- 3 -

And What is This Existence?

Suddenly, Nene got a determined look Aoba recognized. She had been getting her nerves up for something. "Aocchi? You should really get dressed. It's a little cooler now. I'm going to close the door, and when you're ready, open it up and we'll talk, okay?"

Aoba felt panicky. Would they blame her for the shameful sexcapades at Eagle Jump today? Aoba promised herself she'd fight to see Hazuki Director got her share. Would they really pick on her? She'd been on the bottom! Well, mostly. With trembling fingers, she managed to fasten her clothes and pry open the door. Nene came in with another drink that she handed to Aoba without comment. Then she closed the door behind her and they were alone in the meeting room.

"Aocchi, it's not like you're in trouble. I told everyone you've always had wild dreams, and I'm sure they understand you can't control something like that," Nene began.

Aoba had no idea what Nene was talking about. Aoba being Aoba, it showed on her face.

"Umm, Aoba, you not only have wild dreams, but you move around in your sleep. And …"

Nene for some reason was having a hard time finishing her sentence. She looked at Aoba and took the hand that wasn't holding the coffee drink.

"And … and you talk. A lot. You talk a lot and it's really clear."

"Nene, where did Christina Producer go?" suddenly Aoba wanted to know. She'd noticed only the producer from the company funding the game had disappeared.

"Well, ummm … when she saw Yagami-san had stripped to her bra and panties and … ummm … Aocchi and Toyama-sempai had copied her, so it looked like a lingerie show, she told Hazuki she had to go, she didn't want to have to lie to the company TOO much about how Eagle Jump worked."

"Wait!" Aoba said. "She didn't … stay and … you know …" And Aoba made a gesture with a V on both hands, interlocking.

"Aocchi! No, there was none of … that … you were dreaming, Aocchi!"

Dreaming? It had to be a lie.

She looked at Nene, who wasn't smiling.

Wow. Thank goodness Nene had discussed this with Aoba privately. It was a dream? Aoba felt half asleep still. It had been so real.

"Nenecchi did anyone else … you know … say anything?"

"Aocchi, everyone said, like, 'Oh, my goodness!' I guess."

"What?"

"Aocchi, your dream — it wasn't quiet."

"It … wasn't?"

"No, Aocchi, you talked a lot and made, umm, noises a lot."

Aoba had to ask how bad it was.

"Well, it started when you kind of wrapped yourself around Yagami-sempai from behind, even though she was trying to get cool."

Aoba was mortified.

"And you kind of said, like, Yagami-sempai you're so hot, your body is so nice, you're so beautiful, I've always thought of you like a goddess … um, stuff like that."

Aoba was speechless, and so red she feared she'd pass out.

"At first she thought you were really molesting her, like, you couldn't hold it in anymore. Everyone at the office knows you had a big crush on her when you joined. That's what Umiko-sempai told me, anyway."

"Then you called her Bunny-chan and said, Aoba loves you, Bunny-chan! And you sucked on her shoulder and kind of drooled on it. So then Yagami-sempai noticed your eyes were closed and you were mumbling. So she kind of laughed and pushed you away and went as far apart as she could in the meeting room, and you, like, said 'where is my bunny?' and stuff like that. Yagami-sempai went back to sleep and, like, an hour later you woke her up by talking again, I guess? Anyway you had crawled to the door and pushed it open a little, still using your uniform as a blanket."

Aoba wondered when she'd be able to face her co-workers again.

"And then you kind of talked louder, Aocchi. And it was — sort of super duper ultra clear you were talking about um …" She mouthed the word "sex."

"Like, you were saying how good we looked naked, by name, including our special places, Aocchi. And then you were making noises and saying how you enjoyed … umm … making sex with us."

"With … with you? Which you?"

"Umm all of us at least once, except in your dream I guess Naru said Momiji could only have sex with her?"

"All of you?"

"Yeah, even Christina Producer and Hazuki Director."

"Nene, I didn't name everyone here out loud, right?"

Nene just looked sad.

"Umm, yeah, you totally did. I counted and you had sex with Hifumin three times, and Yagami-sempai and … and ME two times and I'm totally flattered you put me up there with your crush, but it was a little weird and Yagami-sempai was laughing so hard it's a wonder you didn't wake up. Hifumin was trying to go wake you but Yagami and Hazuki blocked the door. Hazuki director spouted some nonsense about how this was your creative process and we didn't dare interrupt it. And Yagami was laughing so hard she started crying. Anyway you had sex with everyone and it was mostly threesomes and I had no idea you liked something that adult Aocchi!"

Aoba shook her head in denial. Nene pushed on:

"Anyway, apparently we were all having a big sex party and Umiko and me and Jun and Hajime and Christina Producer and Hazuki Director and Toyama-sempai and Yagami-sempai and Naru and Momo were all 'doing it' right here in the office. I think your judgement about who likes who is pretty solid, if that helps anything?"

Aoba couldn't help it, tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Nene went to hug her. Hesitated. Then she bravely continued.

