Chapter Text
Chizuru smiled and bowed silently, reveling in the uproarious applause she received after the presentation. She had worked on the research and numbers for a whole week, skipping dinner dates with her best friend Sen, to prepare for the meeting.
She took a risk, asking her young boss Toshizo Hijikata, the Chief Financial Officer of Shinsengumi, a chance to prove her worth to the company.
“I’ve been watching the market, sir, keeping a close eye.” She kept her head down, unable to make eye contact with him. She was not nervous about her work, not at all. But every fucking time she looked into Hijikata’s purple eyes, she found herself clenching her thighs and biting her lip.
“How could I have confidence with your work if you can’t even look me in the eyes?” Hijikata snapped, his tone harsher than usual. “You do good work here, Miss Yukimura…”
“Chizuru, sir. My name is Chizuru. No need to be too formal with me, sir,” Chizuru interrupted. She constantly reminded him her name, always corrected him that he had every right and permission to use her first name.
My apologies… Chizuru.”
She nodded, acknowledging him.
“Miss Chizuru, the other board members will eat you alive if they deem you weak.”
She managed to get an apology from him—weak was the last thing she was, she thought.
Chizuru nodded silently, lifting her gaze up slightly and catching a glimpse of his lips curling into a small smile.
“But after looking over these numbers—if they are indeed correct and accurate—I may be looking for a new assistant,” Hijikata huffed, his voice trembled at the last part, almost like he didn’t want her to move up the ranks.
“I appreciate your confidence, sir. You won’t regret it. Shinsengumi will set to make millions.”
The board members of Shinsengumi Inc. continued to clap, cheering on the young assistant.
Todo Heisuke, the young banker, gave her a whistle. “All right, Chizuru!”
She glanced over to the two marketing associates, Sanosuke Harada and Shinpachi Nagakura, grinning brightly as they clapped their large hands.
Souji Okita, the chief executive assistant, smirked with approval.
Hajime Saito, the often quiet and reserved finance officer nodded in delight.
“Well done, Miss Yukimura, well done.” Isami Kondo, the Chief Executive Officer, gave her a standing ovation. He patted Hijikata on the back, congratulating him as well. “No wonder you kept her to yourself all this time, she is indeed a treasure to this company!”
Chizuru beamed, basking in her adulation. Her heart was still racing, doing little back flips inside her chest in celebration. She started as an intern—b ringing everyone their coffee and doing their little errands—and worked her way toward assistant to the second most important person in the company.
Chizuru exhaled in relief, sinking her petite body into her swivel chair. She could finally relax and allow herself to breathe just a little bit.
There was a light knock on Chizuru’s door. She got up from her chair, on her way to open it, but she sat back down instead. “Come in.”
She turned her chair to face the door, watching the door knob open slowly. Hijikata walked in cautiously, clearing his throat. “Excuse me, Miss Yukimura, am I bothering you?”
Chizuru stared at him, gripping the arms of her chair tightly, air stuck in her throat. His eyes lowered to the floor, avoiding eye contact with his assistant.
“Of course not,” she managed to blurt out. Hijikata took a few more steps inside her small office, closing the door behind him.
“Congratulations on your successful presentation, Miss Yukimura.”
“Chizuru.”
“Yes, sorry. Congratulations, Chizuru.” He flustered, stumbling her name in his pretty mouth.
“I just wanted to let you know that I think you’re beautiful.”
Chizuru squeaked, eyes wide at him. Hijikata flicked his eyes up to meet her gaze, a tinge of pink slowly appearing on his cheeks.
God, even when he was not the usual confident boss-man that he was, Chizuru found him stunning. She bit her lip as she watched him gather his words into a stuttering mess.
“I-I-I mean, your work is beautiful,” he finally managed to say.
His cheeks were bright red now.
“Would you like to have a celebratory dinner with my beautiful work, sir?”
Hijikata froze, his breath hitched as she flashed her bright smile at him.
He nodded slowly, accepting her invitation.