Changing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  'Though I don't agree with you, let's clarify something,' said Kenta.

  'Heh. Quench our curiosity, Shin. Why in the heck would you wanna go there?' Akeno asked. 'You don't even like Poker.'

  'The auction,' I growled, still boiling after the old man's comment.

  'The auc... So you're willing to lose 10 million just to get in? What are you going to buy? Although that’s not my business, of course,' Akeno raised his hands, 'but Shin, our curiosity grows more and more with every answer you give us.'

  'Okay. Here's the deal. Have you ever heard of a company called Shidotamoru?'

  'Umm, yes,' Akeno said, and Kenta just nodded. 'We all use the Internet.'

  'So here’s the thing ... I am the head of the company.'

  'Oh. Cool.' The last comment came from Kenta. Akeno and Kagami just froze.

  'Boy oh boy!' Akeno scratched his forehead. 'How did you pull that off?'

  'I don't know, Akeno-san. I'm just as shocked myself,' I said spreading my hands openly. 'That's not the point though. Some time ago, I tried to merge Shidotamoru with a competitor, but... to no avail. A few hours ago, I found out that Yamashita Corp, our competitor, is going to be exhibited at the auction of one of the closed parties to be held tomorrow evening, and that it's quite difficult to get in. The head of Yamashita Corp has an invitation, and if I can’t redeem the firm now, a chance like this may never present itself again. The rest is a matter of trivialities.'

  'Wow, you're a ritzy boy.'

  'What?'

  'That's what an ordinary man would say,' Akeno finished. 'I believe we have enough information for now. Do you mind if we dig some more?' I just waved my hand. They were going to dig anyway. At least, they were open about it.

  'In that case,' the old man sighed, slapping his palm on his knee and getting up, 'I'm gonna go make a call. Give me 15 minutes.'

  'Fifteen minutes? That's speedy!'

  'What did you think? Cell phones work wonders. You don't believe that the Prince of Oama is busy dealing with these issues, do you?' I didn't respond but made a facial expression that said, 'Who knows!'

  The conversation didn't take as long as I thought. Apparently, Koyama took a break to digest the information, and most importantly, check it through their channels. I was sure that in the future, I would be raked with questions and clarifications more than once. In the meantime, I finally picked up the daifuku with the cream and strawberries inside— it was to daifuku, to be precise. Kagami knows that I don't really like the classic rice flatbread with bean paste inside. They do spoil me here. Um, I almost squinted with pleasure.

  'You are a lucky man, Akeno-san.'

  Koyama-junior, tearing himself away from his wagashi, glanced sideways at his wife, after which he looked at me and, a couple of moments later, with a sad smile, sighed with a kind of longing.

  'I know, Shinji. I know.'

  A piece of bread almost stuck in my throat after hearing his sigh. I had no idea what had happened. Mostly aristocrats are very tactful people. Their etiquette is based on something that has a logical justification. I had lived for six years alongside the aristocracy, and during this time, I had to learn about this world and I had picked up a lot from them, considering them the norms of behavior. These norms clearly did not allow one to get into personal matters, which, in this case, was just one such instance. The only exception was that they were people who were close to me.

  'Akeno-san? Is everything okay?'

  'It's all good, Shin. It's all in the past.' On the one hand, it became somewhat clearer. On the other hand, nothing was clear, and on the third—I shouldn't be sticking my nose where it wasn’t supposed to be. I noticed that Kagami was sad, too. It must have been a touchy subject. I just didn't get what the subject was. Considering the way Akeno looked at me, I was also part of it, and that confused me even more. It was better to leave it for now.

  'So what do you think of the knife?'

  'It's a handy thing. I'm talking about the specific category of 'handy' things. The Serpentine and Fafnir's Fang are quite handy daggers as well.'

  'I've never heard of them.'

  'Really? Oh well. What's it got? The engraving is incomprehensible, apparently, just for decoration. The general design doesn't suggest any associations. On the one hand, that's a bad sign, and on the other, it's a good thing. I don't know if you're aware or not, but the ability of a particular artifact can be learned from its design. However, things like this one,' he raised the knife,' normally have more dangerous capacities. I can't say much more that that based on just a cursory examination.' Akeno reached for the plate again and noticed that it was empty. 'Um, dear, could you...' the man waved his hand.

