Shindo always told Satsuki to close the door to her heart whenever she seemed distraught by the things she perceived... It was his way of sheltering her from the vile thoughts of others. He was constantly telling her there was no need to suffer over their petty foolishness.
“I know...” Satsuki whispered quietly and offered him a faint smile before closing the door to her heart that could slip back open if she let her guard down for a second. Perhaps due to the way she described opening and closing her third eye as a “door,” she felt like she could hear a door slamming in the back of her ears when she closed the door to her heart. It was actually somewhat amusing.
Filled with relief upon seeing Satsuki smile, Shindo offered her a bow and hopped into the car. After watching him drive away, Satsuki turned to enter the school building, but someone called out to her before she had a chance to go inside.
“Good day, Miss Tsujikawa,” the young lady greeted in a somewhat languid voice. Her words weren’t drawn out in the eloquent speech of a proper lady. She spoke in a slow, sensual voice.
The teenager currently sported a perm of large barrel curls. She must have lightly applied some makeup, for her lips shimmered red. If Satsuki was an elegant beauty with an air of kindness, the girl who just called out to her was a willful beauty wafting airs of feminine sensuality...
“Good day to you as well, Miss Narusawa,” Satsuki said, returning the greeting with a smile.
When Satsuki offered her salutations, a man in his mid-twenties wearing a suit bowed to her from his position behind the girl she called “Miss Narusawa.” The girl was Satsuki Narusawa, the daughter of the president of Narusawa Holdings and Satsuki’s classmate. Due to sharing the name “Satsuki,” they referred to one another by their last names. While not particularly close, they had multiple things in common, from sharing the same name to keeping an attendant at their beck and call. As a result, the occasion to talk presented itself frequently.
“Where is Mr. Shindo? Isn’t he with you?” Narusawa asked.
“He left to park the car... Oh, don’t tell me you’re here to see Shindo!” Satsuki said somewhat teasingly, making Narusawa heave an over-exaggerated sigh.
“I most certainly am. I was hoping to see him... I only hurried over here because I thought it was about time for you to be arriving... What a shame,” Narusawa griped.
“You shouldn’t let your eyes wander to my attendant when you already have such a wonderful attendant in your service, Miss Narusawa,” chided Satsuki. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Kurihara?”
The man identified as Kurihara seemed somewhat surprised to hear Satsuki refer to him by name, but quickly recovered with a happy smile as he lowered his head in a bow. “Hearing you speak so highly of me is an honor greater than I deserve, Miss Tsujikawa.”
“Jeez, Kurihara! You look simply elated!”
“Please don’t tease me, Miss Satsuki,” he responded with a troubled smile. She was teasing him for openly taking pleasure in receiving a compliment from another before his young mistress.
Serving as Satsuki Narusawa’s attendant, the overall handsome Tadayuki Kurihara came across somewhat cute when he smiled. Unlike how Shindo’s role as retainer was built upon a perfect master-servant hierarchy in which he stayed by Satsuki and managed all fronts of her personal life, Kurihara was simply fulfilling his job as “attendant.”
In a sense, Kurihara was essentially meant to play the role of “enabler” or “tagalong.” Currently twenty-seven, he began working for Narusawa three years ago. Narusawa loved how he bleached the overgrown mop of hair reaching to his shoulders to the point it was practically blond. He wore diamond studs in the two earring holes punched in one ear.
With his wild looks, Kurihara was a perfect match for the flamboyant beauty, Narusawa. It almost seemed like he was just another accessory for her to tote around.
“You must be elated! Hearing Miss Tsujikawa call you ‘wonderful’ just made your day, didn’t it?” Narusawa teased.
“Miss Satsuki...” Kurihara groaned, truly troubled by Narusawa’s persistent teasing.
Giggling, Satsuki decided it was time to offer Kurihara some assistance. “Don’t give him too much of a hard time. I’m starting to feel sorry for him.”
“If you say so, Miss Tsujikawa,” Narukawa replied and shot Kurihara a dirty look.
Grateful that Narusawa appeared willing to let the matter drop for the time being, Kurihara turned toward Satsuki and slightly bowed his head.
“Well, I have some errands to address in the Student Council Room, so if you’ll excuse me,” Satsuki excused herself, casually waving before heading toward the school building. Underclassmen and fellow third years continued to wish her good morning even after she entered the school. Satsuki warmly received their greetings and offered her own in return as she disappeared from the entry.
“She truly is a beautiful young lady,” Narusawa spat in a whisper. “She has the best reputation and lineage... She really is the crème-de-la-crème...” She sounded completely different from when she spoke with Satsuki mere seconds ago. Her voice held a spiteful tone.
Darting her eyes up at Kurihara, she asked meaningfully “...Don’t you want her, Kurihara...?” with a bemused expression upon her face.
With narrowed eyes, he envisioned Satsuki where she had vanished from his field of vision. “She’s a completely different type than you... I’d love to have my way with her...” he admitted. Unable to suppress his desire, his mouth twisted vulgarly. Attendant and mistress were equally vile.
All the while, Satsuki was ignorant of the crude thoughts directed at her with the door to her heart closed...