#27: Devil
“Kurosu, did you pack the materials? Nothing forgotten? Your usual blanket? Your mug?”
“You’re worrying way too much. Are you my mother or something?”
March, Friday the 13th — the day before Mikoto’s first day at Hibiya. Having gladly accepted the company’s directive for a weekly secondment, Mikoto had stopped by the Meiji Stationery office to gather the materials she’d need.
“Of course I’m worried! If you screw up at Hibiya, this whole company goes under in a heartbeat! Right, Shirai?!”
“Aomi-san, maybe not in front of the managing director…”
Word of the transfer had spread to the whole project team. Gathered around Mikoto ahead of her first day: team members Aomi Shiina and Shirai Rinko, along with the managing director.
In contrast to Shiina, fretting on the assumption Mikoto was bound to fail, the managing director just laughed it off with an easy “ahaha.”
“Kurosu-san, you look really grown-up today. It suits you, looks great!”
“Thank you, Shirai-san. Knowing it’s a plain-clothes assignment, I couldn’t really slack off on it.”
Meiji Stationery’s dress code was, ordinarily, a work uniform. Mikoto usually didn’t bother much with her own clothes since she’d be changing anyway — but plain-clothes duty was a different matter entirely. Striking that delicate balance between not-too-flashy and not-too-plain was genuinely agonizing.
What she’d landed on: a simple combination of a trench coat, cut-and-sew top, and trousers. More accurately, she’d spotted a striking resemblance to herself in a model — Kurosu Kotone — in a fashion magazine she’d happened to pick up, and copied the look wholesale.
Good thing to have, an actress for a little sister.
“Kurosu, a parting gift. Pressure-point massage tool and a bamboo foot-roller!”
“Ah, right. I’ve got a box of sweets from me too — hand these out to the client, would you.”
Paper bags got shoved into her hands from both Shiina and the managing director. The managing director’s sweets were fine enough, but Shiina’s parting gift bordered on outright harassment. A length of green bamboo stuck straight out of the bag.
“A pressure-point tool and bamboo… Am I some old man now…”
“Just take it already! Works great, I swear!”
“Yes, yes…”
Accepting it despite her exasperation, Mikoto left the office. She was stuffing her work materials into her own personal carry case, waiting for a taxi, when Rinko came dashing out of the building after her, a small vial clutched in hand.
“Kurosu-san! One more little something from me too… well, more of a good-luck charm. Hold out your hand?”
“Like this?”
Rinko took her hand and misted the vial’s contents onto her wrist — perfume. A few seconds later, the scent tickled at Mikoto’s nose.
“What is this? Smells a bit like mikan…”
“A mix of Sweet Orange and Neroli.”
Orange.
A scent Shandy loved wearing — and one Rinko hated. Neroli, too, was an essential oil extracted from orange blossoms. Neither should have been anything Rinko would ever keep on hand.
“I thought you hated orange?”
“I do… but I had an even worse feeling about something else.”
Rinko rubbed Mikoto’s wrists together to set the scent, then spoke, weighted and serious.
“…I can’t protect you enough as I am right now. So at least — I wanted to borrow some strength from the orange I hate.”
“It’s just a work trip, you know?”
“This is cologne, so wash it off if you don’t like it, okay? Comes right off with soap, and it’ll fade on its own by evening anyway.”
The moment Rinko finished speaking, a taxi pulled up in front of Mikoto. Settling into the back seat and giving her destination, she caught Rinko’s eye through the window — brows bent into a worried slant, waving.
“…Be careful, Kurosu-san.”
“You’re overthinking this, I’m sure. I’m off.”
＊
Tension had her in its grip. Waiting for Mikoto at Hibiya’s head office: General Affairs’ own hunting dog, Yanase Sanae, and her subordinate, Iida.
“Welcome to Hibiya, Kurosu-san.”
“Yes, thank you for having m—”
“My apologies. I have a meeting to attend shortly. Please follow Iida-kun’s guidance for now. I’ll go over Hibiya’s employment policies with you after the meeting.”
With that, Sanae vanished briskly toward the elevator hall. General Affairs’ hunting dog was, apparently, a busy woman.
