[Complete] Invisible Chains- Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The car ride from the ryokan to the dairy farm was quiet but the music and commercials from the radio, helped relieve some of the tension and nervousness that I had built up while I was in the car. I stayed quiet and played with my phone-reading news articles, and checking our company’s stock now and then again, to keep myself occupied as much as possible. But I couldn’t help but to stare and gape at the scenery outside. It was beautiful with rich colors. The sky was blue with no clouds in sight and the sun was hot but it was nice enough that the windows could be rolled down to get a breeze traveling throughout the car. The grass and trees were abundant with a luscious emerald green color and the waters were clear and sparkling as the sun reflected it.
By the time I felt relax in the car, we had already arrived at the dairy farm. Aiba-san parked his car and I got out of the car to stretch my arms and legs. That 2-hour drive felt like forever. “Asuka-chan, you’re here!” I heard a low and deep voice calling out to me. I tossed my head to see it was Imai-san. “Imai-san! Gomen I called at the last minute. I wasn’t sure if I would have the time to see you.” I walked up to him and shook his hands after he wiped them on his pants. He smiled and blushed before he began to wipe his sweat with his handkerchief.
Imai-san is the owner of a dairy farm that grows and raises cows to produce milk that we use for our cosmetics and hair products. The milk that these cows produce is very high in nutrients that are good for the skin. I have known him ever since I entered my father’s company, since I was the one who convinced him to sign a contract with the company. In a way he’s similar to my father, stubborn and hardheaded but he’s serious about his work.
“It’s okay Asuka-chan.” Then he noticed Aiba-san standing and looking at us. “Hm? Who’s this fellow?” He asked and I bowed my head to him. “Gomenasai. He wanted to tag along with me. This is Aiba Masaki-san. He’s a...” I trailed off and wondered if what I was going to say would be the right words to introduce him as an idol who were hired to become the company’s image characters. “He works for Nakashima Industries. I hope you don’t mind if he comes along with me.” I said and prayed that Imai-san would shove him away like what he does to strangers who come to his lands without his permission.
He shook his head. “Nah, if he’s with you then it’s fine. Let me get you some boots and we can start the tour.” Imai-san with a smile and scuttled away from us. I furrowed my eyebrows and was disappointed that Imai-san would trust me that easily. I sighed under my breath and then I saw Aiba-san approaching me. “Imai-san looks like a really nice guy. I think I’m going to have fun here.” He whispered to me and then Imai-san came with two pairs of boots for us. “Yeah, we’re going to have a fun time here...” I muttered sarcastically to myself as I switched from my shoes to boots.
Imai-san’s farm has everything and with only a few employees, Imai-san has managed to run his farm for 15 years by himself. As I walked beside Imai-san, Aiba-san trailed closely behind us as he looked around. “There hasn’t been a lot of changes since you came here last time but I decided to keep some goats.” Imai-san said and pointed to a small house that was surrounded by a metal fence. “Since we had a good year with our cows, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out producing goat milk. If you want Asuka-chan, I can let your try some of our goat cheese that we made a week ago.” I widened my eyes, surprised that he decided to branch out his talents, and then I nodded my head at him, “Arigato, that sounds great.”
I always thought Imai-san was a traditional man that firmly believed in only one way. I guess I was wrong about him and was glad he decided to take a risk. Hopefully he’ll be successful with goat milk as well.
“How many employees do you have Imai-san?” I asked and he looked at me before he looked down at the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows. Did I say something wrong? He forced a laugh and placed a hand on the back of his head. “The thing is we used to have an employee who learned our trick of the trade and suddenly left us to build his own farm. He started to produce the same cow's milk as us at a cheaper price so many other companies canceled their contracts to go over to him.” He said and slowly he began to frown. How could that guy do that to Imai-san? That should be considered stealing. I should report him to the police but I would need evidence if I decide to persecute him and that would clearly bother Imai-san from his work.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and made a small smile. “Don’t worry Imai-san. Nakashima Industries will continue to use your cow's milk and maybe we may use your goat's milk as well.” I tried to assure him that it will be fine but I had a feeling that I wasn’t very convincing.
