《Tales of a train station employee》


 Prologue: How I got hired by a Shield Stand

    Ah, there is nothing better than my job. Honestly, I quite like my job. It makes me feel like I''m worth something, you know? It''s nothing too fancy, and the pay could be better, but I can at least afford a comfortable life and meet cool people all the time.


    Who am I, you ask? I''m a simple nobody train station janitor at the Asahikawa train station. Well, to be fair, I move quite a lot through Japan doing this job, which is why I like it so much. I get to travel my entire country for free! Ain''t that awesome?


    My name is "Yui," and I''m a twenty-seven-year-old female employee at a modest train station in a small town! Please do not cringe at me. I know I''m pretty ugly and bad-looking, but I promise I''m at least somewhat entertaining? I want to think so, at least! Shh! Let me have it, okay?


    Alright, I''ll start with how I got hired in the first place. It all began when I turned eighteen, and my parents said, "You''re a waste of space! Get out!" My adult life then started a little rough, with me landing jobs and being fired left and right. It took a while to stabilize, but when I did KABOOM, Japan entered a recession.


    During the recession, I struggled so hard to make ends meet. It got so bad that all I could afford at one point were noodles and water. I was quite literally eating ramen noodles every day for months on end, not being able to afford anything else since I was flat broke.


    And yet, those were some of my life''s best days. I had so much freedom and time on my hands, and I met my new best friend in my adult life during this awful time. It wasn''t that bad. After all, I met Misa and ate ramen like a maniac. I''m sure my heart loved the high-sodium food I was ingesting!


    A couple of months passed, and I was simply taking a stroll to the market when I saw an ad in the daily mail newspaper outside the post office. The ad reads, "Get great pay and benefits! Join our crew!" I thought it was an interesting opportunity, so I submitted my application the next day.


    The lady at the desk was lovely when she handed me the paper application, but she did warn me that the position was not too prestigious. The lady described it as a "man''s job" And said I shouldn''t be applying for such low-skill positions, but you know I wasn''t skilled to begin with.


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    Of course, because she was an older lady, I let it slide without confronting her the entire time because you''ve got to respect your elders. Yet, now that I think about it, if I had paid her any attention, I would''ve missed out on the best job in the whole world!


    A few days later, I got a call from a management person telling me the date and time of my interview. The lady on the phone told me I should bring all of my needed documentation and another resume since the first one was apparently written by "a drunk baby." That''s literally what she said, okay?


    I promptly opened my Macbook and wrote another more professional "Resume." I Honestly stole the template from one of those "Make a Resume" Websites. I know! I know! What a disgrace! I used the copy-and-paste method of getting things done, and I still feel terrible for doing such a dishonorable thing, but I couldn''t help myself, you know?


    Anyway, since the interview was in a few days, I went out and bought a cute outfit with some of my savings just so I wouldn''t look like a homeless person around some corporate person. It was a simple women''s grey suit with some cheap made-in-China shoes.


    My formal clothes were nothing to brag about, but at least I looked somewhat hireable. The interview day arrived sooner than expected, so when the time came, I chose another pair of shoes that looked a little less beat up than the ones I had just bought. Those cheap Chinese shoes! >:c


    "How many years of experience do you have?" The man before me asked as he read my resume, which clearly said I was still eighteen.


    "I-I just started my life, sir. I got no experience, but I got the will to work hard!" I responded while looking down at the floor as looking at the man directly in the eyes felt strange.


    "Uhm-uhm. How good is your math?" The man asked again as I began to sweat profusely, getting extremely nervous around him! He felt like a dark soul''s final boss!


    "I think it''s pretty good, sir!"


    "What''s the square root of One thousand twenty-four?" The guy asked me out of the blue, and I stupidly tried to work the answer for the math problem even though I had forgotten how to do that math equation.


    "Uhhhhh! UHMMMM! (SILENCE, SILENCE, SILENCE)..." The guy looked disappointed as he wrote something in his notebook, probably writing, "She is stupid as they come, DO NOT HIRE THEM."


    "Okay, what are your hobbies?" The man changed the subject, signaling I had blown my first answer. Damn!


    "I like reading many light novels and volunteering whenever possible!" I said as my face basically melted from the embarrassment. My superior, however, simply asked a follow-up question.


    "What is the name of the person who betrayed Naofumi Iwatani?" The guy asked as I quickly remembered the name of the iconic betrayer of my favorite hero.


    "Malty Melromarc"


    "You''re hired. Just don''t tell anyone I read that too..."

