Alex Brim, Hero for Hire

Chapter 6 – Shubuyaky Tomoe’s request

Sakamo got up and went outside the coffee-house, with Hangaku wondering what happened. As soon as Sakamo leaned on the wall outside, he asked, “I am all alone. You look too serious for my taste. What’s up?”

Shubuyaky Tomoe looked like she was about to cry, but she held in her tears to explain, “My agent told me a few days ago that a major movie studio was casting a female lead for a new action movie, about the life of the legendary swords woman, Tomoe Gozen. You know I got my name because of her, right? Of course, I would want to act like her in a movie, right?”

“That would be so cool, Tomoe-chan! I bet they will beg for you to enter on that movie, as long as your manager does his job right!”

Shubuyaky Tomoe bit her lower lip and slowly nodded. “I thought the same, and I was hoping to tell you the good news as soon as they cast me, but they told my manager that they didn’t even consider me for that part, because they don’t believe I can fight. They said I can sing well, and I am a talented actress in dramas and romantic movies, but for an action movie, I would probably fail the audition!”

“That’s probably because you never told a magazine or on television that you practice Martial Arts since you were young, right? At least I saw nothing about that side of you, and I keep myself informed of your doings like I always did.”

“Yeah, I never said anything because that’s something I consider too personal. I have a lot of wonderful memories because of our training throughout the years, and I didn’t want to spoil those memories because of work. But it’s a movie about the swords woman Tomoe Gozen!”

Sakamo smiled, remembering how they first met and how much she annoyed him to learn from him.

“You said you needed a favour, but I don’t know how can I help in that matter, because I don’t know anyone in your line of work, except you and some of your friends.”

“I… was hoping you could help me on a publicity stunt, before my concert tomorrow. We could go on stage and I would wear a beautiful Yukata and you could have a black ninja suit and do some fighting on stage. My Karate against your Jujutsu first, and weapons after. I could use my Naginata against your Katana… I could then make a little speech to explain to my fans. You could keep the hood and mask all time, to hide your face...”

Sakamo frowned, and he was about to refuse when he noticed a single tear falling from Tomoe’s left eye. He could never refuse anything to her ever since they were little when she cried. He made a slight smile and said, “You know, a Yukata is not very good to fight, it is a little tight on the legs.”

“Yeah, I know, but I have a few special Yukatas that I use on some occasions. They have velcro stitched to both sides up to the middle of my thighs, and they open when I kick. I go everywhere with a bodyguard, but I always do like you taught me. I never rely on anyone to defend me, if I can do it myself.”

“You thought on every detail. It’s just… It will be too difficult to hide that side of me from my classmates. I can’t leave their side and appear on stage dressed as a ninja. They will immediately know it is me, but I know how important this is for you. I have only one request.”

Shubuyaky Tomoe vigorously nodded while cleaning her face. “Anything! You know I do anything for you!”

“Ok… two requests then. Introduce to me some beautiful girls and take me with you when you get a prize for that movie!”

“I can do that! I know a lot of girls that you didn’t meet yet! Do you prefer models, actresses, or singers? I have all of them! Heheheh!”

“You chose, I trust in your judgement. So, I need to find a ninja suit and also bring weapons, right?”

“I can take care of everything! You just need to come early, like one hour before my concert, so that we can talk about the fighting choreography!”

Sakamo frowned. “What choreography? I will try to kill you, and you will have to remain alive like we always do! Or are you afraid, you coward?”

Shubuyaky Tomoe made a scary smile. “Afraid? Me? Never! I will try to slice your head, and you will do your best to keep it over your shoulders! We haven’t done this for so long, I was missing our fights so badly!”

“What are you saying? We fought like… six months ago, if I recall!”

Shubuyaky Tomoe made a big smile. “Yeah, and your father congratulated me every time I hit you! Tomorrow it will be so much fun! I was so happy about the concert, but then I got depressed when my manager told me about the movie. I hope that when those guys of the studio see what I can do, they beg for me to accept to enter their movie!”

“I am sure they will go after you. I am glad that you are smiling again. I don’t like to see you sad or crying.”

“Yeah, but I knew I could count on you. You are the best, Ryu-kun! Better if you go to your friends, I heard a lot of laughing before, and I saw Hangaku-chan at your side.”

Sakamo made a big smile. “Yes, I am at a coffee-house near my School with all my classmates. One of them thought it was a good idea so that our class could bond, and celebrate our first day of High School.”

“That’s so nice, Ryu-kun. You got a lot of new friends right on the first day. I won’t take more time from you. Send a kiss to them!”

