A Late Bloomer's Powerful Restart ~My Second Life Starts at a Prestigious School Where the Gender Ratio Is Totally Off, and for Some Reason, All These Talented Girls Get Attached to Me...!?~ - 07

Chapter 7: The Girl with Amber Eyes

◇◆◇＜First Loop＞◇◆◇

I started interacting with Kanaka Sasa by pure chance.

I noticed a drunk person stumbling around in the busy shopping district and realized she was the daughter of Chairman Kanaka. I couldn’t just leave her alone, so I spoke to her.

“Are you okay? Miss Kanaka.”

We had some contact through inter-departmental interactions, so she seemed to recognize me right away from my face.

She leaned on me, and it looked tough for her to get home by herself.

If something happened to her, it could cause problems at the company… With that thought, I only intended to take her to an empty room in the company dorm.

The truth was… I just hated the smell of alcohol soaking into my suit, and I was only taking her to a safe place. She was an adult, after all.

“I could never lead the group like my father… Nothing I do ever goes right… I’m just no good~~~!!”

—Until I heard those words.

I might have overlapped her with my past self somehow and felt sympathy.

On a whim, I took care of her until she fell asleep.

I learned about Sasa’s timid personality after I got transferred to her department.

“U-Um… Thank you for helping me before. I’m Kanaka.”

Even though she was my superior, she always worried about what people around her thought, and morale in the workplace was low.

Still, no one badmouthed her openly, probably because everyone feared Chairman Kanaka.

She couldn’t reach out to others herself, and no one reached out to her.

Seeing her in that kind of environment made her seem somehow unfortunate, so I decided to keep an eye on her.

Looking back now, those choices—might have been my mistakes.

After working in the same workplace with her for about a year, my transfer got decided.

It was a promotion due to the success of a project… Sasa was happy for me too, and I thought everything was going smoothly. That’s when I learned her true nature.

“I want to stay together forever from now on.”

It was supposed to be just one drink at a bar she forcefully invited me to, but before I knew it… I was locked in an unfamiliar room.

My hands and feet were tied… To put it simply, I was confined.

I never thought she was the type to do something like that, so at first, I was genuinely terrified.

“Do you even understand what you’re doing!?”

“I understand. But there’s no choice, right? I love you so much… Taiki.”

I never expected a confession from Sasa.

More than any happiness, the fear of her taking such actions won out… In the end, I rejected her.

“If you say you like me, you wouldn’t confine me! What’s your goal here!”

“Why… won’t you believe me!? I just want to be with you. That’s all I wish for. Without you, breathing hurts… Please, Taiki…”

Seeing Sasa’s tears, I finally understood the true nature of her feelings.

I had intended to treat her just as a colleague, but somehow I had unconsciously made her dependent on me.

Realizing that, I felt a sense of responsibility.

“Okay. I’ll try to be with you as much as possible. But every day is impossible. Let’s meet regularly. That way—you can keep going tomorrow, right?”

I kept trying to understand her without giving up and exchanged words.

Later, convincing her that it would trouble her father became the deciding factor, and she released my restraints… After that, every time we met, days continued where she seemed ready to pounce on me.

But in the end, I don’t think I ever truly understood the real Sasa.

She seemed to be hiding something deep inside.

All I could do was stay by her side… I never learned why she ended up with that kind of personality.

I knew nothing about her own story.

◇◆◇＜Second Loop＞◇◆◇

That’s why, seeing Sasa in this era, I honestly doubted my eyes.

“…Oh? Can you hear me? Hey~”

“Yeah, I hear you. Sorry, I was surprised.”

“You were spacing out. Are you okay?”

She seemed like a completely different person, almost like a twin sister, but she introduced herself as “Kanaka Sasa.”

To keep my composure, I switched my mindset to facing her as if for the first time.

“I’m Taiki Kashiwado. Um… You’re the daughter of the chairman of the Kanaka Group, right?”

“Yes, I’m happy you know me. Is this your first time here? There aren’t many kids, so I’m really glad! Nice to meet you!”

“Uh, yeah… My grandpa just brought me along… There weren’t any kids at the venue, so honestly, I felt a bit nervous.”

“I didn’t see you earlier, so you must have been late~? I waited a few minutes and thought there were no more kids, so we moved over here.”

I had spent more time than expected setting my hair, but it was basically being late, so I nodded in response.

I tried to blame Grandpa for not guiding me here, but the cause was with me, apparently.

“Good thing they didn’t kick me out for being late on my first time.”

