My name is Yato. Tsukasa Yato, single.

22 years old, born on the 2nd of February at 11:29:35 AM. I have okay looks and height, but some of my friends say that I have pretty sharp-looking eyes. I am fairly short-sighted so I wear spectacles when reading. Paired with my usual aloof demeanor, I am sometimes mistaken to be a mute whenever I concentrate on something like this.

When things happen around me, I don’t appear surprised, or flustered in the slightest. My face simply remains still like a stone statue. That is a good way to say that my emotions don’t fluctuate much around others, but this is also a misunderstanding for I am an easily agitated person.

I am paranoid, scared of ghosts among many other fears I keep secret. But I can never show them in front of others, as my body has conditioned itself to hide them inside on instinct. It’s been many years since I’ve been living like this, and so I gradually got used to my dull flat expressions. Perhaps that is also one of the reasons why I’ve never been able to get a girlfriend.

My interests? Money, of course.

A famous saying goes, “There are things in this world that money can’t buy”.

I wonder, who said that kind of nonsensical thing. I love money, I love it dearly. Because I believe that if one is deprived of certain things, they would grow up to yearn for it even more. Money makes the world go round. “Money buys even the immeasurable, intangible things like love and respect. Money is the wish-granting holy grail which brings happiness to whomever that wields it”, that is something I have learnt growing up. The experiences of being a young adult has made me understand many things, and now I live by that creed each and every day, reminding myself to work hard to become a successful man. But well before that, there is a slight problem.

「Sigh.」

Back to the present, I am currently on my final year in university, god knows why I chose to study music back then, but since I’ve gone and studied this far, I might pull on a bit more towards graduation. Naturally, those dregs of motivation were no longer a fraction of the interest I used to have towards it.

Just like this I’ve spent four years like a fish in troubled waters, at the beck and call for career opportunities, while my older acquaintances had already gone for their promising internships, signed their contracts for promising companies, and some who had already settled down with kids…

Knowing their limits, my buddies in the same department laze around in the dorms playing when there are no lessons, while I choose to go out for interviews at times to try my luck. It’s just that even I know my limits, but I simply went around unrealistically hoping for some kind of opportunity.

These days, well-paying jobs that handle stuff in the arts are far and few in between in this country. To make the transition with such a drastic difference in expected specifications is definitely jarring to my job-finding prospects. Sometimes I feel like I might have been too rash in choosing my degree. Now, it seems like the future as a McDonald’s employee seem much more prospective in comparison. Who am I kidding.

「...Sigh.」

『Yato, stop sighing and come online. Our queue is just missing you my man.』

Lee Minho across my bed said that while munching on snacks. He is the one everyone calls “Fatso”, as well as one of us bachelor squad members. He snores the loudest when he sleeps too, just like a pig.

「Heh, you just play your game. I've got an interview to attend to.」

I confidently sorted myself in the mirror and arranged my tie properly, because today is unlike any other day. Besides the good news of getting shortlisted as a candidate, the company is also one of the big-names which I was hoping to enter--- Shirosanzen Group’s subsidiary: Shiro Creative Industries. The brief description for the job opening was a staff member in the art direction department. Of course, I applied there as an intern. Fatso glanced at me once and then returned to his laptop screen while making a shooing gesture with his hand.

『Ey, the way you’re dressed… are you sure you’re not going there for matchmaking? Cheh, so pretentious.』

「This is called having a pompous fashion, what do you know. First impressions are everything.」

When I gave him what I would call my best smile, Fatso rolled his eyes and returned his attention back onto his laptop.

As I prepared a gallant pose befitting of the smart wear I was dressed in, my phone suddenly rang me out of my delusional grandeur. The caller ID was registered on my smartphone as 【Mango】. When I picked it up, a familiar, honeyed voice immediately entered my ear through the receiver.

『Senpai~ Where are you right now?』

From her voice, this girl’s probably angry about something.

「...Shiori, good morning. What’s up?」

When Fatso gave me a thumbs up, I returned him a middle finger with a smile. Everyone knew that Shiori was one of the people I couldn’t keep up my smugness with for too long. Who doesn’t know the poison that hides behind that cheerful smile of hers? Her widely known short fuse was also the biggest reason as to why the rumors about her still not having a boyfriend even at her age go around.

As expected, the other end blew up after a short silence on the phone.

『...Good morning my ass! Where on earth are you now?』

「Eh?」

『Shiori-chi, that Yato on the line?』

From her side, I heard another female voice.

『Ah, uhm… sorry, hold on a minute, I have a call to make.』

Shiori became a little flustered and then there was the sound of a door closing. Her voice lowered a little, it seems like she was moving to someplace quiet to talk to me.

