Chapter 22
Hana woke up bright and early out of habit. She swept the floors, gave the whole house a good scrub before her grandfather woke up. The elder found his granddaughter in the kitchen in the morning, letting the soup boil away.
"What are you doing?"
"Making seaweed soup," Hana answered nonchalantly. "Happy birthday, Ojii-san."
"Don't remind me," he grumbled. He was old and he knew it.
Hana served her grandfather a traditional breakfast. Hana made sure Kaina had her share of food as well, before settling down on her knees to eat with her grandfather. They ate in silence, as per usual.
"Morinozuka owes me a birthday lunch."
"Uh huh," Hana rolled her eyes. "We'll make our way over after our time at the dojo," she assured, even though every part of her body ached. The physical pain was a good distraction to what went on at the back of her mind when it came to the company weighing on her shoulders.
"Not today, Hana. Your muscles need to rest." The grandfather shook his head, knowing fully well that overworking your body only led to injury.
Hana was not going to argue with that.
"You don't need me to train you anymore, Hana. I'm too old to be yelling at you."
Hana shrugged. "How else would you pass time?"
"I was doing very well without you, you know. Kaina is enough to deal with already and I have to clean the house on my own, do the gardening, and beat Morinozuka at everything I do," he listed.
"I can clean the house so you can focus on beating your arch nemesis," Hana offered with a smile. "Then you can give your back a break."
"My back is fine," he grumbled. Hana noticed her grandfather patting his lower back more often. Sawada-san also made an effort to stretch out his back so that he would not lose mobility in his muscles. Old age finally began taking a toll.
"Morinozuka promised me lunch, so I'll head over at 11." It was going to be his birthday lunch. The old friends had a tradition to celebrate each other's birthdays over the past few decades. Regardless of whether or not they won a bet, the two would find time together.
Hana nodded and went off to take a shower to loosen her sore muscles from the day before. A few moments later, Sawada-san found his granddaughter placing eyeshadow on her eyelids, before lining them carefully with a brush.
"Oi, who do you have to impress with all of that caked on your face?" the grandfather stuck his head through the door.
"You, of course," Hana answered without batting an eye. She was in the midst of putting on mascara. Her lustrous hair was curled loosely as it fell onto her shoulders effortlessly.
"Don't get snarky with your elder."
"You know very well who I'm trying to impress," the granddaughter chuckled.
"Listen, you don't need to do all of this for the kid – he should already be smitten by you."
"Says who?" She reached over to the compact with her blush. Hana knew very well that making herself look pretty was not just for a boy. But Takashi had seen her sweaty and exhausted, with no makeup and horrendous eye bags more than enough times. For today, Hana chose to look presentable for herself and for him.
"Well, if he isn't, you can kick his ass."
"Uh huh," Hana skeptically replied. "I'm not that cruel."
"If you won't, I will."
"Don't," Hana warned. "It's enough with you two having bets on us."
The elder perked up.
"Say, about those bets… you need to make sure that I win becau—"
Hana glared at her grandfather and threw the brush she was using. The elder caught it in one swift motion. He might have been old, but his reflexes were still on point. He sighed and grumbled to himself.
"Jeez, is it so bad to let me gloat in his face for the rest of my life?"
"Is it so bad for you two to not meddle in my relationship with him?" Hana begged. The elder returned the brush to makeup bag and watched his granddaughter at work. She lined her lips with a subdued pink, almost a mauve colour. She paid no attention to the elder.
"Does he make you happy?" the grandfather leaned against her desk, refusing to make eye contact. His tone changed.
"Yes," Hana answered without hesitation in the same serious tone.
"What are you going to do about the Ootori kid?"
Morinozukas were honourable people, but they were also heavily traditional. Sawada knew that this did not look good on her granddaughter. A woman who was meant to be engaged to someone else should have no relations with the eldest Morinozuka child.
