“…Yawn, I need a nap.”
It was Friday morning, a week after his welcome party. Keigo took advantage of the fact that no one nearby was in the office yet to yawn theatrically at his desk. Work didn’t officially start for another half hour, and with only a scattering of employees present, the office was hushed. He’d woken up earlier than usual that morning and decided on a whim to head in. Now, he was scrolling through an IT magazine online with a coffee in hand. As he read through an article on a recent spate of ransomware attacks, a floral scent reached his nose through the faintly bitter steam of his coffee.
“Good morning. You’re early today!”
He looked up from his monitor in surprise. Saotome, who had arrived at the office without his noticing, was standing next to him.
“Oh, morning.”
“What are you reading? Oh, IT news?”
She casually leaned toward his screen. The sweet aroma intensified, and he reflexively moved his chair back to escape her.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Wow, you sure are passionate about your work.”
He smiled politely, pretended to find an article that interested him, and stared intently at the screen. But because Saotome was peering at him from close range, not a word reached his brain.
“…What?” he finally asked, unable to ignore her any longer.
“Nothing, I was just noticing how long and shapely your fingers are,” she said, gazing at his hand gripping the mouse. “I like men with nice hands.”
Keigo realized he needed to end this conversation immediately.
“Ha-ha… Oh yeah…I just remembered I have something I need to do.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back in time for the morning announcements.”
Knowing it was a lousy excuse, he rushed out of the office, leaving the surprised Saotome behind. Only when he made it to the empty break room did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Maybe, just maybe, Saotome had a thing for him. He wanted to punch himself for even considering it, but what else could he think when she kept speaking to him like that?
Ever since she’d said that thing about “the perfect height for kissing,” he had actively avoided talking to her. You never knew who was listening in on conversations at work. The one scenario he wanted to avoid was a rumor making its way to Nagi. Still, Saotome hadn’t come out and declared her feelings. Since it was entirely possible he was imagining everything (and he hoped he was), he figured he’d just have to wait and see what happened.
“…Hey, is that you, Keigo?”
Keigo jumped at the unexpected voice behind him. Nagi was standing with her purse in one hand, peering at him curiously.
“Uh, yeah…hi.”
“Good morning. You’re awfully early today,” she said, choosing a drink from the vending machine.
“I woke up early for no reason.”
“Impressive! I’d definitely lie around in bed if that happened to me.”
He smiled, sensing his emotions settle back into place after being stirred up by Saotome. As he absently watched Nagi lingering in front of the vending machine, he noticed something.
“…Hey, you look different today,” he said.
She turned toward him. Typically, she dressed in casual dark jackets and slacks, but not that day. A silver necklace peeked out from her tastefully revealing dark-brown top, below which she wore an off-white skirt. That was unusual. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that her short hair, which she usually wore nearly straight, was lightly curled. What was this? He liked it.
“Going on a date?” he joked casually.
“Very observant.”
That was unexpected. His smile vanished. What? He hadn’t been serious!
“Oh… Really…? I’d better start saving up for a wedding gift…,” he said, too upset to be coherent.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said, laughing. “Anyway, it’s not officially a date. It’s just dinner with a guy I’ve been texting.”
Keigo’s heart bounded up from the pit of despair it had been languishing in.
“So…what’s he like?” he asked, pretending to be calm as he prodded for information.
“Wanna see?” she replied, pulling out her phone. “This is him.”
On her screen was a profile photo from a messaging app. Interesting. He was handsome and fresh-faced, like a guy in a cider commercial or something.
“His messages are super polite and thoughtful, and after texting for five months, he finally suggested we meet. I think it’s a good sign he doesn’t rush into things, don’t you?” she said happily.
Shit. Why couldn’t this guy be a player? Isn’t that what handsome men were supposed to be like?
“I’m glad he seems nice,” Keigo said noncommittally.
“Yeah,” she answered bashfully.
As he watched her smile, he noticed her makeup had been applied more carefully than usual. It dawned on him then that she never did such things when the two of them hung out.
“…Oh, and I almost forgot!” she said, just as his emotions were hitting rock bottom. “His birthday is tomorrow… Do you think that means something?”
“What? His birthday?”
“Back up, dude!” she said, leaning away from him. He’d moved in close without even realizing it. But he didn’t ease up his interrogation.
“He was the one who invited you? And it’s just dinner?”
“For now…”
“What time are you meeting? What restaurant?”
“…Does that have anything to do with my question?”
“………No.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Forcing himself to calm down, Keigo stepped slowly away from her. She gave him a suspicious look but nevertheless went on.
“Anyway, do you think I should give him a present? I don’t have any ideas. Do you think it would be off-putting to get a present from someone you’ve just met? But it’s probably not a good idea to ignore it, either. I wish I at least knew a little about his tastes…”
She was practically talking to herself by this point. There were countless guys out there willing to use their birthday as a pretense to invite a woman to a hotel. Mr. Cider Commercial was probably no exception. Keigo wished he could break into her ruminations and shout “Blow him off!” But he was nowhere near that brave.
“What a pity. If you stuck closer to home, you wouldn’t have to go through all of this,” he said, forcing a smile.