Hi, Sato-chan! - Part 3
Nino stared at the card in his hand, wondering if he should call the number on it. If he called, what should he tell Satoshi? Agree to go out for dinner with him? Hmm, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t know how to act around the man. They had been separated for quite some time. Satoshi seemed to act normally but Nino wondered why he was so awkward when they met earlier?
Ah, why did he send the email to Satoshi? This could all be avoided if he didn’t send the email. He didn’t remember much about that night because he was drunk but he was certain it was Jun’s fault. The man often challenged him to a dare and Nino would never say no to the man because he hated losing to Jun.
As if he knew he was on Nino’s mind, Jun walked into the kitchen, smiling smugly when he saw Nino holding the card.
“Go ahead and call him,” said Jun, making it sound like a challenge. “I know you want to do it,”
“I’ll do it tomorrow,” Nino put the card away. “I’m too tired to go out today,”
“Well… you should probably call to let him know. It is called courtesy. Who knows, maybe he is waiting for your call,”
“Why would he? I bet he would be too busy to remember me,”
“Well, he wouldn’t give you his card if he didn’t expect a call from you, right?”
Nino didn’t say anything, knowing Jun was right. Satoshi gave him the card for a reason. And, since he was the one who initiated the contact by sending the email, he shouldn’t just ignore the man. Who knows, maybe they could be best friends like before. It would be good to know more about Satoshi.
“Also, please clean the kitchen quickly and do preparation for tomorrow,”
Nino stuck his tongue out at Jun as the other man left the kitchen. However, instead of standing up and cleaning the kitchen as instructed by the other man, Nino picked up the card once again. Should he call Satoshi now to let the man know he won’t be available tonight? Ah, better to do it after he was done with his work. Satoshi would understand.
So, he stood up and started to clean the utensils in the sink. As he was doing the dish, he heard footsteps behind him. That must be Jun, coming to check on him.
“I’m doing it, Junny,” said Nino without turning to look at the newcomer.
“Let me help you,”
Nino was startled when he heard the voice. That was certainly not Jun’s voice. But, he also knew whose voice it was. Trying to relax, he turned at the newcomer. Not surprised to find Satoshi standing in front of him.
“Sato-chan…” he began. “Hmm… what are you doing here?”
“To see you, of course,” answered Satoshi. He took off the coat that he was wearing and put it on the chair. Then, he undid the button of his sleeve and rolled it off before hurrying towards Nino. “What can I help you with?”
“Ah…” Nino was too stunned to respond. Seeing there was no answer from him, Satoshi picked the towel on the rack and began drying the utensils that Nino had cleaned.
“It will be faster if we do it together, ne?” said Satoshi. Nino wanted to object. It was not appropriate to have someone like Satoshi doing his job. But, it brought back the memory from back then. Satoshi often helped Nino with his housework no matter how many times Nino’s mother forbade him. So, he simply let the young master continue. He couldn’t help but think of how Satoshi was still the same humble man he knew.
“Thank you, Sato-chan,” said Nino once they were done with the cleaning. Neither Jun nor Aiba came to the kitchen, perhaps to give him privacy with Satoshi. Yeah, right. He bet the two of them were listening from the front. That was why Nino chose to work in silence with Satoshi. He wouldn’t let the two of them eavesdrop on his conversation.
“Is that everything?” Asked Satoshi.
“Yeah,” answered Nino. “I just have to check what ingredients I need for tomorrow,”
“Oh, will you go and buy it after this?”
“Nope,” Nino shook his head. “I will just hand the list to Junny. He will do it,”
“Oh… so, are you free after that? Want to have dinner with me?”
Nino tried to keep his face straight. He almost forgot about the dinner invitation. It wasn’t awkward when they worked together just now. So, maybe it would be the same during dinner.
“Sure, why not?” said Nino. “Where do you want to eat?”
“How about my house?”
“The big mansion I used to live in?”
Ohno chuckled and shook his head. “I moved out a few years ago. I live alone now,”
“Oh… so, are you going to cook for me?”
“Well, you’re the chef. Shouldn’t you be the one who cooks for me?”
Nino contemplated for a while. Nope, not tonight. But, before he could tell Satoshi, the man beat him to it.
“Don’t worry. I have a housekeeper. She already cooked for us. So, let’s just go to my house and then have a nice but not so quiet dinner so we could catch up with each other. What do you think?”
“Okay,”