Lily had begun to wonder if the production company only had one driver on the payroll, because the man who came to pick them up that morning from the hotel was the same one to have collected them from the airport. He still looked just as handsome, if a little younger than her, and was smartly dressed in his uniform.
At only twenty-seven, Lily didn't think of herself as particularly old, but the driver couldn't have been far out of university. As she approached the waiting vehicle, Lily wondered if driving was his part time job, or something he'd stepped into as soon as he'd finished his education. He was certainly eager to fulfil his duties properly and opened the door for the ladies to enter the car, smiling politely and offering to take their bags for them.
They declined this courtesy.
British people weren't big on making a fuss; and having someone fawn all over them was doing just that.
Lily was much too tired to take in the journey. From the street level, she observed people starting their days, walking to bus stops or riding their bicycles diligently to their office buildings. The convenience stores had been open all night, and their proprietors signed for deliveries and swept their steps to make ready for the next influx of customers. It was a proud city, Lily thought. Everything was clean, the trees were beautifully trimmed and cared for, and the drivers were polite. It was obvious the people of Tokyo put a great deal of time and effort into keeping their home city safe and well maintained.
If they were to set foot in London, they'd have a fit. There was no end to the litter, the noise, or the grime which clung to every surface. Sure, there were regeneration projects and the tourist areas were kept in a generally nice state, but it didn't have a patch on Tokyo. London was a city people were desperate to escape from, and Tokyo was the sort of place people wanted to escape to.
'It's a pretty modern building,' Grace said conversationally. 'I looked it up last night. Audio dubbing booths and conference rooms...'
'But not a filming studio?' Lily asked. 'No sound stage or anything?'
'It'll all be location filming. I understand that they've already cleared the schedules and locations with the city and have all the permits. They want to keep to a strict deadline to meet the release date.'
'Are all the scripts finished?'
Grace nodded. 'They're sticking closely to the original text, so they managed to write them pretty quickly. There are a few changes, though.'
'Like what?'
'They asked me to put in a role for a white English speaking character. Something minor. He's going to work in the police station. They also wanted to add a few female characters in the background to add more depth.'
'Well, you did only focus on the core characters. I guess they're trying to drag it out for the ratings,' Lily reasoned. She could be mature and business-minded sometimes, albeit rarely. 'I mean, if they were going to be entirely faithful they'd only have enough for a two-hour film.'
'It's interesting to know that they want to go into all the side stories. I just hope it doesn't detract from the main storyline,' Grace fretted. 'I looked over some of the changes and approved them, but I won't know if I really like it until I see it all finished.'
'By then, it'll be too late to complain.'
'If it's bad, then I won't let them adapt anything else.'
Lily smirked, 'If it's really bad, they won't want to adapt anything else.'
'Ma'am,' the driver announced from the front seat in uneasy English. 'We are arrived.'
The building was indeed modern. An art installation hung from the foyer ceiling; white shards of assorted sizes turned idly on their wires, catching the light, making them look like a flock of birds in flight. Their heels clicked on the tiled floor, and they were signed in by a pretty receptionist who spoke fluent English to make them feel comfortable and welcome. Lily suspected that they weren't the first non-Japanese clients that they'd liased with, and made a mental note to look up some of their other adaptations when she returned to London.
Their initial tour through the company was brief, and Lily had to walk quickly to keep pace with them all. She wondered if perhaps they were killing time until the rest of the staff were ready to talk business, or if they were being paraded so that the men and women working at their desks could get a good look at the foreign writer who was causing such a stir with this new drama adaptation. Whatever the reason for the parade, Lily was soon overwhelmed, and completely confused by the building's layout. There was no way she was going to be able to find her own way around or even to the exit at the end of the day, and she hoped they'd have a guide on hand when the time came.
Lily didn't have to shake anyone's hand, but she bowed when her aunt did, knowing that it was the correct etiquette for Japan, even if she often got the angle of it wrong. A man introduced as Director Osamo Saito spoke in an animated language to her aunt, and Lily was immediately lost. She smiled when Grace did, nodded in agreement when the director looked at her for some manner of approval, and did her utmost not to panic at how utterly out of her depth she was. In her usual role as the figurehead of her company, it was important to meet with foreign nationals to discuss business arrangements. However, Lily made a point of hiring the best translators in London and had never thought to try to become fluent in every language in the world. Upon seeing how her aunt built an easy rapport with the Japanese staff, Lily began to think that she ought to undertake a few courses when she returned to her home city. It was a level of familiarity that she'd been unable to forge in her connections over the past few years.
