Chapter One: Looking You Over
A large glass building of nearly one-hundred stories stood like a monument in the Shibuya streets.
It overlooked the the world's busiest crossing like an imposing reliquary adding nothing but another corporate fixture as a compliment to the hustle and bustle of the streets. The immense business building suited the ambiance well, as if it might as well have been there since the very beginning. Over the buildings main entrance, the words KAIOH & CO. GROUP were emblazoned like a chrome tropaion commemorating the victory of its professional success.
The top floor was an enormous room, with sleek open windows that faced out on all four corners. Its executive room faced towards the east, where the sun rose high in the mid-afternoon sky on the equinoxes, and low in the horizon during the colder parts of the year. Nonetheless, the room itself received an abundance of light when it needed it, and was easily adjustable to shade its occupant with the controlled patented solar-tint system that could be manually turned on or off with the touch of a button.
A dull light glared through the window at this time of the year, bathing the room in a diaphanous glow while its single occupant sat in the middle with his large desk, hastily scrolling through his touch-screen computer in a manner of practiced deliberation. His fingers worked quickly, as if seeking some sort of satisfaction in tapping on the plastic surface of grids and electrical conductors. A dull expression hung on his face, with eyes that were calculative, and cold enough to freeze the computer over with one simple glare.
A slight ring reverberated through the silence of the room and the secretary's dry voice poured out of the comm-link.
"Kaioh-Sama, your daughter is in the waiting room. I believe she's here on a personal visit," said the secretary.
He looked away from his computer, pulling his glasses down to his nose reflexively, and clicked the receiving button. "That's fine. Send her in," he muttered without hesitation.
Within minutes, the expansive doors to the executive office opened and a delicate woman ambled in from the threshold. At the sight of her, Hiroyuki Kaioh's once dull countenance had lit up in a smile, as if a light had been switched on in a muted room. He folded his hands on his lap and fixed his attention on her.
The computer was switched on to sleep mode.
"Ah, my dear, what brings you here? And on a weekday too. Don't you have school today?"
She sat herself down on one of the chairs facing across him, tucking her purse and book bag under her arm as she did this. "My professor cancelled my class today, besides it's the last class for my senior project and it's mostly based on an independent research study. So, I thought it would be nice to drop in and say hello," she replied gently, before furrowing her brows. "I didn't intrude did I? Were you busy?"
"Oh, no, no. Just consolidating a few positions in one of the company's holding group, I believe I've just promoted a regional manager for one of our financial subsidiaries. Looks like Telecom Bank will be having a new director on their team, though he has been an employee in the company for a few decades now."
"Oh, Telecom? I've read that their stock has increased by at least 31% this year from an increase in index, if I'm correct?"
"Yes, you are correct indeed. And it apparently, was all thanks to the regional manager of Ishikawa and Tokyo, who increased net income to some of the lower subdivisions of Telecom bank in Iwatobi, Kanazawa, and the newer establishments in Tokyo like Naka-Meguro and Komae."
Her eyes lit up with a twinkle synonymous to her father's at the mention of stock increases. "That's amazing, all by one single regional manager? Where is he based in?"
"Some small town called Iwatobi. Yamazaki-san had been managing the establishments of that area including Kanazawa for years now. However, the regional manager in Tokyo retired, so we had him temporarily fill in for that position for the past year. His progression seemed so vast from the indications of his direct responsibility with the net increase, so the administrators on the board scouted him for the new director position. I'm in the process of filling out the rest of the paperwork to solidify his promotion."
"Good for him," she mused.
Her father smiled, happy to share the progress of Kaioh Holdings' subsidiaries. Somehow, business always seemed to delight the man no matter how much it consumed his every day life.
"Yes," he continued. "And as a matter-of-fact, he's scheduled for a meeting with me within the next half-hour to discuss his new position."
"Ah, so that means I should go," she said knowingly.
"No, no. You can stay a little longer. I haven't seen you in weeks. I do miss you, you know."
"Oh, papa, I'm sorry...you know how busy school has been! And I don't have time to go home on the weekends anymore since my schedule is filled to the brim, What with practice and studying."
"Understandable. I just wish you'd take some time out of your day to call and tell me how you're doing. I only have one child you know, had you had any siblings, I wouldn't be hounding you all the time."
"You're right, sorry papa."
"Anyway, how's school? I hope you aren't slacking off just because this is your senior year..."
"Actually, school is going great," she gave him a pointed look. "I've set to finish my senior project within the next three months and after that...well, I suppose I'll be graduating."
Her face took on a dejected expression almost immediately at the prospect of her impending graduation. Hiroyuki noticed within seconds.
"And then you can start on your proper training under the company. My expectations have never changed, I expect that one day you will be taking my seat here as President of the company after my retirement."
