I wanted to update earlier, really! But I didn't have the time all week, so I thought I'd update by Friday but then I went out with some people... But here's the update, finally!
And it turned out to be longer than I had planned.
@ Everyone: Thank you for your nice comments!
@ dark48: I'm glad you liked it!
@ Haruko: Different? Hmm... I don't know what I do differently but I'm happy if you think this way! Myao's one of my favorites, so I hope that more people would write aout her.
@ TakaminaBG: Ts, ts,ts... what are you thinking!
@ arrow27: I'm working on the development of their relationship and I hope you'll ike it!
@ Pdpond: I'm trying to make Minami as sweet as I can, so I'm glad if you like it!
@ hazwani: I'm glad! I love to write so I'm happy if you like to read it!
@ hidden_player: I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!
@ yuukimoko: It's more fun with Mayuki, isn't it?
@ Crossing Crossroads: I guess we need more Atsumina cuteness to make the sad moments up?
@ sakura_drop: Yuko is one of the characters whose storyline I got completely mapped out but it's somewhat hard to write her completely the way I imagine her character to be...
@ O r i g a m i: Bother? Expectations fight my natural laziness, so it's good, right?
@ yourockme: Well, I'm glad that you did find it and I hope you'll enjoy it!
@ ikun1216: Yep, Ume-chan is in the story!
Chapter 3 Kuramochi Travels, 11:43 AMMinami tried to work hard. Ever since the morning she had been the target of various dirty jokes coming from Miho and Miyuki and she was definitely tired of it. Yuki’s and Ami’s knowing glances weren’t helpful either.
The only one missing would be…“Takahashi-san? Kuramochi-san wants to see you in her office”
“Thank you, Ami” Minami sighed and hoped that her boss would talk about something work-related and not about her private life. Quickly she gathered her papers and made her way to Asuka’s office. The door was wide open giving Minami a good view on her boss who was sitting on top of her desk, this time in a flawless and simple black dress.
“Kuramochi-san?”
“Come in Takahashi-san!”
“You wanted to talk to me?”
“Indeed. Close the door please”
Minami nodded and then made her way over to Asuka who was motioning with her finger for her to get closer. Somehow it really creeped her out.
“Clooooser… Clooooser” Asuka purred while Minami took hesitant steps.
“Ah! I can’t!” Minami finally yelled as she felt the other woman’s breath on her face. “I’m sorry!” she ran back to the door. Asuka pouted.
“Is it because you have a girlfriend now?”
“No! It’s just…” Minami almost caused a vase to fall because she was waving her hand furiously, “That’s not work-related!”
“It is”
“Eh?”
“Well, I want my employees in high spirits. A satisfaction of several needs is absolutely necessary”
“N- n- needs?” Minami stumbled, her face as red as a tomato. A ripe tomato.
“Indeed” Asuka jumped off her desk and started looking through some papers. “That’s why I have a new kind of job for you”
“A job” Minami thought that sounded somewhat suspicious.
“A job” her boss agreed and nodded. “I want you to organize an event for the employees of my company. With good food and a little bit of music, so we can have a nice evening together. Everyone could bring their family or friends and we would get to know each other a little bit better. It could become a tradition, an annual event wouldn’t that be nice? You can plan whatever you want to plan”
Oh thank god, the other topic is through.
“I can do that” Minami quickly agreed. She finally dared to step closer to the other woman who had completely dropped her seductive attitude. Well, as far as she could drop it since she just couldn’t deny her natural grace.
“I know, Takahashi-san. That’s why I would choose you, right? I’ll take care of that pathetic lawsuit myself, while you go ahead and organize some kind of a nice fancy party next week”
“I can… Wait a second, did you say next week?”
“I did. Next Friday. But you said you can do it, right?”
“Y-yes” Minami sighed. Really, it would always be a mystery to her how her boss could expect things to be done properly in a short amount of time. However it was an even bigger mystery to her how these things worked out every time.
Asuka just gave her a knowing smile.
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Takahashi-san. You’re a hard worker and that pays off for you”
Can she read my thoughts now? That’s too scary!“I will do my best” Minami promised and bowed. Her boss motioned for her to leave but stopped her at the door again.
“Takahashi- san?”
“Yes?”
“Bring your girlfriend to that party; I’m sure everyone wants to meet her”
Yeah, me too. What do I do now?“And… if I don’t bring her?” Minami dared to ask. Asuka sat in her chair and leaned back.
