Ch. 2 Terms and Conditions

The walk back feels a tad longer than it should. She spins the candies in her pocket as she walks, wondering why she was sent there unplanned. She thought it was an appointment, but they were just as confused about it as she was. By the time she reaches the office, it’s past noon and she’s growing hungry again. There’s only so much a few granola bars can do. Kenta is already inside as if he never left.

He looks up as she enters. “You’ve returned.”

He didn’t even ask about the job, just…welcomed? Her back. More like observed? Then anything.

“Yeah…” Hana closes the door behind her and puts the folder down. “So about the job…” She sits on the couch and puts her purse down on the table beside it. “They asked who sent me but I didn’t have a proper answer.”

Kenta tilts his head slightly. “That is expected.”

Hana frowns. “That’s not reassuring, are we not a registered business?”

“We are.” He says. “And it seems like you did your job right, the system is functioning correctly.”

She blinks in confusion. “The system?”

Kenta nods. “You identified the problem, went through the inventory of issues and corrected the emotional inefficiency." He gestures to her. “That is your role.”

“You could have explained it like that earlier, it would have been more helpful.” Hana huffs.

“Then you would not have understood it.”

Hana thinks for a moment. “Yeah it doesn’t make sense without the context.” She frowns at him. “You’re really bad at explaining things.”

For a brief moment Hana believes she sees his expression change from stoic to amused. It was very faint but she thinks she saw it, maybe she was just that tired still.

“So what am I, a marriage counselor? You’re using big words and I don’t exactly understand what it means. I feel like something of this nature needs a degree.” She sits back and pops one of the candies into her mouth. “Also the couple didn’t make an appointment, how did you know they needed it?”

Kenta grows quiet in thought, not because he doesn’t know what to say, but he’s choosing what he should say. How much of an explanation is necessary since the whole truth is hard to explain.

“They didn’t need to make an appointment.”

Hana raises a brow. “That… doesn’t answer anything.”

“Appointments are for voluntary issues, this one was non-voluntary.”

“That sounds… concerning. Are we stalking people?”

Kenta shakes his head. “No. It’s not concerning, it’s needed and being acknowledged.”

“By whom?”

Kenta hesitates, not thinking, just straight up unsure what to say as if this is a path he hadn’t planned for the conversation to go.

“By…me.”

Hana stares at him. “Uh-huh…”

“And the system.” Kenta adds.

Hana sighs as she looks at the ceiling. “Right, whatever that is. So it’s like matchmaking? Therapy but without legal training?”

“No.” Kenta shakes his head. “It detects instabilities and irregularities in human alignment.”

Hana runs a hand down her face. “Getting a straight answer from you is like pulling teeth, human alignment?”

“When a person or persons has an emotional conflict that holds a risk to the function of the system, intervention is required.”

Hana just looks at him, chewing slowly on her candy. “You talk like an instruction manual that forgot how to actually do the instructing part. Ya’know, the part that helps people and is made to be understandable?”

She catches it again, it’s brief, but for a moment, amusement flickered in his eyes. “That is not inaccurate.” He states.

“Okay so…” She looks at him directly. “Where do I fit in all this?” She sits up, wanting to get a clear answer. “Because right now I feel I walked into a job I applied for in my sleep, wasn’t trained for and don’t even fully understand nor could I explain it to others if they asked.”

Kenta watches her, letting her ask all she needs. “Are there more employees? Or is it just me being sent out to do emotional tetris, hoping I fit it all together right?”

“You were not randomly assigned.” Kenta states.

Hana waits for more. “That’s… a little bit better.”

“You responded differently than most. You did not leave when faced with a stressful situation. You didn’t make it worse, you actively helped on your own.”

Hana waves her hand dismissively. “I’m dead tired, you can’t use that to define me.”

“It’s relevant information.”

“But you didn’t know this beforehand, why choose a sleeping person by the river?”

Kenta puts his hands together in front of him, resting them on his knee. “You were observed in a collapse state.”

“You mean collapsed? That did happen.”

“No, a collapse state, severe fatigue, food deprivation, extreme emotional distress. Most individuals give up or escalate to extremes under such conditions.”

