Our eyes met.

"All right, Listen up!" Thundered the voice of Tsukasa Heizo, 59 y.o., and Head of the Sales Section of the Department of Natural Disasters.

He was a man quite tall and very muscular; as if he regularly hit the gym. He also had a pretty impressive beard, in addition to thick eyebrows. And with just a few words, his deep voice had managed to capture the attention of all the workers on the ninth floor. Quite an impressive feat, considering that he'd stopped simultaneously in their work nearly forty people, and had everyone's eyes on him.

"Keep in mind that today, the government will release a statement with the list of prefectures recognized as being in a state of natural disaster," he said in a confident and authoritative voice. "So I'll be relying on all of you to hold the line until the end; and if necessary, to delay your usual work to support your section, and the one next to yours! "

There were a few nods and even thumbs up over the dividers. Then work resumed as if nothing had happened.

This greatly impressed Hana, who was not used to seeing someone rallying a whole group so quickly. But she also didn't know who the man who just spoke was. However, she at least guessed that he had to be someone as important as Chief Kobayashi; for everyone would stop and listen to him.

She was also unaware that sitting in the same position for so long while staring at a screen could be so difficult. She already had cramps and back pain, and it sure wasn't going to get better, considering it wasn't even noon yet.

Moreover, From the moment when the bearded man had given his speech until now - almost two hours later - the phones had suddenly started ringing all over the floor. A full-blown cacophony had invaded the premises, people all speaking at the same time on the telephone, and keyboard keys typed with force and speed; generating an irregular and stressful background noise. Eventually came a moment when Hana even had to play the switchboard operator; putting people on hold, or transferring calls.

The excitement and frenzy surrounding them had lasted for quite a while, leaving almost no respite; until the same bearded man ordered the phone lines to be disconnected for the morning.

The pressure had suddenly subsided like deflating a punctured balloon; the employees visibly relieved that they were no longer in the thick of it.

However, even as the phones fell silent, another element that quickly stressed Hana's colleagues took over.

"There's still a mistake in this quote, so do it all over again! " Barked Chief Kobayashi.

He had had to walk to the offending party's desk, which hadn't helped to calm down his furious and annoyed self. And like a sinister shadow, he had spread fear on his way; everyone praying that they would not be the target of deadly rebuke. But Hana had calmly watched the scene from her own desk, observing what was unfolding before her eyes.

Chief Kobayashi had printed out the bundle of papers ridden with mistakes and thrown it with a bang on his new victim's desk; giving even more weight to his threats.

"I want it in my e-mail box by 2:00 pm! " He ordered, glaring at a colleague whom Hana could not see; hidden behind the gray dividers.

Then, like a predator observing the surroundings, Chief Kobayashi had raised his head, scanning the entire floor.

And that's when their eyes met.

Shinsuke, still looking annoyed and frowning, breathing heavily and his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Hana, eyes wide open with surprise at this unexpected eye contact, mouth slightly open; as if caught red-handed while committing a crime.

Eventually, she was the one who had looked away first; swiveling quickly on her seat to face her screen and leaving behind her a perplexed Shinsuke who remained himself a little surprised to have been looked at directly.

The funny scene had not escaped Mari, who smiled slightly.

"Tired already, Shinohara-chan?" Mari asked, leaning over the partitioning screen separating Hana's desk from hers.

She had asked in such a kind and friendly voice, that Hana couldn't help but smile at the woman older than her.

"I'll be fine, although my neck is a little sore... " Hana admitted; a little embarrassed.

Constantly looking up to try to catch a glimpse of Chief Kobayashi hadn't helped, not by a long shot. And she was now feeling all the fatigue accumulated by her neck.

It also seemed that Mari had observed Hana's little maneuver; because she smiled in turn at the young woman.

"It's almost noon anyway. Wanna come and eat with us, Shinohara-chan?" Mari asked playfully.

She had taken for granted that Ren and Yuuto would accept without any complaint the newbie in their little group. Or maybe she was the kind of person who presented people with a fait accompli?

In the end, they had no say in whether or not they agreed with her.

Yuuto stretched and leaned back, tilting the back of his seat.

