Chapter 84 - HRG Company (1/2)

HRG Company

When I woke up the next morning, I was in the present. After getting up and checking my smartphone, I realized that I had returned. Rather, just finding a smartphone at the bedside is enough for me to figure out that this isn’t my second-year of high school, even without checking the date.

Just to confirm, I checked the date, and it really was ten years later. Looking around the room, I noticed that it was the same room from when I was previously living with Hiiragi-chan, but I was now alone.

“Breakfast is done.”

The door slightly opened and Natsumi-chan came in. Natsumi-chan, who was now an adult, had changed from a short-cut to a semi-long hairstyle. She now looked like a lady that was more mature and calm.

Natsumi-chan? Why is she here…?

“Is something wrong?”

“W-where’s Haruka-san.”

“If you’re asking for Haru-chan, she’s over there.”

She pointed out to a space behind her with her thumb.

“Am I… not living together with Haruka-san?”

“Yeah. You are. I ended up begging Papa a lot, and got you guys approval for this. Be grateful, okay? ”

Shishishi, Natsumi-chan laughed teasingly.

“Aah… Thank you so much for taking care of us during that time.”

“No no, not at all… Now, we’re the one who are being taken care of by you after all…”

Natsumi-chan seemed to feel a bit awkward, as she averted her eyes. Seeing Natsumi-chan’s expression, which was completely alien to me, honestly made me feel a strange discomfort.

Natsumi? Hearing Hiiragi-chan call out, Natsumi-chan and I headed for the dining table. Hiiragi-chan ten years later didn’t change much from my high school years, just as I expected. As for a ring… she still isn’t wearing one. Which means that we haven’t gotten married yet.

It seems like there hasn’t been much progress from the situation that I know. Marrying and having children—That was the future that I was looking forward to, but it seems that events didn’t go that well.

After quickly finishing breakfast that was prepared, Natsumi-chan stood up from her seat.

“I’m heading out for my part-time job.”

“Yeah, have a safe trip.”

“Have a safe… trip…?”

Part-time job!? … She’s one year older than me, so 28. Based on what was said before breakfast, she is probably living with us under the same roof.

After Natsumi-chan left, I asked Hiiragi-chan.

“Natsumi-chan has a part-time job? D-does she has some sort of goal?”

“No. I don’t think that’s it. Our company is in a bad spot right now, right?”

“Sorry, it seems like I kind of forgot… When you say ‘our’ company, you mean HRG? In a bad spot?”

What does that have to do with Natsumi-chan having a part-time job?

“Simply put, it collapsed due to poor performance.”

“Eh!?”

“It was pretty big news, you know? And then, things involving money became quite a bit of trouble… You said you wanted to let Natsumi have a room in this house, remember?”

Aah, that’s right, or that’s what I said, but I have no idea.

Hiiragi-chan’s family company collapsed…? Having the company for which I worked for before I time initially leaped collapse in this future, really gives a weird feeling. If they’re in a financially tough spot, I wonder if it’s a problem of debt. Since her family is in a bad spot, I would understand not wanting to marry.

“Natsumi probably believes that she’s getting between us, so she’s working hard in order to be financially stable and leave this place as fast as possible, however… Natsumi is working hard, but she is a girl from a rich family, she must be having quite a bit of trouble. It doesn’t seem to be going that well.”

She seems to have the image of being on top of everything but, in truth, she’s just a pure and innocent lady. A girls only high school, girls only college, and even for her career path, she was walking on a route to remain a pampered young lady of her family.

“Seiji-kun, before this, you said you wanted ‘a marriage to make everyone happy’, right?”

“Yeah.”

I don’t exactly remember saying it in the past, so it was probably said by me in the present. Still, I’m certain that I also hold the same feelings.

“Right now, everything is in chaos… and for my family, it seems that’s just out of the question.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

The business performing badly, can it possibly due to that…?

“The summer of my second year of high school, I ended up interrupting Haruka-san’s marriage interview, right?”

“How nostalgic.”

“The company doing poorly, is it because I interrupted…?”

“Ahahah. It doesn’t have anything to do with that. It only started getting bad about four years ago after all.”