"Hey, Kenji-san! Could you please input this into the system for me?" Miyuki Ozaku said as she handed her paperwork to Makoto Kenji.
Suddenly, another woman barged into his office with a distressed expression on her face. "Kenji-san, I need you to help me write the report for the work you did for me last week. The boss was really impressed and wants to give me a promotion!" Mayumi Haruna said, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Alright, you two. I'll help you input and write them down for you. It shouldn't take more than two hours," Kenji responded with a sincere smile on his face.
Boom!
The door was suddenly flung open as two men rushed in, looking distressed. "Kenji-san, we got into trouble, and now we have to be on night duty. But today is our daughters' birthday, and we promised we wouldn't miss it. Could you take our place tonight?!" the two said simultaneously, their faces flustered.
"Oh! Uzumaki Haru and Yuji Minato, that is very troubling indeed. Well, don't sweat it, guys. I'll help you by taking your place on night duty today," Kenji exclaimed with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Kenji-san! We really appreciate it!" the four said, bowing slightly before turning around and immediately leaving the office.
"Well, let's begin," Kenji said as he turned back to his computer screen and began doing his co-workers' tasks, neglecting his own work for the moment.
Makoto Kenji, an overworked, underpaid, too-kind-for-his-own-good twenty-one-year-old man. He worked in a monster company that sought to drain every ounce of energy from its employees.
Because he was too kind, Kenji became a target for his co-workers, who saw him as the fool onto whom they could dump their work while they went off to have fun.
At first, it was difficult and time-consuming to help his "friends." Sometimes, he would even forget his own work to complete theirs, causing him to be ridiculed by his boss while his co-workers were showered with praise for the work he had done.
Even still, Kenji didn't stop being nice to others. Even with the heavy black bags under his eyes, he still looked for ways to help.
There was a time when the thought of dying crossed his mind, but he wasn't the kind of person to take his own life just because he had it rough.
The day that thought crossed his mind, he made an oath to work harder and faster so he could help both his friends and himself.
---
[5 Hours Later] [11:51 PM]
"Phew! All done. Let me go and tell them so they can come to pick up their paperwork, then I'll start my night shift replacement," Kenji said as he stood up from his seat.
Almost immediately, the power suddenly went out.
"What's wrong with the power?" He was about to go outside to check when a bright light reflected off his face.
"What the...? How is the monitor still on without any power?"
Yes, despite the outage, his monitor remained turned on.
"I don't have time for this. I'll check it out later," Kenji muttered before stepping out of his office, heading toward his co-workers' office.
Even at this hour, the company was still full of employees. It wasn't an unusual sight; it was relatively normal for someone to still be working past two in the morning.
Just as he was about to enter the office, he heard his name being mentioned from inside.
"The power is out. I'm pretty sure Kenji will be heading over here soon to borrow a flashlight so he can go check the generator."
"That idiot is too much of a fool. I mean, how can you just work for others without anything in return while letting us play around as we like? We're technically getting paid for playing all day! Hahaha!"
That voice... It sounds like Mayumi, Kenji mumbled under his breath. He was surprised—no, shocked—to hear his friends speak about him like this.
"I mean, what an idiot! He even agreed to take on night duty just because we lied about our daughters' birthday. Do we even have wives, let alone daughters?!"
"Well, we did tell him we had wives, so of course he believed it. That fool would believe anything as long as helping someone was part of it. Hehe! What an idiot indeed."
"Yuji... Haru... Is this truly how they see me? Is this how they really feel about me?"
Kenji's hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
Knock~! Knock~!
"Who's there?" a voice questioned from inside.
"It's me, Kenji. I came to ask if I could borrow a flashlight from you guys. Also, could you come assist me with the generator?" Kenji said as he quickly wiped his tear and relaxed his clenched fists.
"Oh, alright, Kenji-san. We'll be right there," Yuji exclaimed with a smile that carried a meaning only his friends understood.
A few seconds later, the door swung open, and the four co-workers stepped out, wide grins plastered on their faces.
"Kenji-san, before we go check the generator, can we stop by your office to confirm that the files won't be lost?" Mayumi Haruna asked with a sweet smile.
Seeing that smile, Kenji felt the urge to spit on her face but held it in.
"Alright then. Let's go."
---
[Kenji's Office]
"Kenji-san, what's wrong with your monitor? Why is it still on even after the power went out?"
"I have no idea. Maybe there's still some residual electric charge in the socket. Let me unplug it." Kenji took the flashlight from Yuji's hands and bent down to pull the plug.
"Uh? What's this?" Yuji moved closer to the screen, surprised to see some kind of message. He immediately began reading it aloud.
> {You have been chosen to enter a world of swords and magic. Your task as the hero is to save the world from the Demon King and elevate the humans of this world.
If you accept this task, please chant this spell: Devamescargo!}
The moment Yuji read those words, a brilliant, pulsating magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
"Yuji! What did you do?!" Kenji exclaimed, jumping up in shock.
"I didn't do anything! I just read what was on your monitor!" Yuji stammered, fear clear in his eyes.
"What are we going to do?! My legs won't move!" Mayumi shrieked, panic setting in.
"Calm down, everybody! This is probably some kind of prank by some kid—AHHH!" Before Kenji could finish his sentence, the magic circle erupted with light, and they were all swallowed into its depths.