The Story About How I Was Fired From My Company and Then Picked up by a Possessive Streamer With Over 5 Million Subscribers - Chapter 57-58

Chapter 57: The Last Day of the Trip

On the last day of our trip, we decided to make one final memory, and now we’re all heading out for some shopping together.

“…Eiji, don’t just stand there spacing out. Let’s go…it’s a waste of time.”

“Got it, got it. No need to rush me; I’m going.”

Being tugged along by Rinmei, I followed her around the town.

Even though we said we’d all shop together, for some reason, we decided to pair up again, and a rock-paper-scissors match broke out.

As a result, Sayaka and Manaka paired up, Kanna paired with Soji and Yuna, and I ended up with Rinmei.

At that moment, Rinmei seemed oddly proud in front of everyone, but maybe that was just my imagination.

“Eiji, Eiji, look…this looks delicious…”

“Melon-flavored soft serve, huh? They use Hokkaido milk, so it’s probably tastier than the ones from other regions.”

“…Drool…”

“You don’t have to look at me like that; I’ll buy it for you.”

“As expected of you, Eiji…you’re generous.”

When I handed her the money, her eyes sparkled as she lined up for the soft serve.

“It’s been so long…since I last went on a trip.”

Watching the tourists around us, I couldn’t help but reflect deeply.

I remembered the many trips I took with my family, visiting places I’d only seen on TV, eating local foods, and making countless memories.

Those were happy days…I thought they would continue forever.

“……”

I shouldn’t be dwelling on the past.

“Eiji?”

“Hm? Rinmei, you’re back already? Why do you have two soft serves?”

“…I was lucky. The old man at the shop gave me an extra one.”

An extra? Looking at the shopkeeper, I noticed him grinning in Rinmei’s direction for some reason.

“…I have mixed feelings about this.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go, Rinmei. This place feels…a little dangerous.”

I felt bad for the old man, but we’d take the soft serve and move along.

“Eiji, here, you can have this.”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

“There’s extra, so let’s eat it together.”

“Thanks. I’ll take it then.”

I accepted one of the soft serves from her and took a bite. The rich cream and melon flavor spread across my tongue—it was delicious.

“…Hehe.”

“Hm? What’s so funny, Rinmei?”

“…Nothing…hehe.”

“?”

What a strange girl. Her cheeks were a bit flushed for some reason, but why?

“Eiji.”

“Hm?”

“…Shall we hold hands?”

She reached out her hand again.

It seems like holding hands is important, whether it’s Rinmei, Sayaka, or Kanna.

With a slight chuckle, I took her delicate hand again, and we started walking.

There were a lot of tourists, which made it difficult to walk through the crowd.

“It’s really crowded. Don’t let go of my hand, Rinmei…Huh? Rinmei?”

Wait, I was just holding her hand…but now it’s gone?

“…Oh, there she is.”

I spotted her, struggling to get through the crowd, waving her hands with a “Mmm, mmm!!” expression. I quickly made my way over to her.

“…Sorry…I let go of your hand.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. You’re smaller than most people.”

“…Mmm…I’m sensitive about my height.”

“Ah, sorry, my bad.”

So she’s self-conscious about it…While I was thinking about that, the crowd continued moving around us.

“Whoa.”

Rinmei was pushed against my arm by someone in the crowd.

Despite her small stature, I could feel the soft warmth unique to a woman from her body pressing against my arm.

“Sorry…”

She tried to move away, embarrassed, but…

“Want to hold onto my arm?”

“Huh? But…”

“It’ll be easier not to lose you in the crowd. If you don’t want to, it’s fine though.”

“………It’s not that I don’t want to…I’ll…do it.”

Still a little hesitant, she wrapped her arms around mine, holding on tightly.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

We continued walking through the town, eating our soft serve. Rinmei was eating hers too, but for some reason, she was biting into it enthusiastically, completely engrossed.

“Rinmei.”

“Huh, what…? Mmm?”

“You’re biting into it too hard. You’ve got cream on your mouth.”

I wiped it off, and since it would’ve been wasteful, I licked the soft serve off my finger.

…It’s sweeter than mine. Is there a difference?

“………”

“Huh? What’s up, Rinmei?”

“Eiji…how can you do something so embarrassing?”

“Huh? It would’ve been wasteful otherwise, right?”

“………That’s not the issue…nngh…”

Her face turned even redder, and I could feel the heat from her body through my arm. Is she okay? She seems really hot.

After a while, the crowd began to thin out, and Rinmei suddenly spoke to me.

“Eiji.”