  'Gluttons.'

  'Dirty innuendo,' I cut in.

  'We aren't gluttons—the hostess is a great chef,' he smiled.

  By the time Kenta returned, Kagami had managed to go back twice, bringing not only dessert but also fresh tea. She brought me coffee. When she returned the second time, I could see Mizuki's curious muzzle, and when Kenta came back, Shina's face had already flashed there too.

  'Kagami-chan, I think these girls have nothing to do. Could you take care of it?'

  'Of course, Kenta-san.'

  Standing up and bowing, the mother of the family went to quieten down her daughters. An unpromising business, it seemed to me, as female curiosity was fairly indestructible. Nevertheless, it was completely punishable, which Kagami was going to demonstrate at any moment.

  'So, Shinji, I made the necessary call, and it's a done deal. You're on the guest list, and all you have to do is give your name at the entrance. Now let's get back to the rules and conditions.'

  'Okay.' He had the right to do so, given that he had just vouched for me.

  'Alright. First of all, the laws of the empire prohibit any type of cheating at cards. You can't quit the game. Once you sit down at the table, be ready to lose everything or win big. The minimum buy-in is ten million. You'll have to play at least once—that’s one of the conditions applied to everyone attending the Eve. The auction has standard rules. Have you been to an auction?' I nodded. 'Then you know. Politeness, Shinji—in whatever you say—is also a condition in a sense. You cross the line, and you'll never be allowed to the Eve again. At the same time, I'll get into trouble too.'

  'Where exactly is the line?'

  'A fight which attracts the attention of more than six people. If you get into an argument with someone, take it outside. If more than six people witness it, that'll count as crossing the line.'

  'What if it's inevitable? And not my fault?'

  'Prince Oama will deal with that himself and decide who should leave and who should stay.'

  'What if there are no witnesses?'

  'Considering your position in society, luck is not on your side.' Hm, class inequality in action.

  Akeno frowned after hearing his father's words; the old man, in turn, also began to frown.

  'If something happens...'

  'Son, hang on. There are cameras everywhere, Shinji, take that into consideration. If anything happens, the prince will watch the recording and he can lip read. Honestly, I doubt that someone will bully you on purpose. However, try to stay in view of the camera.'

  'I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the clarification. Is that all?'

  'Yes. There aren't a lot of conditions. I hope you can find a girl yourself.' Huh?

  'Stop. One more time. A girl? What girl?'

  'A guest of the guest. Yeah, I almost forgot about that part. The attendee must be escorted by a woman. Woman, girl, grandmother, whoever. Even if she's a child. Although I take my words about the child back—I've never heard of such a thing.'

  'This is a joke, right? What girl, Kenta-san? Such nonsense. Tell me you're kidding or I'll find out for myself.'

  'I'm not kidding, baby.' Akeno was clearly amused by my reaction. Calm down, Max. Don't you have anyone to go with? 'The regulars might have a waiver on this one, but even my father and I would have to fol
low the rule.'

  'I don't understand your reaction, Shinji,' Kenta remarked. 'Surely the head of Shidotamor can find a plus one for the evening?'

  What was I supposed to answer? That not many people in the company knew me? Finding a girl was not a problem; the problem was her upbringing and knowledge of aristocratic etiquette. I wouldn't want to be embarrassed in society like that, or any kind of society for that matter. In the future, it might come back to haunt me. I guess I'd have to load Tarot up with another task. I was sure there’d be a woman in Shidotemora who would make good company. If not, he'd be able to find someone.

  'You could ask Mizuki or Shina, after all,' said Akeno. 'I don't think they'll refuse.'

  Yeah, I'm sure they wouldn't. What would that look like though? My guarantor was a Koyama, and my guest was a Koyama. What would people think of me? They'd think I was their minion. No one would believe anything to the contrary after that. The pros of such rumors aren't that great, just as the contras, but there was one small detail. If the rumor about Koyama looking after me spread, then I’d only be able to get the coat of arms from the old man. No one would want to ruin their relationship with Koyama Kenta, and I'd be dependent on him to some extent. That was not in my interests.

