Author's Note: Update again. Please read and review! Thank you so much! :D


Chapter 5: I'm Hired?

The next day, Alice composed herself as she was straightening her plain white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. She already knew what Ryo was going to say. But Jun was optimistic for her as she goes through a series of check-ups during the last minute.

"It'll be okay, Alice!" Jun smiled who was already wearing a pair of white shirt and shorts since he was not going to leave today. "Trust me!"

"Well actually, Jun… I'm not after the job… I'm worried that if I got in, I'll receive severe facial discrimination from his co-workers. You know how showbiz is, right?" Alice replied. "I'm not that attractive to mingle with the high-class society, you know?"

"You are attractive, Alice," Jun contrasted. "You just don't believe in yourself."

"Just because I kissed you in the cheek didn't mean you have to pull my legs right now!" Alice replied with a shy grin.

"I'm certainly not!" Jun blushed at the mention of that. "You just can't accept that you're pretty."

Alice only laughed humorously. "Well then… I must be going. It's already twenty minutes until ten and I don't want to catch another bus in which you'll have to undergo a standing ovation!"

"Good luck to you then! I wish you all the best!" Jun exclaimed as the blonde made her way towards the door.

"Thanks, Jun!" Alice bid him goodbye.

"You're welcome and take care, Alice!" Jun said in reply.

Then the blonde made her way outside the Kazama residence.


Meanwhile, inside Ryo's bachelor pad, he was smiling to himself because he was sure that the blonde would accept his offer. Right now, he was busy scanning the magazines that contained him and his photos while he was sitting in the dining table.

"Ryo?" he heard a voice call him.

As he turned around, he saw that Genji was holding a portable tablet while laughing his heart out.

"Take a look at this, Ryo…" Genji said as he approached the model.

"What was it, Genji?" Ryo asked with curiosity.

The older man pointed towards the screen and saw that Ryo was already trending in the whole country. They saw that a million followers had liked the trending topic since Monday.

"Ryo, you're now tagged as the Ryo: P.A. Gone M.I.A.," Genji replied with a chuckle. "Even the press is already wondering what happened to your P.A. and that topic already had so many followers."

"Now you see why I already considered Alice as my new P.A.!" Ryo pointed out while leafing through the pages of the magazine. "I wonder if she's going today…"

"She will be. Just wait, Ryo," Genji replied. "I just told you that you're already trending once again nationwide so you have to remedy the situation right now."

"Oh yes, I will, Genji…" Ryo said with full confidence and smiled.

Back to Alice, she was already waiting for a bus for her to get to Ryo's house.

Oh well… Alice thought as she looked at her watch. It was 9:40 A.M.

Eventually, she felt for her phone and she realized that it someone was calling her because it was vibrating.

"Hello?" Alice responded.

"Hey, Alice!" a feminine voice said.

Before she could even answer, a bus already stopped nearby Alice and the blonde stepped inside so she could ride as well. She recognized the owner of the voice to be Eya's.

"Yes, Eya?" Alice asked as she was scanning the entire bus for some vacant seats.

"How's life? it's been three days since I last talked to you!" the girl exclaimed giddily.

"Okay… I'm good," Alice answered as she eventually sat down on the seat two pews away from the bus exit.

"Have you got your compensation? You found a job already?"

"I got my compensation but I'm not sure with a job. Right now, I'm even asked to return to the person who interviewed me."

"Good for you! I wish you'd get in that job!"

"I wish," Alice said with a snort. She was still lying at this point.

"And how's Jun? Did you two do that thing?!"

Alice's eyes began to widen as plates at the last remark. Eww!

"Uh… Eya? I'm only his guest. Neither his girlfriend… nor his wife."

"But that could be soon! Why can't you just answer him already?"

"Because… I'm not his type, Eya. Put that in mind, will you?" Alice chuckled.

"Sorry, Alice… I really can't!"

"Whatever, Eya Tohomiko! Look, enough about me, okay? How are you doing with your new assignment abroad?"

"Seriously, that? I'm leaving next month so I'm now processing some papers. Too bad I'm all alone and I'm gonna start in a new environment again… in a new country and a new continent."

Same here, Alice thought. If I get in, I'll be encountering facial and racial discrimination inside showbiz so I'm really praying that Ryo will say that he rejected me.

"Well… Good luck to you on that! Don't forget to write me a letter, alright?"

