1 The Calm Before the Storm.

POV: Isozaki Izumi.

Date: 20th Nov – Thursday.

It all started on one boring day.

When Nao came to me and whispered in my ears saying, "I heard they are finally going to show who is going to get promoted tomorrow, I hope you get it this time." Then, he backed away and flashed a huge grin at me.

My coworker, friend, and roommate, Hisakawa Naoki, is a smart guy who was always able to give the best pieces of advice to major business problems.

He oversaw major new systems and successfully made them all under the budget, moreover, under the time limit which is pretty amazing and admirable in this field.

But rather than all his great achievements in the I.T field, his personality is what stands out the most.

He is what people like me, who have absolutely zero skills in being social, call a legend.

He always greets people with his huge dashing smile, his exceptional personality and his over the top handsomeness.

He and I have known each other ever since we were in high school, we went to the same university, were in the same dorm and eventually ended up being roommates somehow.

Even if our history together is so long, we only have exchanged conversations when it was absolutely necessary.

Not that I can blame Nao for that since it is my fault for always avoiding him whenever he tried to approach me.

I could never handle people of this type.

Popular yet kind and have all the things the world has to offer, good looks, a desirous position at work and more importantly, good income.

Even though I do not feel the least bit jealous of him, I sometimes find people comparing me to him.

We both started from the same spot but ended up in different positions, he is the section manager while I'm just a mere staff.

Not that it really matters to me since I do not like it when I'm in the spotlight nor do I really care about my position at this company.

Perhaps he succeeded more than me because he is the complete opposite of what I am, so he won't be aimless like me.

Strangely enough, we stayed as friends for this long, maybe it was because of how different we, so our interests never clashed together.

But now he is suddenly talking to me, the tech company that we work for, Miscul, have been in an uproar lately, and the reason for that is, the rumors of upcoming promotions for the current staff.

The purpose of these promotions is of course to improve the company, but it is too sudden and everyone thinks there is another hidden reason for that.

None of that is really any of my concern, I would be happy to be promoted since that means more income, but I have never shown a real interest in it.

And that is why when Nao suddenly came over to just state that, it felt weird.

I gave Nao a confused look, wondering why the sudden topic out of nowhere. I asked him, "Are you interested in that promotion, Nao?" That must be it, he really is the complete opposite of me, even though he already is in a high position at work, he still aims to be higher.

I guess this is what they call being ambitious.

Nao hesitated a bit before answering, I guess we didn't really talk much lately since my group's project is coming up, so it does feel a bit awkward for us to be chatting like this, "I am kind of interested who wouldn't be? But I really hope you get it … since you really deserve it. Your last project left me speechless!" Nao said.

I know Nao meant every word he had said, but to me, it all sounded sarcastic, like he was making a fool out of me by showing me his pity.

But I had known Nao for far too long to think of him like that, so I just smiled briefly at him before putting my left hand on his shoulder, as if I wanted to apologize for thinking of him like that, I told him, "No need to worry about me, I'm happy no matter what happens, sorry for making you worry like this. Since it's been awhile since we last talked, how about we have dinner together today? I'll bring chickens and beer."

A smile shined so brightly on his face, I do not know if this is his genuine smile and he is happy or he is just being considerate of me by showing it to me, he just said, "yeah, let us do that."

I do not know if he was happy or just surprised by my sudden invitation, but seeing him that happy made me feel fuzzy inside.

—

Later on, the chairman told us all to gather in the meeting room, with no previous notification.

The chairman, Hoga Miscul, was a humble, kind and sincere person. He's 76 years old, in other words, a grandpa but he managed to keep this company, Miscul, alive for countless years, he is a person that is worthy of admiration.

Rumor has it that he devoted his time just for the company, neglecting his duties to his family. But it is hard to believe that a kind, loving man like the chairman is that type, even if he was, by doing that, he managed to make Miscul alive which is totally worth that.

I, for one, am one of the many people who was saved by his kindness so it really is hard to believe he is that kind of person, in the first place.

The meeting started with the usual boring formalities, then the chairman stood up and started explaining the purpose of this meeting,

"I have asked of you to gather here today, for no other reason than to tell you about a great change that will happen to this company, Miscul. As you can see I am getting older day by day, but for such field staying up to date with new incoming features, new developments are a must. I will not be the wall that stands before our advancement instead, I want to be the one to put this company into the hands of the next generation. As of tomorrow, a new president would come to this company, he is a genius that will be able to pull this company further ahead than I can ever do. I hope that you all will heed to his commands, aid him when he needs you, be there for him in dire situations and help this company to grow more. Any further details will be relayed by my secretary on a later date. Thank you for coming here in your busy schedule, and I apologize for the sudden notice. You may leave early today."

I was shocked, speechless and blood rushed to my head hearing his speech, not only did he just announced his retirement but also, he showed his trust in the next CEO, I was burning with jealousy, just who was that person that the chairman had these high hopes for? I wanted to see them so bad.

Little did I know that this big change, was not a change for the company only, but a change that will completely turn my life around and the chairman's retirement would be the least of my concerns.

As this was the last day I live in as a human.

ψ End of Chapter One ψ