What He Deserves free porn video

What He Deserves Frank and I were best friends, having known each other since we met in high school several years ago. We'd gone to the same university and both graduated with average grades and ended up working at the same small computer company. "This job sucks," spat Frank as he banged away at the code he was working on, frustrated he couldn't get his software working properly. "Come on, Frank," I said, trying to calm him down. "It's a job, at least. We're getting paid to write software. It's what we were trained to do in school." "Well, maybe we should go back to school," he answered. "What's the problem?" I asked, looking over his shoulder at the code he was looking at. "This variable is null and it just can't be! It's causing the whole system to crash," he said angrily. "Whoever wrote this crap should seriously think about getting out of the software industry!" I looked at the code a bit before pushing Frank aside so I could take a closer look. I fired up the debugger and eventually found the issue, pointing at a line of code that Frank had written some time back. "So you think whoever wrote it should still get out of software?" I laughed. Frank blushed before quickly regaining his composure. "Whatever, man," he shrugged. "Thanks for fixing the issue. I'm going to head home - this bug has been driving me crazy all day." "Wait up, I'll come too," I said, tired after a long day. We were the last two in the office so made sure to turn off the lights and lock the doors. We walked down the two flights of stairs and stepped outside into the cool night air. It was refreshing to breathe in the fresh air after twelve hours inside the small office. "Man, we've really got to find something else to do," Frank muttered. "I know you like coding and all, but we're killing ourselves for this company for no reason." "Well, there is a reason," I answered. "If we can make this company successful, we'll be rich too. We're employees number nine and ten! Do you know how much Google employee number nine and ten are worth these days?" "You really think we're working for the next Google?" laughed Frank. He had a point, but I was optimistic the software we were developing had a good future. We stopped by a bar, the only place that was open at that time of night, to grab some food and drink. A few beers put Frank into a better mood. "I'm gonna try my luck," he grinned before heading off to hit on some girls. I admired his confidence. I was too shy to approach strangers in such a place so sat and nursed my beer. I watched as he approached a hot blonde in a tight red dress only to be shot down. That didn't stop him, though - he went to four other girls before coming back to the table alone. "Fucking bitches," he growled, his good mood spoiled by his lack of success. "You'd best be careful," a voice said from the table next to us. "What's it to you?" Frank answered quickly. "Those sluts don't know what's good for them." "Those girls turned you down - there's nothing wrong with that," the voice answered. "They could have a number of reasons - maybe they have boyfriends, maybe they are lesbians, or maybe you're just not their type." "Fuck off," Frank said, taking a long drink from his beer. " I'm sorry about that. He's just had a bit too much to drink, I think," I told the voice. "He's really a decent guy." "I know, Brian," the voice told me. "I just hope Frank changes his ways before he gets into some real trouble." "Me too. Thanks for the warning," I nodded. "I guess I should take him home before he does get us into some trouble." I put my arm around Frank's shoulder pulled him out of the bar. He was a bit tipsy and, having already struck out with all the girls in the place, didn't put up much of a fight. On the way home, Frank continued to mutter about what happened at the bar. "I just want to find a girlfriend," Frank sighed. "I'm so lonely, Brian." "I know you do, Frank," I answered. "I wish there was something I could do to help." "Well, you are my best friend," smiled Frank. "You do a lot already. Man, I love you." "Shit, dude," I laughed. "I knew you had a bit to drink at the bar but I didn't realize you were at the 'I love you' stage already!" Frank started laughing with me. "I guess I need to sleep this one off..." "I guess you're right. Let's go home," I said, leading him back to our shared apartment. "Hey - who was that asshole who told me to cool my jets, anyways?" Frank asked. It took a second for me to realize he meant the stranger at the other table. "I have no idea," I shrugged. "Just some guy trying to defuse the situation, I guess." "But... if you don't know him and I don't know him..," Frank furled his brow as his alcohol-laden brain tried to make a sentence. "How the hell did he know our names?" I didn't even realize he called us by name. That was weird indeed! I thought about that question all night but couldn't come up with an answer before I fell asleep. -- Six months had passed since we'd met that stranger in the bar. I'd gone back several times with and without Frank to see if I could find him again but never did. Eventually I just gave up and concluded that we must have been loud enough that he overheard our names in our conversation. Not a lot had changed in the last six months. We were still working at the same software company, working on the same code. We still lived in the same small apartment and Frank still struck out with girls at the same rate. Today, though, finally something was about to change. "Frank! Brian!" Edward, the CEO of the company greeted us as we arrived outside the office. "I'm so glad you guys are finally here!" "Jesus, Eddie!" jumped Frank. "You scared the shit out of me." "Sorry, man, but I'm just so excited!" he exclaimed. "What happened?" I asked. Edward had been somewhat successful in growing his business. We'd expanded from ten people to sixteen over the last six months and sales were steadily growing. That made the office space a little cramped so I was hoping he'd say we were moving into a bigger office. What he did say knocked me on my ass. "We've been offered a partnership overseas," Edward explained. "A big company in Japan has been following the work we've been doing and likes what they see." "Japan?" I blinked. "What does a company in Japan want with us?" "They wanted to buy us out," grinned Edward. "But I turned them down. I've been negotiating with them for the last two months." "Okay..," I squinted, trying to see where he was going with this. "This morning I had a conference with them and we've finally come to an agreement. They're going to finance us. They've agreed to move us into a big office downtown with the latest computers and servers, they're going to double our team size and..." "Holy shit," I peeped, excitedly. I'd been asking Edward for more resources since Frank and I started with the company. We needed better machines to develop on, better servers to run our networks on, more people to write code and test. It sounded like we were getting all of it! "What's the catch?" Frank asked. "They want us to open an office in Japan too," Edward grinned. "What?" both Frank and I asked simultaneously. "I'm going to fly out to Japan to meet with them face to face tomorrow. The plans are still a bit sketchy right now but it looks like we're getting everything we wanted," Edward wouldn't stop smiling. "But what do they get out of it?" I asked. "Well, they do get a percentage ownership in our company. They get access to the software, of course, and also get to voice their opinions on the direction the software should go." I couldn't find anything wrong with that. Edward had been trying to find some kind of investment for months to help us grow faster but had little success with the angel investors he met with. "So what does that mean for us right