Corporate Vertigo

Mio was still in President Kaguya Minamoto's office. The vertigo she felt from the view from the 80th floor was nothing compared to the vertigo she felt in her stomach.

“ An excellent decision, Mio-san. ” said Kaguya, her voice warm and professional, as she checked a tablet. “ And regarding the condition you set... it's fine. It's unusual, but we have no problem with that. Welcome to Minamoto Tech. ”

The three girls, Kaguya, a smiling Tanaka, and a trembling Mio, left the office and entered the private elevator. Mio was still nervous, her hands clutching the edge of her worn sweatshirt tightly. But when the glass elevator began to descend, she looked out the window and saw something that completely surprised her.

It was the same building, but seen from a different perspective than the main lobby. Through a gigantic atrium, she could see the lower floors. They were immaculate white studios. She saw dozens of beautiful women, of different heights and styles, posing under bright lights. She saw beauty products, top-of-the-line equipment, and photographers moving with frenetic energy.

Instead of being frightened, Mio was impressed. Her mouth opened slightly. It was the first time she had ever seen such a thing; a world of creation and beauty she never knew existed.

Kaguya and Tanaka, accustomed to this scene, saw it as something ordinary. But even though they tried to look professional, Tanaka, seeing Mio's face of utter amazement, couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle before covering it up with a cough.

The elevator reached its destination. The doors opened onto a bright white room. Several stylists and women from different areas of beauty and production were already waiting for her, lined up in an almost military-style welcome formation.

The three girls were already inside the room. And that's when Mio's anxiety hit her. "There are so many people! They're all looking at me! They know I'm a fraud! They're going to laugh at me!", Her inner self panicked. Her first instinct was to run away. " I have to get out of here! " She turned around, ready to run back to the elevator, but in her panic she didn't see her own clumsiness. She tripped over the untied laces of her sneakers.

Mio fell. It wasn't an elegant fall. It was a thud, a complete disaster in the middle of a million-dollar beauty salon. The silence was absolute.

Mio remained on the floor, her face completely red with embarrassment, wondering why on earth these kinds of things always happened to her.

She expected a scolding, dismissal, or humiliation. Instead, she heard an unexpected sound: Miss Kaguya Minamoto burst out laughing. It was a fine, soft, genuinely amused laugh. The other stylists, who had been trying to maintain their composure, let out nervous giggles when they saw their boss laughing.

“ Oh, my dear. ” said Kaguya, extending an elegant hand. “ You are even more entertaining than Tanaka described. ”

“ Although I still haven't forgotten the slap she gave me. ” Tanaka said quietly as he brought her hand to his cheek where Mio had slapped him days ago.

With all the drama over, the ice broken by her own clumsiness, Mio now found herself sitting in a professional chair. The makeover had begun. Several girls lent a hand to make the change. Some cut her hair, giving it shape and life. Others applied creams and makeup, analyzing her skin. Mio could barely hold her breath because of the number of people touching her face and hair, but for the first time, it wasn't scary. It was... warm.

While that was happening, at the Shinomiya residence, the atmosphere was anything but warm. Everyone was busy. Including Ren.

He was stuck in a photo shoot with his fiancée. “ Okay, Ren, Akira, look this way. A little closer. ” said the photographer. Ren, with his Ice Prince mask perfectly in place, did as he was asked.

While they were taking his photos, his father, Ryōma, stood to one side, asking him questions.

It was the tenth time that day that he had been assessed for the position of company president. Ren responded emotionlessly as the camera flashed. As usual, he answered every question correctly.

The session continued. Ren posed next to Akira. At one point, the photographer, a nervous man, tried to adjust a strand of Akira's hair. “ Excuse me, miss, your hair... ” Akira's reaction was instantaneous.

Akira slapped the cameraman so hard that the sound echoed throughout the room. “ Don't touch me! Get out of here! ” she hissed. The man fled, terrified. This action made Akira's father proud, and he nodded from his chair.

But not Ren. He looked at her with his usual coldness, but in his mind, he despised her more and more every day.

The session finally ended. The Takashimas left, with Ren's father congratulating Akira's parents on her “strength.”

Ren was left alone with his father in the living room.

“ Not bad.” said Ryōma, smoothing his suit. “ But you were distracted. Your answers were adequate, but your mind was elsewhere. Are you still with that stupid music group? ”

  “No, Father",  said Ren. “ I was just processing Miss Takashima's... cruelty. It's an admirable trait for a business partner. ” He said it with such cold sarcasm that Ryōma didn't notice. Or if he did, he liked it. “ Good. You're finally learning to think like a leader. Now, go. You have the board dinner tonight. ”

Ren was left alone, a perfectly dressed golden doll in a gigantic room. He looked at himself in a mirror. His face was that of the Ice Prince, flawless and empty.

But his mind was not in that place. He was thinking about the dream he had that night. The man with the Nexus bottle and the girl with pink hair along with the bunny pin.

Ren took out his phone. He ignored Naoki's messages about the car for dinner. He opened a private browser. His fingers, against all logic, typed in an internet search. Something his analytical brain despised, but his instincts needed.

Search: “MIo sakurai”