Losing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  “Screw you,” the girl uttered.

  “Yes, I know I'm cool. Don't panic—you have two more attempts.”

  “S-s-s... psh... stra... ha...” Mizuki articulated.

  “That's very informative.”

  “Perv!”

  “Huh?” Another woman's mind was a closed book, but there had to be logic in what she was saying.

  Shina had joined Akeno, watching us while stirring something in the pot.

  Mizuki got up, brushed herself off as if nothing had happened and then tried to bypass me. I simply stood there with my hands behind my back, rocking on my heels and following her with my eyes.

  Now as she gets behind me, she'll try to attack me as soon as she sees me standing on my heels. Here we go. Fast and quiet, but she shouldn't have kicked.

  I dodged her kick with a step back and shoulder rotation maneuver, slid along her kicking foot and, for just a moment, happened to be skin-to-skin with the girl. At that moment, when her form was least stable—she only had one foot on the ground—I elbowed her, stepping on her support foot at the same time.

  “Kiai!” How cute.

  “See, I didn't even use my hands. I hope I am not a perv anymore?”

  In response, I saw her grumpy face with a stained nose just staring at me.

  “Come on, you have one more attempt. That's what experts start with, you know.”

  If I were her, I would go for a cup of tea right now instead.

  The terms of our arrangement said nothing about the time limits of the sparring.

  At that moment, Mizuki glided down to her knees. With her back straight and arms extended forward, she sat there—one arm was parallel to the ground, and another slightly lower. Maintaining the form of her upper body, she rose to her feet with one simple move. A slight turn of the torso presented the classic Aikido stance, Hanmi-no-kamae.

  “Go ahead and try pawing me. You'll get a fireball in your head,” she mumbled under her nose. “Well, that's what Aikido is about.”

  Alright, it's time to wrap it up.

  A step and then another one got me closer to the girl. I extended my arm, reaching for her shoulder, allowing her to get a hold of me, and immediately took a step to the side and behind her.

  “All I have to do is step back and pull her with me...” I thought, flying towards the fence.

  Cruel, cruel Mizuki. She flung me 25 feet across the yard. Could I have prevented it? Had I been more collected, I could have, but I didn't even try. Plus, those spectators...

  “Not bad,” I said, brushing myself off. “Not bad at all. At least it’s not a total blowout.”

  “Ha! I'm an expert! And this is just the beginning!” The girl was agitated.

  It seems like my main goal is accomplished.

  “Yeah-yeah, sure.”

  Coming up to her, without stopping brushing off, I glanced at those who were watching us. Akeno crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against the wall of the house, while Shina seemed to be in the same spot, still stirring the contents of the pot.

  “I know your secre... Ouch!” Mizuki didn't finish the sentence.

  My foot placement behind her leg and a shoulder push put an end to our dispute.

  “Yeah, sure,” I repeated. “Get up, expert.”

  I stretched out my arm to the girl, who was now sitting on her butt.

  “Wow,” the girl mumbled, grabbing it. “That was rad. I did use 'the spirit' and acceleration and amplification... Can you teach me? Please, pretty please!”

  That's it. The bitch-mode is disabled. It might have not worked, but I am lucky. Now I just have to avoid her pestering.

  “Akeno-san can teach you much faster. And better, based on your last stance...”

  “For sure!” She didn't let me finish and darted towards her father.

  A second later, she was holding his hands and jumping up and down, clearly asking for something. The steel Akeno just nodded with a silly smile on his face.

  The closer I got to their house, the better I could hear their conversation. It sounded more like Mizuki was having a monologue. While Akeno didn't really make any sense out of her words, Shina was listening with a serious expression on her face.

  “He just whacked me! And I went bang! But I didn't give up. Whack, whack, bang, and I was on the ground again. But did you see his flight? I swooshed him pretty good,” and so on.

  “Yes, the flight was pretty amusing,” I said, walking up to the Koyamas.

