A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Chapter 3 of this story :-) hope everyone has been having a nice post-Christmas (or pre-Christmas, depending on where you are) rest. I'm just chilling at home with my fam and will be returning back to where I live tomorrow :-)
Paperbound
x
Chapter 3
''He is so buff, are you sure you don't want to go out with him?''
She rolls her eyes for the fifth time that morning and bites down on her toast just that little bit harder. ''Yes, I am sure. I've told you, I don't have time right now and I'm seeing Kankuro.''
''Yes, but,'' he presses on further, ''are you sure? Although I do like Kankuro, my guy is way hotter. And richer.''
She rips the bread apart viciously down the middle with perfect precision and lobs one half at his face. He ducks, and the slab goes flying onto the kitchen door. As it's sliding down the glass and leaving a buttery trail in its wake, she shrugs on her coat and grabs her keys by the door.
''Kankuro's dick will suffice for now, Lee,'' she says with a sweet look back over her shoulder, her eyes playfully gleaming in the light of the hallway. ''But thank you.''
He takes a swig of his protein shake. ''Always thinking of the best for you, my youthful roommate!''
She hears him laughing to himself when she shuts the door and silently praises the lord that he's working late today - any more talk of this 'mysterious catch' and Lee would be catching hands.
Gathering her thick skirt with her left hand, she quickly makes her way up the stairs outside her apartment complex and heads in the direction of Makuhari station.
Her walk to the platform is uneventful, save the stop at her local bakery to grab a coffee and a Manchester tart, and she hurries onto the train when the doors open (it was rush hour and she was going to keep this dessert in one piece if her life depended on it). Settling her skirt around her, she rests her back against the seat and takes a sip of her mocha. The chocolate is strong, and she relishes in the smoothness of it.
Next stop is Kinshicho. The next stop is Kinshicho. Please take care when leaving the train and remember to take all your belongings with you.
As the last of her custard treat passes her lips and dissolves on her tongue, she glances out the window and sighs. Today was the day of the Hyuuga proposal meeting, and Tenten wasn't sure what to expect.
When Kankuro very politely dropped her off at her house after their date (turns out she wasn't even that horny when she left the vicinity of the restaurant, oddly enough), she spent the next hour at home curled up on her sofa researching the Hyuuga Capital Group in hopes of understanding the company past the surface-level veil of 'Hinata's dad's scary company'.
Tenten had to admit, Hinata's dad - Hiashi - was one impressive dude. Managing to raise the company's revenue by a whopping 33% in the 90s during the years following Japan's bubble collapse was one thing, but also juggling being the head of the freakin' Hyuuga Clan and raising two kids at the same time was another. Tenten had almost choked on her own spit when she read his estimated net worth.
Brown eyes drift down to a newspaper abandoned on the seat next to her and she skims through the headlines with mild interest.
Neji Hyuuga gives speech at Yokohama Business Summit.
Ah, yes. Neji Hyuuga.
She didn't have the energy to research the famed nephew of the elder Hyuuga: by the time she had finished trawling through their company's strategies (innovation blah blah cutting-edge technology blah blah something about assets blah blah) and stalked Hiashi's wife on the internet (is it really a crime to read through your friend's mum's food blog? Makoto made some bangin' rou jia mo), she had totally forgotten to look at key people within the company.
Ah well, she figured, it probably didn't matter - they were all freakishly similar Hyuuga clones at the end of the day, so did she really need to know every individual one?
Next stop is Tokyo Station. Next stop is Tokyo Station.
Dusting the crumbs off her clothes with her hands, she exits the carriage and walks towards the red Marunouchi line heading towards Shibuya.
By the time she arrives at her office, she finds Sakura and Ino chatting away feverishly at her desk.
''Morning, guys,'' she says as she unwraps the thick scarf from her neck. She frowns when her neck begins to heat up - the air con was too hot again.
Ino whips round and flips her hair over her shoulder. ''There you are, finally. Guess what?'' There's a slight blush in her cheeks, Tenten notes, but she doesn't question this as she dumps her bag onto the table.
''Hello to you, too,'' Tenten laughs and folds her scarf neatly into her bag. ''Let me guess,'' she looks at Sakura, who is looking at Ino, who is looking at her. ''You slept with Sasori again?''
