LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 4 - Reina POV
My name is Reina Matsuura.
I work as a section chief at a company called HWA Corporation, known as Hawa for short.
I’m considered a moderately fast-track career woman by my peers.
Unfortunately… I’m also infamously known as the Ice Queen…
Well, I just say things that are typical…
People are afraid to approach me, and I feel isolated at work…
I’d love to have a chat with someone during lunch breaks…
The only people who approach me are my sexually harassing boss and some deluded guys who think they have a chance with me…
To be honest, I’ve reached the point where I’m considering changing jobs…
But in this day and age, it’s hard to find a job that pays as well and is as fulfilling…
Above all… there’s a man I’ve recently become interested in…
His name is Yuuma Mito.
He’s a younger guy, kind of plain, but I think he’s not bad looking.
More importantly, he gets his job done.
He handles tedious tasks and jobs that people dislike without complaining.
He makes few mistakes, and as his superior, it’s a relief to me.
On top of that, he doesn’t look down on female employees.
Whether it’s fetching tea or being a section chief, he treats everyone equally.
He’s not afraid to interact with me, whom everyone fears.
Actually, he’s popular… but does he realize it?
He always leaves work on time and doesn’t participate in drinking parties, so he might not know.
…Not that I participate in those events either… or rather, I’m not invited…
…Well, I’m not so easy to get smitten over something like that.
I mean, he’s a good person and a reliable subordinate, that’s it…
It happened about two months ago… it was an incident in front of the break room…
…Seriously! Why is everyone badmouthing me…?! I can hear you!
That day, I was furious.
Everyone was badmouthing me, thinking I couldn’t hear.
I have very good hearing and I’ve always been sensitive to such voices.
Rumors like, ‘She seduced her boss to get promoted’, or ‘She ousted her peers with cunning tactics’…
If you have that much spare time, why not improve yourself! Seriously…
Then I heard those voices again in front of the break room.
‘Hey, isn’t Section Chief Matsuura annoying? She’s so bossy.’
‘Yeah, I know. She got promoted not by her abilities, but by her seductive techniques.’
‘I know! I was just playing with my smartphone a little bit, and she got really mad. ‘If you have time to do that, you should work!’ she said.’
‘Ugh, that sounds like something she would say.’
‘She probably doesn’t have any friends, right? She’s just jealous because we have people to text.’
‘Ahaha! That’s hilarious! That sounds just like her!’
…That’s infuriating.
If you all did your jobs properly…
I wouldn’t care if you played with your smartphones or whatever!
But you can’t finish your work by the end of the workday, and yet you complain about having to do overtime…!
And on top of that, the brunt of it falls on the people who are actually working hard!
…I need to set them straight.
I really don’t want to do this… but even I…
As I steeled myself and reached for the door to the room, a certain word entered my ears.
‘Hey, Mito. You feel the same way, don’t you?’
…Mi, Mito-kun? He’s there too…
I have a soft spot for him…
If he were to say something like that about me… ugh… would I be able to recover?
‘What do you mean?’
‘What do you mean… We’re talking about how annoying Section Chief Matsuura is.’
‘Right~! You think the same way, Mito-san!’
That voice… it’s Kei Morishima, who’s considered the idol of our company…
She’s petite and cute, everyone’s favorite…
Does Mito-kun like girls like her…?
Wh-what will he say…?
‘No, not at all. I actually like her.’
…Wha-?! He, he likes me-?!
‘What?! What part of her do you like?!’
‘She gets her job done properly and doesn’t make unreasonable demands. She values the work of her subordinates and never acts unjustly. Do you know?’
Wh-what, I see… Why am I feeling disappointed?!
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Do you know that she comes to work earlier than anyone else?’
‘So what? That has nothing to do with us, does it?’
‘No, it does. She’s thinking about what tasks to assign to her subordinates that day, and what advice she should give them.’
‘Now that you mention it… I think she did tell me something like that once.’
‘Me too…’
‘Same here… But how do you know?’
‘I once found a memo she dropped… well, I couldn’t return it.’
Ah-! So he saw that!? That’s embarrassing…
‘I don’t think there are many bosses as good as her. She properly values even an employee like me who can only do mundane tasks.’
‘If you’re calling your work mundane…’
‘What about us?’
‘Huh, so Mito-san prefers her over me.’
‘Sigh… That’s not what I mean. Well, I do think she’s attractive and charming. But, I don’t bring those feelings to work. Oh… I made a mistake. If I don’t get back to work, I won’t be able to leave on time. I’m not telling you not to talk badly about her, she may be harsh at times. But I don’t think she enjoys saying those things. If you do your own work, you won’t get scolded. So, I think it’s better to keep your breaks to a minimum.’
After saying that, I heard footsteps… Is he coming this way?!
I hurriedly left the scene.
…But, I see.
Mito-kun thought of me that way…
It feels like the thorns inside me are being pulled out…
I wasn’t always this harsh.
It just happened as I continued working…
I’m happy… he stood up for me in that situation…
I’m sure it took courage.