CHAPTER III
"Yuko…"
The tentative smile of the visitor turned into a big grin that made her look like a cheeky teenager. "Yup, Oshima Yuko." She announced. "I've come to look at the flat."
Kojima Haruna nodded. She ushered the tenant back up the steps and pulled her own front door closed behind her. "Come on, then. I'll show you around." Haruna was really desperate to find a new tenant but she didn't expect it to be this girl, the girl from her past.
The house was Haruna's great romantic folly. Set toward one end of a classic, flat-fronted terrace, it was built of gray (once yellow) brick, punctuated by elegantly proportioned sash windows, with a fanlight over the front door. In the front it overlooked a broad flagstone pavement and a quiet road; to the back was a small oasis of garden shaded by a plane tree next door. The neighborhoods are bars, theaters, shops and restaurants which were only a few minutes' walk away.
Such attractions had not gone unnoticed, and property hereabouts was fabulously expensive. Haruna had fallen in love with the area when she first arrived in Tokyo and was living nearby. On weekends she would escape the noisy chaos of her shared flat and stroll up here, fantasizing about the gracious, spacious lifestyle of an admired and successful documentary maker. When her film had sold to TV companies around the world, and the tie-in book had thrillingly crept on to the popular BBC bestseller list and stayed for two whole weeks, she'd blown the lot on this house. Even then the money wasn't good nearly enough, so she'd also taken out a gigantic mortgage, whose monthly payments virtually wiped out her income and could wake her up sweating in the night. The only way to make financial sense of her reckless purchase was to rent out three-quarters of the house, and the only way to maximize the rent was to renovate it to the highest standard. The result was that she was too poor to live in her own house and was confined to a cramped basement flat while others wallowed in luxury on the three floors above her head.
"Luxury" was the word. As always, Haruna felt a glow of pride as she opened the front door and showed into the kitchen/dining area, which ran the whole depth of the ground floor. She opened and closed a couple of drawers, pointing out their cunning compartments and the way they automatically shut themselves tight.
"Do you have a juicer?" She nodded, she opened a cupboard and pointed. The tenant made a little tick on her list. "And an ice maker?" She showed her that, too.
"Cool." The tenant said.
Haruna smiled.
"You don't have, like, a gym or anything?"
"No, I don't. Nor a badminton court, or a ballroom." That cracked her up.
On the way downstairs, the tenant paused on a landing, consulted her clipboard again, and peered out the window. "What's in the garden?"
"Plants." Haruna answered.
"Right. So…no hot tub?" The tenant took one look at her face and crossed it off her list.
But once they were out on the pavement again, the tenant underwent a mystifying transformation. "I love your place, Haruna. It's fantastic."
"Really?" Belatedly she tried to re-inject landladily charm into her features. "Does that mean…?"
"I'll call you as soon as I can, okay? Maybe later today. Will you be at home?"
Christ! The meeting! Distractedly Haruna gave Yuko her mobile number and uttered the usual polite phrases, though as she watched her getting into her limo, she had this expectation of seeing or hearing from her again. Her thoughts were gloomy as she trotted down the basement steps. No tenant (especially when it's her - YUKO! NO!) She caught sight of her watch and groaned. On top of everything else, she's going to be late.
---
In fact Haruna arrived half an hour early for her meeting, thanks to an unknown run of luck on the tube. The club at which she had arranged to meet the CEO from grapevine occupied a large corner house in the heart of Tokyo. It existed to serve the overlapping worlds of film, television, and advertising. Here agents and actors rubbed shoulders with producers, copy-writers and creative directors. This was where the men with money met the boys and girls with talent. The club had been established for about ten years. Haruna had been a founding member, her free frozen at the joining price; she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to afford to continue with it otherwise.
Once again, she'd forgotten the card members were supposed to swipe at the entrance. She pressed the doorbell instead and waited for the usual greetings . Long convinced that no one could hear any better at the other end, she sometimes amused herself by giving any name that came into her head. "Kasai Tomomi!" she shouted, and was instantly allowed to enter the place.
Bounding up the stairs, Haruna handed her coat to the startlingly pretty girl at reception and Haruna told her he would wait for Ms. Shinoda in the bar. A stiff drink would set her up, though she would need to be careful to resist the temptation to have more than one. She was trying to decide whether to order a beer or splash out on an expensive but delicious Bloody Mary when a familiar voice sent a chill deep into her heart. "Are you buying, Haru?"
