After struggling in that harsh world, the best students pass the entrance exams for universities worthy of being called “prestigious.” Then the game changes. Many are forced to realize that they have entered a world where people are no longer evaluated by grades but the question What have you achieved?

Those who can adapt to the sudden paradigm shift and new environment do. Obey the rules. Search for the loopholes. Sneer at the guidelines despite being bound by them. In the end, everyone learns that rules are necessary to make the system run smoothly.

Freedom without laws means anarchy; laws without freedom means tyranny. So as much as they hate restrictions, they fear unlimited freedom.

He failed to understand people who came late to class. He couldn’t see the value of people who drank themselves into oblivion. He couldn’t comprehend the sporty types who droned on about the power of the human spirit.

But when he encountered the Chicago school and saw how these works applied rationality to the relationship between rules and freedom, he was ecstatic. After all, it meant that he could stay on track as long as he played by the rules. He managed to exude the appearance of a diligent university student while hiding the fact that he was a nerd. In essence, that’s what it meant to be free within the confines of the rules.

As far as friends were concerned, he enjoyed hanging around with his high school buddies as well as a bunch of kindred spirits he met in college. This was his moratorium until he went out into the world, although he still made sure to improve himself and develop connections. Naturally, he invested in his human capital by acquiring language skills and culture to a point. That plus his educational background, according to the theory of signaling, would project society’s ideal of a “good college student.”

Surprisingly, what people like him needed wasn’t actually talent; the most important thing was looking good on paper. In other words, recruiters preferred someone who passed the company’s exam with flying colors, came from a prestigious school, and was a familiar face to the interviewers. It was for precisely that reason that the headwind of the recession’s employment slump didn’t particularly blow against him.

After all, he was on his mark at a different starting line compared to everyone else. In truth, he had the advantage—this contest was completely rigged. From the get-go, it was only natural to visit alumni who came from the same alma mater. In fact, he’d gone so far as to accept invitations to grab a few drinks with the recruiters from human resources.

Now just imagine if someone on the employment side attended the same junior and senior high or was a graduate of his college. They would offer guidance about what qualities recruiters looked for at such and such company and how to present himself in the interviews.

As long as he combined his various connections and did decently in the interviews, he would have nothing to worry about. If he wasn’t too picky, he could get a job that put food on the table for sure. By obediently doing whatever he was told, he became a societal gear that performed well at a steady pace. Somewhere along the line, he began to view himself as a mature adult in that work setting.

Job satisfaction? Individuality? Creativity? He was a cog in society, and he could assert that the content of his work didn’t matter as long as he received fair compensation. From the company’s perspective, the ideal employee was required to complete assignments promptly while maintaining a level of quality appropriate to their salary. Adhering to the company’s philosophy in all things, the ideal employee would take initiative and search for ways to turn a profit. It wasn’t terribly difficult for him to adapt to life as a slave to corporate logic.

Heartless? Robotic? Callous? Impersonal? Concerns of that nature only troubled him in the very beginning. He was terrified of people who howled ingloriously or resorted to violence; it wasn’t possible for him to comprehend such disgraceful behavior. But with time, he acclimated. It was just like school.

Humans are creatures designed to adapt to change. When it comes down to it, conforming to the environment means assuming one’s assigned role—a guard acts like a guard, and a prisoner acts like a prisoner. The days passed uneventfully, alternating between work and hobbies. Naturally, work progressed efficiently. Following company directives and avoiding mistakes as much as possible were important to not let work cut into precious free time.

Consequently, by the time he entered his thirties, he not only was close to matching his parents’ income, but also had most definitely gotten on the promotion track. He was highly regarded for his devotion to the company and loyalty to the executives, and he climbed the advancement ladder in the human resources department. He even received a touchstone award as a section manager.

Yes, that’s right. I had an important job. There is absolutely no reason—none whatsoever—for a nun to stuff a spoonful of boiled vegetables down my throat. I’m being quite the gentleman, not even screaming at the top of my lungs to demand what right you have to call me “Tanya, dear.”

Growing impatient, he attempted to stand in order to launch his “why me” tirade. That was when it hit him. His head throbbed as unpleasant memories suddenly surfaced.

>>><<<

FEBRUARY 22, AD 2013, TOKYO, JAPAN

“Why? Why me?!”

Why? It’s obviously because your cost performance is abysmal! On top of that, you’ve been absent quite a lot. And as another nail in the coffin, I have a report from your direct supervisor claiming that you’ve taken out multiple cash advance loans of who knows how much. Plus, you adamantly refuse to see the occupational physician at every turn. In conclusion, it’s clear that you’re becoming a costly employee. More importantly, we can’t have you causing some sort of scandal and marring the company’s good name.

I’d love to ask you, Is there any reason we should keep you on board? But due to certain laws, I must conceal such sentiments deep within my heart and respond with as much tact as possible.

“You’ve already failed to complete your PIP twice. The company gave you a perfectly reasonable order to attend PIP completion training, but you refused. And you have numerous unexcused absences.” False courtesy? That’s just fine. It’s not prohibited by law. This is a for-profit corporation, not a charity for the societally inept. “That said, as you’ve contributed to our company for such a long time, I believe a voluntary resignation, rather than a disciplinary dismissal, would better serve both our interests.”

While this may be a huge waste of time, it’s still part of the job description.

“I’ve never had to go on client visits before! How the hell does that count as training?!”

“It combats deteriorating work results by helping supervisors understand sales representatives and find ways to improve their managerial practices. With that in mind, we felt it was necessary for you to undergo this training.”

Even if it’s all in a day’s work, this is still tiring. It’s an utter pain to deal with this endless parade of weeping and wailing employees who try to cling to us. If you think crying will change things, go for it. In some parts of the business world, that’s a valid tactic, but if you think it’ll work after calling me things like a “heartless monster,” “boss’s pet,” or “cyborg,” you’ve got another think coming.

I’ve always known that I wasn’t the best. Unable to compete with the geniuses and unable to match the gifted through hard work and dedication, my personality has grown utterly warped. I’m a mess of convoluted complexes.

Truly benevolent people are awe-inspiring. As far as hypocrisy is concerned, I have what society as a whole deems to be a healthy level, but knowing I’m insincere makes me scoff all the more.

Despite being self-aware about this—how ghastly I am—I still harbor the arrogant belief that I’m superior to the inept fool wailing before me. At least as far as cost performance is concerned, I’ve maintained superior results. So even though restructuring departments assigned for consolidation through layoffs is a pain, I take it seriously. From here, I should shoot straight up the ladder and land in the chair for director of human resources.

My life should have been fairly smooth sailing.

…Should have been.

After reflecting to that point, a rather unpleasant event resurfaces.

It’s said that humans are political animals by nature, but apparently the type of humans who get pink slips are animals who prioritize primal emotions over logic or commonly accepted taboos. When you get down to it, aren’t there more people who, unlike the “good” academic elite, act out their impulses? The director specifically warned me to watch my back at the station, but I couldn’t see what he was getting at.

Wham! Something slams into me. I fall from the platform in bizarre slow motion. The moment I see the train, my consciousness cuts off.