I Was Abandoned by My Fiancé and Betrayed by My Best Friend—A Story from Rock Bottom - Chapter 41

About a month had passed since the Kiryū Group regained trust after the cosmetics incident.

Each department had regained its composure, and business performance was showing signs of recovery.

Luminarie Cosmetics, which had been at the center of that turmoil, had actually improved its reputation through “sincere handling” of the situation.

And Executive Director Kiryū—no, Naoya Kiryū’s name was now frequently seen in industry publications.

Working as his secretary beside him, I came to work as usual and was checking the materials for the morning meeting as always.

(It should be “business as usual”…)

But my gaze was fixed on, Kiryū-san sitting at the back of the meeting room.

The way he slightly rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and twirled his pen.

More composed and reliable than anyone else.

But ever since we became “lovers,” every single one of his movements made my heart flutter.

“Udo.”

Hearing my name called, I stood up reflexively.

“Y-yes!?”

My voice came out high-pitched and strange.

“The next document, page three.”

“Ah, s-sorry!”

The gazes around me instantly gathered, making my back feel hot.

I could even hear some faint snickering.

His expression didn’t change at all as he simply gave a small nod.

(D-damn it! I’m completely flustered!)

Until just recently, nothing he said would have shaken me.

I’m sure my face is bright red right now.

I don’t even have confidence I can do my normal work anymore~

—Kiryū-san as my boss, and Naoya-san as my lover.

Every time the boundary between them becomes blurred in my mind, I get incredibly anxious.

◆◆◆

The cafeteria during lunch break.

My colleagues from the secretarial department were eating while chatting and laughing.

Even sitting at the table with Rindo-chan, I could overhear their conversation.

‘Hey, Executive Director Kiryū has been getting even more handsome lately, hasn’t he?’

‘Right? Don’t you think his atmosphere has softened a bit?’

‘Maybe he finally got a girlfriend~?’

—The moment I heard that, I nearly dropped my fork.

Stop—not that topic…!

While I was thinking that…

“Master, your face is red?”

Came Rindo-chan’s sharp observation.

“I-it’s nothing!”

Feeling incredibly anxious, I tried to cover it up by drinking some water.

Rindo-chan looked blank for a moment, but then watched my flustered state with intense curiosity.

“For real, Master?”

“Yeah yeah. Seriously seriously.”

As if mocking my attempt to cover up, the depths of my chest grew warm and tingly.

◆◆◆

Evening.

After the meeting ended, I was organizing documents with Kiryū-san.

By the window where the sun was beginning to set, he murmured quietly.

“…You seemed a bit tired today.”

“Huh?”

“During the meeting, your complexion didn’t look good. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Th-that’s… thank you. I’m fine.”

He showed a gentle smile for just a moment before immediately returning his gaze to the documents.

My chest tightened at how quickly he switched back.

(Ah… during work hours, he’s “Executive Director Kiryū”)

I know.

That’s the proper distance.

Probably even if I sent him a signal, he wouldn’t notice…

As his “lover,” every time I feel that wall between us, I get a little lonely.

◆◆◆

On the train home, the name “Naoya Kiryū” lit up on my phone screen.

<You were a big help today. Thank you. Make sure to rest properly.>

Just one short line of text.

But reading it alone filled my chest with emotion.

<Thank you very much>

If there hadn’t been people around, I probably would have been blushing brightly and smiling.

(…Really, what a sly person)

Both his work face and his lover face. He shows me both with complete sincerity.

Compared to that, look at me right now…

My body feels feverish, my heart is racing wildly.

My mind is completely tangled up in chaos.

Only Kiryū-san can remain so composed. It’s really unfair.

But I want to walk alongside him from now on, while properly maintaining the distance between “Kiryū-san” and “Naoya-san.”

I was able to do it until now.

I should definitely be able to do it from now on too, yeah.

(Hang in there, me)

Thinking these thoughts in the slightly shaking train car, I gripped my phone tightly.