"Yeah… You and Naomi would be the ones who'd receive my letter! Too bad that woman was kidnapped by my aunt and uncle because she was betrothed to another man!"

Alice flinched at Eya's last sentence. Something sounded fishy towards her.

"Wait! Are you saying that you have a cousin named Naomi Asuka who used to be a model's P.A.?" Alice asked.

"Yeah! She used to be a personal assistant to a model… The model's name was Ryo… Ryo Akiyama…"

Alice clamped her mouth in alarm. Fortunately, she did not reveal pertinent details regarding Ryo and Genji who interviewed her yesterday.

"Oh…"

"How did you know her? And her job?"

"I just saw her name in a directory. That's all," Alice lied. So what Ryo and Genji told was true!

"Yeah… As I was saying, Naomi's my cousin who got betrothed to another man. Actually, she worked as a personal assistant so she could escape her betrothal. But, when she returned to Kyushu just recently, my aunt saw her and forced her to return home. I feel bad for my cousin since she did not really like the idea at all. I'm going to attend the wedding which was due next week already."

Oh… Now I know… Poor Ryo… Alice thought. I don't even know if he's pitiful at some angle.

"Oh… I feel sorry for your cousin…" Alice said, now realizing that she solved the mystery puzzle. Actually, the sudden resignation of Ryo's personal assistant really bothered her. No one actually resigned without a formal letter especially with regards to the field of show business.

"I know… But that's life…" Eya said.

"I agree. You have your own ups and downs," Alice said. "Well, anyway, I have to go… I'm in the middle of traveling to my interviewer anyway."

"I wish nothing but the best for you too!" Eya said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh stop it, you Adele fanatic!" Alice replied with a laugh. "Take care, Eya! And don't forget me. I'll remember what you said."

Eventually, the next thing Alice heard was a laugh and the other line was gone. With this, she returned the phone in her bag and pondered to the conversation she and Eya had earlier.

So that's how Ryo wanted a personal assistant badly! Alice thought. Oh well…

The travel was a smooth one and unlike her first time to visit the model's home, the bus was not full. When they reached the bus stop, she heard the driver say…

"Nakara Road?"

That was her cue to stand up. Alice smiled since the trip today was truly different than yesterday as she walked the aisle and made her way towards the bus door.

Thank God for a nice trip! Alice thought. Now for my next agenda!

As she stepped down carefully, she looked at her watch. It was already 10:10 A.M.

He nearly asked me out yesterday but I'm not interested, Alice thought. It's sickening for me to hear that he's asking me out when he can ask his fellow models out. Or even have… nah…

Meanwhile, Genji dialed Alice's number to ensure about her whereabouts. When he heard a click, he knew that the blonde was answering the call.

"Hello, Alice?"

"Genji! I'm on my way! Thanks for calling me!" Alice said. "Am I making your boss wait too long?"

"Not really… He's worried if you might not show up!" Genji laughed.

"Just tell him to wait… It's not my fault that my temporary shelter is far!" Alice yelled. Stupid Ryo. Does he always have to check on me before everything?

"Okay, I will! He just made me call you so he could have a peace of mind!" Genji smirked.

"Oh right… Anyway, I have to go… See you!"

Genji hung up the phone when the blonde became totally gone.

And back to the blonde, she scratched her head in surprise. Why did Ryo have to check on her? She was sure that something was fishy behind his concerns for her.

"It's either fake… trying to get back at me… or he's trying to mess up my life once again…" Alice concluded after realizing the severity of the situation.

Eventually, she saw the house and crossed the street. Fortunately, the traffic was not that heavy and she ran already because she was already a few minutes late. However, as she was walking nearest to the Akiyama residence, she saw the wiry and dark-haired manager and he was no doubt Genji Otara.

"Alice McCoy!" Genji remarked. "Just the person Ryo wanted to see!"

"I couldn't say the same about him, Genji!" Alice joked.

"Don't fret, Alice! Maybe he has some good news for you!" Genji replied hopefully.

Alice only shrugged as Genji led her to Ryo's house once again. The two made their way towards the living room.

"Wait for Ryo here, okay?" Genji said as the blonde sat on the couch.

Alice only nodded and checked again her cellphone for important messages. She found none so she insisted on playing with her phone.

