Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 29: Manager Hiramatsu Is Our Hirari... (Honoka's Slip Of The Tongue)

Manager Hiramatsu kept praising me so much for everything I had done that it made my back feel ticklish, and Honoka, who had been watching from the side, interjected with, “Um…”

“Manager Hiramatsu seems to highly appreciate our Hirari… I mean, Hirabayashi, quite a lot, but…”

“That’s right, Kozakai-san. There was a time when our company struggled with hiring good talent, and it caused us a lot of trouble. During that time, Hirabayashi-kun came to us multiple times, interviewed many of our employees to find out what’s great about our company, and he was able to effectively present that to potential hires. Thanks to that, we were able to successfully recruit new employees.”

“Really…”

Honoka gave me a knowing look, her expression saying, “Ah, I see…”

It seemed like our current business strategy, which Honoka and I had been working on, was based on this very thing, and she probably figured it out now. Ha ha…

“There’s no other recruitment agency that works as hard as Hirabayashi-kun does. Thanks to him, we realized aspects of our company we hadn’t noticed before. Now, we even use those strengths in our employee training. Honestly, we owe it all to Hirabayashi. Right, Hirabayashi-kun?”

“No, no, Manager Hiramatsu. You’re overdoing it. I’m the one who’s grateful for all the positive things you say about me. Thanks to you, my motivation for work has really increased. I should be thanking you.”

“No, no, Hirabayashi-kun. I’m not one to flatter people. And even Aihara-kun here, she always said that you’re really a great person, helping out during all the interviews and so on.”

“Eh…?”

I couldn’t help but glance at Aihara-san’s face.

She smiled, her expression softening into a warm grin.

Aihara-san, who had strikingly sharp features like a half-Japanese, half-foreign beauty, looked even more charming with that innocent smile.

“Yes, Hirabayashi-san, that’s the truth.”

Aihara-san had said that about me to Manager Hiramatsu.

It turned out, Manager Hiramatsu’s high opinion of me was thanks to Aihara-san. I hadn’t known that before, but I really appreciated it.

Every time I visited WebAd Inc., it was Aihara-san who helped arrange everything and supported me.

“Thank you, Aihara-san!”

“No, Hirabayashi-san. I just said what I really thought.”

“Oh, thank you… thank you…”

Aihara-san’s shy, radiant smile was so dazzling that I unconsciously muttered my response.

“Ahem!”

Suddenly, I heard Honoka clear her throat beside me.

Was she catching a cold?

…Oh, no. That wasn’t it. As a saleswoman, it would be bad to appear too hesitant in front of a client.

Honoka must have been reminding me about that. She was really my best partner.

I was thankful for her.

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself.”

After Ruka finished serving tea and bowed politely before leaving the reception room, Manager Hiramatsu spoke up as if he had just remembered something.

“By the way, Hirabayashi-kun, we’re staying at the hotel near Shimizu Station tonight. How about it? Would you join us for a meal afterward?”

“Eh…? Ah, I’d love to catch up with you, Manager Hiramatsu.”

“Great! Let’s go!”

After saying that, Manager Hiramatsu turned towards Honoka.

“Kozakai-san, I apologize. We have a lot to talk about, so I’ll borrow Hirabayashi-kun for a while.”

“Eh? Ah, sure. Go ahead.”

Honoka gave Manager Hiramatsu a wry smile in response.

Perhaps Honoka also wanted to join them to deepen her relationship with the manager? Or maybe she was relieved that she didn’t have to join and could avoid the formalities of being with someone important?

It was hard to tell, but since Manager Hiramatsu had specifically asked me to join him, it felt difficult to suggest that Honoka come along too.

“Manager Hiramatsu, could you wait for a moment? The director is out, so I’ll call and get permission.”

I said this and called Jinguji-shochou. The director said that if it was a meeting with a client’s HR manager, I should definitely go. She even said I could use the entertainment budget for the meal.

That was generous.

After getting the director’s permission, I informed Manager Hiramatsu, who then said, “Let’s head out right away.” I left the office with Manager Hiramatsu and Aihara-san.

〈The Girls’ Side〉

After the meeting with WebAd, Honoka returned to the office alone.

Seeing her, Ruka tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? Where’s Rinta-senpai?”

“Well… Hirarin was invited by Manager Hiramatsu to go out for a meal.”

“Really…?”

Ruka looked a little surprised but quickly masked it with her usual cool expression.

“The three of them…?”

“Yeah. Well, I wasn’t invited… Actually, I’m kind of relieved I wasn’t. Entertaining a client’s HR manager sounds stuffy and uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, I get that. By the way, the HR person from WebAd was really beautiful, wasn’t she?”

“Oh, Aihara-san, right? Beautiful… I guess?”

Honoka frowned slightly.

It was obvious that Aihara-san was incredibly beautiful, but it seemed that Honoka didn’t want to admit it.

“So, her name is Aihara-san, huh?” 

“Yeah, it’s Aihara Mei. But honestly, does it even matter, Ruka-tan? Let’s focus on work.” 

“Ah… Y-yeah, you’re right. Let’s get to work.” 

The two of them then turned their attention to their computers and began working. After a while, Jinguji-shochou returned to the office, and the day’s tasks were carried out in a quiet and focused atmosphere.

Once the workday ended, Honoka and Ruka prepared to leave for the day.

“I’m heading out now. What about you, Reika-shochou?” 

“Oh, I’ll finish a few more things before heading out. Are you done, Hono-chan?” 

“Yeah. Ruka-tan is already leaving too.”

“Alright, you two can head out first. Take care.”

“Fwaaaih. See you!”

“Goodbye, Reika-shochou.”

After exchanging their goodbyes, the two of them left the office and started walking toward the station. Ruka lived on a different street, so she would part ways with Honoka soon, but before they reached the station, Honoka spoke up.

“Hey, Ruka-tan. Wanna grab a drink on the way home?”

“Huh? It’s not Friday. It’s rare for you to suggest going out for drinks on a regular day.”

“Eh…? W-well, even I sometimes feel like drinking on weekdays, you know?”

“Hmm…” Ruka gave Honoka a teasing smile, her gaze fixed on her.

Honoka seemed to have something on her mind, and her expression showed she wanted to drink, though she was hesitating.

“Ah, I’m not saying you have to, though. If you’re heading home, that’s fine too.”

“No, let’s go.” 

“Huh…?”

“I kinda feel like drinking today too,” Ruka admitted, her expression softening slightly as she said it.

“S-See? There are days like that, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then, let’s go! Full speed ahead!” Honoka exclaimed, mimicking a train conductor’s hand gesture, pointing toward the drinking area.

Ruka giggled, covering her mouth, and followed Honoka as they made their way to the local bars.

And so, the two girls began their little after-work drinking session.