Haruki arrived at the office, making his way through the bustling workspace. He didn't plan to stay long—just enough to hand over the completed project to his boss. As usual, Haruki’s work was ahead of schedule, something that his boss never failed to appreciate.

After a few friendly nods to colleagues along the way, Haruki reached his boss’s office, knocked lightly, and then stepped in when he heard the response. His boss looked up with a smile and gestured to the chair across from his desk.

“Haruki, good to see you. I hear you’ve already finished the project?” his boss said, leaning back with a look of pleasant surprise.

“Yes,” Haruki replied, handing over the neatly organized file. “Everything’s complete, including the revisions you requested.”

His boss flipped through the documents, nodding with satisfaction. “You always manage to get things done faster than expected. It’s impressive—keeps us competitive and our clients happy.”

Haruki offered a modest smile, grateful for the recognition. He had been given the rare privilege to work from home, and he’d worked hard to make sure his output justified that trust. But not everyone appreciated this arrangement.

From across the room, seated at a nearby desk, one of Haruki’s coworkers—Kazuo—watched the interaction with a simmering glare. Every time Haruki strolled into the office for a brief check-in, exchanging casual conversation with their boss, it grated on him. Kazuo resented the fact that Haruki got the flexibility of working from home while the rest of the staff was stuck in the office for the full eight-hour day.

How is that fair? he thought, tapping his pen irritably against his desk. Haruki just breezes in, drops off his work, and leaves. It’s like the boss sees him as a friend, not an employee.

The boss wrapped up his brief review of Haruki’s project with a pleased nod, closing the file. “Excellent work, as always. I knew I could count on you. That’s what makes you such an asset around here.”

Kazuo’s jaw tightened as he overheard this praise, feeling jealous. He wanted to be in Haruki’s shoes—trusted, respected, given the kind of freedom Haruki had. But no matter how hard he worked, he always felt overshadowed, like he was just another face in the crowd.

As Haruki stood to leave, Kazuo’s irritation grew, and he muttered just loud enough to be heard, “Must be nice to just waltz in and out whenever you want, huh?”

Haruki paused, catching the edge in Kazuo’s voice. He turned, offering a calm smile, but his expression stayed neutral. “Yeah.”

Kazuo huffed, quickly turning back to his computer, his resentment simmering under the surface. Haruki left the office, but Kazuo remained at his desk, still stewing. His eyes narrowed as he watched the door swing shut behind Haruki.

"One of these days," he thought, "he’ll slip up, and then maybe the rest of us will get the recognition we deserve."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kazuo watched Haruki head toward the stairwell, his mind racing. This was his chance—no one was around, and Haruki’s focus was entirely on his phone, barely glancing up as he descended. Kazuo’s frustration bubbled over, each step closer intensifying his resentment.

As Haruki reached the top of the stairs, Kazuo moved swiftly, making sure his steps were silent. He stayed a few feet behind, watching Haruki’s every move. With a final glance over his shoulder to ensure they were alone, he crept closer, his heart pounding in his chest.

In one quick, ruthless motion, Kazuo lunged forward and gave Haruki a hard shove.

Haruki’s phone slipped from his hand as he lost his balance, the sudden force catching him completely off guard. His body pitched forward, hands instinctively reaching for the railing, but his grip missed. In those few seconds, time seemed to slow as he fell, his mind struggling to process what had happened.

He tumbled down the stairs, hitting several steps with a sickening thud before finally coming to a stop, sprawled at the landing below. Haruki lay motionless for a few heartbeats, pain radiating through his body. His vision blurred as he tried to get his bearings, struggling to understand what had just happened.

Above him, Kazuo froze, his heart racing as he looked down at Haruki. A flicker of panic crossed his face, but he quickly masked it, taking a step back. He glanced around the empty stairwell, then smoothed his shirt, breathing heavily as he steadied himself.

A faint sound from below made Kazuo look down again. Haruki was slowly, painfully, trying to sit up, clutching his side with a grimace. His gaze drifted upward, hazy but filled with confusion as he locked eyes with Kazuo.

Kazuo quickly turned and fled, his footsteps echoing up the stairwell as he made his way back to the office.

A moment later, the distant wail of an ambulance filled the air, growing louder as it approached the office building. Security had found Haruki while patrolling the area, his body sprawled at the bottom of the stairwell, bruised and barely conscious. They quickly called for help, and within minutes, paramedics were carefully lifting him onto a stretcher.

Haruki's face was pale, his eyes half-closed, trying to stay alert but slipping in and out of consciousness. Pain throbbed through his body, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through his bruised limbs. As he was loaded into the ambulance, he caught fleeting images of the concerned faces around him, though his mind was foggy, struggling to grasp what had happened.

Back inside the building, Kazuo watched the scene unfold from a window above, a small, satisfied smirk tugging at his lips. No one knew the truth—not yet, anyway. He'd seen his opportunity and taken it, certain that it would be written off as an accident. He slipped his hands into his pockets, turning away from the window with a sense of accomplishment.

For now, no one suspected him. He felt a strange, dark thrill at having gone unnoticed, his jealousy finally finding release. As he walked back to his desk, he glanced around, ensuring his expression was neutral, blending in with his coworkers.

Haruki could barely make out the faint sound of the ambulance siren as his world began to blur around him. His head throbbed with pain, and he couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened. Slowly, darkness crept over his vision, and the last bit of awareness slipped away as he sank into unconsciousness.

Upon arrival at the hospital, paramedics rushed him through the emergency entrance, where a team of doctors and nurses stood ready. They quickly assessed his injuries, checking his vital signs as they prepared to stabilize him.

Meanwhile, Sayaka was busy attending to her duties as a nurse in another part of the hospital when the commotion from the emergency ward caught her attention. She noticed the hurried footsteps, the urgent voices, and felt the atmosphere shift with a sense of urgency. Out of curiosity, she glanced toward the stretcher being wheeled in and froze as she recognized the face of the patient.

"Haruki?" she whispered, her heart pounding as a wave of panic set in.

( End of Chapter )