[ENG] Metro Station : Chapter 1
Title : Metro Station
Pairing : Ohmiya (others will come)
Rating : PG-13
Genre : Romance, fluff, Comedy
Warning : Genderswitch ^^
Summary : Kazumi wants to be a writer but her work got rejected again and on her way back home, a stranger made her fall in the metro station.
[Chapter 1]
Kazumi stared at her bandaged ankle resting on a cushion on the coffee table in the living room without really seeing it. Her mind was only wandering towards her good Samaritan, who she had met the day before. It was as if he was completely besieging his mind. His face, his voice, his smile, his kindness projected into the subconscious of the young woman almost permanently.
- Oi! Kazu, come back to us!
She was indeed down to earth when she heard the voice of the young man standing in front of her.
- Huh?
- I was asking what you want to eat tonight.
- Hamburger ... she replied, nonchalantly.
He sighed.
- Is it the painkillers that make you so pensive?
Kazumi blushed.
- Um ... maybe, Mas'... I don't know. She replied.
Mas', well, Masaki, was her half-brother, born from the first marriage of her mother which did not last long. He and the young woman were very close and had been living in the same apartment for a few years.
- Do you need something?
His sister turned to him, giving him her best puppy eyes.
- A large glass of orange juice freshly squeezed by hand, not too acidic, without pulp, with a slice of orange on the glass, one of those fancy little fancy umbrella and a straw.
- I'll ask the bottle of orange juice in the fridge what it thinks. He said with a chuckle.
Still, a few moments later, Masaki came back with her drink and handed it to her before sitting next to her on the couch.
- Seriously, what were you thinking about?
- Me ? Nothing.
- Is it the guy who accompanied you to the hospital who has that effect on you?
- No... She said, blushing violently.
- You're blushing! Go ahead, tell me !
- There's nothing to tell.
- Mou ... I would like to know who's the man who took care of my little sister when she was injured.
- I only know his name, Ohno Satoshi.
- You didn't discuss?
- Between my visits to the doctor, the radiography and Ohno-san's phone calls, all we discussed about was his apologies for jostling me.
- Oh, I see.
Kazumi took a sip of her orange juice.
- I'm sorry that publisher refused your manuscript.
- Refused ? He spat on it, yeah ...
- He's just an asshole, Kazu-chan.
- No, he was right. I can't write anything good ... Only a few little insignificant texts posted on the net. Besides, my number of readers has reached 3!
- Kazumi ...
His brother hugged her and put his head on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
- Mas'! I'm not a little girl anymore, I can overcome that! Growled the young woman.
- You say that but I am sure that in reality, your little heart suffers.
She sighed, rolled her eyes and hugged the young man with a smug little smile.
- Tadaima!
Brother and sister parted and turned to look at the front door.
- Okaeri Sho-chan! They said in chorus.
Sho was Masaki's boyfriend for two years now. He graduated from Keio University and started a career as a journalist.
The young man entered the living room. He was carrying with him a small box that he placed on the table not far from the sofa where Kazumi and his brother were sitting before removing his bag from his shoulder and bringing the box with him on the couch.
- Look, I went to interview the manager of a pastry shop and he gave me a gift from his specialty, a cherry cheesecake.
- Uwaaaaaa! The two others exclaimed together.
- You know you scare me when you do that? You don't even have the excuse of being twins.
- I'm going to get some plates! Masaki happily sneaked into the kitchen.
Sho sat next to Kazumi on the couch with a sigh.
- Your brother does not even listen to me ...
- Well ... you know how Mas' is, a real kid in an adult's body.
*****
Satoshi pushed open the door of his luxurious apartment.
- Tadaima. He blurted.
Only the echo of his own voice answered him. He laid down his plans and took off his shoes before slipping in his slippers and heading off wearily to his kitchen. He loosened his tie and grabbed a can of beer from the fridge that he sipped as he watched the glow of the city like a bird on its perch through the large bay window of his living room.
