Chapter 3: Fashion industry is full of dangers
I choked, his face so close to mine. With him pressing against my face I couldn't move away. (What on earth!?)
"It's about time you realized how you make men feel."
I tried to ask what he meant but Kitazawa was so overbearing I couldn't say a word. I looked away out of embarrassment.
"..."
I felt Kitazawa's face closing in on me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt his hot breath on my neck which soon turned into a soft touch.
" ... No."
The next moment, I heard a smack and felt a sharp pain on my neck. (What!? C-Could this be...? A hickey!?)
"H-Hey, Mr. Kitazawa !?"
I was stunned. And Kitazawa muttered sullenly, the way he usually does..
" It's a lucky charm to keep the scum away, so don't you dare hide it."
That said, Kitazawa pushed himself away from me as if nothing happened.
"Huh? Huh?"
I rushed to check myself in the glass and there it was at my nape, a big red hickey.
" W-What am I gonna do?"
I pulled my shirt up to hide the mark.( Now how am I gonna make it through the day?)
The next morning, (What a day that was.) the hickey was still very conspicuous the next morning... I came to the office with a scarf around my neck. (He told me not to cover it but it's impossible! Kitazawa seems really quick with girls. I just can't tell what's on his mind. ) As I was mulling over this I heard a voice behind me.
"Good morning."
"G-Good morning, sir." Kitazawa's gaze stopped at my scarf. He raised his brows in displeasure.
"Um, this...."
Kitazawa let out a small breath and said. ".... All right, just come over here." He said, and left for the deserted corridor.
(What am I gonna do? What's he gonna do to me this time?) But I had to go. I made up my mind and stepped into the corridor.
The empty corridor led me to a courtyard. I squinted at the crisp morning wind, in sharp contrast to my feelings. Kitazawa, a few meters ahead, turned around.
"Hey."
"W-What is it?" I was scared. Watching me on a defensive attitude...Kitazawa sighed.
"You don't have to be on guard."
"No, I wasn't guarding myself. "
"You look strange." Kitazawa said contemptuously. "Not that I should care but, "
"And what is it that you called me for?" I asked, wanting to get out of all this as fast as possible.
"Don't have to rush things. You don't have anything urgent now, do you?"
"Well no, but --"
"Then there should be no problem." Kitazawa said gruffly and looked away. He mumble without changing his expression. "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna eat you up or something."
Seeing how composed Kitazawa was.. I started feeling embarrassed for being on guard unnecessarily. ( Was he just playing with me?) As I was mulling over this... Kitazawa turned to face me.
"Catherine. There's something I wanna give you."
"Give me?"
"This is yours, right?" Kitazawa handed me something. It was....
"It's my necklace." It was the necklace I had lost.... at the award ceremony when we first met at. "Why do you have it, Mr. Kitazawa?"
Kitazawa was staring at me with an undecipherable expression on his face. I thought back to our first encounter. (Kitazawa grabbed me as an excuse to run away from his girlfriend. And when we met later... I had thought he'd forgotten about me.) "...So you do remember?"
"Of course." Kitazawa said, and took out a cigarette. "Can I?"
"Oh, please go ahead."
"Sorry." Kitazawa moved under the wind and lit up, sending a curl of smoke in the air. He gazed blankly at the smoke disappearing into he morning air. "I only can smoke in places like this. "
"No problem. But... you didn't mention anything, Mr. Kitazawa... when I came to the department so I thought you'd forgotten me."
"...."
Looking embarrassed, Kitazawa looked at me. He muttered... " I do make it a point to remember those who are interesting. "
"Does that mean... You must be kidding."
"Maybe I am." Kitazawa grinned slightly. (But even if he did, he'd be saying something like this to anybody. Maybe it's just an excuse to hide the fact he'd forgotten. ) As I looked at Kitazawa to find out what he really meant... but he laugh sarcastically.
"Well, if you can't believe me, then let it be. But you know... dressing in an eye-grabbing costume like that would... " Kitazawa said, staring wide-eyed for a change... then shook his head as if to cover it up. "No, nothing."
(Eye-grabbing costume? All I had on was the company suit... nice design, my favorite too. Was something wrong?) I tried to ask him... but Kitazawa had looked away from me, as if to avoid my questions.
"Anyways, I gave it back to you."
Despite all that, I thanked him for picking it up. "T-Thank you."
"Yeah, don't lose it again." Kitazawa's words and tone was unexpectedly gentle. My heart skipped a beat. (...a strange man. I'm so relieved though.)
I looked at my necklace again. The necklace sparkled as though it responded to my joy. I couldn't help smiling.
"Was that necklace precious to you?"
"Huh?"
"You look so happy."
"Oh this.... I bought it as a gift to celebrate my landing a job. "
"Hmmph..."
"To celebrate the working adult I want to be. I felt I needed something authentic... like a necklace to go with my favorite suit.... suitable even for formal occasions." I thouched my necklace, answering him. The anxiety, the joy I felt when I bought this necklace... all kind of emotions took over me.
