Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 51: As Expected Of Hirabayashi-san

We finished our meeting in a relaxed atmosphere, thanked the president politely, and left his office.

As I walked down the hallway with the director, passing by the reception area, I saw Rin-san standing there.

“Oh, Hirabayashi-san. How did it go?”

“Thank you, Rin-san. Thanks to you, we’ve been given the opportunity to provide a personnel introduction.”

“That’s great to hear. As expected of you, Hirabayashi-san.”

Rin-san’s usually cool expression softened slightly, revealing a relieved smile.

She had been worried about whether our discussion would go well.

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also considerate—a truly wonderful person, Rin-san.

“Oh no, not at all! It’s all thanks to you, Rin-san!”

“That’s not true. It’s thanks to you and Jinguji-shochou.”

“No, no, that’s not the case. This is all because of—”

“Ahem, ahem. Um, may I interrupt for a moment, Hirabayashi-kun?”

Jinguji-shochou cleared her throat and interjected with a wry smile.

—Oops.

Our silly back-and-forth must have exasperated the director.

Rin-san seemed to have realized the same thing because she quickly straightened her expression, adopting a more formal demeanor.

Then, the director turned to Rin-san and spoke.

“Uh, Hikawa-san.”

“Yes?”

“President Kagaya has instructed that the schedule for the interview with the introduced candidates be coordinated with you, so we’ll be counting on your assistance.”

“Understood. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Thank you.”

After bowing slightly to Rin-san, the director and I left the Kagaya Manufacturing building.

On the way back in the car, I spoke to Jinguji-shochou while driving.

“As expected of you, Shochou! I completely forgot to prepare the candidate materials.”

“As a director, this is the least I can do. Just in case, I made sure to pick out candidates who perfectly match Kagaya Manufacturing’s needs, confirm whether they were actually interested in applying, and have them ready for introduction.”

“W-Wait, you went that far in advance?”

“Of course.”

“Wow… You really are amazing, Shochou! I seriously respect you!”

“Come on, Hirabayashi-kun. No need for such exaggerated flattery.”

“No, this isn’t flattery! I genuinely, truly mean it!”

“O-Oh, really?”

“Yes!”

“Geez, Hirabayashi-kun. If you praise me too much… it’s embarrassing, you know.”

The usually cool, competent, and confident director… getting flustered when complimented about work?

No way.

No, no, she was just saying that.

──And when I glanced at the passenger seat, I saw that the director really did look quite flustered.

Her cheeks were bright red.

I hadn’t been trying to flatter her at all—I had simply voiced what I genuinely felt.

And now I realized something. The always composed and strikingly beautiful director actually looked kind of cute when embarrassed.

“Oh, Hirabayashi-kun. This time, it was really thanks to you. You arranged everything with President Kagaya.”

“Oh, no, I just happened to be lucky enough to secure the appointment with the president.”

“Lucky… do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think it was just luck… at least, that’s not how I see it.”

“You don’t?”

What did she mean?

Well, sure, I had put in my best effort to arrange a meeting with President Kagaya.

But in the end, it had only happened because Ran-san and Rin-san were incredibly kind and accommodating.

Even my classmate Nakajima had been helpful in telling me about Kagaya Manufacturing.

Just like Manager Hiramatsu from WebAd—every person I happened to meet turned out to be a really good person.

If this wasn’t luck, then what else could it be?

“By the way, Hirabayashi-kun. You’ve only met Secretary Hikawa once before, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

—Huh?

What was this about?

“It just seemed like the two of you were awfully familiar.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You even call her Rin-san instead of Hikawa-san.”

—Oh.

That’s right.

On the phone earlier, I had called her Hikawa-san to avoid making things feel off for Honoka and the director.

But since I had already told the director about the Hikawa sisters, I figured it was fine to use her first name here.

“That’s just because I met both Hikawa sisters at the same time. Calling them both Hikawa-san would have been confusing.”

“I understand that. But it’s not just that—it’s also the way she interacts with you. She seems quite fond of you.”

“Well, Hikawa-san might look cool and strict, but she’s actually a very kind and considerate person. That’s probably why it seems that way.”

“Hmm…”

“Huh? What is it? Shochou, don’t tell me you think I’m making a move on Hikawa-san or something? Me? On someone that gorgeous? No way, she wouldn’t even look at me!”

I stole a glance at the director.

She was sitting with her arms crossed, looking at me with an expression of slight discontent.

“It’s not that I think you’re making a move on her. No, that’s not it… It’s just…”

—Huh?

What now?

The serious look on her face made me a little nervous.

“It’s not just luck. You have something that makes people want to support you, Hirabayashi-kun.”

“Huh? Do I? I don’t think so…”

“You do. You’re always giving your all, especially for things that don’t directly benefit you. You’re sincere.”

Well, that was something I tried to be conscious of, so hearing it from someone else was nice.

“And you have a warm smile. That kind of smile makes people want to help you.”

“Eh…? No one’s ever told me that before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Ever since I was a student, I’ve always been surrounded by people competing based on academic achievements and abilities. I’ve rarely been around someone like you—someone with sincerity, passion, and a smile that draws people in.”

Jinguji-shochou looked straight at me, her expression completely serious as she spoke.