Chapter 6

A/N: yo I'm back! I hope you enjoy the new update - with some mentions of Miyuki here and there, but don't worry, all the interactions between our favorite couple will be back next update!

As usual, thank you for every story alert, favorite, review and for simply giving this fic a chance!

"Eijun, are you sure about this?" Wakana whispered as she passed the files over to him.

Eijun rolled his eyes. "Wakana, you're being way too worried over this. It's customary." He flipped the file open and scanned through the contents briefly. He couldn't afford to mess up the meeting; it was an opportunity that his father was giving him, and even if he wasn't too inclined about taking over the corporation itself, he wouldn't allow himself to be careless.

"Kanemaru-kun offered to go in with you. Why didn't you agree?" Wakana said, still in hushed tones as she checked her watch, "Ritsu-kun, can you go faster?"

Ritsu gave a small nod before stepping down on the pedal. Eijun closed the file and faced Wakana, amusement seeping into his tone. "You're far more nervous than I am, Wakana. And I can't have anyone accompanying me on the first meeting. It's important."

To bring someone in with him on the first meeting would suggest that he was weak alone, that heneeded assistance and was dependent on company. That would not be ideal for a first impression. He needed to let people know he was capable of handling things even without support in an hour or two; bringing a person in would only further complicate the objective he wished to achieve in a limited span of time.

"I really don't understand how your mind works," Wakana said, sighing as she leaned back on the seat. She turned to look out of the windows with a wry grin.

"You do have faith in me, don't you?" Eijun asked. Hideaki, Sanada, and Todoroki were already on his side, that he had already considerable confidence. Of course, after taking Narumiya into consideration, he'd only have two members left to convince. Shunpei and Eijun had met on the baseball field before along with Raizou's son, who had left a lasting impression on Eijun with his loud laughter and unforgettable batting skills. With such a history and occasional meet-ups, adding on to the fact that Shunpei was the youngest on the Board after Eijun, it was clear where their allegiance lie.

Wakana exhaled loudly. "Fine, I get your point."

The car stopped and Eijun felt his pocket vibrate with a text message.

I hope I won't see you turn to minced meat today!

-Sanada Shunpei

Eijun laughed.

"Good afternoon," Eijun greeted pleasantly, heels of his leather shoes landing on the thick, lush carpet of the conference room silently. He turned to face the room of six members and smiled. Shunpei met his eyes and they both shared a private amused glance.

This will be fun.

A middle-aged man stood from his seat, hair slightly unruly as his black eyes flashed in annoyance.

Eijun considered flapping his hand for Katsuo to sit, but thought it'd be too out of line, even for him. The thought was still entertaining however, and he had to hold back a grin as he managed to maintain his phlegmatic expression. "Yes, Katsuo-san?"

"We need someone older, someone with more experience to lead the meeting."

Katsuo voicing his displeasure was not unexpected; he had overstepped his boundaries when taking his father's place once, and he obviously had ambitions in this company. Eijun's presence and existence was an eyesore and an obstruction to what he desired to achieve. Still, Katsuo was far too eager to make his opinions known, apparently over-enthusiastic on destroying Eijun's reputation to secure the position he deemed as his.

Eijun arched a brow, pulling out the chair set at the head of the table. Unruffled, he calmly seated himself and clasped his hands together on top of the files he had prepared. Katsuo's jaw clenched at Eijun's blatant nonchalance and lack of care for his statement.

"Really," Eijun said with an air of feigned intrigue and turned to look at Katsuo, who was still standing. "Who would you suggest, then?"

Katsuo blinked in surprise . "Well, I would - "

"Were you about to pick yourself out as a potential candidate?" Eijun asked, raising a brow. "That's interesting. From what I heard, your performance in the company haven't been exactly impressive. The two sectors under your management had reaped a level of profit that placed near the bottom of the performance chart I had drawn up." He paused, and flashed Katsuo a grin. "In fact, ever since you took over my father's position that one time, your performance had plummeted, Katsuo-san. That's a pity. I do wonder what that suggests."

Katsuo spluttered, face red with anger and embarrassment as he sat down. "You're just a brat," he said through gritted teeth.

"I'd like to be given the same degree of respect I have given you all this while. Or would I have to resort to other alternatives to make you do so? Perhaps I'd slip and let loose something you would rather not have anyone know?"

Katsuo clamped his mouth shut and said nothing else. Eijun narrowed his eyes on him, a smile still on his face before he turned his attention to address the rest of the members. Shunpei looked beyond pleased, nudging Raizou beside him who guffawed lightly.

"Are there any more doubts I need to clear before I start? We do have quite a bit to go through," Eijun said, letting his eyes drift over the members of the Board.

"Nonetheless, I think that it'd be good if you show some respect to your elders," Akiko spoke up as she met Eijun's eyes unflinchingly. Eijun was a little surprised that Akiko voiced that, since she was usually reserved in meetings and only stepped up for presentations that she was in charge of. He'd need her support when he took over the Board, however; if he could win her over, it'd benefit him in the long run.

