The Omega is a Novelist

Chapter Six

    The message was received by a number of people, although at varying times; it was short, to the point and without explanation.  "I will be unreachable for the next three weeks."

    "Eiko," Hideaki said, when he received the message from Yori, "what do you think he means by this?"  Eiko shrugged and kissed him on the forehead, suggesting that he didn't fret about it too much.  She could hazard a guess regarding it, being an Omega herself, but she felt such a reason was too personal to discuss openly, even with Hideaki.

     President Himura also received the message from Yori, glanced at it, then put his phone to one side.

     Sierra Londis received the message from Ryu-Sensei and wondered why.  She smiled thinking it had probably just become a habit for the author to inform her before vaguely wondering if he had sent it to his current editor, the person who actually needed to know.  Sure enough, less than five minutes later, her phone began to ring.  It was Tatsuya Himura, who having received the message and not being able to contact Ryu-Sensei to query it, had contacted her instead.

    "It's nothing to be concerned about," she tried to reassure him.  "It's just another of Ryu-Sensei's quirks.  Were there any deadlines due to fall in the next few weeks?"

    "Well, no," Tatsuya admitted.

    "That's good," she said.  "Though if there were Ryu-Sensei would have made sure that all his work was completed and in your hands were there anything due during his hiatus."

    "Still, it's awkward that I cannot get in contact with him," Tatsuya said, stubbornly.  "Do you not have his address or another way to contact him?"

    "No," she lied, recalling that Yori didn't wish to share his other contact details with his temporary editor.  "Please, Mr Himura, I recommend that you respect Sensei's wishes and wait for him to resurface on his own.  If he has stated that he won't be available for three weeks, he won't be available for three weeks, but he will contact the office straight after this time, I assure you."

    Tatsuya remained irked and this was felt by many of his colleagues, though the man stayed professional enough not to let his feelings spill over whilst meeting with his few other handpicked authors.  Despite Sierra's reassurances, Tatsuya was sharp enough to sense that Ryu Kanuga was reluctant to form even the slightest connection required between author and editor, let alone a more involved relationship, which in the beginning Tatsuya had sought.  True, his interest had been idle curiosity such as lingered in the public over the mysterious author known as Ryu Kanuga.  It had steadily risen during his university years to peek during his first year here.  After all, he had never assumed that even most of the staff of his grandfather's company did not know the true identity of the man.  When he had heard that Ryu's editor was to go on maternity leave, he had jumped at the chance to replace her.  His lineage had clearly won over other editors with more experience in the field and he was not too proud to use such connections to get what he wanted.

    However, he had been horrified when he had first met Ryu in the flesh.  Sierra expected him to believe that this... vagabond... was the famous author himself?  Had no one thought to suggest this man get a haircut?  Or better yet, a stylist?  He supposed it was a blessing that the man was clean; he had smelled the faint aroma of soap as well as something else, a cologne perhaps, as author and editor had entered the room.  Even on the odd occasions they had met following this, that same scent had teased his nostrils, distracting him as he tried to identify it.  When he had caught a similar aroma at his grandfather's birthday party emanating from that upstart Omega the old man seemed fond of, he had decided to ask Ryu-Sensei exactly which cologne he used, hoping to settle this matter.  So being told he would be unable to contact the man on some whim of the author annoyed him more than he would admit too. 

    He sighed as he glanced at the text message once more.  He supposed he should be happy that Ryu-Sensei had contacted him in the first place, since the man usually would only return messages that his editor had sent first.  Was that progress? He wondered.

*****

    Ryota was not one of the people to receive the short text message, but he did notice, fairly quickly, that Yori was not lingering in his usual corner of Keko's cafe.  After a week of Yori's absence, he lightly indicated to the woman he called sister, that he had noticed.  "I see Just Yori is not here again today," he said.  "Did you ban him?" 

    Keko glanced automatically at the currently empty, shadowy corner.  The crowds had died down with the rumours as the chancing patrons had failed to find any known celebrities in the cafe.  They had captured a few new regulars, which was good, but despite the increase of profits, the woman couldn't help but be relieved when the fickle public had moved on out of her cafe.  Especially as a few of them had tried hitting on her wife.  Still unlike those people, she knew Yori would resurface eventually.  She was more curious over Ryota's interest.  "I wasn't aware you knew Yori," she said.

    "Oh I've spoken to him once or twice," Ryota attempted to downplay his curiosity.  "I've just seen him so often in here, it was almost as if he was part of the furniture."

    Keko's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to read Ryota's expression.  She had known him since he was just twelve and he had come to live with her family as a foster child.  His parents had died in a car accident and no other family would apparently claim him.  His gender had assured that they would see several potential couples seeking to adopt him over the following four years, but Ryota had refused them all and the courts saw no reason to go against the boy's wishes.  And so Keko came to see him as her brother rather than just another foster kid and Ryota returned the sentiment.  But in all the time they had known each other, Ryota seldom asked or seemed interesting in having something for himself.  He seemed more interested in sharing what little he had with less fortunate foster kids that came through the door than keeping things for himself.  Even potential girlfriends had become secondary to those kids and his foster family, although a few were not so easily deterred.

    "Yori vanishes from time to time, usually without a word only to reappear a few weeks later as if nothing had happened," Keko said.  "Sometimes it's work, I guess, other times... well it means I worry less about him running off with Aisha," she muttered this last bit under her breath.  It wasn't that she ever questioned Aisha's loyalty or love for her, but she couldn't help but wonder what she had done to deserve such a special woman and there was always doubts in the back of her mind that she could keep this happiness.  After all, Aisha was an Alpha female, one of the blessed, who were almost guaranteed a stable marriage, family and wealth.  And she, well she was a Beta, the owner of a tiny cafe living month to month and a woman who could not give her wife children.

    "Why would Aisha run away with Yori?" Ryota found himself questioning, dragging her from her sullen thoughts.

    "Oh, ah... Yori is Aisha's ex-boyfriend," Keko confessed.

    "Are you still worrying about that?" Aisha asked as her slender pale arms curled around Keko's waist.  Keko felt the smaller woman's breasts press against her back spreading a warmth across her body.  As swiftly, her wife released her from her embrace as customers came through the door, Keko pitied herself the absence.  "Don't forget, were it not for Yori humouring me, we would never of met," Aisha added before greeting the customers.

    Ryota allowed these facts to sink into his mind as he sipped his coffee, before querying further.  "What does she mean, humouring her?" He asked.  Having served the customers to their satisfaction, Aisha returned as answered for herself.

    "Ah, well you see, I sort of blackmailed him into dating me," she offered a slightly shameless smile before offering Ryota a fresh cup.