Chapter 05 - "Welcome to the Company!"

Welcome to the Company! ("Kanpanī ni yōkoso!", カンパニーにようこそ！) is the fifth chapter of the Welcome to the N.H.K. manga.

Synopsis
Tatsuhiro Satou's short-lived improvement had been in vain since he had not left his apartment or done anything productive in an entire month. He even dropped his counselling sessions with Misaki. However, he placed the entire blame on Kaoru Yamazaki for persuading Tatsuhiro to work on the eroge with him. His mother, Shizue Satou, calls up and tells him that she is visiting. He worries that she will ask him to return home, so he fibs, telling her that he has a job and a girlfriend he's considering for marriage.

However, a childhood memory comes back to him of the last time he lied to his mother in order to avoid punishment. He was overwhelmed with guilt when she defended him, and he vowed never to lie to her again. Before he can correct his mistake, Yamazaki interrupts his phone call by vehemently boasting about how he just finished creating the ideal heroine for their game.

Misaki Nakahara helps Tatsuhiro out with his lie by playing the role of his girlfriend. She tries interlacing her arm with his, and even then he can't stop his dirty mind from running. Misaki tries to make the role believable by sharing basic information about themselves. She lets it slip that she knows a lot about him. She gives him vital points of information on her and forces him to have it memorized. He rushes to Yamazaki to put together some basic information and a "reception desk" for their company in case his mother needs justification on Tatsuhiro's job. There is absolutely no protest from Yamazaki as it's one of his main goals to finish their eroge.