“Then…” she clicked her tongue. “I’ll have to fire you as a notorious liar”
Silence.
“I’ll definitely bring her”
And as fast as she could she escaped to her own office. Ami looked up as she opened the door, sweatdrops on her forehead. Not from the running but from her inner tension.
“Takahashi-san? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Ami, I’m just fine”
I’m not fine at all. Minami stared blankly at her desk as she tried to come up with a plan. To be honest, she had no idea how to contact Acchan. The other woman had left her somewhere near midnight without any kind of statement if she would be back ever again. All Minami could do was to hope for her to come back, something she considered pretty messed up since she just couldn’t trust that stranger who broke into her house. Normally she would inform the police, especially after that creepy murder story, but something stopped her. Maybe the fact that she didn’t exactly trust the police that still hadn’t given any valuable reason for the sudden disturbance in Miichan’s restaurant, even after the owner had bothered them the entire morning. Well, Miichan bothered everyone, she had even called Minami’s office earlier, just to complain about the police.
“Lunch Break!” Miho successfully interrupted Minami’s thoughts.
“Coming” she mumbled, not exactly fond of the idea to spend some ‘quality time’ with her colleagues.
“I sure hope so Takahashi. You still haven’t told me everything I want to know about that girlfriend of yours”
“You’re going to meet her soon anyways”
Can’t be helped, right?
CoF Headquarters, 08:30 PMAtsuko tapped the table impatiently. She wanted to do anything but take part in a meeting. Sure, everyone was extra-careful with their words, but it was just too obvious that they were discussing because of Haruka’s death. Thankfully, Atsuko didn’t have to take care of the funeral, she heard that Sayaka was handling that and that was good.
Sayaka was a responsible person, someone who could be trusted, other than her companion, Sae who tended to forget some things that were considered important. Even though they were different, they were always clinging to each other, or, when their mistress was around, to Yuko. Atsuko still didn’t know how they came to be Yuko’s underlings, but one day she brought them home from a job and since that time they followed her wherever she went. When it came to take out big gangs, Mariko used to pick the three of them to get the job done, but when the job was a silent kill, it was either Atsuko or Haruka who went there.
But Haruka is no more.
It had been a day, but Atsuko felt like she was missing her for years. Talking about it didn’t make it better, but neither did avoiding. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating because everyone knew that the strategy needed to be discussed, but nobody wanted to admit that they were only facing these problems because of Haruka’s failure that eventually led to her death.
The job wasn’t finished because only one of the preys was killed and the police was already messing around with them.
“Really, I wanted to get drunk and what do those male bitches? They show up at the restaurant and go through every customer’s purse!” Yuko yelled angrily.
Mariko, who sat at the upper end of the table, was quite good at keeping her pokerface while the shorter woman who sat closest to her was letting her anger out. Sayaka was listening to her mistress with obvious interest, while Sae had a dreamy look on her face. Ayaka was shooting nervous glances at Atsuko who she had to sit next to, even though everyone knew that the chemistry between those two was bad.
“I wonder how they knew that you were there” Sayaka said. “I think they had a spy observing the surrounding area of the crime scene and when that spy spotted you at the restaurant, he called reinforcement”
“Yes…” Yuko’s voice trailed of. “But you know,” she finally continued. “If they recognized me, why did they just let me go after they went through my purse and didn’t find anything? That makes no sense at all”
Everyone stared at the table. Atsuko couldn’t care less about the topic. She probably should, after all she had visited the restaurant shortly after Yuko left, but she had been there for a brief time and to everyone who observed her, it must have seemed like she met up with Minami. She must have seemed any other ordinary customer. Well, if it wasn’t for that crazy scene when she got dragged outside. But she didn’t get Minami in any kind of danger, did she? No… the police was after her and all they could do to Minami was making her tell them about the conversation she had with her. At the moment, given the situation, Atsuko didn’t care. She never got caught. Other than Yuko who had actually been to jail but somehow managed to break out. She was still on the wanted list, so of course they would recognize her at the restaurant.
The hell was she thinking? The hell was I thinking?“So… what are we going to do about it?” Sayaka looked at Mariko who shrugged.
“We’ll deal with this later. Our unfinished job is more important”
Atsuko raised an eyebrow to show at least a slight sign of interest because when Mariko said ‘We’ll deal with that later’, then there was always a plan in the leader’s mind.
