Chapter 36.

“Then… when we’re alone, don’t call me boss. I don’t like being called that when I’m not working. I rather not bring work into my leisure time.”

“Oh? Your name? …”

“Yeah, call me by name instead of boss.”

Shit. Shit. Shit! Her name? What was her name again? I was so used to calling her boss I never bothered to learn her name. Am I the biggest idiot of all time? What am I going to do? Is this something I could be fired for? What will I do when applying for my next job when asked,  “why did you leave the last company you worked for?” Will I be forced to say I didn’t even know my bosses name and she fired me on the spot?

“Well Dio? Aren’t you going to call me by name?”

The only possible thing I could really do was pull out all the stops and give birth to a silver tongue of flattery that could make even the gods up above blush in shame.

“... sorry I’m driving right now. I’m trying to concentrate on the road. I need to pay utmost attention, especially when my important boss is in my car. What would I do if I got into an accident when the most beautiful boss in the world was in my car? Can you imagine the amount of pressure I’m carrying on my back right now? You couldn’t possibly imagine the level of the burden I’m bearing at this very moment.”

“You know… you can just be honest and say you forgot it.”

“I would never forget the name of the wonderful noble goddess boss of mine. You have a name so lovely that animals gather just to hear the bell like chime of your name reverberating through the air. A name so soothing it can put any crying child at ease. A name so enchanting it can make any man fall to their knees in worship. A name so-“

“Cut the shameful lip service. My name is Valkyria Rosenberg, since I’m calling you Dio, just call me Val for short when it’s just the two of us.”

“V-Val? Isn’t that a bit too close for a business relationship? It should be Ms. Rosenberg instead, right?”

“Relax Dio, like I said, it’s only after hours or when it’s just the two of us.”

“If that’s what you say boss… Val.”

“Honestly, if I didn’t stop you there, how long were you planning to go on with praising my name to the sky?”

“Until the gods up above smote me down in jealousy towards the blessed me, who has the pleasure of knowing the name of a woman with a caliber so high. A woman, whom not even those very same almighty gods can make swoon.”

“Shameless brat, cut the crappy flattery. Your paycheck isn’t going up with only a few flowery words.”

“Hahaha. I’m just trying to learn from example.”

I still don’t understand how I keep getting caught up in her pace like this. It’s to the point that it’s a bit creepy. It’s like she can read my mind and whenever I start to grow weary towards her, she jumps in to somehow ease my nerves with random conversations like this. Am I that much of an open book to her? Just how observant does she need to be to be the CEO of the company anyways?

Without realizing it, we’d already arrived at the McDonalds closest to the office. It wasn’t far at all and in the short conversation we had, it really didn’t take long to get here. Boss… I mean Val, had an expectant look on her face as she hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the car. Honestly, I found her to be adorable when I saw her acting in the somewhat childish manner she had.

“Hurry up.”

It was also a bit embarrassing being seen with a grown woman getting worked up about fast food while trying to hide it. Though admittedly, the stares of the nearby surrounding pedestrians when she eagerly stepped out of the car directed at us did hurt a bit.

She was also a bit fidgety when she waited for me to get out of the car. She allowed me to walk in front to lead the way into the fine establishment known as McDonalds. Haha, at least that’s how it felt with the nervous glances she shot left and right while flusteredly looking all over the place.

When we entered, there were two people lined up in front of the cash register at the front. She put on a confused expression like she couldn’t understand what they were doing. I was slightly curious whether she thought an attendant or waiter was supposed to greet us at the entrance.

“You’ve really never ordered fast food yourself before?”

“What? Of course I have, it’s common sense what to do.”

She walked to the end of the line and stood there patiently. Of course, I didn’t follow her and went to the kiosk at the side to place my order myself.

“Eh? What’s that?”

“The do it yourself station.”

“Don’t you have to stand in this line to place your order?”

“If it was about five years ago you’d have been right. Oh, by the way, you can also order through the app.”

“I’m the CEO of a tech repair company, of course I’ve heard of such innovations. But if you don’t order through the cashiers, won’t their jobs become obsolete? Won’t that take away from their purpose of existing if everyone put in their orders themselves? As an upstanding citizen, shouldn’t you be more concerned about doing your part to protect their jobs?”

“The cashiers still have their role to play for customers paying by cash. They also do more than man the register, they also bag your orders up and have other miscellaneous tasks to take care of.”

“Oh. Is that so? Still, you can’t cheat like that! You have to help me with my order.”

“Do I? I was looking forward to seeing what a woman of such fine palate would order on her own. Someone with good tastes like you couldn’t possibly not know what to order, right?” I felt a bit like a sadistic bully. The feeling wasn’t bad though, the strange sense of superiority over your superior. God, I’m petty.

“You…”

When the line was empty and it was her turn to order, her eyes were swimming about randomly while looking at the menu overhead.

“Ma’am what would you like to order today?”

“Uh. Hmm. Well… I have a buy one get one free coupon, what can I get with that?”

The cashier didn’t look amused in the slightest, she just blandly responded, “two Big Macs it is.”