Sazuki Nagihara, a 24-year-old sales representative at an advertising firm, lives in fear of her boss—the infamous department head Masato Watase, known for his ruthless perfectionism and cold demeanor. Every day he scolds her more harshly than anyone else, earning them a reputation as a disaster pairing.
But everything changes one night when Nagihara receives a mysterious message. "You did your best today." "You're doing just fine." The sender is Watase himself—her tyrannical boss hides a gentl
Secret Gentleness, Identity's Trap - The Shuraba lunch is for five people.
The morning after the presentation, Nagihara Satsuki was still dragging it with her.
It was about yesterday evening, when she stood beside Watase under the wisteria trellis at the old Sunagawa Park. That night's air, the scent of wisteria flowers, and——the chat screen from "yoru_no_niwa" that still hadn't replied. No matter how many times she opened Liite on the train ride home, the read receipt never appeared. It hadn't appeared, or perhaps it was deliberately withheld. Unable to figure it out all this time, she came to the Akasaka Tomoe Building this morning with her smartphone in her suit pocket.
When she stepped out of the elevator, the third-floor sales department floor was its usual chaos. The clatter of keyboards, the ring of internal lines, someone's laughter. Nagihara set her bag on her desk and powered on her computer.
(Today I'll focus on work. That's all.)
She told herself this at 8:47 AM.
That resolve crumbled at 8:54 AM.
"Nagihara-san, do you have a moment?"
A voice came from the back of the floor. When she turned around, Miyazaki Shota stood there in a black jacket that looked like the uniform of the Planning Department on the sixth floor. His deep chestnut-colored medium-layered hair was slightly disheveled under the fluorescent lights. The small mole at the corner of his mouth moved slightly within his somewhat tense expression. In his hand was a clear file with the Planning Department logo. Someone who absolutely never came down from the sixth floor had come all the way to the back of the sales department floor this morning.
"Your client analysis perspective from the other day's presentation was extremely helpful. I was hoping we could work together on the next project"
His eyes were serious. His dark amber gaze looked straight at Nagihara.
"Eh, um... mine?"
She found herself pointing at herself. Miyazaki nodded.
"Yes. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to discuss it in more detail"
As Nagihara was thinking how to respond, chestnut-colored semi-long hair suddenly leaned out from the neighboring desk.
"Hold on, hold on, Miyazaki-san. Isn't there a proper order to these things?"
Kashiwagi Kohei cut in, his amber-colored eyes glinting. He maintained his smile, but his eyes weren't smiling.
"Shouldn't you at least say hello to me, her colleague in the same department, before coming to make an appointment directly with Nagihara-chan? Right?"
"Propriety... is it?"
Miyazaki's eyes narrowed slightly. His mouth moved a little, taking on the expression of someone muttering "whether this is the statistically correct procedure."
"Isn't the proper route for work requests from the Planning Department to the Sales Department through the department head?"
"And you came through the proper route just now?"
"..."
The two stared at each other quietly. Nagihara gently pinched the hem of her skirt between the two of them.
(Why is this happening...?)
She glanced toward the glass-walled private office. Watase Yuto was looking at documents at his desk. Short dark brown hair, gray eyes, perfectly tailored suit. His profile seemed to be—just slightly—tensing. It might have been her imagination. But the person who noticed this subtle change was probably only Nagihara on the entire floor.
"Nagihara-san, got a minute?"
Seo Mariko came quietly to the side of her desk. Her deep green eyes confirmed the direction of the private office before looking at Nagihara. The star-shaped earring on her left ear swayed.
"Something annoying is happening, so just finish the paperwork for this morning. It'll naturally break up by lunch"
She said it in a low voice and returned to her own seat.
In the end, Miyazaki only said "I'll come back another time" and returned to the sixth floor by elevator, while Kashiwagi went back to his desk with a mysterious expression that said "I feel like I won." Nagihara sighed and turned back to the stack of documents.
——
Just after 10 AM, an internal line rang.
It was the number for the eighth floor, Human Resources Department.
"Nagihara-san, do you have a moment? Could you come up to the Human Resources Department? I'd like to talk to you about the year-round rotation system."
Asahina Satoshi's voice was soft and calm as always. Dark brown short hair, the silver watch he always wore on his left hand. Nagihara vaguely sensed something sharp hidden behind his gentle demeanor.
The eighth-floor Human Resources Department had a completely different atmosphere from the third-floor Sales Department. It was quiet, slightly cooler, and thick files lined the shelves. She was shown to a small reception area, and Asahina, sitting across from her, brought two paper cups of coffee.
"To be direct——you know about Tomoe Corporation's year-round rotation system, right? The system where assignments are reviewed every April and October"
"Yes, I was told about it when I joined"
"The fact that you've remained in the Sales Department isn't coincidence. I've intentionally kept it that way"
Asahina said this and looked quietly into Nagihara's eyes. His gentle smile didn't change. But behind it, something like a clear intent to protect showed through.
"...Why is that?"
She tried to ask, but her throat caught slightly. She wanted to properly ask why he cared for her so much. But whatever the reason, it felt like something would change——
Then the internal line rang.
Asahina said "Please wait a moment" and picked up the receiver. Nagihara held the paper cup in both hands and waited. But the call went on. Asahina covered the receiver and said quietly, "I'm sorry, it's urgent. Can we continue this at lunch?"
(Interrupted here...)
Nagihara answered "Of course" and left the Human Resources Department. As she rode the elevator, she pushed down the murky feeling in her chest.
