The Chronos gate loomed in the distance. Kaoru could just barely make out the guard sitting in the security booth and they could swear he was watching their approach. They pulled the cap down lower over their face and, for the fiftieth time in ten minutes, brushed their hand over their pocket to make sure the robot mouse was still there. The weight of it against their thigh insisted that it was, but some irrational part of their mind compelled them to check, just to be sure.
When Rikiga produced the mouse the day after their first visit, Kaoru was only momentarily surprised to discover it was the same one that delivered their message. So this is where you scampered off to, they mused, turning it over in their hand. It really was an amazing piece of work; one couldn't tell it wasn't a real mouse unless they were holding it. Only then did the cold heft of the machinery dispel the illusion.
Did Nezumi do this? Now that they thought about it, they recalled that Nezumi worked in the robotics lab, so it wasn't impossible that he had been the maker of the robot. But that thought was immediately succeeded by, If he did, where did he get the tech? I can't imagine this stuff is just lying around. What is he up to in the West Block? That train of thought wasn't leading to any definitive answers, so Kaoru tried to tune-in to Rikiga, who had apparently been talking the whole time.
"…take these surveys in and talk to a few people. Go to at least five houses, otherwise it'll look suspicious. The safest thing to do would be to actually poll all of Chronos, but it'd take too long and, besides, it's a waste, since I won't be publishing the surveys, anyway. The main objective is to get into your buddy's house for the drives." Rikiga sat back in his chair and took a drag on his cigarette. "Got it so far?"
"I wasn't listening. Repeat everything you just said."
Rikiga wrinkled his nose. "Kid. This is serious business. One wrong move, and it's over for all of us. We don't have time for your bad attitude."
Kaoru swallowed their comeback. The reminder of the danger this undertaking presented to their lives was enough to crush their sarcasm.
"Now listen up, because I'm not saying this again. You're going to pretend you're taking a citizen satisfaction survey in Chronos. You're going to ask a handful of people for their feedback, and one of the houses you go to will be Nezumi's. You drop the mouse inside, it does its thing while you distract the people, the mouse comes back, and you get the hell out. Easy."
"Yeah, maybe for you," Kaoru scoffed. "You just sit back nice and comfy while I have to waltz around Chronos with phony surveys. The Security Bureau will be on me in a second—especially because I don't have permission to be in Chronos. What're you gonna do about that, old man?"
"You'll be going in under my jurisdiction, so you shouldn't have a problem getting past the gate. Did you forget I run the Information Bureau? Once I put in the paperwork at the office you'll have temporary clearance to get into Chronos. It shouldn't raise any red flags at the Security Bureau, but if they do come, forward them to me." Rikiga glared sideways at them. "I'm hardly sitting back and relaxing. If you get arrested I'll be in twice as much trouble. So do us both a favor and don't get caught."
"…I have to talk to people?"
"It'll be suspicious if you don't. Like I said, you don't have to go to every house. Just enough to create a cover."
I'm not good at talking to people, Kaoru thought morosely. They flipped the robot mouse over in their hand. "And all I have to do is drop this in the house and it'll find the drives on its own?"
Rikiga shrugged. "Supposedly."
So their main purpose was to provide a distraction. They had to distract Nezumi's old lady. Kaoru swallowed. In truth, they had no solid explanation for the feeling of foreboding that blossomed in the pit of their stomach at the thought of meeting the old lady face to face. They had never seen her, and Nezumi didn't like talking about her. But it was obvious that he went out of his way to avoid her, and if that guy was wary of the woman, then she must be more than just a harmless old lady.
Kaoru growled. "I hate talking to people. What do I even say?"
"The hell if I know." Rikiga smothered his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table. "I don't do the interviewing anymore, I just edit them. Talk about the weather—or the city. Chronos elites love to wax romantic about the city. Look, it's not rocket science, kid. You can put up with it for an hour or two. We made a deal, remember?"
"Yeah, I got it. I'm not backing out." Even as much as they wanted to now.
"Speaking of our deal…" Rikiga's eyes slipped down to the dog lounging next to Kaoru's chair. "Do you bring that mutt everywhere you go? Because if you want any kind of respectable job, you'll have to leave it at home."
