Shinohara III

Condescending! Rude! Handsome! Filthy rich! Arrogant! Insecure! Probably! Well dressed! Straight up down right infuriating! Kawakami Kai you are the freshly mown lawn for an asthmatic! You are the unsnoozable alarm clock! You are the stumbling block's stumbling block! You are my pet's peeve!

Angry hot tears erupted from my eyes while I pushed through the doors to HQ and stomped inside. Angry hot words followed my tears as the culmination of the last day or so's events physically manifested.

"Kawakami Kai youuuuuuuuuuuuuu are Tokyo's, NO, the WORLD'S, biggest, piece of—!" I screamed.

"Ms. Shinohara... " The peppy receptionist from the evening before interrupted me.

She looked me up and down. Eyeing my shoes to the mosaic of mascara undoubtedly muddling my face before continuing.

"Feeling comfortable this morning, are we? The Doctor doesn't typically appreciate headlines involving staff, let alone unprofessional speech in the workplace."

Too bad I never finished my thought because this piece of—

"Anyway... Tidy up now... Please." She said while looking me over at each pause. "The Doctor wants to speak—!"

39 hours of stress and unruly travels mixed with 14.37 hours of intoxicated memory loss combined with a tender hour and a half of humiliation is the perfect formula for a bitchin slap.

I drew my hand back and let it sing.

SMACK!

"Y-YOU... Shut up! Your shoes don't match your skirt, you obviously bought them second hand!" I chirped and ran away. Glancing back I could see the superficial insult was a deep cut for a gal like her, although the red filling her face really brought the skirt and shoes together quite nicely.

I sprinted up the stairs two at a time and met my next challenger guarding the doors to the Doctor's office.

Our eyes met at a distance, and I closed in like a raging bull. The Doctor's assistant played the part of the matador perfectly, staring me down as I charged in and deftly opening the doors behind her before I could knock her down.

"Good luck!" She whispered with a wink.

I stumbled into the office, and decided it was best to forget about the assistant and the front desk girl.

Of course, that decision was made primarily by someone else. That person being Akihara Aki, the Doctor himself. Commander of a presence that'll strangle a headline out of anyone. Presently, he sat upon his desk, arms spread out wide to his sides supporting his frame, his eyes boring into my soul like a ravenous bird of prey.

"T-T-Tch... You know, Ms. Shinohara, I'm the type of employer that requires a written letter of resignation, given two weeks in advance." He cooed.

He paused, then continued, "That being said, I urge you to reconsider your position." 

"You see, you have a talent—truly, truly you do." He smiled. "A talent for wasting ink and bandwidth!"

Huh???

"You see, you see right here, Ms. Shinohara!" He exclaimed pointing to his smartphone now. "YOU! YOU are the headline, NOT Mr. Kawakami! and THAT is an issue!"

The doctor suddenly tossed his phone at me, breaking me from my aura induced stupor. I started scrolling through the social media posts, my eyes widening from shock and disbelief.

"YOU SEE NOW, MS. SHINOHARA! YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE??"

His haunting cries shifted into a low whisper.

"Do you understand the affect you have on the socio-metacultural ecosystem and the potential for a breakout story? A breakout story that only you can write?"

"Sir, I don't understand!" I cried. Truthfully, I did, but probably not to the extent he wanted.

"Well, well, well. Thank me later, for as your glorious deity, I will enlighten you!"

He hopped off his desk and proceeded to turn on a dozen different TVs and screens across his office, each showing a different entertainment news network. They all had the same headline, and they all had the same photos of Kawakami and I on our way to breakfast this morning.

"Do you see now Ms. Shinohara? Every major news outlet was watching you and Mr. Kawakami stroll across town for some light dining. Every major news outlet is dying to know who this "Mystery Woman' is... Dying to know who you are! Can you see the possibilities now? Can't you understand the leverage you hold?"

His excitement infected each of his words, and started to spread toward me. I could see his vision. I could feel the virality of his words overcoming me.

"I-I see it, Doctor! But... But where should I start? What do I do now?"

"Do not worry, my dear. I have it all planned out for you, should you be willing to accept. I must advise you, and my advice is never free, that this plan... No, this life, will guarantee you fame in this industry, but at the cost of your private life being temporarily exposed to the world." He admitted gravely.

I nodded in grim acceptance of my calling.

"You desire to be an equal of mine in this industry, correct? To be at the forefront of breaking news, domestic and globally, correct?"