At the same time, Ryo wore a red shirt and a pair of black pants while coming down from the flight of stairs. He saw Alice and that made his heart beat three times in a second. Now he knew how to love a girl for real.

"Ehem…" he cleared his throat to draw the girl's attention. "Alice?"

Alice looked up and saw Ryo. She wore a look of disdain in her face yet her heart was beating so fast. She was definitely in a like-dislike relationship with Ryo.

"Uh… Hi?" the tone of her voice was totally uncertain.

Ryo motioned to Genji's direction. "Uh… Genji? Can you leave us for the moment?" he asked.

Genji nodded and went towards the doorway in order to leave the two alone.

"Let's talk over in the dining table," Ryo replied as he led her there.

Once the two reached the dining table, they began to sit down.

"So, do you have any idea what I'm going to tell you today?" Ryo asked her with confidence.

"Uh… No?" Alice asked with uncertainty. "What is it anyway?"

Ryo's face grew a big smile.

"What if I tell you that I'm hiring you?" he asked Alice straight to the point.

"You must be joking me," Alice answered sharply.

"But what if it's the truth?" Ryo asked her, trying to convince her at some point.

Alice snorted. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Ryo took a deep breath. "I'm hiring you, Alice McCoy, as my personal assistant."

Alice's eyes went wide as plates. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" she asked.

Ryo made a smug grin. "Yes, I am. I'm serious. I made my decision. I'm going to hire you."

Alice only shook her head. She could not believe what was happening. The opposite of what she expected just came to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked with total uncertainty.

"Positively sure. What makes you think I'm joking, Alice?" Ryo remarked with confidence. "You know me, Alice. I'm not joking."

Yeah! You were not joking when you rejected me years ago… Alice thought but eventually, she shook her head after remembering it.

"And besides, I can help you with your present troubles." Ryo smirked.

At this point, Alice looked up. Right, he knew her weakness already.

"You can live in my house for free… and you'll still have a salary," he added.

The idea was daunting her but with the fact of her living under his roof was not good. It was bad enough that seeing him made her heart triple its beat. What more if she was to stay inside his house just because she was his personal assistant?

"Think of this, Alice," Ryo said. "You won't have any problems if you accept my offer."

Alice snorted. "What offer are you telling me, Akiyama?" she asked.

"You'll be my personal assistant in exchange for free home and a high salary. How's that?" Ryo finished.

"Why are you offering them to me?" Alice asked, utterly confused.

"I know what you've been through and it's not really good," Ryo explained, trying to make Alice understand why he did so.

Alice became at loss for words. He was helping her? Some sort of. She only had money which was worth for one month and she was only staying under a friend's roof. She was still afraid of being in proximity with him after what happened to her during their high school days.

His offer seems to be interesting but I can't afford to get close to him, Alice thought. Now that I have a feeling that he still remembers what I told him before.

For a few moments, Alice seemed speechless. But she weighed her decisions so that she could not make another mistake. Mistake for herself.

"I…" Alice answered.

Ryo was listening intently to what she was going to say.

"I… Honestly. I don't know…" Alice answered as she stood up from her seat and began walking towards the doorway.

Ryo only stared at the blonde in shock as he saw her walking away. He did not see that coming. A part of him wanted to follow her and persuade her into accepting his offer. And with the sound Alice's seat has made, Genji only walked nearer towards Ryo.

"So, how was it?" Genji asked.

"Don't ask," Ryo replied effortlessly. Why did she say that? I just want to help her.

"Did you just say something again?" Genji asked.

"Nothing. Just what we talked last night," Ryo answered.

Genji only nodded. "I'll go talk to her. You know. The way you talked to her seemed to be blurred. She must have misunderstood you."

Ryo nodded. "Maybe I could get your help on this one."

"My pleasure, Ryo." Genji smiled as he started walking towards the door.

Meanwhile, back at Alice, she was sure that her decision was right as she closed the front door. She would not lose anything if she did not get it. However, as she was thinking, she heard a voice.

"Alice!" Alice knew that it was Genji.

She turned around and saw Genji. She let out a small snort as she saw Ryo's manager running after her.

"Genji? Why are you running after me?" Alice asked. "Did Ryo tell you to do so?"

Genji smiled. "Well, he didn't tell me. I'm doing this for him and for you. You two both have needs."

