It's easier to deal with the big boss than the pesky underlings.
But as long as you're the big boss, those underlings wouldn't dare make a peep.
Most people at the company weren't betting on Hikari Bird Studio's success, but no regular employee had the guts to badmouth Tetsu Fuyukawa to his face.
Still…
"The focus of work needs to shift to the company side now," Tetsu muttered.
At the men's restroom sink, having just finished, Tetsu washed his hands and glanced up at the young, handsome guy in the mirror. His eyes sharpened.
Nothing in this world comes for free. Respect or fear from others? That comes from your own strength.
"NTsoft's most promising young section chief"—that's why regular employees, even those from the rival Third Department, didn't dare cross him. But if Surrounded by Beauties flopped, all sorts of snakes and rats would come crawling out of the woodwork.
Sure, he didn't care much about what strangers thought of him, but he also wasn't in the mood to play some cheesy "return of the dragon king" game with nobodies he couldn't even name. All he wanted was to make games and live a carefree, shameless life with the woman he liked.
"Finish this project early, lock in my section chief spot, and then I can focus on Fate without worries. But the female lead…"
The heart of Surrounded by Beauties was its female protagonists, but the auditions these past few days had been a letdown. Six main female roles, and they hadn't even found a handful of decent candidates.
What a headache.
Tetsu shook the water off his hands, mulling over the auditions as he stepped out of the restroom. But just as he crossed the threshold, a woman darted around the corner, right into his path.
"Screech—thud!"
His shoes skidded on the slightly wet tiles, making a sharp sound. Tetsu tried to stop short, but the floor was slippery, and he crashed right into her.
"Eek!"
"You—wait, you again?"
His chest bumped her shoulder. Tetsu, in good shape from regular workouts, only swayed slightly, but the woman, teetering in high heels and moving fast, stumbled back with a yelp.
Instinctively, Tetsu grabbed her soft waist to keep her from falling. A faint citrusy perfume—orange, maybe—hit his nose. It smelled nice, but when he got a good look at her face, his eyes widened.
The woman in his arms had sleek, silver, ear-length hair and a cool, moonlit face framed by rimless glasses. Her slender, willow-like figure was wrapped in a sexy black dress, its hem barely reaching her thighs. Her long, pale legs were encased in delicate black stockings from her feet to her hips.
She was stunning, with a killer figure, but…
Why was she at NTsoft?
Tetsu's mind blanked. This sexy woman was the same teacher he'd run into at the music shop restroom when picking up Himawari Izumi—the one using that "pink toy" who'd turned the tables and accused him!
And the kicker? Not only did he catch a whiff of her perfume, but he also heard a familiar, faint buzzing sound.
What was this woman's deal?
His eyes instinctively flicked to the source of the buzzing—her perky, heart-shaped peach of a backside, not as full as Sayoko's but still eye-catching. Tetsu was utterly dumbfounded. Just then, the woman recognized him, her eyes widening as she wriggled out of his grasp.
"You?!" she exclaimed, stepping back in her heels with a suspicious glare. "What are you doing here?!"
"As an NTsoft employee, I should be asking you that," Tetsu shot back, raising an eyebrow. "What's a music teacher doing at a gaming company?"
Games needed soundtracks, sure, but a music teacher was as far from a game composer as a literature teacher was from a novelist. Plus…
Recalling that buzzing sound, Tetsu's gaze drifted to her hips again. Look, adults using toys was normal, but someone this into them, using them anywhere and everywhere? That was a first.
"You're with NTsoft?" the silver-haired woman said, touching her chin, looking adorably serious as she pieced it together. "That makes sense—you were with Kawachi-san that day."
Just then, Sayoko appeared around the corner. "Tsukitake-san, you're here! Oh, Tetsu-kun, do you two know each other?"
"Nope," Asuka Tsukitake replied, her cool, delicate face expressionless.
Tetsu, surprised, turned to Sayoko. "You knew she was coming?"
"Uh, Tsukitake-san, the auditions are about to start—better hurry," Sayoko said quickly. "Oh, and if anyone asks, don't mention you know me, okay? Just… special circumstances."
"I understand. Thank you, Kawachi-san," Asuka said, giving a slight bow. She shot Tetsu a glance before swaying off on her slender hips.
"What's the deal? You brought her here?" Tetsu asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched her leave.
"Yeah, here's the thing," Sayoko said nervously, her pale fingers twisting together at her waist. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, her voice timid. "Tsukitake-san is super talented and even trained as a voice actress for a bit. A while back, I heard Kazuma Studio was looking for voice actors, so… I tipped her off. Tetsu-kun, please don't be mad! I had no idea Kazuma Studio would end up at odds with us."
Kazuma Studio and Hikari Bird Studio were now bitter rivals. Her actions were borderline "aiding the enemy."
Terrified of being misunderstood, Sayoko's fair face looked on the verge of tears, her eyes pleading with Tetsu. He just reached out and pinched her soft cheek. "Getting worked up over something this small? Can't you trust me a little more?"
+10,000 points!
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Sayoko's doe-like eyes widened, and a silly smile crept onto her lips, marked by a beauty mole. She nuzzled his hand gently. "I was just worried, okay? Ugh, I know I messed up."
"Silly girl," Tetsu said, tweaking her nose with a grin. "But try to avoid playing matchmaker like this in the future. If it doesn't work out, people might think you don't have enough pull and look down on you. If it does work, they might thank you at first, but if the job doesn't meet expectations or hits snags, they could end up blaming you too. It's a classic lose-lose."
"Don't worry, Tsukitake-san might seem cold, but she's actually really nice," Sayoko said confidently.
"Might?" Tetsu raised an eyebrow.
Sayoko glanced around the empty hallway, then stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his neck. Her warm breath grazed his skin, her tongue lightly tracing his Adam's apple. "I'm not sure, just a feeling. But… even if everyone else betrays me, it doesn't matter. I've got you holding me from behind."
"Getting all sappy in the morning, huh?" Tetsu teased.
"Pfft, acting all tough now that you're in 'sage mode'! Should've skipped that morning shower with you!" Sayoko huffed, sticking out her tongue. "Hmph, I'm off to the restroom!"
"…"
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