บท 23: Despite His Nature, He Deals with People Well (End)
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I closed the door, idly noting the murmur coming from my coworkers as they gazed at the office. Dragging two chairs, I put one beside Hikigaya-san's desk and the other before him. Urging the crying employee to sit, I sat down on my seat. Nothing but the employee's sob filled the room. Hikigaya-san's eyes turned even sharper than they already were and the atmosphere was almost choking as a terrifying aura escaped from his being.
"Asada Asahina-san, isn't it?" the woman nodded at his question. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" Asahina was trying her best to speak, but her sobbing didn't allow her. Hikigaya-san looked at her in understanding and offered her his flask. "Here is tea brewed by the most talented tea brewer this world has ever produced. It will calm you down."
Asahina hesitated slightly as she stared at the mouth of the flask but eventually decided to just drink its contents. I knew that the situation was too serious and I was too immature to think about an indirect kiss, but I couldn't help but envy Asahina. I had the longest time on his side and I never had the chance to have it. And here she was, suddenly barging into the office and getting his indirect kiss.
Gosh! Has decades of loneliness finally screwed my head?
I stopped thinking about useless matters when Asahina had calmed down. She was still faintly sobbing but ready to talk.
"It seems that the tea works," Hikigaya-san said as his eyes softened slightly.
"A-Ah…yes. T-Thank you," Asahina replied awkwardly, a hint of blush could be seen on her cheeks.
"Then, tell me what bothers you."
"Tomohiro-san is blackmailing me. He treated me to dinner one night. It was fairly a normal one until started feeling light-headed. I couldn't remember well what happened, but I somehow found myself at his place. I was already half-naked when I woke up. I was terrified, so I immediately ran away. Thankfully, he was not around."
Asahina got tense before continuing, "I was planning to speak up about his deed the next day, but he sent me my half-naked pictures in the morning. That stopped me. I didn't say anything about his deed as he threatened me to spread it among my coworkers. My silence had been enough for him until the last few days. He was asking for ridiculous things which I couldn't help but comply. Today, during the lunch break, he asked me to come to his place. He said that I would lose my job if I didn't."
She trembled and looked up at the somber Hikigaya-san. Tears streamed down her face as she pitifully hugged her body.
"Please, help me. I know I should have taken this matter to the police, but I don't want to lose my job."
Rattle!
Hikigaya-san stood up, pushing back his chair. Asahina and I looked up at him in surprise. In return, he looked at eyes reassuringly. Still, I could see his murderous intent bleed through the soft front his eyes were trying to show off.
"Everything will be taken care of. Don't worry." I gulped as he spoke. "You have the proof with you, right? Come with me."
Asahina nodded before slowly standing up. I remained seated and met his inquiring look with my own. He told me to guide him to Kuwabata-san's office. I stood up and led them there. On the way, we got curious glances. No one would have minded us if Asahina's eyes didn't look so red. Still, no one dared to linger their eyes on us for more than a second. The aura Hikigaya-san was exuding promised death to those who looked at him.
Before long, we found ourselves in front of Kuwabata-san's office. Hikigaya-san knocked twice and entered before getting a proper response. Kuwabata-san was quite pissed at first but immediately turned jolly when he realized it was Hikigaya-san. Of course, his expression immediately soured when he saw us.
"We need to run a proper investigation on some of our employees," he said calmly as he took a seat before Kuwabata-san. "As the Chief Human Resource Officer, it is within my duty to ensure the safest work environment for the employees. Given what happened to this unfortunate lady over here, I think it is time to reflect on ourselves."
Kuwabata-san looked at the pointed Asahina and then sighed at Hikigaya-san. He already knew the subject was going to be a headache.
"We can't immediately fire an employee just because of a sexual harassment allegation. You need—"
"We have the proof."
"Then, let's solve this quietly and sweep it under the rug."
Hikigaya-san frowned. "What are you going to do to the culprit."
"Fire him."
"That's it?"
"Do I need to do more?"
"I demand you to run a proper investigation on some people. I am afraid there is a systemic harassment going on in this company."
