Volume 1 Chapter 3 Falling and Getting Up
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Yaaaawn-!”
A studio apartment in a twenty-two-year-old building.
The AC was humming as I stretched until my spine popped.
I glanced at the clock on my laptop: 4:44 AM. I’d basically pulled an all-nighter. Beyond the curtains, the sky was already bleeding into a pale gray.
Maybe I’d pushed it a little too hard.
But I didn’t have a choice.
The workday was going to end with a trip to a steakhouse with two young women-Toda Sayaka and Mamiya Kei!
For a guy like me, usually drowning in overtime, this was an absolute jackpot.
There was no way in hell I was letting work get in the way of this. No damn way!
…
Deep breath. Calm down. I think I’m just hitting that manic state from sleep deprivation.
It was still morning. I had thirteen hours until the “promised time.” Just because I wasn’t staying late didn’t mean my actual shift was going to be easy.
If I burned out before the clock hit five, I was screwed. I couldn’t keep this energy up all day.
Besides, being “thirsty” is the fastest way to get ignored. I’m the senior here; I needed to look composed. At least, as their senpai.
Stay cool.
I needed a reality check.
”Sleep,” I muttered. “Just one hour…”
I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. The dark circles under my eyes were brutal.
* * *
Exactly one hour later-
My phone alarm dragged me back to reality. I scrubbed myself in the shower, trimmed my eyebrows, shaved my face, and even slapped on some moisturizer. I immediately regretted not taking better care of my skin on a daily basis.
I tried to style my hair, but it felt wrong. I dunked my head in the sink and started over.
…
Yeah, trying too hard was the mistake. My usual look was the only one that felt right. If I showed up looking like a try-hard, Mamiya would just laugh at me.
I clipped my nails, filed them smooth, and pulled out a fresh shirt and slacks I’d ironed weeks ago for an emergency business trip.
Grooming? Done. I checked my bag.
Handkerchief? Check.
Spare handkerchief? Check.
Tissues? Check.
Wet wipes? Check.
Towel? Check.
Deodorant? Check.
Mints? Check.
Mouthwash? Check.
Umbrella? I had a spare at the office.
Alright, good to go.
…Wait, my laptop. Almost forgot it. That was a close one.
”I’m off,” I said to the two robot vacuums sitting in the corner. I’d be home late today. Then again, that was nothing new.
I stepped outside at 7:00 AM, and the sun was already a furnace. It had to be over ninety degrees already.
It’s amazing how much worse the heat feels just one hour later than my usual commute.
By the time I’d walked fifteen minutes to the station, I was drenched. I wiped my neck down, but the sweat just kept gushing. I couldn’t show up to the date smelling like a locker room…
Wait. My head was spinning. My temperature felt… off.
My stomach felt like I’d swallowed a lead weight.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten a real meal since lunch yesterday. Why did my stomach feel heavy if it was empty?
This was getting bad.
I wasn’t joking anymore. I needed to sit down.
I pulled a water bottle from my bag and chugged it to drown the nausea. It didn’t help. If anything, it made it worse.
I pressed a cold wipe to my face and tried to endure the sirens going off in my brain for five minutes.
The Ueno-Tokyo Line¹, through service to Utsunomiya, is now arriving on Track 2…
Finally.
If I could just get into the AC on the train, I’d be fine.
”Alright… hup…”
I forced myself up from the bench. Vertigo hammered my temples. This had been happening a lot lately, but I figured it would pass.
I took one step toward the yellow line-
”Ah…?”
My vision warped into a distorted smear.
”No go…”
My knees hit the ground.
My palms burned.
Why was the floor in front of my face?
Why…?
”-Hey! Are you okay?! Stay with me! Hey!”
”-Station staff! Over here!”
And then, the lights went out.
* * *
When I finally woke up, I was in a quiet, dim room with the AC blasting.
I was on my back. There was an IV in my left arm; I could hear the rhythmic drip… drip… of the bag.
My clothes were gone. I was wearing a thin, light green hospital gown.
The room was empty. A private room, no less. Pretty luxurious for a collapse at a train station.
The reality of the situation sank in.
The platform. The nausea. The panicked voice of some stranger.
I’d been rushed to the hospital. I’d been out cold the whole time.
”-Crap! What time is it?!”
I look around. No clock on the wall. Seriously?
”My watch-“
I pushed myself up and reached for the bedside table, catching the dial in the dim light.
”………9:30.”
The air left my lungs.
It was pitch black outside the curtains. This wasn’t the morning.
I’d missed work. And I’d flaked on the date.
I was the worst. Just thinking about how to fix this made me want to go back to sleep.
”Sigh…”
After staring at the ceiling for a while, I hit the nurse call button. A nurse came in and gave me the rundown.
Collapsed at the station. Ambulance. Heatstroke and exhaustion.
They’d called my emergency contact. My mother. At my age, having your mom called because you passed out is a special kind of mental damage. I quickly shot her a text: It was just a mild heatstroke, I’m fine now. Don’t worry.
The nurse mentioned, with a bit of a smirk, that Toda-san, Mamiya-san, and my coworker Nozawa² had all stopped by earlier.
It wasn’t that kind of relationship, I wanted to tell her. She told me I could use my phone since it was a private room.
I looked at my phone. There was a sticky note on the screen with the girls’ IDs written on it.
Had they seen my lock screen? Had they used my thumb to look inside? The thought was terrifying.
I’d never given them my personal info because I liked keeping a wall between my private life and work. But now, that wall was gone.
Nozawa had “collected” my laptop and work phone to take back to the office. Great. There goes my weekend work.
Now, the only thing left to do was face the music with Toda and Mamiya.
