[Kyosuke POV]

The elevator dinged just a few minutes before 8 a.m. as it reached the 6th floor and the doors opened. A calming aroma filled the air as I stepped back inside the office on this beautiful Monday morning. I walked through the carefully aligned row of cubicles and desks giving a casual greeting to my co-workers before heading towards the back end where a sole enclosed office of our boss sat in the corner next to our windowed conference room.

“Good morning, Mizushima-senpai!”

I hadn’t even reached my desk yet before being warmly greeted by my subordinate, Shiori Furukawa. She was always to chipper and friendly. Her golden hair was beautiful combed in a delicate bob and seemed to shine off of her light grey suit; a perfect complement to the sales team. This was her 5th month in our organization and she was quickly excelling. Her strong points were both her demeanor and looks. When dealing with certain clients, it helped to bring in a little eye-candy to seal the deal. Men had a lot of difficulty saying “no” to Furukawa-san, myself included.

“Good morning, Furukawa-san.”

I plopped by briefcase on my desk and started my computer before sitting down. A bright smile adorned my expression as I turned towards her.

“How was your weekend?”

“It was amazing! I watched that drama series you recommended. It was so good, I binged the entire thing in an entire day!”

“R-really…?”

My eyebrows twitched as I winced at the idea of an “amazing weekend” was spent watching television. Still, I had done my homework and selected some very profound series of shows for her to watch to ensure she continued to build her empathy. It was important for her career and our team to maintain that bright, beautiful personality of hers and I didn’t mind sneaking in some homework to help her development along, even in the form of clichéd entertainment.

“Yes! I was so happy when the lead finally confessed his feelings to his boss and she accepted. It was such a beautiful ending.”

I could see a tear or two welling in the corner of her eyes and she closed them with a wide smile and clasped her hands in front of her chest in reminiscence. Clearly, I had forgotten about the romance aspect of the show, otherwise I would not have recommended it less I send the wrong idea about my subordinate.

“Good morning.”

Ryota Makino gave his calculated and solemn greeting as he took his seat on the opposite side of me. His short silver hair was neatly combed yet still found a way to dangle over his dark eyes masked beneath a thin pair of glasses. He sat down adorned in a white shirt and black vest forgoing the jacket as it made him feel stuffy precisely at 8 a.m. with his phone still in hand blaring sounds of combat before he switched it off and tucked it into his pocket.

“Good morning, Makino-san.”

“Good morning, Makino-senpai!”

Makino-san was the eldest member of our team but wasn’t a salesman in the traditional sense. He had a very specific purpose and role on our team. He provided an analytical mindset that helped convey a sense of relief to our clients with facts, graphs, and charts. Sometimes I feel like he bordered on the edge of the demon that shall not be named but he had a particular flaw or perhaps “quirk” is the right name for it that kept him grounded.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Frankly, despite being a creature of reasoning and logic, he was addicted to mobile pay-to-win and gacha games. For the most part he appeared to be a calm and rational human being giving precise and calculated answers but if you dared to question his hobby, he would snap and heatedly defend himself in a manner that almost resembled me when a certain devil pushed my buttons.

“Did you have a good –“

Makino-san slammed his fist on the desk cutting off the rest of my question before the words could leave my lips.

Oh no… I’ve opened the floodgates!

“It was terrible! This weekend was a premium event. Thirty hours I sunk into this madness and for what?!”

I could barely keep up with Makino-san’s tirade. Though I wasn’t much of a gamer, I could at least sympathize with his frustration.

“Now, now Makino-senpai. Isn’t the most important thing that you had fun?”

I left out a hefty sigh. Furukawa-san was just trying to be polite but she had no idea she had just poured gasoline on the fire.

“Fun?! Who plays games for fun?! It’s about collecting everything and beating everyone!”

I slunk in my seat sighing once more as I opened my inbox and started perusing through my messages. Things were slowly starting to calm down as I could hear some eager footsteps approaching. I didn’t even have to bat a glance before I knew who was approaching the sales area.

