Friday morning. Sugimura Inc. Nth. floor. Olof had already forgotten exactly which floor he was on, only that it was the right one. It was surreal. If anyone would tell him that he'd one day would be working for an import/export company in Tokyo, he'd say they were mad. But here he was. He'd moved here three months ago, still trying to get the hang of things. His Japanese was far from perfect, but OK. He could enough to make himself understood, and do the job he was supposed to do. He'd left home early, as he was scared to be late, especially on his first day. Being 5-10 late now and again back home was no big deal. Here, however, it was. Come one minute past 8, and you're considered a slacker. Coming to work before the boss wasn't popular either, so he'd grabbed himself a bowl of noodles in a shop across the street, since he'd skipped breakfast, and kept an eye on his watch.
It was now exactly 8 AM. Olof adjusted his tie, wiped sweat from his hands on his pants, and knocked on the door, and opened it as soon as he heard a "come in" from the other side.
In front of a large desk inside, stood a woman he assumed were in her mid-30's, with her arms crossed. She wore a dark gray jacket and skirt, white stockings and black shoes. She also had a white shirt and a black tie. In a corner stood another woman, which he almost found a bit intimidating. She wore a black suit, white shirt and tie, black shoes. Her hair was combed backwards, and she wore a big pair of shades, covering her eyes and eyebrows completely. Her face was expressionless.
Olof cleared his throat, took a deep bow and said the correct, polite phrases he'd rehearsed in front of the mirror in his flat. The woman smiled.
"That's neat", she said. "But you don't need to do that stuff when there's only the three of us. A handshake will do." Feeling a bit stupid, Olof smiled back.
"Sure", he said, and reach out his hand. "I'm Olof Hädlund. Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise", she said, shaking it. "I'm Yuki Sugimura. The sunshine in the corner is Kaori. Don't bother with handshakes, though, she doesn't do that." Olof looked at her, and nodded.
"How do you do", he said. She nodded in return.
"You speak English very well", he said to Yuki. "I'm surprised to find anyone who speaks it here."
"Thanks", she replied. "Yeah, it's not a big thing here. But I lived most of my life in Alabama. I've only been here for seven years. You're from Sweden, right? Or was it Denmark? I keep mixing those countries."
"Sweden, correct", he said.
"I was right the first time, then. Please, have a seat."
"So, Olof, hope I pronounced it right, what do you know about Sugimura Inc?"
"I know that you're newly established, in 2009, if my memory serves me well. And that you import and export erotic products." Yuki nodded.
"Yes....and no. We established in 2009, that is correct. We also deal in erotic products, correct also, but we're much more than that. We deal in everything from furniture to children's toys, to cutlery to Christmas trees. You name it, we export and import it. If we don't, we will soon enough. This department here, though, does indeed deal in erotic articles, from lingerie to toys, birth control, films, books etc." She smirked.
"Among other departments, we're known as the 'smut department', or 'smut floor'". Olof smirked as well.
"I see. The tabloid-syndrome, I take it."
"Excuse me?"
"You know, when there's a certain tabloid paper that 'everybody' looks down on, but the sales numbers says otherwise." Yuki grinned.
