"Yeah, yeah. Move it, Kitten. Shino, let's go."
"Ugh...!"
"Hey, wait up!"
Hachiman walked off with a steady, purposeful stride, leaving a flustered Shino to scramble after him. Kaori watched them go, patting a dejected Rose on the shoulder.
"There, there, Rose-san. Don't let it get to you."
"...Kaori. We're going drinking tonight."
"A meeting of the 'Exhausted Employees' Club'?"
"You bet. Call Minami and Cruz. I'm leaving the arrangements to you."
"Got it."
Hachiman and Shino slipped into a storage closet with a direct line of sight to the development room door.
"No movement yet. I'm hoping she just goes into the nap room quietly," Hachiman whispered, squinting through the crack in the door.
From behind him, Shino's head popped up over his shoulder. She took full advantage of the cramped space, pressing herself firmly against his back.
"...Hey, Shino. You're a little too close."
"It's a closet. It's narrow. I can't help it," she muttered, though she didn't move an inch. "Yeah, totally unavoidable."
"Why did you say it twice? Look, I'm taller. Peek from under my arm instead of over my shoulder."
"Tch."
"Did you just click your tongue at me? You did, didn't you?!"
"A real man doesn't sweat the small stuff."
With that, Shino hoisted herself up, effectively piggybacking on him.
"Whoa—hey! You're heavy! Get off!"
The word 'heavy' was a mistake. Shino immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and began to squeeze.
"What a horrible thing to say to a girl! I am not heavy!"
"Can't... breathe..."
Meanwhile, inside the development room, Argo was exactly as Mai had described: twitchy.
"…Boss, what are you so fidgety for? It's kind of annoying," Mai said, playing her part.
"I-I know, but... the hair on the back of my neck has been standing up for ten minutes, zoy."
"Standing up? Why?"
"I've got a bad feeling... like some kind of disaster is closing in on me, nyo..."
(Wow, he was spot on. I need to guide her,) Mai thought. "You're just overworked. Why don't you go lie down in the nap room for a bit?"
"...Maybe I will."
Argo stood up and trudged toward the nap room. Seeing her opening, Mai discreetly began typing an email to Hachiman. But Argo, ever alert to shifting vibes, caught the movement. Her instincts screamed Trap! and she turned on her heel, bolting out of the development room like a startled rabbit.
As she burst into the hallway, a muffled argument reached her ears:
"What a horrible thing to say to a girl! I am NOT heavy!"
"Can't... breathe..."
"Ha-bo?!" Argo gasped.
"Sh—! Shino, get off! She's out!"
Hearing her name, Argo didn't wait to find out more. She shifted into high gear, sprinting toward the back exit.
(What is going on?! I don't know, but something is definitely dangerous! Tactical retreat, nyo!)
But as she reached the back door, Rose was already there, blocking the path.
"You're not going anywhere."
In Rose's hand was the long-chained handcuff. Despite the narrow hallway, she swung it with practiced ease, launching it toward Argo.
"Whoa!"
The cuff flew through the air with the precision of a professional bounty hunter, snapping perfectly onto Argo's wrist. In a split-second reaction, Argo didn't pull away—she lunged at Rose, snatched the other end of the chain before Rose could react, and doubled back toward the main lobby.
"Hey!"
"Dammit! What is this thing?! I can't get it off, zoy!" Argo yelled as she ran, dragging the chain behind her.
Rose scrambled after her, pulling out her phone to bark a single command to Hachiman:
"Front entrance!"
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