My Rental Boyfriend Is My Boss?! - Chapter 35

Chapter 35. Congratulations

“I see. Yeah, I thought this was good, too. I thought it was a good idea, because it’s a point of view that not many other magazines have. But it doesn’t really have the personality of our magazine, so I think it would be good if we could improve that aspect. It’s more like it’s aimed at children, or at mothers who are raising children.”

“Oh… yes, that’s right. I originally wanted to work for Puka.”

“Oh, so that’s why. So now is the time to work hard. If you don’t submit a lot of good projects and get them approved, Kamijemori won’t be able to introduce you to other editors.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

“That’s right… Huh, but I’m glad.”

Morishita smiled as she looked at Michiru’s proposal.

“Oikawa, you’ve been showing it to Kamijemori, right? That’s why I’ve been wondering about it.”

“Oh, that’s because… all of you have your own work to do, and I thought it would be a nuisance if I asked you for advice.”

“That’s not true. We’re all working together, and it’s better to have different points of view, isn’t it? I read the article about the business trip you organized the other day, and it was good. It wasn’t what I was thinking of doing, but it was interesting. I thought you had a lot of trouble with the writer, but you didn’t leave it to Kamijemori, you worked hard on your own.”

“It was interesting…? I mean, really?”

That was the first interview Michiru conducted and wrote on her own after being told to do so by Kamijemori. She put it in a shared folder at work.

“It was in a shared folder at work. You’ve shown it with Kamijemori, right?”

“I haven’t shown it to him yet… I’ll ask him to take a look at it when I resubmit the proposal later.”

“Is that so? I’m sure he’ll say the next one is good.”

Morishita’s words made Michiru feel a warmth in the pit of her stomach.

“If you can count on me…”

Perhaps Kamijemori was right.

Michiru had a bad feeling about Morishita because she saw Nakamura in her, but when Michiru talked to her, Morishitawas a completely different person. She could understand why Morishita has so many followers.

Filled with an itchy feeling, Michiru gave a vague reply, to which Morishita nodded vigorously.

“In that case, let’s finish the proposal before then.”

“Yes, yes!”

With Morishita’s advice, Michiru rewrote the proposal and finally got it ready to show after the sun had set. Michiru and Morishita were the only ones left in the office.

“Oikawa, you’re not coming up yet?”

“Yes, I was wondering if the chief editor’s meeting would be over soon.”

Michiru waited for Kamijemori with the article with her first ever interview and the proposal that Morishita had given her with a seal of approval. As usual, he should be back soon.

“I can’t wait to show you. Good luck. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Thank you very much, good work!”

Michiru watched her go to the elevator and then looked over the proposal one last time.

‘… Okay. It’ll be approved, right?’

Of course, it may not mean anything if Michiru had accomplished it once or twice, but she couldn’t wait to show him that this was a step towards her dream.

Until this morning, it was hard to even look at Kamijemori’s face, but now she couldn’t wait to see it.

‘I wonder what kind of face he will make.’

Michiru hoped he’d smile. As Morishita mentioned earlier, she had heard people around her talking about how Kamijemori’s attitude had softened here and there lately. Perhaps the people around him are sensing the change he was seeking.

When Michiru overheard such conversations, she felt a sense of superiority that she didn’t need to tell anyone about, but also a sense of regret that her smile and kindness were not known to others, which made her feel complicated.

‘You have to get used to it.’

Michiru changed her mind and decided to work hard for her dream. She couldn’t drag out her feelings for Kamijemori forever.

As Michiru clapped my cheeks to get herself back into shape, the elevator stopped just in time.

When the doors opened, she could see Kamijemori’s face.

“Thank you for your hard work, that…”

Michiru started to walk but stopped. She could sense that Kamijemori was talking to someone else.

When the door was fully open, he and the other person came down together. It was Igarashi, the chief editor of Puka, whom Michiru had greeted only once before.

“… Yes, so that’s how…”

When Kamijemori  recognized Michiru, who was still alone in the office, he trailed off as if he was startled.

He seemed more confused by Michiru’s presence than surprised by it.

Michiru was puzzled by his reaction.

‘What? Oh, maybe it’s because I just sent an email to cancel the reservation for the party.’

Still, Michiru was not completely convinced, but that’s all she could think of.

“It’s been a while, Oikawa. Do you remember me? I’m Igarashi.”

“Oh, of course. Thank you for your hard work.”

Michiru bowed her head, inwardly tilting her head as she wondered why Igarashi had come here.

She’s someone that Michiru admired. Even though Michiru didn’t know why she had come, she was a little touched that Igarashi remembered her, having only met her once before.

‘I guess this is better left for later…’

If they were going to talk here, she would have to wait. Michiru was about to go back to her desk to hide the proposal and article files she wanted to show him immediately, and pretend to be working, when Kamijemori stopped her.

“Oikawa, may I have a word?”

“What? Sure.”

Michiru walked to the elevator where the two chief editors were waiting. It was Igarashi who opened her mouth first.

“Oikawa, why don’t you come to my office?”

“… Eh?

Michiru looked at Kamijemori, not immediately understanding what she was talking about. He nodded slightly with his usual blank expression.

“Right now, Puka has a vacancy due to maternity leave. I showed her your previous proposal, and she was interested in it. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to work with you right away.

“… That’s… that’s…”

“You can work at Puka. It’s your dream.”

Michiru’s ears were ringing. It didn’t feel real. She wondered if she was dreaming.

Michiru was not sure if she was dreaming or not, because the man in front of her, Kamijemori, was just speaking his words mechanically and without expression, just like in the past.

“Congratulations.”

Michiru wondered if there was any meaning to those cold words.

On the contrary, it sounded like a clear rejection. It’s as if a cold, invisible wall was standing between them at this moment.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Michiru answered “Yes, sir” with a sound similar to a sigh.