Scene Six: Reservations
"That is so crazy! You're saying you haven't seen one at all?"
"No way, I heard you can find one at practically every corner."
Asuka rolled her eyes at the screen. "No, seriously. How many times do I have to tell you two? I haven't met any movie stars."
Momoe pouted. "That's too bad. I thought you'd bring back some autographs."
"Or maybe you've already seen a celeb," said Junko, shuffling to make room for herself in the camera. "They're probably just incognito. All the cool celebs do it."
"Probably," Asuka half-heartedly agreed, remembering Edo's unique "disguise" at the airport. "Anyway, I haven't exactly had time for celebrity-stalking or any kind of sightseeing really. Things have been pretty busy at I^2."
Momoe gave her a sympathetic look. "And here I thought you were having way more fun than us."
Asuka was actually surprised how busy things at the office were turning out, but that was to be expected since Pegasus made the tournament announcement last worked at the office every day, including Saturdays, making preparations.
And Asuka was ashamed to admit it, but she had spent her day off today mostly sleeping around. She didn't even feel like getting groceries, so her fridge was nearly empty. Here she was, lying on her bed with a bag of potato chips, talking to her two girlfriends. Tonight was the first time they got to talk since she came to California. Luckily with the way their timezones were set up, Junko and Momoe had just enough time to video chat with her while they were on lunch break from their teaching seminar.
"Oh please Momoe," Junko interjected. "This is Asuka we're talking about!"
Asuka gave the brunette a no-nonsense look. "And just what is that supposed to mean, Junko?"
"Hey don't get us wrong," Momoe started, "you're amazing and we love you-"
"But seriously, you have no idea how to have fun," Junko finished. "Really."
Asuka dropped her jaw, affronted. "That's not true! I've got more than enough fun and excitement around here."
"Like what?" They both asked.
"Like how I ran into Edo Phoenix," she smugly replied, then instantly regretted it.
"You WHAT?"
"Junko! Keep your voice down!"
"I can't, I'm freaking out here! Asuka…how can you keep a big secret like that from us?"
Junko and Momoe both had the expressions of kids finding coal in their Christmas stockings.
Asuka sighed.
"Because there's nothing to hide. We just ran into each other a couple times. First at the airport then at Pegasus' party. You know, the one where he announced the World Championship Tournament."
"Oh I remember that," said Momoe.
"And? What'd you guys talk about?" Junko was clearly focused on the matter at hand.
"Not much. Small talk really," Asuka slowly responded. "I think he was more annoyed about the attention we were attracting more than anything."
"Hmm, that makes sense," Momoe thoughtfully said. "He probably gets harassed by fans on a daily basis. Since's he's so dreamy."
"Right. And our Asuka's no ordinary fangirl!" Junko placed her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face. "He was probably annoyed that he couldn't get you alone, to sweep you off your feet on a whirlwind romance."
"Oh my goodness…" Momoe's eyes took on a wistful gleam. "That so sounds like something Edo would do!"
Asuka decided to put an end to their idealism-ridden theories. "Nothing of the sort happened. In fact, he just dropped by at my work last month and point-blank propositioned me on a date."
"Really?" The other two girls joined their hands together. "That's so COOL!"
"Yeah well." Asuka's voice was coy mixed with trepidation. "I turned him down."
Junko and Momoe both blinked. If they had been outdoors, crickets would have no doubt chirped.
"Sorry what was that?" asked Momoe, as if the connection signal had dropped. When the screen was perfectly clear.
"Yeah, I didn't quite catch that." Junko narrowed her eyes. "I could have SWORN you just said you turned down the Pro Duelist League's most eligible bachelor!"
"Because I just did," Asuka wearily said, knowing her girlfriends wouldn't be satisfied with such a succinct explanation.
"How COULD you?" Junko cried out, looking like she'd just been slapped in the face.
"After he went all the way to work just to see you," said Momoe, her eyes nearly in tears.
Asuka rolled her eyes at their histrionics. "He was there to see Pegasus actually. Anyway, I doubt he asked me out because he genuinely had feelings for me. He probably figured we'd look good together or some superficial reason like that."
