii-kun, who has taken over all the childcare. Right now, he is probably decorating the tree with the kids at home. Even when he is busy with work, Mii-kun actively helps with the housework and childcare. He is a husband who values me above all else and tries to make everything I want to do come true.
He had planned to take a substantial amount of childcare leave¹ this time, but it seems it would be difficult for the company if he left. Since the family has grown and we need the money, I had him agree to work from home instead. We aren’t strangers to the people at his company, and they still look out for us in various ways. Occasionally, there are tasks he absolutely cannot skip, and he gets called away. He always regrets parting with me and our cute daughters, but then Suu-chan bluntly cheers him on.
”Papa, do your best! See you later!” she says.
Mii-kun usually heads to work with a complicated look on his face after that. At any rate, while taking care of two newborns is hard, the time spent as a family has increased and he seems to be enjoying himself.
However, that isn’t the case for Akari. Just because she is the mother of my child’s friend and we help each other with child-rearing doesn’t mean she can take a leave of absence.
”You’re so busy with work, you could have just relaxed on your day off,” I said.
”No, I’m fine. Thanks,” Akari replied.
Lately, she has been especially busy with the year-end closing period and personnel transfers. She’s been working late into the night and hasn’t been able to spend much time with Maa-kun. She must want to be with him, but…
”Is it… about that talk?” I asked.
”Yeah…” Akari replied.
Her voice was stiffer than usual, and my own tone dropped a notch. Sacrificing time with her beloved Maa-kun and intentionally creating a situation where the youngsters aren’t around just to talk to me—this was about Akari’s work.
Akari works at a bank. Generally, there are two types of employees: general staff who handle counter services, and career-track staff² who handle sales and financing. Akari is the latter. She chose that profession based on the strong recommendation of her parents, especially her mother, Midori-san. I don’t think it’s a job you can just get into because it was recommended, but that’s just typical of Akari; she has always been serious, methodical, and hard-working.
The salary is attractive and the benefits are substantial. She doesn’t use the company housing for various reasons, but for a single parent, those two things are vital. However, there are problems. Career-track positions are punishingly busy. Every day is a grind of meeting quotas and working overtime. There are networking drinks almost every week and constant studying for certifications. It’s a cutthroat profession where you can’t stop for a second if you want to advance. I’d throw in the towel in three days.
This was why Akari couldn’t fully decide to give birth to Maa-kun until the very end. No matter how good the benefits are, raising a child while staying on the career track at a bank is incredibly difficult. It’s even harder for a woman who is a single parent. If you choose work, you give up the child. If you choose the child, you give up the career… but if you don’t earn, you force a harsh reality on the child.
Akari was about to give up, thinking she would inevitably force her child to suffer. When she first consulted me, she was paralyzed by that responsibility. I was young back then (though I’m still young now!), and I naively thought I could just help her raise the kid. I had my kindergarten teacher license, and I figured I could handle two kids somehow.
The result is obvious: Maa-kun turned out to be so smart that we managed just fine. We have two new family members now, Fuu-chan and Kyo-chan, and I’m realizing that the mindset we had with the first group won’t cut it this time. Still, with Mii-kun here and Suu-chan helping out, I don’t have the anxiety I felt the first time.
Because of that, Akari being busy with work has been manageable. The real problem is the transfers. It’s part and parcel of being a bank employee. When people think of jobs involving frequent moves, a banker is the first thing that comes to mind. I heard she asked the company for a favor when Maa-kun was born, getting transferred to a branch she could commute to from her current house. However, according to Akari, you can only stay at the same branch for five years at most. Often, it’s even less than that.
If Akari moves, our lives will change significantly. The Yashiro family would probably do well. Maa-kun is so reliable for a four-year-old that he can stay home alone without any trouble. He already does. And even if he changed kindergartens, I don’t think he’d have trouble making friends.
But the Totsuka family? That’s another story. Suu-chan would be devastated. It’s obvious just by looking at how much she loves Maa-kun. (Wait… losing Maa-kun’s help would be a blow, but we aren’t dependent on him, right?)
