Well, that was annoying. Was she not even allowed to do anyone a work related favour anymore without this magical whatever getting in the damned way? Urgh! Fine, fine! She'd roll with it. The whole thing was getting a bit tiresome though. Magical Girls this, and Magical Girls that. Blegh! It was overtaking her life at this point. She'd much rather focus on getting her work done, and -
And that thought made her pause as she was just about to enter the office. Focus on getting her work done. Wasn't that the reason she'd been having issues with ehr love life in the first place? Focusing so much on her work that she forgot to find herself a guy? A reliable, nice guy that she could spend the rest of her life with! Get married! Start a family with! Was this not the exact sort of mentality that had been causing her such heartache to start with? Driving away the good guys, cornering herself in, keeping her from finding someone worth her time...?
"Good morning Yumiko!" a bright, cheery voice chirped almost right in her ear. "Here you go, a super special gift!"
She turned around to see her new assistant standing there, holding what looked like a charm from a shrine. Take was already wearing one around her neck. It looked sort of like a protective seal.
"What's this for?" Yumiko asked.
"Good luck!" Take chirped once again. What, was she a baby bird or something? "Here, take it!"
Yumiko held out her hand and let Take drop it in, and the second she did she felt... unpleasant. That's the best way to describe it. As if someone was drawing blood from her veins. The other weird part was she had this strange sense someone was whispering into her ear: Don't lose it, keep it on you at all times, never ever take it off...
Which meant only one thing. It was the work of those bad guys again. "Where did you get this from?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. It really hurt though. As in, it hurt a crazy amount.
"A local shrine," Take asked, staring Yumiko right in the face as if assessing her reaction. "So... Today's my first day as your assistant. What do we do first?"
"First, we make sure you're well acquainted with everyone in the office," Yumiko said. Take smirked though and shook her head. "Something amusing?"
"I already met everyone yesterday, and fully on top of office politics," Take said, beaming happily. "For example! There are two longer term editors, Atsushi Takahashi, and Kiyomi Tamanaha! Atsushi has been crushing on Kiyomi for years, but never taken the hint that she's not that into him." Huh? Really? Atsushi was into that girl? Yumiko nodded, thinking about it a bit more. Actually that did make sense. Kiyomi did seem to avoid him a lot, but she'd always put it down as a workplace rivalry, not some one sided romance!
Before she continued saying anything out loud that might be overheard and misconstrued, Yumiko dragged her inside the office. Honestly, talk of romance really didn't have any place in -
"I love you!"
The words were like pouring cold water down her spine. Who - Who dares say something so sappy and saccharine in her presence? She looked across the office space, and saw her. That cute face, the shining hair, the aura of a future housewife in the making, shining even behind the adorable glasses on her face! The cute, understated body, the cute understated clothes! It was a young girl, an editor no less! It was - It was Kiyomi!
Talking with... Atsushi, of all people.
"Ahahahaha," Atsushi laughed playfully, as though believing himself to be in a dream. "Say it again, those words I've longed to hear for years!" he was bouncing something in his palm.
"I love you!" Kiyomi said to him again.
"Again please!" Atsushi said. "After all those rejections, finally hearing you admit how you really feel, it's like I'm walking on air!"
It was a charm. Sort of similar to the one she'd been given just now, but... The colour was off. Different. Hers was white. His was pink. Come to think of it, Kiyomi was wearing one as well. Almost as if in a trance herself, Yumiko strode across the room, where the two of them nearly jumped out of their skin at seeing her approach.
"Congratulations, both of you," she said. "By the way, I can't help notice that you're carrying some charms about you? Where did you get those?"
"Oh, my beloved put it around my neck a moment ago while my back was turned," Kiyomi said, swooning into him. "It was such a thoughtful gift that it made me realise how utterly enchanted by him I am!"
"Didn't you judo throw him onto a pool table last year?" Yumiko asked.
"Yes, but it was only because I was blind to my love!" Kiyomi swooned harder still.
Uh huh. He was looking up at the ceiling now, twiddling his thumbs. So. That shrine they visited was an absolute must visit, it seemed. "Hand them over," she said. Atsushi at least had the sense to go pale upon her saying that. "Those things are against company policy," she continued.
"B-But!" Atsushi whined, but Yumiko gave him a withering glare. He gulped nervously, as he rightfully should, and the second that the charm left his hand and her neck -
"Hiiyaaaah!" he was judo tossed across the room. Yumiko ducked, dragging Take down with her, while staring in great interest at this talisman she'd acquired. Fascinating. Some sort of love charm? While she was holding it, she was feeling something trying to tug on her body a bit. That feeling of something trying to draw blood from her was coming back with a vengeance, and what was more -
"Oh hey, those are kinda cute," Hiroshi said, picking one of them up for closer inspection. Yumiko's breath caught in her chest. Oh no! Did this mean that he - He turned to look at her with a strange, far off expression. Then smiled charmingly and said "I love you," right to her face.
Well. Okay then. Maybe... Maybe she could hold off on investigating this for... for just a little while. Maybe.
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