Face the Music
Author: Erenoll
Summary: Nokoru thought of hiring an extra staff in his office. Suoh was against it but Akira was delighted. But then again, simple things that ought to remain simple got complicated when a mysterious, lonely girl got the job.
Author's notes: Thank you for the reviews. Douzo, douzo! Disclaimers apply!
Chapter II: An Interview Went Wrong
"So," Suoh's voice trailed as he looked at the piece of paper in his hands. He bit his lower lip, trying to look very interested. Nokoru, in turn, leaned a little to him, taking a quick look at the paper he was holding and straightened back again almost immediately, giving the blond lady sitting in front of them one of his usual charming smiles. Suoh finally looked up.
"What else do you know about filing?" he finally asked, laying the piece of paper down. Suoh sighed tiredly and leaned against his soft leather seat. He tried his best not to show his exhaustion at the young sophomore sitting before them. He also tried to smile but tried as he might, his lips couldn't move at all. He was so tired with all the talking and the smiling. He looked sideways only to see Nokoru still all smiles as usual. It made him wonder, how on earth could Nokoru paste that look on his face for long periods of time?
"Oh I forgot, I was the one doing most of the talking," he though sarcastically. He was talking and smiling at the same time and it was pretty hard. Apparently, the brilliant mastermind of this whole act was just smiling there doing nothing. Nokoru would just nod, smile and take peeking glances at the papers he was reading and smile again, saying almost nothing but polite "thank yous," that sort of thing. He was just not sure what's going on inside that oddball's head.
Akira gazed at Suoh worriedly. Judging by the look on his face, the blue-haired, junior student was already losing his already thinning patience. Well, he couldn't blame him after all. They've been here all day, since morning till this late afternoon. They've been talking to the— heck! He already lost count! He looked down only to see his glass of iced tea, still half-way to the brim. This was their seventh glass already and they were not yet halfway through the applicants. The stack of papers just beside Nokoru's right elbow told him that. Now, Akira was feeling miserable. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"I know how to arrange everything neatly and— and to alphabetize!" the young girl said, restlessly.
Suoh nodded, forcing out the most of his patience out. "Okay, what else besides that?" he asked. When the girl looked at him blankly, he tilted his head, exhaling a bit loudly. "Like, do you know any computer applications? Windows Excel perhaps? Or how about research?" he added helpfully. When the girl shook her head, Suoh nodded and stood up smiling. Akira wasn't sure what sort of smile that was.
"We'll let you know," said Suoh, walking towards the girl and taking her hand. The girl blushed as he shook it gently. "Thank you so much for your time," he added politely.
"Hai!" the girl giggled, standing up as well. With a slight bow, she gave Nokoru and Akira one last smile and skipped happily towards the door. Alone once again, Suoh yawned and raised his arms to stretch.
"Kaichou, why don't we call it a day?" Akira suggested while taking the empty glass of Nokoru's with the intention of filling it again with the refreshing drink. So far, Nokoru was the only person Akira knew who was really fond of his iced tea.
Suoh seconded the suggestion. He turned to Nokoru who was just sitting there, frowning thoughtfully. Then as if forever, he stood up and stretched as well. "I never thought this could be tiring," he sighed, sitting down once again. Then he smiled. "Why don't we have one more?" he asked, raising his eyebrows while looking at Suoh questioningly. "After that, we can call this a day."
Akira looked at Nokoru then at Suoh. Seeing the defeated but yielding look on the older boy's face, Akira sighed. Although openly denying it, Suoh just couldn't say no to his only One. Whatever the logic behind that was, he couldn't really comprehend. With that, he fixed another cheerful smile on his face and started filling Nokoru's glass once again.
"Yosh!" Nokoru exclaimed, snapping his fan shut determinedly. Suoh walked towards his chair and sat back down. Akira in turn, opened the door first to call the next applicant before taking his usual seat beside Suoh. Not long after, a girl walked inside the office and sat before them. The three boys smiled pleasantly.
