[Kyoto] Yumi Interrupted

"Yumi!" a man in a business suit called from outside the girl's room. "Please come out! Your father is waiting!"

Yumi jerked out of her slumber suddenly. She barely caught the last bit of the man's call. If her father was waiting, she would be as quick as she could. "Hold on! I'll be out soon!"

She immediately began sorting through potential garments. Many things passed by, to be piled messily on her bed, before she ultimately settled on a simple vermilion skirt and soft white blouse. She dressed herself as quickly as she could manage, though took great pains to make sure she looked perfect. This, of course, involved some few minutes of deciding on how to wear her hair (ultimately settling on a simple pleated braid), and what color eye shadow she should wear. Pale red won out, and she also painted her nails in a similar color. It was a process of nearly fifteen minutes before she finally ventured forth from the confines of her bedroom.

She found Tetsukana-san outside, dressed in a white suit with a pink shirt and white tie, the traditional outfit for the Takehara clan for business purposes. The man was an older Geshrin of Japanese descent, with combed hair that was black on top but grayed on the sides, "Yumi-chan," he said in the stern voice she'd become familiar with. "You've got to be more responsible. We're holding up a whole starship for you. Come on, now."

Yumi bowed her head and nodded, briefly. "I'm sorry, Tetsukana-sama. I won't be late again." She looked up, as what he had said fully sank in. "What do you mean, starship? I've never seen a starship before..." She tilted her head, laughing softly. "Why would a starship be held up for me?"

"Yumi-chan," Tetsukana put his arm around Yumi's back, and started leading her down the hall at a quick pace, "Takehara-sama has been planning this trip to the Fenyar Cloud for over a week now. He wants to inquire into creating a business partnership with NovaCorp and get into the civilian market for small space vehicles. I know we haven't been around much lately, but it's been important to the business, and well, we did mention this trip to you a week ago. It's not my fault if all the time you spend chatting with those boys on the holo-denwa is eating away at your mind." the man let out a short laugh. "Your father wants you there at the meeting so he can show you off. You know how proud is. I am, too. You've become such a lovely young woman."

Yumi immediately began protesting. "But... but I don't have any extra clothing packed! I don't even have my eye shadow and nail polish! Not even a hairbrush!" She stopped speaking, smiled, "Yes, I like being at daddy's meetings... except everyone is so old! And their always kind of creepy..." She sighed wistfully, not really resisting that she had been led away with nothing packed. It was against her nature, but she would have given an arm and a leg - literally - for her father.

"Look, Yumi-chan, you shouldn't worry. You can always buy new things on the ship. It is a luxury liner and it will have all the best stores. Unfortunately, each minute we taking getting there increases the chance of us missing it and having to take a shuttle to catch it...and the lack of personal shuttles is of course the same problem we are on the way to address at the meeting," Tetsukana told her. "So, let's hurry."

"But I don't have any money with me either... and they... never have silver lipstick!" Yumi was now arguing more for argument's sake then out of actual concern. She could get any money she needed from her father whenever she wanted, and she hadn't worn silver lipstick for almost two years. Indeed, her current style demanded transparent lip-gloss, which could be located almost anywhere. But she enjoyed arguing with Tetsukana, and also enjoyed talking... whether there was a subject that needed discussion or not.

The older man couldn't help but let a smile slip into the features of his slightly wrinkled face. "You know, there's a well-reputed spa on board," he mentioned, letting her absorb the information, "It has a large number of simulated hot springs, big saunas, and expert massages that go on for as long as you'd like, as well as the latest treatments for beauty and aging...not that you have to worry about signs of aging just yet, of course." He led her out of the house and into a glossy white luxury sedan that was running outside. The driver opened the door for him and the girl.

Yumi thought it over, and smiled. "Yes... that sounds agreeable..." She liked the idea. One could never go wrong with excessive luxuries that cost nothing! Acupuncture was probably her favorite, though saunas and massages came very close. She was still, however, somewhat perturbed that she hadn't remembered the trip... she was usually very good about such things. Especially when her father asked her to remember something.

