The Person Who Gave Me An Extraordinary Life Was You, A Beautiful Executive Secretary - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Reason for Tears

Walking side by side with Shiraishi-san, I pretended not to notice the curious glances directed our way as we left the office building.

Amidst the bustling crowd, we strolled along the slightly humid sidewalk together.

“I apologize for inviting you out so suddenly.”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t have any plans anyway.”

To be precise, I did have things I wanted to do, but I decided to let it slide for now. Spending this unusual time with Shiraishi-san was more important after all.

But still, she’s really beautiful, isn’t she? Her appearance fits the description perfectly, and every time she smiles, it feels like petals are dancing around her.

I didn’t notice it yesterday because her eyes were teary, but her slightly childish smile is incredibly cute.

In just her second year at the company, she’s already become quite famous internally.

“Where should we go, Kousaka-san?”

“Anywhere is fine, but I’ll leave it up to you, Shiraishi-san. I can eat anything, really. Well, except for greasy braised pork. I’m not a fan of that.”

“Hehe, other than that, is anything okay? Then… how about a tempura restaurant?”

“Oh, that sounds good. I love tempura. I can even eat just the batter.”

“Eh, really?”

“Yes, sometimes I buy tempura scraps and snack on them with sake.”

“Eh~~? Seriously?”

“Of course, but I wouldn’t recommend it to you, Shiraishi-san.

I’m not very good at household chores, so I usually either eat out or buy something on my way home.

Since there were leftover tempura crumbs to put in udon, I decided to eat them as they were, and surprisingly, they tasted good.

After that, while chatting about our respective work, Shiraishi-san and I headed to a restaurant she knew.

“We’ve been at the company for over a year now, but we haven’t really met, have we?”

“That’s right. I spend about half of my day in the lab, so I don’t really meet people from other departments.”

“Is it for some experiment?”

“It’s product development for kitchen use. Water purifiers, rice cookers, etc. We also receive various analysis requests.”

“…It sounds like a challenging job.”

“Is it? Your job, handling both sales and executive secretary duties, seems tough too, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… But I think it’s better to do various things while I can. I see it as an opportunity.”

“You’re positive. I think that’s good.”

“Thank you!”

And she smiled again, like a blooming flower.

Is she having fun talking to me…?

No, no, she’s probably just being considerate of me.

She must be that kind of person. I shouldn’t get conceited.

“Oh, here we are.”

She pointed to a seemingly high-end restaurant with white wooden sliding doors and a blue noren curtain.

“This place is cheap and delicious.”

“I see, it looks like a nice place.”

As she opened the door, a cheerful voice greeted us, “Welcome!”.

Led to a counter seat by a woman in traditional Japanese attire, we were presented with hot towels.

“Will you be having drinks? What would you like?”

“I’ll have a beer for now.”

Ordering two bottles of beer and two glasses, I looked at the menu hanging on the wall.

They have tempura as snacks, a single tempura option, and even a recommended set of ten.

“Please order whatever you like.”

“I want to try a variety, so I’ll have the recommended set of ten. And also, shiitake mushrooms with ponzu sauce.”

Nodding, Shiraishi-san ordered the same set and the shiitake mushrooms with ponzu sauce from the chef behind the counter.

Pouring each other the freshly delivered beer, we clinked glasses and took a sip.

―It’s delicious, this is the best beer I’ve ever had.

Huh? Shiraishi-san’s glass is already empty.

She can handle alcohol quite well, huh?

Picking up the beer bottle, I offered it to her.

“Here you go.”

“T-Thank you!”

As I filled her glass with the golden liquid, she once again made a satisfied sound as she sipped it down.

Seeing that, I ordered another bottle.

“Here you go!”

With a hearty call, the dishes we ordered were lined up on the counter.

Starting with tempura made from white fish.

I debated between salt or tempura dipping sauce before opting for salt first.

The crispy batter enveloped a texture that crumbled and a faint sweetness.

I poured cold beer onto my hot tongue.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it, Shiraishi-san?”

“I’m glad you think so.”

With a pleased expression, Shiraishi-san picked up another piece of tempura.

After a few bottles of beer, Shiraishi-san’s cheeks reddened slightly, and she spoke up.

“Um, I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“It’s okay, really.”

―It’s not like we’re strangers anymore. Maybe I can ask.

“Did you really get so moved by that movie?”

“……”

No response. Maybe that was too probing?

She seemed to be thinking, her head slightly lowered.

As I waited, feeling a bit regretful, I heard her soft, clear voice.

“That’s part of it, but there’s another reason…”

“Another reason…?”

“In that movie, someone I know appears. He’s just a minor character.”

“…Someone you know…?”

Another quiet moment passed between us.

Who could it be? I’m curious.

It should be okay to ask…

After calming my nerves, I decided to ask.

“Who is that person?”

“He… He’s someone I used to date.”

Ah… I see. That brought back memories of that person.

Revival cinemas are filled with various memories. It was the same for me.

She probably, no, definitely, hasn’t forgotten about him.

Though hesitant, I voiced what I was thinking.

“You liked him, didn’t you? And probably still do.”

“…Yes. I haven’t forgotten about him. But I’m trying to.”

“You can’t see him anymore?”

As I said those words, she turned her dull eyes toward me.

“Yes…he’s already passed away.”