Meanwhile, Kobayashi Shinsuke had been absent-mindedly watching the whole scene, leaning against one of the glass partitions of the breakroom.
While distractedly drinking his still lukewarm coffee, he was also listening to the discussion that Saizo and several employees had, monopolizing by themselves almost a third of the breakroom. It had to be said that Saizo was the charming man; he'd made flutter at least once the heart of every young woman who had come to work in the company. And this, even if his own heart was not to be taken anymore.
Shinsuke unwittingly winced. It had been a long time since he'd been the women's main focus of attention. And his bloody temper didn't help with that. He'd probably kept them away more than he should have. And anyway, he was no longer interested. Even after all this time, it wasn't as if an injured soul could heal by itself. It was the kind of wound that persisted; sometimes even worsening with the passing of time. And everyone needed their own time to heal. There was no universal amount of time known to the human heart to forget all the sorrows of the past.
And in Shinsuke's case, it seemed that this period of time was unusually lengthy.
No... For the heart to begin to recover, you must have the will to heal beforehand... He thought bitterly.
His gaze and that of the young woman had already met twice this morning. Which, according to him, was already two times too many.
He winced at the thought that she'd probably been watching him all along this morning, without him even realizing it.
What did that even mean?
He'd seen that she'd been giving him furtive looks since she came to works this morning. As if he were some curious thing she'd never seen before.
Yet they had done more than just run into each other the day before.
Could it be that he'd been wrong, after all?
Doubt continued to creep into Shinsuke's mind.
But then he'd seen the young woman heading towards the stairwell; instead of the elevator inside which her new colleagues had rushed.
This meant that she was going to be alone for a little while, and therefore that Shinsuke could take advantage of this opportunity to talk to her and confront her.
So far, she'd shown no signs of remorse, despite the fact that she'd definitely recognized him.
He was sure of it. The young woman's face had made that clear to him. That, and her insistent looks. Even if he still doubted his own memory, the glances that the young woman kept aiming at him were more than enough to confirm his suspicions.
It was time to set the record straight between the two of them, especially in regards to the humiliation he suffered the day before. Ah, he would never get over it. He couldn't even set foot anymore in his favorite nightclub, which served so many different kinds of alcohol from different places at once. No more fine Scotch whiskey, or English gin. He would have to find another place that served as many imported drinks, and preferably at a reasonable price.
He'd come close to spending the night in jail, but even that might have been better, considering what she'd put him through yesterday.
So how would she react? Was she going to deny it all, as her attitude suggested? Or was she going to apologize?
He left the breakroom, leaving Saizo behind to chat and laugh with some colleagues who appreciated his friend's light and playful attitude.
Yes, he was going to confront her, face to face. And ask her for a formal apology. And if he wasn't satisfied with it, he would force her to resign.
Just the thought of it made him smile. He would enjoy seeing the young woman's face lose its cheerful look, and become clouded either by shame or by the fear of not having a job overnight.
With a steady pace, he headed for the service door leading to the main stairwell of the building. It was just perfect. He could throw everything he had on his heart at her. She'd acted like a real, crazy person last night. And he was going to get even, one way or another.
However, his hand stopped dead in its motion towards the door handle as he heard voices coming from the stairwell on the other side of the door.
"Yes... Ah, this is Shinohara Hana speaking, again... Yes..." Said the young woman in a low, almost inaudible voice.
She seemed to be talking on the phone with someone since Shinsuke could only hear one side of the conversation.
"Ah, yes, I will need to change all three, please... Ah... Yes... No... My roommate lost our sets of keys again... Yes... I apologize for the inconvenience... Thank you... " carried on the young woman, her voice losing even more volume as the conversation kept going on.
She seemed to be apologizing at the same time as she was asking for a favor. She suddenly didn't seem as cheerful as before. It was as if she had a problem, and that problem was making her worried and anxious.
Shinsuke couldn't help but wonder what could be worrying his new subordinate so much, that her attitude had changed so drastically.
No. He had to avoid meddling in what was not his business.
That's right, Kobayashi Shinsuke. Pretend you didn't hear anything, and go your own way. He said mentally to himself.
Interfering in things that didn't concern him was really a no-no.
You can't! It's forbidden, Kobayashi Shunsuke! Forbidden!
He tried to lecture himself, but nothing helped. He kept on listening to this half of the discussion in spite of himself.
"Yes... I understand... Ah! No... Tonight if possible... I know I'm asking a lot from you.... " said Hana. She sounded more and more bothered by the situation, and also probably by what was said to her on the other end of the phone.
She knew, after all, that it was more than strange.
It was already the fourth time in a single month that she'd asked to change all the locks in her apartment. And even saying that keys had been lost; a fourth time was starting to be too many times.
"We won't be able to intervene until after 9:00 tonight. I'm afraid we won't be able to before then, because of all the appointments we already have today. "Answered the employee of the locksmith's shop while sighing.
He too seemed tired of having the same customer on the phone; for the same reason every time.
"Yes, okay. I understand. But in that case, really come by tonight, okay? " Asked Hana, worried.
She thanked the employee again, while apologizing, then finally hung up.
She sighed for a long time, a big burden partly removed from her shoulders.
What Shinsuke didn't anticipate was that Hana would turn back so quickly. In retrospect, it was more than predictable, at least for most people. But not for Shinsuke, who tended to focus too much on one thing, and completely overshadow the rest.
Because a few seconds later, he found himself in front of a wide-open door, and a panicked recruit with wide open, trembling eyes.
"C... Chief Kobayashi?" She managed to say, surprised. "What are you doing here?"