Akira Route - Act 5-8 - Sway

Akira nudges the wheel left and right, trying to squeeze into a parking space.  It would seem that we're the late arrivals, even though it's still at least twenty minutes before the scheduled time, which only prompts her to give a long sigh and slump in her seat. She glances back at me with a dull fatigue in her eye. “How about we skip this and go get sushi or something?”

“What a nice thought.” I counter, looking around the parking lot while the car settles into its spot. I undo my seatbelt and sit forward against the front seat, the scent of Lilly’s perfume drilling into my nose. “What about pizza? You said there was this nice place you wanted to show me.”

Lilly stifles a small yawn, already seeming a little restless even if it's rather well hidden behind her calm demeanor. “I certainly wouldn't mind a small dinner stop once the meeting was finished.”

“Well, he said there's gonna be a banquet-type thing afterwards. I wouldn't mind dodging out on it, but I'm kinda trying to avoid letting him blow up tonight.” Akira asserts, giving one of her 'I just want to go home and sleep' looks.

“He's going to be surrounded by a lot of other rich folk, isn't he? I doubt he'd let himself get mad around them.” I return, climbing out of the back and helping Lilly onto her feet.

With her purse in hand, the younger Satou lightly grips the sleeve of my suit coat. She's wearing a red chinese-style dress that seems to hug her form at all the right angles with matching red slippers, her hair tied back into a bun. Akira seems to have opted for her usual approach, although instead of wearing a suit, she's settled for a black long-sleeved blouse and some black cloth pants.

Damn, there goes another chance to see her in a skirt. Maybe I should have tried to convince her to wear one.

Akira guides both of us out of the parking garage and into the more familiar lobby of her workplace, both hands in her pockets. The elevator only takes a few moments to arrive and soon we're on our way up, the sinking lurch of the chamber not doing much to help my already nervous gut.

The doors open with a resounding ding. Both Lilly and Akira try to remain composed, although it's clear that the younger of the two is feeling quite a bit of worry right now. Akira doesn't seem so nervous -- if anything, I get the impression that all of this is just a bore to her.

“Are you ready?” I ask, rubbing her back with one hand.

“About as ready as I'll ever be.” Akira nods, heaving a sigh as we step out onto the carpeted floor of the sixth story hallway.

Keeping in line with the overly ornate reception hall, the interior of the office seems to be just as flashy – the dark-colored carpet looks freshly cleaned, the beige walls are free from even the smallest scratches, and no two paintings or framed pieces of corporate history hang more than a few meters apart. A column of office numbers and other such labels adorns the wall just outside the elevator, pointing to a group of miscellaneous rooms down one path while the other leads to 'Banquet Hall C,' among various other important-sounding places.

The total lack of any sort of crowd in the halls on the way there leads me to ask “Just how big of a company does this have to be for there to be three banquet halls?”

“Well, this used to be the main building until Pops decided to move overseas.” Akira answers, her matter-of-fact tone making it seem more like a recital than a response. “Now it's just a 'shared services center.' We do pretty much all of the auxiliary stuff for Japan's R&D, as well as a ton of other technical mumbo-jumbo.”

Lilly listens with what I assume to be great interest, even if it looks like she's just waiting for our talk to finish so that we can get to the meeting on time. “It must have been difficult making all those changes after Father left.”

“Well, that was before my time. All I know is that there's still a bunch of name plates where they don't need to be.” Akira shrugs, already in the process of pulling us back into step. “There's not really a lot I can say about the place that isn’t just rambling about corporate policies.”

Neither Lilly nor myself pursue the topic further as the meeting room draws near. A few assistants rush around while trying to find more chairs for the other guests. Inside, a long wooden table sits in the center of the room, with seven chairs all positioned around it and a huge projection screen hanging from the ceiling on the open end. There's just enough room to fit more seats against the wall.

All of the guests have gathered either in the hallway or in the board room itself, content to mingle or waste some time until the actual event starts. I assume that the ‘important people’ Akira referred to are the several old and excellently dressed men lingering in the crowd, accompanied by their guests -- other assistants, family, and friends would be a safe guess. Mr. Satou appears to be the only one missing.

In typical business fashion, it takes a few minutes of careful scrutiny before anyone comes to approach us, the first one being a middle-aged man with thinning black hair and enough rings to make an exquisite chain.

Of course, I say ‘us,’ but in reality the only person he’s concerned with is Akira. “Good evening, Ms. Satou, I assume?”

