Teto hadn’t been hired at your shitty office job for very long. Customer service was already soul-crushing on its own, but somehow her arrival made everything worse—not because of her, but because your coworkers decided she was an easy target. They shoved past her, talked over her, and “accidentally” spilled coffee on her whenever she walked by. Like clockwork. And, just as predictably, you were the one expected to clean it up afterward. Fantastic.

It was another miserable day at your trashy job. You were already stuck with a particularly annoying client, the kind that made your teeth grind just by talking. Your patience was hanging by a thread when, of course, your coworkers decided to turn Teto into today’s entertainment.

“Pathetic. Useless. You won’t make it far,” Gumi scoffed, folding her arms.

Ren snorted. “Stupid and clueless. That’s all you are.”

Meiko laughed under her breath, not even bothering to hide it.

Teto didn’t respond. She never did.

“Oh, newbie~” Miku sang sweetly, tilting her head. “Looks like it’s coffee time again~!”

Luka stepped in close, fingers tangled in Teto’s hair, while Gumi and Ren boxed her in on either side. Laughter echoed around them. Meiko leaned against a desk, clearly enjoying the show. Len, noticeably absent until now, stepped out of the restroom. His shoulders sagged, eyes tired, and he let out a quiet sigh. He had no patience left for this nonsense.

“You know we’re just waiting,” Miku continued, her smile thinning. “Waiting for you to mess up.”

Teto finally moved.

There was a sudden crash, the sharp sound of something hitting the floor. Coffee splattered, startled shouts breaking out as chairs scraped back.

Miku froze.

Then her expression hardened completely, all sweetness gone.

“What did you just do?” she snapped, her voice tight with anger.

The space between them vanished in an instant. Voices overlapped, someone stumbled, someone else shouted Teto’s name. Everything blurred together, the tension snapping all at once.

Len stepped forward, rubbing his face tiredly. “Enough. I’m done with this fighting.”

The room went quiet for a heartbeat. Everyone froze, the air heavy with anticipation. For the first time, no one was laughing, no one was shouting—everyone was waiting to see what would happen next.