Shoulder to Lean On
I stole a glance at the sleeping Adrian, then picked up the pace on my paperwork again.
At this rate, it'll be done in no time.
Clearing my mind and mechanically processing the documents over and over, before I knew it, the mountain of papers had dwindled by nearly half.
"Mm…"
A small groan came from beside me.
I turned my head to see Adrian frowning, tossing and turning in her sleep.
No wonder her body ached—she'd fallen asleep in a stiff wooden chair without a headrest, her head just tilted back.
She probably wouldn't allow herself to slump over the desk, though. Not even with only me around to see.
Or maybe it's because I'm here watching.
If no one was around, she might've unbound those bandages and slept more comfortably.
Time had crept toward noon. Sunlight spilled through the window, settling on Adrian's face. Her golden hair shimmered in the light, long lashes casting shadows across her pale cheeks. With her usually sharp eyes relaxed and unguarded, she looked undeniably like a beautiful girl—no room for argument.
She really is a woman, seen like this.
Her slender neckline, the gentle curve of her shoulders. Knowing she was cross-dressing made everything seem feminine.
Why hadn't I noticed in the game? Lack of interest, probably.
Just then, a stray lock of hair fell across her forehead, tickling her nose. She scrunched it cutely, shaking her head to fend off the itch.
I reached out without thinking, intending to brush the hair aside.
—Swish
The moment my fingertips neared her soft strands, Adrian's head lolled forward, tilting toward me.
"Huh?"
Before I could catch her, her head landed on my shoulder.
—Thud
A light weight. A faint citrus scent tickling my nose—her perfume, or maybe her natural smell?
"S… leep…"
Her steady breaths grazed my neck, sending tingles down my spine.
"…"
Frozen, I flicked my eyes sideways to gaze at the crown of her head resting on my shoulder. Should I wake her? Push her off? One poke to the forehead would send her head flopping the other way. She'd jolt awake or settle into that uncomfortable pose again.
But…
…Sleep well.
It felt too heartless to disturb someone sleeping so soundly, using my shoulder as a pillow. Especially after she'd collapsed from overwork.
The dark circles under her eyes looked pitiful.
Yeah. I said I'd let her rest a bit.
I made excuses to myself. This workload was nothing—I could handle it solo. Her waking up wouldn't speed things up, and as long as she didn't interfere, it was fine. My shoulder felt a little heavy, but tolerable. If anything, the warmth of another body was oddly reassuring.
Even if I didn't particularly like her.
Not that I hated her, either.
…At least when she's this quiet.
I picked up my pen again.
—Scratch, scratch
The only sound filling the quiet office was the nib scraping paper. I tried not to move, keeping just my right hand busy.
How much time passed? My right shoulder was starting to go numb when the sunlight outside slanted further. I'd just finished sorting the last approval document and set down my pen.
"Mm…"
The head on my shoulder stirred. Adrian nuzzled her soft cheek against it like she was sleep-talking, rubbing against my shirt. Warm, plush sensation. Hot breath on my nape.
"Nngh…"
An uncharacteristic mumble, and her lips brushed my collarbone. Her warm exhale seeped into my collar.
Hold on.
This was getting dangerous. Too close.
As I leaned away to create distance—
Suddenly, her fidgeting stopped. Her long lashes fluttered, eyelids slowly rising. Unfocused, dazed eyes stared ahead, still lost in dreams.
Then, as if realizing her view was off, her pupils darted around. Tilted perspective. White fabric in front of her. Unfamiliar scent at her nose. Scenery absent from her usual office.
Her gaze climbed slowly from the white shirt her cheek touched—buttons, collarbone, jawline, and finally met my eyes looking down at her.
Silence.
Time froze.
"Awake?"
One second. Her pupils shook. Expression frozen in denial.
Two seconds. Red bloomed across her pale cheeks, spreading like ink in water.
Three seconds. Full realization hit. The flush raced to her ears and neck.
"Hah!"
She shrieked, springing off my shoulder.
—Scraaape! Bang!
Her chair legs scraped the floor violently, shoving backward. In her haste, she lost balance—the chair nearly toppled with a crash. She flailed, barely steadying herself on the desk edge.
"Y-you! What the hell is this…!"
Face crimson, she panted, eyes a mix of panic, shame, and confusion aimed at me.
"Why are you—no, why was I there…!"
She stammered, mouth flapping uselessly.
I chuckled. "What do you mean? You dozed off leaning on my shoulder."
"M-me? On your shoulder? Liar! I wouldn't—wait, what time is it…?"
Remembering she'd said "just 30 minutes," she frantically checked the clock. The hour hand neared 1, past 12. It was 12:30 p.m. She'd conked out around 10:20.
About two hours.
"Two hours…?"
Her voice trembled.
"Wh-what…?"
She gawked between the clock and me in disbelief.
"Two hours? I slept two hours? Why didn't you wake me? There's still a mountain of work…!"
"Oh. That's all done."
I pointed to the sorted stacks.
"Here."
Her eyes landed on the neatly organized binders: approved, rejected, pending. Perfectly categorized.
She pulled one out, scanning it. Summary, decision, meticulous comments—flawless. More rational and efficient than her own work. Even covering oversights she hadn't considered.
"You… did all this? In just two hours?"
"Yeah. No big deal."
Adrian flipped through sheets, unbelieving. Her sharp gaze softened to wide-eyed wonder page by page.
Perfect. Even by her exacting standards.
"Impossible…"
She muttered, setting the stack down and staring me down—wary, doubtful, reluctant to admit it.
"Who are you, really?"
"Who? Elise de Bellaph."
"No. The Elise I knew couldn't do this. Not the insight, not the judgment."
Tossing out harsh truths like it was nothing. Accurate, but did she have to say it to my face?
"Who put you up to it? Or have you been faking it all this time?"
"Faking, huh…"
I spun my pen, pretending to think. Can't exactly say "I got possessed."
"People change. They say near-death experiences mature you."
I did die and come back changed.
"That's not enough to explain this."
"Then think of it like this: I was wasting my talents before. Now I've found my calling."
My glib response furrowed her brow. Unconvinced, but no counterargument. Especially since my work had slashed her backlog.
"Hah… Fine. Whatever."
She sighed, brushing back her messy bangs. Her gaze lingered on my shoulder, marked by her shirt-print. Lips twitching, she bowed her head.
"……"
A tiny voice.
"What?"
I asked again—she squeezed it out.
"Th… thank you."
Mosquito-sized. Too quiet for that arrogant mouth.
I grinned mischievously, leaning my ear closer.
"Huh? What was that? Couldn't hear."
"…"
"Say it louder. You said thanks, right?"
My teasing flushed her face anew. Fists clenched, trembling—
"Get OUT!!!!!!!"
She bellowed.
"Out! Vanish from my sight right now!"
"Whoa, you scared me. Why yell?"
"Shut up! Get out!"
She looked ready to hurl the papers—I bolted.
—Click
Even closing the door, her furious huffing echoed from beyond.
"What a temper."
She's best when she's quiet.