honou-no-izumi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
honou_no_izumi) wrote2009-12-11 06:27 pm
honou_no_izumi) wrote2009-12-11 06:27 pm
Entry tags:
Reset
Title: Reset
Character: Smart Lady, Yuji Kiba, Mari Sonada, Inui Takumi
Fandom: Kamen Rider 555
Rating: G
Summary: Post series. Lady pondered about the future of Smart Brain as Kiba Yuji's last will remained afresh in her mind. What was left for the ones who remained in the living after everything comes to the end...?
A/N: Suporting side story in relation to Rippled Dimensions Faiz chapter. With reference to The Lost Smile.
Crossposted all over...
--------------------------------
Lady just watched from afar, as the workers moved everything that used to belong to the last CEO of Smart Brain, Kiba Yuji. No, not everything. Lady looked down towards Yuji’s PDA that she was holding in her palm. Not everything that belonged to Kiba Yuji would be thrown away. At least the most important thing that proved his existence was still safely intact in this PDA and not lost.
It puzzled her. On why had she kept her continued interest towards that person, ever since the day he had became an Orphenoch after been officially declared dead by the doctors who were treating him. Oh, yes. She knew about that part of Kiba’s past. Then again, she had compiled everything that was known about that person in this small PDA; just like the rest of the Orphenoch population that she had supervised all this time. It was part of her programming. Nothing should be left out of her attention.
Still, why had Kiba Yuji been so unique to her? Perhaps because from the very beginning, he had been honest with her if her mannerism had caused him discomfort. Not many others who had been so honest to say outright to her face that she was... annoying. That must be it.
Lady backed away from the balcony as she turned to head towards her quarters. On her way, she passed some reflective glass walls as she noticed her reflection on it. She paused as she ran her hand over her face. Why did she looked so sad? Is it because Kiba Yuji was now gone?
Cocking her head to one side, she set aside that thought and resumed her movement towards her quarters. There should be no time to be wasted. Kiba Yuji had given her a call some time earlier, shortly before the incident at the underground facility. He had also given her specific orders as to how to run the company after this and to find his replacement that could fulfil his intensions as to how Orphenochs and humans should live from now on. Oh, on that... she would personally attend to that task. As to the appointment of the next CEO of Smart Brain, that was not of crucial importance. She will of course find one but not right now. Not everyone could succeed Kiba Yuji’s place that easily. She would proceed as she had done before, when Chief Hanagata had been absent from his position.
Lady sat on her chair at her cubicle as she proceeds on her next task. A sudden alert resounded on her computer as she glanced towards the monitor. Her eyes widened as something caught her attention...
xxx
“Where am I?” he said softly to no one in peculiar.
Why was he at this place? What was this place? What happened to this place, he thought as he glanced around, looking at some of the broken pillars and shattered walls. As no one would answer to his question, he continued walking forward to find an exit to which he could get out this place. An exit that he did found eventually as he walked outside into fresh air.
Again, the same question popped into his head.
“Who... AM I?”
xxx
Takumi sighed as he re-entered the underground facility again. The place had not looked any different from the other day when they had their last battle there. As if, no one had stepped into here since then. But then, it was good that way. It should still be there.
At which, that was where he was wrong. There were barely any traces of ashes on that spot, where he had kicked the Orphenoch King into nothingness. Not even on that one spot where he had remembered almost perfectly, where Kiba had closed his eyes for the final time before his body turned into fine ashes.
Takumi knelt on the floor forlornly as he gathered what was left of Kiba Yuji’s ash. Or at least what he thought was his ash and not the dust and dirt from the place as well as the rubble nearby. He gathered them all into a small plastic bag. Glancing back towards the bag of ash in his grip, Takumi sighed. He would not let the memories of his dear friend to be lost forever as if he had not existed.
xxx
Some time later he was back at the same hillside he had went, where he had buried Osada’s ashes after he had found the place where she had died. To his surprise, what had been a simple plank written with Osada Yuka’s name to mark her grave had now been replaced by a proper stone grave marker. Complete with the date of Osada’s birth as well as her death.
Takumi frowned. He admitted that ever since that day when he had buried Osada’s ashes here, he had never visited since. Many things had happened since then so he had not managed—who else had known about this place. Cannot be Mari... or Keitaro. This was not the kind of thing Kaido would do either and at that time; even he did not know that Osada had died. So who...?
Takumi stared down towards the bag of ashes that he had been holding. Could Kiba have done this? Both he and Osada had been very close after all. As if they had been born as siblings from the very beginning...
He knelt beside Osada’s grave as he dug another hole right next to it and placed the bag of ashes inside it. He covered the hole with more soil until it formed a mount. He took out another plank that had already been written with Kiba’s name as he plant it on top of the mount.
“I’m sorry that I could not do better than this but it’s better than nothing, eh?” said Takumi to the grave. “May you finally be at peace...”
Takumi stood as he turned and slowly walk away from place; not noticing that a few meters away, another person had been watching him from afar. The person walked out of hiding after Takumi left as she approached the two graves that had been located nearby. She knelt over the newly erected grave as she paid her respects...
xxx
“Are you lost, child?”
He jumped as the elder man tapped his shoulders. He shrugged, not knowing what to answer.
“I... don’t even know where I had lived,” he said, as the other man now appeared concerned.
“Poor child. Do you have anywhere to go?” asked the elder man again as he shook his head.
“I don’t even remember anything about myself, my name... my home, my family. Although... for some strange reason, I felt as if I have no more family members left. I’m... alone,” he said as if in a daze before looking back at the old man.
The old man nudged him to move. “Then come home and live with me. My wife and I had been living by ourselves for quite some time. Our only son had died quite recently... so the place was a bit lonely with just the two of us. How about you come and be our son? My wife would be delighted to have you around!”
His eyes widened at the unexpected offer. “Really? T-thank you. But... why? I’m not someone you know—“
The old man patted his head kindly.
“You seemed like a kind child. Anyhow, I would feel bad to leave you by yourself like this. Let’s go.”
He jumped again, not familiar over such kind gesture as the old man smiled.
“Thank you so much... Mister—“
“Kitadani. Hiroshi Kitadani. Or you can just call me ’Father’ since you’re going to join my family.” said Kitadani-san as he held the man’s hand gratefully. “And since you didn’t remember your own name, how about if I named you... Yuki?”
‘Yuki’ blinked in surprise. He had a name now. Yet... why did he felt as if the sound of this name seemed familiar? Was his name had indeed been Yuki in the past? No. That cannot be. This name did not feel as if it was his own, yet the sound of it was. Perhaps his real name was something that sounded similar to Yuki.
