"This feels worse than pulling an all-nighter… is it a side effect of entering that consciousness space?" In the kitchen, Kamiyā Yuu, who was preparing breakfast, let out another yawn. His mental fatigue made his eyelids droop uncontrollably, opening and closing as if locked in a fierce battle.
To save time this morning, he made a Western-style breakfast—sliced bread with fried eggs and ham, along with some vegetables and milk. It was simple, convenient, and nutritious.
After finishing everything, he walked to Kamiyā Sora's door and knocked. "Sora, it's about seven. I'm heading to work now. Breakfast is on the table—don't wait until it gets cold to eat."
"Mmm~ have a safe trip." Her lazy voice came from inside the room. Without her usual cool tone, she sounded drowsy and perfunctory. Her body was frail and often in a sub-healthy state, so she spent much of the morning feeling groggy and sleepy.
Kamiyā Yuu himself was also extremely sleepy, but he didn't dare go back to bed or even sit down to rest. He was certain that if he did, the next time he opened his eyes, it would probably already be tomorrow.
Leaving the apartment, he hurried straight to the subway bound for Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. It was only a little past seven, not yet peak rush hour, so there were still quite a few empty seats on the train.
Even so, Kamiyā Yuu didn't dare sit. He chose to stand, trying to maintain some level of alertness…
"Ding-dong. The train has now arrived at Uji Station in Kyoto Prefecture. Please prepare to disembark and maintain order."
The sweet announcement jolted Kamiyā Yuu awake. Still gripping the handrail, he looked around in confusion. His sudden movement drew strange looks from nearby passengers. He gave an awkward smile and took out his phone to check the time.
8:02
"Standing there, everything went dark, and half an hour just passed like that… I really can't go without sleep in this state." Kamiyā Yuu sighed, rubbing his temples to stay awake. His overwhelming fatigue made him increasingly feel like he needed proper rest. But if he took leave at such a crucial moment, what would that make of the promise he confidently made to Uehara Etsuki yesterday?
Dragging his numb body, Kamiyā Yuu left the station and mechanically followed his dulled thoughts until he arrived at the Kyoni Animation building.
"Morning, Kamiyā." A sturdy figure hurried past him, tossing out a greeting. It took Kamiyā Yuu a moment to realize that the person was Fujiwara Tora, the head of the production department.
"Yo~ morning, Kamiyā. Don't forget our deal." This voice didn't come from Fujiwara Tora, but from Kimura Jirō, who was being dragged along by the collar. Even while being hauled forward, he held a portion of fried noodles, eating while waving his chopsticks in greeting, clearly used to this rough treatment.
—That shirt collar is really durable.
Kamiyā Yuu didn't even manage to respond. Instead, this strange thought popped into his mind first. Shaking it off, he climbed to the fifth floor and entered the key animation department office.
The scene inside was the same as yesterday.
Aside from the messy environment, there were key animators lying under their desks like corpses.
Kamiyā Yuu took out the key animation sheets from his briefcase and placed them on the desk. The moment he sat down, drowsiness surged like a collapsing dam, almost drowning all his reason and resolve.
"I can't sleep yet… not yet."
"Just a short nap… ten minutes should be fine."
"Just ten minutes…"
"Anyway, I can't draw properly in this state."
As his sleepiness deepened, that thought quickly swept away all his concerns. Resting his arms on the desk, he lowered his head onto them.
…
As someone who strictly avoided overtime, Morishita Aoi always adhered to her schedule—arriving at 9 a.m. and leaving at 8 p.m., not a minute more, not a second less. When she entered the key animation department office at her usual time, the scene was the same as in the past few days: the overworked staff, who had stayed up all night, had only just fallen asleep and likely wouldn't wake until noon.
However…
As Morishita Aoi walked past Kamiyā Yuu, she couldn't help but frown at the sight of him sleeping soundly.
—He's clearly just Etsuki's second key animator and hasn't been involved in overtime. So why is he sleeping here? Was yesterday's promise just empty words?
A trace of irritation rose in her heart. It felt as though Kamiyā Yuu was making a fool of Uehara Etsuki. A second key animator with immature skills—if he didn't even have the right work attitude, what qualifications did he have to become a key animator?
Thinking about his promise from last night and the trust Uehara Etsuki had shown, Morishita Aoi grew increasingly annoyed. She disliked frivolous, irresponsible men the most. Now, aside from Kimura Jirō from the production department, Kamiyā Yuu had also been added to her personal blacklist.
Shaking her head, she made no move to wake him. Instead, she walked to Uehara Etsuki's private office. Seeing her leisurely sipping tea, Morishita Aoi couldn't help but complain, "Etsuki, are you sure it's okay to leave the corrections to Kamiyā-kun?"
Today, Uehara Etsuki was still dressed in a black kimono. Paired with her long, straight black hair, she exuded a calm and elegant aura. She gently set down her teacup and said, "Are we continuing yesterday's topic?"
"But that 'serious kid' you mentioned is currently sleeping at his desk. At this rate, when will those corrections even be finished? Just so you know, I'm not helping you this time. I've already got a pile of work myself, and the director wants me to handle episode ten's direction." Morishita Aoi raised the stack of key animation files in her hand with a helpless expression.
Uehara Etsuki's expression remained unchanged. "He was probably too tired last night. He's the type to overexert himself."
Morishita Aoi looked at her skeptically. "Have you always been this optimistic, Etsuki? I've fulfilled my duty as assistant animation director—I won't remind you a third time."
Carrying her stack of files, she turned and left the office. As she closed the door, she flashed a playful smile that didn't quite match her usual demeanor. "Don't forget—I've always looked forward to seeing you mess up. You've just been too perfect all this time."
Uehara Etsuki smiled faintly. "In that case, after 'Mr. Onigiri Man's finishes, how about a trip to HANA skewer?"
"Deal! Whoever loses pays that night." Morishita Aoi replied with a confident grin before closing the wooden door.
In the now quiet office, Uehara Etsuki slowly took another sip of tea. Noticing a tea leaf standing upright in the cup, she couldn't help but smile. "The tea tastes a bit light."
In Japanese culture, a tea leaf floating upright in the center of the cup is said to be a sign that something good is about to happen—similar to the Chinese belief of twitching eyes foretelling fortune or misfortune.