At Marukame, I deeply felt how much I was needed, how powerless I was, and how worthless I was.

I was needed because the stores were always short-staffed and could never fill all the vacancies;

I was powerless because I could never get support or recognition from the company;

I felt worthless because the company’s attitude toward its employees was always unilaterally tough. It always insisted on having things its own way, refused to communicate or compromise, and took the attitude that anyone who wanted to leave was free to do so.

As a full-time employee at Marukame, you had to know how to do everything and could not back down from any situation.

That was because there were pitifully few full-time employees at the stores,

and you were often the only person on-site who could take responsibility and handle problems.

I won’t deny that Marukame brought many people together and allowed me to meet so many colleagues. Marukame was so busy, and when things got hectic, it could leave you completely flustered.

Those who were willing to stay were people who genuinely liked being there.

Our shared goal was to keep the stores operating smoothly. Everyone looked after and helped one another through all kinds of difficulties, creating many deep bonds forged through shared struggles.

Every day, so many things happened—some absurd, some heartwarming, with both tears and laughter. There were always endless stories and topics to talk about, and the days passed by so quickly.

But I also won’t deny that at Marukame, I lost my own life. It felt as though my entire life was stuck in a quagmire. Whether I was off work or on vacation, my mind was filled with company matters. The messages never ended, and I had to check my phone every hour, afraid that I might miss even one important message.

Even when I took several consecutive days off to travel to another county, I couldn’t disappear—not even for a day. I had to remain on standby at all times.

If you didn’t reply to a message within two hours, you would be bombarded with calls.

If no one could reach you for an entire day, you were finished.

You would definitely be chewed out. Why couldn’t we get proper rest even when we were on vacation?

I often hid alone under my quilt and cried silently, for no particular reason.

Pressure came from the very top of the company

and pressed down layer by layer,

leaving people unable to breathe and utterly exhausted.

Even the most good-natured person would be driven to illness.

For many things, there was no clear right or wrong.

I don’t hate the people who scolded me; they had their own pressures to bear.

I don’t hate the people who misunderstood me; they had their own difficult obstacles to overcome.

Where there are many people, there are many disputes, and power can make people lose their way.

In fact, many of those who resigned wanted nothing more than dignity.

After saying all this, perhaps it won’t change anything.

I only hope that

the company will still put people first.

This was my first job—the job that gave me confidence and a sense of worth when I first entered society.

It also made me realize that I was still too young. Every day, I watched new and old employees come and go. Every day, I was exhausted both mentally and physically, giving up many things I wanted to do as time slowly slipped away, all for a collection of capital called “the company”?

Is the only goal in life really “money”?