Alice was surprised at the last word which she obviously knew the implication. "Needs?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way," Genji answered slyly. "What I mean is, you need to have a stable job and Ryo needs an assistant. It's hard actually if only a manager is stuck with the model."

"I'd better be jobless rather than be his assistant!"Alice replied to Genji with conviction shown in her voice.

"I thought you two were friends," Genji pointed out. "Why didn't you accept it?"

"Because," Alice said with a sigh. "He's just doing it out of sympathy. You don't know what I mean right now but I'll tell it at the right time."

Genji nodded in understanding since he did not want to push the blonde with explanations.

"Whatever it is, Alice," Genji advised. "Maybe it's for your own good. Why not give it a try?"

Alice pondered on the man's words. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to give it a try. After all, it could be a way of testing if Ryo was still the same guy she liked before. If she did not like it, maybe it was not really meant for her.

"Okay," Alice answered after taking a deep breath. "I'll accept it. But I might end up like Naomi. I might leave."

"Then at least you tried," Genji answered with a smile. "So let's go back to Ryo and tell him the good news."

The two returned inside the house and Genji opened the door. When they got inside, they saw Ryo standing in front of a wall and looking up.

"Ryo!" Alice called the model.

When his name was called, he looked eastwards and saw Alice with Genji. "Yes?"

"I've made my decision," Alice answered. "And I'll accept it."

Thank you Lord for helping me, Ryo thought with a smile because she answered yes. "Then you'll be staying here in my house for good with a high salary and a job."

Alice only nodded. "So what shall I do then?" she asked.

"Get your things first and you'll be moving here already." Ryo smiled.

Oh brother! Alice smacked her head in disgust. He's so full of himself!

While Genji was only smiling at the two "friends".

CURSE YOU, RYO AKIYAMA! Alice thought. If this is a game, then how about two can play?

With that, Alice was given freedom to move her things today in Ryo's house. She immediately left the Akiyama home so she could get her things.

Glad I didn't allow that jerk to come inside Jun's house, Alice thought. Who knows what would happen? Now I'm his P.A., there's no way around it. Now that he also knows I liked him. LIKED him.

FLASHBACK:

Seven years ago…

One day, as school gets out, Ryo Akiyama and Alice were walking near the lockers. There was something that made the blonde uneasy lately and she needed to tell this to him.

"Hey, Ryo… I just wanted to tell you something…" Alice said with alacrity. Even if she felt eager, a part of her became nervous at the effect of what she would say to him.

"Yeah, Alice? What is it?" Ryo asked her with a smile.

Alice took a deep breath

"I should've told you ages ago… But I only got the courage now…" she said nervously. "I like you…"

Ryo only stared at her because of what she said.

"I hope that it's only as a friend… Because, you know, I'm interested in a girl… I'm sorry, Alice… But we can be friends, right?"

Alice felt that her world was ending. She was totally disheartened after hearing those words. It was not just disheartened, but she was completely shattered.

END OF FLASHBACK

Unfortunately, she did not know what to do. Now she would also think of ways on how to suppress her feelings.

LOVE TRULY KILLS! Alice thought.

Even if she knew what she truly did and decided, she still did not even know how to handle the situation now that she was in the spotlight as well as him. Because of this, she decided to call Rika. She knew that she was right about calling Rika because Ryo once had an infatuation for Rika due to their similarities. Now, she wanted to know what to do and how to be a personal assistant of a famous model. For now, she was waiting for Rika to answer the call.


Somewhere in Shinjuku, Rika was at the Wong residence and was cooking lunch for her and Henry. She spent the night at the young man's house because she was too tired to go home to the Nonaka residence and also to make it up to Henry since she had been away for several days due to her job. She was finished with cooking spicy tempura when she heard Henry's voice.

"Hey, Babe…" Henry said with a chuckle.

Rika turned around and saw Henry who walked towards her.

"Hey…" Rika responded with a smile.

Henry laughed and gave Rika's phone to her. "Anyway, I came here to give this to you. Someone's calling and this kinda woke me up," he added with a laugh.

"Sorry, Babe…" Rika said and she gave him a quick kiss in the cheek to make it up for him.

"That's better," Henry said with a grin. "Anyway, I'll be at the living room when you need me!"

"Alright!" Rika said and when Henry walked away, she opened her phone.

Alice calling…

Meanwhile, Alice was waiting at the Akiyama residence and waited for Rika to answer. When she heard a click, she knew that the auburn-haired woman answered the phone.

