Someone bumped into her from behind. Christina took a step forward and regained her balance by the window in the stairwell.

“Excuse me!”

It was another student. A third year according to her uniform.

“Oh, it's you! I didn't know.”

Christina gave the third year a long stare. Suzu-something. She remembered her from somewhere.

“I apologise for my errors,” the third year suddenly said and bowed deep.

Christina got a good look at where her neckline dropped to where her cleavage was covered by the blouse. You were among those who attacked me! She studied the girl closer. Something was definitely off. Wait a minute!

“How old are you?” Christina asked the still bowing figure.

“Wh… what?” She rose.

Christina looked at her neck and hands. She's fully grown! “What are you doing in this school?” Christina shot off her next question.

“What do you mean? I'm a student here.” Something in her eyes wavered.

“If you're eighteen then I'm the princess of Japan.”

That hit home. But what is that woman doing here, wearing our uniform and all? The girls attacking her had been suspended for a week or so. That was all. No police, no nothing. But this...

“What do you...?”

“Drop it! I'm sure the police would be very interested in your...” What's that damn word again? “Your identity card.” She's been here for at least a month. There's no way she's not registered here.

“I don't understand what...”

“I said drop it. I'll talk with Ulf Hammargren. He's good at digging things up.” If you call my bluff I'm busted. But there really is no way in hell you're under twenty.

“I can't say anything. Do whatever you want.”

Christina didn't dare push it any more right now. She left and went in search for Ulf. He was most probably in their club room planning a garden party for the middle of the Japanese rainy season.

In Sweden, Moron-sama. Nori-chan got that part right, about Moron-sama. 'It's mandatory in Sweden.' You idiot! How do you plan to have them eat sour milk mixed with boiled potatoes and salty herring? Hammer it down their throats? And I even backed him on this!

Sometimes his 'we do it like this in Sweden' really frayed her nerves. He could get used to doing some 'like in Sweden' himself. Like telling her he loved her would be a good start.

As it was now he only made her nervous, and flustered, and all warm inside, and… But that wasn't the point. That was her falling uncontrollably in love with him. She knew that. There was no returning now.

Twice before. When I was fourteen, the first time, and when I was twenty. Twice. She shook her head while she half-ran through the corridor. I promised myself I'd never allow myself to be that stupid again. Christina stopped just outside the door. Ulf, damn you! I'm falling so hard for you I don't know what to do any longer.

She needed to open that door. They were already dating, weren't they? There was no reason for her to feel this uncertain, was there?

Then she found her resolve. Right now she needed his strength and arrogance more than his love. She pulled the door open.

“Ulf, we need to talk.”

***

They rode their bikes. Together for the first time. Not too far from the school but far enough to feel like an unplanned date. For once Ulf had taken his bike all the way to school. A ten minutes ride brought them to a river of sorts with the concrete embankments and promenade road she had come to associate with Japan.

She had just finished telling him about her encounter earlier when he pulled the brakes and jumped off his bike while it skidded along the tarmac.

You just had to play the teenager like that. But it's kind of sexy. And we're not going there. Flustered she decided to end her monologue and got off her bike herself. “And that's it. She's not a day under twenty.” she finished her narrative.

“How can you be so certain?” Ulf pulled his bike to the side of the narrow road.

Christina rolled her eyes. “Look Ulf, I made a career after I quit modelling. I know what a woman looks like. Just trust me on this!”

She looked upstream to where a bridge cut the river view. There was one downstream as well. Then she turned her attention to Ulf.

He nodded when he saw her looking at him. His face had darkened considerably while she explained what had happened. “I'll use it to put some pressure on Nakagawa then. He knows about us. I guess you also want to know about them.”

Us. He means us two, but he doesn't mean us two. “I wonder if we've ever met, I mean in our previous life.” She suddenly wanted to change the subject.

They looked at other cyclists and the occasional pair walking the road. It was a simple enough question, but Ulf looked like he wanted some time to think it over. He always seemed to want to think things over.

“Really doesn't matter now,” Ulf answered. “I don't think so. We moved in different worlds.” His hand suddenly shot out. “Walk down there?”

Christina looked where he pointed and followed him down some stairs that led to the water. He was right. She was happy here and now but she was also more than a little irritated. She had wanted his arrogance but that didn't mean she liked it. “Your world?” she asked. She was still curious about the man behind the boy.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“CEO. Mid-sized IT consulting and education company.”

“Hmm, yeah different world. What was it called?” It just had to be something that dull.

She threw a glance upwards. The sky was overcast, but at least it didn't rain.

Ulf shot her a sullen look. “Is still called. I'm just absent these days.”

There was that of course. In the other world Ulf's company still existed. “So what is it called?”

