It was a little after 3:00, and school had just ended for Keiko. She was walking alone, in peace, until Yusuke caught up with her.
"Keiko!"
"What do you want Yusuke?"
"What?"
"Are you here to harass me again like you always do?"
"Wow, heavy flow this time, huh?"
WACK!
"I'm kidding Keiko! Jeez!" Yusuke yelled, as she faced her body away from him out of spite. "Hey, Keiko, friends?" Yusuke asked, having a moment of being genuinely sincere.
Keiko turned around to see Yusuke's hand held out as if he was greeting a stranger for the first time. Despite keeping the same stiff body posture and pouty expression on her face as before, it was moments like this that always gave butterflies in her stomach. It was the moments that Yusuke seemed the most vulnerable, that almost made Keiko blush a bit. Seeing Yusuke so mild, yet so charming, was the visual equivalent of when a dissonant chord is released into a pleasant one in a classical ballad to her.
And then Yusuke tried touching her chest with his pointer finger because hormones and all.
"Yusuke!" Keiko yelled, flailing her arms at him.
"Keiko, calm down, I was only doing your daily inspection!"
"My what?!"
"You know how you go to the doctor's office and they observe your body and stuff? You should consider yourself lucky, usually, they ask you to pull down your pants or take off your shirt to examine you. Damn perverts, getting paid to get a turn on from half-naked young adults like us, it's all a scam, you know? It just makes me sick!"
"You're an idiot,"
"How?" Yusuke asked.
"Just listen to yourself! Doctor's are certified professionals that know what they're doing. You're some horny bozo who needs to settle down with a nice girlfriend to satisfy your needs. Or at least a therapist to teach you how to control your outbursts,"
"A therapist? To control my outbursts?" He asked, as his mind started to wander off to strange places.
"No idiot! A therapist you can reach out to about your sex addiction, you know, by talking and opening up about your repressed feelings of loneliness that cause it. After you open up, the therapist could give you advice on different ways you can cope with the addiction. Or maybe recommend you to a neurologist who could give you medication that could help balance out those neuro-inconsistencies going on in your brain," Keiko said, slightly grabbing Yusuke's attention, then losing it once Yusuke seemed to ponder momentarily before deciding how to answer.
"Hey Keiko, wanna be my girlfriend?"
"Piss off,"
"I'll pay you!"
"You can't pay somebody to be your girlfriend!"
"I'll give you a thousand yen per hour,"
"Yusuke, that's chump change,"
"That's good money! Pfft, for me at least. You know my mom doesn't make a very lucrative living. We're lucky we even have shelter in the first place," he sighed, taking out a cigarette from his coat pocket.
Keiko always smelt cigarette smoke on him during lunch breaks, but never caught him in the act.
"You shouldn't be smoking that you know,"
Yusuke responds with a sharp look, feeling a little more agitated by the oncoming lecture then he usually would. "Why?"
"It's addictive and it could cause cancer,"
"Well, it's a win-win, right? I can be happy now, and since it shortens my life-span, the world can rejoice that I'll be rid of sooner or later, right?"
"Yusuke, why do you act like you don't matter to anyone?"
"Because I don't, idiot!" He scoffed, going to light up his cigarette as Keiko swipes it from him. "Give that back!"
"Not until you admit that you matter to people! Your mother may not be the greatest, but at least she stayed with you, unlike your father who just left. Principal Tanaka also has a lot more faith in you, despite your bad reputation. And how can you forget about me, Yusuke?"
"You would be happy if I died, so there would be no one to harass you anymore,"
"Fucking idiot!" Keiko exclaimed, folding her arms and glancing away from him.
This was probably the first time in her life that she ever dropped the "f" bomb in public.
"Keiko, I'm only kidding, I didn't mean to hurt you. Wanna cigarette?" Yusuke offered, revealing a whole pack of Marlboro cigarettes from the inside his jacket.
"Stop messing with me,"
"I'm not! I just, don't really know how to make it up to you. Offering a cigarette among my niche is a sign of affection, so I really don't know what to do or say right now," he admitted, putting the pack back inside his pocket.
The two stayed silent for a few moments to avoid adding on to the tension that came from this conversation. This was strangely normal for them to be this tense. Keiko was always worried about Yusukeblowing off school and becoming a degenerate for the rest of his life, while Yusukecontinued taking the path that made him seem like he was confirming her worst fears for him into reality.
