Second to None

24. after hours

The saying went that if somebody bought a white car, suddenly that person would notice white cars everywhere. 

Mayu's offhand conversation with Hirose ended up having the same effect: suddenly, she started noticing Ryoma everywhere. She'd see him whiz into the garage on a sleek Kawasaki motorbike on her morning run; she'd see him carry his helmet with one hand and brush his hair with the other; she'd see him enter with other executives after her morning meeting in the boardroom; she'd see him in the lineup to buy lunch in the cafeteria. Each time he'd give her "the nod" and Mayu would reciprocate, hoping Hirose wasn't around to have another meltdown.

Close to the exchange tournament date, Mayu often worked late. She was pouring over the final event plan on a Thursday evening when the motion-sensing lights in the office area blinked on. Stopping mid-sentence, she craned her neck and saw Ryoma walking around the empty cubicles. Noticing her, he started towards her office.

"If you're looking for Sakuno, she already left," said Mayu before returning to proofreading.

"So have the other staff. Yet you're still here."

"These files will be submitted for approval first thing tomorrow and I'm doing the last check. Other staff have done enough hard work."

"What a generous manager you are."

"I try."

"Speaking of doing the last check, I'd better do it for one of my files, too." Settling down in the seat across from her, he said, "Mind if I borrow your desk for a bit?"

Although taken back by his request, Mayu couldn't afford to waste more time on small talk. "Go ahead."

For the next half hour, they each focused on their screens and let the sound of keyboard tapping fill the silence. When Mayu finally made sure all "t"s were crossed and "i"s were dotted, she stretched her arms then shut down her computer. 

Noticing Ryoma was still typing away on his laptop, she said, "I hope you're wrapping up because I'm going home."

He nodded and quickly finished the email he was writing. Together, they took the elevator down to the lobby. A gentle downpour had started and carried away suffocating heat from the day. Under sodium lamps, drenched asphalt roads took on a translucent glow that blurred outlines and made the night appear a few shades darker.

"Will you need to wait for Tezuka?" asked Ryoma at the exit.

"I see you've dropped your honorifics," she remarked.

"We aren't in school anymore. You don't expect me to call you 'senpai', do you?"

"God no." Checking the time, she said, "Tezuka has a stakeholder dinner and left long ago."

"Good. That means you can share a taxi with me."

She shot him a look of surprise. "You're leaving that expensive motorbike here overnight? What if it gets stolen?"

The corners of his lips were upturned. "You've been watching me?"

"It's kind of hard to miss."

"Then you know that nobody other than me can handle its gears. I don't want the rain to ruin it."

Mayu shook her head. "That smug attitude of yours hasn't changed a bit."

"It didn't stop me from getting to where I am," he replied. Keeping his eyes on her face, he said, "Something about you seems different from what I remember, though."