“Yuki?”
He blinked again. The old man Kitadani was staring at him again.
“Did you dislike this name?” the old man asked again as Yuki shook his head.
“No.” he said, shaking his head. “I liked this name. Yuki Kitadani... thank you for giving me this name, Kitadani-sa—I mean, father.”
The old man smiled in approval as he nudged the young man towards his home. To which ‘Kitadani Yuki’ was more than happy to comply.
xxx
“Are you done there yet, Takumi?” Mari called out towards the shop as she loaded another basketful of clean laundry.
“Coming!” Takumi chimed as he skipped out of the shop with the keys and logbook.
Mari sighed as both of them closed the back of the van and got in. While Takumi started the engine, Keitaro waved at them as he remained at the shop. Sitting there beside the counter alone by himself, Keitaro sighed. He really should be considering getting more full-time or part-time workers to work at the shop. But this time, he would take those that would have their own accommodations, his house were not so big to house so many people at once. At least with some extra workers, he would not be feeling so lonesome at his shop whenever Mari and Takumi went out for the deliveries.
“Hmm... wonder if Kaido-san would be interested...” he mused by himself as he laughed at the thought. Perhaps not. It might scare some customers away instead...
xxx
Kiba Masahiro was a sad old man. He had a modest—if not flourishing—company, to which he barely managed to survive with when his brother and his wife had died in an accident; that had allowed him to sell the brother's company in order to save his own from bankruptcy. Their son, Yuji had been in a coma since the accident but he did not bother himself about it. That child could not do anything to harm him. Even better if he had died as well. Then he would not have to explain to the child about why he had sold off his parents’ house and company that should have rightly belonged to him. It would have benefited himself and his son a lot.
Or so he had thought three years ago, before last year his nephew, had come back to life. Just when he had received a call from the doctor at the hospital saying that Yuji has passed away. His dreaded moment arrived later, when Yuji had appeared at his home asking him what had happened to his parents’ estate. He had managed to trick the kid that day and Yuji had left his home for good. He never did see any more of Yuji since that day. He thought he was finally getting back his fortune.
And then, that misfortune had to happen. His son had died in a way that was so mysterious. So did his fiancée. Turned into ashes, they did. Not even the police managed to figure out what happened to them. He had grieved for his son and his might-have-been daughter-in-law. They would have made such a small but happy family together.
But later, a thought came to him. All of this had happened ever since he had drove Yuji out of his house that day. As if it had been bad karma coming back to him, after all of the injustice he had caused to his nephew. He had drove away his only other family other than his son, yet the same person had ended up being his only remaining family as well as possible heir. And he had been old. Even if he were able, who would want to marry him anyway. He would choke on himself rather than giving away all he has to a stranger. It really was like bad karma haunting you back.
He had been searching for Yuji ever since. But it seemed as if he had been swallowed up by the world itself or the lad himself had tried his best to not allow anyone that knows him in the past to find him. How fitting. He had heard that Chie’s brother seemed to have found Yuji at one point but later even that man disappeared. Even fate would not allow him to right his wrongdoings. This was his punishment. He was meant to live as a lonely old man who most probably would end up dying alone as well. This was the price he was supposed to be paying, after treating his only living nephew with such cruelty.
Masahiro continued walking aimless on the road as he bumped into another person without thinking. He had almost fallen but the young man had caught him before it happen and started apologizing to him. He waved his hand at the lad’s concern.
“It’s nothing. I haven’t been paying attention to the road myself. I am sorry as well,” he said as the lad stopped bowing at him.
The moment he saw the lad’s face, he felt as if someone had splashed him with some cold water.
“It’s nothing, Jii-san. I’m glad you’re not—!”
Suddenly Masahiro grabbed the lad on his shoulders as the young man stared at him in horror.
“Yuji-kun!” Masahiro cried out, as the young man did not appear reacting to that name...
xxx
Kitadani Yuki had been happy. It had already been several days since he had wandered around some unfamiliar roads, not remembering anything until that time his father had found him and taken him home. His father, Hiroshi, was a street stall owner and had been setting stalls at this particular park in Tokyo. Considering now that his father had taken him as his own son, he could as well help with his father’s stall.
It was what he had been doing right now when this old man had accidentally bumped into him. All should have been well, it was an accident after all. But why did this old man started to think he was someone the old man knew...?
“Wha—I’m sorry... I’m not—” cried Yuki as the old man refused to let him go.
“Didn’t you recognize me? Yuji-kun... it’s me, your uncle!”
Yuki stared at the old man in fear. Could this man be saying the truth? Could he—
“Yuji-kun, I’m sorry about what I’ve done to you in the past. I’ve took away so many things that had belonged to you. My son and me. Kazuki... your cousin—!”
The old man had started talking about even more things related to this Kiba Yuji the old man thinks he was, but Yuki could not hear any of it any more. The only thing that he had been hearing at the moment was the intense ringing in his ears and the feeling of his head throbbing as if being pounded by numerous boulders. Numerous images that he could not recognize flashed rapidly in his mind’s eyes but he could comprehend none of them. The old man started shaking his body rapidly as Yuki’s eyesight started to blur. His head had started to get very dizzy... and painful...
xxx
“Yuji-kun! Do you hear me? I’ve lost everything now! Are you satisfied—“
Mari turned around towards the commotion as the sound attracted her attention. She had been waiting for Takumi at that park with the van as he had went to the nearby convenient store to get some things, but where did he go now...?
A stall owner from the nearby stall had suddenly stopped working before walking out and caught another older man’s arm as the other person had been harassing a young man.
xxx
“Let go of my son!” said Kitadani as he gently pulled Yuki away from Masahiro. “Yuki... are you all right?” he asked again as Yuki nodded his head.
Masahiro could not believe his eyes. To think, Yuji had even forgotten him... after he himself had lost everything? He shook his head.
“No! That’s not your son! That’s—Let go of me! Let go!”
Kitadani looked up as Masahiro had been dragged away by some police officers who happened to have passed by. Mari ran up towards them as both of them helped Yuki sit on the nearby chair.
A customer started to call on the older man as he asked Mari to watch over his son. Mari sighed before agreeing to the request. Kitadani thanked her gratefully as he left to attend to the customer.
Mari sighed again. Where on earth had Takumi been doing? It was getting too long! What was it that he had been looking for at the convenience store that could take him hours doing it?
She glanced back towards the young man she was supposed to be watching over while waiting for Takumi to get back. Upon closer look, the young man did not seem so frail... yet, why did he appear so vulnerable? Yuki... she supposed the young man’s name was—if she heard the stall owner right—appeared to be having such a painful headache. Perhaps because of the earlier commotion?