"The dog stays."
"I'm not saying it just because I don't like the things. The city has a policy."
"If you have enough authority to get me into Chronos, you can get me a job where I can keep my dog."
The man harrumphed and pushed the subject off to be discussed at a later time. The first order of operation was to get the drives.
So here they were, marching to Chronos. The security booth was now only a few feet away, and even though Kaoru tried to keep their face neutral, they were pretty sure they looked suspicious. The cap was supposed to help shield them from the cameras once they were inside Chronos, but it was doing them no favors with the security guard. His hard eyes were glued to them as they approached the window of his booth. If it weren't for Pup's company, Kaoru felt they would have already abandoned the operation.
"State your purpose, citizen," the guard demanded.
He was leering at them like they were scum. Kaoru felt a familiar irritation flood them. They hadn't even said anything and they were already being treated like a delinquent. Just because they didn't live in Chronos didn't mean they were any less deserving of respect. This stooge probably didn't live in Chronos either, otherwise he wouldn't be doing something as mundane as manning the gate. Where'd he get off acting so superior?
Kaoru collected every bit of their annoyance and layered it into a tone of confidence. "I'm on official business for the Information Bureau." They brought up the permit on their ID and thrust their wrist out for the guard to see.
"That Rikiga guy again?" The guard muttered under his breath. "He doesn't have nearly as much clout as he thinks he does…"
Kaoru's spirits relapsed at the man's depreciating drone. Of all the things they discussed might go wrong, being rejected at the gate was never considered a possibility.
The guard sighed, however, and pursed his lips. "What exactly is the Information Bureau's business in Chronos today?"
"I'm taking a survey. Of the citizens."
"Can I see the survey?"
Kaoru shed their backpack and pulled out a mass of papers. The guard glanced at them, but not long enough to actually read the information. The papers could have been blank for all the attention he gave them.
The guard fixed them with another hard look. "Behave yourself while you're inside," he growled, slapping the button to open the gate.
Kaoru was unable to keep the scowl off their face. What did he think they were going to do? Trample someone's flowerbed out of spite? They stuffed all but a few of the papers back into their bag and began to walk away.
"Hey." Kaoru glanced over their shoulder to see the odious man sticking his head out the window of his booth. "No pets inside."
"He's leashed."
"No foreign pets inside Chronos. It's policy."
So Chronos' exclusion principle included pets, did it? Kaoru felt inclined to sneer, but one look at Pup and their mouth twisted into a frown. This venture was stressful as it was, but without the familiar comfort of Pup beside them, their nerves would be stretched to the limit. Pup had hardly left their side since they got him. The only time they separated was when it was absolutely necessary.
Pup seemed to sense their unrest. He nudged Kaoru's hand with his snout and let out a low whine. He's right. It's not good if I hesitate too long. They turned and led Pup back to the security booth.
"So, what? I leave him here with you?"
The guard looked inclined to answer, but the heavy frown tugging at his mouth prevented him from doing so just yet. Kaoru had already discovered the usefulness in letting their anger do the talking for them, so they let it dictate the conversation as it pleased.
"I ain't bringing him home and coming back, if that's what you're thinking of saying. I've got a deadline."
"Leave it outside the booth," the man grunted. "Tied up."
Kaoru didn't trust themself to respond civilly. The man's condescension had been flirting with their self-control since the start of the conversation; he was one more nasty command away from having Pup sicced on him. Kaoru looped Pup's leash around a bar of the gate and knotted it.
"See you soon, boy."
Pup plopped down and licked their hand as they withdrew it. Kaoru patted his head once and then wheeled around to jab an accusing finger at the guard.
"If anything happens to him while I'm gone, you're the first one I'm coming after."
The guard narrowed his eyes, but Kaoru was already past him and through the gate before he could make any sort of retort. Perhaps threatening the man was not a smart move, but it made Kaoru feel better to have said it. Plus, he was a virtual nobody just like they were, so repercussions any more severe than a sour look when they returned for Pup were unlikely.
