5. Chapter Five – Lily
Lily
Oh, how I’ve missed Japanese convenience stores. I walk through the aisles slowly, a happy smile on my face as my basket gets fuller and fuller with food I’ve missed. I’ve got two weeks here, and I’m going to make the most of it.
The most being dry shampoo, drinks and trinkets I can’t get at home.
Like this eraser. I pick one up and throw it into the basket. Such a dumb thing to be excited about, but the last one I got from here lasted me for two years and I’ve truly never found a better one.
I make my way over to the coolers, grinning as I walk past packaging that hasn’t changed in ten years, and my heart warms with nostalgia. A deep sigh falls from my lips when I come to a stop in front of the green tea and I reach for my favorite brand .
"Oh, that looks great. Let me get one as well," a deep voice suddenly says behind me, and I startle, turning around with a pounding heart to see Adam standing right behind me.
"How are you everywhere?" I ask him exasperatedly, raising my eyebrow. Goddamn, he’s lucky I didn’t instinctively drive my elbow back into his gut.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says with a smug grin. Oh, that annoyingly charismatic asshole knows exactly what I’m talking about.
Ever since the conference started, it seems like he’s everywhere. When Felix and I go out, he just happens to end up at the same restaurant. Even though there are a ton of different lectures and events, he always seems to appear at the same ones as we do.
That can’t be coincidence, right?
I roll my eyes and wordlessly walk past him to the checkout, only making a quick stop to add a few iced coffees to my basket to stock my rooms fridge with.
Not that I’m letting Adam ruin the nostalgia, but Felix is waiting for me outside. He just got a call when I went inside and I don’t want to keep him waiting in case he’s finished.
But when I step back outside, he’s still on his phone, talking about the view from his hotel room.
He gives me an apologetic look and motions to his phone, and I nod in understanding, mouthing ‘tell her hi from me’ when I hear his mother’s voice. She’s very loud when talking into her phone; I can even hear her from two meters away .
As we walk back to the hotel together, him on the phone, me wondering what’s up with Adam, I see him step out of the convenience store from the corner of my eye, twisting the cap of his green tea open. I stop Felix and nod towards Adam just as he places the rim of the bottle at his lips.
Adam takes a sip, then stills and slowly lowers the bottle, his face twisting into an unhappy grimace as he looks at it in disgust. Not a fan of bitter green tea, I take it.
I can't help the chuckle that breaks out of me. "You're mean," Felix mouths, covering the mic of his phone with his hand as we continue our walk to the hotel, and I shrug.
What can I say? I love the earthy, grassy taste of green tea. It’s not my fault Adam didn’t check what he bought. Trusting me blindly is a very bad idea, especially for a competitor.
Felix's call ends with several ‘I love you too, Mom’s’ as we reach the hotel, and he exhales a deep sigh once she hangs up.
“I love that woman to death, but I might as well livestream my stay here with all the questions she’s asked. Not that she’d get a livestream running,” he mutters, and I giggle. To be honest, I expect the same amount of questions from my sister in law. She and my brother didn’t even know each other yet when I was last here but she’s a huge fashion geek and adores Japanese fashion. I’m sure she’s got a catalogue of clothing related questions written down and ready to fire for once I’m back .
"Did you get me something?" Felix asks with a curious grin, tearing me away from speculating what those questions might look like. I lift up the plastic bag and nod.
"Of course."
"Thank you." He shoots me a grin and reaches for the bag, his face immediately lighting up when he sees the egg sandwiches I got him. "God, I love these things."
"I know."
We find a quiet spot in the lobby and go over our notes of today.
The third day of the conference has already ended and with it, three whole days of meetings and lectures. Some more, some less informative, all of them full of important people, though.
And it could have been an awesome networking opportunity, if Adam’s presence wouldn’t overshadow every single person. They flock around him like moths to the flame, which, fine, it’s not Adam I want to network with. But they’re all so entranced by that smug smile and charismatic fa?ade that it’s killing every opportunity to talk to anyone .
Not that I can quite blame them. The guy is charismatic and influential after all. A dangerous combination.
"So," Felix finally says, pushing my laptop closed, almost catching my fingers between the screen and keyboard. I narrow my eyes at him and give him a disapproving headshake. "I know it’s still a few days until the weekend, but I need a few ideas." He puts his elbows on the table, leans his head into his hands, looking at me expectantly .
"What you can do in Tokyo?" I repeat, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms, biting back a smile. "Well, I mean, what do you want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don’t roll your eyes at me,” I scold him playfully. “I mean, do you want to go anime merchandise shopping? Visit temples? Host clubs? People watching? Shopping?"
"Let's say culture," he says cautiously, reaching for the convenience store bag to take another sandwich out of it.
"For culture, I’d say the Imperial palace,” I tell him after a few moments of contemplating. “Then there’s Asakusa for a temple and shrine, or the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku. Still cute, still touristy but lovely forest path to the shrine."
"Which of these is going to make people more jealous when I post pictures of it to social media?" he asks with an eyebrow-wiggle, and I shake my head at him.
From the corner of my eye, I see someone sit down at the table next to us, but I don't pay them any mind. The hair standing up on my neck already reveals that it’s a certain dark-haired rival of mine, appearing like a ghost yet again.
