Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 28: WebAd’s HR Ace, Aihara-san

“Jeez, Manager! Don’t say things like that!”

“Sorry, sorry, Aihara-kun! I just blurted out the truth, haha!”

The one who came with the HR manager to greet us was WebAd’s HR ace, Aihara Mei.

She had short, bright brown hair, a great figure, and stood tall in her suit.

Her well-shaped eyebrows slanted slightly downward as she made a troubled face while complaining to Manager Hiramatsu. She had that slightly mixed-race look, with deep-set features, and was just as stunning as ever.

Meanwhile, Manager Hiramatsu laughed heartily as he scratched his head.

Watching the two of them, Honoka whispered to me in a slightly trembling voice from behind.

“Hey, Hirarin… Who’s that…?”

“Oh, that’s Aihara-san from WebAd’s HR department, the ace. She’s our age.”

“What did he mean by ‘she wanted to see you’?”

“I dunno. Probably just one of Manager Hiramatsu’s jokes.”

“Oh… A j-joke… Right… Ahaha…”

Ahaha?

Oh, I see. Since she heard it was a joke, she must’ve thought she had to laugh.

Honoka really was a serious one.

But whispering like that, Manager Hiramatsu didn’t hear it, so he doesn’t even realize his joke landed.

Maybe I should tell him that his joke was well received.

Knowing him, he’d probably be pleased.

“Um, Manager Hiramatsu—”

“Ah, yes, Hirabayashi-kun! Sorry, we got caught up in our own conversation. Why don’t you introduce us to the lovely lady over there?”

Just as I was about to tell him to ease up on the jokes, he beat me to it.

Right. I should introduce Honoka to them.

“Manager Hiramatsu, Aihara-san, this is Kozakai, who handles your company’s account at our Shimizu branch.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kozakai Honoka. We really appreciate your company’s continued support. I look forward to working with you.”

As expected of Honoka, the salesperson.

She set aside her usual unpredictable antics, greeted them properly, and exchanged business cards.

—Wait, wasn’t she putting on an even sharper, more professional look than usual?

It was almost unnatural.

Ah, I get it. Since Manager Hiramatsu called her a “beautiful lady,” she was trying to show her best side.

But after exchanging business cards with Aihara, for just a moment, Honoka seemed to glare at her sharply.

Huh? Why…?

──I wondered about it for a moment but quickly dismissed it as my imagination.

After all, there was no reason for Honoka to glare at Aihara-san.

“Please, have a seat.”

I gestured toward the reception table, inviting Manager Hiramatsu and Aihara-san to sit.

Honoka and I took our seats across from the manager, with Honoka sitting beside me.

Aihara-san sat down with her back perfectly straight, maintaining the same elegant posture as always.

She wasn’t just beautiful in terms of looks and figure—every movement and gesture she made was graceful.

Manager Hiramatsu then turned to Honoka and me and began discussing today’s interview with Tanaka-san.

“She has strong fundamental skills and plenty of motivation. Thank you for introducing such a great candidate, Kozakai-san.”

“N-No, not at all. Thank you for hiring her. A-And, um, I really appreciate it.”

Honoka was smiling, clearly happy, but her expression seemed a little stiff.

She must have been nervous talking to the HR director.

“That said, Tanaka-san seems a little timid and lacks confidence. I’ve already instructed our branch’s HR staff to provide thorough support after she joins.”

“Thank you, Manager Hiramatsu.”

I expressed my gratitude, but then I suddenly remembered—

Hadn’t Honoka said that WebAd’s Shimizu branch HR officer was unreliable?

Would things really be okay?

Just as I was pondering that, the reception room door opened, and Ruka entered, carrying a tray with four cups of tea.

“Thank you, Aido-san.”

After acknowledging my thanks with a small bow, Ruka placed tea in front of Manager Hiramatsu and Aihara-san.

Manager Hiramatsu smiled at Ruka and said, “Thanks,” before continuing the conversation.

“Well, the HR officer here is a bit unreliable, but the department head in charge will oversee her after she joins. And if anything comes up, Aihara-kun here is always willing to come over and help, so you two can rest easy—Kozakai-san, Hirabayashi-kun.”

Ah, so Manager Hiramatsu was aware of the issue too.

That was reassuring.

“That’s good to hear. We really appreciate it. But coming all the way here from Tokyo must be quite a hassle for Aihara-san. Let’s hope nothing troublesome happens.”

I glanced briefly at Aihara-san before directing my words toward the manager, who responded with a smirk.

“Well, even if nothing troublesome happens, Aihara-kun might still want to come here.”

“Huh…? Why’s that?”

“Because, Hirabayashi-kun, you’re here. Isn’t that right, Aihara-kun?”

Just then, Ruka placed my tea in front of me.

But as she set the saucer down, it hit the table with a loud clunk.

She immediately turned toward Manager Hiramatsu and bowed. “I sincerely apologize.”

It was rare for Ruka to make a mistake like that.

She must have been nervous serving such an important guest.

“Manager! I already told you not to say things like that! You’re making Hirabayashi-san uncomfortable!”

As if Aihara-san would want to come here just because of me—no way!

──I mentally shot down Manager Hiramatsu’s joke.

Aihara-san was looking a bit troubled, her cheeks slightly flushed.

It was clear that Manager Hiramatsu had been using Aihara-san as the subject of his jokes, and she was probably embarrassed by it.

Given how beautiful she was, she must not be used to being teased like that for comedic purposes.

I appreciated the manager’s intention to lighten the mood for Honoka and me, but if he kept using Aihara-san as the punchline, it might start to feel unfair to her.

“Manager Hiramatsu, to think you’re going this far to support the new hires, it gives us, the ones who introduced them, peace of mind. Thank you.”

“No, no, Hirabayashi-kun. You’ve really helped me a lot. Doing this much is the least I can do.”

“No, no, I haven’t done anything so grand.”

As I was having this exchange with Manager Hiramatsu, Honoka, who had been silently observing us, interjected, saying, “Um…”