Another new face to the group was Akane Suzuki. Lily was stunned by her beauty. Her skin was flawless, and her hair was so sleek it flowed over her shoulders like water. Although Lily had hardly thought herself lacking in her appearance, she saw now what it meant to be truly naturally beautiful, and was in utter awe of the woman. Her mouth was agape when she introduced herself, and Lily fell into a clumsy bow far deeper than the one she'd bestowed upon the director. Akane giggled in a demure fashion, and Lily was sure that were she so inclined, her heart might have been captured by the actress.
'Miss. Suzuki will be playing Machiko,' Grace explained. 'I was so excited when she signed on.'
'What about the other actors?' Lily asked. If they were all as stunning as Akane then Lily would be frequently bowing and breathless. She may need to call into the hospital for an oxygen mask to help her to cope.
Grace posed the question to the staff before translating for her niece, 'They're going to be present at the press conference. We're heading over now.'
'Now?'
'Don't worry, I promised you wouldn't be on camera. There's no need. Just wait to the side until we're done, and then we can see what's next.'
Grace was pampered by the hair and makeup team, while Lily was left untouched. She wasn't about to be paraded in front of the cameras, after all. Lily was relieved to stand on the side-lines for a change. After everything that had happened in the last few months, all she wanted was some peace and quiet, and possibly a hefty dose of wine to numb the pain. She didn't envy her aunt at all. Despite this, she had to admit that the staff were doing a fantastic job. They made Grace appear years younger, and when she was finished, one might have been forgiven for thinking she was about to join the beautiful cast in the show.
They were ushered back out of the room when they were done and sent to a small side room near the conference hall where the reporters had been shown to their assigned seats, allowed to set up their cameras, and briefed on the time limitations and any out of bounds topics for their questions. The rest of the cast were being taken through hair and makeup and would join them as and when they were prepared.
'Please, stop twisting your hands,' Grace begged, placing her fingers over Lily's. 'You're making me nervous.'
'You?' Lily asked. 'The unshakeable Grace Sugiyama?'
'We all have our moments of weakness, darling.'
Lily placed a hand on her aunt's shoulder. 'You'll be fine. No one knows this book better than you, and no one has more faith in this project, either.'
'You're right,' Grace squared her shoulders and took on an appearance of resolution and determination. 'This is my story, and I'm going to make sure everyone watching knows that it'll be the best thing to hit their screens in years.'
'Best thing?' Lily smiled. 'Perhaps try a little modesty.'
'For this book? Never.'
An assistant with a tablet in hand directed Grace to stand at the left side of the stage, concealed behind the backdrop so she could make a grand entrance. Lily was removed to the right and waited with the rest of the gathered staff, all eager to see that the proceedings went off without a hitch. The conference began, and Director Saito read a pre-prepared speech under the glare of flashbulbs and glinting camera lenses. A professional through and through, he wasn't at all fazed by the blinding lights, when even Lily squinted from off to the side, her eyes still unaccustomed to such invasive pops and flashes. He was soon joined by the producer, an older woman by the name of Kanako Nishimura. Her hair was orderly, tied back in a tight bun, and her dark skirt-suit was pressed and lint free. Everyone was so finely turned out that Lily had begun to feel self-conscious. While she didn't look like she'd only just rolled out of bed, she was still vastly underdressed compared to the rest of the staff. It was nothing short of a miracle that anyone had acknowledged her as Grace's assistant. She was barely passable as her niece, at present.
Naturally, the actors and actresses were perfectly cast. The two leads were saved until last, but the secondary characters were introduced to much applause and anticipation. Lily only followed a few Japanese shows and knew hardly anyone by name, but they all held themselves with some distinction. Lily gathered from a few oohs and gasps that they were household names, and their attachment to the project was something they ought to be flattered by.
Everything was running wonderfully until the lead actors came to the stage. Akane was first, poised and elegant, a picture of grace. She swept onto the stage, bowed to the journalists, and posed for a few photographs before the director helped her to her seat behind the conference table.
Then he appeared.
The actor was announced as Takashi Abe, and he was to play hero Ryuji in the epic television drama.
'You?!' Lily cried before she could hold herself back. She slapped both hands over her mouth, one on top of the other, as if she might be able to stuff the interruption back down inside where no one could hear it. But it was much too late, and the damage was done.
The handsome actor who'd helped to stop the mugger in the park turned from his spot on the stage to face her, and dozens of cameras followed suit, all of them trained on the ludicrous woman who'd interrupted the conference.
Without skipping a beat, and in perfect English, Takashi grinned and said, 'Hello, again.'
The journalists were whipped into a frenzy, all shouting their questions in Japanese at both Takashi and Lily. The director was on his feet, doing all he could to calm the chaos, and Grace had flushed a furious shade of red.
Through it all, Takashi kept his eyes on Lily, dashing, smiling, and making her wish the ground would open and swallow her whole.