“Ne... are you really all right? I can’t be here for long... I had been waiting for someone,” she said, apologetically as the young man shook his head.
“I’m all right. You don’t have to worry about me. I only had a slight headache right now but I’ll be fine. Thank you anyway for your help... Miss—is something wrong?” Yuki said as he looked up towards Mari. To his surprise, Mari was staring back towards him in alarm.
“Is there something bothering you... Miss?”
Mari blinked as she stared straight to Yuki’s face. It cannot be! Was it just a coincidence? But to have met someone who looked almost exactly alike as someone you know... what were the chances for her to meet such a person in this city?
“Ne... is something wrong with my face?” Yuki asked again as Mari shook her head.
Yuki immediately looked very scared as he asked her cautiously.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked timidly as Mari hurriedly shook her head again.
“No! No... you did nothing—I just, I mean... you’ve just looked like someone... that I used to know. Someone, who used to be someone... very dear to me,” Mari stuttered as she tried to explain.
Yuki paled again as he immediately thought of the earlier old man who also thought he looked like someone he knew, though really not with some affection as Mari had.
Mari appeared concerned again as she tried to allay Yuki’s fears.
“Don’t misunderstand me—It’s just, the person I used to know... had looked almost exactly as you. He used to be such a dear person to me... It surprised me when you had looked... so much like him—”
Yuki nodded slowly at that as he tried to digest everything that he had heard.
“What... happened to him? That person that you knew... who looked just like me...” Yuki dared himself to ask as Mari sighed and slowly shrugged.
“He died...” Mari spoke slowly as Yuki twitched at the sorrowful tone she had used. For some reason, he too felt sorrowful when he heard Mari speak.
“How... did he di—I’m sorry I shouldn’t—“ Yuki immediately scold himself silly just as soon as he said it. Why did he—that had been so rude. Why did he ask such a direct question...
But it seemed Mari did not notice his discomfort as she appeared dazed and had been staring blankly in front of her.
“He died... in order to protect us all. He sacrificed himself—” Yuki stopped Mari halfway as he felt very uncomfortable hearing more about this person that seemed to be such an important person to her. He thought again of the old man from earlier. For some reason, he also had started to feel uncomfortable.
“I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—I’m sorry if I had been so intrusive. Please excuse me—” Yuki started to say as he rose from his seat before Mari caught his arm.
“Wait... I didn’t mean to scare you—it’s just...” Mari struggled to find a better wording to explain herself. Somehow, she did not want to scare this person away.
“My name is Sonada Mari. I suppose... I mean. we haven’t introduced ourselves yet, isn’t it?” she stuttered, as Yuki seemed undecided on how to react. But seeing that Mari had introduced herself to him, he bowed to her.
“I’m... Yuki, Kitadani Yuki. P-pleased... to meet you.”
Yuki seemed to detect the hint of disappointment in her eyes as she seemed to have confirmed to herself that he was indeed not the person she initially had thought he was.
“I’m... sorry. I’m not... someone you thought I had been—“
“Ah, no... don’t.” said Mari hastily. “It’s my bad. I guess I should know that it was an impossible hope... he couldn’t have come back to life. He’s... dead, I should have accepted that by now. I shouldn’t have thought... if he could have survived that incident—but I had hoped... if there had been that smallest chance...“
Mari shook her head again.
“Don’t mind me... it’s just, I still find it hard to accept that he’s now dead... as well. I’ve lost so many friends... and important people last year. I—“
Yuki shrugged at it casually. It seemed that this Mari person had merely reacting because he had looked like someone she knew. At least, not like the man earlier. The old man had scared him. Even if he was... whoever that man thought, he should not have been so aggressive. It was not as if he knew who was it that the old man thought he was. And another thing, it was not as if he was at fault either. He did not even remember anything past these few days. There was even a saying that you have at least seven people that looks like you. He could have been someone like that, and could have happened to bump into the old man—Ahh! All this thinking was making his headache even more painful!
Mari glanced towards him as she noticed Yuki was distracted himself and looking a bit pale.
“Are you hurt? I’m sorry if I had been saying some weird things...”
Yuki shook his head.
“No. it’s okay. Ummm... Mari-san, could you tell me... something about this friend you’ve been talking about? Did he really look like me?” Yuki asked suddenly as Mari was a bit shocked to hear such request. She glanced around and looked at her phone, Takumi did not seem to be back yet... perhaps she might as well...
Mari gave a long sigh before nodding at him.
“Well... yes, he did look a lot like you. No, it’s more rightly said that you were like an exact copy of him—”
“What was his name?” Yuki suddenly interrupted her as she stuttered the name, taken aback.
“Kiba Yuji.”
Yuki felt his blood ran cold. The old man earlier had called him Yuji-kun . Could he have meant... Kiba Yuji?
Mari placed her hand over his as she felt his skin so cold.
“What’s the matter?”
“The man earlier had called me Yuji. M-Mari-san... this Kiba Yuji person, was he a bad man?” Yuki asked as Mari went blank, unsure of what to say.
She recollected the earlier incident with the old man shouting things towards Yuki. Her thoughts went back towards the time Kiba Yuji had reappeared before them as the new CEO of Smart Brain. Perhaps she should just tell him the truth...
“Well... you can’t really say that he’s a bad person. Kiba san... when I first met him, he seemed to be the most gentle person I’ve ever met. He had been so kind... I guess, that was what I liked most about him.” Mari smiled a little as she started to recollect even more pleasant memories.
“Kiba-san was someone... that you could entrust anything to. But somehow... despite his kindly appearance, he used to experience a lot of sad things in the past.” she continued as Yuki seemed entranced at her words. Mari started thinking about those times when Kiba-san had even talked or even hinted about his past, he had looked so sorrowful then.
“But you know...” Mari started again as she turned towards Yuki. “Not so recently, he and another friend of mine had disappeared. And Kiba-san... seemed like a changed person. He started acting in a way that... I never thought he would in the past. Thankfully, later, Kiba-san seemed to be like his old self again. But before I could be glad about that... he sacrificed himself to protect—“
Me. Mari thought before correcting herself. “—me and my friends. There had been a monster about to attack us and my other friend had been thrown so far away. So at that time—”
A tear fell onto her cheek before Mari wiped it away. She hastily took out her phone as it suddenly rang. Takumi’s voice echoed in her ears as she apologised to Yuki for her abrupt leave.
