Prologue

I hate my junior at work, Hanamori Chisa.

Why? Because she's calculatedly cute.

The pitch of her voice when she laughs. The upward glances. The way she elongates the end of her sentences. No matter how you look at it, every move is calculated to play up to men.

Take today's lunch break in the kitchenette, for instance. She was standing around chatting with Tamura-san, the biggest heartthrob in our Sales Department.

"Thanks to you landing that appointment, Hanamori-san, we managed to close the deal."

"Aww, really~? I'm so happy~! You'll have to take me out to dinner as a reward then, tee-hee~!"

Giggling, she hands him a paper cup, letting her hands brush against Tamura-san's. Her nails are painted a soft pink. The movement of her fingers is strangely lingering.

Granted, she's got the look. She's petite but has a great figure, with a baby face featuring slightly downturned eyes that moisten like a puppy's. She wears feminine clothes tailored to her frame, paired with meticulously researched makeup.

She's cute. I admit it. I have no choice but to admit it. But the issue is how she uses that "weapon."

Around male colleagues, she's like a stage actress.

One second she's briskly carrying a cardboard box, but the moment a guy she's targeting walks over, she starts wobbling and acting like it's "sooo heavy."

"Woow, that's amazing~" "You're incredible~!" Her eyes sparkle along with those stock phrases.

It's an entire arsenal designed purely to make men happy.

However.

The moment she's alone with me—a woman, Asami Nagi—she becomes a completely different person.

"I'm leaving the documents right here."

She sets down the files expressionlessly. Her voice drops a full octave below normal, and the sweet, trailing tones at the end of her words vanish completely. Her eyes were dead as a fried fish, avoiding all eye contact. Zero smile on her downturned lips. The sheer gap in her demeanor is so absurd I can't help but laugh.

＊＊＊

Afternoon. On the boss's orders, rookie Hanamori was assigned to tag along with me on my sales calls.

I was driving. Hanamori sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with her smartphone, occasionally staring blankly out the window.

As the adult in the car, I tried to be considerate and strike up a conversation.

"Hanamori-san, about today's client meeting—"

"…………"

No response. Her eyes were glued to her phone screen.

"Um, are you listening?"

"I'm listening."

Hanamori replied with a trace of annoyance. Her voice was cold, her motivation at absolute zero. She had the languid attitude of a rebellious middle schooler forced to attend a family reunion on a weekend.

Irritated as I was by that response, I tried once more to take the high road.

"Today's client is really a stickler about manners and formal speech. You might want to be a bit careful."

"...Sigh. Got it~"

Slouching against the passenger seat, she gave a half-hearted reply without looking up from her screen.

Hanamori continued to glance out the window from time to time, radiating a whole-body aura of 'what a pain.'

Waiting at a red light, I let out a quiet sigh. When someone's attitude is this drastically different from how she acts around men, all you can do is laugh. It was hard to believe the person who had been beaming at Tamura-san in the kitchenette moments ago was the exact same person sighing in my passenger seat right now.

Then, staring at her prized nails, she muttered under her breath:

"Man, I wish I was tagging along on Tamura-san's sales calls today instead~"

...Huh? Like I want to be driving around on sales calls with someone like you either.

Involuntary annoyance flared inside me, and my grip on the steering wheel tightened.

This is why I hate you, Hanamori Chisa.

That full-on calculated cute mode you pull around men, versus the full-on cold shoulder treatment you give me.

The gap between the two is strangely aggravating, strangely comical, and, at the end of the day, just plain aggravating.

＊＊＊

A certain Saturday.

That day, I was having drinks at an izakaya with a friend from my college days.

Suddenly, a familiar laugh echoed from a table in the back.

"Aww, for real~? I had no idea~!"

"No way~! Ryota-kun, you're amazing~!"

"Stop it, tee-hee♡"

I didn't even need to look. That high-pitched, cooing voice unmistakably belonged to Hanamori Chisa.

Glancing over, I saw her surrounded by four guys, laughing away. Tucking her hair behind her ear. Holding her glass with both hands. Looking up at the guy next to her at a calculated upward angle. Every single detail was meticulously crafted.

This was the first time I'd witnessed Hanamori unleashing her calculated cuteness at full power in the wild.

Unbelievable. Why did I have to run into her in a place like this? My drinks were gonna taste like trash now.

At the very least, I had to make sure she didn't notice me.

I downed a full mug of beer and quietly muttered, "Annoying."

My friend asked, "Someone you know?" but I shook my head. "Nah, not at all." I wanted nothing to do with this. For today at least, I wanted to drink without thinking about Hanamori Chisa.

About an hour later, I heard voices from that back table again.

"Chisa-chan, are you okay? Your face is bright red."

"I'm fine~ I can still drink more~"

Her speech was getting slightly slurred. That girl can't hold her liquor, yet she's pushing herself. Hah, what an idiot.

Sure enough, thirty minutes later, she stumbled out of the tavern supported by the guys. To their "We'll walk you home," she answered in a sweet, slurred voice, "Thank you so much~"

My friend and I watched them leave, exchanged glances, and let out a wry smile.