“Kumi, the file” Mariko ordered. The secretary, who had been positioned in the corner of the room, quickly stepped to the table and started to pass out papers. They were files of a girl, pale with emotionless eyes. She looked stiff and Atsuko thought that she would be no fun.
“That’s Yokoyama Yui” Mariko explained. “She’s the illegitimate daughter of a corrupt politician. Our client has been working with this politician for a longer time, but since he broke some business deal, the girl has to die. We can be absolutely sure that the police will not go public with this case because the politician’s image has to be protected under all circumstances. Our client has threatened him several times, but he didn’t react, that’s why we’re going for a clean kill. No leftovers this time. Atsuko has already taken care of one of the maids the other one, Shimazaki Haruka, will be killed as well. However, we can’t make our move immediately because our victim has gone into hiding. She is most likely heavily protected and probably not in the city anymore. Our informants are on the lookout all around the country. Any questions? ”
“Yes” Yuko raised her hand. “It was Acchan’s and Haruka’s job, but who will do it now?”
“Well I thought about Acchan and Ayaka” Mariko smiled her sadistic smile.
“NO” Atsuko said coldly, causing Ayaka to sink deeper into her seat. “No way. I’m not working with newbies”
“Give her a try”
Disgusting. She is seriously enjoying this isn’t she?
“SHE CANNOT REPLACE HARUKA!”
For the first time, Atsuko saw Mariko’s pokerface fall from her face in the blink of an eye. She had seen her boss with a worried face or stressed out, but she had never actually seen that emotion surface in the middle of a conversation.
“That’s not what I meant”
“I DON’T CARE”
It was not really her intention to shout like that but she just couldn’t keep it inside anymore. Tears blurred in her eyes and she started to breathe heavily.
“I’m doing the job alone” she croaked out. “I’ll be fine. I can do it, you know? I don’t need anyone, I need ABSOLUTELY NOBODY, GOT THAT?” She knew that they were staring at her and that she looked pathetic. “Please” she begged. “Let me do it”
“Alright”
“Eh? Mariko-sama, you can’t…”
“It’s alright Yuko. She’ll do the job, while you and Ayaka will visit another person on my list”
“But…”
“No, Yuko” Mariko was back in her boss-mode.
“Thank you” Atsuko nodded and stared at the table. She stared a lot that day anyway, but to her displeasure the surface was neat without any cracks.
Nothing to occupy my mind. Again.“I’m going out” she announced. “The air will clear my head”
“Take care” Atsuko just knew that Sayaka was looking at her with a worried expression.
“I will” she promised, the first time she ever responded to those words. Then she left, heading to the only place were she was sure to forget about her troubles.
Takahashi Residence, 09:00 PMMinami shrieked when she heard the doorbell. She quickly put down the baking tray she was holding and rushed to open. To be honest she had hoped for Atsuko to come over so she could invite her to the party. To properly convince her she had tried her very best to create a lovely atmosphere, but was so stressed after work that she messed up completely.
She did her very best to straighten her hair and to clean her flour-covered hands before she opened the door.
“Come in” she invited and stepped aside.
A little talking and then I’ll get straight to the point. Oh, yes, I will. Atsuko nodded and followed her into the small kitchen. The entire house was not really big, but more than fitting for a single person. The furniture and decorations were old-fashioned and used.
“Do you live alone?” Atsuko asked and touched the kitchen counter. There were cracks and cuts from the kitchen knives for her to count.
“I used to live with my mother before she passed away. Cookies?” Minami had discovered that Atsuko could eat quite a lot of them when she finally felt like it. “They are still warm, I just made them”
“Did you expect visitors?”
“Oh, I, well, I” Minami scratched the back of her head nervously. Atsuko almost giggled when she noticed that the shorter woman was successfully covering herself with flour but she managed to maintain a straight face.
“Yes?”.
“There is a possibility that… we need to talk”
“So you’re breaking up with me”.
“Eh? What? No!”
“You’re not?”
“No!”
“So we’re still a couple then?”
Minami felt like panicking. She just couldn’t handle teasing, especially not in a situation that was dead serious to her. She was glad that Atsuko had at least dropped her sadness, but now the other woman was successfully embarrassing her.
“Wouldyougotoapartywithme?”
“Excuse me?”
“A party!” Minami explained. “At the Travel Agency where I work”
Atsuko raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to continue.