Once they'd got into the car's back seat the vehicle raced through the streets of Kyoto towards the spaceport. The shuttle service to the ship was being provided by some of the Ketsurui clan's craft as a courtesy to the wealthy and privileged families that were allowed on the luxury liner. The ship, Tetsukana told her, was named the "Queen of the Stars" and was currently doing a tour of all of the Yamatai Star Empire, to include its latest destinations, Tami and the Fenyar Cloud. As always, Tetsukana's cologne pleasured Yumi's nose with its masculine aroma, subtle yet powerfully charming. It was a little stronger when the man felt he was doing something important; today she could tell he had been generous in applying it.

Yumi shook her head softly. She liked the cologne well enough, but as it sunk in, she realized it was too much. She maintained her composure and chose not to say anything about, or make any note to her own irritation at it. It was polite, she had learned to be polite but slightly flirty in the presence of businessmen, all for the sake of her father's sales. She had brought him astronomical profits, but sometimes she felt it was a little bit wrong. "Tetsukana-sama? Why are personal shuttles actually necessary?"

"People use them to get from place to place. Today's Yamatai Empire is vaster than ever, and not many people can afford to travel on a large passenger ship like the Queen of the Stars. Instead of having to buy tickets for travel, people who find they going planet to planet or ship to ship often would benefit from having a personal shuttle. And beside, your father thinks there is a lot of potential to market shuttles and robots together." Tetsukana gave her a polite smile, "Your hair looks nice," he commented, knowing she was probably concerned about it being too plain.

The girl painstakingly inspected her fingernails, and sighed. "I painted them unevenly..." She blinked. "But I don't understand why many people would ever need to travel through space... it cant be much of a market. Most people live stationary lives. And are there not cheaper ways to travel than the ship we're to travel on?" She didn't know much about the workings of the world, she had always lived a very sheltered life. "And why does the Empire grow as it does? Aren't we at peace?"

Tetsukana frowned ever so slightly, not really feeling like explaining the intricacies of the Star Empire's policies on colonization, conquest, and peaceful adoption of new worlds. While it was partly true most people lived stationary lives, there were a lot of businesspeople, travelers, and professionals that could use shuttles and small starships to travel and perhaps even live on. And this of course was where the money was. "We are not at peace, dear. The Star Army has been fighting the SMX for some time now..." Of course, Yumi led a sheltered existence and was far more concerned with her appearance and her friends on the holo-phone and at the mall than the millions of lives being lost out on the frontier.

She tilted her head, blinking. "Why are we fighting the SMX? What did they do?" She had some interest in political and social happenings... so long as they didn't get in the way of her social life. Right now, she had no way to contact any of her friends, and thus it was her immediate reaction to try to pry some of life's little mysteries out of Tetsukana before she could fall asleep again. She wanted more sleep, badly.

"Apparently," Tetsukana explained, "They want to enslave us and use us for food and reproductive purposes. Not to mention they're quite ill-tempered from the descriptions I read in the papers." The car pulled to a stop outside the last shuttle to the cruise starship, just as the flight attendant was started to close the door. The chauffeur got out of the car and waved both hands at the attendant, who, luckily, noticed him. "Come on, Yumi-chan," Tetsukana prompted, hastily exiting from the other side.

Yumi blinked, and followed as quickly as she could. However, she was not done asking questions. "And what about Elysia? Are the treaties permanent? And I heard about that rebel group! It must be so exciting being out there like that... but, I wouldn't want to break my nails." She laughed. "I love hearing about it, though... and what's it like on Nepleslia?"

Tetsukana waited until they were both on the passenger shuttle before answering, "Elysia seems to be running smoothly, rebuilding its economy. There's still a great deal of less-fortunate people there, however. As for Nepleslia, it is a very...competitive place. I've been there many times. There are a lot of nice places there, but all the wars have left the place with a lot of wreckage and soldiers without jobs. In the larger cities, there are problems on the streets below. I try to stick the buildings. It's a horrible, horrible tragedy what the rebels did to that skyscraper and the hospital it fell on." The shuttle was one of the large types, with around 80 seats onboard, divided into four rows, two on each side.

Yumi looked a little shocked. "Why would anyone attack around there? What's there to gain?" She tilted her head, followed the man onto the shuttle, still showering him with one question after another of a social nature, not realizing how much his answers were watered down. In some cases, untrue, though it was doubtful Tetsukana knew he was speaking the lie. "And I heard there's a new treaty to be signed with Gashmere! What's it do? Why do people fight so much? Will the SMX try to negotiate with us?"

