Katsu woke the following day with a start. Looking around, he remembered the events of the day prior, and as he washed himself and dressed in the suit, he decided to get acquainted with the Manor.
Outside his room, the household was displaying a frantic activity. He avoided twice a group of maids with laundry and fresh linen, and got bumped by some biffy manservants on his way.
"Good to see you're an early riser. Come get your breakfast, this way" Rinko caught him by the arm and took him past a small door. There were several tables, and Katsu soon grasped it was the communal dining room for the servants.
It looked like a student campus diner. In the middle of the room, a catering table was set to preserve several dishes warm, among them a steaming pot with miso soup and other Western breakfast items. Unfamiliar with most, he picked up an oatmeal concoction by smell, and advanced towards a heap of ceramic bowls.
"Oi, midget, are you new?"
Katsu didn't reply, as he filled his bowl with a generous helping of porridge.
"Don't you know how to reply to a senpai? I asked you a question, you elf"
The boy turned round and stared blankly at the buff who was addressing him. But it was Rinko who answered.
"He's from the new batch, yes, funny you should ask. Something the matter?"
"Is he going to be tested out by Kojiro-sama?"
"The young master may need a new foot rest, then" chuckled another.
"You two are ones to talk about seniority, like you are more than kitchen aides" Rinko cut their jeer short, facing the freshman. "Mind to finish your breakfast, remember the young master asked you to be ready at noon. A Planner has to be ready ahead of time"
There was an unwordly chatter at her words. None of the older servants believed their ears. A ten year old scrawny dwarf, tested for Planner?
Katsu felt he had to do something. He stood from his seat without forewarning, making a curt half-bow.
"I'm sorry for not answering right away. My name is Kobayama Katsu, I'm new to the house indeed, so please take good care of me… senpai…"
He stressed the final word with his best weapon: an eerie, emotionless simper that was worse than a menace.
The first time the walls of the Togami Manor saw his trademark gesture instill fear in his peers.
Little did he know, it also marked the start of a bullying campaign against the ten-year-old Planner prospect.
Katsu finished his porridge and rose from the table. Dutifully, he picked his bowl, polished and dried it, carefully washing his hands with hand soap to rinse off the dishwasher smell. He then gave the woman a look completely different than the one she had spotted on him the previous night. Just as if he was in command of the situation.
"I'm done, Rinko-san, please lead the way" he murmured, picking up the file Rinko had left on his night bed.
"Yes. We're really quite close by…"
"But a Planner must not let the Master waiting. You said that yourself"
"That's true."
She blushed. That side of the boy wasn't visible before. He may make it, after all…
Unsurprisingly, the meeting place was a library. Kojiro was standing next to a window, barely narrowing his eyes as the youngster entered, bowed and stood in attention.
"I'm sure you are now aware you're here to be tested. And also this is your one and only shot at glory. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir"
Kojiro looked at the suit the boy was using with piercing eyes. " You must also be aware that your dress code is an exception to the regular rule. The uniforms here are given with seniority in mind, as we difference servants not by name, but based on their color-coded attire. The lightest the color, the humblest the servant, so new entries normally use white." He looked at Rinko, who coughed and explained.
"Kitchen servants range from white to dark red, household servants from white to dark blue, outdoors manor servants from white to dark brown. White is also a way of weeding out the clumsy ones, as stains and dust marks will be easily visible. Some servants are allowed by special concession to use musk green, when their roles are key to the development of the Manor." At Kojiro's raised hand, she stopped talking.
Pointing with one contemptuous finger at his light blue uniform, the Polar Star continued. "I requested this one for you personally, so you would be at the same level as an entry Planner. Not for your sake… for mine. No one would have an ounce of mercy on your brittle frame otherwise, and I don't need a beaten-up, bullied Planner prospect. Remember that, if you're deemed worthy, that sorry face of yours will be required to represent me in several occasions. Reason why you must defend that snout of yours from any damage or injury, at all costs. However, if you prove to be unworthy of my trust… I will strip it off you with my own hands"
With the slightest trace of wariness in his eyes, Kobayama nodded in understanding.
"You may leave, Rinko. Enough talk. We'll get to the real deal starting – now"
"Yes, young master"
Her lips said one thing. Yet, the woman's worried eyes never strayed from the boy as she closed the door behind her.
A big change operated in Kojiro, the moment the door closed. A hungry, malicious smile filled his face as he stared at Kobayama, his expression still blank yet attentive.
"Congratulations, you've won yourself a mother. Aren't you proud?" he sneered.