now?" Frank asked. "We're still just code monkeys, aren't we?" "Yes," nodded Edward. "But much better paid code monkeys. And you can start interviewing people immediately - I'm going to open three positions from today. You guys can hire two more developers and a tester." "Sweet!" I grinned. "But shouldn't we wait until the contract is signed?" "We won't hire anyone until then, but I don't think you're going to find anyone in the next week. The deal should be done by then," Edward explained. "Makes sense, I guess. And if we do find someone in the next few days, we'll just stall them until you say we can put a contract in front of them?" I asked. "Just ask them for a second interview next week if you find someone this week," laughed Edward. "I'll be back from Japan by then and we'll start looking for a new office. Now if you guys will excuse me, I need to go home and pack. You two were the last to show up today and I wanted to tell you in person." "That's fantastic news, Eddie!" I shook his hand to congratulate him. "Say hi to Japan for us." "Will do!" Edward nodded before heading down the stairs. Frank and I looked at each other, each grinning bigger than the other. "We may not become the next Google but it sounds like we made the right choice to stick it out," I said. "This is so awesome!" Frank said excitedly. "We need to celebrate!" As we entered the office we could see we weren't the only ones with that idea. Everyone was holding glasses of champagne and talking excitedly to each other. We quickly joined the festivities with our colleagues. Not a lot of work got done that day. -- "Frank? Brian? Can you guys come into my office?" Edward called. He just got back last night from his week in Tokyo. "What's up, boss?" Frank asked. Ever since Edward delivered the good news the previous week, Frank's mood had been better than ever. "As you know, the deal was signed and we're now partners with Yamato Software," Edward started. "We're currently looking at new offices both here and in Tokyo." "Yes," we both nodded. "Well, I heard that you guys were also looking at moving houses now that your salaries have been doubled," smiled Edward. "Yes," we both nodded again. The salary increase was more than either of us expected so we decided to use the extra money to upgrade our place. "I wanted to know if you were open to the idea of moving to Japan," Edward asked. I was stunned. Frank, too, didn't say a word. "Now hear me out," Edward got up and closed the office door. "Yamato wants to have some of our developers in Japan to support them and help open the office there." "But we don't speak Japanese," I answered. "That's okay - neither do I! They speak English," Edward laughed. "They will provide a fully-furnished apartment for you guys, a translator and a guide if you need one, and even a driver." "What will we do there?" Frank asked. "I mean, are we just going to be doing the same work there that we're doing here?" "Partly," nodded Edward. "Along with that, you'll be doing training to Yamato about how we design our software and how to use it better. They main purpose of the office will be local sales and support, so you need to teach them everything about the product and how it works." "Are they going to be working on the code too?" Frank asked. "No, no," laughed Edward. "Don't worry - we own the IP and they don't want it. Actually, the main reason they partnered with us wasn't for our software, it was for our developers." "You mean us?" I blinked. "They want us? How the hell do they even know who we are?" "Well, they don't know you guys, but they do know our product. They've been watching how quickly we iterate features and how solid our product is," explained Edward. "When I explained that our entire team consisted of you two and the few interns we get lucky enough to get for a few months at a time they were very impressed." "But what about development? If we're not here, who is going to be doing the dev work here?" I asked. "They want you guys in Japan as soon as possible, but I told them I wouldn't let you go if you weren't comfortable with it. They are prepared to send their people here to get trained and work with you if you don't want to go to Japan," answered Edward. "So we don't have to go if we don't want to?" Frank asked. "Of course not!" laughed Edward. "I just thought it'd be a great opportunity for you guys. You're both young, single and ready to take on the world." "Well," I thought out loud. "I guess if we can hire those three people you promised and trained them, we could afford to be gone for a little while. How long do they want us to be there? A couple weeks?" "A year," answered Edward. "A year?!" I sputtered. "That's not a business trip, that's moving." "I know," nodded Edward. "You can come back home once every three months just so you don't get homesick." I looked at Frank to see what he thought. He looked excited at the idea. "Edward, this sounds like a great adventure!" said an eager Frank. "I think we even can go now if you like. We can set up a VPN and work remotely if we need to." "What?" I asked, shocked that Frank was so into leaving. "I think we need to at least find someone to manage the development here while we're gone." "What about Steve?" Frank asked, referring to the developer we'd interviewed a few days ago. We both agreed he'd be a good fit for the company and were planning on sending him an offer as soon as Edward came back. "He's a good candidate," I nodded. "But he still needs to be given an offer, he needs to accept it and we need to train him. Plus, we'd ideally have at least one more person to help him with any issues that come up." "Steve did say he had a friend who he liked working with," replied Frank. It was true and we had taken a resume from Steve but hadn't followed up yet. "I'll send them both offers today," Edward interjected. "Just give me their names and numbers and I'll get the signed up." "This is all happening so fast," I said. "Can we have a day to think about it?" "Of course," agreed Edward. "Take all the time you need. In the meantime, I'll get you your development team." We left the office and went back to our desks lost in our thoughts. "We'll talk about this later," Frank said, returning to his work. -- "Ready to go?" Frank asked, eager to discuss our plans. "Sure, let's get out of here," I agreed. We were again the last two to leave the office and made sure to lock up properly. We stopped by a familiar bar to grab some dinner and drinks. "I can't believe you aren't jumping at the opportunity to go, all- expenses paid, to Japan!" Frank finally said. "I'm just worried, that's all," I answered. "Worried about what? Japan is the safest country in the world!" laughed Frank. "Plus, I'll be there to protect you." "That's not what I mean," I laughed. "I'm worried that the company is growing too fast and we're going to lose control. If we go to Japan, even if we're working remotely, we won't have as tight a control on the product we're developing. So far, things are growing at a steady pace because of the hard work you and I are doing." "And that hard work is finally paying off," smiled Frank. We clinked glasses, toasting our success. "True, but I still think the company is in its infancy. We've been growing at a slow and steady pace while we establish ourselves. I wanted to bring on more people to help us grow, not to take over for us while we jet off to Japan." "We'll still be in constant contact with the home office," laughed Frank. "There is this thing called the internet. We'll be hooked into the same network, working off the same codebase. The only difference is we'll be in Japan!" "Hmm..," I pondered. It did sound like an amazing opportunity, and knowing I'd be there with Frank made it easier to accept. "Let's just try it out," offered Frank. "If it doesn't work or