The Beautiful Kuudere Woman Who Always Reads Books While Standing Next to Me at the Laundromat Turns Out to Be the Vice President of One of Our Clients
The consulting work at TechFrontier was stimulating, but at the same time, it was slowly eroding my peaceful daily life.
The reason, needless to say, was the existence of Shiori Tsukishima and the countless incomprehensible rumors surrounding her.
“Minato san, I have a question.”
On Friday afternoon, after finishing a meeting at TechFrontier, I was packing my laptop into my bag when Tanaka san, holding documents and a laptop in front of her, approached me and whispered.
“Ah…yes. Was there something unclear during the meeting?”
“No, not at all ! The documents were as clear as always ! Um…Minato san, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Huh…what !?”
When I exclaimed in surprise, the other employees looked over to see what was happening. I gestured for them to be quiet and walked with Tanaka san to the corner of the room.
“I’m asking if you have a girlfriend. Do you?”
Tanaka san asked cheerfully.
Is this…the start of my golden age of popularity !?
I lowered my voice slightly and replied, “No, I don’t.” Tanaka san said, “That’s perfect !”
…Huh? Perfect?
Tanaka san beckoned to Tsukishima san, and the three of us—Tanaka-san, Tsukishima-san, and I—began a small meeting in the corner of the conference room.
“Huh? What are the two of you doing?”
Tsukishima san asked, and Tanaka san began, “Actually…”
“We received a message from the sales department. This weekend…actually, tomorrow, there’s a small networking party hosted by a real estate company we do business with. Apparently, one man and one woman had to cancel, so they’re looking for someone to fill in. You two would be perfect for it !”
Tanaka san rattled on like a machine gun, dragging Tsukishima-san into it as well. She called it a ‘networking party’ but it was basically a dating event.
Tanaka san’s eyes were filled with the certainty that “This is going to be absolutely fascinating.” Tsukishima san and I exchanged glances, reading the words “This is going to be a hassle” written on each other’s faces.
“Uh, I’m not sure…”
“Tomorrow, all of a sudden…”
Just as we were about to refuse, Tanaka san said, “Don’t worry ! I’ve already contacted them on your behalf ! So, that’s settled ! I sent the details by email during the meeting, so please take care of it !” With a wink, she left like a whirlwind, leaving us with a bombshell.
Tsukishima san and I exchanged glances.
“Minato san, do you have plans tomorrow?”
“I just made some.”
“Well, I’m free, but…”
“…Should we go?”
Tsukishima san looked troubled as she opened her smartphone.
“Hmm…it’s a major client, so I can’t just turn them down.”
“In that case, I can’t just turn down a client who invites me either.””
“Are you waiting to be invited, Minato san?”
“Don’t talk like it’s a romantic comedy manga ! Okay, so tomorrow we’ll go to a matchmaking event.”
“Matchmaking event? Isn’t it just a social gathering?”
“It’s just a fancy way of saying matchmaking event, right?”
“Eh…I-I see…what should I do…”
Tsukishima san began to show obvious signs of distress. But there was nothing we could do about it. Once we were asked to go, our participation was already decided.
◆
After seeing Minato san off, Tanaka san approached with a big smile.
“Tsukishima san ! Let’s show off how popular you are in front of that ex-boyfriend of yours, Minato san ! Find someone new, forget about him completely, and grab a wonderful opportunity !”
“But…he’s not my ex-boyfriend…hey, is this really a matchmaking event? I’ve never been to one before…”
“Don’t worry. Someone like you just needs to stand there quietly and people will approach you ! Plus, there’s supposed to be one-on-one time too.”
“Ugh…I’m so depressed…”
The good thing about this company is that it’s very open. It’s such a flat organization that there are employees who would just sign up the vice president for a street party without asking.
I told myself that and started searching for “matchmaking event attire.”
◆
The next day, the designated venue was a trendy café bar in the city center.
Dim lighting, overly cheerful background music, and the restless conversations of men and women with overly strong intentions. I felt like a lost lamb, completely out of place.
“Alright, first, please fill out your profile card, and then you’ll have one-on-one conversations with the female participants in order. After that, it’s free time, so feel free to actively promote yourself !”
Prompted by the overly enthusiastic female staff at the front desk, I filled out the form with generic information like “Hobbies: Reading (Mystery Novels)” and “Special Skills: None” which could even be seen as negative. I wondered who would be interested in me with such incomplete data, but I couldn’t think of anything else to write.
As expected, even when the one-on-one meetings began, the conversations with the women didn’t flow at all. When I talked about my job as a human resources consultant, the other person responded with, “Hmm, that sounds tough.”
If this were a trendy consulting firm, the response might have been different.
On the other hand, when it came to the latest trends in influencers or sweets, my knowledge base simply couldn’t keep up.
(…I just want to go home. I just want to go to the laundromat and discuss the complicated plot of Kirishima Jo’s latest book with Tsukishima san…)
With that despairing mindset, I continued to endure the one-on-one meeting. When I moved seats, there sat Tsukishima san, exhausted.
“I’m Tsukishima, the vice president, CTO, CIO, and CHRO at the venture company TechFrontier—oh, it’s you, Minato san.”
Tsukishima san, who had been reciting her introduction with a vacant expression, regained her vitality upon recognizing me.
Instead of her usual casual attire, she was wearing a slightly feminine yet edgy-designed dress that still felt distinctly her own.
The moment I heard her voice, I felt an odd sense of reassurance, as if I had found the only trustworthy place in this chaotic space.
