hi guys! So, if any of you who were following my other story which is also called 'gentle hands', THIS IS THE SAME STORY. i realized that i hated the way the other one was going, and i realized i could write way better for you guys. so i decided to delete that other one, keep the plot, but change the point of view. and write better, of course. the key events that happened previously may or may not proceed the same way. i want to make this more realistic, more heartfelt. i want to impress you guys. i want to make your guys' heart race, alright? alright! here we go!
chapter 1
mikan inhaled the cold morning air as she exited the bus. running her hands down her pencil skirt, smoothing out the creases formed from sitting for nearly thirty minutes among other morning commuters, her eyes roamed from the perfectly paved sidewalk to the high-rise lined sky. the news had spoken of clear skies, but clouds hung heavily above. that didn't seem to diminish the nervous elation the brunette harbored; after seven years, she had finally returned home.
upon graduation, mikan took to europe in pursuit of worldly opportunity. she had a passion and heart for providing whatever she had to offer for others, and she was given a position as a financial analyst with a non-profit organization that worked toward providing disaster relief. made purely of volunteers, there were even times when mikan rolled up her sleeves and headed out to places around the world that had been devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. and now she was brought back to tokyo where her very short job search resulted in a job interview, which brought her to the steps of Alice Tech. & Associates, situated at the heart of tokyo.
the building itself was a block up from the transit station, so mikan took this time to calm her racing heart. her application to Alice Tech & Associates had been a desperate impulse, as she had already applied to at least four positions spread across three weeks prior. having heard back from none of them, and her savings rapidly draining, she took hold of the opportunity as soon as her good friend sumire had told her of it. her fiance, koko, worked in close relation to someone in need of a secretary and was kind enough to ask sumire to relay the message. much to mikan's surprise, she heard back from HR within two days which was definitely record timing, so mikan immediately expressed her interest.
the sound of her heels pelting the ground came to an abrupt stop when she reached the doors. large, platinum letters spelled out the name of the prestigious company just above revolving glass doors that towered well above her small five-foot-two frame. the mere sight of it seemed so intimidating, and it made the put together woman feel under-dressed in her black pencil skirt and creme, silk blouse. nonetheless, she didn't think before taking the last remaining steps that separated herself from greater tokyo and prestige.
and it truly seemed like an entirely different and manufactured world. the floor was made from white, marble tile that couldn't have been anything but expensive. having been raised with considerably less money than her peers, mikan fought the urge to walk carefully across the tile which was far too valuable to scratch. she felt completely out of place, having never owned a single luxury item in her life, and suddenly she is standing amongst employees dressed in the finest of tailored suits, dresses, and skits. the dark grey, intricately painted walls provided for a dark, almost suffocating affluence. the front desk and surrounding furniture was made from a wood of light finish, which mikan would bet the last of her savings that it was all ethically sourced from a furniture company that she'd even go far as to say promoted worldwide environmental efforts.
mikan shook her head in hopes of removing the awestruck look from her face. that, and standing at the front desk was a man who was awaiting her approach. his eyes landed on her the moment she walked in, and watched as she stood looking at the interior. she had caught him giving a small smile before looking back toward the desktop before him, allowing her to take in her fill. quickly, she walked to stand before him and put on her brightest smile.
he was definitely not the kind of front desk operator you'd see the the movies: dressed to perfection, making their aged looks appear rather handsome. instead, this man had to have been around mikan's age, maybe even younger. he had a pair of glasses that magnified his eyes by a fraction, making mikan feel he paid far more attention to detail than most people she'd run into. his hair was perfectly styled, parted on his right with a few strands of hair falling onto his forehead. he looked like the kind of person you went to to express your concerns. mikan kept this in mind in the event that she got the job.
"how may i help you today?" mikan snapped herself out of her admiration, and blushed when she realized she must have been staring.
she cleared her throat, finding her most professional voice. "my name is mikan sakura, and i am here for an interview with...uh-"
embarrassed that she forgotten the name of the HR representative that called her in for an interview.
