The Mask Shatters

Gaiden

Himura Arinori

"Behold… The life of another through their eyes…"

Author's Note

Introducing the first Gaiden in our story. Gaiden is a Japanese word for "short story". Gaidens will serve as our short story markers for things that happen when Arthur isn't around. Some will be story related, some will be fluff, and some will exist to flesh out characters that haven't had much screen time yet, like the one you are about to read.

Without further adieu, please enjoy our first Gaiden!

Mornings for Himura were rather slow, as always.

Waking up at four AM, he had to leave no later than six. He had just long enough to make breakfast for Arthur and shower before his departure for a twelve hour shift at his place of work.

Arthur didn't get up initially when Himura woke him, but when the kid finally stumbled out of his room almost twenty minutes later, Himura was surprised to see the kid's eyes were red and puffy, almost as if he had been crying. He pressed the kid for answers but Arthur just waved him off, claiming to be alright and Himura left it at that.

Himura was unsure, but he knew Arthur well. If Arthur said he was OK, then it must've been so. He knew Arthur was a smart cookie and believed he would be smart enough to tell anyone if something's troubling him.

The two then sat down in the living room for a quick breakfast - or more specifically, Arthur sat down while Himura watched the news about the recent developments with the master artist, Ichiryusai Madarame.

According to the news report, he had received a calling card from the so-called "Phantom Thieves".

Arthur paid equal attention, finding himself as invested in the story as Himura was.

The breakfast Himura made for Arthur was makeshift at best, as the hour was already nearing six. Some toast and scrambled eggs with a dollop of ketchup mixed in; something he remembered Arthur enjoying a lot during the days he watched over him when his parents weren't around.

Arthur didn't complain, but he did mumble a thank you to Himura for making breakfast.

As the two watched the news go on about the sudden change in Madarame's public appearances - lack of, more like - Himura remembered the radio in his car talk about the actions of the Phantom Thieves and whether or not they really are connected to the calling card. If they are, some suspect blackmail or something equally foul. If they aren't, they then suspect vicious pranksters to be at fault.

"Arthur, what do you know about these Phantom Thieves?" Himura asked Arthur, eliciting a surprised huff from the young man.

Arthur shook his head, telling Himura that he was interested in the subject too but he knew as much as a baby given calculus. Himura sighed, cutting his eyes to his clock. He shook his head as well, realizing it was time for him to get going.

"Must be one of those freak things, then…" Himura concluded under his breath, standing up from his seat as he stared at the clock. "I gotta go, Arthur... Make sure you get to the station on time and all that nonsense."

He grabbed his jacket off the back of the sofa - a blue and white zip up with kanji around the collar. It was written in a fancy font, and it said "Look for the silver lining". The man smiled, zipping it up and watching as Arthur paid his attention to the news. "I won't be home until six tonight, Arthur, as usual. If you have your friend over, I got some American foods in the freezer. Treat him to those."

Arthur smiled and thanked him, finishing up the last of his eggs. He barely touched his toast, but Himura didn't have time to complain. He had to get going.

"Seeya, Arthur."

The drive was nothing to write home about. Neither was the traffic or the chilly wind that bit into his skin. When he finally arrived at work nearly an hour later, he could barely find a parking spot outside the rather large building in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Even the spot reserved for him was taken by someone of a higher rank than him. For a moment he just sat in his car, staring at a black car in his space before sighing and driving off to find another place to park.

That task was daunting in of itself. Plenty of overnight workers were still in the building, and that meant the parking lot wouldn't be open fully until around eight thirty, and even then that would only last a stark ten minutes. Only managers, the CEO, and chiefs had parking spaces available to them specifically in this lot, and Himura was lucky a middle-manager got a space.

What was unlucky though is someone else taking it...

When he eventually found a spot - one at the furthest end of the parking lot, a good half a minute walk - he couldn't help but curse the man who stole his parking spot.

He sighed and stepped out of his car, locking it before approaching the building.

There, emblazoned like a billboard on the front of the building, was the name of the company. In bright kanji, visible no matter where you were on this street. At first Himura was proud to work at this company, but as time bore on he slowly grew to dislike it, only sticking around for the hefty paycheck his position promised him. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it, though, with him having little to no free time as a sacrifice.

Someone behind him spoke, startling him briefly as he observed the window cleaners above polish up what they could near the big kanji lettering.

