The Secret Between the President and Me in Our Office for Two
Rui Takane, a sharp and ambitious executive, has just been appointed the new president of a special division at the giant talent agency 'Hololive.' Her first order of business is hiring a personal secretary, and she chooses the most unlikely candidate: Kakeru Aoi, a timid and seemingly incompetent young man.
'You. You're my secretary from today.'
With that single, high-handed declaration, Kakeru's quiet life is thrown into utter chaos. Rui runs the office like a typhoon, scattering documents,
The Secret Between the President and Me in Our Office for Two - You're my secretary starting today.
My stomach hurts.
Aoi Kakeru stood frozen in front of the headquarters building of the major entertainment agency Hololive — "Hololive Central."
Kanda Nishikicho, Chiyoda Ward. Right in the heart of the office district, with the greenery of the Imperial Palace at its back.
Before him loomed a massive fourteen-story building. The reception lobby on the first floor was entirely glass-walled, its interior completely visible.
The floor gleamed like polished marble. On the wall hung an enormous monitor, easily five meters wide, playing commercials featuring Hololive's super-popular talents, all beaming smiles.
(...I don't belong here.)
Kakeru looked down at his own suit.
A dirt-cheap bargain buy from the supermarket — 3,980 yen. His tie, no matter how many times he'd adjusted it this morning, still sat slightly crooked.
His black hair, touched with a bit of a natural wave, was unkempt and shaggy from neglect. With his hunched posture, his 172-centimeter frame probably looked much smaller than it actually was.
"Haaah..."
He pressed a hand firmly against his stomach.
This was a bad habit of Kakeru's. Whenever he got nervous, his stomach would immediately start to ache.
Today marked his thirty-first job interview.
The position was for a president's secretary in the newly established "Talent Innovation Division" of this major entertainment agency.
(They'll reject me anyway.)
Kakeru stared down at the battered resume in his hand.
One year at a local TV station, and that was it. His period of unemployment had already stretched to eight months.
His self-esteem had long since hit rock bottom.
—At my last company, I...
He'd tried to help a colleague who was being harassed by their boss.
As a result, he'd ended up quitting himself.
(I don't regret it.)
(But... who would ever hire someone like me?)
After a deep sigh, Kakeru resigned himself and stepped through the building's main entrance.
As the automatic doors slid open, a cool blast of air conditioning ruffled his bangs.
The lobby ceiling was absurdly high.
At the reception desk sat four women with polished, beautiful smiles. Further in, two security guards stood at attention, their expressions stern.
"Um... I'm Aoi, here for an interview."
After speaking to reception, Kakeru pressed the button for the seventh floor as instructed.
The elevator began its silent ascent.
(They're definitely going to reject me this time too.)
He looked at the division guide posted on the wall.
"Talent Innovation Division" — apparently a new department handling everything from scouting and training new talent to branding and cross-industry collaborations, going beyond just traditional management.
Annual budget: approximately 800 million yen.
(That's an insane amount of money...)
(And I'm supposed to be a secretary in a place like that? There's no way.)
The elevator came to a stop with a soft chime.
The seventh floor was utterly silent.
This was the entire floor of the Talent Innovation Division.
As he walked down the hallway, he came to the door of the reception room.
Pressing a hand against his aching stomach, Kakeru knocked three times.
"You're late."
The reply was a single, cold sentence.
Kakeru timidly opened the door.
At the table in the reception room sat a woman.
With one hand, she flipped through a thick stack of documents; with the other, she lifted a coffee cup to her lips.
Her glossy, straight black hair fell just to her shoulders. He caught the gesture of her tucking a side lock behind her ear.
Her narrow, dark-brown eyes were intelligent — and sharp.
—Takane Rui. Twenty-five years old.
The young female president of this newly established division.
Rui didn't so much as glance at Kakeru's face.
"Sit."
"Y-yes..."
As Kakeru settled into his chair, Rui wordlessly picked up his resume.