it hurts the company, I'm sure Eddie would be happy to swap us out for Steve and his friend." "That's true," I nodded. "Okay, I'll do it!" "We'll do it!" Frank cheered. He was so excited he bought a round of drinks for the bar. This made him popular enough that a cute brunette girl in a slinky blue dress actually approached him. "Hey," she smiled. "I'm April. Thanks for the drink." "Hi April," Frank smiled back. "I'm Frank and this is Brian. We're going to fucking Japan!" April continued to smile. "Congratulations," she answered. "Mind if I join you guys?" "Of course not," I replied, offering her a seat at our table. I felt a little awkward being the third wheel but the night was still young and we were still celebrating. "This is going to be great!" Frank was so excited about the prospect of going to Japan that he nearly forgot about the girl sitting beside him. He toasted again and downed another drink before ordering another round, this time only for the table. "You should take it easy, Frank," I warned. I knew he was excited and in a good mood, but I didn't want to see him get too drunk. "Don't worry, mate," he smiled. "We're celebrating! Let's have another round!" "Right on!" April encouraged him. "You seem pumped, Frank." "I am," Frank grinned. "I've always wanted to go to Japan." "You have?" I asked, never hearing that in all my years of knowing him. "Yah," nodded Frank. "I dunno - it just seems like such a cool place. There's so much tech there, it's going to be amazing!" "Tech?" April laughed. "What are you guys - a couple of nerds?" "Computer programmers," I corrected. "Shut the hell up," Frank growled at April. Red flags immediately went off in my head and I mentally tried to count how many drinks Frank had had. "What the hell do you do?" "I'm a waitress," April answered, putting her hand on Frank's arm. "I'm sorry, Frank - I was just trying to tease you guys. It was all in fun." "Fun?!" Frank pulled his arm away. "You think it's fun to get shot down by girls or made fun of by jocks just because of what we like or do. So what if we're nerds!" "Frank, please!" April pleaded. "I didn't mean anything by it! I'm not shooting you down." "Just leave me alone," Frank turned away from her and took another drink of beer. "Frank?" I looked at my friend. "I think she's being honest." "Forget it," shrugged April, standing up to leave. "I thought you were a nice guy but obviously I was wrong." "No, he really is," I told her but she just turned to leave. "Fucking bitch," Frank spat. April turned back and looked Frank right in the eye. "You listen, Frank, because I'm only going to say this once. I know you're drunk but that's no excuse for the way you're treating me. You'd better learn to be a better man if you ever want a girl to like you for who you are." "Fuck off," Frank took another drink. "I bought you your drinks - that's all you wanted, isn't it?" April turned on her heel and left. "Jesus, Frank - you can be a real asshole sometimes," I told him. "Whatever, man," laughed Frank. "We don't need her - we've got each other. Let's continue celebrating!" "I think we're done," I answered. I picked up the tab that night and led my drunken friend back to our small apartment. "This apartment has been good to us," Frank said, slurring his words. "But we're going to fuckin' Tokyo." I dropped Frank off on his bed before turning in for the night. Frank was right to be excited - we were going to fuckin' Tokyo! -- "That's great news!" Edward replied when we told him our decision. "And just to cap off what's been a great week - your two developers agreed to join us and are starting today." "Sonofa-" I exclaimed. "We don't even have machines or desks for them yet." "Actually, we do..," said Edward. "You mean we found a new office?" Frank asked. "Not yet," laughed Edward. "I mean you two won't be needing your desks or PC's in Japan. Today, and for the rest of the week, they're going to sit with you and you're going to teach them everything you know. Saturday, you fly to Tokyo." "Saturday?!" I gasped. "Isn't that a little sudden?" "Nope - the tickets are being bought as we speak. Yamato has your apartment set up, they've found us some office space and even hired a bilingual secretary for us there," Edward explained. "They're very eager to meet you two." "All right!" Frank cheered. I was reluctant at first but hearing Frank's enthusiasm made it easier to accept. -- The rest of the week was long days of training. Luckily Steven and Mark were pretty quick to learn our systems and by the end of the week I thought they learned enough to not screw anything up. "Okay guys," I told them the Friday before we left. "If anything goes wrong, we'll be just a phone call away. We're going to try to be online as soon as we can be once we get to Tokyo." "Stop worrying," smiled Steven. "Nothing is going to happen over the weekend. We can handle things on Monday." "I know you can," I said, trying to convince myself as much as him. "Let's get going," Frank said. "You guys take good care of our baby." "We will," Mark laughed. For the first time in a long time, Frank and I left without needing to lock up. Steve and Mark were still busy debugging an issue as we closed the door behind us. Back at our apartment, we finished packing our bags and turned in early for the night. The plane left the airport at 9am, and it was going to be a long flight. -- We landed in Tokyo nearly 24 hours after we left home. A taxi and two airplanes later, we were on the ground in the land of the rising sun. After clearing customs and picking up our bags, we entered into the airport lobby and were surprised to find a cute Japanese girl holding a sign with our names on it. "Brian! Frank!" she called to us. "I'm so happy to finally meet you." We both looked at her, then at each other. "Sorry, my name is Aiko Fujiyama," she said, bowing. "I'm the secretary hired by Yamato-san to take care of the office while you guys are here." "Does that include taking care of us too?" I asked. "Well, I'm here to help you any way I can," she smiled. "It's my duty to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible during your stay in our country." "Thanks," I smiled back at her. "So where to?" "This is so cool!" Frank said, snapping pictures of everything with his recently bought digital camera. "I will take you to your apartment and give you guys some time to get settled. When you are ready, I will take you out for dinner," Aiko answered. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go." We followed Aiko to a waiting car that we all climbed into. The driver put the luggage into the trunk before taking his seat behind the wheel. He talked to Aiko in fast Japanese, presumably getting directions, before pulling onto the road. "We're on the wrong side of the road!" Frank laughed. "No, no," Aiko waved her hands. "In Japan, we drive on the left hand side." "I know," smiled Frank. "I was just kidding." "Oh, sorry - I have a hard time with English humour," she answered, blushing. "No worries," Frank smiled at her. I was happy to see Frank was in a really good mood. We made small talk as we drove through Tokyo, arriving at an apartment building about thirty minutes later. Aiko paid the driver and brought us up to the twenty-fifth floor. When the elevator doors opened, we walked into a penthouse suite. "Holy..," my mouth was agape. The apartment was huge. The furnishings were expensive. "... cow," Frank finished my sentence. He, too, was amazed at our new place. "Is this whole place just for us?" "Yes," laughed Aiko. "I don't know who you guys are, but you must be important. I've lived in Japan my whole life and never seen a place like this!" "Heh," I snickered. "I've never seen a place like this either. Our entire apartment back home could fit in this place's kitchen." "My current place can fit in the bathroom," laughed Aiko. I looked out the window at the view and could see Tokyo all around. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. "I found my room!" Frank yelled from somewhere else in the apartment. "This place is amazing!" I went to see what he was yelling about and was surprised to find the bedrooms. The room he claimed was a bit bigger than the one for me, but both had bathrooms with jacuzzis, walk-in closets and king-sized beds. I threw my suitcase on my bed and went back out to see Aiko. Frank was already there talking excitedly about his room. "What do you guys think?" Aiko giggled. "You seem happy with the place." "We're ecstatic!" Frank grinned. "Let's go for some dinner and celebrate." "Good idea," Aiko smiled. "I know just the place. Have you guys ever heard of Shibuya?" -- After arriving in Shibuya, Aiko showed us around. There were so many people walking around and so many tall buildings, it was easy to get lost. "This place is where a lot of young people come to hang out," she explained. "There's so much to see and do here, it's really an amazing place." "I can see that," I answered, looking up and down, left and right as we walked. "I am going to take you guys for sushi, if you don't mind," Aiko offered. "Sounds great," Frank replied. We were led through the large crowds into some smaller alleys. Aiko said she knew a good place a little out of the way. Even the small alleys had a lot of people, though. "Here we are," she said, as we stood in front of a small shop. It looked run down and barely what I'd call a five star restaurant. Aiko noticed the look on my face and said "Don't be fooled by appearances. This place is the best sushi bar in Tokyo." I shrugged and followed her in. Inside was a brightly lit place with a counter to sit at and a man behind it cutting up fish. He yelled something as we walked in, presumably greeting his newest customers. Aiko took a seat and we sat down beside her. She ordered a few dishes and three beers. "Here's to you guys finally arriving," she said, raising her glass. We downed the beer quickly and enjoyed the fish that came. The only other time I'd had sushi I nearly threw up, but the sushi at this place was amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. Frank, too, was getting his fill. Even Aiko was packing away a lot of the delicious fish. "You were right," I admitted. "This place is amazing." "Yah," Frank nodded agreement. "Told you so," Aiko smiled. "I'm sorry, guys, but I think I need to get going. I think we drank too much - I feel like I am drunk." "Me too," I smiled at her. "The beer here is as good as the fish." "Yah," Frank agreed again, taking another drink. "Will you guys be able to find your way back home? I've put the address into your phones, which have GPS. You can just show it to any taxi driver and he'll take you. If you have any trouble, my phone number is in your phone too." "Thanks, Aiko," I answered. "Are you sure you won't stay?" Aiko refused to stay, though, giving her credit card to the sushi master before leaving. "I can't believe we're actually having sushi in Japan," Frank said happily. We ordered another round of drinks before getting up to go too. When we got outside, I started looking for a taxi to take us home. Before I found one, though, Frank had an idea. "Hey, man," he said to me. "Let's just walk around. There's so much to see, let's take a tour." "Sure," I grinned. "This is an amazing place. Let's see if we can find our way back to the busier area again." Frank nodded and we wandered with no particular place to go. I noticed there were a lot of girls walking around too, mostly in short skirts and high heels. I wasn't the only one who noticed. "Damn, man," Frank exclaimed. "The girls here are amazing! They're so small and cute and sexy all at the same time!" I could tell Frank was a bit tipsy by his excited speech but I also knew I was drunk too. I just nodded in agreement with him. "You think they speak English?" he wondered aloud. "I'd assume they speak Japanese," I laughed. "Only one way to find out, I guess," Frank grinned. We found ourselves waiting at a red light with a pair of cute girls beside us. They both had dyed hair and were dressed in black dresses with stockings and high heels. Frank smiled at them and they smiled back. "Hi," he said. "Hello," the taller of the two girls answered. "Where from are you?" We both did a double-take. She spoke English, albeit not very good. "I'm Frank and this is Brian," Frank said, introducing ourselves. "What's your names?" "Hello," the same girl answered. The shorter girl giggled. "I'm Mayumi. This Miki. We like English boys." "What a coincidence," laughed Frank. "We like Japanese girls." "Please teach us English," smiled Mayumi. "Sure," smiled Frank. "Would you like to get a drink somewhere? Or come back to our place?" Mayumi cocked her head like she didn't understand. Miki just giggled some more. "Umm..," she didn't know what to say. "Please teach us English. Please." I figured she didn't know as much English as we'd originally thought and Frank also picked up on it. We did our best to break out of the conversation and found ourselves alone again. "Well, that was a bust," I laughed. "I wish we spoke Japanese - those girls were hot." "Yah, I guess we need to learn it," laughed Frank. "I'm beat," I yawned looking at my watch. It was barely ten but I didn't get much sleep on the plane and was exhausted. "Want to head back home?" "You go ahead, I'm still wide awake," answered Frank. "I want to explore more." "Okay," I answered. "Just don't get lost." "Don't worry," he laughed holding up his phone. "Japan has all the cool tech!" I flagged down a cab and fell asleep on the way home. The cabbie woke me up, took my money and I stumbled up to my new home, flopping onto the bed. -- I woke up the next morning to a room lightened by sunlight. I looked at my watch and realized I'd slept for nearly twelve hours - it was already eleven in the morning! I got up and headed to the kitchen, trying to be quiet. I hadn't heard Frank come home last night but assumed he must still be sleeping as his door was closed. I made some coffee and sat down to enjoy the freshly brewed drink. Frank must have smelled the coffee because not long after, I heard some stirring in his room. The toilet eventually flushed and then the door opened. I was hardly ready for who I saw come out. "Good morning," I said politely to the cute Japanese girl who left Frank's room. She was wearing a bath robe. Frank must have gotten lucky last night! "I'm Brian, Frank's roommate." The girl looked at me confused. "Oh, you don't speak English?" I smiled. "That's okay. Do you want some coffee?" "What are you talking about, Brian?" she asked in perfect English. "Of course I want coffee - you know I love the stuff." I did a double-take. "And just how would I know that?" I asked her. "We've been roommates, colleagues and best friends for how many years?" she laughed. "I don't think there's another person in this world who knows me better than you." "Frank?" I asked, wide-eyed. "What?" she answered. "What the hell happened last night?" I got up to look in Frank's room. He must have been pulling some kind of prank that this girl was in on. When I opened the door, I was shocked with what I found. "What do you mean?" the girl asked. "We had a nice time at the sushi place with Aiko, then we went for a walk and hit on a pair of girls... then you bailed and I continued adventuring." I went into his bedroom to look, but there was no sign of Frank in the bedroom. I looked in the suitcase that was on the floor and found nothing but girl's clothes. "What are you looking for?" the girl asked. "I'm looking for Frank," I answered honestly. "Did you bang your head or something?" she laughed. "I'm right here." "But why are you a girl?" I asked. "Why am I a what?" she continued laughing. "Are you still drunk?" "Maybe..," I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. I led the girl into the bathroom and we stood in front of the mirror. "What do you see?" The girl looked at the reflection and blinked. