Episode 58: Is it better to have a wealthy partner?

Weekend. A welcome party for the former web production division was being held, so after finishing work, I headed to the venue hotel with Mitsuya-san and Seno-san.
It was only two stops by train from the head office, and not far from the nearest station, so the three of us walked together.

　Manager Yamazato couldn’t attend as she had to pick up her child from nursery, so I couldn’t say I was entirely without a twinge of unease about the absence of someone to act as a buffer between Mitsuya-san and Seno-san.

“Aosawa-san, do you have a boyfriend? You must, you’re so cute.”

Seno-san doesn’t get on well with Mitsuya-san, but she tends to speak to me quite frankly, so I personally don’t find her difficult.

“No, I don’t.”

“Really? Well then, let’s go to a mixer together sometime.”

Seno-san’s popular with men, yet she doesn’t have a boyfriend. I find that a bit — no, quite surprising.

But a mixer, huh — what should I do? As I let my gaze wander, searching for a way to politely decline, Mitsuya-san suddenly pulled me closer, her arm firmly around my shoulder.

“Seno-san, Aosawa-chan is currently in the midst of a relationship. Don’t drag her down the wrong path.”

I was grateful she covered for me like that, but Seno-san narrowed her eyes with a sly grin at Mitsuya-san’s slightly barbed remark.

“Oh, come off it, Mitsuya-san. Are you sulking because you weren’t invited? Fine, I could invite you along. You don’t have a boyfriend anyway, do you? You’re such a workaholic.”

Caught between them, the tense atmosphere made my breath catch in my throat.

Mitsuya-san’s slanted eyes sharpened further, a strained smile playing on her lips.

“…You’re only going to mixers because you don’t have a boyfriend either, aren’t you?”

“I’m not looking for romance. I’m searching for a future partner. If he’s not wealthy, he’s not worth dating.”

Not wealthy, eh? It’s true. Having listened to various adult women, I’ve come to understand that once you pass your mid-twenties, women do tend to become more practical.

　The kind of love you could pursue purely on feelings back in student days gradually becomes harder with each passing year.
You start choosing partners based on their job, income, status.

I suppose that’s not just true for Seno-san, but probably for any woman.

Yui-san was wealthy from the moment we met, but even if she hadn’t been, I would still—

As if to interrupt that train of thought, Mitsuya-san let out a deep sigh.

“I couldn’t care less about your preferences, but make sure you don’t drag Aosawa-chan into this.”

Seno-san gave a faint smile and replied with a rather vacant “Aye.”

　Mitsuya-san seems the type who prefers independent relationships, so she probably doesn’t care about a partner’s income or status. Their values must be polar opposites.

I suppose it makes sense that these two just don’t get along.

Lost in such thoughts, we arrived at the venue in no time.

＊＊＊

As expected, the cuisine at a high-class hotel is something else. After brief greetings, the toast was made and the array of dishes laid out immediately caught the eye.

　Standing reception was perfect. Apparently, we could eat and drink as much as we liked today. The company was footing the bill, of course.

I’d assumed that since it was a welcome party, I’d have to wander the tables with a bottle of beer in hand. But Seno-san informed me, “Since the president changed, the culture of female staff going round to pour drinks has disappeared. Feel free to move about as you please.”
So, taking her up on that, I piled my plate high with food.

“…Hotel food really is delicious, isn’t it?”

Mitsuya-san remarked thoughtfully, her mouth full of prawns in chilli sauce. Seno-san, beer in hand, grinned broadly.

“Didn’t they explain this during your induction training? Show your staff ID and you get 20% off restaurant meals. You should try it sometime.”

“Eh, twenty percent off? I think I got the benefits booklet… did you read it, Aosawa-chan?”

Asked by Mitsuya-san, I shook my head vigorously from side to side. I hadn’t known we had such generous benefits.

“Well, I’d never dream of paying for dinner myself, though.”

Saying that, Mitsuya-san stuck out her tongue and laughed. Ah, so this is what they mean by a little devil type.
　She took a big bite of roast beef. Mmm, just as expected. It was incredibly delicious. The taste made it easy to understand why our company’s restaurant business was doing so well.

“…Seno-san, really, her attitude is completely different with men and women, isn’t it?”

Mitsuya-san pointed this out to Seno-san with an exasperated look. Seno-san just laughed and shook his head.

“It’s not that I treat men and women differently. There’s no point in smiling at anyone but the wealthy. Even you, Aosawa-san, would prefer a rich partner if you were dating, right?”

Suddenly thrown into the conversation, I hurriedly pulled my focus back from my meal.

“Er… I suppose so?”

Admittedly, having money is better than not having it. But if you asked me if it was absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t say so.

　Because I can honestly say that even if Yui-san became penniless, my feelings for her wouldn’t waver one bit.

“What do you think, Mitsuya-san? Would you prefer a wealthy partner?”

Struggling to answer, I turned the question to Mitsuya-san. She placed her hand on her chin, thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Hmm, if it’s someone I like, I suppose it’s fine if they earn less than me. I work too, after all.”

At that, Seno-san suddenly burst out laughing.

“Really? Mitsuya-san, you’re surprisingly romantic, aren’t you?”

“…You’re definitely mocking me, aren’t you?”

This must be what they mean by being like cats and dogs. I took a sip of my lemon sour with a wry smile.

　Having eaten my fill, my plate was now completely empty. Leaving the two of them still bickering, I decided to head over to the Chinese food section next. The moment I made up my mind, I caught sight of Yui-san over Seno-san’s shoulder and my heart skipped a beat.

Yui-san had been going from table to table, greeting the staff, so I’d been thinking she’d probably come to this table too.

