Akira Route - Act 5-7 - Under My Skin

I'm brought back into the world of the awake by the beeping drone of my alarm clock, the red panel glowing '7:00 A.M.' as if trying to burn its image into my mind. Unable to keep my eyes open, my tired hand takes random whacks at the nightstand until I'm able to quell the racket, feeling no guilt about turning over and burying my head into the warm, welcoming embrace of my pillow. The covers weave around my frame and I'm bathed in warmth again, the thought of class today a distant image in my sleep-addled mind.

The oddly familiar scent of cherry fills my nose as I roll face-first into the pillow. Upon sitting up, it becomes clear that the girl who was previously here with me has opted to wake up sooner and call dibs on the shower. I'm only able to make it halfway back to dreamland before my alarm clock goes off again, though.

The alarm, the shower, the closet, my backpack. They don’t understand. I love you, bed. You're the only one that understands me. It's with a heavy heart that I finally force myself awake, casting the covers off and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

On one hand, I could try and join Akira, which would both save a bit of time and grant me another few glances at her naked frame – two things one can never have enough of. Then again, it's probably for the best that I don't go pushing my luck, especially when Kenji's almost certainly cooped up in his room. I feel like I should be worried about him walking in on Akira, but I just don’t feel very worried; the door doesn't lock, but even if he did decide to try and use the shower, he'd probably mistake her for me.

That's a pretty interesting question, actually. Should you worry about the girl you like being seen naked by someone who is, for all intents and purposes, blind, and would probably mistake her for a guy in the first place? It would be another issue entirely if it was one of the other guys in class, but...

I'm thinking too hard on this, I need to be getting ready for class - I'll only be able to squeeze in a five minute shower, but I suppose that's the price to pay for having a guest over for the night. If anything, I'm thankful that we didn't get caught.

Halfway through my morning routine of cleaning up all the notes on my desk and making sure I’ve taken all my pills, I'm interrupted by a stark, almost energetic knocking.

Now, it can't be Kenji. Kenji's knocks are lazy, but frantic at the same time, as if to say 'I need to see you but if you're not here then it’s fine.' The knocks I'm hearing right now are more like 'I need to see you and I'm going to keep knocking until someone answers the door.' Could it be Shizune and Misha, perhaps? I wouldn't be surprised if they found some kind of contrived excuse to yank me away for 'volunteer' duties so early in the morning. The only other possibilities are Lilly and Hanako, and... well, they wouldn't knock like that.

No other way to find out, I guess.

As soon as I open the door even a crack, I'm bombarded by an energetic “Hey Hisao! It's been a while since I've seen you, huh?”

“Good morning, Emi.” I reply, quickly becoming more alert from just her presence alone. I subconsciously straighten my posture and adjust my shirt, keeping the door only cracked enough to talk to her – there’s the benefit of Akira's suit not arousing much suspicion, but I'd rather not take any chances in case there’s more visible than just her outerwear.

A stack of yellow notes sits between Emi’s hands and she looks like she may have just finished a morning run, a few beads of sweat still clinging to her face. Her hair is tied into two tight twintails, swaying as she hops back and forth, seemingly in a hurry to finish whatever it is she's here to do and get to a shower.

Despite being so jittery, though, she takes a moment to look me up and down, no doubt since this is the first time we’ve met in a while. “You look pretty worn out. Girlfriend keep you up all night?” She winks before giggling to herself, shuffling through the notes and then picking one out for me.

I resist the urge to glance back at the bathroom door out of guilt before shaking my head. “Oh, no, I just had a late night studying. Trying to keep up, you know.” I give a nervous chuckle, accepting the yellow slip.

“The nurse says it's been too long since you came in for a check-up. You'd better have been keeping up with things, for your sake!” She chimes, flashing a feisty smile before looking through the stack once more, trying to figure out where her next visit should be. I’ve heard about Emi going around campus to hand out summons to the nurse’s office on some mornings, but this would be the first time I’ve ever been subjected to such a thing.

However... before I can send her off, the foreboding sound of a door handle clicking passes through my ears, bringing both my attention and hers to the bathroom entrance.

As expected, the older of the two Satou sisters emerges, wisps of steam heralding her entrance, yet doing nothing to keep her hidden. Luckily she hasn't decided to take a risky approach, as she's wearing her shirt as well as a towel around her hips, although she's still showing quite a bit of leg that way.

I can practically feel both of their looks boring into me, with Akira wearing a confused frown when she notices the girl in the doorway and Emi no doubt beaming with a mischievous grin, just waiting for an opportunity to jab me over it.

“Hisao, is... is that Lilly's sister?” Emi muses, snickering between each syllable. She sounds more surprised than amused, although I don't even have to turn around to figure out just how much she must be enjoying this new information.

Akira, on the other hand, remains silent and calmly jumps between the two of us, avoiding the urge to make a joke about the situation. She squeezes in through the doorway and subsequently ignores the scrutinizing gaze of the other girl in the hallway, not even so much as turning a curious glance in her direction.

