Post by Vapovile on Sept 13, 2021 3:18:47 GMT
Days after the climactic battle with Miyamoto Musashi and his conspirators, things seemed calm at Haruko’s house located on the beautiful California coast. The house itself was 2 stories tall, with a pleasant white exterior and a long driveway leading up to the house itself. Behind the house sat their pool and wooden steps leading down to the beach, and front had a garden filled with various bushes and flowers.
Inside, Haruko sat on her own, watching a crime drama on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of tea nearby. Cosmina was at a friend’s house, and Kate was busy in their garage working on her own projects.
Right outside, Musashi Mai had arrived. She really felt like thanking Haruko for her support back there, but hadn’t thought about how to do it until that day. She rang the bell and waited for someone to answer, hopefully she would be home, yes?
Hearing the doorbell, Haruko paused her show and rolled off the couch, adjusting her casual white t-shirt and pink pajama bottoms with white stars and walking over to the door, peering through the eyeglass to make sure it was not a person she had to dress professionally for and opening it.
“Hey, Mai! This is an unexpected visit. How are you?” The seamstress asked, stepping to the side to allow Mai in.
“Heyy, glad you are here, I kinda took a gamble and uh, yeah, I’m doing great, so is Akane by the way”-Mai said as she scratched her head.
“Look I won’t take too much of your time, just felt like saying thank you and I uh, brought a couple gifts, is that ok?”-Mai asked as politely as she could.
Haruko nodded and gave a welcoming smile. “Oh, of course it’s ok! I’m happy to hear you and Akane are doing great after that mess. Did you want to come inside to give these gifts? I have some leftover tea if you want.” Haruko asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Oh, sure! Let me just tell the moving van to park in front”- Mai walked back and waved at the distance, a large moving van parked right in front of Haruko’s house and a small woman came down from it
“Hey Haku, start bringing everything inside, careful with the boxes, aight?”-Mai walked back to Haruko’s door and smiled.
“Haku is gonna be getting all the stuff inside, you said you had tea?”-Mai added as she walked inside.
“Moving van?” Haruko’s eyes widened when she realized the scale of these gifts. “Oh, this is incredibly generous of you…” Haruko didn’t realize they were gonna get so much! “Uh, yes! Right in the kitchen, the pot is right there. Cups are in the cupboard to the right!” Haruko called after Mai. “So...what is all this?” She asked with curiosity.
“Well, I heard from Akane that you were into fashion or something like that so uh, hope you like Prada cause that’s like, their entire winter collection”
Haku walked inside with the first box, clearly far too big for a woman of her size to be able to lift it
“Musashi Sama, where should I put this?”- Haku asked. Mai just turned to Haruko, as if wondering the same thing.
Haruko’s mouth practically dropped open. “O-oh, well thank you so much Mai! Yes, I am uh, a seamstress, so I keep up with the latest fashion trends for my own line. That can uh, go right over there.” Haruko pointed to a spot in the hallway, near the stairs that led upstairs. Were the Musashi really so rich that they casually gave out gifts like this?!
As Haku began to pile up boxes, Mai helped herself to a cup of tea, she held a tiny cup and delicately filled it.
“Sorry if this takes a while, I only have her to assist me. Sooo, you live by yourself? I can’t imagine you don’t have at least a boyfriend or two, youuu are pretty cute, you know that?”- Mai said as she took a sip.
Haruko chuckled at the suggestion, leaning against the counter. “Well, I did have a boyfriend a few years ago. Buuuuut, he didn’t like me adopting one of my daughters, so we parted ways. I have two adopted daughters, by the way. Teenagers now though, and Cosmina’s out with a friend. Kate is...in the garage working on her car I think?” Haruko thought to herself. Kate usually spent her free time either in her room, outside, or the garage. “Did you want to meet her? You’re both tech people, though you are way more experienced I think.” Haruko let out a few laughs.
“Wow, sounds like he was a total douche”-Mai replied when she heard about Haruko’s ex
“Sure! Would love to meet her, I have a kid myself, but she’s not into tech stuff, it would be nice to see what she’s working on!”-Mai added as she downed her cup of tea and set it on the side.
“I’ll have Haku do the dishes later, so uh, take me to her!”
“Oh right, Kaguya! I hope she’s doing well too, after all that’s happened.” Haruko motioned for Mai to follow her down the hallway. The two eventually make their way to the back door that led to their garage, Haruko opening it and showing off Kate’s workshop.