A sigh escaped his lips but not a sigh of ease caused by the tasting of his drink, no, it was a sigh full of weariness, loneliness and boredom. Always the same repetitive days, sites to visit, plans to submit. Although he liked his job, for some time he felt like a lack in his life. He could see people, he had a few friends with whom he had a good time, but once back home, only the late variety shows and his leather sofa as iced as his beers in the refrigerator were waiting for him. The young woman at the metro station didn't left his thoughts since they met and he was sure she could have filled that gap in his life. She had given his heart the impulse it needed just the time of a visit to the emergency ward of the hospital. But they had not had much opportunity to talk, thanks to the professional phone calls he got, and he would probably never see her again.
"Another chance ruined, Satoshi." He thought before taking a sip of alcohol in a vain hope to dismiss the young woman from his thoughts as if she was just a pill stuck in his throat.
His phone vibrated against his thigh. He answered, knowing who he was dealing with.
- Okaa-san?
- Satoshi, I have wonderful news for you!
- I'm glad to hear it ... he mumbled.
- The boss of the Muraoka group would like his daughter to meet you.
He sighed again.
- When?
- Next Sunday, he will come home with his wife and daughter for lunch, don't be late.
- Haaai.
His mother hung up without even saying goodbye. He was used to it. The young man dropped his arm down his body. Son of a wealthy family, he had nothing to say about the choices his parents made for his own life. He was 30, the moment he dreaded had come. His parents wanted to marry him to a perfect little housewife from another rich family. He was going to be forced to share the life of a woman he would probably never love and worse, live with the regret of not having had the opportunity to see again the one he had fallen madly in love with at first sight, after having jostled her in a metro station.
******
- Yosh, I'm tired ... Sho turned off the TV where the credits of the movie ran.
- Really? You don't want a little hug to help you sleep, Sho-chan? Answered Masaki, nestling in his companion's neck.
- Um ... I'm not against this idea...
The journalist gently placed his lips against those of his lover and soon their tongues began a frantic dance. Not long later, a snore to wake the dead next to them made them jump and part. Kazumi was sleeping peacefully with her mouth open, a small trickle of saliva threatening to escape. The two men chuckled and Masaki briefly kissed his lover before getting up.
- Wait for me in the bedroom, I'll put her to bed.
- At your service !
Sho slipped away as Masaki grabbed his sister to take her to his room. The second he put her on the mattress, she smiled smugly and mumbled a "Ohno-san" that made his brother laugh. He covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead.
- Good night my little sister in love. He whispered before leaving the room to go to his own room.
His lover was waiting for him in their bed, as he had promised, which gave him a small smile. Masaki pulled off his shirt and climbed sensually on the bed to join him.
- So? Where were we ?
*****
Kazumi took all her time to emerge from Morpheus' arms. After a detailed examination of the ceiling, she rolled on her stomach in order to have access to her bedside table and grimaced for a second when the maneuver made her make a wrong movement of the ankle. She grabbed her phone. 10:36 AM. The young woman listened. Silence. Masaki and Sho must probably have gone to work.
She lied on her back and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Immediately, Ohno-san's image appeared in her mind and she sat up abruptly, opening her eyes and shaking her head to chase away that thought. New sigh. Her gaze fell on her pc that was on her desk and then sailed from one side to the other of the room in search of her crutches. No trace of them. She had probably fell asleep on the couch with the boys and her brother had to put her to bed without bringing them with him.
Kazumi rolled her eyes and decided to go on one foot. The distance was short between her bed and the desk, but it felt much more laborious on one foot. Kazumi turned on the computer, entered her password and selected her manuscript in her documents to drag it into the recycle bin and emptied it immediately after. Erasing any trace of her last failure.
The young woman stared at the screen without really seeing it for several seconds, re-living her disastrous interview with the publisher. Her memories, she can't erase them. She recovered herself. Her eyes landed on the door in perfect sync with the gurgles of her stomach. No choice, to eat, she should be hopping again.
Once in the living room, Kazumi spotted her precious crutches and she was able to rest on them. Well, a little better than on one foot because the English canes caused her blisters on the hands and her body suddenly seemed to weigh a ton when she moved with them. She turned on the TV on the morning shows and after a little laugh in front of the program, went to make herself a cup of coffee and a few toasts in the kitchen.
Thanks to the communication between the two rooms, the young woman could watch her show sitting quietly at the kitchen table. Then, on the recommendation of the doctor, she took the medication that had been prescribed (and that her brother had kindly prepared with a small note signed with a smiley) went to sit on the sofa and placed her injured ankle on a stack of cushion before starting to play video games that ended up knocking her out.