"Konnichiwa," the violet-eyed girl greeted softly. She kept her eyes away from their faces, her face hot. She just couldn't stand the thought of sitting there with three good-looking men staring at her. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling her insecurity surging up full force, her emotional barrier shooting up. Then as if realizing the consequences of her action, she decided to slowly lay her emotional guard down and let her arms go limp, placing her hands on her lap, still not meeting their eyes.
"Konnichiwa," Akira greeted cheerfully, unmindful of what was going on inside Nokoru's mind.
Nokoru and Suoh just nodded, both of their eyes not leaving the girl before them. Nokoru's eyes narrowed a bit as it traveled to the lady's face. She was not beautiful at first glance. He noticed her face which was not actually blemish-free. He could very well see the little patch of pimples on the right side of her cheek and another reddening zit marks at the left side of her temple. But she had the most violet eyes he had ever seen and her hair was midnight black, shining with health even in the tight ponytail. His eyes traveled down and by just looking at her arms, he could very well tell that she was slender under the blue and white school uniform she had on. Although with the not-so perfect facial features, there was one thing about the girl that struck him the most.
She had the most beautiful hands he ever saw.
They were so white, smooth and creamy, in likeness to the color of milk. He saw long, elegant and tapering fingers on it with one finger being adorned with only a simple gold ring. The same goes with the nails on it. They were clean and filed perfectly, its length just enough to accentuate the lovely digits bearing them just right. It was a hand of— he frowned. Just now, he couldn't exactly put the words together. It was on the tip of his tongue. Just then, Suoh began to speak.
"Okay, let's start," he said kindly, reaching out to Nokoru's right to get the stack of papers there. He flipped through them no doubt looking the girl's resume.
"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" Nokoru asked politely, bringing his eyes to her face while Suoh looked. With that, the girl immediately looked away. As usual, their president was in his charming, "normal," self again, Akira mused.
"Yamato Reina desu," the girl answered shortly. She frowned upon noticing how Nokoru's eyes went down to her hands once again. Actually, just a while ago, she caught the charming feminist staring at her hands longer than usual. It made her feel very uneasy and awkward. With that, she curled her fingers closed, hiding them from his view.
"Konnichiwa Yamato-san," Nokoru replied, smiling engagingly at her. "I'm Imonoyama Nokoru," he added, unaware of her sudden action. Well, if he was, he didn't show it. Then he looked at the two boys sitting beside him. "This is Takamura Suoh, the Highschool Student Council Secretary and this," he looked over to his right, "is Ijuin Akira, the Council's Treasurer." He chuckled. "He's also the best cook in campus. Wait till you get a hold of his strawberry cake!"
Akira smiled with embarrassment. "Hajimemashite, Yamato-san!" he said, giving out one of his sunny smiles. Then he looked at Nokoru. "Na, Kaichou, that's too much!" he exclaimed.
She didn't say anything. She just gave them one quick glance, smiled a little, and nodded her acknowledgement. She turned away, fixing her eyes once again on the potted plant in the corner of the office.
"Uh anou," Suoh began uncertainly. He looked up at her. "I cannot seem to find your—"
"I didn't know that I have to prepare one," Reina replied. "Gomen."
With that, Suoh sighed, laying the stack of papers aside. "Oh well," he said absent-mindedly. This day had been so crazy that he couldn't really care less anymore. Some applicants were over-qualified, some were not. Some were boys but most of them are women. One applicant, a beautiful boy, made Suoh raise his eyebrow quite uncertainly when he saw the look he gave Nokoru. Others thought this was an audition for a play, others just took the opportunity to see Nokoru, who, nowadays could be rarely seen around campus except in the early mornings while going to school and in his classes. And now this, an applicant who didn't take the time to read the requirements and prepare her papers. It was nothing new to him now. Nothing could surprise him this day.
