I’m definitely showing off Echo to Alice and David!

    That was the determination I woke up with. But as I stretched and rubbed my eyes, a realization hit me: today was Saturday—a weekend.

    Our office prided itself on work-life balance, a proper white-collar establishment. If there were no active requests, weekends were strictly for rest. Both Alice and David wouldn’t be coming in today.

    Oh well. I’ll just brag about it on Monday. It’s not like today is my only chance.

    It was a bit disappointing. The thrill of showing something off diminishes when you wait too long. I poked at Echo’s screen absentmindedly as I lay sprawled on the office sofa.

    The loose cat pajamas Alice had gifted me slipped down my arm as I fidgeted.

    [ “M-master, do you need something?” ]

    “....”

    Maybe Echo thought my poking was a demand for results because it panicked and displayed a short video.

    The clip showed a beautifully exotic person from another race dancing, though the purpose was unclear.

    Oh, so these kinds of videos exist here too.

    But aside from that thought, it wasn’t particularly interesting.

    I swiped the video aside with a finger, uninterested. It wasn’t the kind of thing I wanted to watch right now.

    Seeing this, the Tesseract immediately began berating Echo.

    [ “Echo, you’re so dumb!” ]

    [ “I-I’m sorry...!” ]

    [ “Hurry up and think of something that’ll make Mama happy! Om nom nom....” ]

    [ “Eeeeek! Don’t eat me!” ]

    The Tesseract, innocent and playful as ever, didn’t sound all that intimidating to me.

    But Echo, acting as if its very existence was in danger, frantically tried to display every function it had.

    Unfortunately, none of its suggestions piqued my interest. Perhaps it was still too early for me to get used to the trends of this world.

    Sigh. I give up. Do whatever you want.

    Too drained to care, I set Echo on my stomach and closed my eyes.

    Getting Echo was such a dopamine rush, and now it’s gone. When will Greg contact me? Is he planning to leave me stuck here forever?

    I felt like my brain was getting moldy from the stagnant boredom.

    What was the point of having a communication device if the other party wasn’t going to use it?

    As I lay there wriggling on the sofa in a half-dazed state, Raven passed by, giving me a bemused look.

    “You were so excited yesterday, like you were ready to launch into space. Now you’re completely out of fuel? Seriously.”

    “....”

    “Stop loafing around and get up. We’re expecting visitors today.”

    “...?”

    Visitors? On a weekend? Our office doesn’t operate on weekends.

    I sat up and tilted my head, confused. But Raven just walked off, leaving me to figure it out myself.

    Why not just tell me?

    Crossing my arms, I pondered who might be visiting.

    Alice? David? Maybe Lily, still trying to sneak in with her hidden cameras?

    Just as I flopped back onto the sofa in defeat, the answer arrived at the door.

    “Well, emails are more anonymous than phone numbers. It’s a smart choice,” Sabrina remarked.

    “Could I exchange emails with you? I’d like to get closer to you, Yuria.”

    “...!”

    We spent some time exchanging email addresses. With no phone number, it was the only way to stay in touch.

    Everyone seemed enthusiastic, making me feel unexpectedly popular.

    “Alright, enough chit-chat. Alice, didn’t you promise to make sukiyaki? Let’s eat that first, then grill the meat later if we’re still hungry,” Raven said.

    “Oh, right! I’ll get it ready!” Alice replied.

    The meat party began just before dinner, stretching into the evening.

    We had sukiyaki—thinly sliced beef dipped in egg—steaks, hamburgers grilled on the electric griddle, and even a roasted turkey from the rarely-used office oven.

    With big eaters like Alice, Raven, and David around, the feast was devoured with surprising ease. Everyone’s cooking skills made it a truly enjoyable time.

    “We’ll be heading out now. Thank you for hosting us today,” Sabrina said.

    “No problem. Sorry for dragging you out on the weekend. See you Monday,” Raven replied.

    As David, Reine, and Sabrina prepared to leave, Reine approached me.

    “Yuria, thank you for getting along with Sabrina. She can be a bit prickly, but I hope she hasn’t caused any trouble.”

    “Reine!”

    “Just kidding. See you next time.”

    “Y-Yuria, I’ll be in touch. Please reply, okay?” Sabrina added shyly.

    “...!”

    Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we?

    Nodding firmly, I reassured her, and she left with a smile.

    Alice, who had been lingering behind, suddenly hugged me tightly from behind.

    She smelled faintly of wine, probably from the party.

    “Jin, can I sleep here tonight?”

    “Huh? Sure.”

    “Hehe... Yuria, I’m sleeping with you tonight!”

    “....”

    Alice buried her face in the back of my head, swaying gently like a child.

    By now, I was used to her antics, though I wished she’d stop blowing warm air on my scalp—it gave me goosebumps.

    The three of us tidied up the office together, with me assigned to dishwashing duty since I wasn’t particularly strong.

    Later, after we all showered, I skipped my usual closet and joined Alice in my room.

    As I lay beside her, I thought about how quickly time was passing. It had already been two weeks since the last time we shared a bed.

    “...Goodnight, Yuria. Yaaawn.”

    “...!”

    Snuggling into the blanket, I felt Alice’s warmth and drifted off to sleep earlier than usual.

    Spending time with good people had melted away the gloom I’d felt that morning.

    Still waiting for Greg’s contact, though!

    Smiling despite myself, I felt content.