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XX Sato Jirouxx#836F6E
Kanayama, thank God, does absolutely nothing to Jirou.
Whether Kanayama isn't as smart as he thought and didn't catch his tone, or just didn't care, Jirou has no idea, but the part of him that thinks refuses to tempt fate by trying to figure it out.
Or maybe Kanayama just really is that nice, Jirou considers, briefly. Yeah, I doubt it's that.
The rest of the school day flies by, same as always, but there's a beautiful lack of pissed-off boys waiting for him when he leaves. Jirou wonders why he's been so strangely lucky today. Oh, how funny would it be if the "luck" is simply Kanayama tricking him into a sense of security.
Well, if he gets jumped sometime tomorrow, he'll know.
Neither Kanayama nor any of Jirou's usual tormentors are in sight, and somehow, it only puts him more on edge, but he manages to make it home perfectly alright. Today is so fucking weird.
The strange normalcy of his afternoon is completely shattered once he gets home, however.
Jirou hears yelling as he approaches the complex, and right at the top of the stairs is the landlord, who looks like she's absolutely fuming. Jirou's elderly neighbor, Noriko-san, is stood between the landlord and Jirou's apartment, and that's enough for him to guess exactly what's going on.
"Sawabe-san," He says. Both women whirl on him.
Noriko barely has time to say his name and look vaguely relieved before Jirou's face is full of too much makeup and a very angry scowl. "Took you long enough! Where the hell were you?!"
Jirou scowls back. "I'm still a student, Sawabe-san. I was at school."
"Yeah, well I've been waiting her for half an hour while your crazy mom goes crazy!"
Jirou turns a burning glare on Sawabe, and she flinches, though she doesn't apologize or even act like she wants to. Jirou can hear Noriko-san admonishing her as he steps into his apartment.
His mother is hiding around the corner, peeking around the corner and shaking. She looks about as pissed off as Sawabe. She doesn't say anything to Jirou as he passes her, retrieves the rent from its hiding spot, and heads back outside to pay Sawabe, finally ridding them of the woman.
Jirou thanks Noriko-san for intervening in what was probably a huge commotion. She, as always, dismisses his thanks with a smile and disappears into her apartment, needy meows following her.
Jirou steps back into his apartment and stares at his mother for a long moment, exhausted.
"You really should stop picking fights with Sawabe-san."
"That girl is a disgrace! She threatened to kick us out! She thinks we're trash, that bitch."
Well, he can't argue with all of that. "If we pay rent on time, she can't kick us out, even if she really wants to. But you picking fights with her over nothing isn't going helping her like us."
Ai doesn't say anything more, but Jirou can tell she's still upset. He's not sure what he's supposed to do. He can't really stop her from hating the woman - hell, he hates her too, and he's never even around when they fight - but if she pisses off Sawabe enough, Jirou doesn't doubt that the woman will scrape up a reason to evict them. And there's no way he can afford another apartment.
Fuck. Nothing's allowed to be easy, is it?
"Have you eaten?"
Ai nods
"What did you eat? Did you have lunch and dinner?"
Ai nods again. "Noriko-san made stir fry and spring rolls for lunch and dinner. And we had tea and cookies earlier, but I didn't finish my tea because it was oolong."
Jirou sighs, knowing she hates oolong tea, and hopes she didn't manage to offend Noriko-san as well as Sawabe. Then again, he doubts Noriko-san would take it personally even if she did.
He turns to put his things away, abandoning his blazer and swapping it for a sweater that doesn't have his school's emblem, then heads to the bathroom to switch his glasses out for contact lenses. His mother is absorbed in a book when he comes back out, the rest of the world invisible to her.
"I'm heading out," He says. Ai doesn't budge. "Make sure you go to sleep on time, alright?"
No response.
Jirou slips out the door without another word.
XX â
Kabukichou is as bright and lively as ever, and part of Jirou will always genuinely enjoy how the place lights up in every color once the sun goes down. It's beautiful, in its own, twisted way.
Jirou's been here almost every night for the last four years, and regulars notice him, waving and winking as he passes. He waves and winks back with a sly smile. He's comfortable here, among the dizzying lights and sounds and people doing all manner of things, hidden in the shadows.
He doesn't actually stop until a very familiar voice calls his name. He turns to face the voice and finds Hikaru behind him, clad in a pretty white strapless dress, sparkling dust across every inch of skin. She runs and jumps - impressive, in those heels - and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Ji-chan, you're here! You're early. Are your bullies slacking today?"
Jirou catches her easily, frowning at the nickname. "Quit calling me that," Hikaru giggles in his ear. "And no, but they left me alone after school. First time in... two weeks? Three weeks?"
"Damn. Maybe if they came here, they'd realize how charming you are and fall in love."
"Oh God, ew. I don't even wanna think about what that'd be like."
Hikaru chortles gracelessly, absolutely aware of how nasty a mental image her sentence put into Jirou's head. They walk together towards the pub Hikaru and most of the other girls work out of.
"Hey, did you hear the Golden Queen is here tonight? A couple of the girls say they saw her show up. No one knows what for though. Just keep an eye out, okay?"
Jirou snorts, but nods. She doesn't have to tell him twice to be careful in Kabukichou.
The Golden Queen, though? I wonder if it's something serious.
Jirou doesn't have time to wonder what the silent overseer of Kabukichou is doing on the streets, because both he and Hikaru are approached by customers before they even get to the pub. Hikaru waves over her shoulder and they head in different directions, neither of them desiring to be near each other while they work. It's already awkward enough being in near-public with customers.
Jirou's customer, a regular whose name Jirou never learned - what's the point? Not like he'll ever use it - has him pressed up against a wall in an alleyway, and because Jirou's luck is on a 50-50 timer today and just keeps flipping between good and fucking terrible, they get interrupted.