Everything was neatly organized, with a workbench on the far wall covered in design documents and neatly placed screws. In the center of the garage was a sleek black sports car with a foldable roof, hanging from a platform. A teenager that looked to be about 17 with tied-up orange hair was below it, touching the underside with her hands that glowed golden.
“Heeeeey, Kate! Do you have a minute to meet a family friend?” She called over to her kid. Kate looked over and stared at the massive woman next to Haruko, making her mom look even smaller in comparison. She smirked and jumped away from the car, wiping her hands with a rag. “Sure, what’s up?” Kate asked casually, looking at the two. She was about 5 ft 7, and had distinctly muscular arms from all the work she does.
“Kate, this is Mai Musashi. She’s the er...Slayer, right? Actually, you’re best at introducing yourself.” Haruko realized she didn’t know Mai as well as her other family friends did.
“Well, I am the slayer of my branch, also chief engineer at Shinkyo and world ranker at the HWBC if you are into fighting, but yeah cool to meet ya. So what are you working on?”- Mai said with curiosity, smiling in approval after she looked at Kate’s frame. She knew a mechanic when she saw one.
Kate’s eyes widened when Mai mentioned the HWBC. “Wait a freaking moment, world ranking at HWBC? Oh my fucking god, TOKYO TIGER?!” She asked in surprise. “Hell yeah I follow that sport! Fighting and soccer are my jam! What the heck are you doing being friends with my mom?!” She asked with shock, Haruko pouting slightly.
Mai smirked upon seeing Kate’s reaction, she raised a brow when she asked that question.
“What, you don’t know? Your mom can kick some serious ass when she wants to. Came to thank her for the other day, really did a huge favor to me. But enough about that, show me what you are doing in that car”- Mai added as she gently set her hand on Kate’s shoulder.
Taking in a deep breath, Kate calmed her nerves and straightened her back. “Ok, you’re gonna love this. So, background. My whole thing is getting parts from the scrapyard and turning them into beasts like this. Then I sell it to someone, buy more scrap, and I don’t need to do any crap part time work.” Kate said proudly.
Pointing to the underside above, Kate beamed with pride. “You see, this old beat-up engine just wasn’t powerful enough. So I upgraded it to go WAY faster! I’m not fully done with the underside yet, but check this out.” Kate lowered the car down to the ground, and opened the driver side door.
“Old gross seats upgraded into nice clean ones, and LOOK at these options!” Kate pointed to the newly-installed screen mounted on the inside, which showed an array of options. “One of my aunt Elyssa’s friends helps me with software stuff. But you can control the radio from here, backup camera, and…”
Kate grinned and pressed a red button on the bottom, causing the back of the car to lurch violently forward, as if propelled by a rocket, before settling back down when Kate pushed the button again. “Just a little...extra boost if you need it. There’s more, buuuuuuuut...what do you think so far before I reveal the best bit?” Kate asked proudly.
“Phew, not half bad”-Mai whistled.
“However, upgrading all this stuff must be a pretty penny, can’t imagine you make all that much after it. Tho it is quite impressive this restoration work, the thing looks brand new, you would never figure this used to be scrap from the looks of it”- Mai added.
“Heh heh heh.” Kate proudly laughed at Mai’s question. “I don’t need a lot of money. Here, let me blow your mind.” Kate dug in her pocket and produced an old aluminum screw, clearly from the junkyard.
“See this nasty thing? The threads are stripped and it’s gross old aluminum. Now watch!” Her hand glew gold once more, and the screw began to change. The threads repaired themselves, the grime flaked off, and the metal solidified into solid steel. She held it out for Mai to take.
“I have the power of upgrade and degrade! If I touch something and add a little magic, I can improve it as long as I can think of the end result! So I just take these old parts, upgrade them one by one, and put them all together! Impressive, right?” Kate beamed.
Mai’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“Oh shit, your powers are kinda close to mine! Wait a bit.”- Mai darted back out of the Garage and came with Haku.
“Sorry, I got a pretty good idea. This is Haku. well, I’ll let her introduce herself”
“Pleasure to meet you, I am the Virtual Machine no.6 Haku”- She said as she extended her hand out to Kate
“So, she looks pretty human right? She’s not tho I actually made her a while ago.. Why don’t you give her a go with your powers? Who knows what could happen?”