Reaching the van in almost five minutes later, Mari found Takumi pacing by himself around the van. As he turned to see Mari heading towards him, he stopped pacing before walking towards her.
“Where did you go?” he asked as soon as they were within speaking distance. Mari shrugged.
“There had been a slight commotion earlier at a food stall nearby. And I’ve met a rather unexpected person—”
Takumi caught the strange tone in her voice as she spoke that line.
“Unexpected...? Why? Why is it unexpected...?” he asked as Mari grabbed his hand to lead him back towards Kitadani’s food stall, asking him to come with her to see for himself. When they returned to the place, Mari frantically looked around her as she noticed that Yuki was not around. She walked towards the stall owner to ask about it as the owner shrugged.
“Yuki-kun had left for home. Been saying something about not feeling well... must have been about the incident earlier. I’m glad the patrols were around just now...”
Mari tried to feign indifference as she was the one who called for the cops before Takumi saved her.
“What incident?” Takumi asked as the owner sighed.
“Something about the old man’s nephew. He had mistaken Yuki as his and started harassing Yuki for no reason. Sounds like the old man had done something bad towards his nephew and thought Yuki was the same person. I say good riddance to that man if he get into detention for this, my son had been traumatized enough. It’s no wonder the real nephew disappeared on him, if he’s like my son... he would be better off without that old man as family.” grumbled Kitadani hotly as he resumed cooking.
Seeing that they had nothing else to do there, Takumi and Mari returned to their van to return home. But before they left, Mari looked back towards the stall.
Could it be possible that the old man that Kitadani-san had talked about was Kiba-san’s relatives? The things Kitadani-san had said earlier... it would have explained why Kiba-san used to have those sad looks every time she had mentioned to him about his past. Perhaps... she would never find out if that had been exactly the truth...
xxx
Kiba Yuji.
For some reason that name seemed to ring a bell to him. Who was that person? Was he... Kiba Yuji?
Yuki shook his head as he crossed the road towards another district. Thankfully, the Kitadani’s house was not that far from the park his father had chosen to set his stall, so he had no trouble at all if he had to walk back home. It was not that far a distance either.
But come to think, Yuki could not remember anything about his past. About his real name, his real parents... or anyone whom he might have known before. What was his life had been like in the past? Was it happy... or sad? Or something in between?
Yuki’s mind hovered back towards the old man that had assaulted him.
Could he really be Kiba Yuji as those people had mistaken him as? The words uttered by the old man came back towards him.
Those words had been so hurtful. If he was really Kiba Yuji, he would have also felt hurt... regardless if those misfortune that old man have had got any relation to him, Yuki thought. The old man had said about taking away his (Yuji’s) house and company for his own profit. If he really had a relative like that, wouldn't it be very sad for him? Yuki felt as if someone had squeezed his heart tightly to the point that he could not breathe.
“Yuji-san was better off without that old man as family.” Yuki said softly as he glanced up towards a simple looking house in front of him. He wondered why he had stopped in front of this house without thinking. The house that he now lived with his two adoptive parents was another few streets away. Yet... why did he felt like he knew this place? This house... it felt so homely...
The barking of the dog in front of him snapped Yuki out of his daze as he backed away from the gate. In that few seconds, another similar memory flashed into his mind. leaving him dumbfounded.
“What...” he gasped as Yuki tried to leave the place in haste. He immediately felt himself hitting another body as they both fell onto the ground.
“I’m sorry...,” cried Yuki as he brushed the dirt off himself before looking at the other girl. He looked up to find the girl staring back at him; not looking as surprised as to have bumped into him but more of amused delight.
“Are you hurt?” Yuki asked of her as she shook her head, still smiling.
“Are you going somewhere? I can send you there if you like.” she said as her gesture took him aback. The girl smiled again as she explained.
“You looked a bit out of it after all. I thought I might as well send you to your place... I had a car anyway.”
Yuki blinked. The girl had been so forward... even at first meeting. Not sure how he should react to this.
Apparently, the girl noticed his discomfort as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Am I too forward? I am sorry. My former chief used to tell me I should act more natural and be nicer like an actual person instead of trying to act nice. I’m not sure how I should do that though... even now, I thought acting like that was good enough. He said it was different. He used to dislike me in the past, he said I was so annoying.” said the girl bluntly as Yuki laughed suddenly. The girl looked at him, confused.
“You’re funny...” he said as he chuckled. “Wouldn’t you mind at all? It was random for you to just send me home just because we had bumped onto each other. Especially since this was our first meeting. It’s not even your fault.”
The girl shook her head again. “No... it’s not a bother. I just feel like sending you home or wherever you’re heading. After all... I’ve taken a liking towards you. May I?”
Yuki blinked at such a sudden... confession (? That was unexpected) coming from her as he shrugged.
“If it wasn’t so troublesome for you... I guess it should be all right?” he said, as the girl appeared to be very happy that Yuki was accepting her offer. She ushered him towards the car as both of them entered the car. Yuki told him his address as the girl drove the car towards the direction he had given her.
Yuki kept her eyes on her as he tried to figure out what was the girl up to. If she wanted to pick up guys (weren’t guys supposed to do that instead and not girls?) she should not have it hard. She after all, was quite good looking despite her attire being a bit... how should he say it, unique? She was wearing a blue dress with a modern cut. A streak of blue adorned one side of her bangs. He wondered where had he seen her before. Still, her attire was the most jarring...
“It’s like a uniform...,” he muttered without thinking.
The girl gave him a quick glance as she shrugged. “It is. I always wear this attire. It’s part of my work.” she explained as it finally dawn on him that he had seen her before!
“Y-you’re... that person on that television advertisement!” he exclaimed as Smart Lady chuckled.
She nodded her head while keeping her attention on the road.
“Yes, I am Smart Lady. I worked at the Smart Brain company, sort of like the company’s image ambassador,” she said as Yuki stared at her in wonder.
“W-why... someone like you... sending me home like this?” Yuki stuttered as Lady parked the car opposite the small house the Kitadani’s had lived in. She smiled as she turned her attention towards him.
“I told you. I liked you, a lot. Can we be friends?” she said as she held out a hand towards him.
Yuki was truly surprised. The girl—Smart Lady—appeared to be very sincere about this particular request. Yuki held out his hand and shook hers.
“Thank you... I guess, Miss Sma—”
“Lady. Just call me Lady,” said Smart Lady as she smiled. Yuki just nodded his head as he bid his farewell.
Lady just watched as Yuki disappeared from view before she herself drove back towards Smart Brain. A smile lined her features as she heaved a sigh of relief.
“I am glad that you had survived, Yuji-sama.”