''Oh, he's old news,'' Ino dismisses with a frown and a manicured hand. Tenten smirks in response - silly her for thinking Ino was in it for the long haul. ''He kept trying to text me and it's like, baby, just because I slept with you doesn't mean I'm going to date you.''
''Well,'' Tenten says as she plops into the seat, ''Can't blame the guy for trying. You know how withdrawn he's been since that girl from the journals department broke up with him years ago.''
''Girl,'' Ino scoffs, ''do I look like a therapist?''
Sakura hums in response. ''Yeah, it's not your problem. But I was pretty excited to watch an office romance unfold.''
Ino scoffs. ''Me? Caught up in an office romance? Never. You know what they say, ladies,'' she lectures them with a wag of her bony finger, ''never shit where you eat.''
Tenten grimaces and opens her laptop. ''Wasn't planning on it. Anyway, what were you going to tell me?''
Ino's grin suddenly becomes even wider (Tenten thinks the rows of pearly whites perfectly emulate those of a great white shark bearing a sly grin) and she squeals. ''I just ran into an old family friend downstairs in the lobby. Turns out, he's here with the Hyuuga people you're having a meeting with later.''
''Oh?'' Tenten's ears perk up at the sound of this and she stops mid-type. ''Which family friend?''
''Our parents went to high school together and I remember I used to go to his house as a kid to swim in his pool,'' she recounts. ''I recognized him sitting downstairs in the lobby and we got chatting. He moved away to Kobe during high school, and now he's working as a strategy consultant at Hyuuga Capital Group.''
''What a small world,'' Sakura muses with a thoughtful look on her face before looking at Tenten. ''This means if Tenten gets the project then she'll be working with a familiar face.''
''I still don't really understand why they've asked the Psychology list to sit in on this,'' Tenten finally butts in with a frown. ''Especially when there's an Economics list and, not to mention, an actual Business and Management list.''
''Business psychology is a up-and-coming genre, Ten,'' Sakura offers with a shrug of her shoulders, ''so you never know.''
Tenten purses her lips in thought. Maybe Sakura was right.
''Anyways,'' the blonde says and lifts herself up gently from her seat, ''I'm off. I'll see you both later on at lunch?''
''Ah, I can't,'' Sakura pouts, ''I'm meeting Sasuke for Vietnamese food.''
''Boo, you whore,'' Ino frowns before settling her gaze on Tenten, ''you?''
Tenten shakes her head. ''I've got to run over some more research about the Hyuuga Group and finish off some work from yesterday, so I'll be eating at my desk.''
Ino groans and slings her handbag over her shoulder deftly. ''You all suck. I swear to Kami if I end up sitting with Sasori and he proposes to me, I'll never forgive you guys.''
''Well,'' Tenten giggles with a cunning expression on her face, ''we'll make sure to look nice for the wedding.''
So apparently, none of them knew what to expect.
Shino had come to find her at lunch (he had asked why she was hunched over intensely reading a mapo tofu recipe on her laptop and she said it was 'Hyuuga research') to explain in more detail what the meeting would consist of.
This initial meeting was supposed to be the first of many where the editors of the different lists and various Hyuuga representatives come together and figure out a more solidified proposal and thus decide on which list to publish with.
''Oh, I see,'' she had said, eyeing the red sauce in the photo, ''that makes sense.''
Walking up to the Leaf meeting room sporting a small red stain from where she dropped her pasta on her skirt an hour ago (she forgot to pack a fork and had to use her knife like a classy bitch), she puts her hand on the door knob and pauses.
No need to be nervous. This is only the first initial meeting of many.
Brushing her hair from her eyes, she opens the door gently.
Two pairs of lavender and four pairs of less-remarkable eyes settle on her figure as she quietly slips in and bows.
''Hi,'' she quickly greets the seated panel - a mix of Hyuuga and non-Hyuuga - with a big grin. ''I'm Tenten Zhang.'' Her eyes scan the room and she quickly squeezes into the seat between Shino and Gaara. Despite there being five minutes left until the meeting started, everyone had already arrived with their notepads and stationery out.
'Hi, Gaara,'' she breathily greets the Business list editor. He nods in response and begins writing the date on the corner of his notebook.
