Iori has built a solid career and now finds herself in a senior role, mentoring newcomers. She sees herself as a responsible, reliable presence, a proper “office lady” type, if you will. But beneath that professional exterior lies a deep-seated anxiety. She is constantly worried that her careful guidance is coming across as nagging, that her efforts to be polite and pleasant are falling on deaf ears.
Tragically, her fears are her reality. Her colleagues perceive her as icy and emotionally distant. No matter how meticulously she chooses her words, they always sound curt and impersonal. Her newest direct report, Otsu, is everything she is not: a popular, naturally gifted new hire who is already well-liked and successful. Seeing his potential, Iori invests even more energy into his training, determined to shape him into a stellar employee.
Her well-intentioned coaching, however, takes a shocking turn. During a gentle correction “That’s wrong. I taught you this the other day. Please be more careful” she is met not with gratitude, but with a brazen and unexpected retort.
“That’s power harassment, you know,” Otsu declares. “If that’s the case, I will return it to you”