"That again? You can't expect me to start immediately," she said in exasperation. "Father, I told you, my passion is in—"
"There's more important things to do—like running a company. Kami knows how much I've been looking for a successor who understands how to run this company right down to a t. Had you not possessed the talent, I would not have bothered with you. But, you do have it. You have the makings of a leader," He interjected. "Please, Ko, please evaluate your priorities. If not for the sake of your future, then for the sake of your father."
A frown had contorted her lips into a thin, crescent line, but she forced herself to straighten it upwards. With a tight smile, the young woman nodded her head. "Yes, father. I'll try..."
He clapped his hands together in satisfaction. "Good! Well, I suppose our time is up. Yamazaki-san should be walking through these doorways in no less than five minutes, therefore you—"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it, that's my cue to go," she stood up and hastily made her way around the desk to kiss him on the cheek. "Bye, dad, I'll see you sometime this week...hopefully."
As she made her way towards the door, he called out to her, halting her in her steps. "Make sure you call me whenever you can!"
"Yes, dad."
"And don't forget about our conversation, I have plenty more to discuss in a more formal setting next time. Bye, Ko!"
And with one last wave, she shut the door behind her.
Just as she left, a knock resounded in the door once more and his comm-link rang.
He heard his secretary's voice again. "Yamazaki-san is here, shall I—"
"No worries, I'm sending him in right now," Hiroyuki said as he pressed the button. His eyes switched from the communicator to the door and he called out from his desk.
"Come in!"
Masahiro Yamazaki was a simple corporate man, an everyday worker so to speak.
He had worked in the same company, Telecom Bank, for over twenty years—worked his way up from being a financial analyst, to floor manager, to district manger, and finally to regional manager from his hard work paved with blood and sweat; or so the proverbial saying went. He was an average man, in his mid-fifties, with nothing particularly special with his appearance other than his towering stature. He had a wife who stayed at home most days and one son who never really was home due to the fact that he was a full-time student athlete.
He worked everyday, sometimes doing overtime shifts when he had to cut his employee's payroll; sometimes coming home late in the night. One would say that Masahiro was a man with a rigorous work ethic. He was severe with his outlook on all things pertaining to his work, wanting his buildings to run as smoothly as possible. Thus, when corporate had notified him of a summoning from the board of administrators who directly worked for Telecom's main proprietary holdings company, KAIOH & CO. GROUP, he was both excited and terrified.
Once he was offered the new position as director of Telecom, he had expected to have a meeting with the CEO of Telecom. However, much to his awe, Masahiro was scheduled to meet with the President of Telecom's proprietary company, the company that owned Telecom itself—KAIOH & CO. GROUP. To be able to meet the man on the highest tier of the corporation's hierarchy was not only an honor, but a complete shock.
And as he walked past the grand doors of Kaioh Holdings' Executive floor, he felt a sliver of anxiety creep up and over his shoulders. He was to meet face-to-face with one of Japan's most powerful men. The feat in it of itself was daunting to say the least.
On his way towards the President's executive office, Masahiro had been lugging his briefcase with him as he hastily made his way to the entrance. The secretary greeted him indifferently before instructing him where to go in order to find the executive office.
As he trekked down the hallway leading to the main office, he casually observed a young woman who was perhaps the same age as his son, hastily walk out of the office. Her head was lowered until he passed her and they made eye contact for a transient moment. She had unusually bright teal hair that waved like undulations, the color reminded him of his son's eyes; eyes that the boy himself had inherited from his own father. She gave him a polite smile and that was only when he realized that this young woman was quite beautiful.
"Good morning," she greeted as she walked past him and he nodded his head in return.
Straightening himself up now, he inhaled a deep breath before knocking firmly on the door. He waited silently, grasping on to his briefcase as if for dear life until he heard a muffled "Come in" from the other side of the door. Another deep breath and Masahiro pushed his way in through the grand doors.
He bowed immediately upon entering, only to look up at the man himself who had been standing behind his desk. He was obviously older than him with a face even more stern than his own and a gaze that seemed as if he were analyzing every single moment of their encounter. Masahiro gulped.
"Good morning," the president greeted politely. "It is nice to meet you, my name is Hiroyuki Kaioh and I'm Chief Executive Officer Of KAIOH & CO. GROUP Holdings as well as the president of the administrative committee. Pleased to meet you."
"Yes, my name is Masahiro Yamazaki. Please to make your acquaintance as well, Kaioh-sama," he replied with a thralling bow.
They exchanged their business cards and then the President gestured for him to sit. The man cleared his throat and proceeded to fold his hands under his chin as he leaned forward to look Masahiro in the eye. "Well, I suppose now that we've had our introductions, we can talk about some propositions I have. Would you care to lend me your ear, Yamazaki-san?"