Nobody had faith in Yusuke. But for those who did all shared this burden, especially Keiko, who did her best to preach to him about the "wrongs" of his wrong-doings that account for his poor reputation. No matter who it was from, preaching always came off as nagging to Yusuke. He hated people telling him what to do with his life because he knows that only a couple of people can fully understand his situation.
So for the vast majority of people in his life to ostracize, preach, scold, or to treat him differently just came off to Yusukeas if the world simply doesn't care about him. So why would the world be telling him how to act if they didn't care about him?
The only logical conclusion was that it is because his lifestyle made people uncomfortable enough to that he could be viewed as "inferior" or "different" just to justify their own petty way of life.
What a shame.
"Well, I'm not one of those people. Just admit that you matter and realize that people like me, your mother, and principal Tanaka still care for you. Seriously, Yusuke," Keiko demanded, as Yusuke tries his best to mentally prepare for the kind of discussion that he gotten himself into.
"I realize it, all the time, so you don't need me to tell you that I realize that people care for me. But, I just don't verbally open up because I'll just get preached to, which I can't stand more than anything. Seriously, I already get preached to by all the teachers and my mother about my every mistake, just imagine what it will be like to come out about them," he said, hoping that she will drop the subject and move to something else.
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me," Keiko responded.
Damn, I guess it's just that kind of discussion then. "To you, it doesn't. I don't really know how to describe this is in a way that someone like you would understand,"
"Don't say that like I'm an idiot," Keiko protested, tightly gripping the cigarette that she never thrown away yet.
"It's not like that at all. It's just that I don't expect the average person to understand what I go through and what I feel, so I don't expect you to understand neither,"
"How cynical," Keiko scoffed, as Yusuke was running out of words to say.
"I don't think it's cynical,"
"How?"
"Well, in a way, it helps me think for myself more. It's actually refreshing. It helps me not to rely on people to understand the way I act. If people generally don't understand me, that means they misunderstand me, right? So, since so many people don't understand me, they don't treat me the right way. When somebody says something rotten to me, they just don't care to take the time to understand the way I act. So if they don't care, I don't care, you know?"
"Not really...but it's cute,"
"What is?" Yusuke demanded, getting defensive from the compliment.
"I just think you're cute when you open up. I like this vulnerable version of you a lot, it's very charming," she said, making him feel even more on the defensive and insecure than before.
"Don't you pity me damn you! I don't need you half-assed compliments to justify your years of abuse, hag!"
"Hag?! Who the hell are you calling a hag? When a girl says you being cute, that's just a compliment, not pity. And I certainly am not the one who has been doing all of the abusing over the years, jerk!"
"I'm very good to you Keiko! You're the one always yelling at me and telling me to do stuff, you don't even except me for who I am!"
"And you're the one who always touches and gropes me without my permission!"
"That's because even if I did ask, you would just say no!"
"That's because it's disgusting and rude!"
"Disgusting? Rude? When a guy gropes you, it's a compliment, it means that you're very pretty to them and they want to sleep with you! Isn't that the attention that you ladies want from us guys?"
"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard anyone say! Girls just want to be treated with respect, an- wait a minute, did you just call me pretty?" Keiko asked, completely throwing off Yusuke.
"What the sam-hell are you talking about? Maybe you're the one who needs a therapist,"
"For what?"
"I dunno Keiko, but if there is one thing that we could take away from this conversation; is that you're crazy and you need to go a shrink to help ease those neuro-inconsistencies of yours," he said, wrapping his hands around his head as if nothing ever happened.
"Maybe you just don't wanna admit that I'm pretty," she retaliated, sticking her tongue at him as the two continued walking.
15 minutes past by, and they were only a few minutes away from reaching Keiko's house.
"Hey, Keiko,"
"Yeah?"
"Wanna hang out?"
"Aren't we doing that right now?"
"No, I mean like do something for a couple of hours, you don't have anything extra-circular to do, right?"
"Well, I'm free for now. But we do have that test for Mr. Iwamoto's class coming up in a few days,"
"So?"
"You know me, I want to study tonight,"
"Don't you want to go to the arcade or something for at least an hour?"
"I don't like games," she replied, as Yusuke couldn't think of anything else to do with Keiko at the moment.
"Fine, we'll just study at your house,"
"You wanna study with me?" Keiko asked, surprised at his suggestion.
"Sure, why not? I don't feel like being an idiot today, besides, I been fighting a little more than I should and I'm a bit sore from working out a bit,"
"You work out?"
