Chapter 10: CH 10

After finishing the day’s meeting, Otozui and I got in the car and headed back to the office.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon, which was early in the evening. But for some reason, it was a time when I felt relaxed.

“Speaking of which, Otozui…”

“Yes, what is it?”

Otozui replied in a cheerful voice.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she was already back to her normal self.

There was not a trace of the sulking she had shown the other day.

I had taken Yuika’s advice and tried to break away from my unsociable attitude, also improving my praising skills.

However, there was still no growth.

But now that I had decided to change, I’d better make sure to show my sincerity.

I made up my mind and decided to tell Otozui about my decision.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems I’m not very good at communicating my feelings.”

“…  Ehhhh!? What are you saying suudenly!”

Shouting loudly, Otozui turned towards me with intensity.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the look of astonishment on her face.

“Talking about expressing feelings … is it weird?”

“If you say … weird, I’d say … not weird.”

It was a surprising response, but not unreasonable when you thought about it calmly.

To her, I was the perfect senior.

It was no wonder she was surprised to learn that I had a weakness.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to change right away, but I’m going to try to communicate little by little”

“I … I see.”

When I finished speaking, Otozui looked down and became quiet, intermittently fidgeting.

I thought my feelings were conveyed to her, but I wondered if she was still worried about the fact that I had turned her down when she was trying to feed me crepes the other day.

Just as I was thinking this, Otozui took a deep breath and looked at me.

“Um! Sasamiya-san!”

“What’s the matter? You’re shouting all of a sudden.”

“When … next!　… Saturday … Um! Um! Together!” (T/N: I am dying LMAO)

Otozui looked serious as she tried to convey something to me.

Maybe that was the reason why she couldn’t express herself well, and bit her tongue several times.

Such a sight of Otozui was rare.

That was why I thought I should listen to her properly.

But I interrupted her.

“Wait.”

“What?!”

“I’m turning right. I’m good at driving, but I need to make sure we are safe. Check left and right, check backwards, okay. Yeah. … Okay, I’m good. So?”

We had just stopped at a red light, and when I turned my gaze to to the passenger side, Otonsui’s face was bright red and she was fuming.

“… What’s up, Otozui?”

“Huh? Ah …, ah. Hahaha~. I’m sorry. I almost said something outrageous on the spur of the moment. …Forget it.”

“You can tell me anything you want.”

“E-Etto. … na, what was it~? Hahaha …”

What happened to Otonsui, who was tough, that she forgot what she was going to tell me previously?

After all, the crepe incident must be the reason why she couldn’t keep her motivation constant.

As her trainer, I should check inwith her.

“You said something about Saturday…”

“Oh, … Is there a course where I have to tell …?”

“Do you remember? If so, you’d feel better if you said it.”

“A-ah … A-ano I’d like to go to the movies with you. … What a … But you can’t. … I don’t want it to be misunderstood as an office romance. …”

Our company didn’t prohibit office romance, but when it did discovered, it tended to make things difficult.

Otozumi must be very careful to not be misunderstood.

And yet you invited me to a movie at …, so that’s what you’re doing!

“Maybe you’re planning to use your private time to go do some market research for your next presentation?” (T/N: I … MY GOD SO DENSE OOOOOOF.)

“What?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Let’s see. … Yes, … that’s right.”

I knew it.

The next presentation was for a smartphone Tanabata campaign, and one of the event sites was an outlet mall with a movie theater.

Otonzui was probably checking out the site ahead of time to get the most out of her presentation.

As expected of Otozui.

“Okay. In that case, I’ll go out with you.”

“Are you sure?!

“You’re going to the movies with me for market research. So, sure./That’s a given.”

“That’s …, Ehh?!! It’s like a big win for me?!!”

“The presentation is still far from now, though, isn’t it?”

Otozui, who looked like she thought she was going to be rejected, had the most joyful eyes I’ve ever seen.

Oh, man. What a serious newcomer.

I felt like patting her on the head when she looked at me like that.

“It’s different when you see it in person. I do it myself sometimes, and it’s more efficient if we do the research together.”

“Whoa! I look forward to working with you!”

Otonsui, who had regained her energy, put on her best smile.

Apparently, I had improved my communication skills without realizing it.

This way, I wouldn’t have to worry about going to the movies with her.