I Was Abandoned by My Fiancé and Betrayed by My Best Friend—A Story from Rock Bottom - Chapter 35

Morning in the office.

I arrived at work earlier than usual.

As I sat at my desk, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

“Udo, good morning.”

It was Kiryū-san.

“Good morning.”

The day after last night’s exchange.

I felt somewhat intimidated.

“…Thanks for the documents yesterday.”

A casual remark—delivered in a matter-of-fact tone.

But for just a moment, his eyes softened.

“N-Not at all…! I still have a long way to go.”

I replied, my heart still flustered.

“Without them, the negotiation would have been delayed.”

Short, but warm words.

Just that made my heart leap.

(…To be happy over something like this…)

I bowed deeply and prepared to make coffee.

◆◆◆

Lunch break.

In the cafeteria, I sat next to Rindo-chan and unpacked my lunch.

She turned to me with a cheerful smile.

“Master, you’ve been looking really happy lately.”

“Huh!? Wh-What do you mean?”

“Hehe, I just had that feeling.”

Her mischievous smile made my cheeks grow even hotter.

“Th-That’s not true at all.”

(…I guess it really shows on my face.)

“I like this side of you too, Master.”

“Come on, stop teasing me, Rindo-chan.”

At this rate, no one would know which of us is supposed to be the master.

◆◆◆

Afternoon business meeting.

The other party presented strict conditions, freezing the atmosphere.

Kiryū-san began trying to persuade them.

But it wasn’t going to be that easy.

After a while, something clicked, and I found myself speaking up.

“…If you consider your company’s long-term profits, I believe our proposal would be more reliable.”

A moment of silence.

“Based on what?”

“Well…”

I explained to the negotiation partner as the ideas came to me.

Gradually, their expression began to soften.

“I see… There might be room for consideration.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted, giving momentum to the negotiations.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Kiryū-san bowed to the other party.

“Understood. We’ll take this back to our company and consider it positively.”

The negotiation partners stood up, and we bowed as we saw them off.

Afterward, Kiryū-san glanced at me briefly.

Even without words, that look alone made my chest feel warm.

◆◆◆

In the car on the way back to the company.

The cityscape flowed by outside the window.

After a prolonged silence, Kiryū-san suddenly spoke.

“…Thanks for keeping pace with me today.”

“Eh…”

I turned to look at him instinctively, just as the traffic light ahead turned red.

The car slowed down and eventually came to a stop.

Kiryū-san continued, looking straight ahead.

“I tend to rush things. But when you’re here, there’s less unnecessary friction.”

His voice was matter-of-fact.

But it went straight to my heart.

“…Thank you.”

I could barely manage to reply in a small voice.

“You’re a big help. I’m counting on you from now on too.”

“Y-Yes.”

The light turned green.

Kiryū-san started driving again.

◆◆◆

I returned home, tired, and slipped straight into my futon.

Staring at the ceiling, today’s words echoed in my head.

‘Thanks for keeping pace with me.’

Keeping pace with him…

I just wanted to be useful to Kiryū-san.

That feeling reached him—that’s what I wanted to believe.

‘I… still can’t give you an answer about becoming lovers.’

Yesterday, I asked Kiryū-san to wait with those words.

How was I today…?

At work, I could keep pace with him.

But I’m still missing something—that final push forward.

Would it be okay to just throw myself into Kiryū-san’s embrace…?

It shouldn’t be difficult, yet something is holding me back.

“Ugh, this is frustrating…”

As I lay there, sleepiness suddenly overwhelmed me.

Without even removing my makeup, I fell asleep.