Kaoru found themself smack dab in the middle of the street. Houses—no, fricking mansions—sprawled in an isolated patchwork as far as they could see. Kaoru had only been inside Chronos once before, and although the enormous homes had awed them back then, they seemed grotesquely large now, all flower gardens and fountains in the ponds out front. Families in No. 6 hardly ever exceeded four or five people; what did anyone need with that much space?
And the flowers were still in bloom. Bright explosions of yellows, pinks, and whites quivered in the breeze. Kaoru stared at a vivid cluster of tulips and shivered for an entirely different reason. Maybe they should stomp some flowerbeds; the things were unnatural.
They had, however, a mission to execute, and as quickly as possible. According to Rikiga's information, Nezumi's house was located midway through the neighborhood. That gave them ample time to build up to their task. It hardly mattered in which direction they headed, since the map of the area indicated that roads and wildlife bridges connected all the plots in Chronos. Kaoru wandered in the direction of the first house in sight, absently clutching the surveys in their hand.
Rikiga had given them a spiel to rattle off to each person. Three lines max, easy to remember: I'm from the Information Bureau, this is a citizen satisfaction survey, fill it out. Essentially. There was nothing to be afraid of. These Chronos residents wanted nothing more than to prove their allegiance to the city. And in light of the allergenic flour incident, the citizens would probably jump at the opportunity to give their input on the situation.
Unfortunately, their sound reasoning held no sway over the beating of their heart, which was going double-time now that they were standing in front of the door. Kaoru smoothed the slightly crinkled edges of the papers and reached out to buzz the intercom.
"Who is it?" came a bright, feminine tone.
"Um…" Kaoru cleared their throat. Stick to the script. "I'm from the Information Bureau." The person on the other side of the line was quiet. Kaoru pressed the button again after a moment. "Hello?"
The door swung open and a young woman popped her head out. "You're from the Information Bureau?" she asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah. I, uh, have a survey. A citizen satisfaction survey."
The woman's eyes lit with recognition. "Oh, I see." She stepped back from the door, and Kaoru thought with a pang that she was going to invite them in. Instead, she bowed shortly. "No, thank you. I'm quite busy at the moment. If you'll excuse me."
The door swung closed with a definitive thump. Kaoru stared at the polished wood for a moment before turning away. That wasn't too bad. If the rest of the houses went like that, then the job would be over quickly.
The people at the next house appeared to be out, for no one answered any of the three times Kaoru buzzed the intercom. As they trudged across the lawn to get to the adjacent house they couldn't help but think that things were going swimmingly so far.
When they buzzed the third house, the door was wrenched open almost immediately. A tall blonde woman stood on the threshold, and she held up a single manicured finger to signal Kaoru to wait while she finished her call on her ID bracelet.
"Yes, of course I am. Did you not just hear me say I was on my way?" she half yelled at the screen.
"Our daughter is in the hospital! You should have been here an hour ago—"
"Give me a break, Jun. I just got off from work. Does she look better?"
"She's fine, but she's asking for you."
"I'll be there in twenty." The woman terminated the screen and flicked her eyes down to Kaoru. "Sorry, things are kind of hectic this morning." She left the door wide open, but walked away to begin stuffing things into a large purse. "My daughter was one of the victims yesterday. You know, the flour allergy?" The woman glanced up. "She's about your age—Emi. She's a math prodigy, maybe you've heard of her?"
Kaoru's mouth twisted into a sneer on impulse. Yes, they knew Emi, that sorry dog-stealing excuse for a human being. What luck that of all the houses in Chronos they had to visit it was the one belonging to Emi's mother. So Emi was one of the victims, huh? Hmph. Serves her right.
However, they supposed sneering at the thought of Emi in front of her mother might not be the best course of action. Kaoru quickly wrangled their scowl into something they hoped resembled a contemplative frown. They needn't have tried to hide the unfavorable reaction; the woman was too intent on packing random objects into her bag to have noticed.
"Nope," Kaoru said in case she was waiting for an answer.
"Mm. What did you say you were here for?"
"I have a citizen satisfaction survey from the Information Bureau. They want all Chronos residents to take it."
