Chapter 42: Volume 3 - CH 3

Chapter 3: Transfer

Ah, a big yawn. Then gulped down a can of coffee.

Yoshida-senpai’s never been the lively type of person, but today his eyes looked more dead than usual. He must be sleep-deprived.

Wait, is it even possible for someone like Yoshida-senpai, whose only hobby is sleeping, to be sleep-deprived? Looking back, it’s extremely rare for Yoshida-senpai to look so sleepy in the morning.

I wondered if something happened last night. Speaking of something…

“Mishima-kun.”

“Uh, yes?”

Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the shoulders which startled me. I turned around, careful not to let my annoyance at having my thoughts interrupted show on my face, and saw Chief Odagiri standing behind me.

“Did you finish what I asked you to do the other day?”

“Oh, I took care of it. I thought I’d email it once business hours start.”

When I replied, the Chief stared at me for a moment and then nodded several times.

“Oh, oh… I see I see.”

“What’s wrong, sir? Don’t you need it anymore?”

“Ah, no, it’s not like that.”

The Chief scratched his head and then continued to speak.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been less irresponsible lately.”

“Irresponsible, sir?”

“That’s right… Before, when I asked you for similar tasks, you usually wouldn’t finish them yet.”

“Ah, yeah… I see.”

When he told me that, I couldn’t help but admit it.

Certainly, I was that kind of person who was deliberately playing the “incapable employee” card.

“Of course, I’m glad that you did a good job. Email it to me later.”

“Ah, yes, sir! Will do.”

The Chief smiled and went back to his seat.

Thinking back, I felt that the Chief had not completely given up on my “I can’t do it” attitude, but had acknowledged that I was like that and had come to remind me of what I needed to do.

I felt a little bad about what I’ve done before.

Although it wasn’t yet time to start working, I opened up my company mail, quickly attached the documents, and started typing.

Since the day I first went to an izakaya with Yoshida-senpai and talked about our thoughts and opinions on work, he never allowed me to cut corners again. Yoshida-senpai used to take over my work as soon as he realizes that I couldn’t do it. But after our talk, he stopped accepting it until I did it properly.

As a result, my workload increased, but it hasn’t been as much of a burden on me as I thought it would be. In fact, I could say that it made me feel better mentally because I didn’t have to make myself look so low.

I emailed the document to the Section Chief with a brief, polite statement.

I laughed in my mind, thinking that it would have been unthinkable in the past to do something related to work before the start of the day.

I raised my head and looked at Yoshida-senpai. I saw his gaze drop to the lower left.

He’s fiddling with his smartphone again. For some reason, whenever he fiddles with his smartphone, he’s doing it under his desk.

It’s not like it’s forbidden, but I wonder if he feels guilty about it.

Anyway, it’s easy to tell when Yoshida-senpai is busy with his smartphone. Since his head is slightly protruding above the computer monitor, I can see if he’s looking at the screen or not.

There’s only one reason why he’d be so occupied with his smartphone. He’s texting with someone. And there’s an 80% chance that this “someone” is Sayu-chan.

That’s right. I still don’t have Yoshida-senpai’s contact info. I know that not being able to get in touch with him outside of the office is a serious handicap when it comes to romance, but this is Yoshida-senpai. If I simply ask him “Could you give me your number?” he’s the type of guy who would just say “Huh? There’s no need for you to contact me outside of work.”

If a woman asks for your number for no reason, don’t you usually try to figure out the reason why she’s asking for it or wonder if she’s interested in you? A guy who misreads things too much is annoying, but a man who’s clueless in that kind of situation is even more annoying. It’s so annoying.

What I can say for sure is that, whether you realize it or not, it’s easier to get close to people you interact with frequently. I feel like I’m stating the obvious here but I’m definitely behind Gotou-san and Sayu-chan in terms of intimacy. Especially compared to Sayu-chan.

They are always at home together, and when Yoshida-senpai’s at work they text each other. They are undoubtedly very close. Even though they are not a family, they have built a relationship that closely resembles one.

