She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 67)
by BrDPirateMan

Business at WildKat was better than usual tonight, courtesy of a customer with a peculiar request. He was a portly middle-aged man and asked for forty noodle buns as takeaway. Forty!

I assumed he was buying them for his friends or colleagues. No one in their right mind would buy so much for themselves unless they were absolute noodle bun fanatics. But wild mass guessing aside, we were kept very busy preparing them in the kitchen. That man alone must have contributed to at least half of the night's earnings. And no thanks to him, noodle buns were all that was in my head for the rest of the shift.

When the lot of us were getting changed in the locker room, we exchanged remarks on what that customer was up to. Then the head honcho himself came in to talk. Mr H had an unusually grim look on his face for someone who'd just raked in a big profit.

"Gentlemen," he said, in as cheery a voice as he could manage, "first of all, great work with those noodle buns. That customer gave us a nice fat tip too."

"That's great!" I said. "Maybe he'll come back for more next time."

"Yeah, um, that'd be nice. If that happens, I'll be counting on you again. But in the meantime, I have something real important to say. And… well, I don't know if – " He stopped himself and cleared his throat. "No, no. It must be done."

"What's up?"

"Alright, listen up well, fellas. I'm not going to say this a second time…"

XOXOXOXOXO

As soon as I was safely indoors, Eri gave me the usual "Welcome home!" greeting. Right off the bat I could see she wasn't wearing anything, save for a towel wrapped around the top of her head like a turban, and a tiny pair of panties. I take it she just had a shower or something. After such a hard night's worth of work, she was a sight for sore eyes.

Eri gave me a big hug, but instead of the lip lock I was expecting, she gave me a good whiff.

"Wh-What're you doing?" I just stood there bemused as she continued to sniff around my neck. Her breath brushed against my skin and tickled it like a carpet of feathers. "And what are you, a dog?"

"You smell scrumptious," she gushed. "No, don't tell me. Let me guess… noodle buns?"

"Y-Yeah, some old dude ordered forty to go. We were cooking them up the wazoo."

"Ah, so that's why. But wow… forty buns? Now that's what I call…" – uh oh, here we go – "…abundance."

"Good god…" I was tempted to slap myself in the forehead. Last thing I needed tonight was a bad joke.

"Heh, couldn't help it. Anyway, buns… I mean, puns aside, what do you think?"

"Of what? That joke?"

"No, silly." She lifted an arm to my face. A mildly sweet fragrance, coming from her, filled my nostrils. "I used honey-scented body butter when I took a bath earlier. Do I smell good?"

"…I like it. Not too overwhelming."

She pursed her lips. "C'mon, is that all the praise you have for me? Put in some effort, will you?"

I had just enough in me to afford a tired smile. "Sorry… I know I'm not being very talkative tonight…"

Eri immediately picked up on my tone of voice and must have noticed that something was amiss. "What happened, Neku? It's not… bad, is it?"

"Um… what say I get us some drinks first… It's gonna take me a while to explain."

I poured out two glasses of orange juice and set them down on the dining room table. Eri had meanwhile popped into her room to grab and put on a shirt, and when we were ready to talk we sat down and got comfy.

"You look pretty bummed out, to be honest," she remarked, taking a sip. "What's the story?"

"After my shift was done, Mr H gathered the lot of us in the locker room. Said he wanted to talk about something…"

XOXOXOXOXO

"I got your pay as usual," said Mr H, "but before that I have an important announcement to make."

I slipped my shirt on in a hurry and together we waited for Mr H to talk. From the way we were fidgeting I bet everyone was wondering if we were going to do another event like the one during Halloween. But if so, what'd the occasion be? It's merely mid-November and far too early to have a Christmas-themed event.

The dark look on his face really put me on edge. Did we, perhaps, do something wrong?

He scratched the back of his head and for once he looked like he had no idea what to say. When he did start talking, his faltered with his words. What was it that could reduce the confident Mr H into a shadow of his usual self?

"Alright, gentlemen," he began, "I know you're tired and sleepy, it's been a long day, you want nothing more than to go home and take a load off. But just this once… please bear with me."

It was a foreboding way to kick off a meeting. He could be serious if the situation called for it, but this set alarm bells ringing in my head. Looking at everyone else, I think they felt the same way.

"I'll just come right out and say it," he continued. "For the past year or so, business hasn't been good at all. I'd even go so far as to say it's been… bad. I'm sure you've seen it for yourselves. Much of the time we don't get a whole lot of customers."

I did notice that we tended to get few customers at any given time. There's been way too many quiet evenings. WildKat used to be a busy place; it's sad to see it fall on hard times.