The granddaughter sighed. "I don't know yet." It wasn't like their engagement was official. It was just a tentative agreement between two families for now. The Ootori was a great candidate to any family. And for Hana, she began looking like a good prospect for the Ootoris after being named heiress to the corporation. She was educated. She had experience, albeit very little, in the business industry. But most of all, she was pretty. That was the defining factor, because good-looking heirs were especially important. Hana knew better than to stay angry at the thought.
"Does he know?"
"Of course he knows. I wouldn't lie."
Hana paused, thinking about Mori's own family. "Does Morinozuka-san know?"
Her grandfather shrugged. "Not from what I can tell."
"Do you… think he would disapprove?" her voice lowered. Her throat suddenly closed at the thought. They had spent so much time apart, their relationship had barely began. Hana was in too deep to even think of ending something that she didn't know she craved. But the guilt grew within the pit of her stomach.
Sawada-san sighed.
"He treats you like his own granddaughter."
"Out of respect for you," Hana pointed out.
The elder cackled. "Yeah, like he has any respect for me."
The grandfather placed a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder.
"Anyone would be lucky to have you, Hana. The old man will come around to it, if push comes to shove."
Hana dropped off her grandfather at the Morinozuka residence, where Takashi waited for her at his doorstep.
His eyes perked up at the sight of her. She wore a leather jacket that paired with a long white v-neck t-shirt. Her dark blue jeans were finished off with a pair of black suede pumps. Hana's neck was adorned by a simple long silver chain, her high heels made a distinctive sound that followed her everywhere, almost to announce her presence. Her ponytail swung from side to side, the curls of her hair bouncing to each rhythmic step.
She smiled at him.
That was enough for his breath to hitch. Immediately he bowed out of respect for Sawada-san. The elder patted his shoulder and let himself inside the home, leaving the youngsters alone.
"Happy birthday, Takashi," she greeted when he lifted himself up. He could only smile back at her.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen her like this before. Makeup and all. Her eyes beautifully accentuated with sharp strokes along the lash lines, her lips filled to perfection with her complexion flawless. Takashi was not naïve enough to believe that she looked like this all the time. He'd seen her in all her forms.
But this was still her. And for some reason, he couldn't believe that he had someone like that. That he was even allowed to call her his.
"Are we meeting with Honey today?" she took him out of his thoughts.
Takashi nodded, offering to take her hand to lead the way. Her nails were a grey-lilac, her fingers cold from the wind that had been building up over the morning. The forecast called for thunderstorms later in the afternoon.
She let him walk her to Honey's favourite café. It was a few blocks away and Mori snuck a glance at Hana. The clicking of her heels were the only thing that filled their comfortable silence.
"Is there something wrong?" Hana asked, after catching him sneaking more than one glance over the past few minutes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, with genuine concern in his voice.
"Of course," she answered cheerily. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Your shoes." It was quite a walk and Mori could only imagine the discomfort she was in for having to walk so far. Takashi almost offered to carry her before she laughed.
"You seem to forget I used to be a model," she grinned. "Besides, I'm almost your height now. It's nice seeing things from up here."
Hana snuck a kiss on his cheek. "I don't have to stretch to do that, either." Takashi couldn't help but to grin. His mouth was permanently curved upwards. He wouldn't mind her in heels, if she insisted. He held her by the waist and guided her forward along with him.
"I might be slow, though," Hana warned. There was no way she could sprint in these 5 inch heels. It wasn't like she was planning on running away from him, either.
Mori shrugged. He didn't mind taking the extra time, especially with her.
"Ojii-san was being silly this morning," Hana mentioned off-hand.
"Hm?" Takashi made a noise, almost to let her know that he was listening and ushered her to go on.
"He asked who I had to impress when he saw me putting on make-up," she laughed. "Since when did he ever care?"
The man chuckled to himself. "I'm impressed," he quietly admitted. "I'm always impressed." He kissed her on the temple to assure her that he meant it.
"Even if I'm gross and sweaty from climbing a mountain?" Hana joked. He'd seen her at her worst. What did she have to lose?
Takashi didn't mind that one bit. He'd seen her sweaty and exhausted. He'd seen her cry. He'd seen quite a range of her. He'd seen her vulnerable because she let him. And that in itself, was more of an accomplishment than any other. A privilege he earned.
