Back in Time [WMatsui fanfic]

CHAPTER 3

Jurina was starting to wonder if the odds were not against her. The sun was shining brightly over her head when she stepped out of her apartment, and it was now pouring hard as she was making her way to the office. Had she done something terrible in another life? Because she didn't remember doing anything wrong in this one that justified what she was going through. No, she was not going to be late – which was an undeniable relief – but she was going to be completely drenched by the time she arrived at the office. The disturbing prospect didn't appeal to her in the least.

"Why didn't Alfred warn me about the rain?" Jurina muttered under her breath. She was desperately trying to dodge the drops, protecting her head as best as she could underneath her black, leather jacket. That's because he was obsessed with my 'dream'. It messed up his program, Jurina mused in frustration, catching in the distance the familiar 25-floor building. I need to do something about it when I go home tonight.

Jurina quickened her pace, more than relieved when the golden plate indicating Matsui Corporation appeared. After exchanging a few polite words with the guard, she hastily made her way inside. Jurina removed her black jacket over her head, wincing in displeasure when she observed its terrible state. She loved that leather jacket more than anything. It would take all day long to dry.

Jurina ran her fingers through her hair, her jacket ending up doing a better job than she expected as her hair was mostly dry. That was a small but not insignificant consolation considering that – after taking a good look at herself through the hallway mirror – the rest of her appearance was a total mess. Jurina moved forward, her watch emitting another beep. A quick glance told her she had five minutes left.

The 24-year-old girl walked decisively towards the elevators, sending a smile on her way to the two women at the reception. Usually, she would go up to their desk and take a few minutes to chat with them, but it was not an option this morning. The visual contact was brief, yet their amused looks didn't go unnoticed. Apparently, her terrible appearance was entertaining them both a lot.

Jurina pretended not to notice, and entered the first elevator that was about to close. She didn't have the luxury to wait for another. She wasn't late yet, but it didn't mean her time wasn't limited. When she stepped inside and discovered that it was already occupied by a long, dark haired familiar woman, her eyes widened. She hadn't stopped thinking about her for the last nine hours.

"Rena-san... Hi." Jurina's mouth tugged into a pleased smile.

Her boss was wearing a black trench coat, the belt carefully closed around her waist, along with a matching pair of long leather boots. It didn't take long for Jurina to observe that her hair and clothes were perfectly dry. Manifestly, she had been much more cautious than her when it came to the weather. It didn't come as a real surprise to her. If there's one thing she had observed for the past month, it was that the head of Matsui Corporation valued the way she presented herself. Nevermind the context or circumstances, she always harbored a neat appearance, from her well-groomed hair, to her impeccably ironed clothes and clean shoes.

"Hello, Jurina-san." The head of Matsui Corporation returned the smile warmly. Jurina didn't miss her concern as she scanned her from head to toe. "You're wet. Did you forget to take your umbrella?"

"Alfred didn't warn me about the rain," Jurina lamented. She didn't like the terrible view she was offering, especially to her employer. When she noticed the latter's puzzlement, it occurred to her that the other girl was missing a piece of information. "Ah right. I didn't mention him during dinner. Alfred lives with me. He's my humanoid robot."

"Oh... I see. I don't have a personal robot."

Jurina wasn't surprised. The older girl mentioned during their dinner her certain dislike for excessive technology. It appeared the head of Matsui Corporation was not particularly fond of what society had progressively become. A society that, according to her own words, was gradually losing its humanity. Her ideology transcribed in the way she managed her own company. Matsui Corporation was renown as one of the last companies in the country that employed a large proportion of human employees.