Bleary eyes peered into the morning glow. I was awake once more.

Drool flowed freely from my mouth. Gosh, my back aches from hunching over my desk for so long.

The feeling of weakness permeated my body. It must have been the result of eating a meal a day.

Blinking the drowsiness away, I began to recline into my office chair once more, hoping for an uneventful day for once. Work had been taking its toll quite recently, my joints moved like rusted gears, and my muscles felt as if they were tiny lines of metal holding a bridge in place.

Melting into my seat, I breathed in languidly to enter a state of zen. My tired mind finally began to get the extra bit of rest it needed and deserved. I would have been content to stay like that the entire day.

"Hey! How's my favorite set of legs doing?" Kuzusawa’s voice broke through my [VoiceShieldTM] with effortless ease. All the effort I painstakingly put into getting the few moments of respite gone. The moment was far too quickly for me to enjoy.

I leaned forward to straighten my image and hide my growing sense of unease and discontent. Muttering a few curses and sighing once, I hoped that the stink of my morning breath would cause Kuzusawa to perish in the next few hours.

"I'm doing well Sir, how about yourself?"

The bastard made a noise similar to a snort mixed with a chortle. "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not doing the best. Sadly, the higher-ups decided not to give you guys the raises. The ones for the receptionist AI we created, do you remember that one?"

My eyes closed in irritation as I dipped my head in recognition.

"Yeah, so because I recommended you to work on the AI,” My slave driver jutted his hotdog for fingers to himself. “They chose to give me a raise instead of my cute juniors!”

The butter hog held onto his overflowing stomach, laughing. “I feel terrible about it, but there's nothing I can do. So I bought myself this new suit with the money. It was to help make myself feel better, of course. What do you think?"

"It looks nice, Sir.” I stared at the pig numbly, unblinking, and unflinching. Hollow to the core.

"Thanks, I think so too. But enough about me. Let us talk about you, more specifically, what exactly you will be doing in the next four days!” He splayed his arms wide in a terrible attempt to appear dignified. “You have a new task. You’re making some AI for an Airport! Isn't that exciting? I believe you are the only person that can get this done, which is why this rests solely on you."

The remains of embers stoked within my heart. Rage grasped my core once more. Its fire burned feebly.

“Is that so?” One slow but methodical blink was the only physical response I mustered. A dry and emotionless smile hung on my lips like a corpse. “I truly appreciate your efforts in granting me this opportunity. This opportunity, I will make sure to do my best and meet your expectations.” My head dipped just enough to feign reverence while I averted my gaze from the man.

“Now then, Chief Kuzusawa, I would like to take a break.” I reclined back into my chair, straightening my posture once more. “I require some fresh air from all this excitement, so if you need me, I'll be at the roof."

Kuzusawa blinked once. A minute scowl carved itself onto his face. "Don't be out for too long. We don't pay you to rest."

I nodded my head in acknowledgment before heading to the elevators. My stride went unhindered by anyone.

Close to the elevators, I stopped by the vending machines. I got myself a can of Green Tea.

Sipping from the can slowly, I try to savor the bitter and earthy taste it left on my tongue to no avail. I lack the brain currently to enjoy the taste.

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I waited for nearly a minute until the next elevator arrived. Entering the box of metal and glass, I selected the roof level.

Waiting inside of the elevator, staring at the mess of labels and colors, I continued to drink from my can. My first filled my mouth. The second swig downed nearly a fifth of the can. Three fingers dug into the cylinder, making ugly divots out of my mounting frustration.

While alone in the elevator, I began to vent my frustration slowly. It started with some simple cursing. My leaking resent snowballed quickly.

Another AI project, huh? A spiteful smile made its way onto my face. I've reached my limit with all this bullshit.

In the elevator, rays of the evening sun-brushed past my face. A counter read the Fifth Floor.

What did I do to deserve this? Why do I deserve to turn into a pack mule? Who rewards a bastard like that for the work of someone else?! My schedule consisted of finishing that damn receptionist AI for three days straight! And all I get in return is my boss showing off his new suit! Then he gives me another impossible mountain to climb! How many times must I work as Kuzusawa’s busboy?

How many more times must I suffer a heart attack from overwork?!

In the elevator, rays of the evening sun brushed past my face. A counter read the Tenth Floor.

My cries for help went unheard. My coworkers ignored my plights in favor of pure indifference. Why? Not even the other higher-ups made a move against the bastard! Damn it! Why does he get the chance to meet them when I can’t breathe in their direction?!

My fingers dug into the canned beverage, the thin strips bit into my hand in retaliation, drawing blood.

