Part III
Chapter 58
Eiko took another long, slow sip from her fruit drink. The glass that contained it was wonderfully chill to her touch, and that sensation alone was enough to combat the warm summer air that surrounded the balcony.
"They tried to push her! Down the freakin' stairs, Eiko. But Minamo kept sayin' not to tell the teacher. She was really freakin' insistent about it."
She took her view away from the scenery that was over the railing and placed it onto the girl that was next to her. Her name was Yukari Tanizaki, a first year that attended the same high school as she did. Eiko had only recently met her, but had nonetheless become good friends with her quite quickly. Yukari was a funny character, a bit stupid, but was blessed with a delightedly refreshing, brazen attitude that Eiko thoroughly enjoyed.
And so, on this Saturday evening, she had invited the girl over to her family's lush, ultramodern home, a four story suburban palace that loomed over the other homes around it. They had watched a few movies while talking on and on for hours, and were now taking a break in the warm weather."I'm glad you were there to stop it, at least."
Yukari grimaced, taking a sip from her own chilled drink. "Yeah, but...what are we gonna' do about Minamo, though? Those brats keep pickin' on her, but she's afraid to talk to anyone about it. She said she doesn't want to get the teachers involved. I don't get it!"
Her giant mass of hair swirled about as she moved her head, completely unkempt, and her sense of fashion was equally disorganized. While Eiko herself was sporting a trendy blouse and shorts, so glad to be free of the wretched school uniforms that she abhorred, Yukari was just in what seemed to be her pajamas. "She probably doesn't want to get any teachers involved about the whole lesbian-rumor thing."
"But she's not gay, so what's it matter?"
"Because her mother will somehow hear about it and get involved. Minamo would rather be pushed down the stairs."
The remark caused Yukari to become visibly angry, the girl slamming her drink on the railing, some of it spilling onto her. "...damn that ogre witch."
Eiko chuckled.
"Seriously, I met her like, once, and I already hate her guts."
"I've always liked her. She's brilliant."
"Then go join her fuckin' coven if you like her so much!"
She laughed again. Something about Yukari's particular brand of anger always tickled her funny bone, this touch of buffoonery numbing the fury. "Maybe I will."
"...come on, though. Is that really the reason she never talks to the teachers about any of this stuff?"
"Pretty much. She's terrified of her, and her whole family. They're very protective about their reputation, even if it's just rumors. Her mother would, I don't know, disown her over a rumor like that."
"...see, you know that witch treats Minamo like shit."
"Of course she does."
"Then how can you like her?"
Eiko shrugged. "I've never enjoyed how she treats Minamo either. But, that has nothing to do with how smart she is. I have fun talking to her about all sorts of things."
The girl gave her a disgusted frown, and then looked back out towards the town. "Damn, dirty nerds."
Another laugh.
"...then what's Minamo gonna' do?"
"Well, she's not going to tell the teachers, that's for sure."
Yukari spit over the railing. "That's so messed up. She's like the nicest fuckin' person, but her family's still a bunch of jackasses to her."
An amused, wry grin quickly spread across Eiko's face. "So Minamo can even get someone like you to say nice things about her."
"Shut the hell up."
She chuckled. Even though they had only known each other for a few weeks, Eiko had more or less figured the girl out on their first meeting. Yukari was the type of person who had obvious trouble relating her feelings, let alone complementing other people. "You're right, though. Minamo doesn't deserve any of it."
Yukari spent a few moments thinking about something, and then glanced over to her. "...you can do somethin' for her, right? You said you were always watchin' out for her before..."
Eiko shook her near-empty glass, the remaining ice jingling inside. "What do you want me to do?"
"Geez, I dunno'. I mean...haven't you, uh, I dunno', helped her with bullies or something' before?"
"Sometimes."
"Then how about doin' whatever you did on those times now?"
She lazily turned her head to the girl. "All I did was get adults to help, and then gave her a few pep talks."
