A 1 million JPY fine for a traffic accident!

My name is "Shigeru Nomura", and I am 46 years old and make a living by working as a warehouse worker.

"Ah, my back hurts..."

I don't particularly like this job, so I don't feel any sense of fulfillment at all...

But I have to work to make a living, so I have no choice.

The part-time job starts at 10 am, with a one-hour lunch break, and ends at 6 pm. The hourly wage is 1,000 JPY, so it's 7,000 JPY for 7 hours of work a day.

I work 4 to 5 days a week, so my monthly income is around 112,000 to 140,000 JPY.

Even though I live in a run-down apartment with a rent of 40,000 JPY, my life is barely getting by. The reason why I ended up like this was due to the decline in performance of the shipping company I used to work for.

About half a year ago, my boss told me...

"The performance has been bad... I don't want to say this, but we have no choice in order for the company to survive..."

"So, that's... "

"Thank you for your hard work so far..."

And so, I was suddenly fired, and since then I have been working as a part-timer. I really wanted to be a full-time employee, so I went to interviews at many companies, but there was no company that would hire me at my age.

My age also didn't help me get more shifts at my current job... I really wanted to work more...

Naturally, if I can't get more shifts, my income will be low.

"This is all I have left for the rest of the month... It's still tough with my current income... I need to find another part-time job for the night shift..."

And then one day...

I went to a pachinko parlor near my house to try and increase my dwindling funds.

However, the result was a crushing defeat!

I lost 30,000 JPY in just two hours.

"What should I do? It's still two weeks until payday... For now, I'll borrow some money from a consumer finance company..."

That's right, I don't have any savings, and whenever I run out of money, I borrow from a consumer finance company.

After borrowing money from the consumer finance company's ATM, just as I was about to head home...

A woman got out of the car that stopped in front of me.

(Wow~! She's sexy... Is she a delivery health worker...?)

When I looked inside the car, there was only one man driving.

(No mistake, that's a delivery health car... Wait a minute...? Come to think of it, I can work during the night shift when I'm free, can't I...?)

I knew about the delivery health driver job from before, but I had hesitated to apply because I somehow had a scary image of it.

But now that my wallet is in a pinch, I can't afford to be picky.

I was so curious that I decided to look up the job listings.

I found out that many stores were hiring.

(Hmm, there are no particular qualifications, and anyone over 18 with a driver's license can apply... The hourly wage is 2,000 JPY at the highest-paying places... You get paid more if you bring your own car... The daily wage is over 15,000 JPY... That's amazing... Oh! Some places even offer a daily payment system! That's a lifesaver! And many stores also welcome applicants over 40...)

In general, being over 40 can be a disadvantage when looking for a job, but it seems that the sex industry is different.

Depending on the type of store, there are also many places where the delivery health workers are in their 30s and older, so it seems that drivers who are relatively calm and collected are preferred.

(Alright! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'll apply to this store with good working conditions!)

Going for an interview

A few days later, I went for an interview.

"Are you familiar with the area, Nomura-san? Are you okay with driving?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I used to work for a shipping company, so I'm used to it."

"That's good. So, how many days a week can you work? Do you have any preferred days?"

"I have a warehouse job during the day, so some days I can't work, but I'm always free from night time onwards, so any day is fine with me."

"I see. Okay, can you start tomorrow then?"

"Yes, that's fine."

And just like that, I was hired on the spot, and after that, the manager explained the things I needed to be aware of and made me sign a pledge. It was written in small letters, but I didn't read it all.

The most important things were that private conversations and exchanging contact information with the delivery health workers were prohibited, as was socializing with them outside of work. If they asked me for something, I was always supposed to get permission from the manager first. If I broke these promises, I would be fined 1 million JPY.

(A 1 million JPY fine... I really need to be careful and make sure I don't break the rules...)

First day of work

And then, the first day of work finally arrived. On this day, a senior driver, Murata-san, was assigned to teach me the ropes.

"Please take care of me, Murata-san."

"You too."

Murata-san is a full-time employee, not a part-timer. By the way, there are no full-time drivers, and it seems that full-time office workers sometimes do driving work as well when there are not enough drivers.

"Is this Nomura-san's car?"

"Yes, it is."

"It's a kei car..."

"Yes, is that bad...?"

"No, it's actually perfect for this job. Kei cars are fuel-efficient and easy to maneuver."

"I'm relieved to hear that..."

At this store, gas money is provided, but car maintenance costs are paid out of pocket.

"By the way, have you heard that it's strictly forbidden to make a move on the delivery health workers?"

"Yes, the manager told me."

"Be extra careful. Don't randomly start conversations with them, and absolutely do not exchange contact information."

"Y-yes..."

"There was a driver before who broke this rule, and he was not only fined but also beaten up and disappeared."

"Eh!? What happened to him!?"

"I don't know..."

(Oh crap, I'll be extra careful...)

Just then, the first delivery health worker I would be driving arrived.

"Please take care of me."

"Ah, you too."

(Wow~, she's dressed so provocatively... Whoa! Dangerous! Dangerous! Don't look at her like that...)

"Okay, let's go."

"Nomura-san, before we go, check the traffic congestion information on the navigation system."

"Eh? Ah, yes..."

"If we don't arrive on time, it'll cause a lot of trouble, so try to choose a route with less traffic."

