Chapter 51 Something I Can't Remember

Something I Can’t Remember

It has been a week since Rina joined our company.

Things have gone surprisingly smoothly in that time.

Rina is very quick at picking things up and learning new things. She makes almost no mistakes.

“I’ve copied these documents, so I’ll give them to you first, Manager. Please review them when you have a moment.”

“Thank you, Kuroda-san.”

“Kuroda-san, please give me some documents too!”

“Me too, please, Kuroda-san.”

“Yes, shall I give you some now?”

“That’s a big help, thank you.”

“I’m so glad you joined our company, Kuroda-san.”

“No, no, not at all. I’m just….”

In addition, because she has a naturally friendly personality, she quickly got along with the other employees and became popular in no time.

In the midst of all this, of course, two people looked unhappy.

One of them was me. It was only natural.

Even though we had divorced and were now strangers, my ex-wife had looked down on me and insulted me endlessly.

I hate to see her face, and more than anything, I don’t want the other employees to find out about our relationship.

And the other person was….

“…It’s not funny.”

Airi, who was in charge of training Rina.

Well, no wonder she’s not having fun.

Rina understood everything she was taught and quickly learned how to do the job.

…No, there must be another reason.

“That woman… She did such terrible things to Ma-kun, yet she acts like nothing happened and wins people’s hearts instantly… She’s so spoiled… It’s so annoying!”

“Now, now… calm down, Airi.”

During our lunch break, Airi and I went up to the rooftop of the company and ate our lunch on a bench.

By the way, my lunch was made by Airi.

It seems that she asked me about my favorite foods before for this reason. Of course, there was no tomato, which I hate.

“Moreover, that woman… She’s still trying to flirt with Ma-kun! It’s ridiculous…!”

“Well, I understand how Airi feels, but… While we’re eating something so delicious, it’s not a good topic.”

“Oh… y-yeah, you’re right. S-sorry? By the way, is the bento I made tasty? Is there anything you don’t like?”

“Yes, it’s all delicious.”

“R-really? …Fufufu~”

My compliment must have made her really happy, because Airi’s face, which had been so sullen, broke into a happy smile.

She’s so sweet and innocent. Considering that she confessed to me, I wonder if it was all just a dream.

“Oh… Ma-kun, you have some sauce on your lip.”

“Eh?”

How embarrassing to do such a childish thing.

When I was about to lick it off with my tongue, Airi smiled slightly and leaned closer.

“No. I’ll clean it for you.”

I thought she would wipe it with a handkerchief, but to my surprise, Airi licked my lips with her tongue.

“Eh…!?”

My body stiffened at her bold action, and I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter.

This girl always excites me.

My heart is pounding so hard. I can hear it beating loudly.

“Fufufu, I’m getting a little excited.”

Airi’s shy smile is about to make my heart burst.

I can’t help it. I’ve only ever dated Rina before, and this is the first time I’ve done something like this with someone else.

As someone who’s not very good at romance, this is embarrassing enough to make me want to die.

“Aha! Ma-kun, your face is so red!”

“Eh, oh, Airi too.”

“I can’t help it. Ma-kun is my first love, so I’m a little embarrassed to do this with someone I like.”

I thought maybe she didn’t have to, but since I was actually happy about it, I decided to keep quiet.

While we were being all lovey-dovey, a phone suddenly made a notification sound.

I guess I got a message, but it wasn’t on my phone.

“Ugh, it’s my dad again….”

It seems that Airi has received a message from her father on her smartphone.

She looks at the screen with a disgusted expression and checks the message.

Then, as if she had finished reading the message, her hand stops and freezes.

“Really?”

“What is it, Airi?”

“Just a second. I have to take a call, so I’ll be right back.”

Saying that Airi sighed heavily and left the rooftop.

It must be something she doesn’t want me to hear.

Since I don’t know the situation, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get involved in someone else’s family, so I’ll just eat my delicious bento and wait.

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, I noticed something on the ground.

I picked it up and realized that it was a key chain.

It looked pretty old like it had been around for a long time, but it had a cute cat character on it.

“…Hey, I think I’ve seen this somewhere before….”

I have a feeling that I have seen something like this a long time ago.

But where did I see it? Was it on TV or something?

No, it’s different. I feel like this character is from a more memorable past.

I try to remember while scratching my head, but I can’t quite remember.

“No good, I still can’t remember.”

I feel that it must be something important, but if I can’t remember, I can’t help it.

Thinking that I’ll remember someday, I decided to wait for Airi to come back.