She flashes a light smile and bows her head. “That’s me alright. It’s great to finally meet you in person, Mr. Takatoshi.” Akira returns. Her tone comes off as friendly, but I get the impression that it’s more of a front than anything else.

“Likewise.” He says, not even nodding in response. “It has been a real pleasure working with your father over this past week. I only hope that you’ll come to serve the company much like he has.”

Akira bows her head once again. “Thank you for your compliments.”

As soon as the man turns around to tend to some other person, however, her smile fades and that same tired ‘I really wish I didn’t have to be here right now’ expression resurfaces on her face.

“Something wrong?” I ask, patting her on the back while trying not to draw too much attention over.

“It’s nothing. Just…” Akira cuts herself short as another man approaches, his hands clasped behind his back. She repeats the same act; bowing her head, exchanging smiles and greetings, then thanking him for his time as he leaves for some other matter of business.

This time, however, he stops to greet Lilly as well. He looks her over with an expectant smile, expression unchanging when she doesn’t even turn to meet him. It takes a light nudge from Akira to get things rolling, a surprised jolt jumping through her body.

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” She says, bowing her head.

The only words he offers are “Quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Satou” as he gazes into her eyes with some sort of curiosity or even confusion. Lilly, on the other hand, takes the event in stride, seeming completely unfazed. Rather than pressing the issue further, however, he decides to go off and begin chatting with another group.

“Is this what the business world is like? Just walking around and bowing heads?” I ask.

She checks around the room to make sure that there isn’t anyone else in line before letting out a low groan, almost as if she were in pain. “Pretty much. I’d like to think that I’m a pretty social person, but not like this. It’s all so fake.”

It's hard to imagine just how Akira must be feeling right now, being scrutinized as the CEO's daughter rather than the 'Director of Human Resources.' In a way, it makes me curious if that's something that usually comes up in her workplace; she doesn't seem too proud of the fact that her father is the owner of the company she works at, so would anyone else worry about it? Maybe it's a case where most of the workers don't even make the connection; I've been at my job for two months now and I can't remember the name of our CEO, what's to say it's different at any other job in a place like this?

“I can understand how it might get tiring.” Lilly says, her smile fading away with each word. “How could you possibly remember so many names and voices?”

“You get used to it. I can’t even honestly say that I’m meeting half these guys for the first time, they’ve all got portraits up in the hallway outside my office.” Akira explains, looking around the space to see if the same thing can be found here. “Actually, Hisao, you should recognize one of them. It’s the guy that owns that medical company you work for.”

Now that she mentions it, there’s a white-haired man easily in his late seventies standing around near the doorway to the conference room. In all honesty, he only seems familiar because I took a lot of time to read the employee handbook at my own workplace, but there is definitely something striking about him. There are two people with him, both dressed in dark suits, no doubt aides or some kind of…

“Are you being serious right now.” Are the only words I can think to say, although they don’t come even close to expressing my disbelief.

“Yep. I was waiting to see when you’d notice.” Akira doesn’t even take a second glance, visibly trying to shut his presence out of her mind. It’s a little fortunate that he hasn’t noticed us yet, at least, considering…

Wait, no, he’s definitely noticed us. Almost as if he were alerted by my bringing attention to him, he glances over and makes eye contact with me, his amber gaze digging up memories that should have been put to rest already.

What is he doing here?

The question isn't given much time to ferment before Akira is nudging me in the side, no doubt trying to get my attention off of the man across the room. She succeeds in getting me to stop staring, but the thoughts still race through my head, overshadowing what could barely be considered passing interest in the presentation.

Mr. Setou said that Tetsuo had been moving up in the company, but just a little over a month ago he was talking about how it would be a long time before he ever got promoted again. There was a ton of drama involving his father and the company, but...

Does it even matter? I've already got front row seats for one corporate family drama, I don't need to go getting a season pass for another. Maybe the company he's trying to get to the top of is involved with the Satous; it wouldn't surprise me, maybe that's how he met Akira in the first place. Either way, it's no more than a coincidence.

“Might I ask what has you two sounding so worried?” Lilly interrupts my train of thought, fingers clasped together in concern.

Akira meets my gaze for just a moment, shaking her head and giving a low groan as she decides to give the answer. “Tetsuo.”

“Ah.” Lilly says, going silent as the information sinks in. A brief look of discomfort washes over her features as she perks up, no doubt trying to listen out for him.

Before the situation can get any worse, Mr. Satou finally arrives and begins moving through the crowd while issuing a generic greeting to anyone he passes. He’s carrying a laptop under one arm with a briefcase in the same hand, his appearance perfectly groomed despite the hastiness of his actions.

