I Had To Take A Day Off From Work Because I Was Suspected Of Being In Love With Someone - Chapter 31

I was surprised when she called me, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. I thought about asking her about that incident at the coffee shop, but when I saw Yamamoto in distress, it completely slipped my mind. 

 

I was naive to think that since the night was long, there would be plenty of time to ask her. Because, you know… 

 

“Ehehe. Araki’s, ehehe.” 

 

“Why…….” 

 

We’ve been in the store for a little over an hour. She was all done. That’s what happens when you’re a weak drinker and have two beers. I probably should have stopped her, but she was the one who suggested I drink in the first place. 

 

“Mm, I’m hungry. I’m hungry!” 

 

“There’s salad and fried chicken on your plate.” 

 

“Let me eat.” 

 

“Yeah…….”

 

I’ve seen her drunk over the phone before, but it’s too destructive to be shown in front of me. 

 

As it turns out, she’s insanely cute. There is enough charm in this space to make men fall in love with her, as if the world is about to be destroyed. 

 

I was a little nervous when she asked me to let her eat me, but I don’t think she would give me a reasonable answer if I asked her about that now. 

 

I couldn’t let her drink on an empty stomach, so I grabbed a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks. 

 

“Here, open your mouth.” 

 

“Ahhhh.” 

 

I mentally tsked to myself, “We’re a couple?” If we weren’t in a private room, we definitely wouldn’t have done it. If that happened, the eyes of other men would be focused on me if they saw me like this. 

 

I would have been picked on immediately if I had stood up to go to the bathroom. She’s cute, but she’s such a vulnerable girl, she’s an awkward target. Just imagining it makes me want to punch the guy who calls out to me. 

 

“Ehehe. Yummy.” 

 

“Good for you.” 

 

Nice smile. My face is red from the alcohol, but I still have almost half of my second beer left. If I let her drink any more, she’ll probably go under, so I have to watch her carefully. There’s a train to spare, but it’s safer to let her take a cab on the way home. 

 

“Don’t let a man see you like that.” 

 

“What do you want?” 

 

What do you mean, what do I want? 

 

I tried to choose the right words, but she was drunk, so that would be unnecessary. 

 

“You’ll be attacked soon. You’re defenseless, and you’re poison to a man’s eyes.” 

 

“Poison?” 

 

“Yes, it’s very poisonous.” 

 

To be honest, I have a feeling that if I said to Yamamoto now, “Let’s go to a hotel,” she would just follow me. That’s how much she exudes an air of openness to everyone. 

 

Even I find this situation hard to bear. If a girl I picked up who was a total stranger was like this, I would have wanted to call it quits and go straight to a hotel. 

 

“Hey…” 

 

“What?” 

 

I couldn’t hear the important part due to the background music and bustle in the restaurant. She was on her cheekbones, exuding a sexiness that I don’t usually sense. 

 

I had long since been swallowed up by her atmosphere, so much so that it took a bit of courage to even ask her back. 

 

“If it’s you, it’s fine.” 

 

The venom was raging through my body, eager to dissolve my reason. I’d like to think it’s my imagination that my lower body is still tingling at my age, more so than ever before. 

 

Even though it’s winter and I’m not exposed to much, Yamamoto Miina’s body is right in front of me. The shape, the smell, everything about her body is appealing to my instincts through my nose. I felt like I was being told to attack her right now, so I had no choice but to run off to smoke. 

 

“Oh, don’t make fun of the adults.” 

 

The smoke from the cigarette calmed my heartbeat a little. I glanced at her face, making sure my nose wasn’t stretched out. Our gazes met. 

 

Yamamoto was smiling. I knew in my head that it was a joke, but I was still a man. I could at least extend the bridge of my nose. 

 

“Araki’s ecchi.” 

 

“……no face.” 

 

I couldn’t say anything back. Shameful. 

 

Because it’s not like I’m denying it out loud here, and it’s not like I’m saying, “Well, let’s go to the hotel.” 

 

In the first place, she only says that now because she is drunk, and tomorrow she will have forgotten everything. That is the way Yamamoto gets drunk. 

 

Even if you let your temporary momentum take you away and hold her in your arms, the only thing that will remain is emptiness. I don’t want to hold you like that. If I want to hold you, I want you to be more sparkling. 

