Work Text:
"Sendai-san, are you into girls?"
"Huh?"
I stared at the woman sitting across from me. She was a little flushed in the face; her black, shoulder length hair wasn't as kempt as it usually was, and her clothes seemed a bit disheveled.
I wasn't sure if other people had heard her question, but that woman, Miyagi Shiori, didn't seem like she cared at all. She quietly munched on her karaage, as if our conversation never existed.
Honestly, I didn't know if you could even call that a conversation. She asked me a weird question out of nowhere, then proceeded to pretend it didn't happen.
…At least I'd like to think so, since she didn't seem to be interested in carrying on.
After a while, Miyagi whispered, "...Would you like another glass?"
Her voice was pretty drowned out by the chatter of our co-workers, but I did hear what she said clearly. I just wasn't sure if she was talking to me specifically. She wasn't even looking at me.
Well, whatever.
"Sure. Please."
I smiled and pushed my empty glass towards her.
She raised her head, and we locked eyes for a second.
Her brows furrowed, then she looked away.
"Okay," she said.
Her movements were somewhat awkward, but she didn't spill anything while pouring the beer into my glass. I made a remark to not drink any more after this.
I wasn't exactly a lightweight, but I also wasn't a good drinker either. Two glasses were probably my limit, and I wasn't really interested in testing how much that limit could stretch.
"Thanks."
"Mm."
#
Miyagi Shiori was a woman who mostly kept to herself.
We had been working in the same company for a few years, but we didn't interact much outside of formalities. She also rarely joined our after-hour drinking sessions. It was more of a mixer slash bragging session instead of a team-bonding one, but our supervisor always claimed it's the latter and pressured us into joining.
Not that I really mind, though I would much rather not participate. I couldn't count the amount of times my co-workers had tried to hit on me. I wasn't oblivious to their advances. It was written all over their faces.
Well, I guess it wasn't that bad since they kind of circled their targets around, and other women were quite interested in getting married, so they responded quite… passionately. It saved me a lot of trouble.
I never understood the whole point of getting married and giving your life to another person. I supposed for most people, it just came naturally, as this was how society had always been. It wasn't like I was that reluctant to get into a romantic relationship, but I never really felt anything towards anybody.
At least, that was what I thought before Miyagi Shiori asked me that weird question last night.
I'd always assumed my romantic partner would be men, and since I just couldn't feel anything towards them throughout my high school life, I just thought romance wasn't really my thing. But maybe, just maybe, what if she was right? What if I liked girls, and that was the reason I didn't feel an ounce of envy towards Umina whenever she got a new boyfriend?
It was weird that she would ask me a question like that out of nowhere, but it did seem to have shaken my view a lot.
Or maybe Miyagi was just projecting.
Maybe she liked girls.
I let out a sigh.
This was getting nowhere.
#
"Good work, Sendai-san," Shiina-san said as she packed her belongings.
"Good work," I answered, not moving an inch from my seat.
The clock read 11pm, and after Shiina-san had left, I was the only person still working this late into the night. It'd probably be midnight when I finished my tasks.
Working overtime wasn't exactly an unusual phenomenon in this company, and though I loathed it, I had no choice but to comply. If I'd been as smart and capable as my sister, would things have been different? Would I had been able to work a more flexible and higher paying job?
After graduating from university, I had cut contact with my entire family, including my sister. The day I moved to the city alone was probably the happiest I'd ever been ever since my parents started treating me like I was transparent.
We used to be so close. But I'd disappointed them by not being smart enough. I couldn't catch up to my sister.
"And as a result, I have to work unpaid overtime…" I whispered.
…
Better hurry up, or I'll miss the last train.
#
I finished my work way earlier than expected. Half an hour earlier, to be precise.
Maybe I was more capable than I gave myself credit for.
Or not. I just got lucky.
Anyhow, after tidying everything up, I clocked out, hoping that this time they would actually compensate me for overtime work.
I sighed.
It was something entirely out of my control. I had to clean up somebody else's mess. And just being thanked verbally wasn't worth it.
But it wasn't like I could just go up to my superior and demand pay. Respect, hierarchy, and all that.
Well, I suppose dwelling on it wouldn't change anything.
On my way to the train station, my stomach let out an involuntary growl. Skipping dinner to finish work might not have been the best choice, but it wasn't something I could undo.
