My Wife Alya Sometimes Teases Me in Russian

CH-02

CHAPTER 2
Wasn't I Supposed To Be Immune To Teasing At Work?

Co-workers greeting each other with "good morning," gesturing polite bows with each other, sometimes opting for a friendlier approach, like men exchanging fist bumps and women waving to each other enthusiastically—this was how the workday began in the life of Kuze Masachika.

To other people, this routine might come across as plain or boring. But what can you expect? In reality, a day at work is just a repetitive cycle of being a corporate slave. There's nothing special about being a person with a job. You work because you need money. You need money to support yourself. To support yourself, you need to work. That's just how life is.

"Woah. That was... frightening."

Uttering that lifeless haiku was Masachika, who was currently seated at his desk with his head lying on top of it. The reason for the exhausted expression clouding his face was because of the stunt that Alisa had pulled off just a few moments ago this morning. As a result, he ended up in this sorry state and was severely worn out.

Meanwhile, he suddenly began to hear footsteps gradually getting closer, and after someone greeted him, he looked up to see who it was.

"Morning, Masachika."

"Oh, hey there, Hikaru. Morning."

It was his ex-classmate from high school, one of his best friends, and now a co-worker: Kiyomiya Hikaru. They both signed up for work at the same company, and probably because of fate, they ended up in the same department.

"What's wrong with you? It's still morning, you know? Why do you look so exhausted?"

"Ah, uh... something just happened, and because of it, my energy's almost depleted."

"Oh, I see. Did Alya keep you up all night?"

"God, I wish that were the case. But unfortunately, no."

Masachika then explained what exactly happened this morning.

"Whoa. I never knew Alya had that sort of skill."

"I know, right? I was pretty impressed myself. But more importantly, who the heck drives like that in this day and age?! She might as well sign up for a street racing championship and claim that 'Undefeated' title!"

...Except that she'd probably be mad as hell if she heard that from you.

Hikaru decided to keep that opinion to himself, seeing that his friend's exhaustion was getting worse.

"Okay, okay. Let's drop it at that for now. The department head will be here soon, so take a short break while you're at it."

"'Kay... just wake me up once she gets here..."

Shortly afterward, the department leader arrived and noticed Masachika slumped over his desk. He was just lying his head there compared to his co-workers, who were diligently doing their jobs. Hikaru was about to call out to warn him, but he was a bit too late. As a result, Masachika received the scolding of a lifetime.

✦ ✦ ✦

Inside a certain spacious office, silence continued to ensue. Despite there being only two people in the room, the quiet atmosphere was almost unnerving. One of them was sitting behind a desk, while the other stood a few meters away in front of them. The person behind the desk wore an unimpressed expression, staring intently at the one before them. The other person in question was awkwardly, yet desperately, trying to avoid eye contact.