*****
Masaki came home in the late afternoon and was not surprised to find his sister sleeping on the couch. He approached her and kissed her forehead to wake her up. Immediate effect, because she frowned and opened her eyes slowly while yawning.
- Wake up, beautiful princess, stop dreaming of your prince charming.
- What? She said still quite sleepy.
- Nothing, how was your day?
- Annoying... I fall asleep all the time with these damn pills.
- It's okay, you only take them for a week.
- Yaaaay... What for dinner today?
- "Hi, nii-chan, how was work?" He said, imitating Kazumi.
She rolled her eyes and smiled as Masaki dropped down beside her.
- Good then ?
- Infernal kids, as always, fortunately they are not all like that. And to answer your question, I planned to make pasta.
- Cool.
- Sho-chan is coming late tonight so it'll be just the two of us.
- Another report? Because it's not the day he's hosting.
- No, he prefers to finish his article in the office with some colleagues.
- He's smart, he knows that if he was here he'd end up jumping on you.
At the head that her brother showed, she realized that she was right. He got up suddenly and went to the kitchen before returning with an ice pack and the pharmacy kit and settle at her feet to undo her bandage.
- It's time for your 20 minutes of freezing!
- To hear you, it looks like you want to kill me and store me in the freezer.
- Sometimes I really want to when you play the naughty little sister with me.
The young woman pulled her tongue out and let it go. The cold did her good and she settled better in the bottom of the sofa. More relaxed and happy to have Masaki with her, Kazumi could almost have gone back to sleep.
- I deleted my manuscript. She said.
- Again ? Kazu, you should not ...
- I will not keep these horrors !
- They are not horrors, they are your works!
- What works ... she growled, looking away.
His brother sighed.
- It's not because publishers don't want your texts that they are bad.
- The one from the other day seemed to affirm the opposite.
- He was a asshole, we don't spit on people like he did!
- You say that for every single one of them, Masaki, there is well one who is right.
- If you think so. He sighed.
*****
The crucial day had finally come. Satoshi found himself in front of the imposing house that was his parents', still as unhappy as when his mother called him.
He passed the gate into the house announcing himself in a loud voice for his mother to hear. The young man took off his shoes and put on a pair of slippers. It's precisely this moment that his hostess chose to come to him.
- Satoshi, it's nice to see you, how are you?
- Good. He mumbled, going to the adjoining living room, greeting his father who was reading his newspaper on the couch.
- The Muraoka should not be late. Pursued Mrs. Ohno.
- Hmm... Satoshi grumbled, letting himself fall into one of the armchairs, causing an exasperated sigh from his father as his mother rolled her eyes.
- Hiroshi is doing very well in the business. Miyako, the children and he settled a few kilometers from here recently and Mitsuki is pregnant again.
- Happy to hear that my dear elder brother is the prodigal son you hoped, and that my sister is fulfilling her role as a housewife. Forgive me for being just a simple architect.
- Don't start on this topic, Satoshi, we love you all the same way. Sighed his mother.
It was the architect's turn to roll up his eyes. His mother frowned and returned to the kitchen. The patriarch only read his journal in silence. The ticking of the big clock hanging on the wall of the room was then the only sound that could be heard until the young man sighed, throwing his head back to admire the ceiling. In a few hours his fate would be drawn, just like his brother and sister before him.
They were three and he was the youngest. The eldest, his brother Hiroshi, with whom he did not share the most fraternal relationship, had entered the family company as the good little male heir he was. Shortly after, his marriage had been arranged with the daughter of one of their father'ms associate and she had given him a son, Daigo, and a daughter, Shizuna. Mitsuki, his sister, was only two years older than him and had been his greatest accomplice in games, pranks and silly things when they were children. She was lively and full of ambition. But their mother had resumed her education in her teens to be a perfect wife in the future and her marriage was also arranged with a young lawyer. Twins, Minami and Konami, were born of their union. A third child was obviously on the way, according to the words of Mrs. Ohno.