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. I could tell by the look on her face that she was genuinely surprised by what she was seeing. "What the hell did you do to me, man?!" she finally screamed. "How did you turn me into a girl?" "Me?" I jumped back as the girl lunged at me. "I didn't do anything! You came out of your bedroom that way! Hell, you even took a piss before coming out - you didn't notice you had to sit down to pee?" She stopped attacking me as she thought back to what happened. "Sonofabitch!" she screamed. "What the hell happened to me?" "Calm down," I said, talking to myself as much as to Frank. "We can figure this out. What did you do last night after I left?" "I dunno," she said, sitting on the bed. "I found another bar and had a few more drinks. I tried chatting up a few more girls but struck out. After that it's a bit of a blur. The last thing I remember was climbing into a cab and coming home." "Were you a girl when you got into the cab?" I asked. "I ... maybe?" she was obviously struggling to remember what happened. DING! We both jumped when the doorbell indicated someone was downstairs and wanted to come up. I went into the living room and looked at the monitor to saw Aiko waving at the camera. "Shit!" Frank exclaimed. "I can't let her see me like this. Make her go away!" "She might be able to help!" I answered, but Frank just hid in his bedroom and insisted I send her away. I picked up the intercom phone to talk to Aiko. "Hello, Aiko!" I said, trying to sound cheerful. "Hi Brian!" she answered. "Are you guys ready to go out? I thought I could show you around Tokyo a bit today. It's a beautiful day outside and I know it must be a bit intimidating to go out in a foreign country alone." "Actually, Frank isn't feeling very well," I replied. "Oh, that's too bad," Aiko frowned. "Can I get her anything? There's a pharmacy just a couple blocks from here and a hospital too if it's too bad." "No, I think it's okay," I answered. Then it hit me. "Did you say her?" "I'm sorry," laughed Aiko. "I try to speak English well but I often mix up pronouns." "Oh, okay," I guess that made sense. "But isn't her correct?" Aiko asked. "I mean, you use him for boys and her for girls, don't you? Frankie is definitely not a boy!" "Frankie?" Things were getting weirder by the second. "Can I come up?" Aiko asked again. "I may know what's going on." Against Frank's wishes, I let Aiko into the building and greeted her when she arrived. I offered her some coffee and we sat on the couch to talk. "Can I speak to Frankie?" Aiko finally asked. "Why do you call him Frankie?" I asked her. "Why do you call her him?" she asked back. "Because up until this morning, my best friend was a man named Frank. When we arrived in Tokyo yesterday you picked up two men, didn't you?" "No," Aiko shook her head. "I picked up one boy and one girl. You and Frankie." "What the-" It didn't make any sense. I could clearly remember Frank all the way back to the first time we met in school. "I think I need to talk to Frankie," Aiko insisted. The door to Frank's room opened and Frank came out. Her red eyes indicated she had obviously been crying. "What do you want?" Frank asked AIko. "I want to help," Aiko answered. "Please come sit down and we can talk." "Did you do this to me?" Frank asked. "Are you going to change Brian next?" My eyes widened. I never thought that I might get changed into a girl too. I hoped whatever it was that Frank caught wasn't contagious. "I didn't do it to you," Aiko answered. "But I think I know who did." "Who?" we both asked in unison. "Have you guys ever heard of the Shibuya Witch?" Aiko asked. We both shook our heads. "There is an old legend of a witch that protects girls in Shibuya. It's like a warning to men to treat girls in Shibuya properly but no one actually believes it." "Why Shibuya?" I asked. "Well, the legend is old and the place changes, but the story is the same. Apparently, there is this witch who was mistreated by some foreign men. There are a number of versions of the story, but in all of them the men abused her in some way. In every story, she got her revenge by turning those same men into cute Japanese girls," Aiko explained. "What the fuck?" Frank sank into a chair. "But why?" "Well, the story goes that the witch used to be enjoy her life like anyone else in their youth but that encounter ruined her life. She doesn't want any other girl's lives ruined so she protects them from men. Foreign men, in particular." "But why does she change them into Japanese girls?" I asked. "So they can learn a lesson, I guess," answered Aiko. "What better way of learning how to treat a cute, young Japanese girl than to learn how they are treated every day." "So does that mean Frank will turn back when he learns his lesson?" I asked. "I have no idea," Aiko shrugged. "I've never actually met anyone who's encountered the Shibuya Witch. I've always thought it was a ghost story to teach young boys to treat girls better. I'm sure you've heard of how mistreated girls are here." "No, I haven't," I shook my head. "Well, as Frankie is about to find out, girls here have a lot to put up with. Japan is an advanced society in a lot of ways, but treatment of women is not one of them. Men regularly grope women on the train, for example. There's women-only cars to try to prevent this." "Oh God," Frank broke down into more tears. "So what can we do? How do we find the Shibuya Witch?" I asked. "Frank can't stay this way." "I don't know if he has much of a choice," answered Aiko. "Do you remember what happened last night? What did you do to piss off the witch?" "I didn't do anything!" Frank said through tears. "If he's a Japanese girl, why is his name Frankie? Shouldn't it be, like, Japanese?" I asked. "Well, she may be Japanese but she was born and raised back home with you. From what you told me last night, you two met at school and have been inseparable ever since," AIko explained. "Are we going out?" I wondered aloud. "Oh, God!" Frank cried some more. "No, not that you mentioned," Aiko answered. "Apparently you guys tried dating for a while but it didn't really work out. I was really curious about your relationship and asked a lot of questions last night. You really don't remember?" "I think our memories and your memories are different," I explained. "I don't remember Frank ever being a girl. As far as I can recall, we've been best buds for years." "Strange," Aiko answered. "So you don't remember being a girl either?" Frank shook her head no. "I didn't even realize I was a girl until Brian pointed it out. Even when I woke up this morning, I couldn't tell anything was different." "Hmm..," Aiko looked at Frank. "So how about now? Can you remember your past now that you know you're a girl?" "I have no memories of being a girl," Frank answered. "The first memory I have where I think I was a girl was when I climbed into the cab home. And that memory only came after Brian showed me my reflection in the mirror." "That's a shame," Aiko frowned. "Why?" I asked. "Because today is Sunday and tomorrow you both are meeting people from Yamato. They are expecting a pair of top-notch developers to train them all week," Aiko explained. "So?" I asked. "So they are expecting a team of one man and one woman," answered Aiko. "Well, that's what they're going to get," I didn't quite follow where she was going with this. "I can't go to work like this!" Frank exclaimed. "You have to!" Aiko insisted. "And I'm sorry to say this, but you're going to have to wear a skirt