  “Yea-ah! Your arms and legs were spread out, and you were like a huge spider.”

  Oh, dear Mizuki.

  “That helped control the flight,” I replied.

  “It sounds like you've done it a few times before,” Shina entered the conversation.

  “We all had our ways of learning,” I smiled. “Alright, I want to go wash my hands.”

  Entering the house, I could sense that Shina was following me. As I was washing my hands, she nestled next to her mother and started whispering something. When I took my seat at the table, I heard Shina's exclamation.

  “Mom! Please!”

  “Oh dear... Fine! Just go already!”

  She carefully placed the pot on the table, washed her hands, and walked away to the depths of the house. Fifteen minutes later, she showed up wearing the same clothes as Mizuki's. The only difference was the color—Shina's was red.

  “He touched me all over the whole time!” I heard Mizuki say intentionally loudly.

  Just then, Shina grabbed her sister's hand and led her outside into the garden. Akeno, following the sisters with his gaze, sat down next to me, a silly smile still stuck on his face.

  “See, son, you did it,” he said.

  “What stopped you from doing the same?”

  “Ahh,” Akeno waved his hand. “She pays no attention to us. Shina challenged her once, and as a result Mizuki cleaned her room for a month, but it only worsened matters.”

  I don't even know how to respond. I have to start keeping track of “these days” and stay away from this household during that time. Today, I calmed her down, but tomorrow she'll blow her lid completely. Do I need that?

  “Okay. Done deal. Did Shina tell you what the Okhayashi did?”

  “Huh? I hope you mean the pass.”

  “Yeah, what else would I mean?”

  “Who knows. Just the way you said it... By the way, we decided to host a party as well. And your presence is highly desirable.”

  Holy cow! That's luck! I still want to put on an act, though.

  “What if I don't want to?”

  “No pressure. It's okay if you don't want to come. If you have time, you can stop by. It's important.”

  “Can you explain?”

  “You probably know what's going on. You are chosen to be the mediator between our bloodlines. The pass symbolizes our treaty to build a relationship from scratch. We could have done it without you, but for some reason, it hadn't happened yet.”

  “Mk. Who's all gonna be there? I mean besides the Koyama and Okhayashi.”

  “I'm not quite sure myself yet. We plan on having the reception at the end of the week. That's what we decided this morning.”

  “That's swift.”

  “What can we do? We don't have a month for preparation, as is usually necessary. I suppose all the representatives of the Great Clans will be there. Generally, the same people that were at Okhayashi's birthday party.”

  “I see... Is Chesuje going to be there?” I didn’t really care if he was or not, but he was worth mentioning, just in case.

  “Is that what you really want?”

  “If I know beforehand, I can take advantage of that. Can I bring a couple of people with me?”

  “A couple? You can invite a girl, of course. Actually, invite whomever you want. Just give us the names, so we can send out invitations.”

  “So a girl doesn't need an invitation?”

  “Have you learned nothing from your father? It’s any man's right to bring a girl with him
regardless of where he goes. Generally speaking.”

  “My father didn't teach me anything,” I said pensively.

  “No, I'm talking about the old man.”

  “Kenta-san? He taught me the laws.” I think. “Why?”

  “He's a good teacher. That's all. Otherwise, I would have educated you on those matters,” Akeno grumbled.

  I'd better not say anything.

  “Why don't you educate your daughters,” Kagami said all of a sudden.

  She turned towards us, raised her ladle, and kept on chastising him.

  “Daughters. Who are dipping each other in mud right now,” she finished grumpily, turning back to the stove,“that's so feminine.”

  “Khm. But...” He fell silent, wanting to avoid an argument.

  “What could I teach the girls?” He whispered to me.

  ***

  On Thursday, I stopped at Higasi's to get an update on my bonds. The murderer of his unfaithful wife worked in the head office of Shidotamoru, in an office that was specially designated for him. When I entered to see him, he was sprawled in an office chair, with his feet on the table next to the printer, holding a pencil between his nose and upper lip.