Her purpose had now returned. Now continuing his legacy will not feel like such a daunting task to continue anymore...
Character: Smart Lady, Yuji Kiba, Mari Sonada, Inui Takumi
Fandom: Kamen Rider 555
Rating: G
Summary: Post series. Lady pondered about the future of Smart Brain as Kiba Yuji's last will remained afresh in her mind. What was left for the ones who remained in the living after everything comes to the end...?
A/N: Suporting side story in relation to Rippled Dimensions Faiz chapter. With reference to The Lost Smile.
Crossposted all over...
--------------------------------
Lady just watched from afar, as the workers moved everything that used to belong to the last CEO of Smart Brain, Kiba Yuji. No, not everything. Lady looked down towards Yuji’s PDA that she was holding in her palm. Not everything that belonged to Kiba Yuji would be thrown away. At least the most important thing that proved his existence was still safely intact in this PDA and not lost.
It puzzled her. On why had she kept her continued interest towards that person, ever since the day he had became an Orphenoch after been officially declared dead by the doctors who were treating him. Oh, yes. She knew about that part of Kiba’s past. Then again, she had compiled everything that was known about that person in this small PDA; just like the rest of the Orphenoch population that she had supervised all this time. It was part of her programming. Nothing should be left out of her attention.
Still, why had Kiba Yuji been so unique to her? Perhaps because from the very beginning, he had been honest with her if her mannerism had caused him discomfort. Not many others who had been so honest to say outright to her face that she was... annoying. That must be it.
Lady backed away from the balcony as she turned to head towards her quarters. On her way, she passed some reflective glass walls as she noticed her reflection on it. She paused as she ran her hand over her face. Why did she looked so sad? Is it because Kiba Yuji was now gone?
Cocking her head to one side, she set aside that thought and resumed her movement towards her quarters. There should be no time to be wasted. Kiba Yuji had given her a call some time earlier, shortly before the incident at the underground facility. He had also given her specific orders as to how to run the company after this and to find his replacement that could fulfil his intensions as to how Orphenochs and humans should live from now on. Oh, on that... she would personally attend to that task. As to the appointment of the next CEO of Smart Brain, that was not of crucial importance. She will of course find one but not right now. Not everyone could succeed Kiba Yuji’s place that easily. She would proceed as she had done before, when Chief Hanagata had been absent from his position.
Lady sat on her chair at her cubicle as she proceeds on her next task. A sudden alert resounded on her computer as she glanced towards the monitor. Her eyes widened as something caught her attention...
xxx
“Where am I?” he said softly to no one in peculiar.
Why was he at this place? What was this place? What happened to this place, he thought as he glanced around, looking at some of the broken pillars and shattered walls. As no one would answer to his question, he continued walking forward to find an exit to which he could get out this place. An exit that he did found eventually as he walked outside into fresh air.
Again, the same question popped into his head.
“Who... AM I?”
xxx
Takumi sighed as he re-entered the underground facility again. The place had not looked any different from the other day when they had their last battle there. As if, no one had stepped into here since then. But then, it was good that way. It should still be there.
At which, that was where he was wrong. There were barely any traces of ashes on that spot, where he had kicked the Orphenoch King into nothingness. Not even on that one spot where he had remembered almost perfectly, where Kiba had closed his eyes for the final time before his body turned into fine ashes.
Takumi knelt on the floor forlornly as he gathered what was left of Kiba Yuji’s ash. Or at least what he thought was his ash and not the dust and dirt from the place as well as the rubble nearby. He gathered them all into a small plastic bag. Glancing back towards the bag of ash in his grip, Takumi sighed. He would not let the memories of his dear friend to be lost forever as if he had not existed.
xxx
Some time later he was back at the same hillside he had went, where he had buried Osada’s ashes after he had found the place where she had died. To his surprise, what had been a simple plank written with Osada Yuka’s name to mark her grave had now been replaced by a proper stone grave marker. Complete with the date of Osada’s birth as well as her death.
Takumi frowned. He admitted that ever since that day when he had buried Osada’s ashes here, he had never visited since. Many things had happened since then so he had not managed—who else had known about this place. Cannot be Mari... or Keitaro. This was not the kind of thing Kaido would do either and at that time; even he did not know that Osada had died. So who...?
Takumi stared down towards the bag of ashes that he had been holding. Could Kiba have done this? Both he and Osada had been very close after all. As if they had been born as siblings from the very beginning...
He knelt beside Osada’s grave as he dug another hole right next to it and placed the bag of ashes inside it. He covered the hole with more soil until it formed a mount. He took out another plank that had already been written with Kiba’s name as he plant it on top of the mount.
“I’m sorry that I could not do better than this but it’s better than nothing, eh?” said Takumi to the grave. “May you finally be at peace...”
Takumi stood as he turned and slowly walk away from place; not noticing that a few meters away, another person had been watching him from afar. The person walked out of hiding after Takumi left as she approached the two graves that had been located nearby. She knelt over the newly erected grave as she paid her respects...
xxx
“Are you lost, child?”
He jumped as the elder man tapped his shoulders. He shrugged, not knowing what to answer.
“I... don’t even know where I had lived,” he said, as the other man now appeared concerned.
“Poor child. Do you have anywhere to go?” asked the elder man again as he shook his head.
“I don’t even remember anything about myself, my name... my home, my family. Although... for some strange reason, I felt as if I have no more family members left. I’m... alone,” he said as if in a daze before looking back at the old man.
The old man nudged him to move. “Then come home and live with me. My wife and I had been living by ourselves for quite some time. Our only son had died quite recently... so the place was a bit lonely with just the two of us. How about you come and be our son? My wife would be delighted to have you around!”
His eyes widened at the unexpected offer. “Really? T-thank you. But... why? I’m not someone you know—“
The old man patted his head kindly.
“You seemed like a kind child. Anyhow, I would feel bad to leave you by yourself like this. Let’s go.”
He jumped again, not familiar over such kind gesture as the old man smiled.
“Thank you so much... Mister—“
“Kitadani. Hiroshi Kitadani. Or you can just call me ’Father’ since you’re going to join my family.” said Kitadani-san as he held the man’s hand gratefully. “And since you didn’t remember your own name, how about if I named you... Yuki?”
‘Yuki’ blinked in surprise. He had a name now. Yet... why did he felt as if the sound of this name seemed familiar? Was his name had indeed been Yuki in the past? No. That cannot be. This name did not feel as if it was his own, yet the sound of it was. Perhaps his real name was something that sounded similar to Yuki.
“Yuki?”
He blinked again. The old man Kitadani was staring at him again.