At this rate, it will be somewhat inconvenient for me if he continues that kind of relationship with Sayu-chan. I need to get his number as soon as possible.

“Okay, let’s start the morning assembly.”

An imposing voice echoed in the office and interrupted my thoughts. It was Gotou-san.

She usually speaks slowly with a calm voice but raises her voice at times like this.

At the sound of her voice, all the people in the office stood up.

Morning assemblies are held only at the beginning of the week. They are quite simple. We go over monthly reports and important announcements are made.

I stood up properly, thinking it would be over quickly, but something wasn’t right.

Among the representatives, there’s a guy from the HR department who never showed up at our office before. Next to him was a woman whose face I had never seen before.

“Well, before we go on with the usual process, I’d like to introduce you to an employee who has just been transferred here.”

The representative said in a relaxed tone, then whispered something to the woman standing next to him. He probably said, “Introduce yourself.” The woman gave a small nod and stepped forward.

“My name is Ao Kanda and I’ve just been transferred from the Sendai branch. I’ve never been here before, even on a business trip, so I don’t know the ins and outs. I’m hoping you can help me out. I look forward to working with you.”

She had curly, black hair, a well-proportioned nose, and a small mouth. From a woman’s perspective, she gave the impression of being creepily beautiful. And the way she spoke, she seemed to be completely comfortable with standing in front of people. I wondered if she had been transferred to a managerial position. But it’s unlikely since she’s too young.

“I’m going to join the Section Chief’s project as an assistant. Please don’t hesitate to ask for me if you need me.”

Her forthright self-introduction brought a small laugh to the office.

She didn’t seem to be in a managerial position but she was so confident. She was probably a person with great self-confidence but whatever the case, she felt like a strong woman.

I thought to myself, “I definitely don’t want to get involved with her,” while flashing a wry smile.

“Huh?!”

A high-pitched voice was heard and all eyes and ears were drawn to it.

It was none other than Yoshida-senpai. And then, the woman named Ao Kanda who was still standing in front also raised her voice.

“Huh…? Is that you, Yoshida?”

After she said that, the noise of people gossiping took over the office.

“What’s going on? Do you two know each other?”

When the representative asked Kanda-san with a smile, she nodded.

“He was my junior back in high school.”

“What are you doing here…?”

Yoshida-senpai said, visibly surprised.

“It’s nice to have someone you know, isn’t it? If you run into trouble, you can always ask for Yoshida-kun’s help.”

“Yes, it is. I’ll be sure to do that.”

After responding briefly to the representative’s words, Kanda-san looked again in the direction of Yoshida-senpai. She placed one hand on her waist and smiled sweetly. It made me cringe. I looked at Yoshida-senpai and he responded with a confused smile and a slight bow. It was kind of weird.

I knew she was a person he had long known in the past, but why is he that troubled? I’m getting a sense of déjà vu in Yoshida-senpai’s reaction.

It was just like that time when Gotou-san suddenly called him to her desk to talk…

As I recalled that, I suddenly remembered Gotou-san’s presence. She must be involved in human resources, too.

Did Gotou-san know about this?

Without changing the direction of my body, I moved my gaze towards Gotou-san’s desk and was surprised by what I saw.

There stood Gotou-san with an expression on her face that I had never seen before. I fought back the urge to laugh and averted my gaze from her.

I see. So she knew nothing about it either.

Honestly, give me a break.

Gotou-san, who’s built a relationship with Yoshida-senpai longer than me, and Sayu-chan, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

As if being caught in the middle of those two wasn’t hard enough, suddenly a high school senior joins the fray.

I don’t know what kind of relationship that woman had with Yoshida-senpai, but judging by her reaction it’s clear that it wasn’t a typical senior/junior relationship.

I just have one thing to say.

I don’t want any more rivals.

I let out a small sigh. When I looked at Gotou-san again, she had the same soft, smiling face that she always had. That’s how fast she can switch.

I laughed heartily, probably because I was able to see that expression on her face, if only for a moment.

And then when I turned to see Yoshida-senpai, I felt bad.

For some reason, I saw a “high school student who is drawn to his senior’s voice” look on his face.