4 The Impulse
If you're looking for trouble, you'll definitely find it.
"Did I interrupt something?" Reito smirked. Natsuki was about to say something but Shizuru beat her.
"No, I was just applying ointment for burns," Shizuru replied. She closed the cap of the ointment and handed it back to Natsuki. Natsuki immediately felt the cooling effect of the ointment.
"It does feel cool as if there's mint and ice on my skin," Natsuki beamed. Shizuru gracefully walked back to her table and immediately went back to work. "What brought you here Kanzaki-san?"
Reito walked toward Natsuki's table and pretended to ignore Shizuru. He slumped on a chair to make himself feel comfortable. "I need Shizuru to fill up some documents at the HR-"
"—Just send the documents here. Is that all? You should just have sent one of your secretaries instead of coming all the way here," Natsuki said obviously uninterested with the conversation. She gathered some papers on her table giving the impression that she's busy.
"Okay, you're always so welcoming Natsuki-san," Reito stood up and sat on a chair across Shizuru's table. He gave Shizuru a toothy smile. Natsuki's eyes turned into slits. She didn't like Reito taking the time of her secretary. Shizuru saw Natsuki's distress and when Natsuki looked at her, she smiled at her sweetly. To her surprise, Natsuki blushed furiously.
"Ara, what a cute blush. She seems to have a tough exterior but she's absolutely adorable," Shizuru thought and then she remembered that Reito was in front of her table.
"How careless of me, I totally forgot about him because I was thinking of Natsuki."
"Do you need anything, Kanzaki-san?" Shizuru asked politely.
"Reito is fine. I'll call you Shizuru," Reito replied, his overconfidence slowly getting to Shizuru's nerves.
"I hope you wouldn't take this negatively Kanzaki-san but I don't think that's appropriate especially during office hours," Shizuru replied. She glanced at Natsuki's direction and she saw a small smile on her face.
"I see. Well Shi-, I mean Viola-san, as a new employee, we want to welcome you," Reito said shifting the topic. "You saw the people at my department this morning, right? We're going out after office hours. It's Friday after all. They told me to invite you."
Shizuru was about to reply when Natsuki interrupted.
"She can't join you unless she finishes the report," Natsuki said quickly.
"I'm sorry Kanzaki-san. But if I manage to finish the report, I guess I can join you guys," Shizuru replied with her usual smile.
"That's good to hear Viola-san. See you around," Reito said as he happily walks out of Natsuki's office. A food delivery man soon came to Natsuki's office by 12:30 pm. Shizuru forgot that it's time to eat so she saved her work on the computer and rummaged her bag for her wallet. Since Natsuki has brought her food, maybe she should also call for food delivery or maybe there's a cafeteria in the 19th floor that she hasn't seen yet. She decided to ask Maria. It doesn't seem right to ask her boss who seemed busy with her laptop. Shizuru stood up with her wallet on one hand.
"Where are you going?" Natsuki asked.
"I was just going to ask Maria-san where to get food," Shizuru replied.
"There's a cafeteria at the 18th floor. But I already bought food for us. Do you want to eat now?" Natsuki replied. She stood up and took the delivered food from the countertop. She placed them on a small dining table and then she sat and began poking on the food. "Viola-san, what are you doing standing there?"
Shizuru was shocked. She's going to eat with her boss and her boss even prepared everything. She put down her wallet on her table and then she walked toward the chair beside Natsuki.
"Ookini Kuga-san. I was just wondering if you always eat with your secretary?" Shizuru asked. Natsuki was taken aback by the question. She just acted on impulse when she ordered food for the both of them. There's only one thing she's sure about. She feels comfortable around Shizuru. It's as if they have met, she just couldn't remember. Maybe they could be friends.
"Not really. I guess you don't know yet but I just took my position as Director two weeks ago and you are my fourth secretary," Natsuki replied as she placed Shizuru's food in front of her. Shizuru's mouth watered at the food on the table which she thought was too much for the both of them.
Shizuru processed the information and she realized that Natsuki has fired three people in two weeks time and if Natsuki doesn't like her work, she would face the same fate. She gulped. She was confident a while ago but if the woman beside has too high standards, she could never be so sure. Besides, Shizuru thought that being rejected hurts a bit. That's how she felt when some of her articles were rejected by Yukino when she was still starting as a writer.
"If you don't mind me asking Kuga-san, what were you doing before you accepted your post as Director?"
"I studied and lived abroad. Then I realized that maybe it's time to come back to Japan," Natsuki replied. Shizuru noticed that Natsuki was dipping her chicken fillet on a heaping of mayo. She almost vomited at the sight despite Natsuki's amusing appearance while enjoying the taste of the white substance. "You're looking at my mayo, do you want some?"
