"An entire year has passed, and all I've got to show for it are five one-night stands, that super weird sock guy, and let's not even mention those two weeks when I mistakenly believed I was head over heels for Kamiyama. Turned out it was the most platonic way of being head over heels for someone," Akito finishes his explanation and utters a defeated face.
Juri and Akito are only nursing their second beer of the evening. Usually, they'd reach this level of conversation around 3 AM when Akito, in his drunken despair, would finally acknowledge that his quest for true love had once again been in vain.
"But hmmm, why not try out a new strategy? Actually, I have an idea!" Juri's eyes sparkle with a dramatic flourish. "Or more like, I've got a challenge for you. The next newcomer who walks through that door, you're going to strike up a conversation and work your charm on them. No matter how he looks, you gotta give him a chance!"
Akito groans. "Juri, it doesn't work like that," he says, "You can't just conjure people to flirt with on command."
"Well, I remember very clearly someone dragged me to their party when I wasn't in the mood a few years back, and look what happened there!" Juri retorts, prodding Akito's arm playfully.
"Hold on a minute! I may have brought you to my party, but I didn't force you to flirt with anyone on the spot. That was all you when you set your sights on Shintaro and his sexy bare arms," Akito says before he sighs and adds, "And the rest, as they say, is history."
As Ryusei approaches the beer tap in front of them to fill a glass for another customer, he shakes his head at their conversation. "Do you two ever run out of energy to talk about men?" he asks.
Juri smirks. "Well, you see, this loser here," he replies, gesturing to Akito, "is once again on a desperate mission to find the love of his life but doesn't take in my advice, although I'm just trying to help him here! And me, well, I wouldn't mind finding more loves of my life."
"But it's not fair!" Akito moans, "Juri already has three boyfriends, one he's living with, and a long list of regular hookups. And one-night stands almost every week!"
"Hush, I'm not taking anything away from you, senpai. Besides, it's not my fault that no one can resist my magnetic charm," Juri boasts. He raises his glass first in Ryusei's, then Akito's direction, and then takes a long sip.
Ryusei playfully scoffs at both of them and shakes his head before turning to serve the beer to another customer.
"I do remember that time clearly when you were a lot less charming," Akito then says, chuckling with clear amusement at the memory. "You were crying your eyes out every day, didn't leave your house for three weeks, and survived solely on takeout. And let's not forget those messages you kept sending me, like 'I'm going to die alone' and 'I will never fall in love again'. Oi, don't make that face! I still have them saved, and I can show--"
"Alright, enough reminiscing, thank you!" Juri interrupts him before Akito is able to finish his sentence. He's not here to talk about his ex. Then he raises his glass again and pontifically clunks it with Akito's. "Anyway, tonight, we're going hunting for some prime male specimens. It's a deal! Less talk, more action."
"You go ahead and talk about yourself. Like I said, I've pretty much given up," Akito says, taking a sip from his drink with a defeated face.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure you won't forget this bet. When we've chosen that man for you, we'll get you good and drunk and see what happens. Then we'll do the same for me."
They both raise their heads as the bar door swings open, revealing a young man in a grey suit entering the bar. Just by observing his fair skin and the cute smile wrinkles at the corners of his eyes as he greets Ryusei behind the counter, Juri is convinced that this guy couldn't be more than 25. But the bet is a bet, and Juri nudges Akito's arm, whispering with a knowing look, "You know what to do."
"Are you out of your mind?" Akito hisses back. "That guy must be at least a decade younger than me!"
"May I sit here?"
The young guy stands by the stool beside Akito and looks at them with a questioning look.
"Yes, of course, go ahead!" Juri chirps, all quick to answer for his friend, much to Akito's chagrin, who desperately tries to mouth a "Stop, don't say anything!" while keeping his back turned to the man.
"Kotaki, it's so good to see you again!" Ryusei says to the man quickly from behind the counter. "The usual for you, right?"
"We haven't seen you around before," says Juri to the young man. He gently places a hand on Akito's shoulder and then firmly swivels his friend's chair around to ensure Akito faces the man. "I'm Tanaka Juri, and this charming guy here is my friend Kiriyama Akito."
"I'm Kotaki Nozomu. And I haven't been a Tokyo resident for long," the man, Kotaki, says as he accepts the drink from Ryusei. "I just moved from Osaka a few weeks ago, so I'm still a bit disoriented here, don't know almost anyone. Thankfully, I know Ryusei, and this place has been my refuge for the past few weekends."
Akito's eyes light up with genuine interest immediately, and he leans in closer to Kotaki. "Oh, Osaka, really? I'm originally from there, too! Which area did you live in?"
The two quickly delve into a lively exchange of fond memories and favorite spots in their hometown. Akito's Kansai dialect becomes more pronounced with each passing sentence as he keeps a fixated stare at Kotaki.
For a moment, Juri watches the scene with a contented smile, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction. He wishes he could send telepathic praise to Akito, silently applauding his friend for finally getting his shit together and taking on his chance.
