The sun had barely climbed over the skyline of Valortown, casting a soft orange glow across the high-rise buildings. But inside Vanguard Administrative Solutions, everything felt... beige. The usual hum of printers, slow tapping of keyboards, and half-awake conversations filled the halls.
At the far end of the office, tucked into the second row of cubicles, Jack Monroe looked less like a corporate employee and more like a defeated relic of war.
He was asleep, slumped over his desk with his face buried between folded arms. Both arms dangled uselessly at his sides. His tie was loose, shirt slightly wrinkled, and his black office blazer was bunched up under him like a half-used blanket.
A faint snore escaped him.
Across the office floor, just beyond the copier machine, Adam Morgan wasn't doing much better. He was leaned back dangerously in his office chair, mouth half-open, a newspaper draped lazily over his face as he let out a steady rhythm of snores loud enough to rattle his stapler.
Two interns passed by, glancing at the spectacle.
"That's the guy from HR, right?" one whispered.
"Yeah, and the new guy? They look like they haven't slept in a week."
"I heard they're on the night shift too."
"They have a night shift?"
Neither of them noticed when Ryo Saito strolled in through the front glass doors—twenty minutes late and unapologetic as always. He wore a slightly crumpled suit, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and in one hand, he casually held a tall, violently-blue slushie cup with a triple straw sticking out.
He took one long sip.
Then his eyes scanned the room lazily.
The first thing he saw was Adam, leaned back like a corpse, the newspaper rising and falling with each snore. The second was Jack, looking like he'd fused with the surface of his desk.
Ryo squinted, tilted his head, and said to no one in particular:
"Well. Looks like someone had a rough night killing dog mutants again."
He walked straight between their desks, lifted his slushie in a casual toast, then slapped both their tables in one sharp motion.
"Office is on fire, by the way."
Jack jolted upright so fast he nearly flipped out of his seat. His eyes were bloodshot. His hair was sticking up slightly from sweat. He stared around, confused, then saw Ryo standing above him.
"I—I'm sorry," Jack muttered. "I didn't mean to fall asleep I just—uh—last night was—"
"Relax, rookie," Ryo said, taking another sip. "You look like you fought three Hybrids and almost died in the sky or something."
Jack blinked. "...I did."
"Oh. Neat."
Adam stirred under the newspaper, let out a groggy yawn, and muttered, "M'fine... ten more minutes, I'm dream-fighting a bear..."
Ryo grabbed the edge of his chair and shoved it forward, jolting Adam awake with a loud snort as the chair rolled into a filing cabinet.
Adam groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Boss, c'mon..."
"My office," Ryo said simply, turning on his heel. "Now."
Adam stood up like nothing happened, yawning as he stretched. "Sure, sure. You got coffee?"
Jack hesitated, panic flickering in his head.
Am I in trouble? Did I mess up last night? Did I miss something?
He followed them reluctantly, heart thudding with the guilt of imagined consequences.
They stepped into Ryo's office. It was...
Cluttered.
Posters of Hatsune Miku lined the walls. A full-size cardboard cutout stood behind the desk. Action figures sat on shelves beside messy stacks of paper. There was even a themed mousepad. And a body pillow leaned suspiciously against the mini-fridge.
Jack stared a little too long before deciding to pretend it wasn't there.
Ryo dropped into his seat, spun once, and plopped his slushie onto the desk.
Adam took a seat opposite, still scratching his head. Jack sat stiffly beside him, straight-backed, tense.
"So," Ryo began, sipping loudly through the triple straw. "Wanna tell me why I found scorch marks, cracked concrete, three Hybrid residue traces, and a public security drone malfunction all in the same two-block radius?"
Adam shrugged. "We handled it."
Jack sat up straighter. "We were on patrol when a Class II Hybrid chased a civilian. Adam engaged first. I... I hesitated at first, but then—"
"Ripped the wings off a flying Hybrid mid-air and speared its skull," Adam finished proudly, arms behind his head. "It was beautiful."
Jack hesitated. "Yeah."
Ryo nodded slowly, not blinking. Sip.
"Cool. Cool. That explains the crater in the pavement too. You dropped from the sky?"
Jack nodded. "I think so."
"Awesome. Love that. Probably not illegal."
There was a pause.
Jack opened his mouth to say more—then turned and noticed Adam was already asleep again, snoring softly in his chair with his arms crossed.
Jack groaned, dragging a hand over his face.
Ryo raised a finger and shook it. "Hey, hey, let him rest. He's got that rare condition. What's it called again? Oh right. 'Sleeps-through-anything-itis.' Very rare. Tragic."
He flipped open a folder on his desk and pulled out a page.
"Anyway. I've got an assignment for tonight. Light duty. Just an investigation. No punching—unless you really want to."
Jack blinked. "Investigation?"
Ryo turned the page around, revealing a printed report.
The photo was of a young woman in her early twenties. Slight smirk. Hair in a ponytail. College graduation robe.
"Name's Natalie Winters," Ryo explained. "Graduated a few weeks ago. Local university. No criminal record. No weird activity. Just... disappeared."
Jack leaned closer. "She vanished in Valortown?"
"Two nights ago," Ryo confirmed. "Last seen on a city surveillance camera near the southern freight entrance. Then... nothing."
"Do you think it's Hybrid-related?"
"Don't know yet," Ryo said. "But it smells like it."
Adam snorted in his sleep, then toppled sideways off his chair, hitting the carpet with a thud and still somehow not waking up.
Ryo didn't even look down.
"So tonight," he continued, sipping again, "you're helping me check the scene. Adam will come along, assuming he's conscious. Which is... fifty-fifty."
Jack sighed. "You want me to go with you?"
Ryo's eyes narrowed, smiling behind the rim of the straw.
"I want you to do your job. And maybe bring snacks."
Jack groaned again and leaned back.
Another night. Another shift.
And this time… a missing girl.