Friendly reminder that I know close to nothing about this line of work. Anything I write will be a result of what research I do and my overactive imagination.
Interview with a Winged Hero
Chapter Eight:
Little Steps
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
— Edmund Burke
Monday, 8:15 am — Kyushu, Hawks Hero Agency.|
"My name is Chimni Miryoku and I'll be joining your team from today onwards. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Miryoku bowed before the group gathered in one of the many meeting rooms that apparently lined the whole of the third floor. Inside was every single one of the agency's members, from regular staff to sidekicks and, of course, the pièce de résistance that was the Winged Hero himself. It took everything in her not to heave a sigh as that fact came to mind for the nth time since that morning.
You have a sick sense of humor, god.
That or her luck was really just that shitty.
"My name is Omori Rin. I will also be joining your team starting today." From the corner of her eyes, Miryoku watched as the stoic black-haired from her interview the week before bowed for a few seconds before standing back up.
Between them, Ohno Junko stood as she gestured to both of them in turn. "Chimni-kun and Omori-kun will join the Public Relations team. Chimni-kun in particular will be replacing me in almost all regards while Omori-kun will share the position of head supervisor. I believe you are all capable young men and women to welcome them and aid them in anything they may need."
A rather unenthusiastic chorus of yeses sounded off, like school children answering their teacher's question. In a way, Miryoku supposed that was an accurate analogy. Ohno-san was by far the oldest of everybody there and anybody she had heard talk with or of her had done so rather respectfully.
Well…almost everybody.
That thought alone had her gaze wandering to the red-winged elephant in the room only to see Hawks chatting away about something with his sidekicks. If there was a rebel child in the midst of all the goody-two-shoes, it was definitely him.
Her boss. Goodness, even thinking it had her mentally exhausted already.
Relax, Ryo. Take a deep breath and relax.
It was the first day. She couldn't very well dismiss it without having even gone through a week at least. As Ohno-san delegated the rest of the formalities, Miryoku's eyes wandered the rest of the room to take every face that was present in the meeting room.
There were at the very least thirty people from what she could see. The heroes were easy to spot with their flashy costumes that they were already donning, ready to leave on patrol as soon as the meeting was over, she supposed. The rest were white-collar workers like herself judging by their attire. Those two groups were unevenly divided, with the latter being by far the largest of the two in number. But she supposed that with the kind of reputation their boss had, it was to be expected that the need for sidekicks was low.
Hope his one-man-show shtick doesn't make my work harder.
For as much as she hoped so, Miryoku had the slightest feeling that it'd do just that.
Suddenly, her eyes caught a strangely familiar face in the crowd of workers. A redhead with mint-colored eyes. The hint of a smile pulled at the edges of her lips as Kogimi met her eyes and smiled back with a small wave. Well, at least not everybody would be a complete stranger.
"With that, I hope you can all work alongside these two in my absence and that you continue supporting Hawks in his endeavors."
The room burst into a firm 'yes ma'am' before they were allowed to disperse. Ohno turned to both of them while the rest of the office returned to their stations with mild conversations hovering in the air as they talked amongst themselves.
"I believe you know where your office is," Ohno said, addressing the black-haired woman.
Omori bowed her head and with that same stoic expression said, "Of course, Ohno-san. If you'll excuse me."
Leaving promptly thereafter meant that Miryoku was left with the last person on earth she wanted to be with. Especially after the mouthful she gave the old lady back in the HPSC Headquarters. God definitely had a sick sense of humor.
"Now, Chimni-kun, would you like to be briefed again as to what your duties will be?"
"No, ma'am," she replied, keeping her cool. "I believe the instructions you gave us before the meeting will suffice for now."
"Very well then," Ohno said with a nod. "If you have any further questions, feel free to ask the PR team. They will help guide you through your daily tasks and whatever events must be held. Several were pre-approved for the month, so you won't be completely lost while you acclimate into the position."
Just tell me you're babysitting me, why don't you?
"I appreciate the help," she said instead. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to work right away."
"Of course." Gesturing towards someone behind Miryoku, Ohno didn't wait for them to arrive before continuing with what she lastly wanted to say. "Kogimi-kun will show you around the agency. Take today to acclimate with the office and with the team. Tomorrow you can start working in earnest once they brief you on what matters require the most attention first."
From her peripheral vision, Miryoku spotted the familiar redhead as Kogimi stood to the side between the two. A small smile came to her expression but she feigned it as appreciation for Ohno's guidance instead before bowing.
"Thank you, Ohno-san," Miryoku swore she almost bit her tongue when saying that.
Promptly thereafter, the old hag left and finally allowed Miryoku a modicum of breathing room. Thank god she wouldn't have to see her constantly in the office. With the anxiousness of that morning gone now, dark brown eyes turned to meet mint and both women shared an excited smile as the crowd thinned before breaking a bit out in quiet enthusiasm.
"Congratulations on getting the job, Chimni-san!"
Miryoku smiled broadly, keeping her voice down as the two exited the meeting room. "Couldn't have done it without your help, Kogimi-san."
"Surely you could've." Kogimi chuckled at the compliment but took it in stride as they reached the hall with the elevator. "But what are the chances, huh? That the position you were applying for was Ohno-san's of all the managers out there! And now you've landed it as the PR manager of the number three hero! What luck!"
I guess you can call it that.
Clearing her throat, she didn't let her smile falter as she said, "Luck and hard work. By the way, this is quite a big building for only thirty people. Mind giving me a quick rundown before I settle down in my office?"
"But of course!"
Luckily, Miryoku's plan to switch the subject worked in her favor and had Kogimi explaining in great detail what would now be her workplace for the next six months while taking her on a guided tour of the place.
The first floor was easy to remember: the lobby and cafeteria. With an area that large, it made sense, too. The back end of the place was a pretty large area where they could enjoy their meals and even buy some if they so wanted. Meanwhile, the front was all business with Kogimi mostly single-handedly manning the place. Quite a surprise for Miryoku given that from what little she could gather from the redhead's character, Kogimi didn't appear like the type to be able to deal with people. Guess everybody could be good at the most unexpected of things.
The fifth floor would be easy to remember, too. It was where Hawks and the rest of the sidekicks had their respective offices at. She vaguely remembered that place herself from the one interview she took with that newbie journalist from JPW. Kogimi mentioned that they tended to be mostly half-empty most of the time since they'd be out patrolling. So out of all the floors, it tended to be the quietest.
The fourth floor was an unexpected one as, when the elevator doors opened, Miryoku was met with a full-blown gymnasium. How in heaven's name they could fit a whole gym was beyond her, but it was there. Machines lined the left side with open spaces for workouts and even a sizable ring to skirmish in. Opposite that was another entrance that led to what appeared to be showers and the like alongside a hydrating station. Nifty.
The third floor, as she had seen, was lined wall to wall with meeting rooms half of which were constructed with opaque glass walls from which one could somewhat see through to the inside of the rooms from the main hall connecting them all. As was to be expected, meetings were held there by staff and the heroes alike, and if any heroes from other agencies or other important figures were to come by for a visit, that was where they were taken while they awaited to be attended.
Lastly, the second floor consisted of most of the offices and workrooms that she and the other white-collar employees of the agency utilized. Kogimi appropriately left that place last in their tour seeing as that's where Miryoku's brand new office was now.
"And last but certainly not least!" Kogimi said flourishly as she opened the door wide open and welcomed her inside. "Your office!"
Wow.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
It wasn't a rather large office, but it wasn't small by any means, either. Sort of reminded her of Kojirou-san's back at JPW except with a much better view given the floor-to-ceiling windows that decorated the walls to the left and opposite of the door. With it being a corner office, the walls were mostly taken up by a couple of tall shelves to the right that ended at the window behind it. In the middle sat a dark L-shaped desk neatly further in with the large window panes behind it and to the left. Boxes of office supplies she'd brought from home sat against the far back window just waiting to be opened.