“Twin Arc Production, or TAP.”

Christina froze. “TAP?”

“What about it. You heard of us?”

She started giggling. “Yes you could say that. Second time made up for the first though.” All thoughts about an inconsiderate Ulf vanished in an instant. Then she laughed until it hurt.

It was a while later that Ulf demanded an explanation. He deserved it she guessed.

She watched him lying on his back in the grass. Yeah, he deserves it. “Christina Agerman,” she said. “Doesn't ring a bell?”

“Of course! Well, nothing that has anything to do with my company.”

“You know you're not the only one to use an abbreviation. I'll give you a hint. Christina Agerman.” She studied his face while he frantically tried to make the connection.

“Sorry, nothing comes to mind.”

Maybe it was too obvious for him to see. “Chag,” she said when she had decided that he wouldn't make the guess.

“Oh shit!”

“Oh shit indeed.” And she laughed again. “Aptly named I'm afraid. Our last line was, well less than top quality. I'm still a bit ashamed of it.”

He rose on his elbows and stared at her. “You were one of our most important customers back in the days. But we didn't usually do full scale B2C solutions. And, oh, oh shit! Yeah, second time was better. I get that now.”

She sat down and looked across the water. It was better like this, to get away from the school even only for a while. Well, he was waiting for an answer.

“Hmm, you reimbursed us a lot of money for that disaster. Really crap delivery. Only reason you got that second contract.” She shook some hair from her face and looked at him.

Ulf grimaced. “We sent Niklas the second time as well. He cost me so much money the first time I couldn't afford using anyone else when we got the second contract.” He was still staring at the river, and she could see how he had gone back in time and memories. It made her want to run her fingers through all that thick hair of his.

She needed to say something. Maybe play a bit stupid. “Eh?”

“There was not a sliver of a chance that he'd screw up the second job. It was personal for him.”

Christina thought of it for a while. “Nice,” she said. “Promoting failure as on the job training. I like the concept provided people learn from their errors.” She stretched in the wind and waited for Ulf to continue. For a moment she had become her old self. The fashion empress, the queen in the shadows. That was history. Right now together with Ulf she very much wanted to be the young girl she looked like.

“Yeah you have to make sure about that. But as soon as you make people afraid of failing they stop progressing. That's just bad management. Just make sure to fail as fast as humanly possible.”

“Eh?” If I sound like I don't understand I get to hear more of his voice.

“Costs less. By promoting fast fails you identify dead ends in a minimum of time and for a minimal cost. Well I'm boring you with technicalities.”

You condescending little brat! “You're boring me? You ran a company we could have bought for what we spent in the bar during a promotion event, and you're boring me?” Sometimes Ulf just grew too big a head and he really didn't make it easier for her to stay out of the role as her former self.

“Sorry I apologise.” Ulf scratched his head. “You know that's a difference. TAP doesn't matter all that much, but isn't Chag a major player in fashion and cosmetics?”

At least he knows when he screws up. Christina nodded. “My personal share was one percent and I was good for well over a billion dollars. Second in fashion on the planet. And that company doesn't even exist in this world.” That had taken some time to accept after she arrived here. “You know two years ago I visited a big opening event here in Tokyo, incognito. It scares me that it never happened in this world.”

“How do you mean scares you?” He looked at her with concern in his eyes.

“I've been to the place where our first Tokyo store opened. It's an H&M store there now. They're a fairly respectable chain back home but here they're some kind of global dragon in fashion. About the same size as Chag.”

“I didn't know they operated outside Sweden.”

“Northern Europe only back home. This really is another world. I never built my fashion empire here, so they did instead.”

“Talking about fashion empire, thanks for helping me with my outfit the other day. I'm in your debt.”

This time it was Christina's turn to grimace. That had been an act of mercy. He still had way too much of his scary gear. Scary gear of fantastic quality, she admitted to herself, but it still looked like crap.

The topic had meandered again. Christina didn't care. She had him for herself. “You sure are. For a moment there I thought you knew your wardrobe.” I can sit here and talk about nothing with you forever.

“I had help,” Ulf murmured.

“Say again?”

“I had help, some years ago.”

“You could have used some more.” Christina followed a twig with her eyes as it slowly floated down the river. “Reminds me that when you delivered that second site we were so satisfied that I had an impromptu reward made for your company. Well, I didn't know it was yours back then. Anyway, I do remember that second delivery you know.”

Ulf murmured some more. His face was strangely red. He ripped up a straw of grass and fidgeted with it.

“It was one of our best fashion coaches. I'm certain whomever he trained would end up looking the very best.”

“I guess.”

“I wonder… Ulf, you're silent.”

And he murmured some more.

“No!”

That blush could be seen right through all his tan.