Eijun inclined his head slightly. "I might have stepped out of line, and I'd have apologized; but what matters most here is capability and not age. I am here as a representative of my father. In the act of disrespecting me with unfounded doubts, it indicates distrust for my father's judgement, and in turn, disrespect for him as well. If I prove to be inadequate for this position, be it now or in future, I'd gladly take in any criticisms of my ineffectual performance and proceed to resign if someone shows to be better choice."

He paused for a moment, gaze flicking to Katsuo before turning his attention back to Akiko. "But I do also wish to say that I am my own person, and in my father's absence, I'd like to manage things my way. If I do make any mistakes that any of you present would like to address, I am definitely open to it. You are more experienced than I am with the operations of the company - I do acknowledge that fact." Akiko nodded her head once in approval, wearing a thin smile. Genjiro raised both his brows at his nephew, looking moderately impressed.

The members looked appeased - for now. Eijun doubted that Katsuo would let this rest, but he had muted his disagreement and he needed to move on.

"How did it go?"

Eijun shrugged, taking the set of papers from Ritsu at the door. "Pretty well." He nodded to Ritsu and murmured his thanks. Ritsu bowed and left after Eijun passed him his new sunglasses with an exasperated shake of his head.

When Eijun sat down beside Wakana, beginning to leaf through the papers, Wakana shook her phone right in front of his face and declared triumphantly: "I heard from Sanada-kun; you did great!"

Eijun rolled his eyes and opted not to reply. Shunpei was such a blabbermouth sometimes. It was seemingly enough for Wakana, however, because she averted her eyes back to her phone and started tapping furiously.

Well, no matter. Eijun set the papers beside him and retrieved his book from the table in front of him instead, deciding to continue where he left off the previous night.

Eijun found he was unable to concentrate and turned to eye Wakana after a few minutes, noticing that she was strangely silent. Odd, Eijun thought as he stared at Wakana who seemed very attentive to the person she was texting, replying within seconds of receiving a message. She rarely used her phone for messaging purposes; she once confided in Eijun that she thought it was a waste of time and she'd rather have a face-to-face conversation. For her to be this enthusiastic... the person must be rather special.

"Who is it?" Eijun asked.

Wakana turned her phone away from Eijun's curious eyes. "It's nothing."

Eijun lifted a brow, and Wakana stuck her tongue out at him in childish retaliation. With an air of finality, she stood up, tucking her phone into her pocket. "Now that I know it went well, I'm going to ask for an extravagant dinner!" She clapped her hands together in excitement and silenced Eijun with a jab of her finger in his direction. "Hush, you deserve it. Don't you dare skip dinner again!"

With that, she shut the door behind her with a soft click. Eijun chuckled in private amusement at her antics and took the papers he placed beside him just a few minutes before. His expression smoothed over almost immediately as he flipped the cover page over and stared at the familiar face of the foreigner.

Takigawa Chris Yuu

So that was his name. His brows knitted together to a frown as he continued to scan through the details. Takigawa was not exactly famous, but he had a certain degree of fame among lawyers for the ability to recall legal citations (or anything of sort) that worked to his favor even in the moment of intense pressure. He resigned from the law firm his father had set up, and had kept a low profile from two years back. It was an abrupt exit - till Eijun's gaze fell on the year one of the biggest lawsuits Takigawa had taken on. The dates did add up.

The case with Futoshi? He had kept a close eye on the news for this, but the media coverage ceased soon after the judgement was leaked. Takigawa had won the case for the Cabinet minister's son, and it should be something used to climb up the ranks in the industry. Eijun tapped his finger on the paper thoughtfully. But he technically hadn't exited from handling law, because he entered Seidou, didn't he?

From what he remembered, the plaintiff, an ambitious married man of 47, had sued Futoshi for fraud. Eijun had once met Futoshi in a business setting, sifting through potential investors and possible mergers, and had deemed the company he led profitable but risky. Perhaps shady as well. While Eijun knew Sawamura corporation wasn't exactly the emblem of innocence, he would like to prevent it from permanent stains by dipping in waters too murky.

The man claimed to have invested a hefty amount of his "life savings" into Futoshi's company, but Futoshi denied that it ever occurred. He presented a written proof from Futoshi's side as evidence, but Takigawa eventually won the case for Futoshi, nonetheless.

Takigawa would definitely benefit more than he lost from this win. Eijun paused as he read through the list of cases Takigawa fought for. Guilty conscience on Takigawa's part? Had Futoshi convinced Takigawa that he was wrongly accused in the first place to get Takigawa to present his case? Perhaps the truth had surfaced shortly after. That would explain the sudden diminishment of media coverage; Futoshi's father would have interfered. A son was closely linked to the family name, after all.

