I don't need a Prince Charming! -For some reason, I have to find a husband real quick! - Chapter 3

Advisor captured.

The restaurant was a western-style restaurant with an antique interior.

Because the location was mellow and in a slightly secluded alley, I had no idea it was right near the office.

My throat was parched after doing something I was not used to doing, but after drinking some water served on the table, I felt a little calmer. Kimori san is looking at me with an amused look right in front of my eyes.

“Sorry, can I ask you your formal name? The impression of a robot is too strong”

“My name is Ako Kobato. I’m 25 years old”

“Uh. I’m Kimori Renji. 28 years old”

“Yes, I know who you are”

Kimori san said, “Ah, come to think of it, you called by my name earlier” and laughed.

Kimori san didn’t get to the point immediately and showed me the menu. The menu was lined with names of delicious-sounding dishes, and he told me in a carefree voice, “I recommend ordering hamburger steak”.

“Well then, I’ll have that”, I said then thought.

Is it necessary to be honest about the situation with this person?

It is a personal matter, and if possible, I don’t want to talk about it with people much.

But it is an undeniable fact that it’s tough alone. Besides, he has already gotten a glimpse of the situation.

I heard that Kimori san has a bad womanizing habit, but apart from that, he is good at his job and is a caring person who gets along with everyone surprisingly. He has a wide circle of acquaintances, and I hear that many men ask him for advice when they find a female employee they’re interested in. He’s a womanizer which means he must have a lot of love experience, for better or worse, and he might be a surprisingly good person to talk to.

I decided to tell him what was going on.

“…that’s the gist of it”

I had to tell him that I’m the granddaughter of the company’s chairman, which took him by surprise.

“I ask of you to not tell anyone”

“…Why are you hiding this?”

“Because people might say I joined the company by connections or riding on a coat-tail, and change their behavior. I don’t want to be conspicuous in a bad way nor do I want to be treated gingerly”

In fact, when asked whether I joined the company by connections or not, I indeed joined by connections..

I took the job interview just like everyone else, but after that, my grinning grandfather told me, “I put in a word for you”.

If I had been a strong and capable person, no one might say anything about me, but for a clunker like me, it would definitely be seen in a negative light. My nickname, ‘Robo’, did not refer to unparalleled calmness or intelligence, but rather to the ‘clunker’ attached to my name.

When I first joined the company, people were impressed by the speed of which I could complete the paperwork I was entrusted with without making a single mistake, and the speed of which I could go to the materials room alone to manage supplies without making a single mistake in counting them.

However, when I was sent to another department to handle a simple equipment-related matter, I was such a clunker that I came back with a misunderstanding, and expectations of me quickly fell to the ground.

My performance instantly dropped when communication was involved. I was not outgoing so when the other person became frustrated, I went and misunderstood, not getting the point at all, and was just one step away from a catastrophe that could lead to a serious wrong order.

As for the direct origin of ‘Robot’ nickname, one day I was working on a document at high speed without saying a word but I misunderstood the instructions, and the document was not only completely unnecessary, but also became a mysterious creative document that no one had ever created before.

At that time, one of my seniors said to me, “You were working on it like crazy with no expression on your face and this is the result!?”. From then on, I was called Clunky Robot chan for both my accuracy and stupidity.

I had not been getting along with people well and obviously did not fit in, but from that moment on, I was somehow accepted as the character I had, so perhaps it was kindness in my senior’s own way.

In any case, communication skills are essential to my work. With them, I’m nothing more than a clunky robot with an unbalanced versatility that can only perform mindless tasks with precision. In fact, I would not have been accepted for the position if not for my grandfather.

“It would have been far more simple if you just told your grandfather”

Kimori san showed me a more or less understanding face though not fully convinced and said, “Well, Kobato san has that kind of personality”.

The ordered hamburger arrived.

It’s a little past dinner time, and hunger is at its peak.