“I will. Tomorrow I have to go to my part-time job, but I will leave early so that I can eat something before meeting you.”

“You didn’t tell your classmates what is your part-time job, right? Not that they would believe you, but still.”

“No, I didn’t, and you better remain quiet about it as well, don’t babble about it to them. See you tomorrow, Tomoe-chan.”

“I love you, Ryu-kun!”

“I love you too, Tomoe-chan.”

Sakamo hang-up and mumbled, “She looked very happy. That’s good, I don’t like to see her sad, it always breaks my heart.”

Sakamo entered the coffee-house again and joined his friends at the table. Hangaku asked as soon as he sat next to her, “Why Tomoe-chan looked so worried? Something happened?”

“Yes, it had to do with her job, and she needed someone to talk to. She is better now, and she sent a kiss to everyone.”

Hangaku slowly nodded and Hojo Masako asked, trying to sound casual, “You and Tomoe-chan have a good relationship if she calls you when she is troubled with something.”

“Yeah, she sometimes calls me when she eats something she likes, or when she wakes up, or when she goes to sleep… She can be really annoying! But I guess it’s what a younger sister is supposed to do.”

Hojo blinked a few times. “Tomoe-chan is your sister? For real?”

“Ahahah! No, of course not! But I consider her my younger sister, but she tends to see me as her younger brother, when in fact I am the older one.”

Hojo disguised a smile. “A sister… I see… for a moment, I… never mind…”

Hangaku leaned on Sakamo’s shoulder and asked, “Did you already chose what you want to eat?”

She approached his ear and whispered, “Besides me, that is…”

Sakamo jolted and whispered back, “You really should learn how to be more prudish, Hangaku-san. A guy might get the wrong idea from you and think that you are an easy girl.”

Hangaku gently placed one hand on his face, turned him to her, and whispered, “Why is it that when a guy flirts directly with a girl, he is a Don Juan and when it’s a girl doing it, everyone automatically thinks she is easy?”

“I really don’t know, probably it’s our society nowadays, that puts that on our heads since a very young age? I don’t really mind if you are so direct, I feel flattered, but I think you need to know me better so that you don’t get any surprise that might make you realize that you were wasting your time and energy on me when you could go after someone more worthy of a beauty like you.”

Hangaku poked his nose and made a kinky smile. “I intend on knowing you better from now on, don’t worry. I think you are more than just a pretty face. You could very well have a few mysteries, and I don’t mind finding out. I also have some neat things about me that might surprise you as well. Who knows, you may fall deeply in love with me if you give me a chance.”

“What about if we start as friends without so much flirting, and we will see what happens?”

“Let me think for a while on that… I guess we could do that if we could be ‘friends with benefits’, that is.”

Sakamo almost choked with air and after a few seconds he whispered, “You mean… like if…”

Hangaku caressed Sakamo's right thigh under the table. “Exactly what you are thinking. I don’t only flirt, I actually go all the way. Maybe one day, or one night, I show you some things…”

Sakamo made a forced smile and stared at the cup in front of him. He took a sip because suddenly, he felt his throat going dry. Hangaku giggled at his embarrassment and squeezed his right thigh under the table, turning to Tomiko and talking about the cake she was eating, while still caressing Sakamo under the table, with no one noticing it.

He did his best to remain calm, even with Hangaku teasing him so much and looked to Takechi, trying to find a distraction, but he was happily chatting with a smiling and almost glowing in happiness, Tomiko Hari, and Sakamo quitted.

Hojo Masako was right in front of him, talking with Shintaro Nakaoka, but when Shintaro was called by Tadasaburo Sasaki that wanted her opinion about his cake, Hojo turned to Sakamo and spoke in a low voice, “You look somewhat distracted. Is everything alright, or that fake blond next to you already made you lost your mind? She has some experience in that department, you should be careful near her.”

Sakamo ate a piece of his cake and disguised the pain from Hangaku’s fingernails on his thigh. “She has to do a lot more to make me lose my cool. I trained a lot to restrain my urges. It’s a little difficult because she is very seductive and pretty, but I can manage this much. But you have a strange glow in your eyes. Are you perhaps jealous? Do you like her that much?”

Hojo almost shouted, but she then closed her mouth and spoke in the same low tone, “I am not into girls, and I am not jealous. I think you need to stop and think very well about your feelings, because you could hurt her, or you, if you are not sure about what you want.”

“Yes, I am very aware of that. That’s why despite her direct attacks, I am still holding my ground, and I am not attacking her or trying to do something about it. This is just the first day that we met. Maybe with time, she figures out I am not that interesting.”