With my guest safely out of sight, I nudge Emi further back into the hallway and shut the door between us, trying as hard as I can to keep from panicking. Despite that, it is only then that Emi relinquishes any self-restraint she may have been holding on to, erupting in laughter and making me jump in surprise. “Jeeeez, Hisao! I knew you were a player, but this is ridiculous!” She coos, her voice muffled by the door; an idle tapping follows her statement, as if she were bouncing up and down from the sheer absurdity of the situation.

“Listen, Emi, you can't tell anyone about this.” I say, holding my back to the door in case she tries to push her way back in.

My statement is met by something of a giggle, followed by “Come on, Hisao, do you really think I'm that kind of person? Your secret's safe with me.” The handle jiggles in my hand as if she’s checking to see if the door is open again. “You’re gonna have to tell me what you’re doing with a girl like her, though! Isn’t she like ten years older than you?”

“Six.” Akira remarks in a blank tone, the shock of the situation having already passed as she sits on the bed and dries her hair with the towel, revealing that a pair of red panties was all she was wearing beneath it.

“It’s... a long story.” I answer, deciding that it might be a bad idea to say ‘we met at a suit shop and things spiraled out of control from there.’

I hear another set of giggles from the other side of the door, with a muffled ‘clack clack clack’ following her motions as she undoubtedly bounces around with a strange excitement. “I won’t interrogate you, I’m actually really surprised! We had a bet going over whether or not you’d wind up with Hanako, though.”

“Who’s ‘we?’” I ask, unable to keep from grimacing as Akira glances over at me, a ‘oh, did I just hear what I thought I heard?’ grin plastered on her face.

“Oh, uh...” Emi trails off, realizing that she said something she shouldn’t have. “Just Rin. Me and Rin. Rin and I.”

Rin? That painter girl? I can see Emi being something of a gossip, but Rin? Why would she be at all concerned with...

That’s not what I need to be worrying about right now. I’ve only got half an hour until class starts and I haven’t even started to get ready.

“So you’re not going to tell anyone about this?” I ask out of paranoia, still leaning all of my weight against the door even though it’s clear that Emi won’t try to get in again.

A receive a short ‘heh,’ followed by “Of course not, Hisao! Your secret’s safe with me, I wouldn’t go spreading something like this around the school, you know.”

I heave a sigh of relief and relax, trying to calm myself down as the fact that my heart’s beating too quickly for comfort catches up to me. “Okay, good. Thank you, I'm sorry you had to come at such a bad ti-”

“As long as you get to the nurse's office before I finish giving out all these notes~!” Emi says, her voice trailing off and the metallic clacking of her prosthesis leading down the hallway. At first I begin to panic again, but then I realize that the stack of passes she was carrying had to have included at least another couple dozen visits across campus. She’s fast, but she’s not THAT fast.

Akira watches my expression with great care, waiting until I've calmed down to toss my uniform pants at me. “What was that about?” She asks with a mix of confusion and concern.

I sigh, already in the process of putting my pants on while I seek the rest of my uniform. “I’m not entirely sure; it started off as a visit to give me a pass to the nurse’s office so I can show up late to class, but then... well, that happened.” I'm forced to pause between each phrase while my train of thought makes frequent stops, constantly distracted by the exposed pair of legs in the room.

“Well, it was a girl. Nothing she hasn't seen before.” Akira concedes with a small laugh, checking over her suit for any patches of lint before starting to slip into her pants. “You've been taking care of yourself, right? Took your pills and everything?”

I nod, glancing over to my nightstand to ensure that all of the 'twice daily' bottles are turned over and the 'thrice daily' bottles are waiting on the desk. “It's probably second nature at this point. Habits form pretty fast when you're dealing with matters of 'do this to not die.'”

“Yeah, you don't need me to mommy you. That's good.” She pats down her pockets, pulling her phone out and thumbing through its contents . “Think the Shanghai would be alright with me hanging around for a few hours? May as well take some time and catch up with the news.”

“Eh? Why would you need to... oh.” I say, glancing out the window to see students already making their ways around the courtyard. “They actually don’t do room checks here, so I think it would be fine if you just stayed here.” I continue, doing up the buttons of my shirt in practiced motions while looking for my comb. “I'm not sure what you could do about lunch, though. Lilly and Hanako usually invite me for lunch, so maybe you could...”

She cuts me off, waving one hand around as if to say 'don't worry about that.' “I called up Lilly before I got in the shower, she said it'll be fine if I meet with you three for lunch, I just need to kill some time before then. There's this empty classroom on the third floor, right?”

“Yeah, it's right down the hall from the stairway...” I trail off, checking myself in the bathroom mirror before calling over my shoulder, “When did you call Lilly?”

My question receives a playful wink, a gesture made all the more enticing by the fact that Akira has already begun to take off her pants with the intention of going back to bed. “You're a pretty heavy sleeper.”

“If you say so.” I reply, taking care of the finishing touches on my uniform before grabbing my book bag. “So you're going to meet us for lunch, then?”

“Yep.” She nods, undoing the top few buttons of her shirt before plopping back on the bed with her arms outstretched. “I'm just going to catch a few more hours of sleep, if me staying here won't hurt anything. Only thing Lilly had to say was that there might be a guest today.” Her voice carries a hint of annoyance, although I'm not sure if it has more to do with her father or if it's because there's anything that could interrupt a time with her sister. “Well, 'might be,' but that usually means 'expect something.'”