 

“Nn-……ecchi” 

 

I wish I didn’t have to say it so many times, but I can’t say that when I see her lying on her stomach. I hastily put out my cigarette and turn to face her. If I go to bed now, I might get a bad drunk and it might affect me tomorrow. 

 

“Wait, don’t go to sleep. Drink some water and let’s go home now.” 

 

“No.” 

 

This time, she was like a spoiled child. This is not the same girl who was so sexy a few minutes ago. She’s on her stomach, but she’s still answering my words. It’s a strange feeling. 

 

“Nn………” 

 

“Yamamoto-san!…… You’ve got me.” 

 

My wishes were in vain, and she fell into a shallow sleep. This is a real problem. I thought about taking her home, but I didn’t know where she lived. Before that, I would have to wake her up to get out of the store. 

 

I had no choice but to wait for half an hour and wake her up again. 

 

My beer was empty. To be honest, I’m really short of drink, but it’s something different to drink alone here. I give up and reach for my cigarette, which ends up being indigestible. I decided that it would be better if I didn’t point it at her. 

 

She is sleeping in front of me, and she may become an idol who will take the world by storm. 

 

She doesn’t look like that now, but her potential is definitely one of the best in the entertainment industry today. This is just from a fan’s point of view, though. Still, I have been following Momoka Aimi for a long time. I have nothing but confidence in these eyes. 

 

“Miina.” 

 

That’s just drunkenness. To you. 

 

If I think of Momo-chan as having been “acting,” then the real her is in front of me right now. 

 

In that sense, I was just chasing after a made-up idol. I think that’s normal, and I recognize that idols themselves are like that. 

 

But this girl doesn’t have that sense of fantasy. Not only is she a good singer and dancer, but she has a special charm that makes people smile. I believe this is her natural talent. 

 

I shivered. It was the phone on the table. Not mine, but hers. 

 

The vibrations never cease, and they are in a steady rhythm. It must be a phone call. 

 

“Yamamoto-san, there’s a phone call for you.” 

 

“Yeah…….” 

 

She responds to my voice, but doesn’t try to get up. I have no choice but to take her phone in my hand. Wiping my hands thoroughly, of course. 

 

The screen showed her phone number and her registered name. 

 

The name was Kanako Miya. I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart with a big needle. I had done nothing wrong. 

 

If it gets out that the two of us were having a drink right now, there will surely be trouble. But – she would be able to bring Yamamoto home, wouldn’t she? 

 

“Hello, hello. This is Araki…….” 

 

Then, I would have no choice but to leave. I would just have to explain later that we were drinking together. 

 

||  “–Why are you with her?” 

 

Her voice is calm, but she is angry. That’s why I don’t want to answer her call if I can help it–

 

“It’s a long story…….” 

 

I couldn’t say, “I’m sorry”. It would only add fuel to the fire. But, well, this is good for now. 

 

||  “What about Miina?” 

 

“Um…… sleeping.” 

 

||  “Haa?” Miya’s voice grows heavier. The way she just said it, it’s certainly possible that she was misunderstood in a number of ways. 

 

“I’m at an izakaya right now.” 

 

||  “You’ve got some nerve. You’ve got a lot of nerve getting our talent drunk. What are you doing?” 

 

They haven’t even signed the contract yet. Now I have to swallow hard and deny everything she says. 

 

“No, no, I won’t do anything! I swear to God!” 

 

||  “I doubt it.” 

 

I won’t do anything, but it’s true that I am shaken. So much so that I wish she would come for me. 

 

Anyway, without a third party, my rationality would collapse. That was my real intention. 

 

||  “Which izakaya? I’ll pick her up.” 

 

“I’m sorry. Thank you.” 

 

||  “No, it’s okay. It’s okay, I don’t want she to be attacked by you.” 

 

That’s a lot of words. I know that, too. 

 

But Miya-san is surprisingly caring. She probably called her because she was worried about her troubles. If she hadn’t been drinking with me, I’m sure she would have been a good adviser. 

 

||  “I’m on my way. Don’t run away.” 

 

“I won’t run away…….” 

 

Her beautiful black hair in my view blends into this world, emitting a sweet fragrance. I can’t help but want to see your face like that, hidden by your hair. 

 

I haven’t been drinking at all, but I’m drunk. Because of you.