I haven’t put it into words yet, but I have shown my feelings with my actions.

“... Lida, this is my answer to your question. Trust me.”

“Oojirou. Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry for the confusion on my part. But I made a promise to the president and she wished me a happy .... birthday. I hope you understand that.”

“I know, it’s just how Suzu-san feels. There’s no way I can ignore that.”

Good. It seems that she understood me.

And the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Case closed.

“Well, the president has gone home on an errand..... Since you’re here, Lida, would you like to go up to the City Tower with me?”

“Eh, .... that tall building?”

“Yes. That one. The view is great. It’s only sixteen o’clock, so we can go in.”

“Wow, sounds like a great view. Yeah, it’s nice.”

Lida snuggles up to my arm.

Okay, we’re off.

◆

It takes about ten minutes to reach the City Tower on foot.

The elevator was headed for the “Observation Corridor” on the 45th floor.

As we went up quickly, the cityscape began to spread out. Soon the ocean and mountains spread out, and the entire city could be seen.

“Wow, that’s great, Oojirou!”

“We’re almost at the observatory.”

Arriving at the top floor, we exited the elevator. There is a reception desk immediately after, where we purchased an admission ticket (500 yen) and entered the hall. The passageway leads to the back of the building, and it takes about 10 minutes to walk around the building.

“This is the observation deck ..... Oojirou, I didn’t know this place had such a great view.”

“From this position, Bentenjima might just barely be visible.”

Lida bends down a little to enjoy the bird’s eye view.

I looked out too, as if caught in the moment.

“Hmmm, maybe like a grain of rice.”

“I’m sure you can’t see it. Lida, if you look too closely, you’ll fall.”

“It’s glass, I’ll be fine~.”

And then Lida, for some reason, almost fell forward in a mocking fit. You won’t fall, but at least you’ll hit your face on the tempered glass and hurt yourself! I quickly supported Lida’s body.

“Look, I don’t have to tell you.”

“.... Haha. I think I still have the aftereffects from when I twisted my leg the other day.”

“You’re a dummy.”

“But I guess I’m lucky that Oojirou is here to hold me like this.”

“Oh, .... sorry.”

“I’m fine, just like that. I like being hugged from behind.”

I was holding Lida from behind to avoid a collision with the glass. We were like a lovey-dovey couple. To the casual observer, it would have been an embarrassing situation, but to me, it was more like a heart attack.

In such a scenic location...., just the two of us, in such close proximity.

“........”

Oh no, I’m about to lose all reason....!

I was so excited that I almost touched Lida’s breasts without thinking. Oh no, that’s not a good idea here. I decided to change the subject in order to put a stop to it.

“Come to think of it, .... you still haven’t told me why you wanted me to live alone .....”

“I see. You were originally going to live on your own, weren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. To tell you the truth, I had a crush on Haruka-san.”

“What, that Haruka-san?”

“Oh, she, you know, she’s .... a really great person. I met her in middle school. At the time, she happened to be teaching a programming class at the school. When I asked for more details, I found out that Haruka had been living on her own since high school and had set up her own business. And so, she created her current company.”

“That’s amazing! I see, I admire Haruka-san.....”

“That’s what I mean. I wanted to be like Haruka-san, too. That’s why I even work part-time for her, and we are good friends like that. But I didn’t think she was related to the Hiyasada Conglomerate.”

“Yeah!? Really!?”

“Yeah, apparently.”

I just found out too.

I had shared my “living alone” secret story like that, I felt calmer.....

Phew, thank goodness. I almost attacked Lida.