Honey Bee - Chapter 6

[bakemonoremy]

Location: Staff Canteen

- A few days later -

Kohaku: Hrmm~... Hrmmmmm~...

(It’s no good. I’ve been glowerin’ at HoldHands all this time, but everythin’ on there looks good, but also bad, in a way.)

Is this what’s commonly known as Gestaltzerfall*? Nah, maybe not…?

I don’t even know anymore! I don’t know anythin’! This world is chock-full of incomprehensible stuff~!

HiMERU: --You’ve been working hard, Oukawa. Do you mind if HiMERU sits with you?

Kohaku: Uwah!? HiMERU-han? When you called out to me from over my shoulder I got so startled I thought my heart was gonna jump right outta my throat!

HiMERU-han, are you aboutta eat lunch? If you’re fine with sittin’ at the foot of the table, go right ahead ♪

HiMERU: --HiMERU is sorry for startling you. Thank you for the seat. HiMERU is going to have the same daily special that Oukawa is eating, then.

Just going to open HoldHands and order -- There. How convenient.

Kohaku: HiMERU-han, how’d you know I was sittin’ over here anyway? Even though it’s so packed in here durin’ lunchtime.

HiMERU: Fufu. When HiMERU came to the canteen to have his lunch, he overheard Oukawa yelling from over here. HiMERU could tell right away that it was you.

Kohaku: Eh, was I bein’ noisy!?

HiMERU: Oh, you didn’t notice? You were making a real fuss ♪ The people around you are already giving you strange looks.

Kohaku: Aah… You’re right. How embarrassin’. To think I didn’t even notice what was goin’ on around me…

HiMERU: --It only goes to show how serious you are about this. In any case, from your reaction, HiMERU guesses that you have yet to find a job that stands out to you.

How is your progress? HiMERU would like to hear all about it.

Kohaku: Aah, well... I’ve sent out tons of applications since then and all, but…

Those led to some negotiations? And I’ve had a rough goin’ of it…

HiMERU: --Hmm. What do you mean by negotiations?

Kohaku: Ah, I wasn’t makin’ unreasonable demands or anythin’.

Every job has pros and cons in their terms, and I was just tryin’ to change some of the cons into pros for us…

But they seemed to take offense at all that.

I was just tryin’ to offer a counter proposal, y’know? I wonder why they wouldn’t accept my suggestions…

HiMERU: --A counter proposal means compromising and conceding things. HiMERU supposes that this means the other side has no intentions of meeting us halfway.

Kohaku: I guess you’re right. Sigh…

Negotiations exist so both parties can sound out each others’ real intentions, right? I’m good at readin’ adults’ faces. Well, I guess that’s due to the environment I was raised in.

But when I speak my mind it just causes offense, and on the other hand, to give in means to lose… So in the end, every single job I had my eye on fell through durin’ negotiations.

Now I’m back at square one, and lookin’ for job postings again.

HiMERU: Hmm. So that’s how it went.

--Negotiations are no easy feat. And it’s difficult to do them just by reading the other person’s expressions.

Their viewpoint, the times, the circumstances, their behaviour. You must pay attention to all of these things as well.

Kohaku: It’s a mighty tough world out there… I was way off, thinkin’ “There’s good people everywhere ya look”... Actually, there ain’t a good person to be seen anywhere.²

Niki: Hey~, sorry for the wait~. One daily special for HiMERU-kun, right?

HiMERU: --Thank you very much.

Kohaku: Oh, so you’re part-timin’ here today? You’re quite the eager beaver.

Niki: It’s my life’s work after all ♪ And it rules, ‘cause I get to use the kitchen here as much as I like, and I get a share of the ingredients so I never miss a meal ♪

I’ve decided to live and die in the kitchen!

Kohaku: ...The longer I’ve known you, the more it’s beyond me why you’re even an idol.

Niki: It’s completely beyond me too!

Anyway, you two sure seem down in the dumps. Ah~, it must be ‘cause you’re hungry! If you want, I can whip up a real feast³ for you~!

Kohaku: Uweh… Nah, no need. I couldn’t eat another bite. Niki-han, don’t just assume that people are gloomy ‘cause they’re hungry. That only applies to you.

HiMERU: --Aah, you came at a good time. Let’s do some reconnaissance ♪

Shiina, how is Amagi’s job search progressing?

Niki: Hmm? Ah~, is this about the contest? To be honest, we haven’t decided on anything yet.

Kohaku: Whaaat? What the heck, after he talked himself up mighty big, too.

...Oho. So even for the great Rinne-han, findin’ a job ain’t a cake walk?

Niki: Hm~... Actually, it’s more like Rinne-kun is procrastinating. We talked about it two days ago--

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*Gestaltzerfall refers to a psychological phenomenon where if you stare at a kanji (which is made up of several smaller shapes) for too long, the shape seems to “decompose into its constituting parts”. Like how when you hear a word so often it starts to lose its meaning.

² This references his Idol Story, where he uses the expression “渡る世間に鬼はない” (lit. there are no demons in the world). This time he corrects himself, saying there’s nothing but demons here.

³ The (probably idiomatic) expression he uses is the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast which consists of over 300 dishes served over the span of three days, including monkey brain, leopard fetuses, peking duck and camel’s hump among lots of others.