Kawakami II

The start of my day was thoroughly ruined, but that was just the start. Luckily for me, it was only late morning, leaving the rest of the day for me to find something to do.

I entered back into my penthouse after the long elevator trip.

“Charles, take care of these for me. I’d appreciate it,” I said while handing him the tickets from earlier. “Oh, and about that Borsche 911, any updates on it?”

“Ah yes sir. The initial bid is ours, now it’s just up to the color. Of your choosing, of course, Sir.”

I had my eye on importing a specific German sports car. You can always drive faster, turn quicker. But you can’t do that in last year’s model.

“Does it come in black? Ha, I’m just joking. Black is tacky nowadays; everyone has a black car. Make it matte black and call it a day.”

“Matte black… As you wish, Sir. And the interior? Anything specific?” He asked.

“Hm. Good question. I’m guessing matte black wouldn’t be an option for the inside either… Dealer’s choice, this one’s all yours, Charles.”

I opened a pack of Brazilian chocolate truffles. Unsure of the flavor or assortment, I settled for a smaller darker piece of chocolate in the mix.

“Oh-ho how privileged I am today, Sir. Perhaps I’ll deflect this decision over to Ms. Shinohara. She seems to have a good grasp on these sorts of things!”

With as much grace as possible, I crushed the chocolate in my hand.

“Charles, between you and me, what do you think of that woman?” I asked.

“Well, she seems to be one of the few good ones that end up around you, Sir. And I mean that in the best way possible.”

“Few good ones? I meet plenty of beautiful women that I wouldn’t describe as just good.”

“No, no, I believe you misunderstand, Sir. Few good ones as in one that you may value as more than a piece of art or something to display. If I may speak freely, which I will, then Ms. Shinohara may just chase you until you fall over. Of course, I might just be saying this as although I enjoy your company, Sir, it would be nice to see you spend some time with a woman that cares for you.”

“Charles, how well do you know this girl? She a friend or something?”

“Call it intuition! I was quite the womanizer in my day as well!” He laughed in my face. “Kai, it’s not impossible to be happy around a woman, even if you are meeting them for the first time. Maybe think about that next time you see her.”

Charles tended to give unwanted and particularly unrelated counsel to me. Especially about things that he thinks I need to hear.

“Well, I appreciate the thought, but the reality is, that Shinohara is nowhere to be seen right now and probably for the rest of my life. So, what do you have to say about that, Charles?”

“May I remind you of the situation with the news I’m sure you heard from Ms. Shinohara herself. Well, less of a reminder and more of an update, Sir.”

He lowered the lights and turned on the TV in the living room. Flipping through the channels until the program he desired came up, he then paused.

“This may come as quite a shock, but we can be strong together, Sir!” He chuckled and sat next to me on the couch.

The news segment began.

“Kawakami Kai and his LOVER! Who is SHE? WHY are they together eating breakfast at a local café? WHAT does this mean for the economy? Is SHE just a gold digger? Getting to the bottom of these questions and more at the top of the hour, right here on Tokyo Central News! Stay tuned to hear from insider, Dr. Akihara Aki! The man that allegedly knows everyone who’s anyone!”

I put my hand over my mouth to cover the shock that was spreading across my face. Safe to say that Ms. Shinohara undersold this whole “Mystery Woman” trending on social media thing. Or maybe she hadn’t and these leeches in the media were really that desperate for some sort of story about me. I felt it unfair that they assumed I would be involved with a woman as enigmatic as Ms. Shinohara, let alone have her be my lover.

“Charles, did you know about this?” I asked quietly.

“Unfortunately… I may have even posted a picture of you two from this morning as well. It’s all very serious.”

“YOU DID WHAT!?”

“All in good fun, Sir! Nothing like a bit of razzle dazzle added to your boring life! All in good fun I say!”

Now I could feel stress seeping into my shoulders and up my neck toward my temples. This was beginning to shape up into something undesirable and something ugly. I needed to take control of the situation, but I had no way to contact Ms. Shinohara, let alone any idea on how to get the media’s prying eyes off my back. And I definitely had no idea on how to even deal with Ms. Shinohara if I were to find her.

Figuratively I was at a series of crossroads that lead to dead ends, and physically I was slouching forward on my couch. No plan in mind, just complete and utter slothfulness overtaking my being. I guess I could just let this take its course and me with it along for the ride.

