"Hikigaya-kuuuun!"
Hachiman, who had been standing near the reception desk at Soleil, turned at the sound of his name. There stood Chika and Kaori. Chika was waving at him with a bright, energetic smile.
"Oh, Nakamachi-san. You're here."
"Yep! Just finished a delivery of some greenery!"
"That's a lot of heavy lifting. Want a hand?" Hachiman paused, then gestured vaguely. "...Orimoto will help."
"Wait, me? Helping? That is so classic—" Kaori caught herself. "Whoops. Sorry, old habits."
Hachiman felt a twinge of nostalgia at her slip of the tongue. Remembering the way she used to talk back in middle school, he couldn't help but notice the contrast in her current self.
"Now that I think about it, you really used to talk like that all the time. And didn't you used to use a different pronoun for yourself? When did that change?"
"Probably around the time I started university," Kaori replied. "I figured I was going to be a member of society soon, so I should probably start acting like one."
"Fair enough."
"Kaori's really changed, hasn't she?" Chika added. "Oh, and Hikigaya-kun, don't worry about the help. We hired some temporary part-timers for the heavy lifting. It's only the initial setup that's tough!"
"I see. Well, if you ever run into trouble, let me know."
"I will! Thanks!"
As Hachiman headed for the elevator, Chika turned back to Kaori, her expression one of disbelief.
"Honestly, I'm still shocked by all this."
"Ah... sorry," Kaori said. "Was it too sudden?"
"No, not that! I just keep wondering if it's okay for a small-town florist like ours to take a contract from a place as big as Soleil. It feels like such a stroke of luck that I'm half-convinced I'm dreaming."
Chika spoke with a trace of excitement, and Kaori nodded in total agreement.
"We really owe it all to Hikigaya."
"Mhm. I'm so grateful. But looking back... I feel so pathetic for having such a poor eye for men back in high school."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Kaori winced. "We were both pretty hopeless back then, weren't we?"
"We'll just have to make up for it by looking at what's on the inside from now on."
"The problem is," Kaori sighed, "nowadays, it's not just Hikigaya's 'inside' that's impressive. He's a handful in every direction."
"You've got your work cut out for you, Kaori-san," Chika teased.
"Well, I'm enjoying the ride, Chika-san."
The two shared a quick laugh before waving goodbye and heading back to their respective tasks.
"Phew... and that's the last one."
Chika finished placing the last of the planters without any issues.
"Now for the final check. After this, it's just periodic maintenance. I get to see my friends more often, and I get to work in a place like this... I'm so glad we got this job," she whispered to herself.
Following her layout map, she began her rounds. When she reached the event hall where several corporate demonstrations were being held, she stopped in her tracks. She saw a familiar sight: the uniform of Kaihin General High School.
Wow, talk about a blast from the past... Oh, right. This must be a corporate field trip.
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