Past relations, current influences

On my way out, I decided to make a stop at logistics, and asked to borrow a few cardboard boxes. ‘Might as well get started on packing things.’
Grabbing a few, I quickly got home. And with that thought in mind, I started looking through my shelves, wardrobe and decor. Ignoring the things I would need for the next two days, everything else was being sorted and made ready for moving.
To be honest, it went by fairly quickly, as I didn’t have much that needed packing: only my personal belongings. Furniture and so on had already been in this room, as it was provided by work.

During the packing process, my phone buzzed. Taking a look at my messages, there were quite a few.
The first one was a greeting by Chinatsu. Politely as I would have imagined, she introduced herself once more, and thanked me for today — for what I didn’t know. Next up she had sent me a lease agreement for the new apartment, and an outline for the work trip that had been mentioned.
I smiled to myself. It was really kind of her to do the organizing and paperwork, but as it stood, I just put more work onto her plate. I really needed to take some away.
However, as she had mentioned, currently the most helpful was probably just getting ready myself. Thus, I resumed my packing.

And with that, I was done by late evening. …It had been way less than I had expected. Given, it had been about the same when I moved here in the beginning… I really didn’t amass a lot of things while I had been living here, no?
Well, with not much else to do, I decided to turn in for the night, intending to rise early.

***

And the next day… not much was going on. I had been given the day off to prepare for moving, but there wasn’t anything left to do. Personal belongings were done, and paperwork I didn’t have to worry about. While you needed to notify the municipality for moving, I was still registered as living at my sister’s place. This was just a workplace address akin to an office for me, so a change in this wasn’t anything noteworthy.

Now, without things to do, I ate my breakfast to pass some time, and dialed someone’s number.
…“Yes?” Yuuko answered quickly.
“Hi.” I hadn’t thought about what to say. As I had gotten her number before when we went drinking, I had decided to call her.
“Hi. Something up?”
“Well… Just checking in if you need any help.”
“…You know it is your day off, right? To prepare to move?”
“About that. I am already done, so I wanted to see,”
I received a heavy sigh on the other side of the line. “No. I appreciate the thought, but when you are off, rest. A larger job is coming up soon.”
“Alright. …Bye?”
“Goodbye.”
And she hung up.

‘…Am I a workaholic?!’ The thought entered my mind. Surely, no. While I didn’t have that many close friends, I had quite the amount of acquaintances. …The ones I was closest with were my sister’s friends, okay, but I also met with others after… work.
Fuck. While letting out a sigh, I got up and dressed for a ride out on my bike.

Getting out had often helped me sort out my thoughts. Once I got out of the inner parts of the city it got even better. Taking in the scenery, and enjoying some of the summer sun, far as long as was possible until the rainy season started.
Trees passed me by, and the sky gazed down on me welcomely. With not much else, I drove on for a while.

And on one of my roads, I wound up near Takamori’s shrine. I still visited him from time to time, so I knew he was alright. Still, checking in like this should be fine.
Parking my bike nearby, I continued up the familiar stairs on foot. And a few minutes later, I was welcome by a cool breeze on top of the large hill. Taking the scene in for a moment, before I continued further into the grounds.
Where I was met with the first surprise: an unfamiliar face.
It was a girl in a priestess garb. While her long, dark blue flowing hair stood out, it really enveloped her small stature. There were no mikos working at this shrine, I knew. So, without much else but simple curiosity, I approached her.

“Good day.”
She must have been deeply in thought while sweeping, as my greeting really spooked her. So much so that she let go off the broom, and it clanked into the ground.
A few seconds passed in silence. Then, before I could hear her response, someone else called in. “What happened? Are you alright?” Takamori poked his head out of the nearby shrine office, looking around. Upon spotting my face, he looked relaxed. “What are you doing out here, scaring my grandchild?”
“…” ‘I really am not too good at coming up with spontaneous come-backs.’

And he didn’t wait long for it either. “Well, not that it matters. Let me introduce you.” He walked out in between us. By now, the girl had picked up the broom again, which she was clutching tightly, pressing it to her body. “This is Shuuichi, my kind of disciple. I have thought him a bit over the years. Various of the things I know.”
There had been quite a lot of knowledge he had imparted onto me. Not just martial arts, but also more of a mental training with meditation, and general knowledge that you amass over decades of life. I was glad to call him my teacher.

