The Tsundere-Type Office Lady Is Probably Kind

It was just before six in the evening, right around the time it was getting dark.

After Yuka woke up and apologized, I pushed a towel into her hands, told her, "You can use this," and headed home.

After washing off the sweat in the shower, I headed to my part-time job.

It was about a ten-minute walk from home.

"Well... Guess I'd better get to work..."

I arrived at my part-time workplace. The sign read "Festa."

I still wasn't used to the overly flashy decor.

"Evening... I'm here..."

I came in through the back entrance and stuck my head into the break room.

"Oh! Masato, I've been waiting for you!"

"Hey, Masachin! How's it going? Doing great?"

The friendly people greeting me were men, a rare sight in this world.

It was a chance to socialize with people of the same sex, whom I only got to talk to occasionally (not that there weren't any at university)...

Everywhere I looked, there was blond, brown, and silver hair.

A dazzling assortment of necklaces and other accessories.

Hands that made me want to ask, "How many rings are you wearing?"

They were just so flashy. Even if you wanted to dress up, wasn't this overdoing it?

There was a reason for that, though.

The men senior to me had something like nameplates pinned to their chests.

They said things like "Yusei," "Kazuto," and "Shogo."

"Fake names" written in hiragana.

"Haha... Well, I'm doing okay."

That's right. This was my part-time workplace...

A boys' bar called Festa, not a girls' bar.

The reason things had turned out this way was simple.

This was the bar Aika-san owned.

As a condition for taking care of my living expenses, Aika-san had offered me a part-time job here.

I'd worked in customer service before I was reincarnated, so I thought, "Sure, why not?" and accepted, but this was pretty rough.

The hardest part was how completely out of sync I felt with everyone else.

On top of that, I was underage, so I couldn't drink alcohol.

I could serve it, but since I couldn't drink, all I could do was get drunk on the atmosphere.

(I really can't keep up with this whole party-animal vibe...)

I didn't think they were bad people.

They were some of the few men who were nice to me, so I'd like to get along with them, but the atmosphere was just too much.

And it was hard watching them act all cutesy with the customers so blatantly.

I mean, it's their job, right? I guess it can't be helped...

So, even though I'd started working here, I didn't get many requests.

Of course. All I could do was smile pleasantly and listen.

I couldn't even drink with the customers.

And I was pretty plain-looking, too.

The senior guys were much better at entertaining people, so there weren't many oddballs who requested me.

Fewer requests was fine by me, though.

"All right, all right! We're opening soon, so Masato, you're on reception and floor duty to start!"

Yusei-san (probably a fake name), who was about four years older than me, gave the instructions.

I followed suit, changed into my work clothes, and headed to reception.

A little after eight.

More customers had arrived, and the place was lively.

It was Friday night, the best night of the week, so the customers seemed ready to spend.

"Wow, you're amazing, big sis!"

"As expected of you, big sis! You're so cool!"

...

I mean, you know? It can't be helped, right?

That's just how this world is, right?

But still, it kinda... gets to you, doesn't it?

Of course, some people took a more manly (?) approach and acted cool...

But watching the obviously flirtatious types was, well... kind of rough.

The physical contact was so blatant, too... Was that really okay?

As I was thinking about that while bringing ice out from the back and crushing it, Yusei-san came over.

"Hey, Masato. You've got a request. Table three, please."

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Seriously. It's the usual customer, too. Good for you, you've got yourself a regular. Take care of her, okay?"

"A-all right."

The usual customer.

There was only one person who came to mind when I heard that—the only person who often requested me.

Actually, didn't she come every week? Ever since I first served her, she's requested me every week...

I tossed a few chunks of crushed ice into a glass, grabbed one for myself, and headed to table three.

At table three, a few of the guys were already entertaining other customers, while one person sat alone, waiting for me with an unnecessarily impeccable posture. She's always so tense...

"Good evening. You're here again."

I set my glass on the table and poured a highball into hers.

She had her black hair tied in a ponytail. Her glossy hair was beautiful, and with her business suit, she gave off such a strong capable-working-woman vibe.

In this world, the very phrase "capable working woman" was out of place, but from my perspective, it was the only way to describe her.

She was fairly tall and slender, but she had curves in all the right places, which accentuated her allure.

"I-I just happened to have some free time..."

Sure you did. Her eyes were darting around.

Besides, there was no way she happened to have free time every Friday during the busiest part of the night.

The people who seemed to be her coworkers were looking over at us with grins.

"Masato-kun! Seira's totally head over heels for you! You should keep her company!"

"Miki-san, come on...!"

The person called Miki-san, who seemed to be one of her coworkers, laughed uproariously. Maybe she was already drunk, because her face was bright red.

"Ahem... W-well, it really was just a coincidence. My seniors invited me, so I had no choice. And, well, you're the person I'm most comfortable talking to, so I called you over. Got it?"

"Haha... Thanks. I'm not good for much besides listening, but I actually like hearing what you have to say, Seira-san."

"...!"

Seira-san's hand stopped halfway to her drink, and her face flushed.

Huh? Did I say something wrong?

"Y-you... You say things like that to everyone, don't you?"