Satoshi hated the idea that a woman should be totally devoted to a man and their children. He wanted to marry the woman of his life, not a robot or a maid. He would have liked to meet a woman full of dreams, who did not repress her own temperament, with whom he would like to make tons of projects, share things, growing old with her... In short, a simple and natural woman of whom he would be in love as the metro station girl.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the kitchen and then at his father, who still had not flinched. He then got up and went to isolate himself in the veranda to take the call.
- If it's for support, I thank you but my case is desperate.
- Why ? Oh, today is your date?
- I would rather call it a forced interview followed by me hanging myself.
Satoshi heard his friend laugh on the other end of the line.
- I'm really sorry for you, I feel a bit guilty since I was able to marry the woman of my life.
- Thank you for breaking my spirits, Toma.
- Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with this girl.
- Stop that.
- Gomen! Gomen!
- Why did you call me?
- Ah yes ! The hotel chain Dream Storm contacted the office to propose a project, they want to build a new antenna and they heard about you and...
- Yes, yes, interrupted Satoshi, do you have their contact details?
- Yes. Do I send them to you by mail or do we talk about it again tomorrow?
- We'll talk tomorrow, thank you for notifying me.
- You're welcome, I feel like it's going to be crazy! Can you imagine a little? We will have our name on a large luxury hotel!
- Toma ...
- What?
- Keep cool, okay? See you tomorrow. I have to go, I'll leave you.
- OK see you tomorrow.
The young man hung up and turned on his heels to leave the veranda and return to the living room. To his surprise, his parents were already seated with the Muraokas and their daughter.
- Ah! Here he is ! His mother said ceremoniously.
The Muraoka arose from one impulse and bowed respectfully before him, which he did in his turn.
- Excuse me, I received a professional call. He said, going to sit down.
- Your parents told us that you were an architect. Mrs. Muraoka said.
- That's it.
- In an agency or on your own? Asked her husband.
- On my own, but I work with a partner who helps me and takes care of everything that is administrative.
The couple nodded with a broad smile. Their daughter did not move or speak. Satoshi took advantage of lunch to observe her. Each gesture on his part was as light and silent as the falling of a feather, as if she feared a punishment if her cutlery tinkled in her plate. She did not speak to anyone, and her parents extolled her qualities in various notions in her place throughout the meal. Satoshi nodded politely but did not really care about ikebana classes and the young woman's performance at tea ceremonies, but learned that her name was Airi and that she was 25 years old.
The person concerned, if we did not see her eating, could have passed for a mere exhibition model and that is exactly what the architect expected and what saddened him. She was standing upright and striving to display a slight smile at the table, but her gaze seemed melancholy and lost in the vagueness, seeking to escape from here as quickly as possible, as he did. He felt a little relieved. The parents continued to ask him a lot of questions about him, about his job, about his life in general, and he remained patient, calm, and polite, even though he could barely bear with this intrusive interrogation in his private life.
The Muraoka, after a hearty meal, a tea and what to write the complete biography of Satoshi, eventually left. The architect also went on the road. On his journey he thought back to the lunch that had just taken place and after his observations, he remained certain that he didn't love Airi but also that despite her eternal silence, she also didn't want this union.
*****
It had been a few days since Kazumi had returned to work. She worked as a secretary for the boss of a chain of luxury hotels. His office was located in the little room between the CEO's office and the hallway. She took the appointments, introduced his visitors to the boss, took care of the paperwork and prepared tea.
Clearly, the young woman was bored at work, but it paid her rather well compared to the work she had to provide which, for her who was a little tightfisted and lazy, was non-negligible. It was Wednesday. The chief, who planned to build a new antenna in Chiba, was about to receive two architects around 14h. The appointment had been arranged during her convalescence and her subtitute had sent her all the information collected the previous week.
The young woman sighed and threw her head back as she turned her desk chair. 1:45 pm and nothing exciting happened for an hour. She would almost want to hurt her ankle again to stay at home with Sho and Masaki.
She grabbed her mobile phone to open one of her apps and try to make the time pass faster. After a few minutes, two men appeared in front of her, but she did not see them right away.
- Excuse us. Said one of two.
Kazumi put away her phone, scarlet cheeks, and prepared to apologize, but Ohno-san's sudden, unexpected sight in front of her desk took the words out of her mouth and instantly petrified her.