"It's going to be okay, Aocchi. No one holds your dark, twisted subconscious against you, I swear."

After Aoba finished her drink, she meekly let Nene lead her out. With her head down, she went over to her desk and turned on her computer. She heard a cough, and when she looked up, there was Yagami. Fortunately, wearing trousers.

"Aoba-chan, I'm sorry. I wasn't TRYING to block the door, but, you know, when I tried to get up you'd say something more and I was laughing and I couldn't get up." Apparently, she realized she wasn't helping her case. "Well, to be fair, you DID molest your supervisor." Okay, clearly that wasn't going over very well. "Aoba-chan, I failed you as a supervisor, how can we make it up to you? Do you want a hazard bonus?"

Aoba shook her head. "It would only remind me, Yagami-san."

"Is there anything you want, Aoba?"

"Well, I am going to finish up some urgent stuff here, but then, can you have the courier we use send my computers to my house?"

"What? Why?"

"Well, I want to work from home next week." Aoba looked around. "The next two weeks."

Yagami-looked around too. Everyone in the office was still wide-eyed and watching Aoba.

"You got it, Aoba. We'll communicate with email, messaging and screen-shares."

Aoba nodded, and without one more word, turned back around and opened her development environment. It was clear that tears were still streaking her cheeks, but no one wanted to comment on it.

Well, almost no one.

After Aoba had been at it for a half an hour, she suddenly felt someone standing next to her. It was Hazuki Director, who had brought a chair over from the visitor's area.

"Don't mind, don't mind, Aoba-chan!" she said, with a giggle. She turned Aoba around in her chair to face the office door and placed her chair right next to Aoba's. She leaned back, threw one arm around Aoba's shoulders, and gestured grandly with the other. One of her breasts pushed into Aoba's arm.

"Girls like us, Aoba-chan," she continued, "we're not like THEM." Her dismissive gesture included the rest of the staff, and by extension, the greater world outside. Incidentally, it also snuggled her closer to Aoba. "We're visionaries!" she exclaimed. "We see things, IMAGINE things, others can't!"

"Aoba-chan," she continued, staring right into Aoba's eyes. "It's been a dream of mine for a long while now to start a small, tasteful girls' love erotic game spinoff from Eagle Jump. I was just waiting to find the right people to partner with. I think I'm seeing one right now. What do you think? Do you have the courage to seize your destiny in your hands and caress it like …"

Suddenly Aoba felt herself yanked out of her chair from behind. With a *whump* she landed on her bottom on the office carpet and was being dragged backwards out the door. It hurt!

She looked up to see Hifumi had her held firmly under her arm pits. The character leader paused to look back angrily at Hazuki Director. The recipient of her glare turned pale. "I … I think it's time I brought poor Mozuku home and tended to my duties! Yes, about that time, haha."

"Ara," she muttered. "She's even scarier than Ahagon."

As Hifumi resumed dragging Aoba towards the outer door, she said, in a no-nonsense tone, "In the future, when Aoba-chan has problems sleeping, she is going to turn to her team leader, and not Yagami-sempai, for examples and advice on what to do. Please say, 'I understand.'"

Aoba was just now being dragged over the threshold. "I … ugh! understand," she said meekly.

"Aoba-chan is not going to let Hazuki Director or ANYONE put their arm around Aoba-chan and push their breasts into her arm. Please say, 'I understand.'"

Who knew Hifumi had this side to her. But Aoba hastily complied. Now that they were out on the sidewalk, Hifumi strong-armed Aoba to her feet and dragged her towards the train station.

"When Aoba-chan is feeling the urge to fantasize about her co-workers, she is going..to instead concentrate on her work, so she doesn't fall behind."

"I understand," Aoba said quietly.

"Because Aoba's team leader Hifumi-sempai is so nice, she will permit Aoba to fantasize about her, so as to limit the spread of the indignity of such off-color thinking, since Aoba-chan clearly cannot totally control herself."

Aoba grinned, but still responded, "I understand."

"Umm, Hifumin," Aoba began, tentatively. Hifumi glared at her. She was dragging Aoba to the nearest train at the station.

"This … this isn't my train," Aoba said, still meekly.

"Aoba-chan and her … CREATIVE IMAGINATION," Hifumi spat out through clenched teeth, "have been working overtime too much lately. In order to see that Aoba-chan gets the proper amount of rest, it is strongly recommended that Aoba-chan accept the hospitality of her team leader Hifumi-sempai tonight. Not only does her apartment have plenty of restful futons, and wonderful air-con, but she has a facility where Aoba-chan can take as many COLD SHOWERS as she needs to avoid over-heating. Of course Aoba-chan is free to take a different train. It will amuse Hifumi-sempai to imagine the look on Aoba-chan's face when her parents ask her how work went today. Hifumi-sempai can send them visual aids, if required. Or even audio." She pulled out her phone and looked at it significantly.

Aoba-chan knew when she was defeated. "And she was worried about ME being the top?" She settled in and leaned on Hifumi and let herself fall asleep.