Settled before her desk were two rather plain cushioned chairs that looked just as comfortable as the fancy-looking office chair behind her desk. The dark aesthetic of the furniture certainly contrasted well with the lighter colors of the chairs and the brightness coming from outside and gave it this sophisticated monochromatic look she was liking.
"It's a little bare," Kogimi began, closing the door behind them while Miryoku inspected the sleek desk up close. "But you can bring in whatever you'd like to decorate as you start settling in over the next few weeks. I'm sure Ohno-san already told you this but the team leaders of the PR department will put you up to speed with everything that's going on once you settle in. Omori-san was briefed prior to this and will be taking charge for this week to help you with that as well."
"Thanks," Miryoku said as she sat down on the chair behind the desk and adjusted the height of it.
"Sorry it's somewhat on the small side. Omori-san had already been given Ohno-san's old office, so you kind of got stuck with the short end of the stick when we were told you would also be joining the team."
"Oh, don't worry about it," she assured the redhead with a chuckle. "I'm more than happy with it."
Anything beats a damn cubicle.
Kogimi nodded and rounded the desk to show her some of the necessary things she'd need to learn to work with. Every ounce of her attention rested on her explanation as Miryoku absorbed every word she could. It took a little under half an hour to settle herself, but once done, she thanked Kogimi who promptly left her in the office.
Once alone, Miryoku let herself sit down for a moment in the silence of her new office. Hers. Wow, it felt so weird to think that. Especially after working so long in such close proximity to others and having close to zero personal space back in JPW. Seriously! She could literally spread out her arms as wide as they could go to either side and she still didn't touch anything around her! It'd certainly take some getting used to.
Luxury once in a while is nice, though.
Inhaling deeply, she allowed the giddiness to subside before standing right up and exiting the office to go and meet the rest of the staff she'd be working alongside. Unlike hers, their desks were outside in an open area and separated but they appeared close to one another and capable of communicating readily if they wanted to. By the rapid fire conversations that were happening across the room and not once losing themselves in the noise, they were quite the well-oiled machine, too.
"Oh, Chimni-buchou! Is there something we can help you with?"
The one who'd spoken up had been a tall man with reddish-brown hair and kind eyes nearest to the door. He had just gotten up from his desk and was about to leave somewhere when he spotted her by the looks of it.
Clearing her throat, Miryoku bowed her head before addressing her question to him while also rather openly at the same time. "Yes, I came to ask where I can find the information about the previously approved appointments for the month that Ohno-san left behind."
A momentary hush that she noticed settled for a bit before another of the department spoke up, this time a short and stout woman with a stylish bob cut and round eyes.
"Oh, Omori-san has them at the moment," she kindly offered. "The originals anyway. If you'd like, I can email you the photocopies of the documents she has so you can look them over."
Miryoku hesitated briefly at her words. Something about the way she said that sat rather oddly with her. Mhm… Setting the feeling aside, she smiled back and shook her head instead.
"No need," she said with a bright smile. "I'll just get them from her. Her office is…that one, right?" The bob cut woman nodded when Miryoku pointed towards the door on the other side of the room. "Thank you. I'll be sure to come by once I'm done to properly get introductions from all of you later. They'll be quick, I promise."
"U-Uh, sure… We'll be here for whatever you need, buchou," said another woman after a minute when nobody responded.
Miryoku left them after a nod and headed straight for Omori's office without another word. Their stares were tangible, prickling at her back, but she ignored them for the time being as she entered the furthest office in the room.
Kogimi was right. The old lady's office was bigger. The way Omori had it decorated didn't help it much though since it still looked on the empty side. Setting that aside, she walked up to the black-haired woman that was typing away at her keyboard and settled her hands over the back of one of the chairs in front of her desk.
Cut to the chase, Ryo.
"Omori-san, good morning. I came to get the dossiers of the previously approved appointments for the month."
Those sharp purple eyes only briefly eyed her from above her monitor, the typing not once stopping, before returning to her work. "I'll have them delivered to you once I am done with them."
Oh, so that's how this is gonna be, huh.
Miryoku didn't have anything against the black-haired woman. When she had first been given the position, her bitterness hadn't been directed at either her or Ohno-san, at least at first for that last one. She had no issues with Omori however, not even when she read the fine print of her contract and found out that she'd be babysitting—sorry, supervising her work for her 6-month provisionary period. But if this was how she planned to act with her, then these would be the longest six months of her life.
Only if you let it, Ryo.
Right. If Miryoku learned anything back in middle school it was to always establish dominance quickly where needed. And despite outgrowing her old methods of doing so, she still held that belief to heart.
"I'm sorry, Omori-san, I must've not been clear enough." The subtle change in her tone, despite still sounding kind, had Omori finally turning away from her monitor and stop typing altogether. Miryoku stood straight with her hands neatly overlapping over the back of the chair as she smiled down at her. "Have these in my office in twenty minutes, if you would. Don't worry, I'll let someone know to email you the photocopies on my way out for you."
Not leaving her a chance to protest, Miryoku pivoted and headed for the door. Was that a tad bit passive-aggressive? Perhaps, but Miryoku did her best not to sound bitter. She wasn't; not really, anyway. But if there was one thing she wouldn't allow any of them to do, it'd be pushing her around even in the tiniest of ways.
Opening the door out of Omori's office, her eyes grew a bit wide when the same woman from before, the bob cut and rounded-eyes one, and another blonde one stumbled out of the way while fumbling with papers in their hands and straightening them. They cleared their throats as they said hello with a smile.
Miryoku reciprocated the gesture and addressed the bob cut woman, "I don't believe I caught your name."
"Oh! Um, it's Sumida Noriko, Chimni-san," she replied, hesitantly at first.
"Nice to meet you, Sumida-san," Miryoku said with a kind smile. "Would you be kind enough to do me a favor?"
"Favor?" she repeated.
She simply thumbed back towards Omori's office. "Of sending Omori-san the photocopies you mentioned. I'm sure it'd be no problem since you offered to do it for me just now, right?"
It took her a moment but Sumida agreed to do so right away. Miryoku thanked her before leaving the department to itself and returning to her office across the hall. Once inside, she sank into her chair after the little show she'd put up. God, people like those were a pain in the ass to deal with. Especially if they got worse over time.
For now, though, so long as no one tried pulling her leg, she supposed nothing bad would come of it. That was the little bit of solace she had, anyway, and she let it work for her while she got around to putting her office together.
Exactly twenty minutes later, a knock came on her door before she allowed two of her coworkers to come in. Two men, one of them being the one with reddish-brown hair, came in with two boxes with dossiers in their arms.
A grand smile spread across her face at the sight of them. Well, at least this showed that Omori knew how to play nice when needed. She thanked them as they left and turned afterward to look at the two boxes that sat on either of her lounging chairs.
With lips pursed, Miryoku left the decorating for later on in the week and went straight to work instead.
Later that day.|
Kyushu was quiet as ever. Petty crimes more than anything. Nothing that couldn't be cleaned up by midday, anyway.
So the fact that he and his sidekicks were heading back to the agency almost by closing time wasn't surprising. Most days were like that. Only during the night patrols that he was in charge of did he tend to keep a rather funky schedule for a week or two.
Thankfully, after the ones he had, he'd be free to head home and rest until tomorrow.
What a boring day. Though he supposed that boring was a good sign, all things considered.
Hawks flew back to the agency, taking the scenic route for a change, and found himself flying in on the tall building from its east side. The third floor was easy to see from the low vantage point he kept in case something cropped up on his way back, which is how he spotted something strange from a distance.
Not so much strange in a suspicious way as it was in an odd way.
The staff usually held meetings every other week. Which meant that finding them gathered yet again in the largest meeting room where they just welcomed their two new employees that same morning was definitely more odd than anything. Or at least it was until he eyed a petite brunette helming the impromptu meetup.
Curious, Hawks headed to the third floor instead, opening a window with ease and entering while one of his smaller feathers snuck its way inside through the gap beneath the meeting room door. Certainly wasn't proper but considering that they tended to just put up the nice act whenever he was around, he saw it as a necessity.
