A Different Start

Prologue

Mikami Satoru's Pov:

I was just living your typical kind of life. Graduating from college, landing on a job at a sort-of-big general contractor outfit, and with my older brother taking care of our parents for me, I was currently enjoying all the myriad benefits of the bachelor-pad life. Age thirty-seven. No significant other.

I wasn't exactly short or frumpy or hideous or anything. But when it came to the opposite sex, apparently, I had nothing to offer. I'd made efforts along those lines, with varying degrees of dedication, but by the third rejection, something fizzled out within me. Besides-really, at this age, I was kinda past the point where a girlfriend needed to be my main focus. Work kept me busy enough. Plus, it wasn't like I was gonna die without one.

(...I'm not making excuses, all right? It's just that I started thinking...)

???: "Oh, senpai! Sorry we're late!"

There he was, walking toward me, bursting with all that youthful energy of his. He and the beautiful woman next to him. His name was Tamura, one of the guys who worked under me, and she was Sawatari, the front-desk lady, and pretty much the "it" girl around the office.

These bums asked to see me because they were getting married and wanted my advice. In other words, this meeting was the whole reason I was brooding over why I was such a failure at personal relationships. I was leaning against a telephone pole at the intersection where we'd agreed to meet after work, thinking to myself.

Satoru: "Nah." I nodded a greeting at Sawatari and asked, "What'd you want to talk about?"

Sawatari: "Oh, good to meet you. My name's Miho Sawatari. I've seen you at work a lot, but...um, I guess this is the first time I've spoken to you, huh? It makes me kind of nervous, somehow."

(I'm the one who should be nervous, lady! my mind griped to itself. It's not like I'm any good at speaking to women. How about a little sympathy here? Anyway you looked at it, I was the wrong person to ask. I knew nothing about love. They were doing this just to spite me-I was sure of it. I'm pretty sure, anyway.)

"Oh, there's nothing to be nervous about," I replied. "Satoru Mikami. It's good to meet you, Ms. Sawatari... although you're famous enough around the office that you hardly need to even introduce yourself, huh? Tamura and I went to the same college, and we kinda hit it off during his training period, so that's how we know each other."

Sawatari: "Famous? Oof! Not famous in a weird way, I hope?"

Satoru: "Oh, y'know. I hear stories about you dating Kameyama or messing around with Mr. Kihara in management..."

Somehow, I decided that picking on her would be a good idea. I just meant it as a passing joke, but it made Sawatari's face turn a bright shade of red, her eyes watering up a bit. It was cute, in a way. People were always telling me to tone that stuff down-that I needed to consider people's feelings more or, if not that, at least make it funnier-but I couldn't help myself. So mark that down as another failure. Maybe I really do have a crap personality.

Tamura took that chance to intervene, giving Sawatari a pat on the shoulder. Dammit, Tamura! So blessed with the natural charm you need to live a decent life.... I wish people like you would just explode!

Tamura: "Aw, stop being mean to her," he admonished with an effortless smile. "And don't worry, Miho, he's just having a little fun with you."

(Cool, refreshing, and completely guileless-Tamura was impossible to hate. He was still just twenty-eight, quite a bit younger than I was, but we got on well nonetheless. I probably owed him at least a few congratulations...)