The Heir I Dragged Into My “He’s My Fiancé!” Lie Is Somehow Playing Along!? - Chapter 2.1

Kanoa Resort, a major resort hotel management company, began as a single hot spring inn in Izu and celebrated its centennial a few years ago.

The company’s expansion in scale occurred after Ozora Taiyo, the current chairman, joined as the second generation and began demonstrating his formidable business acumen.

The company broadly manages luxury hot spring inns, pension resorts in summer retreat areas, urban hotels, and wedding services, and has even expanded overseas.

It has now become synonymous with “Japan’s luxury resorts,” widely recognized both domestically and internationally.

“The headquarters occupies several floors, including the top floor of a high-rise building in the city center, with numerous branches both in Japan and abroad. The company has a large number of employees and a wide range of business partners. Despite its size, many of the upper management and key executives are members of the founding Ozora family, maintaining a traditional family-run business structure. While the general public may not pay much attention to the management, it’s said that no one in the industry or political and financial circles is unaware of the ‘Ozora clan.'”

Facing Kido, her senior in the secretarial department who was giving her a briefing with a tablet in hand, Alice Shirotsuki nodded with a solemn expression.

(I’m in my fourth year with the company and thought I had a decent understanding of it, but hearing it laid out like this really drives home that it’s a top-tier corporation.)

Until the previous Friday, Alice had been assigned to the headquarters’ gift shop product development department.

But starting Monday of the new week, she was transferred to the secretarial department as of that date.

Normally, the reassignment of a regular employee wouldn’t be much of a topic of conversation. However, when it came to a personnel move with clear underlying reasons like Alice’s, it was a different story.

The previous week, Alice had publicly declared herself the “fiancée” of Yumikura Umi, a member of the founding family and head of the public relations department.

She had instantly become the talk of the company.

Amidst this situation, a forced transfer was carried out, ignoring the usual handover process and simplifying various procedures.

Among the employees, irresponsible speculation and rumors were likely flying thick and fast.

As Alice arrived at the office and stepped onto the floor, attracting stares and causing a stir in the atmosphere, Kido guided her to a glass-walled room and began explaining matters related to her future role.

Spread out on the table were various promotional brochures for the Kanoa brand.

“To be honest, even though I’m an employee of this company, I’ve hardly ever paid attention to the founding family. After that first incident, I developed a bias, thinking, ‘The upper management must be full of worthless old men anyway.'”

Seizing a pause in the conversation, Alice spoke up. Kido looked up from her tablet, glanced at her, and said in a straightforward tone, “Well, that’s understandable.”

“In your case, Ms. Shirotsuki, there was that incident with Mr. Yoshino, the former head of public relations, during your new employee training. It’s natural you’d form the impression that the pompous old men at headquarters are a bunch of good-for-nothings. In that regard, I suppose it’s ‘my condolences’ or rather, ‘you’ve been through a lot.'”

“No, no. I’ve pretty much come to terms with that myself… It’s just that I’d never been particularly interested in the management, and I didn’t pay much heed to rumors either…”

“So, you’re not quite clear on Department Head Yumikura’s position?”

Precisely hit the mark, Alice resignedly bowed her head and said, “Indeed, that is the case.”

As if she had seen it all coming, Kido didn’t offer any reproach and smoothly continued her explanation.

“I mentioned the upper management is dominated by the Ozora clan, but strictly speaking, not many use the Ozora surname. Externally, the names known as the Ozora family are the Chairman, his two daughters—the Vice President and the Head of Overseas Operations. Vice President Akiko is the younger daughter, and Head of Overseas Operations Sorako is the elder daughter, who is Department Head Yumikura’s mother. In other words, Department Head Yumikura is the Chairman’s grandson.”

“Is there a reason their names are different? I mean, like internal circumstances that shouldn’t be broached? Or implicit understandings I should know as a secretary?”

Emphasizing that her question was purely professional and not personal curiosity, Alice asked. Kido replied, “It’s natural to wonder.”

“Sorako married Yumikura Taihei, who is currently assigned to the Hawaii branch, so her registered surname is Yumikura. However, for work purposes, the Ozora surname carries more weight, so she continues to use it. By the way, Department Head Yumikura’s elder sister, Ichika, is also with the company, but she uses the Ozora surname professionally.”

“The Prince’s sister… meaning there’s a Princess in our company too!? I’ve never seen her at all.”

When Alice said this, Kido’s gaze grew distant as she murmured, “That person, how should I put it.” before returning her focus.

“Ichika went to the Turkey branch and hasn’t returned to Japan for several years. It was probably before you joined the company. When she was at headquarters, she was a focus of attention, much like Department Head Yumikura is now. But within less than a year of joining, she was often away on business trips for the overseas operations division, and before anyone knew it, she was gone. It’s no surprise younger employees don’t know her.”

“So, the entire Yumikura family are employees of this company, and aside from Department Head Yumikura, they all lead dual lives between overseas and Japan?”

“Exactly,” Kido affirmed.

Alice had vaguely sensed it, but her impression was that the whole family was dazzlingly prominent.