About thirty minutes after that, we settled our bill and stepped outside.

"There really are calculatedly cute girls everywhere, huh?"

When I grumbled that, my friend laughed and said:

"Oh, that drunk girl from earlier? ...Well, yeah~ but honestly, that's the kind of girl who's popular."

I know. I know that, but... God, I really do hate her.

＊＊＊

On the way home after parting with my friend.

The night breeze was cold, and my buzz was starting to wear off. As I passed by a convenience store, someone was slumped over on a bench.

Looking closer, it was Hanamori Chisa.

Huh? Didn't she just leave with those guys?

As I approached, I saw her phone lying on the ground, and the contents of her bag spilled everywhere. Lip balm, a handkerchief, a coin purse. A total mess unimaginable for the usually perfect Hanamori Chisa.

Suppressing the urge to just walk past, I decided to at least call out to her.

"...Hanamori-san?"

When I called her name, she slowly lifted her head.

"Mnn~... Huh, Asami-shaan?"

Her eyes were glazed over. Her speech was slurred. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair disheveled. Where had that perfect appearance from earlier gone? Was this the unfiltered Hanamori Chisa?

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Ahh~, well~. I was at a drinking party~ and on the way back I really needed to use the restroom~. So I stopped at the convenience store~ and when I came out, everyone was gone~"

Hanamori grinned foolishly. They abandoned her? Those guys are the absolute worst. No, wait, Hanamori's at fault too for getting carried away when she can't handle her drink.

"Where's your place? I'll take you home."

"I'm goood~"

She tried wobbling to her feet, only to collapse back onto the bench.

"Don't need it~ I'm not interested in women, so just leave me alone~" she said with a smirk.

...Huh?

Not interested in women? What kind of way to talk is that?

As if I had called out to her with some ulterior motive. Okay, sure, I like cute girls, but Hanamori? Absolutely not.

Annoyed, I spat out:

"Fine. Then go ahead and pass out right here for all I care."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

Ten steps. Fifteen steps. Twenty steps.

Behind me, a loud clatter echoed. Turning around, I saw Hanamori had rolled right off the bench onto the ground.

"Ouch, ow..."

Unsteadily swaying, she tried to pick up her phone, only to tumble over again. It was practically a drunken comedy skit at this point. There was no way she could make it home on her own.

...Unbelievable. I can't just leave her.

It'd be infuriating if tomorrow she went around telling the male colleagues in that cooing voice, "Asami-san abandoned me~!"

No, even beyond that, as a decent human being, I couldn't just walk away. What if some weird guy harassed her? What if she got into an accident? The aftertaste would be terrible.

Right, this is purely me acting as a responsible adult.

"...Seriously, what a pain of a woman."

Sighing, I turned back.

"Come on, get up."

I grabbed Hanamori's arm and pulled her up. She was lighter than I expected. Or rather, slender. And soft.

"Ah-huh~? Asami-san... why did you come back for me~?"

"Quiet. I'm hailing a taxi, so just behave."

I gathered up her scattered belongings and stuffed them into her bag. Hanamori leaned against my shoulder, giggling limply.

"Aww~ Asami-san, you're surprisingly sweet~"

"Shut up."

I flagged down a taxi and bundled Hanamori inside.

When the driver asked, "Where to?", Hanamori was already asleep. I took her phone out of her bag to check her address, but it was password protected.

"...Guess I've got no choice. To my place it is."

I gave the driver my address, and the taxi set off.

Along the way, Hanamori rested her full weight against my shoulder. A sweet scent of perfume wafted over. Her smooth hair brushed against my cheek. She was way too close. This was the first time I'd ever seen Hanamori Chisa from this close.

Looking at her again, she really was cute. Her personality might be completely rotten, but her appearance was top-tier. My heart was thumping a little too loudly.

No, wait. I'm definitely not swooning. I'm just drunk. Right, it's just the alcohol.

The driver kept glancing at us through the rearview mirror every now and then, but I wished he wouldn't. I couldn't possibly explain this.

Arriving at my apartment, we got out of the cab. Supporting Hanamori, I walked us to the front door.

"Alright, in you go."

I helped her take off her shoes at the entryway. Hanamori complied obediently. Where had her usual cold shoulder treatment gone? Is she the type who becomes submissive when drunk?

I led her to the living room and sat her on the sofa. She immediately slumped down into a sleeping position and fell back into a deep slumber. I went to the kitchen and brought back a glass of water.

"Hanamori-san, I'm putting some water right here."

I set the glass on the table near the sofa. Hanamori was sleeping peacefully, breathing softly.

Well then, time to change clothes, I thought, standing up—

Suddenly, my wrist was yanked firmly.

"Eh, wait, what—"

I was pulled down. My field of vision swayed.

In the next instant, something soft touched my lips.

My mind went completely blank.

Even as I tried to pull away, her arms wouldn't let go.

If anything, her grip tightened, pulling me closer.

Too close, too close, too close.

Her lips parted softly. Hanamori's warm breath escaped.