Pairing : Ohmiya (others will come)
Rating : PG-13
Genre : Romance, fluff, Comedy
Warning : Genderswitch ^^
Summary : Kazumi wants to be a writer but her work got rejected again and on her way back home, a stranger made her fall in the metro station.
[Chapter 1]
Kazumi stared at her bandaged ankle resting on a cushion on the coffee table in the living room without really seeing it. Her mind was only wandering towards her good Samaritan, who she had met the day before. It was as if he was completely besieging his mind. His face, his voice, his smile, his kindness projected into the subconscious of the young woman almost permanently.
- Oi! Kazu, come back to us!
She was indeed down to earth when she heard the voice of the young man standing in front of her.
- Huh?
- I was asking what you want to eat tonight.
- Hamburger ... she replied, nonchalantly.
He sighed.
- Is it the painkillers that make you so pensive?
Kazumi blushed.
- Um ... maybe, Mas'... I don't know. She replied.
Mas', well, Masaki, was her half-brother, born from the first marriage of her mother which did not last long. He and the young woman were very close and had been living in the same apartment for a few years.
- Do you need something?
His sister turned to him, giving him her best puppy eyes.
- A large glass of orange juice freshly squeezed by hand, not too acidic, without pulp, with a slice of orange on the glass, one of those fancy little fancy umbrella and a straw.
- I'll ask the bottle of orange juice in the fridge what it thinks. He said with a chuckle.
Still, a few moments later, Masaki came back with her drink and handed it to her before sitting next to her on the couch.
- Seriously, what were you thinking about?
- Me ? Nothing.
- Is it the guy who accompanied you to the hospital who has that effect on you?
- No... She said, blushing violently.
- You're blushing! Go ahead, tell me !
- There's nothing to tell.
- Mou ... I would like to know who's the man who took care of my little sister when she was injured.
- I only know his name, Ohno Satoshi.
- You didn't discuss?
- Between my visits to the doctor, the radiography and Ohno-san's phone calls, all we discussed about was his apologies for jostling me.
- Oh, I see.
Kazumi took a sip of her orange juice.
- I'm sorry that publisher refused your manuscript.
- Refused ? He spat on it, yeah ...
- He's just an asshole, Kazu-chan.
- No, he was right. I can't write anything good ... Only a few little insignificant texts posted on the net. Besides, my number of readers has reached 3!
- Kazumi ...
His brother hugged her and put his head on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
- Mas'! I'm not a little girl anymore, I can overcome that! Growled the young woman.
- You say that but I am sure that in reality, your little heart suffers.
She sighed, rolled her eyes and hugged the young man with a smug little smile.
- Tadaima!
Brother and sister parted and turned to look at the front door.
- Okaeri Sho-chan! They said in chorus.
Sho was Masaki's boyfriend for two years now. He graduated from Keio University and started a career as a journalist.
The young man entered the living room. He was carrying with him a small box that he placed on the table not far from the sofa where Kazumi and his brother were sitting before removing his bag from his shoulder and bringing the box with him on the couch.
- Look, I went to interview the manager of a pastry shop and he gave me a gift from his specialty, a cherry cheesecake.
- Uwaaaaaa! The two others exclaimed together.
- You know you scare me when you do that? You don't even have the excuse of being twins.
- I'm going to get some plates! Masaki happily sneaked into the kitchen.
Sho sat next to Kazumi on the couch with a sigh.
- Your brother does not even listen to me ...
- Well ... you know how Mas' is, a real kid in an adult's body.
*****
Satoshi pushed open the door of his luxurious apartment.
- Tadaima. He blurted.
Only the echo of his own voice answered him. He laid down his plans and took off his shoes before slipping in his slippers and heading off wearily to his kitchen. He loosened his tie and grabbed a can of beer from the fridge that he sipped as he watched the glow of the city like a bird on its perch through the large bay window of his living room.
