Chapter 145: Sharing Drinks with Haruka |
In a calm izakaya interior, the adult version of Haruka and I sat facing each other.
Although it was a restaurant I found quickly with a smartphone search, the relaxed atmosphere was quite nice.
“Hehe, it feels a bit strange for classmates to exchange business cards, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of a weird feeling, realizing we’ve both become adults.”
Once we sat down together, we instinctively pulled out our business cards, a habit we’d picked up as working adults, and shared a wry smile.
Thanks to that, the tension between us eased more than I’d expected, and the atmosphere became warmer than I’d thought it would be—
(But, Haruka’s business card… huh.)
The characters printed on the small piece of paper—the company name, department, followed by “Shijouin Haruka”—danced around as if they were proof that the girl had completely become a working adult.
Seven years had passed since she was a high school student—whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of those years.
“Well then… shall we cheers?”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Niihama-kun.”
Fried chicken, rolled omelette, wakame salad, teriyaki skewers, and various other dishes were spread out on the table. We raised our glasses with a light clink.
(Drinking with the adult Haruka feels a bit strange…)
I, who had no experience going out for drinks with a woman in private, sipped beer for the first time in a long while with a slight nervousness.
The bitterness on my tongue and the fizzy sensation as it went down my throat were the flavors of adulthood that I hadn’t tasted in a while. Strangely, I felt like I could appreciate the taste better now compared to when I was a stressed-out salaryman.
“Mmm… it’s delicious.”
Haruka, taking a sip of her Campari orange, showed a satisfied expression. Her pink lips touching the transparent glass had a somewhat provocative allure, making me acutely aware of her matured charm.
“Do you usually drink, Shijouin-san?”
“Yes, embarrassingly, I started drinking somewhat regularly after becoming a working adult…”
With the glass now about two-thirds empty, Shijouin-san said somewhat self-deprecatingly.
“When I was a child, I couldn’t understand why adults liked alcohol so much… but now, I painfully understand. When you drink, you feel a bit lighter.”
“…”
She wasn’t enjoying it for pleasure, but using it to distract herself from stress. Hearing Haruka talk about this, I felt a pain in my chest.
This wasn’t… a healthy way to drink.
“So, do you usually drink alone? Or with friends… or, uh, a boyfriend…?”
Bringing up that word felt like a stab in my heart, but I forced it out to get the necessary information.
In the first loop, I didn’t know the details of Haruka’s life up until the end.
However… considering Haruka’s beauty, during her university days and working life when romance would have been more active, countless people must have approached her.
“During high school, I didn’t make any friends at all, so when I entered university, I was determined to make plenty. At first, things seemed to be going well, but…”
“…Ah, I see. Could it be that a lot of guys approached you?”
“Yes, that’s right. Once I entered university, I was approached by so many… I mean, really a lot of guys. It might sound like boasting, but… according to those people, they couldn’t help but try to woo me because my appearance stood out so much.”
(I see, once she started being approached by guys a lot, I guess that natural barrier she had in high school would have disappeared. And…)
But Haruka’s voice, as she spoke, didn’t have the tone of someone boasting about her looks or popularity. Instead, it was as if she was recounting a very burdensome memory.
“But, I’m really… quite immature. Up until now, I’ve never had a boyfriend.”
“Is that so?”
That was something to be joyful about for my selfish possessiveness, but it was abnormal by regular standards. Once she recognized that her beauty was drawing romantic attention from many people, that natural barrier from high school would have disappeared. And…
“The people who approached me were always very popular with the opposite sex. They were athletes, had good looks, or were from high-level universities… Of course, those are all strengths. But… for some reason, those people were always overflowing with confidence…”
“Ah…”
I quickly understood the situation.
With her peerless beauty, once she reached the age where romantic freedom would be higher, there would have been an overwhelming number of approaches, compared to high school.
However, precisely because she was the excessively beautiful daughter of the company president, many men felt intimidated, and only those who were naturally high-spec and full of confidence dared to approach her.
“So, those kinds of guys were actually not your type,”
“I’m sorry for those people… Yes. Some of them, when I turned them down, would become extremely abusive or even try to grab me. Fortunately, our driver was there to help, so nothing serious happened…”
“Wow… There were guys who went that far.”
It was probably the result of the typical overconfidence and exuberance of an extroverted person. I couldn’t understand the reason for getting angry. Their pride, wounded by rejection, must be more important than anything else…
“As such things continued… I started to become a little wary of men. And even among the female university students who didn’t like me, I heard rumors like ‘She’s a bad woman who changes boyfriends like clothes’, so I didn’t have any friends…”
“I see… That’s quite…”
Her much-anticipated university debut seemed to have ended in a miserable way.
In this first loop, there were no friends like Kazamihara or Fudehashi, and she must have felt quite lonely.
“But hey… even though you’ve become a bit wary of men, you still came out with me today.”
