Two weeks have pa.s.sed since the incident . The catastrophic room had returned to its original state and Hina lived in it again .

The landlord had a custom key made for her and the pa.s.sword for the lobby’s auto-lock doors had also been changed . Furthermore, the police have increased their patrol around their apartment so no strange things have happened since the day she had that encounter with the stalker . She also continued to commute with Hasegawa so despite what happened, she was able to live peacefully like before .

One day, as the end of the year approached…

“What a surprise, Ms . Uzuki! You look feminine today!”

“Boss, that’s s.e.xual hara.s.sment, you know . ”

Standing behind Hina, it was Mei who gave the retort against the old geezer known for s.e.xual hara.s.sment within the company . The boss smirked and patted Hina’s hips . The impact almost made her stumble . Steadying herself, Hina handed the doc.u.ments to her boss .

“This is the contract you asked for yesterday . And this is the list of the major trading companies . I’m still working on the rival companies, so I’ll pa.s.s that on later . ”

“Excellent work as usual…”

As he gave his thanks, he gently patted Hina’s head as if complimenting a child . Hina stared at his hands with sharp eyes .

“So it’s true that love changes a woman . Are things going well between you and Hasegawa?”

“Whether things are going well or not, Hasegawa and I are not in a relations.h.i.+p . Boss, if you don’t cut it out, I’ll really sue you for s.e.xual hara.s.sment!”  

Hina warned while rubbing her temples . The boss felt a chill run through his body .

“That’s not what I mean, Hina~”

“Nothing will change even you talk in a sweet or a cute voice . Now, please get back to work!”

“O-Okay!”

Watching his back as he leaves, Hina softly sighed . Behind her, Mei mumbled her displeasure, “Jeez . ”

“Well, it’s not just the boss, I also think you look lovely today . ” As if he’d been watching all along, her colleague chimed in with perfect timing .  Hina turned her head as her face curled into a frown .

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean . I didn’t think I’ll see the day when the Empress wears a skirt! You also let your hair down today! The rumor that you’ve become feminine has even spread outside the sales department!”

Just like he said, Hina wasn’t wearing her usual pants . She wore her usual s.h.i.+rt and blazer on top but below, she donned a skirt . Her hair wasn’t tied up as it normally was, but was hang down loosely .

“It just so happened that I had sent my pants for laundry today…”

Hina said as she averted her eyes .  Her colleague moved closer .

“Oh my, you’ve got such gorgeous legs! What a feast in the eyes!”

“Q-quit staring at me!”

Hina grunted as she pushed him away . Feeling wrought with anxiety, Hina furrowed her brows .

“Could it be, Hasegawa likes that?”

“Like I said, Hasegawa and I aren’t in a relations.h.i.+p…”

Hina felt upset that the rumor was still going around . She wanted to be honest and tell the truth that they’re lovers, but if it spreads around, the more they will pester her .

Then in a protective gesture, Mei slipped her hands around her .

“That’s right . Instead of bothering with someone else’s lovelife, you should just worry about yours .  By the way, did you hear that Kana from the reception, who you’ve been aiming for, recently got a boyfriend?”

“What? Seriously?”

“Yep!”

Mei grinned wickedly as the colleague’s face paled and his shoulders slumped .

Sensing that it was a good opportunity to leave, Hina and Mei hurried away immediately . When she returned to her desk, Hina saw an incoming email .

“Kaoru Hasegawa . ”

The sender’s name alone gave her an ominous feeling .

Reluctantly, she opened the email . There was only one line written in it .

“At lunch break, I’ll be waiting at the usual place . ”

She sensed someone looking at her and her hair stand on end . She raised her face and looked in the direction of Hasegawa’s desk . He was looking at her with a business smile plastered on his face .

(I thought it wasn’t bad…)

She was still in a foul mood so she just sent back a short reply . “Got it . ”

Inside the unused reference room, Hina was cornered by Hasegawa . Since n.o.body usually goes there, it’s the perfect rendezvous for secret lovers . The room can be locked from the inside and it was soundproof .