"It's a very densely populated area, so I'd say the rebels were just trying to take as many lives as possible," Tetsukana told her. "Gashmere is a world with sentient bear-like aliens and their own space technology. I don't know very much about them yet; then again I suppose not too many people do. Taisho Yui herself is out there to...Ah! There's your father, Yumi." he pointed to the man sitting next to the window. The seat next to him and the one across the aisle were both empty.

Yumi had one more question to ask. "Couldn't an attack like that hurt the economy? Maybe they have a grudge against Nepleslia?" She laughed, almost wistfully, and quickly took a seat by her father to think about something other than death on other worlds. "Daddy!" She hugged him rather suddenly. Although he had been using her as a deal-closer for years, even going so far as to promise her body as a reward for the deal, she refused to realize that he used her. She loved her remaining parent too much to see basic sense. She grinned. "What's Fenyar like?"

Tetsukana replied in his usual collected manner. "Yes, it did hurt business...as for their true motives, I cannot say." The man moved for the seat next to her father. At least the two of them could pretend to sleep on the other side of the aisle and let Yumi bug the Nekovalkyrja lady in the window seat on the other side.

Seeing Tetsukana move for the seat she had taken, Yumi quickly rose and moved to the other open seat. "Do you need to discuss the business?" She took the seat by the strange woman. She had seen Neko before, but had never spoken to one, or really acknowledged that they existed. Which was a little ironic, considering how many of them there were on her homeworld. She looked towards the catgirl and tilted her head. "Hi! I'm Yumi!"

Tetsukana smiled politely, "Yes, business," he lied to her with a friendly smile, taking his seat next to his identically-dressed partner and superior, Takehara-san. "I swear, if she'd had another toe to paint we wouldn't have made it," he told Yumi's father in a quiet, slightly irritated voice. Meanwhile, the Nekovalkyrja smiled politely and waved to the girl, "Hi Yumi, I'm Kistessa," she introduced herself.

Blinking, Yumi mouthed the name a few times. "Kistessa?" She smiled. "What's it like flying in a shuttle?" She was a little more cautious in addressing the Neko than she was with Tetsukana. After all, she had no idea how the Neko would react if she were bombarded with questions that had little significance, and that it seemed any idiot should know. Yumi really was interested in learning about the universe. She just didn't devote herself to it enough to ever really master any knowledge.

ON: Queen of the Stars

Tetsukana rang the Chime on Yumi's door. Was she late again? No, her clock said he was early. By a half-hour, even. The man waited outside in the lavish hallway, dressed in an expensive suit and patiently waiting for the young lady inside to answer. As he did, he found himself looking down at his glossy white shoes, and the reflection of his face he found in them. It led to him questioning his associate's practices with his daughter, and wandering about the ethics of the role he'd been playing in it.

Yumi lay on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling, an acrylic brush held absently in her left hand. It had been strange, launching from the safety of Yamatai's orbit for the first time in her life. A hell of a head-rush... passing out... she couldn't understand why people so enjoyed space flight. The chime caused her to sit bolt upright with an "Eep!", until she realized what it was a second or so later. She rose from her bed, moved to the door, called out, "Yes? What is it?"

"Yumi-chan," the old man's familiar voice called out, a hologram of his wrinkled, but handsome face appearing inside the door. He dressed in a white suit with a pink shirt and white tie; it could only mean one thing. Another business affair, probably a meeting. "May I come in?"

Yumi blinked. "Yes, you may come in, Tetsu..." She laughed, opened the door. She wasn't formally dressed, and, surprisingly, wore neither nail polish nor eye shadow. Her hair was unstyled, unbrushed. She blinked. "A business deal? While in transit..? I thought this wasn't until we were off this death-trap." She shook her head, sighed. "I'm not ready at all! And I was pondering over a Lau script!" She laughed, "How long do I have?"

"It's a meeting with the heads of a group that stands to become the empire's largest manufacturer of missiles and torpedoes, I believe. A Nepleslian company called Zen Armaments. If this deal is successfully negotiated, Zen will provide us with the armaments we need to produce a new generation of battle robots, that could take the place of Nekos and Geshrin on the battlefield. Takehara-san wants you to be on your very best behavior for him tonight...he sent me here to help you dress for the occasion. Plus," the man smiled, "I brought you a present."

