Beep-beep-beep-beep
MC: "Agh... Owww." (Did I get stiff muscles from all that running last night?)
I rose out of bed and cut off my cell phone alarm.
MC: "..."
3 messages received.
'Sorry about dragging him into that. - Yukako'
'Let's start fresh with another girls' night out. - Aoi'
'There's always tomorrow! Let's keep at it in work and romance! - Akiko'
MC: "..." (That stunt I pulled last night was really immature... Especially after they got together for the express purpose of cheering me up...)
I immediately typed out a reply e-mail.
'Sorry about last night. I'll organize the next girls' night out, okay? I'll keep at it in my job and new life! - MC'
MC: "Good morning."
Yoshiko: "Good morning, MC. Breakfast is ready."
MC: "Thanks, Mom."
I went to the dining room table and saw Dad there already eating breakfast.
MC: "..."
Tetsuo: "You were out pretty late last night."
MC: "..."
Tetsuo: "A divorced daughter out gallivanting through the night. It brings shame on our family."
MC: "...I'm sorry."
Yoshiko: "..."
Tetsuo: "I'm going to work."
Dad rose with a distasteful look.
Yoshiko: "Right."
Mom brought Dad's briefcase and headed out front after him.
MC: "..." (Dad's always out of sorts, but... I can't stand seeing Mom look so unhappy.)
I ate a bagel as i brooded.
MC: "Maybe I should leave and go live by myself."
Akiko: "MC!"
Akiko came running up to me from behind.
Akiko: "Whew, I finally caught up with you!"
MC: "Good morning, Akiko."
Akiko: "Good morning. Sorry about last night."
MC: "No, I should be the one to apologize. I'm the one who left so suddenly."
We chatted as we walked together.
Akiko: "You didn't really have anything urgent to do, did you?"
MC: "...Sorry. I lied."
Akiko: "It was because Genji came, wasn't it?"
MC: "...Yeah."
Akiko: "Ah. Yuko didn't mean anything by it, though. She really thought you'd feel better if you saw him."
MC: "I know. But Genji is the last person I wanted to see."
Akiko: "..."
MC: "He got his high school dream and came back as a member of the soccer team representing Japan. And here I got cheated on 3 months into my marriage and got a divorce... It's too big of a gap. It makes me miserable to think about how pitiful it is..."Akiko: "MC... Maybe Genji really is your knight in shining armor, MC."
MC: "Huh...?"
Akiko: "The way you're considering it, he's special to you, isn't he?"
MC: "..."
Akiko: "Besides, it could be fate that you met again at the class reunion..."
MC: "Ahaha, don't make me laugh."
Akiko: "What's so funny?"
MC: "Come on, fate...? You're blowing this out of proportion, Akiko."
Akiko: "I am not! Do you know what a better half is?"
MC: "A better half?"
Akiko: "Humans used to all have one body. But they split apart into men and women. Humans search for that other half of themselves somewhere in the world. That's why people call spouses their better halves."
MC: "I see... A better half, huh..."
Akiko: "I've been searching for my better half for 30 years now. But there are billions of people in the world, so he's not exactly easy to find."
MC: "..."
Akiko: "You're really lucky to have your first love as your destined partner, MC."
MC: "Even if by some crazy fluke that was the case... I'm not interested in romance or marriage right now."
Akiko: "..."
MC: "Right now I want to work hard at my job. I've finally gotten my dream of working as an interior designer."
Akiko: "Ahh."
MC: "Besides, I was thinking of renting a room and living on my own."
Akiko: "Why? Your parents' house is a perfect place to commute from."MC: "I feel pretty ashamed being a daughter that left the house and came back again."
Akiko: "Your dad's always been hard on you, hasn't he? I remember back in high school he found out you bought junk food on the way home from school and got really mad. And his curfew for you was ridiculous. No being out past 6, really?"
MC: "He's the same now. And I'll probably be working more overtime moving forward. I don't like the idea of having to walk on eggshells with him just to do my job, so I figure this is a good occasion to get some independence."
Akiko: "If that's your choice, I've got your back. You can ask me if you need anything."
MC: "Thanks."
MC: "These are the concepts I'd like to propose to our client."
I outlined my book cafe concepts for Mr. Ebihara.
'How would you like a slice of nature in the middle of the city? A soothing atmosphere for adults and children, filled with greenery.'
'Under the sea! Experience true serenity surrounded by aquariums filled with tropical fish.'
'Alice in Wonderland. Welcome to a cinematic world packed with dreams and adventure.'
Kippei: "Which of these do you like the most?"
MC: "I honestly can't decide which one I prefer more."
Kippei: "The client is considering a cafe renovation budget of 10 million yen. Go through some interior design catalogs and draw up a mock budget for how much each will actually cost."
MC: "Yes, sir."