Watanabe Mayu was the only person who called her Haru. They had met at the University, both had studied history.
"So," said Mayu with awful finality, "are you still making films that nobody watches?"
Mayu was a television producer too, only infinitely more successful. In fact, she was fast becoming a TV tycoon. After coming down from the University both of them had gone into the BBC, but while Haruna had struggled to make serious programs, Mayu had moved swiftly into entertainment before setting up on her own. Haruna grudgingly forced to admit that Mayu had a sound commercial instinct. Though Mayu didn't have many ideas, she was quick to pick up other people's. She had specialized "CyRobent"--- the hideous abbreviation for Cyborg-Robot Entertainment, referred to by the media as Entertainment show and by Haruna as total garbage. But garbage was popular, and it was making Mayu rich. Each time they met, her material success was more and more obvious.
Haruna listened gloomily to Mayu's sly boast about expensive sports cars, second homes, chartered yachts, exclusive safaris and holidays in places like Dubai, Paris and LA. Haruna had to remind herself how much she hated dumbing down, getting unimportance, and Entertainment of everything and how lucky she was not to be working on "Celebrity Confessions," Haruna said aloud. Celebrity confessions is one of Mayu's successful programs and it is undoubtedly one of the best show that has millions of views.
"All right, mock if you like. Hug your pillow if it keeps you warm at night. Which of your programs has 3 million prime-time viewers?"
"Call them 'viewers'? They just want a bit of background noise while they kiss on the sofa."
"Welcome to the real world, Haru," said Mayu cheerfully. "3 million viewers can't be wrong."
"They can if they're morons."
"Come on, you know the broadcasters only take your stuff as window dressing, to look good when it comes to franchise time. Us now, we're in the hits business."
"Mmm. Have you ever noticed that 'hits' is anagram of 'shit'?
"Nice one." Mayu thumped Haruna on the shoulder, making her spill her drink on her shoe. "Well, you go on making Goggle with Granny and living in a basement if it makes you happy. But I'm telling you, the 18 to 34 year old viewers is where it's at, and they like a bit of entertainment. Presenters with cleavage, prizes. That's what the viewers want. No one wants to think."
"I do," Haruna said.
"You're a snob. You know in your heart of hearts that nobody's really interested in your type of TV. Your viewing figures are so low that they're hardly measurable. Television isn't art anymore, it's like a dramatic entertainment ." Mayu grabbed a glass of martini and drunk.
Haruna was still formulating a quick clever reply to Mayu's criticism when her mobile rang. She flipped it open."Hello?"
"Hey, Sae here."
For a moment Haruna couldn't think who Sae was. "Yes?" she answered cautiously.
"I'm Oshina Yuko's assistant, she came to see your flat this morning."
"Oh, yes, right." Haruna came to attention. This could be good news.
"I would have explained, but it's sort of confidential. You see, I work at the Old Fire Station Theatre."
Haruna knew the place well; tiny space, huge reputation and some of the most uncomfortable site in Tokyo. She couldn't think where this conversation was leading.
"And we sometimes need accommodation for visiting actors. To get to the point, we'd like to rent your place for two months, starting next weekend, on behalf of Oshima Yuko." Seems like Yuko's assistant knows nothing at all about their past relationship.
"Oh, Oshima Yuko."
"Yes, isn't it exciting? We'd almost given up hope, then her agent rang and said she wanted to work with us. That's why she personally visited and look at the flat. I know you'd prefer a longer rental, but it's only a short run, though she might extend the contract if she really like your place."
"You want my place for the popular actress Oshima Yuko?" Haruna repeated, largely for Mayu's benefit.
"Yes, that's right. We'll pay the rent in advance for the whole period, so long as you haven't got a problem with the short contract."
Haruna stared at Mayu, who was looking impressed. "No problem at all."
"Good. I'll call you in a day or two to make arrangements to pick up the keys."
"Right." She snapped the phone shut.
"Phwoar!" roared Mayu. "Oshima Yuko! Majisuka Gakuen! Best film and Best actress ever!"
Haruna winced at Mayu's excitement, but she couldn't resist an inner glow of satisfaction that came from this boastful cyborg girl. Game, set and match!
--
After 1 year I FINALLY POSTED A NEW CHAPTER!
How are you guys?
Topic: SOUL MATES~ (KojiYuu/Atsumina?TakaHaru/AtsuYuu?) (FEB. 9, 2014) UPDATE! (Read 8745 times)