A sigh escaped his lips but not a sigh of ease caused by the tasting of his drink, no, it was a sigh full of weariness, loneliness and boredom. Always the same repetitive days, sites to visit, plans to submit. Although he liked his job, for some time he felt like a lack in his life. He could see people, he had a few friends with whom he had a good time, but once back home, only the late variety shows and his leather sofa as iced as his beers in the refrigerator were waiting for him. The young woman at the metro station didn't left his thoughts since they met and he was sure she could have filled that gap in his life. She had given his heart the impulse it needed just the time of a visit to the emergency ward of the hospital. But they had not had much opportunity to talk, thanks to the professional phone calls he got, and he would probably never see her again.
"Another chance ruined, Satoshi." He thought before taking a sip of alcohol in a vain hope to dismiss the young woman from his thoughts as if she was just a pill stuck in his throat.
His phone vibrated against his thigh. He answered, knowing who he was dealing with.
- Okaa-san?
- Satoshi, I have wonderful news for you!
- I'm glad to hear it ... he mumbled.
- The boss of the Muraoka group would like his daughter to meet you.
He sighed again.
- When?
- Next Sunday, he will come home with his wife and daughter for lunch, don't be late.
- Haaai.
His mother hung up without even saying goodbye. He was used to it. The young man dropped his arm down his body. Son of a wealthy family, he had nothing to say about the choices his parents made for his own life. He was 30, the moment he dreaded had come. His parents wanted to marry him to a perfect little housewife from another rich family. He was going to be forced to share the life of a woman he would probably never love and worse, live with the regret of not having had the opportunity to see again the one he had fallen madly in love with at first sight, after having jostled her in a metro station.
******
- Yosh, I'm tired ... Sho turned off the TV where the credits of the movie ran.
- Really? You don't want a little hug to help you sleep, Sho-chan? Answered Masaki, nestling in his companion's neck.
- Um ... I'm not against this idea...
The journalist gently placed his lips against those of his lover and soon their tongues began a frantic dance. Not long later, a snore to wake the dead next to them made them jump and part. Kazumi was sleeping peacefully with her mouth open, a small trickle of saliva threatening to escape. The two men chuckled and Masaki briefly kissed his lover before getting up.
- Wait for me in the bedroom, I'll put her to bed.
- At your service !
Sho slipped away as Masaki grabbed his sister to take her to his room. The second he put her on the mattress, she smiled smugly and mumbled a "Ohno-san" that made his brother laugh. He covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead.
- Good night my little sister in love. He whispered before leaving the room to go to his own room.
His lover was waiting for him in their bed, as he had promised, which gave him a small smile. Masaki pulled off his shirt and climbed sensually on the bed to join him.
- So? Where were we ?
*****
Kazumi took all her time to emerge from Morpheus' arms. After a detailed examination of the ceiling, she rolled on her stomach in order to have access to her bedside table and grimaced for a second when the maneuver made her make a wrong movement of the ankle. She grabbed her phone. 10:36 AM. The young woman listened. Silence. Masaki and Sho must probably have gone to work.
She lied on her back and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Immediately, Ohno-san's image appeared in her mind and she sat up abruptly, opening her eyes and shaking her head to chase away that thought. New sigh. Her gaze fell on her pc that was on her desk and then sailed from one side to the other of the room in search of her crutches. No trace of them. She had probably fell asleep on the couch with the boys and her brother had to put her to bed without bringing them with him.
Kazumi rolled her eyes and decided to go on one foot. The distance was short between her bed and the desk, but it felt much more laborious on one foot. Kazumi turned on the computer, entered her password and selected her manuscript in her documents to drag it into the recycle bin and emptied it immediately after. Erasing any trace of her last failure.
The young woman stared at the screen without really seeing it for several seconds, re-living her disastrous interview with the publisher. Her memories, she can't erase them. She recovered herself. Her eyes landed on the door in perfect sync with the gurgles of her stomach. No choice, to eat, she should be hopping again.
Once in the living room, Kazumi spotted her precious crutches and she was able to rest on them. Well, a little better than on one foot because the English canes caused her blisters on the hands and her body suddenly seemed to weigh a ton when she moved with them. She turned on the TV on the morning shows and after a little laugh in front of the program, went to make herself a cup of coffee and a few toasts in the kitchen.
Thanks to the communication between the two rooms, the young woman could watch her show sitting quietly at the kitchen table. Then, on the recommendation of the doctor, she took the medication that had been prescribed (and that her brother had kindly prepared with a small note signed with a smiley) went to sit on the sofa and placed her injured ankle on a stack of cushion before starting to play video games that ended up knocking her out.
