Episode 54: What on earth is going to happen to us now?

It’s hard to believe, but three weeks have already passed since that miraculous reunion. Yet, not once has Yui-san contacted me.

The first week, I couldn’t put my phone down for a moment, constantly fidgeting. As the second week passed, waiting and waiting for that phone that never rang, my sighs gradually grew more frequent.

And then, the third week. I even began to wonder if that day had been nothing more than a dream of mine.

　Yui-san, you idiot. You were the one who asked, “Will you meet me again?” So why won’t you even send a single message?

I know that if I really cared, I could just send her a message myself. No matter how busy she is, Yui-san wouldn’t get angry about something like that.

But — I really don’t like troublesome girls like Yui-san…

　Back in university, we lived together and saw each other every day, so waiting for contact like this was practically unheard of. The only time it happened was during those three weeks I was visiting home.

It really makes me wonder if all the lovers in the world live with such agonising frustration. It seems I was truly blessed to have avoided this experience until now.

　I knew Yui-san was bad at keeping in touch even back when we lived together. Even then, she’d get frequent calls from various girls, but if she wasn’t in the mood, she’d never pick up. I remember she probably never properly replied to messages either.
After all, when she was at home, Yui-san hardly ever touched her phone; it was always just left on the coffee table.

　Knowing that made it even harder to reach out. Knowing Yui, I doubt she’d ignore me no matter how busy she was… but honestly, after just one meeting, I couldn’t tell if she still felt the same way she did back then.

　That day, she did say I was cute… but Yui-san is the sort who can flirt with girls completely nonchalantly, even when she doesn’t mean it.
After spending a year together, I know all too well that to understand Yui-san’s true feelings, you can’t just take her words at face value.

I tore my gaze away from the dark, unresponsive smartphone screen and returned it to the PC monitor.

No good, thinking about it just leads nowhere. Must concentrate on work. Haa, I sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time, when suddenly Mitsuya-san, sitting next to me, leaned closer without moving from her chair.

She tapped my shoulder, and I turned round. Her narrow eyes were crinkled in a smug, amused grin.

“…Aosawa-chan, you’ve been glued to your phone lately, haven’t you?”

“Eh?”

“And sighing constantly. Could it be love? Big sis can listen to your troubles, you know.”

Hearing her teasing tone, I felt my cheeks flush hot. I shook my head frantically from side to side, and Mitsuya-san chuckled, amused.

“N-no, it’s not that…”

“We’ll talk later. We’ve only got the afternoon meeting left anyway, so let’s finish on time and go for drinks!”

I denied it instinctively, but it seemed completely obvious I was lovesick, and I couldn’t help but slump my shoulders.
Come to think of it, back in university, even without saying anything, Ritsu-san and Yuri had figured out I liked Yui-san.

　Am I really that obvious? I should know better by now – I need to stop letting it show on my face.
As if to steel myself, I pinched my cheeks with both hands and turned back to my PC.

After a slightly late lunch break, I headed to the meeting room with Mitsuya-san, notebook in hand. Just a week ago, a meeting notice had been sent to all employees in the Web Production Division.

　In our division, meetings are usually held by team, with only managers or above attending important ones. Even though we only have about thirty people in total, including the production teams, this was the first time everyone was gathering for a meeting.

“What do you think we’ll be discussing at today’s meeting? It’s the first time our division has used the large conference room, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I just hope we don’t get told off…”

　Having spent a year in the management team, I understood all too well how hard this division was struggling. I didn’t think either the sales or production teams were being negligent. Still, what doesn’t turn a profit simply doesn’t.
They’d apparently undergone numerous large-scale organisational reforms and operational reviews, but the effects were minimal. I vaguely sensed that other divisions regarded this business as a liability.

Opening the door to the large conference room, I was startled by the distinguished faces gathered there. Mitsuya-san nudged my side gently with her elbow and whispered.

“…Blimey, why’s even the President here…?”

“I-I don’t know… Could we really be in trouble…?”

It was supposed to be a department meeting, yet somehow the President was present. I thought I’d arrived well ahead of the start time, but I hadn’t imagined the bigwigs would already be here. Hurriedly, Mitsuya-san and I squeezed into the least conspicuous seats at the back.

As the appointed hour drew near, people gradually gathered. By the time all the staff from the Web Production Division had assembled in the conference room, the President, Vice President, and Division Manager were all lined up facing the employees, their expressions solemn.

　This was no ordinary matter. Everyone present sensed the atmosphere and fell silent, the conference room becoming deathly quiet, filled with a heavy, oppressive air.

When the clock hands reached the appointed hour, the President stood up abruptly and turned to face us directly.

“Thank you for your hard work. I have gathered you all here today to make an important announcement. As you are aware, our web production division has been operating at a loss for several years now. We have repeatedly reviewed our strategy in an attempt to improve this situation… However, due to the inadequacy of our management team, we have concluded that continuing this business is no longer feasible. …Consequently, at the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting held the other day, it was formally resolved to sell this division.”

