"I haven't seen Kae at lunch these past few days." Naga was busy exchanging thoughts with Yui about Jacob Emerson's book "Sleep and Dreaming" during the last lunch and hadn't paid much attention to Kae's absence, but after four or five days without her showing up, Naga, who had gotten used to it, couldn't help but feel strange.
"So what? That female student didn't come today either." Miku was naturally not interested in this topic. During their rare lunch together, she mostly talked about small things between the two of them.
Naga pursed her lips. "Tabe has only come occasionally lately, but Kae has almost never missed a visit."
Even when the HR department dumps all the miscellaneous tasks on her, she still manages to squeeze out time for lunch. "These past two days, it seems like she's been eating her lunch in the office by herself."
Miku gave a subtle smile. "That's normal. It means she's finally entered that circle. The culture there is that you eat in the office. Besides me, have you ever seen any HR staff member come down to eat?"
Thinking about it that way, it does seem to be true.
What a strange office culture.
"Haven't you ever eaten with them?" Naga asked curiously.
Miku snorted, rolled her eyes in a very unladylike manner, and said, "I have absolutely no interest in that kind of circle."
"With your personality, you're going to have a terrible future in the workplace, right?" Naihe reminded her with a smile. The subtle sense of superiority that she always exuded made him a little strange. "If you offend your superiors, you'll be in trouble."
Miku stared at him with a smile, beckoning her finger to her lips and deliberately striking a seductive pose. "You're my superior, so it's fine as long as I don't offend you. Isn't that right, Section Chief Yumeno?"
Hmm... This is terrible. If Kae doesn't show up soon, all the chips will be on Miku's side. Naga looked at Miku's beautiful smile and felt a flutter in his heart, as if he had returned to his teenage years when he would be so excited by a girl's smile that he couldn't sleep all night.
It was shortly after this pleasant lunch that I realized Kae's unusual behavior.
As Naga stepped out of the elevator in the hallway, he bumped into Kae, who was heading to the other end. Just as he was about to greet her with a smile, he saw an expression on her face that could almost be described as sadness.
She quickly lowered her head, gave a perfect 90-degree bow, and said in a slightly muffled voice, "Hello, Section Chief." Then she quickly crossed the elevator doors and practically ran away.
Naga looked at her back with a puzzled expression. Whether it was psychological or not, her thin shoulders kept trembling, as if she were crying.
Moreover, Miku's hesitation is precisely the best opportunity for Kae. Could it be that her attractiveness has diminished? Naga glanced at the glass reflecting the projection and quickly dismissed the idea. If she had changed her mind, there would be no need for sadness and tears, right?
Could it be that Miku did something to her? Naga couldn't help but laugh at herself for even coming up with such an absurd reason.
Perhaps something happened at home. I'll find a chance to ask her about it once things calm down. After receiving the document from Anzu, Naga quickly switched to work mode.