In a World Where Chastity is Reversed, I Ended Up Working as a Hot Spring Attendant - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Extra (Off-Screen) – Ayaha’s Case: The Battle for Leave Approval

“Congratulations. If you’re going to apply for leave during your honeymoon period, do it early. We have a lot going on too, you know?”

That was what I was told when I submitted my marriage certificate to the company.

“This three-day leave… is it that? If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but I won’t do anything bad…”

My supervisor hesitated while trying to probe after I submitted my paid leave request.

“It’s that. You’re not going to ask me to change the dates, are you…?”

I unconsciously glared at him in my mind as I replied.

“I won’t, I won’t. I’d get kicked by a horse if I did.”

He waved his hand cheerfully as he answered.

(I’m fully prepared to take this to a workplace harassment meeting, you know?)

I swallowed those words in my mind.

“The company trip—since you’re the organizer, the president wants to talk to you.”

“Huh?”

Why the president? Also, organizer?

“That’s why, just go for a bit.”

“But I still have work…”

“The deadline’s still got plenty of time, right? I won’t treat it as slacking off.”

I tried to escape, but there was no way out. Now that I think about it, this supervisor checks our progress in detail every morning. He’s the type who properly manages his subordinates.

“Alright, I’ll head there now…”

Before I could finish my sentence, he was already calling through the company’s internal line. There was no escape.

And so…

“The company trip this year will be at Kotoriya, and you’ll be the vice-organizer.”

Called to the president’s office, President Hiyoda confidently declared that right away.

“…What?”

“The schedule will overlap with your leave request.”

“Wha—?”

The leave request I had just submitted was placed in front of me.

“By completely overlapping it, your paid leave won’t be deducted. Plus, your travel expenses will be covered by the company’s social club.”

“Huh…”

What she was saying was nice, but the way she was forcefully bulldozing through the conversation felt like a roller coaster. That was all I could manage to respond with.

“The reservations are full, you know?”

The Kotoriya Inn, where Hisui-san works, has a two-month wait even on weekdays and a three-month wait on weekends. My honeymoon leave is in a month and a half, and I only got a reservation as a special case using my wife privileges to stay in a separate villa where Hisui-san is.

“That’s where the company’s designated retreat at Kotoriya comes in handy. Normally, if there’s a man in the group, you can’t book the main inn. But this branch location doesn’t have that restriction. So the reservations here are wide open. We can fit about thirty people easily.”

He turned a tablet screen toward me, showing the reservation page for the inn. The availability data was indeed empty.

“But… he’s not there, right?”

The main objective was still missing.

“That’s right, he’s not there. That’s why you, Ayaha-chan, are important.”

“Me?”

I instinctively pointed at myself. Also, I just realized—he actually calls me by name in situations like this?

Our president is the type who remembers employees’ names properly…

“If the men are holed up in the main inn, the official wife—that’s you—can stay at the branch and call him over, right? Then, as a bonus, you’ll get a bit of time together, pour him a drink, take a mixed bath, and have some other little moments of intimacy.”

“Um… Where exactly did you get that information?”

He spoke so fast, then paused to catch his breath.

I had never heard of such an exclusive, special privilege strategy before.

“Hmm? I used to be part of Kotoriya. Since my parents’ generation, I’ve known a lot about it.”

“Huh?”

I reflexively raised my gaze and stared at the president.

Her last name is Hiyoda. She looks young for her age—well, if she’s still in her thirties, then she is young.

Does she resemble someone?

President Hiyoda isn’t exactly cute; she’s more of the tall and cool type. 

I tilted my head slightly in my mind.

“It’s not like I look like anyone in particular. The previous generation of Kotoriya were all Grandfather Kohaku’s mistresses, so for me, most of them are either stepmothers (first-degree relatives) or half-sisters (second-degree relatives). But since we all have different mothers, the only thing we have in common is the father.”

She casually revealed the family’s inner workings without concern.

“Wait… what’s your name, President?”

“It’s Hiyo. Like ‘Hiyodori’ (bulbul bird).”

(That’s adorable…)

I barely managed to swallow down the thought that popped into my head.

“Hiyoda Hiyo. Shortened, it’s ‘Hiyo-Hiyo.’ Cute, right?”

“It sure is…”

All I could do was give a vague smile. The way it sounded was just too cute.

“You can laugh if you want. I know it doesn’t really suit me.”

She gave a wry smile. But even as she said that, I could see the corners of her lips twitching. Shelooked like she was barely holding back laughter herself.

“Anyway, I’ve already checked with Yata-sama and Tsubame-neesan, so the only thing left is your decision, Ayaha-kun.”

“You’ve already sealed off all my escape routes…”

This was the final move.

“So, for the happiness of your fellow employees, please cooperate.”

There was no pretense or sugarcoating.

The subtext and the real meaning were completely reversed.

“Alright, I’ll go with that plan.”

As a working adult, having my travel costs covered, including round-trip train fare and accommodation, was a big deal. Even with the wife discount on the stay, the total expenses still ran into tens of thousands of yen. This was an offer too good to refuse.

Realistically speaking, traveling from the Pacific side of Japan to the Sea of Japan side was quite a distance.

I’m a young woman, and I never have enough money.

It felt a little uncool, but I was being honest with myself.

~Postscript

Hiyo-Hiyo claims she won’t interfere, but she’s the type who actively aims to grab any leftover benefits.