Kippei: "We'll propose the one with the highest cost-benefit ratio."
MC: "Yes, sir."
Kippei: "Also, as a separate matter, we've gotten a request for you to do an interior design job."
MC: "Pardon?"
Kippei: "I don't know why you were specifically designated for it, but...The pay is good and I have no reason to turn it down. It's up to you. What do you think?"
MC: "Of course, I'd love to handle it."
Kippei: "Can you juggle that and the book cafe together?"
MC: "I'll be fine."
Kippei: "If you're going to take it, you'd better show some results on both ends. Got it?"
MC: "Yes, sir."
Kippei: "This is the client's home address. He's supposed to be at home this afternoon, so I'd appreciate it if you could pay him a visit."
MC: "Yes, sir. I'll do just that."
I arrived at the client's address.
MC: "Hm? Is it here? I've got this right, don't I?"
I checked the address on the memo against the building address.
MC: "This must be the place."
I stared up at the condo complex in amazement.
MC: "Wow, it practically reached up into the sky. (What kind of person is this client? Living here must mean it's someone really rich...) I'm not so sure about this... Am I up to the task...? (I don't have any experience at all... Why pick me?) Anyway, I might as well go and see what this is about..."
I stepped through the automatic door and came up to yet another automatic door. Nearby was an intercom with a camera attached.
MC: "Let's see, it's condo number 4012..."
I pressed the numbers in and waited for a reply.
???: "Yes?"
MC: "Um... This is MC, from the Ichikawa Design Office."
The automatic door opened. Beyond it lay a vast foyer and an elevator within.
MC: "4012 means the 40th floor... Whoa, that's the top floor?!" (That makes the client a celebrity even among celebrities, doesn't it? Oh god, what do I do if it's someone hard to please?)
I grew more and more anxious.
There was no nameplate on the front of the door to 4012.
Ding dong
I rang the doorbell and waited for the door to open with a nervous look on my face.
MC: "Huh...?"
One look at my client's face when the door opened made my jaw drop.
MC: "What in the..."
Genji: "I'm your client."
MC: "..."
Genji: "I heard from Katayama that you're an aspiring interior designer, so I figured I could pitch in. I just moved here and I have a lot of furniture shopping left to do. This way I get two birds with one stone."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Come on in."
MC: "I'm leaving."
I turned on my heels and started walking down the hall. Genji chased after me and grabbed my arm.
Genji: "Wait!"
MC: "No, let me go!"
I shook my arm free of Genji's grip and walked off.
Genji: "Don't do this. Tell me why."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Tell me why!"
MC: "...Please... Don't make me any more miserable."
Genji: "What the hell is that?"
MC: "..."
Genji: "Do you think you're the most pitiful person in the world?"
MC: "..."
Genji: "I don't think of you that way."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Everyone has their highs and lows. How much do you think I suffered to rise to the position on where I am today? If you don't grab every chance you get, you'll never go any higher."
MC: "..."
Genji: "If you have a dream of being an interior designer, you should seize your chance!"
MC: "..."
Genji: "Even if you choose work over me, I'm not going to stop."
MC: "..." (Genji's right. I came here because I chose to do it. Then the moment I learned the client was Genji, I reacted emotionally. I turned down the job and tried to leave... I'm so unprofessional.)
I composed myself.
MC: "I'm sorry about that."
I bowed my head low to Genji.
MC: "Please let me do the interior coordination for you home."
I stepped through the door into a condo with a living room, dining room, and kitchen, about 30 square meters in area. A large window gave a view of Tokyo Tower.
Genji: "The nighttime view here is fantastic."
Genji: "I should call everyone here and have a barbeque on the balcony outside.."
MC: "..."
I forced a smile and pulled out a business card from my purse.
MC: "Let me re-introduce myself. I'm MC with the Ichikawa Design Office. I look forward to working with you."
I greeted him.
Genji: "Don't worry about the respectful greetings, I'll show you inside."
Genji took my business card in hand and slapped it down on a shelf nearby.
MC: "..."
Genji: "I've got 2 rooms. They're 15 square meters and 12 square meters, I think."
I glanced at the side rooms.
Genji: "For the time being, I've bought a bed and I'm using the 15 square meter room for my bedroom."
MC: "And what about this?"
Genji: "It's a walk-in closet. I've stuffed my luggage in there for the time being.
Genji: "The bathroom and bath are at the end of the hall."
He opened the last door and showed me inside.
MC: "The bath has jacuzzi jets?"Genji: "Yeah. I was thinking of putting a sauna or something in here."
MC: "Wow, I'm impressed you can live alone in such a spacious place."
Genji: "It's pretty normal to me."
MC: "..." (Genji's changed so much... He lives in a completely different world from me now.)
Genji: "Something wrong?"
MC: "No, it's nothing. Do you have any house blueprints?"
Genji: "Nope, not one."
