Suzu rubbed her temples with a tired expression."Alright… I don't think I'll be back for a few hours."
Ichigo nodded stiffly."It's fine. I'll just… catch up with everyone till you return. Uh—and I'll try to make up with Miss Ayaka."
Suzu dropped both her hands onto his shoulders, leaning slightly forward with a heavy sigh.
"You look exhausted, Miss Suzu," Ichigo asked quietly.
"It's nothing," she replied with a small lifeless smile."I haven't slept. Working all night again… but it's nothing new. The last thing I want is to ask help from a newcomer."
She forced herself upright and turned to leave—then paused at the door.
"Oh, right… before I forget."She looked back at everyone, voice calm but powerful:
"Let's have a a welcome party tonight. Just us team members."
Instantly, every pair of eyes in the room lit up like fireworks.
Ryo sat up straight at his desk. Yui clapped her hands with sparkles in her eyes. Yamada was holding his smile back to not look like he gets excited at a mere mention of party. Even Ayaka raised her head from her desk with a drool but excited "party?" expression.
Suzu smiled faintly at their reaction—then left the room.
The moment the door clicked shut, the room erupted.
As soon as Suzu left the room, Yui launched herself at Ichigo like a cat claiming its territory, wrapping herself around his arm and grinning.
"Oiii—get off me!! I just sat down!!" Ichigo complained, trying to shake her off without success.
On the other side of the room, Ayaka leaned back in her chair, half-awake but watching with interest."They seem awfully close… Are they dating or something?"
Yamada, calmly stirring his coffee like an exhausted old man, replied:
"Well… you could call it a relationship of some kind."
Ryo, fixing his wrinkled shirt and crooked tie after the earlier fight, sighed heavily."Not the kind you're imagining… Something happened in the past. In college."
Yamada nodded dramatically."Yui sticks to him because she loves him so much… I don't want to reopen trauma, but you could call it a sibling-type love."
Ayaka's eyes widened."Yui and Ichigo are siblings!?!"
SMACK!!!Ryo immediately slapped the back of Yamada's head.
"IDIOT! Say it properly! Now she's misunderstanding everything!"
"S-Sorry…" Yamada bowed nervously, then corrected himself:"Long story short—When Ichigo was a fresh first-year, on his FIRST DAY… he got into a fight with a professor who was harassing Yui."
Ayaka leaned forward, fully awake now."Huh!? An argument on the first day… for Yui?"
Ryo scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Argument?" he repeated, then chuckled to himself. "Well yeah… let's just leave it at that. From that day onward she was glued to him. She has no romantic feelings for him—but her love is way more terrifying than romance."
Yamada nodded in agreement."Y-yeah… I know. She treats him like a younger brother and spoils him nonstop. And Ichigo accepts her as his sister and loves her just the same."
Miss Ayaka looked genuinely stunned.
"She used to show her affection in broad daylight," Ryo continued. "It practically stopped Ichigo from having a love life. When I asked her why she does that, she just said—'My brother is too precious for this world.'"
"She just a Yandere at this point!!" Miss ayaka exclaimed but the lowered her voice not to reach Ichigo and Yui.
"Yo, what are you all talking about." Ichigo joined the conversation
all three gasped in surprise together and replied together
"Nothing!!!"
a whole days passed Ichigo took a tour of entire building talked to almost everybody inn office... everyone had already taken a liking to their new junior.
"This is a surprise, Ichigo has charmed every single person in the entire building.. Leadership runs through is every move" ayaka said to other 3 memberes of their team.
"oh well. his always been like that, In college his first friends werent his classmates but us senior year students. he has always been the most loved person" Ryo Said with a smile on his face
Yamada chuckled "Yeah no matter what he will always be our idiot junior"
The office floor buzzed with quiet chatter and clacking keyboards. Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, casting long lines across the desks.
Ayaka crossed her arms, eyeing the two men with a sly smile. "Interesting… weren't you both arguing with him this morning?"
Ryo leaned back in his chair, spinning it slightly. "That was just shock. He's like a kid brother to us." He shrugged, sipping his coffee.
Ichigo stepped between the desks, hands in pockets. "Yo, Ryo. Let's fu—"
Ryo exploded.He choked so violently the chair rolled back, and the entire mouthful of coffee sprayed across Ichigo's face, splattering onto nearby papers and even the floor tile.
Several employees turned their heads.
"WHAT—?! W–WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, YOU PERVERTED IDIOT?!" Ryo shouted, voice echoing across the cubicles.
Ichigo stood completely still for a moment, coffee dripping from his hair and jaw.Then, with a slow, exaggerated wipe of his face, he glared at Ryo.
"Let me finish, dumbass. I meant—let's forget this project for now and roam the building. Like our college days."
Ryo slammed his cup on the desk, coffee still dripping from the rim. "You should be the LAST one talking like that! This is an office. People can HEAR you. You're not in college anymore!"
Around them, a few colleagues tried not to laugh, quickly turning back to their screens.
Ichigo smirked. "Relax, man. They've heard worse."
Ryo's eyes widened as he wiped the spilled coffee off his desk. He leaned forward, lowering his voice even though half the office was already watching.
"Don't tell me…" He pointed accusingly at Ichigo. "You've been roaming around the building talking like this to everyone—using that language—you crazy fuck!"
A couple of nearby employees froze mid-typing, glancing over their monitors. One intern even ducked behind her laptop, trying not to laugh.
Ichigo with a innocent look on his face. "Was...i not supposed to?."
Ryo grabbed his head in disbelief. "Oh god—Ichigo, this is a corporate office, not your goddamn house!"
Suzu finally stepped out from Reiko's cabin, stretching her arms like she'd been negotiating for hours. Despite looking exhausted, her face glowed with a triumphant smile.
"Hey, rookie!" she called out, brushing her hair back as she walked toward the group. "Wrap things up. We're heading out for your welcome party. Call every team member. Drinks and food are on me tonight—I just closed a big client and got paid. So let's celebrate your welcome!"
The office immediately perked up; people peeked over their monitors, whispering "Party?" and "Tabs on Suzu?"
Ichigo leaned closer to Ryo, muttering under his breath, "Uh… more like celebrate your paycheck."
Suzu's eyes snapped toward him instantly—sharp, deadly, like twin laser beams.
"You wanna go or not, you damn rookie?" she said in a piercing voice that made even two interns at the far end sit up straight.
Ichigo sweating "y-yes mam."