Dungeon Refrigerator 142

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Office Romance

"Ah, ah, cough, cough. Nice to meet you, I'm Egetsu Naruhito. Well, it seems I'm not very good at this..."

"Oh, no, that's not true. I think you sound cool."

"Yeah, right? Like, this rough voice isn't bad, huh?"

"That's right!"

"Hmm..."

Thanks to the dedication of the three, I had completely returned to my original self. However, unfortunately, my face and voice hadn't fully returned. So, I tried speaking in a lower tone, but it ended up sounding more like a female voice actor playing a male role.

Well, at least everything below the face had safely turned back into a man, a significant progress. With around 80% completion, I could still participate in the final battle.

"Besides, your face is returning to being a man, Coach. Just a little more!"

"Is that so? I don't really know, but thank you, Ruu."

Though Ruu didn't speak much, she sometimes just stared at me. If Ruu says so, it must be true.

"With this, you can see Ruu's dad anytime now!"

"Yeah, but before that, I'll handle a little job. Well then, shall we, Nina-san?"

Facing Nina-san, who had dressed professionally in a business suit and stylish glasses, I urged her to depart.

"Sure thing. I'll skillfully wrap up this negotiation."

Actually, in response to the messages I sent to various pharmaceutical companies the other day, one company replied. The company's name is Sanada Pharmaceutical Industries, a super famous pharmaceutical giant that even I know.  My interpersonal skills as a salaryman were insufficient to deal with such a major pharmaceutical company. So, I decided to entrust all aspects of this negotiation to Nina-san, who excels in negotiation skills.

Yeah, this is the right person for the right job! I'm not scared at all negotiating with a super famous pharmaceutical company!

"Well then, I'm off."

"We'll be waiting for good news!"

"Coach, take care!"

Dressed in rider fashion with a cooler box for fishing on my shoulder, I was seen off by my beloved Ruu and Serai-san. The cooler box is filled with slime drops as the other party wants to confirm them directly.

"But, really, is it okay to negotiate with a major company dressed like that?"

"Oh, this is also a division of roles. I handle all the rough stuff in the dungeon. I'm in charge of escorting the items. Nina-san is in charge of the negotiation. Instead of you two in similar suit attire, wouldn't this set each other off nicely?"

"Well, if you think about it that way, I guess so. I think both of you in suits would be better, though..."

"Well, there's no time to tailor suits now. Let's go like this."

Since my body has gotten thicker, I can no longer wear the suits from my salaryman days, and there's no ready-made size that fits. 

Today, I have no choice but to go out in rider fashion. I have a white coat for a chiropractor, but going to negotiate in that would be equally absurd.

.....

So, they arrived at the Tokyo branch of Sanada Pharmaceutical Industries. The entire building, a single dedicated structure, was undeniably extravagant.

[Tapping sound]

However, without hesitation, Nina-san walked confidently, her high heels sound echoing straight to the front of the building.

"Welcome to Sanada Pharmaceutical Industries. How may I assist you today?"

"Hello, I'm Egetsu Nakihito. We have a 2:00 PM appointment. Could you please inform Tadokoro-san from Sales Division 2?"

Brilliant. Precisely, a flawless exchange. Nina-san who had lost almost all of her assets in a major downturn, now possessed incredible audacity. My judgment was spot on.

Serai-san was also exceptionally skilled in customer service, although her approach still retained a somewhat student-like aura. Whether this freshness would work in favor in a business setting was a bit ambiguous, but at present, Nina was presenting a polished business demeanor before me. She carried ample intelligence and sophistication suitable for the upcoming negotiation. I could confidently endorse and entrust her.

Especially since negotiations were not my forte, I rely on you, Nina.

After being guided to a private meeting room, they served coffee in paper cups, and we waited.

Then, a man in glasses and a suit knocked and entered. Apparently, he was Tadokoro-san, the one they had exchanged emails with.

"Ah... Oh, quite a distance you've come. I'm Tadokoro from Sales Division 2."

Phew, it seemed my judgment wasn't wrong.

He momentarily stopped, looking surprised as he glanced at me and Nina-san in the room, but quickly regained composure and introduced himself. The unexpected combination of the beautiful Nina and my muscular self must have caught him off guard.

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for your time."

And so, the Japanese businessman's first move - the exchange of business cards. Yes, this is where everything begins.