“Well, everyone wants to meet my girlfriend and my boss will fire me if I don’t bring you. Will you please come along? I’m the one organizing it, I can make sure that there’ll be your favorite food and the kind of music that you like! Really, I’ll take care of that!”
“There will be cookies?”
“Yes! Of course! There will be cookies and cake and sweets, whatever you want!” Minami pleaded.
Say yes, please, just say yes!“Alright”
“Really?”
“Yes” Atsuko took the baking tray from the counter and started to head for Minami’s room, the shorter woman following her.
She saved me. Acchan, you’re a creep but I owe you one. Now that I think about it, this could be bad. “Are you coming?”
“Yes! Of course Acchan, I’m always right behind you!”
CoF Headquarters, 07:12 AMAtsuko walked into the old factory as silent as a shadow. She thought that everyone would be asleep, but Ayaka surprised her. The woman awaited her right behind the hidden door that led to the third floor. She had her arms crossed and stood on top of the stairs that Atsuko wanted to climb up. Her lips were pursed into a thin line.
“What is it?” Atsuko asked her. Ayaka didn’t answer. “Cat got your tongue?”
“Maybe”
Silence engulfed the two people. Atsuko tapped the handrail impatiently but she knew that it would be stupid to make the first move. To be honest, she was surprised by Ayaka’s attitude.
I didn’t think she had the guts…“Why do you hate me?”
Straightforward.“I don’t. I simply dislike you. You’re only you after all”
Ayaka nodded before she stepped aside to let Atsuko pass.
“Maeda-san… You shouldn’t leave like that. Everyone is worried about you because we don’t know were you go all the time”
“You’re not the person to talk to me about these things. It’s none of your business” Atsuko answered coldly.
Minami is MY secret.
Takahashi Residence, 06: 30 PMMinami turned the key and pushed the door of her house open.
“I’m home!” she called out, thinking that her cat would come to jump at her because it sometimes thought it was a dog, but to her surprise a human voice answered her.
“Welcome back”
Minami blinked a few times to make sure that it was really Atsuko who stood in front of her.
“How…” she turned around to stare at the door.
It was definitely locked while I was at work.“I have my ways” Atsuko answered.
“Ah” Minami nodded and tried to process the situation. “I don’t have cookies anymore. You ate all of them yesterday evening”
“I brought food”
“You did” Minami said flatly.
“I even fed your cat”
“You did” Minami nodded in amazement. “How did you know that I had a cat?”
“She thought I was you and came to beg for food when I got here” Atsuko chuckled and put a hand on the back of the frozen woman to lead her to the kitchen.
“Why are you so nice today?” Minami blurted out the next question that came to her mind.
“I feel like it” was the nonchalant answer.
“Is that so… Woah! Did you make that food all by yourself?” she exclaimed as she took in the sight of her table.
“No”
“Oh”
“But I plan on visiting you a lot, so I thought I’d get us something to eat for tonight. I need food, you know? Tomorrow I expect cookies for dessert. Or mousse au chocolat”
Tomorrow?
Minami stared at Atsuko who raised an eyebrow. She wondered if she should do something, like crying ‘Stalker’ and running away, but she knew that there was no use. Besides there was something about the other woman that made her believe that she needed her. And Minami had sworn to herself that she would always be there when someone needed her.
“I’ll make sure that there will be some” she finally promised.
A few days later, Monday, Takahashi Residence, 06:30 PMAtsuko giggled to herself as she heard Minami enter the house. She had made sure to turn off all the lights, just so she could hide underneath the kitchen table. It was childish but she felt extremely happy today. Minami’s footsteps drew nearer and the light went on. Patiently, Atsuko waited until the girl had made her way to the sink and stood right in front of her, with her back facing her.
Silently, Atsuko crawled out. Thanks to her training as an assassin, she was quiet enough for Minami not to notice anything. She brought her mouth close to the unsuspecting victim’s ear and whispered:
“Boo”
Tuesday, Takahashi Residence, 06:32 PMMinami was prepared for any kind of surprise as she opened the door.
“Acchan? I know you’re here! ” She called out confidently but nobody answered. “Acchan?”
She stepped into the kitchen and made sure to check everywhere for hidden visitors, but the girl was nowhere to be found.
Sighing she went upstairs and as much as she despised it she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. As she pushed the door to her bedroom open a smile made its way to her lips.
