In Your Arms Tonight: Genji Higashiyama Story (Chapter 3)

MC: "I'm back. (That's unusual, no one's here...) ..."

I returned to my desk and rested my head on my desk.

(Ugh, I'm so beat...)

MC: "No, snap out of it. No time for lollygagging."

I wasted no time picking up a wholesale interior furniture catalogue. I started browsing for furniture that would match the image of the book cafe, and I looked for things that would fit Genji's house as well.

Mr. Ebihara and the rest of the staff came back after a while.

MC: "Welcome back."
Kippei: "Did the meeting go well?"
MC: "Yes, sir. It's a rush order, so I'm going to go through catalogues today... And e-mail pictures to the client. I'll place the order as soon as I get the okay back from him." 
Kippei: "He wants it by today? That's pretty short notice."
MC: "I'll be fine. I can handle it."

Just past 8 PM.

Shohei: "You're still not done with work, MC?"
MC: "I should be done in another hour or two."
Shohei: "All right... I'll be on my way, then."
MC: "I'll be fine. Have a nice evening."

Grrrrrrrrrrr

(Oh, god... My stomach growled... I hope no one heard that.)

I looked around.

MC: "Ah...:" Mr. Ebihara's looking this way... He must have heard me...)

Mr. Ebihara rose to his feet.

MC: "..."

He left the office without a word.

(Huh? Maybe he didn't hear me. Thank goodness...)

Five minutes later, Mr. Ebihara returned carrying two sets of cup ramen and chopsticks. He set one of them down on my desk.

Kippei: "Eat."
MC: "Huh...? Oh, no thank you."
Kippei: "Your stomach's going to growl again."
MC: "..."

Mr. Ebihara sat at his own desk and started eating his cup ramen.

MC: "...Bon apetit." (So he was onto me... How embarrassing...)

After a while... I scanned the pictures I'd chosen out of the catalogues and loaded them onto my PC. Then I e-mailed them to Genji. I checked to make sure the send had gone through, then I shut down my PC.

(Phew. Finally done.)

Rrring!

I glanced at my cell phone. It displayed the name Genji Higashiyama.

MC: "Hello? I just sent you some furniture images... Huh...? Right now? Ah, okay... Understood."

I hung up the phone.

Kippei: "Was that from the client?"
MC: "Yes, sir."
Kippei: "Any trouble?"
MC: "No sir... It's just that he wants me to come to Hiroo right away..."
Kippei: "Right now?"
MC: "Yes, sir. He might have a request to make. I'll be back soon."
Kippei: "Will you be alright by yourself?"
MC: "I'll be fine."

I stepped up out of the subway exit and emerged out on the road.

Genji: "Finally made it, huh?"
MC: "Um, did you have a request for your interior?"
Genji: "Nah, a girl just turned me down when I offered her dinner. Let's go out for dinner."
MC: "Huh? Dinner?"
Genji: "I'll treat you to some great Italian food."
MC: "H-Hold on..."

Genji took hold of my arm and started walking.

(God, he's so forceful!)

All I could do was follow after him as he pulled me along.

We stepped through a Rococo-styled restaurant interior out to some balcony seating.

MC: "..." (Wow... I didn't know they had restaurants like this.)
Genji: "Nice atmosphere, isn't it?"
MC: "I'm impressed you know about places like this."
Genji: "I learned about it from a producer at a TV station. It's generally for people in the entertainment industry."
MC: "..." (Entertainers, huh... Genji really does live in a different world from mine...)

A waiter brought up some champagne.

Waiter: "We're glad to see you here, Mr. Higashiyama. This champagne is for you, on the house."
Genji: "Is that right? Thanks."

Genji took a menu when one was offered.

Pop!

The waiter popped open the champagne and poured it into our glasses.

