The Heir I Dragged Into My “He’s My Fiancé!” Lie Is Somehow Playing Along!? - Chapter 2.4

Once Akiko Ozora started moving, she never stopped—continuing to talk while handling task after task in rapid succession.

It was truly an overwhelming force.

On her first day, Alice could barely keep up just following behind her.

“The female secretaries assigned exclusively to the Vice President have never lasted long. They kept quitting one after another, and it gave the impression; both inside and outside the company that the Vice President was working them to the bone. It was inefficient from a personnel development standpoint, so the position had been left vacant for a while. The two women currently in the secretarial office have families, so it’s difficult for them to keep up with the Vice President’s schedule or accompany her on business trips. That’s why their main duties involve answering phones and supporting other secretaries, rather than handling Vice President-related tasks.”

Takase, who had more experience as a secretary despite her shorter time with the company, whispered the reality of the situation to Alice.

“So, during the period when the position was vacant, the Vice President handled this workload all by herself?”

When Alice asked in astonishment, Takase gave a wry smile. “The entire secretarial office supported her, but given the workload, it was everyone’s heartfelt wish for the Vice President to have a dedicated secretary.” Then she turned a passionate gaze toward Alice.

“And now, the long-awaited exclusive secretary for the Vice President has arrived! Everyone has high hopes for you, Shirotsuki-san!”

“Yes!”

Her enthusiasm was more than enough, but work wasn’t so easy that she could get by on motivation alone.

(I thought there might be at least a little time to catch my breath, but there was none at all!)

The first day’s work ended with a dinner reception hosted by a business partner at a restaurant in Ginza, where Akiko was a guest.

Since executives from the relevant departments at the main office would be attending, secretaries weren’t required to join. Instead, Alice and Takase headed to a department store to pick up the gift boxes of sweets they had ordered earlier. Although the meal itself was fully covered by the host as invited guests, it was customary to present high-end gift boxes as a thank-you to each person from the other party on the way out—and of course, arranging that was part of the secretaries’ duties.

After collecting the gift boxes, they packed them individually into paper bags and waited for the dinner to end at the restaurant’s bar. During that time, Alice seized the opportunity to bombard Takase with questions while taking notes.

“This time, the other party made the reservation, but when we’re the ones hosting, it’s the secretary’s job to reserve the venue, right? And we need to be really knowledgeable about places like that, and about the sweets we give as gifts, right?”

“That’s right. Sometimes we hold dinners at Kanoa group restaurants in Tokyo or nearby areas. If there’s a patissier available, we might prepare our own company’s sweets—like cookie tins or pound cakes—as gifts. But we can’t always use Kanoa. We choose from Japanese, Western, Chinese, or fusion cuisine depending on the client. Sometimes they specify the restaurant, other times they leave it entirely up to us, so knowing good places is an important part of a secretary’s job.”

“I understand,” Alice replied, casually observing the interior of the bar.

(I’ve never been to a restaurant bar before. I should take a good look.)

The heavy, elegant furniture and decor, the subtle lighting. It was an adult world she’d never been part of until now.

Just experiencing this atmosphere is educational. I’m glad I came along. She reflected deeply, sipping two cocktails before she knew it, time had flown by.

At 9 p.m., the dinner came to an end.

They declined the other party’s offer to arrange taxis and instead arranged taxis for everyone from their own company. Asked by Akiko to ride with her, Alice got into the back seat, parting ways with Takase there.

“Shall I drop you off at the station?”

“Yes, thank you!”

When Alice replied cheerfully, Akiko glanced at her and said in a crisp tone, “Good work on your first day. There are aspects of the job you’ll just have to learn by watching, so I know it’s tough, but I’m counting on your hard work. Oh, and starting tomorrow, we’ll be going on a two-night, three-day inspection tour of regional stores, so please come prepared to stay overnight.”

“Two nights, three days?”

