Sugar and Pepper (23)
TWENTY-TWO
* TWENTY-THREE *
01.
At the Ninomiya apartment, both boys were home alone. Kazunari's older sister had left early for her part-time job and Ms. Ninomiya had gone to her work as the housemaid of a rich family. As a single mother whose children's living depended on her income, Ms. Ninomiya worked for most of the day seven days a week.
"But it was worse back then," Kazunari had explained to Satoshi in an exaggerated fashion. "We used to live with the family and mom was on duty about twenty hours a day. The young master was an arrogant asshole. Imagine having to grow up with a spoiled brat who dictated everything. It's a relief I turned out okay. We lived on ramen for a whole year just so mom could scrape together enough money to move out. Then Nee-chan started working and we survived the rest of the year."
Uncomfortable with this dramatic revelation, Satoshi chose to hide the fact that he had grown up in a large, empty, but luxurious household and, although he hadn't asked for much as a child, he had received everything he ever needed.
After a very, very brief tour of Kazunari's cramped and messy bedroom, Kazunari directed them to the sole reason why Satoshi was in his home. He dug through his closet and found the item he had bought at the convenience store early that morning.
"Let's get your favor out of the way," he said. He interrupted Satoshi's slow observation of a picture taped to the back of his bedroom door and steered the older boy into the bathroom.
02.
Both boys were in the shower. The upper half of their bodies were bare. Satoshi sat on a stool with a towel wrapped around his hips while Kazunari crouched over him. Kazunari refilled a bucket of water and splashed it over the head of the older boy. Spluttering and coughing as streaks of black water cascaded down his face and shoulders, Satoshi ran a hand over his eyes.
"How were you able to bleach your hair if this is already killing you?" Kazunari poured another bucketful of water over his upperclassman's head. He ran his fingers through Satoshi's thick, newly dyed black hair and saw black streaks of dye on his hands still. He poured another bucket of water over Satoshi's head.
Satoshi went into a series of coughing fits.
"Are you dumb?" Kazunari demanded. "Close your mouth! Hold your breath! Geez, I feel like I'm taking care of a child."
Satoshi allowed Kazunari's grumbling to continue and moved inside his own head. He remembered bleach hair being all the rage during his middle school years. He had went with the flow and had his hair dyed at a salon. His father had not noticed until a week later, although he had not been on a business trip that month. He commanded Satoshi to return his hair to its natural color, but his father hadn't cared enough to enforce it. Satoshi knew he had forgotten all about it. So he kept his hair.
Sitting quietly on the stool, allowing Kazunari to deal with his hair, Satoshi realized that the reason he might have done it in the first place was because he wanted his father's attention. An attempt. And it had failed. Like always.
Satoshi took a deep breath and inhaled water into his mouth and nose. He went into another coughing fit.
"Hold still! We're almost done!" Kazunari screamed above him.
03.
The towel was now wrapped comfortably on his head. Satoshi leaned back against Kazunari's bed and stared off woefully into nothing, as if he had just survived an exhausting journey. Before long, Kazunari returned to his room with a tray of tea. He kicked aside a pile of clothes then settled himself beside Satoshi against the bed.
"Have some tea. It's the only thing we've got plenty of." He poured himself a cup and left Satoshi's empty.
Satoshi blinked and his mind returned to the present. He reached for his empty cup and put it to his lips.
Kazunari watched him take a sip of air then he said, "About the favor you owe me now..."
"About Sho-kun," Satoshi murmured.
"About the favor," Kazunari went on, over Satoshi's interruption, "I only want you to ask him to meet me."
It was simple, so simple that Satoshi stared at him in silent question.
Kazunari turned his face away so Satoshi only saw a bit of his profile. "I tried sending letters and some of my classmates to ask for him. But every time he saw that it was me waiting for him, he ran. I want you to ask him to stay and listen."
"Did you do something wrong to him?" Satoshi asked, alarmed. "Sho-kun won't hate me if I help you?"
"He won't hate you."
"B-but, he runs from you."
