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Chapter 10: Crossroads and Bitter Graces
"Ah, Yoshida-senpai, want to grab lunch together?"
"Look at the time! Get back to work already, geez."
First thing in the morning, facing an over-enthusiastic Mishima, Yoshida rubbed his temples, feeling a headache of a completely different variety.
"If it's Senpai…"
"Ahem. Yoshida-kun, could I have a moment?"
The voice that cut through the offensive belonged to Yoshida's direct superior. Ignoring Mishima, who returned to her seat with a reluctant pout, Yoshida wiped away some non-existent cold sweat and stepped over to Ms. Goto.
"Um, I…"
Seeing that Yoshida seemed ready to explain himself, Ms. Goto smiled and pressed a forefinger to her lips to shush him. Then, she tapped a finger against her computer screen.
「Tomorrow, after work, do you have time?」
That was all that was written in the newly created document.
Wait, tomorrow? I should be free. No, hold on, what is this? A date? No, probably just a drink. No, no, no—why so sudden all of a sudden…
"Give me your answer later."
Seeing Yoshida standing there in a daze, looking utterly confused, Ms. Goto gave him a flirtatious sidelong glance and dismissed him.
"Ah, right, understood! Excuse me!"
Feeling a subtle mix of joy and apprehension, Yoshida turned and walked away.
"I never realized you had the potential to be a gigolo," Hashimoto remarked in a grand, theatrical tone the moment Yoshida sat back down.
"Stop talking nonsense, my head hurts… Anyway, are you really okay?"
Yoshida didn't bicker with him; instead, he looked at his friend with genuine concern.
"I'm fine. Everyone has fights occasionally…"
Hashimoto, unable to hide his haggard appearance, turned his face away awkwardly. He rubbed his hand over his now-obvious stubble, muffling his voice. "Anyway, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Maybe the 'Great Lover' should solve his own romantic problems first? …Wait, behind your Little Mishima! Tell her to watch her back!"
As Hashimoto snapped into a formal sitting posture, Yoshida immediately straightened his back too. Looking up, he saw Mishima clutching a stack of files, seemingly ready to come over and resume their earlier conversation. Approaching from behind her was… Manager Odagiri.
This was bad. Every time Manager Odagiri visited their department, he brought the most troublesome tasks imaginable. And for some reason, his gaze had already bypassed Mishima and locked onto Yoshida.
"Do you have a moment?"
The omen proved true. Manager Odagiri stood at Yoshida's desk and addressed him.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
Yoshida stood up straight to face him, trying his best to ignore Mishima, who had hidden behind the Manager's back to make funny faces at him.
"I'm sorry to drop this on you so suddenly," Manager Odagiri said in a strictly professional tone. "Could you accompany me on a business trip to the Gifu branch?"
"Gifu, huh…"
"Yes. About two weeks. We leave tomorrow morning."
To be honest, Yoshida didn't want to go on a trip right now. Not only because he was worried about leaving Sayu alone, but also because of the appointment he'd just made with Ms. Goto. But neither "I'm harboring a runaway high schooler" nor "I have a date with my beautiful boss" were excuses he could say out loud.
"It might be… a bit inconvenient…" Yoshida tried his best to look apologetic.
"That's rare. I thought someone like you would accept immediately. You're still single, aren't you?"
Manager Odagiri gave a playful smile, but there seemed to be a sting behind his words.
"Well… haha…"
Unable to find a suitable excuse, Yoshida could only manage a dry laugh. In the distance, Ms. Goto watched him quietly; after a brief moment of eye contact, she looked away.
"I don't want to force anyone. How about this: do you have someone to recommend?"
Even as he said it, Odagiri's attitude became increasingly overbearing.
Yoshida instinctively looked at Hashimoto, but immediately shot the idea down. His friend had been fighting with his wife for days; being away for two weeks would only make things worse. But naming any other colleague would surely invite resentment…
"You can take me on the trip! I'm single and super free!"
To Yoshida's surprise, the person who stepped up was Mishima.
Though her tone with a superior was casual to the point of being disrespectful, the surrounding colleagues didn't look surprised. Thinking about it, as a newcomer, Mishima wasn't involved in any major projects. She could handle the grunt work of a trip, and being single with no strings attached, she was actually a great candidate. Except…
"Mishima-kun is a girl. It might be inconvenient," Odagiri said, shaking his head slowly.
