Blind Sided

-Jasmine-Fields-1979-

I Disclaim: I do not own the copyrights or trademarks of the respective authors, artists, and television programming of any Manga or Anime. Please note, with respect, that the images I use are clipped from open source images discovered on the Internet, with exception to photos pertaining to my own image and any business branding about my employers past and present.

Chapter 8

Aiko didn't trust Megumi. She was nice enough, sure, but in the social hierarchy of this university and this country hierarchy either didn't matter as much or was more difficult to define than what Megumi tried to push in their faces on a day to day basis. The money was good – blah, blah, blah... who her friends at work were – blah, blah, blah... her home alone – yaddah, yaddah, et cetera.

Aiko tried to shake off the feeling of being inadequate in some way or another, when compared to Megumi.

But then Mei. Mei had said, rather confidently one day, that perception kept people believing one thing, even if it was not necessarily truth. Truth, at some point, would be told by an action – no matter how small it might be. It was a point of speculation in determining deception and consistent lies in a person and knowing what to search for during a hesitation, or hand gesture, or eye contact.

Weird woman. She had sounded almost happy when she spoke.

A few upper classmen finishing their degree plans had made Mei their idol after that. In passing, it was not revealed to Aiko instantaneously the precise reason.

In class, she had made certain to be quiet and try to send out her own inquisition team for Mei, since Mei was new to the university and doubly quiet and sullen around everyone outside her own social sphere of influence.

Nobody asked her to ensure Mei's safety on university property, but there had been a lot of talk and strangers following her and their social circle lately, she noticed. Asami decided to walk with someone on campus, just in case one of these strangers followed and caught her unawares. Not that Aiko would blame anyone. Nobody had reported it to Yamato yet – that his peers were being stalked, including his girlfriend. Even Mei hadn't told him, but Asami called the campus police once to keep Mei from becoming a target and the stalkers left them alone for about two or three weeks after that. Aiko had told Mei to watch carefully for her safety and Mei promised she would.

They currently were not at odds with each other; however, it was obvious to her that Mei was being herself: moody, withdrawn, and socially irreverent on the university scene. Mei didn't have many friends - guys or gals – at all that hated her, but with Yamato in the picture, she quickly became the object of envy for many of the younger women that had especially been vying for his attention. Mei liked to believe she was friendly enough and expressed this to one of the lower classmen (who was not Yamato's friend, but quickly spoke to him about everything Mei told him).

Aiko truly didn't think Mei's relationship skills were as tactful as Mei actually believed. Afterall, she'd been furious and raging before that special someone tried to slip their hands under her skirt during a prank gone wrong.

When Mei first appeared at the university, Aiko expressed that she felt intimidated by her for some reason and spoke about her to the point that most of the women in the university – including those on staff - wouldn't even be piqued by curiosity. Until she could figure out why – and that seemed was a secret kept away from both the women and most men too – Aiko would keep a watch on Mei. She had made it her personal mission to spy out the new girl and could own the task to entertain while watching the accounts flow forward and backward in and out of the university.

No way would she ever become friends with that other woman though, Aiko thought. Megumi was trouble – with a capital 'T'.

Aiko, upon discovery, knew Mei would need help at the modeling agency to figure out a contract that was more suited for Megumi. It was for this reason, when Mei asked them all to clear their schedules and volunteer their time, that Aiko came with Asami – with their boyfriends – to watch the video shoot and photography session that Yamato had set up.

Through the management team's efforts, everyone was able to have access with their visitor passes and everyone seemed to be truly enjoying the snacks and catering during this social hour with Yamato and Mei. It turned out during this socialization that Mei wasn't so gloomy around cameras and knew how to bring forth the best lighting on people. She had a good eye and intuition for artistic creations. Asami asked questions and that is when they all had discovered that Mei spent most of her time running errands for the military academy, could speak a few languages, and then discovered her match-making capabilities while at the bakery. Perhaps, she did have a few social skills – but hell, how would they know what to do after these life changing pieces of information if Mei decided to stay onboard with only the bakery instead of a competing agency? Which would show that snob, Megumi, that Mei couldn't be bought.

"Everyone has a price." Mei said.

Mei had looked up at Megumi in that moment and realized that Megumi had missed the entire banter and social visitation with them. The contracts had been signed, Yamato wasn't looking happy, but Asami proved herself socially capable of diminishing the awkwardness between Megumi's interference with the managers' confidence in the future of the company, now that Yamato had taken an active interest in his promotion here.

Asami took the edge out of Mei's stress when Aiko had confronted them about her own sex life with Yamato earlier in the year. Things were still dicey between them, so she understood Mei's hesitation. But wasn't that what they – her friends and herself – had originally wanted: Mei's ultimate discomfort? What to do? What to do now that all this new information was in her grasp?

A few days after the contracts were signed, Aiko and Asami both decided to purchase something for Mei – to bring up her spirits a little. She looked more than moody today.

Had Yamato and she fought? They never yelled at each other from her observations, though Yamato was constantly eye-fucking Mei when he thought nobody was watching. Did Mei even care about her love life? Did she even know how he felt about her?

Aiko had a deliciously wicked thought and stopped abruptly when Asami elbowed her for attention.

"We bought this for you. Yamato has one too."

Mei sighed tiredly.

"What is it?"

Seriously, she didn't know? It was odd to find someone not concerned with local festivals and cultural visitations. Maybe parks weren't her thing? They'd have to consider that when delivering the gift to Yamato.

Asami tried again. "Here, put it on your phone. It's a 20th edition season pass to see Land. When you're ready. And not a moment before."

Mei tried to look disinterested but smiled gently as she placed the key on her flip phone. She flipped open her phone to see who dialed her, then grimacing, flipped the phone closed.

"Who was that?" asked Aiko.

"Former work associate."

Mei lowered her eyes and swore under her breath when they both crossed their arms to confront her, in doubt of that being the truth.

"You're not, you know, what's the term the military academy uses? Ah yes – fuck buddies, are you?"

Mei glanced up, eyes sharp and ready to defend herself.

"No. Just work associates."

Whoa. That was the truth.

Asami whispered in Aiko's ear quickly. "We need to try something else. The tension between them is suffocating me."

Aiko quietly nodded then took her seat while Mei placed her phone in her bag.

"Everyone has a price. Even Mei."

Megumi had told them, before they even had their visitors' passes. She winked, then ran off with the friends she was bribing as a popularity contender at the university. She'd show Yamato that Mei didn't scare her and that she could put on a front of bravery that people died for. In fact, she bragged about it to one of Aiko's cousins.

"That is pretty balls-y." Aiko spent the next week, between studies, to find out how her cousin was a participant in Megumi's circle of friends.

"Study group," was his answer.

Wincing, Aiko knew that Mei was studying primarily on her own without Yamato. Maybe she had a weird study schedule when not at the bakery or at the university? She didn't know. Perhaps there was a way to apologize to Mei now that the drama was starting to unfold in the classrooms and truth was leaking out about Megumi's true character.

***oOo***