"Well you would," said Momoe, clutching her hands to her heart. "Is that so wrong?"
"Just because Edo Phoenix is a total heartthrob does not mean he only cares about looks," Junko pressed. "He's not heartless."
"No, he's not heartless," Asuka had to admit. "But he places a great deal of value in his image. An image that includes dating literal supermodels."
"Supermodels? Hah!" Junko scoffed. "Those girls don't even have a fourth of your brains! I mean, just take a look at the bimbo he's going out with now. The only time her brain probably works is when she thinks of the buckets of makeup to apply to her face!"
"I know right?" said Momoe. "I can't believe she's like Pegasus' niece. It's like she inherited nothing from him!"
"Except excessive flamboyance," Junko added, laughing.
"Really girls, do we have to talk about her all day?" It was bad enough that she had to see article headlines with pictures of Edo and Nina with their arms always interlocked. The magazines were delivered to the office every week and her coworkers were such rowdy gossips. Didn't they have anything better to do, like plan a prestigous worldwide tournament?
"Please Asuka." Junko gave her a look of pity. "Jealousy is so beneath you."
"I'm not jealous at all. Especially not of Nina Crawford." Asuka could say that with near certainty. "Besides, I'm not that interested in dating right now. I've got my career to consider."
"So you've said. Many times." Momoe shook her head with an amused smile. "You're lucky Fubuki didn't hear about your rejection. He'd be absolutely heartbroken."
Asuka groaned. "Ugh, tell me about it." She wouldn't hear the end of it from her brother either. He would bemoan how Asuka would never meet the One if she didn't "put herself out there." She could only hope that he didn't drop by on an unannounced visit, since he was currently in Hawaii at surfing camp.
"Poor Edo," said Junko, leaning her head onto her hand. "Nina's totally wasted on him, who knows when he'll realize you're the one for him? After you've wounded his pride like that."
"I think he'll live," Asuka casually intoned, reaching for the bag of potato chips beside her.
She then heard a bell faintly ringing in the distance. Junko and Momoe gave each other concerned looks.
"We should probably get going," Momoe told Asuka. "Assistant Professor Misawa's a stickler for punctuality."
"Wait, Misawa's the one teaching you about becoming dueling teachers?" Asuka didn't even know he had returned from his foray into the other dimension.
"Yeah, he's pretty good," said Junko, gathering her books. "Why didn't I notice before how attractive he is?"
Asuka softly laughed. She missed hanging out with her girlfriends on a daily basis, more than she had realized. "Okay you two, take care."
"Bye!" Momoe waved. "Hope you run into another famous person."
"Just as long as you don't break another heart!" Junko playfully warned, before the screen cut to black.
Flipping her laptop lid shut, Asuka leaned back against her thin, cheap pillow and mulled over the conversation she just had. While she couldn't claim she knew Edo Phoenix all that well, she figured she knew enough to wager that he wasn't that interested in her.
She appreciated Junko and Momoe for their support, but they were way in over their heads on the matter. Edo was not pining away for her or anything silly like that. Two days after their little exchange, an article was published about how he was seen with Nina at some posh restaurant. But not before Nina had called her during work to fill in Asuka on the "amazing" news.
She just wanted to get through the summer without hearing another word about Edo and Nina's personal lives. A task that was proving sorely impossible.
"Here we are." The waiter approached the couple with two elaborate gourmet dishes.
"Filet mignon for the lady." Nina critically eyed her meal, before reaching for her silverware.
"And for you, sir, the tuna tartare." The waiter deposited the raw fish in front of Edo.
"Thanks," he said, giving the man a curt nod.
Nina scrunched her nose at the tuna. "I still think you should have gotten something hot."
"It's fine," was Edo's perfunctory response. "As I said, I'm not in the mood for meat tonight."
"Will that be all for now?" asked the waiter, smiling despite nervously wringing his hands.
Just as Edo was about to say no, Nina chimed in.