That throws off my rhythm a little bit. I'd been preparing myself for how I was going to act for the board meeting, but now I have to meet him a few days early. I suppose any exposure to him helps me build up a better understanding, or at least teaches me more about him, but at the same time, he's... not the easiest person to be around. I can see where she's coming from on that end.

I finish tying my shoes and head for the door, only to be stopped partway there. Before I can say anything, my lips are sealed shut and I can feel her hands gripping my shoulders, lulling me into a state of bliss I've never experienced this early in the morning.

A light moan escapes her throat as she holds the kiss out, barely allowing me to get into it before she sees fit to break away. “That's your goodnight kiss, and your good morning kiss – it's all you're getting today.” She says with a sly grin, nudging me back with her slender hands.

“No lunchtime kiss?” Are the only words I can muster as my brain spins within its hard shell, every other concern in my mind melting like butter on a hot skillet while a big dumb grin droops from my lips.

“We’ll see about it.” She returns, waving me off before slipping back under the covers and gesturing for me to turn off the light. Thoughts of skipping class for the day run amok in my head as I lock the door behind me, my daydreams already flaring up before I can even get to the stairwell.

*************

The sterile environment of the head nurse's waiting room sends uncomfortable chills of deja vu up my spine, the soft murmur of his voice behind the door the only noise discernable from the hum of an AC unit and the ticking of a wall clock. I wasn't given a specific time, the only thing the pass says is for me to report to the nurse's office; I suppose that doesn’t matter, seeing as how I can get back into class whenever I’m done no matter how long it takes.

I’m not even sure on why I have to be here right now. Is it just because it’s been a while since I stopped in? Why would that warrant pulling me out of bed to come for a check-up? I suppose it’s good that I check in and make sure that all of this stress isn’t literally tearing me apart, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a waste of time, almost.

Either way, I'm only left waiting for about ten minutes before he opens his door and a girl steps out, waving goodbye as she skips to wherever she's supposed to be. She’s then followed by the Nurse himself and I'm the first thing to catch his eye, my presence welcomed by an enthusiastic smile.

“Well, well, well. It's been a while since I've seen you in here.” He says, letting the door shut with a 'click' as soon as I step inside. “How's that job been? I certainly hope you've been taking care of yourself.”

Now that I think about it, I don't think the job's helped me out a whole lot in terms of my fitness. I guess I've been getting a bit of exercise by using the stairs, but most of the time I can just use the elevator since I have a maintenance cart anyway. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, though; if there's no physical labor then it doesn't matter, but if I haven't gotten any exercise from it he might chew me out regardless.

“It's been going alright. The work isn't as taxing as I originally thought so I haven't had to worry about pushing myself too much.” I answer, unsure of what else to say.

My statement is met by a bit of a leer. “Mm, but by the looks of it, you haven't been getting much sleep, have you?” He says, leaning in and analyzing my expression. “Seeing a bit of restlessness -- or is it just all those late night parties at the guys' dorm?” He shoots me a joking grin before standing up and getting his stethoscope ready, the motion itself enough to say that I should take off my shirt.

“Just a lot of late studying, pretty much.” I reply, unbuttoning my uniform shirt while I brace myself. He goes about the usual procedure, only stopping to make a weird expression twice before dismissing it as 'normal' and pulling away.

It makes me wonder if there are any other students here with arrhythmia. It doesn't seem like a very common condition, but then again, neither do blindness and missing limbs, and there's plenty of that to be found here. At least I can be grateful that it’s one of those ‘invisible’ disabilities, so it’s not like I have any reason to go looking for someone who has ‘that’ in common with me.

“Has everything been alright? I'll assume you've been keeping up with your medication.” He continues, letting the metal implement hang around his neck while he goes to check through one of a dozen filing cabinets sitting against the wall. “No major incidents, am I correct?”

I shake my head on reflex, although a few memories immediately come to mind. “There’s not much to speak of, no. I've been a little stressed out by a few things that are going on, but nothing that would involve me pushing my luck.”

He gives a small 'hm' as he pulls what I assume is my folder out of the drawer and slaps it on his desk. I'm given a moment's pause while he searches for the right paper, in the process of scribbling down a few notes before he's even settled into his chair. “Well, any stress at all is no good. It's part of life, though, so just be sure to take it easy as often as you can.” He explains, flashing a short grin at me before continuing. “Stress-related heart issues are common enough in people without your condition, so... just keep an eye on that.”

“Everything has been pretty easy to figure out, to be honest.” I note, already putting my shirt back on and trying to get an eye for just how much he's writing down.

“It’s a good thing you're a quick learner, since everything checks out. The only real advice I can give you is to keep doing whatever you're doing. It seems like you've made some improvements, so just keep at it.” He says with an enthusiastic grin, capping the pen and setting it down. “See, just a short check-up. Any questions?”

At first I start to gather up my things, but then my mind flashes back to the time I've been spending with Akira. Thoughts of caramel-colored bottles jump through my head in particular, and I can't help but express a bit of curiosity. “Is it... What's your stance on, uh, alcohol?”