 Chapter 1: Not much to my job

    I celebrated when I got my first official job outside of side hustles! I could finally leave the interview place and buy a decent meal after a long time! I was probably a little too over my head, but it didn''t matter! I had my first long-term job! YIPPEEE!


    And so when I finally got out of there with my brand new job and a five thousand yen incentive. I went to the local grocery shop to buy myself some excellent fish! Well, it was not fresh fish, but at least it was farm-raised fish I could afford; beggars can''t be choosers, right?


    After the fish, I only had a couple thousand yen left, so I spent the rest on some eggs, cola, and more ramen. At least I had bought a good amount of sashimi and fish to make ramen a little more exciting, so I couldn''t really complain too much about it.


    However, Something unfortunate happened on my way home as I walked with my headset on. I accidentally tripped on a small rock, which made me almost drop the fish and the eggs I had just bought, but I did manage to save them. What I could not save was my phone, which I had to sacrifice to save my food.


    I still have that same phone in my possession, by the way. I have kept it with me as a little reminder of my first day after getting hired by some shady government official at the local train station. Now that I put it like that, it makes me realize how suspicious it all sounded.


    I landed a job that usually nobody wants to perform and pays well, doing practically nothing. The most suspicious thing was I didn''t have to give the guy my body or something like that. I simply got saved by reading my light novels. Maybe the guy was also an Otaku?


    In any case, once I got home with my groceries and my broken phone, I proceeded to shelf my fridge with the sashimi and fish I had just bought. As dinner time slowly came, I chose to put some water on my stovetop boiler and! You guessed it: I got to boil the water for some more ramen!


    Who says only that cute little orange bugger can eat this unhealthy without gaining weight! Nyahaha! I could also do it back when I was broke! You''re not special, Umaru-chan! Do you like to drink 2-liter cokes?! I got you! I can also do that! Or, well, "could." I would''ve probably gotten type 5 diabetes if I kept on doing it as I got older.


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    The rest of my dinner was nothing too special. All I had to do was pour the water into the ramen, wait three minutes, and get to eat as I watched a hilarious video from one of my favorite English-speaking content creators.


    "NOT EVEN CLOSE KID! TECHNOBLADE NEVER DIES, YOU NERD!"


    I had a blast always watching this guy''s videos as I ate my rame. He barely uploaded, but whenever he did, I watched his videos at full volume, almost making my ears bleed thanks to the constant screaming, but it was worth it because he always made me laugh.


    In any case, with my belly full, I finally took a shower and went to sleep early so I could wake up for my job the next day! The following day, the morning sun hit my face as I watched the hour on the clock next to my bed. It said 7:30 AM, and I was supposed to be there at 8 SHIT!


    I skipped many things when I got up to work as I rushed my hairstyle and clothing to a simple utility pair of pants and a work t-shirt. Luckily, the station was nearby, but I probably would not have made it on time if I had to commute on anything other than my bike.


    "Oh, hey, you''re the new trainee?" A man asked once I got into the worker''s rest area after clocking in at exactly 8:00 AM.


    "Yeah, my name is Yui. A pleasure to meet you! Please be patient with me!" I said as he giggled after waving his hand around.


    "You don''t have to be so formal. We are all the same here; there''s not much to this position. You''ll be good to go on your own in no time."


    The man turned out to be a sweet old man who showed me around the station and the duties I would have to take over when my shifts changed to different times of the day, depending on what the management team needed.


    The position didn''t have much to it like the man had said. I only had to mop several floors and check on the machines. Besides those two tasks, the rest was simple, vague work like helping the office staff move things into storage rooms or handling troublesome customers, which were rare.


    I did get a uniform, which was slightly uncomfortable, but at least it wasn''t oversexualized or anything like that, so I adapted quickly to it.

 Chapter 2: Why I never disrespect the temples

    [1 week after work begun]


    And here we start off with the tales! Now that we have established the minimal setting requirements let me tell you about my first night shift! UHUHUH, spooky!~


    It all began one day before it. When my supervisor called me on a whim to tell me about the shift change he needed me to handle, and since I was still a trainee, I couldn''t refuse! How very unfair, uh? Well, that''s Japan for ya. We are expected to obey orders with no questions asked {sigh}.


    In any case, cleaning crews like me are usually out of sight, but tonight, I was asked to serve basically as a guard while cleaning a few other things. I wanted to refuse, but you know I kind of needed the money quite desperately, so I had to accept.