"...but the problem is that she doesn't want to tell the teachers, 'cause her family will find out..."
"That's right." The glass was to her lips again, the last of the sweet liquid flowing past them. "That's the problem, but also the simplest answer to it."
Yukari stared at her with a confused look. "Huh?"
"To tell our homeroom teacher."
"...but...wait. No. That's the whole problem in the first place!"
"It's not the teachers that are the problem. It's that she's terrified of her family. That's always been the problem."
Yukari appeared to become angrier with every mention of Minamo's family. "...I guess I can't blame her. I mean, shit, even I'm scared of her mom..."
Eiko set her glass down on a small table that was on the balcony, and then stretched her arms. "So, you understand why she'd rather be bullied, then."
A sullen look crossed Yukari's face. "...I guess. But, still, it's just rumors and shit. Why would her mom care? They aren't true."
"How do you know that?"
The girl appeared confused by the question for a second. "Well, duh, she told me she wasn't."
Eiko examined her nails then. They needed some filing. "Oh, you asked her if she was gay?"
Yukari didn't answer immediately, appearing a bit caught off guard. "...well, uh, yeah. It was after that whole love letter thing. You never knew about it?"
She shrugged. "I heard about it through the grapevine. Minamo never told me about it, so I never bothered her about it. I figured she didn't like to remember it."
"Well, yeah, that's true. Well, I asked her then because I was just curious, and she said she wasn't. That's how I know for sure. She's not the kind who would lie or whatever to someone who helped her out."
"That was nice of you to do that for her, by the way. Thanks for that."
The thanks put a bright smile on Yukari's face. "Oh, yeah! No problem! It sucked that those losers would steal somethin' like that from someone like her. She's like, ya' know, a super good person, and..." The smile faded slightly. "...most kids aren't like that. They're just not...y'know, good at heart and stuff. So, they can go to hell..."
"I'm one of those kids, right?"
Yukari's grin came right back. "Yeah, you're the worst, Eiko."
They both laughed.
"...nah. You're cool. You gotta' be if Minamo likes you. I mean, you're honest about stuff too, like she is."
Eiko crooked her head, a smile on her face. "Oh, we're honest, too?"
Yukari smirked. "Well, yeah. I mean, you always call shit like it is. That's super cool. You never try and say somethin' dumb just to please anyone."
"Well, thanks."
"...and Minamo's just, you know, straight up honest. People like her don't lie, I can tell."
"Oh?"
"Yup!" She looked at her with a wide grin on her face, a sparkle in her eye. "So, yeah, kids like that shouldn't have to go through shit. Especially when they're gettin' picked on for bein' somethin' they aren't! That's extra messed up! So, that's why we gotta' do somethin' for her. We gotta' protect her from the enemy, right?"
Eiko smiled. "Right."
"...just, I got no idea how to do that."
"Well, when you saved her from being pushed down the stairs, what did you do?"
"Huh? Oh. I threw the kid against the wall, and then she ran like the scared-ass rat she was."
"Then, why don't you just do that?"
"Do what?"
"Scare them."
She could see the gears slowly grind away in Yukari's head then, the teenager cobbling together the idea. And, as she did, a gigantic grin gradually lit her face"...holy shit. That's right! We don't need no teachers! We can just beat the shit outta' anyone who gives Minamo trouble!"
Eiko chuckled. "I'm not going to fight anyone, Yukari."
"Oh, yeah. You damn nerd. Well, I mean, I can do it! Yeah! All I gotta' do is put the fear of Yukari into 'em!" She thumped her chest with a fist, bravado exuding out from her. "That's so easy! They mess with Minamo, then, I mess with them, and their friends, and maybe their families too, 'til they stop, um, messing with her! I don't need any teachers for that, which means Minamo's mom will never find out about anythin'."
"...I wasn't being totally serious. You'd probably be getting yourself in some trouble too, and, Minamo wouldn't like it. She's a little too goody-goody for plans like that."