I added them on the messaging app. A group chat invite popped up immediately.
===
Mamiya: Paisen³!
Mamiya: Good work today!
Mamiya: Are you okay?!
Satake: I’m fine.
Toda: Good work!
Satake: I think the sleep helped. I’m sorry about the steak.
Mamiya: Your sleeping face was actually pretty cute!
Toda: I’m just glad you’re safe!
Mamiya: The steak isn’t going anywhere!
Satake: Sorry for worrying you both.
Satake: That last part was for Toda-san.
Mamiya: WHAT!!!
Mamiya: So you have something for me?!
===
They were replying instantly. At least they weren’t mad.
===
Mamiya: Paisen?
Mamiya: Hello?
Mamiya: Are you thinking?
Mamiya: Did you die?
Mamiya: Look at Sayaka right now.
Satake: Did you ask her permission for that photo?
Mamiya: THAT WAS FAST!!
===
Mamiya had sent a photo of Toda in her loungewear. She was hunched over her phone, typing away, completely unaware.
She was wearing a navy tank top with polka dots. It was a bit… revealing. Her legs were bare and pale against the floor.
Seeing her like this, away from the office, made my heart skip a beat.
I saved the photo. Don’t judge me.
===
Mamiya: Did you save it?
Toda: Don’t save that!
Satake: I didn’t.
Mamiya: Why not?!
Mamiya: Isn’t she cute?
Mamiya: A little s*xy, right? ♡
Satake: Don’t tease an old man.
Mamiya: You’re not that old, Paisen.
Mamiya: So… did it turn you on?
Mamiya: Hey.
Mamiya: Hey.
Mamiya: Silence is a “yes”!
Satake: Go to sleep. I’m out.
Mamiya: Coward!
Mamiya: The night is young!
Toda: Good night.
Satake: Good night.
===
I turned off the screen.
It was a relief. Having them joke around made the whole ordeal feel less like a disaster.
I didn’t want Toda to feel guilty, thinking I’d overextended myself for the date. Mamiya probably realized that. She’s smarter than she looks.
===
Mamiya: We’re coming back tomorrow!
Satake: You don’t have to.
Mamiya: YOU’RE STILL AWAKE!!
Toda: I’d like to go too, if that’s okay…
Satake: Thank you, Toda-san.
Satake: Be careful on the way.
Mamiya: BE NICE TO ME TOO!
===
The chat kept pinging, and I ended up staying up late after all.
===
Mamiya: Here’s Sayaka sleeping.
Satake: Stop it or she’ll actually kill you.
Mamiya: It’s fine!
Mamiya: Our bond is iron-clad!
Mamiya: She should thank me!
Satake: Thank you? For what?
Mamiya: HEY!!!!
Mamiya: Why would you say that?!!!
Satake: Go to sleep, Mamiya.
Mamiya: You want to see my sleeping face too?
Mamiya: Greedy ♡
Satake: No thanks.
Mamiya: HEY!!!!
===
—
Summary:
After pulling an all-nighter to finish work for a date, Satake collapses at a train station due to heatstroke and exhaustion. He wakes up in a hospital to find he has missed both work and his dinner plans. Despite the embarrassment of having his mother called, his juniors Toda and Mamiya cheer him up through a playful group chat.
—
Trivia:
- Satake’s apartment is 22 years old, indicating a modest lifestyle.
- He hasn’t eaten properly since lunch the previous day.
- Nozawa took his work equipment for security reasons, leaving him ‘defenseless’ in terms of productivity.
- Satake saved a candid photo of Toda in her loungewear despite his ‘policy’ of keeping distance
—
Character Insight:
Satake shows a strong desire to be seen as a reliable and composed ‘senpai,’ but his physical collapse forces him to show vulnerability. Mamiya is revealed to be highly observant, using teasing to alleviate the tension and guilt Toda might feel.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The use of ‘Paisen’ and the group chat dynamic highlights the specific workplace subculture in modern Japan, where social hierarchies are maintained even in digital casual spaces.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Toda Sayaka – first-year hire under Satake’s OJT, she is a soft-spoken mediator to her roommate Mamiya, her modest dress and careful manners reflecting a pure, almost old-fashioned grace. Slender and pale with long, pitch-black hair flowing softly down her back, she carries a delicate beauty—wide, gentle eyes, easily flushed cheeks, and a quiet, almost fragile presence. Called an “oasis” and even a “guardian deity,” she moves through life with self-effacing kindness, cooking for others and blaming herself for small faults, her innocence preserved yet shaped by a constant, tender effort to care for those around her.
• Mamiya Kei – A spirited first-year hire at Satake’s firm, she moves through the office with quick wit and brighter energy, her light-brown ponytail and athletic frame marking her as both poised and playful. Off-duty, she lounges in casual comfort, sharing a lively home with her roommate Toda. She teases seniors—calling Satake “Paisen”—yet deeply admires him, her informal dialect and easy laughter shaped by club days, independence, and a life that taught her to stay light on her feet.
• Nozawa – Satake’s colleague from the same hiring class (douki). He is responsible and strictly follows company security protocols, having recovered Satake’s work equipment from the hospital.
• Satake – The protag. Tall and lean in a rumpled suit, with faint stubble, tired dark eyes shadowed by deep circles, and a perpetually composed expression, he carries the quiet wear of overwork in every line of his posture. A 28-year-old software engineer and OJT mentor, he is “Paisen” to Toda and Mamiya, the unseen “Satake Wall” shielding them from burnout. Beneath his poker face lies dry cynicism and a self-mocking “ojisan” complex, shaped by years of isolation, relentless duty, and a life lived at his desk, now culminating in a hospital stay born of exhaustion.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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