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==============
An Unexpected Reunion
The next morning, at 7:30.
"This way, please."
Led by a crisply voiced receptionist, I walked through the halls of a corporate building. I was incredibly sleepy from tossing and turning all night, but I couldn't afford to look disheveled when about to meet a client. I'm confident my eyes usually look dead, but that's just business as usual, so it's fine. No, it's nothing but problems.
"Excuse me."
After a series of knocks, the receptionist called out into the room. Seeing 'Staff Waiting Room' written on what looked like a reception room door, it seemed this was where I was to wait. The woman opened the door, inviting me in. I repeated her words verbatim before entering the conference room, and the moment I surveyed the room, my thoughts froze.
"The person in charge will be here shortly."
The woman bowed politely, said that, and then left the conference room, closing the door behind her.
Left behind were just me and another man. Dressed in a suit, he looked surprised for a moment before a familiar, too-refreshing smile spread across his face.
"Long time no see, Hikigaya."
"No, why are you here...?"
Hayato Hayama, in an unfamiliar suit, smoothly slipped a hand into his breast pocket. I reacted instinctively to his gesture.
"I apologize for the belated introduction. I am Hayama of Hayama Law Office, serving as legal counsel for MGO Life Insurance."
"Well, fancy that..."
Even with his impolite tone, his gesture for exchanging business cards was perfectly businesslike, which felt incredibly strange.
Well, there was no point just standing around. Without a word, we both sat in chairs, and our eyes met again.
"You've been called into a tough case too, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
It must have been a headache of a case for Hayama too; his usual refreshing demeanor vanished, replaced by a clear look of fatigue. The urgent case my boss handed me was a double blow: the discovery of a customer information leak and embezzlement within MGO Group's most profitable insurance business. Fortunately for the group, it was uncovered through an internal whistle-blower, so it hadn't leaked externally yet. But that also meant it was all the more challenging.
"Both you and I should probably give up on a normal life until Friday."
"...Yeah, I've been prepared for that since I heard about it yesterday."
A press conference for this matter was scheduled for Friday morning, so as Hayama said, the period until then would be incredibly hectic. In such cases, consultants sometimes come in to figure out concrete countermeasures after the press conference. However, this particular case seemed to involve the higher-ups not trusting the on-site staff, and the offer was to help create the broad framework for the responses to be announced at the conference.
Truly, the future looked bleak. I sighed, wishing for at least four hours of sleep a day, and after a moment of silence, Hayama let out a soft breath.
"How have you been?"
It was a question as if time had rewound the moment he entered the room.
"You can tell just by looking. I'm practically dead from yesterday's information gathering alone."
"You don't look all that different from your student days to me, though."
What did you just say, you bastard, I thought, narrowing my eyes, and he returned an annoyingly refreshing smile. His tired face from earlier was gone, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, which was rather irritating.
"Are you... still not married?"
Hayama's gaze fell on my left hand, and he spoke softly. Likewise, Hayama's hand also lacked a wedding ring.
"Ah, not yet."
Honestly, I had an overwhelmingly strong desire to marry Iroha, but the circumstances just weren't right yet. I was thinking about how Iroha used to like this guy, or if he'd perhaps heard about our relationship from someone like Yuihama, when another knock echoed in the room.
"Alright, time for work."
"...Yeah."
To think I'd be working with him again, of all people. I shrugged, thinking how unpredictable life could be.
â---
A Welcoming Surprise
After that, my memory is honestly quite hazy. I woke up and realized it was Friday, just before 3 PM. With weak hands, I opened the front door and stepped into my beloved home.
"I'm exhausted..."
As soon as I reached the living room, I collapsed onto the sofa. The morning's press conference was safely over, and for today, it was "Good work, everyone, dismissed!" There was still plenty to do, but without the other party's cooperation, I couldn't proceed any further. The hell of post-incident response would begin again on Monday... Ah, just thinking about it made me sick.
That's enough. Thinking any more would just make me feel worse; all I wanted to do was sleep. If I could be greedy, I'd want Iroha to casually comfort me and heal my fatigue. ...I guess I've really been corrupted by Iroha.
"Good night, Patrasche..."
My suit could wrinkle for all I cared. Praying that death wouldn't come for me in my sleep, I closed my eyes, consumed by exhaustion.
â-----
An Unforgettable Evening
Finishing work, I headed home. The moment I opened the front door, I noticed a subtle difference. My senior's shoes were there. And so early.
"...I'm home~?"
With lingering doubt, I cautiously opened the living room door and found someone sprawled on the sofa. I carefully peeked at their face and felt relieved to confirm it was my senior. It felt like a long time since I'd properly seen his sleeping face like this. He always came home late at night, and left earlier than me in the mornings.
"Senpai~?"
Though I felt bad for waking him, I couldn't resist poking his cheek. The way his mouth twitched was cute. I couldn't resist pecking his lips, but he showed no sign of waking up. Feeling a bit frustrated, I continued poking his cheek, and finally, my senior slowly opened his eyelids.
"I'm home."
"Oh? Oh... welcome back."
My senior took my poking finger in his hand and mumbled something. He was probably still half-asleep.
"It's rare for you to be home this early, isn't it?"
"Ah, I've gotten over one hurdle for now... Speaking of which, Iroha, you're early too."
My senior looked at the clock and then released my finger. I felt a slight pang of regret. It was certainly still early evening. But he didn't know that it wasn't that unusual for me to be home early.
"Well, it is the weekend."
I also have flexible working hours, like my senior, so I'm basically free to come and go within the set times. Most people go home early on weekends, so I often follow suit.
"By the way, Senpai. Why were you so busy?"
"Ah... It's a long story if I explain it."
My senior said that, then suddenly seemed to remember something and picked up the TV remote. He turned on the TV, opened the program guide, and switched to a news channel.
"I've been frantic dealing with this."
"Hmm..."
On the TV, important people from a company I'd even heard of were bowing their heads, barraged with questions. It looked like a press conference for some scandal, but I couldn't tell much since I'd tuned in halfway.
I just vaguely understood that my senior seemed to be living in a different world, somehow. I definitely recognized that he was doing something amazing, and an indescribable anxiety welled up inside me.
"That's, like, amazing."
"Yeah... it was incredibly tough..."
But he didn't seem to notice my anxiety at all, and he was complaining, which was rare for him. No, he's always been like this; I just hadn't had much time to talk to him.
Thinking about it, today, when he came home early, was a chance. It had been a while, and now that he was weakened, it was the perfect opportunity to make him obsessed. I was starting to feel a little excited.
"Senpai."
I leaned against my senior, who was still sitting on the sofa, and whispered close to his ear.
"Is it okay if dinner is a little late tonight?"
"Huh...? No, I missed lunch, so I was thinking it'd be good to eat early..."
I had expected him to answer, "It's fine," but I wasn't going to give up that easily. I slowly pulled away, chuckling, and said,
"Then..."
And then I unbuttoned one button of my blouse. Then another, and two more. Feeling my senior's gaze on my chest, I said in my sweetest voice,
"You can eat me instead, you know?"
âAnd with that.
============
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