Chapter 1: Night Kidnapping
**Chapter 1: Night Kidnapping**
Hamamatsu, 10 p.m.
The night was silent, almost heavy. Haruka walked beside Emi through the poorly lit streets of the residential neighborhood. The two lived relatively close to each other, and it had become a habit of Haruka’s to walk her friend to her door after work.
— Hey, Emi… you look completely destroyed. You’re pushing yourself too hard, aren’t you?
Emi let out a long sigh, rubbing her face with her hands.
— And what am I supposed to do? The boss wants the design team to deliver every single character and skill for Ninja Battle Royale in record time. We’re completely fucked. They gave me the hardest part: the skills. And on top of that, the bastard had the nerve to tell me to my face that “this profession is a man’s job.” Asshole. I wanted to punch him.
Haruka let out a quiet little laugh.
— Calm down. As much as you might want to, I’ve never even seen you hit a fly.
— He’s the exception — Emi muttered, frowning. — But you know how much I like this kind of challenge. I’m not complaining about the work itself… just about that disgusting comment.
— I can imagine. Most people in this field are still men, so it doesn’t surprise me that one or two assholes show up.
Emi lifted her chin with a determined smile.
— Well, the Great Emi is going to prove that women also rule this industry. I’m going to create amazing skills. At least it won’t be completely impossible… he told me to use Naruto as a reference. The hand seals will work as charging time. Basically, he wants a Battle Royale with ninjas. A game no one’s ever seen in this genre.
— Sounds fun — Haruka replied, shrugging. — You know I’m not really into anime. I’m more of a gamer. But competitively, it should be pretty interesting.
Emi made a face and glanced sideways at her friend.
— Okay, enough about the game. I’ve already said too much. Even though you’re my best friend, this is still confidential.
— Fine, fine… — Haruka raised her hands in surrender, while a cold thought crossed her mind.
*(Yeah… little does she know I work for the rival company.)*
There was a short silence before Haruka changed the subject.
— So? How are things with Masato?
Emi took a second to answer.
— I think it’s fine… even though we haven’t seen each other in a while.
— Why? Did you fight?
— No. The boss gave me a four-week deadline to deliver all the skills for the initial test. The company didn’t want to risk too much because the idea is kind of crazy… no one knows if it’s going to work. Not many people invested seriously, so the game needs to be extremely balanced. There can’t be any overpowered ninja, or everyone will just use the same character. Once I finish, I’ll have some free time. Then we can go out. And you? Still no boyfriend?
Haruka shrugged, a crooked smile on her lips.
— Ah, you know… I mess around with one guy here, another there. Nothing serious for now.
— When are you going to give that pussy a break, girl?
— Haha… someday — Haruka answered, while thinking with a dark sense of pleasure:
*(When your boyfriend gets tired of you… which shouldn’t take long.)*
Emi didn’t notice anything.
— Masato said he had something to tell me when we meet again… after I finish this task.
— Nice, girl! Do you think he’s finally going to propose? — Haruka asked, hiding the little internal laugh.
*(Hehe… he said he was going to do exactly that. So she wouldn’t suspect what we’re up to.)*
— Who knows… — Emi blushed a little. — I get nervous just thinking about it, but also happy. Although… he’s said that other times in the past and nothing ever happened. Anyway. We’re here.
The two stopped in front of the small gate of Emi’s house.
— Thanks for walking me home, Haruka.
— No problem, friend. Bye.
Haruka turned around and disappeared into the dark street, while Emi went inside and locked the door behind her.
Inside the house, the silence was almost absolute.
Emi dropped her bag on the sofa and stretched, feeling the exhaustion weighing on her shoulders.
— Hmm… long fucking day. I’m gonna eat something, take a bath, brush my teeth, and sleep.
She was so tired that she prepared the easiest option: instant noodles. She ate them almost without tasting them. Afterward, she filled the bathtub and sank into the hot water, letting out a moan of relief.
— Aaaah… this feels so good. Nothing better after a heavy day of work… Should I call Masato? … I don’t know… he’s probably busy…
Her thoughts started mixing together. The hot water, the accumulated fatigue… Emi ended up dozing off inside the bathtub.
Fifteen minutes later, she woke up with a start, the water already cold.
— Shit… I passed out from exhaustion. Better leave the call to Masato for tomorrow. He’ll understand.
She quickly brushed her teeth and dragged herself to the bedroom. She collapsed onto the soft bed as if her body couldn’t stay standing for another second.
— Aaaah… nothing better than a warm bed… — she murmured, already with heavy eyes. — But… for some reason… all of a sudden… I got… so sleepy…
The last thing Emi felt was a strange heaviness taking over her body, as if something invisible was pulling her downward, deeper than simple exhaustion.
And then, the world went dark.
