Chapter 49: The Great Material Hunt

The Nexus Games contract is a declaration of war against the concept of "free time." The studio, once a place of focused calm, transforms into the official headquarters for a high-stakes military operation. The enemy is the deadline, and our weapon is Rina's brilliant, terrifying ambition.

"The core of the Seraphina costume is the fabric," Miki announces during a team meeting. She projects an image of the prismatic silk onto the wall. "According to my research, it is only produced by a single, family-run workshop in a remote town called Orihata. We cannot order this online. The nuances of the color and texture must be seen in person."

"A work trip!" Hana claps her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "How exciting!"

"Just the three of us will go," Miki continues, already sketching out a budget. "A quick, in-and-out mission."

Rina, who has been quietly studying the concept art, looks up. A slow, calculating smile spreads across her face. It is a smile that I have come to recognize as the harbinger of my own personal suffering.

"No," she says, her voice full of a sudden, unshakeable conviction. "Not just the three of us. This is the most important project we have ever undertaken. We need our entire support team. We need our prop master and… our moral support officer."

She is looking directly at me when she says "prop master," and then her gaze slides over to Kenji, who is currently trying to balance a stack of Pocky on his nose.

"She is right!" Kenji bellows, the Pocky tower collapsing in a shower of chocolate dust. He leaps to his feet, striking a dramatic pose. "What is a quest without the full fellowship? What is a goddess without her loyal retainers? Rui, as the team's official Prop Master and my role as Chief of Morale, our presence is not just requested, it is essential! We must go!"

"I am not the Prop Master," I protest, feeling the walls of a very obvious trap closing in on me. "I just hold things sometimes! And you are not the Chief of Morale, you are the Chief of Eating All Our Snacks!"

"My emotional support is a crucial pillar of this team's success!" he insists, offended.

"He has a point," Rina says, her expression a perfect mask of sincerity. "We will be transporting valuable research materials. We will need strong men to help carry our burdens." She gives me a meaningful look. "Both literal and emotional."

I look to Miki, my last hope for sanity. "You cannot be seriously considering this."

Miki pushes her glasses up her nose, her face a blank slate. She is looking at me, then at Rina, then at Kenji, who is now trying to juggle three oranges. I can see the gears turning in her head- a complex calculation of logistics, budget, and the potential for catastrophic levels of chaos.

Finally, she sighs, a sound of profound, weary defeat. "His buffoonery aside," she says, gesturing vaguely at Kenji, "having extra hands to carry heavy bolts of fabric and prop materials would be… efficient." She pulls up a spreadsheet on her laptop. "I can reallocate some of the funds. The budget for a five-person, two-night trip is… tight, but feasible."

I stare at her, betrayed. She has chosen efficiency over my sanity.

"It is settled then!" Rina declares, clapping her hands together. "Team Ectiqa's first official work retreat!"

I just drop my head into my hands. I am outvoted. I have been outmaneuvered. I am now officially being dragged on a multi-day trip to a remote town with my clingy, love-struck sister and my hyperactive, delusional best friend. My future is a dark, terrifying abyss of awkwardness and second-hand embarrassment.