I bought a meat bun from the convenience store just around the corner, then sat on a swing at a nearby children's park. It was quiet, but occasionally you could hear low grunts of some exhausted salarymen as they walked past the park entrance.
After blowing at the steaming hot bun a few times, I took a small bite. The pork was incredibly juicy.
It kind of reminded me of my high school days.
Umina would often talk about how ungraceful it was to eat meat buns in public. About how the juices would ruin her makeup and make her look unattractive to boys.
Boys, boys, boys.
That was all Umina ever talked about.
Honestly, I'd only befriended her to blend in with everyone else. We weren't really "friends" - at least to me. I wanted a peaceful school life, and the safest way to do that was to join the popular kids' clique.
Almost everything was superficial back then - not that it was any different now that I'm a working adult. Friendships were shallow. My smiles were fake. I had no meaningful connections. I'd forgotten how it felt to hear a "welcome home".
Sometimes I would imagine how life would be if it didn't turn out the way it was.
If I had an actual friend.
I'd probably be roommates with them, and we'd probably spend the weekends shopping and eating out and gossiping about our co-workers.
As I took the last bite of my meat bun, a familiar figure walked past me a little off in the distance. She didn't seem to notice me.
"Miyagi," I called out to her, making sure I wasn't loud enough to disturb other people. Not that anyone else was around.
Still.
Miyagi paused, then turned to face me. I stood up from the swing and walked towards her.
"..."
"Miyagi."
"What?" She seemed a little annoyed.
Was she working overtime as well? I didn't notice her inside the building at all. The R&D department usually go home on time, so it was pretty surprising to see her out this late.
I wanted to start with the formalities, like "Working late?" or "Going to a bar?", but after staring at her for a while, I'd decided to drop it.
Because seeing her being so nonchalant reminded me of what she asked me the other day. She wasn't bothered by that at all, unlike me. And it pissed me off. Just a little though. I'd decided to hit her with her own words:
"...Do you like girls?"
"..." Miyagi made a grumpy face (even more grumpier than her already grumpy face, dare I say), then ignored me and walked away.
"Hey." I grabbed her arm.
"Sendai-san, let go." Her tone was firm, but she wasn't trying to pull herself away from me.
"What's your problem, Miyagi?"
"I should be the one asking that question."
"You asked me something weird, then you brushed me off after. What's with that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
What a liar.
I knew Miyagi could handle her alcohol much better than I did after all the "team-bonding exercises" that often included other departments.
She did seem like she'd taken quite a few drinks back then, with the flushed face and whatnot, but there was no way that was enough to make her forget.
"It's fine then. Just take that question at face value. Do you like girls?"
"Isn't it kind of rude to ask people something like that out of nowhere?"
"It sure is, Miyagi."
She let out a huge sigh.
"Let go of me."
"No, you'll definitely run away."
"I won't."
"Fine then," I said, "Even if you do, I'll catch you in the office on Monday."
With that, I let go of her arm.
"Sendai-san, I don't know what you're getting at, but I'm not into girls."
"Huh." I raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Then why would you ask me something like that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Still doing that?"
"Sendai-san, you're annoying."
She paused before continuing, "But you look much prettier this way."
What was this woman spouting?
"I'm flattered, but I don't really get it."
Miyagi's expression remained unreadable. She always looked grumpy, though she did smile sometimes when she talked to her co-workers. When she was alone, she always had a frown, like she absolutely hated to be there.
…I seemed to be looking at her a lot. I felt like a stalker.
But that was because I was so hung up by her weird question.
"I hated seeing it," Miyagi whispered while looking down. "That fake smile."
"...I see," I responded.
I did let my mask slip talking to Miyagi.
For some reason, seeing her smiling at other people and scoffing while talking to me somehow made me feel safe enough to do that. I might be a weirdo too, just like her.
"You know, it's social etiquette to smile when you talk to people," I said. "It might look fake, but I think I'm not the only one who does that."
"I know."
"..."
"..."
"Well, I supposed I'll go catch my train," I said, giving her a smile. "See you, Miyagi."
Before I could move, Miyagi grabbed my collar and yanked me towards her.
"Hey!" I raised my voice and glared at her. "What are you doing?"
"This," Miyagi smirked. "This look suits you more."
"What on earth is wrong with you?!"
