Episode Sixty-Six: How About Some Afternoon Tea?
Wearing a difficult expression the whole way, I got back to the budget management desk, and everyone shot up from their chairs at once, rushing over.
Manager Yamasato peered into my face, worried.
“Aozawa-san, how’d it go?”
“She told me to reconsider. It wasn’t a warm reception.”
I answered honestly, shoulders slumped. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t discouraged. Whether Yui-san would actually go for it had always been a gamble, but I honestly hadn’t expected such a firm, resistant no.
“Don’t get discouraged, Aozawa-chan.”
Consoling me, Mitsuya-san patted my back, encouraging. Nostalgic, somehow. Back when I was a total newcomer, every time I made a mistake, Mitsuya-san would pat my back like this to cheer me up.
“But if that’s the plan, couldn’t she just reject you at the document screening stage? Why go out of her way to call in just you specifically?”
“Strange, isn’t it,” Manager Yamasato said, tilting her head. Then Seno-san, who’d stayed quiet until now, spoke up with a thin smile.
“You’ve still got three days left, right? Bit early to give up. Just keep showing up at the president’s office every single day. I mean, you’re the only one who got called in, right? That has to mean she’s interested.”
“Showing up… what are you even saying. There’s no way she could do something like that.”
Mitsuya-san shot Seno-san a sharp, exasperated look.
But Seno-san just laughed, unbothered.
“Really? If you don’t do anything, that’s just where it ends, and honestly, this is basically the same as playing the field in romance. If there’s no chance at all, you just back off cleanly.”
Same as playing the field, huh. Fair point, I suppose, there’s something to that logic. But still…
“…I’m really bad at that kind of thing. What should I do?”
I said it, troubled, and Seno-san’s full lips curved into a thin smile.
“It’s simple. Aozawa-san, didn’t you say you had someone you liked? Just pretend the president’s that person, and go all out for the next three days.”
“Hey now, quit teasing Aozawa-chan. She’s a serious kid.”
“Come on, Mitsuya-san. I’m not teasing her at all. I’m just giving her concrete advice that a stiff like you couldn’t manage.”
Off to the side of the two of them growling at each other, I stood there, arms crossed, thinking. Manager Yamasato gave my shoulder a gentle pat.
Warmth, kind and reassuring, came through from her palm.
“Seno-san might have a point too. Could be a chance to make an impression. Loosen up your shoulders and give it everything, so you won’t have regrets. It’s fine if it fails. There’s a place to come back to.”
Told that, I nodded, small. When it comes to Yui-san, there’s still one more person I can turn to when I’m stuck. Someone I know knows Yui-san’s character better than anyone — her very best friend.
*
There’s something I want to talk to you about — could I see you today?
I sent that through the chat app, and the reply came back right away.
＊＊＊
Seven PM. Ritsu-san arrived at the izakaya where we’d agreed to meet, striding in brisk and easy as ever. Still just as light on her feet as she was back then, apparently, whether then or now.
Unlike her college days, Ritsu-san’s hair had settled into a calm, dark brown, and it suited her grey pantsuit beautifully. Very much a banker, through and through. Sharp, put-together, cool.
Ritsu-san might look unserious given her flashy appearance, but underneath she’s genuinely diligent, and on top of that, the kind of person you’d call a real “people person.”
Once we’d been shown to a private room, Ritsu-san ordered beer first thing, and downed it in one bold gulp like she was washing away a whole day’s exhaustion.
“So, what did you want to talk about? Did that idiot pull something again?”
I bit into a salmon onigiri, sipping slowly at my lemon sour.
“It’s not that. Actually… a lot’s happened, and right now I’ve put myself forward internally for Yui-san’s secretary position, but she’s been really resistant. I’m trying to figure out how to convince her.”
“Ah, right, I think she mentioned something like that. Bringing on a secretary. Yui’s been busy lately, right? She calls sometimes, but she never invites me out drinking anymore at all.”
Ritsu-san said it, tossing salted edamame into her mouth. So they still go out drinking together, even now. Still close as ever, apparently.
“That’s exactly why I said I want to be her secretary, but Yui-san hates the idea. Says it defeats the whole purpose.”
“Hmm, well, I can pretty much guess what’s going through that idiot’s head… For Yui, work’s always just a means to an end, nothing more. She wants to see you privately, not through work. But you’re really set on becoming her secretary?”
“Yes. Because if I’m her secretary, we’d be together constantly. And if some other girl became her secretary and something developed between them…”
Sulking, I said it, and Ritsu-san, ordering fried karaage from the tablet, laughed and shook her head.
“Ahaha, no way, absolutely not. Because that idiot’s completely, hopelessly gone on you. And honestly, Yui had already been planning to come find you the moment she broke off the engagement.”
“Eh?”
That was news to me. Something warm welling up deep in my chest — surely not entirely from the alcohol. If it’s true… I’m so happy. I bit down hard on my lips, fighting off a smile.
“That whole rush to deliver results within three years, too. Every time she got drunk, Yui would go on and on — ‘I need to hurry, or Kanata’s going to end up marrying someone else.’ Genuinely annoying to listen to.”
“I see…”
I’m happy. Yui-san thought of me that much, all that time. And here I was, the coward who ran away without even putting up a fight.
“Even knowing that, you still, absolutely, want to be her secretary?”
