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"Kaito, you brat, you've got some incredible luck with women!"
"Quick! Spill it! How long have you two been together!"
Unsurprisingly, before his butt had even warmed his seat, familiar colleagues swarmed him, their faces practically leaking gossip. Even the colleagues he wasn't close with surreptitiously pricked up their ears; the entire office's attention was locked on him.
Originally, this was a small matter that could be cleared up easily. But the words "That's my sister" just wouldn't come out. Kaito remained silent. Knowing this company's culture, if he told the truth, he'd wake up tomorrow with a new title:
[The Entire Office's Brother-in-Law]
Just thinking about that image made him feel drained. Whatever. Let it be. He nodded wearily, deciding to just roll with the disaster. "Yeah. Two years."
Colleagues were friends, sure, but not "visit each other's homes" level of friends. Besides, he had no intention of dating within the company anyway; aside from Rin—the fresh grad with four years of experience—there weren't many people his age around.
"...Whoa, you kid!!!"
The envious looks on his colleagues' faces instantly turned to shock. Even with mental preparation, a verbal confirmation was still a heavy blow.
"Do you know you're breaking the law?!"
A high schooler's age is hard to pin down, but two years ago, she was definitely a minor!
Faced with the mix of envy and accusatory finger-pointing, Kaito didn't know what to say. He reached for his phone to complain about his sister, only to remember it was still in the hands of said "high schooler."
"Wait, my 'wife' Miss Pink Elf is live!"
In this awkward moment, a sudden exclamation shattered the office atmosphere. It was five minutes before the official start of work. This shout drew everyone's eyes, and Kaito also recalled that familiar ID...
Memory overlapped with reality, and a wave of wordless sorrow washed over his heart. Sis, did you really have to pick this exact moment to start streaming?
The situation couldn't get any worse, considering his dating rights had already been effectively revoked.
"Oh! Oh! I remember who this is! It's my wife who hasn't posted in three years!"
"Wow, you Otaku are gross. She hasn't streamed in three years and you didn't even unfollow?"
Kaito remained silent, saving his documents on his computer. He was surreptitiously preparing to slip out; he needed to find another place to work.
"Wait... this streaming background and that school uniform... why does it look so familiar?"
[Hi~ everyone! Did you miss me?]
Accompanied by the sudden appearance of the High School Limited Edition Miss Pink Elf on the screen, the girl smiled brightly, looking exactly as she did three years ago when they graduated university.
"Isn't that right downstairs from our office?"
After that sentence was uttered, a heavy silence fell. It spread through the office like a plague, as if someone had pressed a global mute button. Even the colleagues who didn't follow the stream noticed the anomaly and quieted down, looking around in confusion, not understanding the source of this sudden "Angel has descended, air has gone still" vibe.
"Kaito..."
A very quiet voice spoke up, laced with teeth-gritting envy that bordered on hatred.
Kaito had already reached the door.
"Hi! Senior! Good morning!"
Rin pushed open the door at that exact moment, her face wearing a high-energy smile. She didn't understand why her Senior was acting so sneaky. The girl didn't hold a grudge, and she certainly didn't care about their previous bickering; she was always full of hope for life.
Kaito put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Rin understood instantly and went silent, but when she looked up, she met the glares of everyone else in the office. Her little brain was momentarily dazed.
This serious atmosphere... it can't be an attendance check, can it? I'm not late!
Didn't Sis say Reason Studios was like Anti-Entropy—no empty formalities, work starts when it starts, and overtime always pays?
"Kaito!"
Someone's voice rang out with a forced, unnatural smile. Kaito sighed. Nothing was going right today; his luck seemed to be fluctuating wildly.
"If I say she's my sister now, would you guys even believe me?" He made one final struggle.
If he had known, he wouldn't have tried to save effort earlier. Now, just like in high school, he'd be stuck with the "Elysia's Boyfriend" label and lose all his dating rights.
"Stop messing around! You two look nothing alike!"
Someone immediately rebutted. One had pink hair and the other had black; even their eye colors were different. This visible fact was quite convincing. (If Kiana heard this, she would probably nod vigorously. Exactly! Stop joking! Sirin's purple hair and gold eyes—she was definitely picked up from a trash can!)
Rin looked around blankly, then "sensibly" took a small step to the side, creating some distance between her and Kaito. But then, remembering her sister's description of Kaito as "exceptionally petty," she quietly slid back to her original spot before he looked her way.
Cold reality, fickle world—Rin knows the drill! I am now Mature Rin!
"Yeah, yeah! Fine! It's exactly what you think."
Kaito gave up on the "treatment," leaning against the doorframe in total defeat. He had zero expectations left for workplace dating anyway.
"And Elysia and I grew up together. We're the legendary childhood friends. Elementary, middle, and high school—we were in the same class for all of them. Envy me all you want!"
This was why he hated high-profile jobs. People in the spotlight had everything scrutinized through a magnifying glass. Unlike Elysia, Kaito was someone who hated trouble.
Racing was better. When you were flying along, the wind howling in your ears, you only thought about accelerating and taking the turn. If you messed up and flew off, then you thought about how to survive...
If only life were that simple.
He decided. Tonight, he'd do a couple of laps on Mount Taixuan, then go home and hack-and-slash. Speaking of which, the elite mobs in the game should be bunched up by now.
"Chikusho!!! Why does a goddamn 'normie' winner-at-life exist right next to me!"
In the distance, an anonymous senior let out a loser-like wail, beating his chest.
"Dammit, normies like that should just stay in fictional works!"
Watching the low pressure radiating from the senior, Rin tugged on Kaito's sleeve. She asked cautiously, "Wait, aren't you and Elysia siblings?"
She had seen her sister's group chat and knew Elysia had a brother named Kaito, but that was the extent of her knowledge.
Kaito looked helpless. "Do you think they'd believe me?"
Rin looked at the "sobbing" senior on the floor, then at the crowd of colleagues who were clearly enjoying the drama, and nodded half-knowingly.
"The entertainment value at Reason Studios is really top-tier." She remarked from the bottom of her heart.
At the same time, she began to understand why Anti-Entropy was always one step behind Schicksal. But this relaxed, slightly chaotic atmosphere... wasn't bad at all!!!
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