She didn't respond. In fact, she just let go of me as if nothing happened.
"See you, Sendai-san," Miyagi said, completely unfazed by what she just did.
"You know that was assault, right?" I tidied up my collar, still furrowing my brows. I had absolutely no idea what this woman was thinking.
"You do look prettier when you're speaking from the heart," Miyagi commented. Then, she left without saying anything further.
"Ugh," I groaned.
Miyagi Shiori is a weirdo.
#
I spent the entire weekend hung up about what happened during Friday night.
Everything Miyagi did was so out of the blue. If she wasn't my co-worker, I would've filed a police report. Not that I think they would do anything about it.
Even though we studied in the same high school, I had never once talked to her. I didn't know if Miyagi was always this weird.
Frankly, I was quite surprised to learn that we became co-workers, but I wasn't going to make the first move and befriend her. I'd decided, on the day I moved to Tokyo, to put my past behind. Miyagi was hardly a part of it, but having someone from the same school would inevitably bring up some… unpleasant memories.
Still, it wasn't like I could avoid her completely. Operation worked with R&D a lot after all.
"Are you okay, Sendai-san?"
"Ah. I'm fine, Shiina-san." I smiled at the short haired woman.
"I see. Well, I'm heading to the smoking room."
"Alright. Thanks for the concern, Shiina-san. I appreciate it."
Shiina-san just shot me a confident smile and a wink. Then, she left her seat.
I let out a small sigh. Maybe I should take a small break as well.
I made my way to the pantry thinking I should make coffee, but I came to a halt at the entrance upon seeing a familiar figure leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for her coffee to brew.
"Miyagi."
"...Sendai-san."
"... How's work?"
"You can skip the small talk."
Wow, rude.
"Want some coffee, Sendai-san?"
"Okay."
It seemed that Miyagi had brewed a big pot of coffee.
"Sugar?"
"Black."
She stared at me as if I just said something weird.
"Black is nasty."
"Wow, rude."
"Just telling the truth."
"Then why did you ask me if I wanted sugar? You could've just put it in."
"I had to make sure," Miyagi spoke nonchalantly as she poured me a cup before adding sugar into the pot, "that you weren't a weirdo."
The nerve of this woman.
"...I see."
I thanked her when she handed me the cup of black coffee.
I took a slurp, and it tasted a lot thinner than how I usually brewed mine.
"Stop judging, Sendai-san."
"I wasn't."
"Liar. You definitely were."
"I wasn't. It's just coffee."
Miyagi scowled.
"Sendai-san, you're always so quick to lie."
"I wasn't lying, Miyagi."
"...Sendai-san, I'm working overtime today," Miyagi said as she poured coffee into two separate cups.
"...Okay…?"
"You can have the rest." She ignored my question and left soon after.
What is wrong with her?
#
Today was one of those days we got to go home on time. Our manager clocked out, and after greeting us, left the building. Everyone soon followed, but I remained glued to my seat.
And that was because I was thinking of what Miyagi told me. That she was working overtime today.
What did she mean by that? Why did she specifically tell me about her work schedule?
It was almost as if she wanted me to wait for her or something.
But that couldn't be.
We were nothing more than co-workers.
However, I wouldn't put it past that woman to have unreasonable demands.
It felt like she was toying with me.
Part of me felt annoyed, but there was also a part of me that felt intrigued.
Maybe day after day of the same routine had gotten me numb, and Miyagi Shiori was just what I needed to give it a little… spice.
Not that I would prefer a life full of excitement and new beginnings; I'd rather keep my daily life as mundane as I possibly could. Just coasting along with the flow, keeping my head down and living life like a person.
Though, a little bit of… abnormality wouldn't hurt anybody.
…But really, I couldn't make sense of Miyagi. Especially her motive. What was she trying to pull?
Was she actually into girls, and this was her way of asking me out?
It honestly wouldn't feel out of character for her, judging by how she acted around me.
So the question was… do I wait for her?
If I did, and that wasn't her intention, I would be making a fool of myself.
Though I got the feeling that even if that was her intention, she would never outright admit it. She would just scowl at me, and if I pressed her for answers, she would probably hiss at me like a feral cat.
"So troublesome…" I whispered.
It wasn't like I had anything to do after work. I could spend… maybe an hour waiting. And if she didn't show up, I could just leave.
