1 Sharp Awakening

"For our next topic, the two Kawahara scientists behind the CTCT disease will give more information about it and what to do in case you have…"

The voice of the presenter faded away as my head became heavy on the pillow. Drowsiness hit me, followed by numb shivers. I sat up on the bed not to fall asleep again. I stretched my arms, swept my hair away from my face, and rubbed my eyes.

I fell asleep with everything on again, I thought. They are talking about that body-swapping nonsense. Do people actually believe it?

No sense of urgency hit me until my brain processed the numbers of the clock on the bottom left corner of the broadcast.

It's already six?!

I jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower, yet my mind ended up ranting with itself despite the urgency, as usual.

The clothes collaborated to make it harder for me to put them on. I grabbed my bag and sprinted out of my apartment. Knowing it would be impossible to get to work on time during rush hour, I gave up the comfort of a taxi and raced for the coming train at the nearby station. I barely squeezed in.

I wanna die.

Ten minutes of barely being able to breathe later, I broke out of hell and ran upstairs to get out of the station. Even after five months of wearing heels daily, my ankles constantly bent in ways they shouldn't, especially while running.

At least it's not raining.

I made it to the company building in two minutes and checked in with only eleven seconds to spare. I swept the sweat away from my forehead with my sleeves and stepped into the elevator.

My racing heart finally had a moment to breathe. Coming out on the seventeenth floor, I walked through the halls while greeting people with a fake smile. I entered the IT area and sat in my cubicle.

To think I was sitting here seven hours ago. I should live here, at this rate.

As usual, the PC needed a couple of minutes to turn on and become responsive enough to be usable. Leaving it on would've been better, but the company didn't allow it because it wasn't eco-friendly. I would've believed it were this another company, but coming from this one, it was obvious they were being cheapskates.

However, it was the perfect excuse to do nothing and not be judged for it. I hated this job and took every opportunity to forget about it. The main reason I was working here was that no videogame company wanted to hire me, even after a dozen attempts. If I hadn't secured a spot before graduating from university, I would've had to leave the city to move in with my parents and my brother in the countryside, further away from my dreams. So, I took the safest option.

Four minutes had passed when my mind came back to reason. I opened the website project in the code editor and reality hit me in the face like every other day for the past five months. I leaned my back against the backrest of the chair, relaxed my head on top of it, and closed my eyes.

Man, this website project is killing me. Just when I thought I was gonna be able to sleep more than four hours. Who in their damned minds would commission a website for next week? And the people that accepted it are even more stupid. 'Half of it is already done' my ass. A monkey would've done a better job with the code. This is the third time in five months. This is bullshit. Can I do nothing for one day? No one would notice.

After a long sigh, I sat straight and stretched my neck. I reviewed the small changes coworkers had made overnight; although I had to fix most of them to fit the rest of the code, I appreciated their efforts. Then I continued coding where I had left off the previous night. However, it wasn't as simple as I had expected. I kept running into compatibility issues between the cookies and they were a pain in the ass to fix. I spent more time debugging than coding.

Maybe if I load this one first…

"Minami," called Ishikawa.

I snapped my eyes away from the screen to see him standing beside me with his arms crossed.

"Ishikawa," I stammered. "Do you need something?"

"I had to call your name six times to get you out of there, it's a new record. And you won't stop bouncing your leg. It makes some noise, you know?"

"Sorry. I just wanna be done with this crap."

"Same as always," he smiled. "Don't worry about the noise, you can even hear the mosquitos in here. Come on, let's go eat something."

"But I'm almost done…."

He stared at me with his piercing glare. Being the supervisor of my department, he mastered the menacing gaze regardless of the smile.

"Okay, okay," I said. "Let me grab my cigs."

His smile returned. "Good. Besides, I have something important to tell you."

"Am I fired?" I joked while rummaging through my bag.

He usually fired back with another joke, but he just smiled back at me this time.

Am I seriously getting fired? But I've done everything they've asked for without complaining! To be honest, I'd be happy if they fired me from this hell, just not before Christmas; it'll be impossible to find a job now.

"Is everything okay?" he wondered.

"Yes!" I stuttered. "I can't find my cigs; I probably left them at my apartment."

"You can buy some at the store next to the café."

"Right. Let's go."

Like every day for the past two months, we walked three streets away from the company building to eat at a café where no coworkers would hear us chat, plus it had a smoking area. Before that, we stopped at the store next to it and I bought a pack of cigarettes.

Ishikawa was the only person I had befriended in the company. I was naive when I started working and trusted anyone who seemed friendly enough to offer advice or help, but I learned my lesson within the first month. I didn't trust anyone until Ishikawa noticed my work. He told me that my code was clean and short, yet simple enough to understand and easily maintainable. I didn't trust him at first and, since he was my supervisor, I believed he took advantage of everyone, but I was wrong. He constantly put in a good word for me and I even got praised by the boss—though his words didn't mean anything to me.

We ordered drinks and food at the café counter and sat in the smoking area. I relaxed as soon as I lit a cigarette and started to smoke. Ishikawa hated the smell yet he had endured it for months. He was used to it, at this point.

"So, am I getting fired?" I asked.

"What made you think that?"

"I joked about it and you didn't reply with another joke."

He scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, technically, you're getting fired."

I coughed the smoke out of my lungs.

"Seriously?!"

"Lower your voice."

"Sorry. I thought I was being paranoid."

"Technically, we are both getting fired."

"What do you mean?"

Ishikawa glanced at our sides before answering.

"Minami, the company is being shut down."

I stared at him, with the cigarette between my fingers.

"You're kidding, aren't you? This sounds like a joke you'd make."

He shook his head. "It does, but I'm completely serious."

I put the cigarette in my mouth and hastily inhaled, making me cough again.