While I carefully crafted my words, the fact remained that, as a man, I was the one who invited her to dinner.
I thought she might have a strong aversion to it…
“That’s because, Niihama-kun, you didn’t exude much ‘heat’.”
“Heat…?”
“Yes, among the countless invitations I received from men… I somehow came to understand the level of fervor they directed towards me. It’s a slightly different feeling from romantic attraction, more like a burning passion.”
What Haruka was saying somehow made sense. It was probably a mix of possessiveness and desire that men directed towards her, this angelic and delicate Haruka.
In other words, it was a feeling even more intense than ‘liking’.
“The people who approached me were mostly those who directed a strong heat towards me. No matter how gentle their approach seemed on the surface, they couldn’t hide it. But—”
Haruka looked at me with a genuinely puzzled expression.
“When you, Niihama-kun, invited me to dinner earlier… there was absolutely no sign of ‘heat’ on your face. Instead, I could only see a strong worry that seemed like you might burst into tears any moment. It was like how my mother or father would do.”
“…I had that expression, huh.”
To be honest, I was captivated by this matured Haruka, and if I said I wasn’t even a bit excited about this izakaya date situation, it would be a lie.
But what was occupying my mind now was the intense sense of urgency that if I didn’t save Haruka, everything would be over. Certainly, there would be little color or heat in my expression.
“Why… are you so worried about me? We were just classmates back then.”
“That’s—”
I was about to reflexively say it.
It was because, to me, you are the most important girl in the world.
Of course, the goal was to save the high school Haruka, but right now, in front of me, I also wanted to save the adult you— I wanted to say it out loud.
“…Before, at my workplace, there was someone who collapsed.”
While still concealing the truth, I opened my mouth to convey my feelings.
“We didn’t have much interaction, but she was a beautiful and kind person. Undoubtedly, she was someone who should have led a happy life.”
Listening to my confession, Haruka was listening quietly with a solemn expression.
“But… that person was mentally crushed by workplace bullying and became like a speechless doll. It’s still a trauma for me.”
“…That’s terrible.”
Yeah, it’s really a horrible story. This story must not become a prophecy for you.
“That person had no outlet anywhere. If they could have vented their suffering to a colleague, boss, or even a friend, maybe they wouldn’t have reached that state.”
The more earnest a person is, the less likely they are to complain and instead confront their daily struggles silently. But that also means that the damage accumulates endlessly without relief.
“So, I’ve become sensitive to people carrying excessive stress, and even if I’m seen as persistent, I want to meddle. The reason I boldly stepped into the territory of a former classmate after so long is because of that.”
“…You’re kind, Niihama-kun.”
Perhaps sensing the emotions I unintentionally put into my words, Haruka seemed to understand my motive.
“Well, I’ve also worked in a black company, so it’s not just a matter for others.”
“That’s… you mentioned it earlier, but what’s it like? I’m curious because I don’t know about workplaces other than my own.”
“Haha, well, it’s bad. First of all, there’s no concept of overtime pay. Even if you work a hundred hours of overtime in a month, it’s all unpaid. It’s normal to be called in on holidays, and there’s no handover or manuals because the turnover rate is high.”
“That’s… it’s practically a crime…”
As I explained the internal situation of my company (which I’ve actually already quit), Haruka’s face twisted slightly. Well, it was understandable. If I talked about the aspects of power harassment and excessive workload, our company would probably be quite the formidable black company.
“But you know, what was even harder… was, in the end, people. The mental pain inflicted by those heartless people who don’t see others as human.”
My words, heavily infused with my real feelings, made Haruka twitch.
“Just because they’re seniors or bosses, it’s a constant stream of insults, calling people idiots, morons, telling them to die! And sometimes they even say things like parents must be incompetent! To be honest, they’re all like dead inside as human beings!”
“…! I understand! Incredibly terrible words fly around! And it’s treated as if it’s completely normal…!”
“Exactly! It’s weird that you can spew out all kinds of abuse just because it’s the workplace! Even though they’re adults, they’re hardly any different from rude students!”
“Yes, yes, that’s exactly it! I thought the adult world would be strict but rational! But, it’s not like that at all!”
In response to my passionate complaints, which had leaked out my emotions, Haruka returned with an enthusiastic reaction, as if she completely understood.
The shadows on her face had become extremely faint, and her voice was lively.
Indeed, she probably hadn’t had the opportunity to vent out this kind of stress until now.
(It might be insensitive, but… I’m having a lot of fun…)
The darkness of society that had been tormenting me since I became an adult.
To be able to complain about it to the woman I cared about, be empathized with, and drink alcohol over it… this loop felt very pleasant.
(If only… before dying from overwork, I could have reunited with Haruka and had a conversation like this…)
In that case… maybe, without relying on the miracle of time loops, I could have avoided my downfall.
Dreaming of such things— Haruka and I, the adult version, were getting more and more heated about our workplace grievances, and the atmosphere at the drinking session was steadily warming up.