Leaning back against the wall with the door, he kept his distance and got comfortable. The more he listened in, though, the more he came to realize that it was just some regular meeting to introduce themselves. Chimni was helming it, sure, but Omori was in there as well which meant Junko-san's watchdog wouldn't let anything fun happen.
Same old, same old.
Just as he was about to leave, the door opened. Instinctively, Hawks drew his wings in slightly, making himself smaller as they each began to file out. Not once did any of them glance back, unaware of his presence as he stood back. He didn't mind. If they didn't notice him, it'd make his exit much smoother once they were all gone.
It was as they exited the meeting room and the door closed behind them, though, that he began hearing the quiet conversation that began to make its way down the hallway that was easily caught by his feathers.
"She's definitely on a power high."
"Right? I mean who goes and picks a fight with Ohno-san's protegé?"
"Something doesn't sit right with her getting the position. I mean, she doesn't have even the slightest bit of experience in PR."
"Have you read her work from JPW, though? It's quite well written."
"So what? A tabloid can't compare to PR work, we all know that."
"Ohno-san should've just given the spot to Omori and not bothered with her."
"C'mon, let's give her a chance at least. We won't know how well or not we work with her otherwise."
"Did you hear how she ordered Sumida around this morning, though? Who does that on their first day?"
Hoo boy.
Hawks knew his PR team was a tight-knit group under Ohno and that they could be rather high-and-mighty with how they treated Kogimi-chan, but this was a new side he rarely got to see. He supposed the jarring change brought it out of them. It sounded kind of disproportionate, though. Yet again, it wasn't like he knew Chimni any better. For all intents and purposes, however, he should have their personalities down more to a T than hers.
And somehow I'm still surprised.
His wings bristled behind him a bit when the door once again opened and both Chimni and Omori exited the meeting room.
"I hope you understand I mean no ill will and only wish to do my job as efficiently as humanly possible," he heard Chimni clearly state as they stopped right in the middle of the hall.
"I do," Omori answered. "Though next time, I would appreciate it if you would not speak to me in that tone."
"I don't believe the tone I used was inappropriate, but if it bothers you that much, I will abstain from using it so long as there isn't a need to, Omori-san."
Hawks spotted the slight narrowing of Omori's eyes at the comeback before that same blasé expression returned to her face.
"Very well," Omori said with a monotony that chilled Hawks more than a little. "Let us retire for now then. Work hours have ended."
Chimni gestured forward down the hall the way everybody else had gone down. "After you."
The HPSC agent took the offer and headed out in front of her with Chimni quickly following thereafter. Certain that they would be far enough not to hear him, Hawks let his wings unfurl from behind him but stopped short when a voice came not far from down the hall.
"Hawks-san?"
The little rise in her voice had him lifting his head to meet a dark-brown gaze that frowned back at him. Huh, weren't her eyes another color before? The thought was set aside, however, when that frown of hers deepened before she spoke again.
"If you needed something, you could've found me in my office," she pointed out. "No need to stand outside the meeting room."
"My bad, my bad," he rubbed the back of his neck as he feigned innocence with a cheeky grin. "I swear it wasn't my intention."
"Surely," she huffed but quickly shook her head before heaving a long sigh and rubbing at her temple. The gesture had his amber eyes narrowing ever the slightest.
"Long first day?"
"You could say that," she breathed before speaking more clearly. "Kogimi-san told me patrols end early most days for you. Is this around the usual time you return to the office?"
"More or less." Hawks shrugged his shoulders without care before smirking. "Why? Need a lift?"
"Hilarious," she sighed exasperatedly. "It's so I know when I can find you if I need anything since you've got a full schedule this coming month. I thought I should let you know before I start hassling you about it."
"Busy bee, aren't you?" He skipped forward as she began to make her way down the hall, walking a bit apart from her to make room for his wings as he unfurled them behind him. "Weren't you supposed to just ease in today and start tomorrow?"
"No better time like the present," she simply replied yet sighed all the same. "Besides, after looking at all the work Ohno-san left for us to continue, I'm glad I did."
"Junko-san did like packing every free second I had with something." Hawks shrugged, his wings extending as much as the hallway would allow as he smirked. "Said it was punishment for causing her so much trouble."
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't force me to do that," Chimni quickly said, sparing him a peeved look. "I'm just starting and I'd like to get used to my work at something that's not neck-breaking speed."
"Can't promise anything, Chimni-san," he chuckled, "The old lady always said I was a magnet for trouble, after all. Gotta keep that rep up somehow."
"How about you don't. Ever had that thought?" she groaned.
Another chuckle escaped him at the reaction. He hadn't been all that wrong about this being the more entertaining choice. Having had enough of that for now, he opened a nearby window with one of his idle feathers before saying, "Well, since you're asking so nicely, I'll do my best to lighten the load for the month. Here's some friendly advice, though. Around these parts, it's neck-breaking speed or nothing, so I suggest you get used to it quickly."
"Thanks. I'll be sure to buy a neck brace."
Snickering at the joke, he bid her farewell and lifted himself in the air for a moment before dashing out through the window and hurrying up to his office.
Next day, 6:46 am.|
Miryoku figured there was something wrong with Kogimi's work environment ever since the first time she met her in that café paying out of pocket for a coffee run that didn't include her.
Now, after her first day getting to know the team she'd be working with, she could tell where it originated from.
The lot of them were hard workers. The dossiers she went over the whole of yesterday which included their work told her as much. They were good at their jobs—great even—and that wasn't something she could deny them. However, that didn't give them the right to hassle Kogimi as they had been doing and as they were currently doing as she stepped through the double doors into the lobby.
"Oh, and don't forget my croissant." A dark-eyed bottle blonde pointed at the money in Kogimi's hand with a manicured nail. "Also ask for double espresso for Uyeno's, would you? Thanks."
"Oh, uh, sure. Let me just write that down—"
"Oh, yeah, and make sure you tell them to make mine with lean milk. I swear, you must've gotten it whole last time and it did not agree with me. Let's not make that mistake again, alright?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
"Good, I'll leave it to you then. Thanks a bunch, Kogimi, you're the best."
"Um, sure. Just a question, though, did you make sure to give me the right amount—"
"Oh, buchou! Good morning!" the bottle blonde instantly shut her down by turning to her.
"Good morning, Matsumoto-san," Miryoku said after a short pause, addressing her first with a rather bland look on her face. Turning to Kogimi, she kept it for a second longer before smiling faintly. "Good morning, Kogimi-san."
"G-Good morning, Chimni-san." Kogimi's smile faltered a little as she fumbled with the notes in her hand before pocketing them in her purse. "I'll be heading to the café, would you like anything?"
Miryoku tilted her head as if contemplating her question but instead measured up her timid demeanor. After what she deemed enough time to be convincing, she instead pointed out toward the front door behind her.
"I actually want to see what they've got on the menu this week. Mind if I come with you?"
That mousy disposition brightened a little at the offer which Kogimi took readily. Behind her, Miryoku's eyes peeked from under her lashes the frown on Matsumoto's face before said blonde turned away towards the elevator.
"Come on," Miryoku said once she was gone. "Let's take my car."
It was a short ride over to the café and like she had noticed from the last couple of weeks of frequenting the place, full to the brim at this hour. Thankfully, the fact that they had to stand around in a rather long line gave her ample time to think of what to say regarding what she had seen.
"Do they always tell you to get their coffee run?" she bluntly said after a minute.
Kogimi blinked, taken back by the question, but quickly seemed to regain her composure and smile back at her. "O-Only sometimes."
"Two weeks straight seems like a lot for it to just be 'sometimes'," Miryoku pointed out before looking down at Kogimi with an impassive eye. "But I'll rephrase it, just in case. How long has it been since they made you their lapdog and had you run errands like this?"
The conversation was clearly making the redhead uncomfortable, but Miryoku wasn't about to let this slide just because of that. Her lips were sealed until after she put in the large order, the tab again being larger than the cash they'd given her for it. Eyeing the credit card she passed to the cashier instead, something about it seemed familiar but she set it aside for the moment and focused on the matter at hand instead.