Atsuko lay on Minami’s bed, wearing one of the unfashionable girl’s t-shirts again and was fast asleep.
Wednesday, Takahashi Residence, 07:02 PMAtsuko smirked.
“Feed me” she demanded.
“What?” Minami stared at the spoon she held in her hands. “W-with this?”
Atsuko nodded.
“B-but… it’s like, well, you know… It’s mine!”
“It’s like an indirect kiss, yes?” Atsuko tilted her head and smiled innocently. “C’mon Minami, sweetie, feed me!”
Thursday, Takahashi Residence, 08:23 PMMinami fiddled with her hair and stared into the mirror.
“I don’t think it looks so good”
“It does” Atsuko looked at her creation with a satisfied look on her face. “It’s perfect. Way better than that ponytail-thing”
“But… my ribbon…”
Atsuko sighed.
“Fine. We put it on your head but we keep your hair down?”
Minami blushed when she felt Atsuko’s fingers in her hair again.
“Better?”
Minami nodded and Atsuko giggled. She wrapped her arms around the midget-sized girl’s torso and placed her chin on her shoulder.
“We look cute together, right?”
Minami blushed and wasn’t able to say anything smart, especially because she felt Atsuko’s hand on her thigh.
“What’s for dessert tonight, honey?”
Friday, CoF Headquarters, 05:00 PMAtsuko checked her reflection for the last time. She was dressed in a silk top with a floral print and shorts, combined with high heeled sandals. It had been a long time since she had worn this kind of an outfit, because her usual attire was made for fighting. Yuko watched her from the corner of the room, her arms crossed.
“I’m glad you’re going to a party” she finally said and showed her trademark smile which made her dimples appear.
“Me too” Atsuko herself was surprised at how carefree she sounded. There had always been moments in the past week were she thought she couldn’t keep going, but somehow she was always brought back to her senses. Mariko and Yuko had been more than understanding and sometimes Atsuko got that impression that they had seen this before. She knew that both of them had been working in this business longer than her, so it was likely that they had lost someone important to them before. For the first time, Atsuko knew what it was like to be thankful. She was even thankful that she had Minami, whose antics caused her to smile. Sometimes she felt guilty because the woman could make her forget about Haruka that easily, but she couldn’t help it.
“Yuko…”
“Yes?”
“Is it alright for me to have fun?” Atsuko wondered. Yuko smiled sadly and stepped behind her.
“Life must go on” she mumbled and placed a hand on Atsuko’s shoulder. “The world won’t stop spinning, just because we lost someone dear to us. Maybe it’s fate, isn’t it? You meet someone new, fall in love again…”
“What do you mean?” Atsuko turned around to look at Yuko.
“Well, it was kind of obvious that you liked her. But… you never told her, right?”
“No. I guess should have?”
Yuko shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. She could’ve rejected you, but she could’ve accepted as well. I honestly don’t know what would have been worse. Losing your lover is the most painful thing after all”
“Is it?” Atsuko looked at Yuko intensely. Something told her that her friend was talking about own experiences.
“It is, it is! But you should go now, shouldn’t you? Ah, I hope you’ll have so much fun! And tomorrow you have to tell me who you’ve been seeing all this time, alright?”
Atsuko just knew that Yuko’s smile wasn’t real this time. It was pained, as if old memories were bothering her.
“I should leave, indeed” she answered, grabbed her purse and left the room with a hint of guilt.
I’m sorry Yuko. I didn’t want to mess with your memories. Kuramochi Travels, 05:50 PMMinami was undoubtedly nervous. She reached out to touch the doorknob but pulled her hand back quickly.
“You ready?” she asked Atsuko who stood behind her.
“Of course, Honey” The nickname made Minami shiver.
“Here we go!” She opened the door. The office was decorated with various kinds of flowers because Minami knew that Asuka liked this kind of atmosphere. She herself thought it looked like the decoration for a wedding, but her boss seemed pleased.
Kuramochi Asuka looked exceptionally elegant. She definitely stood out in her red cocktail dress and made Minami feel underdressed. It seemed that she had also brought a guest, maybe one of the clients, because that woman looked loaded. Not that Minami was that good at judging other people by their clothes, but she just gave out that kind of air. The dress she wore matched Asuka’s, only the color was a bit toned down, so it was safe to say that it had been expensive.