"However," said Mr H, "I assure you it's through no fault of your own. You're a hardworking lot, and I'm thankful you kept this place afloat. But I don't think even that will be enough now… Despite our best efforts, we haven't been able to turn things around for ourselves and I think we may have reached our limit. We may have passion for our work, but I still gotta keep the place running, and the numbers just don't add up. We're simply not turning in a profit. As a matter of fact we're barely scraping by, and there are times where we're actually making a loss. Of course, you get days like today where we earn a bunch but they're more the exception than the rule. That's not how I want to run a business."

He paused to take a deep breath. My own breath, however, was stopped dead in my lungs. I waited with hands all cold and clammy. He almost looked like it pained him physically to force the words out.

"After much consideration, I've decided to pull the plug on this joint before things get really messy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that come next month, on December 15, WildKat will officially close down."

My colleagues were so shocked at this news that they could only look at one another in disbelief. I bet if I could see myself in the mirror right now, my face would be white as a sheet. Sure, business had been pretty quiet up till now, but we managed. There was no clear indication that we were in any financial difficulty; then again, only Mr H could tell and he never brought it up once. It was so sudden, I felt like my brain had exploded into a hundred chunky pieces.

"I'm sorry if this upset you," he said. "It wasn't an easy decision for me to make, and I won't part with WildKat if I could help it. But that's the way the cookie crumbles, friends. You just can't fight reality sometimes."

The lot of us bowed our heads in solemn acceptance. Except me. I refused to believe that the place I'd familiarized myself with ever since I was a teenager was going to disappear. I had questions… so many questions I wanted to ask Mr H… I didn't want WildKat to just… end.

"Hey, chin up, fellas," he said, though with how listless he sounded, it didn't sound convincing. "We have another month till we reach the finish line. I'll be counting on you one last time, so please… lend me your strength. I'm just one man. Without you guys, WildKat is nothing. …Anyway, I don't want to hold you up any longer, so here's your pay. Thanks for your hard work."

Mr H lingered around the entrance bidding my colleagues good night as they left. I, however, stayed behind.

"Why are you still here, Phones?" he asked, before joking, "There's no overtime to be had, if that's what you're asking!"

I chose my words carefully. "Mr Hanekoma, are you certain about this? Closing down WildKat, I mean."

He always had a smile on his face, no matter how small, and here it still remained but with a dose of sadness.

"Yes," was his answer. "It's happening, I'm afraid."

"But isn't WildKat, like, your pet project? Your baby? You don't want to let go of it, do you?"

"Of course not. But I don't have a choice. Business has been so poor, there are times I have to pay out of pocket. However, I clung on to the hope that things would pick up… They never did. And I can't keep doing this."

Mr H has always been a stalwart ally and friend to me. He's given me advice, lent me his support and it's also thanks to him I had this part-time job. I wanted to help him, if that meant I could alleviate his troubles.

"It doesn't have to be this way," I said. "If money is the main issue here, then why don't we organize some more events? That'll bring in more customers… Remember that Beach Bistro thing you did last year? That was pretty neat! Maybe we could do something like that?"

My suggestion was easily picked apart by a multi-segmented counterargument. "You know, that's exactly the game plan I had at first. In fact, that Halloween event last month was to be the first of what would have been several more special events. But no one seems to care in the first place, which is why hardly anyone showed up. It's also not a sustainable business strategy in the long run. We require resources to make it all run smoothly, so if we earn less than we spend, there's hardly a point to it all."

Damn, he had a point. But I tried again from a different angle. "Okay, how about adding some new items to the menu? That should do the trick…"

"I've done that already. I'm always thinking of new things to add, but I had to strike some of them off the menu when I found out they weren't as popular as I'd hoped. Why should I keep a freezer full of chicken wings, ready to be fried, when no one wants to order them?"

"M-Maybe we could convert WildKat into a sort of butler cafe or something? They're pretty popular, right? Or… even better, a maid-and-butler cafe. Think about it! Butlers working alongside maids to serve our customers… The best of both worlds… I bet it'll be an instant hit."

Mr H laughed, but not in a mean way. "It's nice to see you so spirited, Phones. At this rate you could be my business consultant."

I thought he might give my idea some consideration and save his cafe; sadly, he didn't budge, citing another good reason to reject it.

"It's actually not a bad idea, but it's gonna take some serious planning assuming we can get it off the ground in the first place. And the drain on our resources will be even greater. And honestly, I'm not sure people are big on the idea of a cafe like that. Maids and butlers are almost always exclusive to one another. So no, it's not gonna fly."

"Isn't there something we can do?"