He glances up from the paper and gives me a stern glare, his head is tilted in confusion and no doubt the fact that it's me makes the question that much worse. “Alcohol, huh?” His tone comes across as distilled annoyance, his eyes challenging me as if to say 'do you really need me to say it or is this enough?'

“Y-Yeah. I'm just a little curious..” I return, trying as hard as I can to avoid coming off as guilty and probably failing nonetheless. “I’ve gotten offers from co-workers to go drinking, but I’ve always turned it down because I’m not too sure of what would happen.”

“As a medical professional, I'm going to have to advise against it.” He leans forward and crosses his fingers, propping his head up atop them. “Studies are ongoing, so I couldn't give you a definite explanation for what it has to do with your condition, but from a general standpoint, alcohol and heart conditions don't go well together.” At this, he gives a long sigh before leaning back in his chair, relaxing a little now that he's left me shaking in my own seat. “Not only that, you're a student, and drinking is strongly prohibited, especially since you’re not even of legal age. So if the health concerns aren't enough, then maybe you could consider your standing at this school as another deterrent.”

I give a strong nod. “Oh, no, I'm just... I'm just curious, is all.” I stammer out, thinking back to the strange palpitations I got during both that night on the roof with Kenji, as well as the multiple evenings with Akira. “So... even one drink is out?”

His posture drops for just a moment, surprised by my persistence. “Well, a glass of red wine every now and then has been proven to help 'prevent' heart disease, but I'm not in a position to tell you whether or not it reduces the severity of conditions and afflictions that have already taken root.”

Would it be better to keep taking risks for the sake of enjoying some time with Akira, or should I just ditch the idea entirely? I've already seen what happens first-hand, and I really don't want to go pushing my already shoddy luck. “So... only in extreme moderation, then?”

He takes a moment to think on it before finally shaking his head, although his expression lightens up a considerable amount. “Any at all is too much. I'm sure you could get a bit of a debate on it if you went for a second opinion, but I maintain that it's not worth the risk. Those are uncharted waters we’re looking at, Mr. Nakai.”

Well, so much for that. Not only is it a bad idea because of all the medication I have to take, but even as a stand-alone issue, my heart still keeps me from having fun. I can't help but wonder how Akira might take something like that; alcohol seems like a pretty big thing for her when it comes to relieving stress, and I feel a little bad that I won't be able to partake in the activity with her.

It’s a really stupid thing to feel insecure over, too. I don’t think I’d be worried for a second if I hadn’t been there for all the times that Akira made annoyed observations about Tetsuo’s absolute refusal to go drinking under any circumstances. Was it his avoidance of the act that caused such a disconnection, or was it his attitude about the whole thing?

The nurse looks me over with a trace of suspicion while I gather up my things and stand up. “You haven’t already been experimenting, have you?”

“Ah, I... no, of course not.” I reply, trying as hard as I can to keep my cool.

He raises one eyebrow, not totally convinced. Instead of pursuing the matter further, though, he seems to take my word on it. “Well, either way, hopefully I've made myself clear. Any other questions?”

I shake my head. “That's the only thing that's been bugging me. I'll try and stay away from it; doesn't seem like much good can come from it in the first place.”

A blatant lie on my part, but maybe if I say it enough it'll keep me from pushing the envelope. Then again, it's only true under the condition that my chest isn't rigged to explode from anything more agitating than a bump.

“Alright then, I'm glad we see eye to eye on this.” He says, adjusting his coat and following me out so that he can call for the next student. “Just be sure to take it easy.”

Yeah, I’ll be sure to take it easy between the scathing corporate executive dad and nagging decisions to be made. All this entire meeting has really given me is that drinking really and truly isn’t a good idea, and that I should keep doing whatever I’m doing that doesn’t involve alcohol. Ugh.

I bow my head before leaving the infirmary. My watch indicates that I've only missed fifteen minutes of class, although with the way I'm feeling now I'm wondering if it would be alright to miss another hour and go back to sleep. There's enough motivation for that idea waiting in my room as it is, and I'm sure it could be justified by how far ahead I've been able to get with...

No, no skipping class. Even if there's a half-naked girl waiting for you back in your room.

******************

Class goes by without incident and everyone packs up their things to head out for lunch, although Hanako seems to be having some issues, as indicated by her absence today. Mutou has also already left the room, in a rush to make to his own lunch, apparently. I wish I could sum up what was covered in today's lectures, but I spent most of it trying to plan out the meeting I'm about to have with Mr. Satou.

As far as lunch goes, I'm still not entirely sure of what to do or think. I genuinely want to believe that he's just here to have lunch with his daughter, but the things Akira has said will always have me leery of his intentions – at the same time, it's pretty easy to get into the mindset that she might be just a little biased because of their past together.

Sure the guy's a total jerk, but... maybe he has some good intentions behind it. It's understandable that he's trying to get Lilly to offer up her hand for an arranged marriage, since that's pretty much their entire livelihood hanging in the balance if he lets the company go to someone who isn't in the family. Despicable and manipulative intentions, sure, but understandable nonetheless.

What still has me utterly baffled is what he has in store for Akira. Most of the time it feels like he'd rather disown her and be done with it, but there’s always this nagging feeling in my head, like he just wants to take her out for a drink but doesn't know how to ask without barking a hundred insults along the way. I suppose it's to be expected of a Japanese businessman in his position to be more than a little abrasive, but I can't really discern if I'm misunderstanding or if there's nothing under the surface and he's just a giant asshole.

