The Logmaster - Chapter 4

Just as Omiichi’s presence within the company began to grow, there was a man who looked at the change with bitterness.

 

Koji Iiyama, 46 years old. Title: Section chief.

 

They are the type of people who build their status not through ability but through internal politics and power harassment, and who satisfy their self-esteem by dominating and trampling on those in a weaker position than themselves.

 

For Iiyama, Ayumaru Omiichi had been a convenient punching bag and a perfect “burden” for many years.

 

However, recently, Omiichi has been performing his duties surprisingly smoothly, and even the female employees, such as Tomaru Shizuka, for whom Iiyama secretly has feelings, are beginning to rely on him.

 

This change fueled Iiyama’s warped sense of self-worth and jealousy.

 

Since then, Iiyama’s attitude towards Omiichi changed drastically.

 

It was no longer just the insidious harassment that had occurred up until now, but had escalated into relentless attacks based on clear hostility and malice.

 

“Hey Ayumaru, it’s you again! The cause of that bug the other day was a design error on your part. You caused a lot of trouble for the client. Write a letter of apology and submit it right now.”

 

Iiyama’s angry shouts echo through the office in the morning.

 

(No…! It wasn’t a design mistake on my part! Once again, it was Section Chief Iiyama who verbally forced me to make unreasonable changes to the specifications!)

 

Omiichi desperately swallowed the rebuttal that was rising to his throat.

 

He clenched his fists tightly and bowed deeply, biting his lip in frustration.

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

In the end, I couldn’t say anything more this time either and could only bow my head repeatedly.

 

I could feel my face twist in humiliation.

 

“Ayumaru, you do this for the whole day today.”

 

As soon as he said that, Iiyama roughly slammed a thick stack of papers onto Omiichi’s desk.

 

“I’ve got to digitize the project documents from the past five years. Scan them, give them names, and save them in the designated folder. It’s a simple job, but… it suits someone like you who’s only good at mundane tasks, right? I have high hopes for you.”

 

(…! Five years’ worth of work…?! No matter how you look at it, there’s no way one person can finish it today! And besides, this is outside of my scope of work. What are the other people in charge doing?!)

 

“I’m sorry, chief, but there’s no way I can get this much done by the regular time… and I have other work to do…”

 

“What?”

 

Iiyama glared at him.

 

“Don’t you have any motivation? Don’t get carried away just because you’ve been getting a bit better at your job recently. If you have the time to chat away with the female co-workers, hurry up and get your hands dirty, you useless piece of baggage… Ah, it was Omiichi-kun.”

 

Iiyama purposely mispronounces his name and then mockingly corrects him.

 

A sadistic smile played on his lips as he looked down at Omiichi with scornful eyes.

 

Boiling rage made Omiichi feel as if the bl00d was rushing backwards throughout his body.

 

Desperately trying to stop his vision from turning bright red, he somehow managed to contain his trembling fists.

 

Iiyama’s relentless attacks

 

–It had already gone beyond normal and turned into a malicious ritual that completely trampled on the dignity of the Omiichi.

 

He deliberately excludes Omiichi from important meetings.

 

He takes credit for the results that Omiichi has worked so hard to achieve and reports them to his superiors.

 

They exaggerate minor mistakes and yell insults at other employees in front of them.

 

He forces them to go to a drinking party, lectures them at length, and then takes pleasure in showering them with words that are tantamount to an insult to their character.

 

Iiyama’s power harassment escalated with each passing day.

 

Omiichi’s mind was now pushed to its limit.

 

I have lost my appetite and can barely sleep at night.

 

His haggard face was dark with bags under his eyes, his shoulders slumped, and his voice was getting quieter.

 

The opinions of those around him, which had finally started to improve, suddenly changed to whispers of sympathy and pity.

 

“Ayumaru-san… are you okay? You look pale. Please don’t push yourself too hard. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

 

It was Tomaru Shizuka who called out to me with a worried look on her face.

 

Her smile shows more pure kindness than anyone else’s.

 

However, even that kindness hurt Omiichi right now.