Instead of answering my question, the still-smiling Mr H said, "Well, since you seem invested in saving WildKat, I'd like to talk about its closure a little more if you have a few minutes to spare."

"Huh? Oh, uh, s-sure."

He invited me to take a seat at the counter and I sat on one of the stools. In the meantime he used the coffee machine to fix me a cuppa – free of charge, he promised. I'd rather have OJ, but couldn't find it in myself to reject his offer since he was being generous. He sat on a stool next to me with a mugful of coffee of his own and then it was time to talk.

He took a sip and made sure to savour the taste. "I didn't decide to close down my cafe on a whim, you know. It took months of consideration before I got to this point."

"Is the situation really that bad, Mr H?"

Another sip, as though he was stalling for time. But then came his reply, "…Yeah. We're losing business to the other eateries around here. No matter what I did, we just couldn't compete. All of those special events, all of the discounts and freebies we promised… none of it was enough to convince our customers to become regulars. I don't want to have to do this, but it's better to just cut our losses now."

"You're certain you don't want to keep going?"

"I'm certain, Phones. This one month we have left will be our last, so enjoy it while you can."

I was about to make another suggestion, but stopped myself. His mind was set; nothing could change it. And if something you've been giving your all at just isn't working out, it's probably for the best to let it go. Thinking about it this way, I was reminded of Kariya and Uzuki's ill-fated relationship. The concept was the same: you just can't flog a dead horse.

"I've made some decisions that, in hindsight from a businessman's standpoint, were not… smart. For example, the Halloween event we held not too long ago was, in my humble opinion, a disaster."

That took me aback. "What makes you say that? Is it because of that rowdy customer?"

"No, not quite… though it's related somewhat. Do you remember that ad we put up?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"We promised 20% off all food items, and 30% if you're in costume…"

"And for you to be eligible for the 30% discount, you need to turn up in full costume."

"That right there was my mistake, Phones. Costumes come in all shapes and sizes. Someone could come in wearing a costume that doesn't fit the criteria but argue that it does. There's a lot of room to maneuver around the rules and take advantage of them. It could give rise to a whole truckload of problems."

I thought back to the troublesome costumer whom I had to deal with. "You mean, like with that guy who wore a ballroom mask and demanded to be given his 30% discount?"

"Yeah, that's just one of many potential headaches. Suppose someone comes in wearing a hoodie as a stand-in for a cloak, and passes himself off as, say, Great Lord Sickleheart…" – that's the name of the main villain in the Galaxy Wars film trilogy – "…he's probably not going to take it well when I tell him he's still wearing jeans. No one wears jeans in the Galaxy Wars continuity."

"Well, yeah, obviously… Everyone knows that."

"It's still not gonna stop people from taking the easy way out and seeing how far they can go. Or consider this: some girl decides it'll be fun to come in a Mardi Gras bikini outfit. It's a costume alright, but so indecent I won't let her in. Can you imagine the scandal I'd have to deal with if I did?"

"No one's gonna dress like that in public…"

"Probably not," he huffed, crossing his arms, "but there's always someone out there who's willing to take a huge risk. You of all people should know that."

"Huh?"

Then my thoughts turned to Eri in a heartbeat. Her whole life revolved around risks – dressing scantily, flirting in public, swimming naked… Was Mr H trying to say something…?

"Anyway," he continued, "long story short, there were a lot of chances for the whole discount thing to blow up in my face. You got off pretty easy dealing with that Zorro-wannabe. I've seen worse customers. And parading that discount deal was just asking for trouble. I was desperate, you know? I wanted to attract as many people as I could to my cafe, but didn't think things through. And to pour salt onto the wound, there still wasn't enough customers to turn in a profit. For me, the failure of that Halloween event was the last straw.

"I'm gonna do the smart thing and wrap things up for good. Bit of a bummer, of course, but it's better that way."

I could see the determination on his face. Sad as he may be to abandon WildKat, he had a point to make. This just wasn't working.

"If that's what you want," I said quietly, "then I shall respect your wishes. I only wanted to give you some ideas so you could keep going, but it seems your mind is already made up."

"Yeah… Still, I appreciate the thought, Phones."

"Alright, Mr H, I'll give you a hand. We've got another month… Let's do our best."

"Indeed," he said, braving a smile. "We may be on our last legs, but this is no time to slack off. We're gonna go out with a bang! …Alright, it's getting late. Go home, Phones. You don't want to worry the little lady now."

XOXOXOXOXO

"And that's the whole story."

By the time I was done, Eri looked visibly drained. And who could blame her when I felt the same way.

"I can't believe it," she breathed, aghast. "I simply can't believe it. WildKat, closing down? In a month? This is totally like a bad dream."

