Revealed – Chapter 8

Jiro has barely seen Yoichi for the last five weeks and misses him. He knew this day would eventually come, when he would be left behind while his brother’s life went on without him. They used to do everything together. Now, Yoichi visits Izakaya Tanaka three or four times per week to visit Miko, hangs out with new and old friends, and doesn’t invite his little brother along. All Yoichi ever does is talk about Miko and the izakaya, but he never mentions Miko’s friend, Sanaa, so Jiro stops thinking about her. She’s settled into the mist of every flirtation Jiro ever had. Forgotten.

During Yoichi’s absence, Jiro grabs Usagi, and they spend time together. Usagi is just as alone as Jiro is. Usagi’s family pledged their support to Sakai Clan two generations ago, and he grew up with Jiro and Yoichi. He’s twenty-four, almost a year older than Yoichi and has never kept a girlfriend for more than a few months.

Jiro walks into Sakai building and waves to the security guards in the vestibule. He’s done with meetings for the day, returning home from the Suzukis and their family workshop. The Suzuki family is related to Jiro through his father’s side of the family so visiting them is never a bother. He loves going to Masa’s workshop to see what he’s been working on. They’re both fascinated by weapons, and Masa used make jōs, staff weapons, for Kentaro. Masa may miss Kentaro as much as Jiro does.

Dumping his bag and sword on the couch in his apartment, Jiro sighs at the empty kitchen, the clothes on the floor, and the light on in the bathroom. Yoichi obviously hurried out earlier, not caring what he left behind for his little brother. He shouldn’t clean up, but he’ll do it anyway. Clothes pushed into the auto-hamper. Dishes loaded into the auto-washer. Turn off the light in the bathroom and hang up the towels. Sliding closed his brother’s door, a pink shirt sits on top of a pile of clothes on the floor. Miko was here last night, and he didn’t know. He must have been dead asleep.

Jiro changes into gray pants and a black shirt, leaves his sword, and grabs his bag. Shutting his apartment door behind him, he crosses the hall to Usagi’s apartment.

“What’s up, Jiro?” Usagi answers the door, his tablet in his hand, and chewing on a chunk of ice from an empty glass, one of his ‘bad’ habits.

“Hungry? We haven’t been to Asa’s place in a week, and she wrote me wondering where we were.”

Usagi rolls his eyes and gestures to Jiro to come in. “She’s so damned dramatic.”

“She’s always been that way.” Jiro and Asa know each other from school when she flirted with every single guy in the class and always had a different boyfriend. Jiro stayed away from her because he hated the rumor mill, and she was at the center of it. But once they all graduated, she took on more responsibilities at her family’s tempura restaurant and settled down a bit. Just a bit.

Yoichi likes to spend time at the restaurant. They make the best tempura in the ward for certain, and he’s friends with Asa’s older brother, Goro. So Jiro has gotten used to Asa, but he tries to avoid her otherwise. She’s pretty, but he hates her personality.

“She likes you,” Usagi says, and Jiro sighs and rolls his eyes too. “Not your type?”

“No. You know that. Are we going to go get some dinner or what?”

“Saké?”

“Of course. There’s always saké.”

“Okay. Why not?”

On the way out of the building, Usagi halts at the door to Beni and Risa’s apartment, jerking his head at it.

“Beni?”

“But what if Risa’s home?” Jiro whispers. “She would want to come.”

“You’re right. Next time let’s message Beni before we leave the apartment.”

Asa’s tempura restaurant is only a five minute walk from the Sakai building. When they duck under the noren curtains, Asa screams like a little girl and claps her hands. Jiro turns to hightail it right back out the door, but Usagi’s hand grips his shoulder with a vise-like firmness. No escaping now.

“I thought you might come.” She leans in to kiss Usagi on the cheek before squeezing Jiro’s arm. “There’s a booth open over there. Go sit.”

Jiro and Usagi weave through the crowd and take a seat in the booth. They wipe their hands with the hot towels provided and drink water before they get saké.

