Misaki observed her appearance in the mirror. She was wearing a white blouse, which she tucked into a black pencil skirt. She experimentally moved her legs, feeling the tightness of the skirt fight against her movements. She sighed, already beginning to feel her feet ache from the black heels she wore. This was going to be a long day.

See, she had just lost a bet to Tora, and her punishment was to "dress like a girl", as he bluntly phrased it. Misaki didn't take offense to it, though. She was used to the occasional comment about her lack of style.

Tora Igarashi was her boss, and her closest friend. They both worked for Igarashi Inc.; Tora was the CEO of the company, while Misaki was his assistant. Tora took an immediate liking to her the second she got the job as his assistant, and thus they became friends. Of course, Misaki was hesitant at first to trust him, but he eventually won her over.

It was nice to have a friend at work, since Misaki didn't really have many. Not genuine ones, at least. She got along well with most of her coworkers, but the only two people she felt a connection with were Sakura and Tora.

Misaki grabbed her purse, and quickly exited her apartment. She liked to get to the office early; It gave her more time to set up her things. She was always a very tidy and organized person. She liked feeling in control of her life, like nothing could change without her permission.

Upon leaving the lobby, she found someone waiting outside for her in their car. She identified the vehicle immediately. It was a black BMW, which belonged to no other than...

Tora rolled the window down, flashing her a grin. She sighed in mock exasperation and rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I can drive myself, you know."

"I assumed you'd be hungover. You texted me and told me you had a glass of wine last night," he joked. He enjoyed poking fun at the fact that she was a lightweight, and did so whenever he had the opportunity to. "Also, I couldn't wait to witness the outfit for myself. How does it feel not wearing slacks for once?"

"Thanks for asking. I hate it." She got in the passenger seat. Without hesitation she slid her heels off and felt instant relief. He started up the car and began to drive. "I feel like a mermaid in this stupid skirt."

"Nobody told you to wear a pencil skirt." He shrugged his shoulders. It was true, he hadn't specified exactly what the outfit had to be.

"And nobody told you to be a dick, yet look what happened," she mumbled bitterly. It was clear she wasn't pleased with losing the bet. However, Tora was extremely relieved he hadn't lost. Misaki's punishment for him was far worse. "I wish I could've made you come to work completely naked. That would've been funny."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm pretty sure that's illegal," he informed. She smiled cheekily.

"A bet's a bet."

He nodded in agreement. "That's true. So stop being a sore loser." Misaki rolled her eyes once more, before staring out the window. In the brilliant light of May, the glare of the sun against the glass was, at times, unbearable. The sun streamed in like a flamboyant guest, not waiting for an invitation. Not to mention, it made the car feel like an oven. His seats being made of black leather did not help.

The car came to a halt, as Tora pulled into a free parking space. Misaki slipped her heels back on, and climbed out of the car. The cool air on her bare legs felt refreshing.

"I have to attend a meeting with Nakamura Co.," he mentioned. "So, if anyone asks for me, tell them to leave me a note."

"Will do."

Misaki headed into the office. Immediately, she could identify the voice of Sakura Hanazono, who seemed to be talking about a club she went to last night.

"He asked for my number, and afterwards, he didn't even call me!" She was gossiping with two of her coworkers, both who didn't seem too interested in her story. They were filling out some paperwork, only stopping to give Sakura the occasional nod or "wow, really?".

Sakura was the loudest voice in the room wherever she was. Her conversations were buoyant and intended to be heard. However, along with this came her cheery and optimistic attitude. If a friend, or even an acquaintance, was in trouble, she was right there.

Misaki remembered the first time she met her. It was Misaki's first day of work, and she was trying to get the coffee machine to work. She had only gotten about three hours of sleep, as she was preoccupied with stressing over her new job for most of the night. She was about ready to toss the coffee machine out the window, when Sakura waltzed into the room, her pigtails bouncing with every step she took.

She laughed at the sight of Misaki struggling with the machine. In a mere second, Sakura reached over and hit the "on" button. The machine whirred as it came to life, producing a warm cup of coffee. Misaki felt really stupid that day, though she blamed it on her lack of sleep.