Kate looked at the woman with confusion. “Huh...so she’s a robot…” Kate asked with interest, shaking Haku’s hand. She thought about what specifically to upgrade. “How much can she bench?” Kate asked.
“1.7 metric tons, please don’t talk about me like I am not in this room”-Haku added
“Well there ya go”- Mai said as she shrugged.
“O-oh, so she has a personality too!” Kate said, embarrassed. She had no idea this robot was so sophisticated! “Hm…” Kate looked around the room for anything that could be used as a test. “I don’t have anything that heavy, so how about just an arm wrestle? Try it before and after I upgrade one of her arms.” Kate suggested.
“Oh so you are gonna make her stronger? Well sure thing, let’s go with that!”- Mai said as they both positioned themselves for armwrestling.
“Ready? Go!”- Musashi and Haku both pulled, with Mai slowly but surely taking edge over her creation.
“I give up!”-Haku shouted and Mai let go of her before she actually got to beat her.
Musashi shook her hand a bit and exhaled.
“Phew, not half bad if I don’t mind saying it so myself...so? You think you can make her better than she is right now?”
Kate whistled at the display of power. “I am amazed by you people who can lift buildings. I’m totally normal strength-wise. But yes, give me a second.” Kate’s eyes glinted with glee as she began to grab Haku’s arm and upgrade it. Nothing seemed to change outwardly, but the material inside became more dense, the joints more freely to move. She finished by upgrading her hand, making the metal inside just as strong as the arm. Stepping away, Kate let out a sigh.
“Phew...running low on magic with all this upgrading. But give her a try now, and hopefully the existing parts don’t fail and rip that amazing arm off.” Kate said a little too casually.
“That’s it? Now don’t be silly, Haku can take a lot more than she can dish, but let’s see how much it did improve”
Mai and Haku both set themselves again in position, this time when both pulled, Mai frowned unexpectedly, veins popped and her face got red but neither budged. Musashi gathered ki on her body and began to push back, but not nearly at the pace she did before. Eventually, they called it off.
“Fucking hell, that’s one hell of an improvement...say wouldn’t you like an actual job? I would be happy to hire you...maybe even get you in the Musashi. There are...quite a lot of benefits to it”
“...Musashi?” Kate asked with confusion. “Like, the warrior guy? Wait, that’s your surname too...what is this thing?” Kate asked, having never heard of such an organization far off in Japan.
“Uh yeah, we descend from that guy (who happened to be an asshole). Anyway, I'm part of a warrior clan, I’m usually making armors and weapons for the agents of my clan, but I am not the only one. We have dozens of craftsmen and I think you would be a good addition. There’s good benefits to joining, the pay is good, and we have a ton of good properties you could buy in Osaka. Obviously you would also get a badge, which is a sign of respect in Japan, it opens up a looot of doors, trust me on that”
Kate folded her arms across her chest, opening her mouth to say something...when Haruko broke her silence and stepped forward. “Heeeeey, excuse my interruption, but Kate is still a minor. So I had better see what this is all about too, if that’s not a problem.” Haruko said. Kate let out an audible groan. “Moooooooooom!”
“So, Mai. This is a non-combat role, yes? Like Kate said, she’s normal in terms of strength. And if you’re going to be giving her a paycheck...I’d like to have a say in her contract, please.” Haruko requested. Kate groaned once more.
“Sure! I know we like, have a reputation, but not everyone in the Musashi is in a combat role. She would be working in Osaka, that’s where we have the Yoshihara branch, and uh, yes, we can talk about her payment, for instance, we could make it so her work serves as a down payment for a house or an apartment, or we could also save her money until she’s of age. I mean the only thing we would require of her is exclusivity in the weapons sector”
Haruko nodded her head, and looked at Kate. “You sure you want to do this? You’ll be leaving home, you know.” Haruko asked. Kate’s facade seemed to soften, looking down at the floor thoughtfully. She had wanted to move out next year, but this was on the other side of the Pacific with people she might not speak the same language as! Taking another breath, Kate looked up at Mai.
“One question; will I still be able to make and sell my cars on my own time?” Kate asked.
Mai exhaled from her nose when she heard Kate’s question
“With how much we’ll be paying you, you can very well start your own shop in the Umeda Area, I don’t think you understand this kid, but this job is way better than anything you can ever imagine, you’ll love it, trust me.”
With another pause, Kate looked down at her feet, then at her car, then Haruko, and finally Mai. “Sure, why the hell not? Just let me see those details whenever and we can get this all formal and stuff.” Kate said with a smirk, holding out her hand.