"Oh no Kuga-san, my stomach doesn't agree with that white substance," Shizuru replied hurriedly. Natsuki snickered.
"We're the same then," Natsuki replied.
"Huh?"
"My stomach doesn't agree with the dried leaves you call tea." Both of them laughed heartily. Soon they finished their lunch and Shizuru offered to clean up. Natsuki let her and Shizuru noticed that Natsuki was back to being her boss. They both went back to work silently. By 3:00 pm, Shizuru was done with the report which turned out as a surprise to Natsuki. Shizuru handed a hard copy to Natsuki and the latter began reading the report silently. Shizuru went back to her table and waited for a response from her boss. Soon she got bored so she went back to the company's website and found herself reading more of Natsuki's profile. She found out that Natsuki recently finished her Master's Degree in Business Administration at Princeton University.
"You can now go Viola-san. I'll just make a presentation from this report," Natsuki said passively.
"Ara, I thought the presentation is a part of what you wanted me to do so I already made one," Shizuru replied. Natsuki was surprised. First, she gets a well-polished report done in few hours. Now, she gets a whole presentation package that comes with the report. "If you don't need it, I'll just delete it then."
"Let me see it first," Natsuki said. Shizuru stood behind Natsuki as the latter goes over the shared files in their network. Shizuru told her the file location and then Natsuki played the slide show. Shizuru caught a whiff of Natsuki's shampoo and she couldn't concentrate on what Natsuki had been saying.
"It's exactly what I needed Viola-san," Natsuki said. "Viola-san?"
Shizuru's trance was broken by Natsuki's second call. Shizuru lowered her head since she noticed that there was a side that needs some explanation. She stooped until her head was beside Natsuki's as she pointed some hyperlinks on a slide. She explained them to Natsuki so the latter would have an idea of how the presentation is organized. Natsuki frozed for a while and then she abruptly stood up which startled Shizuru. Shizuru yelped and luckily she wasn't holding anything. Shizuru held her chest and heaved a sigh.
"Oh sorry, Viola-san," Natsuki said as brushes the back of her head. She wanted to move close to Shizuru but she was afraid that latter might feel awkward.
"It's okay. So, is the presentation fine?" Shizuru asked.
"Yes, thank you. As my secretary, you have to come with me at the executive meeting tomorrow. So, see you tomorrow?"
"Okay. I'll leave you then." Shizuru left the Natsuki's office and on her way to the elevator's, she bumped into an eye-catching woman. The busty woman seemed friendly.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking," Shizuru said.
"Oh, it's okay," the woman replied with a smile, "Do you work in one of the departments here?"
"Yes," Shizuru replied. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Well, I'm looking for Kuga Natsuki's office. Can you give me the directions?"
Shizuru eyed the woman once again. She felt that she wanted to know who she is and why does she want to see Natsuki. She noticed that the woman was holding a paper bag.
"I'm her secretary. I can accompany you to her office," Shizuru replied as she forced a smile. The woman was suddenly giddy. Shizuru brought her to Natsuki's office. As soon a she opened the door revealing a reading Natsuki, the woman ran to Natsuki and hugged her. To Shizuru, it appeared like the woman was pressing her chest to Natsuki's head and the worst thing to note is the fact that Natsuki doesn't find it awkward or unpleasant.
"Mai-san, long time, no see," Natsuki happily said as the woman loosened her embrace and took a seat across Natsuki.
"I brought your favorite!" Mai said as she shoved the paper bag in front of Natsuki.
"Oh thank you. I really love these sandwiches," Natsuki replied and then she realized that she hasn't yet dismissed Shizuru. "Viola-san, you can go now. Thank you for assisting Mai-san."
"Arigatou, Viola-san," Mai happily said. The two were obviously sending her away so Shizuru felt irritated. On her way out of the Production and Packaging Department, she remembered Reito's invitation so she passed by the HRM Department and Reito iimmediately saw her. They welcomed her in the same way that most people welcome whenever she goes and after a couple of minutes she found herself with going out of the building with Reito and his friends. They were a group of three men and six ladies including Shizuru. Shizuru noticed that one of the ladies is the one she saw at the cafeteria on the first floor. She remembered that woman's name is Nao. They appeared to be a group of party people to Shizuru. Shizuru never liked parties but she was still irritated with Natsuki for some reason that she doesn't understand so she told herself that she might loosen up a bit with Reito's group since they were all friendly at her. She just needs to be a bit careful with Reito and make sure that she wouldn't give him false hope whenever the latter tries to make a pass on her.