Nina had promptly prepared business cards when she learned about the negotiation. Yes, indeed, she was a capable woman.

"So, um... Nina Shizue-san? The one who contacted me was Egetsu-san, right?"

"Oh, yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, Tadokoro-san."

"Oh, it was you. Well then, thank you."

Since having two similar business cards wouldn't make sense, I opted for a handshake with a bit of a foreign flair. It could enhance the macho appeal. "With these muscles, I bring goods from the dungeon," I joked.

"Um, before we delve into our discussions, may I check the items right away?"

Oh, here it comes. It seemed he had been eyeing the cooler box since earlier and wanted to confirm the goods first. Let's proceed.

"Here you go, these are the items you requested."

Placing the cooler box on the table, I opened it towards Mr. Tadokoro for a good view. Inside were not wilted nama yatsuhashi but slime drops.

"Oh, this much!?"

"Yes, what do you think? The quality should be quite satisfactory, don't you think?"

After all, I haven't taken them out of the dungeon yet. The dungeon's anteroom was cool and comfortable. So it was like storing them in a cold, dark place. There were no signs of deterioration, and while I didn't know how they would use it, there should be no issue with the quality.

"I'd like to examine them a bit, so is it okay if I bring someone in?"

"Yes, please."

"Excuse me then. Hey, come in!"

Tadokoro-san called out in the hallway.

Suddenly, researchers in lab coats entered the room, carrying testing equipment. They began analyzing the somewhat wilted nama yatsuhashi. The researchers completely ignored Nina-san and me. They silently focused on the analysis target was very researcher-like. I see. They're research geeks.

However, as they continued to analyze the wilted nama yatsuhashi, they gradually began to express surprised cheers.

"Wow! This is amazing! Its freshness is incredible!"

"This is flawless as a base, too!"

"Where on earth did you get such a quantity...? In any case, there's great attention to maintaining the quality of the material!"

Oh, really? It was a good decision to go to the fishing gear store to buy the cooler box to impress them. 

Geeks pay attention to such things, you know? You understand, right? I'm an otaku too.

"It seems the researchers are very satisfied with the items we provided."

"Hahaha, well, it seems so."

Yes, Tadokoro-san and Nina were conversing cheerfully. It seemed that negotiations were likely to progress smoothly.

.....

Results. I brought approximately 50 kilograms of slime drops. Surprisingly, Sanada Pharmaceutical agreed to purchase them for a hefty sum of 4.2 million yen. The initially expected purchase amount we thought to settle was at 3.8 million yen. Nina-san, with her persistent negotiation skills, added the condition "We will promptly deliver an additional 50 kilograms", increasing the purchase amount.

Hmm, I couldn't have negotiated this well. Nina-san is truly amazing!

In response to Nina-san's desire to celebrate with a toast, we left Sanada Pharmaceutical's building, purchased canned beer at a nearby convenience store, and toasted in a nearby park.

"Cheers!"

"Ah, delicious! But frustrating! If we had incorporated, we could have claimed back the consumption tax properly!"

"No, no, just concluding the deal is already a significant achievement, a double thumbs-up, a huge victory!"

"Hehe, that's right. A great success. With this, we won't have to worry about money for a while."

"Same for you, Nina-san. An additional 400,000 yen and the promised negotiation fee of 20%. From the 3.8 million, that's 760,000 yen. In total, it's 1.16 million yen, your share."

"Really!? Oh? But I feel bad for Ruu-chan and them. If it's like this, it seems like I'm getting special treatment..."

"That's fine. I'll give Ruu and others something as a present with my share. Nina-san, you could use that as seed money and continue investing!"

"Really, is it okay to receive...? (bow)"

In a gesture resembling a headbutt, Nina-san pressed her forehead against my chest. She seems torn between the joy of receiving money and the relationship balance with friends.

Alright, let's give her one more push, a little encouragement.

"It's fine. We have to gather another 50 kilograms of drops from now on. Ruu and Serai-san will help, and I'll cover their part-time wages too."

"Thank you so much!"

In the evening glow, Nina-san hugged me, said these words, and gave me an incredibly warm kiss. It tasted like lipstick, the aftertaste of beer, and was filled with Nina-san's fragrance—a very adult taste of a kiss.

During my salaryman days, an office romance was out of the question for me. 

Unexpectedly, I find myself savoring such an atmosphere in this way. What a delightful happening. I'll never know what will happen in life.