Innocent | Sugawara Koushi

30.

"Hello." I said awkwardly, entering the room in the office. "I'm Kuroki Miyu, it's nice to meet you." I bowed a little to the man sitting by the desk in front of me.

Behind him there was a wide, glass wall that made my stomach drop. I was never afraid of heights before, mostly because I was never in a place this high above the ground. Now my fear of talking to the man was deepened by the senseless fear of falling down.

But really, is it good to have glass walls in a place like this? What if it breaks?

"Hello, miss Kuroki. My name is Hashimoto Akira. Kyo told me that you're excellent at drawing." He stood up from his chair and walked up to me with outstretched hand. I wiped my sweaty hand on my jeans quickly before shaking his hand, hoping that no one would see this quick movement.

"I'll wait outside." Kyo bowed to the man before turning to me and mouthing 'good luck' with a small smile. When she was out, the man motioned with his hand to the chair opposite of his by the desk. "Please, sit."

I walked towards the chair quickly while the man took his previous place. He took the pen from his desk and started playing with it as he watched me. "Let's cut to the main reason you're here." He started, leaning back comfortably. He looked relaxed as he continued playing with the pen in his hands. "There are many cartoonists in my office, but every one of them has their respectful jobs. Since two of my subordinates quit due to personal reasons, I'm understaffed."

I felt like I was sitting on needles, with my back straight and chin up. I wanted to look like I belong here, even though my heart rate was unnaturally fast.

"Tell me, do you have any experience as a cartoonist? Have you worked as one before?" He asked and I mentally facepalmed myself.

I'm not good for this job.

"No, I've never worked in an office. I was a waitress in a restaurant. But I draw a lot in my free time." I added the last sentence quickly as I saw his frown.

"Okay then, what school did you finish?" He looked at me, waiting patiently for my answer.

I swear I can see the hope in his eyes. But I will have to disappoint him once again.

"I went to Aoba Johsai High in Miyagi prefecture." I said, watching his face carefully.

He looked taken aback for a moment, but then he chuckled lowly. "Well, I was asking about university." He said.

Yes, there it is. Hope. He's hoping that I'm qualified for the job. I'm so sorry.

"I didn't finish any." I admitted quietly. But I held his gaze, hoping that forcing myself to look confident will make any difference. "I started Finance and Banking in Sendai University, but it wasn't for me, and I quit after a year." I said, already knowing that the conversation was over.

The man laughed shortly, shaking his head a little. "Well, I'm not surprised. If you're really talented when it comes to art, Finances and Banking is probably boring for you." His eyes were warm as he looked at me. "I can see you're holding a folder. Do you have any works with you?"

I nearly jumped out of my seat as I handed him the folder. "Yes, I do. I didn't know what to bring here, so I brought a little bit of everything." I waited patiently as he opened the folder and started looking through each page carefully.

I squeezed my hands tightly on my knees, waiting. He took his time scrutinizing every detail when the door behind me opened. I looked around quickly in hope to see Kyo, but it wasn't her. Instead, I saw a handsome man with black hair and blue eyes with a stack of papers. He walked up to the desk and waited patiently for his boss to look up.