The Dissolution of the Organization — The End of Dependency
本章は、単なる対決の場面ではありません。
それは、
•経験と制度
•人格と構造
•依存と自立
が正面からぶつかる瞬間です。
山下の言葉には、完全な悪意はありません。
桜子の論理にも、完全な安心はありません。
だからこそ、この場面は簡単に白黒をつけられないのです。
以下の設問は、出来事の確認だけでなく、
その背後にある構造を読み取るための問いです。
感情に流されず、しかし人間の揺れを見落とさずに、
丁寧に考えてみてください。
The air in Audit Room No. 1 was stretched thin.
No one moved.
Yamashita rose slowly.
“Dependency… is that what you call it?”
A faint smile crossed his lips.
But not his eyes.
“The floor has always depended on something.”
His voice was low.
“On materials. On humidity. On machines. No one moves without leaning on something.”
He took one step forward.
“I merely became what they leaned on.”
For a brief second, something tightened in Sakurako’s chest.
It wasn’t entirely false.
Two in the morning.
Humidity spiking.
The line trembling.
Someone had to go.
And it had been him.
“A perfect system?”
His voice sharpened.
“The floor doesn’t believe in perfection.”
And then, for the first time, his voice cracked.
Just slightly.
“Equations don’t come at two in the morning.”
A pause.
“I did.”
Silence.
“Again and again.”
That single line carried no doctrine.
Only exhaustion.
Sakurako’s fingers tightened against the table.
For a fraction of a second, doubt flickered.
Will it truly run without him?
Yamashita saw it.
“You see?” he said quietly.
“Even you hesitate.”
Her breath faltered.
“Remove me, then.”
His tone lowered.
“But remember this—
uncertainty does not disappear.
Someone must carry it.”
There was no lecture now.
Only a man who had carried too much—and refused to let go.
The room went still.
Then the Chairwoman spoke.
“It ends here.”
Her voice held no anger.
It was blade-flat.
“What you did at night may be true.”
A brief pause.
“But that is evidence of systemic failure—not personal heroism.”
Yamashita’s eyes narrowed.
“Organizations do not exist to depend on heroes.”
Another pause.
“A factory that stops without you has already stopped.”
The words were merciless.
“Effective immediately, you are dismissed.”
A beat.
“Legal proceedings for breach of fiduciary duty will begin.”
For the first time, Yamashita’s shoulders lowered—barely.
His voice did not break again.
But his breathing did.
He bowed once.
“…Do as you wish.”
He walked toward the door.
His back remained straight.
But something inside it was hollow.
The door closed.
No one spoke.
Sakurako’s hands were trembling.
This was not victory.
Nor was he right.
A central axis had been severed.
But the habit of leaning remained.
The empty chair felt heavier than before.
The Chairwoman spoke again.
“We begin reconstruction.”
Not a proclamation.
An instruction.
The king was gone.
Not a hero.
A dictator of tacit knowledge removed.
But now—
For the first time,
The organization would have to stand without an axis.
And that was a fear none of them had rehearsed.
Reading Comprehension Questions
The Dissolution of the Organization — The End of Dependency
⸻
Question 1
What does Yamashita mean when he says, “I merely became what they leaned on”?
(A) He believes the workers were incompetent.
(B) He claims he intentionally created a culture of weakness.
(C) He suggests he filled an existing need for stability on the factory floor.
(D) He admits he manipulated the production system for personal gain.
⸻
Question 2
Why does Sakurako hesitate for a brief moment during Yamashita’s speech?
(A) She realizes the data might be incorrect.
(B) She questions whether the factory can truly function without him.
(C) She feels sympathy for Yamashita’s personal struggles.
(D) She regrets sending the report to the board.
⸻
Question 3
How does the Chairwoman reinterpret Yamashita’s midnight interventions?
(A) As evidence of his exceptional leadership.
(B) As proof of his emotional instability.
(C) As a sign that the system itself was structurally flawed.
(D) As an unavoidable consequence of market pressure.
⸻
Question 4
Which of the following best describes the symbolic meaning of the “empty chair”?
(A) The loss of managerial authority within the company.
(B) The elimination of hierarchy in the organization.
(C) The absence of a central figure and the uncertainty that follows.
(D) The beginning of a more democratic leadership style.
⸻
Question 5
What is the central thematic conflict in this chapter?
(A) Personal loyalty versus financial performance.
(B) Tradition versus modernization in Japanese industry.
(C) Emotional leadership versus statistical analysis.
(D) Individual indispensability versus systemic independence.
お疲れさまでした。
この章で描かれたのは、「一人の解任」ではありません。
それは、
•中心の消失
•軸の切断
•そして組織の再定義
です。
あなたの職場には、
•「いなければ困る人」がいますか？
•その人がいなくなったら、仕組みは動きますか？
•それとも、空白が生まれますか？
組織が本当に強いとはどういう状態なのか。
依存は悪なのか、それとも一時的に必要な構造なのか。
ぜひ感想をお聞かせください。
この物語はフィクションですが、
問いは決して遠いものではありません。
あなたなら、この空いた椅子をどう扱いますか？
