Author's notes (11/07/07): the virus attacks again... I'm hunting the net right now to search an effective way to cleanse this abomination from my dear laptop. :(. This time, the whole doc's affected, and just when I felt like publishing, it had to announce that "word is having error in opening the file"---because it's empty. (Sigh, being famous has its disadvantages... XC.) Well, fortunately, Ladyluck survived. I guess I'll have to publish fervor some other time... Anyways, here's the 5th installment of Ladyluck:D on to the chapter...
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Chapter 5
If it goes well, then it goes well.
Natsume stared hard at the pamphlet pasted on the post, as if doing so could burn it to ashes and confirm to him that it was fake. This simply can't be true.
He read the bold lines for the nth time:
"Gardener---WANTED, A.S.A.P.!
Looking for the perfect job? It's finally here on earth, the home of mortals!
High salary, reasonable day-off, great work!
No need for grand gardening abilities, as long as you know how to pull a weed from the soil, plant seeds and trim bushes, we'll have your work cut out for you in a very, VERY reasonable way!
Apply now and contact the Nogi administration hotline and be one of the lucky stars to meet your destiny."
"The Nogi company…" Natsume thought, comparing the ad and the highly famed establishment in the whole world. It looked like someone was playing a prank here… Natsume was about to dismiss the whole thing when a peculiar looking girl approached him.
"Natsume Hyuuga, I finally met you!!" she cried like a fan would to a celebrity. Natsume gave her an incredulous stare before starting to move away when the girl stopped him.
"WAIT!!!" she exclaimed extravagantly, flailing her queer black hair this way and that. "You can't go! You have to accept that job---"she noticed he was getting annoyed, "---I mean, won't you consider??"
He did consider. This funny but pretty looking---girl dressed in that clown-suit and matching ring on top of her head was screaming to be proclaimed a crazy loon. He had seen enough of those to last his lifetime, he didn't need to be fooled again.
"Crazy loons and fantasizing pamphlets…" Natsume thought as he was starting to move away, when he heard the same shrill voice again.
"Don't you care about money?" she cried, but not getting any reply, called, "---or even about the girl you love???"
Natsume stopped dead on his walking as he clutched the grocery bags in his arm. The girl gasped and clapped a hand on her mouth as if she just uttered a bad word…
"Oh no! Look at the way he stares! I'll be dead before I go to heaven!" she thought when Natsume turned around and…he was looking at her with a blank face.
She suddenly knew she'll succeed in this.
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"Baby, this is practically simple." The peculiar girl was saying as she led Natsume to where the pamphlet was. "See, you just apply! And the least, or the most of your worries will be gone!" she cried happily. Natsume suddenly found himself reading between the lines, "Is this thing real?"
"Of course it's real! You can go there and confirm it yourself! They like need it immediately."
"How come a snot like you know all this?"
"Ah… err…" the peculiar girl thought about it and then, "Let's just say I'm your guardian angel!"
Natsume scoffed, "Yeah right…"
But the girl smiled to herself. Stage one to three was going…
"Here take this." She abruptly handed him an ordinary cellular phone. "Phone them when you're ready!!" she flashed him a smile for the last time before turning to leave.
She called out from afar, "Oh, and don't forget! Something is waiting for you, so pick up that dial and call today! This is a once in a lifetime offer, satisfaction guaranteed!" and she hopped away before everything else.
"Loon…"Natsume thought then looked at the phone in his hand…
It won't kill to try.
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---meanwhile, court of the gods---
Tyche, the goddess of fortune and luck, was sitting by her room when there was a loud crash resounding from the window by the niche.
Even then, she knew who that'd be and she hurried to the place.
"Tyche! Tyche it's done!!" the angel wailed, "And he's so handsome and gorgeous up close and personal, did you know that??"
Tyche grinned at her faithful agent, "Of course. Well done."
"When will I have another assignment on him?"
"Very soon, I suppose."
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---meanwhile at the mansion---
The tension in the air was almost palpable for Mikan who had to stand by through it all and hear them discuss business in a way that was way beyond her range of understanding.
Hotaru and Ruka talked about these complex things as if they've been doing it for so long…
"…This new product, the 'arti-clime' will provide good conditioning and atmosphere to any close space area given a period of time."
"How big is the bulk?"
"With adequate walling, it may appear hidden enough if that's how you prefer. The cost for installation comes free with the delivery. That includes the placement fee."
"Hmm… that sounds convenient enough. It could add glamour and ambience to the dining hall… or even to the reception area. That part is getting dull."