"So have you had any experience with student union jobs? Filing or perhaps research?" he asked again. In fact, he kept on asking all morning that he nearly drove himself nuts.
"No," she answered curtly.
Suoh waited for her to continue but when she looked away, he nodded. It was a sign that that was just her answer. He cleared his throat. "How about navigating the computer? Are you familiar with some of the applications. We need someone who's familiar with the Internet, for research and preferably with Word and Excel for filing," he continued.
"No." Another flat answer. "But I can type," she suddenly added.
Suoh looked at Nokoru then at the girl, his patience already running low. "What can you do then?" he asked, a little bit frustrated.
Reina looked at him. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Whatever you want me to do, I guess."
Suoh frowned while Akira looked on unsurely. The genki youth turned his eyes to Nokoru who was sitting there, just looking, not saying anything. He had this disturbing smile on his face and Akira was under the impression that something bizarre was going on inside the President's head.
"Well, Yamato-san, it does not work that way," Suoh replied patiently. "You should be qualified—"
"I can learn," she interrupted, this time there was a sharp lilt in her voice. Suoh stopped, surprised. "I'm a fast learner."
"I know you are but—" Suoh's voice told her that she was not qualified for the position. Her lower lip trembled at the thought. This was not going as she planned. She was clearly on the losing end.
"I can't give in without a fight", she thought, determinedly. At the thought of being kicked out of school and spending her life at home made her daringly arrogant.
With that she stood up abruptly. "Look," she started. She clenched her fist and looked at them, letting her eyes meet theirs for the first time. "I may not know about computers and student jobs or whatever but I did not come here to fawn and flirt and grovel like most people. I know who you guys are and the reputations you have. I just came here to work, that's all. And I—"
"Yamato-san, you do understand—"
"No, I don't understand," she cut in hotly. She knew it was just so wrong for her to act this way, be a sore loser and everything, but she just couldn't handle the pain of rejection. She took a deep breath. Well she had to face this sooner and later anyway, she realized. So why not now? Why prolong the agony? What's more, why did she try? With that, she turned to them bravely. "Do I get the job? Just say yes or no and I won't bother you again," she said, her voice tight.
Suoh looked at her then to his two companions unsurely. Akira swallowed hard, a sudden lump dropping onto his stomach. Apparently, this girl came in here and ruined the perfect, little peaceful world they had a while ago. Suoh was clearly on the verge of losing whatever was left of his patience and Nokoru was just looking on, quite amused at the on going scene before him. And he here was, not knowing what to do or say. But then again, it got him thinking, she had something that the others did not have. This girl had a certain spunk in her. She had an attitude that he had to give her credit for. Now, if she could just smile more often, then it would be a little better.
"Yes or no," she repeated, this time crossing her arms over her chest. She knew she was being a brat but this was terribly time consuming. She couldn't stand the suspense of waiting then getting a no for an answer.
Suoh was about to say something but Nokoru suddenly stood up. The boy looked up with confusion. "Okay, you got the job," he said, smiling.
There was a moment of frozen silence.
Snapping out of his trance, Suoh stood up as well. Seconds later, Akira did too. "Kaichou," he started. Then he looked at the bewildered face of Reina who looked like she was not sure if she heard the words right. He brought his attentions back to Nokoru, leaning a little towards him. "Are you sure?" he whispered. He was not about to disagree but to question his decision—
"Hai, hai," Nokoru answered cheerily. He walked towards Reina and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Yamato-san," he said warmly. Reina blinked and stupidly took his hand. He shook it gently, quite surprised at how soft and smooth they felt against his. "So, when can you start?" he asked, letting go of her hand almost reluctantly.
Then getting her wits back, she blinked. "I have something to ask of you in return of the job," she said, looking straight at him. Suoh shook his head. He just couldn't believe this! She was immediately demanding something and she hadn't even started her first day yet. And the ability to say it to Nokoru with a straight face— now that was something really…
"Hmm?" Nokoru replied questioningly.
