.

Mei and Kazuya left the Kouzuki household early to avoid Kyouko asking too many questions. Although Mei said that it was a trip between the two of them, it was more because of the company rather than fun. They stopped by the office that was under construction and used the facilities that were already set-up.

"How are the preparations going Matsuri" since she was the boss, Mei stopped addressing her as 'senpai' and directly called her by name. She felt it was awkward at first but Matsuri was the one who insisted because they were both professionals.

"The documents have already been processed by the government office. We're only waiting for the construction to be completed before the company can go operational" Matsuri showed the report prepared.

"That's good news. What about those people who are going to be our security? Do we have enough people?" Mei asked but Matsuri turned towards Kazuya since he was the best person to explain it.

"Ousame's brothers still weren't enough to follow the security plan in my mind so I asked granpa Jirou if he knew people who could be trusted and were willing to sign a strict contract. He suggested some of the instructors and senior members of the dojo who were in need of a job" he turned back to Matsuri to continue.

"Yes, I've already met them and briefed them of their responsibilities after they signed the contract. Since they were recommended by Shiroyuki Jirou as capable and trustworthy people, there shouldn't be any problems even if they were to implement the strict security plan"

The meeting took a while but so far, everything was going smoothly. Mei's hard work didn't go to waste as they were already ahead of schedule. At this rate, they could start operations as soon as the start of the new year.

"Big sis, I almost forgot.. I've told the employees I hired that I'm going to let them meet their CEO via a party near the end of the year. I already confirmed your schedule with mom so I wanted to ask if you wanted to do it" Kazuya added after most of the matters have been settled.

"Hmm.. That's not a bad idea. I was wondering about the people you found. They're going to be the core of this company so I'm very interested in meeting them" Mei couldn't say she wasn't because after finding out that these people were gathered through the internet, her doubts concerning the people Kazuya found were still lingering.

She knew of Kazuya's capabilities but he was still but a child. He still hasn't experienced the real world or how harsh it can be. She was afraid that they were going to be scammed. The only reason why she told Kazuya do what he wanted when it came to hiring these people was because of the harsh contract and requirements they had to submit to the company. Mei thought that she was quite thorough but when she saw how strict this little boy was, her worries lessened a great deal.

"Feel free to do with them as you please. I already told them to watch themselves because of your usual self when you're at work" Kazuya smiled.

"What did you tell them? Did you badmouth me?" her eyebrow raised.

"I told them to watch themselves because my future wife may be beautiful but I have given her permission to get rid of them if they acted inappropriately towards you" His statement put a smile on Mei's face. She browsed through the identities of the people Kazuya had recruited and some of them were pretty and talented.

She couldn't believe that people with such capabilities were left without jobs. Kazuya warned her that they were quirky or had researches that were deemed unprofitable but they were still too capable to be working for a company that was recently founded.

"Aww.." She pulled Kazuya from his chair and put him on her lap once again. "Then your big sis will do it and make sure that they know who I belong to~ hehe"

"Umm.. What about the venue Kouzuki-sama? Will you be attending as well?" Matsuri had gotten used to their antics so she ignored it to keep the conversation going. It was inappropriate for such a child to attend such gatherings because it usually involved alcohol or the people wouldn't have any fun.

"I won't be able to attend. None of them have ever met me and I intend to keep it that way until I grow a bit more. Besides, I wouldn't be able to hide it from mom if I attended"

"Right.. What about the venue?" Mei asked.

"I have a place in mind. I wanted to go there after we're done with our other matters"

Curious about what place he had in mind, Mei continued with the meeting. It didn't take long before the duo finally finished discussing and deciding what needed to be done. Matsuri still needed to implement them so she stayed behind.

"Matsuri-san, do you have any progress in getting more assistants for big sis?" Kazuya asked while waiting for Mei to pull up the car.

"I've asked some of my old colleagues but they were put off by such a strict contract. My persuasion was not enough to get them to take the risk" she regretfully stated.

"I see.. well, don't tell big sis but send me some of the menial work she needs to do. I can help in double checking them so she only needs to sign. This should help relieve her from some of the troublesome work"

"But that's.." Matsuri hesitated.

"Are you doubting my capability? Or are you hesitating whether or not to tell big sis? I am not sure as to the reason why you are hesitating" Kazuya inquired. He knew this woman genuinely wanted them to succeed.

"I am stuck in a predicament. Kazuno-sama will get upset once she finds out but you will also be upset if I refuse your command" this was a common yet troublesome event that often happens in companies. The employees get themselves stuck in the middle and end up gathering the ire of both parties.

"Then tell her it was me if she does find out. You can also tell her that I'm restricting you from letting her override my orders. She can take it up with me if she has any complaints" he decided to just take the blame of ever Mei found out so that Matsuri wouldn't have to deal with it.

"Understood. I will do as you instructed. I also am confident that you will be able to do it flawlessly since Kazuno-sama told me about the day you first touched your mother's work. I have little doubt that we will stay a small company for long" Matsuri gave a confident smile.

Kazuya took off and guided Mei to a specific part of the town that was not that far away from her place. It was a restaurant that was somewhat hidden but it was surprisingly not bad. Kazuya already called the owner earlier today and set up a meeting with him.

"Good afternoon. You must be the person that called earlier?" the polite owner greeted the two of them.

