[1] Infiltration Begins ― The Chaotic Floor
Ryo Sakai (Male, 31)
Saki Kawamura (Female, 29)
The two of them had been dispatched to the company’s most notorious department for noise and chaos: the Sales Department.
On paper, they were “support staff from the Operations Assistance Section.”
In reality, it was a top-secret investigation to uncover the truth behind the whispered “unnatural sales figures” in the department.
As soon as Sakai opened the floor’s door in the morning, he furrowed his brows.
Phones were ringing all at once, employees were constantly running around, and voices were raised everywhere.
No one was seated calmly. It was like a battlefield.
“Wow… this is less like a company and more like a live stock market broadcast.”
Saki chuckled quietly beside him.
“Ryo, that’s a bit sarcastic, isn’t it? But I don’t hate it. That kind of perspective is important on the floor.”
“You’ve already completely blended in with the Sales Department’s atmosphere.”
“Of course. Infiltration is all about acting ability.”
With a smile, she walked toward the center of the floor.
She smoothly exchanged business cards and naturally chatted with everyone.
“Wow, the energy here in the Sales Department is amazing! I’m from the Assistance Section, but I’m a little overwhelmed.”
With that one line, the tension in the room eased, and small pieces of truth began spilling from the employees’ mouths.
“Lately, the manager’s been unusually tense.”
“The numbers are up, but it doesn’t feel real.”
“New contracts have skyrocketed since last month, but… are they all even real?”
Saki kept smiling as she connected the dots in her mind.
[2] Lunch Break ― Organizing Information and Conflicting Opinions
During lunch, the two sat in a corner of the break room with their bento boxes, quietly comparing notes.
“Manager Sano’s sales numbers are impressive, for sure. But the way the numbers are made is… gray.
The new hires are exhausted, on the verge of quitting. The rumors never stop in the department.”
“I see.”
Sakai gave a short nod, already flipping through copies of reports.
“You’re good at reading the ‘vibe’ on the floor, but I look at the numbers.
The sudden rise in sales coincides with the increase in billing. Also—the report formats are slightly different.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some other employees might be using the same template to create multiple ‘fake contracts.’”
“…That’s internal manipulation.”
Saki spoke in a hushed voice.
“But it wouldn’t happen without the manager’s approval.”
Sakai smiled quietly.
“That’s exactly what we’re here to uncover.”
Their eyes met.
Saki exhaled softly.
“You read people through numbers, Ryo. I read numbers through people… We might make a good team.”
Sakai was momentarily speechless, then tightened his mouth in a shy attempt at composure.
“Rationally speaking, it’s just clear role division.”
“Hehe, that’s your cute part.”
[3] The Data Trap ― Shadows of “Fake Sales”
In the afternoon, Sakai reviewed the department’s files again.
Reports, contract ledgers, client lists—all were cross-checked.
Then he noticed a pattern.
Same client name.
Same amount.
Different dates.
Different account managers. Yet the content was identical.
Sakai’s heart rate increased.
“…What is this?”
He laid out the printed contracts and noticed identical logo placements and the same typos.
Evidence of copy-paste.
In other words, “duplicates made to inflate numbers.”
“Fake sales… no, ‘inflated numbers,’” Sakai muttered.
At that moment, Saki returned.
“Did you find something?”
“This client, ‘Saikyo Logistics.’ Three contracts, but only one actual transaction.
The dates are shifted, duplicated entries. And the manager’s stamp is in the exact same angle on all of them.”
“Impossible by hand… it’s a copy.”
“So the manager himself is manipulating the ‘template.’”
Their eyes met.
There was no turning back now.
[4] Night Investigation ― Server Room Infiltration
That night, after the last train, the two stayed behind.
Avoiding the security patrols, they quietly entered the server room.
Through their headsets, IT staff Tajima spoke.
“Accessing the manager’s terminal. Starting backup… OK, logs retrieved.”
Sakai: “Extract the transaction data and stamp files. We should be able to trace the tampering with the timestamps.”
Tajima: “Got it… wow, there are logs updated at 1 a.m. and later.”
Saki: “The manager said he was at home at that time.”
Sakai: “Then he’s operating remotely. Confirmed.”
Saki pulled a sheet of copy paper from the desk.
“The stamp is misaligned. And the toner has two layers.”
Sakai: “A forged stamp. Save it as evidence.”
As they transferred everything to a USB, Sakai said,
“…If we get caught, we’ll be in trouble.”
Saki: “Even so, we’re doing this?”
“Yes. If no one stops it, the lower-level employees will be crushed.”
Saki was silent for a moment, then smiled.
“Then I’ll take the ‘frontline.’ You provide support from behind.”
“Understood. Your acting is reliable as always.”
[5] The Next Morning ― Releasing the Trap
The next morning, the Sales Department was as chaotic as ever.
Saki, disguised as a sales employee, brought documents to Manager Sano.