“It’s a casual party. Hehe, you’re funny, Kashiwado.”

“Eh, am I? I don’t remember saying anything to make you laugh.”

“You are funny… First point: there aren’t many people around my age who talk casually to me!”

Ah, crap…

It wasn’t the right attitude or speech toward the young lady of the Kanaka Group on a first meeting.

I thought I had switched my mindset, but I was still dragging impressions from the past.

“I’m sorry. I’m just a commoner… I’ll be careful from now on, so please keep this matter secret from Chairman Kanaka…”

“No, I won’t forgive you!”

“Eh!?”

“So, it’s fine to talk casually. I wanted a friend I could talk to without holding back!”

At my surprised reaction, Sasa smiled with a mischievous look on her face.

But for that Sasa to want friends… In my previous life, she actually kept distance from others, the complete opposite.

“Also… second funny point. My father isn’t the chairman yet.”

While pointing her index finger at me, she pointed out an even more unexpected thing than the first.

I panicked inside from the string of mistakes… but quickly pulled myself together and decided to cover it up.

“No, I meant the chairman on my grandfather’s side.”

“Trying to cover it up? You called me the chairman’s daughter at the beginning, didn’t you?”

“…I did.”

Since it was said together with the first point, I was caught off guard.

Come to think of it… her quick perception hasn’t changed from the previous life.

“Anyway, come in quickly! Let’s sit on the sofa and talk.”

When we entered the separate room, other minors were gathered there too.

They were probably all middle or high school students. There were more older-looking people than I expected.

Thinking about it, it’s rare to be named successor already in middle school.

That means they’re highly expected talents. The boy approaching now also had somewhat familiar features.

“Miss Kanaka, you were late. Was he… another one?”

“Yes, that’s right. Kashiwado, this is Ousei Tateakawa, the heir to Tateakawa Science. Ousei, this is Taiki Kashiwado, who’s participating for the first time.”

Thanks to Sasa mediating, I could smoothly match his face and name.

Tateakawa Ousei—I know him well.

Compared to the Kanaka Group or Yashima Electronics, current Tateakawa Science isn’t quite a major company yet. However, after he joins management, it rapidly grows by utilizing science and technology spreading in the world.

Since they moved bases with overseas expansion, chances to meet in person were few, but they collaborated a lot with the Kanaka Group, so I remembered his face.

I participated in a joint project with Tateakawa Science in the future, and their initial moves were very fast. If we had connections from this time, it makes sense.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ousei Tateakawa. Feel free to call me Ousei.”

“Likewise. Let’s get along.”

We shook hands with the greeting.

He’ll probably enter Teimon Academy too, so I want to get along.

Also… Tateakawa Science might get involved with companies I’ll be a shareholder in later.

“So, Miss Kanaka… It seems the person you were looking for didn’t come this time either.”

“That’s true. But I met Kashiwado who didn’t know about this separate room, so it’s all good in the end!”

I did intend to come to the separate room… but I was just on the other side of the door.

“Were you looking for someone?”

“Yes. The young lady of the Nanamiya Group… The president over there apparently brags a lot about his cute granddaughter, but I’ve never seen her.”

The young lady of the Nanamiya Group? Was there such a person? I neither saw nor heard of her in the first loop.

Maybe she got married early or something.

“As you probably know, the Kanaka Group and Nanamiya Group are rivals. So Miss Kanaka wanting to interact is actually unique.”

“Seems so.”

“Hey, Ousei already agreed with me!”

Sasa made an angry face with puffed cheeks, but Ousei seemed to step back a bit.

Come to think of it, Sasa calls Ousei by his first name, but he calls her “Miss Kanaka” and uses polite speech.

Even though he’s the son of the still-small Tateakawa Science, he can join the October Association, so there might be an implicit hierarchy.

…I’m curious, maybe I should check.

“Sasa’s a pacifist, huh.”

“Eh, yeah… Maybe? Could be… A-Anyway, Kashiwado, calling me by name suddenly surprises me!”

…Another mistake.

My tension eased and I let my guard down, but it’s too early to give up.

“What. You said you wanted a friend you could talk to without holding back, right?”

“That’s true, but… it’s sudden, so it’s embarrassing. Idiot Taiki.”

I managed to cover it up, but I am aware it’s pretty embarrassing to say.

When I glanced at Ousei, he was smiling as if finding it heartwarming.

But since she casually started calling me by name too, matching that would feel more natural.

I won’t get shaken by something like this. This is my second life, after all.