  “Khm,” I approached the man, who was carefully watching some graphs on the monitor.

  “One minute,” he dismissed, gesturing with his hand and not even looking at me.

  Okay, I can wait a minute.

  “Kha!” Joben exclaimed after exactly fifty-nine seconds and started banging his fingers on the keyboard.

  Then he grabbed one of the folders on the table and scribbled something in it with the pencil.

  “Boku!” He called someone, turning towards me. “Umm, Sakurai-san... Wait a couple more minutes, please. Boku!”

  After that, he ran out of the office, almost knocking me down as he went.

  Well, I'm not too proud, so I can wait a little longer.

  He came back five minutes later and buried his gaze in the computer again. Another ten minutes passed before he excitedly pushed the Enter button and swiveled in his chair to face me.

  “Another 3 million yen,” he said, smiling.

  Not bad.

  “Well, it's been less than a week. Go ahead, Higasi-san. Tell me. Just the basics and straight to point. I don't understand anything in this business, anyway.”

  “Hm, to the point?” He asked.

  Apparently, his work frenzy had started wearing out, making the man look a little timid.

  “Umm, where is it...” He began to sort through the folders on his table.

  “Here,” he handed me a folder, but then realized that it wouldn’t do me any good and got an even more confused look on his face. “Oh yeah, I'm sorry...”

  He threw the papers back on the table.

  “Hm, the basics. Umm, in general... Hmm,” he tried to pull himself together. “As of now, you've accumulated over two hundred... umm, three hundred and ten million yen. Here's the best part. In the next two weeks I expect to increase that amount by about... fifty million. I allocated one hundred million for long-term investments. If you ok it, I will add all profits into that portfolio, as well, which will result in a growth of up to a billion in the upcoming year.”

  Dang, I don't even know if that’s a lot or more or less average. It doesn't sound like too little. Oh well. I have to decide what to do with the accumulated profit. There are two options: forget about it for a year and then collect the triple amount or use it now. Actually, I have no problems with money right now, but more money is never a bad thing.

  I had dealt with Kasai on getting the money for the Shidotamoru security service, that is, my personal army. I had leased the ancestral lands, and gotten a bit of a deposit into my personal account. Shidotamoru also had no financial problems, as far as I knew. Very soon Yamashita Corp would start generating profit. However, before that happened, I’d need funds, which Kasai was accounting for.

  “Can we withdraw this money quickly if necessary?”

  “Umm, I doubt that,” said Joben carefully.

  “Well, the answer is obvious then. Call Kasai and figure it out with him. My opinion is that you should invest. One other thing. Before you call, set aside five million for yourself, Tanaka, that miser Kasai, me, and Taro. Do you remember him?”

  “Khm, of course. Noted. Will do. All I need is your bank account number.”

  Smart boy. He could have asked Kasai, but he’s right not to. I tend to talk smack about him, but he knows his thing. Regardless, I wouldn't discuss our finances with Kasai if it could be prevented.

  “Ask Taro. He knows Kasai. For future reference, he's my jack of all trades. Do you know how to get a hold of him?”

  “Yes, I have his phone number.”

  “Great. Alright, business aside. Do you have everything you need here?”

  “Oh yes, Sakurai-san. More than enough.”

  “Perfect. What is your plan now?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, you're not in the loop. Freaking Taro. Set aside a thousand less for him than for the others. You see, Higasi-san, your position at Shidotamoru is just technical, in reality...”

  “You don't need me?” Joben asked with a stiff face.

  “A specialist with your experience? Are you kidding me? People like you are always needed,” the guy relaxed a bit and even smiled unceremoniously. “The thing is that, in fact, you work directly for me. Shidotamoru is a resource, and not the only one, just the biggest one. Kasai is the head of the financial department at Shidotamoru and works only with Shidotamoru assets. You, on the other hand, occupy a different niche. Let’s not overcomplicate things with smart words, though. Your probation period is with me. Your job will entail some work outside this firm. You'll have to manage the financial flows of all my resources. Honestly, I thought Taro filled you in on that. By the way, do you mind using first names?”