Our small trio is the last place he thinks to stop, lightly nodding at the three of us as if to ‘approve’ of our presence. “I’m glad you accepted my invitation.”

Then, without another word, he begins getting set up in the conference room, shifting his laptop around on the big podium while he plugs in a few cables. During that time, the rest of the crowd files in, with the big-shots taking seats at the big table in the middle and… everyone else trying to cram into the chairs set up against the wall.

“Well, I guess all we can do is just go along with it for now.” I remark, following everyone else into the rather cramped chamber. Lilly is the first to take a seat, followed by Akira and myself, thankfully grabbing the spots closest to the exit.

“Alright, looks like that's everyone.” Mr. Satou begins, his arms folded behind his back. Although he talks with a collected tone, his voice carries throughout the room and he seems to have a great deal more presence now than ever before. He doesn't seem the least bit stressed, showing both good posture and total relaxation at the same time.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for my two companions. Lilly has resigned herself to listening and waiting for the event to end, which gives me the impression that she’s sat through this kind of thing before -- either that or she’s just not inclined toward business ideas of any sort. Akira sits up and rests her hands in her lap, our shoulders lightly brushing while she keeps her attention focused at the front of the room, an uncertain look on her face.

With everyone properly adjusted, Mr. Satou takes a deep breath and then pulls a small clicker out of his suit pocket, a 'beep' sounding as the projector begins to warm up. “Well, it's certainly been a while since I've gotten to see all of you in Japan, hasn't it?” He says, giving one of those dull business smiles in an attempt to fill space.

The rest of the members give assorted ‘heh’s and ‘hah’s, as if they couldn't afford to laugh any more than that. Although they seem focused on the speaker, they've all brought some sort of distraction; open briefcases and papers lie in organized sections in front of each of the old men, accompanied by laptops, phones, and other such things.

“It's great to be back, I have to say. It's been wonderful seeing what the Japanese branch has been up to first-hand.” He continues, glancing back and forth at the projector screen as if waiting for the right timing. “And to our guests, I would like to extend a personal ‘thank you.’ It's always great to see family and friends taking an interest in what we do here at the company.”

I'm going to assume that the regular number of attendees hovers somewhere in the single digits, because there can't be more than twenty people crowded in here behind the 'important' people. For good reason, no doubt, because the very minute the actual report starts, everyone in the room - aside from those who have a personal stake in the matter - seems to shut down, as if falling asleep with their eyes closed.

I can’t say I blame them.

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

“Well, that was... informative.” I note, letting out a shameless yawn and somehow appreciating the gesture more than ever before. “I haven’t felt this overloaded with words I don’t know ever since I went to a presentation on string theory.”

Lilly rubs her eyes in fatigue before straightening her dress, clearly relieved to be out of the meeting. “Certainly. It would seem that Father has been rather busy as of late.”

“See, that's why I will never do top-level management.” Akira says, stretching her arms over her head and checking down the hallway, as if paranoid that someone might try and come retrieve us. “I can do little meetings. Big groups of important people are nothing but a pain in the ass.”

“Well, at least that's the worst of it, right? I mean, that's what you wanted us to be here for, isn't it?” I shrug, trying not to grimace as I glance over her shoulder to see Tetsuo walking down the hallway alongside a few other suited figures. He doesn't seem to notice the three of us; either that or he's trying not to.

Akira shakes her head. “No, there's still dinner and all that crap to take care of. Originally there was a big event set up for the entire branch, but it got pushed back a few weeks so that they could open up for the old man to do this.” She sighs, trying to think about what to do next before cracking a tiny smile. “Were you listening at all during that entire thing?”

“Well...” I trail off, giving a nervous chuckle. “Not really, no. None of it made sense to me. It was all numbers and graphs and other stuff that I can't imagine would make sense to anyone who wasn't in the company.”

Lilly steps up beside me and gives the same answer. “It all seemed rather interesting, but I couldn't follow along very well either. It's admirable that you and father are able to keep up with such things.”

At this, Akira laughs and gives a small shrug. “Yeah, I guess there's some stuff you just learn over time. You're right about one thing, though; the only information that gets released to 'outsiders' is general things like figures, growth, and employee direction.” She explains, giving Lilly her arm as we begin walking. “That's the only reason I decided to show up, honestly. I want to know what he's saying about my people when there's no familial bias involved.”