Hina was pushed against the wall; to her right was the filing cabinet and to her left was Hasegawa’s arm locking her in place . She looked up at Hasegawa and found him staring back at her with his business smile on his face . Hina pursed her lips .

“What is it…?”

“I’ve been wondering since this morning but why are you in a skirt today? It’s a lie that you sent your pants for laundry, isn’t it?”

Hina inwardly sighed at their intimate position .

Of course, the laundry was a lie . Hina looked up at Hasegawa without raising her face and tilted her head .

“Does it look bad?”

“It doesn’t look bad . I think you look great . I just want to know the reason . ”

“That’s…”

It was hard for Hina to say so she turned her face away . Just then, Hasegawa touched Hina’s kneecap and drew circular motions on it . Hina’s body stiffened .

“H-Hey, at such a place?!”

“What’s the reason? Did you want to show off your skin to others? Or was it Ms . Katsuragi’s idea?”

Hasegawa slowly raised his finger up her skin despite Hina’s protest . Hina couldn’t take it any longer so she grabbed Hasegawa’s hands, her face flushed and eyes moist .

“Stop! Please . ”

“It’s become a rumor in the sales department, you know . When people see your feminine look, a lot have considered inviting you out . ”

His hand snaked up her thigh and a moan almost escaped her lips . His touch reminded her of their intimate time together but his hand didn’t move further . It was incredibly frustrating .

“Why did you suddenly dress up like that?”

He drew his lips to her ears and asked once again . Hina desperately pushed him away as she cast him a sharp glance .

“D-didn’t you say before that you’re into women like that?”

“Huh?”

“You said you liked women in feminine clothes!”

Hina’s eyes were red as she spoke . Hasegawa’s hand dropped and the distance between them increased .

“Because I said that?”

He asked in confirmation and Hina nodded .

Indeed, when Hasegawa first confessed, he had said that he liked women with a feminine appearance . Hina simply wanted to please the person she likes, but it seems that the idea never crossed Hasegawa’s mind . He no longer wore his business smile but was instead staring blankly at Hina .

“I thought it’d make you happy…”

Hina said with reddened cheeks . Hasegawa creased his brows .

“I’m sorry . I felt quite anxious . ”

“Anxious?”

As Hina c.o.c.ked her head in confusion, Hasegawa gently stroked her head with the same hand that was just on her thigh .

“Since you suddenly dressed feminine, I thought that perhaps you’ve found the man you like . Even if that wasn’t the case, since you’ve become more attractive, more men will surely ask you out . Even though I’ve pursued you this far, I became anxious thinking that someone else might s.n.a.t.c.h you away . That’s why I’ve pressed you to tell me the reason…”

“The man I like?”

To Hina, the man she likes was Hasegawa . But it looks like Hasegawa didn’t think he was that same person .

(Eh? Does Hasegawa think we’re not dating?)

Hina thought back to herself . A thought suddenly popped in her mind .

(I haven’t told Hasegawa that I like him…)

She felt her blood drain from her face . Maybe because she’s been insisting to others that Hasegawa had no relations.h.i.+p with her whatsoever, Hasagawa thought they weren’t dating at all .

(I-I have to say it properly! At this rate, I’ll be regarded as a person who sleeps around with someone I’m not dating with! This is bad!)

“Hasegawa, um, I…”

Hina summoned her courage and called out . At that moment, noises echoed from outside the reference room .

The two went out of the room and saw a group of people in suits walking along the corridor .

One of them was a very beautiful woman who looked like she was the same age as Hina . However, in contrast to Hina, she looked more mature . And although there were other women around, she stood out amongst them . Hina thought that the woman could undoubtedly rival models with her physique and radiant vibe .

At that moment, her eyes darted to Hasegawa . He held his breath and was frozen in place . In an almost inaudible voice, he muttered .

“Rin?”