"Of course, how the hell else do you think I'm this strong, idiot?"
"I'm the idiot, Yuske? Pfft," Keiko snapped, rolling her eyes before following up with her next statement. "So, uh, what do you do?"
"Just some free weight stuff, some ab stuff, I don't know what half the work outs are called. Unlike most people who go by formal instruction and rigid routine, I just do mine freely. People say that I don't 'work out properly' and that I'm going to get myself hurt, but the only people who get hurt are the ones that fight me. Some people are so ironic that they're hopeless," Yusukesaid, looking ahead of him.
"You have a point, but there's nothing wrong with having some sort of direction you know? I don't really 'work-out' that much, I exercise from time to time, but I don't work out,"
"What are you talking about, they're the same thing. You mean you don't lift weights?"
"Correct, not in my free time at least. The only time I would do so would be if I'm at the gym for a team workout. Other than that, I just occasionally do ab work outs and go running at home,"
"That's fine, at least you do something. You can pack a punch though, you could probably beat up half of these pussies at our school,"
"I don't like that word Yusuke," she complained, as Yusukerolls his eyes in frustration.
"You know what I mean though,"
"I guess, I never fought that many guys though,"
"Didn't you fight a few though?"
"Even if I did, I still wouldn't tell you," Keiko snakred, sticking her tongue at him.
"Come on, Keiko! Why do you have to be to prude all the time?"
"And why do you have to be such an idiot all the time?"
"Because I am, you just don't except me for who I am,"
"Here we go again with the dramatics," she sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Hey! How come everytime I try to have a serious discussion with you, you always blow me off!"
"Why the emphasis on those two words, trying to make me say something dumb to pleasure your sick mind?"
"What? I have no idea what you're talking about, you're the one with the dirty mind if you're implying what I think you're implying,"
"Yusuke, out of all these years I known you, you think I'm the one with the dirty mind?"
Silence fell upon the both of them as Yusuke tries to answer the question.
"...so, uh, Keiko, heavy flow this time, huh?"
"You said that already,"
"I know, but it's like a tsunami down there. Like, you could drown all of Tokyo if you're not careful," he warned, as he pointed at where he thought this "tsunami" was taking place.
"Oh, shut up, what do you know about tsunamis?" Kieko asked, as Yusuke lowered his body.
"I know if you look closely enough, you could see the dam's walls bursting, more and more as each moment passes by," Yuske pointed his finger.
"Can you not do that?"
"Not do what? You know that I want to grow up to become a weather-man, it's all I want to do when I grow up,"
"What happened to being; 'Sarayashiki Junior High's number one punk'?"
"Hey Keiko, we need to see the damn, can we lift up your skirt for research?" Yusuke asked, completely ignoring her question.
"Who the hell do you think I am?"
"A vital part of our research, please Keiko, our findings can be the result of saving thousands of lives. Now, we just have to lift this here," he started, going after skirt.
"Yusuke!" Keiko snapped, as Yusuke paused his activities.
Her fists were slightly quenched, and her eyebrows started to narrow in and target him in the center of her vision. Her lips were stiff, as if she was holding back viscous swear words that had enough intensity to cast great calamities onto the human race.
Kieko was pissed.
"Crap," he started, as his whole body posture started to quiver and prepare to run away. "...it's gonna burst!"
Before he could make a run for it, she grabbed his color tightly as if he were a misbehaved dog during a walk.
"Keiko, I'm to young to die, I can't swim, you know that!"
Keiko had no idea if she should laugh, break his nose, or scold him. Realizing the pained circumstances she was in, all she could do is draw a deep sigh and accept that there's nothing she can do that could neutralize his stupidity except for changing the subject.
"Do you wanna study with me or not?" She sighed, loosening her grip a bit.
"Sure, as long as I don't drown in- ahh!" He yelped, as Keiko tugged his collar. "Don't tug so hard!"
"Don't be such an idiot right now, I have very little patience with you," she said, taking her hand off of his collar. "Besides, keep this up, and I wont even let you in," Keiko threatened.
"Fine, sorry, I guess,"
"I'm serious Yusuke, you have no idea how annoying you are sometimes. You really know how to push my buttons,"
"It's just one of the few things I'm good at, I don't know hoe to control myself," Yusuke lamented. "Oh, by the way, what is that cigarette still doing in your hand?"
"I'm just looking for a place to throw it out,"
"We just past a garbage a minute ago, wanna go back?"