(As expected of the Prince… he might be a real prince! How terrifying not to know! It seems I’ve dragged an incredible person into my lie of being his ‘fiancée’!)

A chill ran down Alice’s spine, even now. Kido continued her explanation matter-of-factly.

“The Chairman still holds considerable charismatic influence within the company, but the actual operations are handled by President Sasaki and Vice President Akiko. President Sasaki is the eldest son of the Chairman’s elder sister. He doesn’t carry the Ozora surname, but he is still part of the family. His wife and son are also within the company.”

“I see…! With a name like Sasaki, you wouldn’t know they’re part of the family unless told. And they’re not in prominent positions at headquarters; even among executives, some are managers or general managers of the main hotel or branches, right?”

“That’s correct. The Sasaki family members are assigned to the main ‘Kira’ brand hot spring inns, including the flagship location. We can delve into those details gradually. What you should focus on understanding now is the situation regarding Vice President Akiko. She also married within the company—her husband is the former head of public relations, Mr. Yoshino. You’re familiar with him.”

“Ah…” Alice gave a subdued nod.

It wasn’t so much that she ‘knew’ him, but she didn’t want to reopen that topic and derail the conversation now.

Kido, understanding this, proceeded without touching on the bitter memories.

“When Mr. Yoshino married Vice President Akiko, he took the Ozora surname. They haven’t divorced since the affair scandal. However, Chairman Ozora was deeply angered. Since the Ozora surname represents the ‘face’ of Kanoa Resort, he forbade Mr. Yoshino from using it after the scandal, deeming him unworthy. Therefore, within the company, he works under his original surname, Yoshino.”

“So, the Ozora surname carries significant weight in this company.”

“Yes, indeed. In that sense, I believe the Chairman envisions a successor who bears the Ozora surname. The most prominent direct descendant currently using the ‘Ozora’ name is Yumikura Ichika. However, Ichika went overseas without any experience in the main ‘Kira’ brand inns and hasn’t returned. That being the case, the person the Chairman is next most concerned with, and effectively considers the primary candidate, is Department Head Yumikura, who is actively serving as the face of Kanoa Resort at headquarters. Are you following so far?”

“…Yes.”

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Alice managed to reply.

(I had some idea, but this is beyond what I expected! Umi-san is the successor to one of Japan’s top and the industry’s largest first-class corporations… And I declared myself his fiancée… Is this a dream? Please don’t let it end like a bad dream!)

It wasn’t that she had any particular issue with Umi himself; on the contrary, she loved him dearly as her boyfriend.

But the more she learned about his background, the more overwhelming it felt. If this were a fantasy world, it’d be a prince and a commoner; in reality, the wall between the heir of a major corporation and a regular employee was high and thick.

“I think once you see how Department Head Yumikura lives, you’ll understand. When you reach the level of executive management, the income is commensurate with that of a top-tier corporation. However, even at headquarters, employees with short tenure or those assigned mainly to stores—often high school or vocational school graduates—might have salaries on par with or even lower than competitors. For those hired locally with no transfers and little reason to visit headquarters, the impression might be stronger of an ‘old-fashioned, family-run company’ rather than a ‘first-class corporation.'”

Listening to Kido’s matter-of-fact explanation, Alice nodded earnestly.

“I understand. I never really thought of myself as working for a top-tier company. Getting the job wasn’t as difficult as, say, a major trading firm; I received the offer quite normally.”

“That’s true. Being in the service industry, which struggles to attract workers and has a high turnover rate, the company keeps its doors open widely. They don’t restrict hiring to only high-ranking universities. Regardless of headquarters, turnover is high on the front lines, so in some stores, part-timers and temporary staff outnumber full-time employees. However, as I mentioned earlier, regarding the founding Ozora family, you can’t underestimate the advantage of bloodline. They are a super-elite group, so exceptional they would stand out in any company.”

“Wow…”

Hearing this affirmed by Kido, who struck Alice as quite sharp and capable, she couldn’t help but let out a sound.

(So Umi-san is an ultra-super-excellent, high-spec heir!)

She had no objections. She could comprehend it.

But as his “fiancée,” her feelings alone couldn’t keep up.

“From what I’ve heard, Ms. Shirotsuki, you don’t seem to be one for rumors and haven’t shown much interest in the company’s power dynamics or interpersonal relationships until now. But going forward, that won’t be possible. How well you notice minor details, remember them, and recall them when needed will be crucial in your duties.”

“Yes.”

“Especially since it was Vice President Akiko of the Ozora family who appointed you, currently quite the center of attention, as her exclusive secretary. She grew up observing everything as the ‘young lady’ in Kanoa Resort’s main hotel and affiliated establishments. After graduating from a prestigious university, she joined this company. She advanced through the ranks with unparalleled excellence and now holds the position of Vice President. She is a very strict woman.”

“So starting today, she’s my boss… right! Yes! I’ll approach my work with serious dedication!”

Pumping herself up with this declaration, Alice faced Kido, who looked sincerely at her and said, “Please do your best,” then continued, “Now, let’s proceed with the job explanation.”