2-1 One Month After Joining the Company

— Learning the Work of a Travel Planner —

My First Month Begins

Right after the president finished introducing everyone, Sensei immediately began explaining the laptop on my desk. Although he was about the same height as me, standing next to him felt strangely intimidating—perhaps because of his solid build.

With his round, adorable fingers tapping the keys, he explained each screen carefully as one after another appeared before me.

After that, Heidi taught me where the supplies were kept, how to use the copier, and other basics. Before I realized it, it was almost lunchtime.

Then Heidi said:

“From this afternoon until the end of the month, this will be your daily study schedule.” “Maru-san is expecting a lot from you, so he made it a super intense timetable.” “Do your best.”

She handed me two A4 sheets.

And so, starting from the very first afternoon of my first day, I found myself endlessly staring at piles of documents and the glowing screen of my laptop.

But— it became a wonderful month.

A Month Filled with Learning

Every morning, a memo with the name of that day’s trainer was placed on my desk.

“9:00–12:00: Sake-shō-san” “13:00–14:00: Heidi” …and so on. Each day, from start to finish, someone was assigned to teach me.

No matter how busy they were, as soon as their time came, they would come to my desk to give additional explanations or resolve my questions.

When no one else was in the office, I learned all kinds of things about Asakusa:

– from Heidi: about delicious cakes hidden in back alleys – from Sake-shō-san: the must-visit izakaya in Asakusa – from Sensei: secret stories about the Asakusa off-track betting area

(Though I later learned that Sensei only buys betting tickets at the actual racetrack.)

By the time the “super intense timetable,” as Heidi called it, finally ended, I felt as though—at least in knowledge—I had become a proper employee of a travel company. And I also felt like I had truly become part of this team.

Watching Sake-shō-san, Heidi, and Sensei working busily around me, I wanted to shout:

“Thank you!” from the bottom of my heart.

A Question From Maru-san

“Tabina-san.”

Maru-san’s usual gentle voice called me.

I turned—and couldn’t help crying out:

“Maru-san, what’s happening!?”

Behind him, I could see a yellow aura.

“Nothing’s happening,” he said. “I was the one who was surprised.”

Everyone else had stopped working and was staring at me, startled by my shout.

“Tabina-san, regarding the travel plan for ‘Journeys into Japanese Culture and Traditional Crafts’— have you found a theme you want to pursue?”

Everyone returned to work as if nothing had happened.

“I don’t know anything about Japanese culture or crafts. I can’t do it yet.”

And as I spoke, I remembered:

Right. This was why I had come here. That feeling from the interview day returned to me.

“Please wait a little longer, Maru-san.”

“There’s no need to rush,” he said. “But keep searching. Always.”

“And one more thing— please call me ‘Maru-san’ or ‘Maru-chan.’”

His voice was still gentle, but stronger than usual.

“…All right. Maru-san.”

The yellow aura behind him had disappeared.