A Distant Intimacy Part 2
Gah. I was going to post this up sooner, but something went horribly wrong and I ended up losing a third of what I had written, so I had to write it again. I'm sure what I had previously written was much better, but since that draft has been lost in the oblivion of computer errors, we'll never know.
Anyway, on with the show.
**********************************************
“Otsukaresama desu!” Mao shouted to her castmates and crew before leaving the theater building where their play rehearsal had been held.
“Ja ne, Mao-chan!” she heard the responding good-byes from the others still working on the sets.
Mao was juggling her purse, some posters, and an industrial stapler when her cellphone began to ring. She reached into her purse and pulled out her red and white keitai, the Minnie Mouse charm dangling. Flipping her phone open, she saw it was Kazu.
“Hai,” she answered, “Moshi moshi.”
“The egg has been laid in the peacock’s nest,” Kazu loudly whispered in the phone.
“What?” she laughed.
“The ice cream has melted in the bath tub,” the whisper became louder.
“What the hell are you saying, baka?”
“Sheesh, I was just trying to speak in code for our ultra important secret mission,” Kazu huffed indignantly.
Mao rolled her eyes to the sky. “Did you get Ryo to drop off the photos or didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you?” Mao could hear someone in the background. “Ryo said he gave it to a pretty receptionist and she had to janken another pretty receptionist to see who would give it to Matsumoto.”
She scoffed in the phone. Of course that would be the case.
“Does Ryo know if Matsumoto opened them?” There was a struggle for the phone before she heard Ryo’s voice over the line.
“No,” she could tell he was pouting. “And I wanted to see his reaction personally to my works of art.”
“Cough- pornography- cough,” Kazu’s voice was clear in the background.
“It’s not porn!” both Mao and Ryo hissed at him, though Kazu probably couldn’t hear Mao over the phone.
“What?” Mao stopped still at the laughing masculine voice behind her. She winced, turning.
“Hehe...” she giggled embarrassed. “Hi, Sempai.” Hiraoka Yuta was her sempai in the university theater department. He graduated two years ago, but had returned to recruit some acting students to join an underground theater company he helped create. Mao had been on his list for top recruits and as part of her final year acting practicum, she was helping produce and acting in the company’s spring production.
“I thought I told you to call me, Yuta. “ He waggled a finger at her. “Are you speaking with Nishikido-san and Ninomiya-san?” he asked her.
Mao laughed. “How can you tell?” She covered the ear piece on her cellphone as Ryo and Kazu started making cooing noises when they heard Hiraoka’s voice.
He laughed with her. “Can you tell Ryo-san he did a good job on those promotional posters?” Ryo started to make swooning noises. Hiraoka looked at her shyly. “You looked good in those promos.”
Mao waved her hands, ignoring the hooting coming from the other end of the phone. “The magic of Photoshop.” She turned to whisper into the cell. “Uresai!”
Kazu got hold of the phone again. “Are you still coming over now? We have all the stuff for takoyaki. You just need to grab the beer. And you can invite your hot sempai too!” Mao doubted Hiraoka would want to join, he tended to get uncomfortable when Ryo and Kazu flirted with him.
“Yes. I’ll be there,” she said impatiently.
“And call Maki and tell her to bring the pretty boy publisher.”
“You can call her yourself. Talk to you later!” Mao flipped her phone closed. “I’m sorry, sempai. Um... is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Hiraoka shuffled his feet awkwardly. “No.. I mean... yes. I mean, I just wanted to tell you what a terrific job you’re doing. I know how busy your final year can be.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” he insisted hotly. “You’ve been great, helping out with all the promotional stuff, getting stuff out to the media, writing up the press releases, recruiting your friends.”
Mao still brushed off the unnecessary praise. “Hey, hey, I’m in this thing too. What’s the point in getting a decent part in a play and not have anybody see it?” She fiddled around, trying to put her cell back into her purse.
“And on that subject, have I told you how amazing you are in the play?” Hiraoka took the posters and the stapler out of her hands. “It’s not an easy role and you’re nailing each scene dead on. As the writer, it’s a very satisfactory thing to watch.” There were stars in his eyes as he spoke to her, making Mao begin to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Sempai!” She laughed awkwardly. “This is way too much praise, especially before opening night.” Smiling at him, she turned the praise around. “You wrote an incredible script and it’s a dream for a newbie like me to get such good stuff. And without you directing, I wouldn’t be able to do the role justice.”
