Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 24: Reika-Shochou Wears a Troubled Expression

While we were in the reception room of Kagaya Manufacturing, discussing things with Suzuki, the General Affairs Manager, the senior executive suddenly appeared. And with a smirk on his face, he let his gaze roam over Jinguji-shochou’s model-like figure from head to toe, as if drinking in the sight.

“Well, well? Jinguji-shochou. Since you’re here looking at the recruitment requirements, does that mean you’ve accepted our little proposal?”

“Ah, no, Executive… That’s not exactly the case…”

jinguji-shochou furrowed her brows in distress, replying apologetically.

Still, this executive had a high-pitched voice that was somewhat irritating to listen to.

“Suzuki-kun!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The moment the executive turned toward Suzuki and barked sharply, his gaze piercing, Suzuki nearly jumped out of his chair. He then stood at rigid attention in front of the executive.

“I can’t have you going behind my back like this!”

“Y-yes! My deepest apologies! I-I only had the company’s best interests in mind…”

“So what, Suzuki-kun? Are you saying that I don’t have the company’s best interests at heart?”

“Ah—no…! I would never mean that…”

With his head hung low, utterly intimidated, Suzuki shrank back. The executive let out a dismissive snort and then turned his attention back to Jinguji-shochou.

“Come now, Jinguji-san. All you have to do is accept the proposal from the other day, and everything will move forward smoothly. No need to be so stubborn, right?”

What was this “proposal from the other day”?

The executive’s voice had taken on an almost coaxing, sickly-sweet tone. It was unsettling. Something was definitely up.

“U-um… Please let me think about it once more.”

“Hmm…? Well, fine. If you accept, we’ll officially entrust your company with the recruitment process. I look forward to a favorable response.”

“Y-yes…”

Jinguji-shochou, who was usually so composed and dignified, gave a weak, hesitant reply, forcing a strained smile.

There was no point in staying any longer, so we decided to leave the office.

The executive saw us off with an unpleasantly smug smile, while behind him, Suzuki stood there looking small and utterly apologetic.

On the drive back, Jinguji-shochou remained silent, her eyes fixed firmly on the road, lost in deep thought.

Being given hope only to have it snatched away hurt far more than simply being rejected outright from the start.

I hesitated to speak, knowing she was likely feeling discouraged. But the executive’s words from earlier still gnawed at me. More than anything, I wanted to support her.

Steeling myself, I finally asked.

“Um… Shochou. Why exactly were we excluded from this deal? And what was that ‘previous proposal’ he was talking about?”

“Well… You see…”

She hesitated, as if she had something stuck in her teeth. What was going on?

“The truth is… The executive invited me out for dinner—just the two of us. I turned him down.”

“Whaaaat!? That was the ‘proposal’ he was talking about? And that’s why we got excluded!?”

I had a bad feeling from the way he was leering at her earlier, but still—to think that a company executive would let personal desires dictate business decisions…

“Yes, that’s right. He’s been asking me out for a while now, and I kept refusing. Eventually, he decided that if I wasn’t going to accept his invitations, he’d remove our company from the list of potential recruiters. That guy has a lot of power—he’s the president’s only son.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to go straight to the president and explain the situation?”

“I’ve tried—many times. But it’s impossible to get through. Not only does the executive himself block me, but even Manager Suzuki refuses to connect me. I’ve tried calling, sending letters… but the secretary’s barrier is too strong. Even though it’s a local company, it has over a thousand employees. It’s not easy to speak to the president directly.”

“I see…”

So in the end, it really did come down to getting the executive’s approval. But accepting his dinner invitation just to secure the deal—That wasn’t right.

“You were absolutely right to refuse, Shochou. There’s no reason to agree to something like that.”

“I know that, but…”

She glanced at me briefly before falling silent. What was she thinking? Was she actually considering accepting?

“But… Seeing you, Hirabayashi-kun, working so hard to improve our performance… It makes me wonder—Would it really be right for me, as the director, to let an opportunity slip away just because I refused a simple dinner?”

“No, Director, hold on. You call it ‘just a dinner’, but that kind of invitation is way outside the scope of work!”

“I understand that… But as your superior, I’ve been pushing you all to improve sales. And yet, here I am, turning down a chance to bring in more business? It feels… irresponsible of me as a leader.”

Jinguji-shochou’s beautiful face was clouded with distress. A tough decision, indeed.

Her sense of responsibility was admirable—She was an incredible leader.

But something about her reasoning was completely wrong.

“We’re in the business of selling recruitment services—not your personal life. There is absolutely no reason for you to accept that offer.”

“I know that… But if things stay as they are, we won’t meet our revenue goals. And that means everyone’s evaluations and bonuses will take a hit.”

At a red light, she turned to look at me—her sharp, slightly slanted eyes were strikingly beautiful.

“I have a responsibility to protect everyone at this branch. If we can secure three successful referrals from this deal, we’ll finally be within reach of our sales target. A simple dinner could just be considered business entertainment—it happens all the time.”

“Jinguji-shochou, do you really believe that? From the way that executive was speaking, it’s clear he doesn’t see this as just a business meal. He’s approaching you as a woman.”

“Th-That’s…”

“That’s why I don’t think it’ll stop at just one dinner. Once you agree to one, he’ll keep asking for more. Again and again.”

Jinguji-shochou lowered her gaze and fell silent. As I suspected, the executive’s advances weren’t just routine business dealings.

“And even if it’s just one dinner, he might try to get you drunk and do something inappropriate.”

Yeah, that was a real concern.

I remembered the last time she got tipsy—at my own welcome party.
If she went into that kind of situation, it’d be like throwing a defenseless lamb into a den of a hungry wolf.

“But still, Hirabayashi-kun… I have to protect everyone at the branch.”

Protecting the team… What an incredible thing for a leader to say.

—I had to admit, it hit me right in the heart.

“Shochou, thank you. But if that’s how you feel—”

She locked eyes with me, as if she didn’t want to miss a single word I was about to say.

“Then as your team, we have a responsibility to protect you—to make sure you’re never put in that kind of situation. Honoka and I will secure those three contracts, no matter what. So please—don’t accept that executive’s invitation!”

“H-Hirabayashi… You…”

Jinguji-shochou’s elegant, double-lidded eyes softened slightly, glistening as she gazed at me.