"All right, that means you'll have some free time before the school trip, junior."
Kiyoharu announced this rather smugly, as though he himself had gained extra vacation days, then immediately began packing up the things on his desk, preparing to clock out and slip away.
He cared a great deal about leaving work on time... or rather, he did not have to leave on time, but he absolutely had to leave early. Overtime was out of the question.
Shimaura Hitomi looked at Kiyoharu, then lowered her gaze to the things on his desk.
Her senior's desk held quite a few items, yet it did not look cluttered. Hitomi thought that was an impressive skill. She had heard that he kept his home equally neat and orderly.
Most people's idea of organization inevitably involved stuffing things into drawers or boxes, making them difficult to find when needed. Hitomi had hated that style of tidying ever since she was young. Her strange father was exactly like that, making everything inconvenient at home.
Kiyoharu pursued a different kind of neatness. Hitomi felt there had to be some real knowledge behind it, so she had found chances to ask him about it several times. Each time, Kiyoharu wore a puzzled expression.
"Huh? No, I just tidy things up whenever I feel like it."
After watching Kiyoharu finish packing up, and confirming she had no other work on hand and that inviting him now would not disturb him, Hitomi finally gathered her courage. "Senior, may I treat you to dinner tonight?"
"Why do you suddenly want to treat me to dinner?"
"Well, you've helped me a lot at work lately, Senior. And just now, you helped me turn down all those materials. I wanted to thank you!"
Hitomi clasped her hands tightly, her timid, bashful