  “No, not at all, Sakurai-san. Oh, sorry.”

  “That’s all right, you can call me whatever is more comfortable for you. So, money. The money from this transaction will all go to Shidotamoru. All in all, I plundered them quite a bit for this exact purpose. After that, your probation period will start. Initially, I was going to set a commission for you, earned from the bonds you invest in, but a few days ago, I came up with a new project, the funding for which I haunted Kasai for. Those'll be your working assets. Fortunately, the project itself will take less than I got out of Kasai. At least, at first. What a jerk, making me beg for my own money,” I paused, collecting my thoughts.

  “You can discuss the details with Taro. That's his single priority right now. Show me what you are capable of and you will manage all of my finances. If you fail, you're gonna come back here. Unless you decide to resign. By the way, if you do well and decide to stay, there'll be no way back. You'll work under the best terms I can offer you, but you can't quit. The reason is that you'll be exposed to too many secrets. Many of them won't be legal. I just want to warn you beforehand. I have grand plans, and you have a great opportunity for growth, but I won't allow you to leave. You're a smart man, and you should realize what the costs are. There's no pressure, Higasi. Being on probation, you are free to leave. I'm not gonna stop you. At some point, you have to make a choice. I think you understand.”

  “Yes, I do, Sakurai-san,” Joben answered very seriously. “That's how it always is. Rest assured, Sakurai-san, I am fully aware of the consequences regardless of the choice I make.”

  “Excellent. In that case, get back to work, and contact Taro as soon as you have time. He can use the help of a good finance guy. And finalize your current affairs already. Talk to Kasai, and he'll find a replacement for you. He himself can work nights, if necessary.”

  “Got ya, Sakurai-san. It'll be done.”

  “See ya later then. I gotta go work hard.”

  I walked out of the building, got into the car, and took out my daily planner. Looking through it, I came across one of the notes, about which I kept forgetting for several days in a
row. But that was ok, there were more important things to do – I still had to pick out clothes for the reception, for example.

  Shina, Shina.

  Oh well, at least, I'd get to talk to her relatives. Otherwise, I'd forget again.

  “Let's go home,” I told Goro, who had the honorable duty of being my driver today. “So how's it going with the candidates?”

  “Sixty-eight people, boss,” he replied, driving the car out onto the road.

  “How many...? Are you vouching for all of them?”

  “They are all worthy people, but I have ten people for you that I can vouch for.”

  “Have you scheduled the meeting for tomorrow?”

  “Yes, boss, as you said.”

  “Alrighty.”

  By the time I got back, Shina and Mizuki were already back from school. All that time wasted... And someone dares to say that school clubs are useful. While waiting for Shina to get ready, I played a game of chess with Akeno.

  “So you decided to have the reception on Saturday?” I asked, moving my pawn.

  I was not going to find out what school was like in my former world nowadays, but in this world, students had school on Saturdays once a month. For that reason, yesterday Mizuki had begged for the reception to be on Friday. She just did not feel like welcoming the guests. Quoting Shina, “This red monster completely lost all fear.”

  “Yeah,” Akeno replied, rubbing his chin. “Together with father, we managed to defend ourselves from the Red Monster.”

  “So Shina is the innocent one?” I uttered, watching my opponent's knight go into the attack.

  “She played the part of a tugboat and towed our opponent aside,” the man made an excuse.

  “Akeno-san, do you have an idea if there is anything for rent in the area?”

  “I doubt it,” Akeno said after some thinking, carefully watching the chessboard. “Why do you ask?”

  “For the car. And my driver,” I moved my rook, giving up my pawn to be taken by his knight.

  “Hm. Talk to Kagami. She has a few houses tucked away in the outskirts of the neighborhood.”

  It was obvious that he didn't want to take the pawn, trying to figure out what the catch was.