Kanayama, thank God, does absolutely nothing to Jirou.
Whether Kanayama isn't as smart as he thought and didn't catch his tone, or just didn't care, Jirou has no idea, but the part of him that thinks refuses to tempt fate by trying to figure it out.
Or maybe Kanayama just really is that nice, Jirou considers, briefly. Yeah, I doubt it's that.
The rest of the school day flies by, same as always, but there's a beautiful lack of pissed-off boys waiting for him when he leaves. Jirou wonders why he's been so strangely lucky today. Oh, how funny would it be if the "luck" is simply Kanayama tricking him into a sense of security.
Well, if he gets jumped sometime tomorrow, he'll know.
Neither Kanayama nor any of Jirou's usual tormentors are in sight, and somehow, it only puts him more on edge, but he manages to make it home perfectly alright. Today is so fucking weird.
The strange normalcy of his afternoon is completely shattered once he gets home, however.
Jirou hears yelling as he approaches the complex, and right at the top of the stairs is the landlord, who looks like she's absolutely fuming. Jirou's elderly neighbor, Noriko-san, is stood between the landlord and Jirou's apartment, and that's enough for him to guess exactly what's going on.
"Sawabe-san," He says. Both women whirl on him.
Noriko barely has time to say his name and look vaguely relieved before Jirou's face is full of too much makeup and a very angry scowl. "Took you long enough! Where the hell were you?!"
Jirou scowls back. "I'm still a student, Sawabe-san. I was at school."
"Yeah, well I've been waiting her for half an hour while your crazy mom goes crazy!"
Jirou turns a burning glare on Sawabe, and she flinches, though she doesn't apologize or even act like she wants to. Jirou can hear Noriko-san admonishing her as he steps into his apartment.
His mother is hiding around the corner, peeking around the corner and shaking. She looks about as pissed off as Sawabe. She doesn't say anything to Jirou as he passes her, retrieves the rent from its hiding spot, and heads back outside to pay Sawabe, finally ridding them of the woman.
Jirou thanks Noriko-san for intervening in what was probably a huge commotion. She, as always, dismisses his thanks with a smile and disappears into her apartment, needy meows following her.
Jirou steps back into his apartment and stares at his mother for a long moment, exhausted.
"You really should stop picking fights with Sawabe-san."
"That girl is a disgrace! She threatened to kick us out! She thinks we're trash, that bitch."
Well, he can't argue with all of that. "If we pay rent on time, she can't kick us out, even if she really wants to. But you picking fights with her over nothing isn't going helping her like us."
Ai doesn't say anything more, but Jirou can tell she's still upset. He's not sure what he's supposed to do. He can't really stop her from hating the woman - hell, he hates her too, and he's never even around when they fight - but if she pisses off Sawabe enough, Jirou doesn't doubt that the woman will scrape up a reason to evict them. And there's no way he can afford another apartment.
Fuck. Nothing's allowed to be easy, is it?
"Have you eaten?"
Ai nods
"What did you eat? Did you have lunch and dinner?"
Ai nods again. "Noriko-san made stir fry and spring rolls for lunch and dinner. And we had tea and cookies earlier, but I didn't finish my tea because it was oolong."
Jirou sighs, knowing she hates oolong tea, and hopes she didn't manage to offend Noriko-san as well as Sawabe. Then again, he doubts Noriko-san would take it personally even if she did.
He turns to put his things away, abandoning his blazer and swapping it for a sweater that doesn't have his school's emblem, then heads to the bathroom to switch his glasses out for contact lenses. His mother is absorbed in a book when he comes back out, the rest of the world invisible to her.
"I'm heading out," He says. Ai doesn't budge. "Make sure you go to sleep on time, alright?"
No response.
Jirou slips out the door without another word.
XX â
Kabukichou is as bright and lively as ever, and part of Jirou will always genuinely enjoy how the place lights up in every color once the sun goes down. It's beautiful, in its own, twisted way.
Jirou's been here almost every night for the last four years, and regulars notice him, waving and winking as he passes. He waves and winks back with a sly smile. He's comfortable here, among the dizzying lights and sounds and people doing all manner of things, hidden in the shadows.
He doesn't actually stop until a very familiar voice calls his name. He turns to face the voice and finds Hikaru behind him, clad in a pretty white strapless dress, sparkling dust across every inch of skin. She runs and jumps - impressive, in those heels - and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Ji-chan, you're here! You're early. Are your bullies slacking today?"
Jirou catches her easily, frowning at the nickname. "Quit calling me that," Hikaru giggles in his ear. "And no, but they left me alone after school. First time in... two weeks? Three weeks?"
"Damn. Maybe if they came here, they'd realize how charming you are and fall in love."
"Oh God, ew. I don't even wanna think about what that'd be like."
Hikaru chortles gracelessly, absolutely aware of how nasty a mental image her sentence put into Jirou's head. They walk together towards the pub Hikaru and most of the other girls work out of.
"Hey, did you hear the Golden Queen is here tonight? A couple of the girls say they saw her show up. No one knows what for though. Just keep an eye out, okay?"
Jirou snorts, but nods. She doesn't have to tell him twice to be careful in Kabukichou.
The Golden Queen, though? I wonder if it's something serious.
Jirou doesn't have time to wonder what the silent overseer of Kabukichou is doing on the streets, because both he and Hikaru are approached by customers before they even get to the pub. Hikaru waves over her shoulder and they head in different directions, neither of them desiring to be near each other while they work. It's already awkward enough being in near-public with customers.
Jirou's customer, a regular whose name Jirou never learned - what's the point? Not like he'll ever use it - has him pressed up against a wall in an alleyway, and because Jirou's luck is on a 50-50 timer today and just keeps flipping between good and fucking terrible, they get interrupted.