Kawakami I

"SNoooooooooore"

The beast's rumbling slumber stopped my hand from the door. I paused, and then contemplated all of my life choices for an even longer pause. For what reason this woman was on my couch was completely beyond all of my reasoning and memory. I hadn't been this careless in years with women.

I turned to face the anomaly. She was quieter now than a few moments ago. My weak curiosity overcame me and I crossed the room to get a better look at her. It would be dishonest of me to say I wasn't interested.

I squatted down directly in front of her, meeting her face to face, the only thing between us were a few milimeters of air and her closed eyelids.

She seemed to be hardly breathing, holding it all in as if she was about to unleash a sonic roar in front of me. She was attractive, not conventionally, but something about  her had an appeal. Her style was out of place. Her jewelry did not match her dress, nor her bag. Her hair was messy and unkempt, but not covering her face. Her face...

"I see you've taken a fancy to our guest, Master Kawakami."

"Charles!"

I stumbled forward and lost my balance from the surprising and irreverent remark from my butler.

I fell in slow motion toward the sleeping woman.

Right before I bashed my head against hers, her eyes slowly opened then widened in fright.

SMACK!!!!

No explanation necessary.

"Oh-ho, that's one way to jog each other's memory of last night, I suppose," Charles remarked.

The now-clearly awake woman sat up rubbing her forehead, mouth agape and taking in the luxury of her surroundings.

"Uhmm... where am I?? And who are you?? And YOU! You're the door guy from that night... Childe! No, Charles!!" she exclaimed in one breath.

"Young lady, you had quite the night after I last saw you. You really are fit for the front page oh-ho." Charles replied jovially. "Considering the look written on both of your faces, perhaps I should do a bit of storytelling about last night."

"Please, go ahead." I said while foraging through some drawers and looking for something to assess the damage on my head. 

I contemplated my newly disfigured appearance with a mirror. The swelling on my forehead wasn't one that would calm down in a matter of minutes. Tch.

"Well, where to begin... Oh-ho, I suppose it all started at the bar..."

Charles recounted the events of last night, to mine and this woman's dismay.

"I DRANK SOMEONE ELSE'S ALCOHOL AT THE BAR??"

"You forced your way into my party?"

"YOU SHOWED UP TO YOUR OWN PARTY LATE AND IN A HELICOPTER??"

"You threw up all over three of my girlfriends... and then passed out."

"THE PARAMEDICS TREATED ME FOR ALCOHOL POISONING??"

"I was just as drunk and cancelled the gala for this woman's welfare?"

"YOU-you let me stay the night and had Charles tend to my recovery..."

"I wouldn't put it like that."

"T-thank you..." she whispered timidly.

An apology followed by a cascade of tears among scores of sniveling and sobbing.

I observed that she was quite the emotional wreck. Not a good look.

"Ah well, Charles, thank you for your help. You understand quite well the importance of my image here and what's at stake. Thank you again."

"My pleasure, but I am inclined to share with you a certain bit of breaking news, Sir."

"The news? What do those crooks have to say about me now?" I asked, half-interested.

My new dress shirt was a few millimeters off of my measurements and the sleeves needed to be rolled up, limiting my outfit today. I’d have to take extra time to choose an appropriate watch considering it’ll be more visible today. Annoying.

More sobbing and sniffles filled the silence as Charles flipped through the TV programs until arriving at a local morning broadcast.

"Back to last night's breaking news, Kawakami Enterprises Quarterly Gala was allegedly crashed by this mystery woman, but it gets better. Not only was she reportedly 'not invited' but she seems to be Mr. Kawakami's next woman! Just look at this footage we have here! Unbelievable but, can we really put it past him at this point? He does have quite the reputation as a womanizer!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. Somehow. Someway. There was a video clear as day rolling in the background behind the reporter. I had this woman clutched in my arms, and I was running out the doors of the ballroom with her. This same woman whose tears were staining my imported Polish couch.

My eye began to twitch in angry stress.

"Wow... sniff... I can't believe someone got all that on video. Sniff... it almost looks like we're together. Maybe... sniff ...it's AI."

"I don't even know your name! Who are you?? Get out of my house!!" My composure was slipping.

"Master Kawakami,” Charles interjected, “please calm down. Rest assured this woman is no threat to you. Her name is Shinohara Shoko, a reporter with Tokyo News Central."

"Shinohara... I..., no, forget it. My apologies but this clears things up at least. You're here to weasel your way into my life and break down my walls, I imagine. Well your predecessors gave up and I'm sure you will too, so you may as well leave now and this rumor will be the extent of all this madness."

She cocked her head like I spoke to her in Morse code.

"Nope. No wayyyy," she chirped, her face suddenly free of tears.

"Nope no way what? You clearly misunderstand your position here."

"Nope again, I understand clearly. You see, Mr. Kawakami... I'm not going anywhere until I get to write a personalized article all about you. You may be Mr. All-that but I'm gonna be just as big someday."

She made a show of establishing her position on my couch as if she was colonizing my penthouse bit by bit.

Her persistence was somewhat admirable, and precisely misguided.

"This life isn't one you can handle Ms. Shinohara."

"Umm, I'll be fine..." She cocked her head in misunderstanding.

"No, my life isn't one you can handle, Ms. Shinohara."