"Always," he repeated.
"Just so you know," Hana whispered. "I'm also always impressed."
He looked at her skeptically. She returned the same expression.
"Don't tell me no one has ever told you how attractive you were. You were part of the Host Club!" Hiro knew he was attractive. The twins most definitely knew it. Tamaki flaunted it. Kyouya was surely not oblivious to the advantages he held.
"For Honey," Mori explained.
"So this whole time, it never occurred to you that you were the least bit attractive?"
Takashi shrugged.
"Oh my goodness," Hana laughed. "How?"
"Do you think I'm attractive?" he asked her in his deep baritone voice while tilting his head at her. It was a legitimate question. From what Hana could tell, he wasn't asking for an ego boost. He was genuinely asking.
"Of course," she answered. "How could I not?"
"Because you're… you're beautiful."
Hana blinked. He was so sincere in the way he told her, like she was the most precious thing. As if she'd never heard it before. As if he believed that she didn't know it herself. It gave her butterflies. She kissed him sweetly on the lips because she had no words to express how wonderful he made her feel inside. How clueless he seemed about his own self, Hana wondered what else he hadn't realized.
He welcomed her affection, in the middle of the park. It was an overcast day, and luckily very few people were in the park. They just so happened to be hidden behind a cherry blossom tree, having their own moment in the midst of their journey to a café.
"Do people ever tell you how intelligent you are?"
Takashi shook his head, wondering where the sudden change of topic came from. He looked into her large doe eyes, her curiosity brimming. She looked astonished.
"How incredibly thoughtful and sweet you are? Because if they don't, I will. Takashi, you are so much more than you think."
Takashi was unsure what to say. She had her arms around her neck, her face only inches from his. She laughed at the expression on his face.
"You look so clueless – I mean, this can't be the first time someone has told you what you are."
He only stared at her with a half-smile, still at a loss for words. Though this was him most of the time, speechless at the sight of her.
"You're loyal and gentle. You're strong and kind. You're everything I love."
Those words rolled off the tip of her tongue and Hana couldn't take it back. She wasn't going to take it back. She meant it. She honoured her words, her promises. She was raised like that.
Hana voiced his emotions into eloquent sentences. Her eyes faltered at a split second, where she was surprised at the words that had spilled out of herself. But then they reverted back to the calm brown eyes, the soft ones that grew to accept the words that she had spoken because they were nothing more than the truth.
Takashi held her tighter by the waist, pulling her body into his.
"You are too," he whispered.
Honey was surprised at the guest. He wasn't expecting anyone besides his cousin. Honey felt embarrassed that he hadn't ordered something for Hana who showed up by his side. They were certainly an interesting fit.
Of course, Honey recognized the former model from years ago. Though oddly enough, Honey wondered why he never paired them together as one. She was a former model, and she had likely graduated from Stern by now. Honey, unfortunately, did not know her as well as he had hoped.
She bowed her head slightly as a greeting, her eyes lowered as an apology for intruding when she noticed Honey's surprised expression. Did Mori not tell his cousin that she was coming along?
"Hi Hana," Honey politely greeted the unfamiliar figure. He turned to his cousin. "Happy birthday, Takashi!"
Takashi nodded and took a seat. Hana followed in suit. There were two plates of cake on the table and Hana immediately realized that it wasn't a good idea for her to have come along.
"Let me order somet—"
"—No no, I'm sorry for intruding. I um, I hope this isn't uncomfortable," the young woman insisted.
Honey relented and gave her the menu instead. The waitress promptly came at the wave of Honey and she settled upon a latte. It was a little awkward, and Takashi's quiet nature certainly did not help. But luckily, Hana was quick mend the silence and Honey was eager to learn more about the young woman.
"How have you been?" she asked. It had been years since they had last seen each other and neither of them had the least bit of a clue about each other.
"I've been working for a confectionary company," Honey answered. "But I'm looking to branch off into my own café once I can get enough capital."
