これは経費で落ちません！
(Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen!)
by 青木 祐子 (Yuko Aoki)
Author: 青木 祐子 (Yuko Aoki)
Japanese Level: JLPT N2
Genre: Slice of life, business
Pages: 253
Amazon Japan Kindle: これは経費で落ちません! ~経理部の森若さん~ 1
Bookwalker Japan: これは経費で落ちません! ~経理部の森若さん~ 1
Japanese Summary
森若沙名子、27歳、彼氏なし。入社以来、経理一筋。きっちりとした労働と、適正な給料。過剰なものも足りないものもない、完璧な生活をおくっている、はずだった。最近、そんな気配のなかった同期に恋人ができて、少し迷いが生じている。ある日、営業部のエース・山田太陽が持ち込んだ領収書には「4800円、たこ焼き代」。経理からは社内の人間模様が見えてくる？
English Summary (translation by Japanese Talk Online)
Sanako Moriwaka, 27, single. She’s been in financer ever since she joined her company. It’s a precise job with a reasonable salary. There is no room for excess or left-overs, it should be a perfect life. Her coworker in the same year just got a boyfriend and Morikawa has started to feel lost. Then the star of the sales team, Taiyo Yamada, comes in with a receipt for 4,800 yen worth of takoyaki. Could this reveal a problem with the people in the company?
Why You Should Read これは経費で落ちません！
Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasenn! is written like a Japanese mystery, only instead of Morikawa solving a new mystery or murder with each chapter, she has to solve account anomalies. That might sound boring, but I promise it’s not! Morikawa isn’t looking into the maths but the people working at her company. The story focuses on character interactions, office politics, and Morikawa trying to navigate the company’s policies.
This novel feels more like a light slice of life rather than a deep or complex mystery. The groundworks for a potential romance are also laid, which I assume will be explored more in future novels. So if you like this novel and want more there are 11 of them (for now)!
Why Japanese Learners Should Read これは経費で落ちません！
The business and accounting Japanese makes this a great book for N2 level Japanese. I would recommend it for high N3 level or N2 learners who want to practice more business oriented Japanese.
The sentences aren’t difficult, although understanding the business politics can be a challenge.
As I mentioned, there are a lot of books in this series, meaning you can get a lot of good practice if you decide to read them all.
Summary
This is a low-stakes mystery with a business theme. The story itself isn’t deep or complex, or as drama filled as わたし、定時で帰ります (Watashi wa Teiji de Kaerimasu), but it is a fun, quick read.
You can try reading a sample here!
Similar Books You Might Like
The Thrills and Horrors of Overwork in Japan – わたし、定時で帰ります (Watashi Teiji de Kaerimasu)
A Simple and Sweet Slice-of-Life – 八丈島と、猫と、大人のなつやすみ (Hachijojima to, Neko to, Otona no Natsuyasumi)
Sweet Treats in Fushimi Kyoto – 京都伏見のあやかし甘味帖 (Kyoto Fushimi no Ayakashi Amamijo)