The government office was quiet.Serious.Gray.With an energy that basically screamed:"Emotionally retire before entering."
And then…
…Harumi walked in.
— GOOOOOD MORNING, HARDWORKING PEOPLEEEE!!!
She yelled—accidentally kicking the door open.
The echo ran down the hallway.The plants trembled.The 67-year-old receptionist nearly dropped her tea.
Kei looked up from his desk.
…And smiled.
Too quickly.
Aoi, from the back, just muttered:
— Welp. The sun's here.
Harumi, the Social Hurricane:
She barely set her bag down before starting her daily office tour:
— WOW, Tanaka-san!! Your hair looks AMAZING today! Like a luxury shampoo commercial!!
Mr. Tanaka, 78, blushed.
— Th-thank you…
— Otsuka-san!! I LOVE your scarf!! It looks so cozy, oh my god, hug me!!
Otsuka immediately opened his arms.
— Of course, dear!
Harumi greeted everyone.
Employees.Archive staff.Even an intern she'd never seen before.
— Are you new?
— Y-Yes…
— WELCOOOOME!!! You're amazing and talented and you're gonna succeed today, I believe in you!!
The intern nearly cried.
She kept handing out compliments like flyers:
— Miki-san, your nails are gorgeous!— Mr. Daisuke, love the ocean-blue tie!— Umehara, wow, you actually slept?? You look good!— Mr. Kaneyama!! Your mustache is MAGNIFICENT!!
People laughed.
Some thanked her shyly.Others stayed happy the entire day because of ONE sentence.
The whole office—normally silent and gray—felt… brighter.
Literally.
The janitor even said:
— When Harumi walks in, even the lights shine brighter.
Kei heard that from afar.
And tried NOT to smile.
Failed.
The smile slipped out so naturally, so automatically, that he immediately froze and fixed his face:
— Harumi. Ahem. Good morning.
His attempt at seriousness lasted exactly 0.3 seconds because—
Her bag fell.Papers flew everywhere.Her ID badge smacked her in the eye.
— OW MY EEEEYE!!! THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!!!
Kei let out a small laugh.
A quiet one.
The kind he tried to hide with a cough.
But Aoi—the only coworker who actually paid attention—saw everything.
Eyebrow raised.
— Hmmm… boss looking a little happy this early… interesting.
Kei instantly turned into ice.
— Aoi.
— Boss.
— Don't start.
Aoi smirked.
— Of course, of course. I would never say you smile like a lovestruck high schooler every time Harumi walks in—
— AOI.
Kei was already holding his pen like a weapon.
Harumi stood up with a paper stuck to her forehead.
— Guys… am I bleeding?
— No. — Kei said. — You just look… ridiculous.
— THANK YOU FOR THE KINDNESS!! — she snapped, peeling the paper off her face.
Aoi laughed and walked off before getting murdered.
Harumi at Work — Part 1: Deluxe Incompetence
Harumi dropped into her chair and turned on her computer.
It froze.
She stared at the ceiling.
— …honestly, same.
Kei approached with a clipboard.
— Harumi, you need to review last week's ID documents.
— Yes, boss!!
— And… please… no spilled coffee, no torn papers, and no stamping your own hand again.
— THAT WAS ONE TIME!!
— It was this morning.
— …oh.
Kei sighed.
But there was a hidden smile there.
He handed her a stack of documents.
— Just organize these.
— Leave it to me!
Cut to 15 minutes later:
— KUROSAWAAAA!!!
— What is it?
— I CUT A DOCUMENT IN HALF BY ACCIDENT!!
Kei closed his eyes.Counted to seven.Opened them.
And instead of scolding…
…he smiled.
— Of course you did…
— It's not my fault! The scissors betrayed me!
— Harumi, you don't use scissors to ORGANIZE papers!
— I WAS TRYING TO BE HELPFUL!!
Kei sighed, picked up the torn document, clipped it together.
— There.
— You're an angel, Kei— I MEAN, K-Kurosawa.
— I'm your boss.
— An angel boss.
Kei looked away so fast he almost dropped his clipboard.
Harumi at Work — Part 2: The Printer War
Harumi approached the printer like it was a wild animal.
— Okay… just print… just print… don't explode…
She pressed the button.
The machine choked.Groaned.Whistled.
And then launched a HOT sheet of paper at her face.
— AAAAAAAAH!!
— What did you DO to it?! — Kurosawa rushed over.
— NOTHING!! I JUST EXISTED NEAR IT!!
Kei examined the machine.
— Harumi… there are FIVE crumpled sheets inside this printer.
— I DIDN'T DO THAT!!
— Then who did?
Quick cut to the new, extremely nervous employee—clearly the culprit.
— Ahhh right, that was me! I'm such an idiot! HAHAHA — Harumi said, saving the poor guy's life.
Aoi showed up again.
— Hey Kurosawa, if you need help dealing with your wife, I can—
— SHE'S NOT MY WIFE.
— …yet.
— AOI, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
Kei took a deep breath.
But still couldn't stop smiling.
Again.
Harumi at Work — Part 3: Break Time
Harumi was leaning back in her chair, head tilted, looking like a stylish corpse.
Kei walked by.
Paused.
Hesitated.
Then gently reached out and touched her hair.
Just for a second.
Just a small adjustment—moving her bangs out of her eyes.
But…
She opened her eyes.
Kei froze instantly.
— AH! Harumi! I—uh—there was a… mosquito!
— In my hair?
— Yes! A big one… giant… mutant…
— Boss… I can tell when you're lying.
— I'm not—
— Your nose moves when you lie.
— …
She laughed.
He tried not to smile.
— G-Get back to work!
…and failed.
End of the Workday: Harumi Alive (Barely)
Kei called out:
— Harumi, want a ride home?
— No need! I have legs!
— That does not make me feel better.
— HEY!!!
She waved goodbye and left.
Kei stood there, watching her go.
Aoi walked up beside him, chewing candy.
— You know, boss…
— Don't start.
— You look at her like she's some rare, expensive anime.
— AOI.
Aoi raised his hands.
— Okay, okay. But… do something about it.
— About what?
— About smiling like an idiot every time she breathes.
Kei turned red.
Very red.
And Aoi walked away laughing.