“Sir, if I may intrude on your profound moment of reflection.” Charles interrupted my meditation. “I’m hoping that you’re looking for an opportunity to clear this up with Ms. Shinohara, as I’m sure she isn’t exactly thrilled about this newfound relationship. Maybe a bit excited, even I am! Ahem, but in all seriousness, its unfair for both of you so I suggest you take the initiative and clear it up with her. Do you agree, Sir?”

“Very well-spoken Charles, as always. What shall it be then?” I asked, feeling a bit better about the situation now that a plan of action was developing.

“The forecast tonight says there are minimal winds and no cloud cover over the city. Perfect conditions for parachuting, as we’ve learned.”

“Easy now, coming from you. I’m thinking bigger. Charles, organize something at the base of the tower tonight. Invite the public. First 1,000 people get a T-shirt. Private security and all the fixings for a great party. Oh, and make sure the helicopter is fueled.” I ordered.

It’s comfortable having someone as well put together as Charles on your side. I’d never admit it, but he balances me out and makes everything I want to happen go smoothly. Does enough for me that I’ll ignore his snide comments here and there.

Now, time to contact the other person in my corner. A lowlife as possibly could be for a man of his status, but a reliable companion, nevertheless. Otsuka Yuki. A friend of mine since grade school that unexpectedly rose to fame through acting and thankfully stayed by my side despite everything. A real ace in the hole when it comes to friends.

///

“So, why’d you drag me out here, Kai? You know I’m a busy guy; I had to drop a whole lot of everything to make this little meet up happen. Left a girl or two on read to be here type of thing,” Yuki said. “But you know I’ll be there for you. So, what’s up? Actually, I know already. This Shinohara Shoko girl, right? Kinda surprising for you, I must admit. I mean I was looking at all the posts and pictures, and come on. Not a single designer brand on her! Who is this poor girl you picked up off the street, huh?”

To my request, Yuki met me at the top of Kawakami Tower an hour before the party below was set to start. His straightforwardness wasn’t a unique quality, but more of a defining feature of his status that other A-listers shared as well. It must be a movie star thing as myself and the other billionaires can be more sensitive when required.

“Well, she’s definitely one of the reasons why I called you up here tonight.” I admitted.

“One of the reasons? Don’t tell me you’re making me your sole heir. I can manage a skyscraper or two, but this building is too much for a simple guy like me.”

“Simple, huh? The only simple thing about you is the way you think. What if I told you I was the majority shareholder of Italian luxury brand Lucci? You wanna be my heir now?”

“Kai, come on Kai. You know better. Nobody wears Lucci in the summer. I’m starting to think you brought me up here just so I stay away from your girl. Who I may admit does look bizarrely familiar. Not sure what it is…” Yuki trailed off into thoughts guaranteed to be filled with more women.

“Alright, Yuki. Help me out here. Everyone is saying that her and I are a couple, right? Well, I’m thinking that this party will be the type of thing she comes too, you know, given the spectacle and all.” I said while gesturing to my helicopter behind us. My big plan tonight was a bit of parachuting from the helicopter to the party and a whole magnificent and dramatic entrance. I thought about trying something else to freshen things up, but I really just wanted to use my helicopter again.

“So given that she actually shows up, I’ll need your help finding her and creating a private moment with just her and I. Charles says its best that I apologize for dragging her into the limelight like this and essentially forcing her into an unwanted relationship. I’m just not sure how I really feel about doing that. Feels wrong, somehow.” I said.

“Shinohara Shoko… She’s in quite the unique situation indeed. What’s holding you back, Kai? Why not just go for it?” Yuki suddenly posed a question.

“Go for it? What do you mean by that?”

“Between you and me it’s no secret you’re at a bit of a loss when it comes to genuine feminine relationships, so, I was thinking why not try something with this girl? I mean, half the battle’s won right? No need to keep it a secret as everyone already knows. Not really any downside either. Just say it all blows up in your face. Boom, it’s over. It’s over man! Just what you wanted if it doesn’t work out. No big deal. I’m kind of envious of your situation right now actually. A wondrous cutie comes into your life suddenly and if things go well then things go well, and if they don’t, no harm no foul for you.”

Yuki had a point. I hate to admit that but it’s true. He often doesn’t so this was some genuine genius level of critical thinking. If I pursue Shinohara and we truly fall in love, then my womanly woes come to an end. But if I shut down the relationship now like I should, then my dignity is preserved and the moral high ground maintained. It’s not fair for this random girl to have this pressure, but, it could also be my ticket out of the dog days of dating.

“Yuki, I gotta admit. You’re something special.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just hop in the chopper, it's party time!”