"Baaaah, I thought we were going to die this morning," complained Yuuto with a yawn.

The entire staff had also witnessed the appearance of the saving hour, "12:00", at the bottom right of their computer screen; triggering a wave of departures and a rush to both the elevators and the break room. Hana was amused to see this coordinated ballet of people gathering together by affinity to either leave the floor or storm the vending machines and coffee machines.

Instinctively, she looked back at Chief Kobayashi's desk.

And was shocked to meet his eyes; once again.

He was probably already looking at her, even before she turned her attention to him.

His brown eyes were glaring at her. And that, again, forced her to look away first.

Hana was really more comfortable when she could look at him without having to look him straight in the eye. She could more or less look people in the face. But when someone gave her such an... Aggressive look... she couldn't help but give in. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, but rather that she lacked courage. And especially when it came to this man.

"So, how was your first morning here, Shinohara-chan?" Mari asked, with a gentle tone. "Oh, and by the way, can I call you by your first name?"

This question allowed Hana to pull herself together, and forget about the staring contest she had with Chief Kobayashi.

"Y-yes..." Hana shyly replied.

This was the first time someone who was not close to her had tried to call her by her first name, so what she was feeling right now was somewhat strange for her. She felt that Mari was trying to make a connection with her, but that there was also no malicious intent behind it.

"Okay! Then, call me Mari! " Smiled warmly at the woman who was her senior in the company. "And so, Hana-chan, what do you think of Marline Insurance? "

"It was really... Intense..." Hana replied awkwardly, "I haven't even really started working since I'm in training... But it was still impressive. "

"Well, you didn't start on the best day either," Yuuto said thoughtfully while swiveling several times in his seat.

"What do you mean? " Hana questioned, a little confused.

Was there something she didn't know, that made this day so much more complex than any usual workday?

"Last month's typhoon," Ren simply stated, without even looking up from his computer.

"Ah yes.... The typhoon... " Mari repeated, suddenly feeling tired and depressed. "That damn typhoon... "

The older woman had slumped over her desk, head in her arms, and sighed heavily.

Hana couldn't see because of the divider the expression of her elder, but just from the tone of her voice, she was sure Mari was sulking.

"A typhoon? What does that mean? " Hana asked again, confused by her colleagues' attitude. She wasn't really sure what the word meant, or its importance.

"We'll explain it to you, but first... Let's eat! " Said Mari hastily while getting up from her seat, and imitated closely by Yuuto and Ren.

Like a rehearsed choreography, the three colleagues and friends put on their jackets and grabbed their bags and wallets; ready to go.

"Ah, what's for lunch?" Asked Yuuto, rather delighted to finally get out of the office and be able to stretch his legs.

"No spicy food please, I still have stomach aches from last time," Ren complained.

"We also have Hana-chan with us, so we need to think of something that's not too far away, and not too expensive... " Mari pondered aloud.

"Mrs. Oh's restaurant seems like a good alternative," Ren suggested.

They seemed to be seriously discussing their choice of dining place to include Hana in their plans. However, there was something she needed to do before eating. And unfortunately, it couldn't wait...

"Excuse me for a moment, but I have to make an important call," Hana quickly excused herself, "So if you have to go... "

Her three colleagues were a little surprised, and Hana felt a bit sick to her stomach. They were probably going to tell her that it was okay; and that she could come with them next time. She was used to that kind of answer. She had always had impediments, which had kept her away from the others, at all times.

Still, she was glad they had thought of her so much; but she had to face the facts. They barely knew her, and she was already failing them...

"Oh well, in that case join us when you're done, Hana-chan! "Mari reassured her. "We'll be waiting for you in the lobby, on the first floor! "

The totally unexpected reaction of the three people in front of her made Hana silent.

She hadn't expected it at all.

People had chosen to wait for her, despite the situation. This proved to her once again that she had met nice people, who would make her new life more interesting and joyful every day. This was a relief to her.

Mari, followed by Ren, went to the elevator, while Yuuto waved to Hana one last time, smiling.

She smiled back at him, before retrieving her employee badge and phone, and heading for the door to the stairwell.