Ordering for herself, Miryoku asked for a simple milk tea before bringing Kogimi to a corner of the packed café for some semblance of privacy.
"Kogimi-san, I don't mean to sound pedantic, but what they're doing could be brought up to HR if they've been doing it for long enough."
"N-No, there's no need!" she said in a forced whisper, forcing Miryoku to lean in to hear her. "Besides…it was already reported a year ago." One of her eyebrows raised at that which had Kogimi fumbling for an excuse. "I-It helped! It really did. For a while anyway."
"And then they went right back to it, I'm guessing," she breathed out alongside a mildly exasperated sigh.
Miryoku already had a few qualms with the agency's PR team after a day. Mostly because of the off-handed way a few of them were treating her, especially after yesterday's impromptu meeting to get to know them. Seriously, do they not know how to gossip quietly, at least? But that they were also pushing around someone like Kogimi whom they had a much longer work history with was just absurd. They're adults, for fuck's sake.
Sadly, that also applied to Kogimi-san. Even if Miryoku wanted to do something about it, if she didn't stand up for herself, then nothing would change for the better.
The issue is how to get that train going.
For now, it'd be something to put on the back burner. Just a step below her actual work, anyway. Because if she was going to work there for an extended period of time, then she wasn't going to be dealing with petty bullshit from others. Besides, Miryoku couldn't help but feel bad for Kogimi. Especially after she went so far when helping her get the job, even when she could've very well gotten in trouble for doing so.
…
Wait a minute.
Now that she gave it a bit of thought, there might be a way to help her. It'd definitely take a bit of her time, too, but then again, she did owe Kogimi.
So…
"Let me know when you head out each morning for the run," Miryoku said just as their orders were being called out. Easily, she picked hers and helped Kogimi with one of the cupholders. "And when you don't feel like doing it, let me know as well and I'll do it instead."
"W-What?!" Kogimi hissed as they exited the café, eyes darting a bit at the sudden statement. "N-No! Absolutely not. This is my job—"
"Just because your the agency's secretary, it doesn't mean you have to do every little thing they ask of you," she said. "I was planning on waking up early this next month, anyway. So if it helps you, I don't mind coming earlier to do this."
"B-But, Chimni-san, you shouldn't have to—"
"No," she promptly agreed before adding, "And neither should you."
The blatant tone of her voice seemed to force Kogimi's hand as she silently and begrudgingly agreed. The whole conversation soured the mood all the way back to the agency and grew even more when the two of them showed up to the second floor. It wasn't hard to notice the shocked expressions they attempted and failed to hide. Matsumoto was the one to break the awkwardness with a high falsetto voice that Miryoku started to find more than a bit annoying.
They thanked them, if because she had been there with Kogimi or because they were actually thankful was up in the air, but Miryoku noted the way they eyed her as she spoke to Kogimi about an appointment before the redhead left. They weren't talking over their coffees like she'd seen them the day before. Instead they were exchanging glances with each other, flitting eyes that darted between her and everybody else telling her enough of what they could possibly be thinking.
Go right ahead, see me as a push-over. See how well that works out for you.
"Chimni-san, please abstain from idle conversation during work hours."
Her gaze turned towards the hallway that led to the elevator from where Omori was just stepping out of and into the offices. Work hours? Giving her wristwatch a glance, Miryoku's brow lifted a bit in surprise. It had just barely turned to 7:02. Ah. So you're one of those. No matter. She didn't have the energy to bother with her right now.
Miryoku offered her dismissive smile before turning back to Kogimi to finish what they had been talking about before her interruption.
"As I was saying, please make sure the arrangements for next Friday's press conference are done tomorrow at the latest. Also the interview with that broadcaster the week after is out of town, so I'll rely on you for the accommodations for the time being, Kogimi-san."
"Y-Yes, of course. Leave it to me." Kogimi bowed to both of them before excusing herself and leaving for the elevator.
Omori stood there for another second, eyeing Miryoku who simply offered a smile before saying, "Good morning to you, too, Omori-san." The woman only responded with a curt 'good morning' before heading off.
Again, no energy to deal with anything. Asking for the day's work from the PR team gave her plenty to keep her occupied as it was.
Miryoku fell back into her chair, her shoulders falling as she let the last hour process a little in her head. Barely the second day and she was already filling up her plate with unnecessary things. Then again, she supposed it'd be worth it in the long run if all turned out well.
And if anyone was patient and stubborn in equal measures, it was certainly her.
Saturday — Shizuoka, Todoroki Household.|
"You seem…" Fuyumi pursed his lips as if trying to find the right words to describe what she saw before her. "I supposed tired would be an understatement, wouldn't it? You know, maybe you should get some rest instead. I can always finish the preparations for the festival myself later."
A small sigh escaped Miryoku as she stepped through the front door of the Todorokis' main house with a muttered 'pardon the intrusion'. Dressed more than a little casual for the visit, her long hair was tied up in a messy bun with a few loose strands framing her face while the actual frames of her thick glasses fell upon the bridge of her nose somewhat hiding the dark bags underneath her eyes.
"Whatchu talkin' about? I'm in tip-top shape." Toeing off her sneakers, Miryoku adjusted one of the straps of her denim overall shorts that was slipping before stepping onto the wooden floor. "I'm ready to make some paper flowers and all sorts of knick-knacks for your class. That sports festival ain't gonna get decorated on its own."
"I mean that's true but still…" Fuyumi didn't get to protest much further as Miryoku stepped further into the hall and pointed down the left hall.
"So where are we working at, your room?" She stumbled a bit on her feet while trying to remember where exactly Fuyumi's room was and walking down the hall she thought it might be. "I brought some stuff I thought you might like to use, by the way. Mostly stuff that was gonna be used for the ceremony. Thought since it's just collecting dust anyway, might as well make it useful for something."
"Oh, that's—thank you!" her friend chipped in as she followed behind her and instead pointed to the sliding door at the end of the hallway. "We're actually working in the dining room since it's bigger. Do you still remember where that is?"
With a nod, she entered said room and once inside, Miryoku could tell that her friend had been already well underway making the decorations for her classroom as paper maché littered the table and the surrounding tatami floor along with many other materials. Helping Fuyumi get more boxes of materials from the storage room had the two conversing instantly back and forth. Despite her lack of sleep, Miryoku admitted that this distraction was needed after the long week she had.
What a fucking week too.
When she met the team who she'd be working with, she thought that the way they had been on Monday was an outlier, not the norm. How sad it was to be wrong, though. It wasn't bordering a toxic environment but some of them certainly reminded her of snakes in a pit sans the hissing.
But she didn't want to think of any of those things at the moment. As a matter of fact, thinking about nothing would be better and knocking out for a good six or seven hours sounded great more than anything. Regrettably, Miryoku remembered the promise she'd made to Fuyumi last time they saw each other. After the few days Fuyumi had stayed over looking out for her during her interview week, she'd promised to help her with the sports festival decorations for her elementary class. And though she regretted it now, a promise was a promise. So even when this wouldn't be the weekend-long nap she was hoping for, it'd at least help her relax.
It'd be easy, anyway, getting lost in folding paper flowers and chainlink ribbons. The more colorful and crazy she could make them, the better, too.
Half an hour into their chore was when the sliding doors to the dining room opened up to let in a bicolor-eyed boy that resembled Fuyumi far too much for them not to be related. Since it wasn't Natsuo, though, there was only one other guess Miryoku could take that was anywhere close to the right answer.
"Ah, Shouto," Fuyumi called out happily. "Say hello. She's a friend of mine, Chimni Miryoku."
Both turned to one another, him with indifference and her with mild confusion. That was until she finally remembered why he looked somewhat familiar.
"You're Shouto-kun? Boy, how you grew." Miryoku snickered at the memory of him before pointing at herself. "You probably don't remember me but I knew you when you were just a few months old." Rising from her seat on the tatami, Miryoku dusted off her hands from glitter and colorful paper shavings before reaching her hand out to him. "It's nice to see you again, though I suppose, 'nice to meet you' would be more apropos now."