Bah! Bah! The goat sounds got louder as we approached the new goat house that Imai-san had probably made by hand. Not only he’s a good dairy farmer, he’s also good as a carpenter. Baaah! Bah! Baaaah! The goats shouted louder as we approached them. Then I began to notice 4 baby goats, staying close to their mother. “Do you want to feed the baby goats? They’re about 4 days old.”
I pursed my lips tightly. Feed them? How do I do that? As I pondered, Imai-san handed a bottle of milk to me and then another to Aiba-san. He smiled and instantly went to one goat and held the milk bottle as it fed from it. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him as I wondered what other skills and talents he has. “You’re good! Do you grow up on a farm too?” Imai-san asked with bright eyes and was impressed with Aiba-san. He glanced at him and forced a laugh before he looked back at the baby goat. “Iie, I kind of work with animals so I know the basics.”
I widened my eyes and stared at Aiba-san. He works with animals? Wait, isn’t he an idol? Do idols normally work with animals? “What’s wrong Asuka-chan?” Imai-san asked as he looked at me, I looked back at him and shook my head. “It’s nothing.” I said and slowly approached one baby goat. It was white, its legs were wobbling as it stood and it looked at me with big round eyes. I slowly extended the milk bottle and then copied the same way I saw Aiba-san had fed the goat.
I squatted down and stared at the baby goat as it drank. I had assumed it was hungry since it had chugged the entire bottle down in a few seconds. When it was done, it tried to drink more but there was nothing left so I pulled out the bottle from it’s mouth and the baby goat walked back to its mother. I made a small smile before I stood up to see Aiba-san looking at me before he tossed his head away. Why was he looking at me like that? Was he looking at me the entire time?
I cocked my head to head and then Imai-san said. “Since they’re newborns we haven’t named them yet. Would you like the name the goats?” With widened eyes, I started to feel nervous. Name these goats? Since when do people name their goats? I’ve heard dog, cat, bird and fish names but goats…?
“Hm….” Aiba-san trailed off as he placed his hands on his hips and lost in his own thoughts. Meanwhile I furrowed my eyebrows and stared at the goats. There was one black goat and one white goat. So I decided to name them after their appearance. “How about Shiro and Kuro?” Aiba-san shot his head at me and shook his head with an upset look on his face. “No, you can’t name them like that!” He said and placed a hand on my shoulder and then he pointed at the baby goats. “Be more creative. Say the first word that pops in your head when you look at them.”
I sighed and felt my head was about to burst. Why do I have to use all my brainpower to make up 2 names? I began to closely inspect the black goat and noticed that the black goat was alone as it ate some clovers. Then I looked at the white baby goat and it was yelling ever since we came to see them. Also the baby goat stayed closely with its mother. “Clover.” I said and pointed to the black baby goat and then I pointed to the white baby goat. “Taka.”
Both Aiba-san and Imai-san furrowed their eyebrows and looked at me with a questionable expression. “Did you say Taka? Why Taka?” Imai-san asked and I looked at them with glazed eyes. “Taka, from the kanji for filial piety. I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl so I’m going to name it just Taka.” Suddenly Aiba-san fell forward and Imai-san cocked his head to the side. Did I say something weird? “Oh, you should have asked me Asuka-chan.” Imai-san said with an embarrassed smile. I shrugged my shoulders and then turned my head back to stare at Taka. Somehow looking at how close it was near its mother made me feel a bit envious. Suddenly I felt like I was kid again and looking envious at the other children at school who got picked up by their mothers and/or fathers when school ended. I shook my head to shake off my thoughts. Wait, should I really be envious of a goat?
“Well I’m naming these two Shimura-san and Asuka.” Aiba-san said brightly and smiled as he petted them. With widened eyes, my mouth dropped from hearing his words. Why would he name a goat after me? I looked at him and suddenly our eyes met. He tossed his head away and it looked like he was blushing. However I was unconcerned with his feelings because I immensely wanted to know why he used my name but whenever I asked, he would ignore me by talking to the goats in a tone that one would use for babies.