"The Information Bureau?" The woman finally looked at them. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she walked back to the threshold to peer at them. "Then do you know what's going on with this allergenic flour business?"
Kaoru shrugged. "Not a clue."
The woman clicked her tongue. "Allergenic flour! Can you believe that? How could they let this happen? You know, of course, that the allergic reaction completely ruins your appearance. Emi's beautiful hair is bleached such a ghastly white color now! Imagine that! A little girl, and her hair looks like it belongs on a sixty year old. And that horrible scar!" The woman wrinkled her nose. "She'll have to dye her hair for the rest of her life. God knows where we're going to get the money we need for the skin grafts. I'd sue, except I don't know which company sold us that bad flour. Do you know which it was?"
"No."
"Emi had such a promising future, too. I don't know what we're going to do now."
Geez, lady. It's just hair and a scar. No need to eulogize her.
The woman huffed and checked her ID display. "Shoot. I'm going to be late."
She shifted her purse higher onto her shoulder and stepped out of the house. Kaoru moved aside so she could get past. I guess that's another miss on the survey. Not that Kaoru really mourned it.
Just before she walked off, however, the woman turned back to narrow her eyes severely at them. "You said you're doing a citizen satisfaction survey? Well, I don't have time to do one right now, but you can tell them that I am very dissatisfied with how they're handling this situation. Someone better take responsibility for this, be it the flour company, or the mayor, or whoever! You tell them I said that."
The woman stormed off and Kaoru was left feeling inexplicably empty. There was a lot of emotion thrown at them in that brief encounter, and they were pretty sure that last speech verged on treasonous by city standards.
Five houses later, Kaoru found themselves standing in front of the house. In physical characteristics it was very much the same as every other in the neighborhood: grandiose, impossibly big, and rather lacking in effect now that they had seen its likeness near ten times over. They slipped their hand into their pocket and wrapped their fingers around the robot mouse within.
How am I going to drop this in there without the old lady noticing? A few of the people they went to invited them into the house, but not all. If they were left out on the doorstep, things would get a lot more complicated. The directions Rikiga received from his West Block friend basically said the robot had no capacity for stealth; apparently their resources weren't good enough to make it have functions beyond the simple seek and return. It was therefore imperative that Kaoru distract the old lady while the robot scampered about its business.
This sucks. Why do I have to do this? Their thoughts turned darkly to the source. You're gonna have a lot to answer for if I ever see you again, Nezumi. I'm gonna make you pay up, with interest, for all the crap you put me through.
They rang the house. No one answered.
Great. This is just great.
They rang a second time, and still nothing.
Wonderful. She's not home. Figures I did all this for nothing. Kaoru set their teeth against the growing frustration. What now? It'd be stupid to wait for the old lady to return. That could take hours, and it'd be too dangerous to lurk in Chronos so long. Breaking in was impossible. Even Lost Town homes were equipped with security systems, so breaking and entering was definitely not an option. They would have to find another way. Kaoru's stomach quailed at the thought of doing this all over again.
Then the door opened.
Kaoru stepped back and raised their eyes to find a bespectacled old woman staring down at them. She was a little stooped from age, but even so, she wasn't a small woman. Her lips were painted a red reminiscent of the tulips Kaoru had seen earlier, and although she appeared to be regarding them with curiosity, her expression was not altogether unkind.
"…Can I help you, young man?"
Kaoru had recited the script so many times by now they hardly registered they were saying it. The old woman nodded when they finished, a placid smile flitting over her lips.
"A citizen satisfaction survey? How interesting. I suppose this is because of that terrible incident the other day?"
"I suppose so, ma'am," Kaoru mumbled.
There was something weird about the old woman. She wasn't absolutely terrifying as Nezumi's dislike of her insinuated, but she felt off. She didn't have the scent of threat about her. She didn't smell of anything, actually, and that was the slightest bit unsettling.
"Well. I'd be happy to take the survey. Won't you come in?"