Nothing to do other than take the plunge and try to find out, I guess.

With my bag slung over my shoulder, I'm the last one to leave the classroom. I didn't take the time to pack my own lunch, so naturally I'll be stopping by the vending machine today; it wouldn't look very proper of me to show up to a planned lunch without, well, a planned lunch. Anything I can do to reduce the number of things I'll...

My train of thought screeches to a halt as I peer over the heads of the crowd in the hallway only to find a distinct head of black hair, his shoulders draped in dark blue and what looks like a shaving bandage stuck under his chin. He's looking around with his arms at his side, moving only enough to keep from brushing up too strongly against any students.

Part of me wants to call out and wonder what's going on, and the other part just wants to take the scenic route up to the next floor and pretend I didn't see anything. Ultimately, my manners get the best of me and I approach him, although only after most of the crowd has cleared out.

“Mr... Mr. Satou?” I ask, immediately bowing my head as soon as he responds to the call.

The silence that follows speaks a lot of things to me, mostly on how out-of-place he both looks and must feel. Aside from the blazer, it would appear that today he's allowing himself to get away with 'business casual,' sporting only a long-sleeved shirt with no tie and a pair of slacks. The fancy logo on his lapel tells me that it's still an ensemble that would command months of paychecks from where I'm standing, but at the very least it seems like he's loosened up a bit.

“You are...” He trails off, failing to show any sort of emotion as he racks his brain for my name. “Necktie, correct?”

“It's, uh, Nakai. Hisao Nakai.” I remark, wincing a bit as I prepare for the verbal beating I'll surely receive for correcting him. I make no effort to move from my spot, waiting for him to initiate any sort of travel.

Satou tilts his head and adjusts his glasses, as if trying to shrug off the error. “Ah, I apologize.”

We sink into another silence, the air between us making me wish that I could shrink into my shoes and waddle away. Something about him commands a lot more than what I'm able to provide, and although he's been able to maintain a calm demeanor so far, I can't help but wonder when that's going to snap.

He eventually decides to check his phone, the shiny golden watch clasped around his wrist complimenting the shiny golden ring resting on his fourth finger. “Would you happen to know where I could find an empty classroom on this floor?” Satou asks, not even skipping a beat. Although his tone comes across as confident, I can't help but feel a little apprehension in his voice – he must be someone that really hates asking for directions.

“This floor?” I ask, now tilting my head as well while I remain frozen. “This is the third floor. If you're talking about Lilly, I think she meant to say second floor, near the library. That's where She and Hanako usually have lunch, anyway.”

“I see.” He says, maintaining eye contact, that strange yet familiar glimmer of red gazing into my mind from behind his thin-rimmed glasses. “I would have checked there first had I not received faulty directions.”

Then, without thanking me or saying anything else, he makes his way to the staircase and takes a few cautious steps down, taking care not to bump into a boy with an eyepatch. I take my time following him, allowing just enough of a window to make it seem like I'm not trying to stalk him, or do anything that would otherwise warrant getting yelled at.

Once I get up to the empty classroom, I'm only welcomed to the sight of domestic rivalry, with Akira already sitting at one side of the table beside her sister while Satou is just now pulling up a seat beside Hanako on the other. There's already another chair set up at the end of the table opposite the window, which I assume is for me.

The two of them lock eyes for a few moments before glancing away – Akira and her father, that is. A white 'visitor' sticker has been affixed to the chest of Akira's jacket and her general appearance would tell me that she decided to have a second shower prior to showing up for the meeting.

As soon as I enter the room, I'm met with a friendly smile and a wave from both Akira and Hanako. Lunch appears to have already been set up, so an emergency visit to the vending machine won't be necessary, seeing as how there's already tea and food available.

“Good afternoon, Hisao. I'm glad you could make it.” Lilly says as soon as I take my seat, indicating that the party's all here. “I'm sorry for the sudden arrangements, I wasn't expecting two more guests today.” She adds with a smile, rousing a cheeky 'heh' from her sister.

One glance at Hanako would indicate that she, indeed, hasn’t been feeling very well. It's clear that she doesn't intend to attend class today, but she's still decided to throw on her uniform, albeit she looks a little shook up, as if she overslept before coming here. Stray locks poke out from her head, making me wonder if she even had time to brush her hair before rushing over to the classroom. There's a bit of a panicked look in her eye and she appears to be trying as hard as she can not to shake, as indicated by the nervous clasping of her hands in her lap.

The strangest thing is that Mr. Satou doesn’t seem to feel the need to say anything, even to give a half-hearted greeting. He makes eye contact with everyone in the room, even Lilly, but other than to acknowledge that he’s not the only one in the room, he remains silent. Between what happened in the hallway and this, I get the impression that he’s trying to restrain himself, for some reason.

“So how's your day been, sis?” Akira asks while the tea is poured and our lunch of egg salad sandwiches and rice cakes is divided up.

“I've been quite alright, Akira. I had to wake up a little early, as you know, but it's nothing I have difficulty taking care of.” She replies with a smile, pausing to finish pouring her father's cup of tea. “What about you? It's a pleasure to get to visit with you on your day off.”