"Even now, I don't feel like it's hit me fully yet."

"We've been going there for snacks ever since high school. Remember? The lot of us would drop by every Friday afternoon for hot dogs and pancakes."

"We'd take a window seat every time."

Glad that my memory served me well, she chuckled as the two of us reminisced about the old days.

"Yeah, that's right! You'd always order a single BLT sandwich with a side order of onion rings."

"And you'd always swipe a couple of my rings without fail."

Eri blinked at me. "I did that?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember? You used to do it all the time. And when I tried to 'get back at you' by taking one or two of your fries, you'd slap my hand away. I could never win. Oh, and you only stole from me, not from anyone else."

She rubbed her chin. "I don't know… It sounds like something I might do, but at the same time I can't say I'm certain."

"Huh, really?" I wanted to rib her for all of the onion rings she took from me in the past, so you could imagine my disappointment that she forgot. I did mention, however, "Funny how you can remember what I ate but you can't recall ever grabbing my onion rings. Oh well, never mind."

"We practically live in WildKat with how many times we went there."

"I went there enough times these past two years to know when Kariya and Uzuki would show up. And when I was chasing you, I'd grill them for love advice."

She chuckled and my sharp eye spied a growing pinkish tint on her cheeks to match her hair. "We had quite a few dates there too. And our first dates weren't even real ones… just practice so you could get ready for the real thing."

"Yeah, I was real awkward back then," I laughed. "Well, long story short, I'm gonna miss the place. We had a lot of good memories, and it's been a hell of a ride."

"I'm gonna miss it too. I just assumed it'd last, and that we could count on it being there for us whenever we wanted a quick bite."

"Guess we took it for granted. Ain't nothing we can do now…"

We took till bedtime to go over the rest of the good times we shared at WildKat. No matter what, it'll still be our favorite cafe.

XOXOXOXOXO

A couple of days later, Kariya invited me to his place to try out a new video game that he'd gotten his hands on. Some multiplayer first-person shooter with lots of gimmicky features, one of which involved building protective structures in the heat of battle.

"Whatcha think?" he said. "Pretty dope, huh?"

"Heh, you don't say. It's not bad at all."

"What can I say… I know a good game when I see one."

I quickly fired a few shots at someone who was hiding around the corner and threw a grenade for good measure. That took care of him and afforded me a little breathing room. "Remind me again what the game is called?"

"OverNite. When I saw the gameplay videos on the internet I knew I had to get it."

"Alright, pal, I'm sold. I'm gonna go download this."

"Yeah, you do that! Then we can have OverNite LAN parties with Mina."

"Hey, you forgot about Shooter."

"I didn't," he said with a straight face. "His parents got mad at him for playing too much. So, you know… he'll be a no-show for a while."

"Kid doesn't know the meaning of 'moderation'."

He snorted, "Good thing I don't have parents to boss me around."

"Who needs parents when you've got Uzuki breathing down your neck?"

"Good god, don't remind me…"

I played through the game for a little while longer with Kariya as my personal back-seat driver – "Collect the blue orbs! Your abilities are on cooldown! Save the nukes for later!" – and then when he next opened his mouth it was about something unrelated to OverNite, surprisingly enough.

"By the way," he said, "I heard that WildKat is closing down. But that can't be true, right?"

The sad feeling that I had been saddled with since last night had vanished while I was playing, but now it was back with a vengeance. I lifted my hands from the keyboard and mouse so I could have a proper chat with him. Predictably, that made me an easy target in-game and I was killed off.

"I'm afraid it is," I replied quietly. "Mr H himself told me."

"Damn, for real?"

He wiped his forehead in one hand, apparently finding it quite hard to accept this as the truth, and who could blame him? WildKat was as much a part of him as it was a part of me. We both loved the place.

"So when's it happening?" he asked.

"Next month. December 15."

"I only have up till December 15 to enjoy their pumpkin soup and stuff? Man! Talk about running on borrowed time."

"It's real unfortunate, I know…"

In the wake of the news of WildKat's impending closure, Kariya began to talk about his experiences with the beloved cafe over the years.

"Uzuki and I," he said, "used to hang out in a lot of places. There's Ramen Don to satisfy our craving for noodles, and Sunshine for those days when we felt 'fast food-y'. And sometimes we'd hit up a beef bowl joint. But WildKat… now, WildKat was different. I can't explain it, but if I were to try and put it in words… I'd say it's got that cozy feel to it, like you can really let your hair down… know what I'm saying?"

I nodded, agreeing with him. "I get you, man. I feel the most relaxed at WildKat. Mr H is easy to talk to."

"He's surprisingly cool for a guy of his age."