"Wow, that's incredible," Hana was genuinely curious about Honey's work. The little cousin went off on a tangent about his work as a process engineer, though most of the time he spent his days tasting the final products of the manufacturer to ensure the utmost quality for the consumers. Takashi listened intently to his cousin. Honey had explained this before to him, but it was Hana who took the time to genuinely engage and react to his work with vigorous interest.
Honey appreciated it. It was nice talking her. She was sweet, and kind. Just like Honey had remembered her from Ouran.
"How did you two meet?" Honey asked. "Again, I mean." He assumed that they must have met the first time when Hiro introduced Hana to the Host Club.
"We're childhood friends," Hana answered. "We've known each other for… more than a decade," Hana roughly calculated 15 years.
Honey tilted his head in confusion. If they were childhood friends, why didn't they know each other? Honey and Takashi were nearly inseparable during their childhood.
"Saturday mornings. She sparred with me," Takashi cut in. Honey never woke up before noon.
It suddenly made sense. Honey thought back to the day that she arrived at the hospital to see Hiro, how she knocked down two men at least twice her weight, completely off guard. Hana must have had some sort of training, though Honey never put together that she trained with his cousin all these years.
Hana nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He annihilated me most of the time."
Takashi shook his head. "You were fast and unpredictable."
"Do you two still spar?"
They both shook their heads.
"Takashi took care of my grandfather while I was abroad," Hana explained. "He's… very kind and patient." The man looked down to his cake, pretending to be cool about it. Honey grinned and agreed with the young woman.
"You are too, Hana," Honey could tell that she had a warming presence. One that never intended to harm, unless necessary. She was a good fit for his cousin, and Honey could not be happier for him. There was something different about his cousin this time around. Takashi seemed more present, attune to his surroundings. Not lost in his thoughts, as he had been over the past few years. His shell had been broken. Whether it was because of Hana, or if it was because of his own doing – his cousin finally seemed to be living happier.
"I try," she murmured, Hana had a look of guilt on her face before being replaced with a small reassuring smile at Takashi. She took a sip of her latte before Takashi excused himself to go to the washroom. Honey and Hana now sat in a comfortable silence, a much better atmosphere than how they had started.
"You look like you're afraid," Honey spoke up. She looked up from her cup and tried reading Honey's expression.
"He's the most loyal man I know," the cousin reassured. "Takashi would have followed me to the ends of the earth had I not told him to go. So whatever you're afraid of, don't be. He'll follow you to hell and back, without a doubt. He won't leave you."
Hana shook her head. "I can't ask that of him. I don't want him to follow me. I want him to stay at his own will."
Honey let those words sink in. I don't want him to follow me. I want him to stay at his own will.
Hana worded it better than he had. Takashi was bound to Honey by tradition, and Honey gave him the freedom to live as he pleased. Honey could tell that Takashi was lost, and as his cousin, he was torn between letting him go and letting him stay. What purpose would he serve, if he had any at all besides tradition? It did not feel right to let him stay by his side.
But Hana refused to trap him. Whether it was intentional or otherwise, a part of Honey was relieved to hear those words. Hana wanted to preserve his freedom, and to earn his loyalty. Loyalty was not asked for on a whim, it was given to those who deserved it.
The cousin nodded in agreement. He was glad to have met Hana again. She had grown to be even wiser than her years, humble and eloquent in her thoughts. Takashi came back to the table to a comfortable silence. Honey finished off his slice of strawberry cake and Hana took the last sip of her latte.
Honey decided that it was a good time to part ways, giving Takashi a big hug before reaching over to Hana as well.
Hana waved and reciprocated the goodbye while Takashi sat comfortably – surprised at how affectionate his cousin had become over the course of an hour with Hana.
"Take care, you two!"
"Bye, Honey!" Hana called out to the door.
"He's so lovely," she said, after Honey had left them alone. "His happiness is contagious, don't you think?"
Takashi made a noise of affirmation. "He likes you." Honey wouldn't have hugged her if he didn't like the woman. Hana smiled.