Mai smiled and shook Kate’s hand.
“That’s what I'm talking about! It’s not official yet, but Kate Miyata, I grant you the rank of associate! Badge and papers should be delivered to ya in a couple days, look forward to them alright? And maybe I can get a few friends from the Yoshihara branch to help you find a place and show you the ropes!”
It felt like shaking the hand of a demigod, Kate pulling away and smiling still. “Hell yeah! SO looking forward to this! I was planning to just do this after graduation, but this sounds fun!” Kate exclaimed. Haruko looked on with a mixture of pride and sadness, but still nodded her head.
“That’s a very generous offer, Mai. Seeing what she’s made here, you won’t regret it.” She said proudly. This also meant Kate would no longer be living there, after 7 years of living in her house. It was a bittersweet emotion.
“I’ll make sure she’s in the best care, Ruko. We take care of each other in the Musashi and hey, you are my friend too, so you know I wouldn’t lie about that”- Mai said as she got up and moved towards the exit.
“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have quite a bit to do elsewhere. Take care both of ya, and I guess I’ll see you around soon!”-Mai told her newly recruited talent as she left.
When Mai was sufficiently gone, Haruko looked down at Kate and put a hand on her shoulder. “So, you excited for this next step in your life? Living in Japan? Making cool stuff?” Haruko asked, and was then given an unexpected hug by Kate, to which Haruko hugged back.
“I...yeah. It’s uh, all kinda hitting me now. It sounds cool...but yeah…” Kate’s eyes welled up. Haruko knew exactly what Kate meant. “Look, I’ll visit as much as you want me to, ok? I’ll bring Cosmina too if you want.” Haruko said, Kate letting out a weak chuckle. “Sure...bring that nerd along. Mind helping me uh...find and decorate my apartment or...house?” The thought of owning a house was baffling to Kate. Haruko squeezed her tighter in the hug. “Of course I will, sweetie. If you need anything, I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Kate took another glance around the room, soon this entire garage wouldn’t be her workshop anymore. Sure the new one will be bigger and cooler...but not the same one she built from the ground up over so many years. Haruko squeezed one more time. “And of course, you’re free to come home anytime you want, your room will be ready. I love you, Kate.” Haruko said, Kate’s eyes getting more watery. “Love you too, mom…” A new exciting, terrifying chapter was now starting. Adulthood had arrived.
Inside, Haruko sat on her own, watching a crime drama on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of tea nearby. Cosmina was at a friend’s house, and Kate was busy in their garage working on her own projects.
Right outside, Musashi Mai had arrived. She really felt like thanking Haruko for her support back there, but hadn’t thought about how to do it until that day. She rang the bell and waited for someone to answer, hopefully she would be home, yes?
Hearing the doorbell, Haruko paused her show and rolled off the couch, adjusting her casual white t-shirt and pink pajama bottoms with white stars and walking over to the door, peering through the eyeglass to make sure it was not a person she had to dress professionally for and opening it.
“Hey, Mai! This is an unexpected visit. How are you?” The seamstress asked, stepping to the side to allow Mai in.
“Heyy, glad you are here, I kinda took a gamble and uh, yeah, I’m doing great, so is Akane by the way”-Mai said as she scratched her head.
“Look I won’t take too much of your time, just felt like saying thank you and I uh, brought a couple gifts, is that ok?”-Mai asked as politely as she could.
Haruko nodded and gave a welcoming smile. “Oh, of course it’s ok! I’m happy to hear you and Akane are doing great after that mess. Did you want to come inside to give these gifts? I have some leftover tea if you want.” Haruko asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Oh, sure! Let me just tell the moving van to park in front”- Mai walked back and waved at the distance, a large moving van parked right in front of Haruko’s house and a small woman came down from it
“Hey Haku, start bringing everything inside, careful with the boxes, aight?”-Mai walked back to Haruko’s door and smiled.
“Haku is gonna be getting all the stuff inside, you said you had tea?”-Mai added as she walked inside.
“Moving van?” Haruko’s eyes widened when she realized the scale of these gifts. “Oh, this is incredibly generous of you…” Haruko didn’t realize they were gonna get so much! “Uh, yes! Right in the kitchen, the pot is right there. Cups are in the cupboard to the right!” Haruko called after Mai. “So...what is all this?” She asked with curiosity.
