Okay guys here is the next chapter. I hope you guys had a great Halloween.
Disclaimer: Princesa Alisakura and I don't own SiH, but this is her story.
Today was a good day for a young Onodera Rika as she leaned back against the wall of the elevator, she wore a beige sweater vest over white long sleeved button down along with a khaki skirt and black sandals. Her long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.
While yesterday was a bit… bad. More like she found out that the chief editor of the department she was working in was revealed to be her ex-boyfriend who allegedly broke her heart bad. And then she found out that the nice two bedroom apartment she had found for her and her little daughter Mika was next-door to his apartment. Great just great she thought that evening she found out. But Rika had brushed it aside and began to work on some paperwork if she played her cards right, Mika would come home sooner. The reason for her good day was because she was going to pick up her daughter from kindergarten and take her home for the night. Rika wanted her daughter to get used to her new home.
The doors opened to the manga department and Rika began her dreadful decent towards the Emerald department.
'I really don't want to work in that pigsty,' She thought with woe.
The mere of thought of her working in that smelly room sent chills down her spine. What if the scent got on her? What if the teachers at kindergarten caught a whiff of it and immediately thought that twenty-year-old Rika was an unfit mother?! They'll take her baby away for sure!
'Alright, that was a bit too dramatic,' She thought to herself. Sometimes the young editor had a wild imagination when it came to her status as a single parent.
She made it to Emerald and took in a deep breathe before walking in the section.
"Good morning," She said to her fellow co-workers.
She opened eyes and was greeted with an image of princes.
"Good morning Onodera-chan!"
It was three men, one with sandy brown hair with a big smile on his face, one with black hair who looked younger than herself and one who had a serious look on his face.
Rika was taken aback by the scene.
"Excuse me, wrong room," she turned and walked away only to be grabbed by the black haired man.
"Ahahaha, what're you talking about?" He playfully dragged her in, "It's right here isn't it?"
This confused the girl as she looked around the office room. Gone were the mile high stacks of paper and gone was the foul odor that could almost be seen. Instead, she saw pink and knickknacks. Toys to be exact, teddy bears, tea sets, princess dolls, angel fairy dolls and children's books. Rika had thought for a moment that she walked into Mika's bedroom.
The man who dragged her in sat on his chair crisscross, "Sorry we ignored you two days ago."
The smiling man spoke next, "We finished the dead script so it's all good."
The two men gave her the thumbs up.
"Heard it's your first time editing manga. We'll teach you everything you need to know!"
Rika weakly waved at them but no words came out. She turned on her heels and made only a few steps before the world around her became black.
The men stood there for a few minutes before they realized that their new recruit had fainted from the shock.
"Onodera?!"
"Takano-san did you at least tell her the details about the 'period'?!" The serious man in the suit yelled.
Masamune yawned and drank his coffee while looking at the rough draft of the new manga chapter they had just received.
"Her own fault not mine."
The men were shocked but they ran to help Rika. The man with black hair –Kisa Shouta- dragged her to a rolling chair and began to fan her face with a manga book while the other men went to get water.
Rika came too five minutes later. .
"So that's how it works," Rika replied as Kisa showed her how to apply the typesetting on the manuscripts.
She was just explained to about the 'period'. It was described like a twenty-day radish, Emerald department was full of fresh faced, well rested men until they reached the end when they were half dead from exhausted. Once the manga was finished, they became the princes they were today, the next day it will happen all over again.
She was surrounded by two of men as she was learning the basics. It made Rika a bit uncomfortable. She felt that she was in a reverse harem.
'A great harvest'.
Kisa smiled as he gave her the paper cement, "It happens every time we near a deadline. It gave quite the impression to the other staff when it first happened."
Rika tilted her head and put down her cutting blade, "And what about the department being pink?"
She moved her hand in a circular motion when she asked this.