MC: "I see. In that case, I've brought some measuring tape with me. I'll take measurements for each room's size."
To have Genji sitting on a sofa watching me do my menial work made me oddly nervous.
MC: "Let's see, from here to here is 15 meters..."
I retracted the automatically rolling measuring tape.
Pinch!
MC: "Ow...!"
Genji: *snrk*
Genji gave a snickering laugh.
MC: "...Look, I'm just not used to doing this..."
Genji: "It's hilarious. Ahahaha!"
MC: "Come on... It's not that funny."
Genji: "Sorry, sorry. Ahahahaha!"
MC: "..." (But Genji's look when he laughs sure hasn't changed.)
I wrote down the measurements on a hand-drawn diagram of the condo, one by one.
MC: "18 meters horizontally, and vertically it's..."
Genji: "Hey, you want me to come at you or what?"
MC: "Huh?"
I was so absorbed in my measurements that I was down on my hands and knees... Disregarding the tight skirt I was wearing. I hastily sat back up.
MC: "..." (Oh god, I'm so embarrassed... I had no idea how I looked to others...)
Genji: "Wow, you're red as a cherry. Was I right?"
MC: "Of course not."
Genji went over to the refrigerator and brought back two canned coffees.
Genji: "Here."
He tossed one of them my way. I caught it.
MC: "Thank you very much, sir. I'll have some as soon as I finish taking all of the measurements down."Genji: "Cut it out with the pointless formal talk."
MC: "I keep work and private life separate."
Genji: "Man, you're a pain. Fine, whatever."
(I made him mad... He went off to the balcony.)
MC: "..."
I set the canned coffee on the table and resumed my work. I measured the vertical and horizontal lengths of each room and write them down on the diagram.
MC: "That should be everything."
I let out a breath and picked up the canned coffee I'd left on the table. I opened the pull-off top and took a gulp, looking up at the ceiling.
MC: "Ah... I forgot to measure the height..."
Genji: "All done?"
MC: "Not quite... I'm sorry, but do you happen to have a stepladder?"Genji: "A stepladder? No way."
MC: "...What do I do...?"
Genji: "I think there's one in the first floor manager's office. I'll grab it for you."
MC: "Thank you..." (Ugh, what an amateur I am. I need to hit the books harder.)
Genji: "Okay, I'll put it down here."
MC: "Thank you very much."
I took the stepladder and got right to work trying to measure the height of the living room ceiling. I started climbing the ladder, tape measure in hand. I stood at the top of the stepladder and held the tape measure up to the height of the ceiling with one hand. It was my first time doing it. My body was shaking so much I couldn't get a good measurement.
Genji: "...That's too dangerous for me to sit around and watch. I'll hold your legs."
Genji grabbed hold of my ankles.
MC: "Ack! Eh...? Ah-Ah-Aaahhh!" (No way... I'm falling?!)
Genji: "MC?!"
MC: "..."
I closed my eyes and prayed to God as I braced for impact.
MC: "? (Huh...? I wasn't hurt at all. ...Wait, why is Genji's face so close?!) ?!"
Genji was holding me in a princess carry.
Genji: "Just in the nick of time. Nice save, huh?"
MC: "...Thank you."
Genji: "Hey, I'm your guardian angel, after all."
MC: "Pff, what's with that leer? And, guardian angel?"
Genji: "Huh? Wasn't that a pro catch I just made...?"
MC: "Well, I mean..."
Genji: "Look, my hands are falling asleep here."
MC: "!"
Genji set me down on the floor and rubbed his shoulders.
Genji: "You're pretty heavy, you know."
(I am not... I'm a normal weight for a girl...)
Genji: "Give me that."
Genji snatched the tape measure from my hand. He climbed up the stepladder smoothly and held the measure up to the ceiling.
Genji: "Check the length below."
He gave a nod to signal me.
MC: "Let's see... 3 meters even."
Genji: "The other rooms are all the same. There, all done."
Genji stepped down and snapped the stepladder shut.
MC: "Then I'll offer you some interior proposals that match your room's specifications at a later date. What sort of image do you have in mind?"
Genji: "I ain't interested in images. I'll go with whatever you like, so pick what you want."
MC: "I can't do that. Do you prefer a modern feel, or a natural feel, or...?"
Genji: "Think it over and go with the image you have for me. Money's no object."
MC: "..."
Genji: "What?"
MC: "You've... changed, Genji."
Genji: "You haven't changed at all."
MC: "..."
Genji: "..."
Suddenly, Genji embraced me around my shoulders and pulled me close.
MC: "?!"
My heart pounded hard in my chest.
Genji: "You're just like you were in high school... Your heart's racing."
MC: "...Let me go."
Genji: "Nope. I'm not letting you go."
MC: "..." (...What do I do...? I feel so hot suddenly...)
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