"Yeah, but...I don't care. Teachers already hate me, so, hell with them. And...like you said, Minamo isn't going to do anything to stop getting messed with. If she won't do somethin', then, someone's gotta'."
"And that's you?"
"...that's 'us'! I mean, you get me, right? Isn't that why you always babysat her or whatever?"
"Sure. But I didn't take people out for her." Eiko shrugged. "But, I suppose you should do what you feel is right. If you think that's the best way to help Minamo, then, you should do it. You just have to be sure that you're up for any consequences."
Yukari seemed to brightened considerably from having her friend back her up. "Yeah, whatever! I don't care. I'm helpin' out someone as nice as Minamo, and that's totally worth it!"
Eiko smiled at her friend, Yukari going off on some spiel about performing heroic deeds for others. So, she just simply listened, the girl's ramblings always so fun to listen to, no matter how little sense they made.
It was just simple politeness as well, of course. Eiko didn't care one bit about what her friend was saying. It was obvious that Yukari lived in a perpetual fantasy world, most likely born from all the games and books she submersed herself in. And, it was equally clear that her old friend Minamo had become a part of that delusion, as Yukari had found a desperate damsel to play the role of knight to.
Yes, it was a little silly to Eiko. But she genuinely did appreciate that someone had gone out of her way to protect Minamo, so in that regard, she respected Yukari.
Outside, of that, however, it was clear that Yukari was a complete moron.
Eiko quietly shook her head with pity as the girl went on, the movements too subtle for her friend to notice.
How stupid could this girl be, to just blindly believe the maiden she had saved?
How stupid could she be, to read something so blatantly obvious in its meaning, and yet, still miss its true intentions?
Eiko hadn't been there. She hadn't seen the incident go down, hadn't seen the letter that was written. But, regardless, she still knew exactly what had occurred, what had actually happened, what had been scribbled on that now destroyed pieced of paper.
She just always knew these things, because people were predictable, as much as the arc of the hot sun above them was
Her stare went back to Yukari, and was immediately amused by the mere sight of her.
Yes, this girl was truly stupid, but, at least she was fun to be around.
"...and the former banker is now being pressed with charges other than embezzlement, including..."
Eiko raced down the highway, the words from the radio sounding extra loud in the still, silent cabin of her sports car. The entire machine had been tuned to Eiko's own designs and specifications, to run as quiet as a mouse on even the most voracious of high way roads, and she thoroughly enjoyed her success with it. There was nothing more satisfying to her then seeing a plan unfurl perfectly, her calculations producing the desired fruit.
Scumbags.
If possible, Eiko always tried to have some sort of news feed going on around her, be it from a radio, a podcast, whatever. Keeping up on information was a critical part of her job, both the executive and engineering side of her requiring the ability to constantly monitor the competition, world events, and so on. Of course, outside of business purposes, she also just enjoyed hearing justice being brought to incompetent, corrupt morons.
Not that I didn't see it coming, though. Looks like I've won another bet.
The off ramp that led to the sprawling Toyota complex had quickly come upon her, and soon, she was inside the sparkling business district that she had become so familiar with. Tall, beautiful buildings, skinned with gleaming windows, were around her now. Inside of them were the offices and design labs that comprised the company's operations in this part of the country. On the outsides, men and women in crisp business attire walked about everywhere, talking with each other, conversing over plans, partaking in the usual daily grind.
As usual, though, Eiko could only ever take notice of how horribly dressed most of them were.
Within a few minutes, she had parked her state-of-the-art vehicle in her reserved executive spot, and was soon walking towards the tall building that held her own office.
"Afternoon, m'am!"
Eiko smiled at them all, graciously returning the greetings of all the horribly dressed people that sought her attention as she passed by. The typical suit was so utterly dull, the men's haircuts boring, the women's high heels tacky and unrefined. Predictable clothing for predictable people, that's all it was. Despite all of that, though, Eiko still treated her employees kindly, because they were still mostly nice people, regardless of their lack of taste.
