[Shoko POV]
The conference room was arranged beautifully just as I had asked. Printed copies of the presentation were sitting in front of us as well as on the three chairs on the opposite side. Small bottles of water were placed at the corners as well. My laptop was on and remotely connected to the large television ready to display the presentation.
A quick glance at my watch showed the clock was one minute from ticking away to 10:00 a.m. and my heart rate was starting to increase. It wasn’t nervousness that was rattling my foundation but anticipation. I promised myself I was going to remain professional regardless of what outcome awaited me but it appears my words were much stronger than my actual resolved.
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. That brief moment gave me some much-needed clarity. This was just going to be a typical meeting. It wasn’t like the dog was planning some kind of ambush but calling human resources and having them barge in during our meeting.
W-Wait! Is that what he is planning? Does he want to humiliate me by watching security drag me out of the building in disgrace?!
My hand instinctively clasped over my mouth while I shuddered at the mere thought of that occurring. Anything was possible. That damned dog was so unpredictable I wouldn’t put him past him to make a spectacle of this entire ordeal.
Oh just get it over with already! Stop making me suffer like this!
Wait, what if that was his plan? Maybe he wanted me to writhe in mental anguish, pouring over all of the potential possibilities of how he was going to get his revenge.
Of course, that had to be it. That animal wasn’t clever enough to come up with something more vile and vindictive than I could so he’s using my own mind against me! What a dirty trick. I can only imagine him standing outside relishing in absolute joy while I stand here in utter agony.
I clenched my fist and teeth as rage burrowed its way into my conscious. Who knows how long he’s going to dangle me on like this? I bet he’s going to wait for me to break and then beg him for forgiveness in front of the entire company!
Has he no shame? What kind of man is he?!
“Abukara-Senpai?”
“Eh?”
I snapped up as if I had just been awakened from a horrible dream. Okamoto-san was calling for my attention as he sat between me and Haru-san at the conference table. I had completely forgotten where I was and why I was here for a moment.
Not wanting to cause my subordinates to worry, the only thing I could do was force the best smile that I could.
“W-What is it, Okamoto-san?”
“Aren’t you going to pull up the presentation?”
Oops! I completely forgot about that part.
I double clicked the file and pressed the F5 key to begin the presentation. The title slide appeared on the massive 75” television screen and I finally breathed as sigh of relief.
Now all we had to do was –
Suddenly, the door clicked open and in walked the sales team.
Damnit! Couldn’t you have given me a few more minutes to mentally prepare for this?
My focus dug into my computer screen as Furukawa-san, Makino-san, and their uncaged beast of a team leader stepped inside. They exchanged casual greetings with the rest of my team while taking their seats.
The dog’s subordinates pulled out their tablets and keyboards preparing to take notes. At least I can count on them to be diligent in their duties. I couldn’t face him directly but out of the corner of my eye I spotted the beast sitting casual as always without even a glance at the printed presentation. He just stared at the television screen unflinching and careless as always.
I unintendedly clenched my fist. He always brings out the worst in me. At least this anger helped me focus at the task at hand.
“Shall we begin?”
That did not come out as commanding and confident as I had hoped by no matter. There were much more important things to attend to. I clicked the mouse and the presentation was underway.
As long as I was focused on work, I could not be derailed. This was a huge client we were contending with. If we managed to impress them enough, it could mean huge things for our organization and our manager and President even believed that our teams were capable enough to handle the task.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
It was imperative that we nailed all of the details going into that meeting. Though I wouldn’t be in the room with him directly, force feeding the animal all of the relevant information was crucial to our success. While we didn’t need this client to survive, we were definitely going to need them if we wanted to thrive.
This pastry may have been Hasegawa-san’s best Christmas-themed product yet. It was cute and tasty which was the perfect combination and could lead to some potentially massive sales. We just needed to get our foot in the door.
I know the dog had already snooped around and sunk his fangs into this but out of courtesy for his team, when I reached the last product slide, I stopped and invited comments.
“Are there any questions regarding the product itself before we continue?”
Makino-san and Furukawa-san gave shot a quick glance to each other but the dog didn’t move at all. He remained eerily still, staring at the screen as if he were putting together his thoughts carefully.
My teeth clenched behind my lips. The silence was maddening. I couldn’t take it anymore.
S-Say something you stupid beast!
Suddenly, a dreaded thought bore into my mind. This was his plan. He wanted me to squirm in front of his and my subordinates forcing me to lose face.
“Excuse me, Senpai?”
It was Furukawa-san that broke the initial silence. As much as I didn’t want to see him right now, I couldn’t help but stare at that animal as he began to fumble in his seat.
“Y-Yes?”
Could he have been more ignorant? How could you act so oblivious in front of your subordinates?
“Abukara-senpai asked us if we had any questions about the product. Do you have any?”
My jaw dropped.
He wasn’t even paying attention?!
This dog thought he had it all figured out and completely spaced during my presentation. The nerve of that beast. Here I am taking extra measures to ensure he has all of the information he needs to succeed, and he completely ignores it. This is exactly what I hate about his attitude.
After shaking his head, a smile creeped along his expression and suddenly, he locked eyes with me without flinching.
“Please continue, Abukara.”
My hands nervously flinched, and the mouse slipped from my grip.
W-W-W-What was that about?!
