The whispers of a heart [BL]

Chapter 7

Tuesday came quicker than I had imagined. One moment I was still enjoying a pleasant Sunday at home, and the next I was on my way to meet the bigshots from the financial and movie-making industry.

That morning I received a fax from Kota-san, containing information about the people I would be meeting in a few hours.

The corporation that offered the funds for making the movie was called Nozomu Financial and their representative would be Managing Director Asakura Ryuu. At 35 years old he was already a big figure in the financial world. With a lot of achievements under his belt and the support of other managers in the company, Asakura Ryuu had made a name for himself in the business. It appeared that the president of the company favored him quite a lot and so he gained the freedom to proceed with several investment ideas without having to report beforehand.

The other two people who would be joining us where from the production company. They were film director Mayama Kenta and movie producer Fukuoka Shintarou. About them Kato-san wrote little, only mentioning that they were willing to work with us as per the contract conditions and that they were in their late thirties, early forties. They had both worked together on a few other projects, which had all been a booming success. Also, their individual achievements weren't to be ignored either. Awards, nominations, prizes and trophies; they both had more than a handful of those warming up their shelves at home.

Looking at the data, that meant I was the less accomplished out of all of them. It's true that my books had sold well, but I can't say I became a sensation. Compared to these people's hot successes, mine can only be said to be lukewarm at best. Furthermore, if you take the age, excluding Kurosawa-kun, I would be the youngest. Can someone like me really talk business with those heavy figures from their respective industry?

Trying to support my troubled mind with encouraging thoughts, I drove like a robot not paying attention to the scenery. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the restaurant half an hour earlier than the agreed time. There was nothing to be done than to get inside and wait.

The place they had chosen for this meeting was an elegant, but rather small venue. The entire eating area was tastefully decorated with traditional tatami mats, pillows for sitting and short tables. As far as I could see there weren't many people around and the tables were separated by folding screens. That allowed for people to meet intimately, not being worried about prying eyes, but at the same time giving off the feeling of being in a community.

As soon as I entered, I was greeted with a polite bow. After stating my name and business, a waiter took me to a table in the far-left corner. I was offered water and left by myself to wait for the rest of the party.

Kurosawa-san was going to arrive shortly as well. He said he couldn't leave the office earlier so, instead of picking me up, he would be coming straight to the restaurant.

While I waited for that half an hour, I finally managed to reign in my emotions. I was still a bit nervous, but far less than when I had arrived.

Just as I was about to look for a waiter to order something to drink, I saw a man dressed in a stylish dark grey suit coming over to my table. His black hair was slicked back, showing a wide forehead. His eyes looked penetrating as he was glancing around. Even from afar this person exuded strength and authority. I suddenly got remembered of the Chinese idiom 'standing out like a crane among chickens'. This truly fitted the man perfectly. I was sure that wherever he went, he would attract people's attention.