Guided by Iida, Mikoto was shown to a guest space within the General Affairs department. A water cooler, outlets, restroom locations — Iida’s thorough, well-drilled explanations of every little detail were surely the fruit of Sanae’s own training — or rather, discipline. Working under her looked like a genuine trial.
It was right as Mikoto found herself musing over such trivial things that she appeared.
“Ahh~! You must be Kurosu Mikoto-san? Nice to meet youuu.”
A woman with downturned eyes, prominent under-eye bags. Heavy makeup, most striking of all a full, swollen, vivid red lip. Her slightly flashy outfit did nothing to conceal her striking figure — if anything, it emphasized it further.
A sultry, mature woman. Mikoto immediately summoned the version of herself she wore at Antiqua. To stand as an equal. To not be outmatched.
“Nice to meet you. Kurosu Mikoto, from Meiji Stationery.”
“Ooh, how polite. I’m Akazawa Kurume, from Secretarial~. Fufu, you really are as pretty as they said~.”
“You’re quite lovely yourself.”
“Aww~. Thank you~. So, right off the bat — wanna be friends? Meee? I don’t have any friends here at the office, it’s kinda lonely~.”
The heavily nasal drawl of her voice sent an unsettled ripple through Mikoto’s chest.
She — Akazawa Kurume — was, like Shandy, someone whose real intentions were impossible to read. The one thing Mikoto could sense clearly was that whatever emotion was being directed at her here bore no resemblance to Shandy’s own.
A deep, bone-chilling cold.
“…My apologies. A generous offer, but I keep a firm line between my work relationships and my private ones. If we’d met privately, we might’ve become the closest of friends. A shame, really.”
“Then~? Guess we’ll just have to become a private relationship, won’t we~?”
“Which is exactly why—”
The sudden turn of events froze Mikoto’s thoughts entirely.
Kurume had taken her lips. The guest space was a blind spot — no one in the office could see. Which meant no one would call her out on it either. All Mikoto could manage in her own defense was desperately holding back the tongue trying to push its way in.
“There we go. Now we’re friends~.”
“…What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Hm~? Can’t hear you~? Say it again, a little louder? So the whole department can hear~?”
“I said—!”
The orange perfume on her wrist drifted up. In that instant, two women’s faces flashed through her mind, and Mikoto found some measure of composure returning.
This was Hibiya’s own office.
Making a scene here would only tarnish Meiji Stationery’s name.
Quietly forcing her anger down, she brought her wrist close to her nose.
“Thank you for such a warm welcome. If this is the Hibiya style of greeting, I’ll accept it graciously. Akazawa-san.”
“Hmm~? Sturdier than I expected, aren’t you~?”
Kurume’s grin gave nothing away. A wave of pure revulsion churned through Mikoto’s chest.
“Sorry, but I’ve got work to do too, you know~? So, do your very best, won’t you—”
With a smile chilling enough to freeze the spine — devil-like, unmistakably — Kurume delivered her line.
“—Because I’m going to make your life hell.”
The devil departed. In her place, trembling with both fury and the frustration of having no comeback ready, Mikoto found Sanae approaching.
“I passed Akazawa from Secretarial just now. Do you know her?”
“…………….”
“…Kurosu-san, I’m happy to hear you out, if that helps. Internal coordination is exactly what my job entails.”
＊
“…My apologies. Not once, but twice now, our own employees have caused you trouble.”
“No, that’s not something you need to apologize for, Sanae-san.”
“I’d actually rather you did apologize, though? Using someone else’s shop for a secret rendezvous without asking.”
The edge of Roppongi. The girls’ bar Antiqua — perfectly suited for a secret rendezvous.
Tonight, along with bartender Shandy and Mikoto, only Sanae, brought along by Mikoto, made up the party of three.
“Sorry, I figured no one would interrupt us here.”
“Is that meant as a dig at Antiqua? Admittedly, we usually are more or less dead quiet in here.”
Shandy pursed her lips and pouted. There was another reason for her sour mood, besides.
“And on top of it, you brought along someone I’d rather like to serve an XYZ.”
“I’ll pass on the alcohol. I can’t drink a drop.”
“Wouldn’t serve you one even if you begged.”
Sticking out her tongue in a small “bleh,” Shandy turned pointedly away from Sanae.
She seemed to be holding quite the grudge against Sanae. Thinking back to what happened at Maverick and its aftermath, the reaction made a certain amount of sense.
