Episode 27: Smokers Have It Rough, Don’t They?
My shoulder was shaken, waking me.
Opening my eyes slightly, I saw her, the same flawless figure I always saw at the office, peering down at me.
I glanced at the clock.
It was a time I’d normally still be asleep. Seemingly, unlike me, Seno-san lived a morning-oriented life.
“Aren’t you having breakfast? You’d better get up soon or you’ll be late.”
“Hmm… I will.”
I sat up in bed and hugged her from behind as she tried to leave the room.
Pressing my nose against the nape of her neck, I caught the familiar scent of her perfume.
“…I like this scent. Come to think of it, what perfume is this? You didn’t tell me when I asked before.”
When I asked, Seno-san pointed to the bottle on the dressing table.
“That one. The bottle with the black cap. If you like it, you can use it too, Kaori.”
“…Nah, it’s fine. I got a bit flustered when Aosawa-chan pointed it out before.”
“Pointed out what?”
“She asked what perfume I was wearing. I don’t wear perfume, so it was probably yours rubbing off… I couldn’t answer and just ran off. I panicked thinking what if she found out.”
“If it was Aosawa-san, I wouldn’t mind if she found out, you know. But if you don’t like it, Kaori, the scent might transfer, so maybe you shouldn’t get too close?”
I chased after Seno-san, who had slipped away from my arm.
Reaching the living room, the smell of grilled fish hit me, and I stared blankly at Seno-san.
“…Eh, seriously?”
“What? Go wash your face, quick.”
“You make breakfast this proper even on work days?”
“Isn’t it just normal? I only grilled some salmon…”
Two place settings laid out on the table.
Freshly cooked rice, miso soup, the scent of grilled salmon. Even side dishes. A picture-perfect Japanese breakfast.
A world away from my usual breakfast of hurriedly shoving cold convenience store rice balls into my mouth.
“Normal… This is… normal…”
Stunned, I headed for the washroom.
Somehow, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d snagged an incredibly high-spec woman.
＊＊＊
To avoid being noticed travelling to work together, I took the train one stop later than her to get to the office.
Christmas was fast approaching.
I hadn’t expected we’d be spending it together, so I hadn’t prepared anything.
In the end, I hadn’t even properly celebrated her birthday.
Giving her a luxury brand bag would probably make her happy, but unfortunately I know nothing about brands, so I had absolutely no idea what Seno-san might like.
That small black bag she uses daily, I secretly looked it up and found it cost nearly three hundred thousand yen.
No way I can afford that, damn it. Why does she even have something like that?
Breathing out white clouds as I headed to work, I bumped into Kurosaki-kun at the crossing.
“Good morning, Mitsuya-san!”
His cheerful smile made my chest ache just a little, just a tiny bit.
“Mitsuya-san, about that Christmas thing… have you thought about it?”
I knew he’d bring it up.
With half my face buried in my scarf, I kept my eyes down, facing straight ahead, and walked on without looking at him.
The way he’d slow his pace to match mine, the way he’d try to meet my gaze when talking, his easy-going nature – I think he’s an attractive man.
Had I not met Seno-san, I would undoubtedly have ended up with him.
The fork in the road. The future I didn’t choose to spend with Seno-san surely lay beside him. But, but still.
“…I did think about it, but I’m sorry. I just can’t see it happening. Let’s go for a drink again once things have calmed down. I think we can be good friends.”
“………………….”
A silence lingered for a while. We were almost at the company. I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face.
“Mitsuya-san.”
“Hmm?”
“…What was it you said I was lacking?”
“…You’re not lacking anything. It’s just that these things are about timing. That’s how life works, isn’t it?”
As I said it casually, Kurosaki-kun beside me let out a huge sigh.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I’m gutted…”
“Sorry, sorry. But let’s still be mates. I’ll listen to anything, even love advice!”
Kurosaki-kun pouted sulkily. I gave him a hard slap on the back.
Strange. I no longer envied that broad back.
When I arrived at the office, Seno-san and Arimura-chan, who had left home earlier, were already seated at their desks.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
Seeing Seno-san return my greeting normally, Arimura-chan shot me a glance.
“Hm? What?”
“Nothing. I see you two have finally made up. I was wondering how things would turn out. Please ensure personal feelings don’t interfere with work from now on.”
Caught out, I cleared my throat. While I pondered how to respond, Seno-san across from me grinned.
“Well? You really ought to reflect properly, you know?”
“Don’t blame others! You’re just as guilty!”
