Nia POV
This really sucks.
Why am I the only one being treated like this?
I wanted to enjoy my time like everyone else, to enjoy my lunch to fill my empty stomach.
Shit. I really can't take it anymore.
I'm the one who stepped out of my desk chair out of the room that made me freeze on the spot to realize that he stayed by the stairs as if he were watching me.
"Where are you going, Takamiya?"
This guy...
"Go back inside! Do the job I gave you!"
"Fine."
I'd want to contradict his words by saying that I object, but I can't because I still need this job.
Otherwise, maybe I've been out of this place a long time since I was treated like this by him.
•••••
As soon as Nia returns to her room, a big smile on Yoga's lips seems like he is happy if Nia stays here, under his control who focuses on her work.
Nia, who looked at the monitor screen, was forced to do a task that should not be a task for her job as a customer service because this is a special task for the secretary manager, not for her.
"Alright, let's get finished this."
Paying close attention on the monitor screen, Nia saw the compilation of the list that Yoga will attend next week.
Starting from; seminars to represent the center at the Fasde Company, opening for new branches, meeting distinguished clients, attending company owners' wedding parties, and the last is attending honored guests from the Takamiya Family which shocked Nia at this.
"What's the meaning of this? Why is there a family name?"
Without a second thought, Nia takes a cell phone to contact her mother because she is the only family she has after her father's death due to illness due to overwork.
"Hello, Mom. What's the meaning of meeting with Takamiya with Igashi? Is there something going on?"
"Ah, my dear Nia. Yes, you're right."
Nia's guess really happened.
"Why Mom... why did you have a meeting with Igashi's family?"
"I just want your future secured. You can be rich if you marry Igashi Yoga."
Unwilling to hear her mother's words from behind the call, Nia restrained her anger not to yell at her even though she was now at the threshold of her emotions.
"But, why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not saying because I know that if you hate it, I don't want everything to fall apart."
Even though Nia wants her mother to be honest with her, it's not hiding this from her that disappoints her as her daughter.
"Anyway if you keep working, I'm afraid you'll end up just like your father died from overwork."
Indeed, Nia realizes that she works too hard not for herself but for her family, especially for her 20-year-old brother who is in college, while her 15-year-old sister who is in high school makes Nia have to bear the burden.
However, she did not want to appear weak in front of anyone who made her object to her mother's words.
"But, I can do it. I can rest without having an arranged marriage."
"Sweetheart, listen to me. Mom did it this way to–"
"No way! You didn't do this for me! I did it because of his wealth and office, not because of me, your daughter!"
Anger exploded, which was immediately revealed to her mother, Nia immediately closed the call because she did not want to hear any more excuses from her.
"Shit. I have to do something."
Without further delay, Nia, who compiled the show's list on Yoga, made sure to delete the last show because she objected and disagreed over this.
"I'd rather die than end up his wife."
That's all Nia thought about when she deleted the arrangement for the meeting between the Takamiya family and Igashi, thinking that death is better than being his wife that makes Nia feel disgusted to imagine it.
Thirty minutes passed, Nia who came out of the room gave her a previously received flash drive from Yoga to return it to him.
"Here, I've finished it."
"Good. So, what about our meeting later?"
"I refuse!"
"Huh?"
Confused as to why Nia disagreed with the proposal for a meeting with her family, according to Yoga this was Nia's opportunity to become rich without having to work hard like this.
"I don't want to marry you. Don't get married, I'd rather live my own life."
"I see."
Knowing that Nia's determination cannot be shaken, Yoga is forced to give up. He returns to the fourth floor without saying anything from the second floor, leaving Nia alone.
"This is better."
Convinced herself, Nia knew very well that her decision was the best.
Regardless of whether her brother or sister hated her or not because of what she said to her mother later, Nia only wanted to live her own life without being controlled by others.
Besides, according Nia, love can't be forced. Love comes to the right people, people who are truly loved, not because of other people who have wealth or positions, especially with good looks.
If the other person only sees this, the person's relationship with the other person will not last long but will break up sooner than the one who loves each other.
•••••
At 01:00, the employees who finished their lunch break returned to the company, with the exception of Nia who continued to do other tasks sent to her by Yoga endlessly.