Hana leans back. “So… you recruit people who are in their worst moments?”

“No,” Kenta answers immediately. “Only those who stabilize without external help.”

Hana narrows her eyes. “That still doesn’t explain why you chose me, you picked me up and brought me here.”

Kenta pauses, deciding to skip over why she was chosen initially but rather why she fits in based on the one job she performed. “You interpreted and solved the problem without instruction.”

“So I solved something by accident so now I have a job loaded with benefits?"

Kenta nods. “You re-aligned perception so it may return to its correct path.”

“Sounds like a fancy way to say you guessed that I’d be a good fit and I guessed and happened to be a good fit by accident.”

“I did not guess.”

Hana runs her hands down her face, wondering what magic words she must say to get him to give her a straight answer on why she was chosen. “Ignoring the job I did, and me being tired and all, what about me screamed to you, that I would be good at this job and that you wanted to hire me on the spot?”

Kenta is quiet for a moment, recalling last night when they first met. “Nothing screamed anything.” He speaks calmly. “You did not act dramatically when I woke you.”

Hana sighs. “That is still… quite unhelpful.”

“You didn’t cry about how life is unfair for being treated horribly, nor did you beg to be fed or given money because of your situation. You did not lash out in anger, you did not attempt sleeping in the river out of despair..”

Hana rolls her eyes. “I was dead tired, I didn’t have the energy for that.”

“Tired people will still fight against those they deem a threat.” He pauses. “I was not a threat to you.” He meets her gaze. “That is not just being tired, that is not how people act in collapse condition. Most act cornered. They do not trust anybody or anything, or they refuse help and choose to wither away. Even when tired, most muster up the energy to choose one of those two options.”

Hana feels that he is managing to explain a little bit now. “So… I was nice when I was tired and that’s a job qualification?”

“No.” Kenta corrects her. “Despite being exhausted, you were still you.” While he looks fine, he struggles to avoid mentioning that he can see something she can’t, and it was the real reason why she was chosen.

Hana narrows her eyes slightly. “Okay… I feel like I’m still missing some important details though. When you saw me, what did you manage to see in me while I was asleep?”

Kenta goes quiet as he weighs his options, none of which are true, but what the safest option is. “It’s not something you can understand even if I describe it with words.”

Hana crosses her arms. “Try me.”

“I could see that despite your collapsed state, you were not unstable. Normally you are the type that needs a helping hand, one the system sees as a job.” He looks at her seriously. “I did not see inconsistency in you, I observed consistency of self.”

Hana nods despite not wholly getting it. “And you saw this while I was sleeping how?”

Kenta goes silent, feeling there is no way to answer this without revealing his ability. He answers carefully. “Sleep does not hide behavioral continuity.”

Hana narrows her eyes. “That is not an answer.”

“People are not different entities when sleeping. Patterns remain.”

Hana raises a brow. “Patterns?”

“Habits, innate details.”

Hana thinks for a moment. “So you read people to that level while they’re asleep when most people need to observe them acting for a long time to get such details?”

“I don’t read.” Kenta states then corrects himself. “I do read, I don’t read people. I observe.”

“That’s…weird.” Hana admits.

“It is the answer to your question.” Kenta states simply. “I have drafted up a contract for you while you were out. Please review it and let me know if the conditions please you.”

“While I was asleep?”

“No. Out as in on the job. It was an efficient use of time.” He hands the papers to her to view.

She looks at it, skimming it first. “It’s quite detailed.” She slows down to really read. “Compensation, flexible hours, benefits, sick time, vacation time, food and dorm.” She looks up at him from the paper. “No listed job title.”

“The role is adaptive.” Kenta answers simply.

Hana squints her eyes suspiciously. “Sounds like you’re avoiding explaining it.”

He doesn’t deny it.

“So what happens if I do a bad job?” She asks as she reads.

“Outcomes will deviate.”

Hana lowers the paper. “That doesn’t sound good. Does it hurt the system?”

“It’s not optimal. The system itself…” Kenta thinks. “Doesn’t get hurt… I believe.”

