It was just before 10 PM on December 24th. A Christmas Eve spent with a boyfriend has never been a part of my life. Not even once in the past twenty-eight years.
I was the only one left on the office floor. After finishing the tasks that had been piling up all morning, I locked up and headed to the break room downstairs before leaving. It’s the only place in the office with a vending machine. I really wish they’d add a few more.
After being stuck sitting and staring at the computer for so long, a little walk definitely helps clear my head.
When I entered the break room, someone was already standing in front of the vending machine. It was my colleague, Akasaka Rei, who had disappeared about thirty minutes earlier.
We both belong to the same sales department, but he works out in the field while I’m primarily an office assistant. We cover different areas, so our desks are far apart, and we don’t really have much opportunity to talk.
Though, I have worked with him a few times. As a sales assistant, I sometimes need to accompany my immediate supervisor. Since my supervisor has young children and tends to take time off, he occasionally fills in as a pinch hitter.
A suit doesn't suit him at all. With a graduate degree, he’s two years older than me. Even though he’s in his thirties, his appearance hasn't changed since he first joined the company, and he still looks like a college graduate on a job hunt.
He’s a unique figure in the sales department, using a relaxed smile and laid-back conversation to disarm people’s suspicions, gradually taking control of the situation and smoothly gaining peoples trust.
It’s the same with people inside the company. Whether he’s calculating or not, his actions are so straightforward that it’s impossible to tell. If he were a con artist, the mark wouldn’t even realize they were being deceived. He’s the type of person I’d least want to meet.
However, he’s selling our company’s sweets, so it’s at least something sweet and harmless.
I took a deep breath before approaching him.
So that I could interact with him normally.
His shirt is always neatly ironed. His tie is simple, but his handkerchief sometimes has a bear embroidery on it. His nails are clean. His bag is inconspicuous, but it’s actually from a fairly expensive brand. His wristwatch is analog, and it looks like it’s probably quite pricey too. For lunch, he always has a sandwich or bun from the nearby bakery, along with orange juice (I wonder if that’s enough for him?). I thought he’d disappear somewhere, but instead, he’s eating alone on a bench on the rooftop. When he has some free time, he reads hardcover books.
He makes tea in a mug about twice a day, and it’s from a high-end British brand (I looked it up). He always has chocolate stocked in his drawer. He doesn’t smoke, but when he drinks, it’s either whiskey or wine.
He commutes by train, in the opposite direction from me.
I observe him almost like a stalker, but I haven’t gone as far as finding out where he lives.
He pressed the button without hesitation and grabbed the bottle. When he noticed me behind him, he turned around and smiled.
"Rie-san, thank you for your hard work, especially this late."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mine-san."
By the way, there's this odd rule at our company where we have to address each other by our first names
I bowed my head to hide my embarrassment and passed by him with a neutral expression.
However, when I noticed what he was holding in his hand, I stopped in my tracks.
Dango.
A thirty-year-old man in a suit, with a happy look on his face, eating Mitarashi dango instead of cake on Christmas Eve. Did he buy it at the convenience store and come back?
"What? You just laughed, didn’t you?"
"It’s not that it’s funny, but... you really have a sweet tooth, whether it’s Japanese or Western sweets."
"Someone once said that if they could see Mine-san’s smile, it would be a lucky day. Lucky me."
"There’s less than two hours left."
I can’t help but give a curt response.
"Sorry, Mine-san, I should’ve bought something for you since I know you're hungry. But I’d feel bad offering you the leftovers since I ate them so sloppily."
"Don’t worry about it."
The glossy, round dango disappears into his mouth.
I felt jealous of them.
I also want him to bite me and swallow me, turning me into nutrients inside his stomach.
He gently licked the sauce from his lips with the tip of his tongue.
I want him to lick every part of my body with that tongue, especially the places no one should see.
I’m probably a pervert among perverts.
Once the dango was finished, he gulped down the contents of the bottle, like a boy from the sports club.
I couldn’t help but watch as his throat moved up and down, feeling like I was watching something forbidden.
"Mine-san, you are really staring a lot. Is it because you are holding a grudge over the dango?"
"No. I just thought you should eat a proper dinner."
"Tonight, there's some leftover soup from yesterday, so I’m good."
"You cook for yourself?"
"Yeah, about as much as everyone else does."
I suddenly remembered I had come here to buy a drink.
I had come to buy hot milk tea, but sadly, the button displayed "Sold Out."
I stared at the red letters for about five seconds. No reward. I thought I might settle for ice cream, but there was only one kind of tea.
"Maybe, tea?"
In Rie's hand was a hot tea bottle.
"Sorry, I've already drunk most of it."
"Well... maybe it was popular because it's cold."
I can't drink coffee, but in the office, coffee and energy drinks are popular.
It can't be helped. I’ve never tried it, but I chose oshiruko. Maybe because I saw the Mitarashi dango.
"That's pretty strong."
"Rie-san, are you a tea person?"
I shook the hot can. I could feel the centrifugal force, maybe because it had quite a bit of azuki.
"Yeah, I prefer tea over coffee."
"Me too. Coffee upsets my stomach."
"Yep, exactly."
The oshiruko was sweeter than I expected, but it wasn’t bad.
"How is it? Is it good?"
"It’s alright. It fills my stomach."
"I’ll try it next time."
"It’s a bit much, so I’ll give it to you. Do you want it?"
I asked to see how he would react, just out of curiosity.
One, he drinks normally. Two, he refuses with a "No thanks." Three, he gets embarrassed and doesn’t know how to answer. Which will it be?
He looked at the can and me alternately, then casually asked, "Is it okay?"
While I was wiping the lipstick off the rim with a pocket tissue, I felt someone's eyes on me.
He smiled without saying anything. Then, he took the can and drank it normally.
"It’s delicious. But if you keep staring at me, I’ll get nervous."
I mean, it’s an indirect kiss, right? You saw me wiping off the lipstick, though.
Whether he understood the meaning of my gaze or not, he returned the can with a lazy smile.
I gently put my lips to the can I received.
I don't think he understands why my heart is pounding like this.
If he had turned me down, I would’ve been hurt. But turning me down is the usual thing. The fact that he didn’t means either he’s not interested, or he doesn’t see me as a woman. Which is it?
"You drink really well."
"It was because the beans had settled at the bottom."
"Corn soups are like that too, right? Also, soups with rice in them."
"Is that really a thing?"
"Yep, at the station. Things like curry, dashi, and tonkotsu ramen broth. They’re surprisingly good."
"You sure drink some strange stuff."
"Don’t you want to try it? It’s an adventure that only costs a couple of hundred yen. Before a product hits the market, there’s an intense battle of ideas and relentless development behind it. As someone in the food industry, I can’t help but sympathize. You should buy it at least once"
"I don’t look at vending machines that often."
"Well, sometimes there are products that make you think, 'How did that happen?' That’s the interesting part of this industry, right? When I start thinking about how to pitch it to a stubborn manager, I never get bored."
I couldn’t help but laugh.
I actually want to talk a little more. But I’ve finished my drink, and I should be heading home soon.
I don’t get why people feel the need to find a partner just because it’s Christmas. But this year, I ended up having an indirect kiss. I tried to avoid thinking about it. I’ll think about it later when I get home, otherwise, I feel like my mind will spin.
Yet, he keeps disturbing my heart even further.
"We’re the only ones left, right? Can we leave now? Let’s go home together."
Chapter length 3439 characters.
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