“Did you dislike this name?” the old man asked again as Yuki shook his head.
“No.” he said, shaking his head. “I liked this name. Yuki Kitadani... thank you for giving me this name, Kitadani-sa—I mean, father.”
The old man smiled in approval as he nudged the young man towards his home. To which ‘Kitadani Yuki’ was more than happy to comply.
xxx
“Are you done there yet, Takumi?” Mari called out towards the shop as she loaded another basketful of clean laundry.
“Coming!” Takumi chimed as he skipped out of the shop with the keys and logbook.
Mari sighed as both of them closed the back of the van and got in. While Takumi started the engine, Keitaro waved at them as he remained at the shop. Sitting there beside the counter alone by himself, Keitaro sighed. He really should be considering getting more full-time or part-time workers to work at the shop. But this time, he would take those that would have their own accommodations, his house were not so big to house so many people at once. At least with some extra workers, he would not be feeling so lonesome at his shop whenever Mari and Takumi went out for the deliveries.
“Hmm... wonder if Kaido-san would be interested...” he mused by himself as he laughed at the thought. Perhaps not. It might scare some customers away instead...
xxx
Kiba Masahiro was a sad old man. He had a modest—if not flourishing—company, to which he barely managed to survive with when his brother and his wife had died in an accident; that had allowed him to sell the brother's company in order to save his own from bankruptcy. Their son, Yuji had been in a coma since the accident but he did not bother himself about it. That child could not do anything to harm him. Even better if he had died as well. Then he would not have to explain to the child about why he had sold off his parents’ house and company that should have rightly belonged to him. It would have benefited himself and his son a lot.
Or so he had thought three years ago, before last year his nephew, had come back to life. Just when he had received a call from the doctor at the hospital saying that Yuji has passed away. His dreaded moment arrived later, when Yuji had appeared at his home asking him what had happened to his parents’ estate. He had managed to trick the kid that day and Yuji had left his home for good. He never did see any more of Yuji since that day. He thought he was finally getting back his fortune.
And then, that misfortune had to happen. His son had died in a way that was so mysterious. So did his fiancée. Turned into ashes, they did. Not even the police managed to figure out what happened to them. He had grieved for his son and his might-have-been daughter-in-law. They would have made such a small but happy family together.
But later, a thought came to him. All of this had happened ever since he had drove Yuji out of his house that day. As if it had been bad karma coming back to him, after all of the injustice he had caused to his nephew. He had drove away his only other family other than his son, yet the same person had ended up being his only remaining family as well as possible heir. And he had been old. Even if he were able, who would want to marry him anyway. He would choke on himself rather than giving away all he has to a stranger. It really was like bad karma haunting you back.
He had been searching for Yuji ever since. But it seemed as if he had been swallowed up by the world itself or the lad himself had tried his best to not allow anyone that knows him in the past to find him. How fitting. He had heard that Chie’s brother seemed to have found Yuji at one point but later even that man disappeared. Even fate would not allow him to right his wrongdoings. This was his punishment. He was meant to live as a lonely old man who most probably would end up dying alone as well. This was the price he was supposed to be paying, after treating his only living nephew with such cruelty.
Masahiro continued walking aimless on the road as he bumped into another person without thinking. He had almost fallen but the young man had caught him before it happen and started apologizing to him. He waved his hand at the lad’s concern.
“It’s nothing. I haven’t been paying attention to the road myself. I am sorry as well,” he said as the lad stopped bowing at him.
The moment he saw the lad’s face, he felt as if someone had splashed him with some cold water.
“It’s nothing, Jii-san. I’m glad you’re not—!”
Suddenly Masahiro grabbed the lad on his shoulders as the young man stared at him in horror.
“Yuji-kun!” Masahiro cried out, as the young man did not appear reacting to that name...
xxx
Kitadani Yuki had been happy. It had already been several days since he had wandered around some unfamiliar roads, not remembering anything until that time his father had found him and taken him home. His father, Hiroshi, was a street stall owner and had been setting stalls at this particular park in Tokyo. Considering now that his father had taken him as his own son, he could as well help with his father’s stall.
It was what he had been doing right now when this old man had accidentally bumped into him. All should have been well, it was an accident after all. But why did this old man started to think he was someone the old man knew...?
“Wha—I’m sorry... I’m not—” cried Yuki as the old man refused to let him go.
“Didn’t you recognize me? Yuji-kun... it’s me, your uncle!”
Yuki stared at the old man in fear. Could this man be saying the truth? Could he—
“Yuji-kun, I’m sorry about what I’ve done to you in the past. I’ve took away so many things that had belonged to you. My son and me. Kazuki... your cousin—!”
The old man had started talking about even more things related to this Kiba Yuji the old man thinks he was, but Yuki could not hear any of it any more. The only thing that he had been hearing at the moment was the intense ringing in his ears and the feeling of his head throbbing as if being pounded by numerous boulders. Numerous images that he could not recognize flashed rapidly in his mind’s eyes but he could comprehend none of them. The old man started shaking his body rapidly as Yuki’s eyesight started to blur. His head had started to get very dizzy... and painful...
xxx
“Yuji-kun! Do you hear me? I’ve lost everything now! Are you satisfied—“
Mari turned around towards the commotion as the sound attracted her attention. She had been waiting for Takumi at that park with the van as he had went to the nearby convenient store to get some things, but where did he go now...?
A stall owner from the nearby stall had suddenly stopped working before walking out and caught another older man’s arm as the other person had been harassing a young man.
xxx
“Let go of my son!” said Kitadani as he gently pulled Yuki away from Masahiro. “Yuki... are you all right?” he asked again as Yuki nodded his head.
Masahiro could not believe his eyes. To think, Yuji had even forgotten him... after he himself had lost everything? He shook his head.
“No! That’s not your son! That’s—Let go of me! Let go!”
Kitadani looked up as Masahiro had been dragged away by some police officers who happened to have passed by. Mari ran up towards them as both of them helped Yuki sit on the nearby chair.
A customer started to call on the older man as he asked Mari to watch over his son. Mari sighed before agreeing to the request. Kitadani thanked her gratefully as he left to attend to the customer.
Mari sighed again. Where on earth had Takumi been doing? It was getting too long! What was it that he had been looking for at the convenience store that could take him hours doing it?
She glanced back towards the young man she was supposed to be watching over while waiting for Takumi to get back. Upon closer look, the young man did not seem so frail... yet, why did he appear so vulnerable? Yuki... she supposed the young man’s name was—if she heard the stall owner right—appeared to be having such a painful headache. Perhaps because of the earlier commotion?