The fact that anyone was paying attention during that entire mess appalls me. I suppose that's why you have to go to school for a long time to even get into this kind of business, and... well, I suppose that's why most of the guests seemed like people with backgrounds in things like this, even if they all looked bored in the first place -- aside from Lilly and I, there wasn’t anyone who was there just for the sake of being there or for supporting someone else.

“There were a few... distractions in there, though.” I add to my previous answer.

The thought is met by a tinge of curiosity from Lilly and a complete grimace from Akira. “Can we not mention that? It would be better for everyone if we just didn’t bring it up.”

“Ah, Mr. Shuugetsu.” Lilly says, wrinkling her nose in slight annoyance. “It’s a concern, certainly, but… you two are adults. Surely it isn’t worth getting so worked up over?”

“It's nothing to worry about, hopefully.” I reply.

My words immediately come back to bite me in the ass when we enter the banquet room only to find the person in question standing mere meters away from us. On top of that, he’s already facing us, to the point that it would look suspicious or even absurd to ignore it, considering the two people he’s standing with; a dark-haired lady who appears to be in her mid-thirties and an even older businessman in a generic grey suit.

An awkward silence ensues and Tetsuo becomes disconnected from the two people he was previously talking with, both of which have taken notice of us as well. At this point it's not so much a question of whether or not we'll be meeting him, but when, and the answer depends purely on when he and Akira decide to break the 'god dammit it's you again' stare and speak up.

At first, Tetsuo does attempt to ignore it and carries on the conversation with the other two people. Akira seems content to let things go along like this and we begin to make our way to another side of the room, only to be cut short by one of his acquaintances.

“Ah, are you Mr. Satou’s daughters?” The lady to the right asks with a bright grin as she follows after us, a pin on her chest indicating that she’s from some kind of computer store.

Akira nods and bows her head once again while putting up another smile. “Pleased to meet you too, Mrs. Heng.” Her mouth twitches with discontent the second Tetsuo approaches, one hand in his pocket and the other idly playing with a flip-phone.

“Your father does such a good job of handling these meetings. I took notes for the next time I get to present like that!” The lady continues, her giddy attitude the first semi-genuine thing I’ve seen all night.

“Yes, that’s always been one of his strong suits. It’s something I still have to come a long way to reach.” Akira says, the look in her eye making it seem like she wants to throw up just from uttering those words.

This time, it’s the other person that nods and bows their head. “Mr. Shuugetsu thought that the way he handled the meeting was very admirable as well.” The woman replies, which only causes Tetsuo to put on a smile so fake that you could put it in a costume shop.

He approaches the group with caution, rolling his eyes and sighing as soon as both of his acquaintances go after someone or something else.

The two of them - Akira and Tetsuo - both engage in something of a stare-off, stepping forward and opening their mouths to speak before cutting off and making mixed hand gestures as if to say 'no, you first.' This holds out for a few moments before the process repeats itself, running a full cycle before Lilly picks up on the situation and jumps in with “Oh, Mr. Shuugetsu, we weren't expecting to find you here.”

He tilts his head and crosses his arms, still unsure of what to say. “Yes, imagine my surprise as well. I thought you and your dad didn’t get along too well?”

“It’s a long story.” Akira says, also crossing her arms and not even trying to hide the look of discontent on her features. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s been a few weeks. Up to much these days?” He answers. His words are stale and forced, making it seem like he's about as engaged in the conversation as, well, Akira.

Which is to say, not at all. The amount of time between their responses makes me wonder if he thinks a fire might break out should he wait long enough. Akira doesn't seem too keen on breaking the trend either.

She scratches her head and looks him in the eye, clearly uncomfortable. “A lot of stuff, yeah. What about you?”

“Just dealing with business as usual.” He responds, attempting to give one of those fake business smiles. The notion is short-lived and soon he's back to the same uncomfortable posture, adjusting his tie, sleeves, or anything else that could distract him from the current topic. “So I guess all those family issues got patched up, then?”

Akira gives him a dull frown, as if to ask 'you don't actually think that, do you?' “Something like that, yeah. He's in town for a few weeks and I've gotten invited to some things like this.”

Lilly and I both remain silent during the entire endeavor, the sheer amount of awkward floating through the air making it hard to even breathe, much less speak up. She lightly pinches the cuff of my shirt as if trying to pull me away and give them some privacy, but I can’t get myself to move from the spot.

The situation only continues to grow more and more distant and uncomfortable, to the point that Akira outright asks “So what are you doing here, then?”

“Oh, well...” He begins before fully thinking out his words, stopping short and groaning as he tries to get the right ideas in order. “Upper management knows that I've been in the market for a branch oversight position that just opened up, so I'm having dinner and attending a few events with Mr. Arima, who is, well, the owner of the company. He flew in from Indonesia just last night.”