But even hearing that, I still…
I nodded, firm, to that question. I still want to be the one beside Yui-san. All the more so, if she’s been working this hard for my sake.
“I don’t want to hand it to anyone else. Because I don’t think I could stand holding back the jealousy either…”
“Ha, what’s that, so cute~”
“Don’t tease me… I’m serious. Ritsu-san, does Yui-san have any weaknesses?”
“Weakness? Isn’t that obvious? Right there. Look.”
Saying that, Ritsu-san pointed straight at me. A weakness… me?
“Why not try seducing her a little? That skirt-chaser’s been living like a monk for four whole years. If you made the first move, Kanata-chan, she’d be done for instantly. Total overkill.”
Ritsu-san laughed, teasing, delighted.
“Wh-what are you even saying, come on, Ritsu-san!”
Back in college, Yui-san’s whole hobby seemed to be sleeping with girls. So I’d worried, quietly, whether it was really possible that nothing had happened with anyone since we parted — and learning she’d genuinely, firmly stopped playing around, ever since, filled me with a warmth that went straight to the bottom of my heart.
I could feel my cheeks going hot, and gulped down some lemon sour to cover it.
But… seduction’s not something I could ever pull off. There’s too big a gap in experience between me and Yui-san.
Ritsu-san laughed for a while longer, then wiped away tears that had welled up at the corners of her eyes from laughing too hard.
“If that’s too much, then… hmm, you’ve got three days left, right? If you can’t manage it by the deadline… there’s a good trick. Though this one’s the last resort.”
“Tell me,” I said, leaning in, and Ritsu-san grinned, wide, like a kid who’d just thought up some mischief.
＊＊＊
The whole thing would be decided within three days. If I could get Yui-san to say “guess I have no choice,” I’d win. If I couldn’t overturn that “no,” I’d lose.
If I couldn’t win her over by the deadline, even if Manager Yamasato’s recommendation got me through document screening, I’d surely be cut at the interview stage.
I needed to settle this before another candidate got chosen. This was a short, decisive battle.
The next afternoon. I stood up from my desk, tea set in hand.
“Manager Yamasato, could I take a short break?”
I asked, and she sent me off gently — “Sure, go ahead.”
The other two weren’t at their desks, but timing-wise, Mitsuya-san was probably due back from a smoke break soon, and Seno-san rarely takes short breaks, so she must have just stepped away.
On my way out of the office toward the break kitchen, I ran straight into Seno-san. So she hadn’t been on break after all. The restroom, maybe?
Mitsuya-san had said before that Seno-san “has zero motivation” — but for someone like that, she doesn’t take that many breaks either, and honestly, out of everyone, she seems to spend the most time actually at her desk.
“Aozawa-san, on break?”
Noticing the tea set and small tray in my hands, Seno-san tilted her head.
“Yes. …I figured I’d try the advice you gave me.”
At that, Seno-san smiled, sly.
“Is that right. The president’s rich, and gorgeous… you’ve probably got plenty of rivals, but I think you’ll manage fine. I gave up on her myself, since I never had a chance.”
“Eh?”
Startled, I straightened up sharp. I thought back to the welcome party. Seno-san had had her arm linked tight through Yui-san’s that night. Was that… actually an approach, after all?
“Well, good luck.”
Saying that, Seno-san breezed right past me and headed back to the office.
At that moment, a faint scent reached me — one I’d never noticed on her before, and yet, somehow, one I recognized, having smelled it on someone else before — and I tilted my head, puzzled.
Heading toward the break kitchen, Mitsuya-san came around the corner from the direction of the rooftop.
This building has no smoking room, so smokers apparently have no choice but to head up to the roof, whether it’s blazing summer sun like today or pouring rain.
Smokers really do have it rough, Mitsuya-san always says.
“Oh, Aozawa-chan. Heading to break now?”
She had a pack of cigarettes in hand, and a silver… what was it called, a lighter? Apparently collecting those is a hobby of hers.
“Yes, just a short break.”
“Got it. Have fun.”
Waving, easy, as she walked off, I watched her go and it suddenly clicked.
That same scent, the one I’d caught on Seno-san just now. Right — that was cigarette smoke.
“…Wait, does Seno-san smoke…?”
Well, whatever. Maybe I just never noticed. More importantly, I need to get to the break kitchen. Hugging the tea set close, I started walking again.
*
I pulled the pre-portioned tea leaves and a single-serving pot out of my pouch. And the macarons I’d secretly stashed in the break kitchen fridge that morning — I arranged two of them on a small plate.
Today’s blend: Afternoon Blend. Perfect for a midday break.
I poured tea into a single cup, then set the teapot temporarily on the shelf. Nobody ever uses this break kitchen anyway.
Tray in hand, I started walking back toward the office. Destination: the president’s office. I passed the budget management desks and knocked on that heavy door I’d only first stepped through yesterday.
A few people gave me curious looks, but at this point, I didn’t care what anyone thought. There was nothing left to do but whatever I could actually do. No point thinking about what happens if I fail.
“Come in,” came Yui-san’s voice, and I put my hand on the doorknob.
Opening the door, Yui-san, seated in her desk chair, looked up and her eyes went wide, startled, the instant she saw my face.
I’m going to prove, properly, that I’m serious about this too. No room left for worrying about appearances. Once I’ve decided to do something, I go all in.
So I closed the door behind me, and smiled, bright, and said it.
“President, how about some afternoon tea?”