I Was Abandoned by My Fiancé and Betrayed by My Best Friend—A Story from Rock Bottom - Chapter 16

One evening.

Accompanying Kiryū-san, I stepped into a room at a high-end restaurant.

The quiet, elegant Japanese-style room and the aroma of the arranged dishes made me unconsciously straighten my posture.

“I-Is it really alright for someone like me to be in a place like this…?”

When I whispered the question, Kiryū-san answered impassively.

“It’s natural for a secretary to learn the ropes. Don’t worry about it.”

Strangely enough, those words put my mind at ease.

However, the person we were about to meet was an executive from a client we had a close relationship with.

The thought that I mustn’t make any mistakes made me tense up.

“What’s wrong, Udo? You look tense.”

“…But,”

“I’ll back you up properly. Just act as you normally do.”

“Y-Yes.”

—Being told that just makes me even more nervous…

◆◆◆

When we arrived, the client executive was already seated.

We bowed deeply and took our prepared seats.

As Kiryū-san began chatting and laughing with him, the executive suddenly turned his gaze to me.

“Young lady, you’re the secretary? You seem quite capable for your age.”

“N-No… I’m still learning.”

Seeing me fluster unintentionally, the executive smiled.

“Hahahaha. I’ve been one-upped here. That honest quality of yours is good. Kiryū-kun, you’ve got yourself a fine secretary.”

I blushed and glanced at Kiryū-san’s profile.

He looked as expressionless as ever—or so I thought, but for just a moment, the corners of his mouth seemed to soften.

The dinner progressed pleasantly.

“Wow! This food is amazing. Some of these dishes I’m seeing for the first time.”

As my eyes sparkled at the beauty of the cuisine, the executive said,

“Is that so, is that so. Eat plenty. Youth is wonderful, isn’t it?”

And he chuckled.

I felt a little awkward, wondering if I’d done something wrong.

At that moment, Kiryū-san cleared his throat lightly and deftly steered the conversation back on track.

It seemed like cool, professional conduct, but there was a hint of him covering for me in it.

At one point, a server hastily turned their cart, nearly tipping a glass of red wine onto the table.

I swiftly placed a napkin to catch the droplets of wine that were about to spill.

“You saved me…!”

“Not at all, I mess up like that often too.”

A small laugh spread through the room, and one point of tension melted away.

It was just that.

But I could feel the temperature of the conversation rise slightly.

◆◆◆

“Thank you for your time this evening.”

“I enjoyed myself today. I look forward to your continued patronage.”

With those parting words, the executive left first.

Only Kiryū-san and I remained in the room.

Kiryū-san’s eyes softened slightly as he spoke a single sentence.

“…Your responses earlier weren’t bad.”

At those quietly spoken words, I looked up in surprise.

“Huh… I wasn’t that good…”

“The executive was laughing. I’ve known him for a long time, but I’ve never seen him so relaxed.”

“Is that so?”

After a pause, Kiryū-san averted his gaze and let out a small breath.

“…You soften the atmosphere. Strange.”

Though his tone was matter-of-fact, it sounded somewhat surprised, and my chest grew warm.

We left the room and walked side by side down the hallway.

I tended to fall a step behind, but Kiryū-san turned to look at me.

“Match my pace.”

“…Yes.”

After a brief silence, Kiryū-san suddenly spoke.

“…You were a help today. Thank you.”

That was all.

It wasn’t the stiff tone of an executive, just simple, honest words.

—Even so.

The depths of my chest warmed with a sudden glow.

“No… Thank you. I’ll work harder to be more useful to you.”

—I want to be needed by this person.

Not just as a competent secretary, but as a human being.

Holding the faintly sprouted feeling deep in my chest, I walked quietly beside Kiryū-san.