I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 80: Hazuki, Her Subordinate, And The Hardships

“Why didn’t you notify us that the deadline would be delayed? That’s what I’m asking. Looking at this workload, it’s clear that the tasks that should have been completed haven’t been.”

“…”

After office hours, in the product development department of a major food chain, area manager Hazuki directed her furious voice at a single employee in the office.

“Silence is not an option. Nagano, your mistake is affecting the work of those above you. The damage is immeasurable. You’re getting paid to do this job, aren’t you? If you can’t even fulfill the bare minimum—if you can’t even meet the basic expectations of a working adult—then this company has no need for you.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I don’t need an apology. I need to hear why this situation came to be. You have an obligation to explain—an accountability responsibility, Nagano.”

“…”

“If you want to make me even angrier, then go ahead and stay silent.”

She wasn’t raising her voice, but Hazuki’s sheer presence alone was enough to make Nagano shrink. Her sharp gaze and the overwhelming aura of her fury made it feel as if another persona had taken over.

“M-my girlfriend’s chronic illness worsened, and she had to be hospitalized… I was so worried that I couldn’t focus on work…”

Nagano spoke in a trembling voice. Mixing personal matters with work was unacceptable. He knew that. He understood why he was being reprimanded.

“…And why didn’t you talk to me or anyone else about this?”

“Everyone looked so busy, so…”

“That excuse won’t fly. The sooner we were informed of the delay, the less burden it would have caused. Do you really not understand something so simple?”

“I’m sorry… I-I will definitely finish this task…!”

Nagano bowed deeply, showing sincere remorse. But Hazuki, who could already foresee the consequences, wasn’t going to let it slide so easily.

“You’re only now saying that you won’t finish without working overtime. You let personal issues affect your progress to this extent. Do you really think working overtime will be enough to catch up? At this point, it’s fair to say you’ve been slacking off. Someone in your position doesn’t deserve overtime pay. If you’re serious about this, then you’re actively causing financial harm to the company.”

“…”

“For today, just go home. I’ll report this to upper management.”

“P-please, wait! Just don’t fire me! Anything but that—please, I’m truly sorry!”

Hazuki had never explicitly said he was being fired. However, given the atmosphere, it was easy to take it that way. Losing his job meant losing his income—his means of survival. Desperate, Nagano bowed his head over and over, pleading for forgiveness.

“I said, ‘For today’. The conditions for dismissal are as follows: consistently poor performance, fair evaluation, lack of improvement potential, failure even after being given opportunities to improve, and the inability to perform job duties to the point of disrupting operations. As of now, Nagano, you do not meet these criteria.”

Hazuki kept track of every employee—their past assignments, their usual work ethic. In her assessment, there was no one in this workplace who deserved to be fired.

“That’s why I’m giving you a chance to improve.”

“Improve…?”

“That’s right. Go be with your girlfriend. When you feel like you can return to work and perform as diligently as you usually do, come back.”

“…!”

“Until then, I and the others will cover for you. Your salary will depend on your efforts after you return. But be prepared to be worked hard like an extra pair of hands. There are tasks only you can do. I don’t want to fire you, Nagano.”

“Th-thank you…!”

Hazuki’s expression and tone hadn’t changed at all. Yet, kindness could still be felt. Instead of apologizing, Nagano bowed deeply in gratitude.

“…This conversation has gone on for quite some time. You usually take the train to work, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

As he responded, he heard the sound of a zipper being opened.

“Which hospital is your girlfriend admitted to? Tell me.”

“K-Kanzaki General Hospital… but…”

“It’s quite far from any train stations… Use this for a taxi.”

“Huh!?”

When Nagano lifted his head, he saw Hazuki holding out a 10,000-yen bill.

The zipper sound had been her taking money from her wallet.

“I can’t accept that! After all the trouble I’ve caused…”

“Yes, you’ve caused quite a lot of trouble. That’s why you need to visit your girlfriend, encourage her, and work hard to return to your job as soon as possible. If, after all this, you still fail, then you’ll have betrayed my trust—and you’ll face the appropriate consequences.”

Hazuki pressed the bill against Nagano’s chest.

In this case, what had happened was simply unavoidable. A hospitalized loved one—if someone called her lenient, so be it. But the number of people who could truly separate work from personal life in such a situation was very few.

“If you refuse to accept this money, then you’re fired, Nagano. And I’ll also be fired for abuse of authority. So, take it—think of it as helping me.”

“… Sniff …”

“Oh, come on, why are you crying?”

“I… I’m really… truly sorry… Thank you so much…”

“You look ridiculous when you cry. Now, go. Your girlfriend is waiting for you.”

“Yes… Excuse me…”

Nagano took the 10,000-yen bill with trembling hands, bowed one last time, and ran out of the office, tears in his eyes. Just as Hazuki had told him, he was rushing to visit his girlfriend as soon as possible.

Now alone in the office, Hazuki sat in silence, the only sound being the soft hum of the heater. But she was used to this.

“If I work overtime today, tomorrow, and the day after… I should be able to meet the deadline somehow…”

She had told Nagano that she would report to the higher-ups, but personal matters like this wouldn’t be accepted as an excuse. Besides, a delay was absolutely out of the question.

“…”

Hazuki closed her eyes.

“Until then, I and the others will cover for you.”

That had been a lie. She would take on the entire burden alone, ensuring no one else had to suffer for it.

Without telling anyone, Hazuki continued to work in secret, alone, during these late hours.

“This is really tough…”

Murmuring to herself, she rested her head on her arms, her soft hair cascading down over the desk.

It wasn’t the overtime that was hard. What truly hurt Hazuki was having to scold Nagano.

“If I had paid closer attention to everyone… I would have noticed sooner. There would have been no need to get angry…”

Now that she was alone, she allowed her real feelings to show.

Hazuki was deeply responsible. Rather than blaming Nagano, she blamed herself for failing to monitor the workplace properly.

With practiced ease, she pulled a notebook from her drawer.

The front page had no title, but the next pages were filled with dates and reflections—line after line of self-criticism.

(…I really am hopeless…)

One month ago, she had written:

“Pay closer attention to those around you. Stay aware of the situation.”

If she had applied that lesson, she wouldn’t have had to get angry today.

With a red pen, she wrote today’s date and once again underlined the same reflection. Then, preparing for a long night of work, she went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Once this is done… maybe I should go blow off some steam with Shiba-kun…”

Hazuki never wanted to hurt others.

Scolding a subordinate had been painful.

“Hang in there…”

She whispered words of encouragement to herself.

No one at work had ever seen this side of her. It had only been one instance of reprimanding someone, but deep down, she longed for someone to comfort her…