Chapter 2

It appeared abruptly.

On a global scale, simultaneously and in multiple locations—

In the world of stories.

A figment of imagination.

—People called it a "Dungeon."

A spacious and clean floor.

Hanging from the ceiling is a large monitor.

It displays the number of incoming calls, the number of people currently handling calls, and the number of people waiting to be called—commonly known as "waiting calls."

The number of incoming calls is 117.

25 people are currently handling calls.

There are 61 waiting calls.

31 calls are on hold, and it's clear that the response is far from adequate.

This is the customer inquiry service center of a major telecommunications company, one of the three largest carriers in Japan, with roots in the pre-war Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

People call it a call center.

I currently work there as a temporary employee.

I prepare documents to relay customer requests to upper management.

This process is called escalation, but it is quite time-consuming.

After all, while it's not a problem to input data into a computer while taking calls, the outdated method of submitting paper-based reports to upper management is still used.

Once everything is completed and placed in the designated box, I return to my seat.

Incidentally, during the time I am away from my desk to place the escalation documents in the box at the corner of the room, many calls come in.

As the number of waiting calls increases, the supervisor, known as an SV, will look at the monitor hanging from the ceiling and urge, "There are so many calls! Hurry up!"

I think to myself, "Why don't you take the calls yourself before urging us?" but I don't say it out loud.

Generally, it's better to maintain a good relationship with the supervisor, neither too close nor too distant.

People working in call centers often suffer from stress and eventually quit due to mental health issues.

This is a common phenomenon in the call center industry.

However, the hourly wage is higher than in other manual labor jobs.

After all, the toll is not physical fatigue but the invisible yet real mental strain.

Physical fatigue can be quickly healed, but mental fatigue is rarely resolved.

This is because modern society, especially in Japan, is a stress society with about 30,000 suicides per year.

However, this is changing recently.

"Hello, this is Nokomoko Call Center, receptionist Yamagishi speaking."

As I arrive at my seat and take a waiting call, I immediately use the standard greeting.

Some call center operators only state the company name when answering calls, but this is a poor strategy.

First, stating your name is a way to show the customer that you are taking full responsibility and will handle their issue with sincerity.

"The dungeon in Tama City, why can't mobile phones connect there?"

—The first words are a complaint.

First, it's important to let the customer express their frustration without arguing and to show empathy.

When end-users call, their anger level drops significantly if they feel that the call center operator understands their frustration.

—That's right.

Call center operators are the face of the company and also the human shields that absorb the unreasonable anger of end-users.

This is why operators in Japanese call centers often suffer from mental health issues and quit.

The essence of call centers is to use people as shields to meet excessive service demands, which is a distorted structure.

Therefore, the turnover rate in call centers is actually much higher than in caregiving jobs, which are known for high turnover.

Moreover, since temporary employees are the main workforce, dispatch companies take a significant cut each month.

For example, a job that should pay 400,000 yen might have 200,000 yen taken by the dispatch company.

Furthermore, while the company claims to cover insurance, the dispatch company actually takes the cut and still claims to cover the costs.

This makes one wonder what these dispatch companies think of people.

I arrive at work at 9 AM and leave at 5 PM.

I stand up from my seat to punch out at the time clock.

"Yamagishi!"

"Yes?"

Just as I was about to leave, the center manager, Kanbu, called out to me.

"Actually, the temporary employee who was supposed to start at 5 PM suddenly couldn't come in... Could you stay until 8 PM?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Great! Thanks a lot."

It looks like I'll be working an extra three hours.

Since I'm single, it's not a big issue to work overtime.

By the way, my contract was supposed to be renewed at the end of this month, but I haven't heard anything from the dispatch company.

"Manager, who was supposed to come in today but couldn't?"

"Oh, it's Sasaki."

—Sasaki.

I remember he boasted about commuting from Narita.

Come to think of it, he once said, "I joined the call center because the hourly wage is good, but it's mentally tough! I think being an adventurer would be easier."

I leave the call center room for a 10-minute break.

Outside the room, there are many lockers with numbers on the plates.

This is to prevent bringing mobile phones into the call center, a security measure.

I take the key from my suit pocket, open the locker, and retrieve my smartphone.

After stepping into the hallway, I call Sasaki.

After a few rings,

"Is that you, Yamagishi-senpai?"

"Yeah, it's me. You didn't come in today. Your absence has caused me to work overtime. The manager was angry."

"Ah—sorry about that."

"I don't know what your issue was, but you called me at the last minute to say you couldn't come in. Since we're temporary employees, we could be fired at any time, so it's important to be responsible."

Sasaki is a university student, 20 years younger than me. He's in his third year and said this was his first job. I understand he might not know the norms of the workplace, but I want him to improve since we're from the same dispatch company.

Besides, I was asked by the client company to support new employees, though I don't get paid for it.

"Senpai, didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Well—our dispatch company's CEO was arrested for tax evasion and received a business suspension order. There won't be a contract renewal..."

"Huh?"

I was momentarily stunned.

That's ridiculous! But it doesn't seem like Sasaki is lying.

"Anyway, I'm registering to become a dungeon explorer!"

"Ah, I see... Thanks for letting me know."

I immediately hang up the phone.

Then I call my dispatch company— "Hello, this is Crystal Group. How can I assist you?"

"Excuse me, this is Yamagishi Naoto. Could I speak to my supervisor, Katsuki-san, please?"

"Of course."

I waited for a few minutes, which felt like an eternity,

"Hello, this is Katsuki."

She's in her late 20s, and I can tell from her voice that she's quite tired.

"Excuse me, I heard from Sasaki that the company received a business suspension order for tax evasion?"

"That's correct. We are currently dealing with that—"

"What about the contract renewal with Nokomoko? Will it be automatically renewed?"

"Unfortunately, due to the business suspension order, the contract will end this month—"

"Does that mean—"

"I'm very sorry!"

I could hear Katsuki bowing on the other end of the phone.

"By the way, since it's near the end of the month, if the termination is due to company reasons, I believe the company will have to pay one month's severance allowance, right?"

"We understand. The payment will be made on the 25th of next month."

"I see..."

—All I can do is sigh.

It seems that at 41 years old, I will be unemployed next month.