Two seats down from Gaara and furiously scribbling notes was Anko, the publisher for the Economics list. Tenten begins to take out her own notepad from her bag (she silently curses herself for bringing her Sailor Moon-themed one today) and focuses her gaze on the three men sitting directly opposite her.
The older man - her eyes flick down to read 'Koji Hyuuga' on his name card - was silently staring ahead. He was wearing a black suit and tie and sported long hair, a staple style of many of the older Hyuuga men. She tries not to stare too long at him, noting that the air around him exuded the Hyuuga stoniness that permeated through their online photos just as much as it did in person.
Next, the non-Hyuuga man. Her eyes glance down at his name card. Shikamaru Nara.
Interesting, she thinks when she studies his casual dress shirt and pineapple-hairstyle, so this is the dude Ino used to play with as a kid. She's impressed when he picks up on her inconspicuously inquisitive stare with a slight brow raise.
Quickly, she moves her gaze along to the younger Hyuuga man at the end. Tokuma Hyuuga, according to his name card. Tenten slowly reverts her eyes back up to his face and uncharacteristically short hair, save from his bangs. He's around her age, maybe a few years older, and Tenten recalls seeing his name on their website under the 'Business Consulting' page. She fights back a smile.
Sakura was right; there was going to be Hyuuga eye candy to ogle at.
''Since everybody is here,'' Koji begins, ''let's get started.''
The next forty minutes of the meeting passes quickly in a blur of PowerPoint slides, pale eyes flicking back and forth, and Anko asking ''Could we fit more statistics in these chapters?'' every ten minutes.
Tenten's shoulders slant in resignation as she glances at the bold letters 'Statistics and Global Finance' on the screen.
''What we're saying is,'' Tokuma says as he clicks off the last slide in his presentation, ''we're open to pushing the book topics into more Management areas, such as Business Analytics, or Macroeconomics in Banking for the Economics list.'' He pauses before turning to look at Shino and Tenten, ''We were discussing Business Psychology as a topic, but with the rise in publications in that subject area this year to compete with, we think that would it be a project for future endeavors.''
She nods in understanding and tries to not let her disappointment show through: Business Psychology was a rising topic in Japan, and many of their competitors jumped at this opportunity to publish pioneering books in this area.
She wouldn't even be able to guarantee that their book would sell well on their list due to the high level of competition, even if they did have the prestigious Hyuuga name stamp on it.
''We understand,'' Shino says - and again, Tenten can't gauge what emotions he's feeling, ''it's a very tough market right now for this subject area. I believe our competitors, Aoyama Publica-''
''Apologies.''
Before Shino could finish his sentence about how their competitors sold a whopping record-breaking 5,000 copies in its first four months, the door opens and in walks a man with pale skin and long hair. She glances towards the door, eyes travelling from his smart briefcase to his purple tie to his face...and her breathing hitches.
''Ah, Neji-san. I wasn't aware you were joining us,'' Koji says in surprise as he stands up and bows. ''Hiashi informed me you were preoccupied.''.
''Here,'' Shikamaru pulls out the chair next to him. ''There's space next to me.''
The loud beating of her heart barely muffles the words 'meeting' and 'overran', and she casts her eyes down to her notepad where Sailor Mars is staring intently back at her, almost in glee.
''Thank you.''
Brown eyes flicker up again - she had to make sure they weren't playing a joke on her - and she quickly reverts them back to her hands when he seats himself firmly opposite her. The guy she managed to cross paths with twice yesterday and the dude she thought about last night when she was, uh, alone in bed at night, was Hinata's cousin and heir to the freakin' Hyuuga Group.
And now...a possible business partner?
Oh wait, she remembers suddenly, they're not using our list.
Pursing her lips at the slight disappointment in her stomach (she tells herself it's because of the money, not him), she lifts her eyes up and sees him staring at her. Before she can even cast him an amused smile at the absurdity of the situation, he tears his pearl eyes away and she wonders if she imagined the faint flicker of surprise on his face.
''I apologise once again,'' he repeats in his smooth baritone voice and Tenten feels something inside her stir. He takes a seat effortlessly next to Shikamaru and pulls out a laptop. ''Where were we up to?''