“Shuuichi, this is my cute granddaughter, Rumi. She came here for work, moving to the big city. And as kind as she is, she decided to visit and even stay with me for the beginning. Or rather, her parents and I wished for it, so she could get used to living here, and not directly be forced to work things out on her own.”
She pouted behind him. “I have already been here for more than two months already.”
“Yes. Yes I know it must be hard for a young girl like you to live with an old coot like me.”
“No, that’s not how I meant it.” She genuinely looked dejected.
The glint in Takamori’s eyes told me he was just joking, but it appeared his granddaughter still needed some getting used to it. As her senior, I should help her out. “That is just his way of being considerate.”
That got me a scowl in response. “And you need to learn not to disturb an old man’s fun.”

A few moments passed, but then Rumi realized he had just been messing around with her. “Hmph! Gramps, that is mean!” She exclaimed in mock?-anger.
“Ahahahahaha. That is also an expression I don’t get to see every day. Okay Shuuichi, you are forgiven.”
“Thank you…” I rolled my eyes. But, in truth, I was happy that the two of them got along well. I had already assumed so from my previous visits and Takamori still talking well about her. ‘It would have been a shame if it had turned out they were not compatible, and his dreams of meeting his cute relative were going to be shattered. But, no worrying needed about that one anymore.’

“Now, what are you up to? Shouldn’t you be working, or do you really have that much free time?”
“Ah, it is not like that.” I then proceeded to tell him about me moving and the other things around it. Rumi also looked interested as she was listening in.
A few moments later, Takamori nodded along. “I see. So you are moving up in the world.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it moving up…”
“And, being done with your prep-work, you decided to pay me a visit? Well, I would gladly hand your butt to you once more…” I could tell from looking at him, he was ready for a bout. “But, today I want to enjoy some more refined company.” He glanced behind himself, grinning brightly.

“So, don’t let us keep you. I am sure you have a lot more people to visit on your trip right now.” His grin turned sly. Accompanying his statement meant he knew I had no one to hit up, and simply enjoyed teasing me.
But, I didn’t let it show on my face. “Got it. Then, see you again. And, it has been nice meeting you, Miss Rumi.” I gave them both a curt bow.
“Get on your way.”
“It, it was also nice meeting you.”
We exchanged our goodbyes, and I made my way descending the stairs. Rumi seemed a bit shy, so it would be best to slowly get to know her, and not force things. I could take my time getting acquainted with her, there was no pressure or anything. And I was sure Takamori would like it as well, so his granddaughter had more people to call upon when she needed help.
Alright, one more thing to work towards to!

However, it had really stung that he had to bring the friend thing up. I meant, even I had a few acquaintances.
Therefore, I had decided to hit up the bar. Even if it was too early, and I wouldn’t be able to drink, I could at least find someone to talk. Heck, if sis got off work early, I might be able to meet her there.

And thus, not much later, I arrived. As expected, the parking lot was empty except for master’s car. Parking my bike, I then went to check the front door. Locked. Not thinking much about it, I took out a spare key. I still had mine, as I had been told there was no reason to take it away, and I should keep it in case I ever needed it. Thankful for that sentiment, I unlocked the door.
Entering, there was some light on. Meaning someone was here for preparations. Looking around in the interior, I quickly spotted master. However, not in her usual nor work clothes, but in formal wear. Seeing her stern expression, I had an easy guess as to what her business was.

Noticing me, her expression softened quickly. “Ah Shuuichi, how are you doing?”
She didn’t even question how I got in here. So, I quickly mustered a response. “Fine, really. The plan has worked out, and I got some free time. So, I’m checking in if everything’s alright.”
She grinned at the good news. “Good to hear. From that, I assume I could ask you a favor?”
“Sure, I have nothing planned.”
“Alright.” She gave a quick nod, before her face froze over again. “Drive me to the HQ.”
Gone was all friendliness, only a strong resolution remained.
…It hadn’t been the first time for it to happen, or even for me to drive her. The only surprise for me was that she was going to the branch for a meeting, and not his home. Still, it was in her wishes that I didn’t get involved too much.
So, without another word, we both left. Master threw me the keys to her car, and I entered on the driver’s side. No more conversation. From here on out, it was a silent drive.

I didn’t fault her. While I didn’t know all the details, I had been through this a few times before. When a talk came up with her father, master preferred to have some time to think, mentally preparing herself. Driving was something that took focus away, and despite never having had an accident before, it was easier on her to just have the calm of being a passenger beforehand. And she had done so many things for me in the past, there was no way I would refuse her.

The ride proofed quite short, and I pulled into an inconspicuous parking lot. I stopped the car, got out, and then opened the door for master. You never knew when someone was looking, or not. And preserving protocol was always a good way to assert professionalism.