Despite her irritation and hatred, Nia tries to remain professional without following her emotions, doing her job well without complaining to anyone despite her heart always cursing at him.
As Rin and Luna enter the room, those who are surprised to see Nia continue to do her work endlessly from Yoga, feeling sorry so they both give Nia bread and ramen cup to relieve her hunger by putting it on the table.
Knowing that her friend put it on her desk, Nia, who was surprised, could only smile at them as a form of gratitude for their concern for her.
"Remember, don't forget to eat!"
"That's right. Better fill your stomach than starve."
"Yes, you're right."
Postponing her work, Nia goes to the kitchen on the ground floor to brew ramen in the cup, taking it back to her desk in her second floor room.
Unlike the treatment of her friend, Reina, who looks hard at her, ridicules Nia.
"As usual, employees who dedicated themselves to their work forgot to eat lunch."
Instead of serving Reina, Nia chooses to reply only with a small smile without saying anything, she starves her hunger with a packet of bread from Rin while waiting for her ramen cup to ripen.
"This woman...."
Irritated by being ignored by her, even though Reina had tried to lure Nia to emotionally burst into anger at her but failed, making her confused as to why Nia didn't do this.
Knowing about this, Reina deliberately made Nia may explode her anger at her to make her feel better but she didn't do it, making her wonder why she didn't do it but held her back.
"Oh... I think someone's upset about not being able to make fun of Nia."
"Tsk..."
Upset by Luna's mockery, Reina's keen gaze directed at her made Luna who enjoyed teasing Reina cover her own mouth with a silly face.
"Oops... I think I slipped."
"Luna, stop it!"
Not wanting Luna to make matters worse, Nia voluntarily looked at Reina with a sincere face while bowing her head as if apologizing.
"It seems you're too kind, Nia."
"Yes, I agree with Rin."
"It's not a good thing or not, it's a thing I've been thinking about for a long time."
Hearing Nia's words to her two friends made the curious Reina look at Nia.
"What have you been thinking for so long?"
"That's... How do you say about this... "
Confused about how to explain it to Reina, Nia does not know whether Reina will believe her words or not, she holds her heart determined to tell her so that misunderstandings do not occur again.
"Actually I don't have any feelings for Ishida, it's just Ishida chasing me."
"Lying. How could Ishida come after you?"
A long breath was heard from Nia, she already suspected that Reina wouldn't believe her words.
"Anyway if I love Ishida, I've taken her from you for a long time, haven't I?"
"That's..."
Unable to refute Nia's words, according to Reina, what Nia said was true.
If Nia has loved Jun for a long time, Nia has taken Jun from Reina from the beginning which can break up the childhood friend relationship between them because of Nia's love for Jun. However, Reina does not see Nia interested in Jun at all but Jun is interested in her.
"I can't take anyone else from my co-workers anyway, it doesn't make sense."
Nia's two friends nod, they stare at Reina.
"That's right."
"If Nia did, she would have meant it, but she didn't really do it at all."
Hearing Rin and Luna's words, Reina feels that what they say is true makes her feel guilty, regretting that she made Nia her rival for taking Jun, her childhood friend from her.
"I'm really sorry. At first I thought you were the bad guy who took Jun from me, but my guess was wrong."
"It's okay."
Nia waved as if she had no problem with it before, trying to convince Reina not to blame her.
"Anyway if I were in your position, maybe I'd think the same as you."
They both smiled at each other. There was no hostility between them but understood each other.
"Looks like the storm just passed."
"Yes, you're right."
Watching their friend, Nia, who had made up with Reina, made Luna and Rin just smile, happy to see that Nia was no longer bullied and ridiculed by Reina.
•••••
At 10:00 PM, all the streets were deserted because all the people who came home from work had been home since 7:00 a.m., while the people who were hanging out at 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM had returned to their homes, leaving some traffic to the supermarket to hunt for a discount.
"Tired as hell."
Nia's whole body feels faint, sore and sick as if she feels the burden she carried is too heavy than the burden her father carried when she was 10 years old.
That day, ten years ago before her father fell ill, Nia noticed the back of her dashing father figure who did not look tired, working alone as a merchant traveling from place to place.
Although his burden was too heavy to support her family and Nia, he never gave up his trade and made his smile on anyone, making Nia always respect him.
