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ML Chapter 3

Company Dinner

Chapter 3 – Company Dinner

Chapter 1, Part 1

Novel Title: 融愛~Melt Down~ (Melted Love ~Melt Down~)

Author:風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)

Illustrator:雅良 水名瀬 (Masara Minase)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 葉越海理 (Yougoshi Kairi -MC), 葉越翼久 (Yougoshi Tasuku -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“Hey, hey! Don’t fall behind back there! If you ditch us, I’ll double your performance targets!”  

Sugano’s voice, honed during his college cheerleading days, reverberated through the bustling streets of the downtown area at 10 PM on a Friday night. His voice was so loud that even passersby flinched and stared, making them stand out in a bad way.  

They were a group of thirty-eight people who belonged to the marketing department of a major food company. Tonight was a welcome party for the new hires. After finishing the first party at a Japanese-style izakaya, they were now on their way to the second party at a karaoke bar.

Yougoshi Kairi was at the tail end of the sluggish line that stretched out in clusters of two to three people.  

It seemed he had drunk too much Sake, which kept getting poured into his glass. The thought of enduring the blaring sounds of karaoke made him want to slip away from the group.  

The spring breeze brushing softly against his cheek felt nice.  

If he could just find a quiet place and gulp down a cold can of coffee, he would feel so refreshed.  

As he walked, battling the temptation step by step, a tall man casually adjusted his pace and broke away from a group of three ahead to walk alongside Kairi.  

It was Tokiya Naofumi. With his sweet smile and competence, he was immensely popular not only in the marketing department but among all the women in the company.  

Despite his handsome appearance, the fact that his name, ‘Naofumi’, had a somewhat feminine ring to it was amusing to many. The older women called him ‘Naofumi-chan’, while the younger ones referred to him as ‘Naofumi-sama’. As far as Kairi knew, he was the only male employee whose first name had stuck like that.  

Naofumi, four years older than Kairi at 29, was Kairi’s former mentor. Kairi’s company had a ‘mentorship system’ where a senior employee would train a new hire for two years on a one-on-one basis. The senior employee was called the mentor, and the new hire was the mentee.  

Naofumi had taught Kairi everything from answering the phone to understanding consumer needs and how to make products more appealing. Being the eldest child and having played soccer from elementary school to university, Naofumi had a knack for looking after others and was an excellent teacher. Kairi’s peers often envied him for having Naofumi as his mentor.  

“Yougoshi, you’re staggering. You okay?”  

A strong hand gripped Kairi’s elbow for support.  

With a ten-centimetre height difference, Naofumi leaned slightly. He looked at him up close with a refreshing smile that made Kairi feel a bit flustered. His gaze wavered. Naofumi narrowed his double-lidded eyes, smiling in a way that carried a hint of sensuality—quite different from his work demeanour.  

It felt inappropriate for Naofumi to be showing such an expression toward a male colleague, and for Kairi to feel unsettled by it was just as inappropriate.

Yet, at the same time, it felt oddly right. It left Kairi feeling confused for the past week.  

“Thinking of ditching?”  

Naofumi whispered in a low voice, close to Kairi’s ear.

“Huh?”  

“There’s a park nearby. It’s nothing special. No cherry blossoms or anything.”  

“But Sugano-san said earlier that if we ditch, the targets would double.”  

“That was only if you ditched with a girl. If two guys disappear, Sugano won’t care.”  

Naofumi didn’t let Kairi protest further, pulling him by the elbow and leading him down a side street. Kairi walked along, matching Naofumi’s pace, frowning in confusion.  

If they ended up alone like this, Kairi would surely have to give him an answer.  

It had been exactly a week since Naofumi had confessed his romantic feelings for Kairi.  

The two had been discussing trivial matters at the JR ticket gate in Shibuya Station after celebrating the good sales report for the sub product of the herb-based pasta sauce they were working on, the ‘Harvest Series’. It had been an unexpectedly enjoyable and pleasant conversation. Maybe Naofumi had felt the same. So the confession came so naturally, so casually, that Kairi almost missed it.  

Kairi, too stunned to grasp the meaning immediately, had only vaguely understood. Naofumi had asked for his answer a week later before heading off toward the Toyoko Line.  

It wasn’t just surprising—it was utter confusion, mixed with a bit of shock.  

Kairi had never imagined being the object of romantic feelings from someone of the same sex. More than anything, Naofumi had been his mentor. He was someone he still respected as a work partner. Even if he were to refuse, he couldn’t do it in a tactless way.  

“Tokiya-san…”  

Having walked briskly with alcohol still in his system, Kairi was out of breath by the time they reached the park.  

“Can I buy a coffee?” He pointed to a brightly lit vending machine at the park entrance.  

“Sure. I’ll take one too—iced coffee is good, right?”  

Before Kairi could get his money out, Naofumi ended up buying two cans of coffee.  

They sat side by side on a wooden bench placed along the pathway inside the park, which had the feel of a forest trail. The streetlamp cast a gentle orange glow around them. With this much light, Kairi could manage. He had always been afraid of the dark since he was a child.  

The night was unmistakably spring-like. The tall trees swayed gently, their still-soft leaves rustling. A crescent moon hung in the sky, framed by the trees. Kairi looked up at it, gradually catching his breath.  

“Waiting for an answer for a week was pretty tough.”  

Just like Kairi, Tokiya Naofumi gazed up at the sky and murmured to himself.

Kairi shot a surprised look at the man sitting a little distance away from him.

“Was it that hard for you? You seemed the same as usual.”

“I’m used to office romances, so I’ve learned how to separate work and private life.”

When someone like Naofumi said something like that, it didn’t come across as boasting about his love life. It sounded like it was just something natural.

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*Translator’s Note: Sorry, Tokiya-san. You’re fine and all but… Kairi won’t be yours. -K

*GLOSSARY: 

  • Onii-san / Onii-chan / Nii-san / Nii-chan / Aniki = (Big/Elder) Brother

☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation.

  • An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese pub or bar where people gather to enjoy drinks and a variety of small dishes, similar to tapas in Spanish cuisine. It’s a popular place for after-work socialising, where friends or colleagues can unwind over drinks, usually beer, sake, or shochu, while sharing plates of food.

Next update: 2024.12.29

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