The only answer Akira is able to muster up is “Oh, well that's pretty exciting,” with about as much enthusiasm as a sedated koala.

“You mean pretty boring, right? It's just a matter of playing the waiting game, y'know.” Tetsuo doesn't even try to play along, glancing around the room and likely searching for an excuse to get away. “I've been getting job offerings overseas, mostly in China and England.” He adds, giving something of a half-smile before letting his expression fade even more as he seems to remember something.

Lilly makes no attempt to step into the painful silence that follows, although it's certainly obvious that there are things she'd like to say. Akira shares the same facial expression, avoiding eye contact for one reason or another.

Finally, Tetsuo shakes his head, seeming disappointed in the way the conversation has gone. “I'd rather not make the move, though. Not just for a different job, anyway.” He mulls the words over for a while before continuing, a dejected look on his face from the fact that Akira doesn't even seem interested in what he has to say. “Anything like that would just be a detour.”

“I'm glad to hear that you're still going strong.” Akira says, although the expected hint of sarcasm seems to be missing from her voice.

He perks up a little, if only out of surprise. “Yeah, well...” Tetsuo's voice goes silent while he tilts his head back and forth, trying to think of how to say the right words. “I did a lot of thinking after we split up, and I decided that I'm going to focus on my goals right now. It helped me realize that romance isn't one of my priorities.”

With that, he shoots an idle glance in my direction, as if able to discern anything that needs to be said from my face alone. “I'm gonna work so hard that people have no choice but to be impressed with me.” He adds, that same aura of confidence sneaking its way back into his posture.

The gesture alone is enough to pull Akira along as well. She puts one hand on her hip in faux-amusement and gives something of a cocky smile, “I'd be a little disappointed if you gave up after everything that happened.”

“I'm not in the business of changing. No need to fix what isn't broken.” He boasts, although it begins to feel empty as he regains that same weathered expression.

At this, I can’t help but open my mouth again. “So all those problems that you two were having were all her fault?”

“Depends on how you look at it.” He gives a faint shrug, shooting me little more than a blank ‘hm.’ “I regret the way I handled the situation, but if you’re here to guilt trip me for it, then you can try somewhere else.”

The remark doesn’t even faze Akira, who has turned to face me. “There’s not much of a reason to go back to any of that. We both made our decisions.” With that, she steps up beside me, her hand lightly brushing against mine while she locks eyes with him again. “And I hope you’re not regretting it, because I’m certainly not.”

Another silence follows while he tries to figure out what else there is to say. The same sense of distance remains while he scrutinizes both Akira and myself. It isn't until the 'important people' begin to file into the room from their meeting that she decides to tie things up.

“No hard feelings, then?” She says in a tired voice, scratching her head out of a lack of anything else to say or do.

He takes a deep breath and tries to smile, already in the process of walking over to meet his boss. “Yeah. No hard feelings. See you at the top, Akira.”

She says nothing more, only adjusting her shirt and straightening out her cloth pants as soon as Mr. Satou walks in. My gaze meets Tetsuo as he passes me, which only warrants the small gesture of him briefly placing a hand on my shoulder and muttering “Good luck with that, Nakai” and walking off.

I want to say that he sounds bitter or spiteful, but it really doesn't seem that way, for some reason. It raises too many questions in my head, like how he managed to move on so easily, or what he meant by pursuing his current goals and priorities, or just... him in general. It's a really strange time to be wondering about a guy who, for all intents and purposes, should never appear again in my life. Especially with the main issue - Mr. Satou - now standing right across the room.

It isn't even a minute before we’re swamped with bigger concerns, as a few of the stockholders approach Akira. She exchanges bows with each of them and tries to keep up the best 'everything is fine' face she can muster.

The first is a man about a foot taller than Akira, who doesn't seem too pleased with the situation but tries to be engaging nonetheless. “Congratulations, Ms. Satou. We're all looking forward to working with you in the future.”

The phrase itself is enough to send my paranoid mind running wild. She plays it off as surprise before tending to the next person, receiving much of the same controlled praise and expectation and being faced with the same skeptical expression.

I don't even wait for the group of men to move on before asking “What is there to be congratulated for?”

“Akira, you don't think that Father would...?” Lilly continues, her hands clasped together in concern.

She shakes her head and looks around the room in alarm, a contorted frown on her face in what is definitely the most worried I've ever seen her. The three of us begin to feel more and more exposed as everyone else in the room starts to take a seat and small trays of food are brought out, all while Mr. Satou slowly draws closer.

