Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!?

〈The Girls’ Side〉

The day before Hirabayashi Rinta was set to start at his new location, the three members of his new workplace, Rikuado Corporation’s Shimizu Branch, gathered for dinner at a Western-style izakaya after work.

“Hey, Director, is the guy coming tomorrow… handsome?”

The one asking, her round, reddish-brown eyes gleaming, was a petite beauty named Kosakai Honoka. Her small frame and soft, wavy chestnut hair only added to her cuteness, giving her the aura of an idol.

“I have no idea. You’ll just have to see for yourself tomorrow, Hono-chan. But even if he’s not handsome, don’t bully him into quitting like last time.”

With slightly narrow, elegant eyes, the branch manager, Jinguji Reika, shot Honoka a cool glance. Her black hair was tied up in a neat bun, and her navy suit exuded the air of a competent, professional woman.

“Come on, Director, you’re making it sound like I got rid of him!”

“Haha, I’m just joking.”

“But it’s true that Honoka-senpai treated that guy pretty poorly, isn’t it?”

The one who calmly interjected from the side was Aido Ruka, a first-year employee. As she turned to look at Honoka, her walnut-colored ponytail swayed gently.

Ruka usually wore glasses at work, but now, after hours, she had taken them off. Her striking greenish-olive eyes and well-defined features were even more radiant than during work hours, giving off an even stronger aura of beauty.

“The guy” they were referring to was Rinta’s predecessor, the only male employee in the branch until last month. He had resigned due to health issues, but the others were teasing Honoka, implying that it was her fault.

“Hey, Ruka-tan, don’t go around saying things that aren’t true. I just didn’t like him that much, so I handled him accordingly.”

“Honoka-senpai, that’s exactly what people mean when they say someone was treated poorly.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. And you know it.”

Honoka smirked mischievously and stuck out her tongue before taking another bite of pasta.

“Listen, Hono-chan. He’s our colleague, so whether he’s handsome or not shouldn’t matter, right?”

“How can you shay that, Director, when you—”

“Hey, Hono-chan. Don’t talk with your mouth full. It ruins the whole ‘beautiful girl’ image.”

Chewing her pasta, Honoka swallowed it down with a gulp of wine.

“What are you talking about, Director? You’re wrong. Well, except for the part where I’m a beautiful girl—that part is true.”

“What’s wrong, then?”

“It has nothing to do with being colleagues or not. I don’t acknowledge any man as a man unless he’s handsome.”

“You judge men solely by their looks?”

“Nope. Being handsome is just the bare minimum. On top of that, he has to be rich. Anyone who doesn’t meet those criteria is just some unknown creature.”

Honoka answered proudly, tilting her chin up and puffing out her chest. She was the smallest of the group, but her ample E-cup bust jiggled slightly beneath her white blouse.

Unknown creature? What did that even mean?

Reika let out a wry smile.

Ruka, holding a highball in her hand, calmly interjected from the side.

“There it is—Honoka logic. You know men find women like you annoying, right, Honoka-senpai?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Handsome, wealthy men don’t get mad hearing what I just said. The only ones who do are the ones who are neither handsome nor rich.”

Reika let out a deep sigh and glared at Honoka.

“Listen, Hono-chan. You really should start judging men properly. If you only pick them based on looks and money, you’ll definitely end up ruining your life.”

“But Director, you wouldn’t want an unattractive guy either, right?”

“That’s not true. For example, a guy who’s passionate about sports or something else can still look cool, don’t you think? And when you fall for someone, they naturally start to look good to you.”

“Hmm… I don’t know about that. Isn’t that just a matter of preference? Like how I love tonkotsu ramen, and you prefer shoyu ramen?”

“R-Ramen…? No, I don’t particularly like shoyu ramen…”

Reika, ever the serious one, ended up genuinely reacting to Honoka’s bizarre analogy. It was so typical of her—strict in both her work and her appearance.

Watching from the side, Ruka chimed in, offering Reika some support.

“Honoka-senpai, it’s fine if you love tonkotsu ramen, but if you say, ‘Anything other than tonkotsu ramen isn’t ramen!’ you’d end up offending other ramen lovers.”

“Ugh… That might be true, but I just… I love tonkotsu ramen—no, I mean, I love handsome men! But yeah, I do love tonkotsu ramen, too.”

Honoka seemed to have a bit of a foodie streak, as her thoughts kept drifting toward food.

“That’s right, Hono-chan. Ruka-chan’s absolutely right. More than anything, personality matters. Everything you’re saying is just wrong.”

“Eh…? I don’t want to hear that from you, Director. You’re so picky about men. Tons of guys have hit on you, but you always find some reason to reject them.”

“I just don’t like shallow men who judge women only by their looks, that’s all. It’s not that I have impossibly high standards.”

“Are you sure? I feel like you’ve turned down serious guys and successful professionals, too. But then again, you’re like the overachiever from those old cartoons—you’re just too good at everything. It’s no wonder most guys can’t keep up.”

Reika had the sharp, elegant features of a model. Her straight posture and refined aura made it clear that an ordinary man wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

“Enough, Hono-chan. Let’s stop talking about me!”

“Fwaaah~”

“Just say ‘’yes’ properly.”

“Fwaaah~”

“You little—!”

Reika lightly tapped Honoka on the head with her fist.

Honoka dramatically clutched the top of her head with both hands and glared at Reika.

“Owww! I’ll sue you for workplace harassment!”

“Quit exaggerating. That didn’t hurt.”

“Fwaaah~ it didn’t hurt at all. Tehehe.”

“Good, honest answers. Hehe.”

Honoka’s playful antics brought a smile to Reika’s face.