Saori Part 4

The concrete stage is dark, only illuminated by two solitary spotlights, one of which is directed at the auctioneer, a heavyset man occupying a podium with a holoscreen display. As Saori crosses the stage, she discretely glances at the audience. The Lords and Ladies are scattered amongst the many velvet red seats of the auditorium. Saori only has time to focus on a few of them, none of whom she recognizes, before she arrives under the centerstage spotlight and is effectively blinded by the light. She curtsies before clasping her hands together in front of her.

“Last, but certainly not least, we have Lot Seventeen!” The auctioneer’s voice booms from the auditorium’s stereo array, “She needs no introduction, so let’s get right into it! Due to her abilities, bidding will start at $334,000.”

In the blink of an eye, the auctioneer exclaims, “I have $334,000!” And before he can even finish and ask for a higher price, the next bidder already enters the race. “That’s thirty-five, thirty-six… forty…fifty! $350,000!”

From her position under the spotlight, Saori can’t see who is bidding for her, or how many individuals are bidding for her, but she is encouraged by the obvious interest. However, the rapid-fire bidding quickly tapers off, replaced by the back-and-forth bidding of only two or three aristocrats.

“I have seventy-eight! Can I get seventy-nine?” There is a brief pause before, “I see seventy-nine! How about eighty? $380,000! I have it!” And so it continues, the pause between bids becoming longer and longer as the price rises.

“$399,000! Ladies and gentleman, we have $399,000! Are there any more bids?!” The bidding finally reaches a standstill, a long moment of silence following the auctioneer’s energetic statement. “No one? Going once, for $399,000— Is that four-hundred? Incredible! I see $400,000!”

An angry voice, which Saori pieces together as belonging to the disgusting Lord, bellows, “Damn you! Stop bidding against me!” He pauses, before hastily adding, “Four-ten!

“That’s $410,000. Will there be eleven?” Saori’s stomach drops at the thought of being acquired by the slob, but as the auctioneer begins to count down to the end, the next bid comes in. “I see eleven! The gentleman in purple, will you bid twelve?”

“Twenty, old man!” the boy screams angrily before yelling back into the audience, “I swear, if you bid again, I will personally cut your b—“

The auctioneer cuts him off instead, “I have twenty-one!”

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” the boy squeals in a tantrum.

“That’s $421,000!” The auctioneer waits patiently for the boy to finish tearing his hair out, perhaps enjoying the show, before prompting him, “Will you bid twenty-two, sir?”

“Argghhh… Shut up! I’m thinking!” He closes his eyes and scrunches his face while in thought. Once the greaseball reaches his decision, he confidently yells his bid to the rafters, “Five-hundred-thousand!”

The audience murmurs in astonishment. Saori is shocked by the number and appalled by the outcome it will almost certainly bring. The auctioneer nearly falls from his podium, but he recovers in short order, shouting even louder than the boy, “I HAVE $500,000!”

“Ha! Beat that, loser!” the pudgy Lord yells back into the audience again. He earns dirty looks from the other Lords and Ladies, but no one responds.

“Perhaps the mystery bidder would like to respond?” Silence fills the auditorium as the auctioneer perches at the edge of his podium, but no other bid is made. “Very well then. Lot One, for the amount of $500,000, going once…”

Saori stands as stiff as a board, terror running through her veins at the realization of her apparent destiny. A thin sheen of sweat coats her forehead and the palms of her clenched fists.

The auctioneer’s voice booms from the rafters, as if it were Divinity itself, “Going twice…”

Saori has only ever been this scared once before in her entire life, on a cool summer night five years ago, and it is obviously a feeling she has no desire to experience again. If she had known then how tonight would end, she would have taken her chances with Mitsuko’s plan.

“SOLD!” The auctioneer’s voice cracks the silence.

The chubby Lord is jumping up and down with joy. “She’s mine! Hahaha! I win! She’s all mine!”

Saori has to fight to stay on her feet, barely preventing herself from falling to her knees in horror. “Oh, no…”

“Enough!”

A new voice is heard from the crowd, confident and authoritative, unmistakably belonging to Tatianna Van Dalen. She stands from her seat in the far corner of the auditorium, well away from the other aristocrats. Her icy eyes are focused on the auctioneer.

