"I'm home!" Aoba announced with excitement as she closed the door behind her. She expected 'a welcome back' but had no response, which kind of weirded the girl out. Are they not in or something..? she thought to herself as she slowly walked towards the living room.

"I bought cake for you!" she expected an answer, but didn't get one. Ah, they're probably not in. she thought to herself with slight disappointment. Sadly, that was not the case, because once she walked in the living room, she froze.

There layed her mother. Red, almost dried out liquid, surrounded her. Her face was face planted into the floor. Bloody tracks of foot prints lead out to the window, following with hand prints (does that even make any sense?)

"M-mum?" Aoba dropped her box of cake to the ground and walked up to her mother's lifeless body "hey! Wake up! Th-this isn't funny.. Mom!" Aoba stuttered as she nudged her mother to wake up, after realising that her mother won't wake up, she froze as she a stream of tears fell down her face.

"MOM!"

"Aoba!" comes a voice from behind "were you even listening!?" the girl with pigtails didn't respond "is there something wrong?"

"Aoba, it's break time! Relax yourself for a moment"

No response.

"Aoba..? Are you okay?" a blonde asked as she tried to see Aoba's face, but once she saw the poor girl's state, she jumped into action "wait, why are you crying!?"

"She's crying!?" Rin perks up with shock.

"Did something happen?" goes Ko.

"N-no.." Aoba stood up as tears ran over her cheeks "I-I j-just n-need s-some t-time a-alone..." she said as she walked out of the cubicle.

"What was that all about?" Hajime asks with worry.

"I don't know... but it looks like she's in some sort of distress..." Rin replies with a worried frown.

"My, my... Now, what on Earth has happened to Aoba?" Hazuki asks as she enters the character designer cubicle with their cat, Mozuku, in her arms.

"That's what we want to know too..." Yun sighs with worry.

"W-well.. I'm going to find her" Hifumi tells the others before leaving the cubicle.

"Fu fu fu..." Hazuki drops Mozuku to the ground to set the fat cat free "I think Hifumi is in lo-"

"Don't even go there..."

With Aoba...

Aoba locked herself in the bathroom, sobbing to herself in peace. She did not want to talk to anyone at all.

"Mom..." she muttered to herself as she cried "why did this have to happen to you..? Why..? Just why?"

"Aoba?" a voice echoed through the toilets "Aoba, I-It's me H-Hifumi, can w-we talk..? W-We're worried..."

"I'm fine!" Aoba replied back with an energetic voice, as she wiped her tears away with her arm "really!" the girl with pigtails opens the stall door and leaves "let's get going!" she spoke with a bright smile on her face.

"O-Okay.." she followed her soon to be crush.

"We're back!" Aoba announced loudly but quietly.

"That was quick!" Hajime jumped up with surprise.

"Most importantly, are you okay Aoba?" Yun asks with worry.

"Just fine!" Aoba forced a thumbs up and smiled widely.

"Are you sure?" Rin asks.

"Like I said: I'm fine!" the twin pigtailed girl sat down on her chair and started working again.

"If that's what you insist on feeling..." Ko's worry started to die down a bit "hey, wait! It's break time!"

"I've had my break already!" Aoba giggled under her breath as she grabbed a pair of earphones, inserted it to the computer and played music to escape reality. Just keep it to yourself... Don't make the others worried..

"Aoba..."

A few hours later...

"Oh, what the!?-" Ko rapidly slid her pen about on the drawing tablet.

"What's wrong Ko?" Rin asked as she turned to the blonde.

"My pen stopped working!" she whined.

"Solution: buy a new one" Rin sighs.

"You think it's that easy!?" Ko lashes at the other.

"Do you want to get on with work or not?" Rin gave a deadpanned stare at the other.

"Oh! Fine!" Ko tutted and walked out of her own cubicle, just to enter the cubicle next to her, and trust me, she already had an idea in mind "Hajime!"

"Yeah?" the tanned girl turned to face the blonde.

"Could you go and fetch a pen for me?"

"Oh, sure!"

"Oh, and Aoba, could you tag along with Hajime?" Ko asked with an innocent smile but frowned when she didn't get a response "hey!-"

"Aoba" Yun took off the other girl's earphones "are you sure you're okay?"

"yeah" Aoba replied "why?"

"Well, I mean look" Yun pointed at Aoba's arm "you're shaking"

"I-I am..?"

"Are you cold or something?"

"Hm? No..."

"Then why are you shivering?"

"It's nothing really.." the petite girl turned to face her computer, grabbed her earphones once again, listened to Private Wars by A-RISE and continued on with work.

"Aoba..." then Yun observed her surroundings, realising that everyone around her were listening in, including Hazuki.

"M-maybe Yun can help me with finding your pen..." Hajime stroked at the back of her head.

"O-oh..?" Ko jumped "uh.. yeah.. that is if she doesn't mind anyway..." she turned to the blonde.

"Y-yeah.. I'll come along... Why not?" the blonde stood up from her chair, tucked it under her desk and walked off with Hajime.

"Remember to get the business receipt!"

"My, my... this energy or... something with or around Aoba scares me..." goes Hazuki, as she enters the cubicle.

"I agree.." Rin steps in and stares at the youngster "I don't feel that happy and energetic aura at all..."

"I think it's best if we go easy on her.." Rin said with sorrow as she looked at the depressed adult.

"Yeah, but do you think something happened?" Ko asks as she also looks at the Eagle Jump employee.

"I hope not.. If so, then we'll just have to ask her" Rin replies.

"Maybe, we're just overreacting or she's just stressed.. or SOMETHING!"

"Now you're the one getting stressed..." Rin sweat dropped.

"I-I'll ask h-her at L-Lunchtime" the three turn to a shy, fidgeting girl.

"Fu fu fu..." Hazuki giggles under her breath "I knew it"

"Wha-? Kn-Knew what..?"

"You're in love with Aoba~"

"EH!?" the girl flushed red.

"Oh, for Gods sake Hazuki! She's just trying to be a helpful friend!" Rin chops the other's head.

"Oww! I was only joking!" Hazuki sticks her tongue out as she rubs her head to make it feel better.

"Let's just get back to work and discuss this later"