“We have new menu tastings at stores in Nagano, Niigata, and the Hokuriku region. Then we’ll stop by Fukui and head to Kyoto and Osaka. Some stores have reported wanting to replace lobby furniture, so I’ll be checking the actual sites in person, even though I’ve seen photos. If necessary, there are also orders for new stores, so I’ll also visit a furniture workshop we’re on good terms with. We plan to return via Nagoya.”

Just as she finished explaining smoothly and without pause, they approached a subway station and Akiko told the driver, “Here.”

Scrambling to grab her bag and get out, Alice quickly said to Akiko, “Understood about the business trip. Thank you for today!”

“Mm. Be careful on your way home. Not that I think you need to worry.”

The door closed in front of her, and the taxi glided away.

Seeing it off, Alice let out a sigh of relief.

“The day’s over…”

It had been busier than she’d expected. What exactly had she been doing all day? As she tried to retrace her memories, someone called out from behind, “Good work.”

“Eh?! Chief Yumikura?!”

Standing under the streetlight, his cheeks softly illuminated, was Kai. When their eyes met, he closed the distance between them.

“You seem completely in work mode, all suited up for the company, but your work’s over now, right? Not ‘Chief’—just Kai is fine. I’ve got my car parked in a nearby lot, so let’s head back together.”

Casually, Kai reached for Alice’s bag, asking, “Is your bag heavy?” Flustered, Alice guarded it, saying, “I’m fine!” She had no intention of letting him carry her things.

“Were you working around here too, Kai-san?”

“No, well… I asked Takase-san about your schedule and thought I might be able to meet you around here, so I waited. You didn’t check your phone at all today, did you?”

Only then did Alice remember her phone and pulled it out of her bag. There were several messages and one missed call.

Probably because the messages he’d sent Alice hadn’t been read, Kai must have contacted Takase.

“I’m sorry! I was given a company phone, so I left my personal one at the bottom of my bag. Work was nonstop, and I never had a chance to check. I didn’t even remember it.”

“Seeing my aunt’s pace for the first time, it’s only natural. I’m just glad you made it through safely. Have you eaten?”

“When we stopped by the department store for an errand, I ate at a bakery with an eat-in corner. The portions were elegant, so I’m already hungry again. While waiting for the Vice President at the bar, I couldn’t just sit there without ordering anything, so I had a drink, but the alcohol on an empty stomach really hit me.”

“Ah, you’ve been drinking. Good thing I came to pick you up. You can sleep during the drive back to Yokohama. I’ll wake you when we get home.”

As they started walking side by side toward the parking lot, Kai spoke words of comfort. His concern felt so natural, his tone almost like that of a long-term boyfriend, which left Alice slightly bewildered.

“Um… if my perception is normal, Kai-san, you’re what people would call extremely sweet, aren’t you?”

“In what way?”

“…Well, as a boyfriend. I mean, I know it’s terribly presumptuous of me to think of myself as your girlfriend, but how should I put it, I think you’re really kind!”

Coming to pick me up because you couldn’t reach me, even checking with Takase-san about my schedule, and telling me I can sleep because you’re driving!

While Alice rambled on rapidly and incoherently, they reached the car.

Kai opened the passenger door as if escorting her, and as he closed it after she got in, he peeked at her face and said with a smile, “I am your boyfriend, thank you very much. Thanks for acknowledging it. I hope you’ll get used to being my ‘girlfriend’ soon, Alice.”

After lightly kissing her forehead, he closed the door and got in on the driver’s side.

His smooth, polished movements left Alice frozen in place, clutching her seatbelt in a daze.

(D-Did he just kiss me… normally… a kiss…?!)

Maybe Kai, with his overseas experience, didn’t think much of it, but to Alice, each one was a big deal, and she was nowhere near used to it yet.

Noticing Alice’s stiffness, Kai cheerfully called out to her, “If you can’t fasten your seatbelt, want me to help?”