「...Hello?」

『... ...Senpai, are you still coming to club activities today?』

After some time, Shiori’s clear voice entered my ears again.

「...No, why?」

『Then, what about the rehearsal you promised to help out with...』

Rehearsal? The club’s? Sure I’m in a club, but I don’t remember promising such a thing? Just as I was searching for such a thing through my head, it seems like the girl had realized something.

『Don’t tell me… you’ve really forgotten.』

『...』

「...」

「Oh right, haha! The rehearsal, of course I remember! But you see, I have something urgent to do today so I might run a little late in the afternoon.」

I was entirely clueless about club activities for a long time anyway, so it wasn’t strange for me to overlook some of the things she had informed the rest of the club members about. Speaking of which, it has really been whole months since I’ve read the chat group for the club.

In any case, it’ll be fine as long as I make it there.

『...Haah.』

As I had expected after a short pause, I heard Shiori sighed helplessly on the phone.

『Well whatever. Just don’t be too late.. ...otherwise… okay?』

I heard the sounds of scissors' snipping. Rest assured, her intentions were properly translated to me. With a head full of cold sweat, I nodded profusely.

「...O-Okay...Don’t worry, I should be back at around 3 in the afternoon.」

『I got it, I’ll tell the others----』

Just before I was about to end the call, Shiori suddenly spoke again.

『Ah Senpai, along the way, could you---』

「--Yes, yes. Häagen-Dazs, mango yoghurt flavor right? Got it, got it.」

There was another pause, but I knew Shiori was still there from the soft breathing on the other end.

「...Shiori?」

『...Un, then there’s nothing else. I’ll see senpai later.』

「Right.」

Her voice had become softer? After closing up the conversation amiably, I quickly hung up and just as I prepared to leave, I received another call. Who was it this time, why is everyone coming together to call me at this time?

「This is Yato.」

『Phew, you finally answered. Good morning senpai. It’s Nijima.』

Oh, a kouhai.

「What’s up?」

『Senpai, do you have plans tonight?』

I thought about the club activities, but it shouldn’t extend for too long.

「If it’s after 8. Is there an event going on?」

『Well yeah, just giving you a heads up on tonight’s welcoming party to our department for the freshmen later. You’re coming right? As our leader.』

「...」

I read the hidden message this sneaky kouhai is trying to convey to me. Trying to make me foot the bill huh. Nice, real nice. But still, this too concerns the face of the department as a whole, and as the actual department’s council president (There’s only 13 of us and 6 are part of the council including me), I wasn’t exactly uninvolved here.

「I mean, sure. I’ll come over. You heard him, what about you guys? Anyone’s interested in becoming the party’s host?」

I turned to my dorm buddies in hopes to deflect that bullet. But when the talks turned to paying up for tonight, the guys averted their eyes in sync.

「Oi.」

『『... ...』』

Fatso flexed his shoulders and replied exaggeratedly.

『R-Right, the game’s about to begin. Gotta concentrate, gotta concentrate...』

I rolled my eyes. These guys actually pretended to not hear me! Where was the loyalty between brothers? But it couldn’t be helped. It’s not like they were loaded either, so I decided to take the shorter end of the stick this time. Returning to the phone, I sighed while rubbing my temple and said.

「Haah… Where’s the place?」

『We’re planning hotpot across the campus. Since senpai has plans already, we’ll just adjust to gather at 8.30. So Senpai, you must come this time! Definitely okay?』

I chuckled generously.

「Of course, just ready up the red carpet and await my arrival.」

『Ou!』

Hanging up the phone finally, I looked at my watch and realized it was 11.35am already. I headed towards the door, without forgetting to glare at those guys who ditched me at the last minute.

Shirosanzen Group’s main building wasn’t too far from campus, it would only take about a 15-minute travel taking the train, but just as I left the campus gates and cut to a corner on the street, I heard a loud blare of car horns ring in my ears. Having been disoriented, I couldn’t see where I was heading so I stopped walking. But the car didn’t seem to have any intentions of braking, and it was then I heard the honking even more strongly from behind me.

「Is this guy blind?」

I was prepared to turn to the back to retort, thinking that such an inexperienced driver wouldn’t have the gall to buy a good ride for himself. But contrary to my expectations, what greeted my eyes was a sleek and shiny red branded car. My mind simply came to a single conclusion at that moment----

God, is that a Bugatti?! In the next instant, a woman's voice cut my thoughts clear.

Hm, woman? With a wheezy yet orotund tone like an appeal for empathy, I heard her fumbling while opening the car door----

『Who are you calling blind!』

The door opened after that retort, and the polished figure of an office lady soon stepped out slowly.