The man with a smile on his face- Kanade Mino- who was also helping her, "'When in Rome, do as the romans do'. Takano-san's policy is to have us familiarize with the environment so we can understand young women's feelings." He then placed a hand on the brunettes head, "Now that you're here we can learn more!"
A chuckle escaped from the woman's lips before she gently pushed away Kanade's hand, "Trust me, I'm not a good learning example when it comes to a woman's feelings."
Kisa tilted his head but went back to his tutorial, "Anyway Rika-chan…"
'Rika-chan?'
"… When there are words above the pictures, it's always important to use a tracing paper first before pasting the picture over it."
Rika nodded and began to paste the type set like a good little editor.
"While digital manuscripts are in the norm nowadays. Learning the basics is very important," Kanade said as he pointed at the place where Rika had placed the paper, "Make sure to stay between the lines."
"Okay."
She did as she was told and began to work.
"They say 'if you don't stay within the lines, it means you heart is out of line'," Kisa said to the newbie with a smile.
"Really?" Rika asked matter-of-factly, she was still focused on the manuscript when she heard a commotion between Kisa and the other man, Hatori. Something about a typesetting being crooked or somewhat but she paid no mind.
Cut and paste, cut and paste, cut, add trace paper and paste. Her hands were starting to cramp from the repeated actions she was doing but that did not stop the editor from her task.
By the time Rika stopped for a quick breather, her phone alarm went off. It was almost noon.
'Time to get Mika,' She thought as she dug into her messenger bag for her time card.
As part of her special release, all Rika had to do was have the chief editor stamp the card with one color as acknowledgement of her leaving and stamp it again in a different color to show that she came back. It would have a simple task to follow… if the chief editor of Emerald was not her ex-boyfriend.
Does he even know that Rika needed to leave before noon temporarily every day?
'He better know,' She thought after pulling out the slip, 'I really don't want to talk to him.'
She got up and walked to Masamune who was yelling at somebody on the phone. He slammed the phone down, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in annoyance.
"Bad author?"
"Printing Company," The man growled and saw that Rika had her bag ready as if she was leaving, "what are you doing?"
With a sigh, Rika explained, "Didn't you read my application? I requested a temporary time release every day of a week if I got a job here," She held up the time card, "Can you please stamp this?"
The man took the card and looked at it as if he was trying find signs of fraud. He knew about the release but Masamune thought it was a joke at first, who asks for a fulltime position but also asks for early leave?
"I'm not leaving for the day it's only for a while," Rika's voice brought the man back to reality.
He snorted but picked up a stamp to verify his acknowledgement. He handed back the card and Rika took it, their hands briefly touched.
The woman blushed and jerked her hand back, her heart began to pound.
"T-thank you Takano-san," She said quickly before making her way out of the department.
'Stupid heart!'
Back to Masamune he looked at his hand briefly but went back to work. Maybe yelling at very late authors and annoying printing employees will stop his pounding heart. And to stop him from killing two men for practically flirting with his girl.
We now change our setting to a large room filled with small children playing with toys. The walls were covered in finger-paint drawings and pictures of the children in both group and individual photos. In a small corner near a book shelf sat a little girl who appeared to be small compared to her classmates. She had long black hair tied into pigtails with long bangs falling over her black round framed glasses that covered her honey brown eyes. She was wearing the standard kindergarten uniform as she sat cross legged on the plush pillow on the play mat reading her book all by herself.
This child was usually never alone but her best friend in the whole wide world was sick with the chicken pox so she ended up reading alone.
"Mika," A voice called to her making the child jerk her head up.
Onodera Mika's eyes lit up at the sight of the person at the doorway.
"Mommy!"
Almost immediately the little one got up and ran to her mother's awaiting arms.
Rika hugged her daughter tightly in happiness. Even though she hadn't seen Mika since last night it felt as if she hadn't seen her child in months.
"My baby," Rika whispered happily before letting go of the child to place a kiss on Mika's forehead.
"Grandpa said you'd come and get me," Mika piped with a smile, "He was right!"