"I don't understand what that means, Kojiro-sama" the boy replied calmly, his eyes void of mist or emotion. "If you wish, we can begin…"
"Are your dirty ears clogged with wax? I asked you if you aren't proud that Rinko took an interest in putting you under her wing." Kojiro seemed displeased with the lack of reaction in the boy's eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't reply properly, but my only concern is serving you well. I've never had a mother, so I don't know if that's good or bad, young master. Unless your own wish is that I accept Rinko-san as a mother , in which case I'll accept."
It seemed to the boy that Kojiro gave him a fleeting stare of mixed worry and pity. But a second later, his eyes were as icy and ruthless as before.
"Put some order in those files" he ordered, pointing to a pile of papers about 30 inches tall. "You get an hour and thirty minutes from me. Let's see how organized you can get in that lapse…"
He turned to the window, indifferently, while the young servant struggled with the pile. He soon understood that the exercise had nothing of difficult. There was a lot of information that was repeated, he only needed to sort it out and order it chronologically. He found the task surprisingly light, passing from one file to the other with amazing ease.
"I'm done, Kojiro-sama"
The haughty young man stared down at the boy as he handed him an orderly file. He ran through it with the ease of someone used to business since old.
"Not bad for a mere beginner, I must say. Well then, take this"
He handed the boy a notebook.
"Schedule next week for me, will you. I will be adding more information while you write that down. Open those ears of yours because I won't say anything twice. And don't forget to leave space for a snack somewhere in between. Ready?"
"When you are, Kojiro-sama"
"Well then, on Tuesday next week…"
*/*
His first day, then his first week, and finally his first fortnight as a Planner prospect passed and went. Katsu thought it wasn't that bad, and Kojiro didn't seem half as scary now, though it was clear he enjoyed tipping his servants' emotional scales. As he did each and every day, he stepped out of his room towards his master's. But this time, he found himself cornered by two shadows.
"So here's the midget planner prospect that dared to mock us…"
"Hold him still, Daruma, I'm dying to break a rib or two outta him!"
One of the kitchen boys pushed Katsu against a wall, holding his throat with his forearm. The other pulled his left arm backwards, bending his fingers back as he held back the boy with his knee.
Despite the pain, Kobayama made a point not to shout or cry, as those signs of weakness could attract a cycle of bullying. Feeling close to asphyxiation, he tried to slip past their grip little by little.
If I let myself fall… I might be able to escape…
The oakwood door opened with a thud and Kojiro's face appeared in the hallway. The kitchen boys started and tried to run away, confiding that their white clothes would mean they wouldn't be spotted… Only to hear the Polar Star raise his tone to a thunderous, forcibly calm, commanding bark:
"Hold them for me, Rinko."
The young woman appeared behind the boys, her eyes blazing. Using her own clipboard, she smacked them both on the back of their necks with one fiery chop, rendering them unconscious.
Katsu, his clothes in disarray, coughed, finally able to breathe. Kojiro stared down at him dismissively. Too ashamed for words, the boy looked aside, feeling his face burn, as he struggled to stand up.
"Well, well, well… apart from tiny and scrawny, defenseless…" he heard the Scion say in a taunting tone.
"I apologize…" said the child, brushing his wrinkled suit.
"Tsh. Follow me…"
*/*
Katsu trotted past the passed-out boys, past Rinko, never losing sight of his master's back, until he came to a closed space that resembled a dojo.
Kojiro pointed towards the scared boy, addressing a muscular man on the other side of the room.
"This kid will need to be trained in katas. Simple ones, I don't want him killing someone by accident."
The instructor did a double take at Katsu's light blue suit and reduced, frail frame.
"So, something the matter?" The Polar Star sounded thoroughly irritated.
"Well, uh, I thought a child—"
The boy stared open-mouthed as his master's face morphed into a snarl.
"Never mind the color of his uniform… Sure, he's new and you usually don't lose your time with them, but this one's being pushed around…So do as told and shut your trap… is it too hard for you to understand? Teach him to defend himself… it's an order!"
"I deeply apologize" The instructor bowed politely and beckoned Katsu aside. "Go change yourself. There are training suits in the changing room, and tennis shoes in the wardrobes. Then come here, I'll… teach you the basics"
As he was changing, he overheard Kojiro's angry voice once again.
"Can't you read the mood, or all those hits to the head have addled your brains? When he comes out, you will assess him to your liking, and I'll have you training him at the same time as me. In the meantime, refrain from any comment on himself, be it good or bad"
"Certainly, Kojiro-sama"
Katsu wasn't used to displays of concern or warmth. His heart was as void and stony as the young businessman's, but the brusque way in which his master had treated him moved something within his chest. He timidly stepped into the training suit and walked outside.
