Eight minutes northeast of Senodai Station on foot. The early morning sunlight softly illuminated the glass facade of the Senodai NK Building. Yuma Shimojima had just exited the station. Twenty-eight years old. Short black hair and deep brown eyes. His slender frame carried a composed atmosphere. In a white shirt and black slacks—the standard uniform of a salesman—he walked along Senodai Central Avenue with a tense expression on his face. On his left wrist was something faintly visible, like a pattern. A strange mark he'd had since childhood that he couldn't quite remember clearly. Today, to hide it, he'd adjusted his wristwatch slightly higher up his arm. (First day at the new post...) He took a deep breath. A transfer from the First Sales Division to the Second Sales Division. Even though it was the same company, his heart was racing strangely. The fear of starting human relationships from zero. Anxiety about the new environment. But Yuma was good at suppressing such emotions. "It'll be fine. Probably fine." Muttering to himself, he placed his hand on the glass door at the building entrance. 7:50 AM. On the first floor of the office building was a convenience store called "Harvest Senodai NK." Store Manager Shuichi Tabata was already organizing the shelves. Fourth floor by elevator. The Senodai Sales Office occupied the entire fourth floor—a mid-sized office of approximately 280 square meters. From the windows, you could see the townscape of Senodai, with hills faintly visible to the south of the city. Morning sunlight flooded the floor like a sea. Upon entering, there was a reception counter on the left. The First Sales Division desks directly ahead. The Second Sales Division in the back, with the Planning Room beside it. The director's private office and two conference rooms were at the back of the floor. The break room was in the back left. It was still before 8 AM. No one was in the office. The floorboards creaked as Yuma made his way to his assigned desk. By the window. Good lighting. No—that wasn't the point. Yuma's feet stopped. Something was placed on his desk. A white ceramic mug. The handle curved elegantly, suggesting at first glance that it was an expensive item. And on the side of that cup, written carefully in black pen, were two characters. "Welcome" Yuma looked around. No one. Truly no one. The office was wrapped in silence. The morning sun emphasized the whiteness of the cup. (Who...?) When he picked it up, it was warm. Inside, the faint aroma of coffee lingered. It had been brewed recently. Which meant someone had placed it here last night or early this morning. A welcome from a kind senior? No, he hadn't even memorized anyone's face yet. Besides, such a careful "welcome" felt like a different kind of kindness. (I'm indecisive.) Yuma knew his own nature well. Childhood—his father and mother's repeated quarrels. The words "It's your fault." Young Yuma had believed that he'd done something wrong, that his parents fought because of him. Since then, a desire not to be hated by anyone, not to make waves, had dominated him. He couldn't refuse when asked. He couldn't pursue things deeply even when he had doubts. That was Yuma. He gently placed the cup in his drawer. "Eight o'clock..." He powered on his computer and reviewed the first-day operations manual. The Second Sales Division's director was Taketo Hasumi. The assistant director was Yuri Shirakawa. It was a division handling small and medium-sized customers and new business development, with eight staff members. He hadn't yet matched names to faces. 8:20 AM. The first figure appeared. A petite woman. Black hair tied back in a single ponytail. Thirties, perhaps. She wore black-framed glasses, giving an intellectual impression. Yuma stood up. "Oh, good morning. Yesterday I—" "Yuri Shirakawa. I'm the assistant director." Her voice was cold. A response devoid of emotional fluctuation, almost mechanical. But when Yuma bowed, she paused for about a second before slightly raising the corners of her lips. Not a smile. But not hostility either. An expression with some complex emotion hidden behind it. "I'll teach you the workflow. This way." Yuri said. Her desk was immediately to the right of Yuma's. The typical competent woman. Navy jacket, white blouse, tight skirt. Not a single hair out of place. Yuri spread out documents. In doing so, her shoulder barely touched Yuma's arm. The contact lasted less than a second. But in that moment, Yuma felt the scent of perfume rising from her body. An expensive-smelling, clean fragrance. "Here's the sales process for new customers." Yuri continued her explanation. During this time, her gaze occasionally drifted from the documents to Yuma's profile. A truly subtle movement. A momentary glance. (Am I being watched...?) Just as that thought crossed his mind, laughter echoed from another part of the office. Bright, unguarded laughter. Yuri's expression hardened slightly. "That's the Planning Room. The sales division sometimes collaborates with them on projects." Yuri said. There seemed to be a barb in those words. 