It was a strange dream.

From the darkness, a hazy gray smoke emerged, and before I knew it, standing before me was a girl of beauty ? eyes as beautifully azure as gemstones, hair as pure white as snow shining brightly, skin so pale it seems translucent, with slightly pointed ears marking an inhuman allure. The interior of her long snow-white hair, falling to frame her face, was tinged faintly blue.

They were very beautiful eyes, but she gazed at me with a sorrowful look. A girl of such beauty she seemed unreal in this world. My heart beat faster.

I extended my right hand towards the girl for some reason. She, too, reached out her left hand toward me. It felt as if our hands met, as if they gently touched in harmony.

"Is this a mirror? Have "Ore"* become this form?"

*"Ore" = A pronoun specifically used by men in Japanese when saying "I/me"

Yet I wasn't speaking, she moved her mouth murmuring something.

Then I woke up.

It was a very strange dream... However, the memory of the girl quickly faded away.

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I'm Kazuchika Takemi. A 28 year old guy.

I was working as a designer at a venture startup game company called Dry & Fruits, but after clashing with my boss I up and quit.

About 5 months ago my mother passed away.

It was only supposed to be a test hospitalization she could leave from in 3 days.

I immediately retrieved her chart and poured over the thousands of pages with my innate focus.

Quite early on, it suggested the possibility she had been improperly harmed internally.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

After that, the worsening of the damaged area was clearly detailed as her condition deteriorated with repeated procedures.

There were even pages that incorrectly recorded my mother's gender as 'male'.

I trembled with anger. What terrible carelessness.

While it was factual my mother had been afflicted by 'cancerous tumors', it was also fact mistakes had happened.

I considered filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

But my father opposed it. Due to the intense shock at my mother's death, he wasn't in a mental state to undertake court proceedings.

I was tormented by directionless anger.

Two months after my mother's death, problems occurred at work. Perhaps I had been too emotionally drained there.

In a chat app message for a project I had joined as lead designer to motivate the team I wrote "Here comes the real deal! Let's work hard!"

A few days later I was summoned by Director Mat Shidani. His close associates Ken K. and Ryo S. were there too, making it mysteriously a 3 on 1 meeting.

"Takemi-san... Saying 'Here comes the real deal!' ? isn't that denying everything we've produced so far...? We've received complaints to that effect..."

"Wha...No, I mean, no that's not what I..."

That was beyond twisting my words.

Development was still pre-alpha release. It's not like I denied anything. It was nothing but the truth that now was the real development period, the 'real deal'. I had only meant to say "Let's keep at it!"

Looks like there were people ready to interpret anything as criticism to tear others down.

On top of that, Mat was the type of guy to readily write rambling lecture-like posts at 2 or 3 in the morning. Didn't want to hear it from a guy like that.

Guys like cancerous tumors still definitely existed in the 'toxic game development company' of the Japanese gaming industry. No wonder they couldn't produce a single good work.

Of course there had to be plenty of 'ethical companies' too, but I just had the misfortune of joining this one...

Mat went on talking.

"And, you specifically contacted us the other day 'Taking a lunch break'... Doesn't that mean you prioritize lunch breaks over work?"

(Huh? What's he saying? Don't take lunch?)

"No, because I hadn't been able to take a lunch break until after 2PM due to being busy, I notified the team just in case..."

It was such an absurd accusation. With the bombardment of a prolonged 3 on 1 lecture meeting, everything was maliciously misinterpreted.

My mother had died, and I was already mentally cornered as it was. I won't ask for them to "be nice", but with harassment at work too my psyche was utterly drained.