——
11:55 AM during lunch break. The employee cafeteria on the fourteenth floor, "Lighthouse Terrace," was just starting to get crowded. Tokyo Tower was visible outside the window as always. The lunch menu board displayed "Chicken Nanban Set 580 yen."
As Nagihara was looking for a table with her tray,
"Nagihara-chan! Over here, over here"
Kashiwagi was waving from a four-person table. The seat across from him was empty. When Nagihara sat down, Kashiwagi immediately leaned forward.
"So what were you talking about with Miyazaki-san? Specifically!"
"Work stuff, just work"
"What kind of work? How much did you talk? Was he smiling?"
"Whether he was smiling or not is irrelevant!"
"It's very relevant!"
"What were you talking about with Asahina-san? You were called to Human Resources, I saw. Was it about assignments? Or something else——"
"That was... work stuff! All of it!"
"Work, work... aren't you hiding something? Right?"
As Nagihara was being pressed by Kashiwagi's barrage of questions, she felt a presence beside the table.
"May I join you?"
Miyazaki Shota stood quietly with his tray, about to sit in the seat across from her.
Kashiwagi's movement stopped.
Miyazaki sat down across from her. A beat of silence.
"Nagihara-san, I apologize for this morning. I wanted to discuss the next project with you again"
"Ah, yes... please do"
"Wait, why are you just sitting down naturally?"
Miyazaki looked at Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi looked at Miyazaki.
Then another voice came.
"Is the seat next to you free?"
Asahina Satoshi stood beside them with a coffee cup. His silver watch glinted under the fluorescent lights. His gentle smile was unchanged.
"Asahina-san too!?"
"I happened to have lunch free. I thought I'd continue our earlier conversation"
Asahina sat down beside her smoothly. Four people surrounded the table. Kashiwagi had the expression of "why is everyone gathering here," Miyazaki had the expression of "statistically low probability," and Asahina had his usual composed face. As for Nagihara,
(This... isn't a dream, right?)
She froze with her chopsticks in hand. The chicken nanban was still steaming.
The three of them began speaking to Nagihara in low voices simultaneously. Kashiwagi from the right saying "about that earlier," Miyazaki from the front saying "about the project details," Asahina from the left saying "about the assignment." All at the same time.
Nagihara's mind froze for a moment.
Then.
A tray was placed at the edge of the table.
Everyone looked up.
Watase Yuto stood at the last remaining seat of the four-person table——diagonally across from Nagihara. Dark brown short hair, gray eyes, a perfectly tailored suit. The small piercing in his right ear glinted as always.
"There was no other seat"
That's all he said before placing his tray and sitting down.
Silence.
Four people looked at Watase. Watase took a sip of miso soup from his set meal and picked up his chopsticks with the expression of someone checking documents.
"The department head too...!?"
"The cafeteria is a facility for all employees"
"But still!"
Miyazaki muttered quietly, "...this is statistically inexplicable." Asahina's mouth relaxed slightly as she said "it's lively." Nagihara felt the gazes of five people converging on her as she reached her chopsticks toward the chicken nanban.
"Eat quickly, the food will get cold"
Watase said this to no one in particular.
The next ten minutes were hell.
When Kashiwagi started to say "By the way, Nagihara-chan, today——" Miyazaki cut in with "But about the project," and Asahina cut in with "Oh, I should go first on that——." Watase ate his set meal the whole time, glancing at the three of them in turn before moving his chopsticks again. Every time Nagihara tried to interject with "Um," "Well," or "That is," her voice was drowned out by the next speaker.
"How childish, all of you"
A clear voice cut through the cafeteria.
Everyone froze.
Seo Mariko stood at the entrance of the cafeteria. Her chestnut-colored medium-waved hair swayed gently. Her deep green eyes slowly surveyed the table of five.
"Save work talk for work time. Lunch is for eating. That's all"
There was a pause.
Then all five straightened their posture.
"「「「「「...I'm sorry」」」」」"
The voices overlapped perfectly. Kashiwagi, Miyazaki, Asahina, even Watase. And Nagihara too.
Seo sighed and headed to another table with her tray.
Silence returned to the table. Everyone ate in silence.
Nagihara put the chicken nanban in her mouth. It was actually delicious. But somehow she felt like she didn't understand anything anymore.
——
The afternoon was normal work.
She finished the revised materials, sent an email to the client, and prepared for tomorrow's meeting. Watase returned to his private office, Kashiwagi went out for client visits. Miyazaki went up to the sixth floor. Asahina returned to the eighth floor. The floor returned to its usual time.
As she prepared to leave, Nagihara took her smartphone from her skirt pocket. She opened Liite. The chat screen with "yoru_no_niwa." The read receipt still hadn't appeared. She closed the screen and put it in her bag.
As she stepped into the hallway, footsteps chased after her.
"Nagihara-san, a moment"
She turned around. Asahina Satoshi stood at the end of the hallway. He lightly pressed his silver watch with his left hand while quickly confirming the surroundings. There was no one else in the hallway.
Asahina stepped closer and slipped a folded memo into Nagihara's hand.
"We'll continue that conversation another time. But... just this, first"
With just that, Asahina quietly returned toward the Human Resources Department. The sound of his leather shoes echoed softly in the hallway and faded away.
Nagihara looked at the memo in her hand. A white piece of paper folded into quarters.
She opened it.
Three lines of hasty handwriting.
"Watase Yuto 2018 hire. No previous employment listed. Employment verification impossible"
That was all.
The hallway suddenly felt quiet. Only the sound of the air conditioner hummed low. Nagihara stood frozen, holding the memo.
On the train ride home, sitting in a seat and watching the city flo
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