News of Ariel's sudden appearance shocked the world. This was what Fujita exactly wanted, a shock publicity that would boost their great interest in their products and propel sales.
At first, she thought that being Leon's chef's was the hardest job she had done. But now, being Fujita Sauces' spokeswoman and head chef gave her more sleepless nights. Not only was she flooded with invites to TV and magazine interviews, she also had to juggle her day job in working with their chefs to expand Fujita's line of sauces and manage Fujita's new restaurant which utilised their entire range of sauces, after 3 months of concocting new recipes while she was kept behind closed doors.
On the opening day of the two-storey restaurant named Hinata (ie. "In the Sun" in Japanese) and located along the famed street of Dotonburi of Osaka where she first visited with Leon, the queue was massive with fans, curious passers-by and the paparazzi from all over the world who wanted a taste of some of Leon's dishes from his former chef. Despite the capacity to house many people, it was obviously not big enough during the press night, that they had to turn down many people who had painfully queued for hours. This sort of busyness was something Ariel never experienced, not even at her former workplace, the Oriental Treasure. She was on full steam without rest and without sitting, managing the busy kitchen and overseeing every dish that went out.
As a celebrity spokeswoman for Fujita, meet-and-greet with the diners was a must and she reluctantly gave in to their photo-taking and autograph requests, her cheeks sore from her never-ending smile. Questions about her time with Leon were constantly being thrown at her but her playful roll of the eyes and shy smile was her only answer. Inside, she was deathly annoyed. Her bodyguards were a great help in fending off crazy fans and the paparazzi, but they also isolated her from getting in touch with the 'common' people. Now she realised first-hand how Leon truly felt on a daily basis - it was pretty depressing but crazy at the same time.
Ariel refused Fujita's offer to get her a personal assistant, choosing rather to do things herself. She did however get a house help who came to do their housework every week, and she even hired a massager who came every three days to give her private body massages for her exhausted body.
Ariel continued her humble life behind closed doors, choosing to save a large portion of her earnings for Andy's future, a new house to own back home and for a rainy weather, rather than on opulence.
When she saw herself on the Oishii cooking channel for the second time, the once nervous and shy chef who presented with Leon Waltz was now a proud and confident career woman who spoke with eloquence and grace on her own, and answered the presenter, Shinju's questions with much more intelligent answers at ease.
Despite her super tight schedules and dizzying rise in stardom, she remained immensely lonely. In fact, it was her idea, not Hiroshi's, to take one step further to cut off ties with her friends and everyone else back home. The guilt within her was unbearable but being free from their opinions and pressure match her and Leon together was a relief for now. She knew she was going to miss Beth's wedding if she continued this way, but she was not emotionally ready to get back in touch with her friends yet.
The only person who had been with her every step the way and who never judged her since she and Andy arrived was Hiroshi. He was not only her weekly self-defence teacher, but also a friend whom she found herself getting more and more attached to.
A notification beep alerted her and she saw a message by Hiroshi on Line, a communication app used more commonly in Japan than WhatsApp.
Hiroshi: Well done on your first big night! It's a roaring success!
Ariel: ありがとうございます、さんせい! (ie. Thank you very much, teacher!)
Hiroshi: いいえ！日本語をよく勉強する! (ie. No problem! I see you're studying your Japanese well!)
Ariel: はい！(ie. Yes!) Though I still rely on my Google Translate cos I haven't mastered Romanji! I'm still at Hiragana, rmbr?
Hiroshi: そう！ Silly me! (ie. Argh silly me!))
Ariel: lol
Hiroshi: :)
Ariel grinned at his messages. Hiroshi chatted with her often on Line, making sure she and Andy were doing fine. Occasionally, she and Andy would go out with him as he drove them to nearby villages, towns and nature to sight-see. Anytime they were out with him, he always paid for their meals and trips, never allowing her to fork out anything from her pocket. No, not even allowing her to pay for Andy's souvenirs. He treated her and Andy with such generosity and kindness.
Unlike Leon's see-saw mood swings and outbursts, Hiroshi was rather gentle, reserved, consistent and self-disciplined. He was never once seen by the public carelessly dating or bedding random women, maintaining instead a clean and respectable outlook like his father. Since the first time Ariel saw him, he kept his clean-shaven looks, although his hair had now grown longer, almost reaching his shoulders. It made him look more dashing like those handsome Japanese models on the billboards.
(Below - photo of Hideaki Takizawa - what I envisioned Hiroshi's hairstyle to look like)
Despite his wealthy upbringing and the golden privilege to live and study in top schools in America and Canada during his teen and university years, Hiroshi was not flashy but preferred a minimalist appearance. He was also independent, adventurous and resourceful, preferring to figure out things on his own through DIY, tinkering and once travelled all over the globe with nothing but a backpack and money he saved for many months while working part-time as a waiter during his university days, without relying on his dad for travel allowance. No one would have figured he was from a rich family!
He was unlike his much younger sister Hiromi Fujita, who just graduated from the London College of Fashion, and was now travelling on the family's luxurious yacht with a few other rich kids for a few months to explore the world, fully paid for by the credit card given by their father. She was a big spender and loved to show off on Instagram frequently. Hiroshi would sometimes bemoan to Ariel about his 'spoilt' sister, to which Ariel would giggle about because she found their relationship cute, even though she had not met his sister in person yet.
Despite his sibling's opposite traits, Hiroshi was clearly protective over Hiromi, although his constant nagging at her antics and partying lifestyle would trigger Hiromi's rolling eyes. This was understandable since they lost their mother at an early age.
Hiroshi could open up a lot to Ariel who understood what it was like to lose a parent. His father, Ken Fujita never remarried nor dated, preferring instead to keep his late wife's memories alive by helping out charities which was something she was very dedicated to, and naming their restaurant after the first time he met her - on a fine, summer afternoon under the sun on a bench in a park when the then fledgling business man offered a shade under his umbrella to the beautiful lady who was fanning herself from the heat. Since then, their love blossomed and his father never stopped loving her even after she died of cancer.
Hiroshi: Btw, looking forward to Tokyo in 2 weeks to meet the press?
Ariel grimaced.
Ariel: Must it really be done?
Hiroshi: A necessary evil, yes. U'll need to clear the misinfo about u and Leon else it can jeopardise your reputation and our image. Why do u think Leon's dropped by us & by many other brands?
Ariel bit her lip. Thanks to Andy's big mouth, she got word of his recent meltdown and outrageous public behaviour despite refusing to read any news about him.
Ariel: I guess i've no choice...
Hiroshi: Good spirit! U'll be fine. Keep up the good work!
Ariel: :)
Her heart raced nervously as she thought about the upcoming press conference.