The R&D department was a floor above us, but she wouldn't bump into me if I stayed at my seat given that it was one of the furthest away from the door. In that case, it would be better for me to wait for her at the building entrance or something.
But that would seem like I was waiting for her on purpose.
I mean I am, but still.
If she'd decided to make fun of me, I wouldn't have any excuses to deny the fact that I was waiting for her.
Thinking about Miyagi's smug face kind of pissed me off.
I guess I'll just stay here and leave in an hour. If I don't bump into Miyagi, then I don't. If I do… I guess that's fate at work.
#
"Miyagi."
"Sendai-san."
Miyagi Shiori was playing with her phone at her seat.
I scowled. She was trying to make a fool out of me.
"Miyagi, what is the meaning of this?"
"..." Miyagi put down her phone and looked at me. "I didn't actually have to work overtime today, Sendai-san. I just wanted to see if you'd come look for me."
"Is this fun for you?" I glared daggers at her, "Wasting my time like this?"
Miyagi stayed silent.
"Answer me, Miyagi."
"So even you could get angry, Sendai-san."
Miyagi stood up from her seat and faced me. "You're so much of a people pleaser. I'd never seen you get angry."
"What is wrong with you? Why are you so… ugh." I gritted my teeth. "Why do you keep doing these things to me?"
"I was just curious," Miyagi answered honestly.
"Curious about what?"
"Sendai-san, you never changed. Since high school."
"What are you getting at? We barely knew each other."
"Everyone in school knows about you, Sendai-san," Miyagi scoffed. "Maika talks about you sometimes."
"Right. I don't know who this Maika person is, but I would like to talk things out today. With you."
"She's my friend," Miyagi's expression softened a bit. It seemed like she was really fond of this friend.
"Maika didn't notice anything, but I did," She continued. "It pisses me off."
"Like I said, we hardly knew each other. Why are you so obsessed with me? You sound like a stalker."
"I'm not a stalker."
"Sure sounds like what a stalker would say."
"Shut up, Sendai-san. I'm not a stalker. I was curious."
"Curious people don't play mind games with other people, Miyagi. I'm not sure if you're aware of it."
"I'm not playing mind games."
I let out a huge sigh.
"I've had enough of it. Either tell me what you really want, or I will take action."
"What action are you going to take, Sendai-san?" Miyagi's tone sounded like she was taunting me.
"...Like ignoring you. Cutting you off. Going back to being co-workers."
"We are co-workers."
"Exactly, Miyagi," I raised my voice. I felt my patience running thin. "So why are you so… obsessed with me?"
"I'm not obsessed with you."
"Look, Miyagi-"
"Sendai-san," Miyagi interrupted me.
"What?" I said, feeling extremely annoyed.
"If I paid you 5000 yen, would you listen to my command?"
What on earth was this woman saying?
I was stunned.
Miyagi waited patiently for me to respond, and I was grateful for that. Probably the only thing I would ever be grateful for when it came to this weirdo.
"Just so you know… 5000 yen is too little for… that."
"What do you mean?"
I sighed.
"Miyagi, I'm not going to have sex with you for 5000 yen."
"I wasn't asking you to have sex with me," Miyagi responded calmly. "Besides, I'm not into girls, Sendai-san."
Right, but everything you did just screamed the other way around - not that I'd tell her out loud. She would just deny everything.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"I'll pay you 5000 yen, and you listen to my command."
"Frankly, aside from having sex, I can't think of any other thing you'd want me to do."
"...You can clean up my manga collection."
"Hire a housekeeper for that. I'm not interested."
"Or have you read my manga out loud."
"Miyagi, can you please just be straightforward with me? This just seems like another mind game of yours, and I'm not about to indulge you."
"It's not a mind game. And you don't have to. I was just curious."
"Curious whether or not I would be bought for 5000 yen?"
"...Yes. And how far you'd go with my commands."
"You're a weirdo."
"I'm not."
I let out a huge sigh.
"Let me make myself clear. If you just want to befriend me, we could be friends. If you don't want to, we stay as co-workers. I don't know what commands you want me to do. I'm not into that kind of play, Miyagi. That's it, I'm leaving."
With that, I took my belongings and got ready to leave, but before I could, Miyagi grabbed my arm - the exact same way I did last Friday.
"Wait."