*****
But as he continues listening to the conversation between Akito and Kotaki, and the long minutes pass, Juri starts to notice Akito's pitch getting higher and higher, a clear sign of his escalating excitement. It also becomes noticeable that the two are increasingly ignoring Juri, engrossed in their own world, and their conversation starts to go around inside jokes about Osaka that Juri has no clue about.
To add to that, Akito has leaned closer and closer to Kotaki, to the point where his entire back is turned to Juri now.
Juri utters a cough. But to his dismay, nothing changes; the conversation between Akito and Kotaki continues unabated.
Growing a bit more desperate, Juri utters another cough, this time a bit louder. Finally, Akito turns to him.
"You okay?" he asks, but there's now that dangerous glint in his eyes, and his mouth has turned into a disgustingly loving smile. Juri has known Akito for so long that he knows exactly what those signs mean.
"Yeah, all good - you two, just go on," Juri says with an air of nonchalance before he excuses himself and heads toward the restroom. He hopes a quick escape will grant him some respite from the uncomfortable third-wheel situation.
After spending a few minutes in the restroom, Juri returns to the bar. To his surprise, he finds the bar stools that they had occupied moments ago now empty. He scans the room hastily until his eyes lock on the sight of Akito and Kotaki seated on a sofa in the far corner.
Those two are kissing so passionately that they don't seem to notice anything else happening around them. For Juri, it looks like they're about to eat each other soon, considering that Akito doesn't show any shyness when pushing his tongue into Kotaki's mouth. The turn of events in the past minutes must be a new record, even though neither Akito nor Juri usually waits too long to take the next step if the possibility of any decent sexual encounter is on the table.
As Juri observes Akito's eager grip on Kotaki's shoulders and his efforts to draw their bodies even closer, along with Kotaki's caresses on Akito's arms, he swiftly reaches the conclusion that he won't be enjoying Akito's company at the club later that night.
Juri waves to get Ryusei's attention, and once he has it, he points at Akito and Kotaki in the corner using his index finger, accompanying the gesture with the most exaggerated grimace he can muster. Then, Juri makes an 'X' sign with his fingers to imply a quick check and passes some bills over the counter to Ryusei. In response, Ryusei simply forms a circle with his fingers to acknowledge the message.
*****
Stepping into the foyer, Juri immediately spots Shintaro engrossed in a video game in the living room. Shintaro's eyes are glued to the screen as the game unfolds, but he still manages to throw a casual "welcome home" greeting without diverting his attention from the television screen.
As he removes his shoes, Juri mutters a generic "I'm home" greeting back with a hint of gloominess.
"I'm surprised to see you back so soon!" Shintaro, still with a cheerful tone, shouts over his game. "Did you have fun with Akito?"
Juri lets out a sigh. "Ugh, I guess. Just no luck for me tonight," he replies. He drags himself to the living room, gesturing to Shintaro to make some space on the couch. Shintaro complies, but his gaze remains firmly glued to the screen as Juri slumps down heavily beside him.
Juri turns to Shintaro. "Guess what?" he starts, as if he's announcing some big news. Shintaro doesn't say anything, and his concentration remains on the game, but Juri knows he's listening by the way his lips turn upwards.
"Akito found himself a man!" Juri announces, then amends, "Well, not exactly a man, more like a boy, or whatever you'd like to call it. Anyway."
"Ouch, that sounds like a threat!" Shintaro comments.
"Right! They just kept talking and flirting the whole evening, and I was just sitting there like a complete outsider! And then I realized we're definitely going to skip the club part, so I just decided to eventually leave to let them have their sexy times in private."
Shintaro whistles. "Care to place a bet on when Akito will declare he's fallen in love with that guy?" he asks, "And another bet on when the poor guy flees in terror because Akito suggests they move in together after just one week?"
Juri laughs and totally gets the joke. Akito is their friend, but that guy is also pretty hopeless when it comes to romance. "Ahahaha, yeah, it's so going to happen! Probably sooner than later."
Juri nestles closer to Shintaro, resting his head gently against his shoulder, and keeps his eyes following the screen where the game is still in full swing. He stays like that for a long time; the comfort of Shintaro's warmth soothes the earlier slight frustration of playing the third wheel.
As the game reaches its end, Shintaro finally puts the controller down. He turns his attention away from the screen, and there's a softness in his gaze as he looks at Juri. Leaning in closer, he places a tender kiss on Juri's lips and strokes his hair.
"Maybe this isn't the worst way to spend Friday after all," Juri says.
"Mmmm, you can still get lucky tonight," Shintaro teases, but Juri shuts him down by pulling him into another kiss. He intends to make sure Akito remembers for a long time that he ditched Juri just to have sex with a young guy, and then he'll remind him even more when the guy eventually dumps him, and Akito may have missed the best club night ever because of it.
But now he will just focus on his boyfriend's hands on him.