The sparkling glass doors of the main office building slid open before her, and more of the company's work force were inside, the lot of them ready to grovel for just a slice of Eiko's attention. She was used to such sycophantic behavior of course, but she was also well aware that the attention she always garnered wasn't just because she was the boss.
"Going up, m'am?"
"Yes."
A few men that were by the elevators bowed politely to her as she walked towards them. They then spent a few moments scuffling over who actually got to press the button for her.
She smiled at the sight. It was a familiar one to her, one she saw every day, anywhere she went, with all kinds of people.
"Thanks."
She pressed the button herself as they continued to squabble, and then rode up the large elevator alone, as the enormity of her presence never allowed any room for others inside of it. Her own office was on the top floor, and after passing about ten levels or so, the elevator finally stopped.
With her usual finesse, she exited the elevator, and encountered more typical behavior. The heads of every man and woman turned towards her, bowed to her, and then kept glued to her as she walked by.
It happened every day, anywhere she went, everywhere she went. The same sets of behaviors triggered by the same sets of emotional responses to just simply being seen. Awe, admiration, envy, lust, affection, the whole nine yards. All the time, all of the ways, from all the people.
Her smile was genuine. Eiko was no fool. She knew everyone who had ever seen her had fell in love with her in some form. It had always been that way, for as long as she could remember. Whether it was her looks, her aura, her intelligence, her confidence, her style, or something else and everything else, people swooned to her, listened to her, served her, and obeyed her.
But, Eiko never much cared for any of the attention, since it was almost always given by people who were as dull and dead as their choices in clothing.
She passed by her secretary, shared a quick word with her, and then shut herself inside of her personal office. It was large and luxurious, perfectly decorated, perfectly located. Behind a giant desk was her sumptuous leather chair, which sat in front of a giant array of windows that gave view to the entire beautiful complex below.
Eiko set her things down, plenty of room to do so upon her desk. Unlike a lot of her peers, she made full well to avoid traditional paper documents wherever she could. She was a digital woman, her spread of screens and tablets and laptops holding all of her meeting data, engineering designs, personnel reviews, spreadsheets, charts, everything. Not only did it avoid the wasteful clutter of piles and piles of paper, but it also organized all of the information she needed to do her job in such a tidy, neat, and efficient way that she loved.
However, she hadn't come back to her office in order to finish up anything that was on one of those large computer screens. No, it was something far more important than mere work that Eiko had to finish here, a task that she had been meaning to get to for quite some time now.
The messaging sound on her phone went off. She checked it, and then spoke into it. "Send her in."
"Yes, m'am."
Eiko didn't have to wait long. She never did. Within a few moments, her personal secretary ushered in a young woman, one of the newer employees that had joined the company in the last few months. She had done so right after university as she was a smart girl, one that already shined so much in the human resources department that she worked in. She had some engineering training as well, but it was currently being used to screen out the less-qualified job seekers to the company.
The secretary immediately left after introducing her. Eiko walked to her, the girl bowing a hundred times over as she did. "It's good to see you. It's been a few weeks, hasn't it?"
She shook the young woman's hand, whose grip was shaky and nervous. "Th-th-thank you, m'am! Yes, I think it has been..."
"Well, I'm glad you're here now, then. Have a seat."
Eiko led her employee to a cushy chair in front of her desk. She didn't take to her own seat afterward, though. Instead, she leaned against the desk and took one of her tablets in hand. "So, as I had mentioned in my email, I wanted to get some details from you on the upcoming folks we'll be interviewing."
"...y-y-yes, m'am...!" The young woman had her own tablet in hand, now fumbling with it as she had brought it out.
She held back a chuckle. Eiko knew this girl was never this hesitant or clumsy, except when around her. She knew she was her idol, and was more than happy to be patient with her. "Now, I wanted to begin with..."