"What?"
"..."
"Miyagi, let go."
Her grip tightened.
"Miyagi."
"... I wasn't trying to hurt you."
"...Okay."
"Sendai-san, we are not friends. We are co-workers."
"We are."
"So, if I asked you to do something, I have to pay. Or else we wouldn't be just co-workers."
I was speechless. It seemed like our conversation was getting nowhere. She still wouldn't tell me why she wanted me to listen to her… commands. I couldn't wrap my head around it. The only plausible explanation I could think of was that she wanted to use me for her messed up fetishes. Or have me do humiliating things to boost her ego. Not that I thought she was that sick of a person, but I wouldn't put it past her. I just couldn't understand this woman's thoughts one bit.
Staring at her face did make me realize one thing though.
The fact that I was the one determining the outcome of our weird relationship.
If I wanted to, I could just walk away.
The final decision was up to me.
Miyagi was still waiting for my reply.
"So… you wanted to have a transactional relationship with me?"
"I just thought it would make sense."
"None of this makes sense, Miyagi."
"..."
"I don't think you'd answer this, but I'm going to ask anyway. Why do you want me to listen to your commands? Not to be rude or anything, but this seems like a game high schoolers would play."
"I was curious. How far you'd go."
"Right."
"And how far you'd lose yourself," she whispered.
She wanted to see me fall from grace, I see. Not that I was in that high of a position.
We worked in different departments, so there weren't any differences between our positions. If anything, the company favored R&D over us. So I was pretty sure what she was referring to wasn't work related. It was probably identity related. I had absolutely no idea why she would want to do something like that.
The only person I ever hung out with outside of work was Shiina-san, and I couldn't even honestly call us friends. I had no connections to anyone. This relationship might be transactional, but it might open up something new. It might be good, or it might be bad.
I don't know.
If I accept her offer of 5000 yen, I would have to listen to her commands. But if her commands were overboard, I could always refuse. I could return the money and just walk away.
This might be a good chance to figure out what Miyagi was thinking. We might not be "friends" according to her, but if I accepted that money, we could grow closer, albeit in a not so common way. Prying out words from her mouth was at least tenfold harder than trying to look into her mind.
So if she wanted to play mind games, I would play it with her.
I survived being treated as if I didn't exist by the very people who brought me into this world, and I got to where I was all by myself. I could handle this.
…Probably. I guess I'll just play it by ear.
"...Alright then."
"Okay."
"What's the frequency?"
"...Maybe once a week."
"Just so you know, I'm not going to listen to you if your demands are ridiculous."
"You have to, Sendai-san. That's what the 5000 yen means."
"Just what do you have in mind, Miyagi?"
"Why don't we start our first session here?" Miyagi said. She took out a 5000 yen bill from her wallet and handed it to me. "Here, Sendai-san."
I hesitated to accept the bill, but after a while, I let out a sigh of defeat.
"Okay, okay."
"Stop saying okay twice."
"Okay, okay. So what do you want me to do?"
"...Lick my foot, Sendai-san."
"Ha?!" I yelped, being absolutely taken aback by that ridiculous demand.
"...There's no CCTV in the R&D department."
"That's not the issue here."
"You took my money, Sendai-san. My orders are absolute."
Was Miyagi aware that I could just walk away? It's not like she could file a police report against me or anything if I just left the money on her desk. And what would she tell them? That I refused to lick her foot?
"Hurry, Sendai-san."
"That's unsanitary, Miyagi."
"..."
"I'm not going to do it. Here, your 5000 yen bill," I handed it back to her. But she didn't take it. Instead, she seemed to be in deep thought.
I left her alone, and when she was finally done, she said the most absurd thing that had ever come out of her mouth:
"...Come to my house. I'll wash up."
"..."
"Sendai-san, my orders are absolute."
"At this point, I'm pretty sure you like girls, Miyagi."
"I don't."
"It's probably more efficient if you just go visit one of those. You know, gay bars."
"Sendai-san, I told you I'm not into girls."
"Right. First you asked me if I liked girls, then you asked me to lick your foot. But you're not into girls."
Miyagi scowled, "Sendai-san, shut up. You took the 5000 yen, so you have to obey my order. Come to my house."
"...And lick your foot."
"Yes."
I sighed.
"Fine."
Miyagi Shiori is a weirdo.