"I don't know, I think there might be one coming up near my house. Besides, I'm just a bit spacy right now and I just didn't notice the ones we past by,"
"One of those days I guess," Yusuke sympathized, showing the more sensitive side of him. "But you might wanna throw out that cigarette before we get near your house,"
"Why?"
"Just imagine how your parents would react if they saw you with that cigarette,"
"Shoot! Good thinking, let's head back,"
"Yeah," he agreed, as the two started to head back.
After they threw out the cigarette, the two started to walk towards Keiko's house again. Despite Yusuke's annoying antics earlier, Keiko noticed that he was a bit more quiet than usual. They barley spoke a word in the last five minutes, and she felt like he was a bit somber than he usually was.
It was weird that Yusuke even asked to study in the first place.
"Hey, Yusuke, is everything okay with you?" Keiko asked, drawing a weird stare from him. Yusuke wasn't great at opening up, so it was only natural to expect a bit of a strange reaction to a question like that.
"Of course, everything's fine. Why would you even think to ask that?"
"You just seemed a little more quiet, and I just thought that it was weird that you asked me to study with you?"
"I dunno, aren't you proud of me of wanting to do so or something?"
"Yeah, but I just think it's not like you. I just thought maybe there is something on your mind and you needed to open up or something,"
"Open up? Who do you think I am?" Yusuke smiled, with a glimmer of confidence showing off in his expression. "Maybe I'm not the degenerate you think I am, maybe I'm just trying to do something right for myself. Just because I'm doing something different, that doesn't mean that I'm being vulnerable," he claimed, as Keiko maintained a blank and unconvinced expression on her face.
"I was just wondering if you were bothered by something, but I guess you're not. In case you are and you decide to open up, I won't make fun of you,"
"Pfft, you probably would just tell your friends instead," Yusuke snarled, as Keiko remains silent. If he had something to open up about, she figured it would be best not to provoke him to the point where they would change the topic.
"Well, probably not, anyway. I don't know Keiko, I just feel a little bit exhausted sometimes. My rough lifestyle gets a bit tiring sometimes. I wouldn't say that I'm depressed, but, I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired or something,"
"Are you sure you're not depressed? You know, depression is a serious mental illness and you should definitely see help if you have it,"
"Jeez, Keiko! It's not that, not at all! Just because I'm a bit tired, that doesn't mean that I have a disease! Do you really think that someone like me could be depressed?!"
"I mean, it could happen to anyone. I never said you were depressed, I was just wondering if you were. Maybe you're right, maybe you just need a bit of a breather," Keiko admitted, being extra-nice just in case something went wrong with him.
"Thank you! I was afraid I was going to get preached too instead,"
"You're fine for now, I think I'll take it easy on you just for today. As long as you don't annoy me like you did before,"
"Hah, you think I'm going to be a bit nicer to you just because I'm a little under the weather?" Yusuke smirked, playfully flinching after Keiko threateningly raised her right arm in slap formation.
"I'm kidding, sheesh!" He defended, as Keiko put her arm back down. "Or, am I?"
"Just shut up already," Keiko wined, nudging him half-heartedly with her body.
"Hey, that's a little mean to tell people to 'shut up'! I don't understand why you are always so mean to me, Keiko,"
"Heeeere we go again with the dramatics,"
"Come on Keiko, why do you have to be so harsh to our guests?" A voice bommed, as the two didn't realize that they were only a coulpe of steps away from the front entrance of the house.
"Dad! Why do you have to be so embarrassing to me sometimes? And why aren't you in the shop right now?"
"I was just getting a bit of fresh air, business is strangely slow today, and I have already organized and cleaned my work station multiple times, so I'm more than prepared in case I get some unexpected visitors,"
"Don't you think it's still a little unprofessional to be diddy-daddling like this during work hours?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth you," Mr. Yukimura playfully scolded, rubbing her hair roughly. "I'm sorry about our mean-spirited staff, would you like a little something special along side with the usual?"
"Sure, what's this 'something special' I hear?"
"Well, sinec business was slow today, so I have a whole lot of extra sweets that I don't want to go to waste. If you want any of them, it's free of charge,"
"Dad, if you keep letting him have all the sweets, he's going to become fat some day,"
"Jeez, what are you, my mother?" Yusuke pouted, as Keiko stuck her tongue at him. "Well, that sounds good Mr. Yuimura, let's see what you got and I'll make up my mind,"
"Alright, sounds like a plan!" He laughed, preparing his meal for his guest as the two got themselves settled inside.