A few steps away were the stairs leading to the building’s entrance. I walked in front of her, and opened one of the large unwritten double doors.
Immediately, heads turned our way. All kinds of unnerving, aggressive and fear inducing stares, glares and gazes were turned our way. Or rather, mine. ‘Must be rookies.’ A few of the older members seemed to recognize me, and swiftly stepped in front to warn off the others. But a bit too late, as I gave way, and Master entered, confidence in her stride.
Most heads shot down on sight, especially of the higher ranking ones. However, a few of the new wanna-be members started approaching. …Which didn’t warrant much attention. Without hesitation, they were punched into the backs of their heads, sending them down forcefully.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?! This is the boss’ daughter!”
Everyone else who didn’t know what was going on and only copied the others froze stiff. Disobeying his daughter was equivalent with disobeying the boss.

Not batting an eye at the bodies lying on the ground next to her, Master asked. “I take it my father is in?”
One of the lieutenants walked forward. “Yes, my lady. He is in his office. Shall I-”
“I’ll be fine on my own.” Her voice was icy, allowing no further rebuttal. It had been a long time since I had heard her speak like this.
She set off, leaving the scene behind.

Shortly after, the guys on the ground were helped up, and brought in a separate room for treatment. I didn’t know whether their faces were pale from the pain, or from the fear of further punishment.

A few uncertain gazes were turned my way, unsure of my connection to her. If I were just a low ranking punk, they could approach me without problem. But if not…
To put their worries at ease, one of the older members approached. “Long time no see, Shuuichi.”
Only two of the people present reacted. They were probably part of my sister’s group. As she wasn’t present herself, most of them were probably out too.

“Same to you, Yoshida. How’s the family doing?”
“Which one?” He asked back in a joking manner.
“The one at home. You know I know about the going-ons here.”
His expression and voice turned stern. “And you know you shouldn't.” But it quickly relaxed once more. “But I know you can keep shut, as even the boss trusts you.” While saying the last words, he let his gaze wander among the crowd. The words and his gaze carried the meaning ‘Don’t mess with him.’ . Not that I really needed to worry about it after the display just now.

However, that remark didn’t last long, as we went back to normal talks.
“Well, as for me, I am doing great. My daughter is energetic, and pretty excited about meeting others in kindergarten, and playing with her friends. And my son started walking a lot more recently. Really have to keep looking after him more.”
His carefree and joyous laughter at this clashed with his rough appearance, and the subject of his workplace.
However, upon looking around and seeing unsure faces in regards to his carefree attitude with me, he asked, “Oh yeah, wanna head back into my office? I can offer you something to drink there.”
But I refused. “Thank you, but sorry. I don’t know how long I am going to stay.” And pointed in the direction of the boss’ office. “Being chauffeur and all.”
“Ah, got it. Then-”

The sound of loud footsteps clacking interrupted us. They were coming closer. This time, all people presented lined up, and bowed in sync, their backs straight as a board.
“That was quick.” I tried to lighten up the mood due to her cold atmosphere, but it didn’t work. Instead, master turned her gaze upon Yoshida. “I hope you are not trying to indoctrinate him?”
Whoa, her voice is harsher than before. Looks like the meeting didn’t go well. …At least this time we didn’t hear a shouting match. I never wanted to be at the receiving end of that stare. Most people would be petrified, but the senior member stayed semi-comfortable.
“No, young miss. Just talking about family news. -Private one, that is!” The last part was added quickly. I didn’t know if it was his attempt of a joke, but if he did, he was worse than me, and that said something.
She glance over to me, and I gave a nod. That seemed to satisfy her. “Alright. Shuuichi, we are leaving.”
“Yes!” I had to keep up appearance somewhat, so I went into underling mode.
I walked ahead, opened the door and bowed my head before her. She left, and then me, with a mass of people still not raising their heads behind us.

We stayed quiet until we arrived in the car. Once the door closed, master sighed. That fear inducing stare was gone as well.
“Something up? …Talks gone that bad?”
But my worries had been off the mark. “…There were so many new faces, surely there’s going to be talk about me.” She leaned back in her seat.
“Didn’t know that bothered you.” ‘And what should I say? At least you are the boss’ daughter. There’s gonna be some speculation about my presence. And once it reaches my sister…’ I shuddered a bit at the thought.
“Still.” … “Anyways, did he say the truth?”
“Yoshida? Yes. You know I wouldn’t lie to you in regards to that, especially in front of so many others to save one face.” There was a reputation on the line, after all.

