The next morning──I was woken up by Monou-san.

“Sanzawa-kun… wake up, Sanzawa-kun.”

“Eh…”

My shoulder was lightly tapped, and when I opened my eyes, Monou-san was peering at my face.

She had already put on makeup and was dressed in her suit.

It was the same appearance I always see at the company.

“How long are you going to sleep? If you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late for work.”

Those words snapped my sleepy head awake.

Oh no. That’s right. Last night… I didn’t even have the energy to stand up in the end and just fell asleep, but today is a normal workday.

This is bad. What should I do? Do I have time to go home first?

“Bad… gotta get up.”

“Kyaa!”

The moment I jumped out of bed, a cute scream rang out.

That’s when I finally noticed.

I had been sleeping completely naked.

Right, right. We fell asleep just like that after finishing.

“Uwah… s-sorry.”

I hurriedly got back into bed and pulled the covers over me.

“Really… what are you doing…”

Monou-san’s face turned bright red.

She turned her face away, but her gaze was still directed at me.

At my… crotch area.

“Why is it like that first thing in the morning…?”

“…Well, because it’s morning.”

“Unbelievable… even though yesterday, we did so much…”

She muttered under her breath, then

“Nn. Anyway… go take a shower quickly.”

She said and left the bedroom.

After finishing my shower, I changed back into the suit I wore yesterday.

“You’re going to the office like that?”

“No, I’ll go home first.”

There are things I need to bring from home for today’s work, and anyway, I want to change my underwear and shirt. It’s summer, after all.

“Then we can’t take it too slow. Want some coffee at least?”

“Ah. Sorry, yes please.”

When I sat down, Monou-san served me the charcoal coffee she loves.

I took a sip.

The unique bitterness and fragrance spread in my mouth.

I’ve drunk it many times now, and I might be starting to get hooked on this taste.

“This is kinda nice.”

“Right? This charcoal coffee is used by many for meal replacement diets. Replacing one of the three daily meals with this coffee apparently has amazing diet effects. It contains indigestible dextrin and MCT oil, so even drinking it as a meal substitute gives proper fullness──”

“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant.”

The conversation was about to derail, so I somehow stopped her.

Monou-san made a slightly sad face.

“When I stay over at your place, the next morning I always drink this coffee, right? This kind of routine thing feels nice.”

“…What is that. Weird.”

Monou-san smiled small and drank her own coffee.

“If I were a woman with more feminine charm, maybe I’d make miso soup in the morning or something?”

“Nah, that wouldn’t suit you, Monou-san.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Ah.”

“Let me tell you, I can easily make miso soup. I just avoid it when living alone because of cost and time performance, but if I feel like it, I can make pretty much any──”

Because of my unnecessary slip of the tongue, I ended up getting lectured again.

I finished the coffee and stood up.

“Well then, excuse me.”

As I put on my jacket and was about to leave the room,

“Sanzawa-kun.”

She called out to stop me.

When I turned around──

“…Thanks, for everything.”

Monou-san said, looking a bit embarrassed.

That’s when──I finally noticed.

I’d been rushing since waking up, so I hadn’t noticed until now.

Five leopard gecko figures were lined up on the TV stand.

The one from our date and the four I brought yesterday.

Monou-san must have arranged them after waking up. Not just placed together, but arranged with consideration for visual balance.

In the otherwise chic room, they stood out quite a bit as interior decor. But that mismatch made me a little happy.

“Well then, see you.”

After hesitating, I said those parting words.

I don’t know what the “see you” is for, but it felt the most natural.

Nothing has been resolved, nothing has progressed.

But for now, this feels okay.

Even if this relationship might end someday, for now, this is fine.

While hiding these feelings, I want to be with her as long as possible──

“…Fuu.”

After seeing Sanzawa-kun off, I sat down on the sofa.

I slowly rubbed my lower back.

It hurts.

My lower back… hurts.

Actually, my whole body hurts.

I somehow acted tough in front of Sanzawa-kun… but I’m reaching my limit soon.

Uuu~ it hurts~.

Gotta put on a pain relief patch before going to work.

As expected, last night… I might have overdone it a bit.

I got embarrassingly wild. Seeking a man that freely is probably a first in my life. And he was young with stamina, responding as much as I wanted, so I got even more lewd and wild──

…Just remembering makes me want to die from shame.

Even if I was drunk… no.

It’s not the alcohol’s fault.

I was drunker than usual but not to the point of blacking out.

I remember everything clearly.

Everything I wanted and sought.

Somehow, I opened the window and looked outside.

Looking at the road to the station, I spotted Sanzawa-kun walking.

As I watched his back──suddenly, he stopped and turned around.

Not close enough for eye contact, but he seemed to notice I was watching and lightly waved. Being done that… I had no choice but to wave back.

Intense embarrassment surged up.

Geez… why’d you turn around!

No need to look this way!

…But.

Can’t really say that.

Because I was… looking out thinking, “I wonder if I can see Sanzawa-kun.”

“…!”

I closed the window and curtains.

From the desk drawer, I took out a piece of paper.

The pairing oath.

The line I added by hand later.

──If either of us gets serious, this relationship ends.

Does he really think I haven’t noticed?

Does he think his feelings are hidden?

He hasn’t said it directly, but watching him lately, anyone would know. I’m not that dense. I can’t stay pure.