"Arinori-san!" A very feminine voice called out to him. "You're here a bit early, it's rare I see you in my morning routine…" She added. Recognizing the voice, he smiled and turned to face her. He acted surprised to see her, but he wasn't really. Every time he saw her was a treat indeed.

"Eguchi-chan!" Himura greeted, extending a hand towards her as she approached him. She smiled and likewise took his hand with a formal grip.

This woman was Kiwa Eguchi. A human resources manager.

She was a young woman, no older than twenty four with a bachelor's degree in business management. She sported a really short haircut that was pushed and faded to one side, leaving the opposite half a small buzz cut and colored black, like Himura's, with bright yellow eyes accompanying her friendly gaze.

His smile grew wider. She was the definition of true beauty in Himura's eyes.

"I'm glad to see you, Eguchi-chan." Himura greeted her.

"Likewise, Arinori-san, likewise." She responded, eyeing what he wore. She was a bit surprised to see him wearing such a casual jacket to a professional workplace. "I see you're wearing something inspirational today…" She grinned, noting the inspiring kanji on his collar.

Himura chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he felt a small amount of disapproval emanating from her words. "I'm not wearing it all day. I'm gonna leave in my office when I get inside."

She nodded, stepping past him. She wore something more professional than him. He wore a casual jacket with a white polo and black slacks while she wore black heels, a black skirt that ended just above her knees, and a red blouse that she tucked into her skirt. Walking beside her, he noticed she also was wearing a necklace he hadn't seen before. It was dotted with numerous jewels, and the chain looked to be made of silver. His eyes went wide, wondering how much exactly it cost her.

"Is that a new necklace?" He asked. She looked down for a moment then up at him, at first she was surprised - she just looked at him like she didn't expect him to notice - but then she suddenly flashed him a giddy, toothy smile.

"Someone actually noticed?" She asked him, the surprise evident in her very young sounding voice. "Why, yes, it is. Bought it last weekend… I just finally worked up the nerve to wear it here. I-I didn't think anyone would notice." She admitted, betraying some bashfulness in her decision to flaunt it around work.

Himura smiled, saying "Ah, well. It looks great, Eguchi-chan."

She smiled wide and thanked him, gifting him the pleasure of seeing her in a good mood.

When they reached the front door of the building, Himura went to open the door for her but she stopped him with a sudden question. "You know you're not allowed to clock in just yet. You have to clock in the second your shift starts… What are you gonna do until then?" She asked, ignoring the fact the door was wide open for her.

He blinked, just now realizing he wasn't allowed to go on shift just yet. He let the door go, unsure of how to answer that question. He's never been early to work before, and thus never had to actually think about how to kill time. He remained silent for a moment, all while Kiwa looked at him. He glanced to the sidewalk, scratching his chin as he thought.

"Well… I guess I'll just go get some coffee in the break room until then…" Himura decided, unsure if even that was the best option he had.

"Ah, well… Mind if I join you, then?" Kiwa offered, surprising Himura. "I haven't had my morning coffee. Is that alright with you, or will my presence bother you?"

He looked up at her and, with a bright smile forming, shook his head at the prospect. "You won't be a bother, Eguchi-chan."

The coffee was already brewed and still hot, but whoever had made it had obviously forgotten about it in whatever haste they had. Kiwa had taken a seat at the table, setting her purse down by her feat as she waited on Himura to serve their coffee. At first, she offered to do it. Himura had offered to do it himself instead though, and she didn't openly complain.

"Three sugar cubes, no creamer please." She told him. Himura smiled, pouring her a cup.

Himura himself likes a lot of sugar and french-vanilla creamer, and as such went all out on his. When he served the coffee he chose, instead of sitting down, to lean on the counter behind him and enjoy what he poured himself.

Kiwa, cup in both hands, opted to test the waters before actually drinking it just to make sure it was to her liking. But she quickly found out Himura had done exactly as she wanted, to which she was mildly pleased. The two sat in silence for moments on, just enjoying their coffee in the midst of the chilly morning. Their office floor was seemingly abandoned save for a few late night workers and a security guard who often came by to check on the two.

The two opted to enjoy the silence they had for a while, for when nine o'clock came around, the office would be bustling and noisy in both of their departments. Himura would occasionally glance up at Kiwa, but would avoid staring for too long. It was no secret to himself that he had developed a pretty clear crush on her, despite the fact she was much younger than him by fifteen years.

Despite how acceptable it is to date someone much younger or much older than yourself in Japan, what kept him from asking her on a date for the longest time, was that she came from a rich family that also called Shibuya home. While his family was lucky to get the house they have now on the opposite end of Tokyo.