"The company plans to issue this product tomorrow. Availing this now would ensure your originality and in the case of competitors…"
Ruka momentarily lost his business-like state when he remembered what happened to the contracts. Hotaru stared at him just as she was filing the papers.
"Uh… there's a problem." Ruka explained awkwardly, beginning to blush deeper. It helped that Mikan was there standing by the side, and he was having a hard time concentrating, "The contracts…"
"…are here. You only have to sign them and the deal will pass through." Hotaru was saying smoothly. She sounded annoyed.
"Oh, that's great. For a moment I thought…"
"You lost the contracts of last time, now you wanted to renew it." The raven-haired girl said it for him.
Ruka just gulped and laughed a little. That reminds him… he still has that CFI papers to deal with. "That's convenient…" he uttered under his breath, then said, "I've less things to worry about then."
The other seemed to look at Mikan from the corner of her eyes, "Really. But it seems like you'll have something big to keep you busy for the next few days…" she stood up to leave before he could even reply, "I'll leave the papers to you."
The door opened and banged shut before they realized they were alone.
"She seems---mad…" Mikan was saying uneasily, "I hope I did not cause it…"
The young man just seemed to stare up at the walls. He better do something about this.
H made a decision. He started for his phone and dialed for the president of CFI…
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---meanwhile---
The line finally went through, as if by some wicked kind of luck. Ruka figured the president must be in good terms with the fishes today… he only hoped he had good enough patience for him.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Tsukino. This is Nogi's son Ru—"
"You don't have to remind me, I'd know a wuss like you anywhere." he growled, "What do you want?"
This didn't sound very good…
"Uhm… About the contracts---"
"What, you've lost it or something? Then don't coming begging back here! An incompetent klutz like you won't be able manage your father's business if you were that careless!"
"Please, Mr. Tsukino, if you'd only hear me out---"
"What do I have to hear from you? Your whining about how you can't handle your father's business at such a young age? You disappoint me!"
Through it all, Mikan stood by the corner, hearing the phone and its loudspeaker. She suddenly felt herself boiling up with helpless rage. She knew she was the root cause of this, and for some reason she felt responsible.
Mikan yanked the phone lying in front of Ruka, held it close to her face and talked to it, politely enough.
"Mr. Tsukino, I'd like to talk to you for a minute. This is Mikan, and I'm Mr. Nogi's secretary."
"What does a crumb like you---"
"Well, you listen here old-man." she suddenly said. From the corner, Ruka made as if to grab it from her grip but she pulled it away from his reach.
"What kind of—leader are you?" she was lecturing, "You won't even give your dealers their time to talk their problems! What if it was very serious and has something big to do with your industry? DO you realize how this would create its own problems, not only to you but also to your dealers? You might even lose them, and it's all because you didn't even give time to listen---"
"Mikan---" Ruka tried to restrain her words, but it simply kept spewing out of her lips as she held the phone like a mike.
"Who do you think you are---"
"I'm his secretary, Mr. Tsukino. And I'm the one responsible for losing your contract." she said with dignity, "It's my fault that Ruka lost his deal with you. And if you won't even hear what he's going to say…"
As if suddenly out of fire power, Mikan slowed down and realized what she had just done. "Well, if he won't even listen, it was at least worth the try giving a word or two to the president of one of the nicest industry in the world…" Mikan tried to reason herself, but she knew she won't be the receiving end of all this. She glanced at Ruka, who sat at his chair, his head down and the air of defeat hanging around him. Oh no, what did she do…
Suddenly, the phone lying on the desk began to talk. The voice on the other end was laughing so loud and coarse Mikan nearly took a step back from it in surprise.
"Well done, well done!" the old man laughed his bark of a laughter again, "You amaze me!"
"Huh?" Mikan could only say out loud. From the chair Ruka jerked upright as if roused from the dead and stared in disbelief to the phone.
"Mikan Sakura eh? Well, you possess more guts than your boss it seems! Tell him that tomorrow before he comes here, and maybe you can teach him a thing or two."
Mikan looked at Ruka in disbelief then dawning understanding.
"You're… going to go on with the deal?" she said slowly, fearing him to say no.
"Of course! What, you don't want?"
"No! I mean the deal must go through!" Mikan was saying hurriedly.
"Good. I'm expecting you tomorrow." The line went dead.
Mikan looked at Ruka, her happy face implying everything.
Life was starting to get better for Mr. Nogi.
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Author note: uploads will move on with or without viruses, of course. :D So do review, come on. hehehe. :)