Part of Kaoru was relieved at the invitation. Another part of them, however, wanted to run. Stepping over the threshold into the entryway felt like entering a dark cave, in which one suspected a dangerous beast lurked, and yet could not be certifiably sure. The old woman smiled a grandmotherly smile.
"I won't keep you long, so you may keep your shoes on, if you'd like." She turned and shuffled around the corner, perhaps expecting them to follow.
Should I drop the mouse now? This seemed like the best time to do so. They were in the house and alone at the moment, and the longer the robot had to collect the drives, the better. Carefully, Kaoru slipped the mouse out of their pocket and pressed down on its eyes. It jolted to life, wriggling in their hand. Kaoru stifled a sound of disgust, lowered it to the floor, and it darted away.
Kaoru kicked their shoes off in order to provide some explanation for their delay. The woman was sitting in a chair, her hands folded primly in front of her atop the kitchen table. The light flashed over the lenses of her glasses as she watched their approach.
"I hope you weren't waiting long at the door. I was out in the garden and I didn't hear you ring." Kaoru nodded, but didn't meet the woman's eyes, focusing instead on a smudge of dirt on the sleeve of her dress. "Now, where's that survey, dear?"
Kaoru cringed at the endearment, but covered it up by swinging their backpack to the floor and fiddling with the contents. They extended a paper and pen to the old woman, but she only smiled.
"Would you mind reading the questions to me? My eyes are not as good as they used to be, even with the glasses."
"Oh. Okay..." Kaoru cleared their throat and tried to read like they were taking a survey and not creating a diversion while a robot scampered around the house collecting illegal computer drives. "What is your—"
Kaoru snapped their mouth shut when they realized they were about to ask the woman her gender. A flutter of embarrassment settled in the pit of their stomach, sending ripples of anxiety through their attempt at composure. The old woman knitted her brow.
"Something the matter, dear?"
"Uh, no." Kaoru avoided her eyes and let their gaze wander toward the living room. "It's just—you have a cat!"
The small, puffy creature had been creeping over the back of the couch, but froze and turned its large green eyes on Kaoru when it heard them yell.
Nezumi never said anything about a cat! Why the hell would he design a mouse robot if he had a cat?
The woman blinked at Kaoru's excitement and twisted her head to look. "Oh, yes. My little Shiro-tan."
She clucked her tongue and the kitten's ears twitched. It meowed and hopped down from the couch to waddle over. The old woman ran her fingers through its fur and it arched its back up to meet her hand.
Kaoru hadn't the slightest idea where the robot was at the moment, but the cat had to be removed before it returned. I need to get that thing out of the way.
"Are you alright?" The woman's face was tinged with a mild concern. "You look a bit pale. Oh dear... You aren't allergic, are you?"
"What? No. No, I—" Kaoru swallowed thickly. "I love cats. Can… Can I hold him?" It physically hurt to force the words from their throat.
The old woman stared at them. Kaoru's stomach plummeted. The old woman knew. She knew, and soon the Security Bureau would come, stuff them kicking and screaming into the cruiser, and throw them into the Correctional Facility to rot. They would disappear and no one would ever know—or care.
The seconds ticked by and the woman still held that same blank, relentless stare. Kaoru felt like they could vomit. Gradually, a smile stretched the red line of the woman's lips. "I suppose so. But he's still quite young, so be careful."
The good-natured tone of her voice didn't match the placidity of her smile. The hairs on the back of Kaoru's neck began to prickle. They placed the survey on the table and approached the kitten, ignoring its reow of protest when they scooped it up.
Since cats were strictly indoor animals in No. 6, Kaoru had little experience with them. They knew only the particulars of dogs, and although the kitten was about the same size as Pup when they first got him, it felt nothing like a puppy. Alien was the only word they could think of to describe the sensation of the cat in their hands, a seemingly weightless ball of white fur and bones. It took little effort to drape it over their shoulder, but considerable self-control not to show any displeasure at the feel of it pressed, warm and ticklish, against their neck. I miss Pup, Kaoru thought.
"Shall we continue?" the old lady prompted.
I swear to god she's testing me, Kaoru thought with a degree of anxiousness that was approaching exasperation. Where's that damn mouse?