"Eh? It's not like we're staying in the same room. And you have a wife, Manager—it's not like you'd do anything weird to me."
"Well, that's true."
After scanning the room, Odagiri's gaze settled back on Yoshida. "So, it's settled?"
Yoshida, feeling utterly bewildered, said nothing. Odagiri nodded with satisfaction and left the office.
"That was a total trap!"
"Please don't talk with your mouth full."
During lunch, Yoshida—feeling guilty for letting her take the bullet—sat opposite Mishima and sighed helplessly. He had suspected it before, but this girl really did act recklessly, relying on her youthful charm to get away with being unrefined.
"I'm telling you, it's a TRAP!" Mishima repeated after swallowing.
"What the hell do you mean by 'trap'?"
"You're being tricked, Senpai! You shouldn't go!"
"What could anyone possibly gain from tricking me?"
"Uh…" Mishima was speechless, her large eyes darting around. It seemed she had just said the first thing that popped into her head. "W-well, what a coincidence! Just as I'm about to go on a trip, someone swoops in to ask you out!"
"That happened before Manager Odagiri showed up. And as for 'swooping in,' I never said I'd go out with you."
"Ugh…"
Her logic soundly defeated, Mishima looked dejected. Her chopsticks didn't slow down, though—she stuffed another piece of grilled salmon into her glossy, cherry-red mouth.
"It makes no sense. If you already rejected her, she shouldn't come back and be so persistent."
"I rejected you, too."
"It makes no sense…" Mishima chose to selectively ignore that part.
"Anyway, thanks for taking this on. Manager Odagiri seems to have a grudge against me, but hopefully he won't take it out on you."
Yoshida sighed and used his chopsticks to cut his hamburger steak in half, giving a portion to Mishima, who had been eyeing it like a hawk. He wasn't an idiot; he could tell the Manager was being passive-aggressive, but he couldn't for the life of him remember how he'd offended the man.
"Ah… actually…"
"Hmm?"
Mishima, having demolished half the steak in one bite, suddenly looked fidgety and guilty.
"Actually, the Manager might be acting like that because of me…"
Wait. Yoshida suddenly realized a possibility. Could it be…?
"Maybe it's because we haven't had sex lately, so he's jealous? Hahaha…"
"You… I swear…"
He was speechless. Had he really just suffered a "collateral disaster" because he was mistaken for Mishima's new lover? Yoshida stared at her, expressionless.
"S-Senpai?"
"Give me back my steak. Or swap it for your salmon… and don't point your chopsticks at people!"
"Eh, so you were invited by Ms. Goto."
Sayu handed a bowl of rice to Yoshida, who had returned home on time. Her voice was flat.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Still that unreadable tone.
"It's not good at all. I have no idea what she's thinking…"
It was impossible that it was just a "normal dinner," but it didn't feel like a talk about a promotion either. As for anything else…
"Stop overthinking and eat. It's getting cold."
"Oh… thanks for the food."
Yoshida took a big bite of the steaming pork and potato stew followed by a mouthful of rice. "Ah, delicious."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The best in Japan!"
"You're exaggerating~" Sayu finally smiled, a mix of shyness and pride.
After they finished their meal together, Yoshida fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes, preparing to head to the balcony. Suddenly, Sayu embraced him from behind.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I was being selfish."
"No way. It's my fault for being a pathetic old man."
"It's not that…" Sayu pressed her face against his broad back, breathing in the faint scent of tobacco. Her eyes were full of longing. "It's because it's you, Mr. Yoshida. That's why I can't just forget easily."
"Haha, thanks for the comfort."
"I'm serious. If… if only…"
Her voice trailed off. Yoshida gripped his cigarette pack tight. He wanted to turn around several times, but he couldn't bring himself to take that step. Finally, Sayu let go.
"I won't prepare dinner tomorrow. You're a mature adult, Mr. Yoshida—you wouldn't stand up your boss, right?"
"Ah, yeah…"
Who knew a smile could hurt this much?
He couldn't run away anymore. He had to make a choice. Otherwise, neither of them would ever be able to move forward.