I hope I’m not too casual…Minami glanced at her attire sadly. She wore a blouse Atsuko had picked out after calling her original choice ‘downright ugly’.
“I tell you, that’s a bitch” Unnoticed by Minami, Miho had stepped next to her and was now whispering into her ear.
“Don’t say these kind of things. Someone could hear us” she hissed back nervously, but was glad to notice that Miho and her other colleagues were dressed in a style similar to her own.
“Who cares?”
“I do!”
“Don’t spoil the fun, Honey” Atsuko whispered from behind.
“Honey?” Miho grinned and examined Atsuko from head to toe before stating. “You look better now than with that leather jacket”
“I do? But my Minami-mouse likes me in leather and lace…”
“M-minami-mouse? Acchan! Why would you say that?” Unfortunately, Minami’s voice carried through the entire room, making everyone look at them.
“Aaah, you didn’t want me to tell them?” Atsuko whispered but it was so quiet that everyone could hear it. Really, Minami felt like dying. Or as if she was dead already and had just arrived at hell.
Ami and her companion, a girl who Minami didn’t know, broke into an awkward fit of giggles that they tried to muffle by eating a few snacks until they were choking. Sighing, Minami walked over and patted their backs since nobody else seemed interested in helping them.
“There, there” she mumbled, aware that everyone looked at her.
“Leather and lace, huh?” Asuka finally broke the silence, only to raise the tension.
“Indeed” Atsuko, seemingly unimpressed, strolled over to the table and took a glass of sparkling wine. She then looked at Asuka with a dazzling smile on her face. “You must be Minami’s boss” she said confidentially.
“That’s true” Asuka tilted her head. “Kuramochi Asuka. And you would be?”
“Maeda Atsuko. Pleasure to meet you”
Asuka’s companion raised an eyebrow when she heard that name.
“I’m Yamamoto Sayaka” she introduced herself. “I heard some interesting things about you Maeda-san. You could say… I work in a business related to yours”
“Is that so?” Atsuko took a sip from her glass.
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room had changed from downright embarrassing to scary. Sayanee and Atsuko where examining each other with an expression that was dangerous enough to make Minami shiver.
What’s going on?“Well, that’s lovely” Asuka chimed, as calm as ever. “I’m sure we will all get along just fine then”.
“Of course” Sayanee and Atsuko answered and stepped away from each other. Sayanee quickly returned to Asuka’s side, while Atsuko walked over to Minami, who was still rubbing Ami’s back, just to keep herself busy and out of the possible danger zone.
“I think… you can stop now” the secretary finally said.
“What? Oh I’m sorry” Minami jumped back hastily and almost knocked Atsuko’s sparkling wine out of her hand.
“Careful” The woman placed an arm around her shoulder and successfully stopped her from moving, because the midget was frozen in shock. “And you would be?”
Small-talk? Why can’t I be that relaxed, it’s just not fair. “I’m Maeda Ami, Takahashi-sans secretary. And that’s a friend of mine, Sato Sumire”
“Oh! We share the same name then! Minami didn’t tell me, she probably didn’t even notice, did you Honey?”
So you think it’s funny to embarrass me? I didn’t even know your full name until a minute ago!“Actually… I told you, you must have forgotten” Minami answered, for once satisfied with her comeback.
“Oh you did?” Atsuko faked surprise. “I’m so sorry, Minami-mouse!”
Okay, maybe you win. Damn it. “Who’s a mouse?”
“You are” Minami, who was definitely in a bad, bad mood now, growled at the girl who had just shown up next to her.
“That’s what people say, yes” Mayu answered and smiled brightly. “So, you’re name is Atsuko!”
“Maeda-san to you” Atsuko unwillingly answered. She had been busy with eyeing Sayanee who chatted with Yuki at the other side of the room.
“Oh” Mayu wasn’t impressed. “How comes you’re her girlfriend?” she asked and pointed at Minami.
“Hey, I have a name, you know?”
“Of course I would know it, I don’t forget things as fast as other people”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
“What?”
“Can you say it?” Minami crossed her arms and tried to stand on her toes to appear taller, but Atsuko who still had her arm around her pushed her back on the soles of her feet.
“Why would I want to say it?”
“Say it!”
Atsuko smacked Minami’s head. “Don’t allow her to provoke you. Bye Ami-chan, Sato-san” she ordered and started to drag her away from Mayu who seemed extremely displeased with the situation.