Kaoru snapped the paper up and read the next question. "How many people are in your household?"
"I'm afraid it's always been just me—and Shiro-tan, now. But he's good company, so I'm never lonely."
Wow, Nezumi. She hated you. Guess the feeling was mutual. Kaoru pressed their mouth into a line and kept their eyes trained on the paper.
"How satisfied are you with the city?"
The old woman's smile faltered. "What a question. Why would that be on there?"
"It's a citizen satisfaction survey."
"How peculiar." Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "Has anyone said they're dissatisfied?"
"It's anonymous," they said, feeling somehow like they were doing humanity a favor by shielding them from the disapproval of this woman.
"Anonymous?" she scoffed. "That's very strange. What does anyone have to hide?"
Kaoru glanced down at the paper. "What can the city"—the kitten shifted, and they could feel its whiskers brushing their cheek as it turned its face to theirs. Ugh. Please don't—"do to improve your happiness?"
Unaware of Kaoru's inner protest, the cat sniffed their cheek and licked it. Its tongue was like sandpaper, not at all pleasant or soothing like dog licks, and certainly unwelcome when they were already trying their utmost not to freak out. Kaoru shivered and rolled their shoulder a little to try and slide the cat further down their arm. The cat, however, was uncooperative, and proceeded to wriggle in their grasp.
"Ah. He's getting restless," murmured the cat's owner. "As I said, he's quite young. He doesn't like being held long."
Suddenly, the kitten tensed and craned its head in the direction of the living room. Kaoru's heart leapt. Nothing looked amiss at first glance, but they knew where to look. Under the couch they perceived the gleam of the robot mouse's eyes.
Oh no.
The robot poked its head out and, heedless of the danger, scuttled toward them. The cat began struggling with greater vigor, and Kaoru was thankful it was only a kitten, for its small size made it a lot easier to hold in place. The claws digging into their arm were a little less easy, though.
"It's best to let him go, dear."
For you maybe, but for me… Kaoru grit their teeth. Just a little bit more. The robot was at the edge of the table. A few more steps and it'd be safely inside the backpack. Kaoru thanked whatever powers that be that the old woman was completely fixated on her cat; the mouse robot had just snuck by her feet. There was a slight frown on the woman's lips, and Kaoru realized it was probably directed at them for failing to unhand their precious pet when she told them to, but Kaoru would rather risk her displeasure than incarceration if she managed to see the robot.
The minute the mouse dove into the backpack, Kaoru dropped the cat. The animal didn't seem to have expected its sudden release. It clung to their shoulder with its claws for a moment before it plopped to the floor and set upon their backpack.
"What has gotten into you, Shiro-tan?" The old woman's frown deepened in the corners. "Something seems to have excited him."
"It's fine." Kaoru plucked the bag off the floor, ignoring the kitten's incessant meowing. "Great timing, actually," Kaoru slipped the survey and pen into the open section of the bag, stealing a glance into the compartment to make sure the mouse was really there. "That was the last question."
"Really? What a short survey."
"Well, it's not meant take up too much time." Kaoru backed out of the room. It felt as though something horrible would happen if they turned their back too early. The old woman stared silently from her chair with her hands folded in front of her. Kaoru nodded once, though they weren't entirely sure why. "Thanks for your cooperation. Good luck gardening."
They made it into the entryway. Kaoru struggled to shove their shoes back on quickly, but without looking too desperate. They didn't hear the woman follow or call out to them, but the pounding of the blood in their ears made it difficult to hear anything else. The hair on the back of their neck was standing on end, but they didn't check over their shoulder to see if she was there. There was only one thing they could think of: get to the door. Get out.
Kaoru was halfway down the road before their heartbeat even considered returning to a semi-reasonable pace.
XXXX
Rikiga was waiting in the park, as planned. When he saw Kaoru marching toward him, he got up from the bench he was sitting on and hurried over. His attempt at rushing would've been funny, if Kaoru wasn't in such a foul mood.
"You got it?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Where is it? Is it safe?"
Kaoru shoved the backpack at him. "Just take it and give it to your beloved Shion before the Bureau comes knocking."