"Hello?" Rika answered from the other line.

"RIKA!" Alice said loudly. "RIKA! I NEED YOUR HELP!"

"Alice? What's wrong?" Rika asked again.

"HELP!" Alice yelled again. "I NEED YOUR HELP!"

"What is it, McCoy? And what's with the nervous tone?" Rika asked. "Or should I say yelling?"

"It's about Ryo!" Alice replied as if her problem was totally unsolvable.

"So what about Ryo?" Rika asked and she realized what she just said. "You met Ryo?!"

"Yeah! Unfortunately!" Alice answered. "What makes things worse is that I'm his PERSONAL ASSISTANT!"

Alice could hear Rika stifling a laugh from the other line. "A what?" Rika exclaimed.

"A PERSONAL ASSISTANT!" Alice said for emphasis. "He's a dumb and a playboy model, for crying out loud!"

"Wow! I forgot to tell you that Rooster-head's career took a drastic turn! From a card player to a model!" Rika exclaimed.

"Awesome… But it's okay!" Alice replied but she was still thankful for Rika had not told any detail regarding Ryo as a model. She would only detest it.

"Yeah… I don't know… What's next will he conquer? The world of women?" Rika laughed.

"I don't know but I don't want to be a part of that world of women you're talking about!" Alice answered. "I heard that he got in bed with some ladies, according to his manager."

"Casanova has definitely reincarnated his spirit into Ryo!" Rika replied with a snort. "And with that, I can't help you with that. I was never part of his Barbie doll collection anyway."

"But can you please give me an idea on how he is at home? What am I gonna do with him anyway?" Alice asked consecutively. "I'm helpless and stuck in his stupid mansion!"

Alice heard Rika laugh at the other line. "Why did you wind up there anyway?"

"It's a long story. It started with my job. The company where I worked unexpectedly closed so I was forced to take a job as a personal assistant. Then, I was kicked out of my apartment because I could not pay the rent on time. Since I became Ryo's P.A., I was forced to live with him in his house. Now do you see why I'm so helpless?" Alice explained.

"You're right. Knowing Ryo, his house is a total mess!" Rika advised truthfully. "But don't worry, Alice! At least it's your crush who's your housemate anyway!"

"Hell no!" Alice retorted at the mention of the word "crush". "That's so high school, Nonaka!"

Rika again laughed from the other line. She was amused with what Alice was experiencing right now.

"Well, at least you get to be on the magazine's credits whenever Ryo has a shoot or something like that. But I'm gonna share you a tip. Always bring air fresheners whenever you clean his room. Snakes might abound his room!" Rika chuckled.

"Wow… Thanks a lot, Rika!" Alice said with a fake cheery tone. The thought of her cleaning Ryo's room seemed to be a nuisance and definitely out of her job.

"And one more thing, always be alert on whatever Mister Model tells you. All the time he's totally demanding and stupid. And since Ryo's the model, just double up the effort," Rika replied.

Alice seemed to understand Rika's words. "Well, that's for starters. Thanks for your help, Rika. I appreciated it!" she said.

"You're welcome!" Rika said.

"Anyway, where are you and why can't I reach you at the Nonaka residence?" Alice asked.

"Oh! I slept with Henry," Rika replied.

Alice's eyes widened with Rika's words. "Uhm… I beg your pardon?"

Rika, on the other line, realized what she just said and laughed. "Oh! That's so wrong! What I meant was I slept over at Henry's house."

Alice let out a sly laugh. "And here I thought that I'm going to be an auntie! You really surprised me with that word of yours!"

"Uh-uh! No way! We're not gonna do that until we're married!" Rika chuckled. "Well, anyway, have fun being Ryo's PA! It's going to be fun!"

Alice snorted since the definition of fun seemed to be different for her. "Okay. Anyway, I have to go. My master might be calling me now. Say hi to Henry and Suzie for me!"

"Sure! Bye! Take care, Alice McCoy!" Rika said and dropped the call.

With this, Alice also dropped the call and took a deep breath. Her life truly changed.

"You are Alice McCoy, personal assistant of Ryo the commercial model, endorser, hunk model and model of all women who adore and love Ryo!" Alice said to herself. "Say hello to haters, bashers and fake standing ovations because you are not pretty!"