Then, I started the car. Now that the oppressive atmosphere had dispersed, it felt like I could focus on the road ahead of me. Otherwise, driving would have been dangerous.
But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t continue to hold a conversation. “I had talked with him before, about his children, that is. When… I was more hell-bent on joining, he had always been discouraging me from doing so. Heck, Yoshida had even been against me coming to the office when I was smaller.”
“Yeah, I remember you sometimes came there to visit your sister, only then to be brought over to my place or my father’s house.”
“Not the most non-embarrassing memory I have. Anyway, once he had his daughter, that sentiment had grown stronger. Probably due to him imagining what if his own child wanted to go down the same path. From then on, he kept me up to date about how his family was doing, likely to make me see what a normal situation would look like, and what I should strive for.”
“Huh. I hadn’t noticed that much had been going on.”
“You hadn’t been there either. Yoshida probably told my sister at some point, so she wouldn’t think anything of the rumors with him meddling with me. …Just like you back now.”
“…We can be a bit overprotective of you, that much I will agree on.”
I chuckled a bit. “Surely. Also, sorry if I had been blabbering on a bit much.”
“No, it’s fine. Rather, even welcome, to have something more normal to talk about.”
Even if master didn’t show it as much, what had happened back there probably still weighed on her mind. I knew she wanted to keep others out of it, but I needed to at least-
“Don’t bother asking.” …So much for that.

The rest of the drive back was mostly silent, with a few stray comments from either side. It wasn’t uncomfortably, but master was occupied with her thoughts, and I wanted her to be able to take some time for it.

Once we arrived back at the bar, the sun had started setting. We both got out of the car, and walked back to the entrance. “Thanks. And sorry for taking up your day.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. You had asked, and I had time.” Not to mentioned the many times she had helped me out. It was only natural to pay her back with small favors like this.
“Really, thank you.” She gave me a short hug that I returned.
We stayed a bit, until she separated. “Sorry. It just feels like, you are slipping away a bit from us. Which would be a good thing in this regard, but still.”
‘Well, going from seeing each-other nearly every day to making sure I visit at least once a week if possible and things line up, surely that is a change.’ In the beginning, I ahd felt the same. Even if it had already been a year... I thumped my chest. “Don’t worry, I won’t disappear like that. I am bound to stay around.” I said with a bright smile.
And got a short smirk as a reply. “Don’t go raising death flags like that.” Then, she slapped her cheeks to fire herself up. “Good. Now that that is taken care of, I better get to finishing prep-work for business tonight. You should go ahead and head home. You surely still have work to do.”
Not really, but I knew she wanted some time were she could simply focus on her job to free her mind for a bit, and my presence might complicate that.
“Alright. Then, see you.”
“See you, and drive carefully.”
“You got it.”

On my ride back, I thought about what had happened that day, and my connections to other people. Even if there weren’t that many, I should still take time and care to treasure and maintain them.

Returning rather quickly, I parked my bike and changed into normal clothes. Feeling still bit restless, I decided to head up a local bar. And surely enough, I saw some familiar faces there. And one of them spotted me rather quickly, informing the others, which led to a rather loud welcome.
Ordering a drink before taking my seat, I got a space immediately.

“Long time no see. And here I thought you were gone for good.” Smith welcomed me rambunctiously, presumably already having drunk quite a bit, judging from her mood, and usual drinking tempo.
“You know I was busy. Rather, you are also the one responsible for checking my time tables if I am needed, no?” I knew tings wouldn't get through to her much in her current state, so I decided to change subjects. “Still, you make your nickname honor, Hanami.”
That elected a small blush. “…You know I don't like that.”
Two more from an opposite table joined in
“Then you just have to do something to change it! Something wild!”
“Better not listen to him. Remember? He’s the guy that stripped during the rookie welcome party. He is still remember as-
“““The stripping drunkard.”””
“Stop it you three!”
“Then do something about it to change that nickname.”
“Ugh.”
Having received his own medicine, he sulked a bit, while getting comforted by his friend.

A beat later, a large shadow loomed behind me. Without turning around, I asked, “You are here too Steve?” ‘That would explain why there was such a large space left at this table.’
Craning my neck backwards, I got a nod as a response. I scootched over a bit, and made place for the giant. We still managed to fit in at the table, but it was now full with the four of us.

“So? Any news? How are things going?” Smith chirped in.
“What do you mean? Just usual work.”
“Now don’t be like. Usual? You? Give me a break.” She leaned back.
I sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. I did guard duty with Takeshi for the idol group, and now took over a new charge.” My involvement with RainySunshine had turned into general knowledge in security due to rumors. ‘A sec that organized two large gigs’ was sure to catch attention. So, it spread like wildfire. Not only that. As I would learn later, not only was Seiko a big shot, but Smith too, well known for taking in talented rookies and quickly developing them. Hanami and me were just two of the many examples to her name. Boss really knew how to pick out talent, and whom to hand it to.