He paused, his words hanging in the air like storm clouds gathering upon the bay, waiting to release a torrent upon me.

"If these things are true, then very simply put, you will have to ride this 'Mystery Woman' wave of interest, and toe the line of becoming Mr. Kawakami's lover. There is no doubt in my mind you are capable of this, Ms. Shinohara! Your calling, should you choose to accept it... Foster this hollow relationship, deceive the public eye, manipulate Mr. Kawakami at every moment until your name rivals mine and even the name of your false lover! Do you accept this charge, Ms. Shinohara?"

The explicitness of his words rang through me as if I was a church bell sounding out to equally the cavalry and the choir. On one hand, his words called every inch of me to action. I saw the directness of the course and the clear path toward accomplishing my goal. If there ever was a moment to bolster my career and deliver a story so desperately sought out by the media, it was now. But on the other hand... Well, I can't say that my parents or anything I've previously stood for would suggest me leading on a powerful egotistical solitary billionaire, but I can't really say that that scenario would come up normally, would I?

"I'll do what you ask of me, Dr. Akihara." I pledged solemnly.

"Excellent. As expected of you Ms. Shinohara, you are remarkable. Now it's very important that you keep a close ear to the ground, so to speak. From the moment you leave this door, it is imperative that every form of social media, every newspaper, every paparazzi is convinced you are the sole woman inside Kawakami Kai's heart. That you two love each other very much and will be seen often in public in order to generate as much business for you and me. Is that all clear?"

"It is, sir." I responded, the gravity of the situation slowly falling into place on top of me.

"Well then, our business here is done, get out there and make me some money. Uh... Ahaha I mean make me proud."

With that, Dr. Akihara ushered me out of his office.

I began to feel the reality of this situation growing on me as I stood outside his office. I wanted to move and get to work on this whole thing, but I couldn't. So many thoughts and questions raced through my mind, overloading me to the point I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"Uhhh, Ms. Shinohara? Are you, like, alright? Well, come with me when you’re ready!” The assistant said and put a comforting arm around my shoulders.

The warmth she invited in by that singular move brought me to my senses. I wiped the tears from my eyes and adjusted my hair a bit so I could see her more clearly.

“Excuse me… I-I mean, please forgive me… But, what’s your name?” I managed through a bout of humiliation.

“Figured you’d finallllllly ask! I’m Saki! Annnnd some good news for you too. Finally, right? Hahahaaaa, um, anyway, I’m your assistant now! Dr. Akihara said that you’re gonna need some real help in order to make this whole real relationship boyfriend girlfriend business work. Soooooo, I totally volunteered after seeing all that mess you went through!” Saki beamed. Her countenance inspired me to lead a better life. Her optimism outshone the rising sun. She was truly exceptional.

“Sakiiiiii! Thank you thank you thank youuuu!” I cried and collapsed into her arms.

She patted my head as if I were a little child.

“Saki..." I sniffed. "Get me out of this place!”

“Right away Ms. Shinohara!” She picked me up and slung me over her shoulder fireman style, and marched out of Tokyo News Central HQ. From my uniquely vulnerable position we passed the front desk girl and she stared at me with a bit of hate and maybe some envy in her eyes as we exited the building and piled into a car waiting for us.

///

After forty-five minutes of driving through traffic, we arrived at an apartment in some unknown corner of Tokyo. I got out of the car and was moved by the silent tranquility that dwelt in the space. It felt so different than the night before. The colors were more muted, blues and greys working together to make a bit of yellow shine on an electric pole. A weathered red vending machine observing from the curb, never imposing, just watching and taking note of its neighbors. Nothing was competing for my attention, just existing. Existing before I arrived, and yet subtly welcoming me to this little metropolitan bubble that was already theirs but my new home.

Saki guided me up the stairs to my new digs and explained that although this accommodation was provided by TNC (Tokyo News Central), I was responsible for my basic necessities and smaller furnishings. She really emphasized the need for my own personal flavor on the apartment, and I couldn’t help comparing the humility of the situation to Mr. Kawakami and his place. Right now, my apartment was all but bare bones, but at least there was room to grow. Mr. Kawakami’s was one of those places that felt complete the day it finished being built and had no room to add any sort of personalization. Maybe he likes it like that. Or maybe he’s just like that. I’m sure he’s just not good at interior design. I guess that’ll be one of the things I get around to as his girlfriend. If I can even call myself that!