"Shinohara, we need to talk."
Chief Kobayashi had spoken these words with such seriousness that the young woman didn't know if she was going to be reprimanded, or simply assigned to a new task. It was a little hard to gauge, given that her supervisor had a default annoyed expression for all his other expressions.
He had approached her right next to the coffee machine during the afternoon break, raising the curious and suspicious looks of several of her colleagues, starting with Ren, Yuuto and Mari.
However, having realized that the request was a little too direct and peculiar, Chef Kobayashi had quickly made up for it.
"Tonight, at the team dinner, I have to go over something with you," he had said hurriedly.
This, however, did not dispel the doubtful and inquisitive looks of the Natural Disaster Department employees. Far from it.
Hana was curious about what was going on with him, suddenly coming to talk to her like that, without warning. She had even wondered if this was going to be her last day as a Marline employee, before Mari reassured her that interns could not be fired before the end of their probationary period.
And so she'd sighed, relieved but still anxious about the upcoming conversation with this person; and remaining stressed for the rest of the day.
So...
Why wasn't he still there?
The young woman had already arrived in the bar-restaurant where the other employees were gathered since a solid half hour, the tables having already formed in several rooms of the establishment. However, there was no trace of Chef Kobayashi.
The first round of beer and sake had already been distributed to all the rooms occupied by Marline, along with the appetizers and various cookies and bowls of edamame placed at regular intervals on the long low tables around which the employees sat on the floor on soft cushions.
"They were probably held up by HR or by the boss above them..." Said Yuuto limply, already on his third glass of beer. "It's bad for them, but it's good for us."
Now that she was paying more attention, Mr. Ogawa was not present either.
"You should slow down on the alcohol, Yuuto-kun," Mari warned him.
"And you should loosen up a bit," he replied, raising his glass in her direction.
Mari had managed not to get caught up in the general atmosphere, and had been content to drink juice after juice amidst all the excitement.
"And Shinohara-chan, you should relax too!" he exclaimed. "You've already been sulking since this afternoon..."
He took a can of beer and held it out to the young woman across the table from him, but she shook her head.
"I can't stand alcohol," Hana apologized.
"Oh, bummer... that'll make more for me then!" He said cheerfully as he poured the rest of the drink into his still half full glass.
Ren was content to nibble on a few rice crackers while taking an occasional tiny sip of sake.
Hana thought to herself that with him, everything was in moderation. Even for partying.
However, she noticed that the room the four of them were in was mostly occupied by employees from the ninth floor.
"Ah, that?" Mari pointed out. "Let's just say we're used to it, by now... People don't like to be around us much, in general."
"Why?" asked Hana innocently.
"Because of who, rather..." Yuuto sighed, "Our managers are a little too... Annoying, to others..."
He glanced sideways at the other end of the table, where the Head of the Sales Section, Tsukasa Heizo, was laughing out loud.
"They're either too strict or too lax. Everything in extremes," Ren quickly explained. "But the main reason is that our Department just has a bad reputation with others..."
"A bad reputation?" Hana repeated.
Ren picked up a new cracker, and before biting into it, replied:
"Our department is always under stress, and on many occasions, we are forced to pass on work to other departments," he added before sinking his teeth into the cracker in his hand.
"But that doesn't stop people from coming to talk with us," Mari smiled.
The four of them were seated at the end of the table, and with a quick gesture of the head, Mari then pointed to three women sitting near Chief Tsukasa and having similar haircuts: short, with a slight gradient towards the back.
"Over there for example, you have Iwabi-san, Chiaki-san and Tamura-san," she introduced. "They're from the professional vehicle department, and are part of a Tsukasa-san's fan club. We nicknamed them Cerberus because they're always aware of everything. Kind of like if Ito-san had split into two, and become a woman."
Ren clicked his tongue, obviously annoyed by the comment about his person.
"C...Cerberus?" Hana repeated, a little thrown off by the peculiar name that reminded her of high school classes on European mythologies.
"Yes, because there're three of them, and they seem to guard the gates to the underworld of gossip. I suspect they know a lot more than they actually share, so be careful when you talk to them."
Hana nodded quickly, while giving a curious look to the 'Cerberus' who was laughing happily at the other end of the table.
