Chapter 25

The ruddy light of a Saturday afternoon poured in through the slit windows of the office, illuminating the bookshelves and the layers of dust that covered them.

Kevin scribbled something down on his notepad then quickly referred to one of the many books in the room. His eyes darted over the page quickly for a quote and he jotted down the page and paragraph number. Squinting at the computer screen for a moment, Kevin sighed and rubbed his eyes before allowing himself a small feeling of triumph.

His professor, as usual, was nowhere to be found. Kevin's academic pursuits had been thoroughly foundered by his professor's persistent absence. He had no access to the preliminary research or monetary funds which his professor had procured for the assignment. Kevin did not expect there to be much anyway. Trips to visit the geisha were not cheap, and the near constancy which the man seemed to be at them told Kevin that he might have some methods of financing alternative to a professor's salary.

But the entrepreneurial instincts that had brought Kevin to Japan still burned true, and he was seeking to salvage what he could from his experience. His first move had been to access Amherst's alumni network, seeking people working in the Japanese cellphone industry. He had found two: one in engineering and one in marketing. The marketing contact had been particularly useful.

The alumnus was a junior vice president at NTT DoCoMo, the largest cell phone provider in Japan. Kevin had scheduled a lunch with the man, put on the bespoke suit, and laid out his mission statement. Kevin had easily explained that there was a clear confluence of interest. He needed the company ,and the company needed him.

Kevin then proposed a deal. He would require an immediate infusion of capital to continue his face-to-face interviews as well as cover any miscellaneous expenses that came along the way. In return, NTT DoCoMo would receive co-authorship rights to the paper and decent ground level market research as well as the beneficial public relations intangibles of supporting a worthy, academic effort.

When Kevin left the restaurant, he had within his hand a check for six million yen, access to all of the company's market research, and a job offer for after college.

He grinned humorlessly. It was definitely a job he wouldn't be taking.

Kevin pushed those thoughts from his mind and concentrated on the task at hand. He had sixty pages to write in the next couple of weeks and was still formulating the outline in his head.

As he contemplated Hashimoto's work on the cell phone's influence on Japanese culture, his own cell phone vibrated. With a palpable feeling of irony, Kevin plucked it from his pocket and scanned the text message on it.

"Shit!" he cried out and grabbed his book bag. With a sense of regret, he glanced at his work then scampered off to a forgotten meeting.

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He was late on purpose. She knew it.

Minako glanced impatiently at the clock and paced about the entryway like a caged animal. It was always vexing when Kevin was late...quite simply because he was never late. He was terribly deliberate about everything he did, from going to class to sipping a soda. Kevin had an intellectual force unmatched by most his age. She would hesitate to say he was as smart as Ami, but the fact that her friend had found him so easy to get along with spoke volumes about his intelligence and abilities. She found it difficult to believe that such a person could be accidentally tardy.

When she had called, he said that he had been at the university trying to catch up on some research he had been neglecting. It was a likely excuse, but one she couldn't really call him on. It infuriated her no to reasonable end.

To make matters worse, she knew in her heart that he didn't really do anything wrong in the first place; so, she had no justification in being this angry at him. That infuriated her even more.

She was busy fuming when the doorbell rang. Minako darted over and opened the door to see Kevin standing there. He was breathing heavily and a couple of drops of perspiration had formed on his forehead. "Hey."

Irritably, "What took you?"

"Lost track of the time. Sorry." He sat down heavily to take off his shoes.

With more than a hint of malice, she jested softly. "You're out of shape."

He replied in a low monotone that stung her more than screaming or sharpness could. "Your house is far away."

Minako glared at him and said venomously. "Well, it wouldn't be if you were on time."

Kevin straightened painfully and looked down at her. "I've already apologized. What more do you want from me, Minako-chan?"

And just like that he had shifted the guilt from his shoulders to hers. Easy as sneezing. She forced a smile and grabbed his arm. "I just want a tutor."