“Sir, please check over the bids once again.”

He composes himself and does as requested. At first he squints at the screen, before removing his glasses and polishing the lenses with a handkerchief. With a shaky hand, he perches the glasses back on his nose, staring at the numbers projected through the screen of light. “My word…” he whispers.

“What is it now!” The Lord childishly throws his hands in the air, before turning on Tatianna at the far end of the room and pointing an accusatory finger at her. “And you! You’re the one getting in my way, aren’t you!”

Tatianna ignores him, waiting for the auctioneer to recover. He attempts to speak, but fails on the first and second try. “I… I have a bid… for…”

“Get on with it, old man!”

The auctioneer gives the pudgy Lord a vacant look. He takes a deep breath.

“I have a bid for one million dollars.”

The audience is stunned. The Lord is stunned. Saori is stunned.

The auctioneer’s high-energy attitude has been replaced by an almost reverent demeanor, “This is a new record for the Institute. We are all witnessing history tonight. Are there any more bids?” His question is rhetorical—no sane person would be willing to spend one million dollars on a serf, no matter how good.

“Lot One, with a bid of,” the auctioneer clears his throat uncertainly, unfamiliar with saying such a high amount, “one million dollars. Going once.”

No one says a word. The formerly energetic Lord is utterly deflated, slouching in his seat with an angry scowl, unable to outbid such an absurd amount.

“Going twice.”

Tatianna watches approvingly from her corner. Saori’s hope is bolstered by the change of events, renewing her confidence.

“Sold!” The auctioneer motions for Saori to leave the spotlight and exit the stage, something she is more than happy to do. He seems to have regained his earlier vigor as he bids the audience a good night. “That concludes the Ito Institute’s Graduation auction. And what an unforgettable auction it was! Please proceed to the ballroom’s lobby to finalize your purchase. And once again, we at the Ito Institute would like to wish you all the best in your endeavors. Have a wonderful night!”

Once Saori exits the stage, she is directed to go to the ballroom lobby by a staff member. The halls of the austere building are empty, the only sound coming from her shoes as they clack against the polished marble floor. Saori doesn’t cross paths with anyone along her route. She checks the time on her AD. The holoscreen reads, “12:18 AM”.

When she arrives, she sees a few other students are still here, scattered throughout the room. An aristocrat and an Institute staff member have just finished the transaction and are checking the balances on their ADs. They nod to each other before going their separate ways. The newly acquired student follows their new master through the grand entrance doors and on to their new life as a servant.

It isn’t long before Tatianna arrives in the lobby as well, with the pudgy Lord hot on her 3-inch heels.

“How dare you! That girl was going to be the crown-jewel of my collection! Heyyyy!”

Tatianna pays him no mind, instead scanning the room until she spots Saori, who is already heading towards her.

“Stop ignoring me!” The Lord grabs Tatianna’s slender wrist in his meaty hand. She turns on him with a look of surprise, shortly followed by icy rage. Saori closes the distance, placing herself in between the two aristocrats, facing the boy with a steely glare. Yui and Shouta are suddenly flanking the boy to either side, ready for a fight, training setting in despite the reluctant expressions they wear.

Before the situation can escalate any further, the Headmistress appears. “Is there a problem here?” she asks dryly, raising an eyebrow.

The boy sneers at Tatianna and Saori, reluctantly letting go of the aristocrat’s arm. Tatianna unsubtly wipes her wrist on her dress, as soon as she is freed.

“Dimitrios Foth.” The Lord finally reveals his name. “We’ll settle this on Arena Island, mark my words.”

With a huff, he stalks away towards a staff member. Yui and Shouta look jealously at Saori and Tatianna. Shouta sighs disappointedly before following after his new master. Yui hesitates before speaking in an uncharacteristic deadpan, “See ya later, I guess.’’ She rushes after Shouta.

“Lady Ishida,” Tatianna has apparently already recovered and is talking to the headmistress, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

The older woman smiles warmly, something that Saori has never seen before. “I wanted to personally help you to complete your purchase tonight.”