After putting tomato sauce in the ramekin on top, I put it in my mouth. It was so delicious that my brain felt numb, so I chewed silently for a while. The consomme soup with the simple taste also warmed my stomach.

I felt a little more relaxed after my hunger was satiated with a delicious meal.

“Kobato san, your table manners are super neat. Or rather, it’s like a textbook example…”

I look at Kimori san, who was looking at me with an amused expression on his face.

“Um, I don’t care who the other person is as long as I can get married,..so Kimori san, can you teach me a way to find a marriage partner?”

“Even if you ask me,… I think it would be better if you learn about it in a decent way”

“I understand. Then, I will do my best on my own”

“Do my best?”

“…I don’t have any ideas, so I will try proposing to another person tomorrow”

“No, that’s why I’m saying, you should think about a good partner for you! It’s common sense that you can’t just ask a guy who comes to mind on the spur of the moment!”

“Ah, I’m in a hurry…”

“Are you really a human? I can really understand why you get called a robot now…”

“Is that so?”

“Like the robots that brew tea for example. You would be the type of robot that gets special tea leaves, calculates the best way to make the tea leaves taste good, and then brews it, but the temperature is 170 degrees, and it’s undrinkable for humans or something like that…”

“…Is that so”

“Type of robot that when you let it drive a car, says it has calculated the shortest route and tries to pass through a volcano…”

Unfortunately, he’s mostly right.

“But, if I was really a robot, I wouldn’t have been ordered to get married. What a pity”

“That’s not the point”

“If so, then Kimori san, please give me advice”

“First of all, ‘Anyone is okay’ is NG. Think seriously and come up with a candidate. From there, I’ll help you with the capture method at least”

I thought I was thinking seriously in my own way, but I was lectured. However, I understand where he is coming from. I was also aware that I was being too impatient.

“Hmmm”

I groaned as I thought about the candidates. I had a face that came to mind.

I put my fork down and moved my face closer to Kimori san.

“How about Ishioka san, a commission employee of the legal department? He is single as his wife has passed away, if I remember correctly”

“Ah… I know that person”

“He is a very nice man who often gives me candy”

Kimori san put a piece of hamburger in his mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, and gulped down some water. He then put it down on the table with a thump and said, “The chairman would faint if someone as old as him got introduced!”.

He immediately dismissed the idea.

But, the brief tsukkomi was right. The purpose of the marriage is to reassure my grandfather, and if he fainted, there would be no meaning or going back.

I thought about it again as I savored my hamburger.

I thought it could be anyone, but I should take age into consideration a bit.

“Ah, I had an epiphany”

I wasn’t too familiar with the people in my company, but a certain person crossed my mind.

With a face that showed no faith in my epiphany, Kimori san prompted, “Who is it this time…”.

“Oda san from the recycling division”

Oda san is 33 years old. His face is somewhat unique, but he is an aggressive and ambitious person. He is not very good at his job, but he has a strong desire to climb up the ladder. He has a high self-esteem and often complains that he feels he isn’t valued fairly by the people around him. He is also said to be a womanizer, but he boldly says, “I only date high-level women”. I know his face because he once had a dispute with a senior colleague at work, and I frequently hear him talking about him in bad terms.

“I know that guy too… So, tell me why you thought he is a good choice”

Kimori san didn’t change a single expression on his face, and his voice was like that of a teacher grading an underachiever’s answer in front of him.

“Yes. I heard that he is very ambitious, so if I tell him I’m the chairman’s granddaughter, he’s likely to marry me”

“Other than that?”

“Nothing in particular”

“Even if it’s okay with you, there’s no way it’s okay to choose a marriage partner knowing that!”

“Eh, isn’t it fine if I’m okay with it? I don’t need to fall in love, so it’s rather ideal that he would have a girlfriend on the outside”

Kimori san looked at me seriously and let out a huge sigh.

