Counteroffer
The raise that materializes the day you resign, proving the budget existed all along. Accepting one is famously risky: the reasons you looked rarely change, and now they know you looked.
Heard in the wild
“They countered with 15% — the same request they rejected in March.”
Tone check: Danger
Statistically, most acceptors leave within a year anyway. The counteroffer answers 'am I underpaid,' not 'am I happy.'