Episode 1

**Assignment** (アサイン, *Asain*) is the first episode in the Salaryman's Club anime series.

## Overview

After getting fired from Mitsuhoshi Banking, where he played badminton, Mikoto Shiratori gets hired by Sunlight Beverage to work in sales and play badminton. He is unwillingly partnered with Tatsuru Miyazumi in both work and badminton. Mikoto hasn't played doubles since an incident at the interhigh tournament in high school, but after losing a singles game against Miyazumi, he reluctantly agrees to partner up.

## Synopsis

The episode begins with Mikoto Shiratori playing a singles match in a tournament for Mitsuhoshi Banking. While he is playing, he thinks about how he'll be fine as long as he wins this rally. There is a flashback to Hajime Masatoki, his coach, attempting to fire him and agreeing to let him stay on the team under the condition that he produces results in the next tournament. Mikoto loses the rally when he goes to jump backwards and can't. There is a brief flashback to his high school tournament where is standing over his injured teammate. He subsequently loses his job.

The scene then changes to Kyoto in March and Mikoto is standing at a train station holding a paper bag with flowers in it. On the train, he has a flashback to his send off from Mitsuhoshi, where an unnamed Takuma Kirishima hands him the flowers and whispers "Loser" in his ear while everyone else watches. the flowers are then seen in the trash can back at the Kyoto train station. On the train, Mikoto pulls out his lunch and proceeds to douse it in Chili Oil, eat it ravenously and then chug a Natto Cola. His mother calls and tells him not to expect to stay at her house if he comes back because she has gotten a pet iguana, Micchan, who now lives in his old room. As they're talking, she walks over to look at his old trophy case and there is an old photo of him in middle school standing with someone else that is obscured by the lighting. She suggests that he try playing doubles again and he refuses and then hangs up on her.

Immediately after hanging up, Mikoto gets a call from an unknown number.

The next scene shows Urawa in April, and Mikoto explains that the phone call was an offer from the coach of Sunlight Beverage's corporate team. On his way to his first day, his mother texts him to remind him to wear a necktie and he has to go buy one from a Familiar Mart. As he continues his way to work, he passes a man in a suit passed out in a playground. The man asks Mikoto to get him a bottle of water and in return ties Mikoto's tie in a more interesting knot for him. Mikoto runs off after realizing he is going to be late.

While being introduced to the rest of the Sales Department, his new coworkers all look at him with confusion and one (Koki Takeda) is even laughing under his breath. A woman points out his tie, which is then shown to be tied in a weird way and everyone laughs at Mikoto's confusion. The man from the park walks in and apologizes for being late. he revealed to be Tatsuru Miyazumi, the top salesman and Mikoto's sales partner, as well as a fellow badminton player. Miyazumi takes him on a tour of the building, and Mikoto expresses confusion at not needing to go practice. he is introduced to the planning department where he runs into Toya Saeki, a teammate from high school. Toya asks Mikoto if he's still not over what happened at the interhigh. After Mikoto expresses more confusion at not getting to practice, Miyazumi explains that practice doesn't start until 4pm.

The scene changes to a car where Miyazumi recounts all of Mikoto's mishaps throughout the day: he forgot his business cards, got a client's name wrong, and he doesn't have a license. Mikoto says that it doesn't make sense that practice starts in he evening. He starts to talk about what it was like at Mitsuhoshi but Miyazumi interrupts, saying that that's just what the rules are at Sunlight. Mikoto says that he won't slack off in practice but he has no intention of making friends. Miyazumi reminds him that coordinated play between pairs in what achieves results, both in work and badminton, and Mikoto insists that he doesn't play doubles.

