Chapter Text
“Look at him, look at him! Oh my God!”
I get used to that kind of squeals every time we attend our company’s dinners. The dinners are actually held after we have finished big projects or even just celebrate one of our leaders’ birthdays. No, the squeals from my female colleagues not because they are happy attending dinner tonight. It is because they’re looking at the star of tonight’s dinner. Well, he’s always a star, for them.
Entering the restaurant’s door by bowing a bit to our manager, Watase Riku flashes a small polite smile to everyone. My female colleagues also smile back at him but I know they’re trying so hard not to be caught fangirling over him. Stay cool and elegant, they say, but it doesn’t apply when Watase is not around. All they can do is talk about him, about how cool he looks every day, and how he contributes to the company with his constant accomplishments. Who’s not going to fall for him? Watase has everything, looks, and success. He has become a manager at such a young age. He even has good manners and is polite. And he has a nice body and he’s tall, too.
Who’s not going to fall for him?
“How is it, Yuzuha? Still refuse your heart to say you like Watase-kachou?” Yamashita Ichika is one who likes to tease me about Watase. I’m still confused as to why all my female colleagues like to tease me. Do they really feel happy to have everyone liking Watase? What is this called, fangirling over your boss together in the office?
“Well, what if I do?” I reply. Ichika claps her hands. I give her gestures to not really obvious. Watase is sitting across us, a bit far, but if we’re not careful, he will hear us. That will be embarrassing.
“It is a good thing, then! You can join our community!” Ichika whispers and curls a huge smile. She murmurs how lucky we are because we get to be at the same table as Watase.
As usual, everyone can sit with whoever they want on company dinner like this, so tables are usually mixed of people from different divisions, just like us now sitting around workers from Division 7, with some male workers and our manager on the other side of this long table. However, our manager has gestured for Watase to sit next to him, which is why Watase is now sitting near us.
I sigh, honestly worried that our conversation is heard. Speaking of luck, I’m just sitting with Ichika tonight. I don’t know if my other two coworkers are sitting here, too. Watase probably has heard everything us talking about him.
“What’s so good in having all of us fangirling over a kachou?”
“Because he’s handsome of course!” Ichika says proudly. “We can release the burden of our works by talking about him, together!”
I need to remind her that not everyone has the same way of relaxing after having a hard day at work. “But, you all like him, not trying to get closer to him?” I know he’s still single. People have been wondering why he is.
“Oh, well, like we know his type of girl.” Ichika sighs. “He looks sharp and cold sometimes. He only smiles a little and it seems like he does it for professional purposes only.” She adds.
I nod. “I agree Watase-kachou is so professional.” I have heard things about him from Ichika and the others, and also from other coworkers, Watase is one of many people in the company people have their respect. He’s disciplined, creative, hard-working, and has a high sense of responsibility. He may look cold and hard on other coworkers, but it’s one of the keys to success that made his division become the top one in our company. One point I notice about him is how he conveys all his thoughts. Based on that point alone, I can judge he’s smart and dependable. Meeting someone like him is too good to be true. I always think he’s one of the perfect 2D characters.
“That’s why the girls and I decide only to idolize him, but we also think we’ll get our hearts broken if one day we know he has a girlfriend or even a wife!” Ichika starts to eat her karaage. I’m thankful no one pays attention to us since Ichika doesn’t seem to lower her voice. She always does when she talks about Watase.
“It can happen, I mean, no offense, I think he’s the type who wears a wedding ring out of the blue one day, and no one of us knows he’s already married a long time ago.” I shrug.
“Right. He matches that kind of energy, actually.” Ichika takes a look at Watase who is still talking with our boss. I also look in the same direction as her and wonder about something.
“Hey, aren’t there coworkers who chase after him?”
Ichika looks at me. “Are you talking about Hasegawa Miyuki from Division 3?”
“I don’t know but I’m sure you guys talked about someone who likes Watase-kachou last week.”
We’re both now eyeing Hasegawa we’re talking about, who is sitting together with workers from Division 3. She looks happy talking and eating dinner with her coworkers. Watase is sitting at the same table with us so we cannot witness Hasegawa flirting with Watase. Well, I don’t think she will do things like that at a company dinner like this.
“You must know that Hasegawa is Hasegawa-shachou’s daughter, right?” Ichika asks me.
“What?” I almost make every head turn around at me because I’m too loud. I don’t ever think that our president Hasegawa has a daughter who works here. It’s a piece of common information that President Hasegawa has two children, but who knows if the daughter works here? It seems like I’m the only one who doesn’t know about it. Ichika puts a finger in front of her mouth, a sign for me to lower my voice. I nod obediently but it’s still difficult to hide my confusion. It’s shocking.
Ichika starts talking again. “There’s a rumor that Watase-kachou is introduced to Hasegawa by her father. Hasegawa really likes Watase-kachou, (well, who doesn’t) after they first met five years ago. So, in some cases, Hasegawa comes to Division 2 only to meet Watase-kachou.”
“They really meet, or…?”
“Yes, but actually Hasegawa often comes for things related to work. It’s suspicious but all things from Division 3 related to Division 2 must be delivered in person by Hasegawa.”
“It’s actually her job?”
“No, it’s another person’s,” Ichika answers.
“Cool moves,” I comment. Ichika nods.
“Our friend Yumi also witnessed several times that Watase-kachou met Hasegawa after work. You know the new coffee shop on the corner of the street? They met there.”
This is getting interesting because there’s someone who actually chases after Watase and it’s our coworker. Our office doesn’t have any dating ban, workers can date each other. So, it’s fair for us to see someone like Hasegawa making a move on Watase. However, it seems like Hasegawa is powerful enough to make Watase fall in love with her. If she wanted to, she could make everything revolve around her and Watase, except she wants to do everything on her own and doesn’t involve her father.
“Something must be going on with those two,” I comment at last.
Ichika sadly replies. “Yeah. It seems like Hasegawa is the winner.”
I glance at Watase. He is taking a sip of his orange juice and smiling politely at the jokes our boss made.
“So, Hasegawa gets to see Watase-kachou’s unprofessional smiling faces,” I murmur. Ichika whines and fills her mouth more with karaage.