"Just a moment." She took a microscopic bite out of her steak, barely chewing it before saying, "Is this medium rare?"
The waiter visibly paled. "The filet is cooked medium well, miss. When you ordered, you simply said you wanted the steak cooked medium, without further specification."
"Ah!" Nina smiled in false understanding. "I see where the mix-up was."
Her smile then dropped into a set frown.
"Have the chef remake this." She nearly shoved the plate off the table.
Edo could feel his veins throbbing. "Is that really necessary, sweetheart? The restaurant's busy tonight, you'll probably have to wait at least another half-hour."
Nina scoffed. "He made a mistake. When I say medium, I mean medium-rare." She shot a glare at the waiter. "He should have asked for clarification if he was so confused."
The waiter gave her a humble bow. "My apologies, miss. I will inform the chef right away to prepare another dish." After years of working in such a fine establishment, the man knew better than to object and potentially cause an outburst.
That didn't stop him from giving Edo a wearisome look as he walked away with the discarded dish. Edo returned him a look of apology, but internally scoffed. It was as if he was to blame for his girlfriend being a highstrung headcase.
Still, he thought as he started eating his tuna tartare, he will be sure to leave the guy a generous tip.
"This place has definitely gone downhill," declared Nina, placing her elbows on the table. "The staff wasn't always this incompetent."
She looked around for a few moments, as if her new order would magically be ready.
She then pointed at his tuna. "Hey are you going to eat all of that?"
Edo had dined out with the woman far too many times over the past month to know that was going to happen.
He indifferently set aside a portion. "Help yourself."
They didn't leave the restaurant until almost ten at night. Once Nina received her medium-rare filet mignon, she took forever to eat it. And ended up with more than half of the meat leftover anyway.
Edo stopped his car in front of Nina's house, an ostentatious mansion in Beverly Hills.
"Well?" He asked, waiting for her to get out.
Instead, Nina leaned closer to him. "Wouldn't you like to come inside?" She tried to sound sexy.
Edo was not the least receptive to her ploy. "Can't. I've got to get up early tomorrow for a match."
She huffed. "You always have a match!"
"Almost like I'm a professional duelist," was his monotonous reply.
He reached to peck her cheek, hardly touching her skin.
"I'll give you a call after it ends."
Nina clicked the car door open. "I'll be waiting." She gave her hair a flip and walked out.
Once he saw her enter the house, Edo pressed the first button on his speed-dial.
Emeralda answered after the first ring. "You're calling rather late. Did you want to run by me again the stats for the guy you're facing?"
"I have to break up with her," he said. "Soon." Nina was a migraine in ditzy human form.
Emeralda sighed over the line. She saw the couple interact enough times to know that compatibility wasn't in the cards. Not that she had any hopes of it before they started dating.
"You'll have to wait until after the Expo at least," she said. "It's due to be the biggest event of the summer and extremely crucial for the face of Industrial Illusions."
"I don't need any reminder about that," said Edo, having discussed the subject matter plenty with Pegasus.
The Expo wasn't until next weekend. He had to survive Nina until then. As much as he would have liked to book as many Pro League matches as possible within the coming week, Emeralda wouldn't have him depleting his stamina.
"You've done well so far," she reassured him. "Of course I expecting nothing less but you have behaved like the perfect gentleman. She shouldn't complain when things come to an end. Much."
He pressed his fingers against his forehead. "Riight. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll email your schedule in the morning. Goodnight."
Leave it to Emeralda to begin and end the conversation with business. As he drove home, Edo's thoughts drifted towards a girl he would have rather spent the month with. He had and still felt guilty about brushing Asuka aside the way he did. Unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of a rejection, he had reacted defensively as a reflex.
Since I^2 was sponsoring the Expo, she'll probably be there. Edo resolved to apologize to her, as soon as they had a moment alone. It was the least he could do to show her he wasn't a complete jerk.
Asuka knocked twice on the oaken doors.
"Who is it?" called out a singsong voice.
She gulped. "It's Asuka Tenjouin. You uh, wanted to see me sir?"