"I sure hope he does. That's two people that I've won over." Honey and his grandfather were the two that Hana counted. She wondered if or when it would be time to meet his parents. Hana realized that Takashi never spoke about them.
"Three," Takashi corrected, cutting into her thoughts. "You've won me over, too."
It was the calm before the storm while they walked back to Morinozuka-san's place, their fingers intertwined.
"You're okay?" Takashi asked again. It was only her heels that filled in the silence while they walked back. He was careful to walk at her own pace, so that her feet wouldn't tire out.
"Hm?" she turned her head to look at him. He was staring at the ground.
"Shoes," he pointed with his free hand. The dark suede pumps were simple in the design, nothing flashy just black to match with her dark washed skinny jeans.
"I'm fine," Hana chuckled. "I've been through worse, Takashi. I've broken into these heels long ago."
"Broken?" It was jargon to a man who never had to deal with shoes.
"They're comfortable now," the woman patted his shoulder and urged him to keep walking. She didn't want to get caught in the rain that threatened to pour down from the clouds at any second. Hana quickened her pace when droplets of rain began pattering on her jacket. She led him to a bus shelter, a temporary solution as they let the storm pass.
In a matter of minutes, the storm became an outpour of torrential rain. The two only sat on the seats, quietly letting the breeze pass through the open door.
"You don't talk about your parents," Hana commented. She let the rain fill in the silence. She let him ponder before she spoke again. "I've won over two, I mean three. Three people. I just need to know if I need to win over any more," she explained.
Takashi shrugged. "My father passed away when I was young in a car accident. I don't remember him. I was raised by Honey's family, while my mother ventured into real estate."
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't… mean to – I didn't know."
"It's fine," Takashi squeezed her hand. He grew up with his cousin and were attached at the hip until adulthood. He never thought of his family as incomplete. They were rich for a variety of reasons, but their parents were generally real estate developers. Rumours of the families having ties to the yakuza was not exactly a lie, as the property they held just happened to be in yakuza territory. But nonetheless, tradition was still upheld. Mori lived to serve Honey for generations and his mother came around every so often if she wasn't busy managing her own business.
"You'll meet her one day," he promised. "She'll like you."
"You're biased," Hana pointed out. "But, we'll see. I hope she likes me."
Takashi watched Hana exhale, her shoulders lowering while she closed her eyes. She was anxious. She was trying to calm down. There were things that she wasn't sharing with him, and Takashi wasn't about to pry. She would tell him whenever she was ready.
Hana rested her head on his shoulder as she watched the raindrops fall. He kissed her on the forehead, bringing her closer to him by the waist.
"You sure you're alright?"
"My feet are fine," Hana laughed out loud. Takashi wasn't asking about her shoes this time, but he figured that if it made her laugh, it was enough.
Hana was unsure what to expect at her first day of work. Sawada-san got up early and made his granddaughter a hearty breakfast and packed her lunch. The granddaughter walked out of her room dressed in business attire, her hair up, and her makeup done to perfection.
"Ojii-san, I'm not a child. You don't have to pack me lunch."
"Let me do whatever the hell I want," the elder snapped and handed over the chopsticks for his granddaughter to use. "Now remember, if anyone give you shit—"
"—No one's going to give me shit," Hana grumbled.
"Yeah, but if they do—"
"—I'll take care of it," the woman rolled her eyes. "With my words. Not my fist. I don't want to get in trouble with human resources…"
"What… human resources?" the elder snarled. "Sounds like bullshit to me."
Hana sighed and downed her tea. "I have to go. I'll be home at 6." She grabbed her files in one hand and her handbag in another before heading out the door.
She dressed plainly, in an attempt to draw little attention to herself. Hana arrived to the company building a little before 8, an hour before regular employees to avoid the crowds on the elevator and to familiarize herself with the department. It was dreary, like an other floor. She was assigned the 50th floor, about a third of the space was deemed "hers."