"So long as you don't call him old, you'll live."

He laughed. "I forget that sometimes. But seriously, he's really nice. One time, when I was still dating Uzuki, he even gave me some advice."

"Really? What advice?"

"In his own words… 'Be sensitive towards her, pay attention when she's talking, and realize that life isn't all about video games and anime featuring big-breasted girls."

I deadpanned, "That last part is especially noteworthy."

To that he jived in return, "Yeah, I should give smaller-breasted girls a chance too." Then, switching back to a serious mood, he said, "But damn, it won't be the same with WildKat."

It was a statement I was in full agreement with.

"I feel that way too…"

"Pretty soon, I'm gonna have to start looking for another place that sells onion rings… Wish me luck."

I might just have to start looking myself.

XOXOXOXOXO

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the way time flies is uncanny. Before we knew it, we'd already entered the first week of December. Not only that, it's started to snow. It was just a light dusting of snowflakes, but it was enough to get Eri excited.

"Get over here!" she called, beckoning me urgently from the window. "It's raining dandruff!"

"What?!"

"What I said, Neku. Come on! Haul your fine tush this-a-way!"

And that's what I did. The air was filled with numerous snowflakes, tumbling from the sky in a serene cascade. "Will you look at that…"

"I know, right? Even dandruff can be a thing of beauty."

I fixed a weird look at her. "…You have a way of killing beautiful moments like this."

She even broke into song. "We wish you some merry dandruff and a happy new year!"

"Pfft… cute."

"The holiday season is upon us, Neku. You know what that means…"

"We need to keep our eyes peeled for the annual Christmas mecha-themed anime marathon?" Just the thought of watching the entire season of Space Divers in one sitting got me excited, although considering how final exams were a mere couple of months away, I probably won't be doing any bingeing this year.

Eri didn't care much for it either way.

"Uh… no. C'mon, Neku, it should be obvious enough!"

"…Christmas shopping."

"Right-o burrito!" And boy was she pumped. "There'll be discounts everywhere we go! Just thinking of all of the things I could buy makes me go nuts. I mean, where should I start?"

"Eri, don't tell me you intend to re-enact what happened two months back?"

Puzzled, she stared at me. "Um, did something happen back then?"

"You opened your closet and got caught in an avalanche of your own clothes. Need we repeat that near-death experience?"

"Urk…!" Yup, she remembered. "W-Well, I'll only buy what's necessary."

"That's a good way to think… except everything is necessary to you."

"I'll exercise restraint this time, I promise. Please? There's about 30 blouses I've had my eyes on since last month."

"You see? That's what I'm talking about. See a cute piece of clothing and the money is out in a flash. Here, let me give you a re-enactment of your shopping habits." Switching to a falsetto, I impersonated her, "This blouse looks nice. I must get it. But this shirt looks nice too! And these jeans will go so well with both of them! What should I get? Okay, I know! I'll get a little of everything! That'll solve all of my problems! Then when I'm done here, I'll just pop by that lingerie store down the street and buy, like, fifty different bras to go with my hundred or so panties."

Eri took it well and laughed. "That does sound a lot like me. Except the numbers are completely wrong. First of all, the most bras I've ever bought at a time is a twenty. A mere twenty."

"Twenty is a lot when you only have two breasts."

Now she threw her head back and laughed harder. "Pfft… ha ha ha! But you know, I could say the same about you! Why the need for several briefs when you only have one pe– "

"Ahem! Anyway, I'm just telling you to control yourself. You don't need to buy the whole damn city…"

"Alright, I gotcha. I'll spend a little more wisely this time. After all, I've got just a few more weeks to prove to Santa that I've been a good girl this year."

"Good luck with that…"

There was a lull in the conversation as we lost ourselves in a reverie, watching the falling snow.

"So, Neku," asked Eri, "have you decided where to look for work after we graduate?"

Obviously this was going to be a far different story than my part-time endeavors, so I won't be looking into any fast-food chain outlets to put food on the table. No, my ambitions were grander than that.

"I'm still gunning for CAT," I said. "That'd be my first choice."

A bit of Shibuyan knowledge for you all: CAT's the name of one of the city's most influential and prolific graphics designers. As you know, Shibuya's a lively and colorful place, and one of the reasons it is so is because of its art. I'm not talking about oil paintings and stuff like that, no. Advertisements, commercials, tourism brochures… CAT's take on them is fresh and exciting, and they've been at it for years. Still going strong, too. If there's anyone I'd like to work with, it'd be him.

Fun fact: CAT is Mr H. That's right. Though nowadays it's not really a secret anymore. The friendly unassuming cafe owner is the powerhouse whose team of designers made Shibuya come to life. WildKat is something of a side venture for him, albeit one that's had a lot of meaning and emotional value.