Sakura briefly turned away from her conversation as Misaki walked by. "Good morning, Misaki!"

"Good morning, Sakura," she greeted back, continuing to make her way to her office. Misaki had to admit, despite hating the discomfort of wearing heels, she loved the clicking sound they made against the floor. She felt like a powerful businesswoman.

Misaki slumped in her chair, closing her eyes for a brief moment before getting to work. She scribbled her signature on a few documents, and read over a few pitch ideas from other employees. She was basically the quality control; she read over the pitch ideas, before sending over the worthwhile ones to Tora for him to look over. As CEO, he had far less time in his schedule than her.

After a couple hours of work, Tora paged her to his office. This was pretty much the norm. He would page her, she would go to his office, and he would make her sit down and talk to him while he worked. As his assistant, Misaki knew it was within his right to do so, however she felt bad allowing him to do so.

She opened the door to his office, already prepared to banter with him. However, this time, things seemed a little different.

Tora sat at his desk. There was a tenseness to his muscles that made him more mannequin-like than human. He finally peered up at her, his eyebrows knitted together, and forehead furrowed.

"What's up…?" she asked lightly, unsure if it was the right question to ask.

"It's Walker Inc.," he sighed, finally breaking his silence. Misaki frowned. Whenever the Walkers were brought up, it was never a pretty conversation. Walker Inc. and Igarashi Inc. were rivaling companies. In fact, the rivalry between the two companies started so long ago, she had a feeling it was deeper than just finances. From what she's heard, the two families never seemed to get along.

"What happened at the meeting?"

"Nakamura Co. informed me that they're no longer investing in our company." To say Misaki was shocked would be an understatement. They were one of Igarashi Inc.'s major investors; this ought to take a toll on the company's wellbeing. "And you know what's even worse? They're pulling out their investment to start investing in that stupid Walker company. Apparently, they've just implemented an in-office therapist for employees to see, free of charge. They really liked the idea. They said that they wanted to invest in a company that was working hard to take care of their employees." He buried his head in his hands.

Misaki paused, allowing the information to sink in. She tapped her foot, her shoe rhythmically tapping against the floor. "Wait a minute," she sounded incredulous. "Don't you remember approving an idea about a week ago? The one about creating a safe space for employees?"

"Vaguely."

She stood up. "I swear, it was exactly the same as that. We were going to implement that, they just got to it first!"

"I'm sure the ideas were a little different," he reasoned. Misaki shook her head, walking behind his desk and rummaging through his files. It took her a while to find, since Tora's stuff was significantly messier than hers, but sure enough, she found the paper.

She slammed it down in front of him triumphantly. "Look here." He skimmed over the paper, and soon realized Misaki was right. It was the exact same idea.

Misaki crossed her arms. "I don't feel like this is a coincidence."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I think someone here is secretly working under Walker Inc.," she stated confidently. Misaki felt like something was up with that company. Something seemed fishy. The timing was weird; right after Igarashi Inc. was planning on incorporating an idea, Walker Inc. immediately does exactly that? The whole thing seemed off.

Tora sat up straight, sliding the paper to the side of his desk. "I don't know, Misaki. That's a big claim. I'll look into it a little more."

Misaki returned to her office, deciding to leave Tora alone for the time being. She got back to filling out paperwork, her mind clouded with worry. She knew their company wasn't going to fall under from just this, but what if they began to lose more of their investors to the Walkers?

She shook her head, deciding to distract herself with some more work. After a few hours, it was time for her to head home.

Misaki had no choice but to get a ride from Tora, since she didn't have her car with her. The ride home was awkward; both of them talked very little. It was evident that both parties were stressed, although Tora significantly more so.

Misaki stared out the window once again. With the setting sun came a sky of fire. Rich hues of red blended oranges, purples, and crimsons painted the sky like a canvas. She rested her head against the window.

"Thanks for the ride, Tora." She tilted her head slightly to look at him.

"You're welcome."