He's kinda nice.

"C... Chief Kobayashi? What are you doing here?"

She really looked at him as if he had just caught her red-handed. But he was also a little at fault, for eavesdropping. His curiosity had gotten the best of him.

That didn't mean, however, that he was going to let the young woman have the upper hand.

"I don't have to justify myself to a subordinate. "He replied curtly.

He walked slowly to enter the stairwell, making the young woman step back in front of him, and letting the door close silently behind them.

The young woman's gray eyes kept shaking; as if she were afraid of something. Or more precisely, of him. And this kind of reaction irritated him to the core. He hadn't done anything to her yet, and she was already scared.

"You seem like you have something to hide, Shinohara-san... " Said Shinsuke, while continuing to stare at her sternly with his brown eyes. He squinted a little more because of her annoying attitude.

Was she afraid that he'd overheard her phone conversation? Or was she just scared by his intimidating attitude?

"N-no Chief! " Answered the young woman, while looking away.

Ah, she was definitely hiding something. He could feel it, just by the fact that she was avoiding his gaze. Had he already put his finger on an interesting subject?

"You also seem tired, despite the fact that it's only your first day," he observed.

This remark made the young woman react, as she eventually looked back at him. She even raised her hands in front of her, as if to prevent him from coming closer to her.

"Ah, no! It's nothing Chief! "She confounded herself in excuses. "It's just that it's my first day, and everything is new to me! "

She awkwardly smiled, as if to reassure herself that what she was saying was the truth. Shinsuke had the unpleasant impression that she was trying to avoid the subject. This strengthened his belief that he was on the right track, and that she was definitely hiding something.

"You should avoid going out partying the night right before an important day like this," he teased.

Come on, show me you remember the night before. Even a little. And you'll see how terrifying I can be, he thought.

"Ah, it's really not that, Chief! "She replied, waving her hands in front of her again. She even seemed embarrassed and self-conscious about what she was saying. "I tend to get tired quickly and fall asleep when I'm stressed! "

Tch. She was really avoiding the subject here. What was she, an expert at dodging criticism?

"You should avoid doing stressful things, then. And if this job is too stressful for you, you should just quit. " He said with an aggressive look.

Maybe threatening her would eventually cause her to confess an apology.

"The job isn't too stressful right now... " Hana thought aloud, "But I'll make sure it doesn't become more so, and that it doesn't impact my performance! "

No, again, that's not what he had meant by that. She had understood that what she had wanted to understand, without seeing his intentions in his words or attitude.

But Shinsuke was also stubborn, and was not going to stop there. He was going to make her spill the beans about last night. Even if it meant showing himself to be an even bigger bastard.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that you should be careful going out at night," Shinsuke continued with a wicked smile. "You're the kind of woman who clearly isn't safe from deranged people, especially if you dress scantily. "

Putting her down would surely offend her and trigger her to react, right?

But his remark did not have the desired effect.

The young woman looked away, visibly embarrassed, and blushing slightly - especially around her ears - and smiled. It could have been cute in Shinsuke's eyes, if she hadn't been such a bad encounter the day before. Particularly for his hair and back, but also his ego.

"Ah, it's nice of you to worry about me, Chief Kobayashi... " She said shyly with a delighted voice.

Ah, what was she going to assume now? That wasn't what he meant by that. Not at all!

He was getting tired of it now.

"Well... You should avoid doing foolish things, and also getting others into trouble! " Shinsuke growled, frustrated.

"Ah, but I'm a very reasonable person, Chief! Don't worry, I can be really reliable when it matters! "Hana smiled.

Ah, now he felt like a pitcher whose every ball was systematically hit and thrown back by the batter.

She was really managing to dodge his questions like a real pro.

"And you seem like the kind of woman who would hang on to a guy all night! " He said, taking another step towards her. "The kind, to cling to him like thaaaaaaaat, and pull his hair out! "

At the same time, he also acted out what he was explaining; crossing his arms over his chest as if he was hugging himself, before finally putting his hands in his hair to tousle it.

"You have a vivid imagination, Chief! "Hana replied, astonished. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. "But really, you don't have to worry about me. I'm a reasonable person! "

Then, as if she had just realized something, she added with a small smile:

"I know it's not my place to say this, Chief Kobayashi, but you should also take care of yourself when you go out at night. "

Home Run.

She had sent his ball so far back that he couldn't even hope to catch it.

No, at this point, it wasn't that she was still misunderstanding. Was she doing it on purpose? Was she openly mocking him by doing this?

He clearly had no idea what Hana really meant by that, and was anyway too blinded by his desire for revenge to properly think about it.

The young woman had continued to send back to him claim after claim, which had exasperated him to the highest point.

This time, things were going to be really ugly.

"No, listen here..." He began by raising the tone.

He didn't have time to add anything else, as he was interrupted by the door behind him opening wide.

"Oh, Shinsuke! "Saizo exclaimed. "We're going to grab a meal next to the metro station, are you coming? "

Great. Just when he was about to start yelling at the young recruit. Saizo definitely had a knack for interrupting at the worst possible moment.

"Oh, but who do we have here? " Saizo then said with a smile, surprised. "You're Shinohara-san, aren't you? "

Recovering from the sudden irruption which had startled her, Hana bowed slightly forward to greet the newcomer.

"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Shinohara Hana, and I'm going to be an intern for a year for the Financial Section! " She said, almost shouting.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you're eager to work with us!" Smiled Saizo tenderly. "I'm Ogawa Saizo, Deputy Chief of the Financial Section! "

This seemed to make Hana think for a moment, as she seemed to be putting together the pieces of an invisible puzzle in her mind.

"So... You're just below Chief Kobayashi in the hierarchy, right? " She asked.

"Well guessed, Shinohara-san! "Saizo continued to smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us... "

Saizo took Shinsuke's arm with his own, already starting to lead – arm-in-arm - his friend and direct superior out of the stairwell.

"Hey, let go of me" Shinsuke growled.

Saizo's familiar attitude was getting on his nerves, but Saizo obviously didn't care.

"Take your time to get to know everyone, Shinohara-san! "Saizo said, dragging with him Shinsuke.

"I said let go! "Shinsuke angrily spat. He was really losing there the little to none patience he had left.

"Have a nice meal, Shinohara-san! "Said Saizo one last time, before the door closed again; leaving Hana alone on the staircase landing.

She heard a last "Let me go! " shouted from behind the door, then silence returned, as if none of this had happened in the first place.

"What the hell was that? " Hana wondered, muttering to herself.

Her new boss's attitude had left her more than a little puzzled. He seemed to get very upset, even over small things.

Yet, despite everything she had been told about him...

Chief Kobayashi...

"He's kinda nice, actually. " She said, thoughtful.