Chapter 58. Are We Fake?
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"President!"
Ayase Akane's cheeks were flushed from drinking as she rolled up her sleeves and pointed at Kiyoshi Yuuma's nose.
Her gaze was hazy.
"Do you know?"
Kiyoshi Yuuma's eyelids drooped slightly, and he let out a sigh.
This girl had definitely had too much to drink again.
Ayase Akane hiccuped, swaying her finger as she said, "Lately, I've been thinking a lot… Why do I exist? Why do I think? Why did I meet such a shameless yet strangely handsome man like the President?"
Kiyoshi Yuuma covered his face.
He shouldn't have agreed to drink with them in the first place.
"Why?" Mika Ishino chimed in beside her. "Ayase-san, you're amazing. I've wondered the same thing."
Ayase Akane swallowed hard, suppressing the queasy feeling in her stomach, then said seriously, "It's very possible that we're all fake!"
"Eh?!" Mika Ishino stared at her in shocked awe.
Hey, seriously! Hey!
Kiyoshi Yuuma felt extremely uncomfortable. Dealing with one of them was already tough enough, and seeing Mika Ishino's state made things even worse.
It was a mistake. A major mistake.
"Otherwise, how could there be so many coincidences? Especially your appearance, President. All these contradictions concentrated in one person… it's hard not to believe that we are all fake."
Ayase Akane leaned in mysteriously, whispering, "We may very well be living in a world created by someone else."
"Eh? No way? Really?" Mika Ishino's eyes widened in surprise, but she couldn't focus properly anymore.
"It's true," Ayase Akane said. "In the real world, who lets HRs act as secretaries without a raise?"
This girl…
Kiyoshi Yuuma twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Fine, I'll give you a raise after New Year, okay?"
"Okay."
Ayase Akane nodded obediently like a teachable child.
"I want one too!" Mika Ishino raised her right hand, her voice noticeably excited.
"But the point isn't about the raise. President, your response just now exposed the fact that we were created," Ayase Akane said.
"Huh?" Kiyoshi Yuuma felt this woman had lost her mind. What kind of logic was this?
"See, before I pointed out the contradictions in this world, you never considered giving me a raise.
But once I pointed out this loophole, you agreed immediately.
Doesn't that prove—
The creator of this world is afraid we'll discover that it's fake, that we were created?
Like a bug in a program being fixed."
What?
This girl…
Kiyoshi Yuuma rubbed his chin, momentarily unable to refute her.
In a way, the drunk logic she just spoke was actually internally consistent!
"No, no!" Mika Ishino shook her head, waving her hands in front of her face. "Ayase-san, you're wrong."
"What?" Ayase Akane replied softly.
"Think about it. If we were all created, then who made you ask that question just now?" Mika Ishino said. "If I were the creator, wouldn't I prevent you from questioning the world in the first place?"
Ayase Akane was momentarily speechless, furrowing her brows as she pondered for a long while.
"Huh… seems like that's true."
"Right?" Mika Ishino tilted her head and gave a cute smile. "So we're real. You don't need to worry about such things."
"Okay. After all, it's best to enjoy the moment!" Ayase Akane said with a sigh.
Huh?
Kiyoshi Yuuma looked at Ayase Akane, then at Mika Ishino.
Good lord, these two can reach this level of nonsense when drunk—impressive.
"Let's do handstands!" Ayase Akane said, pushing herself off the floor.
"Yeah, let's do it!" Mika Ishino enthusiastically agreed.
Huh?!
Kiyoshi Yuuma was dumbfounded.
Before he could react, the two girls bent over, hands on the ground, pressed against the wall, and did handstands.
Due to gravity, their skirts fell over their faces.
"Eh, why is it so dark?" Mika Ishino's voice called out.
Thud~
Ayase Akane toppled sideways, forming a /\ shape.
Immediately after, Mika Ishino slid to the ground too, legs still against the wall, forming a large L shape.
Uh…
Kiyoshi Yuuma felt his head was about to explode.
I knew I shouldn't drink with the girls from the office!
…
Before long, the two of them were breathing heavily.
It was obvious they had fallen into a deep sleep.
Tonight, it seemed almost impossible to get these two to leave.
Kiyoshi Yuuma took the blankets out of the closet, first adjusting their sleeping positions, then covering each of them properly.
By the time he finished, it was nearly 11:30 p.m.
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
When he opened it, he found Tsuda Nao standing outside.
Tonight, Tsuda Nao wore a beautiful kimono with a black base and blue floral pattern, perfectly outlining her figure.
Her face had a slight pink flush, and her elegant "aegyo-sal" under her eyes made them look large and bright.
Kiyoshi Yuuma was completely stunned, having not expected Tsuda Nao to actually show up.
"Happy New Year," Tsuda Nao said, bowing slightly.
Kiyoshi Yuuma quickly returned the gesture.
"Happy New Year."
Tsuda Nao clasped her hands in front of her chest, holding a small handbag strap, and smiled at him. "Tonight is New Year's Eve. Do you want to go ring the bell together?"
"Eh?"
Honestly, this was his first New Year's Eve in Japan since crossing over.
But the current situation was a bit complicated.
At that moment, a voice came from inside the house.
"Who's there?"
Tsuda Nao's pupils widened slightly, a flash of surprise crossing her face.
"Since President Kiyoshi already has company, I apologize for the intrusion," she said, preparing to leave.
Kiyoshi Yuuma quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Hm?" Tsuda Nao frowned, lowering her gaze to his hand.
"Nao, it's not what you think."
Just then, a soft murmur came from inside.
"President, let's have another drink!"
This time, it was Mika Ishino's voice.
Tsuda Nao's eyes lifted slightly. "Indeed, it's not what I thought. I assumed there was only one woman in your house. I didn't expect President Kiyoshi to be having such… a lively gathering."
Damn it!
Kiyoshi Yuuma groaned in despair.
Now it was even harder to explain.
…
After a lengthy explanation, Tsuda Nao finally believed him.
These two female colleagues had only come over as guests, and their drunken antics were, in fact, rather cute.
Kiyoshi Yuuma slipped on his wooden clogs and stepped outside, carefully closing the door behind him.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave them at home?"
"We're not that kind of relationship, okay?"
"What does it have to do with me?" Tsuda Nao snorted coldly.
When she turned around, back to Kiyoshi Yuuma, she pressed her lips into a small smile.