I immediately looked away and stared at the laptop screen trying to regain my composure. That smile was so powerful and gentle. It was as if he was giving me an actual compliment. Blood nearly swelled within my cheeks but fortunately, I knew better.
Was he taunting me? Yes! He was not paying attention on purpose in order to throw me off!
There was no way I would give him any satisfaction. I had to stay calm and focused. This was one of the most important parts of the presentation. Knowing exactly who the customer was and their potential reach was vital to the continued success of Mikihara Snacks.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get that damned smile out of my head. I don’t think he’s ever looked at me like before. Why couldn’t he look at me like that more often? Maybe things would be different between us if he only -
My face was getting warm. There was no time for this, especially here! I bit my lip in order to force myself back into reality.
W-W-What am I thinking right now?!
The pain helped center my thoughts as I reached the final slide of this section. I took a deep breath and dared to invite him to speak once more.
“Are there any questions?”
I sat back from my computer waiting a few moments to be polite. This time the dog wasn’t still. He actually appeared to be thinking thoughtfully for a moment.
“What are our estimates for distribution? How soon can we get the product to the customer?”
My entire body convulsed by the weight of his words. Not only was he paying attention, but he had an insightful question that I completely forgot to include in the presentation.
I sat there completely oblivious to the world around me. Kyosuke the dog had me chained to his leash and was leading me around wherever he wanted and there was nothing I could do but blindly obey.
He was definitely taunting me now. I hated this. Maybe I’ll just quit and get this nightmare over with. That might be exactly what he wants but I couldn’t take being played with like this anymore!
“W-We’re expecting to begin shipping the first wave of products around the last week of November with an on shelf date of December 1.”
My head immediately spun to the source of the voice. Okamoto-san came to my rescue. It was as if the fog had been lifted from my body and I could finally see clearly. I wanted to clasp my hands together as I offered him praise within my thoughts.
Thank you, Okamoto-san! You are such a good employee!
With renewed focus, I was able to return and meet the dog head on for his next question.
“Can we guarantee that?”
Oh, how little did he think of me. Why would I put in any figures if it wasn’t something we were confident in achieving. That sudden bout of disrespect was exactly what I needed to turn the tide. I wasn’t about to let this animal believe he had gotten the best of me.
My eyes snapped towards him as I bore upon his wretched figure with sheet confidence.
“Absolutely.”
The dog rattled in his seat a bit which seemed odd. What happened to that abundant amount of confidence you were displaying? When someone else decided to bare their fangs you immediately turn tail and run away?
I leered at my screen awaiting his next move with a small smile.
How disappointing, Kyosuke the dog.
“T-Then, let’s discuss distribution further.”
I transitioned to the next slide and continued. This was the most important part of the presentation, our product distribution capabilities. I wasn’t overly confident that this beast could actually sell so many units but our kitchens were only so big and we only had so many trucks so it was vital that we not oversell our capabilities.
The conversation I had with Hasegawa-san yesterday made it clear that we could produce no more than two-hundred thousand units. It would be a miracle of he achieved that much but a disaster if he went any further. I hope he’s making note of this.
I took a deep breath and clicked on the final slide.
“That concludes our presentation. If you have any questions – “
I glanced over at the dog and my eyes began to tremble. He was bearing down at me with a grimaced and hateful expression. Did he know what I was thinking? Was he trying to intimidate me here because I thwarted his previous attempts?
If I invited him for further discussion that was like jumping straight into a lion’s cage. I didn’t want to speak with him face to face again about this or anything else. Just leave me alone!
My conclusion was completely derailed, and I struggled to put the proper words in my mouth to end the meeting.
“P-Please send me an email and I will respond as quickly as I can.”
I couldn’t believe what I had just said but thankfully, my mind led my words exactly where they needed to go even if the delivery was off. Perhaps I had underestimated my confidence. I could not afford to let my guard down around him.
At last, the meeting had ended. My subordinates and his all stood up and started shaking hands. I dreaded engaging in this custom with the dog. In order to maintain professionalism, I did not shy away from his hand as he extended it towards mine and spoke.
“Thank you for your - !”
A surge of electricity coursed through my entire body as our skin connected for the first time since that incident. My heart raced as blood swelled into my face. His strong grip reminded me of his powerful arms wrapped around me in that tight embrace.
D-Did his hand always feel this good?
Being in this close proximity only instigated the memories to further encapsulate my vision. My nerves quenched at the feeling and tickled my senses as the trembled in his mighty grasp.
My heart trembled within my chest. It was so loud I thought the entire room was shaking. We had engaged in this inane act in many professional interactions but it has never felt as powerful as this before.
Strength was beginning to dwindle from my knees. I looked up at him wondering what dreaded animalistic expression he had waiting for me but I couldn’t bear to find out and instinctively turned away.
I had to end this charade immediately. Mustering what little courage I had within me, I offered him a few meek and parting words.
“G-Good luck on your sales meeting.”
That was so embarrassing but thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice. Our hands parted and he immediately began his way out of the conference room. I made sure they were all completely out of sight before I let out an exhausting sigh.
What is the matter with me?
I clutched the hand that still bore traces of his scent and pulled it to my chest. That damned heart of mine continued to beat relentlessly. I didn’t know what I did to deserve this humiliation, but I could not afford to dwell on it now.
There was still more work to be done. A new product was on the horizon for a special New Years release that would have to begin development immediately. And yet, despite all of that, I couldn’t get the thought of his powerful touch out of my mind.