Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 39: I Thought They Were Fighting, But They Were Just Bantering

“Ran-san, thank you so much for today. I’ll definitely repay this favor.”

I said this to Ran-san with a serious expression. However, for some reason, it was Rin-san sitting beside her who immediately responded.

“A thank you gift, huh… Well now…”

Rin-san placed her hand on her chin and let her gaze wander through the air. Her face showed something like excitement.

“Wait a minute, Rin. Hirabayashi-san was talking to me, so why are you the one contemplating this?”

“But today, wasn’t the main purpose for him to talk with me? So it’s fine for me to think about it too, isn’t it?”

“That’s not the point, Rin. Hirabayashi-san doesn’t need to give us any thank you gifts, right? We already received pudding from him…”

Oh no, this was bad. The two of them started arguing.

“Please wait. Of course I’ll thank both of you for today, so please don’t fight.”

When I held both hands out in front of me, making a gesture as if to calm them down, suddenly Ran-san and Rin-san looked puzzled and glanced at each other.

Then they burst into laughter and turned toward me. Both of them were smiling. Two cool beautiful women’s smiles lined up side by side.

“We’re not fighting at all, Hirabayashi-san. This is just our usual way of bantering with each other.”

—Ah. The two of them were harmonizing again in friendly unison.

Indeed, it seemed they weren’t seriously fighting. Then the two continued, “Well, since it’s lunchtime, why don’t we have a meal together now? How about that instead of a thank you gift?”

Both of them spoke in perfect sync, making the exact same proposal without any prior arrangement. Amazing. Twins were truly remarkable. This must be what they called telepathy.

Well, thanks to these two, I got a chance to break into Kagaya Manufacturing, which I’d thought was impenetrable. If treating them to lunch was enough to express my gratitude, that was a small price to pay.

“Eh? Ah, yes. Let’s do that.”

“Hirabayashi-san, we don’t mean for you to treat us. Just having a meal together is enough.”

What? Just eating together? Ran-san said that, but…

“No, that wouldn’t count as a thank you at all…”

While I was confused, the older sister, Rin-san, smiled and said, “It’s fine. Just having a meal with us is a sufficient thank you.”

“Huh…? That can’t be true, can it?”

“No, no. Having a meal together is plenty enough as thanks, right? Right, Ran?”

Rin-san suddenly addressed Ran-san with an insistent tone, smiling at her. Ran-san seemed flustered by the sudden question.

“Y-yes. It’s p-p-plenty enough as a th-thank you, Hirabayashi-san. Ohoho.”

Ran-san placed her hand over her mouth, laughing in that exaggerated way again.

I see. They were saying that just sharing a meal with me counted as thanks. This must be their thoughtfulness to avoid making me feel obligated. They really were kind, good people.

Continuing to refuse their kindness would be rude. I might as well accept their offer.

“I understand. Thank you. Then I’ll do as you suggest.”

And so the three of us decided to go to an Italian restaurant on the shopping mall’s restaurant floor.

The Hikawa sisters told me that the Italian restaurant in this shopping mall was casual and reasonably priced, but had a reputation for being very delicious.

We ordered one pizza to share among the three of us, and then each of us ordered pasta or doria.

“By the way, Hirabayashi-san. I heard from Ran that you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“Eh…?”

After we sat down and finished ordering, the older sister, Rin-san, suddenly asked me such a question. Ran-san, sitting beside Rin-san, turned a surprised face toward her sister and began to panic.

“W-wait, Rin. Why are you suddenly bringing that up…?”

“It’s fine, Ran. Just small talk.”

I remembered being asked the same question when I met Ran-san before, and honestly answering that I didn’t have a girlfriend. Ran-san must have told Rin-san that I wasn’t popular with women. 

Well, since it was the truth, there was no point in trying to look good.

“Yes, I don’t.”

“Why is that?”

Rin-san asked with a rather serious expression.

But… if you asked me why…

—Because I was not popular?

That was the only answer I could come up with.

“Could it be that you don’t like women, Hirabayashi-san?”

“Ah, no, not really. I think… just normal.”

I was not particularly fond of women, but I didn’t dislike them either.

It was not like I had trouble interacting with women, but I wouldn’t say I was especially good at it either.

So I really didn’t know how to answer.

“I see. So, you just don’t have a girlfriend right now, but it’s not like you don’t want to be in a relationship.”

That was true…

I didn’t desperately want a girlfriend, but it was not like I didn’t want one either.

That said, I honestly had no idea how to get one.

No woman had ever told me she liked me, so it was safe to say I was not popular.

Well, back in school and even now as a working adult, I hadn’t had many women around me, so I didn’t really know the exact reason why.

Maybe it was because I couldn’t crack good jokes or say clever things… or at least, that was what I thought.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Hearing my answer, Rin-san smiled in satisfaction.

Then, she turned to Ran-san, grinned mischievously, and— for some reason—winked at her.