*****
Masaki came home in the late afternoon and was not surprised to find his sister sleeping on the couch. He approached her and kissed her forehead to wake her up. Immediate effect, because she frowned and opened her eyes slowly while yawning.
- Wake up, beautiful princess, stop dreaming of your prince charming.
- What? She said still quite sleepy.
- Nothing, how was your day?
- Annoying... I fall asleep all the time with these damn pills.
- It's okay, you only take them for a week.
- Yaaaay... What for dinner today?
- "Hi, nii-chan, how was work?" He said, imitating Kazumi.
She rolled her eyes and smiled as Masaki dropped down beside her.
- Good then ?
- Infernal kids, as always, fortunately they are not all like that. And to answer your question, I planned to make pasta.
- Cool.
- Sho-chan is coming late tonight so it'll be just the two of us.
- Another report? Because it's not the day he's hosting.
- No, he prefers to finish his article in the office with some colleagues.
- He's smart, he knows that if he was here he'd end up jumping on you.
At the head that her brother showed, she realized that she was right. He got up suddenly and went to the kitchen before returning with an ice pack and the pharmacy kit and settle at her feet to undo her bandage.
- It's time for your 20 minutes of freezing!
- To hear you, it looks like you want to kill me and store me in the freezer.
- Sometimes I really want to when you play the naughty little sister with me.
The young woman pulled her tongue out and let it go. The cold did her good and she settled better in the bottom of the sofa. More relaxed and happy to have Masaki with her, Kazumi could almost have gone back to sleep.
- I deleted my manuscript. She said.
- Again ? Kazu, you should not ...
- I will not keep these horrors !
- They are not horrors, they are your works!
- What works ... she growled, looking away.
His brother sighed.
- It's not because publishers don't want your texts that they are bad.
- The one from the other day seemed to affirm the opposite.
- He was a asshole, we don't spit on people like he did!
- You say that for every single one of them, Masaki, there is well one who is right.
- If you think so. He sighed.
*****
The crucial day had finally come. Satoshi found himself in front of the imposing house that was his parents', still as unhappy as when his mother called him.
He passed the gate into the house announcing himself in a loud voice for his mother to hear. The young man took off his shoes and put on a pair of slippers. It's precisely this moment that his hostess chose to come to him.
- Satoshi, it's nice to see you, how are you?
- Good. He mumbled, going to the adjoining living room, greeting his father who was reading his newspaper on the couch.
- The Muraoka should not be late. Pursued Mrs. Ohno.
- Hmm... Satoshi grumbled, letting himself fall into one of the armchairs, causing an exasperated sigh from his father as his mother rolled her eyes.
- Hiroshi is doing very well in the business. Miyako, the children and he settled a few kilometers from here recently and Mitsuki is pregnant again.
- Happy to hear that my dear elder brother is the prodigal son you hoped, and that my sister is fulfilling her role as a housewife. Forgive me for being just a simple architect.
- Don't start on this topic, Satoshi, we love you all the same way. Sighed his mother.
It was the architect's turn to roll up his eyes. His mother frowned and returned to the kitchen. The patriarch only read his journal in silence. The ticking of the big clock hanging on the wall of the room was then the only sound that could be heard until the young man sighed, throwing his head back to admire the ceiling. In a few hours his fate would be drawn, just like his brother and sister before him.
They were three and he was the youngest. The eldest, his brother Hiroshi, with whom he did not share the most fraternal relationship, had entered the family company as the good little male heir he was. Shortly after, his marriage had been arranged with the daughter of one of their father'ms associate and she had given him a son, Daigo, and a daughter, Shizuna. Mitsuki, his sister, was only two years older than him and had been his greatest accomplice in games, pranks and silly things when they were children. She was lively and full of ambition. But their mother had resumed her education in her teens to be a perfect wife in the future and her marriage was also arranged with a young lawyer. Twins, Minami and Konami, were born of their union. A third child was obviously on the way, according to the words of Mrs. Ohno.