  'I'll find a girl, Akeno-san, but thanks anyway for..' I wanted to say ‘for the offer,’ but that didn't sound right so I said instead ‘for your input’. I had got what I wanted and didn't want to overstay my welcome.

  'The child is worn out. Why don't you finish the conversation tomorrow?' Kagami said as if reading my thoughts,

  'Yes,' I rubbed my eyes, 'this has been one heck of a night. I think I'm gonna go. Is there anything else I should know?'

  'That's all I believe,' Akeno answered exchanging looks with his father.

  'Have a good night then, Kenta-san. Akeno-san. Kagami-san. I'd better get back to work,' I smirked.

  * * *

  'So does anyone have anything to say?' Kenta asked as soon as Kagami returned after escorting Shinji to the door.

  'Your plan to make him rich fell through, father.'

  'But he's still not in the clan.'

  'He's not going to be. I told you many times already that he will never allow himself to be under anyone's command.'

  'He must become the head of the family line.'

  'In the clan under your authority.'

  'We aren't just a random clan. He's been living next to us his entire life, and our relationship...'

  '...has nothing to do with your plans, father.'

  'Don't make me look like a soulless schemer. Shinji is dear to me as well.'

  'Don't mess with him then. He can do well on his own. If he can't, I'll help him out.'

  Not that it was a serious squabble, but Kagami didn't like it. In family relationships, we must strive for the ideal. Unfortunately, it was not always possible for her to smooth out such outbreaks, to provoke a fire herself, or to turn the topic of conversation in a different direction. However, this topic interested her no less than others.

  'I'm sorry, Kenta-san, but I have a question that bothers me. Where did Shinji get the money to found a company? And how was he able to organize it all being so young?' They fell silent and pondered. Now if they started to argue again, it would be on point. Otherwise, she could ask another question. The thing was not to pay attention to stupid answers and limit one’s suggestions as men like to feel smarter than women. Silly women don't interest anyone either, so another thing was not to overplay it.

  'That’s an interesting question. He clearly found an adult he could trust and probably saved up enough money....'

  'Saved? Isn't that kind of sum too much to save?' Akeno said in response to his father's words.

  'No, it’s not too much. Any average Japanese citizen could found something like that. Their sphere is the Internet, where the main thing is the idea. However, I could be wrong. We should clarify it.'

  'Anyway, it's nonsense. Either he saved for about three years or lied to us about the amount of money sent to him. If he saved, then the question is, where does that knowledge come from considering he was only ten-eleven years old.'

  'If he lied, then why?' asked Kenta.

  'He didn't. Have you forgotten that he always had something put away?'

  'Okay, what do we have? He got an idea, started to earn money, saving and obtaining the necessary knowledge.'

  The men's conclusions were on point, but they had forgotten something.

  'Why didn't he come to us? I understand he didn't want to ask for money. But did he trust us so little that he went to strangers to help him establish the company?' This issue mattered a lot to Kagami.

  'Yes, I'd also like to know why he did not come to us,' Akeno said.

  'My personal opinion,' the head of the clan started, 'is that he was too proud or didn't want to bother us. Another reason could be that the money he had saved was not very clean.'

  'You think he might have stolen it?' Akeno asked shocked. Kagami didn't think so. This option was better than her thoughts, but still somehow... Who cares, it was better that way.

  'Not necessarily. He might have deceived someone or just worked a small gang.'

  'It's hard to believe. I'd stick with the first option. The artifact worth two hundred million is proof of that.

  Anyway...'

  'Perhaps...' Kagami said with some uncertainty, 'the trusted person?'

  'More trusted than us?' her husband grinned and stopped abruptly.

  'Khm, khm. We have to verify that. Good thing Shinji has given us permission.'

  'Scumbag!'

  She completely agreed with her husband— she definitely did not want to give up Shinji to that witch Sakurai.

  'Son!'

  'What? How are you going to check this in the age of phones and the Internet? Especially as it's Shidotamoru's niche.'

