The morning light quietly filled the office floor. A night had passed since the cup incident yesterday, and Yuma Kirishima was heading to the Senodai Sales Office on his second day of transfer. Walking along Senodai Central Street, he recalled the characters he had found deep in a drawer last night. "I'm watching over you." (Who is it? Who could it really be?) Even as he thought this, Yuma knew that he wasn't the type to pursue things any deeper. He was indecisive. He had a tendency to back away. It had always been like that. That's why this morning too, he was walking with the intention of coming to work normally and doing his job normally. He passed through the glass doors of Senodai NK Building and took the elevator to the fourth floor. He arrived at the floor at 8:20. It was slightly earlier than yesterday. As he headed toward his desk, the aroma of coffee drifted from the back. "Good morning." That voice came just before Yuma reached his desk. When he turned around, Yuri Shirakawa was standing there. Today she wore a dark navy jacket and a white blouse that made her look even more composed. Her hair was tied back in a single black straight long ponytail, just like yesterday, and she wore black-framed glasses. Behind those glasses, her eyes held both coldness and something else—another emotion. "Good morning, Shirakawa." As he replied, Yuri nodded. Even that gesture was polite, without a single flaw. It seemed like a calculated movement. "I'll be providing business guidance today as well. Let me explain in detail the flow of initial contact with new clients." With that, Yuri pulled a chair next to Yuma's desk. The way she pulled it, the sound—everything was minimized. Everything was refined. Documents were spread across the desk. It wasn't just a standard sales manual; Yuri's handwritten comments were inserted throughout. It was meticulous—or rather, obsessively detailed. "Here. Reading the client's reaction during initial contact is crucial. If the client's expression clouds over, you should pause the product explanation and draw out their questions." As Yuri explained, her shoulder moved slightly closer to Yuma's arm. It was the same distance as yesterday. Or perhaps even closer. A faint scent of perfume reached his nose once more. "This is the standard contract rate. However, with you, Kirishima, I believe you'll be able to exceed these numbers." At Yuri's words, Yuma instinctively glanced to the side. Her profile came into view. From her forehead to the bridge of her nose, to the outline of her lips. Everything was refined. It had the precision of a work of art. Yet that beauty gave off a cold impression. (What am I thinking? Focus on work.) Yuma returned his gaze to the documents. Before noon. Yuri's guidance continued. Phone sales to existing clients, follow-up emails, relationship building after contracts. Yuri explained every process to Yuma carefully. Or perhaps, too carefully. Throughout, Yuri moved closer to Yuma multiple times. When pointing at figures. When reading lines. When drawing lines with a pen to highlight important items. Each time, she invaded his personal space. Did the surrounding colleagues notice this? Yuma wondered this, yet he was being made aware that Yuri's guidance was truly excellent. Every word she spoke struck at the essence of sales. Lunch break. Yuma went to a convenience store to buy a bento box. Harvest Senodai NK store on the first floor. The morning rush had passed, and workers on lunch breaks were coming in one after another. As he was selecting a bento, a voice suddenly came from behind. "Oh, Kirishima." When he turned around, Ayaka Morishita was standing there. Unlike when he first saw her yesterday, seeing her again today, her beauty stood out even more. Her shoulder-length chestnut-colored wavy long hair seemed amber-colored in the morning light. Following the flow of that hair, her face came into view. Vivid amber eyes. A soft expression. Lips tinted a pale pink. In a beige cardigan over a white blouse, she enveloped the surroundings in a soft atmosphere just by being there. "Perfect timing. Shopping together, I see." The voice of Ayaka saying this sounded, just like at the end of yesterday, as if it were hiding some deep emotion. "Yes, it's just lunch break." When he answered, Ayaka smiled. That smile looked genuinely pleasant and kind beyond any doubt. "Then, would you like to eat together? I'd like to hear various things about how the new person is doing." There was no reason to refuse. Yuma paid for his bento at the convenience store and went outside with Ayaka. They sat on a bench on Senodai Central Street. The spring weather was pleasant, and salarymen and businesswomen passed by one after another. As Ayaka opened her bento, she asked, "Is Shirakawa's guidance strict?" "No, it's very thorough. She gives very accurate advice." When he answered, Ayaka's face clouded over for just an instant. It was truly just a moment. In less than a second, her smile returned. But Yuma clearly sensed that change. "I see. Shirakawa is competent. But that person, she tries to show her own value by being strict with new people." The voice of Ayaka saying this had become quieter than before. "I'm a different type. If you have any troubles, please don't hesitate to ask me." Saying this, Ayaka moved slightly closer