Two weeks have pa.s.sed since the incident . The catastrophic room had returned to its original state and Hina lived in it again

The landlord had a custom key made for her and the pa.s.sword for the lobby’s auto-lock doors had also been changed . Furthermore, the police have increased their patrol around their apartment so no strange things have happened since the day she had that encounter with the stalker . She also continued to commute with Hasegawa so despite what happened, she was able to live peacefully like before

One day, as the end of the year approached….

“What a surprise, Ms . Uzuki! You look feminine today!”.

“Boss, that’s s.e.xual hara.s.sment, you know . ”.

Standing behind Hina, it was Mei who gave the retort against the old geezer known for s.e.xual hara.s.sment within the company . The boss smirked and patted Hina’s hips . The impact almost made her stumble . Steadying herself, Hina handed the doc.u.ments to her boss

“This is the contract you asked for yesterday . And this is the list of the major trading companies . I’m still working on the rival companies, so I’ll pa.s.s that on later . ”.

“Excellent work as usual…”.

As he gave his thanks, he gently patted Hina’s head as if complimenting a child . Hina stared at his hands with sharp eyes

“So it’s true that love changes a woman . Are things going well between you and Hasegawa?”.

“Whether things are going well or not, Hasegawa and I are not in a relations.h.i.+p . Boss, if you don’t cut it out, I’ll really sue you for s.e.xual hara.s.sment!”  .

Hina warned while rubbing her temples . The boss felt a chill run through his body

“That’s not what I mean, Hina~”.

“Nothing will change even you talk in a sweet or a cute voice . Now, please get back to work!”.

“O-Okay!”.

Watching his back as he leaves, Hina softly sighed . Behind her, Mei mumbled her displeasure, “Jeez . ”.

“Well, it’s not just the boss, I also think you look lovely today . ” As if he’d been watching all along, her colleague chimed in with perfect timing .  Hina turned her head as her face curled into a frown

“What do you mean?”.

“You know what I mean . I didn’t think I’ll see the day when the Empress wears a skirt! You also let your hair down today! The rumor that you’ve become feminine has even spread outside the sales department!”.

Just like he said, Hina wasn’t wearing her usual pants . She wore her usual s.h.i.+rt and blazer on top but below, she donned a skirt . Her hair wasn’t tied up as it normally was, but was hang down loosely

“It just so happened that I had sent my pants for laundry today…”.

Hina said as she averted her eyes .  Her colleague moved closer

“Oh my, you’ve got such gorgeous legs! What a feast in the eyes!”.

“Q-quit staring at me!”.

Hina grunted as she pushed him away . Feeling wrought with anxiety, Hina furrowed her brows

“Could it be, Hasegawa likes that?”.

“Like I said, Hasegawa and I aren’t in a relations.h.i.+p…”.

Hina felt upset that the rumor was still going around . She wanted to be honest and tell the truth that they’re lovers, but if it spreads around, the more they will pester her

Then in a protective gesture, Mei slipped her hands around her

“That’s right . Instead of bothering with someone else’s lovelife, you should just worry about yours .  By the way, did you hear that Kana from the reception, who you’ve been aiming for, recently got a boyfriend?”.

“What? Seriously?”.

“Yep!”.

Mei grinned wickedly as the colleague’s face paled and his shoulders slumped

Sensing that it was a good opportunity to leave, Hina and Mei hurried away immediately . When she returned to her desk, Hina saw an incoming email

“Kaoru Hasegawa . ”.

The sender’s name alone gave her an ominous feeling

Reluctantly, she opened the email . There was only one line written in it

“At lunch break, I’ll be waiting at the usual place . ”.

She sensed someone looking at her and her hair stand on end . She raised her face and looked in the direction of Hasegawa’s desk . He was looking at her with a business smile plastered on his face

(I thought it wasn’t bad…).

She was still in a foul mood so she just sent back a short reply . “Got it . ”.

 .