  'There are lots of ways.'

  'Half of them will interfere with his private life.'

  'So, we'll think of something else.'

  'We could try talking to him.'

  'If they're hiding, we won't get anything out of Shinji. If they aren't, we can find them without his help. Where are they right now, by the way?'

  'Free Territories.'

  'Still? Pft, okay. For starters, let's start by gathering information on Shidotamoru. And then we'll see.'

  * * *

  Friday. If I can survive another day, it’ll be the weekend. Yes, just one day. Then it'll be the weekend and Rydon's sister's birthday party. I'll have to survive that too somehow. Okay, Max, cheer up and get up—no one has canceled jogging.

  The morning errands were done surprisingly fast, and since I had nothing to do at home, I went to school, which at that time, was empty for some reason. That being the case, I decided to try on Rydon's snoozing trick. I got an extra 15-20 minutes, after all. I was able to take a snooze but really, it was more like a bunch of cat naps because I was startled every time I felt someone looking at me especially closely. Once again, startled by the feeling that someone was staring at me, I opened my eyes and saw Okhayashi. Not one, but two of them: the brother and his sister.

  'Hi Sin!'

  'Sakurai-san,' Aniko bowed slightly.

  'Hello Okhayashi-san,' I bowed too.

  'You should start calling each other by your first names,' Rydon grimaced. 'I feel like I'm at a reception.'

  How I am supposed to reply to that? I didn't mind, but I can't say so in case she doesn't want to. I'll be putting her in an awkward position. Rydon, I wish you hadn't blurted that out.

  'I don't mind being addressed by my first name.'

  What else could I say? This way I was taking responsibility for myself, and Aniko didn't have to say anything.

  'Me too,' his sister smiled. Hmm.

  'Excellent! Because these 'Okhayashi-san' drive me to anguish.'

  'Aniko-san.' I don't know what provoked me to say it. Sometimes these sudden impulses make it possible to achieve the impossible. It couldn't be worse. '
What are you doing tonight?' The girl was obviously surprised. For the next four seconds that she looked at me with a surprised smile, proof that she didn't understand. Rydon's eyes were bulging.

  'I'm preparing for my sister's birthday,' she finally answered. That was smooth. She didn't offend me with the rejection, and I couldn't really say anything. To be hones, I’d forgotten about it. I had forgotten that women usually organize holidays and parties. It was too bad but only to be expected: we differed in status, although Aniko would be ideal. 'Why do you ask?'

  After these last words, it was I who stood there, smiling, not knowing what to say. I wondered whether she was mocking me or just genuinely showing feminine curiosity? Probably a little of both. I was sure, whatever I said, she'd end by saying 'I'll think about it.'

  'You are beautiful, smart, and charming, Aniko-san, but that's not the point. You see, tonight Prince Oama is having a party, for some reason called Crystal Eve, and it would be nice for me to go there with a girl like you, tremendous in every sense.'

  'Koyama Shina-san might get offended,' she said finally speaking after a pause with a note of intonation I could not comprehend. It would have been better if she had just turned the invitation down outright. What was the point in coming out with nonsense?

  'We are childhood friends, not a couple,' I grumbled.

  'I suspect one of the older Koyamas vouched for you.' Well done girl! I was not trying to cajole her when I said she was smart. In response, I just bowed my head and slightly spread my hands, confirming what had been said. 'Well, right now, I can't answer because it's too unexpected, but I'll think about your suggestion.' Exactly what I thought. I gotta call Tarot and ask him to find me someone for the evening. Last night, after talking with neighbors, I didn't have time to get around to it.

  At the first recess, the new class leader reminded me that I still had to choose a club. Thank you, Imube-san. How could I have forgotten? She didn't find my answer ironic though. During the second recess, I reencountered Aketi Toremazu. She had come to see her sister. I don't get it: why does she keep coming here if she knows what kind of situation it results in? I jokingly asked her out and ended up dragging her to the nurse to help her come to her senses. Then I had to listen to her sister go on about the immorality of my imbecile jokes. I could have said something in response, but I was in such a melancholic mood at the time that I simply clammed up and ignored all of her preaching.