The Offer

Miya laid on her bed after getting treated by the doctor for another hour. When he left, she'd asked him to close the door, but the doctor had refused to do so, saying that it was for her own safety. After he left, she stared up at the ceiling and at the fan that twirled in the center of it. She put her hand up as if she were trying to reach it, but she wasn't anywhere close to touching it.
     Eventually, Mukashi stepped into her room. He looked as proper as ever.
     "The doctor said you were well enough to perform." 
     "I know." She said softly.
     Mukashi stared at her as she didn't move.
     "Get up. You've missed out on two hours of practice for tonight's concert." He said concisely.
     "We practiced for eight hours yest-" She started to speak, then looked up at Mukashi. 
     He never smiled, but as she looked at him while he loomed next to her bed, she could tell that he wasn't particularly enthused with what she was saying.
     She sighed and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, then nodded.
     "Yes, Mukashi." She rolled over to the side of her bed and swung her legs over the side, sitting up on it. Her hair fell over her eyes as she did so, obscuring them and most of her nose. Mukashi tilted his head at her while she stood up, and his eyes roamed over her body as she stretched. She was used to his constant gaze, but she'd hoped that he would've waited for at least another hour before putting her through her paces again.
     "Your hair is too long. We'll cut it during your mid-practice break." He pulled out his phone and effortlessly rescheduled what she was going to be doing. "We'll have to cancel the interview at two pm if we want to keep you on schedule with your practices." He shook his head. "That will require halving your lunch to ten minutes instead of twenty, since I can't postpone the concert."
     Miya felt a little guilty about forcing Mukashi to reschedule her whole day. She hadn't considered how her attempt would affect him.
     "Mukashi, I'm... I'm sorry." She said, bowing her head. "For what I tried to do earlier."
     He kept typing away on his phone.
     "It's understandable." He didn't look up at her.
     She felt unsatisfied with his answer.
     "Your performance will be lengthy; I predicted that you'd have a negative reaction to it, so after the concert I've allotted you one hour where you may talk and relax with other idols." He said casually as he put his phone away and looked at her face.
     His pointed nose and sharp chin contrasted his soft gray eyes, making his face a beautiful contradiction. Miya stared at it and wondered if he knew about his own handsomeness, or if he was aloof and unaware of it.
     "It would be beneficial for you to converse with others in your situation." He said, then turned around and walked out of her room, gesturing for her to follow him.
     Miya did so, keeping her hands close together and walking demurely behind him.
     "I-I'll still get to read the letters next Thursday, right?"
     "Why would I lie to you?" He said calmly.
     She couldn't think of a response. During the three years that Mukashi had been her manager, she'd never caught him in a lie of any kind. 
     "Sorry for asking."
     He didn't respond.
     The two of them walked through thinly carpeted halls that passed by several rooms that belonged to other performers in Zygeist Media's lineup. 
     "Will the other idols be from Zygeist too?"
     "No." 
     Miya nodded softly. 
     "Have I met these other idols before?" She asked as she followed Mukashi around a corner.
     "You've met Fofu before; however, she'll arrive ten minutes before you leave, so you won't interact with her much."
     Miya did not like Fofu. Her blank expression became one of slight disdain.
     "Will you be there with me?" She asked curiously.
     "No." He said calmly.
     "Okay." She said, slightly disappointed. 
     The two of them reached the elevator. Mukashi pushed the call button and returned to the posture he always had: he stood perfectly straight and had his arms crossed. Miya looked up at him absently as they both waited for the elevator to arrive.
     She had grown very familiar with him over the last three years. The way he always had his hair done in the same style. The way his eyes were constantly focused, but not narrowed. The nearly impossible to detect changes in his face whenever he was upset or pleased. His black suit with a striped tie that complimented his eyes and hair. 
     He never changed, and in her life of constant whirling and striving and dancing, he was an island of tranquility. No matter what happened to her, Mukashi was always there to calmly explain how to fix the issue. 
     She wanted to reach out and touch his elbow as he stood next to her before the elevator, but just as she began to reach out, the doors to the elevator opened and Mukashi stepped inside. He turned to look at her and saw how she stood; her right arm slightly extended. She lowered her arm silently and stepped into the elevator with him. He pushed the button that led to the fifth floor and returned to his standard posture. 
     Miya thought that, maybe, he hadn't understood what he'd seen.
     "Miya, you may touch me if it helps improve your mood." He said.
     She blinked. 
     Mukashi didn't repeat himself as the elevator ascended. 
     "W-what did you say?"
     The elevator neared the fourth floor. Mukashi didn't turn to look at her.
     "I control what the public knows about you. If we are in an area that isn't publicly visible, and we have time, and you need to, you may touch me in order to improve your mood." He spoke calmly.
     Miya didn't know what to think about that. 
     The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor. There was a small room with large metal doors leading to an indoor gym and signs directing people to locker rooms of either gender. Mukashi stepped off the elevator, and after a moment's hesitation, Miya did as well.
     "Your outfit is in your locker. Change quickly; the walk here took longer than I expected it to." Once he finished speaking, he went through the large metal doors. 
     Miya stood in the transitory hallway in silence for a few moments, processing what Mukashi had told her in the elevator. She turned around and walked straight into the women's locker room. It was completely empty. She quickly changed out of her standard idol uniform into her blue leotard. She remembered how, back when she'd first started as an idol, she'd begged and pleaded for Mukashi to make her leotard blue. He'd done so almost immediately. 
     She folded her old clothes neatly, then carefully put them in her locker and closed it. She walked as quickly as she could out of the locker room, but as she entered the transitory room, she ran into someone she'd never seen before and fell onto the ground. She caught herself gracefully, but the man she'd bumped into held onto a large yellow cart in order to avoid tumbling.
     Miya blinked in surprise as she saw the man.
     He was an older man, wearing a janitorial outfit.
     "Are you okay, miss?" He said as he steadied himself and then immediately bent down to offer her a hand. 
     She took his hand, surprised that he existed. She'd never seen a janitor in Zygeist Media's offices before that day. She realized that she'd only seen him because she was drastically behind schedule. Once she stood up, she bowed at him and moved towards the large metal doors. When she put her hand on the metal bar that would open them, she heard the janitor speak.
     "Good luck young lady." 
     She stepped through the large metal doors and entered the indoor gym. Mukashi was standing right next to the entrance and glanced at her as she came in.
     "You took longer than expected. Your instructor is waiting for you." 
     "I-I know, I'm sorry." She said, bowing to him as she ran past him and stepped towards the other side of the wood floored gym. The walls of the gym were lined with mirrors and bars for her to take hold of when she needed to practice specific exercises. 
     Her dance instructor was not very handsome; but his ability to teach people how to dance was unparalleled. Normally, she needed to pay strict attention to his lessons, but today was different. No matter how much she tried to listen to his instructions, she couldn't stop thinking about Mukashi's offer.