Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 11: Honoka Called Me By My Name!?

<Girls’ Side>

“Today is your first day, Hirabayashi-kun, so you must be mentally tired, right? You should go home today.”

When the boss, Reika, returned to the office in the evening, she said this to Rinta as soon as it was time to clock out.

“Ah, no, it’s fine. I feel bad about leaving early.”

“You’re still new, Hirabayashi-kun, so you haven’t done any serious work, right?”

“Yeah, well…”

“There’s no culture here of staying late just to be polite when there’s no work to do. If you have nothing to do, you should go home right away.”

Reika’s tone was stern, but her gaze was gentle.

With slightly cat-like eyes that could sometimes look harsh, when she smiled kindly, her eyes softened in such a gentle way.

Rinta could feel that she was saying this because she cared about him. So, he decided to accept her offer.

“Thank you. Well then, I’ll leave first. I’ll work hard again from tomorrow.”

“Yes. Please do.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow, Kozakai-san, Aido-san.”

“Yes, take care, Hirabayashi-san.”

“Ah, yeah. Take care, Hirabayashi-kun.”

After Rinta left, Ruka quietly spoke to Honoka.

“Kozakai-senpai… What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you actually called him by his name and said goodbye properly.”

“W-well, that’s… normal for a working adult, right?”

Ruka seemed to want to say, “But you don’t usually do that,” but she held back and replied to her.

“You two ate pudding without me, too. After that, your attitude toward Hirabayashi-san has been a bit different from before.”

“I-it’s not different!”

“Yes, it is.”

Ruka gave Honoka a serious look, as if saying she wasn’t going to be tricked.

“Wh-what do you mean, Ruka-tan?”

“You’re interacting with Hirabayashi-san normally now.”

“N-normal?”

“Yes, normal.”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

Honoka’s face softened a bit.

She thought Ruka would press her more sharply, but it seemed like she wasn’t going to, so she appeared to feel relieved.

Her cute, rounded eyes gently softened at the corners.

“What’s with that relieved face, Honoka-senpai?”

“I-I’m not relieved!”

“Well, it’s fine. So, Honoka-senpai, you’ve admitted that Hirabayashi-san is a good person.”

“No, I haven’t!”

“You don’t have to be so stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn…”

Honoka tried to assert herself, but little by little, the strength of her words began to fade.

“Look, Honoka-senpai, you said it this morning, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You said that if Hirabayashi-san was indeed a good person, Honoka-senpai would definitely say, ‘I was wrong～'”

“Did I say that…? I don’t remember.”

“You did.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Well, it’s fine. Honoka-senpai, you should say it, ‘I was wrong～'”

“No. I’m not saying it.”

“If you just admit it, you’ll feel better.”

“I… I’m not saying it.”

Up until then, Ruka had been speaking fairly emotionlessly and calmly, but then she suddenly grinned.

“You’re secretly thinking that in your heart, aren’t you?”

“Wow, Ruka-tan. You’re making such a naughty face~”

“I’m not. I’m always a good girl.”

Honoka and Ruka’s whispered chat seemed like it would never end. Seeing this, Reika finally couldn’t take it any longer and interrupted.

“Hey, you two. Enough already, get back to work.”

“Ah, yes. Sorry.”

“Fine.”

Honoka gave a disinterested reply, but then, as if to say she had been saved, she stuck her tongue out at Ruka.

Ruka muttered, “You’re stubborn,” and then, her expression changed as if she had realized something.

“Ah, right. Director Reika, what should we do about Hirabayashi-san’s welcome party?”

“A welcome party, huh… we should do it.”

“Right. I’ll ask Hirabayashi-san’s schedule tomorrow, and I’ll take care of the arrangements.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you. By the way, Hono-chan?”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to attend properly, right?”

“Ah, of course, I’ll attend. It’s only natural to attend the welcome party for a new employee, isn’t it?”

Honoka tilted her head, looking confused.

“You were super unfriendly when Hirabayashi-kun came in this morning. I could immediately tell he wasn’t your type.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely attend.”

“You say that now, but on the day of the event, you might suddenly claim you’re sick and skip out, right?”

Reika’s sharp yet beautiful eyes glared at Honoka.

“I… I won’t say that… brrrr, oh, scary.”

Honoka shook her head left and right, trembling.

“Director, it’s fine. Honoka-senpai won’t do that.”

“Ruka-chan, how can you be so sure?”

“Because Honoka-senpai is actually a serious person.”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

Honoka then exaggeratedly nodded her head up and down with a big “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm” as her chestnut-colored, loose, wavy hair swayed gently with each movement.

“Well, I’ll believe Ruka-chan’s words then.”

“Eh~? You’re so mean, Director. You won’t believe my words, but you’ll believe Ruka-tan’s?”

“Well, of course. You’re too extreme with your likes and dislikes regarding men. Plus, your standards are all weird.”

“T-That’s not true…”

Honoka pouted, looking a little sulky.

Ruka placed her hand on Honoka’s shoulder and smiled gently.

“It’s really fine, right? Because… you know, right, Honoka-senpai?”

Reika, not understanding their exchange, looked at them confusedly.

“What do you mean by ‘because’…?”

“Ah, no. Honoka-senpai and I were just saying that Hirabayashi-san is a good person.”

“Eh…? Really? Even Hono-chan?”

“Well, I…”

Honoka was about to say something negative, so Ruka whispered in her ear.

“Honoka-senpai, it’s going to get complicated, so just let it be, okay?”

“Got it. ‘Let’s leave it at that’ for now.”

“Yes.”

Ruka could see right through Honoka’s attempt to set a defense by saying “let’s leave it at that.” However, it seemed like Honoka felt more at ease after saying that to her. Finally, she spoke sincerely to Reika.

“Um… Director Reika… I also think… that… Hirabayashi is a good person.”

“Mm…?”

Reika squinted her eyes suspiciously at Honoka, but then softened and gave a resigned look, as if saying “I guess I’ll just go along with this.”

“Well, if you say so, Hono-chan. Then, if Hirabayashi-kun is okay with it, let’s have his welcome party tomorrow evening since tomorrow is Friday.”

“Yes, understood. Is it okay with you, Honoka-senpai?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Alright, then I’ll ask Hirabayashi-san about his availability and make the reservation.”

“Yes, please, Ruka-chan.”

With that, the decision was made to hold Rinta’s welcome party.

Reika, however, had sensed a slight change in Honoka’s attitude toward Rinta compared to this morning.

As the person responsible for the office, Reika felt it was her duty to ensure that the team members got along well. After seeing Honoka’s clear attitude this morning, she had worried that Rinta might have trouble adjusting to the office.

However, after witnessing Honoka and Ruka’s exchange just now, Reika felt somewhat surprised. It didn’t seem like Honoka strongly disliked Rinta.

In fact—looking at the situation now—Honoka seemed to genuinely think that Rinta was a good person, and her attitude this morning was a thing of the past.

For now, Reika decided to keep an eye on the situation a little longer.