It was like any other typical workplace, but without cubicles. Just rows upon rows of desks, open for discussion between the workers. It smelled like fresh copied papers, all throughout the floor. Employees were already settled, their stationary and some nick-knacks were placed on their desks. Each had an office chair neatly tucked underneath the tables, and then there was her office at the very end. Glass doors and blinds were installed for privacy, next to a conference room with a long table and a projector and screen for presentations. There was a break room adjacent to the conference room with a fridge and a couple cupboards.
Hana walked into her office and she was glad that her room had a window. She let the natural light seep through the blinds before settling at her desk. She had files of each employee under her, resumes and cover letters, previous work underneath other departments, it was essentially a history of each person.
It wasn't particularly exciting to read at 8:18 in the morning. All of these people underperformed in their previous departments. Many got the job because they had high grades straight out of their university program. Her entire department had an average age of 28. Significantly older than Hana, herself.
Hana was given no direction. No meeting with her father. Just a contract sent to her email a couple months prior, and a date to begin working at the company. It was evident she wasn't seen as anything worthwhile to the company, just given a title and used as a pawn when the timing was correct.
This was her life now.
And she didn't know how to fight it.
Hana looked at the time. It was a quarter to 9. She decided to brew a cup of tea for herself before the storm of employees were to show. Not that there were many, it was a team of 10 including herself. She kept the door open to her office, just like it had been when she walked in.
As she waited for the kettle to boil, Hana could hear voices drawing near.
"The big boss is supposed to show today."
"Big boss? She's some former model and the daughter of the president. As if we'd have to do anything besides serve her left and right."
Hana couldn't even be offended at that statement. It was true, except for the servitude.
"Graduated from Stern or something," another voice chimed in.
"Ha, she probably paid someone to write her exams, hey?"
"It's what all the rich kids do abroad nowadays."
Hana almost laughed at how ridiculous that seemed. She poured the water into her mug and waited for the tea to seep while she listened into what was meant to be her entire department.
"You think she'll show up late? And you know, sit in her office and pretend to work?"
"That's what we've been doing over the past week, and we're getting paid for it."
"So this is it eh? Just a bunch of losers who get to be the servants to the rich heiress. Not too bad."
The heiress quietly walked out of the break room and leaned against the door frame. She put the faces to the names she saw in the file, and a total of 6 had already shown up to work five minutes ahead of 9. The coworkers huddled around a common desk, the one with the most nick-knacks, she noticed. Hana kept quiet until an employee walked through the door and noticed her there.
"S-sawada… Sawada-san," they greeted and bowed before taking a step closer to her. The mob of coworkers turned around, a look of terror plastered all over their faces before bowing as a group.
Hana kept her expression neutral with the cup in her hand. She let her heels fill in the silence as she walked towards her office.
"Department meeting by 9:30. I want everyone in the conference room."
She closed the door to her office but pulled up the blinds so she could see what the rest of the department was up to. Everyone solemnly returned to their desks, adamantly typing away on their keyboard.
What could they possibly have to do? They had no tasks, whatsoever. Not even Hana had anything to do.
She looked at the time. It was only 9:10. Two people had yet to show up to work. By 9:25, no one had gotten out of their seats into the conference room. At 9:27, Hana decided to step out of her office with her files at hand and her finished tea in another. She watched as everyone turned to look at her, curious to see what she would do.
Did they think it was some kind of game?
"You have 3 minutes before a conference with the department head. Should you all have the decency to show an ounce of respect towards me, you would all be out of your seats and in the conference room already," Hana calmly declared before going into the break room to rinse her mug.
She stepped out of the break room to find half the group inside the conference room, sitting blankly in their chairs. The other three lazily got up from their desk after Hana had given them a glare. This was most definitely the worst kind of group they could ever set her up with.
They were missing one person. But Hana had no time to wait. It was 9:30 and the rest of the group waited with baited breath, curious to see what the former-model had in store.
Hana introduced herself, like how she'd always learned to during seminars and presentations. During all those cocktail hours in university, networking sessions, she pitched herself as if she had everything to lose.
But today was different.
She didn't have the heart to pretend to be something she wasn't. After she told them her name she changed her tone.