The meeting room erupted into a sudden murmur of disbelief.

　Eh? The business… sold…? Come to think of it, I recall Mitsuya-san mentioning rumours about this before. That our division was in trouble.

I never imagined it was true.

Amidst the murmurs, the president cleared his throat.

“The acquiring company is… Ichinose Grand Hotel Co., Ltd. A subsidiary under the Ichinose Group umbrella. They currently outsource all website construction and operation to external companies. This aligns with their need to bring these functions in-house as they expand their existing operations. Both parties judged that this would allow us to leverage the expertise within this division, leading to the agreement.”

Hang… hang on a minute. My heart began to pound faster. What did he just say? Ichinose Grand Hotel Co., Ltd… Yui-san’s…

Amidst the growing commotion in the meeting room, I found myself recalling the day I reunited with Yui-san.

So that’s why she was at our company. That day, in the car on the way home, she smiled happily when she saw my business card… perhaps because she realised I was in this division…?

So that’s why she said, “Is this fate?”… Is that what it meant?

　Unable to sort out my confused thoughts, I felt like burying my head in my hands. A business sale meant all employees would be moving en masse… right? So, did that mean I was about to become an employee of Yui-san’s company?

　My mind went blank at the suddenness of it all, and I don’t recall much of what the president said after that.
The afternoon meeting ended in an uproar. Apparently, starting tomorrow, all division employees will have personnel interviews where salary conditions and such will be discussed.

Only the services for existing customers entrusted with operation and maintenance seem to be staying, absorbed into a separate division. But it appears we, the administrative department included, are part of the sale.

　The more concrete details I heard, the more real it all felt.

Stepping out of the meeting room, Mitsuya-san slumped her shoulders and sighed heavily.

“…I’d heard rumours, but never imagined it would be decided so quickly. Bloody hell, I was just about to submit my transfer request… a step too late, eh…”

“Mitsuya-san, what on earth is going to happen to us now?”

“Hmm… I suppose I’ll wait to see the salary terms before deciding… The Ichinose Group is a much larger company than ours, after all. The conditions might even be better than what we have now.”

That might be true… but honestly, the salary didn’t matter to me at all.

Because I never imagined I’d end up working at Yui’s company. When we met again, it was the last thing on my mind.

　After returning to our desks, Mitsuya-san said she was going for a smoke and didn’t come back for a while, probably because she couldn’t muster the energy to work.

Yui-san had said she’d deliver results within three years. Was this business acquisition part of that plan?
What was her reasoning behind this decision? I wanted to know the company’s financials, but since Yui-san’s company isn’t listed, there’s no information on the website.

But even if I can’t see the detailed figures, I should be able to view segment information by business from the parent company’s website. The Ichinose Group… well, the accommodation business should only be handled by Yui-san’s company. I might be able to make some educated guesses.

Upon realising this and searching the site, my prediction proved correct.

Yui-san’s first year as president. Both operating revenue and operating profit had fallen significantly compared to the previous year.
　In the second year, revenue remained flat, but profits visibly improved, and at the same time, capital expenditure increased sharply.
But the segment information was too rough… With just this, I couldn’t tell what Yui-san’s intentions were in managing the business.

I wanted to know more. What Yui-san was thinking. If I were working at the same company… Maybe even I could be of some help…

　Before I knew it, I was staring intently at the management information. I hadn’t even noticed Mitsuya-san had returned from her cigarette break until she tapped me on the shoulder.

“Whoa! You… you startled me…”

“Aosawa-chan, you’re so serious. Already researching the other company? You’re raring to go, aren’t you?”

Saying that, Mitsuya-san grinned broadly.

“N-no, that’s not it. This is…”

“But you know, I’ve been thinking… it might actually be perfect timing. Chasing the numbers of a growing company could be far more fun than staring at perpetual loss-making profit and loss statements forever.”

Hearing that, I realised she was right. Looking at the data sent monthly from accounting, I’d never once thought to analyse it this thoroughly.

“Ah well, no point dwelling on it. Let’s just finish up and go for a drink.”

“Yes, you’re right…”

So we wrapped up work early and headed to Mitsuya-san’s favourite Korean restaurant. We stuffed ourselves, drank, and vented about the company before calling it a night.

　It was a blessing in disguise that the conversation hadn’t veered onto my love life, which had been the original purpose of our meeting, given the sheer impact of what we’d just heard.

My feet felt light as I boarded the train for home, still feeling as if I were in a dream.
Just as my apartment block came into view, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Huh, could it be Mitsuya-san? Thinking that, I checked the screen.

“Ah…”

There, displayed, was the name of the woman who was always so slow to reply — the very person I had been waiting for, waiting endlessly, for these past three weeks.