Before I even got to my desk, I noticed a pile of reports waiting for me. Fortunately, I had already done most of my work the day before, so my schedule was free.

  If I followed the advice Ishida had given me, I could take the afternoon off and have fun with other people... which, let's be ho, would be a lie. I'd probably use the free time to py games or finish reading my novels, all under a futon with a cold of ext to me. There's nothier than that.

  But, in the end, I'd feel a slight remorse for letting everyone else get on with it while I was off doing nothing. So ing here was my best choice.

  - Seeing you like this, senpai, motivates me! Right! I'll do my best to make up for lost time! I'll see you ter!

  - Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?

  - I will!

  And off he went, with all the energy of a newbie. Sometimes I wish I had a fra of that excitement to deal with my day-to-day life. her ed coffee nor energy drinks do the trick.

  But, as always, I'll do my best.

  Yawn.

  ***

  The day went as expected. I had already done a lot of the previous paperwork and now all I had to do was make o revision, cheg the reports to make sure they all matched mine.

  Even using a puter, I still o check the printed dots to avoid discrepancies - and, sequently, rework for the whole team.

  To keep my energy up, I was already on my sed of extra-strong espresso. But in my case, that ractically useless. Coffee had the same effect as a pcebo for a rec addict: an illusion of trol.

  Yawn.

  - May-san, when was the st time you slept?

  I looked up from the paperwork and saw my maandio the desk.

  - Hm? Manager? Don't worry about me. I yawn again. I just overdid it a bit st night. It's no big deal. I'm just going to finish this report before I go.

  The manager and I are always among the st to leave the building. He's a bit older than me and, although we have equivalent positions, his experieill puts him oep ahead.

  - Are you sure you ha? You should go home a. I take you to your apartment if you like.

  - That won't be necessary, Marust me. Between you ahis isn't the first sleepless night I've spent at the pany.

  He sighed and shook his head.

  - I smiled. Why am I still trying to vince you? Sigh. May-san, you're an excellent employee, but don't demand so much of yourself. I know no one is abusing yoodwill, but still, that's a siderable number of reports to review.

  Her eyes fell on the pile of dots on my desk. I've dealt with bigger ones on more chaotic days - I ha without a problem. I just o proofread and sighing.

  - Heh... Don't worry. The sooner we finish this, the less work we'll have month. Send your wife a hug. When I leave, I'll tell the security guard to lock the building.

  - Fine... But take the day off tomorrow to rest. That's your manager's order.

  - Yes, sir.

  He said goodbye a. Perhaps he was looking forward to seeing his wife randchildren. The manager has always beeive about his personal life, but I'm not the type to pry - not without a good dose of intimacy with the person.

  I yawn.

  Now that I've stopped to take a closer look... That's a really big pile. But that's okay. I'm not going to let this work pile up for tomorrow. I took on more than I should have, and now I have to deal with it-as a kind of self-punishment.

  I tinued signing and revising the dots. But as I read, my vision briefly blurred.

  Am I... sleepy?

  Perhaps. Or maybe my judgment is impaired by something else. The letters started to beore and more blurred, and what were once well-defined sentences were now a meaningless jumble.

  Maybe more coffee will help...

  Pluf!

  Damn.

  I spilled coffee on the papers.

  That's going to be a problem ter... I'll have to do it all ain at the weekend.

  I tried to lift the , but my arms wouldn't respond as they should.

  Something was wrong.

  My body was heavy, numb. I could barely feel my own movements. Only my mi w, trapped in a strange daze.

  Had exhaustion finally caught up with me?

  Damn... I khat the routine of spending the night reading novels and pying te would take its toll on the pany. Even though I get very little sleep and wake up the day in good spirits, I know it's not healthy...

  My head is heavy. I barely hold it up... Ouch! I hit the table, but I didn't even feel any pain. Maybe I'm just too exhausted to feel anything. My body is exhausted. My arms and legs, which used to tingle, now seem ent... I 't feel anything anymore, only my mind still works. Is this the result of years of a pletely wrong sleep routine?

  Maybe... If I just y eyes for a moment... I'm sure the wat will wake me up soon. Or maybe he'll call the emergency services to deal with the situation. Damn, I'm going to get a lecture like that from the manager and I'll probably have to go to HR afterwards to formalize an apology... What the hell?

  - TO ALL THOSE PRESENT, WITNESS IN ADVAHE RESULT OF THIS UNHOLY RITUAL! THE INVOCATION OF THE HERO WHO WILL BRING BALAO OUR LAND AND, PERHAPS, TO THE WORLD!

  Wait... There's something wrong... The invocation... it... it failed?!

  What oh am I hearing? A dream? But I 't see anything... Ahe exhaustion persists. My body is still as heavy as before... Perhaps getting some sleep would be the best way tain my senses?

  With that st thought, Sato Mayle her world behind.

  ***

  I 't quite uand what's going on in my mind. All I heard was a voice mentioning a “failed invocation”. What oh is that supposed to mean?

  Maybe it has something to do with the st novel I read... But I 't quite remember. Damn. Even though I was a grown woman, I ended up letting my imagination take over before fatigue overwhelmed my body.

  I remembered an article I'd read in a magazine about how, when you lose sciousness, there's a ce you'll fet basiformation the moment you wake up. I hope I haven't fotten anything important... Maybe a little mental exercise will help me now.