Her eyes glance at his pristine MacBook (the latest model, she notes), and she watches as his fingers start sliding elegantly over the keyboard.
''We've decided that we are going to be going ahead with writing a proposal for either the Business and Management list or the Economics list,'' Tokuma explains smoothly, and Tenten contemplates if there is any other emotion in the Hyuuga expression bank except for deadpan and uninterested. ''The Business Psychology route is too risky, as there is a lot of competition at the moment.''
Neji pauses, as if in thought, and nods. ''That seems sensible. Aoyama Publications published Business Psychology in Modern Japan in April and Takemoto & Fuiji did well with The Handbook of Nippon Business Psychology in Q2, so I imagine most professors have already adopted those titles for their upcoming classes next year.''
''Exactly,'' Anko butts in with a large smile. ''Which is why I think the Economics list would be a good fit. I've commissioned many books that cover statistics and macroeconomics in business, so rest assured you'd be in experienced hands.''
Tenten notices the way she's looking at him as though she wants to eat him and holds back a snort. Neji catches sight of this, and she quickly bites on her lip and hides her face behind her hand.
''Well,'' a deep voice begins, and Tenten looks up and realises it's Shikamaru. He had been observing quietly for the majority of the meeting and she swears he was even napping at one point.
''To best drive sales,'' he begins with a tired drawl, ''we need to have equal focus on both Japanese and international business. The unique quality about the Hyuuga Capital Group is that it's highly successful in both the East and West, and many international management classes would adopt this book.''
Neji nods, looks at his laptop, and types something quickly. Tenten glances at Shino to her left and chews on the inside of her cheek in boredom. He's looking just as emotionless as she is, and she can't wait to get out of there and back to the comfort of her own desk.
As Shikamaru continues on explaining his strategy for best utilising the Hyuuga Group's international success to help book sales, her phone, placed neatly in front of her water bottle, suddenly lights up with a notification. She gently leans over in what she hopes to be an inconspicuous manner and reads the message.
From: Kankuro
Hey pretty lady, my dad can't come to dinner anymore bc his train got cancelled. U wanna do sth instead ?
Her lips curl into a small smile. There was this Korean restaurant she'd been meaning to try out, and seeing Hinata's mum's recipe on naengmyeon really got her craving-
''Pray tell what you think of Shikamaru's idea, Miss...?''
Suddenly feeling multiple pairs of eyes on her hunched form, she leans up slowly and clears her throat. Neji is looking intently at her and all she can think about is friggin' cold-water noodles. ''Tenten. Tenten Zhang,'' she offers with a bright smile. His brow raises ever so slightly.
''Chinese?'' he asks, and Tenten can't tell if he's genuinely intrigued.
''Half,'' she explains with a nod. ''Dad's side. Mum is Japanese.'' He doesn't react, and she blinks awkwardly. ''To answer your question,'' she sits up in her chair, ''I think Shikamaru raises excellent points. The Hyuuga Capital Group was not only able to adapt to the economic stagnation during the 90s, a time where many of your competitors were going bust or bankrupt, but you were also able to almost double your revenue from the years 1998 - 2003.''
''The strategies used to combat strong competition from rival firms in neighbouring East Asian countries, particularly South Korea and Taiwan, were successful - in 1989, Japan had a total of 32 names in the world's top 50 companies by market capitalisation. In 2018, only two such companies remained, one being,'' she puts her hand out towards the panel, ''the Hyuuga Capital Group.''
She pauses, turning her head away from their collective gaze, and looks towards the end of the PowerPoint presentation on the wall. ''I believe the Hyuuga Capital Group have a lot to offer the Business or Economic lists, and it will be a great publication for both our companies.''
The next few seconds fall into a silence (Tenten wonders if she overdid it) before Tokuma clears his throat. ''Well,'' he says finally, and Tenten is pleased when he displays a small but obvious amount of satisfaction in his voice, ''I see you've done your research, Miss Zhang.''
She shakes her head and laughs. ''Only a little bit. It was fascinating reading over your company's history and if you ever do want to pursue a title with the Psychology list, then please let me know.'' Settling back into her seat, her phone lights up again with another message from Kankuro.