　I set my lemon sour glass down on the table. Best leave getting food for later, I decided. Just then, Seno-san seemed to notice Yui-san.

“Ah, President! We’ve been waiting for you! Please come over to this table too.”

Suddenly changing her tone, Seno-san hooked her arm around Yui-san’s and pulled her sharply towards her.
Yui-san’s arm sank into Seno-san’s ample bosom.

　At that moment, I didn’t miss the fact that Yui-san glanced at Seno-san’s chest for just an instant.

A wave of unpleasant emotion boiled up deep within my chest. …Yui-san, still lewd.

“Sorry I’m late, I was going round to each table one by one.”

Yui-san said this with a perfectly normal expression.

“Have you both settled into the work yet, Mitsuya-san and Aosawa-san?”

I struggled to suppress the urge to puff out my cheeks in annoyance at that forced smile. Because that arm… Seno-san still had her grip on it.

While Mitsuya-san and Seno-san chatted cheerfully, I downed the lemon sour in one gulp, emptying it into my stomach.

Seizing a moment when they were deep in conversation, I picked up my empty plate and left the table.

　Normally, leaving your seat when the president has come to your table is incredibly rude. I knew that perfectly well. I knew it was utterly inconsiderate.

But I couldn’t bear it. I simply couldn’t watch Yui-san arm-in-arm with another woman.

As I heaped a large portion of prawns in chilli sauce onto my plate to settle my churning stomach, a voice suddenly called out from behind me, making me turn round.

“Good evening, Aosawa-san.”

This man — Niiyama-san — wore a deep navy suit, his hair slicked back with so much wax it gleamed under the lights, and had that distinctive smile where only one corner of his mouth turned up.

He was a male employee from the old web production department’s creative team. I’m not particularly fond of him.

“Good evening…”

Niiyama glanced at the plate piled high with prawns in chilli sauce and chuckled softly.

“You eat a lot, Aosawa-san, don’t you? Doesn’t look like it, does it?”

Was he mocking me? Unsure, I stared back at his eyes. Then he held out the glass of lemon sour he was holding towards me.

“You finished yours earlier, didn’t you? Here.”

“Thank you…”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for ages, but you never left the table.”

My face grew hot, probably from downing that drink earlier. Still, I didn’t care. I took the lemon sour and gulped it down.

I glanced sideways at the table. Seno-san was still holding Yui-san’s arm.

　My chest felt like it was burning. Why doesn’t she shake her off? I couldn’t say that out loud, of course…

“Why don’t we come over here and have a drink?”

At this point, it was just drinking to drown my sorrows. When Niiyama-san suggested it, I nodded silently.

Because seeing them clinging to each other like that right in front of me? Keeping a straight face? There was no way I could do that.

Then, I lost track of how much time passed. While listening to Niiyama-san talk, I stuffed myself full of food and washed it down with alcohol until, before I knew it, I was staggering so badly I couldn’t walk straight.

Even after the closing remarks ended and everyone began heading home, Mitsuya-san and Seno-san seemed to notice me still leaning against the wall.

“Hey, why did you let Aosawa-chan drink so much?”

“Eh? My fault? Sorry, I didn’t know she couldn’t hold her drink.”

Mitsuya-san confronted Niiyama-san in a slightly angry tone.

It wasn’t Niiyama-san’s fault. It was mine for guzzling it down. As I slumped down, slumping into a crouch, Seno-san gently stroked my shoulder.

“Aosawa-san, are you alright?”

Of course, Seno-san doesn’t know I like Yui-san. So I understand it’s unavoidable, and I know it’s wrong to feel jealous… but seeing that attitude, I couldn’t help but wonder.

After all, she said she “likes rich people,” and that she “doesn’t treat men and women differently”… so maybe she’s fine with women too. Or was it just that we were close? I couldn’t tell. I still didn’t know what kind of person Seno-san was.

“Ah, right. I’ll walk Aosawa-san home.”

Some incomprehensible exchange was happening above my head. Walk me home? Me?

I didn’t want Niiyama-san to know where I lived. Just as I lifted my face to say I could manage alone, a calm voice rang out.

“I’ll take her home. You all can go now.”

I recognised that voice immediately as Yui-san’s. Pushing through the crowd, Yui-san appeared and crouched down to meet my eyes.

“Are you alright? Can you stand?”

Hearing that beloved, gentle voice, I nodded involuntarily. Yui-san smiled softly, took my hand, and helped me up.

　Even so, my legs felt wobbly, and she supported me as if holding me close.

I couldn’t tell if my heart was racing because of the alcohol or because of Yui-san.

“President, it’s alright. I’ll see her home.”

It seemed Mitsuya-san had offered out of concern, but Yui-san shook her head with a bright smile.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll take a taxi home, so don’t worry. Everyone, thank you for your hard work today.”

Having said that, Yui-san took my arm and supported me.

In the back seat of the taxi, I leaned against Yui-san’s shoulder and closed my eyes. I’d done a bad thing to Mitsuya-san and Seno-san too.

　But I was glad Yui-san cared about me. I was relieved she’d come.

“Kanata, are you alright? Feeling sick?”

Her dark eyes looked at me with concern. I was so happy I couldn’t help but smile weakly.

“I’m… fine.”

She’d told me not to drink too much because tomorrow was our date.
But at least I could stay with Yui-san until we got home.

　I hugged her tightly, as if reclaiming the arm Seno-san had snatched away earlier, and closed my eyes again, feeling safe.

I’d complain about her being conscious of Seno-san’s chest later. Once we got home and got out of the taxi.

That’s what I thought, but I was so drunk at the time, I hadn’t realised at all that the taxi was heading towards Yui-san’s flat, not my house.