"Probably Asakusa," I nod and demonstratively look away from Adam. "I think you can even rent kimonos there, for the ultimate tourist experience."
"Can rent kimonos where?" Adam suddenly asks to our left. “That sounds fun.” I hold my breath for a second, closing my eyes so he won’t see me roll them, before I turn to him.
Just why does he keep popping up everywhere? It's not like he doesn't know any other people here.
While I'm seeing most of the attendees here for the first time, Adam seems to know all of them. Every time he walks into a meeting or lecture, everyone, and I mean everyone , greets him with a handshake or half-hug as if they’re old friends and spend a few minutes catching up.
Until now, I left the networking to Millie and Kayla with Siren’s Talent being their company at all, but it looks like I really need to go to more of these industry functions to find my own footing in the community.
It's not easy to pave the way into this bubble if you're completely new. While I have worked in the entertainment industry before becoming the CEO of Siren's Talent, it was in lower positions. The kind of positions that get labeled as ‘secretary’ until you look at what they actually do.
I was the one who got shit done, not the one who showed their face for it, and my bosses were all too happy to take the credit. At one point, I couldn’t take it anymore, working my ass off just for someone else to receive all the recognition and praise for it. And my bosses were never shy about pocketing the credit.
So when I saw the opportunity at Siren’s Talent, I jumped at the chance, self-doubt gnawing on my mind for the whole interview, so I was shook to the core when they extended their offer. Now I finally get to take my own credit and it feels amazing .
Adam, though, he seems to be a person who does both as well. Getting shit done and rightfully getting the credit, I mean. He’s the face and the mind of Croney, while I’m sharing that position with two other women.
Which is amazing in terms of these networking events. I'm not very extroverted, and the past three days of meeting new people and taking in information are already bringing me to my limit. A girl can only do so much small talk within a day before she wants to puke in a corner. It’s me. I’m that girl.
"If I wanted to make my brothers jealous…" Adam’s chair squeaks as he turns it around to fully face us, “…where would I go?”
"You guys have got to be more specific." I sigh with an eye roll. "Again, that depends. What would make your brothers jealous?"
"Well, Jackson is really into Bo…Pob…” He tilts his head and tries to think of the name. Felix is biting his lips to contain a giggle and the corners of my mouth tug up. “You’ll know it, it was all the rage for a time. He used to watch the anime and wake me at six on the weekend so I’d catch these little animals with him in his game.”
“Pokémon?"
“Yes, that one.” He nods and Felix throws his hand in front of his mouth, his whole body shaking with laughter. "As for Reed and Jackson, let me think.” He tilts his head to the other side. “Reed and Zoey liked Sailor Moon. Talked about nothing else for two years.” He looks somewhere into the distance with a grin on his face. “Let me tell you, it was a fight over our TV on weekends. As for Tanner, there's that one anime with the guy in a red vest and straw hat…"
"One Piece," I confirm and nod. "Hmm, well, for Pokémon, if you'd really want to make him jealous, then probably Universal Studios in Osaka. But for One Piece and Sailor Moon…” I bite my lip as I wreck my brain, but I can’t remember ever seeing those around. “Honestly, I’m not sure, I’ve never paid attention. I’d say if you're looking for, like, anime merchandise to take pictures of to make them jealous, Akihabara is the place to go."
“Akiha-”
“-b-a-r-a,” I spell it out for him as he jots it down in his phone notes.
"So what are your plans for your free time?" Felix changes the topic, narrowing his eyes at me. "Since you know all the good spots and all that."
“I think you overestimate just how many ‘good’ spots you run into when you live here for a year. I promise it was not as eventful as you’re imagining it.”
“Bet she’s just saying that to throw us off.” Felix leans over to Adam, and he nods in agreement. I ignore their little alliance.
"Honestly, I don't know yet," I tell them with a shrug. "I've got a few things on my ‘let's-see-if-I’ll-have-time’ list, but I think I’m going to play it by ear."
"Come on, tell us. Don’t be such a gatekeeper," Adam teases me, and I roll my eyes. I just know if I tell the two of them, they’re going to want to tag along, and I could really use a bit of alone time. Also, there's just no way I'm going to mention that an amusement park we also have in the US is on top of my list.
"Yeah, such a gatekeeper," Felix teases me, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Children, both of you," I point out, shaking my head. "I'll probably do the Digital Arts Museum in Odaiba, at least that’s air-conditioned," I tell them, and it seems to appease them. Felix furiously researches it, his eyes growing wider when he pulls up the pictures.
"Oh my god, that looks amazing."
"Show me," Adam asks, and before I know it, they are huddled together, fawning over pictures of the museum.
What a weird situation. If you had told me before my flight here that not only Adam would be here but actually seek me out, I wouldn't have believed you. But now, here we are.
I take a deep breath and then reach for my green tea. Adam watches me curiously, his eyes widening when I take a sip and exhale a happy sigh.
“So you actually like that stuff? I was half-convinced you bought it to throw me off.” In reply, I take another sip, smiling with my eyes as I gulp it down.
"You're a witch," he says, awe in his voice, shaking his head.
"No, I just like the taste of earth," I say with a chuckle, twisting the bottle closed again.