" Mr.Nijo!"

Kanabe flicks his eyebrows in retort to the voice calling his name.

"Have you completed the applications from yesterdays sales?.."

Kanabe turns around to see the body to match the voice, its his direct manager. Mr.Kang.

Short and almost unseen by many in the store, its actually do to his height. Literally noone can see him coming or going.

"Ahh. uhhh. Yes, i have them here Sir..everything you requested from Mrs.Aida to Mr.Xiang. Is there anything else i can do for you sir?"

Kanabe said with his hands planted to his kakhis and bead of sweat interfearing with the trim of his glasses.

"No Mr.Nijo....that WILL be all."

Wanutabe Kang, short and with real emphasis for the unesessary words in every day life.

Soon enough the day dragged on like every other, clients coming and going, Kooru glaring at Kanabe through the kiosk - giving him grins and slapping $1500 sales reciepts against the glass to show some superiority or something, well lets be honest...it was bullying.

" ahh, i really have to get home and get ready for 10, im not in the mood for Oshiro to point of the obvious today"

~~

Bing Bing

A voice over the loud speaker was heard throughout the departments

" It is now 9pm, the store is now closed."

Kanabe with almost next to no applications, grabbed his leather pack - slid whatever he had on his desk into it and fled from the appliance department.

" wow now Nijo..how many sales did YOU do today?"

Kooru steps from around the corner of the wall into the entertainment department.

"....." Kanabe stood still in silence as he looked at Kooru.

"yeah i thought so, i did a ton of sales today..employee of the month is already at home base." Kooru began to walk away laughing.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Kanabe stood there with what was left of his sanity and just as he turned his head to walk forward - Kooru snapped his head around abruptly and laughed even harder with an unsettling grin.

" i swear, sometimes that idiot looks like he has a Hanya Mask for a face.." Kanabe said standing in confusion.

~~~~~~~~~

9:40pm

huff huff ....huff...BAH

Kanabe was in his apartment wrestling a sweaty work shirt from his body.

"those....damn...trains..AGHH. Finally." He flung his shirt over to the hamper and quickly wobbled into the bathroom.

" come ON Kanabe, hurry"

Kanabe fumbled around his sink cabinet for the cologne - he found it and spritzed himself - slid the small square bottle back into the cabinet and turns around to leave and on the way out catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the toilet...the stress from his day catches up with him, actually who is he kidding - the stress from his life caught up with him all at once. He sees himself all sweaty, overweight, out of breath and tired.

" i refuse to let those memories dwell" he says to himself. He takes a up and down scan of himself, takes a deep breath in..eyes closed. " mom, i know you are resting in peace but... please help me do something more with life, im slipping into a daily routine that i can't handle anymore, please - if you are listening, help me one more time."

He stands in silence filled with emotion and almost as if hes waiting for a response.

He opens his eyes - sighs and leaves the bathroom only to see that his clock says "10:09"

"oh no.."