“Well, you two just looked like you were having so much fun.”
Minami-san rested her chin in her hand, looking over at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.
“…She was simply checking my documents.”
“Hmm. Checking documents, huh?”
“Yes.”
“For checking documents, didn’t you two talk for quite a while?”
Unsure of how to respond, I dropped my gaze back down to the document open on my screen.
Minami-san was a colleague seated right next to me, one year my senior.
She was personable, chatting effortlessly with just about anyone in the department. When it came to work, she was meticulous and strict with numbers. On the other hand, the moment break time arrived, her sharp expression would soften instantly, and she’d start up harmless chatter.
To me, she was someone I could let my guard down around relatively easily.
“We were just chatting a little bit toward the end.”
“Huh. With Kuze-san?”
“…Yes.”
“That’s pretty rare. She doesn’t really indulge in idle chit-chat during work hours.”
Now that she mentioned it, that might be true.
Kuze-san was friendly to everyone, but she never dragged-out conversations beyond what was necessary during work.
Recalling our interaction from earlier, a quiet flutter stirred deep in my chest.
“What were you guys talking about?”
“Books.”
“Books?”
“She asked how I spend my days off, so we talked a little about that.”
Minami-san raised her eyebrows in mild surprise.
“I didn’t know Kuze-san talked about stuff like that.”
“…I think she talks about it normally?”
“Well, yeah, I guess so.”
Lowering her voice, she slid her chair a little closer to mine.
“Don’t you ever feel like… you can never really tell what Kuze-san is thinking?”
At those words, I involuntarily snapped my head up.
“…Do you think so?”
“Yeah. She’s kind, good at her job, and easy to talk to. But how should I put it… it’s like she’s too good at keeping her distance.”
Minami-san spun a pen between her fingertips, as if searching for the right words.
“She gets along with everyone, but it feels like she never lets anyone get closer than a certain point.”
I couldn’t answer right away.
It was true that Kuze-san rarely talked about herself.
She listened attentively to others and answered naturally when asked a question. Yet, once the conversation was over, you realized with surprise how little you actually learned about her as a person.
“…Maybe you’re right.”
“Right?”
Minami-san nodded with satisfaction.
“But, you know, people like that are always popular.”
Deep inside my chest, something creaked softly.
“…I suppose so.”
“Just the other day, someone from the sales department asked her out to dinner.”
That was the first I had heard of it.
I gripped my pen a little tighter, putting on as calm a voice as I could manage.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. She turned him down, though.”
“…I see.”
Relief.
The instant I recognized that feeling, I hated myself.
Who Kuze-san goes to dinner with is entirely her own choice.
I don’t even have the right to care.
“Shiraishi-san?”
“Yes?”
“What’s wrong? You went quiet all of a sudden.”
“No, I was just lost in thought for a second.”
Minami-san peered into my face for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
“Well, Kuze-san is cool even from another woman’s perspective.”
“…Yes.”
The answer came out of my mouth faster than expected.
Minami-san narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Woah, zero hesitation.”
“I respect her greatly in terms of work, too.”
“Ah, I see, I see.”
You see what?
Just as I was about to ask, Minami-san’s desk phone rang.
She checked the screen and immediately picked up the receiver.
“Thank you for calling. Corporate Planning and Business Development Department, this is Minami.”
I took that opportunity to turn back to my computer.
Saved by the bell, I thought.
Even so, the rows of numbers on the screen refused to sink into my head.
As lunch break approached, the atmosphere on the office floor slowly began to relax.
In the distance, the sound of chairs sliding back echoed as people discussed their lunch plans.
I finished the final check on my document and hit the save button.
Looking up casually, I caught sight of Kuze-san on the phone a few desks away.
Her back was straight, holding a pen in one hand.
She nodded briefly every now and then as she listened to the person on the other end.
“Yes. That matches our understanding. Regarding the details, I will send over the documents again shortly.”
It was different from the gentle tone she usually directed at me.
An elegant, formal register with restrained intonation.
Every time I heard that voice, a strange restlessness settled over me.
Kuze-san during work was always so beautiful.
And I didn’t just mean her appearance.
The way she chose the right words, reading between the lines to grasp the other person’s intent as she guided the conversation.
The way she never gave vague answers, nor did she ever pile on words out of emotion.
I loved that side of her.
Having finished her call, Kuze-san placed her pen on the desk.
The woman sitting next to her said something, making her look up.
As the other person laughed, Kuze-san’s eyes softened in return.
…Ah.
I was staring at her again.
I panicked and jerked my eyes back—and that was when it happened.
“Shiraishi-san.”
A familiar voice sounded right beside me.
“…Yes!”
I spun around to find Kuze-san standing there.
“Did you finish the revisions on that document from earlier?”
“Yes. I saved it just a moment ago.”
“Thank you. I’ll check it later.”
“Thank you very much.”
I thought the conversation would end there.
However, Kuze-san didn’t walk away; instead, her eyes fell upon the paperback novel sitting on my desk.
“Ah, that.”
“…Pardon?”
“Is that the book you were talking about earlier?”
I hurriedly checked the cover.
It was the book I had pulled out of my bag, intending to read during lunch break.
“Yes. I’m in the middle of reading it right now.”
“Hmm. Is it good?”
“I really like it.”
“I see.”
Kuze-san leaned down slightly, reading the title printed on the cover.
“Maybe I should keep that in mind.”
“…Are you going to read it too, Kuze-san?”
“If you recommend it, Shiraishi-san, I’d love to give it a read.”
Told so casually, my fingers froze.
Unaware of my internal turmoil, she lifted her gaze from the paperback.
“By the way, what kind of story is it?”
I looked down at the book cover.
Of all days, the book I had brought with me today was a romance novel.