Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 43: The Sweet Aroma of Caramel Popcorn

As soon as we stepped into the cinema, the sweet aroma of caramel popcorn filled my nose.

I had just eaten lunch and was already full, but when it came to movies, popcorn was a must. And I had a sweet tooth. Thinking about it made me crave it even more.

──That was when I glanced at Ruka, who was standing beside me.

“Hey, Ruka.”

“H-h-huh?! Y-y-yes! W-what is it?!”

──Huh?

What’s up with her?

She seemed oddly nervous.

Her eyes still looked a little teary, and her cheeks were flushed red. She was holding her hands behind her back, shifting her weight from side to side, looking unsure of what to do.

Her cute, floral-patterned flared mini skirt swayed gently with her movements.

Hmm… It kind of looked like she was in a state of excitement.

“Don’t you feel like having some popcorn?”

“Y-yes! I-I do!”

“Are you okay?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I mean… are you feeling unwell or something?”

“N-no…! If anything, I feel better than usual…”

No… This was strange.

Ruka was usually so calm and composed.

Even when Honoka did something unpredictable, she always handled it coolly.

But right now, her way of speaking was weird, and she was clearly flustered.

“A-ah, no… I’m just a little nervous…”

“Nervous? Why?”

“Th-that’s…”

“That’s…?”

Ruka turned her bright red face toward me, staring as if she was steeling herself for something. Then, she took a deep breath.

“O-of course, the reason is… b-b-because I-I… ah, no. Th-the reason is, of course, that I finally get to watch Demon Assault: The Movie!”

Ruka suddenly started talking in a strangely formal, military-like tone.

It was probably because Demon Assault’s protagonist was a soldier who fought to save humanity. Maybe she was just getting into the mood.

Yeah, I guessed that made sense.

But honestly, I felt the same way.

Getting to finally watch it made me excited too.

“I see. I feel the same way.”

“Y-yes…!”

“Alright, let’s get our tickets first. Then, we’ll get the popcorn.”

“Y-yes. That sounds good.”

Ruka let out a deep breath and finally seemed to relax a little.

We bought our tickets at the counter, then grabbed our popcorn and drinks before heading into the theater.

Looking around inside, I saw that most of the seats were already filled. As expected from a popular movie. I was relieved that there were still some available.

Scanning for our seat numbers, I spotted two empty seats.

There they were.

But as we got closer, I realized something.

Our seats were sandwiched between two young couples.

We were surrounded by… what people would call “riajuu”—the lucky ones who had fulfilling real-life relationships.

I felt a slight pang of jealousy—

No, no. That was not like me.

There was no point in envying others.

All I could do was focus on doing my best.

And maybe, just maybe, someday, someone would come along who liked me for who I was… It was not impossible.

Even so, being surrounded by couples like this made me a little nervous.

“A-ah, excuse me.”

With popcorn in my right hand and a drink in my left, I carefully maneuvered past the couple in front of me, making sure not to spill anything.

Ruka followed behind me, also murmuring, “Excuse me,” as she slipped past them.

Finally, we made it to our seats and sat down.

“I’ll leave the popcorn here. Feel free to eat as much as you want.”

“A-ah, okay. Thank you very much.”

Between Ruka’s seat and mine, there was a wide armrest with built-in cup holders.

I placed the large-sized popcorn cup into one of them.

Since I’d bought an XL size, the two of us could enjoy as much popcorn as we wanted.

As I took a moment to relax and glance around, my eyes landed on the couples beside us. Both pairs were sitting closely together, clearly enjoying each other’s company.

──This was kind of a painful sight.

But more importantly…

The fact that Demon Assault: The Movie was finally about to start was making me a little nervous.

I turned to Ruka and saw her glancing left and right repeatedly, her expression stiff.

Was she also feeling nervous because she was so excited about the movie?

“Hey, Ruka. You’re nervous too, huh?”

“Y-y-yes. I-I-I’m extremely nervous. R-r-rinta-senpai… you too?”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“I… I see…”

Ruka tried her best to force a smile, but it came out strained.

Her cheeks also seemed slightly pink.

Well, whatever.

I was sure that once the movie started, we’d both get sucked into its world, and our nerves would calm down.

Just as I thought that, the lights dimmed, and the movie begun.

And just as I predicted, I immediately got absorbed into the story.

But man, this anime movie was intense.

Thinking my nerves would settle once the movie started was naive of me.

The protagonists, at an overwhelming disadvantage, took on a colossal demon.

The battle scenes were gripping, and sudden enemy attacks kept the tension high.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen as I reached for the popcorn, grabbing a handful and popping it into my mouth.

The caramel sweetness helped ease my tension—at least a little.

After a while, I reached for the popcorn again.

Just like before, I extended my hand toward the cup, fingers open, ready to grab some.

──Squish.

Huh?

What’s this?

The popcorn, which should feel light and crisp, was instead warm and soft.

I glanced down and saw… a hand.

It was Ruka’s hand, already reaching into the popcorn cup before me.

And I’d just… completely wrapped my hand around her fist.

For some reason, Ruka didn’t pull her hand away.

She just let me hold it.

──This was bad.

Panicked, I looked up at Ruka’s face.

She had her mouth slightly open, her large, clear eyes widened in shock.

She didn’t say a word.

She just stared at me, frozen with tension.