    When the day arrived and I found myself alone, trapped in the station, my inner thoughts began talking inside me. "You could steal just some gummies from the machines, Yui, nobody will notice... You have the keys." Ahhh! NO! Sho sho! Bad demon!


    Honestly, I was baffled at how easily everyone trusted I wouldn''t steal a thing, which made me realize. Oh yeah, I live in Japan, not New York. Sorry, New Yorkers, your subways are just filthy. Allow me to teach you how to clean them quickly and efficiently!


    First step! Grab your trusted rags and sprays! And get to scrubbing! As the lady said, There is not much else to this job. I think even a child could get it done, yet even though it''s not complicated, the time frames to get things done are insane.


    For example, to clean an entire bullet train, there are seven of us total, and we are only given 5 minutes to get it done! Ain''t that insane?! I alone have to clean 25 seats on my own, and the last time I did the math, that was less than 30 seconds per seat. I gotta make sure everything is sparkling clean, or I''ll become the next Misa Nakamura!


    Anyway, since I would be practically alone tonight, I thought it would be an easy night until I heard strange noises coming from the station at the turn of every corner! I walked through a hall and turned, and then I could hear people whispering behind me! YIKES!


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    So, I developed an ingenious strategy to deal with the stalking ghosts! I began to run for it after every turn! I Couldn''t hear the whispers once I was in the middle of the corridor, or that''s what I thought until the speaker system began to play static!


    Mind you, this was the first night I ever worked a night shift, and I was ALONE! I felt like my heart jumped out of my chest when I heard the train system play static noise as that never happened and just when I thought it couldn''t get any worse! It did!


    "Isse no se de fumikomu goorain bokura wa


    Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu


    Issen koete furikaeruto mou nai bokura wa


    Nanimo nanimo mada shiranu"


    The freaking system began playing [Kana boon - silhouette.] Don''t get me wrong, I loved the song, but as far as I was concerned, the radio stations were always hesitant to play any popular anime music on the radio, especially at midnight, and well, that wasn''t it!


    Who had turned the intercoms on!? I couldn''t understand, so I ran back to the worker''s resting room until I heard a faint trail of footsteps next to me to my left. I could hear the steps but didn''t see anything, so I ran back toward the playing radio coms.


    Until I saw a white girl just chilling there in the middle of the hall, with her hair forward, dressed in all white! The thing I saw took heavy breaths as it slowly began to lift its face to look at me, but I wasn''t stupid. I wasn''t about to find out if it was a prank or a ghost, so I also turned around from the hall with the ghost.


    The music soon stopped as my heart rate shot through the roof once I heard a loud demonic roar coming from the hall with Ghostie! The sudden quiet halls without the music made me realize Ghostie was on the move, which terrified me as I ran the hallways, screaming in a panic.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! BAAAHHHH! AHHHHH!!!" I screamed down the halls with heavy footsteps behind me! I didn''t even dare to look back as I ran for the station''s exit!


    Yet once I made it through the last hallway to the front door, I painfully realized my keys had been left behind, perhaps. I had let them fall onto the ground while I ran for my life. The door was locked as Ghostie turned around the corner on all fours.


    *Growl GROWL!*


    I began to push against the door with all my might as I desperately tried to open it, but the dang thing wouldn''t budge. Soon, the creature sprinted toward me as it screamed and shrieked at me in anger!


    I gave up on the door as I crawled into a ball on a corner of the floor, preparing to be taken into the afterlife by the creature, when suddenly, the thing jumped against me, but it immediately disappeared. Not only that, but my wallet pocket warmed up.


    When I pulled out my wallet to check on it, I noticed how the local Ofuda* given to me by one of my friends lay there burnt to a crisp inside it...


    *Ofuda - Westerners usually call them "Talisman." We call them something along the lines of Omamori or Amulets!

 Chapter 3: Dear dairy

    {Whispering voice}


    "You''re worthless, USELESS, good for nothing, waste of space, air thief, you don''t belong anywhere, no one loves you, you''ll die alone, always stay alone, idiotic piece of trash."


    My mind again playing tricks against me while I''m down in luck with life is one of the worst feelings one can get, is it not? Remember the times it used to be different? Before you became an adult, did you have to move cities? Do you remember? I can hardly do so.


    "You will die alone! Why keep going!? NOBODY LIKES YOU! KILL YOURSELF! DO IT! WALK IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN AND DIE!"


    That voice in my head keeps getting louder and louder every day, and it doesn''t want to let go. It craves and calls for my attention, but I keep following the other voice, which is stronger and lighter. The voice of reason has always been there to help, but it''s grown weaker.