"Remember this, my dear. It's not about who carries the burden and responsibility but it's about who can be relied upon and who can be made their leader."
Those words remain vividly remembered by Nia, making Nia, who now never gives up nor gives up hope, will do anything to survive at work.
Upon entering the apartment gate, Nia's legs feel weaker and weaker and unable to stand make her seem like she wants to give up but she insists on taking a step.
She climbed the stairs one by one, making her feet scream loudly because she was exhausted from being forced to walk by Nia. Not only her legs, her body is getting tired, sore and sick, making her no longer able to stand up.
"I'm home."
Upon entering the apartment, Nia does not remove her white suit and white skirt along her knees, instead lying on the sofa with her eyes increasingly closed, unable to keep her eyes awake.
"Ah, I'm so tired."
When her eyes closed, Nia recalled her past as a high school girl.
At the time, she was popular in her class as the smartest student. Not only her intelligence, she is even known as a dignified girl without anyone accepting her as her love making her known as a cold queen.
In fact, Nia does not want to be involved in romance but instead focuses on her hobby as an otaku, where she spends time reading novels and comics, watching anime shows she likes through her television and cell phone.
"If Isekai really existed, maybe I could have felt what it was like to be in Isekai."
Imagining how she was on the isekai, the first thing Nia thought of at the time was her step as an adventurer, making friends on the journey, and having adventures with them to realize their dreams on the journey.
However, it ended as a wishful thinking since Nia became an adult.
She cursed her old self in high school, thinking that Isekai was just someone's imagination, never existed from the beginning but only a wish to escape.
•••••
Nia POV
"Hey honey, she looks cute, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she looks cute like you."
"Awww... You could have, my dear."
Why is it so noisy? Even though I want to stay asleep, I'm really tired.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see them staring at me.
They're, like, a couple of young lovers I'm sure are about 30 years old because they're young. It's just that I'm confused about why they're looking at me, especially when they're holding me.
Granted, I admit that I weigh 43 kg, but I don't know why they easily lift my body without any trouble at all.
"Hey, sweetheart, what do you want us to name our daughter?"
Daughter? Wait! What do you mean?
I'm the one who reached out to them, surprised to see my hands as small as a baby's, making me not understand what's happening to me.
It's impossible. Why am I a baby? What the hell is happening to me?
If I remember correctly, I slept after my body was more tired than before. I felt sick, weak, tired, everything that night, so I couldn't even walk and stand.
But why am I here?
Here's what I don't understand.
Could this be...
No, I'm not. That's impossible, right?
How could someone like me reincarnate into the other side after my death. It really doesn't make sense for a person who's already accepted the harsh realities of the real world like me.
Then, how can I be a baby here, especially with those who I think are my new Mom and Dad?
This really doesn't make any sense.
But how could such a thing be explained logically?
"How about we name Alice? That way, we can watch our daughter grow up in our family, Nishimura Alice."
"Ah, I don't think that's a problem. That's a really good name."
Wait a minute! Don't just give me my name!
I can't say anything but my voice is just a baby's voice, not a adult voice.
•••••
Return to the world of Nia origin, Japan, where Takamiya Nia's death was only reported after several days of being found dead in an apartment sleeping on a sofa because neighbors smelled carcasses from inside Nia's apartment.
The police who searched and carried out the crime scene did not find Nia poisoned or killed, causing Nia's family, Takamiya, her mother to cry and burst into tears knowing that her daughter died from work fatigue.
Meanwhile, Nia's two younger siblings, a younger brother who is still in college and her younger sister who is still in high school, both of them also cried in their arms to their mother, unexpectedly they lost the older sister they loved and loved so far who always cared for them both.
Her mother, who kept crying, regretted not treating Nia well.
She always forces Nia to marry despite her daughter's objections to the marriage, leading Nia to yell at her earlier, which she did not expect to end badly that night.
During the funeral, Nia's two friends, Luna and Rin, who attended Nia's funeral, also mourned the death of their friend, Nia.
At first, they did not expect Nia to die when reported by Nia's mother, but knowing through the news they were shocked because they knew why Nia died from exhaustion from working at the company constantly without giving them any rest.
Among those present at the funeral, Reina is saddened by Nia's death.
