Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 40: Hirabayashi-san, Are You Uncomfortable with Small Talk Like This?

Rin-san asked me, “You don’t dislike the idea of dating someone, right?” 

When I answered “I don’t,” for some reason Rin-san turned to Ran-san with a grin and winked at her.

“W-wait, Rin. Isn’t it rude to Hirabayashi-san to pry into such private matters?”

“Oh, Hirabayashi-san. Ran is saying this, but… are you uncomfortable with small talk like this?”

“No, it’s completely fine. It’s not something I need to hide anyway.”

When I said this, Rin-san triumphantly said “See?” to Ran-san. Ran-san then looked somewhat relieved.

I hadn’t had opportunities to talk about these things with women before, so it felt fresh in a way. Rin-san seemed like someone who could talk openly about anything, so I thought maybe I could even ask her advice on how to get a girlfriend.

—This kind of thought had never occurred to me before.

She was older than me, so there was a possibility she might kindly give me some advice.

But—what if it turned into a storm of criticism like “This part of you is no good,” “That part is no good,” “That’s why you’re not popular”? Could my mental state handle that…?

Hmm… perhaps I should refrain from asking such advice after all. While I was hesitating, Rin-san spoke to me again.

“Hey, Hirabayashi-san.”

“Yes?”

“I hope you find a wonderful girlfriend at your new post.”

“Ah, yes, thank you. But that’s quite difficult, ahaha.”

“Is it? I think you might be able to.”

Oh, I messed up. Because of my careless response, I made Rin-san feel like she needed to be considerate. Of course Rin-san couldn’t possibly say, “I don’t think you can.”

“Hey Ran. You think so too, right?”

Ah, had Rin-san become uncomfortable giving me empty compliments and decided to drag Ran-san into the conversation? With this kind of topic, Ran-san would also be troubled and have no choice but to say something flattering.

“Wha…? Ah, y-y-yes. I’m s-sure Hirabayashi-san will f-f-find a w-wonderful girlfriend.”

—See.

The usually cool Ran-san was flustered to a pitiful degree. Her face was flushed, her eyes were darting around nervously, and her refined features were strained. She was struggling because she couldn’t bring herself to say “it’s difficult to find a girlfriend” out of consideration for me.

This was bad. I needed to quickly change the subject from whether I could get a girlfriend or not—it was pitiful seeing Ran-san so uncomfortable. 

What should I do…?

—Just as I was worrying about this, our food conveniently arrived.

This was lucky.

“Thank you both very much! I’ll do my best! Oh, the pizza has arrived. Let’s eat!”

I said all that in one breath, thanked Rin-san and Ran-san, and then, forgive my rudeness, I reached for the pizza in front of me first and took a bite.

“Mmm, delicious! Please, Rin-san and Ran-san, help yourselves too!”

“Oh, yes. Shall we eat, Ran?”

“Y-y-yes. Let’s eat, Rin.”

And while eating the pizza and the pasta that was brought afterward, the three of us got excited talking about which Italian restaurants were delicious in this town.

The pizza and pasta at this restaurant were quite something, truly delicious. All three of us quickly finished everything we ordered.

“Ahh, I’m full.”

“Me too~”

Rin-san and Ran-san both had satisfied expressions. Both of them seemed relaxed with content, full-bellied expressions. Such unguarded expressions from cool-type beauties appeared very cute.

I too felt immensely satisfied with the delicious meal.

“That was really delicious. Thank you for introducing me to such a good restaurant.”

“Not at all. Both of us love finding delicious restaurants, so we’ll introduce you to other good places too. Right, Ran?”

“Eh… y-y-yes. We’ll tell you, we’ll tell you!”

Ran-san flustered as Rin-san suddenly directed the conversation to her.

“Really? That makes me happy.”

Since I had a nearly ten-year gap away from this town, it was wonderful to have someone tell me about good restaurants.

“Th-then, Hirabayashi-san. L-let’s go again sometime.”

Ran-san kindly said this to me. When I honestly replied “Yes,” Ran-san smiled and said, “Now that we’ve finished eating, shall we head back?”

From beside her, Rin-san was mumbling something.

“Huh? Are we leaving already, Ran?”

“Y-yes. We’ve accomplished what we needed to, so let’s go back.”

“Are you sure? We have this opportunity…”

“Yes. Today was mainly about your talk with him… right? We already promised… another meal… So… Besides, my heart has been racing the whole time, I can’t take it anymore… Let’s go home for today.”

“I understand. If that’s what you want, Ran…”

I couldn’t hear clearly, but it seemed like that kind of conversation.

What was wrong with Ran-san? Was she feeling unwell? Could she possibly have heart disease? If so, that would be serious. I shouldn’t make her push herself.

But illness-related matters were sensitive and involved privacy, so I couldn’t easily ask about it. What should I do…?

While I was hesitating, Ran-san turned her face toward me.

“W-well then… Hirabayashi-san. Thank you for joining us for lunch. Sh-shall we head back now?”

“Ah, yes. Ran-san, Rin-san. Thank you both very much.”

I stood up from my seat and bowed to both of them once more. Rin-san also responded with a smile saying, “You’re welcome.”

“When I can talk with the president about setting up a meeting with Rikuado, I’ll call you again.”

“I look forward to it.”

As agreed, we split the bill three ways at the register, and just as we were about to exit through the restaurant’s exit, Ran-san said she had forgotten her smartphone at the table and went back to retrieve it. So Rin-san and I decided to exit the restaurant first.

When we left the Italian restaurant, I immediately saw gift shops and clothing stores in front of us. The restaurant we had been at was located at the very edge of the restaurant area, and right beside it was the retail store area.

After leaving the store, I stopped to wait for Ran-san, and as I was facing Rin-san talking with her, suddenly from the side came a short cry, “Ah… Ri-Rinta-senpai!”

When I turned around, there was… none other than Ruka standing there with a dumbfounded expression.