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

Nakajima told me there were two possible routes to get an appointment with the president of Kagaya Manufacturing.

One was through the president’s son, the executive director, and the other was through the president’s secretary.

“Hey, Hirarin. Going through the executive director, that’s not gonna happen, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

“I kinda figured. The executive director handles hiring, so if you wanna meet the president, it’s probably because you’re not getting anywhere with him, huh?”

“Well, yeah. You’re right. Thanks for understanding. That makes things easier.”

I gave a wry smile, and Nakajima laughed, saying, “Yeah, with that executive director… there’s no way you’d get anywhere.”

“Anyway, Hirarin, I wanna help you out, but that secretary… she’s really tight-lipped. It’s not easy to get to the president through her.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Hikawa. She’s ridiculously beautiful, but she’s strict about her work, and her attitude is as cold as ice. Someone like me would never stand a chance with her.”

A strict, beautiful secretary named Hikawa, huh?

I felt like I’d heard that name somewhere before… Could she be a relative of the Hikawa from Shimizu Bussan?

Nah, that was probably not the case…

“The only useful thing I can tell you about her is that she really loves pudding. Sorry I don’t have much more info.”

“No, no, that’s actually really helpful! I appreciate it, Nakajima.”

The fact that Hikawa liked pudding was actually quite valuable info. After all, there was no such thing as a bad person who loved pudding.

But joking aside, I’d try contacting Hikawa tomorrow. Kagaya Manufacturing was a major local company, so it was possible that her relative worked there after all.

“By the way, Nakajima, there’s one more thing I need to ask you. It’s pretty important…”

“What is it?”

“Is your company a good place to work at? I mean, if I send over a job seeker, will they be okay?”

“Oh yeah, that’s fine, Hirarin. The executive director is a bit of a flashy guy, but he only oversees HR and administration, so he doesn’t have much influence on other areas of work. Overall, the job is fun.”

“I see…”

“Yeah. The president does spoil his son a bit, but the president’s younger brother is involved, and other executives outside of the executive director are solid. The president has even said it’s not a given that his son will take over the company in the future.”

Nakajima’s words reassured me.

I had been a little worried about referring job seekers to Kagaya Manufacturing, but it seemed like it’d be fine.

“Thanks, Nakajima. This really helps.”

“Anytime. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks again.”

I ended the call.

The conversation with Nakajima had been really productive. The most important thing was that I learned it was okay to introduce job seekers to the company. Nakajima, being an insider, gave me that assurance, so I trusted him.

And the secretary’s name was Hikawa, huh?

Tomorrow, I’d call her and ask about it.

That’s what I thought.

The next day, I explained the situation to Honoka when I got to the office.

Since Honoka was handling the account for Hikawa’s company, it was better to inform her before I made a call to Hikawa.

As I explained, Honoka looked at me with wide eyes.

“Wait… Something like that happened?”

“Yeah. It’d be great if Hikawa-san is a relative or acquaintance of the secretary. I should’ve asked the director more about the secretary at Kagaya Manufacturing earlier. If I had, I might’ve learned her name sooner.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s as simple as that. The director wouldn’t necessarily mention the secretary’s name. Plus, you got to hear first hand info about the employees because of your research, so I’d say it worked out well.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Wait… was she complimenting me? Honoka was smiling at me in a more genuine way than usual.

It was funny, but when she smiled like this, she looked even more beautiful. I had previously thought I was being unfair by judging her actions too harshly.

After chatting with Honoka, I decided to call Hikawa-san’s company.

The voice that answered the phone was surprisingly cheerful, as if she was happy to hear from me.

“Oh, Hirabayashi-san, hello! What can I do for you?”

“Ah, Hikawa-san, I’m sorry to bother you. I hope it’s not a bad time. I just wanted to ask you something out of the blue.”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Does anyone in your family happen to work at Kagaya Manufacturing?”

“Huh…? Ah, yes. My sister works there. Why do you ask?”

Wha… Your sister!? So, does that mean the secretary at Kagaya Manufacturing, the one you’re referring to, is your older sister!?

No way—what luck!

“Wait, so the secretary at Kagaya Manufacturing, the one you’re referring to, is your sister?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, you see, I’m trying to get in touch with the president of Kagaya Manufacturing about a matter, and I found out that the secretary is someone named Hikawa. I was wondering if she’s related to you, and if so, if you could possibly introduce me to her.”

“I see…”

“Of course, I know it’s unrelated to your work, and I apologize for asking, but is there any way you could help me?”

“Well, I understand. I’ll check with my sister when I get home today.”

Hikawa-san didn’t sound irritated or cold at all. She answered immediately, and I could sense her willingness to help.

Even though she was known for being strict, it turned out she was a really kind person. I truly appreciated her help.

“Thank you so much, Hikawa-san. Could you let me know once you’ve had a chance to speak with her?”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Actually, Hikawa-san, I’m often out of the office, so it would be better if you could contact me on the company cell phone number that’s on my business card.”

“Got it.”

Yay!

Now I had a real chance to directly request a meeting with the president through the secretary. I couldn’t be more grateful for Hikawa-san’s kindness.

But since today was Friday, it’d probably be at least Monday before I got an answer, as she’d talk to her sister tonight.

I was left with a bit of uncertainty about whether or not I’d be able to speak with her sister, and I’d have to spend the weekend in that state of limbo.

But, there was no point in dwelling on it.

I decided not to get stuck in overthinking. I’d focus on what I could do right now.

With that mindset, I got back to work, focusing on creating articles for the companies I had been interviewing and continuing my efforts to introduce candidates to them.