"Yes. I wanted to ask if this place has had any reservations near the end of the year because we might be interested in reserving the place for a small gathering"

Kazuya couldn't help but give a smile. The polite man in front of him looked a lot younger but this was one of his former bosses. This one was especially kind to his employees and even helped him avoid the strange customer Kurumi who would come randomly when it was his shift in his past life. This was why this place was one of the few places that left him a good impression among all the other places he took part-time jobs.

"We don't have any reservations near the end of the year. Have you already come to a decision or shall I show you around first?" The owner asked. Although he maintained his calm, he was very startled on the inside.

Not only was this child very decisive, the beautiful lady beside him didn't seem to have any objections. The call he made this morning has surprised him a bit because the person sounded like a boy. He thought that it was a prank but since it was an inquiry about reserving their place, he decided there was no loss in indulging him.

"Sure, is the grand piano operational?" he asked showing great interest in the instrument.

"Pardon me if this may seem inappropriate young master but I am quite confident in my memory and I am sure that this is the first time I've ever seen you. Why do you know so much about this small establishment?"

"I looked it up on the internet. There was a blog I passed by that praised this place for good service and ambience. It would be perfect for a small gathering" he glanced towards Mei who immediately reacted to it. She explained the details as well as the number of people who might be attending.

"I see.. Thank you for humoring me to satisfy my curiosity. Shall I begin showing you around then?" he gestured them to go inside.

"You go on ahead big sis. I'll make a short call before joining you" he gave a look towards the polite owner who understood immediately.

"Is Kyouko bugging you with messages again?" Mei frowned. Ever since Kyouko got Kazuya a cellphone she was like a possessive girlfriend who couldn't help but send him a message whenever she could.

"It's for the staff, I'll tell them that you agreed so that they can keep their schedules open for the end of the year gathering" he explained and moved near the windows and used his phone to log in to the guild's raid channel.

Mei followed the owner for a tour around the place. She was quite impressed because the place was unlike its outside entrance. It looked quite nice even to her who accompanies Kyouko quite often to meet people high up in the business circle. It was a restaurant that had its own bar so alcohol won't be a problem.

[Winter Fog: I'm here]

[Autumn Mist: Just in time! I thought you weren't going to show up]

[Void Android: We're here too boss!]

The chatroom got spammed with people speaking and typing at the same time. Kazuya couldn't help buy smile wryly and muted all the voice transmissions. He didn't want Mei to hear these rowdy people.

[Autumn Mist: How come I can't hear anything?]

[Winter Fog: I muted everyone so my phone's battery won't go dry before I even finish making preparations. I'll be the only person that can speak in channel from this point on]

[Autumn Mist: Great! What will you be performing?]

This was a tough question. Even though Kazuya was confident in performing, the number of actual musical pieces he could play was severely limited. He paid little attention to the recent trends in his previous life and only listened to music that could help him study.

"(Hmm.. these people shouldn't be the type to understand these things so I guess I should be fine)" he tried convincing himself.

The reason was because he had intended to play a song of the one artist he admired in his previous life. It was one of the few he knew by heart and it certainly fit the occasion. The problem was that it was set to be released much later in the future so he was unsure whether to do it or not.

He was very fond of this specific artist's songs. It had nothing to do with her looks because she was female but rather the way her voice and her songs resonated with him back then. For a guy who cared little about what he listened to or who sang it, Kazuya was a fan of this artist.

[Winter Fog: None of you will recognize it but I hope everything you hear will be kept just between those present here. I'm sure everyone here knows how much I value trust so please make sure to follow it]

He breathed in and moved towards the grand piano in the next room. He touched the black piano that was usually played by the owner in crowded nights. The regulars as well as himself always liked it whenever the owner played. He was a talented pianist who inherited the restaurant from his parents.

Mei who was accompanied by the owner made it to where Kazuya was. Both of them saw Kazuya sitting in front of the piano. The owner smiled and pulled a chair to offer Mei.

"Thank you. I don't see any problems with the price but it seems too much for you to refuse other customers on the day of our reservation" Mei continued her conversation with the owner. She didn't think much seeing Kazuya sitting in front of the piano because she thought that he was curious about seeing such an impressive one.

"It would not be much at all. You are already giving us such good business. I only ask that you consider us again for such events or meetings" he smiled. Due to the location of his establishment and the steadily growing development of the city, less and less new customers notice the place.

"The place is great so I would definitely consider it" Mei acted professionally. She had no qualms about what he said because she did like the place.

"Then I shall go and help the staff prepare some food samples for you. Please don't hesitate to call the attention of any member if you do need something.

"Thank you. We shall wait patiently then" Mei turned towards Kazuya who was tinkering with his phone. "Interested in playing the piano Kazu?"

"Big sis, that statement is not wrong but I intend to play using this instrument" he handed her a few files. "Look through these while listening. I hope I don't disappoint you"

Mei was able to come in contact with Kazuya's hand as she took the papers from him. A grin slowly grew on her face. Despite the calm demeanor he was portraying, the boy who always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone was actually nervous.

She wasted no time and read through the papers that were handed to her. Mei wanted to know what Kazuya was nervous about but little did she know that her looking away helped him calm down. Kazuya pressed the button on his phone and activated his broadcast. He took advantage of Mei being distacted by the papers and started his performance.

Since the place only had a few people, the sound of the grand piano filled the room. It was at that moment that she noticed the small note that was placed at the end of the file.

[Happy Birthday Big Sis, this is half of my gift to you]

Mei's eyes widened as she saw the stamped files that were already approved by the city. It was the name of the company that was supposed to belong to Kazuya.

[Kazuno Technologies]

.