I pried up the pull tab on the can, taking a sip of the happoshu. I tried to imagine how it might feel to be a personnel manager turned down by a hopeful student. It probably just meant that it narrowed down the pool of people they had to reject. Thinking about it that way made this a little easier. Just as I had finished draining the can, my vision began to swim. I could feel the alcohol buzzing in my skull. I did not even have to wonder if it was because I was tired. I leaned back into the chair and again looked up to the ceiling. The ceiling was still clean and white. I had once tried smoking a …‹‰ƒ”‡––‡ǡ„—–ˆ‘—†‹–†‹†ǯ–•—‹–‡Ǥ The thought suddenly occurring to me, I picked up my phone and sent Tousuke a text letting him know about my offer. Immediately, I got a reply ‘ˆǡDzǯ ”ƒ–œǨdzƒ†™ƒ•”‡Ž‹‡˜‡†–‘‘™–Šƒ––Š‡”‡™ƒ•ƒ–Ž‡ƒ•–•‘‡‘‡ could be myself around. I tossed my phone onto the desk and dazedly returned to the grind. Thinking about it, job hunting was all about pretending over and over ƒ‰ƒ‹‘––‘„‡›‘—”•‡ŽˆǤŠƒ–ǯ•™Š›™ƒ••‘–‹”‡†Ǥ However, I doubted that was merely an issue restricted only to job hunting. It was sure to continue into my professional life, and I would need to be even more cautious. I had tried to get some practice with this working part-time jobs, but it was nowhere on the same level. No one gets to live by their own principles once you become a working adult. Everyone has to suppress their true selves. Š—•ǡ–Šƒ–•‹’Ž‡Dzǯ ”ƒ–œǨdzˆ”‘‘—•—‡™ƒ•ƒ•‹‰–‘‡that I had cleared the first hurdleȄand that even more formidable obstacles awaited me ahead. I wondered if I should even be thankful for it. I emptied the can and retrieved another from the fridge. On the short trip back to the office, the overly chilled beer in hand, I staggered, slipping on a badly written CV that had fallen onto the floor. I picked up the CV that had attempted to wound me. It was distressingly smooth to the touch. I thought for a moment of throwing it away but instead returned to my desk and sat down, the book still in hand. I read over the tidy self-introduction and personal statement that had been written in ballpoint pen. Find meaning in your life by being helpful to every single person you meet, not just some theoretical individual.