and heels too." "WHAT?!" Frank cried. "You were both told that you needed to wear formal business attire in Japan before you came," Aiko explained. We both nodded, remembering one of the conversations with Edward before we left. "And I'm sorry to tell you, Frankie, but for girls here that means skirt and heels." "FUCK!" cried Frank. I could feel his pain. "I'm calling Edward and we're going back home." Frank pulled out his phone and dialed back home. He talked to Edward for two minutes before hanging up without asking to go back. "What happened?" I asked. "He called me as Francine," Frank frowned. "This can't be happening!" "It's already happened," Aiko pointed out. "Now you have to learn to deal with it and move on. We can go back to Shibuya next weekend to see if we can find the witch if you like. But for now, you need to be Frankie." Frank sighed and nodded. I could tell he didn't know what else to do and, to be honest, neither did I. "Now, get showered and dressed and we'll look around Tokyo as I originally offered," Aiko ordered. "You need to get used to being among other people, and quickly." Frank nodded again. "Now I'm going to go through your clothes and find you something to wear. I want to in a skirt and heels today so you can get used to wearing them. The last thing we want tomorrow is for you to be flopping around like a madwoman in front of your new bosses." I couldn't believe Aiko was taking charge. I was happy to have her here with us as she was definitely helping. Frank headed for the bathroom to take a shower while I sat alone with Aiko. "And you, Brian," she said looking at me. "What? I don't have to wear a skirt too, do I?" I asked, half- jokingly. Aiko's intensity faded and she cracked a smile at my joke. "You're a good friend for Frankie and she's going to need your support," Aiko smiled. "Just be there for her." "I will," I nodded. Aiko headed into Frank's room to find the new girl something to wear. I decided I should get cleaned up too so headed into my own bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. As the warm water cleaned my body, I wondered what would have happened if I didn't leave Frank. I could only assume he must have hit on the wrong girl or said something stupid after drinking too much. Had I been there, I'm sure I could have stopped him. I tried not to think about it as I got ready to go. I finished getting ready before the girls were done so sat down on the couch and turned on the big screen television. Every channel was Japanese so after flicking around for a while I just turned it off again. I heard the door behind me open and turned to see Aiko come out of Frank's room. A moment later, Frank appeared and I was blown away. "Holy shit!" I looked at her and was amazed. Frank was wearing a simple summer dress with flowers on it, a pair of pale pantyhose and some low-heeled shoes but it looked fantastic on her. Her face had a light dusting of makeup on it and her long, wavy hair was neatly brushed. "Shut up, man," Frank finally spoke. "I feel ridiculous." "You look amazing," I told her. "Aiko helped a lot," Frank sighed. "I don't know if I can do this." "You don't have a choice, Frankie," Aiko answered. "This is your life now, for at least the next week. Get used to it. You've got just today to get adjusted." I couldn't stop staring. It was going to take more than a day for me to get adjusted. "Put your eyes back into your head, Brian," Aiko laughed. "That's still Frankie, the same girl you grew up with." "I would remember growing up with her," I answered. "Apparently not," Frank laughed. It was great to hear Frank crack a joke and the smile that crossed her face only enhanced her natural beauty. If I didn't know it was Frank, I'd be way too shy to ever talk to a girl like this. "Let's get going, we're burning daylight," Aiko ordered, noticing it was already one in the afternoon. -- As the day wore on, Frank became less nervous and even started to enjoy herself. When we first left the apartment she was so afraid that people would know she was really a man, but after a while she realized that people didn't know. They couldn't know. All they saw was a beautiful girl out with her two friends. After a full day of looking at the sights of Tokyo, Aiko took us for another nice dinner. Frank refrained from drinking as did I. There was no way I wanted to end up in the same situation as my best friend. We went back to the apartment and Aiko said she'd pick us up early the next morning. She was going to come early to help Frank get ready for the day, and Frank was grateful for it. "So how are you holding up?" I asked Frank once Aiko departed. "I... I'm so scared, Brian," Frank admitted. "Scared of what?" I asked. "I'm a girl, man," she answered. "I'm wearing a dress! A bra and panties! I walked the whole day in heels. This is so fucking weird!" "I hear you, man," I nodded. "How do you think I feel? The guy I've known since I was a teenager has just become the wet dream I used to have as a teenager." "Fuck off," she laughed. I was happy to see her smile again. "Seriously, though," I continued. "I'm really worried about you. If you need anything, just let me know. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I've got two. I won't hold it against you - hell, I'm so proud of the way you handled yourself today... had I been the one in your shoes, I probably would have curled up in bed and hid from the world." "I wanted to, believe me," smiled Frank. "But Aiko was right. I needed to get my shit together asap so that I can prepare for work tomorrow, and then for my meeting with this Shibuya Witch." "You're really going to go back to Shibuya?" I asked. "Why not?" Frank answered. "What else can she do to me?" "I wouldn't want to find out," I answered. "I just want to talk to her. If her mission in life is to protect girls from assholes, I get it. I know I was a bit of an asshole before but I've learned my lesson." "And what if she won't change you back?" I asked. "She has to," was all Frank would say. "Okay," I answered. "Well, I'll come with you if you like and I'll help plead your case." "No, it's okay," Frank smiled. "I could never forgive myself if you got changed into a girl too." "I'd never forgive you too," I laughed. "Well, we'll see. We got a full week ahead of us, so we'd best try to get some sleep." "Good idea," Frank nodded. She got up and headed for her room as I headed for mine. "Just yell if you need anything," I told her as our doors closed. "Good night." "G'nite," she answered. Two minutes later I heard Frank yelling my name. I quickly ran into her room to see what was wrong. "Sorry, but can you just unzip this dress? I can't quite reach it," she asked. I laughed and helped her out, careful not to look at her body. She thanked me and we retired to our beds. -- Aiko showed up at 6am, as promised. She helped Frank get ready for work while I got myself cleaned up and into a suit. By 7, we were all ready to go. "You look great," I told Frank, admiring the way the charcoal suit fell over her curves. She was wearing a pair of black pumps with a small heel. "Thanks," she smiled. "Aiko is amazing." "She sure is," I nodded in agreement. Aiko just blushed and said nothing. We took a cab to the new office and after the initial shock over how nice an office it was, we found ourselves in a boardroom meeting a team of five Japanese people. We all exchanged business cards and swapped stories. "You two are really brave to come all the way to Japan," said the man named Tomoko. "It must be so much different than your home." "It sure is different," I nodded. "But it's a beautiful country and I look forward to exploring it more." "Just stay out of Shibuya," Tomoko laughed. The other four guys snickered. "There's a witch there with an appetite for foreigners." "Oh?" I blinked. Did he