"The president was really handsome, right, Kou-chan?"
"Eh? Ah, um..."
Kou could only nod her head blankly at the words of Rin.
"Moo! Can you listen to me?" Rin pouted and puffed her soft cheeks. Looking at the distracted Yagami Kou, Rin thought that she was still entranced of their new president's charming persona which made her a little jealous.
However she couldn't deny the fact that Shido was really attractive since she herself was also drawn closer towards him. It was as if a mysterious force was guiding her heart to the direction of her soulmate.
...
After the meeting, the executives left the room while talking about Shido with happy smiles on their face. Most of the employees were female after all, so it was natural for them to talk about guys, especially Shido who was young, handsome and talented making the female executives curious.
While Shido had a tall, mature appearance, they knew he was still quite young. It was surprising that someone his age had already become president of their company.
Because of this, the female executives began speculating about his exact age. Was he even old enough to drink? Could he now register at the Ward Office?
However, while Kou had to admit that Shido was handsome and made her a little shy, she thought that Shido might be the person who Aoba talked about earlier which made her think that their new president might be playful and a bad boy.
'Hmmp! Even if you are the president, I will not let you harm those girls!'
Kou thought self-righteously but if Shido know her thoughts then he might just laugh at her as her imagination was really immense. But is that really all?
...
After the meeting finished, Shido go to the president's office under the guidance of Hazuki that was chatting with him along the way.
Inside the office Shido sat down on his chair and leaned back while stretching his arms.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Hazuki placed a coffee she made in the room in front of Shido which he received politely.
Shido smelled the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee, its rich scent carrying a faint hint of bitterness mixed with warmth. He gave a small nod of approval before taking a careful sip, letting the taste settle on his tongue.
"It's good." Shido sincerely said making Hazuki delighted.
"Thank you."
"By the way, don't you still have work? You can leave me here since I can handle myself."
"No, no. You're the president, Shido-kun, so it's my job to ensure that you are feeling okay. And also, I'm not that busy right now, so it'll be okay." Hazuki waved her index finger side to side playfully before she also took a sit in the couch in front of Shido.
"If you say so..." Shido said and took another sip of his coffee.
From there, the two continued to talk to each other about job related issue especially about the game plan Shido wanted to propose. After all, as a director in the company, Hazuki knew that it was not easy to create a game plan and a good one at that, but Shido seemed so confident making her curious. However Shido simply smiled and told her not to worry about it as he was about to give her a surprise.
Seeing that Hazuki pouted and grumbled, but she didn't ask further since Shido didn't say anything more.
Shido stayed in the 'Eagle Jump' for some time more being accompanied by Hazuki until she was dragged out by Umiko who looked quite shyly at Shido which made it hard for her to drag Hazuki as her cool and serious attitude crumbled when Shido was present. However, with Shido's help Umiko manage to drag Hazuki away to her job which made her both grateful and complicated.
The sun had already set in the horizon as darkness engulfs the light. In his motorcycle, Shido look at the streetlights shining upon the street as colorful lights from the commercial buildings glow.
Cold night breeze swept over his body as he rode his motorcycle on the way home.
Suddenly, Shido felt thirsty so he decided to buy a drink from the vending machine on the side of the street. After parking his motorcycle nearby, Shido walked towards the vending machine yet when he was getting closer, he noticed the silhouette of a woman in a lab coat sitting alone drinking in the bench near the vending machine. Looking around, Shido manage to see a red sportscar nearby and he immediately knew it was hers as the lights of the car was still blinking.
Shido didn't bother with the woman and simply walked over to the vending machine, buying a black coffee to warm himself. Instead of leaving right away, he made his way toward the bench where the woman was already sitting.
The woman on the bench had already noticed Shido when he bought his coffee. Seeing him walk in her direction, she raised her brows, thinking he might be trying to hit on her.
This left her with mixed feelings. After all, she was nearing her 30s and still didn't have a boyfriend, which often made her doubt her own charm. Yet now, with a young man seemingly about to hit on her, she couldn't help but feel a little excited and giddy. At the same time, she felt sorry, because she would have to turn him down. After all, it was their first meeting, and they knew nothing about each other.
As she was lost in thought, Shido had already stopped in front of her. Under the glow of the nearby lamp, she finally got a clear look at his face. His handsome and dashing features left her momentarily dazed, but she quickly shook her head to snap out of it, silently warning herself about the danger of his charm.
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself, preparing to respond to Shido without hurting his feelings. She worried that his confidence might falter if she rejected him, so she resolved to decline politely.
Shido looked confused as she shook her head repeatedly, but he remained calm and asked.
"Mind if I sit?"
"Sorry, I can't accept you feelings!"
"Eh?" 2x
An awkward silence hangs in the atmosphere. Shido was fine but he felt amused and helpless that he was mistaken for hitting or confessing towards the woman. However, the woman was different, her face was already covered entirely in blush as she was too embarrassed. The two look at each other in silence, Shido had an awkward look on his face and the woman covered her face in shame and embarrassment as she lowered her head.
'H-How embarrassing!'
...
With a click, Shido opened the coffee can and took a sip of the hot drink, his eyes drifting to the street where vehicles passed by intermittently.
"Ugh… I want to disappear…"
Watching the dejected woman beside him, Shido felt helpless. She had become so downhearted over such an awkward misunderstanding.
A sigh escaped his lips. "Don't worry about it. There are only the two of us here, so you don't need to be so embarrassed."
The woman's face turned bright red at Shido's words. She grabbed his collar, glared at him, and snapped, "Forget all about it! Right now!"
"Even if you say that," Shido replied calmly, "there's no way I could just forget it because you say so."
Shido didn't resist the woman, letting her do as she pleased. Women tended to act a little unpredictable when embarrassed, and since she was slightly drunk, it was better to let her vent, he wasn't sure what might happen if she didn't. He let out a wry smile, thinking about how irrational women could be, especially the older ones.
The woman sitting next to Shido was a mature, cool-looking woman in her late 20s, with a hint of tomboyish charm. However, despite her tomboyish attitude and rough personality, it couldn't hide her natural beauty and that mature and lewd body concealed beneath her clothes.
"...Someone saw me like this... I... I... I couldn't be a bride anymore." Like a child that, the mature woman started sobbing causing Shido to be speechless. However he had to admit that woman's tears are really dangerous since Shido felt weak to her tears despite being strong enough to fight strong opponents like, Ainz, Platinum Dragon Lord and Cure Elim.
"Haaa... Please don't cry." Shido sighed as he look at her sobbing figure "What do you want me to do for you to stop crying?"
"S-Shut up! I'm not crying! *Hick.*"
The woman rebutted Shido while wiping her tears so Shido wouldn't be able to see her weak side. But, it was already too late as Shido had seen her everything.
As the woman wiped her tears with her hands, Shido remained silent, patiently waiting for her to calm down.
A moment later, she had cleaned her face, though her eyes were still slightly red, a clear sign that she had truly been crying. Her gaze then fell on the boy who had witnessed her vulnerable side, and she grit her teeth in a mix of shame and embarrassment.
On her way to her apartment, the woman suddenly felt the urge to relax by the riverbank. She pulled over, got out of her car, and bought a can of beer in the vending machine nearby to ease her stressed mind.
After all, she was a teacher, and stress often built up as problems kept piling one on top of another, making her long for a moment of relaxation. On top of that, her mother constantly nagged her about getting married since she was also nearing her 30s which made her even more feel tired.
Yet, for some reason, none of the men she met on group dates seemed like the right match, leaving her feeling both depressed and helpless.