I kicked her hard across the desk, and Seno-san laughed heartily. Next to me, Arimura-chan let out a huge sigh.
One more task remained.
How to dodge the promise to Niiyama-kun. I forced my own proposal upon them.
What was that proposal, you ask?
“Hey Kaori, seriously, at our age, saying ‘my parents wouldn’t let me date before marriage’ is a bit much, isn’t it? It’s not exactly the image I want…”
Sighing, I snatched her phone as she hesitated to send the message.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
“There’s no better way, is there? Even Niiyama-kun would run barefoot if he heard that!”
“What if rumours start flying about me!?”
“You sowed the seeds yourself! If you’re going to complain, you shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place!”
Ignoring her attempts to grab the phone back, I tapped send.
The “typical landmine girl message” I’d written seemed to work wonders on Niiyama-kun too. Later, he messaged me asking, “Is Seno-san’s house strict?” So I fed him all sorts of tall tales, and his invitations stopped dead in their tracks.
I’d like to say that finally settled the matter between us… but actually, one problem remained. The assistant manager issue.
The ever-stubborn Seno-san was adamantly refusing to take the assistant manager position.
Considering Manager Yamazato’s pregnancy, perhaps agreeing to it would be the smoothest way to resolve everything, but I had my own thoughts on the matter.
“Manager Yamazato. Regarding the sub-manager position, could you please wait just a little longer? I’ll persuade Seno-san.”
When I made this request, Manager Yamazato gave a knowing smile and simply said, “I trust you, Mitsuya-san.”
＊＊＊
Out on the rooftop, smoking a cigarette beneath the cold sky, Seno-san approached, hot coffee in hand, exhaling white breath.
“Ugh, it’s freezing.”
“Poor smokers, aren’t they? Forced up here to the rooftop in this freezing weather.”
“Yeah. They should just ban smoking altogether.”
“…Maybe someday. But without this, my mouth feels empty.”
I stubbed my cigarette out in the ashtray. Seno-san’s eyes widened slightly, looking a bit surprised.
“You’re done already?”
“No.”
After quietly checking the rooftop was empty, I grabbed her arm and drew her face close.
My lips touched her soft ones, faintly tasting of coffee.
Right now, this felt more appealing to me than a cigarette.
“…Kaori, you know…”
“Hmm?”
When our lips parted, Seno-san narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at me.
“So you really do like kissing, do you? A bit surprising you’d do this at work.”
Her slightly reproachful tone made me give a wry smile.
“Well, your lips feel good.”
“Ah, I get told that a lot.”
“By who?!”
I gave her forehead a little poke. “Ouch!” came the indignant cry.
Sighing as if to change the subject, Seno-san glanced at me.
Right. If I’m going to ask, now might be the time.
“Listen… it’s Christmas, you know.”
“Hmm?”
“Sorry, I’ve no idea what you might want. Is there anything you fancy?”
Asking so directly, Seno-san’s eyes widened in surprise before she burst out laughing.
Laugh all you like, I’m used to this sort of thing.
“It’s fine, really. I don’t need anything.”
“But… wouldn’t you prefer something like dinner at a restaurant or something?”
“Did I say that?”
“Well… no, you didn’t.”
“Then it’s fine. Let’s have dinner at my place. I’ll cook for you.”
“Oh, shall we buy cake or chicken then?”
“Christmas is tomorrow, you know? There’s no way we can get a reservation now.”
“…Oh, right.”
I loathed myself for being so hopelessly disorganised. As I hung my head dejectedly, Seno-san smiled and stroked my head.
“…What? Why are you stroking me?”
“Hehe, sorry, it’s my fault. I forgot you’re such a romantic, Kaori.”
This… doesn’t seem like she’s mocking me. As I let her stroke my head quietly, Seno-san’s hand gently took mine.
“…Then next year, I’ll request everything. Make sure you grant it all properly.”
Her eyes narrowed softly. My chest felt tight, as if my heart had been crushed.
“…Alright.”
Snow began to flutter down. Snowflakes settled on her fluffy brown hair, and I brushed them from Seno-san’s fringe.
“It’s cold, you know. Why don’t you stop coming to the smoking area? You’ll catch a cold.”
“That’s what I should be saying to you.”
Only now did I understand why, and my affection swelled. She’s surprisingly endearing in ways you wouldn’t expect. Why hadn’t I noticed before?
“Shall we head back? Before Arimura-chan gets angry.”
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve.
I drew Seno-san’s body close.
I gently pressed my lips to the faint red mark still lingering beneath her ear.