After we spent a few minutes at the goat house, Imai-san said. “I should take you to the goat milk processing plant.” Aiba-san and I followed Imai-san as he gave us a tour around the farm. We ate some goat cheese, Aiba-san tried milking the cows and at the end, I bought some goat cheese and some milk from Imai-san since I planned on bringing some home.
As we headed back to Aiba-san’s car, Imai-san kept talking to me about the many things that happened on the farm and I could see that he was very happy with his job although it is hard work. “Arigato gozaimasu for letting us tour around your farm. I’ll let you know way ahead of time before I decide to come down here to visit you again.” Imai-san blushed and waved his hands side-to-side. “It’s fine. You can stop by anytime and check up on Clover and Taka.” Imai-san added a chuckle at the end of the sentence, which made me wonder if he was going to really use the names that Aiba-san and I made up.
“Okay. Bye Imai-san.” I said and bowed my head at Imai-san. As Aiba-san said his goodbyes to Imai-san, I started to wonder if it was really all right to head home with Aiba-san. If I wanted to go home on my own then this would be the perfect time to make my escape especially when Imai-san is around. It would have been a bit difficult if I wanted to escape when it’s just Aiba-san and I in his car. “Bye-bye Imai-san! It was nice meeting you.” Aiba-san shouted and waved his hands to Imai-san who was standing and waving back to him.
I extended my hand out towards the car handle but I was still contemplating about my ride home. I already knew in my head that I should keep a business relationship with Aiba-san so I should know where I stand between the both of us. However ever since we met at the ryokan, I’ve kept my guard down and I have been dragged along with his playfulness and easy-goingness. I sighed quietly to myself and was about to walk away when Aiba-san, who had already climbed inside, reached over and opened the door for me.
“Come in. We should leave as soon as possible if we plan to get back to Tokyo before rush hour.” He said, as he was bent over and looking at me. I had no choice but to comply. I sat inside his car again and we drove off and away from Imai-san’s farm.
Next time if I want to escape from Aiba-san I should have done it sooner. I would make a terrible company spy if my father sent me to a rival company for information.
The car ride from the ryokan to the dairy farm was quiet but the music and commercials from the radio, helped relieve some of the tension and nervousness that I had built up while I was in the car. I stayed quiet and played with my phone-reading news articles, and checking our company’s stock now and then again, to keep myself occupied as much as possible. But I couldn’t help but to stare and gape at the scenery outside. It was beautiful with rich colors. The sky was blue with no clouds in sight and the sun was hot but it was nice enough that the windows could be rolled down to get a breeze traveling throughout the car. The grass and trees were abundant with a luscious emerald green color and the waters were clear and sparkling as the sun reflected it.
By the time I felt relax in the car, we had already arrived at the dairy farm. Aiba-san parked his car and I got out of the car to stretch my arms and legs. That 2-hour drive felt like forever. “Asuka-chan, you’re here!” I heard a low and deep voice calling out to me. I tossed my head to see it was Imai-san. “Imai-san! Gomen I called at the last minute. I wasn’t sure if I would have the time to see you.” I walked up to him and shook his hands after he wiped them on his pants. He smiled and blushed before he began to wipe his sweat with his handkerchief.
Imai-san is the owner of a dairy farm that grows and raises cows to produce milk that we use for our cosmetics and hair products. The milk that these cows produce is very high in nutrients that are good for the skin. I have known him ever since I entered my father’s company, since I was the one who convinced him to sign a contract with the company. In a way he’s similar to my father, stubborn and hardheaded but he’s serious about his work.
“It’s okay Asuka-chan.” Then he noticed Aiba-san standing and looking at us. “Hm? Who’s this fellow?” He asked and I bowed my head to him. “Gomenasai. He wanted to tag along with me. This is Aiba Masaki-san. He’s a...” I trailed off and wondered if what I was going to say would be the right words to introduce him as an idol who were hired to become the company’s image characters. “He works for Nakashima Industries. I hope you don’t mind if he comes along with me.” I said and prayed that Imai-san would shove him away like what he does to strangers who come to his lands without his permission.