“Hm?”

“This trip…was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah? That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. I experienced so many new things…skiing was fun…eating with everyone was great…I made so many unforgettable memories. So…let’s go on another trip together?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I had a lot of fun too, so let’s all go again sometime.”

“…Yeah!”

Seeing her smile at that moment, I was glad we went on this trip.

And so, our sudden journey finally came to an end.

—

Chapter 58: After the Trip

The long yet short trip to Hokkaido finally came to an end.

After returning to our hometown by plane, we parted ways with Yuna-chan and the Ashida siblings at the airport. Now, I’m sitting on the bus, reflecting on the memories of the trip.

“Both of them have fallen asleep, haven’t they?”

Sitting next to me, Kanna-san murmured as she looked at Sayaka and Rinmei, who were comfortably sleeping, leaning against each other in the seat across from us.

“It’s understandable. I’m sure they’re both exhausted.”

“Indeed. I had such a great time myself.”

Kanna-san smiled a little shyly as she said that. It seems like she really enjoyed this trip.

“Yawn…”

“Are you sleepy?”

“S-sorry, I had so much fun that…I got a little tired.”

She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake, but I couldn’t help but find her battling with sleep amusing.

If she’s that tired, she could just sleep…or maybe she’s embarrassed to be seen sleeping?

“If you want to sleep, you can. I’ll lend you my shoulder, too.”

“P-please don’t treat me like a child! I’m an adult, you know.”

“…By the way, would you tell me how old you are?”

“…I’ll keep that a secret.”

She turned her face away in a huff. I guess asking a woman about her age wasn’t a good idea.

“How old are you, Eiji-san?”

“Me? I’m turning 27 this year.”

“…What?”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing at all.”

For some reason, when I told her my age, Kanna-san looked shocked and gave off a rather negative vibe, as if she was processing something unexpected.

“…Eiji-san is…younger than me.”

“…You know I can hear you, right?”

“N-no, no, no, it’s nothing!”

So, she’s older than me…Well, I guess I shouldn’t think too much about that.

After that, we chatted for a few more minutes.

I was gazing at the setting sun from the window as it began to dip below the horizon. Kanna-san, on the other hand, had drifted off to sleep, her head resting on my shoulder, her breathing soft and steady.

“…For someone who says she’s an adult, she sure acts a little childish,” I thought to myself as I watched her sleep.

Living with her has made me realize a few things.

She can be overly possessive, glaring at anyone who gets close to me. When she drinks, her personality completely changes, and she clings to me. She often repeats things like, “You’re mine,” as if trying to convince herself.

I used to think her behavior was just part of her unique charm…until recently.

“…No, no…”

Suddenly, she gripped my arm tightly, as if clinging to me. Seeing her in this state, I realized it was the same as before.

“…It’s okay, Kanna-san.”

I gently stroked her head with my free hand, just as I did last time, trying to comfort her.

With care, as if touching something fragile, I softly ran my hand through her hair.

“…Mmm…Eiji-san…”

It seemed like she finally relaxed, her previous distress replaced by a peaceful sleep.

“…This feels a bit frustrating,” I muttered to myself.

I don’t want her to suffer like this, yet there’s nothing I can do…and that helplessness irritated me a little.

“…I’m sorry.”

“!”

She suddenly spoke again. Was she still having a nightmare? But I noticed that something was different this time.

“…Eiji-san…I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Her words made my breath catch. Why was she saying my name here?

“I’m sorry…for causing you so much trouble…for being so possessive…I’ll try harder…I’ll fix all my bad traits…So please, don’t hate me…don’t leave me behind…”

“…There’s no way I could ever hate you.”

I shifted my hand from her head to her shoulder, pulling her into a gentle hug.

Finally, she seemed completely at ease, breathing slowly and deeply as she slept.

“…You don’t need to worry. I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t ever hate you.”

Watching her like this, I made a firm decision.

I would make sure Kanna-san is happy. I would keep watching over her, until the day she could truly smile from the bottom of her heart.

◇

After a few more minutes on the bus, we finally returned home, our heavy luggage in tow.

By the way, Kanna-san was still blushing even after she woke up, probably embarrassed that I had seen her sleeping face.

But she was so exhausted that she quickly fell asleep after unpacking her things.

I decided to check my computer for a bit before going to bed myself, but just as I was about to open it, my phone buzzed with a notification.

“…What now?”

I thought it was another work-related message, but when I opened it, I frowned in surprise.

The message was from someone unexpected—Karen Himura, one of the new generation rookies.