Genji: "I'll have the wine I had last time."
Waiter: "Very good, sir."
Genji: "What's today's special?"
Waiter: "For seafood I would suggest the tilefish or the scallops. For other meat, could I suggest the Okinawan agu pork?"
Genji: "Any preferences?"
MC: "Maybe the tilefish."
Genji: "When women have to choose between fish and other meat, they always pick fish, huh?"
MC: "..."
Genji: "Nice choice. I love fish myself. All right, we'll have the tilefish and agu pork, with some peperoncino and a green salad."
Waiter: "Very good, sir."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Don't give me that mopey look. Let's have a toast."

I raised my glass.

Genji: "Cheers!"

I drank the champagne.

Genji: "Mm, delicious."
MC: "...Um, I did send you an e-mail with the pictures of the furniture I picked out. Would you mind looking it over sometime tomorrow?"

I tried to speak up, but...

Genji: "Man, you're so boring. Don't bring up work in a place like this."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Just eat up already."

A slightly foreign-looking girl approached our table. 

(Wow, she looks so stylish... Is she a model?)

Fan: "You're Genji Higashiyama, aren't you?
Genji: "Yeah?"
Fan: "I knew it! I saw you before on TV."
Genji: "Is that right."
Fan: "I work as an assistant on a variety show."

(Genji's famous no matter where we go...)

Just then...

 

(What are they doing here...?)

MC: "..." (Oh, god. I can feel myself starting to cry...)

MC: "..." *sniff* (I thought I made a clean break, but... It's not clean at all.)
Genji: "Hey! MC! What's wrong?"
MC: "...I'm sorry. Something urgent just came up."
Genji: "Huh?"
  
Genji followed my line of sight. 

Genji: "Is it something about that guy?"
MC: "..."

Koichi and the woman drew closer.

Koichi: "Oh hey, long time no see."

Genji: "Hey, I'm on a date here. Get lost, you're spoiling the view."
Koichi: "Well, I'll be. You're pretty sly yourself. Isn't he on the Japan national..."
Genji: "I told you guys to get lost."
MC: "..."
Genji: "Come on, MC. We're going."

Genji put an arm around my shoulder and started walking off.

(Thank goodness I wasn't alone here...)

MC: "Why here?"
Genji: "Because here I can scream as loud  as I want and nobody will notice me."
MC: "..."
Genji: "When I'm down, coming here makes me feel better."
MC: "Genji..."
Genji: "...Sorry about that."
MC: "Why are you apologizing?"
Genji: "For taking you to that restaurant."
MC: "...No, don't worry about it... It's just... Seeing him with the girl he cheated on me with... It just..." *sob, gulp*    

With those words out of my mouth, I couldn't stop myself from crying.

Genji: "Cry your heart out tonight and get it all out of your system."

Genji patted my head.

(His hands are so big. It makes me feel safe. Maybe I always wanted someone to treat me this way...)

Genji: "You did well there."
MC: *sob* "Thank you for being so nice."
Genji: "Dummy, I told you, I'm your guardian angel!"
MC: *giggle* ... *sob*
Genji: "Laugh or cry. Pick one."
MC: "Then I'll pick crying..." (I'm so glad Genji is with me tonight.)   

I cried even more that I did when I got my divorce. As I did, Genji just quietly listened to me talk...

MC: "...So much happened today, I'm worn out."

Click.
  

With that noise, the lights came on. 

MC: "Huh...?"
Tetsuo: "What time do you think it is?!"

MC: "..."
Tetsuo: "What are you doing day in and day out?!"
MC: "...I had... work, today..."
Tetsuo: "Work? Does your office make women work all night long?!"
MC: "You're old fashioned, Dad. These days offices don't play favorites with men or women."
Tetsuo: "I won't accept that kind of company! Quit your job!"
MC: "I like the company I'm with now. Quitting is the furthest thing from my mind."
Tetsuo: "Are you talking back to me?!"

His raised voice woke Mom up, and she came in.

Yoshiko: "What's the matter?"