"Y-yes, I understand..."

After checking the traffic congestion information on the navigation system and setting the route, we were off!

"Let's go!"

After dropping off the delivery health worker at the hotel, it was time to wait.

"Look, the car parked behind us is also a delivery health driver."

"How do you know?"

"Haha, anyone who puts their feet on the dashboard while sleeping in the car in the red-light district is probably in the same line of work as us."

"I see. But what should I do while waiting?"

"You can do whatever you want. Some people play mobile games or watch videos, while others take a nap. Just make sure you don't sleep too deeply so that you can respond immediately in case of an emergency."

"I understand."

"But the good thing about this job is that you still get paid during the waiting time."

"That really helps..."

During the day, I work as a warehouse worker and come home exhausted every day, but with this job, I get paid just for sitting in the car and keeping quiet. I can't ask for anything more.

After 90 minutes, the delivery health worker returned, and I drove her back to the office, ending my first day of work.

"Good job on your first day. Here's your pay for today."

"Thank you."

"Today was your first day, so it was a short shift, but from tomorrow onwards, you'll receive a proper daily wage."

"I think I've got a hang of the flow now. Basically, I just need to send the delivery health workers from the office to the customers, right? And sometimes I also need to send the delivery health workers back to their homes after work or pick them up from their homes before work, right? Well, just tell me what to do, and I'll follow your instructions."

"Okay, I understand. I think I've also gotten a feel for the atmosphere."

Driving alone

From the next day onwards, I started driving alone.

(Alright, I think I'll be able to arrive on time.)

In this job, punctuality and safe driving are of utmost importance. If we don't arrive as scheduled, it could lead to cancellations, which would be a big problem.

During the waiting time, I try to take a short nap to relieve the fatigue from the daytime work. However, I always keep my phone in my pocket so that I can respond immediately if something happens.

Thanks to this, I've been able to manage quite well.

(Alright, the delivery health worker has also arrived safely, so I can sleep for about an hour.)

After continuing this job for a while, I realized that there are various types of delivery health workers. Some are polite, while others are rude.

"Hey, old man! Make sure you arrive on time! Do you understand!?"

"Y-yes..."

Since this is a job that involves interacting with people, I've learned to just accept it and move on.

Among them all, driving Yuri-san was a healing experience.

"Thank you for always taking care of me. Driving must be tough, right?"

"I-it's fine. I'm used to it..."

Yuri-san is the cutest and has the best personality among all the delivery health workers. She's the top earner at the store.

(I wonder how she became such an angelic person...)

Whenever I drove Yuri-san, I always felt happy.

A few months later

A few months later...

As I continued working as a delivery health driver, I began to understand the pros and cons of this job.

The daily wage system is great because I get paid immediately, and I can use the waiting time freely. Thanks to this, I can take a nap during the waiting time and recover from the fatigue of the daytime work.

And it's like heaven to be able to get paid even while napping.

The only downsides I can think of are the long working hours and the fact that my car gets dirty since I'm using my own vehicle. For example, there are times when cigarette butts or makeup stains end up on the seats.

But little by little, I started to feel a sense of fulfillment in this job where I could earn a high income depending on my efforts.

"We've arrived, Mika-san!"

"Thanks!"

Just as Mika-san was about to get out of the car...

When I looked at the rearview mirror...

(Woahhhh~! I almost got a glimpse of her panties! No, no... I mustn't! I mustn't! The delivery health workers are precious commodities, so I mustn't look at their panties...)

This day was Friday, the busiest day of the week.

Because of that, I didn't have any time to take a nap. I would drop off a delivery health worker at a hotel and immediately return to the office to pick up another one and repeat the process.

"We've arrived in front of the office."

"Okay, Yuri-san will be coming down now, so please take her to the ***Hotel."

"Yes, understood."

Soon, Yuri-san came down.

"You must be tired. Please take care of me."

"Ah, Yuri-san, you must be tired too. Let's go!"

And so, I set off towards the designated hotel, taking a route with no traffic jams...

However, since the location was quite far, and I was also tired from the daytime work, I ended up dozing off while driving.

"Red light! Red!"

"Huh!? Waaaaahhhhhh!!!"

"Kyaaaaaa!!!"

Crash!

I didn't notice that the traffic light at the intersection had turned red, and I collided head-on with a truck.

The car was badly damaged, but miraculously, both Yuri-san and I survived. However, we had to be hospitalized for a month.

Compensation for damages

Soon after being hospitalized, the manager came to visit me. I thought he would offer some kind words, but I was wrong.

It turned out that Yuri's one-month hospitalization was my fault, and I was told that I had to pay a fine equivalent to the amount she would have earned during that period.

The amount was a whopping 1 million JPY!!

When I asked why, they told me it was written in the pledge I had signed.

They showed me the pledge, and indeed, it was written in small letters at the bottom.

(You've got to be kidding me... I didn't read it properly...)

And so, after being discharged from the hospital, I paid the store with 200,000 JPY from my savings and borrowed the rest from a consumer finance company.

Of course, I was fired.

But I considered myself lucky that I didn't get physically assaulted.

Sigh~, it's back to square one again.

Conclusion

After being discharged from the hospital, Shigeru Nomura quit his daytime warehouse job and started working as a delivery health driver for a new store.