It's been my greatest dream to work alongside him, ever since I laid eyes on the mural he did in Udagawa. Well, technically, I've already achieved that dream working as a barista at WildKat… But if I could snag a job at his company, nothing would make me happier.

"What about you, Eri? Still gonna apply to D+B?"

"Yeah, I like their clothes. Their designs are cute, if a bit safe. So I'm gonna barge right in to their office as soon as I get my cert and show 'em how sexy is done!"

"Not too sexy, I hope," I said with a smile. "You don't want to scare off your potential employers."

"Oh, I can exercise restraint, don't you worry. But if D+B doesn't want me, then Sheep Heavenly might be nice. Or Hip Snake, that works too."

"Shiki wants to join D+B too, doesn't she? You two would be working alongside each other."

Eri's smile drooped very slightly. "Actually, she changed her mind… She's planning to apply to Natural Puppy. Or even Jupiter of the Monkey."

This made for surprising news. "Really? I thought for sure you two would be joining the same company together."

"Nah, we've got very different visions nowadays. When I design clothes, I do so with the wearer's pride in mind."

"The wearer's pride?"

"My clothes are all about confidence. Looking good, looking sexy and making you feel powerful… that's the goal here. With my designs, I try to stretch the boundaries of what's considered acceptable in society without going overboard. You're juuust teetering over the edge… Tip over and people will call the cops on you for being indecent. It's a delicate balancing act, but if you can manage it and people say you look hot, there's no better feeling."

"You've always had a risky approach to your clothing. But it works, I guess."

"Shiki isn't really on board with it, though. Her designs emphasize practicality over everything else. If you can wear it and feel comfortable, that's good enough for her. Making a fashion statement isn't really her thing… Of course, she's not going to make ugly clothes, but they're not going to turn heads, if you get my drift."

"Her clothes are meant to be worn, not shown off."

"Yes, she prefers her designs to be sensible, something my clothes aren't famous for."

"Your designs do get out of hand alarmingly often."

She smirked. "Why, thank you. You flatter me."

"Vanity, thy name is Eri."

"Anyway… for a time, Shiki did used to make sexy clothing, but mostly because I was stringing her along. Deep down inside I had a feeling this wasn't what she wanted. And true enough, some time back she told me of her intentions to go a different route. I'm her best friend; of course I'm cool with her decision. But that also means we can't work together in the same company. Our ideals would clash."

I stroked my chin. "So now that you and Shiki have different angles on fashion design, you need to go your separate ways, is what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid so." Eri had this look of regret on her face. "I wish we could stay a team, but Natural Puppy won't want a girl of my talents. They just aren't big on sexy stuff. Likewise, Shiki would be out of place in a company like D+B. Too safe, they might say of her."

"I didn't think fashion design would be that complex. Then again, I don't have the slightest clue about clothing."

Eri would have snarked to that any other day, but now she just ignored it, instead musing, "I'm gonna miss working alongside her. She's the best partner I could ever ask for."

"Yeah…" Thinking about my own friendship with Shiki, I had but to agree. "You two work great together. Even though I don't understand fashion, I know that much at least."

"I'm glad you noticed… It won't be the same without her."

"Hey, c'mon," I said, patting her on the arm, "it's not like she's going to leave the country. You can still get together every now and then and brainstorm."

"I suppose… At least that's still a possibility."

"And, well, if that doesn't pan out, you could always ask for my opinion on things. Who knows, even with my limited fashion knowledge, I just might be able to give you an idea or two."

Eri shot a weird look at me. To her, I must have said the most ridiculous thing. Hell, she even smirked.

"Come on," I said, in an almost petulant tone, "I'm not that bad…"

XOXOXOXOXO

With Christmas fast approaching, Eri and I knew that shopping for presents was best done as soon as possible. One Saturday afternoon when we had a little free time to ourselves, we went for a ride around Shibuya, stopping by various places to see if there was anything good we could buy for our friends.

It was no cakewalk, though. Everyone had different tastes which we had to take into account. Even when we had each other for consultation, getting the perfect gift was still a tall, tall order.

Still, it often led to such amusing exchanges as:

"What do we get for Beat?" she said, clearly at her wit's end. "He's not a fussy guy; he should be easy to buy stuff for. So why can't I come up with anything? Nothing I've seen so far works."

"Um… how about a necktie?"

"No way," she said, reacting with strong disapproval. "That's the kind of thing you give someone if you're lazy, but you don't want to look like a thoughtless insensitive idiot. And then they'll still think you're a thoughtless insensitive idiot anyway. Look, neckties are a big no-no if you care about your friends. If you put in a little more effort, they'll notice. And when they do, it just feels so good."