Eijun picked up his cup from the tea plate and took a sip thoughtfully. That still didn't explain why Takigawa would work under Miyuki, especially since Takigawa seemed to possess idealistic pursuits with the types of cases he chose to fight for. Miyuki didn't give Eijun the impression that hewouldn't stoop to underhanded methods to get his way, frankly.

The fact that Miyuki seemed to have constructed Seidou out of nothing was odd as well. Sure, he might have a decent amount stashed in his savings with the earnings as a bureaucrat, but considering Miyuki's age, he probably didn't have many years to collect the amount of funds he needed. That'd leave him with the possibility of taking a bank loan, gathering sufficient investors or having a wealthy family in the first place to support his venture. Bank loan was least likely, considering what Eijun could deduce from Miyuki's character. That'd leave the last two options. Miyuki's background was out; Eijun ran a check on him, and he was left outside an orphanage at the age of 7. His mother died of lung cancer, and his father just... went missing.

Investors then? If so, who? It wouldn't be convenient for Miyuki to make his identity known as he was starting out, so that'd suggest that he already had people following him for his cause to search for candidates for investment. Whatever cause he was working for. The fact that Miyuki started up a law firm was strange in itself; Eijun snorted at the idea of Miyuki being driven by justice.

Right, very possible, Eijun thought, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Frankly, the materials on Seidou were scarce; other than the articles that were published on papers which involved major politicians or class action lawsuits - namely predatory lending - there was little else to elaborate.

Seidou was something he'd have to see for himself, then.

It might not be important after all, considering that Eijun had already made a commitment to Seidou. A verbal agreement, but one that he would abide by, nonetheless. Unless a loophole exists..

A loud knock on the door broke Eijun out of his thoughts.

Eijun flicked his glance over to the clock and stood up, making his way to his study table and unlocking his drawer beneath it. He slid the papers into it before locking it again. "Come in," he called.

He cracked a small smile when he saw who it was. "Dad," he greeted, slightly surprised. "I'd have went to the airport."

Hitoshi laughed boisterously. "I know you'd be busy! It's okay, your mother would have smacked me if I called. She was worried over you being stretched thin."

"I'm fine," Eijun reassured him, walking over to the door and stopping before his father.

Hitoshi wrapped his arms around Eijun before patting him twice on his back. "I know that. You're my son, after all!"

Eijun chuckled as he returned the hug before he stepped back. Hitoshi tucked his sunglasses in front of his shirt and flashed an expectant grin. "How did the meeting go?"

"Good," Eijun answered.

"As I expected!" Hitoshi cheered, looping an arm around Eijun's shoulder before proceeding to pull him out of the room. Eijun allowed himself to be dragged into his father's pace, part of him glad that the rowdiness of the house was back. It was a silence he couldn't really adapt to whenever his parents went away for business trips. "Now let's get some dinner. Wakana even went to prepare some dishes personally! I'm starving just thinking of them!"

As they strode down to the dining room, Eijun felt the pressure on his shoulder turn heavier. "So, kid," he started, his tone had taken a dip from a few seconds ago, now adopting an air of sobriety. "I heard from Wakana about this guy named Zaikai Kyum?"

Eijun nodded his head slowly, waiting to see where the conversation would lead him. "He's a bureaucrat, isn't he?" Hitoshi didn't wait for Eijun to answer, continuing, "I don't want you mixing with politicians."

"Dad," Eijun said dryly, "businessmen are similarly crafty people. Business and politics are intrinsically linked."

Hitoshi didn't look convinced by Eijun's argument. "They play dirty a lot more. Your mother is worried that it'd be bad influence."

Eijun stifled a chuckle, privately amused by the irony of the statement. If anyone was a bad influence, it'd probably be him himself. "Don't worry, I turned down the bureaucrats, anyway."

Hitoshi arched a brow as he stared down at his son, reaching the door of the living room. "Really? I'd have thought you'd have barged in headfirst."

Eijun's mouth twitched, unsure of what to make of Hitoshi's assumption. "What kind of impression do you have of me?"

"Capable and smart but arrogant and impulsive," Hitoshi replied cheerily, tugging Eijun closer to him and ruffling his hair.

Eijun scowled as he pulled away from his father's grip. "Dad, I'm already twenty!"

"Your birthday isn't over yet," Hitoshi said, shrugging. "So what do you intend to do after graduation?"

Eijun pushed the door open and stepped in. "I'm going to Seidou." His father shot him a sideways glance, but otherwise said nothing.

A few more months till I graduate. It'd be interesting to see what he'd be doing there.

A/N: lmao I can't wait to write some miyusawa for the next update, and don't worry, I didn't forget Haruichi. On another note, I can't seem to find what Eijun's Dad's name was, so I just came up with one, haha.

And while I can't promise that the amount of OCs will be reduced for subsequent chapters, I really prefer canon characters, so I'd be using them when I can. Sorry to those who're bothered by OCs!

I'd love to hear what you think, do drop a review to tell me your thoughts!

-mysticflakes