At his office, Higuruma let out a deep sigh as he looked at the mountain of paperwork in front of him. His shoulders and back were sore from sitting at his desk all day, and his mind was exhausted. He knew that he had to finish it all before he could go home, but the thought of doing so was overwhelming.

His dog, Mochi, was curled up in the corner. The big German Shepherd was watching his owner and sensing the man's exhaustion and frustration, he got up, his favorite gnawing toy in his snout and padded over to him, his tail wagging slowly.

Mochi placed his head gently on Hiromi's lap, his big brown eyes looking up at the man in a silent request for attention.

Higuruma closed his eyes and rubbed Mochi's head as he sighed again. He knew he needed a break, so he decided to go to the office kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Mochi followed him closely, his claws softly clacking on the floor.

As they entered the kitchen, Higuruma saw someone else was already there. He averted his eyes, not really in the mood for chit chat, but Mochi trotted over to the person, his tail wagging excitedly.