Floored by her tirade, I sought to put her at ease. "A-Alright, alright. What you said is true… Then again Beat was never a necktie person to begin with."

"Can I just get him a bowl of curry and be done with it?"

I cast a wry look at her. "What happened to all that talk about caring about your friends?"

"Seriously though, what do we get for him? There's got to be something."

I crossed my arms, staring absentmindedly at the trinkets on display in front of me. "Well, he majors in cuisine… so I think a cookbook might make sense."

Eri rolled that idea around in her head, mimicking my pose while doing so, right down to the way my finger was tapping on my arm. Eventually, however, she voiced her full agreement.

"Let's go with that," she said, visibly relieved. "Oh, and find one that has at least one curry recipe in it. That'll give us brownie points."

"If we can find a book that's all about curry, maybe he'll build a shrine and worship us or something."

"Works for me. I always wondered what it must be like being a god. Alright, off we go!"

She clutched my arm and without wasting another second we made a beeline for the nearest bookstore.

At least, that was the plan. When we reached the bookstore, there happened to be a lingerie store situated directly opposite it. Eri saw it and froze up, unable to tear her eyes away from the various sets of underwear on display. Uh-oh…

I tugged at her arm gently. "C'mon, Eri. We've got a cookbook to buy."

"Oh, uh… yeah, I know…"

Looking at her eyes gleaming with wonderment, I knew it was too late for her. And I knew where this was going…

"Whoa," she gushed, "isn't that the limited edition underwear from Sensual Dreams?! I didn't know it was already released!"

I attempted to usher her away and steer her back onto the right path but she didn't budge.

"Um, Eri, we need to do our Christmas shopping… Besides, didn't you say you won't overspend – "

She was ever so excited. "Just for a little bit? It's limited edition! It won't stay there forever!"

"Eri, you're better than this. Don't give in to the – Eri? Wh-Where'd you go?!"

One moment I was talking to her, the next she had vanished before my eyes. The little imp reappeared at the entrance of the lingerie store, sweeping her arm back and forth in a big wave.

"Go on without me!" she called. "I'll catch up with you… in about ten minutes!"

Then she went inside and was gone. The urge to spend overrode all else. Sometimes even I wonder how I keep up with a big spender like her. At least it's her own pocket money she's using. I doubt my own allowance would be enough to provide for all of her "needs".

I dove into the bookstore alone and started looking around. There's bound to be a good cookbook somewhere…

The kind of cookbook I had in mind was in woefully short supply. There was a number of cookbooks all about fusion cuisine, but it wasn't the type of thing Beat was interested in. Other cookbooks were aimed at children and were too simple. Still others had recipes that were too much trouble to prepare to be practical. I might have to look elsewhere…

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a wispy pink… thing flit by. When I turned, I was just in time to catch a glimpse of a head of pink hair. But it wasn't Eri. The hair was too short. I knew of exactly one person who fit the bill…

I skulked after her and found her huddled in front of the… pet care section?

Since when did Uzuki have a pet of her own? Or maybe she's thinking of getting one?

I approached her from behind, but she must have sensed my presence somehow… Either that or she had a habit of checking behind her back. But she saw me, which caused me to stop dead in my tracks. She in turn froze like an ice sculpture… Why the need for the tense atmosphere, anyway?

"Y-Yo, Uzuki," I greeted, very awkwardly. "Oh, uh… what's that you're reading?"

Still as relaxed as a tightly coiled spring, she stalled for time by clearing her throat for a full five seconds.

And she answered, "Um… a book?"

Perplexed, I pressed, "What kind of book? That's not some hardcore BL stuff you got there, is it?"

She made a face. "What? No, are you crazy? I won't touch that stuff with a ten-foot pole."

"Sorry… I just thought – "

"I suppose it won't kill me to tell you, but it'd be nice if no one had to know."

She closed the book she was holding and showed me the front cover. I immediately saw the photograph of the puppy; above it was the title in thin letters: The Wonderful World of Dogs.

"A book about dogs?" Then it clicked. "Oh! So you like dogs!"

"Yes, I… I'm a dog person. Happy now?"

"Can't say I've seen this side of you before."

"And it's something I'd rather keep hidden, if I can help it."

Innocently, I asked, "What's wrong with liking dogs anyway? A lot of people like dogs…"

"You don't understand. I'm working as Conductor, and as you know, that's real high up in the corporate ladder. I oversee a lot of things and have people answer to me, so if they see that I like dogs, they might see it as a weakness. And respect is pretty damn important if you want to manage a bunch of idiots properly!"