to Yuma. The distance between their shoulders shortened. At that moment, a sweet fragrance drifted from Ayaka's body. Yuma looked at Ayaka. Her amber eyes were looking straight back at him. In the depths of those eyes, the "some serious emotion" he had seen yesterday appeared even stronger. "Long ago, someone I trusted betrayed me." Ayaka said this quietly. "So when I see someone with a similar atmosphere to that person, I can't help but..." Ayaka cut off her words. "Can't help but what?" Yuma found himself asking naturally. "Can't help but want to protect them." The expression on Ayaka's face as she said this looked truly delicate and truly sincere. The two sitting on the bench gazed only at each other's world. The people passing by around them, the sound of passing cars—all had faded into the background. At that moment, something entered the edge of Yuma's vision. The second-floor window of the office. The fourth floor of the office building. From there, he felt as if a cold gaze was being directed at him. Yuma instinctively looked up. A human silhouette was reflected in the window glass. A tall figure with long hair. Wearing a white blouse... But at that moment, the silhouette disappeared. "What's wrong?" Ayaka's voice came. "Oh, it's nothing." Answering that, Yuma noticed his heart was beating slightly faster for some reason. Afternoon. When he returned to the office, Yuri was already sitting at her own desk. Looking at her face, her expression seemed even colder than usual. "Welcome back. We'll begin afternoon operations now." The voice of Yuri saying this sounded slightly lower than yesterday and even more forceful. When Yuma sat at his desk, Yuri immediately came over with documents. Three o'clock in the afternoon. Ayaka came from the planning room. "Shirakawa, I'm sorry, but I'd like to explain a project to Kirishima..." When Ayaka said this, Yuri slowly raised her gaze. "If it's a project, wouldn't tomorrow be fine? We haven't finished the basic sales process today yet." Yuri's response was polite while leaving no room for compromise. "But the deadline..." As Ayaka began to say, Yuri stood up. "If there's a deadline, I'll confirm it. Kirishima's business guidance is the top priority. That is the promise of this company." With those words, Yuri placed her hand on Yuma's shoulder. At that moment, the atmosphere of the office changed. Definitely, not visibly, but something changed. Ayaka's face, for just an instant, exposed her emotions. In that expression, anger, frustration, and something else were mixed together. "I understand. Then I'll ask you tomorrow." Saying that, Ayaka returned to the planning room. Yuri withdrew her hand from Yuma's shoulder. But her eyes, following Ayaka's back, looked cold and yet somehow heated. Five o'clock. Closing time. The office began to be filled with the atmosphere of preparing to leave. Yuma tidied his desk. He shut down his computer and organized his documents. At that moment, Yuri came over. "Thank you for your hard work. How was today's guidance?" "Thank you. It was very educational." When he answered, Yuri nodded slightly. "In the future, if you have any troubles, please feel free to ask me anytime. Not just about sales, but about other things as well." The words Yuri spoke were superficially kind. But in her eyes, there was definitely something else hidden. "Thank you." Saying that, Yuma picked up his belongings. He ran into Ayaka in front of the elevator. "Thank you for your hard work. About the project consultation, it's fine for tomorrow, right?" The words Ayaka spoke were superficially normal. But in her amber eyes, something was definitely burning. "Yes, thank you." Answering that, Yuma got on the elevator. Ayaka got on as well. Inside the elevator. The two stood side by side. They didn't speak, just enveloped in silence. When they arrived on the first floor, Ayaka murmured softly. "Who is most important to you, Kirishima?" At that question, Yuma was bewildered. "Huh?" "Who...is most important to you?" Ayaka repeated, her voice sounding as if she were asking herself. The elevator doors opened. The convenience store's lighting entered his vision. "...I don't know." Yuma answered. "For now, I care about everyone." When he answered that, Ayaka gazed at him. The emotion reflected in those eyes was complex, serious, and looked like some dangerous flame. Ayaka didn't speak. With her mouth closed, she continued to gaze at Yuma's profile. On the way to Senodai Station. Yuma was reflecting on the events of the day. Yuri's thoroughness. Ayaka's kindness. The subtle tension that drifted between the two of them. And yesterday's cup, and the characters written inside it. "I'm watching over you." Who wrote it? Why would they do such a thing? When Yuma arrived at the station platform and waited for the train, he felt it again. A gaze watching him from somewhere. Was it from Yuri? From Ayaka? Or from someone completely different? The human silhouette visible above the office building. The cold gaze he felt on the bench during lunch break. And Ayaka's words inside the elevator. Everything seemed like a premonition of something. The train arrived. Yuma boarded it. "Who is most important to you?" That question still echoed in the depths of his heart. His face reflected in the window looked more tired than usual.