“Sure sure. Let’s get some liquor into you, so you spill the truth.” And as if timed, the waitress came in, and handed me my drink.
“Then, to our new arrival of the night-”
““““Cheers.””””
We clang our glasses, and all of us took a good swig.
“Ah, that hits the spot. But that’s the last one for you Hanami.”
“Eh, why?” She clearly was dissatisfied by that.
“Because your tolerance still sucks. Right?” Smith asked us. I didn’t know how much she had until then, so all I could do was shrug. Steve simply nodded in agreement.
The person in question then mobbed around a bit. “Buzzkills. …” But she quickly recovered. “Well, maybe it is for the better, as this weekend a new game releases. I have been really looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, you talked my ear off when it got announced. Which entry in the series is it again? The 24th?”
“No! It is the 25th! I told you in detail! And what’s more, since it is in essence a milestone, they promised to enhance the old mechanics! You know, like-” Aaand she rambled on. Poor Smith who was on the receiving end of it. Apparently it was one of those farming and fighting games, from what I could hear.
While Hanami usually remained rather quiet and demure, once someone got her talking about games, there was no stopping her. She played nearly everything, as we would find out from various talks aka rants.
What was good about it she could give nearly everyone a good recommendation, no matter what they were looking for. ‘There are no bad games, only ones that do not fit you. Every game has a player that will like it.’ was her philosophy. As long as there were no unjust ways of money earning or utterly bugged and broken games, though she made exceptions. So, she threw herself at all of them.
Which gave her an easy way to bond with others, as nearly everyone liked some kind of game. At times she would play games with Smith, mostly shooters, as she was a gun-nut. Her rambling about guns was as interesting as listening to finance reportings in my opinion, but it looked like she had quite a lot of compatriots. She even visited the states multiple times a year, just so she could go to a shooting range.

Steve watched over them with a calm expression. As for him, he really enjoyed fishing. Whether it was on a boat in the stormy sea, or at a calm lake in the forest, he liked all kinds of it. At times, he would proudly show us some catches he really got intrigued by. And they were remarkable. Him holding a tuna the same wight as him was a sight to behold.
Looking over to me, he gave a small smile. I returned it, and we clanged our glasses once more to the chaos unfolding next to us.

Moments like these really made me happy. Sitting together with close people. But, it raised some worries. How long would we be friends? How long would we be on good terms? Were the others even seeing em as a friend?
I had finally gotten some people that I knew privately as well, and even met outside of work. Albeit rarely due to our times and shifts, but it worked.
Now, with a completely different case…

“Are you listening?!”
I returned from my thoughts to find an angry Hanami in front of me. “Shuuichi, you should understand the greatness of it, no? You also played the 17th part it was based on, and were fascinate by it!”
I had to blink a few times before I could talk back. “… Sorry, I hadn’t been listening.”
“Ahhh, not you too.” She slumped back into her place. “So, what are you worrying about?”
“Huh?”
But it wasn’t just her. Smith joined in. “Don’t beat around the bush, we all know you usually listen to her attentively, even if it is just out of kindness.” “Hey!” “So if you do not, something is occupying your mind.”
Steve also gave his approval to her thinking by nodding firmly.
“…Thanks.” ‘Ah, so I worried them.’ “…I just worry-”
“Will we stay friends even after you work in a different department.” I had to hand it to Hanami. In analysis, she beat all of us hands down. Even her calm voice. However, her cheery response blew it away. “Don’t be silly, of course we will!”
“Shuuichi, don’t think something small like that will make an changes. WE have worked blood sweat and tears together during work.” ‘…You are our superior, you made us do that, you know?’ “Rather, just invite your new charge. I am sure it will be fun!” Smith also weighed in.
And for once, Steve, the man of few words, gave his thoughts verbally. Putting a large hand on my shoulder, he said. “Shuu, we are friends.”
Hearing them speak so kindly, it really touched me. “Thanks.” I smiled brightly.

A second later, I became more aware of my surroundings once more. Namely, the quietness of it. A lot of us were starring at us.
“No way.”
“He spoke…”
“So he isn’t mute.”
“And here I thought he would have some kind of accent.”
“…C-cool.”
Several responses came from around us.
“Quit your yapping and drink! Let's all get some more booze!” Of course Smith would encourage some partying.
With cheers around us, the night continued on a bit longer…

At the end of it, we had spoken about a few details in the past, and plans for the near future. Feeling a bit nostalgic from it, a new day was soon to come, with some major changes to my life. But, my outlook was positive.