Actually, There’s Someone at Your Workplace Who Likes You ~ I’m Being Transferred to a Sales Office Filled With Only Beautiful Women!? - Chapter 67: Uuuuummm, I'm nervous

After watching Ruka’s back as she left the office, Honoka glanced at Rinta who was facing his computer at his desk.

(Uuuuummm, I’m nervous.)

She gulped, took a deep breath, and then spoke to Rinta.

“Umm, hey, Hirarin.”

“Hmm?”

Rinta looked up from his computer monitor and their eyes met.

Honoka gasped, “Eek!”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

“Ah, no… nothing. Hey, Hirarin. I have a small favor to ask… is that okay?”

“Sure, go ahead. Ask me anything.”

“I-I-I want you to go on a date with me.”

“Huh…? Me…?”

Rinta froze with his eyes wide in shock, probably the most they’d ever been in his life. Honoka was so nervous that she had completely skipped explaining the circumstances. No wonder Rinta was confused.

“Ah…”

Realizing this, Honoka suddenly felt embarrassment welling up like magma from deep in her chest. In an instant, her face turned bright red like a boiled octopus. She hurriedly began to explain.

“No, that’s not it! This isn’t a confession!”

“What do you mean?”

It was no surprise that Rinta was suspicious. Normally, anyone would think it was a confession. Besides, from Rinta’s perspective, the idea of Honoka confessing to him was unthinkable, making the situation even more confusing.

Either way, Honoka finally explained the situation from the beginning.

“—and that’s why…”

“I see. I understand. Sure. If it’s something I can do, I’d be happy to help. I’m not confident I could keep up the act if I actually met your mother and talked to her, but if it’s just showing her what our date looks like from a distance, I think I can manage that.”

Just as Honoka had imagined, Rinta agreed immediately without a trace of reluctance. And just as she had pictured, he added a gentle smile.

Honoka’s heart skipped a beat at that smile, but she couldn’t let Rinta notice that, so she pretended to be calm and responded casually.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. But… am I really the right person for this role? Someone like you must have tons of guys who would be willing to do this, right?”

Indeed there were. Mostly creepy guys though.

—Honoka thought to herself with a wry smile.

“Um… no, there aren’t. I don’t have anyone I could trust with something this important.”

A trustworthy person. Those words struck Rinta as unexpected. Honoka’s statement hit Rinta right in the heart.

—So Honoka thinks of me that way.

Though he hadn’t been assigned to this office for long, it seemed his sincere and hardworking approach to his job had earned her trust.

That thought made Rinta happy.

“—So, where are we going?”

“…Huh? Where?”

“The destination for our date.”

“D-Date…”

Despite being the one who asked, Honoka was so relieved by Rinta’s acceptance that she hadn’t thought about where they would go.

Hearing the words “date destination” from Rinta’s mouth, it felt like they were making plans for a real date, and she could feel her face heating up.

She had been acting strange since yesterday. Why was she getting so flustered just thinking about a fake date?

—Was she always this innocent? Honoka thought she was acting like a middle or high school student.

“Oh, y-yeah. Date destination… um… what should we do?”

“You hadn’t thought about it?” “Actually… no.” “I see, haha.”

Looking at the blushing and flustered Honoka, Rinta thought even her scatterbrained side was cute.

“Mom doesn’t have a driver’s license, so going somewhere by car is a no-go. If we take the train… maybe just wandering around the station area? What do you think would be good, Hirarin?”

“Let’s see…”

Rinta wanted to suggest something that would make for a proper date, and thought about various options, but for someone who had never been on a date in his life, this was an extremely difficult challenge. He had no idea what to do.

“Sorry, Honoka. To be honest, I have no clue what would be an appropriate date destination. I’ve never had a girlfriend before, so… haha.”

Rinta scratched his head and laughed cheerfully, trying his best not to sound pathetic. He was being considerate, not wanting to make Honoka worry about him.

“Wouldn’t you know more about date spots? You must have dated lots of guys before.”

“Huh…?”

This time it was Honoka who froze at Rinta’s casual remark.

“N-no, no, I-I-I’m not that experienced with dating!”

“Really? Haha, you must be joking. You’ve always been popular, right?”

“Well, I was popular, haha.”

“I knew it.”

At Rinta’s words, Honoka looked flustered, as if worried she had sounded boastful. She hurriedly tried to explain. Though what she was about to say wasn’t just an excuse—it was the truth.

“Ah, but actually, I’ve only had two serious relationships! And they were both short, so I don’t really have much dating experience. Tehe~”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. So I can’t think of any good date spots off the top of my head. Hehe.”

Looking at the slightly embarrassed Honoka, Rinta was surprised.

The fact that Honoka didn’t have much dating experience was certainly unexpected, but what surprised Rinta even more was that Honoka had openly admitted something that could be considered a weakness.

She seemed like the type who would be popular and might boast about it, but here she was honestly admitting her lack of dating experience. That was so unexpected that Rinta found Honoka even cuter than usual.

“I see. Well, since we’re going out anyway, I’ll do my best to come up with a plan that you’ll enjoy.”

“Huh?”

Honoka was surprised to see Rinta say this with a refreshing smile.

This whole situation was just about Honoka’s circumstances. Yet not only was Rinta not complaining, he even said he would try his best to make it enjoyable for her.

And with such a refreshing smile too.

Looking at Rinta’s smile that revealed his white teeth, the thought that suddenly popped into Honoka’s mind was—

(Ah… Hirarin is so cool.)

And a sweet, tangy sensation ran through Honoka’s heart.