Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for such lovely reviews and to all those that read this. I can't believe that one short chapter could get 26 hits on the first day of being up. Although, it is possible that the majority of those people read the first line and clicked the back button. I apologise that I didn't get to finish and upload this chapter as soon as I would've liked, but I now know what it truly feels like to be an A Level student. But enough about that, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"Miss Tohomiko, which courses would you like to study?" An old man, who had earlier introduced himself as Master Fung, asked kindly, handing her a sheet of paper full of the subjects she could choose from. "If you decide in the middle of the year that you don't want to do a course anymore, it won't be possible to change and dropping it may affect your chances for a university place. Please choose wisely." Kimiko looked up at the old man who gave her a small smile.
Please choose wisely. Kimiko thought to herself, it was a nicer version than what her father had said to her.
The drive to the airport was a rather short one. For once, the streets of Japan were devoid of traffic and the driver, knowing the importance of this flight, seemed to be driving faster than the legal speed limit. Kimiko noticed this with contempt; she had hoped that the drive would be a long one so that she could spend more time watching the familiar sights of Tokyo before she had to leave. Yet, at the same time, she wanted the drive to pass quickly so that she wouldn't have to endure the tense silence much longer.
As they whizzed past a multitude of brightly lit shops, Kimiko's father quietly attempted to start a conversation. "Kimiko," he waited for her to face him "We aren't going to get to Hong Kong until about ten at night Japan time, that's nine Hong Kong time. It's only an hour time difference so you should be okay for the interview." At the mention of an interview, Kimiko's head snapped up.
"Interview?" She asked hastily, thinking that her father had meant a televised interview.
"Yes, for the school you'll be attending." She nodded "Horatio Nelson International School, it's the best school in Hong Kong and one of the best in the world. As you missed the formal enrolment period, a lot has been done to get you this interview."
"No pressure then?" Kimiko rolled her eyes sarcastically and turned back to the window
"Not that much pressure. I've offered to replace all of the school's old computers as well as giving a fairly large donation, so they're bound to accept you. All you need to worry about is what subjects you plan to take." Toshiro started to fix his appearance as the airport came into view "That of course, is solely down to you."
The driver went opened Kimiko's door and offered a hand to help her out. Before she could get out of the car however, she felt a tight grip around her wrist. "I suggest you choose subjects befitting of your status. You are no longer the daughter of an office worker. Remember that."
The memory of the encounter irritated her, befittingofmystatushuh?She thought sarcastically, she looked at her father. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smirk, as if he was daring her to pick a set of subjects that he wouldn't approve of. Deciding not jeopardise her future and get to back at him later, she studied the sheet.
Please choose from:
-English or Cantonese literature
-Mathematics or Statistics
-Cantonese, Mandarin or English Supplementary lessons (If not already fluent)
-One other language and one other subject
Or
- Two other subjects
She grimaced when she saw that she'd have to study some form of literature. It had never been her favourite subject. Noticing her displeasure, Master Fung explained,
"We like our students to be well rounded individuals" she nodded in acknowledgement.
Kimiko felt her father hovering above her shoulder; she looked up at him inquisitively.
"What do you think?" He asked softly
"Well I'm thinking about history, but I want to see the other subjects" She replied cautiously, unsure if history was a subject "befitting of her status". When he nodded and handed her a pen, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Ticking the appropriate box, she continued reading.
Twenty minutes later, Kimiko handed the paper back to Master Fung and he sat for a moment reading over her choices.
"Cantonese literature, Cantonese, Mathematics, history and electronics" he looked up at her "Is this correct?"
Before she could answer, her father interjected,
"She'd also like to take the Japanese exam this year." Master Fung nodded and made a note of this at the bottom of the paper
"Going by your choices, I assume you'd like to be placed in the English stream?" he asked her, she cocked her head to side showing her confusion "As this is a British international school in Hong Kong, our lessons are taught in either Cantonese or English."
"Oh, the English stream please" Master Fung wrote this down and looked at Toshiro
"Shall we negotiate fees?"
"Just tell me how much it is and I'll pay it" Toshiro waved his hand dismissively
"Well the normal fees tuition fees are 200,500 Hong Kong dollars, as this is a late enrolment, that's another 5000 dollars and the admission fee is 2000 dollars. Altogether that's 207500 Hong Kong dollars." Kimiko looked horrified at the figure, wondering how her father was taking this so calmly.
"Is cheque okay?" her father asked disinterestedly taking out his cheque book. Kimiko watched in interest as her father filled it out, finishing his signature with a flourish. Master Fung shook her father's hand as he accepted the cheque,
"Welcome to Horatio Nelson International School, Miss Tohomiko." He shook her hand and handed her a piece of paper "This is where our uniform supplier is located. The first day is of term is the 14th September, we look forward to teaching you."
"Thank you" she replied quietly and followed her father out of the building.
