The Saiko Files

3 - Kocho Shuyona

       I came out thoroughly shaking from head to toe from Mr Saikou's office. He was obviously angry about something, he certainly looked and sounded like he was. But he didn't direct any of the anger at me. It was still a frightening sight and had me trembling. As I went down the hall, one of Mr Saikou's assistants must've seen how shaken I was from the experience.

      "Hey," she said in a hushed tone, waving my over to the side of the hall. I followed her, frowning. She gave a light laugh. "I see you've seen Mr Saikou today, sir?"

      I nodded. "Yeah, and I kind of regret it."

     She laughed again. "Oh, don't worry, sir. He wasn't at all angry with you or your business. You have nothing to worry about, I assure you."

     I tilted my head out of curiosity. I wanted to learn more about this situation. "Why was Mr Saikou so angry then?"

     The lady bit her lower lip nervously, hesitating before dropping her voice down to a whisper. "Mr Saikou had a very heated argument with his daughter, you see. He hasn't been in the best of moods after it. I really shouldn't say anymore, sir."

     "Oh, no, please do tell," I nodded. "I just want to have a better understanding of this whole scenario."

     She sighed. "Your school that you run, Mr Shuyona, was indeed made for Mr Saikou's daughter solely. To have her best years spent there happily. That's what you were told, right? Well, think of the school as something to run and manage. Like Mr Saikou's business. A training simulation to prepare her for taking over Saikou corp."

     At this sudden realization, I was not sad or angry that what I had been looking forward to for a long time was not at all what I thought it was. I was just....

     Let down completely.

     All my hopes and dreams for the school crushed. It was never for the students of Japan, it was for some rich man's daughter. Just for her. But nevertheless, the school would still carry on, which filled me with hope and eagerness.

     "And after all her years of training, her whole LIFE of training for inheriting the family business just....went to waste. She doesn't want to run the company when Mr Saikou retires. She was the eldest of his children and his chosen one, which made him understandably furious with his daughter. The fight went down and she wanted to leave for some crazy reason. She wants to travel the world because she thinks she has a lost sister. Classic tale, if you ask me. And when she walked out of his office, it was over. He disowned her. She's dead to him. And her brother, well-"

     The lady stopped herself mid-sentence. "No, no, no," she whimpered, putting her head down and turning red. "I've already said too much. I-I think you should be on your way now, Mr Shuyona. Have a great rest of your day, sir."

     I opened my mouth to say something but I found myself tipping my head and walking away, towards the elevator and to the exit of the building. I sat in the taxi, trying to process this all.

     Thus, when I got back to school the next day, I pulled out an old friend Mr Saikou had given to me. No students ever really came into my office, so I pulled out the tape-recorder that I last used when I was 25. Now, I am 28. 3 years really flies by, doesn't it? I explained everything in the recording to help calm myself. I even came up with my own theory,  heh.

Mr Saikou's daughter will not have the business, then. But it was mentioned that he has two children. That means his son will inherit the company. And Mr Saikou's daughter....she went through almost all her life in training. Just for the moment to run the family business. Which means that her brother will be pt through the same thing at Akademi Academy, except more fast paced. Poor boy. I wouldn't want to be forced into anything like that either.