“Gooooooood morning everyone!”

My team members were still in the middle of their “discussion” and didn’t acknowledge the greeting. That wholesome and energetic voice belonged to the office newbie, Isamu Okamoto. His black hair was smoothly combed back which matched his black suit and grey tie. He started last Friday as a graphic designer for the marketing team. Fresh out of college, the mundane droll of office work had yet to bear down upon his hapless soul. I prayed to the gods this life would not beat his cheery attitude out of his body but there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Good morning, Okamoto-kun.”

I was a bit more personable with the new kid as I wanted to establish a friendly repertoire. He was a direct subordinate of the devil herself and it was only a matter of time before she beat down and molded him into a carbon copy of herself. If I could somehow connect with him and become his role model instead of her, I would be doing the world a favor.

“Your team is as lively as ever I see.”

His wide smile was unmatched by anyone in the office.

God, please protect this child’s innocence.

“Everyone seemed to have an exciting weekend.”

I deflected, eying the folders and documents he carried under his arm.

“What are you up to?”

“Oh, these? Abukara-senpai asked me to scan these files ahead of our meeting tomorrow. We’ll be using a new presentation I’m working on and I want to make sure all of the images and charts are in the proper scale and format.”

Ah, yes. The weekly marketing and sales meeting that began promptly at 10 a.m. and left me in a sour mood with a growing migraine before lunch.

“Your very diligent and astute. That’s a worthwhile trait around here.”

Okamoto-kun’s face lit up and his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. A little praise here and there worked wonders. I wanted to make sure that he knew I was a beacon of light in his otherwise dismal environment.

“You honor me, Mizushima-senpai.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you.”

I smiled back at him as he nodded and raced off to the scanner with a spring in his step that only a rookie could manage.

“She is going to eat that one alive.”

I closed my eyes and nodded in agreement with Makino-san’s assessment. Okamoto-kun’s eagerness was only outmatched by his obedience.

“M-maybe she’ll go easy on him?”

Even Furukawa-san wasn’t convinced of her own words but she at least tried to cling on to any semblance of optimism she could. I wouldn’t consider it a character flaw. Quite the opposite actually. It was a part of her natural charm.

Why couldn’t more women be like Furukawa-san?

The sounds of sharp stiletto heels echoed in the distance. My mind snapped as a bolt of lightning cracked against my consciousness. It was almost as if merely thinking positively actually summoned the demon into this realm.

I stood up from my desk immediately and began bellowing out assignments.

“Furukawa-san, give me a rundown of who we’re meeting with this week. See if you can find their social media profiles. I want a list of likes, dislikes; anything we can use for our sales pitch on Wednesday.”

“Of course, Mizushima-senpai!”

God, this girl was so sweet and adorable.

I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and protect her from this dark and dismal world.

Of course, I wouldn’t dare. That would be construed as sexual harassment and the last thing I need is more people hating me around this office. I didn’t want the nemesis I had let alone a whole department full of them.

“Makino-san, gather up all of the information you can regarding the client’s financials. We want to know how much they’re spending, how much they’re making, and how much room there is for negotiation.”

“On it boss.”

His fingers began clacking away at the keyboard so diligently. I truly had the best team in the entire company. If only the department was as respectful and well run as our, life would be good and easy.

I took a step back and started to make my way towards the break area before my subordinates wandering eye stopped me.

“Where are you going, Mizushima-senpai?”

I took a deep breath.

How could I lie to that adoring and innocent face? How could I tell her that the devil was approaching for our beginning of the week rundown of the week’s events? Abukara may have been intelligent, perhaps the brightest and smartest person in the entire company but she was terrible at communicating with other people.

I didn’t want my week to start off on a sour note so I was pulling out the most effective card in my hand. Running away.

Of course, I couldn’t tell that to Furukawa-san less I lose face so I opted for the more ominous and slick approach.

“Reconnaissance.”