Shouto eyed her hand but ignored it without another word directed at her as instead he turned to his sister who looked rather flustered by his action.
"I came to tell you that I'll be in the courtyard if you need me, sister," he simply said, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Miryoku because of how odd she found his monotone tone.
"Okay," Fuyumi fumbled a bit with her words. "B-Be sure to take breaks, alright?"
Shouto only agreed with a nod before heading right back out the way he came from without so much as a glance at her. Once he was away, Fuyumi was quick to apologize for his behavior. Miryoku couldn't have cared less, frankly, since the kid seemed to be much more preoccupied with wherever he was going.
"He seems busy," she pointed out as she sat back down on the floor and continued her work with the glitter pens.
Her white-haired friend sighed defeatedly as her shoulders fell with the gesture. "His school's sports festival is in a couple of weeks, too, and he's been training from dawn to dusk. Honestly, it's worrisome how dogged he is about it."
His school's…?
"He goes to U.A., doesn't he?" Fuyumi nodded as an answer which had Miryoku following with, "Is he from Class 1-A that got attacked at USJ?"
Her friend's demeanor changed then at the reminder. "Yeah… I'm still a little apprehensive about that. I mean, I know he can take care of himself but he's still just a kid, you know? I was worried sick when I heard about it."
I can imagine.
Miryoku was aware that ever since Fuyumi's mother's internment at Shizuoka General Hospital, she had taken upon herself all the household duties which also meant taking care of her two younger brothers. She and Fuyumi had lost contact way before that after she moved out of Shizuoka with her grandfather. Things like those came into light for her only after the two reunited almost six months ago when they got together for a chat and Miryoku asked Fuyumi if she would join her small roster of bridesmaids.
Of course, all of that was before…
Her thumb mindlessly touched her left ring finger as she folded another paper flower.
"How's Rei-san, by the way," she said instead, changing the subject. "You mentioned before that you've gone to visit her more often nowadays."
"She's…alright." Her friend's lips pursed. If from concentration on what she was writing with a large marker or from overthinking her answer was beyond her. "She hasn't gotten any better, but also hasn't gotten worse, so I guess it's something."
"Has Natsuo gone to see her?"
"Sometimes." Miryoku watched for a moment as her friends struggled to find the scissors that were right in front of her before passing them to her. "He's been busy with college since he started back in March."
"Mmm."
Part of her wanted to ask about Shouto and their father. She knew the gist of what happened to the kid. Most of all, the source of that scar on his face. And well, she'd known their father from a young age. Not only because she and Fuyumi were classmates and best friends, but because she'd spent enough time over on secret sleepovers to overhear him and Rei-san arguing through the thin walls of the house. Or more like him yelling at Rei-san. To be honest, the man didn't look like he changed much from the horrible excuse for a father he'd been back then.
Too bad he can't be as good of a father as he is a hero.
Although she could give it to her brain for that one, Miryoku still pitied Fuyumi and her brothers and hated that they had to deal with such a person. While Miryoku had gone through her own kind of hell, she at least got the chance to get out of it and actually find a family that cared about her.
Fuyumi didn't. None of them did.
Miryoku could tell that whatever happened had them stuck perpetually in a place in time that they couldn't get out of. She could empathize with such a thing.
Let's get out of it for a little while.
"Your class is way too large. Who even needs these many flowers?" Fuyumi's gray eyes shot up when Miryoku pointed this out, her hand holding yet another finished paper maché flower in hand. "How many did you say you have?"
"Thirty," she said with a smile.
"Man, you teachers are getting overworked," she fumed. "You should seriously ask for a raise, Yumi."
Her friend laughed at her antics and went on about how it wasn't all that bad since the kids were quite adorable and liked her enough to listen most of the time. Miryoku went along with the chat, complaining about children being nothing more than snot machines and that she'd cut off a limb before putting herself through all that.
Fuyumi's laughter was loud as could be with each and every outrageous claim her friend made about children. "Don't even with all that. You love children."
"I don't love them," she corrected her. "I find them entertaining because, for some reason, no matter how shitty I treat them, they think it's hilarious as hell and keep coming back for more."
"You've never thought about having children of your own then?"
"We're 22, Yumi," Miryoku pointed out. Suddenly, her expression changed as she mimicked that of an old man, her voice dropping an octave and gaining as much gruffness as it could. "We should be living the high life and enjoying our youth while we can." She shrugged, her voice returning to normal as she said, "That's what gramps says anyway. He kinda misses the point that we're the generation of the overworked and underpaid, though, so I take his words with a grain of salt."
Bubbly laughter escaped her friend again at the joke before mindlessly saying, "And yet you were the first one of us ready to jump ship and marry, huh?"
Fuyumi's gasp was audible in the silence that ensued, her expression changing altogether into an anxious one as she stammered with her words.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—I shouldn't have—"
"It's alright, Yumi. Calm down." Miryoku reached across the table to place her hand atop Fuyumi's and helped her calm down from her sudden outburst. Gazing back at her gently, her sunset eyes veered off to her left hand before retrieving her right from across the table.
"Y-Yeah, sorry," Fuyumi said, adjusting her glasses as a somber expression came over her. "H-How…how have you been, by the way? I know somewhat what happened from Makoto-san, which again I'm sorry for not asking directly from you but—"
"I'm okay." She knew that if she didn't interrupt her, Fuyumi could very well go on her apologetic tirade that would last hours. "It happened and I'm getting over it."
"Are you…planning on dating anytime soon?"
Her lips pursed at the question, her eyes and concentration fixated on a paper chain link she was gluing together rather than on the current conversation.
"After what happened, not anytime soon…if ever," she dismissively said before lifting the long colorful ribbon to show off with a grin. "How's it looking? Now bad, huh."
Fuyumi looked like she wanted to say something, but caught on pretty quickly that Miryoku's change of subject was a clear indicator that the conversation was over. So instead, she said, "Mm, pretty good. Though the color pattern is wrong."
"What?! Where!?" Miryoku stared down at her work as Fuyumi pointed out her error. Breathing out a curse, she went about cutting it and fixing it before going on to the next task at hand.
All heavy subjects forgotten, the two settled into mundane talk until Fuyumi noticed the time and stood to start dinner. Having already decided to stay until after she ate, Miryoku got up and began cleaning up the table while her friend went about prepping to cook.
It was while putting the materials back into the boxes Fuyumi had brought out that Miryoku found something buried at the bottom. Pulling it out, she fumbled with it in her hands for a moment before she realized what it was.
A…flower crown?
It was nothing more than tattered paper maché flowers wrapped around a flimsy piece of wire that had been wrapped over with more paper.
Looking further inside the box, she found more old, tattered and bent flower crowns. Now that she recalled, because of how much time she spent over at Fuyumi's house, it was sometimes hard to find things to do that didn't involve going out to play in the riverbanks outside the estate. Rei-san had been the one to suggest maybe a more hands-on activity that would take time to learn before showing them how to build them.
After that, even without fresh flowers from their garden during the springtime, they would make ones out of paper like these and have Rei-san tell them who did a better job.
These must've been the last ones we made before I moved away from Shizuoka.
There were four in total and from the colors of the flowers, she could more or less tell who made them. The one that was perfectly made despite its old age with all kinds of white flowers and red poppies was Fuyumi's. The one she'd picked first out of the box was hers with orange lilies and white daisies. There was another with white and specks of yellow flowers that was also neatly done; Natsuo's. The boy wasn't old enough to maneuver his way through making one so Fuyumi often had to finish it when he gave up halfway.
The last one was one with blue and red flowers and was left unfinished.
Miryoku held that one close, her fingers brushing against the blue flowers that had lost their color and had already turned a dark gray after all that time.
"This is so dumb!"
"You're just saying that because you can't even do something as easy as this, idiot."
"What did you say?!"
"Idiot~"
"Give me that! I'll show you how easy it is to make a dumb flower crown."
A small smile lifted the edges of her lips at the faraway memory of times she had wanted more than anything to last forever back then.