“Well, I heard from Akane that you were into fashion or something like that so uh, hope you like Prada cause that’s like, their entire winter collection”
Haku walked inside with the first box, clearly far too big for a woman of her size to be able to lift it
“Musashi Sama, where should I put this?”- Haku asked. Mai just turned to Haruko, as if wondering the same thing.
Haruko’s mouth practically dropped open. “O-oh, well thank you so much Mai! Yes, I am uh, a seamstress, so I keep up with the latest fashion trends for my own line. That can uh, go right over there.” Haruko pointed to a spot in the hallway, near the stairs that led upstairs. Were the Musashi really so rich that they casually gave out gifts like this?!
As Haku began to pile up boxes, Mai helped herself to a cup of tea, she held a tiny cup and delicately filled it.
“Sorry if this takes a while, I only have her to assist me. Sooo, you live by yourself? I can’t imagine you don’t have at least a boyfriend or two, youuu are pretty cute, you know that?”- Mai said as she took a sip.
Haruko chuckled at the suggestion, leaning against the counter. “Well, I did have a boyfriend a few years ago. Buuuuut, he didn’t like me adopting one of my daughters, so we parted ways. I have two adopted daughters, by the way. Teenagers now though, and Cosmina’s out with a friend. Kate is...in the garage working on her car I think?” Haruko thought to herself. Kate usually spent her free time either in her room, outside, or the garage. “Did you want to meet her? You’re both tech people, though you are way more experienced I think.” Haruko let out a few laughs.
“Wow, sounds like he was a total douche”-Mai replied when she heard about Haruko’s ex
“Sure! Would love to meet her, I have a kid myself, but she’s not into tech stuff, it would be nice to see what she’s working on!”-Mai added as she downed her cup of tea and set it on the side.
“I’ll have Haku do the dishes later, so uh, take me to her!”
“Oh right, Kaguya! I hope she’s doing well too, after all that’s happened.” Haruko motioned for Mai to follow her down the hallway. The two eventually make their way to the back door that led to their garage, Haruko opening it and showing off Kate’s workshop.
Everything was neatly organized, with a workbench on the far wall covered in design documents and neatly placed screws. In the center of the garage was a sleek black sports car with a foldable roof, hanging from a platform. A teenager that looked to be about 17 with tied-up orange hair was below it, touching the underside with her hands that glowed golden.
“Heeeeey, Kate! Do you have a minute to meet a family friend?” She called over to her kid. Kate looked over and stared at the massive woman next to Haruko, making her mom look even smaller in comparison. She smirked and jumped away from the car, wiping her hands with a rag. “Sure, what’s up?” Kate asked casually, looking at the two. She was about 5 ft 7, and had distinctly muscular arms from all the work she does.
“Kate, this is Mai Musashi. She’s the er...Slayer, right? Actually, you’re best at introducing yourself.” Haruko realized she didn’t know Mai as well as her other family friends did.
“Well, I am the slayer of my branch, also chief engineer at Shinkyo and world ranker at the HWBC if you are into fighting, but yeah cool to meet ya. So what are you working on?”- Mai said with curiosity, smiling in approval after she looked at Kate’s frame. She knew a mechanic when she saw one.
Kate’s eyes widened when Mai mentioned the HWBC. “Wait a freaking moment, world ranking at HWBC? Oh my fucking god, TOKYO TIGER?!” She asked in surprise. “Hell yeah I follow that sport! Fighting and soccer are my jam! What the heck are you doing being friends with my mom?!” She asked with shock, Haruko pouting slightly.
Mai smirked upon seeing Kate’s reaction, she raised a brow when she asked that question.
“What, you don’t know? Your mom can kick some serious ass when she wants to. Came to thank her for the other day, really did a huge favor to me. But enough about that, show me what you are doing in that car”- Mai added as she gently set her hand on Kate’s shoulder.
Taking in a deep breath, Kate calmed her nerves and straightened her back. “Ok, you’re gonna love this. So, background. My whole thing is getting parts from the scrapyard and turning them into beasts like this. Then I sell it to someone, buy more scrap, and I don’t need to do any crap part time work.” Kate said proudly.
Pointing to the underside above, Kate beamed with pride. “You see, this old beat-up engine just wasn’t powerful enough. So I upgraded it to go WAY faster! I’m not fully done with the underside yet, but check this out.” Kate lowered the car down to the ground, and opened the driver side door.
