YUGIOH
The Times Between Darkness and Light
Chapter 6.
Kaiba offered a cold smirk, saying, "Unless you can get me out of here any faster, I doubt it. You really need to find someone who's been working here longer to be the one responsible of handling the customers and money on the way out, instead of this pathetic newb."
"Sir, I assure you all our people here are very professional and know how to do their job." The man said. "Now let me see what we have here."
He looked at the receipt log and the item. He then turned to the woman, asking, "Why is he being charged for 11 buckles here?"
"H-h-he....w-wants....ten more." She stuttered, and began to hiccup.
"She also tried not to charge me, and then turned around an attempted to double charge me. That's hardly what I call 'professional behavior'." Kaiba smirked.
Kaiba realized he was probably just delaying himself more. But somewhere along the line, this conversation came from annoying to amusing for him. With all the problems he had to deal with, he realized that torturing this poor girl and threatening a few people of their jobs might just be the relaxing moment he needed before beginning a stressful day at work. 'Why not? Let 'em squirm a little bit....' He thought.
Yet somewhere inside, he wondered if doing this was only reverting back to being as evil as before. But he quickly reminded himself that no matter how much he might want to change for Mokuba, going soft would be no way to run a business. If he was to continue to properly run Kaiba Corp, he was going to have to remain as the cold-hearted person he was before. He wasn't going to start second-guessing himself, now.
The manager looked at the employee lady for an excuse, who suddenly broke into tears and spouted off, "I'm so sorry!!!"
The manager wasn't sure why she was so broken up about this. Even if she made a mistake, that was no cause for her to get all teary-eyed over it. Accidents happen, and he knew she was not the type to steal from the company. "Well, from what I see sir, everything seems to be in order, so let me just get your card and your receipt, then you can simply sign...."
Suddenly the manager read the name, and glanced up at the man still glaring and seemingly annoyed at both of them.
'Good lord!' The man thought. "Uh....I'm sorry, sir. We seemed to have run out of paper on our end for our copy. Just give me a moment to refill the register paper, and everything will be taken care of, momentarily."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are you talking about? All the information on receipts for your customers are computerized. The only paperwork that goes to you is 'my' signature."
The woman was still too distraught, and Kaiba was on the other side, unable to see the man push the alarm button under the counter. "And how would you know that, sir? Perhaps you were an employee here? Well, since that time, we have had a change-over and we do things a bit differently, now."
"Employee??" Kaiba asked. "Tell me, Mr. Watagaski…" Kaiba said, reading the man's name on his manager pin. "Did you even bother to read the credit card in your hand? Because if you did, then maybe you would be able to figure out that I am hardly what you would consider to be some peon employee!"
The woman now looked up equally shocked that her boss called the CEO an employee, wondering if he was looking to be fired. Then she noticed the alarm button flashing and became more shocked. 'But....he 'is' the boss! Isn't he?' She thought. But assuming her boss knew more than her, she now began to wonder if she had been duped into thinking it was him, when it wasn't.
"....and unless there's been some drastic changes in the last two weeks, then I highly doubt your register's been changed from the system that I ordered to have placed here." Kaiba continued to spout. He was quickly not liking this manager. "So, what's with the delay, unless...." Suddenly it clicked why an employee would delay, and noticed the nervous look on the manager's face as Kaiba realized what was happening.
"Wait a minute. You have the nerve to think I'm just some...." Kaiba began to spout with growing anger, until he was suddenly surrounded with uniforms holding guns.
"Freeze, right there!" The men said, causing quite an eye-catcher by the other customers and employees around, and slowly forming a crowd.
'Great....that's all I need is the papers to say 'Kaiba tries to steal from his own Company'. This manager's head is mine!' Kaiba thought. He scowled and crossed his arms, glaring down at the manager. "Do you have any idea what kind of negative press you just caused my business, you moron??"
"What is the problem?" One of the guards asked the manager.
"This man here is trying to pass himself off as Seto Kaiba." The manager spouted, showing the guard Kaiba's credit card.
The guard looked at the manager, then at the card, finally over at Kaiba, asking, "Do you have any idea who's credit card this belongs to?" As if he was asking a stranger who was dumb enough to pick the wrong credit card to steal.
"Of course I know who's card that is. And unless you're not interested in getting paid this week, I suggest you stop pointing those guns at me, now!" Kaiba snapped angrily.
The guard hesitated, realizing the man was not backing down, and had no intention of admitting he was anyone else but Seto Kaiba, himself. 'He couldn't be....could he?' The guard thought. The guard worked here, and really never had a good look at the head CEO, except for newspapers. And the pictures they did see of him looked a lot different.
The guard looked at the other guards, asking, "Can anyone confirm who he claims to be?"
"You got to be kidding me!" Kaiba snapped. Did he really look 'that' different? Maybe it was the hair....
"Sir, no offense but....do you have a license to confirm who you are?" The guard asked.
Looking un-amused, Kaiba pulled out his wallet and then his license, handing it to the guard, then crossing his arms in defiance.
The guard looked at the picture, which was indeed a very different look, then at Kaiba, then back and forth. As he did that, the manager spat out, "I know for sure that the CEO of the company has green hair!"
"It was a phase....I lost interest." Kaiba answered coldly. "....not that it's anyone's business." He then turned to the manager, saying, "By the way, when this is over, you're fired." He then turned to the confused cashier, asking, "I never got an answer on my question. How long have you worked here?"
The woman now decided it was not worth taking a chance of this being the real deal, and despite the manager ordering her not to answer, she quickly said to him, "Nine months, sir."
"What is your name?" Kaiba then asked.
"We do not need to give away any information on our employees to some thief!" The manager spouted back.
But she quickly spouted, anyway, "Veronica Mattana!"
Kaiba quirked a smile, saying, "You know what, Veronica? I changed my mind about you. I think I like you, after all. You seem to be the only one that recognized me, as sad as that seems. When I'm done firing all these people, I'm going to make you the manager of this store."
"Really??" She asked, excitedly.
"Ridiculous! You might have conned some peon nobody, but you haven't conned the rest of the store!" The manager said.
Suddenly the guard handed both cards back to Kaiba, hand shaking. He had realized except for the change in hair color and outfit, he looked just like the man in the license. And even one of the guards were beginning to mutter, "I think that's really him, boss."
"P-please, sir....it was a simple mistake. My apologies." The head guard said, as they lowered their weapons.
"What are you doing? That's not Seto Kaiba! That guy's supposed to still be in a coma!" The manager spat.
"I recovered." Kaiba stated.
Quickly taking Kaiba's side, in hopes to not lose their jobs, the head guard asked, "Master Kaiba…if you would like, we would be more than happy to escort Mr. Watagaski from the premises, sir."
"Please do." Kaiba said. He then said to the ex-manager, "You can gather anything that is yours on Friday, when you get your final check....with a guard to escort you, of course. We wouldn't want you stealing anything, after all."
"But....but....you can't be! Hey, get your hands off of me! I'm the manager of this store! Let go!!" The man said, flailing, as the guards were more than happy to boot him from the place.
The woman, having a much more professional attitude now, moved the receipt over to him, saying, "If you will just sign here, sir."
Kaiba signed, then informed security to make sure everyone's aware of her promotion and the other man no longer working there. He then took his buckle and left. In his car, he made sure to put in on, before heading to work, wondering if he'll end up having similar trouble at the office.
He did want to look drastically different, but didn't want problems being recognized, either. He decided that they'd figure it out, and it wouldn't take long before they got used to his new look....since he had no intention on going back to the old look ever again.
