8 Rin Akiyama - What do you think?

With that question in mind, I contemplated actually doing it because inviting someone to work for you, but also live with you on the exact same day—out of the blue, without a proper reason, and without going through the proper channels—would land me worse than a simple restraining order.

It's just that I'm gonna need more people that not only know how to use guns, cook, etc., but also someone that could serve as some sort of a secretary. Furthermore, the person in front of me had the qualities I'm looking for but the challenge for this encounter was how to properly approach the subject.

Looking at her and her workstation, she seemed to carry herself well, the papers and other documents on her table were stacked neatly, her uniform had no stains or creases, her computer had no clutter, and as it seemed, she was doing a job for two-to-three people seamlessly.

Granted she made a small mistake earlier, as of right now while I was looking at her, she already fixed the small error in her list and she was printing a new one.

As I continued to think of ways to approach the subject, she handed me the newly printed list while looking me straight in the eye.

"E-Excuse me, sir… Sorry to bother you… I know you finished looking through the list I made earlier and I'm sorry for that small mistake, but would you take a look at this new one I made to see if there's something I missed or if there's something I could improve upon…"

'I really need to invite her after this one…'

She looked like she was giving me a proposal for a project due to how nervous she was but I was able to look at her more closely without looking like a creep.

First and foremost, she seemed to not be a pure Filipina but that wasn't even an issue, she looked a few years younger than me but she couldn't be younger than 19 years old. With that said, she was slightly shorter than Kaley, had a petite figure, and her straight black hair was just past her ears—combed straight down the middle. Furthermore, she was wearing thin-framed glasses and it looked like she had been using them for a number of years.

"Sir?"

"Yeah? Oh— sorry, I thought you have the same kind of glasses as my little cousin."

"Oh… and my list?"

I turned to the list for a few moments before I gave her an approving look, "Looks great! I won't change anything about it."

"R-Really?! Thank you!" The lady suddenly gave me a full bow.

'Hmm... Is she also— We'll find out later…'

I chuckled as I gave her a short bow, "You're welcome. Anyway, how long would everything take?"

The lady got slightly embarrassed by my reaction, "Oh! I could have everything ready in 30-40 minutes depending on how fast the people carrying the items are. Some of them were still unloading items at the back but I'll ask them to help once they're done so your orders could be hauled faster. Is that fine, sir?"

I faintly smiled, "That's good, you work efficiently."

"Thank you very much, sir! Do you need anything else?" The lady adjusted her glasses and there was a bit of confidence and pride in the way she replied.

"Yeah, can I ask for your name?" I said as I looked her directly in the eye.

"Umm, m-my name? My n-name is R-Rin, sir. Rin Akiyama... Is there a problem, sir?"

"Oh, sorry for the question. There's no problem at all! I just don't know what to call you because you didn't have a nametag. I frequent this place, you see. You're probably new here, right?"

"Y-Yes, sir…" for some reason, Rin's guards were put up almost instantly.

"Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, how much do they pay you here?"

"H-Huh?"

I almost smacked myself in the face, "That's a bad way to ask a question, sorry. Can I guess though? And you don't have to tell me if I'm right or wrong, I'll just know."

"U-Umm..."

"Hmm~ Considering the work you do is for two-to-three people and judging from the way you're doing your job, I think you're hired at the supervisor or manager level. Am I right? You should be, right?"

The moment I said that, Rin's expression slightly softened before she embarrassedly shook her head, "N-N-Not at all… I g-get paid at the m-minimum…"

"WHAT?! YOU GET PAID AT THE— WHAT?!"

"S-Sir! Y-You're voice is a little loud… I might get in t-trouble for s-saying that…"

"What the fu— Well! I got a proposition for you, Rin!"

"Hmm?"

"I want you to work for me."

"Ah— Umm, are you j-joking, sir? I-I-I just started here yesterday… I can't just— No… It would look r-really bad on my record…"

'She just started yesterday and she managed to do that? It's now or never…'

A smile crept to the side of my face, "Rin, listen to me. Hearing you say that makes me think that you're not— you don't feel the work you're doing is being rewarded enough. Am I right? Are you thinking about quitting? Hear me out. If you quit now and work for me instead, I guarantee you; that all your expenses will be paid for and I'd pay double— no, triple compared to what the minimum salary is."

I thought I'd easily hook her but she explained her situation in a concise manner.

"Sir, with all due respect… I'm… I'm sorry, sir. I just met you and this was my first job after moving to this place. I… I don't even know if the job I'll be doing if I come with you and—I'm sorry for saying this—it really kinda sounds s-shady…" Rin glanced momentarily at the part of my hand that had my tattoo sticking out.

"Oh..."