“Old gross seats upgraded into nice clean ones, and LOOK at these options!” Kate pointed to the newly-installed screen mounted on the inside, which showed an array of options. “One of my aunt Elyssa’s friends helps me with software stuff. But you can control the radio from here, backup camera, and…”
Kate grinned and pressed a red button on the bottom, causing the back of the car to lurch violently forward, as if propelled by a rocket, before settling back down when Kate pushed the button again. “Just a little...extra boost if you need it. There’s more, buuuuuuuut...what do you think so far before I reveal the best bit?” Kate asked proudly.
“Phew, not half bad”-Mai whistled.
“However, upgrading all this stuff must be a pretty penny, can’t imagine you make all that much after it. Tho it is quite impressive this restoration work, the thing looks brand new, you would never figure this used to be scrap from the looks of it”- Mai added.
“Heh heh heh.” Kate proudly laughed at Mai’s question. “I don’t need a lot of money. Here, let me blow your mind.” Kate dug in her pocket and produced an old aluminum screw, clearly from the junkyard.
“See this nasty thing? The threads are stripped and it’s gross old aluminum. Now watch!” Her hand glew gold once more, and the screw began to change. The threads repaired themselves, the grime flaked off, and the metal solidified into solid steel. She held it out for Mai to take.
“I have the power of upgrade and degrade! If I touch something and add a little magic, I can improve it as long as I can think of the end result! So I just take these old parts, upgrade them one by one, and put them all together! Impressive, right?” Kate beamed.
Mai’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“Oh shit, your powers are kinda close to mine! Wait a bit.”- Mai darted back out of the Garage and came with Haku.
“Sorry, I got a pretty good idea. This is Haku. well, I’ll let her introduce herself”
“Pleasure to meet you, I am the Virtual Machine no.6 Haku”- She said as she extended her hand out to Kate
“So, she looks pretty human right? She’s not tho I actually made her a while ago.. Why don’t you give her a go with your powers? Who knows what could happen?”
Kate looked at the woman with confusion. “Huh...so she’s a robot…” Kate asked with interest, shaking Haku’s hand. She thought about what specifically to upgrade. “How much can she bench?” Kate asked.
“1.7 metric tons, please don’t talk about me like I am not in this room”-Haku added
“Well there ya go”- Mai said as she shrugged.
“O-oh, so she has a personality too!” Kate said, embarrassed. She had no idea this robot was so sophisticated! “Hm…” Kate looked around the room for anything that could be used as a test. “I don’t have anything that heavy, so how about just an arm wrestle? Try it before and after I upgrade one of her arms.” Kate suggested.
“Oh so you are gonna make her stronger? Well sure thing, let’s go with that!”- Mai said as they both positioned themselves for armwrestling.
“Ready? Go!”- Musashi and Haku both pulled, with Mai slowly but surely taking edge over her creation.
“I give up!”-Haku shouted and Mai let go of her before she actually got to beat her.
Musashi shook her hand a bit and exhaled.
“Phew, not half bad if I don’t mind saying it so myself...so? You think you can make her better than she is right now?”
Kate whistled at the display of power. “I am amazed by you people who can lift buildings. I’m totally normal strength-wise. But yes, give me a second.” Kate’s eyes glinted with glee as she began to grab Haku’s arm and upgrade it. Nothing seemed to change outwardly, but the material inside became more dense, the joints more freely to move. She finished by upgrading her hand, making the metal inside just as strong as the arm. Stepping away, Kate let out a sigh.
“Phew...running low on magic with all this upgrading. But give her a try now, and hopefully the existing parts don’t fail and rip that amazing arm off.” Kate said a little too casually.
“That’s it? Now don’t be silly, Haku can take a lot more than she can dish, but let’s see how much it did improve”
Mai and Haku both set themselves again in position, this time when both pulled, Mai frowned unexpectedly, veins popped and her face got red but neither budged. Musashi gathered ki on her body and began to push back, but not nearly at the pace she did before. Eventually, they called it off.
“Fucking hell, that’s one hell of an improvement...say wouldn’t you like an actual job? I would be happy to hire you...maybe even get you in the Musashi. There are...quite a lot of benefits to it”
“...Musashi?” Kate asked with confusion. “Like, the warrior guy? Wait, that’s your surname too...what is this thing?” Kate asked, having never heard of such an organization far off in Japan.