“Manager, this estimate matches yesterday’s amount… shall I correct it?”
“…Who made this?”
“Yesterday, Ryo confirmed it for me, but—”
The manager’s expression changed.
At that moment, Sakai entered the room.
“Manager, this data is yesterday’s copy. I just verified it before recalculating. If there’s no issue, it will be deleted.”
“W-What…!”
Sakai spoke calmly.
“Rest assured, the report hasn’t been submitted anywhere yet.”
For a moment, the manager’s expression softened. But Sakai’s eyes glinted coldly.
“However, if you involve your subordinates any further—next stop is the CEO.”
Silence fell.
The manager closed the documents with trembling hands and left without a word.
A few days later, the manager submitted a transfer request citing “family circumstances.”
The following week, laughter returned to the floor.
New employees cheerfully answered phones and joked around.
Sakai and Saki watched the scene, letting out a relieved breath.
[7] Report and the Next Mission
A few days later, in the Operations Assistance Section meeting room,
Sakai and Saki stood before Section Chief Nozaki with the report in hand.
“The report is ‘support tasks completed.’ Details have been summarized and do not require internal sharing.”
Nozaki read the document and nodded gently.
“…Good decision. Rather than pursuing justice, you chose to protect the floor.
That is the essence of the Covert Surveillance Agency.”
Sakai: “We didn’t come to expose wrongdoing.
We came to make sure someone can smile and work again.”
Saki: “We align both people and numbers so everything works smoothly. That’s what ‘support’ means.”
Nozaki smiled.
“Prepare for the next site… it will be even tougher.”
Sakai and Saki exchanged glances and smiled quietly.
“Another battlefield, huh?”
“Yes. But not a bad battlefield.”
Their laughter echoed softly in the meeting room.
Celebration Dinner
That night, after the investigation, the team gathered at their regular izakaya, “Sumibiya Nomura,” tucked away in Shimbashi.
Upon passing through the noren, smoke, laughter, and the sighs of office workers mingled in the air.
“Oh, Ryo, Saki, great job!”
Raising a beer mug was Tohru Murakami, a negotiation and coordination pro, known as the “party organizer” of the agency.
“Thanks! You both were amazing this time!”
Aoi Kobayashi, happily snacking on edamame, laughed. She hadn’t been on the mission but always checked other teams’ reports.
Saki sighed and laughed.
“I never want to go to a place where phones never stop ringing again.”
“On the contrary, I feel like it trained me,”
Sakai said with a wry smile.
“When the yelling over the phone went on for ten minutes during document checks, I honestly almost broke.”
“Right? That’s normal in Sales,” Murakami said, picking at fried chicken.
“And the fake sales. If that had been discovered, the whole company could have blown up.”
Sakai nodded quietly while sipping his glass.
“But… if it saved the subordinates, I’m glad we did it.”
“Ryo, you’re unusually passionate,” Saki smiled.
“You usually just analyze and observe.”
“No, it’s because you’re moving around that I can stay calm.”
Everyone at the table exclaimed, “Ooooh!”
“Ah, here it comes. Team romance rumor!”
“No, no!” Sakai waved his hands frantically.
“It’s strictly professional. Professionally!”
Laughter spread.
Nozaki quietly set down his beer and spoke softly.
“…This team has potential. The agency’s job is to support the floor. Justice alone won’t work. But you’ve applied that ‘justice’ to the floor.”
Their expressions tightened slightly.
But Ryo Fujihara broke the tension.
“Hey, have you heard about the next infiltration?”
“Not yet, but it’s probably another tough one,” Aoi said.
“No… it’s a café,” Murakami added.
“A café!?” Saki burst out laughing.
“Suddenly, it’s fashionable,”
“But don’t let your guard down,” Murakami raised his glass.
“It seems the ‘senior staff queen’ rules that café.”
“Queen of the café…” Sakai muttered.
“Looks like another high-difficulty mission.”
“Considering our agency’s involvement, probably ‘peaceful on the surface, chaos behind the scenes,’”
Aoi said seriously.
“A café… that means uniforms, right?”
“…Wait, are we going to be in aprons?”
“Ryo, you’d look good in one,” Saki grinned.
“No, that would… interfere with work.”
“Stop talking about interference!” Everyone burst into laughter.
In the laughter, Nozaki quietly raised his mug.
“Alright, here’s to the next infiltration—cheers.”
“Cheers!”
The mugs clinked, foam splashing.
For a moment, everyone savored a small respite from their battlefield-like daily life.
As they left the izakaya, Sakai muttered.
“The queen of the café, huh… my stomach’s going to hurt again.”
“Don’t worry,”
Aoi laughed beside him.
“I actually have barista experience.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just for two weeks.”
“…Can you even call that experience?”
Behind them, the night breeze blew gently.
The next infiltration site awaited—another “corporate darkness” lying in wait.
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