Yumi blinked. "Why do we need to fight so much? Couldn't we just defend ourselves?" She tilted her head. "There's so many people dying, its so sad..." She wasn't overly versed in history or politics or warfare; but she knew enough to say she didn't like any of them. "Of course I'll be on my best behavior! I always am... but it was Adrian Lau! Couldn't this wait?" Although often a ditz on other topics, Yumi could quote obscure playwrights and screenplays more accurately than most computer databases. She loved drama like nothing else. "Adrian Lau!"

"Well, I mean...especially friendly," Tetsukana told her, smiling. "This deal is vital to our company's future. Besides, the robots will save lives by doing the jobs that people normally would. So, how long do you think you need? Your father was hoping to have you there in about thirty minutes." The older man looked her over for a moment, admiring her beauty and energy.

"How long do I need?" She tilted her head, thought about it, "Probably around forty-five minutes, I need to bathe and I need to unpack my makeup and my dresses... or would a skirt be better? Then my hair..." She stopped. "But it was Adrian Lau!! Daddy owes me for this. Maybe he can introduce my to Lau..." her eyes glazed over dreamily. "Can you identify eye shadow and nail polish? If so, I'd appreciate it if you would pull out every shade of dark blue you can find. I'll go bathe." She cast a hurt gaze back at him. "Adrian Lau!"

"Sure. I'll get you an outfit, too!" he called at the bathroom doorway. Approaching her mass of nail polishes, makeup, and eyeliners, he was amazed and confused, but just went by the colors and did as she requested while the water was running. After a few minutes, he decided he'd satisfactorily done what she asked and then went over to her closet, browsing through it. As he listened to the sounds of her washing herself, he started to imagine her in there, so sweet, innocent, and gorgeous. A deep sigh escaped his lips. It'd been years since he'd seen any woman naked but for occasionally helping Yumi-chan out as she grew up. His wife was gone, and with it, his drive for women--or so he'd thought at first. He paused, picking a discarded pair of Yumi's undergarments off the carpet and pressing it to his nose, inhaling her scent. But in second it was back where it'd been before. No, he musn't! He had to remember this young woman was the same person as the bubbly young girl he'd promised Takehara-san to protect.

Yumi was out within twenty minutes, a towel wrapped around her body, her hair dripping sheets of water on the floor. She smiled lopsidedly at Tetsukana. "Have you found an outfit for me yet? Since, you know, you did interrupt my ponderings of Adrian Lau. Plus you said you would." She laughed, held the towel around herself a bit tighter. She was a little bit uncomfortable with him there; it had been almost ten years since he had been near her while she dressed.

Was he really protecting her? Tetsukana wondered, smiling at her. Basically, her father had just ordered him to get her in eye-candy mode for all the Zen Armaments guys to ogle. Tetsukana had seen this sort of thing before and already had the tools in his pockets. The contraceptive to slip in her drink, the condoms and lubricant for her purse, the male potency pills for the clients... He'd selected a skimpy, partially see-through dress from the wardrobe; it was decorated with a lot of black lace and shiny little onyx studs around the bust line. No other garments were on the bed with it but a pair of lacy black thigh-high stockings and a garter belt. Of course, he couldn't tell her what her mission really was, only "You ought to look stunning in that."

Her look was a bit perturbed. "Its a bit revealing, isnt it?" Second thoughts were in her mind, perhaps. Or, possibly, a hint of forewarning. In any case, she was not about to betray her father's will. "Daddy wants me to wear that?" She lifted the dress from the bed, looked it over. "I don't think I've worn this since I was fifteen... I barely remembered I'd had it. It never seemed appropriate to wear." She laughed, righted the towel about her body before it slipped off. "If its what daddy wants, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes..."

"Yes, that's it. It's really suitable for your figure, though," he smiled. "Would you like any more help?" he asked, hoping she'd let him hang around like old times. He missed the sight of her uncovered form. He remembered how she'd first started to transform from a girl into a woman, but now that the process was complete, it made him intensely curious to see the results. "Ah yes, and your present!" he remembered, and brought her a small case. Inside, there was a stick of silver lipstick, just like she'd mentioned on the way there. "You were right, they didn't have any, but I...sweet talked one of the other passengers into letting me have it for you," he explained.