“More meetings with family members today?” Usagi asks, leaning back and sinking into the booth.

“Yeah, it’s been five weeks since my last meeting with any of the bigger families. I haven’t even seen the Minamotos, but I guess that’s a blessing.”

“You still haven’t spoken to Kentaro?” Usagi rubs the top of his head in surprise. He’s been bald since he went prematurely gray at eighteen.

“No.” Jiro’s tone is icy, but Usagi waits. “I know he’s not dating her anymore, but I’m still angry.”

“Okay.”

Usagi’s not the type to pry too much which is good because Jiro doesn’t want to talk about it. He’d rather talk work.

“So anyway, I have no idea what Sakai has been up to lately. I never see him anymore. I get messages about what I’m supposed to do or where I’m supposed to go. That’s it. The old man sees him more.”

“Your father hates being called ‘the old man.’”

“I don’t care. He would never tell me not to do it.” Jiro has been calling him that forever. It’s too late to stop now. “I barely see him either.”

“What the hell is going on with them? I got a message from your father that he wants me in the dōjō every day from now on,” Usagi says.

“Really? Well, come by in the afternoons. My calendar is open for the next week. We can work out in the afternoons and handle business in the morning.”

“Okay, boys.” Asa stands at the table, all smiles, her tablet at the ready. She tucks her shoulder length hair over her ear, the other side clipped with a silver dragonfly. Asa’s hair style changes often, and now her locks are deep black at the roots and a lighter brown at the tips. She’s another one of these girls who loves makeup. “What’ll you have? The shrimp tempura is delicious tonight, and we have avocado tempura as well that melts in your mouth.” She purses her lips and kisses the air with an exaggerated toss of her stylus.

“Wow, avocados at the this time of year?” Jiro goes to Ku 10 regularly with Sakai and often finds himself touring the hydroponics towers while Sakai works.

“Yes! An early crop, but they’re growing faster since they got the stacking system to work.” Asa studied hydroponics in school, and when the time comes for produce, she’s more knowledgable than most who run a restaurant. Her parents were so pleased.

“I’ll have both,” Jiro says and Usagi nods.

“Both of you? Okay. Saké is coming.” She winks at Jiro and walks off. His stomach sinks as he watches her go, her ass swinging from side to side.

“You’re turning green,” Usagi teases. “Maybe you should flirt with her. I bet she’d go out with you.”

“No thanks.” Just the thought of dating Asa makes him ill. She’d broadcast their relationship to every single person in Ku 6 and make a big deal out of it. Jiro’s not interested in that kind of popularity.

Usagi cocks his head at him and leans over the table. “She’d probably just sleep with you, if that’s what you want.”

“Shut up and mind your own business.” He’d rather be celibate for the rest of his life.

“Whatever you say. Your dick falls off from misuse don’t come complaining to me.”

“That happens and I’ll be dead. Everyone will know.”

Usagi laughs, grabbing the saké cups and filling them up. “Why is your calendar suddenly empty? This has been a strange month.” He shakes his head and drinks.

“I have no idea.” Jiro sits back and stares at the cup in his hand, tipping it left and right. “The old man stopped by last night and said, ‘Mark is in Ku 8 tomorrow and then our schedule is going to change drastically.’ But he didn’t elaborate except that I’m supposed to be in the dōjō in the afternoons from now on.”

“Well, I was told to be there in the mornings…”

“What the hell? Why? I’ll talk to my father. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t work out together.”

“I agree. See what you can do. In the meantime, take a deep breath because Asa is coming back, and I think she wants to chat.”

Jiro closes his eyes and steels himself before drinking his saké. A night full of small talk with Asa was not what he was prepared for. They should have made the effort to invite Beni. She’s much better at this than he is. She could have talked to Asa, and he could have talked to Usagi.

Well, whatever. He’ll drink and get through this and then conquer his new schedule tomorrow. One foot in front of the other.