Back in the car, Kimiko's father struck up a conversation with her,
"I'm very happy with the subjects you chose, I thought you were going to pick something silly like film studies." He took his eyes off the road to look at her briefly "Your subjects are very 'befittingofyourstatus'" he laughed quietly at his own words
"You never know, film studies could turn out to be a very academic subject" she smirked at him
"It could be, if you were the daughter of Ricardo Pedrosa. The world's largest media mogul" he paused momentarily as he concentrated on the road "But unfortunately for you, you're the daughter of Toshiro Tohomiko; founder of the world's biggest electronics company."
"Not as rich then?" she asked, feigning nonchalance
"Put it this way, if I wasn't written out of the family fortune then I very well could be." He looked over at her "By the way, the first rule of being rich: Never talk about how much money you have" Kimiko nodded quickly before changing the topic
"Can I ask you something?"
"I don't see why not" he replied, brows furrowing in confusion at the sudden question
"Yesterday in the car and even on the plane, you were so different. I actually thought you were going to be one of those controlling fathers who try dictating their children's lives." She paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts "But now you're so relaxed, and…nice?" Kimiko noticed that as she'd finished speaking, the car had parked in an indoor car park but her father made no attempt to leave the car. He was looking at her intently instead.
"Yesterday in the car, after I gave you that little speech, it made you angry. And on the plane, I ordered everything for you as if you were unable to, you looked like you were ready to come over and attack me." He laughed a little "When we got back to the house that night, I remembered that you'd grown up with your mother and not me. You grew up in a world where you made your own decisions and your mum guided you, whereas I grew up in a world where all my decisions were made for me by my parents and I had no say. If I treated you how my parents treated me, you would literally give me an injury. Is this making sense?"
"I think so," Kimiko looked up at her father, studying his face. His eyes were as black as her mother's, she mentally noted to ask him about her blue eyes later. "Is that why you married my mum, because she never forced you into anything?" Toshiro smiled at her
"I knew you inherited my intelligence"
Once out of the car park, Kimiko soon found out that they were in a very large up-scale shopping centre. Her father guided her along as she looked in amazement at the shops. Most she recognised as designer brands that she'd never been able to previously afford. She smiled as she remembered her revelation yesterday night.
Kimiko walked into the room that the maid, Chung Li, had shown her to. She stood, unable to move, completely shocked due to the sheer size of it. However, Chung Li misinterpreted her astonishment for disapproval.
"Is it not good?" the maid asked in broken English and Kimiko whipped around to face her
"No, no, no. It's great! I love it!" Kimiko replied, suddenly thankful for her mother's insistence that she spent her Saturday mornings in an English language school. The maid merely nodded and left.
Kimiko's luggage had already been placed in her room. Digging through a suitcase she knew was primarily full of clothes, she found a pair of pyjamas and got changed. She took in another scope of her room and her attention landed on the bed. The pink silk sheets and cream coloured satin pillows were an invitation she couldn't resist. Taking a running leap, she jumped into her bed and relished the feeling of the soft mattress that rippled around her.
So much better than my bed in Japan she thought, grimacing at the thought of jumping on it and the ensuing pain. After turning off the lights from the switch by her bed, it became very apparent that she hadn't drawn the curtains. Looking to her left, she gazed out of the large bay window she hadn't paid much attention to before.The scene reminded her vaguely of Japan; brightly lit buildings and landmarks, just without the various neon colours and the ocean which housed a rather large reflection of the moon and a near starless sky. From her apartment in Japan, she hadn't been able to see the side of Tokyo that tourists came to visit and where the rich people lived.
Sighing she got up and drew the curtains, hazily focusing the bank she could see in the distance a sudden realisation dawned on her.
"I'm an heiress" Kimiko mumbled which caused her father to look down at her. If he had heard what she said, he made no mention of it.
"We're meeting with a very good friend of mine and her daughter for lunch." Toshiro started to explain, causing Kimiko to snap out of her reverie. "You're both same age and going to the same school, so I've arranged for her to help you buy whatever it is sixteen year old girls need while I sort out an advertising campaign with her mother." Kimiko signalled silently that she understood. She was actually quite daunted at the prospect of having to have lunch with one of her father's friend's let alone go shopping with her daughter.
Remembering several American films that she'd seen, she was infinitely thankful that her father had chosen to move to Hong Kong and not a western country. She had no idea which piece of cutlery had to be used for which particular item of food. Chopsticks made things considerably simpler.
The lunch, to Kimiko's surprise, had been a relatively informal affair. Her father's friend, Ayame, had smothered her in a hug when they'd stepped into the restaurant, excitedly commenting on how she was a spitting image of her grandmother while her daughter, Keiko, stood there awkwardly embarrassed at her mother's antics.