Rika smiled and stood to get her daughter's backpack. As she did so she felt the stares from the other parents who came to pick up their children who made no effort to lower their whispers.
"Look at her acting like 'mother-of-the-year'."
"Twenty-years old and a mother to a five year old."
"A little skank she is."
"I wonder if she even knows who the father is."
'She's making it sound like I slept around,' the younger mother thought bitterly as she picked up the little blue bag that Mika's name on it. Rika knew who the father of her child was, she's working for him.
"Ah Onodera-san," a young voice rang through the harsh whispers.
It was Hitomi Mizuki, Mika's teacher. The only adult who was nice to Rika at the school. She had long pitch black hair tied back in a messy bun, a yellow apron covering a red stripe shirt and pants and the standard white slippers she usually wore when inside the building. She was not thin but she was not chubby.
"Your father called a while ago," She said in a friendly disposition, "He said that you recently moved out of his home and into an apartment."
Rika nodded and made a quick bow, "Yes I have. I already filled out the paperwork."
After bowing she reached into her bag and pulled out the necessary documents she needed to tell the staff that Mika had moved to a different location. Hitomi took the papers and studied making an occasional nod.
"Alright then," the older woman said putting the papers downs, "I'll inform the office and have the address changed. It may take a few days but since you are a very organized, I believe it will be shorter."
"Thank you very much," Rika gratefully bowed.
She gave Mika a look the basically told her to also thank her teacher.
Mika titled her head but realized what her mother wanted her to do.
She also bowed, "Thank you sensei."
Hitomi smiled and bid the duo a good day before turning her attention to the other parents who had come to pick up their children. Rika was such a nice woman and a caring mother, it was a shame the other parents only saw her a reckless woman who was 'paying for her promiscuity'.
"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Rika's asked Mika as they made the walk to the train station, she was holding the little one's hand to keep her from wondering off.
"Sukiyaki!" The four-year old exclaimed with a big smile on her face.
Rika looked down at Mika and noticed something, 'I wonder if his smile is the same as hers.'
They stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the sign to change.
"It's too warm for that sweetheart," She heard the disappointed 'aww' after she said that, "How about tonkatsu with miso soup?"
Mika looked up at her mother with a pout but mumbled an 'okay' before they were allowed to walk the street and to the train station that was just around the corner.
'I guess I'll be doing some grocery shopping when I get off tonight,' Rika thought as she made the walk from home and back to the train station for work, Mika was left at home with Hiroshi who didn't mind babysitting. Rika smiled when she thought of her daughter's face when she saw her new room everything was out of the boxes and arranged neatly for her. She had left when Mika was running around the large living room.
'I also have to buy some food for Hana as well.'
Hana was her little tabby kitten she had found recently. She found her in a cold alley one night and just didn't have the heart to leave the little baby there. Mika loved her and so did she.
"Phew," Rika was so happy to enter the Marukawa building again. The reason? Air conditioning after a long walk from the station.
'Alright! Now that Mika is home it's time to go back to work! You can do it Rika!'
She made a smile of confidence while walking to the elevator. The doors opened and the woman walked in with a hop in her step after her little pep talk in her head, she pushed the button to the Emerald floor. The doors were almost closed when a hand stopped them.
"I'm coming in!"
Rika's smile dropped when she recognized that voice, it was Takano. He forced himself inside as the doors closed. The pair stood there in silence as the corridor began to move, Rika stood against the wall while the man was standing in front of her. Takano looked... off, his clothes were wrinkled as if he was doing some kind of physical activity and his pale face was flushed with sweat. Being the considerate person she was, Rika (with reluctance), looked up at Masamune with a tilted head.
"Eto… Takano-san?"
He grunted in reply.
He' still the same, Rika thought to herself, "Did something happen? You look awful?"
Masamune didn't answer. Instead he stepped towards the woman who in turn backed against the wall.
"Takano-san?" The silence was beginning to scare Rika, "This isn't funny. What's wrong with you?!"