"Oh, it's almost 9pm," Mari then said while looking at the thin light pink strap watch on her wrist. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave you..."
"Already?" Complained Yuuto, "We've only been here for half an hour..."
"I have things planned for tomorrow morning, so I have to go home early," Mari smiled with an apologetic look.
"Who plans things on a Saturday morning?" Yuuto scoffed.
Mari started to get up and grab her bag, and soon she was imitated by Ren.
"Hey, don't tell me you're leaving too?!" Yuuto shushed like a little kid who had been denied one of his whims.
Ren just nodded silently, before following Mari out of the room after collecting their jackets.
"This is boring... They could have stayed a little longer..." Said Yuuto, dejected.
Hana smiled at him awkwardly.
He probably couldn't handle alcohol that much.
"Say, Shinohara-chan, you're staying, right?" He begged with a silly smile.
Yes, it was safe to say that now. He couldn't stand alcohol at all.
Waiters arrived in the room to hand out plates of meat and fish skewers on the table, leaving the door of the room open behind them.
Hana could hear cheers and even a few disgruntled voices from the hallway, a sign that Yuuto probably wasn't the only one getting drunk fast.
"Here, Shinoraha-chan!" He said, handing her a cup of sake.
"I really can't drink," she defended herself.
Yuuto continued to wave the drink at her, which made her give in.
She smiled awkwardly, and taking the cup, put it right next to her on the table.
The young man was pleased to have given her something to drink, although she did not touch it.
The young woman continued to look at the minutes passing on the screen of her telephone, ending by sighing a long time.
It was already close to 9:30 pm, and still no sign of Chief Kobayashi. She had forced herself to stay to hope to see him, and finally understand what he wanted from her, but it had been useless. He probably wouldn't come.
In the meantime, Yuuto had also fallen asleep in front of her, and Chief Tsukasa had already called her a cab to take him home. So she had set a final time limit for herself.
If Chief Kobayashi didn't arrive before Yuuto was forced into his cab, she would leave to take the train home.
She was a little disappointed, though. So far, Chief Kobayashi had only been yelling at her from a distance, or sending her stuffy e-mails. Also, she had been really pleasantly surprised by his approach a few hours earlier, in the break room.
Perhaps she had been delusional.
"Ah, Shinohara-san! I was looking for ya!" Exclaimed a man right behind her.
She winced, before quickly regaining a neutral expression, and turning back to the person who had just called her. She didn't need to see his face, having recognized by his voice Kubo Touma.
Without any embarrassment, he came directly to sit next to Hana, in the place Mari had occupied at the beginning of the evening; which put in an uncomfortable position the young woman.
What did he want from her, again?
"So, is everything going well?" He asked, leaning towards her, which made her a little more embarrassed.
"W...Well," she replied quickly, flinching.
She glanced nervously in front of her, then at the rest of the table. Yuuto was still asleep, and the other employees were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice the newcomer in the room.
Grimacing mentally, she had to face the fact that she would have to deal with this problem by herself.
"What are you doing here, Kubo-san?" She asked without really looking for an answer.
"Oh, but I'm coming to see you!" He exclaimed with a big smile.
A feeling of discomfort seized the young woman. What could this smile be hiding?
"Wait, I'll get us something to drink, and I'll come back, okay?" Said he while rising immediately, without giving him the slightest chance to protest.
He left the room quickly, which gave Hana some respite. She didn't really know why this guy was so interested in her, but he made her feel uncomfortable. Was this normal, this kind of behavior?
She hadn't really had that many friends, until now, so it was hard to tell. Especially with the strange feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.
It wasn't the kind of anxiety about the unknown. It was more... Worrying than that. Which spurred her into action, as she began to lightly shake Yuuto, who was slumped on the table, his head buried in his arms.
But nothing happened, the young man just whimpered before returning to silence.
Quickly, Kubo was back, two glasses of drink in his hands, and sat down again a little too close to her.
"Here, this will do you good," he said, handing her a clear glass that clearly smelled of alcohol.
"Ah, uh, no thanks," she quickly apologized, raising her hands in front of her. "I can't stand alcohol."