"F-Furthermore… I already p-paid three months in advance for the apartment I'm renting… I'm sorry, sir. You kinda look like a decent guy b-but… I… I can't just simply leave this job for a new one because I'm not even sure how long I'll work for you… I already signed a contract and it would look really bad— not mentioning how to bring it up to my employer…"

"..."

Rin continued as she slightly fidgeted, "And I… I don't even know your n-name…"

'I'm a fucking dumbass…'

Rin was about to excuse herself but I drew out my second wind for a final hurrah, "Let's fix that, okay?"

"H-Huh?"

"Okay~ First things first, I'm Sky Ishiyama. I'm a private business owner and I sell a variety of goods at four shops spread around this area."

"Um—"

"I'm really sorry about not introducing myself earlier and for coming a little too forward but it is really nice to meet you. Anyway, if you're worried about your records and the money you already put up, I could talk to your employer and as I said earlier, all your expenses will be paid by me. Just tell me how much you paid your landlord in advance and I'll give the equal amount to you right now, in cash."

Rin took a step back as she eyed me suspiciously, "T-That's too g-good to be true… Mrs. Thelma is really strict—"

I cut her off as I shook my head amusedly, "Wait here, I'll get someone to vouch for me."

"H-Huh?! What—"

"You'll see."

I walked away from her desk and I jauntily made my way to the administrator's office. It took maybe 2— no, around 5 minutes of talking before I came back with her employer, Mrs. Thelma.

Rin never looked so worried about losing her job because some idiot tried to poach her but she couldn't be more wrong.

Mrs. Thelma let out a bright smile as she approached Rin, "Rin. You're free to go, don't worry. You never told me that you and Mr. Ishiyama hit it off. He has an eye for good employees, you see. I'd hate to see you go but you'd be in more capable hands. Right, he said you're worried about your records but I'll take care of it myself. It would take some time to contact your agency and transfer your files but you could start working at his place right away. Good luck!"

The moment Mrs. Thelma said that, Rin's jaw almost dropped to the floor. Rin tried to plead her case and voice more of her concerns but it ended up just her stuttering and babbling the rest of the way.

Mrs. Thelma took Rin's hand, "You're supposed to only work for 3 months for me, right?"

"Y-Yes… That's what it said on my contract…"

"If you work for him right now, you'd be a regular immediately. You'd be working for him indefinitely or right until you wanna leave. Cast your worries aside about Mr. Ishiyama, he's a legit business owner and he treats his employees well. He pays higher than the minimum wage too, like his parents when I used to work with them. One day, you could also own a shop like me if you follow in his footsteps."

'Wait, she knows my parents? Is that why she was so accommodating when I went inside her office? Huh.' I thought to myself, surprised.

It took Rin a few moments to think about it but she eventually agreed after weighing the pros and cons. To be fair, any normal person would hesitate the moment this situation was presented to them but if she only knew what was about to come.

At this moment, Rin turned to me and bowed respectfully.

"U-Umm… I guess I'm working for you now… Sorry for throwing suspicion at you… It's just that I've watched a lot of bad things happen to workers—especially the ones that just moved in—from the news, and I thought I was being scammed. I promise I will work just as hard at one of your shops as I do here. Thank you for the opportunity, sir," Rin said before she motioned for a handshake.

I returned her handshake before I chuckled, "Heh. You're too formal, you know that? Loosen up a bit, will you?"

"Oh— sorry, umm… okay, sir. What should I do now?"

"Well, you're gonna shop for a few things inside. Mrs. Thelma gave you a parting gift," I said as I handed her a pushcart.

Rin never looked so confused, "What? Umm… I don't follow...."

I smiled and said, "What that means is that you could fill it up with anything you want and that is yours for free."

"Oh…"

Rin turned to Mrs. Thelma, thinking that I was punking her again, but she just gave her an 'OK' sign. And once realization struck, Rin turned me and gave me five quick bows in succession.

"T-Thank you, sir!"

I wasn't sure whether she was in a hurry or the idea of having everything in a pushcart for free flicked a switch in her head because she immediately disappeared from view as she went from aisle to aisle.

On the other hand, Lois came back with a cart filled to the brim but I asked him to fill up another one and to look for the lady I was talking to earlier to tell her that her reward wasn't time constrained. He just nodded at me while looking at me weirdly but I didn't put it to mind as he went back with another cart in hand.

After a short bit, I paid for the items I ordered, and Mrs. Thelma handled them herself. I wanted to ask for information about her relationship with my parents and she was the first one to speak up.