“You have a fair amount of insight into the nature of people, but you definitely lack the judgment to apply it”

“…”

“I mean, that thought process of only looking at the difficulty level and result, it’s a bit psychotic and scary. It’s beyond the level of being inexperienced in love. Too much like a clunky robot”

With an even more frightened expression on his face, Kimori san seemed to be dismayed.

“Somehow, I can understand why the chairman…or rather, Kobato san’s grandfather, would be worried”

“Eh”

“I think I also understand why he told you to find a marriage partner by yourself and didn’t set up an arranged marriage”

“What is the reason?”

I have no idea.

“The reason for limiting the partner to within the company, I don’t know how much of the intention is work-related…but more than that, Kobato san’s personality is such that she might try to meet with a violent person irresponsibly through dubious matching apps or dating agencies”

“Is it…that dangerous?”

“If you choose the right person or agency, you can meet someone who is not suspicious. But Kobato san is too perfunctory, so it wouldn’t be surprising if you choose a bad partner. At least, if it’s within the company, there is a much lower chance of suspicious people”

“Oh…”

“If you’re looking for a bachelor in the company, excluding women and married men, your options are surprisingly limited, but even so, there are a lot of people in the company, so you’ll have to do your best to find a good and decent guy”

“Um, how do I find a good and decent guy?”

Kimori san narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then raised his index finger.

“Let’s see… . First, you must approach him without telling him you are the granddaughter of the chairman”

“Why?”

I would prefer not to tell anyone at the company, but I was beginning to feel that I should tell them if it would be advantageous for my marriage hunting.

“Because it would increase the probability of weird people approaching you. Even if you take that out of the equation, Kobato san should still look for a man who would love to live with you forever”

“Ah, …what else? Is it okay to marry anyone if I hide the fact that I’m the chairman’s granddaughter?”

Kimori san narrowed his eyes in exasperation and glared at me.

“Put yourself in the chairman’s shoes and think carefully”

“Yes?”

“You should look for a ‘Prince Charming’ who can do a certain amount of work, who is kind and sincere as a prerequisite, …and above all, whom you can love and whom you’ll be taken good care of”

Prince Charming?

Prince…Charming?

“What is that…Cringe”

“It’s terrible getting such a reaction after saying such a reasonable thing!”

“I don’t need a Prince Charming. …If I remember correctly, Kimori san…has a colorful history with women, right?”

It was a roundabout way of saying it, but I was surprised at the reasonable sermon, which was unbecoming of a charlatan scumbag.

“I’m not serious about my love life either, but Kobato san’s stance was so terrible that I ended up giving a reasonable and honest argument”

“My stance is not terrible, just not extravagant. I’m looking for something serious and realistic”

“I’m telling you, the chairman won’t be convinced by the man Kobato san chooses”

“W-what are you talking about? I was told to choose by myself so it should be fine to choose anyone”

“That is fundamentally wrong first of all. You’ve misunderstood the purpose”

“If you insist so much, then you should just help me, Kimori san”

“…Me? Help you find a partner?”

He looked at me surprised, even though I already made him give a lot of NGs. Be that as it may, we only got to know each other’s personalities after meeting each other today. Maybe I’m being brazen.

“…Okay”

“Eh”

“Kobato san is sort of crazy… It think the chairman would definitely be more pleased with who I choose”

“I-I’m looking forward to working with you!”

To be honest, I was extremely grateful.

I bowed down deeply like the commoners do to their lord in a period drama.

“Hmmm. Kobato san may not be flashy, but you have a pretty face, and it might not be difficult since I’m intervening. The chairman will definitely be convinced”

I sensed that Kimori san who is said to have a surprisingly caring side, was beginning to develop some kind of fighting spirit for his role.

Translator Notes:

This chapter might be awkward to read since I translated it in a hurry. I didn’t get some of what they meant to say myself. I’ll come back to fix some wordings when I’m free so please tell me if there are any mistakes that you spot.