He believed she'd be embarrassed to be seen with someone that could be perceived as a commoner, and thus kept his feelings a secret for her own benefit.

On occasion, she would act as if she knew about his feelings and chose to ignore them, which would often break his heart but not his spirits. Besides these few occasions, she would give no other indicator that she was in the know, which often confused Himura.

One of these moments was about to occur.

Kiwa suddenly glanced up at him, surprised to see him looking at her. He gulped, afraid he was just caught admiring her beauty.

"What're you looking at?" She asked, curious as to what about her made her interesting.

Himura was quick to think up a reply, hoping to seem like he was just admiring something she wore instead of how well she took care of herself. "Just your necklace, is all. I was surprised to see you wear something so flashy to work."

She smiled, humming as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Hmm… Well, I was surprised to see you wear something so casual, Arinori-san…" She echoed his words almost perfectly, pointing out he was still wearing his street jacket. Himura's cheeks went rosy red, and he set his cup down next to him as he looked himself over.

"Yeah, I guess…." Himura absentmindedly agreed with her. Now that he thought about it, he looked almost too casual with this jacket on.

"So." Kiwa started, placing her eyes on Himura with a curious glint in her pupils. "How's that kid you're taking care of?" She asked him, reminding him that he had told her of Arthur a few days ago.

"Good! Good!" Himura piped up. "He's been attending that academy - Shujin - for a bit. He doesn't tell me anything bad's been going on so I can only assume all is well."

"I suppose…" Kiwa agreed for a moment, setting her cup down in front of her as she spoke."I've been hearing an awful lot of stuff about those "Phantom Thieves" in regards to Shujin. I do hope he doesn't get caught up in those rumors. From what you've described, Arinori-san, Williams-kun is a very honorable and very smart young man."

Himura waved off the concern quite literally, assuring her that "Williams-san is a very intelligent, very law-abiding, and very honorable kid.". And indeed that wasn't false in his eyes. From everything he knew of Arthur, and he's known him for a very long time, Arthur wasn't prone to flights of fancy. Arthur even mentioned before that he's just keeping his head down and doing his best to fit in.

"From what you've described, he seems very sweet…" Kiwa added, bringing a small smile to Himura's lips. "I do hope the culture shock hasn't hit him too hard."

"Bah, I was more worried about the jetlag than the culture shock." Himura dismissed her concerns, knowing that Arthur was smart enough to prepare for his visit. "But he's doing alright, that's all that matters."

They talked a while longer, the topics ranging from Arthur to work to the calling card Madarame received. Their various opinions on the topics were brought to light and the two learned a little more about each other. As Kiwa put it, she hoped the Phantom Thieves really exist. Mostly for her own reasons, reasons she did not disclose to Himura. But Himura told her he thought it to be a genuine, well thought out prank.

Despite their differing opinions, Himura valued it. Mostly he got to learn more about her and the very fact he got to talk to her made him glow. It was moments like these that he treasured at work, especially when everything else goes haywire.

Soon their subject changed to that of their CEO, and the very fact he parked in Himura's parking space.

"He did, did he?" Kiwa said, almost as if she was deadpanning. She didn't really seem surprised with this behavior. "Well, your space is closer to the building… Doesn't surprise me… Didn't he do this last week? And the week before?" She asked.

Himura nodded, exasperated with the CEO's behavior. "Mmmhmm… Sickens me to no end, and that just isn't the tip of the iceberg, but I know better than to badmouth him in the workplace…"

Kiwa nodded, understanding his position. There are a few people in the workplace who act as pets to him, and will report anything that seems like sedition straight to him. No one can avoid getting fired when the CEO steps in.

"I guess it's a good thing his daughter doesn't take after him…" Kiwa noted, pulling out her phone to check the current time. "Oh, shoot…" Kiwa murmured, noting the time was well past her clock-in time. "I've been talking with you so long I've lost track of time!" She shot up from her seat and quickly threw her purse over her shoulder. "I need to get to my department before the CEO finds out I'm late… I'll see you later, Arinori-san!"

With that said, she sped out of the room, leaving an almost empty mug of coffee on her table and a slightly disappointed Himura in her wake. Himura sighed, setting his mug down next to him as he leaned off the counter. Looking at his phone, he saw the time was nearing eight, and that meant his other coworkers would be arriving soon too. It was going to become another busy day.