"Yes!" The sudden exclamation made her jump. "Entrez-vous, please."
She pushed the doors open, finding them quite heavy.
Pegasus' office was unsurprisingly more spacious than the employee offices. It also had a glass ceiling providing much needed sunlight, since the wide windows were covered by thick red drapes. The walls were almost entirely lined with bookcases. Asuka found herself staring at the books; most had old-style bounding and ornate titles.
"Forgive me for not showing you my quarters earlier," said Pegasus. He sat reclined on a thick leather chair, drinking out of a gold goblet and amusingly watching her gaze in wonder. "I'm usually so tied up over my affairs."
Asuka's face flushed. "It's a very lovely room." She hoped she hadn't come across as too prying, what with her looking at everything so intently.
Pegasus gave her a wistful smile. "Yes, it's identical to my home study. My wife often made the same remark."
"I see." It was like Pegasus couldn't hear her anymore. He was seemingly reliving a long-ago memory.
Asuka awkwardly shifted her foot. "Um, sir? Was there something you wished to discuss with me?"
"Oh!" He blinked out of his melancholic daze. "Of course. Please, sit." With a large smile that popped out of nowhere, he gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
As soon as she sat down, he opened his bottom drawer and took out an open red bottle. "Care for some wine?"
She shook her head. "No thank you."
Pegasus gave her a look as he poured himself a second helping.
"It's just a little early is all," she added, in case he thought her impolite for refusing. "Oh and I'm technically underage."
"I was told you're a diligent worker," he thoughtfully commented. "The folks in Research and Development have only positive things to say about you. To think you've only been with us a short month!"
Asuka smiled, albeit nervously. "Thank you, Mr. Crawford. I really appreciate the sentiment, just doing my job." She wished he'd get to the point already.
"And that's nothing to scoff about. But I digress. Asuka, I've summoned you here because I've a request to ask of you."
"What is it?" With these CEO types, it could be anything.
He raised his glass as if making a toast. "You must be aware of the Young Duelists Exposition coming up next weekend, yes?"
She nodded. "Sure, it's an event that showcases the Pro League's most talented and up-and-coming duelists under the age of 25."
"Precisely!" Pegasus took a hearty sip of wine before continuing. "It's a chance for competitive duelists, both fledglings and rising stars, to receive healthy exposure and recognition. And." he winked. "That goes for us, too."
He pointed at her. "That's where you come in, my dear. I would like you to act as Industrial Illusion's representative and interview the star of the show at the Expo. Edo Phoenix!"
Asuka paled. "I beg your pardon?" She felt her jaw on the verge of dropping. "You would like me to interview Edo Phoenix?"
"Well why on earth not?" Pegasus shrugged as if it were the easiest request in the world. "I hear you graduated at the top of your class at Duel Academia. One might say you were a bit of a celebrity yourself there. I've known Edo for years. Great kid, unfortunately the media quite loves to hound him. I think he would appreciate being interviewed by a fellow talented young duelist. One who would empathize how he feels in the spotlight. Better yet, I understand you two are already acquainted! You two were classmates, correct?"
"Uh, not exactly." She didn't recall a single instance where Edo attended a class. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't know if this is such a good idea. I mean, I have no experience in journalism!"
She was aware how desperate she must sound, but she couldn't go through what he was asking of her.
"Don't fret about inexperience, Asuka," he said. "Just speak to him as you would with any other friend. Well." He let out a merry laugh. "Ignoring the fact you'll be surrounded by cameras and fans alike."
Seeing Asuka's visible discomfort, he sobered. "You can do this. I, along with the rest of my company, am counting on you."
Those so-encouraging words sealed the nail in the coffin for Asuka. Bad enough she had to face Edo so soon after their awkward last conversation, she was about to get him up-close and personal.
A/N: Wow, this chapter turned out longer than I expected! Since I handwrite before transcribing to my computer, I usually have no idea what the word count might be. But I think it turned out okay, especially the girl talk with Junko and Momoe. And now, I gotta think about what's gonna happen at this interview! ^^ Thanks for reading.