They went into a short dialogue about some recent applicants to their R & D team, who had reached a stage of interviews where Eiko herself would be questioning them. The young woman she had here had been charged with organizing it all, and she had a fine knack for always allowing the better applicants to proceed through the entire process. She knew how to pick people and was good at her job, Eiko genuinely pleased with her performance so far.
"...well, m'am, he seemed a little off when he was asked the question about his participation in that engine's design. It sounded like he knew the technical aspects, but I felt his answer was too brief for me, as you can see from my notes."
Eiko slid a finger on her tablet, reading the dialogue that had been recorded. "...he sounds like he knows how it works, but it's obvious that he didn't participate in every stage of it. Someone who actually works on a problem will be able to explain every part of it well, because they actually got their hands dirty." She looked up. "Good catch."
The young woman blushed, smiling widely from the compliment.
Eiko smiled as well. Her employee seemed to feel more comfortable around her now, which pleased her. Eiko wasn't the type to be a distant sort of boss, and tried to keep in touch with her staff as much as she could. Unfortunately, a recent lack of time had hampered any effort to get to know this particular girl that well, who had always been nervous around her until now.
But, it seems like she's relaxed now. That's good.
She wanted to get to know this girl better. She had been keeping tabs on her progress and monitoring her work, because it was obvious that she would turn into a great company star. She was intelligent, precise, honest, throrough, had all the ideal qualities that Eiko sought in her workers.
And, most importantly of all, she didn't dress that horribly.
These younger kids always understand style better.
A hip red blouse, an equally hip skirt, trendy glasses, the girl had taste. And, she was pretty as well, Eiko knowing that she had already garnered some popularity among her male peers, whether they were single or not.
"Excellent. That's what we'll do then." Eiko flicked through a few more items on her tablet. "Go ahead and schedule the follow-up interview with him. I'll see if I can scare him any."
The girl chuckled.
After finishing up a few last details of the applicants, Eiko had the girl stand up, and then shook her hand. "Thanks very much for all your hard work, by the way. You've been a great asset to the company so far. I wish more of our employees were as component as you are."
Her young employee blushed once again, elated to be praised by her role model. "No-no...I'm just doing my job, m'am. Thank you so much for your kind words, though..."
Eiko smiled, for two reasons. The first: she was more than happy with the young woman's work, and how well their short meeting had gone today. If something went efficiently and made progress, she was satisfied.
The second: The important task that she had returned to work for could now finally begin.
"Don't be so modest. Actually, I had been wanting to reward you for doing such a fantastic job so far. You really have been making a huge difference around here."
Her employee blinked in sheer surprise, completely caught off guard. "Wh-wh-...n-no...I don't...you shouldn't-"
Eiko waved about a hand dismissively. "Sorry, but I'm not giving you a choice in the matter." She stepped beside the girl, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me: are you free next weekend?"
The girl was at an obvious loss for both sense and words at the moment. "...um...uh! Let...me see!" She glanced at a calendar app on her tablet. "I am...next Saturday...? "
"Saturday evening?"
"...yes. But, may I ask as to why...?"
"Well, I'd like to treat you out for some dinner. It's just my way of saying thanks. We'll go to somewhere fancy-smhancy, and you can tell me more about yourself. We'll have some fun. And no work-talk, I promise. How's that sound?"
The girl stared up at her with sheer disbelief in her eyes. When it became apparent that it wasn't a dream, that one of the top dogs of a world-wide corporation had actually personally invited her out for some non-business related dinner, she became ecstatic. "...y-yes! That sounds amazing! I would be so honored to go, m'am!"
Eiko returned the wide smile that was on the young woman's face. "Excellent. By the way, do you drink any, dear?"
"...drink? Um...I like wine...?"
She patted her shoulder. "That's perfect. I've got quite the bar at my place, with some exotic wines to boot. Would you be interested in tasting a few afterward?"
The young woman's eyes double in sized at the additional invitation to her idol's home. "...of, of course! That would be amazing as well, m'am!"