"Don't give it to me here," Rikiga hissed, tossing the bag back at them. "Do you know how ridiculous I'd look carrying that thing around?"
"No more ridiculous than usual."
"And there's no reason why the Bureau should be after us. Unless you screwed up."
"I didn't screw up," they snapped, slinging the bag over their shoulder.
"Good. Then bring the bag to my house after—"
"Mr. Rikiga?"
Kaoru and Rikiga started. A man in a suit paused on his way past. His face broke into a genial smile as he made his way over. "I thought it was you."
"Ah. Conk." Rikiga shifted to face him, his face professionally grim. "What're you doing here?"
"Coffee run." He held up a takeaway cup. "But why are you here? I thought you were working from home today?"
Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the man. He was huge, well over six feet tall, with a bulky frame that his suit was struggling to contain. His largeness, plus his neatly shaven head had Kaoru thinking "thug," but the pair of red-rimmed glasses he was wearing was off setting the stereotype. Conk was also smiling brightly, in a dopey, puppy dog sort of way at Rikiga.
Who is this guy? The old man's secretary, maybe?
"I am," Rikiga said gruffly. "I was just getting some fresh air."
"Oh, I see." The man turned a friendly eye on Kaoru. "Hello. I'm Conk. And you must be…?" He looked meaningfully, albeit perplexedly, from them to Rikiga.
Kaoru fixed the man with a look of unrestrained disgust. "I'm not his kid, if that's what you're thinking."
"Huh? Oh! No, I didn't think so…" Conk rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.
"The kid works for me."
Both Conk and Kaoru blinked at Rikiga in disbelief.
"He approached me about an internship and I decided to take him under my wing for the winter."
"Eh? You never mentioned anything about wanting an intern, sir."
"Just decided today. I'll make it official when I get back to the office. Why don't you prepare the paperwork for me?"
The man kept the perplexed expression, but answered, "Yes, sir," anyway.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Conk bowed and walked off.
Kaoru glared at Rikiga. "What was that?"
"A job offer." Rikiga shrugged and fished for the carton of cigarettes in his jacket pocket. "The Information Bureau is as good a place as any to work. Plus, it makes it easy for me."
"I said I wanted a good job."
Rikiga paused mid-search and leered at Kaoru. "This is a good job. I worked my whole life to get where I am."
"That's inspiring."
"Shut up, you ingrate. You start tomorrow. Be in my office at nine a.m. sharp."
"I have school."
"Four, then. Don't be late."
"I'm not going to spend all my free time fetching coffee for your hangovers, old man."
"I don't get hangovers on work days," Rikiga muttered. He withdrew his hand from his jacket, but instead of cigarettes he held a small notepad. He pulled a pen from his chest pocket, scribbled on a sheet, and held it out for Kaoru to see. "This is what you'll make working for me. It's nothing to sniff at. It's more money than a kid your age could ever hope of seeing."
Kaoru had to admit it was a decent figure for an internship. They tore the page from the notepad and inspected it. "Hm. I think I should receive extra for the Chronos bit."
Rikiga snorted derisively. "You do, do you? I thought you didn't want my money?"
"Changed my mind. After what I went through, I think some kind of compensation is in order. And since the only thing you have that's worth anything is money, I'll take that."
"You're not a cute kid at all." Rikiga pursed his lips. "Alright, how 'bout this? I'll give you a bonus if you lose the dog. Deal?"
"No deal."
"The dog's—"
"Not allowed in the building. Yeah, yeah. You're beginning to sound like a broken record, old man. Look, the way I see it, I got the short end of the stick. I went into Chronos and I got the drives, and you did next to squat. I'm entitled to some perks and that includes the bonus and keeping my dog. I told you from the start, Pup was part of the deal."
"It wasn't, but you know what? Fine. I'm tired of arguing with a snot-nosed kid. I'll just put "Pup" down as a service dog, if you're so damn attached to the thing." He pulled up a screen on his ID bracelet and stabbed the buttons on the keyboard display. "There. Happy?"
Kaoru's mouth quirked. "Pleasure doing business with ya."