Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 47: Good News

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<Rinta’s SIde>

Monday morning.

Among the four of us, Ruka was the last to arrive at work.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, Ruka-tan!”

“Good morning, Ruka.”

“Good morning, Ruka-chan.”

The three of us responded, and Ruka nodded politely to each of us in turn—just like her, always so courteous.

But when she turned to face me, I thought I saw a slightly happier smile than usual.

A secret between just the two of us—

The memory of Ruka’s mischievous smile and those words from yesterday flashed through my mind.

My heart started racing.

Crap, this wasn’t good.

Even if she called it “a secret between just the two of us”, all we did was watch an anime movie together.

I shouldn’t overthink this.

More importantly, I need to focus on work.

Yeah, work! Work!

I forced myself to concentrate and sat down at my desk.

Monday mornings were always hectic—sorting through emails that piled up over the weekend, handling internal communications, and taking care of various tasks.

Before I knew it, the morning had flown by, and it was already past noon.

After having lunch at a nearby diner, I returned to the office just as my work phone started ringing.

The caller ID showed an unregistered number, but it was from a local landline.

“Hello, this is Hirabayashi from Rikuado.”

“Ah, Mr. Hirabayashi? This is Hikawa from Kagaya Manufacturing.”

“Oh! Thank you for your time!”

I almost blurted out, “Rin-san!?” but held back.

The branch manager and Honoka were nearby.

If they heard me call her that, their eyes would probably pop out of their heads in shock. I had to stay professional.

“About that matter from the other day—I spoke with our president, and he would really like to meet with Rikuado.”

From the tone of Rin-san’s voice, I could tell it was great news.

“R-Really?! Thank you so much!”

We did it!

A meeting with the president of Kagaya Manufacturing was officially happening.

“That said, I’m terribly sorry for the short notice, but would you be able to come over today, right now?”

“Right now…?”

“Yes. I apologize for the sudden request, but if we miss this opportunity, the president won’t be available for at least a week.”

“I see. Please hold on for a moment.”

I quickly explained the situation to Jinguji-shochou and asked if we could head over to Kagaya Manufacturing right away.

“That’s fine.”

“Understood.”

I told Rin-san we’d be on our way and ended the call.

“Alright, let’s go, Manager!”

“Oh, okay!”

With that, the two of us rushed out of the office.

<Girls’ Side>

After Rinta and the branch manager hurriedly left, the office suddenly fell into silence. Left behind were Honoka and Ruka.

Honoka stared blankly at the door they had just exited through, while Ruka quietly observed Honoka’s profile.

Honoka’s round, reddish-brown eyes were wide open in shock.

Her expression looked as if she had just witnessed something incredible. Then, she murmured in admiration.

“They actually got an appointment with the president of Kagaya Manufacturing… No way. Hirarin is seriously amazing…”

“Rinta-senpai is really cool, isn’t he?”

Ruka’s comment came from beside her, and Honoka, still dazed, absentmindedly responded.

“Yeah… I guess so…”

“Oh? So Honoka-senpai finally admits it. That Rinta-senpai is cool.”

“…Huh?”

Honoka, still in a stupor, suddenly snapped back to reality and turned toward Ruka.

Her soft, wavy chestnut-colored hair followed a moment later, curling slightly as it swayed.

“Uh, wait… W-What are you talking about, Ruka-tan? There’s no way I think Hirarin is cool. Not at all!”

“Really?”

“Y-Y-Yeah! Of course!”

“Hmmm…”

“W-What’s with that suspicious look?”

“Oh, nothing… It’s just that Honoka-senpai’s eyes seem to be sparkling…”

“My eyes are sparkling? That’s just because of my eyelash extensions—”

Yeah, right.

Ruka held back a sigh. That sparkle wasn’t from eyelash extensions—it was the shine of someone who’d just seen something truly impressive.

She considered pointing it out, but since Honoka was flailing so much in her frantic denial, Ruka decided to just smile quietly instead.

“Well, if Honoka-senpai says so, then I won’t argue. But personally, I think the way he puts in the effort and actually gets results is really cool.”

Just like she had thought yesterday, Ruka had no intention of telling Rinta any of this.

But when it came to Honoka—who stubbornly refused to acknowledge Rinta’s good qualities—Ruka couldn’t help but say something.

—Honoka-senpai totally thought Rinta-senpai was cool.

Maybe the old Honoka wouldn’t have, but now? Absolutely. Anyone watching her would think the same, Ruka mused with a wry smile.

Ruka wasn’t the type to easily express what she truly felt.

But maybe because of Honoka’s straightforward personality, Ruka found herself speaking more honestly around her.

And for that, she was actually grateful.

“Hmmm. But Ruka-tan, no matter what you say, your ‘admired senpai’ is still the coolest one for you, right?”

“Well… who knows?”

“…Huh?”

Ruka let out a small, mysterious smile.

A teasing, knowing grin—something completely unexpected from the usually composed Ruka.

Honoka froze in shock.