"I didn't do anything!" Kazunari defended himself and he turned his fury on Satoshi. "He's a stupid, obnoxious, asshole and that's the only reason why! You owe me this favor. Are you going to do it or not?"
Satoshi bowed his head and looked down at his curled fingers. Both Kazunari and Sho were his friends. "S-sho-kun went to his villa. I'll ask him when he comes back."
04.
On his walk back from Kazunari's apartment, Satoshi felt his stomach growl. Kazunari had not eaten so Satoshi had not had the guts to ask for lunch. He stopped in his tracks and touched his grumbling stomach. He stood motionlessly on the pavement while his mind wandered from him.
He thought about Kazunari's favor and wondered about Sho's reaction. He remembered what Kazunari had said at the festival about himself and Sho. And then about Satoshi and, in particular, his feelings for Jun which was wrong. He thought about Kazunari's messy bedroom, the clothes strewn all over the floor; only his baseball and school uniform had been washed, pressed, and hung up on the wall. Satoshi had been examining an old photo taped on Kazunari's bedroom door before he had been pulled away. He had forgotten about it.
Now he remembered seeing two boys smiling in the photo. Their arms had been slung around each other. They were young, cheerful, and most importantly they looked like they were having fun. They looked like they were friends. Satoshi had recognized one of the boys as Kazunari, unsurprisingly. But Kazunari had pulled him away before he could pinpoint where he had seen the other one. Standing on the sidewalk Satoshi thought he finally recognized the other boy. That young boy looked like Sho.
05.
A group of boys lounged on the front lawn of the Matsumoto house.
Satoshi stopped by the gate and uneasily waited for something to happen; for them to disappear so he could walk in unnoticed. He used the thin gate to hide himself and hoped they wouldn't notice him. There were three of them and he recognized them as Jun's friends, but Jun was nowhere in sight. He didn't hate Jun's friends; he was just uncomfortable with them. The boys were laughing at something on their cell phones.
One of them said, "He really did it!" He pointed to something on the screen of his phone. "He looked so scared!"
"He'll get his chance to laugh at you too since you lost," Jun said. He walked out the front door carrying a laden tray in his hands. His friends dived for the cold fruits and drinks as soon as he set it down. They stuffed their mouths and he just sat back and watched.
"You know," another started after half swallowing his food, "you lost too. You'll have to kiss someone too."
"And," another butted in, "unluckily for you, we'll be making a huge profit from your proof. It doesn't even matter who the lucky bastard is. The girls will do anything to get your photo."
"You're not going to get a picture from me," Jun said.
They snorted. "Eat your own words. You set the punishment. You can't back down just because you lost."
"I'm not backing down, but I won't need to give you proof of my kiss because I'll have witnesses."
"Who?"
Jun reached for the nearest boy who was the only one disinterested in the conversation and was still eating. He leaned in. The boy looked up. Jun pressed their lips together.
In that split second, the friends' minds went blank. Satoshi watched the whole thing and the colors in the world seemed to have faded away. His surroundings were shades of black and white. Barren and cold. He continued to watch silently, frozen, at the gate as Jun's friends finally found their voices.
Jun moved back and watched them go into a frenzy. Screams of disgust, "no fair," and surprise erupted from the small group.
Mr. Matsumoto stepped out and smiled at them on the front doorstep. "Boys, behave. Don't disturb the neighbors." He looked up and saw the stone figure erected at the gate. "What are you doing there?"
By the time Jun looked up to see who he was talking to, Satoshi was already gone.
06.
Satoshi did not run, but he did not walk either. He sped at a fast pace down the neighborhood. He limbs ached from the strain. He did not know where he was going. He just had to get away. His own heartbeat pounded in his ears. He heard, and felt, the heavy and painful way his lungs drew breath. Slowly, he became aware that color was returning to the world.
He did not want it to. The colors blinded him.
Kazunari was wrong; absolutely wrong. Satoshi did not feel that way about Jun.
Satoshi stopped suddenly, much like how he had done on his way home, but this time not because he felt hungry.