I know she hates me, I just know it. “Have some sparkling wine” Atsuko handed Minami a glass. Then she started to put a little bit from everything on the buffet on her plate.
“I don’t drink”
“From now on you do, Honey. Who’s that, over there?”
“Huh?” Minami followed Atsuko’s gaze. “Watanabe Miyuki, she’s the secretary of our costumer advisor. And that man… I think he’s a police man. She flirted with him a few days ago to get some information why the police stormed into Miichan’s restaurant”
“Successfully?”
“Huh? The information gathering? No… I messed up somehow”
“Ah”
For once Atsuko didn’t go ahead and tease Minami, who was thankful for that. Even though she still felt uncomfortable, just standing around with her munching fake girlfriend was better than expected. She was even brave enough to take a sip from her glass.
Soon enough her illusion of a nice continuation of the party shattered, because Miho decided that she needed to investigate Atsuko further.
“For how long have you known Minami?”
She sounds almost protective. “Let’s see… Minami how long has it been?”
“Eh? What?”
“She truly is like a man!” Atsuko giggled and pulled her close. “To forget something like that! You think so too, right?”
Miho nodded.
“Takahashi is manly, that’s true”
“You don’t call her Minami? You should! I’m sure she doesn’t mind!”
“Yeah” Minami chocked out. She knew very well that from now on her co-worker would be even less respectful. But she needed to please Atsuko because Asuka was watching them and she was still worried about getting fired.
“I’ll stay with Takahashi. It’s fine because it drives her crazy” Miho whispered and Atsuko giggled.
“I’m glad that the two of you get along that well” Minami grumbled and went off. She heard Atsuko say: “I think she’s jealous”, but then someone else caught her attention.
Yamamoto Sayaka had shown up right in front of her.
“Good evening, Takahashi-san”
“Good evening Yamamoto-san”
She really is scary…
“I heard you organized the entire thing? Congratulations, the party seems to be a success”
“Thank you” Minami replied politely, while wondering what exactly bothered her about the other person.
She is copying Asuka’s behavior down into every little detail, but she doesn’t give off the same air. If I met her on the street, I wouldn’t expect her to be some rich high society business beast. She seems more… down to earth?
“Isn’t it complicated to have her as a girlfriend?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, she sure comes home late and works a lot during nighttime, doesn’t she? I know what the business is like…”
What are you getting at?“That has not been the case, recently” Minami replied coldly because she somehow felt the urge to protect Atsuko from the woman’s curiosity.
“Ah, her last job has been close to your home, right? I remember now, I remember…“ Sayanee stared into the air thoughtfully but Minami could have sworn that she smiled a little.
Hold on a second. How would she know where I live? And with that expression… she looks familiar!“Yamamoto-san, have we met before? I could swear I knew you”
“No” Sayanees face hardened. “I don’t think so. But I can guarantee you that we will meet again if you get yourself into trouble” With that she turned her back to Minami and walked away, leaving her dumbfounded.
This is not good at all.
Kuramochi Travels, 12:30 AMAtsuko watched Minami, who locked the door to the office, carefully. She could tell that something was going on and she didn’t like it one bit. For her, it had been a fun evening and she had thought that Minami felt the same way, but now she noticed that something bothered the other woman.
“What is it?” she asked frowning.
“Huh?”
“You seem tense? Your boss didn’t actually fire you, right?”
“No! No she didn’t. I’m really glad you came, thank you so much!” Minami rambled.
“What is it then?”
“Nothing… just. Ah, forget it!” Minami smiled at Atsuko and stepped on the sidewalk. “We should go now! Where… uhm… Do you live far away? I mean… should I walk you home?”
Atsuko smiled at the sight of the blushing woman who scratched her head sheepishly.
“It’s fine” she answered. “But what is it that bothers you?”
“Nothing! Really! Just that woman, that Yamamoto something, she was weird”
“Indeed” Atsuko answered dryly. In reality she considered it quite bothersome that this person seemed to know something about her while she had never seen her before. “I shall be going” she mumbled.
“Did I anger you?”
“No, of course not” Without turning around she left. Her mind was occupied by some questions she would love to have answered.
I wonder if she’s related to my mission. I can’t wait to get down to business and kill those people who took my Haruka away. 
Topic: (Feb 12) Killer Queen: Chapter 9 (Atsumina) (Read 39037 times)