Thinking about her prior job she asks. “Do people get hurt?”

Kenta nods, a hint of sadness in his gaze. “Sometimes.”

Hana looks back at the contract, the weight of the job feels different knowing that.

“And you’re really just sending me in with no training?”

“I can train you. But there are many factors that determine the path that needs to be taken on each assignment. If I wrote a manual it could circle the planet at least once.” Kenta states, showing he’s not unwilling to help her.

She lets out a small laugh. “This is either the best job I’ve ever gotten, or the worst decision of my life.”

“It is a job you need.” Kenta states, looking at her seriously. Not because he is talking about her financial situation.

Hana nods and looks at it, taking the pen in her hand before signing it. “I do need it, I doubt I can find anything else so soon or offer anywhere near as much as you.” She hands it to him with a smile. “I still don’t really know what’s going on but it's good to be working with you boss!”

She holds out her hand to shake and Kenta takes the paper with one hand, shaking with the other, offering a small, tiny, business smile. “Glad to have you. It’s nice to have someone to work with.”

Kenta releases her hand first, the moment lingering slightly longer than expected. Hana stretches her arms with a yawn. “Job acquired, time for me to sleep on the couch some more.”

“That’s not possible.” Kenta states.

Hana blinks at him. “Why not?”

Kenta pauses, not because he is unsure but because he thinks it should be obvious. “Because you are in a depleted state.”

Hana looks at him confused. “Yeah that’s… that’s called being tired.”

“Yes, you will rest.” Kenta nods and she only looks more confused.

“I… I just said I was going to sleep.”

Kenta walks over and stands in front of her, blocking the way, not aggressively, just definitely. “That is not optimal rest.”

Hana looks up at him with squinted eyes. “You make sleep sound like a software update.”

Kenta doesn’t argue with her which to her, sounds like agreement but silent.

“Then where am I supposed to sleep?” She looks around and shrugs. “I don’t see the sign saying ‘Human Recovery Station’.”

Kenta turns. “Follow me.”

Hana hesitates. “You need to use different words, that’s how horror games start. Next thing we know the lights will go out.”

Kenta looks back at her, not frowning but she feels it in his eyes. “That’s an incorrect association. They are not inherently connected.”

He then continues walking and brings her to a room, a proper bedroom. Hana looks around, not expecting to find this at an office. “Is this your room?”

Kenta nods. “You can use it until we make you one, unless you choose to go back to your home.” He gestures to the items in the room. “All you should need will be provided.”

Hana reaches for a drawer and for the first time, Kenta shows signs of panic as he grabs her by the shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“What, is there something I shouldn't see?” Hana looks at him, unsure if it’s something she should be disappointed or disgusted about. “Is there something to hide from me?”

“No.” Kenta responds right away. “It’s um…” His cheeks turn a light shade of pink but he does his best to remain stoic. “You can… open it if you want…”

Hana raises a brow, wondering what could have caused such a reaction in this robot-like man. She slowly opens it then laughs, covering her mouth. “Sorry I shouldn’t laugh.”

Kenta looks away, clearly a bit embarrassed as she happened to discover his underwear drawer. They were all black with a certain yellow and black symbol on them. Hana grins, pointing to them. “You like a uh… certain super hero don’t you?”

Kenta clears his throat and closes the drawer. “Yes he is… very intelligent… and a good role model.” He then pushes her gently to the bed. “You’re very tired. You should sleep.”

Hana smiles and lets him lead her to the bed, giggling as he even tucks her in with a serious face, like if he doesn’t do this she won’t sleep as efficiently as possible. “I like him too.”

Kenta pauses, realizing their faces are only inches away as he reaches across the bed to tuck her in. “Yes?” He straightens right away and she yawns.

“You know… Bat…” She begins but her tiredness takes over now that she’s cozy and she falls right asleep.

Kenta rubs the back of his neck shyly, he had not expected her to snoop around a little. “At least your taste is… exceptional.” He leaves the room for her to sleep, feeling a bit thankful that he happened to come across her last night. Working with her should be… interesting.