Despite her words, Sanae took a sip from the chaser she’d been served and, reluctantly, opened her mouth.
“…Secretarial’s a difficult department for me to move against. That division has ties, in all sorts of ways, to upper management.”
“All sorts of ways?”
“That woman, Akazawa — she’s in a physical relationship with someone at the top. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, presumably…”
Shandy’s amber eyes had settled into a waning crescent. Her anger was plain to see — and, unusually, even Sanae’s own tone had grown weak. For someone normally so direct, she spoke now like she had something caught between her teeth.
“Mikoto-san? Last time you had help, but this time, that person there is useless. Call her a hunting dog all you like — at the end of the day, she’s just a pup on a leash. Snoop around carelessly, and she’ll end up sent to the pound herself.”
“That’s not it. I’m simply saying I lack the necessary groundwork to properly corner Secretarial—”
“If you can’t do it, it amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it, Sanae-chan?”
“…………….”
Having silenced Sanae, and apparently satisfied at last, Shandy let out a small sigh.
“Mikoto-san. I’m going to kiss you now. Is that all right?”
“Is that something that needs confirming?”
“It’s important. After everything you just went through — if it turns into some kind of trauma, you might never be able to do this again. And besides.”
Leaning in close, Shandy spoke.
Not her usual smile. Eyes wide open, full moons rising in them, a genuinely serious expression.
“I don’t want you thinking I’m anything like that filthy woman.”
Mikoto understood, instantly, that this was Shandy’s own particular way of showing care.
“You and her aren’t the same at all, Shandy-san.”
“Then, excuse me.”
With that, Shandy dove for her lips. Pressed harder than usual, her tongue crept through the gap between them. Paying no mind whatsoever to Sanae watching right beside them, she took her time, carefully, thoroughly licking Mikoto’s lips clean — a long, drawn-out kiss.
Only once she’d continued for a while, catching her breath between, did Shandy finally seem satisfied and pull away.
“…Disinfection complete. Honestly, nowhere near as enjoyable as our usual kisses. That’s your fault, Sanae-chan.”
“I share your anger, believe me. Directed at my own uselessness.”
Sanae curled her small frame forward and pressed her face against the table. Seeing her so far removed from her usual commanding presence, Mikoto found herself newly aware of the situation she’d landed in.
—Even Sanae, of all people, couldn’t stand up to Secretarial’s Akazawa.
Even a once-a-week secondment meant real danger lurked at every turn while working at Hibiya.
“An— anyway, I’m fine. Getting kissed out of nowhere and picked a fight with left me shaken, but I’m okay now, and I’ve no intention of losing.”
“Back to your usual self, are you, Mikoto-san? Well, I suppose that’s your genuine, unguarded feeling talking, not a put-on front. Please don’t push yourself too hard, though.”
“Y— yes! I understand! I’ve grown too, you know!”
“Save that kind of talk for once you’re no longer having your lips stolen by rotten women. My someone already has more than enough vulnerabilities to worry about as it is.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Even while being scolded, Mikoto felt certain of one thing
Akazawa Kurume was, without a doubt, out to destroy her — and Meiji Stationery along with her. That reckless kiss back in the office had almost certainly been meant to set Mikoto up for a public accusation.
If Mikoto had reacted openly in that moment, Kurume could easily have turned around and cried, “She kissed me out of nowhere!” instead.
“Even so, I’m surprised you held out, Kurosu-san. Anyone confronted with Akazawa Kurume tends to react one of two ways — go weak in the knees and lovestruck, or throw a punch.”
Shandy had been studying the photo Sanae had produced.
Mikoto, too, had been struck by her beauty on first sight. If not for that nasal voice and the outrageous move she’d pulled right off the bat, she might well have been fooled herself.
“Which one are you, Sanae-chan?”
“Left hook, followed by a right straight.”
“Same here. Sanae-san.”
There was no telling what Shandy actually meant half the time — but Mikoto could at least tell that Sanae’s honor had been restored, in some fashion.
“…My apologies, I’ll take my leave for tonight. I need to get home and enjoy Tōko’s nikujaga.”
“Please, do enjoy your beloved wife’s nikujaga — or her body, for that matter — to the fullest.”
