Monday, May 2, 2005

"Daily Cicumstance" part 3. enjoy
SHIN HIRAGI:
I walked out of the café and turned on to the street that led to the Shinjuku train station, where I would catch a train to central Tokyo. I waited on the platform, sipping my coffee and reading the newspaper. The biggest news story was the civilian owned Giant Robot that was being brought into action. The army were complaining that civilians should not be put in charge of such powerful weaponry. The new robot hadn’t been given a name yet, and the newspaper was running a competition to name the mecha. The winner would get the opportunity to ride in it. I had entered, but wasn’t very hopeful. I had tried to join the army to become a robot pilot, but I didn’t have what it took. You needed to have some super I.Q to be a robot pilot. I never took much notice of my studies at school. Too busy practising my Manga skills. Fat lot of good that did me. I had submitted several pieces to a publisher, all had been rejected. I needed an idea, something unique and lasting. I had nothing.
The train pulled into the station and I got on. It was busy, but not packed. The train shuddered forwards and then moved steadily out of the station. I scratched my chin. I had shaved this morning, but it was already growing back, itching as the hairs broke through the skin. But it had to be shaved, as my boss didn’t approve of stubble, and I never had the time to grow it out.
I had took the job with the Akation Company, who part owned the Sentinel mech, because I thought I would get to be directly involved with the robot itself. Instead, I sat in an office all day, filling in documents to do with the robots missions and dreaming of becoming a real manga-ka or robot pilot.
As the train pulled through the city, I looked up out the window to see the Sentinel striding through the city. If it was possible for a robot to look dejected, the Sentinel did. As if it knew that it had competition with the new robot coming into service, and if that wasn’t enough, it had been humiliated on national television by Solaris.
I thought back to the chick in the café. She looked kinda hot. I had considered asking her out, but my nerve gave out. Ever since I was in high school I had never been good with girls. I could talk to them okay, but anything more than that and my mind went to mush. I sighed. Here I was, 23 years old, and never had a single girlfriend. Unless you count Keiko, my next door neighbour when I was 6 years old, growing up in the outskirts of the city. But that really was no more than a very good friendship, I guess.
The train pulled into the station and I squeezed off and made my way to the street. The tower block where Akation were located rose from ground like a monument to the gods shining in the morning sunshine.
Hmm. That would make a good opening line for a manga. I scribbled a note on the top of my newspaper, reminding me to type up a concept based on that thought on my laptop later. As I entered the lobby and made my way to the elevators, I reflected on the concepts I already had. I knew that if I had a good concept where I could visualise parts of the story, I would be well on my way to a good manga. I had that one about an assassin who had lost her memory or that one set in the future with the robot A.I who falls in love with her pilot. There was that really good one I thought up a few weeks ago about a blind guy and a mute girl who have this powerful bond where they complement each others disabilities. All I needed was to draw up a sample chapter. I really felt that it had potential.
The lift sighed to a stop and I disembarked. I walked down the hall and into the office where I spent my days.
Even at this time in the morning it was hectic, with phones ringing off the hook and the sound of keyboards being hammered in a complex and chaotic rhythm. The place seemed a mess, but was in fact perfectly choreographed, everyone working together to ensure that when Sentinel took off, it was covered and legally protected from anything it might encounter, and that any weapon or gadget used was within the budget and not used without good cause.
It was the most boring job on Earth.
My best friend and room mate, Shinichi Maki, waved at me to come over. He had being doing the late shift last night which was why he hadn’t come home last night, but I was surprised to see him still here.
“Hey Shinichi. You still here? And whilst I'm on the subject, why is everyone else here? I know I'm on the early shift today, but why is everyone else here?”
“You saw the news this morning didn’t you? Solaris butted in on another operation.”
“Yeah, I saw but it doesn’t normally warrant this many people.”
“It seems Solaris’ energy beam clipped the Sentinel. The company want to file a law suit. Do you know how hard it is to file a law suit against someone with a secret identity? I haven’t had a wink of sleep for the last 24 hours. I'm ready to pack it in and go home.”
He rubbed his hand through his short black hair and looked at me, bags under his eyes. I sympathised with the fella. He and I had been the best of friends ever since we met in high school. However, we were both slackers and loafers and thus really got what we deserved when we couldn’t get any job other than the one we had now.
“By the way, did you remember?”
“What?”
“Its Friday Shin. This week it was your turn to bring the cakes for everyone.”
My eyes widened as I remembered. I had totally forgotten about it.
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed. I looked round the office. Nobody was paying us much attention. I checked my watch. It was 7:00AM. The boss came in early on a Friday so he could finish early, but even he wouldn’t be in much before 7:30 at the earliest.
“I know a place near by. I can go at get them now, and still be back before the boss gets here.”
“You’d better hurry,” Shinichi called after me as I rushed back out the door and down to street level.
It had become a tradition in our office for one of the workers to bring small treats for his co-workers on a Friday. It had started off as a treat, but now it seemed to be part of the routine that was our office life. In fact, it seemed to be expected of us. I was half certain that my pay would be docked if I didn’t bring in the cakes.
I found the store quickly and went in. I found some reasonably inexpensive cakes and checked the price. A thousand yen, if I were to get enough for the whole office. Dammit! I had enough money but I also have to pay for a train ticket, and I don’t get paid for another two weeks. It would mean I would be having beef bowls for dinner yet again! I sighed and bought the cakes anyway. This would mean I wouldn’t be able to go to one of those matchmaking sessions Shinichi told me about. I couldn’t afford it. I sighed as I put my order up on the counter.
“What’s the matter son?” The old shop keeper inquired as he put through my order. “Women trouble?”
“You could say that I guess. In that I can’t seem to get one.”
“Heh. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. That’s what I say.” I paid him and left the store.
I made it back to the office quickly where I was pounced upon by my co-workers. The bag was left empty within seconds. I had the foresight to save a cake for myself as I came up in the lift and opened it with a sigh.
“Hmm. These are reasonable I guess. For you Hiragi-kun.”
I swung round on my seat to find Yuji Inaba staring down at me.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing. Just commenting on your cheap cakes.” The comment was knife to my pride, seeing as they were all I could afford, but I wasn’t going to give Inaba-san the pleasure of seeing how her words hit. She wandered off when I gave her no reply.
“Damn her. She’s just saying that because she can afford the expensive cakes from the bakery.” I muttered. How could she afford to do that? Sure she was my senior, but her pay couldn’t have been more than mine. Unless she has a rich partner or something. I wouldn’t have put it past her. She was pretty good looking and very nice if you got to know her, or so the others say. Unfortunately I possessed a stand-off type attitude around women that I had had ever since my first rejection at high school. I could never seem to let women get close to me, always pushing them away either through rudeness or my ice cold personality around them. I leant back in my chair, painfully aware that I still had a pile of paperwork to plough through. I really wanted a girlfriend. Someone to confide in. Someone to have fun with. Someone just to be ME with.
I recalled the old shopkeeper’s words.
“Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. That’s what I say,”
I laughed out loud.
“Old coot. Probably never had any experience with women.”

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hey sorry for the lack of real update today. i fuhgot it was a bank hoiday today. ^^; ill post proper tomorrow.

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