"Huh? ...No... You're the only unusual person who requests me, Seira-san..."

"I-I see. Then that's fine. That's right. I want you to stay that way forever."

...?

Seira-san turned away and looked in another direction, sipping her highball.

(She's changed a lot...)

The first time I'd met her, her cheeks were gaunt and she had terrible dark circles under her eyes. I'd been worried about her health, so I was relieved she'd seemed much better lately.

I want beautiful women to stay healthy.

"That damn boss really ought to be wiped off the face of the earth! 'That's why you get dumped'?! What an idiot! I'll kill her!!!"

"Haha..."

Seira-san got fired up when she drank.

Seriously.

Her face was already quite red, and the alcohol seemed to have really gone to her head.

"And it wasn't even a project I was in charge of, so why does she keep nagging me about it? Is that old hag autistic or what???"

"You haven't done anything wrong, Seira-san..."

I was playing the role of listener, but judging from what she said, her boss really did sound like a piece of work.

So even in this world, terrible bosses were everywhere...

Maybe two hours had passed. A lot of time had gone by since I'd started serving Seira-san.

Most customers switched to another host after about thirty minutes, but Seira-san had paid extra to keep me all to herself. For two whole hours. Why???

Well, it wasn't like anyone else requested me, and the bar was probably happy about it, too.

Besides, Seira-san was beautiful, and when the alcohol made her face flush, she looked kind of sexy. It was a feast for the eyes, so I didn't mind at all.

"Seira! We're going home! How long are you going to keep flirting with Masato-kun? Come on!"

"W-what?! We weren't flirting! It's not like that at all! With a scrawny guy like... like..."

"All right, all right. I'm scrawny. Come visit again."

Apparently, she couldn't think of an insult beyond "scrawny."

It was strange, considering how she'd been hurling abuse at her boss earlier.

I took Seira-san by the hand as she staggered and escorted her to the entrance.

It seemed her friends were paying the bill together.

Seira-san was so unsteady on her feet that I grabbed her arm to support her.

Then, suddenly, Seira-san leaned her weight against me.

Her face was turned downward, so I couldn't see her expression.

"...Seira-san?"

"..."

I felt like the hand gripping my sleeve had tightened just a little.

"...You can't."

"...Huh?"

"You can't accept anyone else's request for you... Not anyone but mine..."

It was an incredibly selfish request.

But despite that, I couldn't help thinking Seira-san was cute for making such an unreasonable demand.

"It's okay. I only work Fridays."

"...I see."

"And on Fridays, you always come and request me like this."

"...I see."

I still couldn't see her expression.

But I thought Seira-san was smiling just a little.

After that, her companions lent their shoulders to the drunken Seira-san, and she went home.

...Would she really make it home okay? I was worried.

But, well, in terms of my old world, it was no different from a salaryman getting drunk at a work party and passing out near the station.

What a crazy world...

"...Masato."

"...? Oh, Aika-san. Thanks for your hard work."

After I saw her off and returned to the bar, Aika-san was there, looking grave.

"I told you to stop using polite speech... Hey, Masato, you need to be careful."

"Huh?"

Maybe because her expression was more serious than usual, I felt a little intimidated.

"People like that can turn into stalkers, and in the worst cases... they could even rape you."

"W-wha? Isn't that taking it a bit too far? I doubt she sees me as anything more than her favorite guy at the bar, right...?"

It was true that I could kind of tell she liked me.

I mean, Seira-san was the only person who requested me, she came every week, and she kept me for two hours.

But I didn't get the impression she was so obsessed that she'd go that far.

"You're an idiot. You're way too careless about a lot of things. Better safe than sorry. If anything weird happens, tell me immediately. I mean it, okay?"

"Y-yeah..."

Was that how it worked?

I'd heard that Seira-san had had a boyfriend before, and she didn't seem like that kind of person.

(Aika-san's so overprotective, honestly...)

I was nothing but grateful to Aika-san, and I'd grown quite fond of her, too.

Still, I often wondered if she was a little too overprotective.

Around one in the morning.

"Phew..."

After finishing my shift at the boys' bar, I headed home.

Outside, I could see a few people passed out drunk.

(Feels like a Friday night...)

I weaved my way around them and headed home.

My apartment was pretty close by; if I cut through the park near the station where the bar was, I'd be home in no time.

Aika-san had found me a place close to the bar, after all.

"Tomorrow... I'm off. I'll sleep in until the afternoon..."

A lot had happened today. I was pretty tired, so I figured I'd sleep well.

I checked my phone to make sure I had no plans tomorrow, then quietly turned off the screen.

Before long, I reached my apartment.

I took out my key case and tried to take out my house key...

(...?)

Just then, I felt someone's gaze on me.

I turned around in a hurry, but there was no sign of anyone.

"Must've been my imagination."

I might just be tired after all. Better get to bed early.

I opened the door and locked it.

To be safe, I also put on the chain lock.

I took a quick shower and dove into bed.

Even while showering, I'd felt like someone was watching me, and it creeped me out, but once I got into bed, I quickly forgot about it.

Little did I know, I should have been on my guard about that uneasy feeling much sooner. I fell asleep.