 

Because of Iiyama, even the time he spent having a casual conversation with her felt awkward and tainted with guilt.

 

(…Why? Why must I go through this…!)

 

That night, unable to sleep and with a depressed feeling, Omiichi reached for his smartphone.

 

I accessed the site as usual and devoured Iiyama’s “History” with boiling hatred.

 

Records of extramarital affairs, evidence of illicit fundraising, insults directed at subordinates…Iiyama’s ugly secrets and weaknesses were lying like a mountain.

 

But what do you do with them once you have them?

 

How can I use it to bring this guy down?

 

Should I anonymously report the matter to the company’s compliance office?

 

…It’s useless. If you sue without evidence, no one will listen.

 

If they’re not careful, the source of the information will be discovered, and Iiyama’s retaliation will only intensify. Even if you can peek through [History], you can’t directly change reality…

 

That sense of powerlessness only fuelled Omiichi’s hatred.

 

One late night, my anger reached its limit and mixed with despair and desire.

 

At that moment, I threw my exhausted body onto the bed and glared at Iiyama’s history on my smartphone screen with vacant eyes.

 

The device suddenly vibrates. LINE notification of new arrival

 

——The sender is “⭕️”.

 

“An extension has been added. You must unlock it to use it.”

 

(…Add extensions…? Remove limitations…?)

 

Omiichi reflexively returned to the site’s homepage.

 

Looking at the menu at the top of the screen, I notice a small “New” label flashing next to the “Guest” item.

 

I opened “Guest” with some trepidation.

 

This is the screen where your information is displayed.

 

Previously, it would have just displayed my profile and history, but now, below that, there are four unfamiliar buttons lined up in a row on a grey background.

 

[Add] [Edit] [Delete] [Operation] (All displayed in gray)

 

(…! What is this…? “Add”… “Edit”… “Delete”… “Operate”…?)

 

With trembling fingers, Omiichi touched the grey “Add” button on the far left.

 

A warning pop-up will then appear in the center of the screen.

 

“One chain is required to unlock the additional features. Would you like to use it? [Y/N]”

 

(“1 chain”…? The unit is a chain… what does that mean? Is it a price… a risk… or is it just a points system?)

 

Confused by the unfamiliar unit notation, I think about the meaning of the word “addition.”

 

(…It’s not just about viewing history. It allows you to directly and actively intervene in other people’s lives…or rather, your own life?)

 

It was as if Omiichi’s hatred had reached its peak, awakening a new power dormant within the site.

 

(What if… what if, with this power, I could ruin Iiyama’s life…?)

 

Unknown functions, unfamiliar units. Is it a warning of some kind of danger? Or is it a kind of skill release in a game?

 

Omiichi’s fingertips hesitated intensely. With unknown power comes unknown risk.

 

–Reason sounds the alarm.

 

But the images of Iiyama’s mocking face, the countless insults he had hurled at him, and his own haggard, pitiful appearance reflected in the mirror flashed before his mind…

 

There is nothing left to lose now.

 

“……ask……!”

 

With a feeling of semi-desperation and prayer, Omiichi made up his mind and tapped [Y].

 

The next moment, the background color of the [Add] button displayed on my information screen changed from gray to bright green.

 

The other Edit, Delete, and Operation buttons remain unchanged.

 

(…Has it been lifted…? Now…)

 

Just as I had that thought, the LINE notification sound rang again. The sender was “⭕️”.

 

『Help has been updated.』

 

I hastily opened the “Help” menu and found a new item added below the previous explanation.

 

📝Tap the [Add] button next to each name to add one future event to the end of that person’s history.

 

・☑︎ Additional posts can be made up to three times per day.

 

・☑︎ You cannot add content that directly includes expressions that evoke “death”.

 

・☑︎ It is not possible to add events that are physically impossible in reality.

 

・☑︎ Posted content cannot be cancelled or overwritten.

 

・☑︎ The effect of the added history will be reflected in reality within 21 hours of posting.

 

When he finished reading the displayed terms of use, a smile that seemed to be a mixture of joy and madness appeared on Omiichi’s lips.