She takes a brief pause to thank Lilly and Hanako for the food. “Just didn't have anything else to do and felt like I'd come see my baby sister.” She explains, grinning at the pout that follows from her so-called 'baby sister' before starting to dig into her lunch.

Mr. Satou glances up every so often to pay attention to who's speaking - who, at this point, happens to be the dark-haired girl beside the eldest Satou - but does nothing to add to the conversation himself. It’s clear that he’s listening, but... is he just not interested?

“I-I think I came down with... with a bit of a c-cold...” Hanako says in a quiet voice, her hands shaking as she struggles to keep her teacup steady. “The n-newspaper club had a d-drafting meeting at the Shanghai last night and we.. d-didn't get back until t-two.”

Lilly quickly forgets her sister's remarks as soon as Hanako speaks up. "That doesn't sound very nice. Have you thought of taking a break from club activities?"

She shakes her head, fidgeting as she tries to put together an answer. "N-No, I can handle it. Th-There isn't much to do until the autumn f-festival, so... I-I'll be fine."

"Hey, at least they're keeping you busy, right?" Akira smiles and adjusts her seat, trying to avoid sitting directly across from the eldest Satou.

Hanako nods and opts out of speaking, avoiding eye contact upon noticing that Mr. Satou is also paying attention to her words. A short silence follows while Akira chews on a bite of her sandwich, mulling over her thoughts before looking at me, and then over at her father.

“What about you, Pops? Anything happen today?”

He glances up from his own meal, a riceball perched in-hand just inches from his mouth while he issues a reply. “I am your Father, I am not your ‘Pops.’” With that said, he then returns to       his food for just a moment before setting it aside, with Akira practically unfazed by the exchange. “Today has been a good day, however. I attended a breakfast with Design & Distribution this morning, and we’re shaping up to release an adjusted version of model fifty-two. Thank you for asking.”

“Oh, fifty-two? They were having some trouble finding a new supplier for the R400 ports after Takeuchi went out of business this last week. I’m glad they got that worked out.” Akira responds before taking a sip of her tea. Extra care has to be taken not to knock anything over, since the table is a little overcrowded to account for the two extra seats.

...Did that just happen? The two of them just had part of a conversation and no insults or criticisms were flung -- not even a sarcastic comment. “What’s model fifty-two, exactly?” I ask, trying to keep it from staying one-sided long enough to get to the breaking point.

Without even thinking about it, both Akira and her father say “Business stuff” in exact unison, prompting an exchange of awkward glares. They both try to remain stoic, avoiding eye-contact while they continue indulging in their food in silence. Hanako doesn’t seem too keen on interrupting the stalemate, content to wait and listen in on what happens next.

The same can’t be said of Lilly, though. “My, this all sounds a little interesting. Could you elaborate on what ‘business stuff’ might be?”

Akira and Mr. Satou both open their mouths to speak, subsequently going quiet as soon as they realize that the other wants to talk. I don’t really know what’s going on, but if I had to take a guess, it seems like Mr. Satou is trying to be a bit more mannerly, and Akira is trying not to stomp on that and set him off.

“You know a lot more about this than I do.” Akira says, gesturing for the man opposite her to continue.

He refuses the notion, however, returning the gesture with “It’s your branch, you know better than I do what all has been going on.”

Akira lets out a barely-audible groan, either left uncomfortable by her father’s sudden show of manners or stumped on how to explain the concept to others at the table. “Project fifty-two is, well, a name for a wireless router we’re planning to ship out in a few days. Normally this would all be top-secret, but if it’s about to be released then there’s no reason to keep it under wraps, really.”

The smile on Lilly’s face doesn’t fade even the slightest bit, but it’s still clear that she has no idea as to what Akira just said. “So... is it an important assignment that you’ve been working on?”

“Yeah, it’s... well, no, I haven’t been working on it personally, but I’ve gotta manage what goes on with all the departments, so I know what’s going on.” Akira replies, finishing off the last bite of her sandwich in the silence that follows.

At this point, Mr. Satou has become strangely quiet, crossing his arms and looking as though he wants to cut in but is holding himself back. Beyond a single bite of his rice ball, he hasn’t touched his food ever since the conversation started.

“Is there anything you want to add, Mr. Satou?” I ask, unable to resist doing what may as well be stirring the situation due to piqued curiosity.

Without waiting even another moment, he begins. “Project fifty-two is the development and subsequent mass production of a router capable of transmitting through both a wired ethernet and wireless-n connections. The technology isn't cutting-edge, but our priority with this product is to strike a balance between affordability, security, and ranged capability. It is the first in a series of routers that we hope to release, using Japan as the testing grounds in order to get a scope of our projected market.” Mr. Satou explains, leering at Akira with more and more disdain as his speech drags on.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” Akira returns before Lilly can raise any more questions.

“Do you even know any of that? I’ve heard quite a bit about how disconnected you are from the company projects.” He asserts, somehow able to come off as both accusatory and calm at the same time.

Akira tries her best to keep her composure, sitting up and letting out a long sigh. “Of course I know all of that, old man, that’s something we were working on even before I had to take some time off because of your nonsense.”

