Business Dinner

-Still in Tokyo-

They needed to fix this. Why not have a business dinner? The label heads met up at a fancy steakhouse.

“So good to see you again,” one exec said.

“Likewise,” the other said. They sat near the window. The city looked so small from where they sat. The execs had already ordered drinks.

“How was it the last hour?” the first exec asked. The other exec looked at his phone.

“Isao and Mai are still treading,” he said.

“Good or bad?”

“Both.” He shoved his phone into his pocket.

“I see,” his partner said.

“So what do we do now?” the exec with pepper gray hair asked. His partner sat back, thinking.

“Do you really think…” he began to ask. Pepper gray eyed him.

“What?” he asked. His partner shook his head.

“Nah, of course they wouldn’t,” he said. The waiter came with their drinks.

“Thank you,” the exec with the dark suite, raising his glass. The waiter bowed and walked off.

“We could fake it,” Pepper gray said. Dark Blue nearly choked on his wine.

“What?!” he asked. Pepper gray shrugged.

“It couldn’t hurt to try,” he said.

“They won’t do it,” his partner said. “Mai won’t at least.”

“That’s true.”

“Although, I do like the idea.”

Pepper gray looked up. “So… how do we do this?”

“Give me a minute,” Blue Suit said. He picked up a menu. The other man did likewise. Both ordered edamame and miso soup.

“We will talk to them,” Blue Suit said.

“Right,” the Pepper gray said.

“Keep it smile.”

“Yes.”

“We don’t have to take this too far.”

“Yes.”

“Just have them pose for a couple of pictures and a statement.”

“Sounds good.” But then Pepper gray paused.

“Do we have a back-up plan if this doesn’t work?” he asked.

“No,” Blue suit said. His partner looked confused.

“So what do we do?” he asked.

“Do it and hope that it works,” Blue Suit said.

“And if it doesn’t?” Pepper gray asked. His partner shrugged and took a sip of his drink. The other man frowned.

“Sure…” he mumbled. His partner lowered his empty glass.

“Look,” Blue Suit said. “We can make it work. We have to. It’s all for the peace of the fans.” He held up his empty glass. Pepper gray frowned and shrugged as he picked up his glass.

“Peace of the fans,” he said back. The glasses clinked.

“Gentlemen are we ready to order?” he asked.

“Why yes,” Blue Suit said. The men ordered their appetizers. They would iron out the details over dinner.

The next day, the execs made the call to the managers.