* *
TWENTY-FOUR
* TWENTY-THREE *
01.
At the Ninomiya apartment, both boys were home alone. Kazunari's older sister had left early for her part-time job and Ms. Ninomiya had gone to her work as the housemaid of a rich family. As a single mother whose children's living depended on her income, Ms. Ninomiya worked for most of the day seven days a week.
"But it was worse back then," Kazunari had explained to Satoshi in an exaggerated fashion. "We used to live with the family and mom was on duty about twenty hours a day. The young master was an arrogant asshole. Imagine having to grow up with a spoiled brat who dictated everything. It's a relief I turned out okay. We lived on ramen for a whole year just so mom could scrape together enough money to move out. Then Nee-chan started working and we survived the rest of the year."
Uncomfortable with this dramatic revelation, Satoshi chose to hide the fact that he had grown up in a large, empty, but luxurious household and, although he hadn't asked for much as a child, he had received everything he ever needed.
After a very, very brief tour of Kazunari's cramped and messy bedroom, Kazunari directed them to the sole reason why Satoshi was in his home. He dug through his closet and found the item he had bought at the convenience store early that morning.
"Let's get your favor out of the way," he said. He interrupted Satoshi's slow observation of a picture taped to the back of his bedroom door and steered the older boy into the bathroom.
02.
Both boys were in the shower. The upper half of their bodies were bare. Satoshi sat on a stool with a towel wrapped around his hips while Kazunari crouched over him. Kazunari refilled a bucket of water and splashed it over the head of the older boy. Spluttering and coughing as streaks of black water cascaded down his face and shoulders, Satoshi ran a hand over his eyes.
"How were you able to bleach your hair if this is already killing you?" Kazunari poured another bucketful of water over his upperclassman's head. He ran his fingers through Satoshi's thick, newly dyed black hair and saw black streaks of dye on his hands still. He poured another bucket of water over Satoshi's head.
Satoshi went into a series of coughing fits.
"Are you dumb?" Kazunari demanded. "Close your mouth! Hold your breath! Geez, I feel like I'm taking care of a child."
Satoshi allowed Kazunari's grumbling to continue and moved inside his own head. He remembered bleach hair being all the rage during his middle school years. He had went with the flow and had his hair dyed at a salon. His father had not noticed until a week later, although he had not been on a business trip that month. He commanded Satoshi to return his hair to its natural color, but his father hadn't cared enough to enforce it. Satoshi knew he had forgotten all about it. So he kept his hair.
Sitting quietly on the stool, allowing Kazunari to deal with his hair, Satoshi realized that the reason he might have done it in the first place was because he wanted his father's attention. An attempt. And it had failed. Like always.
Satoshi took a deep breath and inhaled water into his mouth and nose. He went into another coughing fit.
"Hold still! We're almost done!" Kazunari screamed above him.
03.
The towel was now wrapped comfortably on his head. Satoshi leaned back against Kazunari's bed and stared off woefully into nothing, as if he had just survived an exhausting journey. Before long, Kazunari returned to his room with a tray of tea. He kicked aside a pile of clothes then settled himself beside Satoshi against the bed.
"Have some tea. It's the only thing we've got plenty of." He poured himself a cup and left Satoshi's empty.
Satoshi blinked and his mind returned to the present. He reached for his empty cup and put it to his lips.
Kazunari watched him take a sip of air then he said, "About the favor you owe me now..."
"About Sho-kun," Satoshi murmured.
"About the favor," Kazunari went on, over Satoshi's interruption, "I only want you to ask him to meet me."
It was simple, so simple that Satoshi stared at him in silent question.
Kazunari turned his face away so Satoshi only saw a bit of his profile. "I tried sending letters and some of my classmates to ask for him. But every time he saw that it was me waiting for him, he ran. I want you to ask him to stay and listen."
"Did you do something wrong to him?" Satoshi asked, alarmed. "Sho-kun won't hate me if I help you?"
"He won't hate you."
"B-but, he runs from you."
