A Day in the Life

Isamu Ikemoto listened attentively as his team of lawyers and financial advisors debated the finer points of the contract papers before him, while presentation slides displayed across the large screens in his main office. The senior advisor concluded, "The deal the Oyama group is offering has the potential to improve our company's portfolio by 25% over the next ten years."

"The risk, however, is considerable," the second advisor warned. "If you make offers for those distressed properties, we have to assume you'll provoke a response from the Tanaka syndicate. They may even attempt to vandalize your properties or worse."

"The Oyama group promised to help protect our assets, but..." Isamu hedged.

"No one can be everywhere at once," the security chief warned. "We have to assume criminal activity might be done. That kind of collateral damage might make any kind of profit not worth the trouble."

Isamu sighed. "The problem is, I'm not sure the Oyama group is going to like hearing a negative response to their proposal. Akito has heard that the reason for this outreach was the recent death of Daisuke's son; they're basically hoping our organization's logistical channels will be able to replace the ones Katsumi ran."

"If we decide to move forward with this deal, I recommend we rework the security profile around your family and central headquarters to ensure that if there is any blowback from either Oyama's or Tanaka's group, we'll be ready."

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Keio University was one of Japan's top universities, with several of its students going on to prominent business and political leaders. Among the circles, students tended to form cliques based on their social classes and upbringing every bit as much as their common interests.

"So, what else was he like? The social media pages say he's some kind of Top-Secret government agent!" the young lady asked.

"Wha...? No, nothing like that!" Kyoko Ikemoto insisted. "Kyosuke admitted he was in the service, but that he was just a cook, nothing exciting."

"Eh?" the other girl insisted. She scrolled through her phone again and looked disappointed. "Isn't this the guy who rescued you last week in Shinjuku? I thought for sure he'd be some kind of expert warrior!"

"Um... no, not really," Kyoko pondered. "It all happened so fast, I wasn't sure how it went down, but before I knew it, he was pulling me off the floor. When we were in the kombini, he said he managed to push those guys back and they got the message. I didn't exactly stick around to question it. I met him later at his place of work and I'm telling you; he's a cook. I watched him make a noodle dish from scratch."

"Wow... OK, so he really can cook? Is he good looking?" the third girl asked. "How does he compare with Satoshi?"

"Satoshi's... kind of a little too pretty, not to mention, kind of full of it," Kyoko huffed, then changed her tone. "Kyosuke's got a different vibe... more rugged, less refined, if that means anything. Somehow, you can tell he's someone who works with his hands, and not someone who just sits in an office all day."

"Ugh... sounds like a working-class stiff," the first girl scoffed.

"What's wrong with that?" Kyoko asked.

"Well... nothing, but... are you planning on bringing a guy like that to Roppongi Hills or Tokyo American?"

"Geez, you sound like my dad," Kyoko bemoaned. "Not everything has to be about fancy clubs and social status. How is someone supposed to run a company if you never know what it's like to be a worker? All the people who work for my dad's company are people like Kyosuke; working class people. Do we look down on all of them?"

"No, but we don't go inviting them to all the most exclusive clubs in the city either," the first girl countered. "I'm not saying you should shame the guy, but that doesn't mean he's boyfriend material."

"Well, I think he's exciting," Kyoko admitted. "Even if he is just a laborer, he's got the look of a man who's been around the block."

"I think you've still got stars in your eyes," the second girl warned. "OK, yeah, I get it, he saved you from a bunch of goons, good for him. Are you planning on going steady with a guy just on one chance meeting?"

"I don't know..." Kyoko pondered. "But I think I'd like to go out on another date to see where this goes."

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Kyosuke Sukarai walked into Hana noodle shop with a load of boxes, delivering their restaurant supplies. Yoriyoshi Osaki finished counting the boxes as he turned to Kyosuke. "So, how did your date with the princess go?"

"Come on, it wasn't a date, we just had lunch," Kyosuke denied. He paused as he noticed everyone else in the restaurant had paused and was now listening in on their conversation. "Nothing happened..." he insisted with as much levity as he could muster, "those rumors about it going any further are just gossip."

"Um... I'm not hearing a negative reaction here," Yoriyoshi chided with amusement. "Do you think maybe you could see if she could get me into one of those fancy country clubs? The ones that serve the expensive top-shelf liquor and fancy caviar?"

"Nah, I'm sure places like that do everything they can to keep riffraff like you out, bad for the ambiance," Kyosuke snorted. "Besides, she left me a message asking if I'd be interested in meeting her at the cherry blossoms gardens near the National Art Center in Minato; pretty sure they don't have liquor there."

"Woah, cherry blossoms at a museum? I didn't figure you to be the type!" Yoriyoshi exclaimed. "Don't forget to comb your hair; maybe even try putting on a tie!"

"This coming from the guy who says being with her was a bad idea?" Kyosuke reminded.

Yoriyoshi shrugged. "Hey, don't come crying to me if you get your face plastered on the front page of every paparazzi gossip column again and it starts making you too much of a liability to hire." He paused for a moment. "Wait... you're not... seriously falling for this girl, are you?"

Kyosuke looked taken aback. "N-no... of course not! This museum thing was her idea! She just said there was something she wanted to show me!"

"Oh ho... you do have the hots for her!" Yoriyoshi chortled. "I mean, really? Cherry blossoms, seriously? So, what now? Ride off into the sunset with her daddy's money and live happily ever after?"

Kyosuke scoffed, "Come on, you know it doesn't work that way. I just... maybe I just want to see where this goes."