—Huh? Was my proposal approved?

I asked out loud with an excessively stupid tone after hearing what Suzumori-senpai told me. I was standing in front of her while she was simply observing me and smiling through her teeth.

—Yes, your idea was approved.

I’m still surprised at how frankly this Onee-san usually interacts with me. But what surprises me even more is that my proposal I submitted earlier was liked by my bosses. The work I presented was due to the fact that within the company, internal competition among employees is encouraged, so that we can offer better services to our customers.

For my part, I had made a list of which services could have a high probability of success, all this together with a detailed justification of each one.

—I hope you didn’t make it up as you went along, huh, Kazama-kun?

—Not at all! I took it quite seriously this time!

—Hmph… So, this time, huh?

—…..

Onee-san fixes her gaze on me. Her gaze instills a lot of terror. But at the same time, sweetness, her eyes are very beautiful… The more I look at her beautiful face, the more the memories of the last time I sent her my job proposal came back.

It was one night when I was playing an FPS on my PC. It was very late and in a matter of hours I had to deliver my proposal to my Onee-san, I hadn’t thought of anything, I didn’t even have anything written in a document. So, I had to come up with many proposals while I was playing. It was somewhat frustrating, as it didn’t stop me from playing at ease… Yes, I was giving more attention to a video game than to my work.

On the other hand, I had every right to take it easy or not give it enough interest, since it was a voluntary job, it was not mandatory as such.

But… I had received a scolding from Suzumori-senpai the next morning for making my proposal too bland and lacking interest. So, that’s the reason why I took it more seriously this time.

—In that case, I’ll do my best not to be just like Masato-senpai!

—I already said that was a mistake I made in the past… And what do you mean by not being the same as me?

—…Hehehehe

—Wipe that smile off your face, silly.

I lightly pinched Inami’s cheeks to give her educational guidance. Though the more I squeezed her, her smile turned from friendly to a shy smile. No man could resist such an expression on that beautiful face.

—Well, Kazama-kun, you should know that this project you have to develop now is not immediate, but I would like you to start working on it as soon as possible, I don’t want any delays. So, start adjusting your schedule. Best of luck to both of you.

—Okay, but…

—Hmm? What about that answer?

—It’s just that I…

—What? Just say it.

—Does that mean Inami will work with me?

I was already starting to wonder why Suzumori-senpai had called me together with Inami. Now it’s all starting to make sense.

—Exactly! We’ll work together, Masato-senpai!

—I refuse!

—Why?

—Because it’s too soon for you to help me on a project like this.

Anyone who has experienced this kind of work knows all too well how painful it can be. It’s a job that consumes a lot of energy to the point of driving you to death.

I’m not angry that Inami is helping me with this job, I think the proper term would be… Worried. I’m afraid it might hinder the project and one of us might be hurt by this.

—I don’t need help with this. Why don’t you give Inami a job that suits her current knowledge and skills?

—Kazama-kun.

—Yes?

—You’re being too overprotective. – Suzumori-senpai said while squeezing my nose.

—…What?

Overprotective me? Suzumori-senpai is overdoing things a bit, I just don’t want her to be a hindrance in my work.

—I understand what you’re trying to do. But from my point of view, Nagisa-chan is a very capable girl, and I think it’s time for her to gain a lot of experience in this project.

—Ummm… I don’t know, I’m not too sure?

—And that’s not the only reason either.

—Huh?

Suzumori-senpai opened a folder that was on her desk, all the documents that were there were the research projects done by me.

—I like the work you did. Especially the list of potential clients you selected, all focused on jewelry and accessories retailers.

—Ah, that…

I was happy, yet embarrassed to be praised by my main boss.

—This is the list of clients you selected after listening to the conversations your Kouhai was having over her phone, right?

—…Huh

—I’ll take that as a yes.

Now I feel embarrassed, but not in a good way. Suzumori-senpai seems to know everything about me. Inami, who was in a dazed state, proceeded to ask Suzumori-senpai, who was smiling.

—What do you mean?

—Nagisa-chan, you often make phone appointments with potential clients, right?