“It’s something else, definitely. There’s no way he’d go that far with it.” Akira states, quickly getting a hold of herself and adjusting her posture, holding her head high as she goes to meet her father. She almost stands at his height, and isn't afraid to show it.

“Why were those men congratulating Akira, Father?” Lilly asks, delivering each word with caution.

Mr. Satou meets Lilly's eyes... to the best of his ability, before turning and facing Akira, a steely look on his face. “They were congratulating her on her promotion.”

While the rest of the room has already begun to buzz with the returning of all the VIPs, the four of us remain silent, suspended in a mixture of shock and bewilderment. Akira's posture remains totally frozen, not shifting even a millimeter as she stares down the eldest Satou.

“You seriously went and did it.” Akira states, her voice a barely-audible hum.

He adjusts his glasses and gives an annoyed 'hm,' also refusing to budge from his place. “I have done nothing other than secure your future.”

“Is that what they're calling it now?” She crosses her arms, clearly trying to stay calm but unable to keep the impatient tapping out of her foot. “The only thing I can see you doing is trying to force your shitty nepotism on me when I've plainly stated that I want nothing to do with it.”

“Language, Akira.”

“I think she has every right to be upset. What are you trying to do?” I interrupt, prompting a nod of agreement from Lilly.

The entire situation keeps getting worse and worse. While the social gathering behind us doesn't seem very concerned with what we're doing, the same can't be said in reverse with Mr. Satou. He continually glances over our heads to make sure that no one is paying attention or saying anything behind our backs, almost as if he had already detached himself from the current chat.

“I don't have anything to say to you, boy. Please learn some manners.” He counters, brushing me aside in his head before I even have a chance to speak.

The action only serves to drive Akira further up the wall, an exasperated groan emphasizing her contorted frown. “Well you'd better find something to say, old man, because I'm about to ask the same question.” Before he has a chance to respond, however, she continues on with “If you're so worried about your image, then we can talk about this in the hallway. I'm not letting you get away with this, though.”

He thinks over the suggestion, his brow furrowing in growing anger at the repeated mention of 'old man.' “Very well. You should know that there isn't anything to talk about, though. The paperwork has already gone through, including the transfer files you recalled at the last minute.”

“You know I'm not going to do this. I told you that I made my decision.” She asserts as we begin to step out of the room, Lilly guiding off of the cuff of my shirt sleeve and Akira walking side-by-side with Mr. Satou.

He shoos away a few assistants that have gathered in the hallway before turning to face his daughter, his expression less than pleased with the moment. “And I told you that if you care even the tiniest bit about your future and in your standing with this company, you will stop this childish stubbornness and come with me.”

She gives an exhausted sigh and shakes her head, rolling her eyes in the process. “Do you really think so little of me that this is the best I'll ever have?”

“So little?” He repeats, taken back by the accusation. “I believe that you have more potential than you seem to want to acknowledge, as anyone could assume by your sub-par output.”

“Why do you always have such a rotten attitude about these things? It’s one thing to offer criticism, but this is downright wrong.” I say, stepping up beside Akira. “Is it even possible for you to say anything without putting her down?”

“I'm not putting anyone down. If you two would just listen and think, then there wouldn't be so many misunderstandings like this.” Mr. Satou furrows his brow in discontent and proceeds to check his watch. “I don't like this, what you two are trying to do. I am not the bad guy here, and I will not have you forming the wrong impression about me.”

I don't buy it at all, and neither does Akira. Lilly expresses the most skepticism, however, “Father, you are always rather brash in your criticisms. Perhaps it would be better if you could calm down and talk things out in a more... level manner?”

“I am perfectly calm, Lilly. Your concern is reasonable, but you would do well to stay out of matters like this.” He says while shutting his eyes and trying to take a deep breath. “I have given you nothing but help. Both of you. I don't think it's wrong of me to expect a little effort in return.”

Akira rejects the notion altogether, practically seething at this point. “I'm twenty-four years old and she's eighteen! Stop trying to treat us like we're still in grade school.” She argues, clenching her fists in anger in an attempt to remain calm. “You always say this crap but you don't even understand what you're saying. You're trying to tie me down to this damned job that you know I don’t want, and that you know I won't be able to move up from. You're even trying to marry off Lilly, for fuck's sake!”

“Language, Akira!” His voice rises for just a moment, echoing throughout the hallway to the point that he has to turn around and begin pacing up and down the corridor to cool down.