MC: "..."
Yoshiko: "Dear, I'm sure MC is tired from work. You can let her off today, can't you?"
Tetsuo: "She's turned out so bad because you keep spoiling her like that."
Yoshiko: "..."
MC: "Mom's not at fault here. I am. I'm sorry."

I bowed my head to my dad.

MC: "I'm sorry..."

Dad returned to his bedroom without a word.

MC: "..."
Yoshiko: "MC, wash your face and go to bed. Good night."
MC: "Good night." (I definitely need to move out... I can't stay here any longer.)
  

The next morning, Mr. Ebihara was already in the office when I got there.

MC: "Good morning, sir."
Kippei: "Good morning. What did the client want last night?"
MC: "Oh... It was nothing major."
Kippei: "After calling you out so late?"
MC: "...Yessir." (...I can hardly say I ran into Koichi and the client comforted me afterward.)
Kippei: "If you have any trouble, report it to me immediately."
MC: "Yes, sir."
Kippei: "Oh, that's right. I was asked to handle the interior design for the model room for a new condominium complex. Want to give it a try?"    
MC: "Huh...?"
Kippei: "They say to strike while the iron's hot."
MC: "?! (Does that mean Mr. Ebihara's showing confidence in me?! I'm so flattered!) Please, allow me to handle it!"
Kippei: "We'll have a meeting next week, so have the book cafe interior plans ready by then."
MC: "I'll get it done today. (My job's just getting better and better.) Decorative plants and tropical fish are too costly and labor-intensive to maintain over a long term. That leaves us with this."

I decided on my book cafe plan.

'Alice in Wonderland. Welcome to a cinematic world packed with dreams and adventure.'

Shohei: "Hey, MC, got a minute?"

Aiba called over to me.

MC: "Coming."

Aiba rose from his desk and went down the hall.

MC: "Huh...?"

I went ahead and followed him.

Shohei: "I... got this from a client."

Aiba held something out to me.

Shohei: "The J-League is beginning this weekend. Want to go see the season opener game with the Yokohama Norinos?"  
MC: "Er..."
Shohei: "I've got 2 tickets here."
MC: "..." (The Yokohama Norinos... That's the club that Genji transferred to.)
Shohei: "It's the debut game for Genji Higashiyama. He was a pretty big deal in Europe, so I'm expecting a pretty great show.
MC: "Sounds like fun."
Shohei: "I know, right?"
MC: "I guess I could go for a change of pace."
Shohei: "Yeah, it's supposed to get busy next week. This is a good time for it."
MC: "I'll join you."
Shohei: "All right!"

Aiba struck a soccer pose and went back to the office.

MC: "... (I'll guess I'll be seeing Genji this weekend, huh...) Hm?"

Something had fallen to the floor in the hallway. I picked it up and looked over. It was a ticket kiosk receipt. It read: 2 tickets ($50 each).

MC: "! (This wasn't from a client at all...) Thanks, Aiba."

I went to the seating with a drink in hand.

Shohei: "Wow, this place is packed!"
 
(No one was here the other time...)

The stadium was already packed with fans in replica Norinos uniforms. A hanging screen that read, 'Genji Higashiyama, our guardian angel!' A fan that read, 'LOVE GENJI'. Everywhere I looked, I saw the name Genji Higashiyama.

(Genji's... a really popular guy.)

Shohei: "Here's our seats, MC."

I sat down next to Aiba.

Shohei: "Genji Higashiyama came back from Europe to focus on training for the World Cup. I read that in a magazine interview."
MC: "...Ah, I see."
Shohei: "He's riding a big wave of attention right now so he's got all the fans, but... The opposing team goalie's supposed to be really good, too. If Higashiyama gets injured, that'll probably be the guy that takes his spot."  

(So Genji has a strong rival...)

Wooooo!

An incredible cheer rang out.

The players stepped out onto the field.

Fans: "Go, go, Yokohama Norinos!!"
MC: "..." (...Wow, listen to that cheering.)
Shohei: "Have you ever been to a soccer match before?"
MC: "This is my first J-League game. I used to cheer on my high school soccer club at their games a lot, though." 
Shohei: "Ahh."
MC: "..." (This enthusiasm take me back. I haven't experienced this since Higashiyama's high school retirement game...)