Putting the crowns on top of everything else, she closed the box and set it aside to be put away later before heading to the kitchen. Fuyumi noticed her just as she was turning into it with a grand smile.
"There was a special on cabbage the other day so we'll be having okonomiyaki tonight. I hope that's okay with you."
"Sounds good." With a wry smile, Miryoku stood back before saying, "Hey, Fuyumi, is it okay if I come help you in just a bit? I kind of want to go see him if that's alright."
The way she worded it must have perplexed her friend because she turned from her cooking to glance at Miryoku with a furrowed brow. Something about her expression must've given what she'd meant away though, because a solemn smile came to her friend's face then she nodded. With that, Miryoku simply asked where it was before heading out of the dining room and down the hall.
After a couple of turns, she found herself before the room her friend mentioned and slid the door open. It was a small room with a table in the middle and several sitting mats around it that seemed to not have been used in a while. The only one that looked even mildly in use was one that was in front of the altar on the side of the room.
Miryoku took a seat before the altar and looked at the photo nestled there. A photo of Fuyumi's older brother and one of Miryoku's first friends.
"Hey," she breathed. Her fingers toyed with one of the blue paper maché flowers she'd made for Fuyumi that hadn't come out as intended. It was still pretty, though, and it reminded her of her friend's Quirk.
Of that small blue flame that had kept her warm during the coldest nights.
"Sorry it took me so long to come," she breathed. "I'll visit more often now that I'm better. I'll look out for Yumi and the others however I can, too. I promise."
Gently, she placed it beside his picture before her fingers brushed against the edge of the frame. A wry smile came to her lips and a slight sting came to the corners of her eyes that she didn't bother wiping away.
Two weeks later, Friday. 9:25 am — Tokyo, Outside a conference room.|
"Whoa, someone looks like they missed their beauty sleep more than a few times."
Miryoku didn't bother responding. Not when what mattered at the moment was getting the oversized pigeon into the conference room for an interview that he was already twenty minutes late for.
"Yes, yes. You can make fun of me later," she groaned, coming around and pushing him by the shoulders to hurry him down the hall when she noticed the leisure pace of his step. "Now go inside before they get any more on my case."
Unfortunately, before she could even get him to move even a step forth, his crimson wings spread out behind him, the action itself pushing her back as the feathers were inadvertently shoved in her face. Amber eyes peeked through his visors with a rather blank look as he tilted his head back to glance over his shoulder at her.
"I'm not, though," he blatantly said.
"Just…go inside."
Taking him by the arm instead, Miryoku dragged him through the back door of the conference room as security made way for them until they reached the partitioning that separated the stage of the conference room and the backstage. There was no time to remind him of anything when the host spotted him from where he was and his face visibly brightened. Poor guy had been buying her time until Hawks arrived so they wouldn't have to cancel. Miryoku thanked goodness that Hawks arrived when he did too because she could tell the media was starting to get uneasy about having to wait around.
She'd know too after being in their shoes for the past couple of years.
Just forget it, Ryo. You've got other things to worry about now.
Miryoku nodded to herself and to the tech assistant that gave her the little earpiece that was connected to the host's. The PR team back at the agency had prepared her well enough with how to deal with these events from the few some of them had attended with Ohno. From what she recalled, the earpieces were just to keep in communication and intervene if there was anything she wanted to maintain out of bounds without having to actually step out and stop the interview herself.
It was a courtesy they extended to her when she asked for it. Certainly not the norm but if it would help her get through this easier, she wouldn't be one to say no.
Hawks was keeping his promise for what it was worth. The reporters were also being quite tame. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Miryoku decided to close her eyes for a short second while leaning against the wall just out of sight of the conference room.
She was barely two weeks deep and she was already exhausted.
Acclimating to the kind of work she'd be doing from now on had been a hurdle she got over after the first week. Kojirou-san always did say that her best asset was knowing how to adapt quickly and figure out how to work most efficiently from there. Miryoku would have to agree, but even she could see that this was totally different from the work she did for him. In fact, she was quickly learning that comparing her work at JPW to this one was comparing two totally different beasts.
Managing Hawks' image was like trying to wipe down a windshield by hand during a pour down. When she cleaned one part and started on another, that clean one was already soaked again. It wasn't even bad press she had to deal with, either. It was just the amount of different things she had to keep tabs on that had her head spinning a little.
A heavy workload, she could deal with. A heavy workload consisting of all sorts of different types was starting to weigh on her, though. Being more than a bit sleep deprived for the best part of the past two weeks wasn't helping either.
Her little Machievelian plan to get Kogimi to stand up for herself was starting to affect her more than she'd planned it to. When she decided to go through with it, Miryoku hadn't accounted for the work to weigh so heavily on her, but now that she was this deep in it, it wasn't like she could back down either.
Still…getting a little under 16 hours combined between the last few weeks was starting to take its toll on her. She thanked the caffeine god for allowing her to somewhat function right now.
Focus, focus. Your first conference is going on.
Right. Opening her eyes slowly, she blinked briefly to do away with the drowsiness before focusing on the questions being asked. Miryoku had to give it to Hawks, the guy knew how to toy around with the media. It wasn't anything she didn't already know, though. Especially not after the carousel he through her on back when she herself had been the one asking him questions nonstop during the last billboard charts.
Which meant that the only ones she really had to watch out for were the reporters themselves.
They were behaving, for the most part. That Hawks wouldn't answer slightly problematic questions helped to keep them from asking any worse ones. At first, anyway.
"In regards to your current standing in the charts, do you believe it'll be a matter of time before you surpass Endeavor to gain the number two spot?"
Highly unlikely.
He answered as such, albeit in a much more roundabout way.
It wasn't like she didn't think he was good enough to do so, but Endeavor had two things on him. Time and experience. Those were worth much more than innate talent more often than not. For him to gain that spot, Endeavor would either have to retire early or All Might would somehow have to fall from his pedestal to allow the numbers to move up by one.
And we all know how likely either of those things is.
"Hawks, yes, as the number two hero, what are your thoughts about the attack on U.A. that occurred a few weeks ago? Do you think that the faculty should look for outside help from other heroes in order to assure the students' safety?"
This again…
Miryoku quickly reached up to her earpiece and pressed the button that would connect her to the host. "Pass on this one."
Almost immediately, the host shot the question down and asked for the next question. Sensing a stare, Miryoku lifted her eyes from the floor and looked straight ahead to find a pair of amber eyes giving her a sidelong glance. From the way he was covering his mouth with his hand, she couldn't tell what kind of expression he was wearing. Honestly, though, she didn't care. Miryoku had had enough about the attack on U.A. and wasn't about to deal with it there, too.
With that dam open, however, the other reporters found the courage to begin toeing the line. Asking about the League of Villains that had attacked the school. Asking about what she had learned through her sources had been a rather odd-looking villain which had duked it out one-on-one against All Might. Asking things that, despite knowing vaguely the kind of answer that could be safe to give, were things Miryoku didn't want to have to deal with.
Forget it, they have enough to work with anyway.
"I'm ending it here."
From the corner of her eye, she saw Hawks' crimson wings perk up a bit before said hero suddenly interrupted the host when he was just about to call it quits.
"Actually, I think they did as well as they could have given the circumstances." His voice rang through the conference room and quickly quieted the mutters that had been going around. "This was an unprecedented occurrence that could have happened to any institution and regrettably fell on them. Though the school should be held somewhat accountable for not being more prepared in an outside facility, it should be clearly said that the ones we should be blaming more are the villains that attacked them."
Hawks rose from his seat, his wings spreading behind him, the light that shone from above making their color pop amidst the blandness of everything else around him.
"Everybody is looking for somebody to blame since they can't prosecute the villains who got away, but we shouldn't be hounding the heroes who kept those children safe when the worst came to happen, either," he concluded before smirking and adding, "At least, I don't think so."
The room burst alive at that but by then the host was already announcing the end of the conference and Hawks was already walking off stage to stand before her. Miryoku didn't have the energy or rested mind to bother hiding her annoyance.
