It was already Friday morning, almost the end of the week. As a result, many employees seemed excited to pass through the automated gates in the lobby of Marline Insurance.
The prospect of a well-deserved weekend must have motivated many to finish their work before the evening.
For Utagawa Takao, however, it was the beginning of his troubles. It was his first day working for his uncle, and he was already regretting his decision.
The discussion that had taken place a few days earlier in that restaurant had not stopped worrying him; for he knew the old man's stubbornness.
However, if anything else was certain, it was that he would not give in. He already knew where he wanted to go, and Marline was only a small stop on the side of his ambitions.
Having first had to report to security on the first floor to be given an access badge, he had asked which direction he should take; as he was still too unfamiliar with the structure of the building. He was told the direction of the elevators, as well as the floor he had to go to.
He was heading towards the elevators, when he saw a young woman with long black hair making strange movements in front of them.
She seemed to take a deep breath, and then, with her fists clenched and raised halfway up, she would suddenly bring her arms down. She repeated this gesture several times, without knowing that someone was watching her.
Coming a little closer, his footsteps on the more than clean floor finally alerted the young woman as to a potential newcomer; and, turning to see who was coming in her direction, stopped this strange ritual.
"Good morning!" She exclaimed, smiling slightly.
Oops. She seemed very energetic, that one.
Takao returned her greeting with a slight bow of the head, before moving forward a little more and standing beside the young woman to wait for the next elevator that was going down for several minutes.
"Hey, already there, Shinohara-san?" A voice behind them then exclaimed.
Takao frowned, before turning his head slightly to see the newcomer.
It was a tall man, dressed in a dark gray suit without a tie and with a slightly unbuttoned collar; his stride was confident and quick.
The young woman at his side nodded slightly in silence, while showing an embarrassed smile; which attracted Takao's gaze. What a strange change of attitude, between him - a complete stranger - and this man - calling her by her name - who seemed to know her.
"Say, you could have answered my e-mail, by the way..." Said the man.
Maybe he was a disgruntled superior. There was not more classic, as situation.
The young woman just smiled again, with this slightly embarrassed air. Was she perhaps uncomfortable?
"But hey, there's the team dinner tonight! Do you want us to sit at the same table to discuss together?" He proposed by smiling with all his teeth.
Ah.
There was a mistake on the person.
That was the smile of a guy looking for a date. And of the suspicious kind.
"We're not in the same Department, Kubo-san," she replied, blinking slowly.
"Exactly!" Retorted the man called Kubo. "Since we can't see each other because of your sucky boss, we might as well take the opportunity to get to know each other!"
Wait, was there something between them or not?
This was getting a little awkward, and Takao tried to get the elevator to go down faster by glancing at the screen displaying the floors it was currently on.
"I would ask you not to speak ill of my superior, Kubo-san," the young woman replied coldly, while insisting on the name of her interlocutor.
Her sharp tone surprised Takao, who, risking a glance to his left, saw that the woman named Shinohara now had a stern look and frowned.
There was not an ounce of hesitation, neither in her words, nor in her attitude; so, Takao finally understood who he was dealing with.
This woman was a cheerful person, but absolutely merciless on some points.
"Hey, I'm just telling the truth!" Kubo defended himself. "Everyone knows that guy is a real pain in the ass!"
His remark didn't help the situation, the young woman glared at him; and at the same time, the discreet bell signifying the arrival of the elevator on their floor rang.
Takao looked in front of him to see the doors opening on a completely empty elevator, but he didn't dare to move.
What was happening right next to him was far too interesting to cut short his observation.
Still coldly, the young woman nodded slightly, before turning to enter the elevator.
It seemed that she had enough of the attitude of this oaf.
Takao then took the opportunity to follow her, and stopped short just after passing the doors, blocking the access to the cabin with his back.
"Uh, excuse me..." He heard Kubo say behind him. "Can you move over a little?"
But Takao didn't move, letting his broad back obstruct the passage.
Some people needed to be given clues as to their behavior and influence on others.
"Say, I'd like to go upstairs..." Kubo complained, his tone of voice beginning to sound less cordial.
Takao still didn't move, looking at the young woman in front of him.
She was now watching the scene with obvious amusement, though she held back from laughing so as not to offend the man left trapped outside.
"Can you move?" Kubo complained again, losing his patience.
This time, Takao reacted.
This guy was too stubborn to pick up any clue.
So be it.
Turning his head to look at the impatient guy behind him, Takao gave him a dirty look.
The kind of look that screamed "Get out of here, you bum!" without having to say it in words.
Obviously, the man called Kubo finally understood the message, because he lowered his eyes and took a step back.
"I.. I guess I'll take the next one..." He apologized painfully.
The elevator doors closed behind Takao's back, and the cabin could finally begin its ascent to the floors.
Sighing, his shoulders relaxed, releasing a tension he had completely ignored until now. He stared at the light gray plastic floor for a moment, before looking up and seeing the young woman smiling warmly at him.
"Thank you for your help," she said gratefully.
He shook his head.
"It's nothing..." He said.
"It means a lot to me," the young woman insisted.
On these words, she extended an arm towards him, sign that she wanted to shake his hand.
Hesitating a little, he finally took the hand of the young woman in his, and, while they exchanged a handshake, she introduced herself.
"I'm Shinohara Hana," she said with a radiant smile.
"Utagawa Takao," he replied soberly.
Oh dear.
Prompted by the young woman's friendly attitude, he had just given her his name without thinking.
She would surely make the connection with the big boss of the company...
"Pleased to meet you!" She said cheerfully. "Are you an old or a new employee?"
The question surprised Takao.
Could it be that she didn't know who he was? Or did she assume that the same last name did not necessarily mean that two people were related?
"You see, I've only just been hired, so I'm still having a little trouble getting to know everyone..." She apologized awkwardly, holding her arm.
"It's my first day," he replied, shaking his head.
"Ah, I see, you're new, like me?" She smiled. "I hope we get along well!"
Faced with the young woman's disarming attitude, Takao couldn't help but smile.
Maybe after all, things weren't so bad.