Spy Games

As Hitomi continued to speak, Mamouru found his thoughts drifting away from the girl in front of him. She was certainly charming and beautiful and her story was interesting but he couldn't help but be distracted a bit. When she finished, he smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"I see... I understand completely. If you could have whatever you wanted, would you remain in that life of a geisha?" He asked, wondering. "Or are you satisfied now that things turned out differently, maybe because you had no choice?"

He then traveled down her body. 'I've never really been around Geishas much, I admit." He chuckled. Other than one Geisha themed wrestler that used to hang around his mom's stable, he really hadn't seen them often. His skills were good enough that he felt it beneath him to seek one out, even for curiosities sake. As far as he was concerned, Geisha were for fat old salary men who weren't getting enough attention from their wives. Hitomi, however, seemed to erase that picture and he smiled.

"I'm actually... a little curious to see what sort of things a proper Geisha is capable of." He hoped that Hitomi would take the bait.

"No, I left of my own will Higurashi-san," Hitomi said, "Not because I was forced out. I like the life I have now. I never wanted to be an entertainer for old men." She smiled, "I'd much rather do my own thing than be forced into doing what the houses told me to."

The waiter soon came, setting down Mamoru's drink and Hitomi's martini. Her hand left Mamoru's to pick up her drink and sip it gently, tasting it for craftsmanship. It was only passable, in her opinion. After waving away the waiter, Hitomi turned back to Mamoru.

"I can show you a few things," Hitomi said quietly, "But probably not what you're thinking of."

Mamouru listened to Hitomi's words and smiled. He took a sip of his sake. it was chilled nicely but nothing spectacular. "Oh, is that so?" He said with a wry grin. "Do you think so little of me that I could only be intrigued by things of that nature? Honestly I am sure anything would be quite enjoyable, Hitomi-chan."

Mamouru took another sip from his drink. "I am glad to hear you're doing what you want though. I wouldn't want to be pressured into anything either. It's nice to live a free life." He said with a gentle smile.

"Oh? Alright then," Hitomi said, "Maybe you can come by my place after. I don't usually carry my instruments with me, because they are delicate and quite large. But if you want a performance, I'll give you my best!" Hitomi smiled as she sipped her drink. Entertaining old men seemed reprehensible to her, but someone young like Mamoru was alright. Even if he was a playboy perv.

"So, enough about me now," Hitomi said, "Let me ask a few questions about you." She looked Mamoru in the eye, giving him her best wry smile. "What plans have you got for Cassie?"

Mamouru was pleased with Hitomi's suggestion. Not only would he get to see the lovely lady perform but he would also get to see her home. If there was any luck tonight, he'd get to specific parts of her abode and a certain sort of performance. But for the moment, he pushed those thoughts away and took a sip from his sake.

"I would be honored." He said bowing his head politely at Hitomi. Despite being a playboy, he really did mean he would be honored by it.

he then raised an eyebrow. "Well, ultimately I'd like to make her a champion, of course. I think she needs a lot of experience before she could ever compete against the big timers. Once she's able to overcome a few things, she'll certainly be an unstoppable force in the league. She's a natural wrestler after all, just not a natural... performer."

"She could get there," Hitomi said, nodding in approval of Mamoru's idea, "You seem to be a fair judge of character Higurashi-san, but I hope you're not leading her down the wrong path. Cassie, from what I know of her, is pretty sheltered and gullible. If you're going to take her down the path to be a champion, she's going to have to face some rough people, people the likes of which she probably never saw before. I have confidence in her, but I feel as if the weak link here is you." She paused for a moment, as if teasing Mamoru.

"Do you think you'll be strong enough to see Cassie beaten, hospitalized, maybe even suffering a career-ending injury?" Hitomi demanded, her voice losing the playfulness from before, "The answer to that question is going to be your test Mamoru. And you will be tested again and again, so long as you are Cassie's manager."

Mamouru was pleased with Hitomi's words initially. He was a very good judge of character. Sitting across from Hitomi, managing Cassie, well, there were too many instances to list them all. But then Hitomi began to speak seriously. Mamouru tilted his head curiously at first but then by the time she was through, his brow was furrowed.

He slapped his palm against the table and leaned forward. "Forgive me, Hitomi-san. BECAUSE I am managing her, she won't have to deal with those things. Someone suffers injuries when they aren't focused, when they aren't paying attention. Cassie isn't serious enough. It's a recipe for disaster. She'll hold back and end up getting hurt or she might even assume someone else is willing to hold back. If she can get a sense of focus, her skills are that good. The only thing we'll have to worry about is if some crass group decides to jump her. I'll prevent that at all costs if I can."

Mamouru turned his head sharply and flipped his bangs out from his face. "It's a manager's duty to control what happens outside of the ring. It's a wrestler's duty to take care of herself in the ring. She can't do that, yet, because she's too nice. Once that gap diminishes, there will be no issues.

Mamouru looked at Hitomi seriously and tapped his finger against the table. "Let's say that your hypothetical situations occur then, yes. I'll be there for her, for whatever needs she has that I can fulfill.

"That seems like a naive way to think Higurashi-san," Hitomi said, "The more important question, I think, is this. What would happen when Cassie finally loses her innocence? It seems you're pushing her down that path, but do you think it's the right way to go? Do you want Cassie to be a brutal fighter instead of the incredibly nice person she is now? And most importantly, do you think you can deal with a changed Cassie, who is more like the girl you met this morning?"

Hitomi leaned back, drinking down the rest of her martini in a single glup, while keeping her eyes on Mamoru. He would have to deal with those questions eventually, best to ask them now.

Mamouru eyed Hitomi as she continued to pry at him. "Are you suggesting that I'm trying to take away her innocence?" He said as he lifted his chin up a bit. "She did choose to be a wrestler. She's not as naive as people think, you know." Mamouru clutched his glass and took another gulp of his sake. He then set it down, a little hard than he meant to. "Don't act like I am going to ruin her. I have faith that Cassie-san will be able to separate an in ring mentality from her personality." Mamouru let out a sigh. Hitmoi was working him up pretty good and he had to calm down. He'd say something he might regret and ruin his chances with Hitomi. He was silent for a moment before calming down and smiling at her.

"You've done fine. So have the rest of the girls in your stable. None of you have turned into beasts, or something horrible like that." Mamouru tilted his head and looked at Himtomi slyly. "Besides, what has Drake-san done to help Cassie-san's career. He seemed content to let her flounder on the bottom of the pile. I know compared to the other beauties he has to work with that Cassie-san may seem like a bit of a bumpkin, but she isn't. She needs guidance that I am willing and able to give her."

"I hope you know what you are doing," Hitomi replied, "I've seen what happens when someone screws up something like this, and I hope you don't. I really do." She smiled, taking a hold of Mamoru's hand once more, squeezing it tightly to show that despite her words, she supported him. She knew it was time Cassie moved on from Drake; he was more interested in getting her ready and used to this place than actually using her, but she had to go sometime.

"And something you should know about Drake," she continued, "He's not very good at starting someone out. He's much better at reviving old careers, and for keeping good stars going. He probably didn't know what to do with Cassie!"