The sight of her that way had him chuckling slightly as he raised an interested eyebrow. "Do I have something on my face?"
"Yeah," she immediately shot back before pivoting on her heels to head out. "The audacity that I wish I could smack but can't."
The blatant declaration had his eyes growing wide for a second before he burst out into laughter. Not having the patience to deal with that, Miryoku headed out, not bothering to wait for him, but by the sound of rushing wind and his beating wings, it was easy to figure he'd caught up.
"Don't tell me you're mad," he scoffed without ever losing the cocky smirk.
"I'm not mad," she corrected. "Just annoyed."
"C'mon, Chimni-san, you should've seen it coming the moment you said you wanted to end the conference early."
"An hour is more than enough to scrounge out a measly column with all the questions you answered, and besides I wasn't about to let them make my job all the harder when I have enough with—wait a second."
Her stopping mid-stride had Hawks suddenly flapping his wings forward to stop the momentum that carried him and blew a rather strong gust her way.
He chuckled a bit but cleared his throat before saying, "Sorry."
Miryoku carded her fingers through her hair to comb it back into some semblance of neatness while focusing on taking a deep breath to calm down.
"You heard me?" she suddenly asked.
Hawks opened his mouth as if ready to reply but stopped himself before bringing the high collar of his jacket over the lower part of his mouth, refusing to incriminate himself. His silence said enough, though. Exasperated, Miryoku sighed and shook her head instead of nagging him. Besides the fact that she hadn't the strength of mind for that, she didn't feel like arguing.
Not after the answer he gave them, anyway.
"Forget it," she simply said. "I'm not going to bother with that right now. As for that last question, what's done is done. I'll deal with whatever aftermath comes out of it."
"You really think it's gonna be that big a deal?" he asked almost sounding like he already knew the answer to his own question.
"Knowing them? Yeah," she said. And since I used to be one of them, I know how they think and operate more than I'd like to admit. "It's the exact same reason I didn't want you answering the question. You obviously thought it more amusing to make my job harder than listening to my instructions, though. Thanks for that, by the way."
"Y'know," he said, a bit of drawl coming out when he pronounced the word. "I'm starting to realize you get real grouchy when you don't get enough rest."
Enough with this.
Having reached the parking lot of the building by then, Miryoku had been standing around her car for the better part of the conversation, but after hearing that, she opened the driver's door quite brusquely before sitting down and yanking it closed.
"I'll see you in the office, Hawks-san."
Not allowing him a moment to respond, Miryoku turned the ignition and got out of the spot in record time so she could be on the road quickly and maybe beat the headache that was starting to come onto her for the fifth time that day.
God, I need to sleep.
Thank god it was Friday. All she had to endure were a few more hours in the office before she could just go home and pass out for the weekend.
Kyushu, Hawks Hero Agency.|
Another long day over with.
Sort of.
God, how he hated night patrols.
This time it'd be just him, too, since his sidekicks were off the clock after having worked overtime all of last week for him to rest. He wasn't about to slack off just because they allowed him the time, though. Hawks was the type to rest when needed and only after finishing all the work that needed to be done. Which, unfortunately, meant taking overnight patrol for the weekend.
He supposed a night out to Lux with the jackrabbit would have to be another weekend.
"Boo, you whore."
Hawks couldn't keep from spit-taking when that was Miruko's answer after letting her know of the sudden change of plans.
"You seriously need to watch newer movies," he snickered. "That one's outdated as hell."
"Still applies," she said before a groan came through. "Damn. I really wanted to get laid tonight, too."
You and I both.
"You can still go, you know," he corrected her just as he was getting to his agency. "It's not like you haven't gone without me before."
"Yeah, but when you go I can get smashed and not worry about how I get home," she guffawed rather loudly in the receiver, forcing him to pull his phone away from his ear.
"Bummer," he drawled.
"Better let me know when you're free next time, dodo."
"Copy that."
Hawks ended the call but stopped mid-flight when he realized he'd been going to the fifth floor instead of the cafeteria on the first floor for a bite like he intended to before patrol. Damn, force of habit. Lowering himself to the ground, he was about to enter through one of the open windows when he spotted the brunette head of his new PR manager and his front desk secretary talking.
From the looks of things, Chimni had just arrived as well and had stopped to talk to Kogimi-chan for some reason or another. The two acted rather close for having become coworkers just a couple of weeks ago, but then again, he supposed that the week they met before gave them a little more time to form some sort of amicable relationship.
Something she obviously didn't have with the rest of the PR team yet.
Hovering just outside the window but out of sight if nobody looked intentionally upward, he stayed behind and let his feathers catch the vibrations of their voices as they continued on. He caught the tail end of a conversation before a high-pitched voice interrupted them and one of the PR department workers came strutting out of the elevator.
"Kogimi! Good thing I caught you just before you left!" Her high-heels clicked loudly against the tile and had his feathers twitching with each step she gave as she purposefully headed to the pair.
Though he couldn't very well see their expressions with detail, he could sense the minute changes in their body as they shifted in place. Because of that, it was easy to see how Chimni's shoulders stiffened and her posture straightened. Kogimi-chan, meanwhile, slouched, making herself even smaller in comparison.
"I-Is that so? For what exactly?"
"You see, some of us are coming in tomorrow to wrap up some of this last week's work. We're gonna be here early and leave late…" Matsumoto feigned a groan before seemingly grinning back at Kogimi. "Would you be a darling and get us some coffee and breakfast tomorrow morning?"
"Tomorrow? It's Saturday, though," Kogimi weakly protested.
"Exactly!" Matsumoto exclaimed incredulously. "We're gonna be beating ourselves out here on a weekend because of how much we want this to be done right! So you will, right?"
There was a quiet that settled in for a minute. Hawks tilted his head as he watched from afar.
It wasn't a hobby of his to eavesdrop; it was more of a habit. A good one in his line of work but a terrible one anywhere else. All the same, he couldn't help but think that it was always good to keep tabs on his employees. This one, though, was a situation he had encountered more than a handful of times before to know how it'd end.
She'll agree even when she clearly doesn't want to and get pushed around like always.
How sad, really. If only she'd grow a spine. But some people just couldn't stand up for themselves no matter how badly they were being treated. It was the tragic truth of things sometimes.
Tired of this same old story, Hawks readied himself to go back to his office and deal with the matter he had intended to over a message when another suddenly stepped into the fray.
"I'm more free than Kogimi-san is tomorrow, so I'll do it."
His brow furrowed at Chimni-san's sudden outburst. Her? Why? The offer made absolutely no sense to him. Hawks knew that ever since the day after she started working, she'd been doing those coffee runs with Kogimi-chan and even recently going at it all alone. He couldn't begin to understand what the purpose of that was, though. If she was hoping for Kogimi-chan to put a stop to it, she was truly hoping for too much.
He'd know after a year of nothing changing after he intervened.
"C-Chimni-san, don't—"
Chimni must've given Kogimi-chan a certain look that quieted her before turning back to Matsumoto and saying, "That's fine with you so long as someone brings it, right?"
Not being one to refuse Matsumoto agreed with the hint of something in her voice as she did so. Wow, someone was so blatantly getting off on the power rush. With Chimni basically being their superior, the situation boiled down to her waiting on them hand and foot.
Chimni left shortly after that and the gossip started almost instantly once her back was turned. He didn't see the point of doing that. Even when they got off on the high, it was useless really since at the end of the day she was still in a higher position than them.
It was none of his business though.
If Chimni wanted this to propagate and let herself be treated as such by her own team, then who was he to intervene.
If our little encounters showed me anything, it's that she can take care of herself.
Taking a moment to check his phone, Hawks idly checked the time as his wings flapped ready to leave.
I'll just get something to eat elsewhere.
"What did you say?"
His wings perked just as he was about to fly away at the sound of Matsumoto's exclamation. Amber eyes glanced over his shoulder to get a glimpse of what his wings caught. Kogimi-chan had stepped forward and now stood before Matsumoto and the handful of workers that had been there talking behind Chimni's back.