know what happened to Frank. "I'm just messing with you," Tomoko laughed. "It's an old kids story. We tell it to all the foreigners who come. I think it's because Japanese girls like white guys and we wanted to try to keep them away from all the good looking girls!" The other four guys burst out into laughter. Had we had this meeting on Friday before we'd gone to Shibuya, I'm sure Frank and I would have laughed right along. "But it looks like you've got your own fine looking girl already," Tomoko said, winking at Frank. "She's a colleague!" I said, slamming my hand on the desk. "Enough fooling around. Frankie isn't here to be mocked or ogled. She's a better developer than any of you five and we're here to teach you how to improve. If you aren't willing to learn, we can go back home." The laughter died immediately. "I'm so sorry," Tomoko bowed his head. "Please accept my apology, Ms. Potts." "Please. call me Frankie," Frank finally spoke. "Everyone else does and if we're going to be working together for the next week, we might as well be comfortable." "Thank you," Tomoko looked up at her. "Frankie. Please call me Tomo- kun." Aiko entered the boardroom with some tea for everyone. She looked at me, her eyes asking if everything was okay. I nodded to her and she exited quietly. After the initial friction, things started to go smoothly. The five men were actually very capable developers and they absorbed everything we were teaching rapidly. They even taught us a few things. By the time the evening rolled around, we'd gone through nearly two days worth of material. "Are you guys getting hungry?" Tomo-kun asked. At the mention of food, my stomach growled in answer. Frank also nodded. "That's a good idea - Let's call it a day," I said. The five students all sighed in relief. They had worked hard all day and were happy to finally be free. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?" Tomo-kun asked. Before I said anything, I noticed he wasn't talking to me. His question was aimed at Frank. "Umm..," Frank stammered, unsure what to say. "We've already got plans tonight," Aiko said, entering the room. "The three of us were going to go for some teppanyaki if you'd like to join us." Tomo-kun forced a smile and said maybe some other time. He left with the other four students and we three were left alone in the boardroom. "Thank you," I said to Aiko. "It was nothing," she smiled. Frank didn't say anything. "You weren't actually thinking of going out with him, were you?" I asked her. "I dunno," she shrugged. "He was a nice guy all day. It would be good to make some friends while we are here." It was my turn to be speechless. "You know guys ask girls out to dinner for a reason, right?" I finally said. "I know," she nodded. We followed Aiko to the elevator and she locked up before we headed down to street level. "Are you sure you are okay?" I asked Frank. "What do you mean?" she replied. "I'm fine." "I just never..," Aiko jabbed me in the arm without Frank seeing. "I mean, it was a busy day. I'm exhausted. I was just wondering how you're feeling." "I feel great, actually," Frank smiled. "Let's go for dinner!" True to her word, Aiko took us to a fantastic teppanyaki place. They cooked the meat right in front of us and it was delicious. We even allowed ourselves a couple of drinks. Frank, unused to having a much lower tolerance for alcohol, got drunk really fast. We all got into a cab and went back home. I ended up having to carry Frank while Aiko took the bags and helped with the elevator. "Whew," I said as I carefully put Frank into her bed. Aiko pushed me out of the room so she could help Frank get ready for bed. I had to say I was a little bit jealous, but I'm not sure of who. Aiko was taking such good care of Frank and I'd have loved it if she was getting me undressed... but at the same time, Frank was one of the hottest girls I knew and I'd love to get her naked. I shook my head at the thoughts. I knew I was a bit drunk but maybe drunker than I'd thought. Aiko finally appeared and came to sit on the couch beside me. "Frankie did amazing today," she said to me. "I can't believe she was actually a boy two days ago." "I know," I nodded. "You guys aren't just making that up, are you?" she asked seriously. "As far as I remember, Frankie has always been Frankie. Her passport says she was born a girl, the plane ticket was for a girl. Even her suitcase was full of girl's clothes." "Why in the hell would we want to make up a story like that?" I laughed. "I don't know," Aiko shrugged. "I just can't believe how well she's adjusting if she had to go through such a big change." I nodded. I definitely understood Aiko's doubt - I was starting to question my own sanity. Maybe it was me who was going crazy - was Frankie always a girl and I just got my memories scrambled somehow? "So what about you, Brian. How are you adjusting? I can't imagine what you're going through seeing your best friend turning into a girl." "Me?" I didn't expect that question. "I guess I'm okay. You're right - it's a bloody big shock to see such a beautiful girl and know that she is the guy I used to play Starcraft and Half-Life with." "You don't seem very upset about the whole thing." I looked at Aiko, puzzled. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. I can't very well hunt down a witch and demand she change my friend back into a man. I can't do anything but what you first suggested - I'm just trying to be here for Frank and help him if he needs anthing." "You're a good friend," Aiko smiled at me. I nearly jumped when she put her hand on my knee. "Frankie is a very lucky girl to have you." "I... we..," I could feel myself blushing. "Aiko, I think of everyone you've been the most helpful." Aiko looked at me straight in the eye without blinking. I held her gaze, wondering what she was going to do. When she leaned over and kissed me, my heart skipped a beat. But then I found myself kissing her back. I leaned into her, running my fingers through her soft hair. I was never good with women but Aiko was different. I was so comfortable with her and she seemed genuinely interested, I just knew what to do. I laid her down on the couch and positioned myself on top of her, continuing to kiss her. "Brian," she finally gasped. "I..." "I know, Aiko," I whispered. "I know." "No, Brian. You don't," Aiko answered. She pushed me up and I reluctantly sat up. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I offended you..." "No, it's not you," she frowned. "I'm so sorry - we shouldn't be doing this. Brian, you are a great guy and a fantastic friend for Frankie. The last thing she needs is for me to come between you." "But we're not a couple," I argued. "If this new reality is real, we've tried dating and it didn't work out. I definitely think Frank is cute, but I can't see myself with my old friend." "I know, Brian," Aiko said sadly. "But now isn't the right time for... for us to start something." As much as I wanted to argue, I knew Aiko was right. "Okay, Aiko," I nodded. "I understand. But you have to understand something too. I like you. I really like you and want to get to know you much better. When this is over, I hope you will still have me." "Oh, Brian," she said with a smile, making my heart skip another beat. "I wll wait for you." I gave her one more kiss before she pulled away. "I need to go. But I will come back again tomorrow morning to help Frankie out with getting ready." "Okay," I answered. "We'll be waiting." Aiko got into the elevator and waved. "Have a good night, Brian," she said. "Good night," I waved back as the doors closed. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I had to tell Frank the good news! He'll be so happy to hear I have a girlfrie... and then it hit me. I couldn't tell Frank. Not now, not yet. That's what Aiko meant. I sighed and went to bed. -- "Good morning!" Frank greeted me as I came out of my room after showering. She was already dressed and making coffee. I studied the girl in the black suit as she busied herself in the kitchen. "You must have got up early," I answered. "You already got dressed and are ready for work." "Yep. I went for a bit of a jog before taking a shower too," she replied with a grin. "You? Went jogging?" I blinked. In all my years of knowing Frank, exercise was one thing he never did. "Yep," she said, nonchalantly. "I've got to keep my figure. You should come with me sometime." Just then the doorbell buzzed and I let Aiko in the building. Moments later, the elevator opened and we greeted each other. "Good morning, Aiko!" Frank greeted her. Aiko could barely contain her surprise at seeing Frank already dressed and made up. "Good morning to you, Frankie," she said cheerfully. "That outfit looks great on you." "Thanks," Frank smiled at the compliment. "You're looking good too." "I guess I don't need to come over to help you get dressed anymore," Aiko laughed. "Looks like you've got things pretty under control now." "You were a great teacher," Frank replied. "Maybe you could help Brian get dressed. He's always been a bit slow." "And his tie is always crooked," Aiko said with a wink. "Too true," the girls laughed. "Okay, okay," I grumbled heading for my bedroom. "I can take a hint. Give me a couple minutes to get my monkey suit on and we'll go." "Take your time. We're actually ahead of schedule now because Frankie is done already," Aiko answered. She turned to Frank. "You seem to be in a rather chipper mood this morning." "I feel great, actually," replied Frank. "I don't know why, but I woke up at five this morning and just had so much energy. I went jogging for the first time in my life and actually enjoyed it. I came back and showered and it was still before six so I figured I could try dressing myself. I tried on a few different outfits before settling on this one." "You picked a good one," Aiko interjected. "Then I sat at the makeup table and tried to do what you did yesterday. I applied a little here and there, not too much like you showed me. I think it turned out pretty good," she smiled. "You did great," nodded Aiko. "I couldn't have done a better job myself." "Thanks," Frank smiled. "Frankie? Can I ask you something?" "Sure - anything." "Are you and Brian..," Aiko paused, looking for the right words. "Oh my God!" laughed Frank. "We're just friends. Good friends, but just friends. He's always been like a brother to me. When I was a man, we'd try to pick up girls together. Now that I'm a girl, I don't feel any attraction to him at all..." "Do you feel any attraction to men?" Frank sat silent for a minute before finally speaking. "Please don't tell Brian," she whispered. "I've only been a girl for a few days but I'm already starting to think like one. When I went jogging this morning, I couldn't help checking out some of the other joggers... the male joggers..." "Oh?" Aiko's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I won't say a word." "Thanks," Frank breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you think it's the curse of the witch?" "Maybe..," laughed Aiko. "But I'd guess it's more the female hormones coursing through your body." "Ta-da!" I announced as I popped through the door. I hadn't heard the conversation between the girls, but the looks they gave each other after seeing me made me wonder what it was all about. "Your tie is crooked," Aiko said before coming over and fixing it for me. "Thanks," I winked. "You could come over tomorrow morning to help me again." "Let's get going," Aiko commanded, ignoring my last comment. We showed up at the office before the Yamato guys arrived and I took the time to prepare the board room. I helped Aiko make coffee and tea, hoping it wasn't too obvious that I was trying to just make time with her. Frank waited in the office lobby for the Yamato students to arrive. "Frankie is changing," she whispered to me. "I know," I nodded. "Do you think she's going to last until the weekend?" "What do you mean?" "She wanted to go back to Shibuya on Saturday, but if she keeps changing at the rate she is, she's not going to want to go back to being a man." "But she seems happy. Maybe it's for the best..." "I doubt it. If this really is a curse, how can she end up happy?" "Maybe it's not a curse. Maybe it's a correction." "A correction?" Aiko's brow furled cutely. "Maybe Frank was supposed to be Frankie all along. The way he treated women when he got drunk was awful. Maybe there was a reason for it." "You mean fate?" "I don't know. We can ask him what he wants to do after the meeting today. If he wants to go to Shibuya tonight, we'll go." "Agreed." A few minutes later, Frank showed up with five Japanese guys following closely behind. I watched as they entered the meeting room - all five sets of eyes were focused on Frank's legs as she walked in front of them. It was only then that I noticed she was wearing different shoes than the previous day - this time she had a higher heel. I put the thought out of my head. "Thanks for coming," I said, trying to start the meeting. "We made good progress yesterday so I think we can take it easy today." "We've learned so much already," Tomo-kun replied. "Please continue teaching us. We're only here for a week and I want to learn as much as possible from you. We all do." "I like your enthusiasm," I laughed. "We could use a few guys like you in our own company." "You're going to have them," grinned Tomo-kun. "When the training is complete for all teams, the best of us are going to be transferred to work here with you guys." I blinked. "What?" "Yamato is going to provide developers for the Japanese office and we're going to expand your product line into Japanese markets," Tomo- kun explained. "We're all very keen to be selected to work for your company - that's why we are working so hard. It's very competitive." I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I looked at Frank who also looked puzzled. "Umm... okay," I was in shock and was losing my composure. "Okay, boys, can you turn to page 17 in the pdf we provided," Frank jumped in and took over. "Brian has to make a call back to the home office to make sure the dev team there are doing okay so I'll be teaching the first section today." I gave Frank a grateful smile and excused myself from the room. I needed to call Edward and find out what was going on. Aiko noticed me leaving the meeting and came to see what was wrong. I explained the situation and she led me to a private office where I could make a call. She left me alone so I could speak to Eddie. "Huuh...," I heard Edward after several rings. "Who is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?" "Eddie!" I replied. "It's Brian!" "Ooh! Just a second," Brian listened and heard some shuffling as Eddie got up and out of bed. "How's it going? You've been there for only three days now. Are you homesick already?" "We need to talk, Eddie," I told him. "I was told today that Yamato is going to provide us with a dev team in Japan. Is that true?" "Well," Edward paused to find the right words. "Yamato are very aggressive in the Japanese market. They want to help us expand our product there as quickly as possible." "But we have a dev team back home. We're going to be the ones doing the development. This was supposed to be a regional sales and support office, wasn't it?" "Yes, but they also want to localize the software," explained Edward. "You know, an English product won't really sell to a Japanese market." "I guess," I frowned. "But we can localize it with nothing more than a translator. We don't need an entire office full of developers here." "I know, Brian," Edward sighed. "I guess you were going to figure it out