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This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are all products of the author's imagination used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to an actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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— Japanese naming conventions arrange names as follows: [FAMILY NAME] [given name].
— 姉 (ane) / お姉さん (oneesan) sister, older sister
— genkan (玄関) welcome pit just inside the front door that serves as a gathering place for shoes, spiders and guests.
— katsu/kotatsu (カツ / 炬燵 or こたつ) usually found in the center of the home, the modern kotatsu involves a low table with a special futon (or shitagake 下がけ) placed over it. An electric heater is attached beneath which keeps your lower body toasty warm.

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"Sir, kindly calm down so we can figure out what to do with your issue. Can you please tell me what just happened?" Hirano Yuki tried his best to remain calm as he listened in to a customer asking for technical assistance.

The said customer seemed to be fretting on the other line as he spoke, "I'm trying to connect to my game with your CD, but it just doesn't. What am I doing wrong?"

"Ok, you've got the CD in the CD drive, right?"

"Yeah...

"And what sort of computer or game device are you using?"

"Computer? Game device? I thought this was supposed to be in the CD player. And all I get are weird noises. Listen..."

This was what Hirano Yuki has to deal with every day. If he wasn't talking to a dumbass customer who has nothing better to do with life, he would be dealing with middle-aged morons who don't know how to read and follow instructions and only knows how to curse and get mad.

Don't get him wrong though, he loves his job but it can be exhausting and repetitive sometimes. Nevertheless, he wouldn't have it any other way. After all, he can't just quit this job because...well, he signed a contract bond.

Ever since he graduated from college in one of the most prestigious universities known in the country, his mother wouldn't stop nagging him to go look for a job and do something about his life. He admits he was kind of a laidback person and lazy too. To be honest, he wanted to take a break from everything and rethink his life goals but his mother never fails to remind him that his responsibilities come in monthly and he can't just mooch off from his parents by doing nothing.

One day he just woke up brimming with surprising gusto and exaggerated confidence, ready to take on the world! He applied to one of the largest and most technically-capable companies, not to mention that it was an e-sports and gaming agency known as Dark Cloud Alliance Inc. without doing some proper background research.

Although new in the game, the Dark Cloud Alliance Inc. proved itself capable of handling complex situations and can generate revenues by connecting to some brands. The company also hosted streamers and other gaming platforms and even financed and co-produced some of the leading software companies in the industry.

Yuki wasn't the type to dig deeper into who owns and run the company and just wanted a job. Any job. So, he took an online exam, passed then got selected for an interview. However, all of his excitement and eagerness instantly vanished when he come across someone, he thought he would never see again— Mori Akihiro!

His connection with Akihiro goes way back to college, where he first saw and met him. Meeting the man again after several years in a café nearby before his job interview was truly unexpected. As if he was doused with a cold bucket of water filled with ice, all the humiliation he once felt with the man immediately came back on.