—Ah, yes. I’ve been doing that today, too.

—That’s the key. — Said Suzumori-senpai while raising her index finger — Nagisa-chan, if you were the client, and our company contacts you to offer our services, who would you like to talk to? The first subject named A, is a recent graduate who has just been hired, and the second is B, he is a veteran with 5 years in the company, but who is not at all charismatic or an expert in sales.

I don’t know why… But I have a feeling that subject B is me.

—In that case… I would choose Masato-senpai, who has more knowledge and experience.

—That…! I’m not subject B, you idiot!

—Hahaha, come on come on, B-kun, I mean… Kazama-kun. Don’t be like that. Although Nagisa-chan chose well, if you plan to entrust your business to an advertising company, it’s a smart move to choose the person with the most experience in the company… But…

—But…?

—If the person you intend to convince to accept our advertising service is a young and fashion-loving person, don’t you think even Subject A, who is a recent graduate, would be the most suitable person for it?

—……Ah.

After hearing that great turn of events in Suzumori-senpai’s teaching, Inami radically changed the expression on her face.

—Yes! I really think so! If it’s a company that sells jewelry and accessories, even I can keep up with Masato-senpai! Although my knowledge of advertising is limited…

—I told you I’m not B-kun, you idiot!

Anyway, Inami seems to have finally figured it out. Being able to compete even if she is inexperienced is what she should aspire to do in this kind of job. And it’s the bosses and the company itself who should give Inami that chance.

Customers don’t care who the person trying to sell them the company’s product or service is, the trick is to get their attention from the first moment they start negotiations, as there are many companies in the market just as competent as we are. Our costs are affordable, the advertising service is of high quality, and the company has veterans with 20 years of experience behind them. Just like our competitors.

Therefore, we have no choice but to use the young Inami as a model to attract our customers, thus, we will show that we have new generations working with us, so that we’ll know how to reach more to the public than they would do with another company.

But back to reality, it’s very scary that Suzumori-senpai noticed this lack on my part just by reading my proposal.

—Am I right with my theory, Kazama-kun?

—Well… Well… Yes…

—All your work is impeccable, but in this section, it’s the only one where I don’t notice any motivation on your part. It’s a bad habit of yours.

—Gugh… I see you’ve noticed…

I’m embarrassed that my Senpai would expose me like that. Now I just want to go back to my seat and bury my face in the laptop.

—Masato-senpai!

—Uh-oh?

Suddenly, Inami took my right hand and held it with both hands. I inevitably looked directly into her eyes, and I was absorbed by her bright eyes full of love.

—Please let me help you with this! I promise I won’t let you down, I’ll do my best!

A rather predictable statement… I see no way I can escape from this, Inami is willing to do anything to help me in my work now that Suzumori-senpai implanted such an idea in her brain. I really wanted to do this on my own, but I find it hard to look for an excuse that’s good enough for me to refuse. This is all her fault…

I turned to look at Suzumori-senpai, but she had a look on her face as if she was wanting me to understand that she wasn’t going to leave me any escape route.

—Let me help you, okay? — Suzumori-senpai said while taking my other hand.

My Kouhai and my Senpai, both holding each of my hands and with pleading eyes staring at me. It’s like seeing two angels begging for my help. This is bad for my heart.

—Okay, I’ll do it.

—Yay!!!

—I’m very glad to hear that, Kazama-kun.

More than boss and subordinate, Inami and Suzumori-senpai look like sisters. They both high-five and laugh at each other. This makes my blood boil, I think they’ve seen my embarassed face again…

—And just so you know, I didn’t propose those kinds of stores in my paper because I copied Inami’s idea. If it had been up to me, I’d advertise tanning stores and surf stores, summer is almost here!

—Yet, you suggested those kinds of stores because I gave you the idea, right, Masato-senpai?

—Hahaha! Oh, Kazama-kun, you really appreciate Nagisa-chan~

—Hehehehe, that makes me so happy.

Both girls smile at each other like a pair of schoolgirls.

—I hate them both.

I should read up on Japan’s labor laws. I’m sure this is some kind of harassment towards me…