He closed his eyes a moment, the tranquility he felt with Kiwa's presence evaporating quickly, leaving nothing but a sudden exhaustion in him. An exhaustion he felt every single day he came to work. An exhaustion he would receive whenever he arrived at the doors, but Kiwa's very presence was enough to stave it off until now.

He slumped his shoulders down, and sighed.

He was tired of working at Okumura Foods.

Himura had his own office in the building, tucked away from the cubicles of the customer service department. He was the middle-manager of the supervisor for the department. He had the office decorated to his liking, with pictures of his family on his desk and on the walls as well as a picture with Arthur's parents. The mother, bright red hair that fell to her shoulders with brown eyes and glasses much like Arthur's, was on it. She was pregnant in this picture, and Himura remembered that it was taken when Arthur was only nine years old.

The father, a much paler gentleman with light brown hair - the trait Arthur seemed to receive - was standing there with his arms around Himura. They were all at a party when it was taken, and at the time Himura was basically like family.

Thoughts about Arthur crossed his mind, and at the time he was scribbling down some notes that he was instructed by his supervisor to take on the actions of a previous employee - one that costed their department an enormous sum on money due to their deplorable actions - and then compare it all to his own actions in dealing with it.

Then he was to have a meeting around noon today to discuss it.

These thoughts of Arthur only worsened his already irritated mood and for a moment he paused his scribbling, leaning back in his seat to only stare at the picture of his friends back in the United States.

Arthur's only been in his care for about a week now, and he hasn't been able to get a word out of him regarding his family. He just clams up and tells Himura to "not worry about them". Himura wants to push the issue, but he hasn't made Arthur do anything he doesn't want to so far, and Himura didn't want it any other way right now. This is all the least he could do for the kid's dad, who Himura remembered to be an upstanding man.

"If only I could get Arthur to tell me what happened between them after..…" Himura mumbled, staring at the picture. "Well… It happened…"

He knew he wasn't going to get an answer out of him anytime soon though, and simply sighed. It pained him to see a kid like him act like everything's fine when in reality it wasn't.

He went back to his scribbling, trying his best to remember everything that had happened with the former employee's actions.

The hours passed, and it was quiet for him when he finally shut his door. No one bothered him, probably on orders of the supervisor Himura figured. He had compiled his notes, gotten them all neatly written and stacked and ready for the supervisor's eyes. It was likely he wasn't going to read them, he just wanted to see if Himura was taking the situation seriously.

He received a phone call just then as he was relaxing - both physically and mentally - for a moment. With a slight exasperated groan, he answered.

"Customer Service Middle-Manager Himura Arinori, can I help you?" He asked, sounding almost as if he himself was a recording.

"Middle-Manager, report to my office immediately. Bring your notes." The voice on the other end demanded before hanging up without so much as a word out of Himura's mouth. He slowly hung up the phone and did as asked, albeit it with a slight tremble in his step.

He had no idea what was really in store for him.

When he stood before the office door of his supervisor, the Chief Clerk of the Customer Service Department, he waited outside for a moment, catching his breath. Every step he took towards the office only triggered worse and worse trembling. Some coworkers noticed this, but when they saw he stood outside the Chief Clerk's office, they realized he had every right to be scared and left him at that.

When he finally decided he was ready, he knocked on the door. A voice almost immediately beckoned him in. Himura catered to the Chief Clerk's wish and entered slowly, and to his surprise the only person present in the room was the Chief Clerk himself.

Himura closed the door behind him and bowed. Silently, he was doing his best to keep himself from trembling in the presence of the Chief Clerk.

"Have a seat, Middle-Manager." The Chief Clerk beckoned him, leaning his elbows on the desk before him. Himura gulped and did as requested, setting his papers before the Chief Clerk and taking a seat in the rather uncomfortable seat before him.

Or maybe it was just uncomfortable because Himura felt nervous…

"Ah, the notes… Yes… You did them as requested, I see?" The Chief Clerk said, eyeing the small stack of yellow papers before him. He glanced between the papers and Himura a moment before letting a small smile develop. "I'm not going to read them, but you did as asked and even provided proof. Good on you." He offered his mild praise, resting his head in his hands and watching Himura tremble. "Why do you look so...afraid, Arinori-kun?" He then asked, smiling warmly and using Himura's name instead of his title.

"Uh…." Was all Himura managed to scramble out before the Chief Clerk snickered, leaning back in his chair and observing Himura with an amused eye.