The man looked at her with a face she had never seen before, "Ever heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'?"
A nod was his answer.
"Well I was that f*** cat," Masamune said between his teeth and pulled out his cell phone.
He then showed Rika a picture on the screen of the small device. The image made her plant her hand over mouth with her eyes wide in shock.
It was a picture of Rika's back as she was walking to the apartment building they both lived in. It was also showing her holding Mika's hand.
"Is there something you're not telling me Onodera?!"
That question came out in a deep growl which sent deep chills down the woman's spine.
"W-w-what were you doing following me anyway?" Rika asked
"Don't answer my question with a f*** question," Masamune was mad now.
The glare he gave her made Rika shrink in fear. She had never seen him this scary before. Not since that rainy day in high school when he snapped at her.
She looked away from the intimidating gaze, "I have nothing to say."
"Nothing to say?! Nothing to F*** say?!" The man grabbed the woman's face forced her to look at him, "That little girl, I know she's mine! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Hearing that, the fear left Rika and pure rage took over. She slapped the hand from her face and countered back.
"Mika is not yours! She doesn't have a father!"
"Says who?!" Masamune yelled.
"You that's who!"
"What?!"
Rika's bangs began to flare up in pure anger, "Don't pay dumb with me! You were the one who-"
A ding interrupted the small fight, they made it to Emerald's floor. The doors opened and Rika took this as a chance to escape from Masamune but he grabbed her by the arm pulled her close to him.
"I'm taking both of you back. Be prepared."
With he let go of the woman's arm and causally walked away. Leaving Rika standing in the middle of the hallway.
'Take us both back?' She thought, 'Why?'
Just than a feeling of nausea invaded her body and Rika ran to the bathroom. She did not throw up but she did splash some cold water on her face. It calmed her down.
Why did Takano say he was going to take both of them back? Those thoughts swam in her mind like an endless ocean. Why?
And then, Rika remembered a memory she wanted desperately to forget.
"Why are you defending that s***?! She shamed our family name!"
A young Rika walked by the living room of her family home, the door was closed but she could hear parents fighting about her. Again. She placed her hand on her very swollen belly when she heard her mother say those horrible things.
"Sanada! I understand she made a mistake but that's no excuse for calling her a s***!"
At least her father was on her side. He was disappointed in her for getting pregnant young but he did say that he would support her. Her mother was a different story.
"I can call her anything I please! She spread her legs to some boy she only knew for a few months and now she's carrying his b***!" Her mother screamed, "If it was Ken-kun's child I would understand but someone who is not her-"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP WITH THIS WHOLE 'FUTURE HUSBAND' S***?!"
Her jaw dropped, Rika had never heard her father curse before and decided to leave before the arguing got worse. She made it to the small mail box out and looked to see if anything was labeled to her, she pulled out a white envelope that had her name.
"He replied," She said softly and quickly made her way back to her room.
Sitting on her ben, Rika tore open the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and began to read it with high hopes.
Those hopes soon shattered.
First of all, do not try to contact me ever again you good for thing w***. Second, I never want to see you or that mistake. And third, I know that kid is not mine.
Keep it or kill it. I don't care. I moved on and I'm happy without you, you b***.
That was the only thing that was written on the paper.
Rika cried that day.
Mika was born the very next day.
After that, Rika's parents divorced and Rika stayed with her loving father while her mother moved away. But for some reason, she constantly calls her, demanding that she give her 'b***' a father.
"Maybe I should go home," The woman said to herself after leaving the bathroom.
As she walked to the editing section she accidently bumped into someone who had just arrived from the elevator.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rika said with a bow, "I wasn't paying attention."
It was a large man with a deep frown on his face, he glared at the woman, "Watch where you're going next time."
'Rude.'
Rika nodded and walked off to her workplace. She decided to stay, Rika was not going to back down.
Takafumi Yokozawa watched the woman in deep disdain.
'So that's the girl.'