It's such an infuriating thing to watch. Lilly's face is flush with skepticism and worry, Akira looks like she wants to punch a wall, the old man is on the verge of just walking away, and I'm having trouble even holding my voice in. “Their futures are the topic of discussion and you're more worried about curse words?”

Rather than the usual surprised reactions my voice has always warranted, he merely glances over his shoulder. “Someday, when you have kids, you'll understand.” He turns to face all three of us, anger dripping from his features. “That goes for all of you. I've been on this earth long enough to know better than any of you what's for the best.”

“Is that really how it's going to go?” Akira asks. At this point her outrage is being converted into more of a slow burn, no doubt held at bay by her incredible fatigue. “You're not even going to reason it out with us, you're just going to play the 'adult' card and walk away?”

“I'm not walking away. In fact, there's something I've wanted to address for a very long time.” He states, meeting her gaze head-on and picking his words carefully. “What do you think this is about, Akira? What kind of sinister image have you slapped on me in all these years? What have I done to make you repeatedly refuse my advice, denounce my authority, and outright insult my legacy? Because this has gone on for long enough.”

As expected, Akira can't help but give a sarcastic grin, a fire still brewing in her ruby eyes. “Oh, wow, where do I even start?” She drifts through her thoughts silently while she begins to pace around the room, followed by Mr. Satou's hawk-eyed glare. “Maybe you could explain the 'abandoning me and Lilly' thing, because I still don't forgive you for that.”

His expression drops. “I didn't abandon you. I would never abandon you.” He says, adjusting his glasses while the anger begins to drain out of his voice, if only slightly. “I told you very clearly what the move was for and why things had to happen the way they did. I did everything in my power to support you and Lilly.” It's only a short moment before he goes back to being mad, though. “That is, until you decided that you didn't need me anymore and stopped returning calls.”

“What were you expecting?” Akira returns, crossing her arms. “I was an eighteen year-old girl trying to get a blind twelve year-old to school and back safely every day, while taking college courses and working. Sorry if I couldn't find time to return calls to a guy whose approach to his problems was to throw money at them.”

“You've been holding a grudge over that this entire time?” Are the only words that come out of his mouth, much to the bewilderment of his daughter.

At this, my heart drops and I feel blood rushing to my head. “That seems like a pretty reasonable thing to hold a grudge over. What was stopping you from taking them with you?”

“Akira was supposed to come with me.” He returns, his voice dripping with bitterness. “Lilly was to remain in Japan for a few years because things were going to be too chaotic in Inverness. Akira stayed behind of her own choice.” He steps up even closer, to the point that he's staring both of them down. “I did everything in my power for you. I paid rent on the house, I sent money for groceries, I offered to hire assistants, but naturally you weren't having any of that. You're too damned proud!”

I've heard this story before. Akira wasn't going to leave Lilly with their grandparents, people who were scarcely capable of taking care of her, so she chose to remain behind. It's understandable, so I don't really get where Mr. Satou is coming from on getting mad about that.

He stops to take a breath before continuing. “I'm not going to comment on what you've done. I don't mind that you sold my house to move closer to her school. I don't care about the men you've been dating. This is about your future!” He argues, keeping that professional posture. “I want you to advance your career! I want you two to play a bigger part in the company! Why won't you get it through your thick head that I'm not out to get you?!”

A long silence follows his words, which only causes him to become impatient and begin pacing up and down the hallway again.

“Because all you're doing is holding them back.” I assert, wincing in pain as my heart jumps just from the sensation of letting those words leave my mouth. Before he can add anything else, Akira and Lilly both nod in agreement, the former with enthusiasm and the latter with a bit of apprehension.

“You know I don’t want this.” Akira says, her eyes following his every movement. “There’s no point in me having this job that you’ve been desperately trying to force on me ever since I visited a few months back.”

He stops and clasps his hands together, shoulders rising and falling with his deep breaths as he tries to keep calm. “You and Lilly are all I have left.”

With that, he turns around, a grave frown hanging from his expression. He walks past us and shuts the banquet room doors, making sure that there’s no one listening. “I just need you to trust me. If you two are gone, then so is the company. It will be devoured by some greedy megalomaniac with more money than he knows what to do with. My family legacy - our family legacy - will get turned into an asset for some billionaire overseas.”

The look on both Akira’s and Lilly’s faces fade into one of melancholy while each word passes through their ears. It’s clear in her eyes that Akira wants so badly to fight the notion, but she can’t seem to find the right words.

I’m still not buying it either. “Does that really justify selling away their futures like that, though?”