Mikoto is horrified to learn that they practice at an elementary school. He meets with Toya again outside the school and a child tells them they're weird for coming to an elementary school. In the locker room, Toya makes fun of the way Mikoto had tied his tie that morning and it is revealed that Takeda sent a picture and is also on the badminton team. Toya explains that he and Takeda are a doubles team, which Takeda calls the "Taketo Pair". In the gym, Mikoto is introduced to Sota Saeki and discovers that he's Toya's brother, plays singles, and has also received the picture of Mikoto in the tie. He also meets the coach, Yasuomi Ono, who looks around and wonders where the other half of his pair is. Upon Mikoto's confusion, he explains what a doubles team is. Miyazumi once again shows up, apologizing for being late and then tells Mikoto that they are a pair in both work and badminton. It is revealed that the coach purposefully didn't tell Mikoto that he hired him to play doubles in order to make sure Mikoto joined the team. Mikoto says he doesn't want to play doubles and Miyazumi tells him to beat him at singles if he doesn't want to play doubles. The deal they agree to is that if Mikoto wins a one-game match, he will be allowed to play singles, but if he loses, he will become a pair with Miyazumi.

Miyazumi serves first and Mikoto observes that his shots are heavy. Miyazumi gets the first seven points and from the sidelines, Takeda observes that Mikoto isn't able to do anything against his power. Toya explains that it's actually just Mikoto's style and that he's observing Miyazumi's body movements. On the next rally, Mikoto thinks, "I see it" and then is able to predict Miyazumi's movements and where the shot will go. The coach explains to Takeda and the others that Mikoto's greatest weapon is his "foresight" which means that he is exceptionally good at observing other people's subtle movements and predicting what they'll do. The score is then shown to be 11-8 in favor of Mikoto. Miyazumi then begins to counter Mikoto's foresight. He adjusts his form from a straight shot to a cross shot at the last second and the coach explains that while his foresight is a great weapon, it's also a big gamble and that his ability is actually more effective when he plays doubles because he doesn't have a partner to cover for him when he loses the gamble. In the rally, Mikoto goes to jump backwards and the flashback to his injured teammate in high school is shown again. Mikoto loses the rally and his teammates are confused because it was not a difficult shot to return. After a rally where Miyazumi dove for a shot, Mikoto asks him why he feels the need to play so recklessly and Miyazumi responds, "You lose when the shuttle hits the ground." The score is shown to be 17-16 in favor of Mikoto. Mikoto observes with some surprise that Miyazumi is a really strong player and the score is shown again, this time 19-20 in favor of Miyazumi. During the next rally, Mikoto thinks that Miyazumi is a tough opponent but that he would make a great teammate. Mikoto loses the rally and also the game (19-21). Miyazumi says that he could tell that Mikoto likes doubles just from playing against him. He then reminds Mikoto that because he lost, they're now partners.

On the walk home, Miyazumi muses on possible nicknames for their pair (i.e. Miyashiro Pair, Tatsumiko Pair, or Mikotatsu Pair). Mikoto tells him that he hasn't accepted that they're a team and Miyazumi reminds him that he lost. Miyazumi says he'll teach Mikoto the joys of being a "Badaryman" which he explains as, "Sometimes he's a corporate warrior! Other times he's a badminton player! A superhero who paves the way to the future with suits and shuttlecocks!" Mikoto asks why Miyazumi is following him and calls him a stalker and Miyazumi points out that the building they are standing next to is Sunlight Beverage's dorm building. Mikoto is horrified to learn that he lives in the apartment (103) directly below Miyazumi (203).

In the after credits scene, Miyazumi is once again in the park, this time around sunset. He asks a child there what he's doing since it's past the hour that kids should be home. The child says "Don't worry about me" and then asks what Miyazumi's bag is for. Miyazumi takes out a racket and a shuttle, explaining that it's badminton and asks if the child wants to try. The child says sure and asks who Miyazumi is. Miyazumi replies, "Me? I'm a superhero who paves the way to the future with suits and shuttlecocks. I'm a Badaryman!"

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Mikoto Shiratori
* Hajime Masatoki
* Takuma Kirishima
* Mikoto's Mother
* Micchan
* Tatsuru Miyazumi
* Koki Takeda
* Toya Saeki
* Sota Saeki
* Yasuomi Ono