"it must have been harada-san," he aided as he picked up the phone, pressing a series of buttons. silently asking mikan to wait, he paused only for a moment before this "harada-san" must have picked up the phone. he first spoke of mikan's arrival before placing the phone back on the hook. he reached under the table and provided mikan with a card. "use this to get into the elevator, and head to the top floor. good luck, sakura-san." and something in his tone provided mikan with a small bit of confidence.
mikan nodded and expressed her gratitude before turning for the elevators. and just when she thought the building couldn't get any more extravagant, the elevators themselves seemed like gifts from a royal family. the tiling was black, in contrast to the lobby flooring, and there were silver accents along the deep mahogany walls.
such a beautiful place, mikan admires just as the elevator doors close, prompting her to press the button to the top, publicly accessible floor. there were two more floors above that, beside which was a bracket the group them together under one category: special access. she was somewhere in the middle of speculating the possibility of an illegal business being run on the topmost floors when the doors suddenly opened. she jumped, not expecting to be delivered to the 33rd floor in such a short amount of time. she soon after blushed when she realized a woman how must have been harada-san smiled humorously, undoubtedly having seen mikan's flustered response.
"welcome, sakura-san," harada-san bowed respectfully. mikan also bowed, but gasped when the doors begin to close despite the fact that she had yet to exit. harada-san caught the doors, laughing softly, and allowed mikan to exit. unknown to her, mikan was profusely belittling herself for being so aloof.
you won't get the job if you keep acting like this, she told herself, as she entered the same state of mind she was in when she got the job as a financial analyst.
mikan was admirable in that respect. she was a very clumsy individual, but also capable of a high level of professionalism. she was able to capture the attention of many people, and most of the time it was unintentional. regardless, she often impressed all who came into contact with her, but she remained extremely modest and considered herself lucky. even now, as mikan introduced herself after such a spectacular display, harada-san was taking note of the individualistic aspect mikan was already bringing to the table.
harada-san asked the mikan follow her and, as soon as they rounded the corner, mikan found herself drinking in the beautiful office space. to her right was a wall that arched inward. located in what mikan presumed to be the middle were glass double doors, above where were letters that formed Alice Tech & Associates. it wasn't until they passed these doors that mikan realized it was the floor's lounge. there were armrests strewn everywhere, providing for great conversation. situated in the middle, which was also the first thing mikan saw, was a fireplace. taken in its entirety, it was truly a beautiful lounge space that mikan could imagine herself doing work in.
on the opposing side of the floor were glass-walled offices. each were relatively the same size, except for one which was considerably larger than the others. none of the offices had blinds, except for the larger one, so mikan could see into each office. most were empty. this was understandable, harada-san said, because there was plenty of work the executives could do at home. "meetings are usually what calls for our executives to be in office but, other than that, hyuuga-san prefers employees not to place too much strain on themselves. we have a very progressive workplace." it seemed to mikan that harada-san was pitching the company to her, which was odd seeing as mikan still had yet to prove she was good for the job.
regardless, mikan said nothing as harada-san delivered her to the furthermost office. she watched as, instead of knocking, harada-san pulled out her phone and hit a number on speed-dial. within seconds there was an answer, and harada-san said, "yes, mikan sakura is here to see you." she immediately hung up and turned on her heel, looking mikan in the eye with a hope that caused mikan's skin to crawl.
then the door opened, revealing a man of his own caliber. he wore a black suit, accompanied with a deep maroon tie that matched his piercing eyes. mikan felt the immediate scrutiny and fought the urge to say, "nevermind!" and rush home. rather, she stood still and couldn't help but notice the subtle hints of what seemed to be sanitizer. she noticed harada-san had taken a few step away, almost as a way to give him his space. there seemed to be no animosity between the two, simply a silent agreement. he nodded to her, and she gave a nod in return, her smile never fading. harada-san looked to mikan and mouthed the words, "good luck."
mikan swallowed hard, because it all suddenly made sense to her as she stared at the man who would be interviewing her. the time at the front desk. even just now with harada-san. they weren't just saying, "good luck."
they were warning her.
i already feel that this is way better than my last one. i kept writing, and writing, and writing. i mean, i'm just so excited to get this out. i dreamt this scene up, and i immediately got to writing. i've been writing ALL DAY, and erasing and then writing it up again. and then erasing it again. you know, the cycle.
anyway.
that was the first chapter, and i think i'm going to make fridays my days to post everything. it'll give me all week to write here and there when i can. and then i can deliver to you guys and actually stick to my promise!
-birdy