Hiraoka smiled bashfully. He was cute, Mao thought, shaking her head. Really cute. And if she wasn’t locked in a battle of sexual dominance with an arrogant playboy she would… what she wasn’t really sure. Her sempai seemed like too much of a nice guy to get involved with a proclaimed man-eater like herself. Most decent guys never stuck around long enough to see if she would end up breaking their hearts.
But it never hurt to flirt a little.
“Ne, Sempai…”
“I told you…”
“Hiraoka-kun, then. After I’m finished putting these posters up, I’m heading over to Ryo and Kazu’s place for a takoyaki party. You’re welcome to join us, if you’re free.”
He looked at her with real regret in his eyes. “Maybe a rain cheque. I have to work tonight.”
“Ah, right. It’s Friday night. People need to eat.”
“What a cliché, an artist such as myself waiting tables before I make it big.” They both laughed. “Jaa, I’ll see you for rehearsal tomorrow?”
“Hai, sacho!” Mao nodded her head, her hands too full to wave. They said their goodbyes, and Mao watched Hiraoka’s retreating back thoughtfully before walking off in the opposite direction.
She stopped at a community bulletin board, placed her stuff on the ground and proceeded to staple the play’s promotional posters up. When she was finished, she stepped back and examined the poster with a critical eye.
There she was, in stark black and white. Wearing very little but a man’s button up white shirt, opened to reveal a lacy black bra that contrasted sharply against the creamy skin of her chest, she sat, straddling a wooden chair. Her dark hair was tousled and loose around her shoulders. But she was a figure of anonymity with her face obscured, half-hidden by a black silk blindfold tied around her eyes. The only colour was the bold red of her lips. “Blindfold,” the name of the play, was stamped across her body. The tagline of the play read, “What is the price of love?”
The image was striking, sexy and provocative. Ryo had done a good job with the photography and choosing the right picture for the poster. And there were many pictures to choose from. Many pictures that would make a sinner blush. Kazu wasn’t far off the mark when he jokingly referred to them as “pornography”. Mao smiled slyly.
She wondered what Matsumoto thought of the ones she sent him.
Part 1 Part 3
Anyway, on with the show.
**********************************************
“Otsukaresama desu!” Mao shouted to her castmates and crew before leaving the theater building where their play rehearsal had been held.
“Ja ne, Mao-chan!” she heard the responding good-byes from the others still working on the sets.
Mao was juggling her purse, some posters, and an industrial stapler when her cellphone began to ring. She reached into her purse and pulled out her red and white keitai, the Minnie Mouse charm dangling. Flipping her phone open, she saw it was Kazu.
“Hai,” she answered, “Moshi moshi.”
“The egg has been laid in the peacock’s nest,” Kazu loudly whispered in the phone.
“What?” she laughed.
“The ice cream has melted in the bath tub,” the whisper became louder.
“What the hell are you saying, baka?”
“Sheesh, I was just trying to speak in code for our ultra important secret mission,” Kazu huffed indignantly.
Mao rolled her eyes to the sky. “Did you get Ryo to drop off the photos or didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you?” Mao could hear someone in the background. “Ryo said he gave it to a pretty receptionist and she had to janken another pretty receptionist to see who would give it to Matsumoto.”
She scoffed in the phone. Of course that would be the case.
“Does Ryo know if Matsumoto opened them?” There was a struggle for the phone before she heard Ryo’s voice over the line.
“No,” she could tell he was pouting. “And I wanted to see his reaction personally to my works of art.”
“Cough- pornography- cough,” Kazu’s voice was clear in the background.
“It’s not porn!” both Mao and Ryo hissed at him, though Kazu probably couldn’t hear Mao over the phone.
“What?” Mao stopped still at the laughing masculine voice behind her. She winced, turning.
“Hehe...” she giggled embarrassed. “Hi, Sempai.” Hiraoka Yuta was her sempai in the university theater department. He graduated two years ago, but had returned to recruit some acting students to join an underground theater company he helped create. Mao had been on his list for top recruits and as part of her final year acting practicum, she was helping produce and acting in the company’s spring production.
