CHAPTER ONE
HIRED
Nicola was nervous. Today was the day. She looked at the various pieces of abstract art that hung on the walls of my new manager's office in an attempt to calm herself down. Her new boss had interesting taste. Mixed in with the abstract pieces of art were several posters of boy-bands and individual artists all signed under Johnny's Entertainment. NEWS, SMAP, V6, Yamashita Tomohisa, Kisumai - you name it, it was there. His office was relatively large. The right wall was completely constructed out of glass that gave way to a spectacular view of Tokyo - she could even see the Tokyo Sky Tree from where she sat. Nicola glanced at the left wall - half of it had been cleared to make room for something. Another poster or piece of art perhaps?
Nicola turned her attention to the desk. It took up a fair amount of floor space. There were the usual things you would expect to see on a desk - fountain pens, post-it-notes, a large apple computer. And right smack bang in the middle was her boss's name-plate. She could read and understand most of the Kanji inscribed on it, but eventually she gave up and lazily looked below for the English translation. It read 'Kitagawa Johnny.'
"Kitagawa Johnny-sama, Kitagawa Johnny-senpai, Kitagawa Johnny-sensei, Kacho..." Nicola uttered under her breath, wondering which form of address would be appropriate to use when he arrived.
She checked the time on the big wall clock hanging above his desk. 3.00pm. Then, as though she had summoned him by magic, the doors behind her burst open and there stood Johnny Kitagawa himself. He was followed by a coterie of men and women in black pinstripe suits and dresses - much like the outfit she was wearing. She suddenly felt right at home.
"O'Malley, Nicola-san?" Kitagawa-sama questioned, examining a sheet of paper that he had pulled from a manila folder on his desk.
"Yes?" she answered, turning to face him and crossing her legs.
"This is my translator, Yamaguchi-san. Please speak clearly in English, so he can translate your answers to me," he said in Japanese.
"Okay," she answered, shifting in her seat a little.
"Would you care to tell me why you think you would be suitable for this job?" he asked.
'Here it goes,' Nicola thought as she opened her mouth to speak.
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"And lastly, tell me a bit about yourself. What do you like to do in your spare-time?"
"Um, I like to draw-" she began.
"Oh? Manga?" he queried, sounding interested.
"Yes, but I'm not very good. I like doing it because it brings me great joy. I also like photography, reading, writing, caring for animals and watching movies."
Nicola thought it unnecessary to bring up her love for Arashi again. She didn't want to sound too desperate to get the job. After all, if she did get the position, she might end up as manager of a different boy-band. The job description had been rather ambiguous and her ability to read and understand written Japanese was not very good in contrast to her spoken and listening ability. Kitagawa-sama's mouth turned into a slow smile. He was silent for a few moments, and then he spoke.
"Nicola-san, your answers are perfect. Just what I need to hear from a possible future employee. But I'm interested to see you in action. Therefore, I have decided to give you a month's trial. I want you to manage the schedule of Matsumoto Jun-san alongisde four other interns who will be managing the other boys' schedules in and outside of Arashi."
"Yes sir, Thank-You very much sir," Nicola answered, hardly able to contain her excitement.
"Very good. You begin your trial next week on Monday. My secretary will hand you all of the necessary information when you leave. I'm giving you the rest of the week off to relax and prepare yourself. Being a manager of a boy-band can be very stressful at times," he warned.
"Yes sir, I understand sir. I won't let you down. Thank-You again for this opportunity!" Nicola bowed respectfully and quietly left Kitagawa-sama's office.
Out in the corridor, she cautiously approached a slightly smaller desk with a beautiful, slim Japanese woman perched behind it.
"Um, excuse me... I'm O'Malley Nicola-san. I was told to collect some information from you regarding the new intern trial..."
"Hai! Chotto matte kudasai," replied the secretary, flashing a warm smile in Nicola's direction.
The secretary turned her back and opened up a large filing cabinet situated directly behind the desk. Out came five manila folders and a thick booklet. Then she turned to one of her desk drawers and pulled out a new identification card and lanyard with Nicola's name on it. The secretary handed these items to her and then indicated that there was one item left. A jangling of metal on metal sounded as the secretary pulled out a set of car keys.
"Okay, the five manila folders contain information specific to the schedules for the members of Arashi, and the booklet is just a general overview of how things are run here at Johnny's entertainment. In case you ever need it, your I.D. card gives you clearance for all levels of this building. You have not been assigned an office as of yet, as you have only been contracted for a trial period. However, you will be travelling quite a lot, so the company has given you a car and unlimited use of petrol vouchers. Do you have any further questions?" she asked.
"No, thanks," Nicola replied.
"Oh, uh boys! That poster can go straight into Kacho's office please!" said the secretary suddenly.
Nicola turned to see two Japanese men holding a massive poster of Arashi just outside Kitagawa-san's office. She looked immediately for Jun-kun, but it seemed that part of the poster was still rolled up. She could see Ohno-kun and Aiba-chan though, and found herself smiling back at their photographed faces like an idiot. She watched until the men had completely entered the office, and then turned and bowed to the secretary. She bowed back. Then Nicola walked down the corridor towards the elevators. She was half hoping that the elevator would be empty so that she could scream her excitement and disbelief at receiving a job at Johnny's Entertainment, even if it was only a trial. But the elevator doors opened to reveal two men and a woman inside, so she kept silent. As she approached the reception area in a hurry to get home, Nicola was stopped by a young Japanese woman of about 25, who looked like she needed a coffee break.
"O'Malley Nicola-san?" she queried.
"Hai," Nicola replied, bowing.
"Kitagawa-sama's secretary rang me to inform you that your company car is on level four of the parking lot next door."
"Oh, great. Thanks!" she said, nodding her head as she left the building.
It took her a while to figure out which car was hers - she hadn't realised that Kitagawa-sama's secretary had plastered a sticker with her car's registration number on her car keys, and almost turned around to go back and ask for it. The car was a black, brand new Suzuki Swift. Nicola clicked the button on her keys to unlock the car and slid into the driver's seat. As soon as she shut the door, she let out a massive fangirl scream. She was going to be the manager of Arashi, and the best part was, she'd been assigned to plan Matsumoto Jun-kun's schedule! Nicola drove home, grabbing some sushi for tea on the way. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep tonight. She remembered what Kitagawa-san had said about taking the week ahead off to relax, but Nicola was in no position to relax now...
