The Beautiful Downfall - An Aiba Masaki Fanfic (Chapter 2/?) [*Matsumoto POV]
Pairing: Aiba Masaki x Kusunoki Shion (OC)
Rating: R for whole series, PG for Ch.2
Genre: Romance, Mystery Drama
Word count: 1,489
Plot: Aiba Masaki (29) is the CEO of Yamakaze Hotels, Japan's top hotel chain. What began as a search for a secretary turns into a life-changing matter when he meets candidate Kusunoki Shion (26). As Shion challenges Aiba to question the only world he's ever known, she keeps to herself a dark secret that must remain undisclosed.
Author's Notes:
Thanks for stopping by to read my fanfic! :D I have two ongoing series: this one, and Eyes Like Honey (Sakurai Sho fanfic). I began The Beautiful Downfall with a clear concept: I wanted to write a dark, DoS Masaki. ;) From there, I jotted down a rough storyline which became The Beautiful Downfall. Each chapter is relatively and deliberately short (under 2,000 words), so they are quicker reads than my other fanfics. Although I'm not sure how many chapters will be in this series, I hope you'll stick around to the end! ❤
Prologue | Chapter 1
Chapter 2: The Sixth
She is his sixth.
Since I began my job as the Young Master's chauffeur, I had seen my fair share of beautiful women rushing out the doors of his office, carrying their tear-stained faces in their hands. It's my policy to not question the Young Master's motives or actions, but that doesn't mean I agree with his ways. I'm sure he has his reasons, but I could never talk to a woman like that. Deliberately making them cry? Why would he do such a thing?
The only one who can talk back at him is his butler. My uncle, Yuuichiro, has worked under the Young Master for decades. He's watched him grow since the Young Master was only five years old. For better or for worse, he's the only master my uncle has ever known. By the time the second secretary got fired, I had questions. When I consulted Uncle Yuuichiro, all he said was, "You mustn't judge the Young Master's character based on very few examples." I shrugged my shoulders, unsatisfied with the response, but decided that it would be best if I simply did not meddle in the Young Master's ways.
One year ago, I was struggling. Call it a quarter-life crisis if you will. I hit that point in my life where I was questioning whether I had made the right career choice. Could I see myself in the field of human resources for the rest of my life? I struggled for a response to my own inquiry.
"Would you be interested in being the Young Master's chauffeur?"
I remember staring back at him with my eyebrows raised in disbelief. An HR guy demoted to driving some elitist around? My initial reaction was negative. But I had no realistic goals at the time, and working with my favorite uncle sounded like fun. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. His Young Master is Aiba Masaki-sama, the CEO of Yamakaze Hotels? Why didn't you tell me before I took the job?! I was so nervous the first several months that I started to carry around a handkerchief inside my jacket pocket so that I could wipe my palms and forehead whenever I'd get too sweaty.
One day, on the drive back from a business meeting, the Young Master asked that I pull over to the side of the road.
"Is something wrong, Young Master?"
"Wait here. Give me 10 minutes."
When he returned, he passed me a small box.
"What is this, sir?"
"Open it."
Inside was a Derek Rose paisley handkerchief.
"That way, you can give that one a rest." He pointed to the sweat-infused, wrinkled cloth in my hand.
"Thank you, Young Master. I'll take good care of it." I bowed deeply in my seat.
"Happy birthday."
I stared at him through the rear-view mirror. "...You remembered, sir?"
"You can thank my impeccable memory," he replied smugly.
It was the first time I caught a true glimpse of him, not as the CEO of the largest hotel empire in Japan, but as Aiba Masaki. From that moment, I vowed to be his loyal servant. I understood why my uncle had worked under him for so long. In all his brokenness, I had assumed that he didn't know how to be kind to others. But I was wrong. He taught me that kindness was a verb, not a state of being.
--
"Matsumoto, pick us up at 6pm in front of the building."
"Yes, sir."