Genji waved with one hand and grinned all around. The players from both teams stepped up in front of the referees and shook hands. Then came the coin toss, and each player got into position.

Genji: "Let's do this!"
Shohei: "Higashiyama's ready to go, huh?"
MC: "..."

Fweee!

The referee blew the whistle to mark the start of the game.

Shohei: "Go for it, Saito! C'mon! Aw crud, they lost the ball. A counter's coming their way! They're right in front of the goal! Protect it! C'mon, Higashiyama!"
MC: "..." (Genji...)

Smack!

MC: "!" (Ah, thank goodness...)
Shohei: "Nice going, Higashiyama! Good save!"

Genji: "Go on up!"    

Genji kicked the ball up toward his team.

MC: "..." (Genji's so coll when he's on the field.)

After that, Genji kept up a string of pro saves. Both teams made repeated attempts to score, but both goalies had ironclad defense. In the end, the score remained 0-0 and the game went into a penalty shoot-out.

Shohei: "Geez, a penalty shoot-out in the first game of the season?"
MC: "...Penalty shoot-outs are pretty tense, aren't they?"
Shohei: "It's a straight-up bout between the kicker and the goalie."
MC: "..." (Genji... Hang in there...)

I closed my eyes. After several long moments, there was a roar of applause.

MC: "Huh...? What happened?"
Shohei: "It was great! Yokohama scored two goals off the opposing team, and Higashiyama stopped every shot from the other side! The Norinos win!"
MC: "Oh, good..."

Higashiyama came up toward our seating.

Genji: "We did it!"

He thrust a fist into the air.

MC: "..."

MC: "Thanks for bringing me. I had a great time."

MC: "Yeah, thanks." (Aiba must have bought me the ticket because he saw me being depressed over my divorce.)
Shohei: "It'll get busy again next week, but I'm sure we can both keep at it."

I nodded firmly and looked at Aiba from the side.

MC: "..." (I bet I could be happy if I married someone like Aiba...)
Shohei: "Guess we should get back."

We started to walk off together, then a crowd of people came rushing up to swarm around someone.

MC: "Ah..."

Genji had just stepped out. He was all smiles as fans held out calligraphy paper to him and he signed his autograph to each sheet.

Shohei: "Hey, it's Genji Higashiyama!"

Genji looked up and spotted me.

Genji: "Huh? What are you doing here, MC?"
MC: "..."
Shohei: "Wait... You two know each other?"
MC: "...We were classmates in high school."
Shohei: "...I see."   

Genji looked at Aiba standing next to me.

Genji: "So, is short stuff here your date?"

(And here I'd been thinking what a nice guy he was... Boy, I was wrong.)

Shohei: "Sh-Sh-Short stuff?!"
Genji: "I'll drive you home. Just wait here."
MC: "That's all right. I'll go back with Aiba."
Genji: "Mm. You really are pretty sly, already getting another guy."

(What a dirtbag... He knows how much I'm hurt, and he says the same thing my ex did.)

Shohei: "I'm... a coworker of hers."  
Genji: "Yeah? Then was he looking up furniture for my place too?"
MC: "I'm here in private today. This has nothing to do with work."
Genji: "?!"
MC: "Excuse me."

I bowed to Genji and walked off. Aiba followed after me, glancing over his shoulder back at Genji.

Shohei: "So that's the client who had you working overtime so late."
MC: "He's such a dirtbag."
Shohei: "Man, oh man... I really am short stuff compared to Genji Higashiyama..."
MC: "You are not. There are limits to what even a star player can acceptably say. Beside... I'm the idiot for opening my heart to him." 
Shohei: "You're really cool to me, MC. You've got a way more guts than I do!"
MC: "..." (I can't stand self-conceited jerks who don't understand how other people feel.)