While the rationale behind her logic made sense, I felt that her fears were unwarranted.

"Uzuki, I get what you mean, but I think you might be overthinking things here. No one's gonna think less of you just because you like dogs."

"Maybe, maybe not," she said, arms crossed. "Either way, I can't take that risk. Someone out there just might see the Conductor as a weirdo who loves puppies too much. And I need to keep everyone in line, without exceptions."

I smiled. "I still think you have nothing to worry about. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of Reapers out there who like dogs too."

"Well, if you put it like that, it helps me breathe a little easier." I could see her tensed-up shoulders relax a little. "I'm still not gonna go round telling everyone I'm a dog lover though."

"You don't need to. But even if they do find out, it's not the end of the world."

Presently my cell phone chimed. I excused myself to check out my newly-received message, only to discover it came with a photo – a selfie of Eri decked out in only underwear, inside what looked like a fitting room. Presumably, this was what had gotten her so excited, as she was wearing it now.

I'd have preferred to have the photo open on my phone when I wasn't in public though. Someone might steal a glance at it and it'd be weird.

She accompanied her selfie with a message:

finally got a hold of dis. what ya think? look good on me?

I wrote a quick reply.

fabulous, love the lace

A second later she thanked me with a whole bouquet of emoticons. My eyes lingered on the selfie. I mean, wow, that's some serious cleavage –

"Cut it out, Neku."

Uzuki's deadpan remark jolted me out of my reverie and I found her looking at me with a wry expression.

"C-Cut what out?"

"Your grinning," she sighed. "It was getting creepy."

I guess I was rather happy. Whoops… gotta pay attention…

"Sorry," I mumbled, "and thanks for the heads-up."

"Next time your girlfriend sends you a sexy pic, you might wanna look at it in private."

I gasped. "H-How did you know about – "

"Just a wild guess."

"You make it sound like I'm that transparent."

"Maybe. I gotta dash, Neku. Catch you later."

"Ciao."

As Uzuki was about to slink out of the aisle, she suddenly paused and said, "Oh, by the way, I heard about WildKat closing down."

I gave a small pensive nod. "I'm not surprised. It's hardly a secret anymore, not that it was one in the first place…"

"Hey, if…" In a rare moment of vulnerability, she bit her lip, perhaps trying to be careful with her words. "…If, um, when you next see Mr Hanekoma… tell him I… I'll miss his blueberry waffles."

"H-Huh?"

"I just want to wish him luck or something, I dunno… Sorry, I was never good with words."

Smiling warmly, I said, "Uzuki, I can relay the message for you if that's what you want, but it might be better if you told him yourself."

"I know… but I'm afraid I might muck it up and come off as insensitive."

"It'll be fine. So long as you mean what you say, he'll get your drift. Besides, it'll mean much more to him if you said it to his face rather than through someone else."

Given her tendency to be too serious at times, I could see why she wasn't sure of herself. But she had a good heart underneath her thorns and I was confident she could get through to Mr H.

"True that," she muttered. "Well then, I think I know what to do now. Thanks. But if I really can't get a hold of him in time…"

"Then I'll tell him for you. Don't worry, I got it."

"Swell."

"Hey, aren't you gonna get that dog book of yours?"

"Nah, it doesn't have Pomeranians in it. And the Chihuahua on page 13 is pretty damn ugly."

She likes Pomeranians, huh? Guess there still was a lot I didn't know about Uzuki.

We bid each other goodbye and I was back to looking for the one cookbook that would finally put an end to my quest. Just then, Eri returned to my side, carrying a bag full of new loot. The grin on her face told me it was money well spent.

"Sorry," she said with a hint of sheepishness. "You didn't wait long, did you?"

"Nah, I'm cool. I actually bumped into Uzuki and we had a fine chat."

"Really? Oh man, I just missed her! What'd you guys talk about?"

I leaned in slightly and hushed my voice. "Well, if you can keep this to yourself, I'll let you in on the secret."

She raised her eyebrows. "Wow, you make it sound like you've just gotten your hands on some highly classified info. My lips are sealed, I swear, so don't keep me waiting!"

"Uzuki likes dogs."

She stared at me blankly. She was hardly impressed.

Shrugging, she said, "That's cute, but… is that it?"

"Uh… yeah. That's… it. Yup."

"And she's scared people will know? She might as well say, 'Psst. Don't tell anyone, but… cows go moo'."

"C'mon, cut her some slack," I chuckled. "She was agonizing over it pretty bad."

"Man, she's real uptight about stuff, huh."

At least no one could say I didn't try to protect Uzuki's dignity…