| |
 “Crowds
lined Oi River today to witness the yearly spectacle. Mifune
Matsuri was nearly rained out today, but the procession of some
thirty boats managed to beat the weather,” the newscaster said,
“Meanwhile in the Ukyo Ward, crowds came to witness a spectacle of a
different kind as celebrities turned out at the Kurumazaki Shrine,
to pray for their careers. Amongst the entertainers was Amanda
Matsuo, most likely hoping her next album will be as successful as
her debut, which continues to top the charts even now—“ |
|
| |
|
The
woman cuffed her sleeves up to the elbow as she
continued her meticulous search through the drawer,
mentally following a checklist in her mind. Once
she’d gathered the tools she needed, she closed the
drawer and reached for another, her pale hand
pausing on its handle. She looked over her own
shoulder, gray eye locking on the blue-haired girl.
This woman’s hair was worn in a similar fashion, her
chocolate tresses completely covering her right
eye. After a moment of silence, her crimson-painted
lips moved to form a sharp “What?” |
|
“You’re
a freaking idiot, Fuu-chan,” the blue-haired girl
said, before looking back out the window; “You
should know better than to sign a contract without
letting me read it first. I mean, sometimes I don’t
even know why I’m here.” |
|
“I
don’t know why you’re here either,” the woman
replied curtly, pulling on her black duster jacket. |
|
The
girl raised a finger and answered pointedly, “I’ll
tell you why! Because the boss also knows you’re a
freaking idiot.” |
|
“Funny,
and here I thought you were assigned to me as
punishment.” |
|
The
blue-haired girl visibly twitched at that comment.
She spun around and yelled at the older woman, who
was on her way to the door, “At least let me look
into it before you go! It might not be safe!” |
|
“The
contract’s already been signed,” the woman said,
waving a hand dismissively before it fell on the
door handle. She paused a moment, then tilted her
head slightly, though she didn’t turn to face the
girl. The chilly silence was soon broken by a
marginally less frigid “Hey, Ichiko…” |
|
“Huh?”
the girl asked, when she heard her name. She
blinked in mild surprise, before lifting her hands
up to catch the small object that had been
haphazardly tossed to her. Looking over the small
rectangular object in her hands, she quickly
realized it was a memory stick. Ichiko looked up
and asked, “What do you want me to do with this?!” |
|
“You
wanted to look into it,” replied ‘Fuu’ on her way
out the door, “So look into it. Not that it matters
much; I’ll be back before you’re finished… I don’t
need a secretary you know. I can handle my own
business.” |
|
The
door slammed shut. Ichiko clenched the memory stick
in her hands tightly, before sticking out her tongue
with a ‘nyaaah’, then yelling, “Yeah, sure,
whatever! Famous last words, Fuu-chan!” |
|
 |
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