Birds of a Feather
Jiraiya strode into the small bar with a look of disappointment and rejection on his face. Whenever he wanted to get lost an have a drink where no one could recognize him, he came to this dimly lit place to drown his emotions in a sake cup.
At this hour, there were few people in the bar so he chose a seat at the bar next to an interesting character, a man in a pink kimono.
As Jiraiya waited for his drink, he studied the unfamiliar face next to him. Apparently, the man ha noticed Jiraiya as well and was picking up on his somber mood.
"So, a woman is the problem, ne?" the man spoke with a half drunken smirk on his face.
"Quite a few, actually." Jiraiya answered with a chuckle. He was grinning and shaking his head at hinself. He gulped down his sake and ordered another glass. After his first drink, his tattooed cheeks were already warming up and he was feeling the worries of the day melt away and fall off of his tired and worn shoulders.
"What's your story?" he curiously inquired.
The man chuckled at his own situation. "What a coincidence, I also, have problems with the opposite sex." Both men found it very amusing that they shared the same problem.
"Well, what a strange night, eh? The names Jiraiya."
"Kyouraku Shunsui," he introduced himself with a tip of his straw hat and a string of drunken giggles.
"Well, I guess what they say really is true. Birds of a feather…."
"….flock together!"
The two men laughed and raised their cups in a cheer to their shared situation. They made friends and forgot their worries for the night.