"Mr. Ishi— no, Sky, dear, I'm not sure if you know but your mom and I go way back. I used to work for her and your dad when you were still in her belly and she taught me a lot of things. I already got an inkling that you were their son when you walked into my office, more so when you introduced yourself but those eyes of yours told it all."

"My eyes?"

"Just a gut reaction, dear. I'm sorry for bringing all of this information to you when you don't even know me but all I'll say before I excuse myself is that I'm sure that they're in a better place… I'm… I'm really for your loss…" Mrs. Thelma looked at me with a solemn expression before she walked back to her office.

'Sorry for your loss, huh?' I thought to myself but my mind repeated that phrase over and over.

Right at this moment, I remembered something very dark and unpleasant. The scars that I have just started to throb and ache as each scene played inside my head. Something intangible started to cover my body but I shook my head and took deep breaths to calm myself. I didn't even realize I sweated so much but I wiped myself after confirming that no one saw me with such an expression.

However, I thought for a bit before I went to Mrs. Thelma's office and I just handed her a piece of paper that was facing down. She looked confused when I didn't say anything and I just walked outside right as she flipped it over.

After close to half an hour, Rin and Lois came back.

"Thank you for waiting for me, sir. I'll check the crew if they're done packing your items in the truck—"

"Wait. What did you bring here?" I asked as I glanced at the items she bought though one of them was in a plastic bag, tied and hanging around the handle of the pushcart.

"Oh, I've brought a stack of notebooks, a few rims of paper, and other miscellaneous office supplies. They are in these two boxes but the other three include clothes, hygiene products, a cleaning kit for my glasses, some food that I like, and this heavy blanket."

"Heavy blanket?" I asked curiously.

"I remember seeing this online and it said it could help with sleeping," Rin said shyly.

"Oh? Can you grab me one of those then?"

"Sure! I won't be long!" Rin enthusiastically nodded before she went back inside.

"Anything else you want, bro?" Lois asked me and when I looked at his cart, it was filled with different CDs, snacks, games, posters, action figures, manga, comic books, and random magazines.

"Umm, grab a few more utility supplies like batteries, duct tape, WD-40, plastic tarps, paint, matches, etc."

"Ah— sure…"

Lois turned around to grab another cart and it didn't take long before Rin came back with my request. It took a while before everything was ready but once it was, I grabbed most of the items we bought from Mercury Drug and placed them in the truck provided for us, along with Rin's items.

After that, I asked Lois to ride with the driver so they'd know where to go. Then I asked Rin to ride in my car so we could go to her apartment and pick up her things.

I drove for roughly 10 minutes before we reached the destination. I turned the engine off and locked the car but to my surprise, we started walking in a tight alley. After a few turns along this sketchy neighborhood, a very small apartment welcomed us.

"T-This is it…"

"Huh."

"What? T-This is all that I could a-afford…"

"Sorry... I was just surprised..."

"It's fine, j-just make sure to keep your promise…"

Rin led the way inside and I discovered that not only she didn't have a room for herself, but she was living in such poor condition. The 'apartment' she rented was one of the single creaky beds in a damp and humid room, and the room didn't even provide a lot of air because it had no windows.

I could only imagine what her life would be like if she lived in this place for a few more weeks—even if the fucking apocalypse wasn't upon us.

With that said, she pulled out a duffel bag from under her bed and it seemed to contain all of her personal belongings. I thought we'd be here for a while because she needed to pack like Kaley and Olivia but turns out, we were already ready to go. After that, she informed the landlord that she was moving out and she just nodded bitterly when she was told that she wouldn't get her deposit back.

Once we made our way inside my car, she stretched her hand out, motioning for me to reimburse her now. I was slightly surprised by her actions but I completely understood her situation just from seeing her living conditions.

"Well, how much is it?"

"It's Php. 4,500 (roughly $90), sir..."

"Here, keep the change," I gave her five Php. 1,000 bills.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, consider it a bonus…"

"T-Thanks…"

Rin looked at the cash I gave her for a few moments before she took out her wallet and placed them inside after rearranging the bills properly. She made sure that they were all facing the same way and there weren't any creases on the corners. Funnily enough, we simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief because if it was me, I would do the same thing.

After that, I turned on the engine and drove back, getting passed or overtaken by more ambulances and police cars that were speeding on the highway.

'Still no military action? This is going to be ugly if they don't do anything sooner...'

"What's happening outside? Did an accident happen?" Rin asked.

It just hit me that she had no access to the news while she was working. I handed her my phone and showed her the news from an official page of the governmenr. But after that, I showed her the old files that I was planning to show the group later. I wanted to see her genuine reaction so I pointed to a few more files to link what was happening currently.

Rin's eyes never left the screen but she turned to me and said, "H-Hold on, is this— is this real?"

"What do you think?"