First her jaw dropped a little, then she stared. "Oh my god..." She hugged Tetsukana. "Thank you so much! Thank you!" She blinked. "Would you mind finding my silver eye shadow and nail polish while I go dress? It will look better than the blue, with this black and the lace..." She looked over the color of the lipstick. It was, not perfect, but... she had missed dressing herself in metallic glosses. It was a secret passion of hers. She loved silver. "You know, it's because of Adrian Lau's work that I came to find silver makeup." A playful interjection as she picked up the dress and stockings, and began the somewhat arduous process of putting them on.

"Um, it's not problem." Tetsukana scratched the back of his head and went about his new quest for the perfect decorative substances to go on the beauty, only able to catch bits and pieces of her in the mirror as he rummaged through the various containers and glass bottles. Oh yes, her neatly trimmed little patch of fur was so lovely. "Yarite" he whispered very quietly to himself, the word coming out as an incomprehensible grunt. He made an tremendous effort to seem like he was looking at the bottles and not the girl getting dressed.

Yumi sighed gently, pulling on the second stocking, adjusting it. "Have you got the cosmetics, Tetsu?" She uncapped the lipstick, slid it over her lips leaving a delicate, glistening layer of a metallic silver. "If not, I can get them now." She hadn't taken as long to dress as usual; the garments taking less time than most of her usual formal garb would have taken to don. Considering, after all, she was wearing far less, and still wasn't quite sure she liked the idea.

Tetsukana snapped back into reality, nervously grabbing the silver cosmetics he'd managed to find in between stealing glances. "Oh, no need, I have them," he told the 20-year-old, turning towards her and handing them to her. He looked her up and down and smiled warmly. "You look absolutely beautiful as always. He could still vaguely see her nipples and inmo through the thin, airy fabric of the tiny dress. He looked at his watch. "We've only got five minutes, but I'm sure we're allowed to be a little late."

A soft, endearing smile. It was fake, but she had learned to perfectly portray any emotion she needed to to get what she wanted. It wasn't too hard, really, to manipulate people. "I'll be on time." She picked up the nail polish first. Her toenails took a little bit of painting, and she methodically dusted her eyelids with eye shadow while the polish on her nails dried. Her fingernails came last, and all told, she took a mere four minutes. She was really quite good at painting herself quickly... it was choosing what to use that took the longest.

The man smiled, combing the last of the water out of her hair for her while she was applying the makeup, then letting her take over with the hairspray and the brush. Once she was done, Tetsukana brought her a pair of strappy heels and her purse, which now contained the essentials for her "business encounters." Lastly, he brought her a long white fur coat, which she could cover herself with on the way to the meeting. "This should be it, right?" he asked.

Her eyes fell on the coat distastefully. "You know I don't wear fur..." She slipped the dainty shoes onto her feet, then tied her hair up into a simple topknot. It was not an extravagant hairstyle, but it was one that was rarely misplaced, regardless of other styles. She nodded. "Yes, Tetsu, that's everything I need."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "One of the Zen Armaments chairs bought it for you...I was hoping you'd make an exception." He left it up to her, though.

She shook her head gently. "No... not that. Daddy knows I wont wear fur even for him." She smiled. "We should be going, I'm late, aren't I?" Her concepts of animal rights had been instilled by the same director whom she had made such a fuss over when Tetsu interrupted her earlier. Adrian Lau, quite possibly the only man she respected more than her father. Of course, unlike for her father, Yumi often fantasized about Lau...

Tetsukana nodded, and led her out the door, make sure she had her purse with her. The lift swiftly took them through the ship and to the meeting spot, a restaurant-like dining room in a giant suite, something matched only by places like the Empress' Palace. The floor was made of glossy black marble, the chairs of reddish wood and inlaid darker tones. Her father, one of his assistants (both in white), and four men in black suits with teal shirts sat at a table. The men took up at Tetsu and Yumi as they entered, their eyes delighted to see the girl.

Nervous eyes looked over the room, and more importantly, the people. She smiled softly and waved, tilting her head to the side, then cast a glance towards Tetsukana, a little questioning. It was much more than she was used to, this suite. More than she had seen or even really imagined. She looked over at her father, smiled, calmed a little, and walked quickly towards the table, bowing with a flourish as she approached. "Good evening."

