In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Surrounded by a Clingy Older Woman, a Walking Red Flag, and an Exhausted Office Lady - 10

Chapter 10: The Man Who’s One Step Ahead

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Time: 18:00

“Ah, Shiki-san! Over here!”

Today, I was waiting at the meeting spot for the dinner I had promised earlier with Shiki-san. I spotted a familiar beautiful woman moving her head restlessly as she looked around for me, so I waved and called out her name. When she noticed my voice, Shiki-san looked toward me, her eyes lighting up, and then she hurried over with a slightly embarrassed little jog.

“S-Shirasu-kun. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“No, not at all. It’s exactly the time we agreed on. I just arrived a little too early, so it’s fine. And I’m the one who should apologize. You even left work early for my sake.”

I knew that Shiki-san usually came into the shop rather late, which meant she worked very hard, and I also knew she held a fairly high position. She had probably set an earlier time for my sake.

“It’s fine. I’m just the one who keeps myself busy. Lately, since you’ve been worrying about me, Shirasu-kun, I’ve been trying not to work too much overtime.”

When Shiki-san said that, Yua-san suddenly came to mind. I had worried about Yua-san on my own and meddled in her affairs too. And the day before yesterday, that had caused things between us to become a little strained.

“W-what’s wrong, Shirasu-kun? Did something unpleasant happen? Did I say something strange?”

“No, that’s not it. Um… Shiki-san, do you dislike being worried about? Am I being a bother?”

I asked just to confirm, and she looked genuinely puzzled.

“Of course I’m happy about it. I don’t think there’s anyone who would dislike being worried about by you, Shirasu-kun.”

“I see… That’s good, then.”

There hadn’t been even a hint of falsehood in her words, so she was probably speaking from the heart. At some point, Shiki-san was looking at me anxiously, so I smiled to blow that worry away.

“Well then, let’s go right away. I’ve really been looking forward to this.”

“S-So have I. The restaurant is this way, so follow me.”

“Okay.”

I obediently followed Shiki-san, and in less than ten minutes we arrived at our destination. Without hesitation, she walked into the restaurant, and we were immediately guided to a private room. Meanwhile, even after entering the private room, I kept glancing around restlessly, too nervous to relax.

“Um…”

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure this is the right place? I was thinking of something more like a family restaurant, a chain place, or maybe a casual izakaya.”

Since I had only meddled a bit and she was treating me as thanks, I had assumed it would be somewhere inexpensive like a family restaurant or a chain eatery. But this place clearly wasn’t that.

Maybe it had been a mistake to leave the restaurant choice to Shiki-san.

“There’s no way I could take you to a place like that, Shirasu-kun. What are you talking about?”

She said that confidently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but there was absolutely no balance between what I had done and what she was doing for me.

“I just stuck my nose in your business, and yet you’re taking me somewhere like this… Is that really okay?”

Instead of being treated, maybe I should pay at least part of it. When we had been messaging, she had insisted several times that she would treat me and wouldn’t take no for an answer, but just in case, I had withdrawn a decent amount of cash from the bank.

As I was thinking that, she made a slightly annoyed face.

“Shirasu-kun. Let me give you a word of advice as someone a little older and more experienced in life than you.”

“Y-yes.”

“You think what you did wasn’t a big deal, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

I truly hadn’t done anything special. She looked tired, it seemed unhealthy, and I just thought she worked hard every day. I only spoke up because I hoped she’d feel even a little better.

“And that! That right there is your one bad trait, Shirasu-kun.”

“My bad trait?”

“Yes.”

She nodded.

“It might not have been a big deal to you, but to me it made me incredibly happy. So treating you like this is only natural. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“B-but…”

“Don’t make an adult woman lose face. Think of it as preserving my dignity. Besides, I do have a fair amount of money. So, okay?”

When she put it that way, I couldn’t argue back and could only nod. So this was the charm and financial power of an adult.

“Well, that’s enough lecturing. Let’s order already. If there’s any cut or meat you don’t like, tell me.”

“Thank you, Shiki-san.”

“Not at all.”

Yeah. Today, I’d just let myself be spoiled by the adult Shiki-san.

“Everything was incredibly delicious! Thank you for the meal!”

“Good job. You said ‘thank you for the meal’ properly.”

After we left the restaurant, I said that to Shiki-san. So that was what high-end meat tasted like. It had melted in my mouth, I was sure I must have been making a sloppy face while eating it.

“H-hey, Shirasu-kun. Do you want to walk a bit?”

“Sure. A little exercise after eating, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

We chatted about this and that while walking, and when we found a small park, we sat down on a bench to rest.

“Today was really fun and delicious. Thank you so much.”

“I-I’m glad to hear that.”

Whether it was the money or her mindset, I couldn’t help but feel that this was the composure of an adult, something I still lacked.

“Shiki-san.”

“W-what is it?”

But I couldn’t just let Shiki-san do everything for me and leave it at that.

“Whenever you have some free time…”

“Y-yes?”

“Would it be okay if I cooked a meal for you sometime?”

Shiki-san had said that the one receiving determined the value of what was done, but I still felt like she had done far too much for me. So I wanted to repay her in the best way I could.

“T-that… What do you mean by that?”

What did I mean?

“I mean exactly what I said. If you’re free sometime, I’d like to cook for you as thanks for today.”

When I said that, Shiki-san seemed to calm down a little and steadied her breathing.

“You don’t have to do that. Today’s dinner was my way of thanking you for always worrying about me. If you cooked for me, I’d never be able to repay you.”

I smiled gently at her.

“Shiki-san, you said something today, didn’t you?”

“Hm?”

“You said the person who receives something is the one who decides its value.”

“B-but that’s…”

“It’s fine. Today I ate so much delicious food that I was happy beyond measure. I want to return that happiness.”

“But…”

Since she was still protesting, I figured I’d have to be a little unfair.

“So you don’t want to eat the food I cook? I’m sorry for inviting you so forcefully.”

“W-what!? Of course that’s not true! I’d like to eat it every day! I’d even want you to make miso soup for me every morning!”

Seeing her desperately flustered explanation, I smiled.

“I’m glad. Then it’s decided. Please look forward to it, okay?”

“…………T-that’s unfair. You’re always saying things like that, Shirasu-kun. Goodness.”

She said it sulkily, yet shyly. When someone as beautiful as her acted like that, the contrast made her incredibly cute. She was probably very popular at her company.

“Please tell me all about your favorite foods and anything you dislike.”

“Shirasu-kun, you really are… so unfair.”

Unfair was fine. If I didn’t push a little, she probably wouldn’t agree.

“Oh, and one more thing. Is it okay if we start calling each other by our first names?”

“F-first names?”

“Yes. We went out together, but we’re still calling each other by our last names. It feels kind of distant.”

It had been about a month and a half since we first met, and we were close enough to go out together like this, yet we were still using last names. It felt strange. I had called Renka by her first name on the first day we met.

“Can I call you Kaoruko-san?”

“Eh? A-Ah, y-yes.”

“Then please call me by my first name too.”

I watched as she struggled to move her lips while somehow managing to keep eye contact with me.

“A-Aoi-kun.”

“Yes. I’m Aoi.”

“Aoi-kun. Aoi-kun!”

I smiled fondly as Kaoruko-san happily repeated my name over and over. Aoi really was a nice name. I liked how it sounded when spoken aloud. I should thank my parents.

After that, while wryly smiling at Kaoruko-san who kept saying my name whenever she had the chance, we sat side by side and spent a peaceful time together. Maybe because it was winter, it was a little cold, but even the cold became our little secret.

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T/N: That not-so-subtle marriage proposal… ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)