Hana wakes slowly, warm, a bit confused. She sits up and stretches. “Why is this more comfortable than my bed?” She pauses to think when she hears something.

Clink, clink, clink. Sizzle, clink, clink.

She can smell something delicious, was the boss cooking? There’s a kitchen here?

Curious, she gets up and goes to the sound, finding a kitchen on the other side of the hallway. She stops to see a full table. Not snacks, not emergency food like granola bars or ramen, real home cooked food, a proper meal.

Multiple dishes that looked as perfect as a menu picture or a commercial. Hana swallows hard right away to stop herself from drooling.

Kenta stands by the stove, his sleeves rolled up as he cooks, wearing an apron that makes her laugh right away. Displayed on the front was a drawing of the torso of the same superhero, Kento flinches but composes himself right away, had not heard her quiet steps over the sound of the sizzling.

“You’re awake.” He says and a hint of pink rises to his cheeks as she laughs at his apron. “My… friend got this for me.”

She looks at all the food and puts her hands on her hips. “Did you rob a restaurant?"

Kenta shakes his head. “No.”

“Did you become a restaurant?”

He tilts his head confused. “I do not believe cooking causes a restaurant to open.”

Hana sits down at the table, looking at the spread, enough to feed at least 6 people. “Why so much, are you inviting people over?” She wonders what kind of people he would be acquainted with. There don’t seem to be any other employees, and judging by his manner of speaking, he doesn’t present as especially sociable, though no disrespect is intended.

Kenta plates the fried rice he was cooking and brings it to the table to set it among everything else. “I did not know what you prefer so I accounted for different variables.” He points to each food, explaining his reasoning. “Breakfast foods, lunch, dinner, hot soup, cold soup, vegan, savory, sweet, spicy, sour, gluten free, and here’s a plate so you can pick and choose what meets your taste.” He hands her a plate and looks at her as if he’s waiting for her to let him speak.

“Thank you.” She takes the plate and a fork, ready to go for something but she notices him staring. She thinks for a moment and laughs softly. “Do you have anything you suggest?”

Kenta's posture changes, despite looking stoic he somehow looked excited without the smile or movement usually associated with it. “Since you’re lacking in nutrition I suggest you have lots of iron, you can do this by having these meats or this salad which has spinach, and for protein you can have the chicken or…” Hana watches as he explains for a solid few minutes what the optimal choice should be for her size and she smiles, glad to see that even this robot can show emotion, sort of? It is very subtle, his voice is slightly lighter, his speech faster, his eyes slightly crinkling at the edges as if smiling even if he himself wasn’t.

“That’s a lot for me to keep track of so I’ll choose some things and you can let me know what’s missing after, okay?” Hana laughs as she takes a waffle and some fruit.

Kenta nods. “That is within my capabilities.”

Once she takes what she wants she gestures to her plate. “How's the spread?”

“Not entirely inadequate.” He puts some more chicken on her plate. “More protein and iron.”

She smiles, it was nice to have someone take care of you, especially when it’s been so long. Even if he was bad at it, at heart he was a kind man, and it showed in gestures like this. “This is either the kindest thing someone has ever done for me or the strangest apology for being kidnapped ever.” She laughs.

Kenta shakes his head. “That is not the intent.”

“Thank you.” She smiles at him warmly. “Really.”

“Your efficiency will improve if you are well fed, thanks is not needed.” He states, taking a plate for himself. She watches him get some food too, curious what his taste is but it seems he chose about the same as her, just more of it.

She takes her first bite and gasps, nearly dropping her fork. Kenta’s head snaps to look at her, alert. “What’s wrong?”

Her face melts into a smile and she hums happily. “This is so good!”

Kenta deflates, his rigid posture relaxing, his shoulders going down as he takes a bite of his own food. “It is not good to startle others.”

Hana laughs. “Sorry, it was a good thing! You cook really well!”

“As expected.” Kenta nods.

“I didn’t expect you to be good at cooking, you did feed me a granola bar earlier.”

Kenta clears his throat. “It was an emergency situation, all of this cooking took time.”

“Speaking of time, what time is it? Did I only sleep for an hour or so, it’s still bright out.”

