01. Unusual Mornings
Tokyo is a very big and bright city.
If you were fly into the sky and look down upon Japan's capital, it would resemble a starry sky during winter. But in every sky, there is a biggest star. And that biggest star was Emperor Incorporated; perhaps one of the biggest and most successful business in all of Japan. Ten years ago, Emperor Industries branched out and became the fundamental roots of several new departments that blossom into something beautiful. You couldn't walk within a mile without hearing the name of the renowned company that has become part of the heart of Japan (other parts of the heart of Japan consisted of ninjas, anime, and sushi).
With Emperor Inc. gradually becoming brighter and brighter, the laws of physics can't deny the fact that it would cast a shadow in contrast. A young man was bathed in the shadow and even though he wasn't visible to the naked eye, he was one of the essential parts to the company that became a part of Japan's heart. Like veins and arteries, he circulated around the company without much acknowledgment but he was, indubitably, crucial to the company's success.
However, his identity was uncovered the moment an Emperor employee had eaten too much the night prior and was suffering from an extreme stomach ache (along with food poisoning). To add to this Emperor employee's unfortunate, he was one of the guys that would distribute morning coffee in the fashion department of Emperor Inc. Anyone that drinks coffee on a regular basis in the morning, you would know that missing your precious espresso or latte would result in a headache from the absence of caffeine. Naturally, this Emperor employee was one of the few that knew of Emperor Inc.'s shadow.
Kuroko Tetsuya woke up in a perfectly normal morning that consisted of faded, golden, sunlight filtering in through the shades. He woke up to see towering, brown, cardboard boxes that resembled the city buildings of Tokyo. Pushing his futon blanket aside, he sat up and yawned measly. Looking through one eye, Kuroko Tetsuya determined that today would, in fact, not have a single normal factor in it.
Kuroko reached towards the side of his futon mattress and his fingers recognized the plastic rim of large glasses Kuroko had to wear. His vision was wiped clear of blurriness once his retinas processed the world with prescriptive lenses. After crawling off of his futon mattress and weaving through his stacked boxes that consisted of his belongings that were transferred from his home where his grandmother, mother, and father lived to his flat that was located closer to his work, Kuroko dragged himself through his morning routine that hadn't changed since third grade: go to the bathroom, brush his teeth, comb his hair, get dressed, have breakfast, get his things, leave the flat, and lock the door behind him.
It was easy enough that even the author of this fanfiction didn't feel the need to explain it since it would put her readers to sleep (which no one needed - it's morning in this story, after all). However, in the midst of his steps between getting his things and leaving the flat, Kuroko's cell phone buzzed in his pocket.
This was the first unusual aspect of today. Because no one really knew of Kuroko, they didn't have his cell phone number nor email address (except for a few, but they never contacted Kuroko because they forgot about him as easily as someone would forget something at the grocery store filled with distracting sweets). Kuroko stopped just before his door and frowned. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he read the caller ID and pursed his lips. Flipping his phone open, he answered, "Good morning, Nebuya-san."
There was a muffled groan on the other side of the line. "Kuroko-oooo. I think I ate too much at the Korean barbecue restaurant last night. Not to mention - belch - I think I didn't let the meat cook long enough and so I believe I have food poisoning," moaned Nebuya Eikichi.
Kuroko emitted a displeased sigh. "Nebuya-san, I've told you to not eat so impatiently."
"But it was so gooood!"
"Nebuya-san, I will get the morning coffee for you today and let the manager know of your absence," Kuroko said.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Kuroko," Nebuya grinned on the other line. "And before barf comes right out of my mouth, thanks a bunch, Kuroko. I owe you one. I'll text you the orders."
The line went dead and Kuroko closed his cell phone, already starting to worry what other unusual things would happen.
Kuroko popped his head into a white room with extreme white lightning. Blinked back for a moment, Kuroko entered cautiously into the room while balancing two trays of coffee in his hands. He was careful to weave around people since people didn't really weave around him (yet another disadvantage of having low presence). The room was musty and in the front of it was a very white with dozens of lights aiming at a model in a billowing, red, dress.
"Very impressive. Again!" chirped a cherry voice. Kuroko made his way towards a tall, blonde male with a single hooped earring and well-done eyeliner that was recognized to be Kise Ryouta - a famous model and head of the fashion department.
