The office was usually quiet like every morning. Everyone sat at their desks, typing, clicking, pretending to be busy. The air smelled like cheap instant coffee and dusty printers. I had just settled into my seat when the door opened.
Emi walked in.
The soft sound of her heels tapped across the floor as she moved to the front. Her posture was perfect as always, her expression calm. She gave a small bow.
"Hello, everyone. I have an announcement to make."
Her voice made half the office lift their heads. Even the lazy ones pretended to care. I noticed Haruto straightening his tie like an idiot.
Emi continued, "The company is organizing a team trip to Mount Futu. The groups will be divided based on performance. So…" She glanced at the papers in her hand. "Please give me your names before you leave today. I need to know who is planning to come."
A murmur ran through the office.
My first thought?
Absolutely not.
A mountain trip? With coworkers? Spending two or three days pretending to socialize? No thanks.
"I'd rather beat up thugs in daylight," I muttered under my breath.
(HAHAHAHA. YES. GO PUNCH PEOPLE IN THE FOREST, YOU LITTLE PSYCHOPATH.)
I ignored him.
Someone from the crowd raised their voice, "Emi-san, are you going?"
Emi gave a small sigh. "Yes. Even if I don't want to, HR staff must attend. It's mandatory."
That one sentence flipped a switch in my head.
…If she was going, then maybe—
"Alright," I whispered to myself. "I guess I'll go too."
Not for the trip. Not for the mountain. Not for the stupid team-building.
Just because she would be there.
As I scribbled notes half-heartedly, someone nudged my shoulder. I looked up.
It was Mika.
Brown hair tied in a loose ponytail, round eyes, soft features. She was quiet, always kept to herself. In fact, she never talked to me before. Actually, she ignored me most days like I didn't exist.
So why was she suddenly leaning toward my desk?
"Kenji," she said softly. "Are you going on the trip?"
I blinked. For a second I wondered if she was talking to someone behind me.
"…Me?"
She nodded. "Yeah. You never join us for anything. It might be fun if you come along."
Fun?
The word sounded foreign.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "I haven't really thought about it yet."
Mika pouted slightly. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. We're all going. It'll be good to have you with us."
Why did she care? Why was she suddenly acting friendly?
It didn't make sense.
(HAHA. LOOK AT YOU. SHOCKED BECAUSE A GIRL TALKED TO YOU. PATHETIC.)
I ignored him again.
"Yeah… I'll think about it," I finally said.
She smiled — a small, warm one — before turning back to her work.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.
Before leaving the office, I walked up to Emi's desk with my hands slightly sweaty.
"So… um… I'll be joining the trip," I said, keeping my voice low.
She looked up, surprised for half a second, then nodded. "Alright. I'll write your name down."
It was a short exchange, but for me?
One of the very few times I had actually spoken to her directly.
On the way home, the memory kept replaying in my head.
Her voice.
Her calm expression.
Her neat handwriting writing my name.
I sighed and dropped onto my bed.
Then—chime.
My phone buzzed. Notification.
Office Trip Group List — Updated
"Oh… the groups," I muttered, unlocking my phone.
I told myself I was calm. I told myself it didn't matter.
But the moment I tapped the notification, my heart started beating faster—loud, annoying, eager.
There were five groups.
Group A to Group E.
Each group had exactly three members.
Fifteen people in total.
"Only fifteen… out of twenty-two," I murmured.
I counted it again.
Ryo and Shinji were still rotting in the hospital.
Five other people decided not to come.
Made sense.
I scrolled down, eyes searching.
Where's my name…?
Where—
There.
Group B: Emi / Kenji / Daichi
A slow smile stretched across my face.
"…Not Haruto."
I scrolled further, curious.
Where was he?
Group D: Haruto / Mika / Ayane Tanabe
I let out a small laugh. "Wow. Haruto and Tanabe in the same group? What a coincidence."
(LOOK AT THIS BITCH SMILING. PATHETIC.)
"Shut up," I muttered.
(CHECK THE SYSTEM. YOU HAVEN'T DONE THAT IN A WHILE, BITCH.)
"Huh… right."
I closed my eyes and opened the system through my mind. The familiar blue panel flickered to life.
A new window popped up immediately.
[NEW TASK AVAILABLE]
Task: Become friends with
Emi, Mika, Ayane, Naomi, Hikari, Arisa, or Mio
Reward: Hidden ability (???)
Time Limit: 5 days
I stared at the screen.
"…What do you mean, make friends with?"
(HAHAHAHA—FRIENDS. YOU? FRIENDS? NOW THAT'S A GOOD JOKE.)
My eyebrow twitched. "Shut up."
But the task stayed there, glowing.
Make friends…
I didn't expect that.
A fight? Sure.
A mission? Fine.
But friendship?
Still…
If I had to choose anyone…
"…Why not Emi?" I whispered.
The thought alone made my chest tighten.
A week with her in the same group.
A mountain trip.
A mandatory stay.
And now a system task pushing me even closer.
Maybe this timeline really wanted me to stop hiding.
I lay back on my bed, opened the system menu in my mind, and watched the blue screen unfold like pages of a strange digital book.
"Let's see… how many coins do I even have left?"
The number blinked.
Coins: 38
"Hm… enough for something small," I muttered.
(YES. SMALL. LIKE YOUR BRAIN. HURRY UP AND BUY SOMETHING, BITCH.)
"Shut up… I'm thinking."
I scrolled through the list. The menu had changed a little—new items, new skills, new passive abilities. Most of them were expensive, too expensive for now.
But two things caught my eye.
[Passive Skill: High Extra Stamina – Mountain Adaptation ver.]
Cost: 5 coins
Effect: Extra stamina only during hiking, climbing, running on elevated terrain.
"Perfect for Mount Futu," I whispered, tapping buy.
A warm, light feeling spread through my chest like someone had opened a small air vent in my lungs.
Then I scrolled down again.
[Dimensional Storage – 30m³ Capacity]
(3m height × 3m width × 3m depth = 27, but system rounded it up slightly)
Cost: 20 coins
A small cube icon spun slowly. A pocket dimension.
I grinned. "This… this is useful."
(BUY IT, YOU HOARDER.)
I pressed confirm.
A soft hum filled my head.
A new empty space opened—cold, dark, and mine.
"Good," I said. "Now I'm ready."