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Kevin skimmed through her paper, marking down her grammatical mistakes and logical jumps. The paper was actually on cell phones, a clear move to take advantage of his extensive knowledge of the subject. He shot her a look that said, 'Why am I not surprised?'

Minako returned a shrug and an innocent little smile. He grinned and shook his head.

"I really like your writing, actually."

She flopped down onto her back and stared at him upside down. "Really?"

"Really. You have a remarkable hand at description, and your prose is very clear. Just a few grammatical errors to clear up, and you can write your second draft."

"Whoa, hold onto that thought. What second draft?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Usually, you try to write a second draft that's an improvement on the first draft. And then you write a final draft. Which is the one you turn in."

"I dunno. Seems like a lot of work."

He shrugged. "I don't make the rules. I just abide by them."

"So, this is a rule?"

"It is now." They both laughed. Kevin leaned back in her computer chair then slipped out onto the floor.

Minako giggled madly. "That looks like fun." She rolled onto the floor with him, laughing hysterically the entire time.

"You know, I might feel a little more embarrassed if you hadn't made a fool of yourself along with me. Thanks for that."

"Anything for a friend."

Kevin closed his eyes and smiled. It was not long before he felt a weight on his chest. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the furry white face of a cat staring down at him. "Whoa. Hey, Artemis."

The cat meowed softly, then swatted at his nose with a paw.

"Ah, the cat likes you!" Minako sat up.

"If by likes, you mean bugs." Kevin picked Artemis up before sitting up himself and cradled the cat in the crook of his arm. "He's a magnificent looking cat. Had him for long?"

"A couple of years now. Feels like forever." She reached out to grab Artemis and hugged him close. "He's my baby."

"A sixteen year old with a baby. That's not something you like hearing often."

"Oh, shut up." Minako mock glared at, him and Kevin smiled easily.

Artemis hissed suddenly and swatted at her sleeve with bared claws. Minako yelped in surprise and dropped him to the floor. He scampered off into the adjoining bathroom with the girl in hot pursuit.

Kevin dropped his face into hand and sighed.

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The door slammed behind them and Minako hissed softly. "What the hell was that for?"

Artemis leaped onto the toilet then onto the sink. "To get you in here."

"Clever. Could you have done it without trying to shred my shirt?"

"Look, Minako. I'm not sure if you've noticed--"

"Drop it," she growled uncomfortably.

"Look, Minako-chan...he's a nice guy." The cat jumped and landed deftly on her shoulder. "Maybe you should give him a chance?"

"Artemis, not now." Minako's face twisted in pain. "I don't know how I feel about it yet. We're just now getting back on decent terms. I don't want to wreck it by thinking about him in that way."

"What happened at the ball that night was unfortunate. It was the wrong time and the wrong place. But that doesn't mean it's not right now or some time in the future. All I'm saying is think about it."

The voice of Minako's mother came sounded faintly through the door. "Minako! Dinner!"

Artemis slid off her shoulder and landed deftly on his feet. "Just think about it."

She stared at him for a second, trying to reconcile conflicting emotions then nodded and scampered out of the room.

Artemis allowed himself an accomplished smile before trotting out the open door.

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Minako's mother dried her hands with a dishtowel. "Kevin-san! I didn't know you were here!"

Kevin smiled wearily. "The paper took a little longer than expected, but it's almost done now. Minako can finish up the rest herself."

"I must say, Kevin-san, Minako's English has improved so much since you've begun tutoring her."

"Minako-chan is a hard worker. She makes my job easy."

The older woman placed her hands on her hips in disbelief. "My Minako? You're kidding."

"Not in the slightest." He glanced at his watch. "It is quite late. I really ought to be off to find myself some dinner."

"Nonsense. I can't have such a hardworking teacher go off by himself. I insist you stay tonight for dinner."

"Thank you, Aino-san. But I really ought to be--"

She almost glowered at him. "I insist."

Kevin gulped softly and nodded. "Thank you very much."