“I’m not selling anyone’s future, young man.” He says, shutting his eyes in thought. “I’m helping them find the future that’s right, both for them and for the family.”

“How can you justify that, though? What kind of a person could look forward to that or accept that? A career or dream that’s been set up for them by someone else?” I argue, trying to keep from yelling it out in frustration.

This seems to awaken something, and soon I’m left standing face to face with him - practically able to see my reflection in his glasses. “You have no sense of honor or experience, young man. I would strongly suggest that you stop questioning things that are far greater than you.”

“Does owning a company give you the right to dodge around explaining yourself beyond cryptic nonsense?” Akira interjects, balling up her fists in frustration. “You always do this. Every single time. You’ve spent more time evading the subject than if you had just explained everything from the very beginning.”

“Because you won’t understand!” He counters, his brow twitching in anger. “I could explain the ‘concept’ to you a million times, and still you would not understand. You work for a stagnating company, Akira!”

Even Lilly shows skepticism at this. “Father, you sounded rather optimistic in the meeting. If everything is growing, then what is the problem?”

The sound of her voice is enough to make him slap his forehead in exasperation. “You have to think ahead; this is bigger than just the next year, or the next five years, or even the next ten. Without you, this company is going to die. It’s going to fall into the hands of someone else. Our legacy is going to be nothing more than a toy for some Fortune-100 moron!”

“I don’t get what’s so hard to understand about that, though -- what you just said.” I say, raising a brow in bewilderment. “You keep talking about the grand scheme of things, but all you’re looking for is someone else in the family to carry the company once you’re gone.”

“Yes. That’s it.” He returns, giving a low groan as he thinks of his next words. “But until you have stood in my shoes and been faced with my issues, you will never truly see what there is to see and understand the weight of the decisions that have to be made here.”

Akira rolls her eyes and puts both hands on her hips. “There are plenty of ways out of this, and you know that. Just because there isn’t someone named ‘Satou’ sitting in the CEO chair doesn’t mean that the company is going to magically disappear into thin air.”

He opens his mouth to speak, shuts it, and then faces away from us, taking a few minutes to calm down before checking his watch again. It's uncertain whether or not the words got through to him until he begins to walk towards us, and... then past us, heading for the banquet room. “I will be at the Jazz club on Thursday, for your birthday.”

“Are you really just going to walk away? Again?” Akira says, her voice almost rising to a yell.

Her voice stops him in his place, just before he turns to open the door. He glances back at us with those same fiery red eyes, now dimmed with exhaustion. “No, I am postponing this discussion. I need time to think about how I want to answer that, and you need time to calm down. I refuse to speak to people who will only twist my words against me no matter what I say.”

With that, the three of us are left standing in the hallway, any chance of going back and enjoying the banquet now shot in the foot. All of the tension flows out of the situation as Akira lets out a deep, weary sigh. Without a word, we all begin walking back toward the elevator, my head abuzz with thought despite being unable to think of anything to add.

“What’s got you two so down?” Akira asks while we wait for the elevator to arrive.

Lilly heaves a deep sigh and tries to shake the thoughts from her head. “I was hoping that tonight wouldn’t go the way it did. There were things that I wanted to say that I couldn’t, and it was… quite embarrassing. I apologize that I couldn’t be there for you.”

“Yeah, it’s the same here. There’s too much going on, and it’s getting really hard to stay in step with.” I say, trying to stand up straight only to find that my back is starting to get sore.

She tilts her head in thought, a light frown on her lips. Before long, it curves up into a smile and she steps between Lilly and I, throwing an arm over each of our shoulders. “Oh c’mon now, this is nothing to get worked up over. It’s all gonna turn out fine.”

I lay one hand on her back to try and hold her up as she leans against me. “Who said we were giving up?”

The gesture manages to get Lilly to cheer up as well, chiming with a short giggle while she attempts to keep Akira on her feet.

“He’s only in town for a few more days. Just gotta get everything sorted out.” Akira says, shutting her eyes and leaning her head against my shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“What do you wanna do when this is all over?” I ask, refusing to budge from the spot even though the elevator has already arrived.

She shrugs and begins to stand up straight again, pulling from what little strength hasn’t been consumed by stress and drama. “We should load up the car and head to the beach before summer’s over.”

“That would be lovely, I think.” Lilly smiles and guides off of Akira as we step into the elevator. “Perhaps we could bring Hisao and Hanako along this time.”

I press the button for the parking lot, stretching my arms over my head in relief as we start to drift away from this floor. “Yeah, that gives me something to look forward to.”