"You look like an amateur," said Ishikawa.

My chest heated up and I hit the table before I could control myself.

"I can't believe it. Everyone told me this company was the safest bet. This is what I get for listening to them. It's always like this."

Ishikawa stopped looking at me and glanced down at the table. He'd usually share his opinion to keep the conversation going. It seemed he had nothing to add this time.

"How did you find out?" I wondered after calming down.

"You know I always keep my ears sharp at the office. As for why, I'm not sure. I heard that it's because the company has been making less money lately. On top of that, more and more people complain about the despicable work schedule and even quit."

"Can't blame them."

"Me neither," added Ishikawa. "So, knowing it's a matter of time before the last drop spills the glass, the directive board decided to cease operations."

"The easy way out."

"Yeah."

"Fuckers…."

Sighing, I leaned my back against the backrest of the chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"How many weeks before they shut it down?" I asked.

"Two."

"That's nothing, but at least we have some time to think—"

"Days."

I sat straight and hit the table.

"Are you kidding me?!"

The people around us gazed at me again. I lowered my head when the waiter arrived with our food and drinks. He placed everything on the table.

"Enjoy your meal," he smiled. "Ma'am, we'll kindly ask you to refrain from yelling so as not to bother the rest of the customers."

I quickly bowed multiple times.

"Yes, I'm very sorry."

The waiter walked away, still smiling.

Ishikawa took a sip of his coffee.

"They are going to think that we're arguing."

I put my cigarette down on the ashtray and took a bite of my vanilla donut, followed by a sip of my latte. Meanwhile, Ishikawa stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"I could count how many times I've seen you eat something healthy with my fingers."

"Well, I don't have a husband to cook lunch for me before my eighteen-hour shift."

"True, but that doesn't mean you can't buy something healthy."

"I prefer to eat something tasty when I have the chance to eat."

"To each their own."

Ishikawa began eating his salad and we both ate silently for a minute.

The real reason was that food had been losing its flavor ever since I graduated, regardless of how delicious it used to be. So, I always ate the tastiest meals in an attempt to satiate my desperate hunger.

Are they really such cowards to do this? Why am I even questioning it? Of course, they are. Even if it's illegal to shut down a company on such short notice, no one's gonna waste their time and money to sue them. I should be worrying about myself, but people who have a family will have an even worse time than me. At least no one depends on me.

"Ishikawa, when did you find out?"

"I first heard rumors a week ago, but I only got to confirm it yesterday."

"Making such a big decision in such a short time span; what assholes. Do you know when they'll announce it?"

Ishikawa shook his head. "But if you ask for my opinion, I'd say today before the shift's over."

"Meaning today will be the last normal day. I doubt people will keep working knowing the company will be gone in two days."

"They will. It's work, after all. They'll keep working until the last second."

"Even you?"

He nodded.

"No one's going to complain that they are being left jobless in two days?"

"Not worth it for anyone."

I sighed and grabbed my cigarette to continue smoking.

"Do you have plans for after it happens?"

"I've been working nonstop for eight years; I deserve a couple of months off."

"Great plan."

"I already have something secured, though."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Thankfully, I have some connections."

"Must be nice."

"You should make connections as soon as possible; office life is a treacherous path to traverse on your own. And don't worry, I'm telling them good things about you."

"Really?"

"Don't get your hopes up, they aren't currently looking for programmers, but I'll call you if something comes up. Just don't avoid your search for another job just because this might be an option."

"I won't, and thank you; saying good things about me is already enough."

"You're welcome. Speaking of which, I'll need some way to contact you."

"Right. I'll give you my email and my number, but call me only if I don't reply to your email fast enough."

"As you wish."

After exchanging contact information, we continued eating and chatting about various topics. We finished and returned to work. Knowing the company was going to be no more in two days, I didn't want to keep working on the website project. Still, my pride didn't let me stop.

The clock struck sixteen hundred hours and there was no announcement or anything at all. It was my check-out time, yet I struggled to decide what to do.

If I leave now, people might get suspicious of me for leaving this early. On the other hand, staying focused is hard when I know the company's going to shit. You know what? Screw this.

I turned off the PC, grabbed my bag, and walked away. I noticed multiple stares as I walked to the elevator, but that didn't stop me. I checked out at the lobby and stepped out of the building. Seeing the sun still out while leaving work was a rare sight for me. I took a moment to breathe in the cold and refreshing air.

It feels weirdly good. Who cares. I'll go home and do the only thing I can do when not working.

And so I did. I ignored the time and played games until my eyes couldn't stay open. I smoked and ate instant noodles, and went to bed at midnight. I woke up late again, yet I couldn't bring myself to arrive late to work. I went through hell for what might've been the last time in a while and arrived five minutes earlier.

I sat in my cubicle and, as soon as the clock hit seven, I received an email.

Important matter? No, it can't be. They can't be this cowardly.

Within the first sentences, I realized they were that cowardly. The email talked about the company shutting down and the reasoning behind their decision, clearly full of lies. It said to keep working until the end of the shift, then pick our stuff up and walk away to never return—with more formal wording of course.

The office remained silent and, as Ishikawa had told me, everyone continued working for the rest of the day. However, I noticed people slacking off every time I went to the bathroom, probably wondering what they were going to do to survive the coming weeks while searching for a new job.

Eight hours later, it was time to leave for good. My cubicle was as dull as it was the first day, so I didn't even spend five minutes picking my stuff up.

Ishikawa approached me.

"Good luck. Talk to you soon."

"See you."

He walked out of the IT area and, a minute later, so did I. The elevators were full since everyone was leaving at the same time, so I waited for a bit. Once in the lobby, I checked out one last time and stepped out of the building. I stood in front of it and stared at it as many people walked past me.

I'm free.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

Now what?