Naengmyeon, kimchi, and pancakes dance across her eyes.
''So you won't be working with us on this title, Miss Zhang?'' Neji asks. Despite the fact that everyone had begun to pack their things away slowly, he was still poised over his laptop, an unreadable expression on his pale face.
Tenten blinks in surprise before replying. ''No, I won't be. Neither will Shino,'' she points to the left with her hand, ''as we are on the Psychology list. You'll either be working with Gaara-san,'' she points to her right, ''or Anko-san.'' She doesn't even bother pointing at this stage.
He contemplates her answer for an awfully long time, and she wonders if maybe he wasn't going to say anything at all. Unsure on what to do next except for sit and wait in silence like the rest of them, she begins to reach for her water bottle and phone - she had places to be.
''I think we should go with the Psychology list.''
Her hand pauses midway to her Animal Crossing-themed water bottle (Sakura's graduation gift to her years ago) and she looks up sharply. He's not looking at her, but rather he's typing away at his MacBook nonchalantly, as if he didn't just barge into an important meeting at the end to do exactly the opposite of what everyone had been agreeing on.
''Neji-san,'' Koji asks in uncertainty, ''are you sure? The competition is high for this area.''
''Yeah,'' Anko adds quickly, ''like you said yourself before, there's already two major bestsellers from our competitors in this area this year alone. It would be a lot of work just to sell a few hundred copies.''
''Like Miss Zhang said,'' Neji says matter-of-factly, and Tenten wishes she could see what he was typing that was so interesting, ''the Hyuuga Capital Group has undertaken some extraordinary feats over the years.'' He meets her gaze, ''and I'm sure that we could do it again.''
With mild confusion written all over her face (who was she kidding, she probably looked as confused as a bald person wandering into a hair salon), she holds his gaze for a few seconds before turning to look at Shino. For the first time in the two years that she had known Shino, she sees him cracking a small smile.
''Well, I guess that settles it,'' Tokuma says and Tenten watches in disbelief as he crosses out a bunch of dates in his notebook, ''I shall cancel all the meetings.''
When no one dares say anything in retaliation to his brash decision, she realises - with mild fascination - that the mere presence of Hyuuga Neji held more power than she could ever dream of. Anko, tight-lipped and clearly not trying to say anything out of anger, fidgets in her chair whilst Gaara looks almost relieved. She glances at Shikamaru, who is glancing at Neji with an peculiar expression.
Neji is the first to stand up amidst the awkward silence. With his laptop tucked safely away in his bag and not a hair out of place on his face, he bows. ''I have another meeting to attend to. I must excuse myself.''
Tenten watches as he hurriedly leaves the room, the elegant air around him intensifying with each step he took out the door. Once other members of the room begin to stand up with their belongings, she gets up slowly from her chair and closes her notebook (that didn't even have anything written in it bar 'get tomatoes from shop later') and bites her lip in thought.
Tokuma is the first to come up to her. He extends a hand out and she looks at it before taking it slowly. ''We will be in touch, Miss Zhang.''
''Right,'' she breathes, ''of course.''
Once the rest of the people leave the room and it's just her and Shino left, she turns to him and finally erupts into laughter.
''What the actual fuck?'' she says between giggles, ''How the hell did our list get chosen?''
Shino returns the mirth - although without as much fever - and shakes his head. ''I don't know. It was such a brash decision from Hyuuga-san. I was convinced he was leaning towards their initial plan.''
Tenten glides her tongue over her teeth in thought. Shino was right - Neji seemed very into the idea of publishing their first book with the Business or Economics lists, so why such a change of heart? Especially a choice so risky?
''I have to get back to work now, Tenten,'' Shino says, breaking her out of her thoughts. ''Good work, and I'll see you around.''
''See you, Shino,'' she says and watches him leave the room quickly. As she packs up her own belongings, she opens up her phone and casts a glance at the chair Neji was sitting in only minutes before.
Ring ring…ring ring…
''Hello?''
''Hinata! Your gal has news for you!''
A/N: this has been super fun to write so far as there's many parts of my life im channeling into this. i had to ask my colleagues at work what constitutes as 'best selling' books in academia, and they said a few thousand...so take my figures with a pinch of salt, haha