***.

Inside the unused reference room, Hina was cornered by Hasegawa . Since n.o.body usually goes there, it’s the perfect rendezvous for secret lovers . The room can be locked from the inside and it was soundproof

Hina was pushed against the wall; to her right was the filing cabinet and to her left was Hasegawa’s arm locking her in place . She looked up at Hasegawa and found him staring back at her with his business smile on his face . Hina pursed her lips

“What is it…?”.

“I’ve been wondering since this morning but why are you in a skirt today? It’s a lie that you sent your pants for laundry, isn’t it?”.

Hina inwardly sighed at their intimate position

Of course, the laundry was a lie . Hina looked up at Hasegawa without raising her face and tilted her head

“Does it look bad?”.

“It doesn’t look bad . I think you look great . I just want to know the reason . ”.

“That’s…”.

It was hard for Hina to say so she turned her face away . Just then, Hasegawa touched Hina’s kneecap and drew circular motions on it . Hina’s body stiffened

“H-Hey, at such a place?!”.

“What’s the reason? Did you want to show off your skin to others? Or was it Ms . Katsuragi’s idea?”.

Hasegawa slowly raised his finger up her skin despite Hina’s protest . Hina couldn’t take it any longer so she grabbed Hasegawa’s hands, her face flushed and eyes moist

“Stop! Please . ”.

“It’s become a rumor in the sales department, you know . When people see your feminine look, a lot have considered inviting you out . ”.

His hand snaked up her thigh and a moan almost escaped her lips . His touch reminded her of their intimate time together but his hand didn’t move further . It was incredibly frustrating

“Why did you suddenly dress up like that?”.

He drew his lips to her ears and asked once again . Hina desperately pushed him away as she cast him a sharp glance

“D-didn’t you say before that you’re into women like that?”.

“Huh?”.

“You said you liked women in feminine clothes!”.

Hina’s eyes were red as she spoke . Hasegawa’s hand dropped and the distance between them increased

“Because I said that?”.

He asked in confirmation and Hina nodded

Indeed, when Hasegawa first confessed, he had said that he liked women with a feminine appearance . Hina simply wanted to please the person she likes, but it seems that the idea never crossed Hasegawa’s mind . He no longer wore his business smile but was instead staring blankly at Hina

“I thought it’d make you happy…”.

Hina said with reddened cheeks . Hasegawa creased his brows

“I’m sorry . I felt quite anxious . ”.

“Anxious?”.

As Hina c.o.c.ked her head in confusion, Hasegawa gently stroked her head with the same hand that was just on her thigh

“Since you suddenly dressed feminine, I thought that perhaps you’ve found the man you like . Even if that wasn’t the case, since you’ve become more attractive, more men will surely ask you out . Even though I’ve pursued you this far, I became anxious thinking that someone else might s.n.a.t.c.h you away . That’s why I’ve pressed you to tell me the reason…”.

“The man I like?”.

To Hina, the man she likes was Hasegawa . But it looks like Hasegawa didn’t think he was that same person

(Eh? Does Hasegawa think we’re not dating?).

Hina thought back to herself . A thought suddenly popped in her mind

(I haven’t told Hasegawa that I like him…).

She felt her blood drain from her face . Maybe because she’s been insisting to others that Hasegawa had no relations.h.i.+p with her whatsoever, Hasagawa thought they weren’t dating at all

(I-I have to say it properly! At this rate, I’ll be regarded as a person who sleeps around with someone I’m not dating with! This is bad!).

“Hasegawa, um, I…”.

Hina summoned her courage and called out . At that moment, noises echoed from outside the reference room

The two went out of the room and saw a group of people in suits walking along the corridor

One of them was a very beautiful woman who looked like she was the same age as Hina . However, in contrast to Hina, she looked more mature . And although there were other women around, she stood out amongst them . Hina thought that the woman could undoubtedly rival models with her physique and radiant vibe

At that moment, her eyes darted to Hasegawa . He held his breath and was frozen in place . In an almost inaudible voice, he muttered

“Rin?”.