“You slept for about a day, the sun is about to go down.” Kenta states.

“Really?!” Hana nearly coughs on her food. “Well I was very tired.”

Kenta nods. “You needed it.”

They eat in silence for a bit then Hana decides this is likely a good time to ask more about things. She got him in a comfortable mood, or at least she thinks she has.

“So are you going to tell me how this job works better or will I have to guess between confusing luxury experiences?”

Kenta looks over to her, setting down his fork, ready to talk. “I assist people.”

Hana gestures vaguely to the table. “With Michelin level food?”

“When I need to.” He nods.

Hana laughs. “That is quite the skill to acquire at a young age just to help people.” She gestures to all the food. “Do you cook like this all the time? Or am I getting a special guest treatment?”

He pauses, considering if what she said was accurate. “This is my first time cooking this much, it’s not wrong to say it is special in that sense.”

Hana laughs. “Well it’s good to know you don’t have a meeting with a bunch of food over people.”

“Food is predictable.”

Hana squints. “I didn’t mean that for real, that’s… that’s a really sad thing to say about food. Don’t disrespect food.”

“I learned early that unpredictability causes inefficiencies. So when I learn I aim to master it as soon as possible.” He says as he looks down at his food while eating.

Hana stops chewing for a second. “That’s… a strange thing to choose to teach a child.”

Kenta looks at her, not sad nor confused, just neutral. “It was necessary.”

“Do you… do everything like that?” She feels worry sprout in her chest, even though they were just a level above strangers, she can’t help it.

Kenta nods. “It is optimal to be efficient.”

Hana leans back a bit. “That sounds pretty… exhausting.”

“I eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly as well as sleep a full 8 hours every night." He states as if that was all it took to not be tired.

Hana laughs, though it’s a bit gentler. “That’s not a proper answer.”

“It is how life is.” Kenta looks at her and she rests her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand.

“You don’t talk to people much outside of helping do you?”

He answers a bit too quickly. “I talk when required.” He realizes he should elaborate and adds. “It’s usually not required.”

Hana gestures between them. “This? Not required?”

He nods and she gets up. “Guess I’ll leave then.”

Kenta springs up and grabs her sleeve. “Wait!”

Hana smiles, thinking that maybe he realized that interacting with people can be kind of nice.

“You haven’t finished your meal.” He says and she laughs, sitting back down.

“Right… you know you’re bad at this right?”

Kenta tilts his head confused. “I am fully functional at this moment.”

“That’s not the same thing.” Hana sighs as she takes another bite. “So what do you do when you’re not working?”

“I am working.” He answers seriously.

Hana shakes her head. “That’s not how that works, breaks, days off, time to wind down before bed. Reading and all that.”

“I am not usually without work.” He states. “Reading, ‘hobby’ activities I will only participate in when required.”

“That’s not an answer a normal person gives.” Hana stares at him with concern.

“I am not your average person if I go off of what people do statistically, the majority are highly inefficient.”

“That makes you sound like an alien. You have to have some days off right?” She squints at him, pointing with her fork.

He shakes his head again. “Due to my effective habits, I am not over exerting myself.”

Hana's expression softens and her eyes widen. “Do you really… not stop?”

“Stopping isn’t efficient.” He avoids eye contact, feeling like he’s getting scolded.

Hana leans back in her chair and looks at him, not as a boss, or a weird coworker, but like a person she’s slowly piecing together to understand.

“You know you’re going to burn out one day, right? I’m surprised you haven’t already.” She says it nonchalantly but she’s serious about it.

“I don’t burn out.” He states. “I am healthy.”

Hana shrugs. “To me you seem like you don’t socialize much, we’re social creatures. Can’t say I’m the best at it either but hey I got one best friend to talk to at least. You seem lonely.”

Kenta freezes just for a moment. “That is not relevant to function.”

“That’s usually what lonely people say.” Hana nods before shaking her head. “I don’t understand how you can help people with things like the importance of having a healthy relationship when you yourself don’t really have one.”

“I have a friend.” Kenta states, sitting up straight as if he’s defending himself.

