───● The Tsundere Office Worker Cuts In ●○●
I’ll reach an answer of my own by March.
When I told everyone that, their reactions had varied widely.
Koumi, Mizuho, and Shiori-chan had all started making their feelings known even more aggressively than before.
I was genuinely happy about their affection, but it also made me realize I needed to pull myself together.
The ones I was really worried about… were Seira-san and Yuka.
Looking at those two, I felt a sense of panic and tragic desperation coming from them that made my heart ache.
Still, staying content with the status quo forever didn’t feel right either…
I fully understood that everyone was pouring more love onto me than my two arms could ever hold.
So how was I supposed to face them and respond to those feelings?
…What does “love” even mean to me?
As I walked along, wrestling fruitlessly with an answer that wouldn’t come, I found I had already reached my destination.
Heading through the back entrance as usual, I made my way to the staff breakroom.
“Good evening, everyone,” I called out as I walked in.
“Hey, Masato! Good to see ya~” one of the guys called back.
Today was Friday.
That meant it was time for my shift at the boys’ bar.
I pulled open my locker and stowed my jacket and bag inside.
Better get changed fast.
“What’s up, Masato? You’re looking pretty down in the dumps,” a voice called out.
I looked over to see Yuusee-san, one of my senior coworkers, resting a friendly hand on my shoulder.
“Is it… really that obvious?” I asked sheepishly.
“You’re an open book, man,” Yuusee-san chuckled.
He gave my head a few friendly pats, making me flush with embarrassment.
“If something’s bothering you, I’m happy to hear you out. As long as you aren’t asking to borrow money, that is!”
“I’d never do that!” I blurted out.
“Hahaha! Fair enough. You’ve got your regular customers here plus your tutoring job, so I guess I don’t need to worry about your wallet.”
Between student loans and living expenses, it wasn’t like I was swimming in cash, but I was definitely getting paid an absurdly generous hourly wage here…
“So, what’s really going on then?” Yuusee-san pressed gently.
“Well… um…” I stammered.
Asking him outright felt too embarrassing, and explaining the full situation would be complicated at best. I had to choose my words carefully.
How should I even put this…?
I pondered for a long moment, humming to myself.
Finally, the question squeezed its way past my lips.
“Um… what does it actually feel like when you ‘like’ someone?”
The moment it left my mouth, I realized just how absurdly abstract of a question it was.
Yuusee-san blinked in surprise before his lips twitched into a grin.
“Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all… But asking what ‘liking someone’ feels like? Man, you really are pure, Masato~”
“Wait, what? Are we talking about romance?!” another coworker piped up. “Count me in!”
“Oho! Masato’s love life? This I gotta hear!”
“Why are all of you crowding around me?!” I squawked.
Catching wind of juicy romance talk, the senior staff hanging out in the breakroom swarmed around me one after another.
G-God, this is mortifying!
“Masato here wants to know what it means to be in love,” Yuusee-san explained warmly to the group.
“Huh?!” one of them gaped. “Masato, how are you this innocent?!”
“Ah, to be young again…” another sighed dramatically.
“Agh, never mind! Just forget I said anything!” I pleaded, waving my hands frantically.
Part of me wanted to turn tail and flee the room right then and there, but to my surprise, my seniors actually gave the question some real thought.
“I dunno if this helps, since I’ve never thought about it too deeply…” Masaki offered, scratching his cheek. “But I guess the most important thing is whether you enjoy just being together, right?”
“Enjoying being together… I see,” I murmured.
If that was the criterion, then I enjoyed being with every single one of them.
Each girl brought her own kind of happiness into my life, and there wasn’t a single moment with any of them that I found dull.
“Masaki, you’re acting way too much like a honor student,” a new voice cut in. “Listen up, Masato. I’ll give you the ultimate solution.”
“W-What is it?” I asked nervously.
The person stepping decisively between Masaki-san and me was Yuuta-san, rocking his striking silver short hair.
He was shorter than me, but man, he had an overwhelming presence…
“It’s simple! It’s the girl you still want to stay with even after you’ve slept with her!” Yuuta-san declared proudly.
“Ew, you’re absolute trash,” someone scoffed instantly.
“What?!” Yuuta-san shot back defensively. “How is that trash? True love is when pure affection remains after lust is out of the equation!”
“Wait, why would you be ditching her right after sleeping together in the first place?” Yuusee-san asked, sounding utterly repulsed.
“Huh? Doesn’t that happen all the time?” Yuuta-san replied casually.
While Yuusee-san looked completely appalled, I couldn’t help wondering… did the part about feelings remaining after desire faded actually make a bit of sense?
Though testing it out that way was a completely different story…
“Bt-But… isn’t that impossible for me to even test out?” I stammered.
“Why? Just go give it a shot with one of them!” Yuuta-san urged nonchalantly.
“Ah…” I choked out.
“Don’t listen to him, Masato,” Masaki-san interjected hastily. “This guy has suffered the consequences of doing that a million times, and he still hasn’t learned his lesson.”
Come to think of it, Yuuta-san did have a history of unexcused absences and showing up with sudden mysterious injuries… So that was why…
Still, he had an insane number of requested regulars and consistently ranked in the top three for sales at Festa, so he really was impressive in his own way…
Even so, that was definitely not an option I could ever take.
Setting my own morals aside, if I tried something like that in this world, I don’t think I’d physically survive the aftermath…
“Hey guys! What are you all crowding around for? It’s almost time for the staff meeting!” someone called out.
“Oh, is it that time already?” Yuuta-san gritted, turning back to me with a grin. “Anyway, Masato, just give it a try!”