I’d be happy to look after Maa-kun at our place, and if that’s what he wanted, Akari might go for it. But Maa-kun would never stay. He would go with Akari. He loves her very much, and he wouldn’t want her to be lonely. Looking at him lately, I’m sure of it.
Since Mii-kun started staying home, Suu-chan has had more time to play with him. She’s also eager to help with Fuu-chan and Kyo-chan. Her time spent with her sisters has increased. It’s the same at the kindergarten; Maa-kun mediates friendships so Suu-chan doesn’t get isolated and keeps order in the Rose Class³ so she feels secure. It’s almost as if he’s already foreseen the day they’ll have to say goodbye.
…Maybe I’m overthinking it. But with Maa-kun, it wouldn’t be a surprise. To see just how smart he was, Akari experimentally gave him an electronic dictionary. It was supposed to be for his education, but he’s the kind of child who deletes his own search history. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if he has a motive, but my intuition tells me he’s thinking about things far beyond our imagination. I want to dig deeper, but I’m afraid he’ll become wary and stop growing.
So, the family that takes the most damage if Akari moves isn’t the Yashiros—it’s the Totsukas. I’d be lonely not being able to see Akari, and I love Maa-kun like he’s my own. He’s basically our kid anyway. I’m sure Akari feels the same.
”Are you going to do it?” I asked.
”Yeah,” Akari replied.
”I see. I’ll tell Mii-kun,” I said.
”Yeah, thanks,” she said.
”Are you anxious?” I asked.
”Of course. The environment is going to change. There’s so much I don’t know…” Akari said.
”If you’re in trouble, make sure to tell me, okay?” I said.
”Heh, you’re right. I will,” Akari replied.
Unlike before, we are now in a place where we can talk immediately. If anything, I feel like we are the closest we’ve ever been right now.
”Then I have to say it properly, don’t I?” I said.
”Eh?” Akari asked.
I suddenly changed our destination. Akari looked surprised, but she caught on to my intention and looked like she’d made up her mind. Once the serious talk was over, the conversation shifted back to the kids. Because at the end of the day, our world revolves around them.
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Summary:
The narrator and Akari go Christmas shopping while Mii-kun watches the children. Akari reveals she is facing a job transfer, a common but difficult reality for Japanese bank employees. The narrator worries about how this will impact their close-knit family dynamic, especially Maa-kun and Suu-chan’s bond.
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Trivia:
- Mii-kun is working from home instead of taking full leave due to financial needs.
- Maa-kun is only four years old but exhibits genius-level behavior, such as managing class social structures.
- Akari is a single parent, making her high-stress bank job even more precarious.
- The narrator has a kindergarten teacher license.
- Maa-kun deletes his electronic dictionary history, suggesting he is hiding the extent of his knowledge
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Character Insight:
Akari demonstrates immense resilience as a single mother in a cutthroat corporate environment, yet she remains emotionally vulnerable regarding the impact her job has on her son. Maa-kun continues to act as a silent guardian for the family’s peace, specifically protecting Suu-chan’s social environment.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘transfer’ (tenkin) culture in Japan is a major source of stress for families, often leading to ‘tanshin funin’ (living away from family for work), which Akari is trying to avoid.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Akari – 28‑year‑old single banker, 168 cm, 56 kg, dark‑brown hair, slender, melancholic smile, in a gray casual pantsuit after childcare leave; lives beside best friend Mio, drives a black light‑compact car, cares for newborn son, prefers quiet home, feels guilty missing the party. Mother of Maa‑kun and Makoto, poised in high‑class settings, observant and mischievous, uncovered Makoto’s secret English study. Also Suu‑chan’s mother monitors Makoto’s health via a ‘status report’ network with other parents.
• Totsuka – The neighbor family consisting of a husband (Mitsuhisa), wife (Mio), and daughter (Suu-chan). They are hardcore gamers who provide hand-me-down consoles to the protagonist’s household.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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