"I'll train you in katas. These are Aikido movements that use the force of an attacker against him. People with a normal body frame can learn it without going buff…"
"Whoa!"
The instructor followed the boy's eyes. On the other side of the room, a rain of strikes clapped over his young master, who avoided or parried them with the calm countenance so usual in him.
"Randori no Ou, Grasping Freedom's Ruler, that's how people call Kojiro-sama because of his skill. Grasping Freedom or Randori are more complex exercises that deal with unexpected or unpredicted attacks. They require agility and a precise body flow. "
Just then, Kojiro shoved a void palm on his sparring partner's guts.
"What he's doing over there is shomen'uchi … pressure points. You don't want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Well then… Katsu, is it? Let's try a simple kata. Follow my lead."
Until then, the kid had only done basic gymnastics. But when the adult approached him with a menacing push, the little Planner extended a hand protectively forward. The crack of a rib was audible.
Kojiro stopped, staring darkly at the panting ten-year-old on the floor and the instructor, folded in pain.
"If you knew what to do, why didn't you do it before?" he drawled.
"S-so sorry, master… I just-did what you were doing…"
"Th-that was one damn… good Randori" grinned the instructor, massaging his ribs.
"Enough for today. Kobayama, go take a shower and change yourself back" Katsu was surprised to see the icy-blonde youth almost angry at his progress.
As he picked his stuff to leave, he met the cold stare of Kojiro's blue-green eyes, already dressed up and waiting for him to come out. He muttered an excuse for his tardiness.
"Tch. Seems it's true, then. You do have photographic memory, boy, as your file suggested"
"Photo-graphic memory…" the boy murmured. He had barely finished saying it, when he felt a crushing grip on his jaw. Kojiro had got hold of his chin, forcing him on his toes again. Not as the night when he had first come. That was an aristocrat inspecting a horse he was willing to purchase. This was after the horse was purchased master's hold – merciless, oppressive.
"That is a talent I want to have for my exclusive use" the Polar Star muttered, his voice growing hoarse with suppressed rage "Never, ever say that aloud , if I throw you out you're done. Learn to keep those stupid blabbering lips of yours sealed, or I'll find ways to seal them…"
Staring into Kobayama's terrified eyes, he added, his hand stonier than ever but his voice shaking. "Neverforget I'm wasting my time in you for a reason. I found you and I alone will make use of your ability. I don't want anyone to know I have someone that I think is talented in the palm of my hand, and I don't want you to call anyone else 'master'…"
Struggling to breathe properly, Katsu dared to look at Kojiro. The second eldest heir's eyes were thundering as he finished his rant:
"I will become the Heir as everyone know s I will, even at the risk of my life. If you become my Planner, you will need to learn to shut your mouth about your talents. Even if you just discovered them, it doesn't matter. Your talent is mine, for my sake only… From today on, you will humble yourself… you will call yourself "worthless", "stupid", "despicable" in front of others… I will be the only one to know and use and praise your skills. Got that clear, you miserable worm?"
Almost out of breath, the boy breathed out a broken "Yes". So that was the source of his anger. He had a pretty good memory, but it never occurred to him that was the main reason why the young master wanted to make him his most trusted servant and have him under such a strict check.
"Good" Kojiro eased his grasp, letting Katsu pose his feet on the ground again. "We'll leave everything as it is for today. I expect you tomorrow at 5 am, go eat something and get some sleep. And don't forget what I just told you."
"Yes, master. Thank you for today…"
"Don't even mention it."
*/*
As soon as he was fed, Katsu Kobayama entered his room and lost his composure. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he started sobbing, not caring if he was heard or not.
No one had ever confided in him, no one had ever shown him sympathy, love or concern. Golden Valley kids were very rarely available for adoption, since the majority of them were orphans from families with some sort of talent, children of people heavily indebted or unwanted children.
He had been alone all his life, expected to take care of himself since infancy, learned to distrust, despise and never depend.
And now, Togami Kojiro had told him he had found value in him. That he had talents. That he could use those talents. That he had to shut up and play dumb, in order to keep them as hidden treasures only his master could see…
For a lonely child, devoid of human warmth, that read "someone cares that I'm alive"
And he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He really tried, but he couldn't. And it hurt. Why did that hurt so much?
He continued to cry as he rolled himself to sleep. On the other side of the door, a cryptic Kojiro, his expression unreadable, listened to the boy's sobbing as a stream of thoughts ran across his mind.
