SWNOVELXO Chapter 20 - Night Walk in the City
After that, the argument…? between the two of them continued…
At such a time, a savior appeared… time.
“Alright, everyone! It’s about time, let’s wrap it up!”
“Hooray!”
“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow~!”
“I haven’t had enough to drink!!”
Hmm… as I thought, I should refrain from participating too much.
I’m good with alcohol, so I’m likely to end up looking after others…
At least, I understood that I wasn’t disliked…
“Mito-senpai! Shall we go to another place?”
“No…”
“No, I’ll let Mito-kun go home. He has important work from tomorrow.”
“Eh!? You’re even thinking about work at this time?”
Eh? That job isn’t until later, right…?
Or maybe it’s about training juniors?
Either way, I’m saved…
“Sorry, Morishima-san. I have various things from tomorrow. So…”
“Ah- Mito-senpai!?”
“Hey hey! I can go to another place!”
“Umm…”
I’m sorry, Morishima-san… Parties are too much for me…
Or rather… as I thought, I prefer quiet… I do.
“Noboru, I’m going home.”
“Ah, good work. It was tough in various ways, wasn’t it?”
“Haha… I’m not sure, but well…”
“You were the belle of the ball, huh?”
“Give me a break…”
“Haha! Well, it’s like this… but why don’t you join us once in a while?”
“…only once in a while.”
“I think that’s fine? You don’t have to force yourself, after all.”
“Ah, I’ll do that… See you.”
I leave the bar and start walking.
Then… a voice comes from behind… It’s the section manager.
No way… she’s not going to suggest a second round, is she?
That’s something I’d like to decline… in various ways.
“You… Mito-kun!”
“Section Manager Matsuura… What’s the matter?”
“This, this person is my boyfriend!”
Suddenly, she takes my arm… but.
Something soft is… huh? This is…
“Huh? Ah, you were here. Damn it!”
Um… what happened?
At least, I know it’s soft and smells good…
“Um, uh…?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Ah… she let go… What am I disappointed for!!
“No, no… what happened?”
“I saw you, Mito-kun, leaving… and since we’re heading in the same direction, I was walking along… and then, um, I got picked up… I don’t really come to these kind of places…”
I consciously look around… I see.
There are several hotels that seem fitting…
Well, it’s probably so you can go straight there after drinking…
“That’s… I’m sorry.”
“You’re not the one at fault, Mito-kun! I’m also sorry! Saying you’re my boyfriend…”
“No, no, it’s appropriate to drive away those guys. Although, I may not be a match for you.”
“Mmm… That’s not true”
“Huh?”
She’s so cute when she’s stubborn!
“Anyway, you seem to get along really well with Mr. Morishima?”
“No, that’s not the case. I just happened to be there and he probably found it unusual.”
“Uhh… What should I do to approach him… Ah!”
“What’s wrong?”
“This place is dangerous, isn’t it!”
“Uh, yes, well…”
“What should we do…?”
…Well, that’s to be expected.
It would be problematic if something happened…
In any case, I’m forced by circumstances… who am I explaining this to…
“Then, please hold on to me. I’ll walk you home.”
“Ok!”
…Why does she seem so happy…
Well, alright…
We continue walking through the city at night…
Every now and then, I can feel the stares of men on us…
…Well, she is beautiful…
Even now, her profile is stunning…
“Do I have something on my face?”
“No, just noticing you’re flushed…”
“I might have drunk a bit too much… But I think I kept up appearances… right?”
“Yes, you seemed just like your usual self.”
“But we’re off work now…”
“Huh? But you just said…”
“That was then! This is now!”
“Hehe…”
“You’re laughing at me…”
“No, no… I apologize… You’re just really interesting, Miss Reina.”
“Ah…”
Afterwards, we manage to reach a street where taxis are common.
“Well… Shall we share a taxi?”
“Huh?”
“I came here on a moped. Our destinations aren’t that different.”
“I guess that’s true…”
We manage to hail a taxi, and we both get in.
“So, why did you decide to come to the drinking party?”
“Huh?”
“Well, it’s unusual for you… No offense intended.”
“I, I just thought it might be good once in a while…”
“So, you mean with me? Well, the section chief did mention something like that, right?”
“Uh——Yes… it’s complicated… I think having no dignity is problematic… But being too casual is also problematic…”
“I agree… It’s difficult to strike a balance. The section chief is quite skilled at it.”
“Yeah… He’s always been like that. Despite appearances, he’s well-respected from above.”
“I see… Interesting. Well, I respect him too.”
“Hehe… You’re one of the section chief’s favorites.”
“He did say that… ‘I would’ve put you in my department’…”
“I was also invited… It’s already… I’m already turning 30…”
“You’re still young. Even when you’re not wearing makeup, you look younger than me.”
“Wha, wha, wha——!”
…She’s so cute…
What should I do…
We finally arrive in front of her house.
I roll down the window and bid her goodbye.
“Good work today. I look forward to working with you tomorrow as well.”
“Ye, Yes… Look at your phone later!”
“Huh?”
“Can I go now?”
“Ye, Yes, sorry.”
Before I can reply, the taxi takes off.
“You have a beautiful girlfriend.”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Huh? Really? You guys seemed… No, I see.”
…There’s no way she could be attracted to someone like me.
“Huh? An unknown address… What?! My sister… When did she…”
There was a message saying, “I got your email address from your sister. I’m sorry for getting it without asking you. If you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t need to reply. I’ll delete your address. Thank you for walking me home today.”
“…Hate it…? There’s no way…”
…Why does my boss have to be her!!
Damn it!! Even I can…
…Calm down, me.
For now, I only reply with… “Good night.”…