The final day of Makoto's internship at Clitify felt like the last ten minutes of a difficult mission. The office was vibrating with busy energy. On the Waifu Wall, the waifus avatars were active with new life.
The Family Module Makoto had implemented was finally integrated into the core WaifuEngine and was being rolled out to new customers.
Makoto sat at his workstation, his fingers flying across the mechanical keyboard as he and Yui finalized the front-end hooks for the sentiment-driven ASMR module.
"And… push," Yui whispered, her voice a breathless rasp of exhaustion and excitement. She hit the Enter key with a shaky finger.
The progress bar on the main overhead monitor reached 100%. A moment of silence followed as the system processed the new build and deployed it.
And then, two waifus appear together on the screen. "Master, you've been working so hard, just rest," the cat-girl voice purred through the office speakers. A maid stood next to her, her voicea perfect blend of gentle warmth. "I've ordered some tea for you, Master. Please, take a deep breath."
A cheer erupted from the development floor. Hiro, the Lead Designer, practically launched himself out of his chair, punching the air. "YES! THE FAMILY CODE IS STABLE! IT'S ALIVE!"
Makoto leaned back, his joints popping, a wave of relief washing over him. Beside him, Yui slumped in her chair, her glasses lopsided on her face. She looked at him, her eyes shimmering with pride and lingering sadness. "We did it, senpai," she whispered.
"We did it together, Yui," Makoto agreed, offering a tired smile.
===
Half an hour later, as Makoto started tidying up his desk, the receptionist walked to him. "Kenta-san and Kyousuke-san would like to see you in the Boardroom, Makoto-san," her voice echoed through the open office.
Makoto stood up, his stomach doing a nervous flip. He adjusted his collar and headed toward the glass-walled room at the back. Inside, Kenta, the CTO, and Kyousuke, the Product Manager, were waiting.
"Sit, Makoto-kun," Kenta said, his expression unusually serious.
Makoto sat, his heart hammering.
"We've reviewed the metrics from the beta launch of the Family Module," Kyousuke began, tapping his stylus against a tablet. "The user retention has spiked by forty percent. The feedback was good, we got so many people registering just for the harem building advertisements."
Kenta didn't waste time with small talk. "Your internship technically ends today," His grin widened. "But we'd be idiots to let you walk out that door. The board has approved an immediate transition to a Junior Engineer role. We don't usually do this for interns, but you aren't exactly a usual intern."
Kenta leaned forward and slid a folder across the desk. "This is a formal offer for a Junior Full-Stack Engineer position, effective immediately." He continued, "The salary is at the upper end of our Junior bracket, plus performance bonuses and a full equity package. You will receive a confirmation email with the details shortly."
Makoto stared at the paper in the folder. His vision blurred for a second. "Thank you very much, Kenta-san, Kyousuke-san," He managed to choke out.
"Don't thank us, thank your hard work," Kyousuke grunted, though a small smile touched his lips. "You will also get a sign-on bonus, consider it your performance bonus for the Family project. Just don't let your code get sloppy now that you're getting the permanent job."
Kenta grinned. "You're dismissed today. If you leave early, you might be able to take the noon train and get home at lunch. See you next Monday!"
As Makoto walked out of the meeting room with a goofy grin plastered on his face, Yui was waiting for him by the elevators. She had her bag slung over her shoulder, her posture small. "You got it, didn't you?" she asked.
"I got it," Makoto said, patting the folder in his hand.
"I'm happy for you, Makoto-senpai," Yui said, though her voice wobbled. She stepped closer, invading his personal space. "I… I'm moving to the Osaka branch next week. It's closer to my home."
"Oh. I didn't know."
"Makoto-senpai," she said, looking up at him, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "I know you have a family, from the photo you showed me. Someday… would you let me meet them?" Her voice got smaller, "I want to see the women who inspired that Nurturing code. I want to see what your happy, chaotic family actually looks like."
Before Makoto could answer, Yui stood on her tiptoes. She grabbed his collar and pulled him down, planting a quick and desperate kiss on his cheek.
"That's for protecting me from the creepy guy last time…" she whispered. And then, she turned and ran, finally vanished into the stairwell before he could even process the warmth on his skin.
Makoto stood there, stunned. He touched his cheek, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. "Oh god… if Mika finds out about that kiss, I'm dead."
He didn't see Yui pull out her phone as she reached the bottom of the stairs. He didn't see her post a teary-eyed selfie with the caption: "Heartbroken... My senpai is a hero, but he's already with someone else. Time for a new adventure. #GoodByeTokyo #UnrequitedLove."