"Your favorite suit, eh... " Kitazawa said, and it looked like he was deeply moved.
"Huh?"
"It looked good on you. "
"Huh?"
"The suit, it looked good on you."
"Oh...." So Kitazawa remembered what I had on. "Thank you."
"Was that suit your choice?"
"....? Yes."
"And that necklace too?"
"Yes, sir." I frowned, not understanding what he was getting at. Kitazawa nodded slightly.
"Oh." And he smiled gently.
"What happened, Mr. Kitazawa?"
"Fine feathers make fine birds!"
"F-Feathers make finebirds!?" I stammered in falsetto and Kitazawa laughed loudly.
"Hee-hee, what kind of voice is that!? What a joke."
"..."
"Why, what's surprising you so?"
"Well, even you can laugh like that."
"I'm human, too."
"Um... I'm sorry. It was just so... "
"Does it surprise you that I crack up?"
"Um, that's not it."
It was frustrating. I couldn't put it into words. I felt a certain kind of joy, a tickling sensation... because of the smile Kitazawa had shown me. It was as if I'd seen a part of him I had never known. ( How should I express this in words?) As I thought real hard, Kitazawa narrowed his eyes. He raised his arm to reach my shoulder.
Just as Kitazawa's hand was about to touch me... " Hey, you two!"
"!"
"!" My body jerked up. From the alley leading to the office building, a tall, kind-looking man...approached us, looking at us happy.
"What.... when were you looking?"
"You mean when you two were about to fall into each other's arms?"
"We didn't fall into each other's arms... "
"Oh? Or was it kissing each other?"
"We weren't doing that either!"
"I mean a man and a woman in a secluded place like this. There's only one thing to do, right?" (W-Who is this? Voicing whatever's on his mind? He got Kitazawa wrapped around his finger.) He seemed to notice me looking at him... The man straightened himself and smiled at me.
"How do you do? I'm Shiraishi, the Sales Strategy Department manager."
"H-How do you do? I'm Catherine Roseblood."
"Ha-ha, I know you. Actually I was on my way to see you." Shiraishi took my hand.
"Yes, just as I had imagined, a beautiful lady."
"Uh..." Shiraishi took my hand, and stared at me. Light-pigmented in both hair and eyes, with non-Japanese features.... he was a beautiful gentlemen in quite a different way from Kitazawa. Unable to stand our conversation, Kitazawa interrupted us in an irritable voice.
"Hey, stop messing with us. "
"Oh, all right. "Shiraishi shrugged his shoulders at Kitazawa's angry voice. Raising his arms, Shiraishi pulled away from me as if to say he won't hit on me.
"Excuse me for casually touching a lady I've just met. I remembered, people don't engage in much physical contact here in Japan... except lovers and people you have affection for, right?" Saying so he gave Kitazawa and me a meaningful smile.
"What is it that you want?" (S-Scary.)
"Hmmph, you seem to start boiling when it comes to Ms. Catherine."
"...." Kitazawa glared at him.
Shiraishi shrugged lightly and said. "I came to offer you my sincerest congratulations."
"Congratulations?"
"Yes, Ms. Catherine. Kitazawa here won the design award the other day, right? The award's giving us an opportunity to launch a new Kitazawa brand. And we're holding a presentation for the brand soon. Looks like we're gonna get busy again. "
"Oh really? That's wonderful! Congratulations!"
"No, it;s nothing much. You came all the way just to say that?"
"Huh? Yes, I did. I wanted to see what your favorite lady looked like."
"Favorite?"
Yes. There's a buzz everywhere. At the photo shoot meeting yesterday... the cameraman tried to pick Catherine up... and you rushed to save her, right?"
"Hey, enough of this." Kitazawa's growl made my spine twitch instinctively. Shiraishi chuckled casually despite all of this.
" All right, I'll get out of your way. Ms. Catherine, let's have a leisurely talk without Kitazawa next time. " Shiraishi turned around and held my hands in his.
"Uh, yes."
"Shiraishi!"
"All right!... and oh--"
"You got more?"
"Rendezvous should be more discreet. Come on, feel for the lady. Taking her out shamelessly ike this in broad daylight won't do it." And that was when Kitazawa's roar echoed throughout the courtyard.
I was gazing at Kitazawa's back after Shiraishi left... when he turned around abruptly. Shiraishi said I was his favorite...
"Am I your favorite?" I asked him inadvertently.
Kitazawa sighed and said. "Don't believe everything he says."
"O-Of course not." As I answered him, I thought I saw Kitazawa's ear blush.
"Go back to work..." Kitazawa said...his usual sullen expression returning to his face.
Thinking over all everything that happened in the morning.... I made the invitation list. Looking up at the calendar I saw we still had some time but... I felt I should go ahead and finish the list so that there'd be enough time for Kitazawa to confirm it. (It's this late?)
I checked my watch and saw it was already after noon. (No wonder the office was so quiet.) Ah... I took a long stretch. ( Should I go out to buy lunch? Or eat in the company...) That's when... an incoming call rang. (Huh, a direct call... that's unusual.)