"If it's not too much trouble for you," she started carefully. "Instead of compensating me the normal way for the job, I would just like to have your full assistance."
"Of course," Nokoru answered immediately. Evidently, he just couldn't say no to a woman. That was one of the attitudes he carried with him till his reached Highschool. "Whatever I can do to help," he added.
"We haven't even mentioned something about paying or compensating the new staff," Suoh cut in suddenly. He knew he sounded harsh, not to mention rude as well, but he was startling not to like the girl's disposition. She had the so-called "attitude."
"That's okay, Suoh," Nokoru admonished kindly. Then he chuckled. "It's only fair that we give her something in return for the work. It won't be that easy, I tell you." Then he turned to Reina once again. "Hai?" he asked.
"I need full recommendation from the Student Council allowing me to use the conservatory every day, two to three hours a day," she said. She looked down, suddenly finding her hands interesting. "I just need to practice."
Nokoru frowned thoughtfully. Then he smiled. "Done," he replied. At that, a smile lit up Reina's face. She looked up, smiling at him gratefully. Nokoru couldn't help but notice that she looked much better when she smiled. He hoped she would smile more often. "Anything else?" he asked.
She shook her head, her hair swinging from side to side. "Iie," she replied, her voice full of wonder and gratitude. "That's all. Thank you so much!"
"It was my pleasure, Yamato-san," he replied. "After all, I just couldn't say no to a lady," he added. Reina tried her best not to roll her eyes. There goes the famous saying again, she thought. Well, she was feeling so damn happy now that she completely forgot her cynical nature.
"Yokatta!" exclaimed Akira, his tall frame walking towards them. "I'd like to welcome you, Reina-chan," he added, extending his hand as well. Reina shook it, giving out one of her rare smiles. "I'm sure it will be a pleasure having you in the team."
She liked Akira almost immediately. With Nokoru, she had to tread carefully. There was something about this man that was so hard to predict. Half the time she couldn't even tell what's going on inside his mind. She was not even sure how crazy he was until now. Although glad with the turn of events, she was not entirely sure as to why he decided to hire her. And then there was the aloof Suoh. She liked him the least.
"Thank you, Akira-kun," she said. She looked at Suoh but upon receiving nothing but a nod of acceptance, she straightened up. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.
"If it's not too soon for you, yes," said Nokoru. "We have a lot of work to do as you can probably tell," he added, gesturing at the mound of papers sitting before the large window.
"I'll try my best," she replied. Then she gave them a bow, thanked them again one last time, turned around and exited the room. This was just the beginning, she thought. "I have a long way to."
Completely alone at last, Suoh walked over to where Nokoru was. He frowned thoughtfully. "Doushite Kaichou?" he asked. He knew that Nokoru could clearly see how unqualified Reina was for the job. But in spite of it all, he still chose her for the job. Akira looked on, intrigued as well.
"Yokatta, I remember now," he said suddenly. He gave a short laugh. "She's a pianist," he said loudly, remembering her lovely hands.
"Kaichou?" Akira asked. It appears that Nokoru was having his "moments" again.
Nokoru looked at him, smiling, pleased with himself. Then turning to Suoh, his face softened. "I couldn't exactly tell," he replied. How could he explain the look in her eyes. It was pleading and there was desperation in it. There was sadness. He was able to tell that Reina was trying her best to hide it, trying her best not to go down on her knees and beg… she was trying her best to be cool and unaffected. She was trying her best to be brave. He shook his head. "She really needed the job," he continued, remembering how her interview went compared to the interviews of the other applicants. "Out of all them, she was the one who badly needed it."
Suoh fell silent at this. He couldn't really argue with Nokoru upon realizing it as well.
Nokoru, in turn, smiled to himself. He walked towards his desk to sit and think quietly. She intrigued him. There was something going on about her, he could tell that. His curious nature prodded him to know. He couldn't exactly tell how badly it was but he was determined to find out.
End of Part II