8:50 AM. The office finally began to come alive. Members of the sales division arrived one after another and took their seats. Yuma made the rounds greeting everyone with Director Taketo Hasumi. "You're transferred from the First Sales Division. Do your best." An older salesman told him. Behind him, two women were looking this way. One was Yuri from earlier. The other was someone he'd never seen before. Twenty-six or twenty-seven, perhaps. Hair with a brownish tint reaching her shoulders. A soft smile. Beige cardigan over a white blouse. An atmosphere where cleanliness and approachability coexisted. "Oh, you must be the new Shimojima-san." That woman approached from the direction of the Planning Room. She held documents. "I'm Ayaka Morishita. I'm in the Planning Room, but I sometimes work with the sales division on new product projects. Nice to meet you." Ayaka said. Her smile seemed genuinely pure. "Oh, likewise. Thank you for having me." Yuma bowed. At that moment, Yuri stood up from her desk and positioned herself between Yuma and Ayaka, standing to the side. Her gaze was directed at the documents, but her movement clearly showed an intent to "create distance." "I'll share project progress via email." Yuri said. Her voice remained cold. Ayaka's eyes narrowed for a moment, but she quickly recovered her smile. "Of course. I apologize for any inconvenience." Ayaka returned to the Planning Room. Yuri remained in front of Yuma's desk and said, "Then let's begin the morning's work." Before noon. Yuma was beginning to feel his first confusion. Yuri provided instruction on task after task. Her guidance was accurate and easy to understand. However, she wasn't maintaining the normal "new employee training" distance from Yuma. When explaining, she sat on the corner of his desk. The distance was closer than one would normally maintain. Yuma became conscious of it. In the corner of his vision: her tight skirt, white stockings. And the scent of her perfume grew stronger. (This is...) Lunch break. Yuma went to the convenience store to buy a bento. The Harvest on the first floor. Store Manager Tabata called out, "Welcome." On his way to the register after selecting a bento, a voice came from behind. "Oh, Shimojima-san." He turned around. It was Ayaka. She also held a bento. "What a coincidence. Since we're both here..." Ayaka smiled. "Would you like to eat outside?" Yuma had no reason to refuse. The two bought their bentos and headed to a bench along Senodai Central Avenue. The spring weather was pleasant. Salarymen passed by around them. Ayaka opened her bento and asked, "How is the new workplace?" "Everyone is kind..." Yuma answered. "Especially Shirakawa-san has been teaching me carefully." In that instant, Ayaka's expression clouded over—just for a moment. It lasted less than a second before her smile returned, but Yuma sensed the change acutely. "I see. But if you have any troubles..." Ayaka moved closer to Yuma. The distance was about fifty centimeters. Their shoulders barely touched—and it was intentional on Ayaka's part. "...please tell me." Ayaka's voice had become quieter. In her eyes, something like earnest emotion seemed to dwell. "I once... had someone I loved taken away by another person." Ayaka said quietly. "So I need someone I can trust." Yuma hesitated for a moment but answered sincerely. "That must have been... painful." Ayaka smiled. That smile contained a deeper emotion than before. They returned to the office at 1 PM. When the elevator reached the fourth floor, Yuri was already back. She gazed at both Yuma and Ayaka. In her eyes dwelt something cold. Yuri nodded silently. The afternoon work felt long to Yuma. Yuri's instruction remained accurate, but the tension seemed to have increased. Ayaka didn't show her face again after returning to the Planning Room. And closing time approached. The evening light painted the office red. Yuma began tidying his desk. When he opened his drawer, the cup caught his eye. "Welcome" He picked up the cup once more. Ah. He found characters written in small letters at the back of the drawer. "I'm watching over you." Yuma's heart pounded strongly for a moment. Kindness? Or... He put on his coat and left the office. Senodai's twilight streets. On the way to the station, Yuma thought. (Something's... different about this workplace.) A vague unease took root in his chest. The boundary between kindness and affection. Yuma didn't yet know where it lay. Tomorrow, his second day at the new workplace would begin. But Yuma didn't yet know that this was the beginning of silence. The deep obsession and possessiveness that three women would soon direct toward him—it was now being quietly, steadily woven around him.