The tram ground to a halt at the station, and Kai helped Nekoko off.
"You good?" he asked as the door closed behind them.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she took a bag from him, carrying one in each hand. "Thank you," she forced a smile. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Sure," he said noncommittally, stuffing his hands in his pockets as she turned and walked off.
The Godray Convention Center wasn't that far from the station, a hundred yards, maybe two at most, and as he watched her making slow progress, wincing and cursing under her breath with every limping step, he couldn't help but shake his head and smirk at her stubbornness. That smirk went flat as she reached a set of stairs leading to the square outside the center and wobbled at the first step. Then, the smirk turned into a frown as she stumbled at the second step, and almost fell over, going down to her knees with a yelp.
"Hey!" He ran to her, and she stayed down, taking a break on the third step. "Are you okay?"
She stared at him, breathing heavily, her eyes wide with the fright and adrenaline of almost falling, though she had no obvious bruises or injuries.
He put his hand forward and sighed. "Are you gonna let me help you now? Or should I wait until you split your head open?"
Begrudgingly, she handed over the bags. He held both in one hand, then moved to stand beside her on the step, holding his arm forward. "Here, grab on."
She was reluctant but cooperated, getting up and leaning on the railing to her right and on his arm at her left. Together, they descended the steps and made their way across the square. Other than the occasional huff of exertion and groan of pain, Nekoko remained silent, her expression stern.
"Mr. 69…" she said eventually.
"It's Kai."
"Right, Kai… Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, I guess."
They stopped right before the entrance to the center, and she turned to look at him. "Why did you stop watching my streams?"
His jaw dropped, and a pit formed in his stomach, feeling as if he were caught in the act of committing a crime, even though, when he thought about it, he had done nothing wrong.
"You noticed?"
"It's not every day I meet a fan in person, especially one who extorts a three-month subscription out of me."
I sound like a complete douchebag when she puts it like that, he scratched his head. "Ah…"
"I don't mean to come off as entitled," she was quick to add. "You can obviously watch whatever you want, and it's really none of my business, but… I was just wondering…"
The pit in his stomach grew deeper. He couldn't tell her the truth, at least not all of it. "Like I told you before… I've been very busy over the past few months."
"Right…" she said, but her flat tone made him think she didn't believe him.
"Seriously, since the last time I saw you, I…" He took a moment to think. "Got a girlfriend, almost died, gave my dad a heart attack, and then got dumped… in that order."
"Oh…" she blinked. "That does sound like a lot."
"Ah, and I also got laid off," he added as they continued walking, entering the convention center.
"Aww… I'm sorry," she said, then gestured down one of the halls, and he escorted her in.
"It is what it is," he shrugged. "I have more time to game now, so… at least I got that going for me."
She giggled. "Where did you work, anyway?"
"Ah," he cracked a smile. "Did you ever hear of—"
"Saya," a dark-haired man in a business suit called, clearly referring to Nekoko. He stood at the end of the long hall, beside a businesswoman with long blonde hair—Kai recognized her instantly.
"What happened?" the businessman asked, glancing at Nekoko's slightly raised foot.
"The tram made a sudden stop, and I tripped, but I'll be fine; I just need to rest it for a few minutes."
"Come, sit down, let me have a look at you," he stepped beside her to lend his shoulder, and she shifted to lean on him, letting go of Kai.
"Your merch," Kai held the bags up, and the man took them.
"And you are?" he asked.
"This is Kai… I bumped into him on the tram, and he helped me out," she explained, then turned to the Oathless. "And Kai, this is Tom, my manager."
"Thank you for your help," the manager nodded.
"Sure, no problem," Kai shrugged.
Tom sat Nekoko down in a nearby chair, dropped the bags beside her, and knelt to examine her foot.
While they were busy with that, the blonde woman approached Kai. "How's your father?" Catherine asked.
"I, ah…" he stammered, the earnestness of the question catching him off guard. "I don't know; the doctor said he'll be fine, but I haven't really spoken to him since."
"That's…" she hesitated. "I—eh… I am sorry about the timing; I probably should have waited a day or two before I told you… Did you have any success finding a new job?"
"Honestly, I wasn't looking, so… no." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"The company is one of the sponsors of this event, and as part of my new management position, I wanted to see how things are progressing."
"Ah…"
She sighed. "Kai… if you are interested in finding a new job, then… I know it isn't exactly what you did before, but… Tom is looking for a new assistant, at least for the next couple of weeks—his usual man had to leave early due to an emergency. I can put in a good word for you if you like."
"Huh…" His brows creased in thought. This wasn't really how he thought the day would turn out. He should have been with Hexaphalia by now, living his 'Happily Ever After'… but after today's events, he wasn't sure if that was ever going to happen, and this was a good opportunity. Worst case, he would either quit or wait the two weeks and then go to her… he had nothing to lose by taking this job. "That'd be… really nice, actually."
"Ow, ow, ow!" Nekoko moaned.
Tom shook his head. "You can't practice like this, I'm taking you home."
"Let Kai do it," Catherine interjected, patting the Oathless's shoulder. "You and I still have business here, and besides, you said that you were looking for a new assistant." She patted Kai's shoulder again. "I can vouch for him; he is a hard worker."
The Oathless gulped. When she said she would put in a good word for him, he didn't think she meant right now.
"He worked for you?" Tom lifted an eyebrow.
"Yes, he did concept art for Valkyrie Warz."
"Really?!" Nekoko said, her eyes beaming.
Catherine nodded. "He designed Xena, the last character released before we cut support for the product."
"What?! No way! That's so cool!"
Kai blushed. He didn't expect that kind of reaction—from anyone.
"Are you okay with him taking you home?" Tom asked.
"I… erm…" Nekoko's cheeks flushed. "I don't mind."
Tom got up and scanned the Oathless closely with his piercing blue eyes. "Are you up to it?"
"Y-yeah, it'd be no problem."
"Alright then, if Catherine is vouching for you, I'll give you a shot." Tom dug a set of keys out of his inner pocket and flung them over. "Take my car. After you drive her home, come back here, and we can work out the details of your employment."
Kai nodded, and Tom bent down, whispering to Nekoko: "If he does anything weird, you let me know immediately."
In the meantime, Catherine leaned over and whispered in Kai's ear: "I'm staking my reputation on you. Don't ruin it."
"It will be fine," they both answered, respectively.
***
Tom's car was a slick black sedan, which reminded Kai of his father's car—the one he drove back when he had lived with the family.
He helped Nekoko into the passenger seat, then got in himself and stayed still for a few moments, scanning the dashboard, steering wheel, and gear stick.
"Are we waiting for something?" she asked.
"Huh? No, it's just…" He shook his head with a wry smile, then hit the ignition. "Well, don't tell your manager, but it's been over four years since I drove anything."
She turned to him, her eyes wide with alarm.
"Don't worry," he laughed it off and pulled out of the parking lot. "It's like riding a bike. I'm sure it will come back to me."