"Relax, Arinori-kun… You're not in any trouble." He waved at him dismissively. This elicited nothing but a momentary lapse of silence from Himura, who had ceased his trembling almost immediately.

"Er… What…?" Himura suddenly asked after recovering from his silent surprise.

"I had you take those notes and talked to you on the recorded lines just to make myself look good. You're not in any trouble, Arinori-kun. So relax. Take a deep breath, and you'll get out of here much quicker." The Chief Clerk offered, clasping his hands together and chuckling at Himura's response. "I actually just brought you here to thank you personally. You really saved my ass."

"Huh…?" Himura grunted out, unsure of what was even going on anymore. He's never seen the Chief Clerk offer praise on anyone before, especially not him.

"The CEO would've had my hide out on the streets begging for forgiveness for that little mishap that occurred with the former new guy. We lost a lot of money with what he did, but you covered the cost in total and saved us from budget cuts, and saved me and a few others from getting fired."

"...He probably would've fired me too…" Himura pointed out slowly.

"Yes, you are the Middle-Manager. But that's neither here nor there." The Chief Clerk said, extending a hand towards Himura. "So, with all that said, you can rest easy now. We're not gonna breathe down your neck about this anymore and we're not gonna have you keep doing…" He gestured to the small stack of yellow papers on his desk. "...This… Anymore."

Himura nodded, but didn't say anything further. He wasn't sure if he had the means to say something or not, and went with the latter idea to remain respectful.

The Chief Clerk watched him for a moment, noting the silence Himura offered with a smile, and nodded to him to return to work. "That's all I brought you here for. A personal thank you. I know the CEO was appeased by your successful attempt to cover our losses so thank you. I wish I didn't have to go through the flair before thanking you but I gotta make myself look good to the Section Chief, I'm sure you understand."

"I do." Himura said, understanding he was being dismissed. He stood up and bowed to the Chief Clerk, and the Chief Clerk smiled as he attempted to depart. He called out to him as he opened the door, stopping him from leaving right away.

"Middle-Manager…" He used Himura's title again, forgoing the friendly attitude he was taking earlier. "I want today's call logs sent to the upstairs office at the end of today instead of to the right-wing, understand?" He asked him. Himura nodded again, adding a second bow to his departure.

He left the room, leaving the Chief Clerk without any further reason to harass him for the actions of another.

The day was long, and the day was exhausting as always.

The only two highlights being his talk with Kiwa and the Chief Clerk basically praising him for his actions of late and essentially telling him "We're halting our investigation, you no longer have to worry. Now get back to your actual job.". The rest of the day was filled with phone calls, computer documents, and the one lunch break he had that only lasted a stark ten minutes. He was also only supposed to spend it in his office in case something urgent came up, per company policy.

He was practically yawning as he left the building. The sun was beginning to set. A brisk dusk greeted him as he stepped outside the building, with a chilly breeze blowing just like this morning. He had his jacket in one hand, and his car keys in the other. No one said a word to him on the way out, not even the Chief Clerk whom he walked by at the elevator. Looking around, the street seemed pretty bare for the end of the work day, so he decided now was the best time to vacate.

Heading towards the parking lot, he noticed his parking space was empty. The black car from this morning was gone.

The CEO was gone.

"Must be nice getting off work early…" Himura thought, huffing as he walked onwards towards his car.

Since this morning's encounter, he hasn't seen Kiwa. That was disappointing to him, as seeing her face would've been enough to lift his weariness from the long, exhausting day he's had. She must either be working late or, unlikely, had been let go early.

The latter was extremely unlikely. No one was ever let go early at Okumura Foods.
When he reached his car he sighed. Just as he was about to unlock the door, he felt a buzz in his pocket.

"Huh…?"

He set the keys on top of the car before reaching into his pocket, curious to see who was calling him at this time of the day. To his surprise, it was an unknown number. He watched the phone go off for a few moments, unsure at first if he should even answer an unknown number.

But Himura being Himura, he answered it on the off chance it was the wrong number so he could share a laugh with a complete stranger.

"Hello?" Himura answered.

Suddenly his eyes went wide, and he lowered his voice so none of the nearby coworkers heard him. "What….?" He asked, unsure if he had heard the other end clearly.

"But…." He stammered, frightened they were calling him so suddenly. "What do you mean "When am I going to pay?"? He asked. "Soon... You just gotta give me some time, I haven't even been paid yet!"

Post-Chapter Author's Note

Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.