"I said that Chimni-san isn't going to bring you anything tomorrow," she firmly said, his feathers catching the slight tremor of her voice. "And neither will I from now on."
"C'mon, Kogimi," another spoke up, the cheekiness in his tone more than audible. "It's only coffee. If buchou wants to get it, we should let her. Besides, you should be thankful it's not you anymore."
"No." This time there wasn't any tremor in her voice. "It's enough. I didn't care how you treated me; I was already used to it, anyway. But for you to treat someone as hardworking and kind as her is something I won't stand for."
A clamor of laughter rang through. Matsumoto, through her ridicule, spoke. "What do you even know? She hasn't even been here for a month and you're already singing her praises. Brown-nosing much?"
"Think what you want, but I won't stand for this any longer. Get someone else to do your meaningless errands because neither of us will do it anymore."
With that Kogimi stormed off, heading for the elevator to let Chimni know this, too, surely. Intrigued about what else could happen, Hawks took flight and flew up to the second floor and to the opposite side of the building that he was used to in order to get to Chimni's office.
Before he could even start unlatching the lock on the window to better listen in, however, his amber eyes grew wide at the sight he caught through the windowpane.
A face that had held a more than peeved expression the whole of that day was now as peaceful as could be as Chimni sat in her chair, head fully leaned back and falling slightly to one side as she dozed off with the orange and reds of the sunset peeking through the window and filling the office in warmth.
Wow. She must've been really tired if she's napping on the job.
He hadn't seen her stop working once in the last couple of weeks as she toiled away to catch up to a job that had taken Junko-san years to perfect into a steady flow. She'd been holding up well, though, all things considered, and the fact that she was working through the issues in the office while doing so was quite decent of her. He hadn't bothered fixing anything again after the first time because it'd just be another load he didn't need, but she didn't seem to see it that way.
Perhaps that's why she took on Kogimi's problem and figured out how she could get her to stand up against the others.
There are some people that are much more courageous when standing up for others than for themselves.
And after achieving that in two short weeks, Hawks supposed that someone won themselves a little nap for the rest of the day.
Flying in on the window of the second floor hall, he spotted Kogimi making her way to Chimni's office with her hand ready to open the door and hurriedly stopped her with a few of his feathers that caught the edge of her sleeve and pulled it away from the doorknob.
Taken aback, she turned towards him, mint eyes growing wide for a moment. "Boss?"
Hawks didn't answer at first, instead choosing to lift a finger to his smiling lips and remove her hand from the doorknob himself when he reached her within a few strides.
"Someone's had a long couple of weeks, it looks like," he quietly said, eyeing the end of the hallway that led to the rest of the desks of the department to make sure no one was around the corner. "Let the others know not to disturb her. If she doesn't get up by closing hours, come wake her up. Got it?"
It took her a moment to understand—plus a couple of glances at him and then towards the door with her mint eyes glinting with a shimmer in them—but before long, Kogimi smiled and took her hand back before bowing her head in agreement and leaving.
Feeling good about the good deed done for the day, he was about to step out from where he came from to get to his office but stopped briefly.
Glancing back down the hallway and then at the door before him, he sent one of his smaller feathers under the space of the door and carefully locked the door from the inside for her. If there was anybody in the team who wouldn't listen to Kogimi, it'd be Omori. She'd be the only one who wouldn't wait for an answer if she came knocking. Locking the door would at least give her time to feign having been awake after the knocks woke her.
It was the least he could do.
Take it as my apology for dissing you earlier.
With a satisfied grin, Hawks flew out and away to get himself something to eat before the start of a long night for him.
Monday, 7:40 am — Kyushu, Hawks Hero Agency.|
"Are you sure about this?"
Kogimi nodded vehemently and took the two lone to-go cups from the counter just after the barista called her name. Taking her double espresso with a 'thank you', Miryoku added a little bit of milk and honey before turning back to her redhead coworker who held her head high as they exited the café.
They had met up at the café as they had the past two weeks but instead of getting the ridiculously long order that they usually did, Kogimi only ordered two. Their own. That alone had Miryoku grinning from ear to ear as they headed to the agency just a few minutes away.
To be frank, when Kogimi told her Friday that they wouldn't have to bother with Saturday anymore, she thought something had happened and they had reneged on taking advantage of her offer. Kogimi didn't confirm nor deny any of it when she asked, either, which made her somewhat curious as to what exactly was going on.
It wasn't until that morning that she more or less got the gist of it.
We'll only know for sure once in the office, though.
Waiting for the true test, Miryoku entered side by side with the redhead ready to chat with her for a few minutes before it was time to head up to the department when, like clockwork, Matsumoto and a few other coworkers approached the front desk. Those manicured nails of hers tapped loudly against the sleek surface of Kogimi's desk to call their attention to her.
"Kogimi, sweetheart, did you forget something this morning?" she said in what Miryoku had already pinned as an annoying sing-song tone.
To her credit, Kogimi held her head high when she said, "No. Absolutely nothing. I appreciate your concern, though."
A tick came to Matsumoto's jaw but she hid it and instead turned to Miryoku. "Chimni-buchou, did you, perhaps?"
Miryoku scoffed at her while taking a sip of her coffee as her response. Surprisingly enough, she still had a modicum of restraint to try and scare them.
"What bad manners," she chided, her cheeks red from apparent rising anger. "Surely, Omori-san would love to hear how you both are being unfair to everybody else in the office with such obvious favoritism."
Oh, is this how you want to play now?
Just as Kogimi was about to retort, Miryoku stepped in, wanting in on that game.
"Go ahead," she said with the hint of a smirk wanting to undo her serene smile. "And since we're airing out dirty laundry, I'll be sure to let them know about your usage of the company card to fuel this little caffeine addiction you've got going."
Though it wasn't enough yet to scare her, Miryoku could tell that the bravado from a few moments ago had dropped considerably. "I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, it's Kogimi-san that has been using it to buy them."
"Only when you didn't give her enough money to buy them. And besides…" Miryoku took another sip of her coffee savoring the light bitterness and sweetness of it before continuing. "According to the records I've read, you're supposed to be the one in charge of that particular card. You and your team that's in charge of social media, right? So regardless of who used it, the greater fault will ultimately fall upon you."
The way her face blanched had a satisfied grin growing on her face. Hearing the clicking of heels had Miryoku glancing down at her wristwatch instead of behind her.
7:57 am. Just on time.
Lowering her hand and glancing over at Kogimi, she didn't even have to say anything to the redhead. A simple flitting glance backward gave it away. Smiling, Kogimi took her seat behind her desk and donned a pleasant smile while Miryoku turned to Matsumoto and her posse.
"Trust me, Matsumoto-san, you don't want to play this game against me, and I'll tell you why." Miryoku smiled and took a short sip of her coffee before stepping off and heading for the stairs instead of the elevator, speaking in a whisper as she passed them by. "I simply hate losing."
Miryoku made it to the door of the staircase just before hearing Omori's voice bouncing through the walls, reprimanding them for not being in their offices just as the clock struck 8 am sharp.
A/N:
I wasn't supposed to write this chapter but I couldn't stop myself xD
After so much Hawks in the recent chapters, I've been living for this bird boi and loving every second of it. It was hard thinking of how to start Miryoku's work as his manager. Despite the fixes I did to this chapter, I still kind of feel like its choppy here and there but am definitely happier with this version than with what I started.
I'm terrible at writing romance but I always have liked an earned love so don't expect this to go quick. I'm gonna savor writing little interactions and cute moments while writing Miryoku and Hawks' little romance.
Anyway, the little bit with Fuyumi, aside from what it was for, was also to settle them again in the main BnHA timeline. Since the attack on USJ happened just a few weeks prior, the next thing will be the sports festival and subsequently the internships! Which means Miryoku might meet the little lord of darkness, Tokoyami, himself and goodest birb, Dark Shadow. I'm looking forward to that one mostly because of a certain thing I've been wanting to write about.
Anyway, I'll leave it at that. For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you stay tuned for the next one.
Wishing a everybody a happy summer,
- Evie (Lilleby)