“I see…” Tatianna accesses the bank app on her AD, setting the transfer amount with practiced ease before holding out her arm. The headmistress eagerly extends her own arm, touching the band of her AD to Tatianna’s own, causing the bands to emit a soft, synchronized beep. With a twinkle in her eye, the headmistress withdraws her arm, eagerly checking the transaction history for her account. The sight of so many zeroes makes her smile grow.

“Excellent.” Lady Ishida holds her hands behind her back. “I assume you’ll be heading to Arena Island, then? To have paid so much for a fighter, I am curious to hear about your plans.”

“I am indeed going to Arena Island,” Tatianna covers her mouth as she yawns, “but as much as I would love to chat, it is late, and we must be going now.”

“Of course.” The headmistress bows slightly from the waist in a show of deference dating back to the old country. Again, it is something that Saori has never seen before. “Then thank you and good luck.”

Tatianna curtsies, which Saori is slow to follow, distracted by the novelty of the aristocrat’s interaction with the headmistress. Saori follows her new mistress to the double doors, which she efficiently holds open for the aristocrat, before following her outside.

The night air is cool and refreshing after so many hours spent indoors. As the pair gets farther and farther away from the lights of the ballroom’s foyer, they quickly find themselves enveloped in darkness. Clouds obscure the starry sky and moon, the only light coming from lamp posts placed along the broad concrete walkway. Tatianna accesses her AD briefly, activating her automobile and setting the location for it to pick them up. A gentle breeze rustles the sakura trees lining the wide path.

“Do you have any personal belongings that we need to retrieve?”

It takes a moment for Saori to respond, tired after the day’s events, but she remembers her training and the title that Tatianna now holds. “No, my Lady. I have no personal items. Even the clothes on my back aren’t mine. They belong to you.”

“Oh.” Tatianna is surprised. “Well, I suppose that makes things easier.”

Neither girl talks. Eventually, they arrive at the roadway, where Tatianna’s automobile is waiting for them. The vehicle’s rear passenger door opens automatically upon detecting the aristocrat’s AD. Saori awkwardly slides into the automobile after her. She had rarely even seen an automobile before, let alone been inside one and is enthralled by the interior that envelopes her.

“Please buckle your seatbelt.” Tatianna asks, tugging on the belt crossing her chest and lap. Saori has no idea what she is talking about. “Seatbelt?”

Tatianna indicates the buckle’s position above and behind Saori’s shoulder, motioning how to pull it out and across her chest. Saori follows her mistress’ silent instructions, buckling her seatbelt with an audible click.

“Wonderful. I spent one million dollars on a serf that does not even know what a seat belt is.” Tatianna sighs, activating her AD and inputting a destination for the automobile. Within moments, they’re riding smoothly down the road. Saori watches excitedly as the scenery whizzes past. When they arrive at the well-guarded gate to the Institute, the automobile’s ID and the ADs of the occupants are scanned. Once cleared, the heavy metal gates open, and the vehicle is soon cruising through the city streets of Tokyo.

Where Saori had once been amazed by the act of simply moving so quickly, now she was amazed by the sights of the city around her. The automobile’s noise-cancelling did not allow in any sound from the outside, but Saori is content with just her sight, craning her neck to see the high-rise buildings up close that she had only ever seen from miles away. The bright neon lights bath the automobile’s dark interior in a glow of rainbow colors. There is very little traffic and the vehicle is soon gliding smoothly down the highway. Tatianna silently watches her new servant with amusement.

Eventually, Saori grows tired of the sights of the city, turning her attention to Tatianna, who she realizes has probably been watching her this entire time. The aristocrat smiles, “Enjoying the drive, Saori?”

Saori clears her throat, embarrassed at being addressed by name for the first time. “Um, yes, my Lady.”

“Just wait until the autoplane.”

“What’s an autoplane, my Lady?”

“You will see soon enough.”

Saori returns her attention to the passing city. Her voice is little more than a whisper, “Thank you, my Lady.”

“For what?”

“For acquiring me. You saved me from that terrible Lord and at such a high price…”

“Do not thank me yet.” Tatianna smiles, a scheming look in her eye. “I have very high expectations for you. I hope you will live up to them.”

Saori responds with a determined look, “I won’t let you down, my Lady.”

“Excellent. Now rest, we have a long journey ahead of us.”

“Yes, my Lady.”