It was my first day of work after the Bon holidays.

On the commuter train for the first time in a while, I was thinking about what I should do about the scouting offer I received from Zany Corp.

It was not a bad offer considering my future.

A decade ago, it would have been considered an act of betrayal to go to another company, but I hear that nowadays people don’t think so much of it.

Above all, I wanted to live up to the expectations of Ogai-san, who highly valued me.

However, I was not comfortable leaving the company that has taken care of me.

So, what should I do? ……

While I was thinking with my eyes closed, someone rubbed my arm with a “Muni!”

–Who the hell was that?…I didn’t need to think about 

“Good morning, Onii-san”

“Yo, Yuika”

When I opened my eyes, I saw Yuika in her casual clothes right next to me.

Today, she was dressed in denim shorts and a T-shirt.

This kind of clothing was casual, but when someone of Yuika’s age wore it, the cuteness of it made a stronger impression.

“What’s wrong? Why are you closing your eyes?”

“Just a little ……”

“If you have a problem, I’ll listen.”

Normally, I would ask for advice, but as expected, a high school girl would not know what I was talking about scouting.

No, ……, on the contrary, it was because she was a high school girl that she might notice something that I had overlooked.

However, of course, I couldn’t tell her the name of the company.

I guess I’ll partially disclose some of the details as usual and discuss it with her.

“Yuika, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yes. Okay.”

I gathered my breath and began to speak.

“There was once a great nation that tried to gain supremacy over the world …The story begins when a young man appears there.”

“An epic fantasy adventure is about to begin, what’s going to happen?”

Oof…. Her Reaction was no that good.

“Sorry, I tried to blur the details and make the content lighter since it’s an actual situation.”

“Far from making it light, it’s so intense, it could upset my stomach.”

Maybe it was a mistake for me to consult while exaggerating it to make it sound cool. Sure enough, consulting someone was difficult.

“Long story short, I’ve been scouted by another company. It’s an opportunity for career advancement, but I’m hesitant because I’m still attached to my current company.”

“Is this the company with the beautiful trainee you mentioned before?”

“Ahh, yeah. You are quick to understand”

Yuika really has good intuition.

Well, she wouldn’t think the trainee was actually Kaedezaka, Yuika’s senior.

Immediately Yui Hanaka, “Hmm.”

“”

“I see. I think I understand most of the situation.”

“As expected of you, Yuika.”

In just a few seconds, she understood this situation.

What a high spec high school girl.

“So you mean you’re not sure which one to choose, the cute junior or the beautiful trainee?”

“As usual, your skills to direct a conversation to love talks is excellent.”

“Praise me more.”

“I’m being sarcastic.”

However, Yuika didn’t drop the romance line.

“By the way, which one do you prefer, Onii-san? I’ll keep this between you and me, so just tell me.”

“The more you talk like that, the less trustworthy you are.”

“Don’t say that. Come on, just tell me.”

She was saying words that sounded like she was excited, but of course it was her usual tepid tone.

I couldn’t tell if she was really interested or not.

“At this point, it doesn’t really matter what I think of them.”

“But you know what? If it weren’t for your junior, you wouldn’t have bothered to tell me about the scouting, right?”

Yuika’s words were right on target.

That being said, …, it was indeed true.

After all, what stuck out the most in my mind was leaving Otomizu.

◆◆◆◆◆

The next day, Tuesday.

It was when I was using the copy machine at work.

“Ano…”

It was Otomizu with her sales bag who called out to me without warning.

She was probably on her way to an off-site work.

But for some reason, she looked anxious.

“What’s wrong, Otomizu?”

“I met my blind date on Saturday. That person was from a major advertising agency,…, and he told me that Sasamiya-san might be going to the Zany,…”

Come to think of it, I remember she said he was going back to her parents’ house to turn down an arranged marriage.

Being a major ad agency, they may be sensitive to behind-the-scenes information.

Then Otomizu approached very close.

Even though the other employees did not see it, it was close enough that if we made a mistake, we would have no excuse for suspicion.　

The anxious look on Otomizu’s face was sad, like an abandoned cat asking for help.

“I …… don’t want to leave Sasamiya-san’s side….

“It’s alright. Don’t worry.”

I said in as gentle a tone as possible and lightly pat Otomizu on the head.

Then she relaxed her cheeks as if she was relieved.

That’s right.

No matter if the training period was over, it was still not the time to leave Otomizu alone.

I’ve got my answer.

Although I felt it was a bit of a waste, I would decline the scouting offer from Zany Inc.