>>5633595A few more drops hit your shirt.
You wipe at your face, your mascara is running. Tears.
<span class="mu-g">”Eh?”</span> you say, trying your best to save your shirt.
You lean on a nearby desk for support as your legs feel weak.
Kitabayashi closes the distance and, holding you by the shoulders, eases you down to the floor.
Her eyes are wide and her voice is strained, like she’s about to cry herself, <span class="mu-g">“What’s going on?”</span> she says, <span class="mu-g">“Please, Miho! You can talk to me!”</span>
You stare at her with an expression akin to shellshock.
Kitabayashi Yui works for HR.
Coming from HR yourself, you know that HR’s first and foremost interest is the business.
Sharing with her anything that you just learned would make her obligated to defend the interests of the business.
However, knowing Yui-chan she would keep it quiet anyway and by doing so risk her job.
You can’t do that to her.
All you can do is wait.
And hope for the best.
<span class="mu-g">“I’m fine,”</span> you say, <span class="mu-g">“I’m fine.”</span>
Kitabayashi shakes your shoulders, <span class="mu-g">“You’re not,”</span> she screams with tears of her own, <span class="mu-g">“Miho, please!”</span>
As you try to take a breath to explain, you find that the air isn’t coming in.
No matter how fast you inhale, there’s nothing there.
You clutch at Kitabayashi’s shirt, hand shaking, as you race through sixty breaths in a minute with nothing to show for it.
Are you dying? Is this what dying is like?
You can’t die, the trip is tomorrow!
What if something goes wrong?
Kitabayashi places her hands on one of your own, <span class="mu-g">“Miho, slowly breathe in through your nose!”</span> she shouts, <span class="mu-g">“It might feel like your throat is blocked off! It’s probably something like a panic attack, it’ll pass! Breathe slowly!”</span>
Eyes wide and gasping, you do as Kitabayashi says and after a few minutes, that feel like hours, your breathing return to normal.
You thank her for the help, but refuse to give any explanation. You can’t.
In the all the years you’ve known her, you don’t think you’ve ever seen Kitabayashi that angry.
After visiting the ladies room to freshen up, you return to your office and quickly change the password to Kaiba-san’s chat and streaming account and install the accompanying app on your phone and login.
There’s a series of heavy knocks at the door, like somebody pelted it with rocks.
You open it and find a large man from security waiting outside with Matsui-san standing beside him, eyeing you in concern.
Apparently your work day is over and you’re send home to rest.
You plead with Matsui-san for a moment and ask her to keep what happened quiet from Kaiba-san, there’s no need to alarm her.
The large man then herds you away from your office.
Thankfully, you can convince him that you’ll walk to the exit by yourself to avoid making a scene and causing rumours.
Darn it, Yui-chan.
You still had work to do.