“Ne... are you really all right? I can’t be here for long... I had been waiting for someone,” she said, apologetically as the young man shook his head.
“I’m all right. You don’t have to worry about me. I only had a slight headache right now but I’ll be fine. Thank you anyway for your help... Miss—is something wrong?” Yuki said as he looked up towards Mari. To his surprise, Mari was staring back towards him in alarm.
“Is there something bothering you... Miss?”
Mari blinked as she stared straight to Yuki’s face. It cannot be! Was it just a coincidence? But to have met someone who looked almost exactly alike as someone you know... what were the chances for her to meet such a person in this city?
“Ne... is something wrong with my face?” Yuki asked again as Mari shook her head.
Yuki immediately looked very scared as he asked her cautiously.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked timidly as Mari hurriedly shook her head again.
“No! No... you did nothing—I just, I mean... you’ve just looked like someone... that I used to know. Someone, who used to be someone... very dear to me,” Mari stuttered as she tried to explain.
Yuki paled again as he immediately thought of the earlier old man who also thought he looked like someone he knew, though really not with some affection as Mari had.
Mari appeared concerned again as she tried to allay Yuki’s fears.
“Don’t misunderstand me—It’s just, the person I used to know... had looked almost exactly as you. He used to be such a dear person to me... It surprised me when you had looked... so much like him—”
Yuki nodded slowly at that as he tried to digest everything that he had heard.
“What... happened to him? That person that you knew... who looked just like me...” Yuki dared himself to ask as Mari sighed and slowly shrugged.
“He died...” Mari spoke slowly as Yuki twitched at the sorrowful tone she had used. For some reason, he too felt sorrowful when he heard Mari speak.
“How... did he di—I’m sorry I shouldn’t—“ Yuki immediately scold himself silly just as soon as he said it. Why did he—that had been so rude. Why did he ask such a direct question...
But it seemed Mari did not notice his discomfort as she appeared dazed and had been staring blankly in front of her.
“He died... in order to protect us all. He sacrificed himself—” Yuki stopped Mari halfway as he felt very uncomfortable hearing more about this person that seemed to be such an important person to her. He thought again of the old man from earlier. For some reason, he also had started to feel uncomfortable.
“I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—I’m sorry if I had been so intrusive. Please excuse me—” Yuki started to say as he rose from his seat before Mari caught his arm.
“Wait... I didn’t mean to scare you—it’s just...” Mari struggled to find a better wording to explain herself. Somehow, she did not want to scare this person away.
“My name is Sonada Mari. I suppose... I mean. we haven’t introduced ourselves yet, isn’t it?” she stuttered, as Yuki seemed undecided on how to react. But seeing that Mari had introduced herself to him, he bowed to her.
“I’m... Yuki, Kitadani Yuki. P-pleased... to meet you.”
Yuki seemed to detect the hint of disappointment in her eyes as she seemed to have confirmed to herself that he was indeed not the person she initially had thought he was.
“I’m... sorry. I’m not... someone you thought I had been—“
“Ah, no... don’t.” said Mari hastily. “It’s my bad. I guess I should know that it was an impossible hope... he couldn’t have come back to life. He’s... dead, I should have accepted that by now. I shouldn’t have thought... if he could have survived that incident—but I had hoped... if there had been that smallest chance...“
Mari shook her head again.
“Don’t mind me... it’s just, I still find it hard to accept that he’s now dead... as well. I’ve lost so many friends... and important people last year. I—“
Yuki shrugged at it casually. It seemed that this Mari person had merely reacting because he had looked like someone she knew. At least, not like the man earlier. The old man had scared him. Even if he was... whoever that man thought, he should not have been so aggressive. It was not as if he knew who was it that the old man thought he was. And another thing, it was not as if he was at fault either. He did not even remember anything past these few days. There was even a saying that you have at least seven people that looks like you. He could have been someone like that, and could have happened to bump into the old man—Ahh! All this thinking was making his headache even more painful!
Mari glanced towards him as she noticed Yuki was distracted himself and looking a bit pale.
“Are you hurt? I’m sorry if I had been saying some weird things...”
Yuki shook his head.
“No. it’s okay. Ummm... Mari-san, could you tell me... something about this friend you’ve been talking about? Did he really look like me?” Yuki asked suddenly as Mari was a bit shocked to hear such request. She glanced around and looked at her phone, Takumi did not seem to be back yet... perhaps she might as well...
Mari gave a long sigh before nodding at him.
“Well... yes, he did look a lot like you. No, it’s more rightly said that you were like an exact copy of him—”
“What was his name?” Yuki suddenly interrupted her as she stuttered the name, taken aback.
“Kiba Yuji.”
Yuki felt his blood ran cold. The old man earlier had called him Yuji-kun . Could he have meant... Kiba Yuji?
Mari placed her hand over his as she felt his skin so cold.
“What’s the matter?”
“The man earlier had called me Yuji. M-Mari-san... this Kiba Yuji person, was he a bad man?” Yuki asked as Mari went blank, unsure of what to say.
She recollected the earlier incident with the old man shouting things towards Yuki. Her thoughts went back towards the time Kiba Yuji had reappeared before them as the new CEO of Smart Brain. Perhaps she should just tell him the truth...
“Well... you can’t really say that he’s a bad person. Kiba san... when I first met him, he seemed to be the most gentle person I’ve ever met. He had been so kind... I guess, that was what I liked most about him.” Mari smiled a little as she started to recollect even more pleasant memories.
“Kiba-san was someone... that you could entrust anything to. But somehow... despite his kindly appearance, he used to experience a lot of sad things in the past.” she continued as Yuki seemed entranced at her words. Mari started thinking about those times when Kiba-san had even talked or even hinted about his past, he had looked so sorrowful then.
“But you know...” Mari started again as she turned towards Yuki. “Not so recently, he and another friend of mine had disappeared. And Kiba-san... seemed like a changed person. He started acting in a way that... I never thought he would in the past. Thankfully, later, Kiba-san seemed to be like his old self again. But before I could be glad about that... he sacrificed himself to protect—“
Me. Mari thought before correcting herself. “—me and my friends. There had been a monster about to attack us and my other friend had been thrown so far away. So at that time—”
A tear fell onto her cheek before Mari wiped it away. She hastily took out her phone as it suddenly rang. Takumi’s voice echoed in her ears as she apologised to Yuki for her abrupt leave.
Reaching the van in almost five minutes later, Mari found Takumi pacing by himself around the van. As he turned to see Mari heading towards him, he stopped pacing before walking towards her.