He nodded fervently. "Yes, of course, Kaioh-sama."
I have some great news. Meet me for dinner at Ichiran ramen tonight at 8:00?
Sōsuke frowned as he fixated a weary gaze at his cellphone. His father had just texted him for another dinner invitation and Sōsuke was finding it rather exhausting to have to respond to the man lately. Nearly a year ago, his father had abruptly bought a place in Tokyo as a "home away from home" since he was offered a position as a regional manager for his company Telecom Bank for the newer locations. Back then, his father used to manage Iwatobi and the Ishikawa Prefect where Kanazawa was, but now he had branched out to different areas.
It was strange seeing his father as often as he did now because the man was so absent in his childhood that he could barely recall a day when he actually spent time with him.
When his father moved to Tokyo however, it seemed as if he wanted to visit at least three times a week, which was far more interaction Sōsuke had ever received with the man. Perhaps, he surmised, it was because he was getting older and realized that he had rarely been around. Or perhaps he was lonely since his mother was still living at their home in Iwatobi. Regardless, Sōsuke wasn't sure whether or not he liked the extra attention he was receiving from his family patriarch, it felt a little unsettling, almost unnatural.
He shoved his phone in his duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder.
"Oi, Yamazaki, you coming to the karaoke bar with us tonight?" One of his teammates shouted as the last of the stragglers trudged out of the locker room.
"Nah, you guys go ahead without me, I'm having dinner with my old man tonight."
There was a pause. "You sure, man?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then. See ya tomorrow!"
He grunted in response, shutting his locker door close. From the silence that permeated the rooms, he could tell that he was alone again. Throwing on his Tokyo University Swim Team jacket on, Sōsuke finally stalked out of the locker room with his headphones on full blast to avoid any unnecessary conversations on his trek through the campus.
The train station was its usual crowded conundrum, with it being rush hour at this point of the day. Working men and women along with students made up the majority of the passengers on his route towards Shibuya. He stood in the corner quietly backed up against the wall with other commuters anxious to get to their destination—this was all part of the mundane fixed routine for everyone.
As the spaces began to let up with each stop, Sōsuke was finally able to grab a seat in the corner. He had two more stops to go until he made it to Shibuya. Despite keeping his eyes trained on his phone like just about everyone else on the train, he noticed from the corner of his eye that a woman had been standing next to him without a seat. He glanced at her, noticing her choice of shoes before relenting. She was wearing heels and from what his mother often told him, he knew that her feet were probably hurting.
As per common courtesy, Sōsuke stood up and made brief eye contact with her.
Upon a second glance, he noticed how striking she actually was. She had bright teal hair that fell in curls and eyes that matched his own. Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and gestured for her to take his seat. She offered a kindly smile to him and he scurried off to stand near the nearest exit.
Once he made it to his stop, Sōsuke found his way towards the familiar ramen restaurant his father had requested them to go. Upon reaching his destination, he immediately spotted his father standing outside of the entrance, briefcase in hand, and a convenience store bag in the other hand.
"Hey, dad," he greeted.
"Sōsuke," the older man patted him on the back. "Good to see you again, my boy."
"What's in the bag?"
"Celebratory spirits, but don't worry, we'll order some beers in the restaurant too. I've got some exciting news to tell you."
As they walked in and made their purchases on the vending machine, a waitress took their order cards and sat them on some stools. They placed their customized orders on the kae-dama and his father ordered them some beer.
"So what's this exciting news you've been talking about?" Sōsuke queried in between eating his food.
"Well, I had a meeting with the CEO of KAIOH & CO. GROUP, the proprietary company that owns Telecom," he started excitedly.
"Wait, not the head of Telecom, but the head of the head?"
"Yes, so to speak."
"So you're telling me that you had a meeting with Hiroyuki Kaioh, right? That's the same CEO of Kaioh Holdings that you've been talking about since I was a kid, right?"
"Yes! The very same!" His father beamed.
Sōsuke's eyes widened in surprise, he wondered what his father had done to finally warrant a meeting with the man who he aspired to be like his entire career. This must have been a huge milestone for his father.
"And I got a promotion," his father continued. "You're looking at the new Director of Finances in Telecom Bank."
"That's amazing, congrats dad."
"Yes, I no longer will be managing the Telecom establishments on a regional basis, now I'll be managing the managers and administrators across the country for all of Telecom! Isn't that exciting?"
"I'm proud of you dad, you've worked so hard for this," he replied in earnest.
Both father and son toasted to the auspicious news, sharing plenty of laughs for the rest of the night.
Author's Note: Wrote this on a whim to test something out. If you couldn't tell, I got my inspiration for my OC after Michiru Kaioh from Sailor Moon (she's also my face claim for the character).