He shook his head. “Nah, if he’s with you then it’s fine. Let me get you some boots and we can start the tour.” Imai-san with a smile and scuttled away from us. I furrowed my eyebrows and was disappointed that Imai-san would trust me that easily. I sighed under my breath and then I saw Aiba-san approaching me. “Imai-san looks like a really nice guy. I think I’m going to have fun here.” He whispered to me and then Imai-san came with two pairs of boots for us. “Yeah, we’re going to have a fun time here...” I muttered sarcastically to myself as I switched from my shoes to boots.
Imai-san’s farm has everything and with only a few employees, Imai-san has managed to run his farm for 15 years by himself. As I walked beside Imai-san, Aiba-san trailed closely behind us as he looked around. “There hasn’t been a lot of changes since you came here last time but I decided to keep some goats.” Imai-san said and pointed to a small house that was surrounded by a metal fence. “Since we had a good year with our cows, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out producing goat milk. If you want Asuka-chan, I can let your try some of our goat cheese that we made a week ago.” I widened my eyes, surprised that he decided to branch out his talents, and then I nodded my head at him, “Arigato, that sounds great.”
I always thought Imai-san was a traditional man that firmly believed in only one way. I guess I was wrong about him and was glad he decided to take a risk. Hopefully he’ll be successful with goat milk as well.
“How many employees do you have Imai-san?” I asked and he looked at me before he looked down at the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows. Did I say something wrong? He forced a laugh and placed a hand on the back of his head. “The thing is we used to have an employee who learned our trick of the trade and suddenly left us to build his own farm. He started to produce the same cow's milk as us at a cheaper price so many other companies canceled their contracts to go over to him.” He said and slowly he began to frown. How could that guy do that to Imai-san? That should be considered stealing. I should report him to the police but I would need evidence if I decide to persecute him and that would clearly bother Imai-san from his work.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and made a small smile. “Don’t worry Imai-san. Nakashima Industries will continue to use your cow's milk and maybe we may use your goat's milk as well.” I tried to assure him that it will be fine but I had a feeling that I wasn’t very convincing.
Bah! Bah! The goat sounds got louder as we approached the new goat house that Imai-san had probably made by hand. Not only he’s a good dairy farmer, he’s also good as a carpenter. Baaah! Bah! Baaaah! The goats shouted louder as we approached them. Then I began to notice 4 baby goats, staying close to their mother. “Do you want to feed the baby goats? They’re about 4 days old.”
I pursed my lips tightly. Feed them? How do I do that? As I pondered, Imai-san handed a bottle of milk to me and then another to Aiba-san. He smiled and instantly went to one goat and held the milk bottle as it fed from it. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him as I wondered what other skills and talents he has. “You’re good! Do you grow up on a farm too?” Imai-san asked with bright eyes and was impressed with Aiba-san. He glanced at him and forced a laugh before he looked back at the baby goat. “Iie, I kind of work with animals so I know the basics.”
I widened my eyes and stared at Aiba-san. He works with animals? Wait, isn’t he an idol? Do idols normally work with animals? “What’s wrong Asuka-chan?” Imai-san asked as he looked at me, I looked back at him and shook my head. “It’s nothing.” I said and slowly approached one baby goat. It was white, its legs were wobbling as it stood and it looked at me with big round eyes. I slowly extended the milk bottle and then copied the same way I saw Aiba-san had fed the goat.
I squatted down and stared at the baby goat as it drank. I had assumed it was hungry since it had chugged the entire bottle down in a few seconds. When it was done, it tried to drink more but there was nothing left so I pulled out the bottle from it’s mouth and the baby goat walked back to its mother. I made a small smile before I stood up to see Aiba-san looking at me before he tossed his head away. Why was he looking at me like that? Was he looking at me the entire time?
I cocked my head to head and then Imai-san said. “Since they’re newborns we haven’t named them yet. Would you like the name the goats?” With widened eyes, I started to feel nervous. Name these goats? Since when do people name their goats? I’ve heard dog, cat, bird and fish names but goats…?