    {Whispering}


    "You can do it! Keep going! You''re not alone! You got your online friends!"


    {Louder overpowering screams}


    "THEY''RE WORTHLESS, I WOULDN''T EVEN NOTICE IF YOU DIED! WOULDN''T EVEN CRY OR FEEL ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"


    ????? ??????????? ??????????!


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    What is the meaning of my existence? Why am I here on this planet surrounded by people who couldn''t care less about me? Why must I endure this miserable life? Why do all of it without a partner? Without children? Without purpose?


    "You are loved."


    "No, you''re not! Who even cares about you?!"


    Really? Who cares?! My boss treats me worse than a slave, and society keeps pointing their finger at me, saying, "It''s your fault," and "Pull yourself from your bootstraps and quit crying! Back in my day, I used to walk uphill in the snow both ways to get to work!"


    "Your generation is just a bunch of cry babies who can''t endure being slaves to corporations their whole life just to be able to live in a shitty small apartment your whole life, you damn lazy buns!"


    WHY!? I want to quit out of this society! I want to escape it, but what options do I have?! Buy an airplane ticket out of here?! With what money?! I barely scrape by as is. Nobody appreciates my work or me in any way possible. I have no life, friends, or social skills because of work, so why do I keep going?!


    "Because some people believe in you."


    "Nobody does."


    ?p????? ???s?no? ????


    Loneliness is driving me insane, but I can''t go meet people. I''ve got no life outside of work, and my only friend is dying. I can''t unload my frustrations unto my dying friend, but who else do I have? Nobody.


    "Escape."


    "To where, you idiot?! You don''t even have a passport yet."


    Why do I exist? Am I really meant to be anything but a widget worker at the widget factory for the rest of my life? Is that it? Am I nothing more than another worker without a purpose other than the pursuit of pleasure? Is there nothing else to pursue?


    "Yes."


    "No."


    Dear Dairy, today I walked from work to home. After 10 years of commitment to my work, I stumbled upon a very high bridge on my way home that would quickly end my suffering. I''m tempted to jump, but I remain firm in my will to live, which still outweighs my depression. I will keep updating my Dairy.

 10 years later

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 Chapter 4: How I met them

    {About twenty years ago}


    [Playtime hour in a Japanese kindergarten somewhere]


    The place where it all began, where the entire story starts when it comes to my life. I don''t remember its specifics, but I do remember it being a morning in the cold winter. For some reason, that day at school, I wasn''t really feeling that great, but as it''s custom, I had to go anyway.


    The school playground was lively like always, with kids running around playing their dumb games while others read books near a tree, but no one else caught my attention more than the single girl staring into the void as her pen stroked her notebook paper once in a while.


    The little pale girl was wearing the usual school uniform, but for some reason, she looked cuter than any of the others, including me. She looked like she was a natural beauty in our class but, for some reason, never socialized with everybody else.


    I remember always seeing that lonely girl writing stuff in her notebook whenever she finished staring out of the window, completely ignoring the teacher most of the day. The same almost always happened at playtime outside, and for some reason, that caught my attention; I felt curious and wanted to know why she was always so cold, so reserved, and so shy.


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    I''ve never been a social person myself, but I was the one who made the first move that fateful day that would spark the beginning of one of my longest friendships ever. I remember slowly walking toward the lonely girl while she was sketching something without even noticing me coming at her when suddenly I was next to her.


    I still remember the little girl''s shameful look and her red face once she noticed me staring into her notebook with her bizarre sketch and writing near it. "Don''t look!" She screamed as she quickly closed her notebook and hid it in her arms.


    As to what I said back to her, it was something along the lines of awkward silence and disbelief at what I had seen, or in other words, I totally froze and didn''t know how to handle that much talking from someone else.


    "Hello? May I help you?" Asked the cute girl while hugging her notebook, still ashamed for some reason, and I just stood there not knowing what to say other than a short "I''m sorry!"


    The little girl then simply said, "It''s okay, I''ll be going now." And for some reason, I answered with the name I managed to read on that drawing of hers: "Toshiro." Following that awkward call, the little girl went out, running away faster than the wind.


    As to what they were drawing and who the little girl was, it would sooner or later turn out to be Aoi Nakamura. She was the most extravagant little thing I could ever become friends with; you could say she was like me but with actual imagination and a talent for things.


    This little drawing still cracks a little smile on me every time I see it. ''Toshiro, the righteous dumb Oni!''