Hello. Here is the next chapter for your approval. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and interest in my story.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!
The next morning, Catherine was good to her word and showed up early to pick up Kyoko for work. She came inside and met the Taishou of the Darumaya as he was preparing for the morning rush.
"Good day," she greeted the man with warm smile and a slight bow. "I'm here to pick up Kyoko for work. I am her new manager." Catherine informed the stoic man. He stopped cutting beef in cubes long enough to look over the slender woman standing in his restaurant. He gave a curt nod in greeting and returned to his work.
The lady stood loose taking in her surroundings. She liked the friendly atmosphere the little restaurant had, especially the silent man wielding the large knife behind the counter. She was sure her charge was safe in this place and that made her feel better. She would remember to call Hizuri-san later and tell him that she approved of Kyoko's living arrangements. About that time, Kyoko came down the steps and out from the family area.
"Good morning Kat-chan." Kyoko greeted the lady standing in the dining room. "Have you had breakfast?"
"No I have yet to eat. I was planning to pick up breakfast when we got to LME." Catherine responded looking a little sheepish. She was really planning on skipping breakfast like she usually does. Eating in the morning had a tendency to made her stomach upset.
"I have not eaten yet. Would you like to join me for something?" Kyoko offered as she turned towards the kitchen area. "The Taishou makes wonderful food here."
"I would be honored to join you for breakfast." Catherine accepted the kind offer and followed Kyoko into the kitchen. Kyoko set a bowl of miso soup, fish, and rice down for Catherine to eat. She made the same for herself and sat down to eat. Catherine looked at the chop sticks like she was not sure what to do with them and examined Kyoko for a few moment. After a few bites, Kyoko stopped eating; she noticed that Catherine had not started yet.
"Is everything ok?" Kyoko asked with concern. Maybe there was something wrong with the food, or she couldn't eat something offered. Catherine looked up from the dishes and smiled warmly.
"Everything is just fine. This is just the first Japanese breakfast I have had and was enjoying the experience." Catherine admitted and then picked up the chop sticks and followed Kyoko's lead on the fish. Kyoko stared at her in surprise. She knew that Catherine was American, but she spoke excellent Japanese so she could not see how the woman had never eaten this before. Catherine continued savoring every bite until Kyoko went back to eating. At the end of the meal, Kyoko cleared the dishes away and went to get her things. Catherine stood and turned to the silent man who had watched the two women eating. He has heard the comment Catherine had made and was waiting patiently to hear how she liked the food. Catherine stood in front of the man and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the food. It was wonderful." She stood and walked over to the door to where Kyoko was waiting. If one looked, you could see pride glowing in the man's eyes at pleasing the foreign women. He was sure Kyoko was in good hands.
They left together and got into a car that was parked on the street. Kyoko recognized it as a LME car.
"You can drive?" she asked Catherine. She was surprised the woman was able to drive in Tokyo. It was supposed to be one of the hardest cities to drive in and her manager had not been in Japan for long. Catherine laughed lightly at the girl.
"I learned to drive in much worse conditions then here." Images of traffic jams in L.A. flashed through her mind before Catherine continued. "I have an international license for the time being, but I will need to get a permanent Japanese license before I can drive on a regular basis. I will also need to get a car of my own. This one belongs to LME." Catherine buckled her seat belt and steadied her nerves for the foreign traffic patterns. She had gone out for a few long trips in the countryside when she first arrived in Japan to familiarize herself the setup of the foreign car, but she was still not completely use to the steering wheel on the wrong side. Kyoko was quiet as Catherine maneuvered the car into traffic. She knew how Ren liked to concentrate when he was behind the wheel and figured Catherine would like that too. They drove in a comfortable silence all the way to LME.
When they arrived at LME, Catherine joined Kyoko in her LoveMe work, complete with shockingly pink jumpsuit and stamp book. Not once did the older woman complain about the color or the odd looks she was given. In fact they seemed to roll right off her. As the day went on they talked and slowly got to know each other better. Kanea was filming her drama and did not come in to LME that day, and Ren was out of town on a photo shoot that would take a few days. Overall, it was an uneventful day filled with gofer work and cleaning. After the work was finished Catherine dropped Kyoko back off at the Darumaya.
This was the same routine that the two followed for the next week. Catherine would pick her up dressed for business, see her safely to where she needed to be, and then return her back to her home in the evening. The monotony of their routine was only broken when Lory would drop by in one of his cosplay outfits to check on his favorite LoveMe member and her new manager.