Now, the next part was the second unusual aspect of the day. A hurrying man had rushed past all of the buzzing photographers and clothing designers and models that he didn't notice Kuroko. Their shoulders had bumped into each other and Kuroko lost his footing. He stumbled towards the photoshoot and landed on the ground hard, his glasses flying off of his face. There were a dozen of squeals and shrieks as the coffee had also hit the ground, spilling it's hot contents everywhere. The model in the red dress screamed and stumbled backwards. The white backdrop was stained with brown as Kuroko lied in the center of the mess with a very shocked head of the department looking down upon him.
"Excuse me, you just ruined the entire photoshoot!" Kise angrily pointed to the stained backdrop and the stained dress that the model was wearing. He bent down and picked up Kuroko's fallen glasses. "Be careful, newbie."
Kuroko slowly stood up, his entire front, neck, and left cheek burning from the hot coffee. He would most certainly have burns tomorrow. He bowed lowly, his chest screaming out in pain."I'm sorry. I'm very, very, sorry for my clumsiness," Kuroko mumbled with his back teeth clenched. His eyes were trying to search the blurred ground for his glasses. Kuroko straightened himself out and looked at all of the disoriented faces turned towards him with angry and shocked expressions. There was a sharp intake from Kise and many jaws dropped.
"Has anyone seen my glasses?" Kuroko asked, looking around. He spotted their figure in Kise's hand and when he reached for them, Kise's hand shot up and grabbed Kuroko's chin, forcing his eyes to gaze into Kuroko's cerulean ones. Kise's eyes widened as Kuroko stumbled away, surprised.
"Do I have something on my face?" Kuroko asked. Kise was gaping at Kuroko, blinking rapidly.
"Oh my gosh!" someone cried. "His entire neck and cheek are burned! It must've been from the coffee!"
Murmurs ran throughout the bystanders. Kuroko's hands went to his neck and cheek, feeling the rough patches of skin. Kuroko, this time, forcefully wrestled his glasses out of Kise's arms and shoved them onto his face. "I shall be heading to the medical department for treatment. Again, I am so very sorry for the spilled coffee. I'll come back with some more." Kuroko bowed again, the burned areas on his chest squishing together to create an uncomfortable and painful sensation.
"No, no, it's fine!" Kise said suddenly, snapping out of his transfixed state. "I'll send someone else! You guys: clean up the mess. You there: we need another dress. You there: what's your name?"
"My name?" Kuroko blinked. "Kuroko Tetsuya."
"Kuroko Tetsuya," Kise mumbled, testing the name on his tongue. He shrugged and played a smile. "Alright! Do you need me to walk you there?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you," Kuroko replied monotonously as he stiffly waddled towards the exit door. Before he closed the door behind him, he said to Kise over his shoulder, "And by the way, I'm not a newbie. I've been working here for ten years and I visit the fashion department everyday." The door shut very loudly behind Kuroko, it's hinges wailing.
Kise was speechless. He had never seen this Kuroko Tetsuya in his life and Kise would proudly like to say that he knows everyone that either works or drops by the fashion department frequently. But this Kuroko Tetsuya made him rethink his knowledge. Now that Kise thinks about it, wasn't it usually Nebuya that delivers the coffee? The door is very loud too - woudn't Kise know who enters the room? Had he not seen Kuroko in the small group of workers in the fashion department? After all, he had very bright teal-colored hair.
But never mind Kuroko's invisibility, Kise was wondering something completely different. After all, it's not everyday that you encounter someone with such stunningly, beautiful, cerulean eyes. Kuroko would make an excellent glasses model if he had the right kind of glasses, not the large ones that dulled his magnificent eyes.
Kise stopped a woman passing by in her tracks: "Kuroko Tetsuya: does that ring a bell?"
The woman's eyebrows furrowed, but then they relaxed. "Oh yeah! I've heard of him. I think he's just like a coordinating manager that basically runs around all of the departments. He sort of helps manage the workload in each department. I gotta tell you though - he's a big help." The woman left Kise wondering once more. It sounded like Kuroko had an important job. How come he had never heard of Kuroko, though?
"I wonder if Akashicchi knows about him - ssu!" Kise wondered aloud, humming softly in excitement.
