I've Always Watched You

#1 - Arrangements

Coming out from the shop, Chris realizes that it has gotten quite late. The roads has started to quiet down, revealing the other, eerie side of the business district. The shops has also started to close, making the street lights the only source of light to shine the cement-paved sidewalk.

Chris takes a look at the empty street. The 2nd cup of coffee which he has just bought is held at his right hand, he takes a look at his Roles watch, which shows the time as 9.53 PM. All that time he took explaining the merits of working in the studio to Kurami took longer than he expected, but it was worth it.

As he started to walk towards his office, he remembered the time when he tried to recruit a promising young guy into his agency.

"Hi there. You must be Kanda Takumi." Chris stretched out his hand towards the sitting Takumi, who is drinking a glass of iced orange juice. "I'm Takeyama Chris. I represent Off-The-Wall Records."

Takumi stared at Chris' hand as he finished his drink. As his eyes glared and his lips tightened, he stood and left the table, leaving a dumbfounded and naivë Chris alone, while his hand waits for a recipient for the friendly gesture. Chris felt anger for the first time in a few years as he could feel his veins pop, yet he still had to be professional. He called out to Takumi, calling his name out to no avail. Mad, he caught up to the walking Takumi, and tapped his shoulder so that he could face the fresh graduate.

"Kanda-san. Why are you leaving?" Chris demanded, his eyes glared at the blue eyes of Takumi. He could feel his anger boiling up, yet he remembered that he had to be professional. "We haven't even talked yet!"

Takumi showed his irritation with the young blonde.
"Hmph. My time and skills deserves more than just a rookie recruiter." Takumi took out a namecard from his chest pocket. "Tell your boss. Next time you want to recruit someone as talented as me," Takumi started to tear the namecard slowly, as Chris watched in disbelief. "Try to send someone who has the experience and the skills that worth my time." Takumi tore the namecard, and piece by piece, he threw them off the ground.

"Good day." Takumi hissed, as he left Chris to stand in the middle of the café.

It has been 2 years since then. Takumi never got to become a famous singer. He was reported to be overdosed on a drug he experimented with, using the money he got from singing in a local classy restaurant.

'I hope Kurami won't end up like that. That girl's got a bright future ahead of her.' Chris muttered under his breath, not realizing that he has arrived to his studio without even drinking his coffee. Not one bit.

Chris opened the door to his recording studio. The continuous humming from the studio monitor filled the room. Dark carpets and sound proof walls colours the room, and machines are placed across the room. A couple of chairs, a small sofa and a small table is placed for the staffs to sit and relax. A wide window is also placed on one of the walls, and a door is placed right next to it, allowing future artists to make their next hit.

Everything looked normal. But there is just one odd thing. No one was in that room. It is just 10 PM, and they were supposed to work overtime today. So where is his subordinate?

A note is sticked to the console where he slept a few hours ago. As Chris placed his coffee on the table, he read the note which is, not surprisingly, intended to him.

'Hey bro, Satoshi here. Something came up at home so I had to leave early. It's nothing you need to worry about so don't worry. Okay, my little bro fell from the stairs, big deal. But, as his big brother, I must be there for him! Right? Well, tell the boss I'm going to work extra hard tomorrow! Anyway, good luck!
-Satoshi'

Chris could only read at a poker face. Well, now he has to finish the paper work all by himself. Thanks, Satoshi.

As he took a seat at the desk, his phone's ringtone went off.
'Who's calling at this time?'
With a slow movement like a sloth, he slowly took his phone out of his back pants' pocket. An unknown number. The screen gave 2 options, answer or decline. With hesitant, he slid the green button and answered the call.

"G-G-Good Evening!" The voice from the phone whispered. It was a small voice, but he immediately knew that it's a woman from the voice.

"Good evening. Who is this?' Chris replied with a flat tone, seemingly tired from all the ordeals he had to face from the morning.

"I-I-It's Kurami. I-I'm here to talk to you about the job offering. I-Is it okay...with you?"
Kurami's voice sound hesitant, yet a little bit daring.

"Sure. But it's getting late. It's Saturday tomorrow, right? Are you off?" Chris took a glance at his wristwatch, before he start writing down on his memopad with a pen from his pocket.

"Y-Yes...I'm off from work tomorrow."

"Good. Then I'll meet you tomorrow at Kyoto Station, at 10 AM. We'll talk about you working for me."

"O-oh...okay then. Good evening!"

Without being able to answer back, she hung up on Chris. Not really caring, he slids his phone back to his pocket and took a sip on his coffee.

How long has it been since he managed to find a talent like this? Kurami is a perfect chance for Off-The-Wall Records to shine once again. Although she still has some speaking troubles, that can be fixed with some training and a daily conversation.

But, what is this feeling? His heart is pounding as fast as a cheetah pouncing on an unknowingly prey. Is it because of the coffee?
Anyway, he must go finish his work. 'Satoshi just had to had his brother fall from the stairs, huh? Well, it's God's plan, I guess.'

On the other side of Kyoto, a girl wearing a red hoodie and a pair of short pants is busy trying to decide what to wear while checking each and every one of her wardrobe's contents.

'Why should it be so hard to pick clothes just to talk about a job offering?'
Kurami sighs. She took a dress from the pile of thrown out clothes, and spreads it across her petite body.

'Will this dress do? But won't it look like I'm trying too hard?'
She threw herself on her single bed. Clenching her dress to her mouth, she let out a deep breath and stared at the standing mic across her room that she has used oh-so-many times to record her voice.

'Come to think of it...that mic has been with me for a long time, hasn't it?'
She immediately remembered about her 15th birthday.

'It was fun back then.'
Shutting her eyes, she remembered about all the amazing experience she had when she was young and free. She remembered the time she was just a shy, new girl at school. It was hard for her to find new friends, yet she did. Birds chirped here and there to commemorate their new friendship...
Wait.
Birds?

Birds chirped in the background as the sun shone through her 1R apartment. Clothes scattered across the room, and with a bedhead, a certain black haired woman realized that she had dozed off while picking clothes.

The clock showed 9.27 AM, and she knew, that she would be late.

Will not be continued until at least mid December. Enjoy this chapter as you can.
-LY