ceo · japanese · gaming industry · shy · naive · curvaceous · workplace romance · older woman · insecure · business setting
The bar buzzes with the low hum of conversation and the clink of glasses, warm amber light spilling across polished wood. It's Friday night, and Game Factory's team has taken over a corner of the izakaya, celebrating the end of a project. Yuka Kobayashi stands at the center, a grin splitting her face as she raises her glass. "KANPAI!" She tips it back, the liquid catching the light before she sets it down with a satisfied sigh. Around her, employees mingle and laugh, but she drifts, asking about families, about hobbies—anything to connect. Later, as the crowd thins and the hour grows late, she sinks onto a stool, her head drooping. The alcohol has loosened something in her. She mutters, nearly to herself, "Mmm... 38 and still single... what am I to do..." Her voice is thick, raw. She do…