“Uh yeah, we descend from that guy (who happened to be an asshole). Anyway, I'm part of a warrior clan, I’m usually making armors and weapons for the agents of my clan, but I am not the only one. We have dozens of craftsmen and I think you would be a good addition. There’s good benefits to joining, the pay is good, and we have a ton of good properties you could buy in Osaka. Obviously you would also get a badge, which is a sign of respect in Japan, it opens up a looot of doors, trust me on that”
Kate folded her arms across her chest, opening her mouth to say something...when Haruko broke her silence and stepped forward. “Heeeeey, excuse my interruption, but Kate is still a minor. So I had better see what this is all about too, if that’s not a problem.” Haruko said. Kate let out an audible groan. “Moooooooooom!”
“So, Mai. This is a non-combat role, yes? Like Kate said, she’s normal in terms of strength. And if you’re going to be giving her a paycheck...I’d like to have a say in her contract, please.” Haruko requested. Kate groaned once more.
“Sure! I know we like, have a reputation, but not everyone in the Musashi is in a combat role. She would be working in Osaka, that’s where we have the Yoshihara branch, and uh, yes, we can talk about her payment, for instance, we could make it so her work serves as a down payment for a house or an apartment, or we could also save her money until she’s of age. I mean the only thing we would require of her is exclusivity in the weapons sector”
Haruko nodded her head, and looked at Kate. “You sure you want to do this? You’ll be leaving home, you know.” Haruko asked. Kate’s facade seemed to soften, looking down at the floor thoughtfully. She had wanted to move out next year, but this was on the other side of the Pacific with people she might not speak the same language as! Taking another breath, Kate looked up at Mai.
“One question; will I still be able to make and sell my cars on my own time?” Kate asked.
Mai exhaled from her nose when she heard Kate’s question
“With how much we’ll be paying you, you can very well start your own shop in the Umeda Area, I don’t think you understand this kid, but this job is way better than anything you can ever imagine, you’ll love it, trust me.”
With another pause, Kate looked down at her feet, then at her car, then Haruko, and finally Mai. “Sure, why the hell not? Just let me see those details whenever and we can get this all formal and stuff.” Kate said with a smirk, holding out her hand.
Mai smiled and shook Kate’s hand.
“That’s what I'm talking about! It’s not official yet, but Kate Miyata, I grant you the rank of associate! Badge and papers should be delivered to ya in a couple days, look forward to them alright? And maybe I can get a few friends from the Yoshihara branch to help you find a place and show you the ropes!”
It felt like shaking the hand of a demigod, Kate pulling away and smiling still. “Hell yeah! SO looking forward to this! I was planning to just do this after graduation, but this sounds fun!” Kate exclaimed. Haruko looked on with a mixture of pride and sadness, but still nodded her head.
“That’s a very generous offer, Mai. Seeing what she’s made here, you won’t regret it.” She said proudly. This also meant Kate would no longer be living there, after 7 years of living in her house. It was a bittersweet emotion.
“I’ll make sure she’s in the best care, Ruko. We take care of each other in the Musashi and hey, you are my friend too, so you know I wouldn’t lie about that”- Mai said as she got up and moved towards the exit.
“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have quite a bit to do elsewhere. Take care both of ya, and I guess I’ll see you around soon!”-Mai told her newly recruited talent as she left.
When Mai was sufficiently gone, Haruko looked down at Kate and put a hand on her shoulder. “So, you excited for this next step in your life? Living in Japan? Making cool stuff?” Haruko asked, and was then given an unexpected hug by Kate, to which Haruko hugged back.
“I...yeah. It’s uh, all kinda hitting me now. It sounds cool...but yeah…” Kate’s eyes welled up. Haruko knew exactly what Kate meant. “Look, I’ll visit as much as you want me to, ok? I’ll bring Cosmina too if you want.” Haruko said, Kate letting out a weak chuckle. “Sure...bring that nerd along. Mind helping me uh...find and decorate my apartment or...house?” The thought of owning a house was baffling to Kate. Haruko squeezed her tighter in the hug. “Of course I will, sweetie. If you need anything, I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Kate took another glance around the room, soon this entire garage wouldn’t be her workshop anymore. Sure the new one will be bigger and cooler...but not the same one she built from the ground up over so many years. Haruko squeezed one more time. “And of course, you’re free to come home anytime you want, your room will be ready. I love you, Kate.” Haruko said, Kate’s eyes getting more watery. “Love you too, mom…” A new exciting, terrifying chapter was now starting. Adulthood had arrived.