Fortunately, she doesn't hate and get angry at Nia anymore, she is already a friend but who would have thought the friendship was short. Nevertheless, Reina marvels at Nia's patience in dealing with problems, never complaining or upset over the problems she faces constantly makes her popular with many people.
On Reina's side, Jun clenches his hands firmly. His heart is filled with emotions mixed with resentment, hatred, disappointment that become one because he can't protect Nia, causing her to end up like this.
In the distance from the mourners who were present at the funeral, Yoga, who saw from the window of the closed Lamborghini Gallardo black car, was saddened by his expression.
There was regret and disappointment in his heart, thinking that he was so foolish as to make Nia work overtime without knowing Nia's condition was on the verge.
Yoga just wants to be with Nia in the office, nothing more than that. But because of his possessiveness to the person she likes, Nia, a woman who is much different from any other woman he knows makes his ego exceed his thinking that causes Nia to die for it.
"If only time could be repeated, I would never do this to you, Takamiya."
Those words came to his heart because of Yoga's deep regret for Nia.
He who drives a Lamborghini Gallardo leaves the cemetery, does not want to stay here because he is haunted by guilt. He also promised to pay for all the needs of Nia's family, Takamiya, as a form of penance for what he did to Nia.
As soon as all the mourners departed from Nia's funeral, except Luna and Rin, Reina and Jun remained there while watching Nia's two sisters keep crying while hugging Nia's mother.
"I'm sorry if I said anything, Ma'am. But I'm very happy to know your daughter as a friend."
"Yes, that's right."
Listening to Luna and Rin's words, Nia's two best friends make Nia understand the sadness behind their tone that their eyes look at her daughter's funeral.
"She's really patient," Jun, who also talks who approaches Luna and Rin while looking at his mother with a small smile, shows the look in his sad eyes.
"Yes, that's right," replied Reina, whose eyes were turned to the funeral, seeing Nia who had died from overwork.
"She is very patient in dealing with any problem, never complaining or angry but is strong in dealing with it."
Hearing Reina's next words, Nia mother became more and more sobbed in her tears. Her heart was so sorry not to follow her daughter's words that she always ended up distorting her relationship with her daughter before her death, that she hoped that if time could be repeated, she wouldn't be able to do this.
"Both of you, listen to me."
Nia's two younger siblings stare at Jun who smiles at them kindly, those who stop crying look curiously in silence.
Understanding their curiosity, Jun patted them on the shoulder convincing them not to lose hope or give up easily.
"Listen to me, maybe this is what Takamiya will say as my friend. Don't give up so easily and despair, face any problems despite how much weight you carry and the problems you face.
Remember, when you've set a goal, make sure you go after him real hard. Don't look back, don't look at the core of the problem but face them face-to-face."
Hearing Jun's words remind them both of Nia's words, their older sister makes them cry again as if what Jun said was right.
"Yes, we promise not to give up."
"We'll go through it together as a family. That's what Sister Nia told us."
Hearing the words of Nia's sister and brother, there is relief in Jun's heart that she can comfort Nia's brother as a penitent for not being able to protect Nia, their sister.
"If you need any advice and want to share it with me, please feel free to call me."
"Yes."
The two wiped their tears after crying, receiving a business card from Jun for them to keep if they had any problems both complaining and confiding in him.
Reina, who comes forward after Jun leaves the funeral, swipes Nia's two brothers' hair while smiling at them to convince them of the same thing as Jun.
"If you need time to refresh, let Reina know. Big Sister Reina will take you to the place you want to go."
At first glance, the glimmering glimmer of hope in their eyes convinced Reina that it lifted their grief over the death of their sister, Nia.
Rin and Luna, who don't want to stand by, approached them both after Reina left.
"You two, if you need fashion advice, let me know, I'll always be there for you."
With a cheerful smile from Luna's lips, Luna still looks at them with a friendly face as a friend of their sister, Nia.
Rin, who also nodded, agreed to Luna's words, her gaze still looked at Nia's two brothers.
"If you need any advice on romance, come see me. I'll give you a solution to approach your loved ones."
"Thank you very much."
Hearing Nia's thanks, Luna and Rin just smiled as if they were okay with this before they finally left.
"Let's go, my dear."
"Yes."
Although sadness still lingers in their hearts, they will fight against the world together as a family, without any ego each other like what happened to Mother and Nia, their older sisters.