Sanzawa-kun──probably likes me.

I know.

I can’t help but know.

Not over self-conscious… I think.

With such obvious attitude, impossible not to notice. He tries to hide somehow, but not hiding at all. Visiting when sick, inviting on dates, preparing presents when depressed.

To take all those actions as saintly goodwill without ulterior motive, I’ve become too adult for that.

I said no.

I said if it gets serious, it’s over.

Why did he get serious about someone like me──

“…Really, idiot.”

According to the oath──I must end the relationship right now.

As I myself said… if one gets serious, this kind of relationship is just painful.

I still have no intention of marrying anyone.

There’s circumstances I haven’t told Sanzawa-kun yet. I can’t imagine dating or marrying him while hiding such secrets.

So.

I must cut off our relationship right now.

A relationship using affection instead of just lust is too dishonest.

Dissolve the pairing, better to go back to just boss and subordinate.

There’s no future in this relationship──no right to drag him further into my and my mother’s issues and make him suffer.

Must say goodbye right now.

I know.

I know… but.

“Maybe I’m the idiot too…”

My chest hurts like it’s being squeezed. Closing my eyes, his smiling face floats in mind, happiness and sadness overflowing at once.

Just a bit more.

Just a bit more.

Like a child who can’t stop games or snacks despite parents scolding, I have that part of me.

Just a bit more.

Just a bit more──is it okay to stay like this?

Like now… working together at company, sometimes dating, sometimes having sex, sometimes drinking coffee together──want to continue this current relationship just a bit more.

I’m surprised at myself thinking that.

But I can’t stop. Can’t suppress these emotions.

Just a bit more.

Just a bit more.

I want to depend on him who accepts my ugliness and lewdness.

I want to stay deeply drowned in this rotten relationship.

Afterword

When you actually become an adult, you realize that adulthood and childhood aren’t as separate as you once imagined. Even after you’ve crossed a certain age, moved out, started earning your own money, or even had kids of your own, there’s still this lingering feeling that part of you never really left childhood behind.
If I had to pinpoint the exact moment I felt the switch flip, it was probably the day I bought my first suit for university. The shift from wearing a school uniform to a suit in formal situations made me think, “Okay, I can’t keep acting like a kid anymore.” Even though I was still financially dependent on my parents, putting on that suit and being seen in it by others felt like crossing some invisible threshold into adulthood. Uniforms give you a kind of moratorium, a grace period. Once that’s gone and you have to choose and wear your own suit, something changes. Maybe that’s why, when we’re still in “suit mode,” pure, innocent romance suddenly feels embarrassing or impossible. The kind of love that felt natural in a school uniform just doesn’t fit anymore.

(This story might be about a man and a woman who’ve layered on all sorts of “adult” armor along with their suits… and what happens when they finally start taking it all off.
…Please ignore the fact that some companies still issue uniforms, tons of offices allow casual dress, and literally no one in publishing editorial departments wears suits. No nitpicking!)

Anyway, Nozomi Kouta here.

Volume 2 of the secret-office-romance-with-your-gorgeous-boss adult romcom is done!

I had an absolute blast writing all the ridiculous, only-in-this-series moments again. A light-novel protagonist getting a semen analysis has to be a world first… right? Or maybe not. If it were hard SF instead of romcom, that’d be totally normal.

I started this series with the vague idea of writing an “adult romcom,” but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered: what even is an adult romcom? Does love fundamentally change just because we’re older? Sure, the surface stuff changes, but isn’t the core feeling pretty much the same? Those questions ended up becoming the heart of volume 2. Being an adult doesn’t magically make you good at love, and it definitely doesn’t guarantee you’ll have a cool, dignified relationship. “Adult” is basically just a shiny idol we made up.

Since there was a little extra space this time, here’s a quick character rundown:

Monou Yuiko – Our heroine. I crammed as much “hot female boss energy” as possible into her. Strict yet kind, kind yet strict. A divorced heroine with real life experience is a bit rare in light novels, but I really wanted to lean into that aspect hard. She’s a total ace at work but a hot mess in private – peak female boss fantasy, if you ask me. My personal rule was to keep her flaws grounded and human rather than over-the-top clumsy-cute.

Sanzawa Haruhiko – The protagonist. Has a pro-soccer-player older brother. Walking bundle of insecurities and chronically low self-esteem. Surprisingly high sex drive and zero resistance to going with the flow. Used to play sports seriously but has negative popular-guy aura. …When I list it out like this he sounds like a total loser, but I swear he has good points! I just really enjoy writing clingy, self-deprecating virgin protagonists.

That’s all for now. Other characters can wait until next time.

Announcement!
The manga adaptation finally starts this month (September 2023)!
If you’ve read the novels, you know this story is going to be absolutely unhinged in comic form. There are scenes that barely survived as prose – in manga? Full-throttle indecency from page one. I’ve seen the first chapter and… yeah, it’s gloriously inappropriate. Please look forward to it!

Thanks
To my editor Kanbe-san – thank you again for pulling me through another insane schedule.
To the illustrator Shino-san – every time I throw you a half-baked “uh, something like this vibe?” note, you nail it perfectly. I’m eternally grateful.
And the biggest thank-you to all of you readers.

See you in volume 3 – if fate allows it.

Nozomi Kouta