“Hm….” Aiba-san trailed off as he placed his hands on his hips and lost in his own thoughts. Meanwhile I furrowed my eyebrows and stared at the goats. There was one black goat and one white goat. So I decided to name them after their appearance. “How about Shiro and Kuro?” Aiba-san shot his head at me and shook his head with an upset look on his face. “No, you can’t name them like that!” He said and placed a hand on my shoulder and then he pointed at the baby goats. “Be more creative. Say the first word that pops in your head when you look at them.”
I sighed and felt my head was about to burst. Why do I have to use all my brainpower to make up 2 names? I began to closely inspect the black goat and noticed that the black goat was alone as it ate some clovers. Then I looked at the white baby goat and it was yelling ever since we came to see them. Also the baby goat stayed closely with its mother. “Clover.” I said and pointed to the black baby goat and then I pointed to the white baby goat. “Taka.”
Both Aiba-san and Imai-san furrowed their eyebrows and looked at me with a questionable expression. “Did you say Taka? Why Taka?” Imai-san asked and I looked at them with glazed eyes. “Taka, from the kanji for filial piety. I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl so I’m going to name it just Taka.” Suddenly Aiba-san fell forward and Imai-san cocked his head to the side. Did I say something weird? “Oh, you should have asked me Asuka-chan.” Imai-san said with an embarrassed smile. I shrugged my shoulders and then turned my head back to stare at Taka. Somehow looking at how close it was near its mother made me feel a bit envious. Suddenly I felt like I was kid again and looking envious at the other children at school who got picked up by their mothers and/or fathers when school ended. I shook my head to shake off my thoughts. Wait, should I really be envious of a goat?
“Well I’m naming these two Shimura-san and Asuka.” Aiba-san said brightly and smiled as he petted them. With widened eyes, my mouth dropped from hearing his words. Why would he name a goat after me? I looked at him and suddenly our eyes met. He tossed his head away and it looked like he was blushing. However I was unconcerned with his feelings because I immensely wanted to know why he used my name but whenever I asked, he would ignore me by talking to the goats in a tone that one would use for babies.
After we spent a few minutes at the goat house, Imai-san said. “I should take you to the goat milk processing plant.” Aiba-san and I followed Imai-san as he gave us a tour around the farm. We ate some goat cheese, Aiba-san tried milking the cows and at the end, I bought some goat cheese and some milk from Imai-san since I planned on bringing some home.
As we headed back to Aiba-san’s car, Imai-san kept talking to me about the many things that happened on the farm and I could see that he was very happy with his job although it is hard work. “Arigato gozaimasu for letting us tour around your farm. I’ll let you know way ahead of time before I decide to come down here to visit you again.” Imai-san blushed and waved his hands side-to-side. “It’s fine. You can stop by anytime and check up on Clover and Taka.” Imai-san added a chuckle at the end of the sentence, which made me wonder if he was going to really use the names that Aiba-san and I made up.
“Okay. Bye Imai-san.” I said and bowed my head at Imai-san. As Aiba-san said his goodbyes to Imai-san, I started to wonder if it was really all right to head home with Aiba-san. If I wanted to go home on my own then this would be the perfect time to make my escape especially when Imai-san is around. It would have been a bit difficult if I wanted to escape when it’s just Aiba-san and I in his car. “Bye-bye Imai-san! It was nice meeting you.” Aiba-san shouted and waved his hands to Imai-san who was standing and waving back to him.
I extended my hand out towards the car handle but I was still contemplating about my ride home. I already knew in my head that I should keep a business relationship with Aiba-san so I should know where I stand between the both of us. However ever since we met at the ryokan, I’ve kept my guard down and I have been dragged along with his playfulness and easy-goingness. I sighed quietly to myself and was about to walk away when Aiba-san, who had already climbed inside, reached over and opened the door for me.
“Come in. We should leave as soon as possible if we plan to get back to Tokyo before rush hour.” He said, as he was bent over and looking at me. I had no choice but to comply. I sat inside his car again and we drove off and away from Imai-san’s farm.
Next time if I want to escape from Aiba-san I should have done it sooner. I would make a terrible company spy if my father sent me to a rival company for information.