Tonight was an important dinner meeting with a potential investor, and the Young Master had invited Kusunoki-san to join him. It had only been three weeks since she joined the team. I liked her, though she isn't the most personable individual, to say the least. I had interacted with her on several occasions, but still hadn’t seen her smile. In fact, I had yet to see her change expressions, for that matter. When she first made her rounds to introduce herself around the office, the Young Master appointed me to give her a tour of the building. As we made our way through each department, she jotted down notes after introductions and asked me who held managerial positions. I understood why he hired her: she was all business, and she was good at it.
Last week, I bumped into her in the lunchroom. In an attempt to get to know her better, I asked if I could join her.
"My lunch breaks are 30 minutes," she checked her watch. "I must leave in 11 minutes."
"T-That's all right." Like I said: she is all business. "So..."
"Are you a small talk kind of person, Matsumoto-san?" she interrupted.
"Not... really."
"Good. Me neither." She took a bite of her bento and looked away.
"Did you make that?"
Inside a generous-sized bento box was at least half a dozen kinds of sides, and in her free hand was a rice ball the size of a grapefruit. The fingers that held it were slender, her wrist thin. Never judge a book by its cover. Or, in this case, a stomach by its frame.
"Yes."
"Wow... I'm impressed."
"At my cooking, or how much I eat?"
"Both," I chuckled.
Still expressionless, she carefully placed her rice ball down and got up to grab something from the drawer next to the sink. When she returned, she slid the bento box toward me and handed me disposable chopsticks.
"Go ahead."
I was a little taken aback, but I decided it would be a good icebreaker, something we could talk about. I went for a bite of simmered burdock root. With every chew, I could tell my eyes were getting wider and wider.
"This is so good! You should be a cook instead!"
And with that comment, I noticed the faintest change in her expression. If I had blinked, I would have missed it. It was subtle and discreet but sure enough, there was a glimmer in her eyes, shining with a vibrancy I had never seen before.
"Have some more if you'd like." Like an anti-spell, the monotonous tone of her voice erased the sparkle in her eyes I had seen just moments ago.
She left the lunchroom exactly 11 minutes later. She was business as usual, but for some reason, I felt that I had seen something beyond her usual appearance. There was something intriguing about her, and I would soon find out that someone else thought the same thing.
Tsk.
I heard the sound of disapproval in the backseat and realized that my mind had been elsewhere.
"Is something bothering you, Young Master?"
"That repulsive woman..."
"Could you be referring to Kusunoki-san?"
"The nerve she has to fix my tie."
"Is that not the job of a secretary, sir, to make sure her boss looks perfect at all times and in all circumstances?"
"You say that as if to imply there are moments I am imperfect."
"Oh, no, sir! That's not what I meant by that. My apologies."
"At least you have the humility to admit you're sorry. She just unraveled my tie without warning, tied it again, and even fixed my collar. First of all, I didn't ask for help. Second, even if I did require assistance, she'd be the last person I'd ask. Third, I hate her for it because she was right."
"...By that, you mean?"
"She knew that the knot I had tied didn't work well with the width of the necktie. I had to look it up. A 'Pratt Knot,' they call it."
In the rear-view mirror, I could see the Young Master loosen the knot, unbutton the top two buttons of his crisp dress shirt, and cross his arms in annoyance.
"She's all business, Young Master. Pray you won't take it too personally."
“That’s all she is: business. Does she even know how to smile?!”
I peeked at his expression as I waited for a green light. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty quick with this sort of thing.
"Could that be the real reason why you’re upset?"
"Huh?"
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked out the window as if he hoped the city lights could provide him with the answer to that question.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so concerned about any of your previous secretaries.”
After a cynical snort, he clasped his hands on his lap. “None of them had her audacity.”
From the rearview mirror, I noticed that the Young Master was smiling. It was the sort of expression one may witness on an individual accepting defeat, almost satisfied with the outcome. This was the moment I realized what my HR self already knew: she was different, and she was going to last. What’s more, I had a hunch that the roles had reversed. If anyone were to one day succeed Kusunoki-san, it would not be because the Young Master had fired her. It would be because she chose to leave.