The piercing gaze of the men continued until one of the men, an older one with gray hair on the sides but not the top of his head, spoke. "My, my. Mr. Takehara, she's even more beautiful than you told us!" Tetsukana smiled as reassuringly as he could and patting her back. Her father's assistant and one of the other old men in black started talking again, discussing things like "component upgrade programs" and "multiware maintenance stations." The youngest of the men in black and teal whispered into one of his coworker's ears, smirking.

Yumi took a seat delicately, sighing softly. She was a little flattered by the man's comment on her beauty, though not sure what to make of either the discussion of the creation of Kill-bots, or on the whispers passed between the men. She tried not to look too uncomfortable, and ultimately fell into the rhythm of the conversation as she always did, interjecting with small-talk wherever it was appropriate. It was her job, and she did it well... perhaps too well.

Eventually the cordial negations dwindled into tough talk between Yumi's father and the arms manufacturers. "As we said earlier, this project is going to require ten million KS for this first batch. We'll need it all immediately," one of the older Zen guys said firmly. "Unless, of course, you have something else to offer," a second prompted, smirking. A third said, "Yes, I'm sure we could be persuaded to let you pay half now and the rest after you get a contract."

Yi Tai gave them a resigned look. He had always managed to pull Yumi out of the deal before the contract was signed, but this was the first instance that he wasn't the one demanding payment from the other. Expansion had a price, and he was not above using his daughter to pay it... if there were no other options. "Well, gentleman, there are certain... things... I have already offered you that will be made good on after a round of drinks. Tetsukana, if you would..." He nodded towards his aid. Yumi looked about brightly as her father continued speaking. "Have you reconsidered? We discussed this earlier."

Tetsukana nodded and quickly went to the small bar nearby, ducking under the counter to get some of the drinks there. Finding a good-looking bottle of scotch, he poured himself a glass and gulped it down before bringing the bottle and glasses back to the table on a tray. The first glass he handed out was Yumi's, of course (he hadn't forgotten). Then, he set the tray down on the table and let everyone else take their own glasses. The men from Zen Armaments each gratefully took a glass and sipped at it. One of them said, "If you don't feel up to it, I'm sure we can always go to Geshrinari Corporation and see what they have to offer."

"Geshrinari? Phah, not a decent engineer amongst them, and they don't have anything like I've offered. They're workings are all... clumsy. No grace or style to it." He eyed Yumi as he said this. "I dont back down on a deal." Yi gave a cold stare at the men across the table from him, while Yumi eyed the scotch suspiciously ("Don't you have any sweet wines? This is too strong!"). She wasn't one for powerful alcohols, but had already sampled it, and that was what had needed to be done. Her father smirked. "

"We'll see about that," one of the four men remarked, putting the papers on the desk back into his briefcase and then standing, followed by the rest of the men. "We know you don't have the ten million to spare, only the first five. You've got no choice, but you refuse to see it. We'll leave Red here in case you change your mind. Red, we'll be in our suite." Three of the men walked out on the Takehara clan's delegation, leaving only a middle-aged Nepleslian there. He was a tall, sinister looking man with a hardened soldier's look about him.

Yumi smiled at Red rather blankly, not understanding that her father had started into the flesh trade. And that she was the flesh to be traded in exchange for a better deal. There was a reason she hadn't been told - not that she would have believed it anyway, she held her father in too high regard - and because of that she remained blissfully unaware of the horror that was about to be spawned on her. "You're Red?" She smiled more broadly. "Do you mind if I call you that?"

"That's fine, young lady," the man politely smiled at her. His eyes seemed cold, though. "So, dad," Red asked Yun. "What will it be? If you agree, I'll even treat the young miss to dinner." A long smirk spread across the man's lips, warping the ancient barcode on his left cheek. His shoulders were almost as wide as two Yumis side-by-side, and bulges of muscles beneath filled out his suit. Possibly, he was an IDSOL or a half-breed of one.

Yi nodded resignedly. "I've already put forth the agreement, I don't see that I have any other choice. I'll keep with the deal, as we discussed." Meanwhile, Yumi tilted her head and smiled. "Dinner? I get dinner?" She loved to eat, and she still wasn't catching what was to be done to her. She was a bit drowsy, though, from the alcohol. A bit of scotch can go a long way with inexperienced drinkers...

"Very well. It's a deal, then. Five now, five after you get a contract. And a date," Red nodded. He stood up and shook the hands of each of the people from Takehara clan and then offered his hand to Yumi. "What's your favorite food?" he asked, smiling.