I Was Abandoned by My Fiancé and Betrayed by My Best Friend—A Story from Rock Bottom - Chapter 12

The next afternoon.

I ended up accompanying Kiryū-san to inspect the company’s logistics warehouse.

“Is it really okay for me to come along?”

I asked, confused by my feeling of being out of place. Kiryū-san only glanced at me sideways before answering.

“As my secretary, it wouldn’t hurt for you to know the actual workplace.”

That was all.

Yet those words strangely calmed my heart.

“…Th-thank you.”

The warehouse was vast, with racks stacked to the ceiling tightly packed with various types of cosmetic products.

Workers busily operated forklifts, their lively voices echoing throughout.

Amidst this, I heard small voices behind me.

“What’s that about bringing his secretary along…”

“As long as she doesn’t get in the way of the inspection.”

Gossip.

My ears turned red, and I unconsciously dropped my gaze.

But Kiryū-san beside me kept looking straight ahead without changing his expression.

Somehow saved by his attitude, I took a small deep breath.

That’s when it happened.

“Look out!”

A metallic clang echoed as a forklift collided with a rack support.

The massive shelf began to creak and tilt.

Below it, one worker remained, too slow to escape.

“Whoa! Someone, help—”

—Everyone on site froze instantly.

A massive shelf over five meters tall.

If this continued, they’d be crushed—.

“—!”

—Before I could think, my body and legs were moving.

Before I knew it, I was standing before the tilting rack.

A red light flashed through my mind in that instant.

—On three!

“Ugh…!”

Unbelievable strength surged through my arms as I supported the bottom of the rack.

A heavy impact ran through my entire body, yet strangely, I could withstand it.

“Hurry! Please get away from there!”

When I shouted loudly, the worker scrambled out from under the shelf.

The next moment, I manipulated and released the force.

(…Here! Go back!)

Thud—the shelf returned to its original position.

Relieved sighs spread through the area as if a tense string had snapped.

“Th-that’s amazing… what just happened…”

“She’s just a girl, how did she…?”

The workers buzzed with excitement, their gazes gathering on me.

I frantically shook my head.

“N-no! I just pressed the lever under the rack…! It was really just a coincidence!”

Though I desperately made excuses, everyone’s faces showed they weren’t convinced.

—Except for one person.

Only Kiryū-san stood with his arms crossed, watching me intently.

His expression was unreadable.

But his gaze definitely felt like he’d “seen through” something.

Eventually the commotion settled, and the site managers bowed deeply.

“Are you injured? You really saved us. You’re our lifesaver.”

“N-no! It was really just coincidence…!”

My face turned bright red as I waved my hands, trying to emphasize it wasn’t me.

The situation began to resolve itself.

The warehouse manager rushed over, checked the scene, and wiped sweat from his forehead.

“…This is entirely due to my inadequate supervision. I apologize! I’m prepared to accept any punishment.”

As the person responsible, he bowed deeply.

He probably wouldn’t avoid punishment. But—.

“I see… but fortunately, no one was injured.”

Kiryū-san’s calm, low voice echoed.

Looking around, the workers began speaking up one after another.

“We’ve been saying the shelf fixtures were loose. This incident will finally get them improved.”

“It’s a good opportunity. If we review the layout too, we can improve efficiency.”

“…It’s a miracle no one was hurt. We were really lucky.”

No voices of denial came from the employees.

Rather, using the accident as a catalyst, everyone began positively discussing improvement plans.

“I’ll also recommend handling this discreetly, but please promptly submit all the required report documents for this incident.”

“Understood. I’ll do so immediately along with improvement proposals.”

The warehouse manager bowed deeply and left.

I caught my breath.

—Is this… the flow of “luck”?

It should have been a serious accident, yet somehow everyone’s expressions had brightened.

—That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, I felt as if all strength had drained from my body.

“…Ah.”

Everything went dark before my eyes as I collapsed to my knees.

“Ardō!”

I heard Kiryū-san’s shouting voice fading into the distance as my consciousness faded.

◇ ◇ ◇

(Gasp!)

Consciousness returned as I opened my eyelids.

This seemed to be inside a car.

I could hear my heart beating.

Kiryū-san was driving beside me.

The events from earlier still lingered in my mind.

“…Me”

As I began to speak, Kiryū-san noticed.

“Are you alright, Ardō?”

Kiryū-san, holding the steering wheel, spoke to me as I sat dazed in the passenger seat.

“…Still a bit.”

“I see. You collapsed suddenly. Even I was surprised…”

“S-sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

He said this while driving in his usual calm tone.

But somehow it felt kind.

Silence flowed between us for a while.

Then, unexpectedly, Kiryū-san began speaking.

“…About what happened at the warehouse, how did you take it?”

“Eh…!”

My heart jumped.

Don’t tell me he noticed that I lifted something so heavy so easily!?

“Ah… um… I just pressed the lever in that moment! I was desperate.”

When I vaguely laughed it off, Kiryū-san furrowed his brows and stared at me intently.

But he soon averted his gaze and murmured calmly.

“…Well, fine. In the end, no one was injured. I don’t think I could have done anything about that either, we were saved.”

“Kiryū-san…”

“But don’t do anything dangerous again.”

His profile showed his usual calm expression.

But for just a moment, his eyes seemed to soften, and I felt warmth deep in my chest.

The “gift” from the gods given to me by Lady Aphrodite.

The red of strength.

The yellow of luck.

And the blue of knowledge.

(Lady Aphrodite, was this the right thing to do…?)

—What would these three powers I’d obtained bring from now on?

Entrusting myself to Kiryū-san’s driving, I began to doze off again.