Page 21

21

Dakota

I t felt like a waking nightmare, at first.

Not doing my job, but trying to do my job and having Igarashi Minori make the world’s weirdest demands. She wanted to discuss the pay scheme for all employees, and how benefits worked? Fine. Totally in line with what anyone might have expected. She wanted to order sushi for lunch and go to a karaoke club with other employees tonight? What. The. Fuck.

At the very least, it seemed like we should be getting lunch from a place that specialized in local food. Seafood, sure. Sushi? There was almost no chance that could go well.

But Maia seemed almost smug at the request, and left us alone going through the employee handbook so she could make a call for the food.

Half an hour later, a spread of sushi the likes of which I’d never even imagined showed up, delivered by a smiling pair of employees and laid out on the center table. Igarashi Minori had frowned, and I’d expected her to start demanding to know why they’d ordered so much that some would almost certainly go to waste, but then the whole HR department had come around, a few people at a time, and... well, it turned out werewolves could really put away the sushi, at least as much as mages, and they seemed to relish it.

When a quarter of it disappeared in less than five minutes, Igarashi Minori seemed to realize nothing would be going to waste, and also that if she wanted some at all, she’d better jump in.

Come to think of it, me too.

So we both picked through the options and sat back down with heavy plates of food. After a moment of picking it over and nibbling on a few pieces, she sat back staring at it as though it were somehow confusing.

I did not. It was fucking delicious, and I wanted to devour it all. And maybe get some more... except everyone in the department hadn’t eaten yet, so that was rude.

She looked up at first me, then Maia. “This is... excellent.”

I cocked my head at her. Why was that confusing?

Maia, on the other hand, beamed. “Werewolf-run shop on the corner. Her family immigrated from Japan fifteen years ago, and they run the shop together. It turns out that a werewolf nose is very good for picking out the freshest seafood.”

Minori didn’t even pause in chewing the bite she’d taken, but cocked her head, considering, then finally nodded. “That makes sense.” Then for the first time since we’d met, she truly smiled, and it transformed her whole face. It turned out she was beautiful. “Delightful. I look forward to learning of your other food.”

I couldn’t stop myself from beaming, even though I probably looked ridiculous, with little chipmunk cheeks as I shoved more fish into my mouth. In my pocket, my phone rang out the text message tone.

Annoying, but I should check it, since it could be Jax.

Donnie: You need to come home for dinner tonight. You’re working too much, you’re gonna burn out.

What the heck? That was ridiculous. He knew I’d just started a new job, and he’d been the one to warn me how much work a corporate job was going to involve. He’d painted a picture of long nights of overtime at the office, and how awful it would all be, boring and?—

“Do you Americans have any worthy karaoke clubs?” Minori asked, looking at Maia innocently, and something about it felt like a challenge to me.

Maia clearly agreed, but it seemed she also thought she was up to the challenge, as a wicked smile bloomed on her face. “As it happens, we do. Want to go tonight?”

Karaoke. So, I knew the stereotypes. I knew that karaoke was in fact quite popular in Japan as an easy way to socialize, even with relative strangers. I just hadn’t in a million years expected to be involved with it. I’d never done it—had in fact thought of it as kind of a joke, and it wasn’t like Donnie had ever wanted to do it. He was all about dancing at clubs, mostly while looking for hookups.

“I, um, can’t really sing,” I said, getting both their attention and hedging. I didn’t want to humiliate myself unexpectedly, at least.

Minori waved me off. “It isn’t about that. Most people aren’t secretly great talents.”

Maia nodded at that. “It’s about letting loose and being allowed to not be good at something. You can’t be mediocre at work and not be in trouble, but you can at this. And we’re all equal because the boss is just as likely to stink as you. No one cares if you’re going to be a famous singer someday. Heck, it might be better if you’re not.”

Minori smiled and nodded, and she and Maia shared a moment like that, excited and pleased and on the same page. It was perfect, and unexpected, and for the first time, gave me hope that this merger could truly work.

I looked back down at my phone and Donnie’s demand that I get home for dinner.

To Donnie: Sorry, can’t make it. Like you said, office job, long hours and lots of overtime. Got to keep the boss happy so I can pay my rent.

Then I silenced my phone and slid it back into my pocket. Sure, maybe I didn’t especially want to humiliate myself by singing in front of strangers, but also, it didn’t sound like much of a sacrifice. Going home and skipping it? That sounded terrible.

Maia and Minori were full into planning mode and the office had finished getting their lunch, so I took the opportunity to grab a second plate. Minori glanced up at me, her eyes twinkling. I ducked my head, but she waved me off. “I’m sure werewolves go through the same when they come of age.” She turned and looked at Maia, interested. “Yes? The need to eat all things?”

Maia laughed aloud. “It’s almost a rite of passage, eating everything in the house and then asking for more.”

The elevators opened and Jax... well, stormed into the room was the right term, but almost immediately, the wind seemed taken out of his sails as he entered to find Igarashi Minori laughing and nodding. “I once caught my student eating dry noodles, and when I scolded him to cook them first, he said it took too long.”

Jax stared at her, stunned, and I grinned at him. “So boss, you coming to karaoke with us?”

In my pocket, my phone vibrated, and I ignored it.