“I thought I told you to call me, Yuta. “ He waggled a finger at her. “Are you speaking with Nishikido-san and Ninomiya-san?” he asked her.
Mao laughed. “How can you tell?” She covered the ear piece on her cellphone as Ryo and Kazu started making cooing noises when they heard Hiraoka’s voice.
He laughed with her. “Can you tell Ryo-san he did a good job on those promotional posters?” Ryo started to make swooning noises. Hiraoka looked at her shyly. “You looked good in those promos.”
Mao waved her hands, ignoring the hooting coming from the other end of the phone. “The magic of Photoshop.” She turned to whisper into the cell. “Uresai!”
Kazu got hold of the phone again. “Are you still coming over now? We have all the stuff for takoyaki. You just need to grab the beer. And you can invite your hot sempai too!” Mao doubted Hiraoka would want to join, he tended to get uncomfortable when Ryo and Kazu flirted with him.
“Yes. I’ll be there,” she said impatiently.
“And call Maki and tell her to bring the pretty boy publisher.”
“You can call her yourself. Talk to you later!” Mao flipped her phone closed. “I’m sorry, sempai. Um... is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”
Hiraoka shuffled his feet awkwardly. “No.. I mean... yes. I mean, I just wanted to tell you what a terrific job you’re doing. I know how busy your final year can be.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” he insisted hotly. “You’ve been great, helping out with all the promotional stuff, getting stuff out to the media, writing up the press releases, recruiting your friends.”
Mao still brushed off the unnecessary praise. “Hey, hey, I’m in this thing too. What’s the point in getting a decent part in a play and not have anybody see it?” She fiddled around, trying to put her cell back into her purse.
“And on that subject, have I told you how amazing you are in the play?” Hiraoka took the posters and the stapler out of her hands. “It’s not an easy role and you’re nailing each scene dead on. As the writer, it’s a very satisfactory thing to watch.” There were stars in his eyes as he spoke to her, making Mao begin to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Sempai!” She laughed awkwardly. “This is way too much praise, especially before opening night.” Smiling at him, she turned the praise around. “You wrote an incredible script and it’s a dream for a newbie like me to get such good stuff. And without you directing, I wouldn’t be able to do the role justice.”
Hiraoka smiled bashfully. He was cute, Mao thought, shaking her head. Really cute. And if she wasn’t locked in a battle of sexual dominance with an arrogant playboy she would… what she wasn’t really sure. Her sempai seemed like too much of a nice guy to get involved with a proclaimed man-eater like herself. Most decent guys never stuck around long enough to see if she would end up breaking their hearts.
But it never hurt to flirt a little.
“Ne, Sempai…”
“I told you…”
“Hiraoka-kun, then. After I’m finished putting these posters up, I’m heading over to Ryo and Kazu’s place for a takoyaki party. You’re welcome to join us, if you’re free.”
He looked at her with real regret in his eyes. “Maybe a rain cheque. I have to work tonight.”
“Ah, right. It’s Friday night. People need to eat.”
“What a cliché, an artist such as myself waiting tables before I make it big.” They both laughed. “Jaa, I’ll see you for rehearsal tomorrow?”
“Hai, sacho!” Mao nodded her head, her hands too full to wave. They said their goodbyes, and Mao watched Hiraoka’s retreating back thoughtfully before walking off in the opposite direction.
She stopped at a community bulletin board, placed her stuff on the ground and proceeded to staple the play’s promotional posters up. When she was finished, she stepped back and examined the poster with a critical eye.
There she was, in stark black and white. Wearing very little but a man’s button up white shirt, opened to reveal a lacy black bra that contrasted sharply against the creamy skin of her chest, she sat, straddling a wooden chair. Her dark hair was tousled and loose around her shoulders. But she was a figure of anonymity with her face obscured, half-hidden by a black silk blindfold tied around her eyes. The only colour was the bold red of her lips. “Blindfold,” the name of the play, was stamped across her body. The tagline of the play read, “What is the price of love?”
The image was striking, sexy and provocative. Ryo had done a good job with the photography and choosing the right picture for the poster. And there were many pictures to choose from. Many pictures that would make a sinner blush. Kazu wasn’t far off the mark when he jokingly referred to them as “pornography”. Mao smiled slyly.
She wondered what Matsumoto thought of the ones she sent him.
Part 1 Part 3