The smile on my face froze in a sudden moment of clarity.

Ah, I know now. I understand why I am in a situation like this. My coworkers, I’ve never built any favor with them. They only came to me when they needed something done.

It was never only Kuzusawa’s fault.

I curse everyone in this damn company. My pitiful status is because of them.

Damn it all. I should have trusted my gut.

The root cause of this is technology. Something I used to love has now become the bane of my existence. In the past 37 years, if I had never loved technology, I wouldn’t have to end up here.

The rage I felt suddenly washed away. I felt nothing but intense apathy.

In the elevator, rays of the evening sun-brushed past my face. A counter read the Fifteenth Floor.

Computers used to bring me so much joy. Solving problems and my innate ambition to create were why I woke up in the morning. Now that I have realized what the world wants out of a programmer. I do not wish to take part in it any longer.

In the elevator, rays of the evening sun-brushed past my face. A counter read the Twentieth Floor.

I never had any talent in physical sports. All I had was programming. When I was young, I thought this was what I wanted to do with my life. I poured decades of learning into it. Now, it's too late for me to change this path I chose to take since elementary school.

Perhaps I should have invested more time into my other areas, no matter how talentless I was. Maybe they would have given me more joy than this.

I'm sorry, mom.

I'm sorry I made you buy me all those computers.

I'm sorry I made you pay for the classes.

I'm sorry I convinced you to take me to computer camp. Look where that brought me.

I wasted your efforts. It is in my hopes that you remain peaceful in your casket.

At the very least, I’ll be wasting their efforts as well. I won’t allow them the chance to use [Kimi AI]. In my right hand was the flash drive the company still needed. Without it, the customer's request remains unfulfilled.

The doors opened, I stepped outside, enjoying the feeling of the liquid sloshing in my mouth. As if taking medicine, I opened my mouth and tossed the flash drive, swallowing the device whole. It went down without hassle.

An obstacle in the form of a chain-linked fence appeared. It did little to stop me as I climbed over it and began to free fall without another thought.

The wind tore at my face, blaring into my ears. My body temperature began to lower, and the feeling of control over my limbs faded quickly. It hadn’t even been a few seconds, and I could see the pavement.

Just a little more.

I smile in mixed amounts of relief and satisfaction, knowing that my death would inconvenience the company. For the first time, I can defy the company and be unique for once.

I closed my eyes in anticipation.

It was strange I didn’t see the lady behind me in hindsight.

“Ah, the time is now.” To my confusion, I could still hear something, or rather someone. Dead people aren’t conscious, to my knowledge.

“I fail to recall him being this pitiful. Then again, Hildaran likes them feeble.” Their words washed over me like a tsunami. It was a wonder my bowels hadn't voided themselves with how powerful it was.

"Yes, yes, he certainly is weak. This routine is overused enough, you runt. I need him fresh. If he has passed on, I won't be able to intercept him." Now, I understood less. Who the hell was talking? Trying to open my eyes in confusion, I saw nothing. No, that wasn't right. My mind failed to comprehend what I was seeing.

Paradoxically my eyes are still shut, but I can still see the world. Was this an out-of-body experience?

The world drowned in purple and had completely frozen. Two fantastical silhouettes robed in darkness sat at my front and back. Strangely enough, despite not seeing them, I knew where they were. My body refused to obey me, the lungs in my chest did not expand, my eyes refused to open, my heart sat like a rock. I also had stopped falling at some point.

It was only then I noticed someone above me in the air, just staring down at my motionless body impassionately.

“Mio, would you make yourself useful?” The authoritative voice spoke once more. The figure tilted its head upwards in response.

“My apologies, I was distracted.” Mio's voice rang clear like a chime. Soft and pleasant to hear. She bends the knee in apology, bowing elegantly.

“That is fine, but I rather you hurry in your duties. Our subject is trying to kill himself. I’d rather not work with a pancake of viscera.”

Mio walked, stepping on the air, descending. Reaching out to me, she lifted my body with little effort just by grabbing my arm.

Retrieving me, she began walking toward a bright doorway in front of us. Suddenly stopping, she took some pause to think about another matter. Perhaps it was in a lapse of judgment or something else.

“Ah, that’s right,” Mio tapped a fist into her open palm, my body freed from her arm. “I still need to do that. Excuse me, milord.”

A moment of silence came before an exasperated sigh from nowhere.

What did she need to do? Why the sigh?

It was then the laws of physics decided to reactivate.

“Oops, I suppose.”

Gravity took hold of me once more. The last thing I saw was white as my face slammed into gravel.