“I intend to. Enjoy your own evening as well.”
Flashing a faintly unsettling smile — nothing more than the corners of her mouth lifting — Sanae took her leave of Antiqua. Shandy, who usually saw customers all the way to the door, didn’t so much as glance her way this time.
The two of them really didn’t get along — or rather, simply didn’t mesh well together, it seemed.
“Honestly.”
“…Thank you, Shandy-san.”
“Oh? Did I do something worth thanking me for?”
Antiqua had returned to its usual state — just the two of them.
Watching Shandy’s puzzled expression, Mikoto found herself recalling that earlier moment of consideration.
“You asked before kissing me. If you’d done it suddenly, the way you usually do, I might have ended up thinking of Akazawa Kurume in that moment.”
“…That would’ve been frightening, wouldn’t it. Having something like that done to you.”
“…Yes.”
Shandy crossed from the bartender’s own sanctuary out to the customer’s side, and wrapped her arms around Mikoto from behind, seated in her prized spot.
The warmth of her embrace was, more than anything, warm — soft, and dear.
“Shandy-san…”
“I’m sorry. Comforting someone who’s just been hurt, gently, like this — it’s, well, obviously self-serving, and more than a little unfair of me. I know that. But I wanted to do it anyway.”
“I know you’re not someone who’d do something like that.”
“You trust me that much, do you? I might just pounce on you like a wolf.”
“…You’re more of a cat person, Shandy-san.”
“Then let’s call it a lion instead. Roar~.”
“Fufu fufu…”
Shandy’s kindness filled the cracks in Mikoto’s heart, slowly, entirely.
The mysteries remained as numerous as ever. But there was one thing Mikoto now knew for certain.
—Shandy would never, ever try to hurt her.
Whether angry or sulking, it was all just surface theater. Her anger at Akazawa Kurume, at Sanae too — that had been Shandy speaking Mikoto’s own unspoken feelings aloud for her. Confirming before the kiss had been for Mikoto’s sake too.
“…I like you, Shandy-san.”
“Oh my. A confession, at a time like this? I did wait a fair while, but that’s a rather anticlimactic ending, isn’t it?”
“No, well… honestly, I’ve liked you for a long time now. I just never found the right moment to say it. And you kept putting pressure on me too, besides.”
“Yes, I’ve been looking forward to that ideal date you promised — one that’d top Yokohama.”
“So, um. Would you—”
Go out with me.
The words were right there, ready to be pulled up from her throat — but the instant she tried, Shandy pulled away from behind her.
That happy warmth, that comforting scent of orange, vanished all at once, and Mikoto swallowed the words she’d been about to say.
“Fufu, that’s on hold for tonight.”
Shandy laughed, wearing her usual mischievous, waxing-crescent eyes.
“Wh— why?!”
“I did tell you, didn’t I? This whole situation reeks of ulterior motive, and it’s more than a little unfair of me. Comforting someone gently to make them confess is, in a certain sense, the classic romantic playbook — but it’s also taking underhanded advantage of someone’s weak moment. I do love a bit of the unorthodox, but I won’t cross the line into outright dishonorable.”
“That may be true… but! I’m right here, right now, wanting to—”
Her lips were sealed by Shandy’s own. Ever since that night at Maverick, this had quietly become an unspoken rule between the two of them.
“No, no.”
Smiling brightly, Shandy gave her a wink.
At the sight of something so unbearably adorable, Mikoto’s heartbeat refused to settle. Her whole body burned as if on fire. Not a single drop of alcohol yet, and already she felt like she was being consumed entirely by the fierce heat of love.
“I love you, Mikoto-san, when you come at me head-on — no sidelong glances, no false modesty, no shame at all. So if you want to hear a yes out of me, please, use the classic playbook properly.”
“D— do you really think I can manage something like that?!”
“You can, Mikoto-san. Take me on a date again, like before, and get me properly drunk.”
“Ngh…!”
Mikoto slumped forward onto the counter.
Determined to somehow wring a “yes” out of Shandy, and to cool the fever burning through her body, she set her mind racing through possible plans for the ideal, textbook-perfect date.
Before she knew it, Mikoto had completely forgotten all about Akazawa Kurume. It would take a while yet before she realized even that had been another one of Shandy’s own quiet acts of care.