Noa was determined to keep Reno out of sight. She shoved him into the corner behind a stack of equipment cases and hissed, "Stay. Here. And don't. Move."
Reno gave her a mock salute. "Aye-aye, Captain Cutie."
She ignored his stupid wink and dashed back to the main console. The control room buzzed with tense energy as Mira and the rest of the crew prepared for the live morning show. Noa focused on checking the camera feeds and adjusting the audio levels, trying desperately to block out the fact that an overgrown doodle was lurking just meters away.
"Two minutes to live," Mira called. "Cue up the opening graphic!"
Noa's finger hovered over the button, sweat beading on her forehead. Just one clean show, she begged silently. Then maybe she could figure out how to get Reno back into the damn sketchbook.
But just as she hit the graphic, a loud crash echoed behind her. She spun around—Reno had knocked over a stack of empty mic stands, sending them clattering across the floor.
Mira whipped her head around. "What was that?!"
"Uh—equipment shift!" Noa blurted, blocking Mira's view with her body.
"Fix it, Noa! We're LIVE in—"
*Three… two… one…*
The monitors flicked over to the live studio feed. Noa frantically adjusted the audio as the hosts began their scripted banter. Behind her, Reno crawled out from the mess, giving her a thumbs-up.
"See?" he whispered. "I'm helping!"
Noa wanted to strangle him. "Get out of here—"
Before she could stop him, Reno snuck past her and peered curiously at the console. His finger hovered dangerously close to the big red switch that controlled the live feed. Noa lunged for him—too late.
*CLICK.*
The screen in front of her glitched. The cheerful morning show hosts vanished, replaced by a camera feed of the empty hallway backstage—where a janitor was scratching his butt with complete obliviousness.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Mira shrieked.
Noa slapped Reno's hand away and scrambled to switch the feed back. The monitors flickered, the hosts reappeared, and the entire crew let out a collective breath.
"Sorry! Technical glitch!" Noa stammered.
Mira glared at her. "After the show, my office. Got it?!"
Noa nodded miserably. Reno just beamed, totally unfazed. "Huh. I thought you might need a break from the boring part," he said.
"YOU NEARLY GOT ME FIRED!"
He shrugged. "Hey, you're stressed. I'm just here to spice things up."
Noa clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. But deep down, the worst part wasn't just the chaos Reno brought—it was the nagging thought that maybe… just maybe… she *had* wished for something to shake her lonely routine.
She just never imagined the universe would answer her wish like *this*.