Satoshi hated the idea that a woman should be totally devoted to a man and their children. He wanted to marry the woman of his life, not a robot or a maid. He would have liked to meet a woman full of dreams, who did not repress her own temperament, with whom he would like to make tons of projects, share things, growing old with her... In short, a simple and natural woman of whom he would be in love as the metro station girl.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the kitchen and then at his father, who still had not flinched. He then got up and went to isolate himself in the veranda to take the call.
- If it's for support, I thank you but my case is desperate.
- Why ? Oh, today is your date?
- I would rather call it a forced interview followed by me hanging myself.
Satoshi heard his friend laugh on the other end of the line.
- I'm really sorry for you, I feel a bit guilty since I was able to marry the woman of my life.
- Thank you for breaking my spirits, Toma.
- Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with this girl.
- Stop that.
- Gomen! Gomen!
- Why did you call me?
- Ah yes ! The hotel chain Dream Storm contacted the office to propose a project, they want to build a new antenna and they heard about you and...
- Yes, yes, interrupted Satoshi, do you have their contact details?
- Yes. Do I send them to you by mail or do we talk about it again tomorrow?
- We'll talk tomorrow, thank you for notifying me.
- You're welcome, I feel like it's going to be crazy! Can you imagine a little? We will have our name on a large luxury hotel!
- Toma ...
- What?
- Keep cool, okay? See you tomorrow. I have to go, I'll leave you.
- OK see you tomorrow.
The young man hung up and turned on his heels to leave the veranda and return to the living room. To his surprise, his parents were already seated with the Muraokas and their daughter.
- Ah! Here he is ! His mother said ceremoniously.
The Muraoka arose from one impulse and bowed respectfully before him, which he did in his turn.
- Excuse me, I received a professional call. He said, going to sit down.
- Your parents told us that you were an architect. Mrs. Muraoka said.
- That's it.
- In an agency or on your own? Asked her husband.
- On my own, but I work with a partner who helps me and takes care of everything that is administrative.
The couple nodded with a broad smile. Their daughter did not move or speak. Satoshi took advantage of lunch to observe her. Each gesture on his part was as light and silent as the falling of a feather, as if she feared a punishment if her cutlery tinkled in her plate. She did not speak to anyone, and her parents extolled her qualities in various notions in her place throughout the meal. Satoshi nodded politely but did not really care about ikebana classes and the young woman's performance at tea ceremonies, but learned that her name was Airi and that she was 25 years old.
The person concerned, if we did not see her eating, could have passed for a mere exhibition model and that is exactly what the architect expected and what saddened him. She was standing upright and striving to display a slight smile at the table, but her gaze seemed melancholy and lost in the vagueness, seeking to escape from here as quickly as possible, as he did. He felt a little relieved. The parents continued to ask him a lot of questions about him, about his job, about his life in general, and he remained patient, calm, and polite, even though he could barely bear with this intrusive interrogation in his private life.
The Muraoka, after a hearty meal, a tea and what to write the complete biography of Satoshi, eventually left. The architect also went on the road. On his journey he thought back to the lunch that had just taken place and after his observations, he remained certain that he didn't love Airi but also that despite her eternal silence, she also didn't want this union.
*****
It had been a few days since Kazumi had returned to work. She worked as a secretary for the boss of a chain of luxury hotels. His office was located in the little room between the CEO's office and the hallway. She took the appointments, introduced his visitors to the boss, took care of the paperwork and prepared tea.
Clearly, the young woman was bored at work, but it paid her rather well compared to the work she had to provide which, for her who was a little tightfisted and lazy, was non-negligible. It was Wednesday. The chief, who planned to build a new antenna in Chiba, was about to receive two architects around 14h. The appointment had been arranged during her convalescence and her subtitute had sent her all the information collected the previous week.
The young woman sighed and threw her head back as she turned her desk chair. 1:45 pm and nothing exciting happened for an hour. She would almost want to hurt her ankle again to stay at home with Sho and Masaki.
She grabbed her mobile phone to open one of her apps and try to make the time pass faster. After a few minutes, two men appeared in front of her, but she did not see them right away.
- Excuse us. Said one of two.
Kazumi put away her phone, scarlet cheeks, and prepared to apologize, but Ohno-san's sudden, unexpected sight in front of her desk took the words out of her mouth and instantly petrified her.