“…I suppose so,” Nagi mumbled. She sighed, the crease fading from between her eyebrows. “I’m glad. I didn’t think Keigo would ever do something like that.”
Keigo’s chest tightened as she turned to him with a relieved smile. He was sincerely glad they had both believed him.
“That said, Saotome still feels like her side of the story is true. We need to clear up the misconception,” Nagi continued, pulling herself together.
“You’re right.” Ryou nodded. “Let’s hear her side of the story. I think it would be best for you to leave the room, Keigo. I’ll call her.”
He picked up his phone and dialed her internal number. But when he set the receiver back down, he seemed bewildered.
“Keigo, Ms. Saotome says she would like to speak with you alone…”
Both Keigo and Nagi looked at him in surprise.
“Sh-she’s okay with that…?” Nagi asked. Keigo had the same question.
“That’s what she said, so I guess it’s fine…,” Ryou answered.
As the three of them exchanged confused looks, there was a knock on the door. All three pressed their lips shut.
“Excuse me,” Saotome said as she walked into the room, back straight. As Keigo tried to pull his thoughts together, he sensed Nagi and Ryou glancing at each other.
“Um, well…we’ll leave you two alone. We’ll be nearby, so just call if you need anything,” Ryou said. The two of them left, seeming worried. Keigo had only one way forward. He steeled his will and quietly turned to Saotome.
“Saotome. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
He bowed to her graciously.
“As a man, I should have been more aware of the situation. But I want you to know that I truly had no intention of doing what you thought I was trying to do.”
As Nagi had said, whatever the truth of the situation, if Saotome thought he’d done something inappropriate, then the first thing he had to do was clear up the misunderstanding. Plus, he might be partly at fault for putting his arm around her when she was falling, even if he’d done so reflexively.
“…Of course I understand. It was my mistake. I’m sorry,” he heard her say as he continued to bow his head. “And you want me to say that to the president and Ms. Yoroizuka, don’t you?”
Keigo looked up abruptly. There was a distinctly threatening smile on Saotome’s face.
“What…do you mean?”
Saotome giggled at his failure to grasp the situation.
“I’d like something in return for putting things right.”
Something in return. He finally understood what was going on.
“…Ha-ha, I see. So that’s what this is about.”
This had all been a trap. He didn’t know how far back it went, but he was sure she’d set him up for this moment.
“I’m glad you’re catching on so quickly, Mr. Yuuki.”
She grinned. The complete lack of guilt in her smile was terrifying.
“I want you to promise that you will have no interaction with Ms. Yoroizuka outside of work,” she went on blithely. He’d suspected as much. This had to do with Nagi.
“That won’t be so easy. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I don’t think I can make that promise.”
Their parents lived across the street from each other, and their families occasionally socialized. Cutting off contact outside of work would be next to impossible. More importantly, he didn’t have the slightest desire to do so.
“…Do you understand the position you are in?”
Perhaps grasping that Keigo had no intention of accommodating her demand, Saotome frowned.
“If you want to spread rumors about me, go right ahead,” he answered. “Unfortunately for you, all I care about is whether the people who need to believe me do.”
Since Ryou, the company president, knew it was a misunderstanding, his work was unlikely to be seriously impacted. More importantly, the one person in the world he most wanted to believe in him understood the situation. That was enough for him. But Saotome smiled calmly in the face of his resolve.
“Do you really think you’ll be the only one affected?”
“…What?”
“You care about Ms. Yoroizuka, don’t you?”
Her words were enough to freeze his heart.
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
The instant he shouted, he realized what he’d done.
“Ha-ha. It seems you care for her quite a bit after all,” she said with a snicker. He didn’t have the energy left to deny it.
“…What do you want from me?” he asked cautiously.
She crossed her arms in triumph.
“I already told you. All I want is for you to have nothing to do with Ms. Yoroizuka.”
Keigo was puzzled. He understood her request, but it seemed like she still hadn’t gotten to the heart of the matter. Wouldn’t it be typical for her to ask him to date her at this point?
“You look mystified. Let me take this opportunity to state my feelings clearly,” Saotome announced. “I hate you.”
She spat out her words, glaring at him all the while. After a pause lasting ten full seconds, he finally responded.
“………………What?”
“I said I hate you. I’ve hated you ever since you transferred to our department.”
“…I’m sorry, did I do something to offend you…?”
He frantically thought back over their conversations. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with anything that would make her dislike him this much.
“You didn’t do anything. It’s your existence I can’t stand,” she said, clearly irritated. “You’re handsome, you’re tall, you’re good at your work, women think you’re nice, and men think you’re fun to be around. Who the hell are you anyway?”
Keigo pressed his temples, feeling dizzy.
“Listen to me!” he shouted. “…No one is that perfect! That would be scary! I may be tall, but that’s it!”
“Your modesty is just one more thing I hate about you!”
It was impossible. Whatever he said, she was going to attack him.
“Enough of this! Hurry up and promise me!” she snarled.
“I told you. It’s impossible for me to have nothing to do with Nagi—”
“Don’t you dare call her by her first name. It’s disrespectful!” she interrupted sharply.
He snapped his mouth shut. Saotome was more furious than she had been at any point so far. She stared at him relentlessly, rage burning in her eyes.
“Do not call her by her first name. Do not take liberties when you speak to her. And do not touch her.”
With each word, she bore down on him, closer and closer.
“Hey now, Saotome…,” he said, backing away.
“You may have known her for longer than I have. But right now, I know her better than you! So you can stop acting so full of yourself this instant!”
Her face was as close now as it had been on Friday night when she’d embraced him from behind. But her expression was so completely different that she was almost unrecognizable. It was like he’d killed her parents or something, and she was out for revenge…
“You don’t…mean to say the person you like is…”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” She nodded. “I like Ms. Yoroizuka.”
Now he was truly flabbergasted. After considering this new information thoroughly, he cautiously opened his mouth.
“Uh…I’m sorry. Just so I understand correctly, what do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Just what I said. And by like, I mean love. I want to hold her hand. I want to hug her, kiss her, and then—”
“I got it, I got it—you can stop now!” he interrupted, before frantically attempting to sort out his thoughts.
Saotome didn’t like Keigo; she liked Nagi. And Keigo liked Nagi, too, and Saotome knew that, and—
“Oh… So that’s why you don’t want me to have anything to do with Nagi.”
He clapped his hands together. Finally, the pieces were falling into place.
“You really are slow,” Saotome said with a click of her tongue. She glared at him. “By the way, the only reason I’m telling you this is because it would have been irritating if you went on misunderstanding the situation. You can tell Ms. Yoroizuka if you want. We’re both women, so there are plenty of ways to smooth it over.”
“I wasn’t planning on saying anything…”
Ignoring him, she placed her finger on the tip of his nose.
“Anyway! As long as you don’t promise, I refuse to take back a single word I said about you.”
She put extra emphasis on the phrase a single word. As Keigo gaped at her, she spun on her heels.
“That is all,” she said, leaving and shutting the door behind her. He could hear Nagi calling her name and then the sound of approaching footsteps.
“I’m sorry… Mr. Yuuki said he couldn’t remember what happened… He was very drunk, so I guess that’s not a surprise…”
“Saotome…”
“If he doesn’t remember, that’s fine. But I…I was so happy when it happened…and it’s so hard now…”
Keigo couldn’t help being impressed by how perfectly miserable Saotome’s voice suddenly sounded.
Women were terrifying when you wound up on their bad side. That was a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.