"What's a bunch of losers like you doing here, ordered to serve the heiress from left and right?"
Some of them sunk back into their chair, ashamed that she had heard what they had said. Others were more strong headed, obviously skeptical of what Hana was capable of.
"I've read all your files. Literally, all of you are underperforming employees who somehow manag—"
Someone spoke up, daring to go up against the most powerful person in the room.
"You don't have to pretend, Sawada-san," the man shrugged. Hana looked down at her notes. His name was Tomo Yuuto. Graduated with a degree in Applied Mathematics and was 27 years old. "If you're going to come to work to yell at us then—"
"It would do you well to show some respect to your department head," the woman calmly interfered. "Yuuto-san," Hana added. She knew their names, or tried to match their face to the name as quickly as she could during the half hour that they stayed at their desks.
"Or what?" the man challenged. "You'll call your daddy to fire me?"
Hana chuckled. "I wouldn't have to call my father to have to fire you. I would do it myself."
A pale, thin figure raised his hand from the very end of the conference table.
"Actually, Human Resources can't let you do that without any reasonable explanation to fire," he meekly explained. He wore glasses and a pristine suit, his name tag around his neck in a lanyard. It was evident he was transferred from the HR department, and his name was Reito Kanata, 26 years old with a degree in computer science.
Hana stared him down and made a bluff. "Should we test that theory? I think both Yuuto-san and I are curious to find out."
Kanata-san shook his head. He wouldn't risk it. Hana could tell he scared quite easily.
Yuuto-san quieted down and laid back in the office chair, letting Hana continue. Everyone didn't seem to care. Oh how Hana had wished she bothered to care more about her organizational behaviour class during her undergrad. But alas, she was stuck with a team who was unmotivated and had nothing to show.
And she was stuck with no experience and no direction.
She wasn't meant to lead. She couldn't even handle a few people under her wing.
"I want this entire department to put together a presentation of their previous work. Pitch me an idea. Show me what you're worth. Show me why you deserve to be here. You present on Monday. In the meantime, I want the finances of the entire company over the past five years and the successful big projects that have been launched by the end of the week."
She dismissed the team.
By noon, there were no files on her desk. She ate lunch quietly by herself in her office, and studied the resumes a little more. Two people on her team were in the accounting department. One from HR, and four from software development. The other two happened to be from marketing. She had a full stack of people under her wing and yet nothing productive whatsoever.
By Wednesday, there was still nothing on her desk. Hana had read up on the history of the company and the current projects that it was pursuing. Hana was working as hard as she could to get on the same page as the rest of the department because she knew she was lacking. After lunch, two files showed up on her desk. Quarterly reports and print-outs of what anyone could find with a simple Google search.
Hana walked out of her office.
"Who placed these on my desk?"
Two hands were raised. It was just her luck that it happened to be the accountants who placed the quarterly reports on her desk when she was out. The woman slammed the papers onto the table.
"This is unacceptable," she declared. "If I wanted to Google this company, I could have done so myself. I want numbers. I want to see where each and every cent is going, in and out of this company. You two are accountants. Do the job you were hired to do. I want a report compiled by Friday."
The rest of the team stared.
She was 23.
And she had people older than her as her employees. That very fact didn't seem right. To have someone younger than you give you commands at work was ridiculous in a society that respected elders without a question. Hana was seen as rude and arrogant by her employees. She was not worthy of being a department head and everyone knew it.
Even Hana was aware of how underqualified she was to be yelling at her employees as she returned back to her office.
There were times that Mori had late nights at the office, marking papers or quizzes for his class. Mori took the time to get through half the essays for the night and planned for a lesson next week. It was nearly 10:45 PM when he got off the subway and walked back home for the night.
A figure came running towards him, sprinting at such a high speed it would've been dangerous to be in their way. Within seconds he recognized her ponytail beneath a light under the park, and she too, was quick to halt in her steps when she noticed that it was him.
Mori was in his regular work clothes, a button down dress shirt tucked into trousers and a black belt with loafers. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his forearms as he carried his briefcase. Mori looked at his watch.