“Hey, stop giving him bad ideas!” Masaki-san snapped, slapping Yuuta’s shoulder. “Don’t take him seriously, Masato!”
Masaki-san and Yuuta-san scrambled back toward their respective lockers to finish prepping.
Unfiltered advice aside, they really were good guys at heart…
Yuusee-san, the last one remaining beside me, let out a fond sigh and shook his head.
“Well, they threw a lot at you just now… but if you ask me, loving someone means feeling like you want to stay by their side forever, well into the future.”
“Wanting to stay by their side forever…?” I repeated softly.
“Everyone has their own perspective, of course. Besides, you’re allowed to make mistakes while figuring things out, Masato. If you ever want to talk through things in detail, I’m always here for you.”
“Th-Thank you so much,” I replied sincerely.
With a smooth wink, Yuusee-san turned on his heel and sauntered out toward the main floor.
Everything he did looked effortlessly cinematic. It was no wonder he was so popular with the customers.
Wanting to stay together forever… huh?
As I pulled on my uniform shirt, my gaze happened to fall upon the small mirror attached to the inside of my locker door.
Looking at my reflection, I couldn’t help but wonder all over again how anyone could fall for such an thoroughly average guy.
Granted, the standards in this world were shifted, so perhaps even a guy like me got judged a bit more generously.
I shut my locker with a quiet thud and started toward the floor.
My phone buzzed with a notification in my pocket, but with the meeting starting any second, I decided to check it later.
As I exited the breakroom and joined the rest of the staff in the main floor, Yuusee-san’s words lingered in my mind.
…Am I just weird?
Because when I think about all the girls showing me affection right now, I genuinely wish I could stay together with every single one of them forever.
“Alright, Masato, take your usual post at reception to start!” Aika-san instructed cheerfully.
“Got it~!” I called back.
With the brief pre-shift meeting concluded, everyone dispersed to their assigned stations.
I settled in behind the front desk, resuming my regular receptionist duties.
“Welcome to Festa, milady,” I greeted politely as the entrance bell chimed.
“Ah, Masato-kun! Good evening~” a familiar female customer greeted me brightly.
“Ah, Megumi-san, good evening. You’re here for Yuusee-san tonight, right?” I asked with a warm smile.
“Yep! Take good care of me~”
“Right away!” I replied, guiding her in.
Over time, I’ve come to memorize the faces of our regulars, and more customers have started recognizing me in return.
Since I couldn’t drink alcohol, though, I never got directly requested as a companion host.
I was going about my reception routine as usual when it happened.
The bell above the door chimed softly. I turned toward the entrance to greet the new arrival.
The moment my eyes landed on the woman who stepped into the bar, my breath hitched and my eyes widened.
“Welcome to—… Wait… Huh?” I stammered, the words dying in my throat.
Because that face… my mind instantly recognized her.
“Wait… Okano-san?”
“Masato-kun… You really are here,” she breathed, looking at me.
I staggered back slightly at the utterly unexpected visitor.
Okano-san was a classmate from my high school days… and if my memory served me right, someone I had briefly dated.
Things hadn’t worked out between us in the end, though, and we’d broken up pretty quickly.
“H-How did you find this place?” I asked, bewildered.
“One of your friends told me,” she replied. “They mentioned you were working here.”
Did she go to my university? Does that mean Koumi or Mizuho told her…?
I took a proper look at Okano-san again.
Her short black hair was styled just as it had been back then. She hadn’t changed a bit.
Back in high school, she’d been popular and known for being cute. I had even heard rumors that several guys had confessed to her.
So when she originally asked me out, I had been genuinely happy and decided to give dating a shot.
However… it ended with her telling me, “You’re just nice to everyone,” before dumping me.
That was how my memories of her ended.
Okano-san strode briskly toward me.
“When I got outside the bar… I never expected you to be working in a place like this. I hesitated for a long time before coming in.”
“Ah… um… I’m sorry, I guess?” I stammered, reflexively apologizing.
“It’s not like you have anything to apologize for, but…” she trailed off.
To be completely honest, I couldn’t even remember how we used to talk to each other back then.
On top of that, there was no guarantee that my memories lined up with her version of reality here.
I had been transported to this parallel world a year ago, whereas my relationship with Okano-san belonged to a time way before that.
Because of that, I wasn’t even certain if Okano-san and I had actually dated in this world at all.
“Masato-kun, I came here today because there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Huh?” I squeaked.
Completely ignoring the fact that I was currently on duty at the reception counter…
Okano-san closed the distance between us in one resolute step.
“Why don’t we get back together?”
“Wait… what?”
It took my brain several frozen seconds to parse what she had just said.
“I was wrong back then… We never should have broken up! That’s why I came all the way here—I want to date you again.”
“U-Um…” I babbled, completely caught off guard.
She pressed in close enough to make me forget we were standing right in the middle of a business establishment.
Before I knew it, I was backing away toward the wall to escape her invading presence… and in that moment, it hit me.
I realized that I genuinely hated everything about this situation.
I want her to get away from me.
I have to tell her, clearly and firmly—
“What business do you have with our Masato?”
A sharp thud echoed as a hand slammed flat against the wall right beside us, accompanied by an ice-cold voice.
Long, silky black hair swayed gracefully through the air.
She was wearing a sophisticated navy-blue pantsuit.
“Wh-Who on earth are you?!” Okano-san gasped, flinching back.
Her aura was scary—no, downright terrifying—yet a massive wave of relief washed over me at her sudden appearance.
“Me? I’m just a regular customer of this boy… Got a problem with that?”
Seira-san offered a radiant smile.
It was, without a doubt, the most terrifyingly intense smile I had ever seen in my life.