“Maybe you should explain that, then, instead of remaining so vague about everything that comes out of your mouth.” His brow narrows and it looks as though he’s using every ounce of restraint in his body, like all the annoyance with her from the past week were just now being let loose.

“Oh, yeah, I’m gonna go barking about jargon to some people who barely even use the internet. Great idea, pops.” Akira shakes her head and finishes off her cup of tea, looking more disappointed with the situation than annoyed.

Hanako, while seemingly interested in the topic, looks more and more uncomfortable with each word that’s uttered, and I have to say that I share the same feeling. Lilly, on the other hand, maintains her usual demeanor even though it’s clear that she’s incredibly bothered as well -- no doubt she must have gotten used to it faster than everyone else in the room. Every time he gets like this it feels more difficult to speak, which is the worst problem because all they need is someone to defuse the situation.

“Never under-represent your products, girl. If you know proper business practice then maybe your branch wouldn’t have to work so hard and only barely make it into the black.” He argues, taking a sip of his own tea in retort before setting it down with a displeased expression. “How long did you steep this tea?”

At this, Akira becomes visibly irked and leans forward on the table, still maintaining the same tone of voice. “Is nothing ever good enough for you?”

“That’s a damn good thing to be asking at the rate you’re working at.” Satou rebukes with a glare matched in intensity only by the girl sitting across from him.

Before the argument can escalate even further out of control, Lilly cuts in with “That’s enough, I apologize for asking,” her voice wrought with strain as she tries to keep her own composure. The other two pause in their spots before going along with Lilly and trying to calm down, once again avoiding eye contact. Lilly takes this moment to shift the topic elsewhere, “So, Akira, do you have any plans for your birthday?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Akira answers, cooling off as Hanako pours her a new cup of tea. “I’d like to go see a concert or something, but chances are all I’ll have time to do is head to the jazz club for a night.”

Ah, right, Akira’s birthday. We briefly touched on it last night but I didn’t have much to say at the time. Even now, I can’t think of anything to do for her; I have no ideas for gifts and it’s probably too late to schedule anything big, like a trip to a concert or a fancy restaurant. She’s definitely not the type to fawn over jewelry and we’ve only been together for a fairly short time, so that’s out. I’m still too young to buy alcohol and I doubt I’m going to get lucky with Kenji again, so that’s also something I can throw out.

I’m sure I’ll think of something before then. “It’s your birthday. Whatever you want to do will work out, I’m sure.”

She shrugs, giving the impression that it’s not something she finds too important. For good reason, I’m sure, considering the big elephant in the room right now.

“There will be time for that after the meeting.” Mr. Satou states as he finishes off the rice ball on his plate. “The meeting which I’m sure you got an invitation to, of course.” He adds in a blank tone, eyeing Akira as if waiting for her to make another mistake.

She doesn’t give him the opportunity to lunge, though. “Of course I got the invitation, old man. I’m bringing a few guests, though.”

The reply doesn’t even seem to make a blip on his radar. Instead, he just casually responds “You could bring a troupe of civilized monkeys with you, if you wanted. All I care about is that they’re quiet and not a distraction.”

Akira glances over to me with a snicker, nodding before her eyes follow over to Hanako. I’m not sure if they’ve talked about this before, but Hanako doesn’t seem to want to attend; any attempts to pull a response out of her are all met with a light shake of her head.

“I’m sure it will be very pleasant. Thank you for inviting us, Father.” Lilly adds, having long since finished her own meal with no desire to go for seconds.

It could already be assumed that Lilly is going, naturally. If Akira hadn’t invited her to sit in then she’d probably just show up as a guest of her father, no doubt. I’m wondering what kind of an ordeal this will be -- supposedly it’s just a shareholder meeting, and I can’t imagine those as being any more entertaining than watching a guy point at some pie graphs and drone about stock options for an hour. The invitation for guests is open, though, so is it going to be more like a party or a ball of some sort?

Either way, the only instructions I’ve received are to dress nice and to be quiet for the entire duration. I’m finding out about all this at the same rate as Akira, no doubt.

“What’s the meeting for, anyway?” I ask out of impulse, paying careful attention to the black-haired man down the table in case I need to duck out of the room.

He glances up and meets my gaze with a blank expression, pausing just before attempting to take another sip of his tea. “It’s a shareholder’s board meeting. Is that not self-explanatory?”

I shake my head. “Is that really all it is? It seems like there’s a lot of effort going into it, what with all the guest invitations. I get the impression that it’s more than whatever goes on in a generic shareholder’s meeting.”

The attention of everyone at the table shifts between me and Mr. Satou, no doubt due to the curiosity of every other person here. If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now: no one has been told much about this event.

“Well, that’s actually a really good question.” He says, which then segues into the first and only time I’ve seen him smile, even if it’s just a bemused half-smile. “I could say that it’s just a general meeting, but we try to do things differently within the company, especially at this branch. One thing we’ve tried to adopt over the years is a sort of ‘open-door policy’ that applies to anyone related to the attendees. Just as a means of promoting trust, so to speak.”

He breaks off into a long-winded explanation, throwing around more complex diction than I know how to discern. Akira seems to be the only one who’s following along, but to her it probably feels more like a lecture on what she already knows than anything else.