Hana stopped in front of him, gasping for breath. She wore her athletic leggings and a loose fitting navy tank top. She had a black headband to keep her hair in place while her hair was tied up. Hana had her hands on her knees and her back crouched while she recovered.
"You shouldn't be out," he said. It was late and the park wasn't as well lit as he liked it to be.
"It's… just a quick run."
"It's dangerous," Mori reasoned. "And dark."
"I can… throw… a punch," Hana answered in between breaths.
"Not like this," the man shook his head. Hana knew he had a point. She was in no shape to punch anyone when she was as dizzy as this. He patted her on the back, easing her to an upright position.
"I'll walk you home," he offered. She shook her head.
"I can run home myself," Hana refused. She was capable of taking care of herself and he knew it too. But that didn't mean he didn't worry for her.
"I'll run you home," Takashi tried again.
She gave a weak smile. "You look like you've had a long day. How about I walk home with you?"
Takashi shrugged. Just as long as she was safe, he wasn't going to complain. Hana took a deep breath and tilted her head towards the direction of his home. She was ready to go.
"Why are you coming home so late?" she asked.
"Marking essays," he explained. Really, he could have been done by now. It had been a week since submission but he liked to take his time, reading every word and analysing thoughts proposed by his students. "It takes a while," Takashi added.
"I can imagine," Hana agreed. She could hardly make it through her readings much less have to do it for a living. "You must be a very thorough marker," she figured.
"I try."
They let the silence sit until Takashi reached his home.
"I guess this is it," Hana sighed. She was about to bid him farewell before he caught her arm. He wasn't going to let her go home alone in the dark like this, even if she could throw a punch.
"Let me change," Takashi said before letting go and going into the home. He came out in track pants and a tank top. He threw her a water bottle so she could rehydrate. Her previous sprint seemed to have taken a lot out of her.
Takashi waited for her to lead the way but she just stood there blankly, lost in her own thoughts before blinking and handing back his water bottle. Takashi placed it on the porch, he'll get to it when he came back.
He led the jog through their neighbourhood instead, letting her follow along in his regular route. It was about three kilometres if he trailed all the way back to his home. She carried his pace without trouble, focusing on the road ahead. Takashi snuck a couple glances at her during the jog only to find her looking troubled by something.
He decided to walk when they reached the park. It would trail to her grandfather's place. He finally spoke when he was able to catch his breath.
"What's wrong?"
Hana took a second to respond. It was just enough hesitation for him to notice. "Nothing."
He stopped and gently took her by the arm, gazing into her eyes. She looked away out of guilt. He knew that she was lying and she couldn't bring to tell him about her silly problems at work. She was enough of a burden already.
"Tell me," Takashi murmured, grazing his thumb over the skin of her arms. It was comforting.
"It's…" Hana took a deep breath and exhaled. "Just work."
She wasn't lying, but Hana could tell that Takashi had a long day too. What kind of person would she be to make him listen to her in the middle of the night? She rested her head on his chest, pulling him close. He tucked her into his neck, letting her stay in this position for just a while longer.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. But you've had a long day. I've had a long day. We could both just use a break."
"It's okay," he patted her back. "It's the weekend tomorrow."
"Yay," Hana cheered sarcastically. "I have reports to review."
"I have essays to mark," Takashi chimed in.
She looked up at him and grinned. "Sounds like something we could do together while our grandparents play chess."
He nodded in agreement before walking her home to her doorstep.
She kissed him on the cheek and bid him goodbye. His fingers lingered with her own and she smiled. He was her rock, his loyalty and love was unwavering. Hana wondered if he knew how much she loved him.
But all she could give was a smile and a wave.
Tomorrow was a new day.
A/N: I thought I'd be able to update more often when the summer came along but evidently, I was wrong. This story reached its one year anniversary a few weeks ago and it's definitely much longer than I had ever intended it to be. Thank you all for sticking by for so long - I definitely appreciate your support, and of course, your patience. Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear what you all think. (P.S. Some thoughts are posted over on my tumblr if you are so inclined to read them.)