“Where did you go?” he asked as soon as they were within speaking distance. Mari shrugged.
“There had been a slight commotion earlier at a food stall nearby. And I’ve met a rather unexpected person—”
Takumi caught the strange tone in her voice as she spoke that line.
“Unexpected...? Why? Why is it unexpected...?” he asked as Mari grabbed his hand to lead him back towards Kitadani’s food stall, asking him to come with her to see for himself. When they returned to the place, Mari frantically looked around her as she noticed that Yuki was not around. She walked towards the stall owner to ask about it as the owner shrugged.
“Yuki-kun had left for home. Been saying something about not feeling well... must have been about the incident earlier. I’m glad the patrols were around just now...”
Mari tried to feign indifference as she was the one who called for the cops before Takumi saved her.
“What incident?” Takumi asked as the owner sighed.
“Something about the old man’s nephew. He had mistaken Yuki as his and started harassing Yuki for no reason. Sounds like the old man had done something bad towards his nephew and thought Yuki was the same person. I say good riddance to that man if he get into detention for this, my son had been traumatized enough. It’s no wonder the real nephew disappeared on him, if he’s like my son... he would be better off without that old man as family.” grumbled Kitadani hotly as he resumed cooking.
Seeing that they had nothing else to do there, Takumi and Mari returned to their van to return home. But before they left, Mari looked back towards the stall.
Could it be possible that the old man that Kitadani-san had talked about was Kiba-san’s relatives? The things Kitadani-san had said earlier... it would have explained why Kiba-san used to have those sad looks every time she had mentioned to him about his past. Perhaps... she would never find out if that had been exactly the truth...
xxx
Kiba Yuji.
For some reason that name seemed to ring a bell to him. Who was that person? Was he... Kiba Yuji?
Yuki shook his head as he crossed the road towards another district. Thankfully, the Kitadani’s house was not that far from the park his father had chosen to set his stall, so he had no trouble at all if he had to walk back home. It was not that far a distance either.
But come to think, Yuki could not remember anything about his past. About his real name, his real parents... or anyone whom he might have known before. What was his life had been like in the past? Was it happy... or sad? Or something in between?
Yuki’s mind hovered back towards the old man that had assaulted him.
Could he really be Kiba Yuji as those people had mistaken him as? The words uttered by the old man came back towards him.
Those words had been so hurtful. If he was really Kiba Yuji, he would have also felt hurt... regardless if those misfortune that old man have had got any relation to him, Yuki thought. The old man had said about taking away his (Yuji’s) house and company for his own profit. If he really had a relative like that, wouldn't it be very sad for him? Yuki felt as if someone had squeezed his heart tightly to the point that he could not breathe.
“Yuji-san was better off without that old man as family.” Yuki said softly as he glanced up towards a simple looking house in front of him. He wondered why he had stopped in front of this house without thinking. The house that he now lived with his two adoptive parents was another few streets away. Yet... why did he felt like he knew this place? This house... it felt so homely...
The barking of the dog in front of him snapped Yuki out of his daze as he backed away from the gate. In that few seconds, another similar memory flashed into his mind. leaving him dumbfounded.
“What...” he gasped as Yuki tried to leave the place in haste. He immediately felt himself hitting another body as they both fell onto the ground.
“I’m sorry...,” cried Yuki as he brushed the dirt off himself before looking at the other girl. He looked up to find the girl staring back at him; not looking as surprised as to have bumped into him but more of amused delight.
“Are you hurt?” Yuki asked of her as she shook her head, still smiling.
“Are you going somewhere? I can send you there if you like.” she said as her gesture took him aback. The girl smiled again as she explained.
“You looked a bit out of it after all. I thought I might as well send you to your place... I had a car anyway.”
Yuki blinked. The girl had been so forward... even at first meeting. Not sure how he should react to this.
Apparently, the girl noticed his discomfort as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Am I too forward? I am sorry. My former chief used to tell me I should act more natural and be nicer like an actual person instead of trying to act nice. I’m not sure how I should do that though... even now, I thought acting like that was good enough. He said it was different. He used to dislike me in the past, he said I was so annoying.” said the girl bluntly as Yuki laughed suddenly. The girl looked at him, confused.
“You’re funny...” he said as he chuckled. “Wouldn’t you mind at all? It was random for you to just send me home just because we had bumped onto each other. Especially since this was our first meeting. It’s not even your fault.”
The girl shook her head again. “No... it’s not a bother. I just feel like sending you home or wherever you’re heading. After all... I’ve taken a liking towards you. May I?”
Yuki blinked at such a sudden... confession (? That was unexpected) coming from her as he shrugged.
“If it wasn’t so troublesome for you... I guess it should be all right?” he said, as the girl appeared to be very happy that Yuki was accepting her offer. She ushered him towards the car as both of them entered the car. Yuki told him his address as the girl drove the car towards the direction he had given her.
Yuki kept her eyes on her as he tried to figure out what was the girl up to. If she wanted to pick up guys (weren’t guys supposed to do that instead and not girls?) she should not have it hard. She after all, was quite good looking despite her attire being a bit... how should he say it, unique? She was wearing a blue dress with a modern cut. A streak of blue adorned one side of her bangs. He wondered where had he seen her before. Still, her attire was the most jarring...
“It’s like a uniform...,” he muttered without thinking.
The girl gave him a quick glance as she shrugged. “It is. I always wear this attire. It’s part of my work.” she explained as it finally dawn on him that he had seen her before!
“Y-you’re... that person on that television advertisement!” he exclaimed as Smart Lady chuckled.
She nodded her head while keeping her attention on the road.
“Yes, I am Smart Lady. I worked at the Smart Brain company, sort of like the company’s image ambassador,” she said as Yuki stared at her in wonder.
“W-why... someone like you... sending me home like this?” Yuki stuttered as Lady parked the car opposite the small house the Kitadani’s had lived in. She smiled as she turned her attention towards him.
“I told you. I liked you, a lot. Can we be friends?” she said as she held out a hand towards him.
Yuki was truly surprised. The girl—Smart Lady—appeared to be very sincere about this particular request. Yuki held out his hand and shook hers.
“Thank you... I guess, Miss Sma—”
“Lady. Just call me Lady,” said Smart Lady as she smiled. Yuki just nodded his head as he bid his farewell.
Lady just watched as Yuki disappeared from view before she herself drove back towards Smart Brain. A smile lined her features as she heaved a sigh of relief.
“I am glad that you had survived, Yuji-sama.”
Her purpose had now returned. Now continuing his legacy will not feel like such a daunting task to continue anymore...