Sensing that he’s lost... pretty much everyone at the table, he gives a displeased frown and stops himself. “As far as Akira’s concerned, I only have a few announcements to make. There’s going to be catering for the attendees and their guests.” He concludes, gazing directly at me as if I’m the only person the response is meant for -- it’s not like anyone else is willing to pick up on it, anyway. Hanako lost interest near the beginning of the conversation and Lilly seems more than a little clueless, despite her best attempts to remain in the exchange.

“Does that mean you’re handing the company down to me?” Akira asks with a sarcastic smile, having since finished her entire lunch and propped her head up on one arm.

His head jerks over to her as if tugged by a power-lifter, his eyes making it seem like he’s shocked by the joke itself. “You can’t even keep your elbows off of the table, girl. If that’s going to be your attitude, then you’ve got about a hundred years of work before I’ll consider it, even in my sleep.”

“Oh, only a hundred years. That’s down from the thousand it was back in high school.” She replies with a static expression, maintaining the same sarcastic tone despite sitting up and fixing her posture.

The rest of lunch is spent in silence, finishing up whatever scraps remain and gathering up all the dishes. Akira is more than happy to take Mr. Satou’s uneaten sandwich, as well as another cup of tea, much to his disdain. At the same time, the eldest Satou is the first one to head for the door, announcing “I’ll be leaving now. I have another lunch to attend with an old colleague of mine.”

Before he steps out, however, he leaves one message. “Don’t let me down, Akira. Not with this.” His tone is dark, as if he were issuing a command more important than anything else he had ever said. All he receives for this notion is a shrug and an idle wave, neither of which are seen as he makes a break for the exit after letting his wishes be known.

“Well, that was pleasant.” I remark, helping Hanako tidy up while Akira checks her phone. Lilly remains still, her calm, happy demeanor having faded in the absence of her father as she enters a deep thought.

Akira responds with a sardonic ‘hah,’ standing up and beginning to make her way out of the room. “Yeah, he’s always a big barrel of happiness. For a moment there I thought he’d dropped the asshole act, but go figure it’s just as strong as before.”

The younger Satou doesn’t take long to perk up at the notion. “Akira, I should think you would be used to it by now. I have to be honest and say that it was rather unbecoming of you to get so riled up.”

“I was fine until he made that pass at your tea.” She argues, ruffling Lilly’s hair from across the table and uttering a short chuckle at her reaction. “I’m used to the crap about work, that’s no problem. I’m not gonna let him trash-talk the food my baby sister put work into, though.”

Now that I think back on it, Akira is always a little quick to jump whenever her dad’s involved. If it were anyone else then I couldn’t see her being so confrontational, but with her father... I suppose it’s just all the years of pent up bitterness seeking a release. “Well, I think you could’ve done a better job of keeping your cool as well. I’ve never seen you go after anyone like that.”

At this, she turns around and locks eyes with me, crossing her arms as she does so. “That’s just what he does. You would think it gets easier to deal with over time, since he’s been like that for as long as I remember, but he’s just as infuriating as the day he left for Scotland the first time.”

“Well, yeah, but... Are you gonna be alright on Thursday? It seems like things just get worse and worse each time you two wind up within talking distance” I say, which only prompts a nod of agreement from Lilly.

She crosses her arms and gives me an agitated frown despite having already cooled off from the entire ordeal. “Hey, c’mon now. I think I’m mature enough to know when to keep it under wraps.”

“I’m just saying.” I respond, trying not to seem like an accusation. I nudge her in the side as she steps up beside me, my efforts to get her to cheer up falling short.

In fact, my ‘saying’ is only met by another short frown, making me wonder if it was something that was appropriate to say. Ultimately, however, she turns the tables on me. “Do you want your lunchtime kiss or not?”

Ooh, right where it hurts. “Yes, ma’am.” I nod.

“Good.” She replies, returning to her usual self and nudging me in the side to get back for earlier. “Anyway, If you three are heading out then it’s about time for me to be getting home.”

Lilly also decides to get her things ready, with the table already cleaned up and the extra chairs set aside. “It is certainly time to go. The bell rang a few minutes ago, we should hurry if we don’t want to be late.” She says, pulling her bookbag’s strap over her shoulder. “It was very nice to get to visit with you today, Akira. I do hope this is something we can do more often.”

“I’ll try and get something set up. The only reason it worked out today is because I’m off.” Akira replies, flashing a smile to Hanako as she joins our little gathering. “Kinda a shame that we’ve got to split up now, though. Especially you...” In a motion she’s surely mastered at this point, she grips my shoulder with one hand and pulls me closer, allowing her lips to settle into mine. In just a brief moment, though, it’s already over and she’s waving goodbye. “There’s your lunchtime kiss, cowboy. Now get to class.”

“At least something’s going my way today.” I chuckle, adjusting my shoulder-strap and seeing her off around the corner. “Drive safe on the way back.”

With our goodbyes exchanged, I turn around to find both Lilly and Hanako gazing at me, the latter of the two wearing an expression flushed with bright crimson while the former giggles as if she just heard something interesting. “My my, Hisao. I didn’t know you two had gotten so close already.”