After Escaping from a Black Company, I Ended Up Being Pampered by Sexy Beautiful Women - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Feeling of Calm After So Long

“Um… taking shelter from the rain?”

“Ah, yes…”

My voice shrank as I answered the beautiful woman’s question, and I nodded while fully aware of how small it sounded.

“You’re a little wet… It came on so suddenly, and I never imagined the rain would get this bad either.”

“Yeah… But I’m really glad there’s a roof.”

“Hehe, right? I feel the same way.”

…She has such a gentle smile, I thought, almost getting lost in it.

But watching a woman who gives off this kind-hearted aura and shows me such a warm smile made me think of Kanzaki-san.

It was as if something dark was hidden deep inside… That kind of rude imagination crept into my head.

“No… Stop it. You can’t think like that about someone you just met.”

I shook my head, telling myself it was wrong to force my assumptions onto a total stranger who had nothing to do with any of this.

She looked at me curiously when she saw that, but then she gently patted the spot next to her.

“The rain is really pouring and doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon. Would you like to rest here together for a while?”

“…Yeah, it really doesn’t seem like it’s going to let up.”

Big drops of rain had already formed puddles in no time.

Just like she said, it looked set to keep falling for a while, so I gratefully accepted and sat down beside her.

“Excuse me…”

“Sure, go ahead♪ …Though honestly, you don’t need my permission or anything.”

“Well… yeah, that’s true.”

Even so, sitting right next to a woman probably still called for some kind of okay.

I still didn’t quite understand why she had patted the spot so insistently, but being welcomed like this was a million times better than being brushed off.

“…Haa.”

A sigh slipped out before I could stop it.

Heavy rain on top of this mood… It really felt like everything was going wrong, but even so, I could still think that this was better than when I was stuck at the company.

Back there, even if I covered my ears, the yelling still got through… So right now, the sound of this pounding rain actually calmed my heart a little.

“…………”

Actually… I’d been feeling a really strong gaze from beside me for a while now.

Since the only other person here was her, the source of that stare had to be the woman next to me…

“Um… is something wrong?”

“No… sorry for staring. I just thought you must be someone new. This is a small village, so I pretty much remember everyone’s face.”

Oh—I get it.

Yeah, that’s probably one of those classic small-town things.

“The reason I came to this village… uh, how should I put it…”

I almost blurted out the whole story but held back.

There was no way I could dump my personal circumstances on a complete stranger I’d only just met and whose name I didn’t even know; it would just make things awkward.

Trying to dodge after almost saying it would feel unnatural too… While I was hesitating, I noticed that the back of her hand was injured.

“What happened there?”

“Hm? Oh, this?”

Not only was the back of her hand scratched up, but now that I looked closer, her clothes seemed a bit dirty too?

“Actually, I can be kind of clumsy… Right before I got here I tripped over something and fell flat.”

“Ah, I see… That explains it. You didn’t sprain anything, did you?”

“No, I’m fine. Though it’ll probably sting a little when I take a bath later.”

Yeah, taking a bath the same day you get scrapes is rough… As an adult I don’t get hurt much anymore, but back in elementary and middle school I remember wincing in the tub plenty of times.

“Oh, perfect timing. I actually have some bandages with me.”

I always carried bandages when I traveled, just in case.

I took a plastic bottle of water and a bandage out of my bag.

“Give me your hand.”

“Uh, okay!”

I lightly poured water over the offered hand to wash off the dirt, then carefully covered the wound with the bandage.

“…Ah, sorry. I touched your hand.”

“Huh? No, no! Please don’t apologize for that! After you went out of your way to treat it, I’d never complain about something so small!”

“I-I’m glad to hear that…”

Her energy made me pull back a little, but since she wasn’t upset, I felt relieved.

Still, I never imagined the bandages I’d thrown into my bag almost like a good-luck charm when I left home would actually come in handy like this.

Maybe sometimes it’s good to just follow your gut.

“Sorry for raising my voice like that… Thank you so much for the bandage.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just glad I could help.”

At my words, the woman gave a soft chuckle.

While gently stroking the bandage now stuck to her hand, she said,

“You’re really kind, aren’t you?”

“Kind… No, really, it’s nothing special.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but wasn’t calling me kind for something this small a bit too trusting?

From the woman sitting next to me I felt absolutely no wariness at all; it seemed like that short exchange alone had earned me quite a lot of trust.

I thought she really ought to be a little more cautious… though, well, I’m not planning to do anything to her anyway.

“I really do feel that you’re a kind person. My judgment of people in moments like this is usually pretty accurate♪”

“…I see.”

Kind… Her words echoed inside my head.

It wasn’t something I heard often, but back at the company Kanzaki-san used to say it to me a lot.

At the time I genuinely felt happy and it became a real source of support.

But now that I knew what Kanzaki-san was really like, I almost wanted to forget the fact that I’d ever felt happy about it.

…Even so, being called kind still made me happy.

“…It feels nice to hear that… Thank you.”

I thought to myself that no one says “thank you” in such a gloomy tone, but I tried my hardest to put a smile on my face anyway. Apparently, though, to her it just looked like a forced, awkward grin.

“When you make such a pained smile like that, it makes me worried. I missed my chance to ask earlier, but… would you like to talk about it?”

“…!”

Being told straight out that my smile looked pained, I quickly looked away.

She probably understood that it was nosy of her… She had to know that prying into the heart of someone she’d only just met was nothing but a bother.

…But maybe it was okay to let out at least one complaint.

She only asked—I’d just answer.

After all, this was probably the only time we’d ever meet. Once I left this place, we’d never see each other again.

“I came here… for no real reason.”

“No real reason?”

“…Actually, I was working at a black company. I finally couldn’t take it anymore, so starting today I decided I’m not going back… I just threw everything away and ran away like this.”

“…………”

“This town… or I guess village? I ended up here completely by chance. I was just getting on and off buses randomly until I landed here.”

…It felt strange.

I’d only meant to let out one small complaint when I started talking, but once the words began, they wouldn’t stop.

Maybe I’d wanted someone to listen to my whining that badly.

Or maybe… I’d simply been drawn in by the gentle atmosphere of the woman sitting right beside me, quietly listening without saying a word.

“I see… That’s what happened.”

“Yeah… It’s probably not a very pleasant story, is it?”

One thing I could say for sure was that this spot felt incredibly comfortable.

The feeling of calm I was experiencing right now had been gone for so long that I couldn’t help wanting to indulge in it a little longer… Ah, what a shame.

I’d have to leave here soon… but I really wished I could stay just a bit more.