"I thought you might say that, so here!" He said as he handed her the glass filled with an orange-yellow liquid. "Orange juice, plain and simple."
Hana considered for a moment the glass that the slightly older man was holding out to her, then finally resigned herself and took it in her hands.
He had thought of this eventuality, so this reassured her. Kubo had been rather considerate and attentive, with this approach.
She took a few sips out of politeness, before putting the glass down next to the one Yuuto had handed her earlier. At this rate, she might quickly collect several full glasses before she left.
"So, is everything going well in the Freaky Department?" He asked, smiling and starting to drink his own glass.
"Excuse me?" She said, taken aback.
"Ah, you probably don't know this, but that's the nickname for your Department," he explained quickly. "It's such a crazy floor in terms of workload that people are quitting faster than new hires are coming in."
Hana frowned. So this was what Ren and Mari had been trying to explain to her, not to make it any darker? Was this really what was going on on the ninth floor, and what others thought of the Natural Disaster Department?
This made her feel a little sad, because she didn't appreciate the words of the man beside her at all. The latter quickly noted the disconcerted expression of the young woman.
"I don't say that for nothing, you know." Said he in haste. "But that's how everyone sees you..."
Hana didn't know which was worse, in this situation: the fact that Kubo was probably right, or the fact that he said that without the slightest ounce of kindness, or even looking sorry. Probably both, which triggered a headache for her.
"I really like the people in my Department, so stop talking about that, Kubo-san," she said vehemently.
"S... Sorry..." He hastened to say because of her stern tone.
A short silence followed, before he spoke again, more cheerful than ever. Perhaps the liquid courage that had granted him his alcoholic drink.
"But tell me Shinohara-san, won't your boyfriend worry that you are out so late? He asked.
"I... I don't have a 'boyfriend'," she replied awkwardly.
The question was a little too direct and personal for her taste, and didn't seem to be entirely innocent either.
"Oh, I see," he said with a delighted look.
No, definitely not an innocent one, that question. This made Hana's headache redouble in intensity.
"In that case, how about we go watch a movie, one of these days?" He asked with a confident smile.
Oh. She finally understood. This guy was making a pass at her!
It was the first time it happened to her; that someone was hitting on her.
However, even if it flattered her a little, it embarrassed her greatly; and even more, put her in an indelicate position.
She had no feelings for this man at all. In fact, if she were to talk about who she was interested in, it would be...
"You know, no need to worry, we can try, and if it does not suit you, so be it!" He exclaimed.
Try? Could one really do that, between adults?
No, even if it was, she wasn't interested in just 'trying'. Not with Kubo, at least.
"N...No..." She said after a moment of silence.
The man winced slightly, before almost instantly hiding his displeased expression with an even bigger smile.
Ah, what was that feeling?
She already had a headache, but now she also had a spinning head with her vision blurring?
"Come on, just one date, together!" Kubo said wtih a charming smile. "Who knows, maybe you'll find out that you like me!"
No. This guy was far too insistent, and didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'no'.
The feeling of anxiety that had taken hold of the young woman's stomach had turned into real concern. But she had to remain firm in her answers.
"Kubo-san, I..."
She was about to stand up, when her head began to spin even more, and she lost her balance; falling back onto her cushion.
What did that mean? Why did she feel like that?
She hadn't had a drop of alcohol tonight. So why did she feel like she was drunk?
"Are you okay, Shinohara-san?" Chief Tsukasa exclaimed from the other end of the table.
He had witnessed the young woman's quick fall, and was immediately concerned for her, frowning.
"Don't worry, Tsukasa-san," Kubo quickly replied. "I have a feeling she's had a little too much to drink, so I'll call her a cab."
What was he saying, now? She hadn't had anything to drink.
She hadn't had anything to drink, nothing at all.
So why had he said that, being absolutely sure of himself?
Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in the young woman's mind, and her gaze immediately went to the orange juice the man had handed her.
He hadn't done this, did he...?
Before she even had time to open her mouth, Kubo lifted her by pulling on her arms, then passed one of his arms around her waist.
"Really, you shouldn't drink that much, Shinohara-san," he said with a small smile while slowly leading her towards the corridor.
A smile that sent a shiver down the young woman's spine, while she started to lose consciousness.