Her movements were swift and efficient, like a machine processing a task.
"One year at a local TV station. Resigned immediately. Eight months unemployed."
Rui's voice was utterly flat.
A sharp pain lanced through Kakeru's chest.
"Reason for applying: 'Because I want to be of help to someone'... Is this a joke?"
Kakeru couldn't say anything.
There was nothing he could say back.
He hung his head and stared at his own knees.
The knees of his suit were slightly stained.
(Yeah, of course.)
(Who would hire someone with a track record like this?)
Kakeru quietly pressed his stomach.
He thought he'd just leave without saying another word.
But.
(...But.)
A trembling voice escaped Kakeru's lips.
"At my last company..."
Rui's hand stopped.
"There was someone... being harassed by their boss. And when I tried to help them..."
The words wouldn't come out right.
"Before I knew it, I... was the one who ended up quitting."
Still looking down, Kakeru continued.
"That person told me thank you. But... I still don't know if what I did was right."
Kakeru's voice was barely a whisper, on the verge of fading away.
Rui slowly raised her head.
And then, for the first time, she looked directly at Kakeru's face, studying him intently.
"And? Do you regret it?"
Rui's voice was much lower than before, and dead serious.
Kakeru clenched his trembling hands tightly on his knees.
"...I don't regret it."
Kakeru lifted his head.
Behind his gentle, drooping eyes, his deep brown irises wavered.
"I think... I would have regretted it more if I hadn't been able to help back then."
Even he wondered what he was saying.
Talking about this would only make him fail the interview.
But Kakeru's mouth wouldn't stop.
"I... can't just ignore people who are in trouble... and because of that, I'm always messing up..."
Kakeru's voice was no longer trembling.
The look in Rui's eyes changed.
They weren't the cold eyes from moments before.
They were serious, appraising — as if she were weighing something.
Suddenly, Rui tossed the resume onto the desk.
The papers fluttered and scattered, falling to the floor.
"You. You're my secretary, starting today."
Kakeru genuinely could not comprehend what she meant.
"...Huh?"
Rui stood up and thrust an employee ID card right in front of Kakeru's face.
"Your only responses are 'Yes' or 'Yes, ma'am.'"
With that, Rui briskly walked out of the reception room.
Kakeru stared, dumbfounded, at the ID card held out before him.
His own name was printed on it.
Aoi Kakeru. Talent Innovation Division. President's Secretary.
(Huh...)
(Did I... get hired?)
Still utterly confused, Kakeru stood up.
When he stepped into the hallway, Rui spoke without turning around.
"This way. I'll show you your desk."
Rui pointed to a small desk right next to the president's office.
"This is your seat from today onward. That's all."
With just that, Rui shut the door to the president's office with a bang.
Kakeru was left alone in the hallway.
He stared at the employee ID card in his hand.
"...I really got hired."
Thirty minutes later.
Kakeru was still standing in a daze in the first-floor lobby.
The afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows reflected off the gleaming floor, dazzlingly bright.
On the giant monitor, the super-popular talents were still beaming their smiles as always.
In his hand, he clutched the employee ID card firmly.
(Without understanding any of it, I've landed a job.)
Normally, he should be happy.
After being rejected by thirty companies, he'd finally secured an offer.
And yet.
(That woman just now... President Takane.)
(There was something about her... something not ordinary.)
Kakeru recalled.
The way she'd tossed the papers aside without a care.
Her cold gaze.
Definitely the type who would be terrifying to have as an enemy.
(This is... probably...)
(The beginning of hell.)
Kakeru pressed his stomach.
"Haaah..."
Still clutching his employee ID, he let out a long, long sigh.
Outside the building, the streets of Chiyoda Ward moved along as they always did.
Office workers in suits streaming from the station. The distant sound of construction.
What on earth was going to happen from here — Aoi Kakeru had absolutely no idea.
Only the pain in his stomach felt real.
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