“Oh, Tsukishima san. How was it? Um…any results?”
“It was a complete waste of time. This kind of thing is just inefficient. People with vague goals and specifications are randomly matched, and what can you really learn from a few minutes of superficial conversation?”
I agreed with her wholeheartedly. She was absolutely right.
“…I really think so too.”
“But Minato san, you seem like the type who would be popular.”
“No, not at all.”
“But your company must have a decent annual income, right?”
“The company isn’t well-known. I wrote a lower income because I’m scared of people who are only after money.”
“Well, that’s good. I should have done the same.”
“Did you write it honestly?”
“Yeah. There’s no need to lie. It was either someone who would laugh awkwardly or someone who would be completely turned off.”
I looked at Tsukishima san’s profile. From the perspective of the average person, her annual income was clearly one zero too many. As expected, executives at a rapidly growing venture company are in a different league.
“Well, not just a washing machine…you could probably buy a laundromat…”
“Fufu…that’s true.”
“What about Tsukishima san? You’re high-spec, young, cute, and has a high income. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be popular.”
“Well, yeah, but…even when I look at the profile, there’s nothing in common, nothing that catches my interest, so the conversation doesn’t flow. Hey, show me yours, Minato san.”
Tsukishima san looked at my profile sheet and checked off items with a ballpoint pen.
“Hobbies, same. Special skills…none? Hmm…I see. The handwriting style is also to my liking. Annual income…wow, it’s written much lower. Are you that cautious?”
“Well…it’s just a small amount in front of Tsukishima san.”
“That’s not true. It’s enough.”
Tsukishima san chuckled and said, “Oh, right.” as if she had just thought of something.
“Since we’re here, tell me about your type.”
“Eh…my type?”
“Yeah. Your preferred style, hair type, that kind of thing.”
“Hmm…someone who’s independent, I guess.”
“You mean someone with a broken nervous system?”
“In that sense, I’d be happy if they were healthy !”
“What about appearance?”
“Pink hair and sloppy fashion are within my tolerance range.”
“Oh, you’re being specific.”
“What about you, Tsukishima san?”
“Hmm…well, anyone who’s human.”
“You’re spreading it around like a shotgun !”
“Well, but…I don’t know. It’s like a stiff shoulder. For me.”
“A stiff shoulder?”
“A stiff shoulder is something you don’t realize you have unless you think, ‘My shoulders are stiff.’ It’s the same with love. I’ve never realized, ‘I’m in love,’ so I don’t know.”
“I see….do your shoulders ever get stiff?”
“Yeah, they get really stiff. I guess my posture isn’t good.”
“How did you realize that?”
“Hmm……that’s true. When did I first realize I had shoulder stiffness? There was just this weird feeling….then I looked it up and learned about the concept of ‘shoulder stiffness’…”
“Then, maybe you should look for that same sense of unease. If there’s something different or special about it, that could be the trigger.”
“Hmm…I see. You’re right, Minato san.”
As the conversation came to a natural pause, the signal to move on was heard.
I said, “Well, then.” and stood up.
Then Tsukishima san called out, “Ah, Minato san.” and stopped me.
“What’s up?”
“Well…if you’re okay with it, would you like to talk some more during free time?”
“You’re suddenly resetting the relationship, aren’t you?”
“Haha…well, see you later then.”
“Yeah. See you.”
I didn’t see how Tsukishima san acted when she parted ways with others, so I don’t know. But at least when it was my turn, she smiled and waved goodbye, and when it was the next person’s turn, she looked down again with a weary expression.
◆
After the free time started, I gave up on finding someone here and just kept eating roast beef from the buffet with Tsukishima san in the corner of the venue.
“Everyone seems to be having a good time…”
“Yeah. …Oh, it looks like it’s almost time to wrap up. Apparently, we have to fill out a voting card at the end. It says, ‘The person who left the strongest impression today.’ I don’t get it. The criteria are too vague.”
Tsukishima san said this while flipping through the small card she had received at the reception desk, looking at it with a puzzled expression, as if it were a bug report.
I also took out my own card. Whose name should I write? Honestly, I hadn’t even had a proper conversation with any women. But submitting a blank card felt like a declaration of defeat against the system, which was awkward.
After hesitating for a moment, I picked up the pen and wrote. The only name that came to mind was the pink-haired woman in front of me, glaring at the card with a displeased expression. Tsukishima also quickly wrote something, dropped it into the ballot box, and started to leave the venue.
“Oh, Tsukishima san, are you leaving already?”
“Yeah. I’m full. I participated and fulfilled my duty. That’s enough, right?”
Saying that, she left without a second thought. I also left the venue shortly after. What on earth did I come here for… The only things I gained were fatigue and a slight sense of guilt about the name I wrote on that ballot.
◆
Later, we received the contact information of the people we had written down as memorable. It seemed that we had been matched.
The name of the person who had evaluated me as “memorable” was written as “Tsukishima Shiori.”
Immediately after that, my personal smartphone rang.
[Minato san, did you write my name?]
The account name on the messaging app was “Tsukishima.”
I never thought I’d end up getting Tsukishima san’s private contact information this way.
[It’s mutual.]
[Hey, Minato-san. My shoulders are really stiff.]
[If you hadn’t realized it, you wouldn’t be feeling this stiffness now.]
[Really. I wish I hadn’t noticed the discomfort. Both sides. It’s throbbing.]
[Your left arm?]”
[No, my chest.]
Apparently, Tsukishima san also noticed something odd about the romance aspect of the relationship.
Maigetsu