"I didn't do anything!" Kazunari defended himself and he turned his fury on Satoshi. "He's a stupid, obnoxious, asshole and that's the only reason why! You owe me this favor. Are you going to do it or not?"
Satoshi bowed his head and looked down at his curled fingers. Both Kazunari and Sho were his friends. "S-sho-kun went to his villa. I'll ask him when he comes back."
04.
On his walk back from Kazunari's apartment, Satoshi felt his stomach growl. Kazunari had not eaten so Satoshi had not had the guts to ask for lunch. He stopped in his tracks and touched his grumbling stomach. He stood motionlessly on the pavement while his mind wandered from him.
He thought about Kazunari's favor and wondered about Sho's reaction. He remembered what Kazunari had said at the festival about himself and Sho. And then about Satoshi and, in particular, his feelings for Jun which was wrong. He thought about Kazunari's messy bedroom, the clothes strewn all over the floor; only his baseball and school uniform had been washed, pressed, and hung up on the wall. Satoshi had been examining an old photo taped on Kazunari's bedroom door before he had been pulled away. He had forgotten about it.
Now he remembered seeing two boys smiling in the photo. Their arms had been slung around each other. They were young, cheerful, and most importantly they looked like they were having fun. They looked like they were friends. Satoshi had recognized one of the boys as Kazunari, unsurprisingly. But Kazunari had pulled him away before he could pinpoint where he had seen the other one. Standing on the sidewalk Satoshi thought he finally recognized the other boy. That young boy looked like Sho.
05.
A group of boys lounged on the front lawn of the Matsumoto house.
Satoshi stopped by the gate and uneasily waited for something to happen; for them to disappear so he could walk in unnoticed. He used the thin gate to hide himself and hoped they wouldn't notice him. There were three of them and he recognized them as Jun's friends, but Jun was nowhere in sight. He didn't hate Jun's friends; he was just uncomfortable with them. The boys were laughing at something on their cell phones.
One of them said, "He really did it!" He pointed to something on the screen of his phone. "He looked so scared!"
"He'll get his chance to laugh at you too since you lost," Jun said. He walked out the front door carrying a laden tray in his hands. His friends dived for the cold fruits and drinks as soon as he set it down. They stuffed their mouths and he just sat back and watched.
"You know," another started after half swallowing his food, "you lost too. You'll have to kiss someone too."
"And," another butted in, "unluckily for you, we'll be making a huge profit from your proof. It doesn't even matter who the lucky bastard is. The girls will do anything to get your photo."
"You're not going to get a picture from me," Jun said.
They snorted. "Eat your own words. You set the punishment. You can't back down just because you lost."
"I'm not backing down, but I won't need to give you proof of my kiss because I'll have witnesses."
"Who?"
Jun reached for the nearest boy who was the only one disinterested in the conversation and was still eating. He leaned in. The boy looked up. Jun pressed their lips together.
In that split second, the friends' minds went blank. Satoshi watched the whole thing and the colors in the world seemed to have faded away. His surroundings were shades of black and white. Barren and cold. He continued to watch silently, frozen, at the gate as Jun's friends finally found their voices.
Jun moved back and watched them go into a frenzy. Screams of disgust, "no fair," and surprise erupted from the small group.
Mr. Matsumoto stepped out and smiled at them on the front doorstep. "Boys, behave. Don't disturb the neighbors." He looked up and saw the stone figure erected at the gate. "What are you doing there?"
By the time Jun looked up to see who he was talking to, Satoshi was already gone.
06.
Satoshi did not run, but he did not walk either. He sped at a fast pace down the neighborhood. He limbs ached from the strain. He did not know where he was going. He just had to get away. His own heartbeat pounded in his ears. He heard, and felt, the heavy and painful way his lungs drew breath. Slowly, he became aware that color was returning to the world.
He did not want it to. The colors blinded him.
Kazunari was wrong; absolutely wrong. Satoshi did not feel that way about Jun.
Satoshi stopped suddenly, much like how he had done on his way home, but this time not because he felt hungry.
* *
TWENTY-FOUR