The rest of the meal was spent with Keiko asking Kimiko various things about her life was like before discovering who her father was and moving to Hong Kong. It was when the subject moved to boys that Kimiko's father interrupted them, and suggested they go shopping. Just as they were about to leave, Toshiro called Kimiko back
"Here, you'll get your own soon enough. But this will have to do for now" He handed her a black plastic card, smiling in amusement as she looked at it in awe "Don't go over the top, there's plenty of time to get what ever it is you need."
Kimiko soon learnt that Keiko was a very avid shopper, while this was beneficial for her as she had someone to help her get all the things she never thought that she'd need, it was also very exhausting. As they sat in the uniform supplier, waiting for Kimiko's uniform to have adjustments made to it; Kimiko asked Keiko something that had been on her mind for a while.
"Does everyone know about me?" she asked hesitantly, seeing Keiko's confused expression she elaborated. "Is today's headline, 'Long Lost Tohomiko Heir Found' or something?" Keiko laughed
"Surprisingly enough, your father made sure that pretty much nobody knows you're his daughter. I didn't even know he had a daughter until two days ago." After hearing this Kimiko frowned, assuming that her father was ashamed of her due to her less than luxurious upbringing. Keiko saw this and quickly offered an explanation, "I'm pretty sure he did that so that you could grow up in peace. He probably didn't want cameras being shoved in your face all the time; believe me it's not fun in the least. I think that he's waiting until you're ready before he introduces you formally." Kimiko nodded, but before she could reply one of the workers informed her that her uniform was ready to be paid for.
Upon being presented her newly tailored uniform, she quickly decided that the uniform she wore in Japan was much better. A dark grey plaid skirt with a black jumper and white shirts all embroidered with the school's logo. Kimiko suppressed a grimace as she paid for it.
"Not the best uniform is it?" Keiko gave her a grin "The uniforms in Japan are a lot cuter." Kimiko laughed and nodded in agreement, thankful that Keiko was speaking Japanese so that she wouldn't offend the staff. Picking up the few other shopping bags she had, they left the store and returned to the restaurant where their parents were waiting patiently for them.
"I expected you to buy more" Toshiro commented, noticing Kimiko's three shopping bags "A lot more"
"We arranged for most of the stuff to be delivered to your house," Keiko quickly interjected "It should all be there by the time you get back."
True to her word, by the time Kimiko and Toshiro got home the entire foyer was covered in shopping bags.
"Did you buy something from every shop there?" Toshiro asked in amazement, Kimiko shrugged nonchalantly
"More or less" to Kimiko's surprise, her father didn't seem at all angry; just bemused. He placed a hand on her shoulder,
"Well this can't all stay here, you should start taking it to your room" he said before stalking off into his office.
In the end it had taken Kimiko, the maid, the cook and the cook's visiting son to move all of the bags from the foyer to Kimiko's bedroom, while her father appeared from his office from time to time to observe with an amused grin on his face. Just like her mother, his daughter was determined, and had an unexpectedly sizeable amount of upper body strength. He couldn't help but feel happy as he watched Kimiko; a large part of him regretted not being around to watch her grow up while another was determined not to alienate her as his parents done to him. She didn't need to feel the pressures of being an heiress just yet. He'd give her another few months to enjoy the luxuries, as much as he knew his shareholders wouldn't like it. His daughter's happiness was worth so much more to him than losing a few shares.
Just as the subject of his thoughts came down the stairs to get the last bag, she looked up at him her expression the complete opposite of his.
"You could've helped you know" a slight frown graced her face
"I did tell you not to go overboard. Next time, you should listen" he replied before retreating back to his office.
Over the next two weeks, Kimiko saw very little of her father. Her assumption that he was married to his job was discredited by Keiko, who had visited frequently; telling her that he was working on a rather large deal between her mother's modelling agency and another media company, to both of which he apparently owed a reasonably large favour. For what, she didn't know.
It wasn't until the night before she started school that she saw him at dinner. He gave her a small pep talk, letting her know that not many people knew she was his daughter so even though there would be rumours about her existence try to keep a low profile. He also went on to say the usual fatherly things such as, focus on your books and not boys and to stay away from drugs and alcohol because she'd have enough time for that when she turned eighteen.
It amused Chung Li, the maid, to no extent how quickly her employer had stepped into the role of fatherhood. Even though she couldn't understand most of the conversation, as her boss always spoke in Japanese to his daughter, it was evident from the way he acted that he cared deeply for his newly found offspring. All she hoped was that Toshiro didn't let his parents influence the way he raised the girl. After all, those two people were the reason he'd lost the girl's mother in the first place.
Yeah I couldn't think of a better Chinese name off the top of my head so Chung Li it is. A nice reference for all the Streetfigher fans? This wasn't exactly the most interesting chapter, but I wanted to build up the setting a bit, but the next chapter is going to be about the start of school and the like so it should be a bit more interesting. Sorry again for the delay in getting this up!