"L'Eclat du Soleil... " I answered with the company name, only to be cut off by a female voice.
"Is Omi there?" (Omi? Oh, Kitazawa...)
"I'm sorry, Kitazawa's not in."
"Oh, you're Omi's what?"
"... Huh?"
"Omi's what? I want to know!" The woman yelled hysterically into the phone.
"I'm just a secretary." She hung up suddenly as I answered. (What was that?) That felt weird. (Besides, she called Kitazawa by his given name. Does that mean she's his girlfriend?)
When I first met him... the girl Sarina Michiyama was chasing Kitazawa. (Did something happen to them?) I let things like this cross my mind... and realized that wasn't the right thing to do.
"Why am I so concerned about Kitazawa's girlfriend?" (Never mind, gotta eat..) As I got up and tried to open the door leading to the corridor... Bam! A tremor ran through my body.
"Ah..."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kitazawa was standing in front of me. The exact opposite of my first day here.
"No, I was careless too."As he swung his fingers I saw some blood on his fingertips. It looked like he rammed and cut his finger in the door as we ran into each other.
"Oh no, we've got to take care of that right away..." Kitazawa followed my gaze with a passive look... "No, it's nothng serious."
"It is something!" As I started yelling, Kitazawa looked at me startled, his eyes open wide. I was even more surprised than Kitazawa. (Fingertips are really important for a designer.)
"Let me just disinfect it first."
"... All right." Kitazawa nodded relunctantly, perhaps overwhelmed by the power in my voice.
I put on some antiseptic medication and a bandage. "All right, there you go."
".... Thanks."
"No, it was my fault after all." As I was returning the supplies into the med kit... Kitazawa, who'd been looking curiously, pointed to my hands.
"You always carry that?"
"Oh, the med kit? Yes. Yes, so that I can take care of my boss when he gets hurt."
"Hmmph."
"No matter what we do, we always have to help our bosses... that's what secretaries are supposed to do. Of course... this is secondhand info handed down to us by our senor secretaries."
"Really... Secretary work sounds pretty interesting. I hadn't been so interested in it so far but..." Kitazawa spoke thoughtfully about it.
I was going to ask him how he'd interacted with secretaries to date... when I remembered what Shiraishi said about favorites... (I've been trying so hard not to think about it.)
"What happened?" Kitazawa spoke to me as I cast my eyes down. "By the way, where were you going?"
"Oh, I was on my way to buy lunch."
"You didn't have lunch yet?"
"No, not yet."
Kitazawa checked his watch and gave a deep sigh. "Someone who can't manage oneself...cannot manage others, I would think?"
"Uh, I'm sorry." Kitazawa sighed again and grabbed my arms.
"Come on, we're going."
"Huh? Where?"
"To lunch. Payback." I couldn't help smiling at his whisper.
"All right!"
When we returned from lunch I started preparing for the new brand presentation. (Wow, the sheer number of invitations a major company has to send out. Simply picking out the invites to be addressed seemed to take all day. Maybe I can work on the rest tomorrow...) As I was trying to turn off my computer...
"Kamiya, can you come over here? Kitazawa wants you." Amira took me to where... the entire design team for the new brand was gathered. Kitazawa could be seen as the center of them all.
"What happened? Is there a problem?"
"Oh, here you are. We have a sample for the new brand presentation here... " Kitazawa show me the dress.
"Oh, it's beautiful." It was the most beautifully designed dress I had ever seen. As I stared enraptured at the dress, Kitazawa cleared his throat.
"We were looking for someone to put this on."
"Oh, yes, sir. I'll go make arrangements for the model. " I tried to rush out the door.
"What are you saying?"
"Huh?"
"You're the one putting it on. "
"Huh? Here!?"
"You're wearing it." Saying that he turned around... and held the curtain on a partitioned section... of what appeared to be a fitting room at the back of the room.
"Yes, sir. " My positive answered filled their faces with joy. Kitazawa's happy expression impressed me the most.
They sent me off with high expectations. I slipped behind the curtain Kitazawa held. Kitazawa came in after me.
"Haargh! What're you doing!?"
"Don't 'What're you doing!?' me." Kitazawa raised his voice too, a bit flustered.
The two of us were alone in the dressing room.Whenever I moves in the small cubicle I brushed against Kitazawa's body.
"Hey, what are you thinking, you fool! I've got to do the fitting.
"Huh?"
"I mean this is the first fitting that dress. If you put it on like a regular dress it would come apart and your underwear would show. Or, is that what you want?" Kitazawa persuaded me calmly...(... and I felt like a fool for having such thoughts.)
"Y- Yes, sir. But please do look the other way when I'm taking off my dress. "
"All right." Saying so Kitazawa obeyed and turned around.
I turned around and started unbuttoning my jacket. (Aargh, it's uncomfortable even with him looking away. I mean, we're here alone, in this enclosed space. It's so embarrassing taking my clothes off like this. )
That was when Kitazawa.....
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soo_min21
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