Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono

Author:Kei Aono [Aono, Kei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2025-09-18T00:00:00+00:00

13

“Where the hell is Nishioka?” barked Takayuki Watanabe, the executive director of General Affairs from headquarters, his chin jutting out arrogantly.

“Where is she?” Nobuo Yamada, the head of Human Resources, stood beside him, mirroring his bad mood with his own protruding chin.

The two of them had shown up right on schedule, only to find that Riko was nowhere to be seen. Their indignation was immediate.

“It seems she’s called in absent today,” Hatakeda answered, apologetic.

Since headquarters was sending someone over, he, Tsujii and Aki – being the only full-time employees – had come out to meet them.

“Why?” Watanabe snapped. “This is her first day as store manager. Why the hell would she be absent today of all days? She knew I was coming, didn’t she? And she didn’t even leave a message?”

His tone was pure frustration, the kind that would make a weaker subordinate shrink back on the spot. Watanabe was one of those bosses who grovelled to his own superiors but treated everyone below him like dirt.

“Well?” Yamada pressed – but unlike Watanabe, his voice was high and grating, taking away some of the intimidation factor.

“I haven’t heard anything. Have you, Tsujii?”

“I’m not sure. Did she say anything to you, Obata?”

Aki shook her head. Not surprising – Nishioka had been avoiding any contact with her, so there was no way she would have left a message with her.

“What’s going on with her? Is this a frequent occurrence?”

“Not . . . exactly,” Hatakeda said vaguely, as if trying to imply it had happened before.

“Maybe she’s just running late? They had a little pre-celebration for her promotion last night, after all.”

Tsujii’s comment was hard to read – was he defending her, or trying to insinuate something?

“Hmph. So, she had too much to drink? What a cushy life.” Watanabe practically spat out the words. “This is why women shouldn’t be store managers. They’re pushy, arrogant, and have zero sense of responsibility.”

“Honestly.” Yamada nodded in sync like a bobblehead. He was Watanabe’s little lapdog, always sticking close to him.

Tsujii and Hatakeda didn’t say anything, but Aki couldn’t fail to notice the faint smirks on their faces. They were clearly pleased to see Nishioka taking the heat.

“Actually,” Aki spoke up, “she did call in this morning. I answered and passed it to Hatakeda. Didn’t she tell you anything?”

She wasn’t about to let that sexist remark slide, and Hatakeda’s smug expression was pissing her off no end.

Hatakeda visibly flinched, caught off guard. “Uh . . . Oh, right. Yeah, she did call. Said she wouldn’t be coming in today. She seemed flustered, hung up quickly, didn’t really give a reason . . .”

The way he acted, like he had only just now remembered, added yet more fuel to Aki’s suspicions. If that were true, then wasn’t this just his own lapse in communication? But, of course, no-one pointed that out.

“Probably a hangover, then,” Watanabe sneered.

“That would make the most sense,” Yamada agreed, eager to pin the blame on Riko.

“But if that’s the case,” Aki said, keeping

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