I watched the contemplation brew in her head.

"That's true. But that's why it's your life, and my life is involved to the extent of writing about yours."

A respectable and thought out answer. Hollow, but well-spoken.

"Then you best be prepared. Not even I know what's in store for me day by day."

She smiled.

"Game on!"

///

After some cleaning up and a change of clothes by Ms. Shinohara, Charles ushered the both of us out the house.

"Charles, you're a doll. Thank you for everything so far!"beamed Shinohara.

"If only the Young Master could be a quarter as honest!"

I ignored them both and dragged Shinohara over to the elevator, and a few moments later we left the building. I took a few extra lengthy strides to create some distance between us. Despite the media's delusion, I wanted to maintain more than enough separation at all times.

"Ms. Shinohara, how about some breakfast? There's a new cafe that caught my interest the other day." I called out behind me.

"O-oh sure! That sounds yummy."

The hunger in her eyes betrayed the modesty in her response.

"Well, keep up then. I'm not a fan of waiting for my food."

I pushed through the crowds around me, attempting to keep as low a profile as possible. Walking anywhere was rare for me, and I genuinely distrust the hustle and bustle attributed to a city's sidewalk.

"Hey hey hey, who's that handsome man up there? Looks kinda familiar, doesn't he? Mister Kawakami." Shinohara quipped from just beyond my elbow.

"What on earth are you talking about??"

"That guy. Up there."

I followed her pointing figure up to a large billboard. I completely forgot about that one.

"You look soooo handsome. Visage fragrances. Ya know, you didn't strike me as a perfume type of guy," she teased dryly.

The billboard in question simply showed myself holding a fragrance bottle near my eye as if I were some famous baseball player doing a showtime pose. At least I made it look good.

"Hmph. Looks good. Pay's even better though."

"I guess this is why they call you The Human GDP."

"That may be... exaggerated..."

"Are you sure? I've counted 9 other advertisements and sponsors just on the way here that have either your name or picture on it!"

"Ridiculous. I'm more well known than that."

"Yeah, looks like it," Shinohara said as she turned me around to face an exponentially growing crowd steam rolling their way directly to us. "Any ideas on how to get out of this, your majesty?"

"Drop the attitude. Let's go."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her ahead away from the rowdy crowd.

"Mr. Kawakami! Kawakami! Is that your girlfriend!? Who is that woman? Is she the one on the news? She kinda looks like the one on the news! No way! He would never! Kawakami I LOVE YOUUUUU!"

The cluster of paparazzi and fans pursued us until we burst through the doors of the café.

It was smaller than advertised.

"Shinohara, take a seat somewhere, I'll take care of the doors." I spun her into a booth and shouldered past a waiter and through to an office of sorts.

"Excuse me, are you the owner here? No? Well, call him and tell him Kawakami Enterprises is buying this place."I demanded.

Specifically, I demanded with poise.

I handed the vaguely looking important person a blank check.

"And do me a favor and change the hours while we're at it. What time is it? 11 AM? Great, we close at 10 am on Tuesdays from now on. Lock the doors for me. Thanks."

With that mostly taken care of I returned to Shinohara and sat across from her at the booth.

"I uh, I ordered for us both while you were gone."

That explains the small coffee for me and the french toast, crepe, fruit bowl and large coffee for her.

"Thanks, goes a long way."

"Kawakami, I figured I'd let you know while I have your attention."

"What's that?"

"'Kawakami's Mystery Woman' is trending number one on every social media platform."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Look! They even have pictures of us eating here! Right now!"

She showed her phone to me and sure enough, there we were and here we are.

"This really isn't going to go well for either of us, I'm afraid." I said amongst conservative sips of coffee.

"Ehh they can take all the pictures they want, but just you wait, I'm gonna be the one to bring the big story about you to the world!" She confidently proclaimed.

"So you have no respect for my privacy either then."

"Huh? It's not like that, don't be weird. It's just my job."

"Right, well if we're talking work, then I'll have you know we're splitting this check." I said smugly.

"That's not fair! You could probably buy this place if you wanted to right now!!"She shouted, her eyes nearly bulging out her head.

"Who said anything about probably? You vastly underestimate me, Ms. Shinohara. Your headlining article won't be anything special at this rate."

"Hmph! I guess what they say about you is true!"

"And what exactly do they say?"

"Nothing! Because if there's nothing good to say about someone, then why say it at all!"

"You're talking nonsense. I do plenty of unspoken good here and there. And there’s always people talking about me. Actions speak louder than words after all, might I add."

"I don't recall any of your recent actions as charitable-- just inflating your own ego and waving your wealth around in front of everybody's faces all the time."

"You would see it that way, wouldn't you? Have you considered that I want to portray myself a certain way? So that you wenches in the media can’t get to know the real me?"

She didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even look me in the eye while I sat and took my time finishing the small coffee placed in front of me. When I told her a car was here to take us back to Kawakami Tower, she stood on her own, and opened both the café door and car door on her own too.

She could've walked back.

Upon arrival she did not thank me for the hospitality and chose to slam the car door shut in my face before I could exit behind her.

This car will need to be detailed again after all this brutish treatment.

I stood in front of my building and watched her walk agitatedly into Tokyo News Central HQ across the street.

"Just work, huh..." I muttered to myself.