“A friend? Singular?” Hana raises a brow and he nods. “How often do you see this friend?”

Kenta rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “At….times.”

Hana nods. “Mh-hm… at times, how often are those times?”

“At his will.”

She raises a brow. “So randomly?”

He nods. “Sometimes daily, sometimes weekly. Depends on if he can find me.”

Hana nearly coughs on her drink that she was sipping. “If he can find you? Do you play constant hide and seek?”

He shakes his head. “I can be away for work, if he stops by I’m not there so he waits to find me another day.”

“You guys don’t text or call?” She asks.

“He does.” He holds up his phone to show many missed calls and texts.

“You should answer those!” Hana points.

He nods. “I answer in the morning and before bed.”

Hana looks at the phone confused. “Wait so all of that is from a few hours?”

He nods and opens his phone to show her the messages. They appear as follows:

T- Good morning Kentaaaaaaaaa!

K- Good morning.

T- I’m having toast for breakfast

T- Should I have jam or cream cheese?

T- I had jelly last time

T- I’ll go with cream cheese with an egg

T- What are you having?

K- Protein shake

T- Hahaha that’s so you! I saw they have a sour patch kids flavor, have you tried it?

K- No

T- LOL yeah it’s probably really gross

T- Sour with the chalk of protein sounds icky

T- You’re going for your morning run now right?

T- Send me any pictures of any creatures you find

K- [Picture of cat on a windowsill]

T- OMG SO CUTEEEEEEE

T- I wonder what it’s name is!!!

T- I would name it taco tuesday

T- cuz it looks like a taco LOL

T- what would you name it?

T- oh yeah you’ve started working now, I’ll let you know how the day goes though

T- one of these days you’ll answer me at lunch too

T- I wish you’d help me decide on lunch too T^T

T- wait but I decided on breakfast on my own today LMAO

T- I still want your input mr.chef man

T- I need to be healthy so I need your help

T- I know you gave me an instruction manual for eating years ago but it’s too big to carry around :( can you give me a smaller one?

T- Give me glasses too because the text will have to be tiny LOL

Hana reads through them all and sees that this is a daily occurrence. “Wow they really love to yap. Well I’m glad you have a friend that likes to talk with you so much.”

Kenta puffs his chest out in pride. “I did not lie when I said I have a friend.”

Hana laughs. “It’s not that I didn’t believe you, you just seem… a bit like a robot.” She points to his phone. “I’m surprised the way he talks hasn’t rubbed off on you yet, usually that happens with people who are close to each other.”

“Tamaki is… akin to a puppy.” He says as he picks up the dishes to put away leftovers. “He is just that way.”

“And you are just this way, huh?” Hana helps him out and he nods.

“I can handle the dishes, I have prepared the bathroom with items you may require to wash up and go to bed.”

Hana yawns. “You know, despite sleeping for a day, with all the food I am pretty tired. It would be good to kind of fix my sleep schedule.”

Kenta nods. “That is my intention. Let me know if what I purchased is not up to your standard or I missed a product you require.”

“That’s nice of you, thank you.” Hana smiles but when she sees him open his mouth she adds. “I know I don’t need to and you’re just making sure I’m efficient but it’s just kind to do, okay?”

Kenta nods, his eyes crinkling at the ends which she understands as his version of a smile. “Affirmitive.”

Hana walks into the bathroom and finds pajamas in her size as well as hair products suitable for her hair type and different lotions for her to choose from. Scented, unscented, facial, body, etc. He really did want to cover all bases.

As she showers, she can’t help but realize how strange of a situation she’s in. She was sort of kidnapped? But also given a job that provides literally everything. Now that she’s not dead tired she should probably go to her apartment to settle things and maybe move here to her job. It seems like a too good to be true situation but considering she’s been asleep for more than half of the time she’s known Kenta, and he hasn’t done anything weird, well… creepy weird. It was like living with a robot of a man rather than an actual man. He had bits of him that were human but something isn’t quite right, like nobody taught him how to enjoy life. It seems his friend tries but it seems more like Kenta just follows along because that’s what he’s supposed to do.