“No. No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself. It’s just that until a moment ago I was running around as a secretary, and now I’m suddenly being treated like a VIP… it’s intimidating!”

And the one doing it is an executive at our company, Alice couldn’t help but question her own situation. It was a classic case of “How did I end up like this?”

Chuckling elegantly, Kai started the engine and began driving as he spoke.

“I was planning to wait until you’d settled in, but leaving your apartment empty for too long isn’t safe, so it’d be better for you to move out. We can manage moving a one-room apartment’s worth of belongings to my place. You can go ahead and start the procedures.”

“Thank you! You’re right, I can’t just leave an apartment I’m not returning to. I’d still be paying rent and utilities. Um, I’d like to contribute to those expenses too.”

Chuckling, Kai kept his eyes forward as he laughed.

“I live within my means, so even with an additional person living with me, there’s no need for you to pay. Besides, it’s a condominium, not a rental. If you feel guilty or awkward about it, just save your money. I’d be really happy if you treated me to a meal sometime.”

“Yes! Ah, that’s right! I’d like to try out restaurants in Tokyo that could be used for business entertainment, places I wouldn’t normally go!”

A condominium? That high-end apartment? Feeling a slight chill at the thought, Alice inadvertently brought up work again.

Kai, used to it, gave a light response. “Yeah.”

“Not just restaurants—staying at hotels could be good too. Experiencing facilities outside of Kanoa on your own is educational and useful for work.”

“Actually, I’ve never been to famous places like the Imperial Hotel or Hotel Okura Tokyo. Living in Tokyo, I hesitate to spend so much on accommodations.”

“Really? Then let’s go. It might be nice to visit places you want to go every weekend. With you, Alice, I wouldn’t mind traveling a bit farther. Sounds fun.”

Kai was supposed to be an indoor type, something both he and Kido acknowledged. Hearing his casual travel proposal, Alice couldn’t help but ask, “Is that okay?”

“I thought you didn’t travel much.”

“With this job, I can’t really say that. I travel for work often. Besides work, before I started this job, I traveled around half the world.”

“Active!”

And a celebrity! Alice screamed internally.

The time and financial leeway to travel halfway around the world were completely foreign to Alice’s life. She was reminded yet again that they were from different worlds.

(Why am I dating Kai-san…?)

I bet this is called one of the “Seven Mysteries of Kanoa” within the company, Alice thought, crushed by her own imagination. Meanwhile, beside her, Kai continued speaking in a calm voice.

“Right now, I happen to be tied up with the company-wide project involving the luxury cruise ship ‘Hakuto.’ It’s a major undertaking where we’re partnering with shipping and travel companies to provide Kanoa’s expertise. There are many meetings I have to attend, so I can’t leave the main office. That’s probably why my aunt is flying all over Japan.”

Hearing that, Alice gasped sharply.

“That reminds me, it seems I’ll be accompanying the Vice President on a business trip starting tomorrow. Two nights, three days, packed schedule.”

“Ah… A business trip with my aunt means it’ll be incredibly packed. You won’t have a moment to relax, so you should pack your suitcase and get to bed early tonight.”

Watching his slightly lonely smiling profile, Alice casually asked, “Even so, I’m still pretty hungry. If there’s anything at all to eat, I’d be grateful.”

“Mm. Let’s eat together when we get back. I’d like to have a light drink too.”

While they talked, they arrived at the Yokohama condominium in no time.

True to his word, Kai skillfully prepared salad and soup. Gratefully, Alice ate, and that day, she went to bed.

Although they’d slept together in the same bed over the weekend, Alice hesitated, unsure what to do, but Kai invited her without hesitation, saying, “Come here.”

“I won’t do anything. You shouldn’t carry fatigue into tomorrow.”

Trusting Kai’s smiling words, Alice slipped into his bed.

And feeling his arms wrap around her, she fell asleep almost instantly and slept soundly until morning.