Kuwabata-san's amicable look faltered. The matter aside, Hikigaya-san's pushiness must have pushed his button. Although Hikigaya-san was someone close to Laura, he still had his pride. To be lectured by someone young—a subordinate no less—must be unacceptable. Therefore, he stopped sucking up to Hikigaya-san and expressed his honest thoughts.
"Even if that is the case, we still have to wrap the matter under the rug, Hikigaya-san. We will fire the people when catch them doing it, but we won't involve the police. We have a reputation to maintain. Imagine what would happen if—"
Bam!
Everyone was stunned into silence as Hikigaya-san abruptly stood up and smashed Kuwabata-san's desk in two. That desk was so thick that even punching a dent in it was already an achievement, but he did more than that. Kuwabata-san looked like he had just lost his heart. His face was pale as a sheet. He didn't dare to look at Hikigaya-san's eyes.
"You just have to say that you don't want to help. I can take this matter into my hands," Hikigaya-san said before turning around and pocketing his hands. "Let's go, you two. It's quite stuffy here."
We went back to his office and sat in silence. Asahina asked if she should go back to work, but he assured her that her shift had ended for the day. Then, he made a call. He never mentioned the name of the person he was calling, but given that he was speaking in fluent English, he must be speaking with Laura. Not long after his phone call ended, police raided the office. Twenty-six people were brought to the police office and it caused a lot of ruckus.
The day ended with everyone questioning what happened. No one even had the slightest idea about it, but they knew who was in the center of it: Hikigaya Hachiman. That night, I slept while thinking about how comfortable it would be in his strong arms. Morning came quickly and I unfortunately couldn't finish my beautiful dream.
When I arrived at the office, everyone was busily whispering under their breath. I asked one of them what happened and they told me to look at my email. As I did, I found out that we were summoned to the auditorium. It was surprising, but nothing surprised me more than the one who requested our attendance. We went to the auditorium and there Hikigaya-san was on the podium with Laura. He had a serious look on his face whereas Laura looked quite amused.
"I surmise every one of you has heard about how I smashed Kuwabata-san's desk in two," he spoke when everyone was already there, earning a chuckle from them. "However, I am not calling you here to brag about that measly act. I am here to talk about a serious issue regarding our company: sexual harassment."
The light turned off and the faces of some of the employees were projected on the screen.
"These fiends had been harassing countless female workers before they were put to jail. Things had been swept under the rug for years because everyone was afraid of speaking up. Some were afraid of tarnishing the company's reputation while some were afraid of getting fired. Today, I want to announce two things."
Hikigaya-san paused and looked around the room. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark and everyone was equally terrified and captivated by them. We were expectant of what he had to say. Our hearts beat in excitement.
"First, I guarantee the protection of those who speak up, so don't be afraid to do it when you notice something concerning or experience it yourself. We have added a new function to the portal for this purpose, so you can check it later. Of course, those who vainly do that or even frame someone will suffer severe consequences. The second announcement will be carried by Kuwabata-san."
Kuwabata-san stepped up to the podium. He looked lifeless. Each one of his steps seemed to take a year from him. He stood before us and then bowed deeply. It was at this moment that we figured what was happening. We broke into murmurs as we couldn't believe what the young CHRO could do.
"I have failed all of you. I am sorry."
His voice, full of despair, echoed throughout the room, stopping the murmur once and for all. We waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. He stood straight, looked at us with red eyes, and then stepped down. Silence filled the auditorium until Hikigaya-san broke it by clarifying that Kuwabata-san had respectfully stepped down from his position. Then, he thanked us for coming and dismissed us.
I couldn't represent everyone, but I was sure a lot of us thought it was badass. As I couldn't approach him in the auditorium, I giddily made my way to the office. It was much to my annoyance that I found Laura with him. My mood worsened when she didn't leave his side even for a moment. She didn't hesitate to flirt with him before my eyes, treating me like air. To add insult to injury, Hikigaya-san didn't mind her advances and even smiled a couple of times.
I hate you, Laura Orion!
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Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Bowzer
Venerable Immortal Gwiber
Venerable Immortal Orion
Venerable Immortal P. Felipe
Venerable Immortal W. M. Jones
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