They spent a few moments planning their schedules then, and then said some parting words soon after. The young woman was then out of the office, bowing profusely on the way out.
Eiko chuckled when she was gone. She had seen the glee in her face, and was genuinely happy for her. Although it had gone unsaid, what the invitation really meant, outside of reward, was that Eiko was willing to take such a prodigy under her wing in order to mentor her. The young woman understood that completely, which was why she was extra ecstatic. Eiko knew talent when she saw it, and was confident that she could mold her into something quite fierce. The girl was smart, hard working, good looking, even fashionable. She had everything for great success, everything.
...well, except...
She shook her head. Despite all those fine qualities, the girl's personality itself was just a little bland.
Such a pity.
Eiko walked around her desk, now looking out the enormous windows of her office, her grand kingdom outside of it.
She sighed at the sight.
Yes, she's intelligent, but...still, so dull. Why is there always some little flaw?
As much as she liked the young woman, had fun talking shop with her, she still knew that she didn't truly click with her. Conversation-wise, the girl wasn't that engaging, no desire for witty repertoire, no real spark or fire inside of her, no real bite.
She was nice, and knew how to dress, but, still, was dull. Just...plain.
...such a pity indeed.
Eiko could see it all now, as she already knew how this young woman's personal life would pan out. The girl's dull, uninteresting personality would someday land her into a romance with an equally dull, uninteresting man. After having a dull, uninteresting wedding, they would then purchase a dull, uninteresting house in a dull, uninteresting part of town. Eventually, their dull, uninteresting sex would lead to a few dull, uninteresting children, and the lot of them would then spend the rest of their dull, uninteresting lives together.
Poor girl.
Yes, she was sure that's how it would turn out. She knew it, and she would bet on it.
So, if that was to be the case, then, why not present her young worker with at least one actually interesting and memorable event in her life?
Eiko smiled to herself.
Maybe I'll save her. Either way, it'll be fun. I always make it fun.
Her phone was in hand now, the device having come into it as subtlety as a knife from a sleeve.
Well, that's done. Now...
She thumbed out a message.
*I'm I'll done here. I'l be there in an hour.*
The text was sent. A few small loose ends needed to be tied up before she left for the day, and then after that, Eiko would return to Minamo's apartment to pick up her childhood friend.
...oh, Minamo. How can someone so competent still be such a handful?
Eiko shrugged to herself. She liked Minamo. She always had. She was her little sister, after all, and always found her good, kindhearted nature to be a lifeboat in the world of sharks that she swam in every day.
Yet, she still required a bit of babysitting. She was a coward, and Eiko never meant that in a mocking way. Minamo had personal and family issues that had always crippled her confidence in herself, which more or less explained her behavior and personality. The foundation was weak under a building that appeared, from the outside, to be quite strong.
And then, there was that whole lesbian thing.
She patted her phone against her chin.
...that student of hers is interesting. I rarely meet women like her. She's definitely a bit too trusting, though. I mean, it didn't take much to fool her.
A chuckle escaped from her.
Maybe Yukari rubbed off on her. She seems to have trouble seeing the obvious. Oh, I wonder if Yukari's whole class turned out like that, then. That would be so funny.
It wasn't a real lie she had told Kagura earlier. It just saved some confusion, that's all. Just a slight, white lie.
I wonder, though, if she thinks I really did miss it? Come on.
Of course she Minamo was gay. Eiko had always known that, had just somehow always known that. It had been a feeling when they were little, a concrete fact when they were a bit older. It was more than obvious as well, after one did some simple, reasonable observations of the details. Minamo was just as predictable as anyone else was, and Eiko was very, very good with predicting things.
Especially people.
She turned around then, settled into her seat, and pulled up a few things on her screens. A few quick designs to look over, a few quick marketing strategies to approve. Then, she would leave, and do her best to take care of her old friend in her time of need...
...and have so much fun while doing so.
Eiko leaned back in her chair, excitement already taking over.
So much fun, indeed.