Hiro and Takuto: Visit to the Café

~March 25, 2007~

That night, Hiro was in his home. He was still depressed over what had happened the night before as he sat on the couch in his room. His hands were clasped (his right thumb over his left) together on his thighs and he looked down, staring into space for what seemed to be a long while. At least, right before his younger twin sister Seiko barged in.

"Hiro!" she exclaimed forcefully. "Are you in here?!"

Hiro looked up and turned around. After that, he blinked. "? Seiko? What's up?"

Seiko frowned with an angered expression. "Don't 'What's up?' me! I'm here to get something from you, remember? You promised you'd have the pumpkin pudding ready, so I came in here to get it!"

Hiro's eyes widened faintly once he realized what his sister was in his room for. "Oh. Okay, uh…" He trailed off, placing his right hand on the side of his head. "It's in the fridge. Did you want me to bring it over to you?"

Seiko's eyes narrowed in discontent at her older brother's tone of voice and expression. "Get a grip, Hiro! Don't you even know your twin sister's feelings about this right now? You're not usually like this! What's wrong with you tonight, anyway?" Her face relaxed a bit, and she frowned. "You'd be more upbeat than this, but it's not showing anywhere around you at all. Did something happen?"

Seiko's concern for him caused Hiro to acknowledge his gloomy vibe. His shoulders slumped and he also gave a frown of his own.

"Sorry, Seiko," he apologized. "I know I'm not myself at the moment, but there's been a lot going on since yesterday. I can't get some things out of my head all of a sudden." Hiro sighed. "What's wrong with me? I'm not even sure what's happening anymore."

Seiko had a sad look on her face. "Hiro…"

So that's why he's acting this way?Seiko thought. She felt a twinge of pain in her chest, and it was aching so much that it was too unbearable for her to endure. Hiro… Can't you even depend on me at a time like this? We're family, so it's okay to let it all out. But if you don't, it'll only make things worse between us, along with everyone else. So please… Think of me as a person you can cry in front of without holding back. I won't be able to do anything for you if you can't tell me about your feelings.

At that second, Hiro smiled sadly while looking down. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?" Those words made Seiko's eyes widen. "I can't even say anything in front of anyone about this, but I'm sure the guys all know since we're always together. Even Rina knows about it, but we never thought things would turn out this way for us. Why… did it have to come to this? Someone tell me why…" He looked up in anguish, which displayed all his sorrow. "Isn't there a way I can solve this without getting the others involved? Can I really do nothing to put things back in place, Seiko?" Tears began to form in his eyes. Shortly afterward, they dripped down, landing on his hands and pants. "It hurts so much. It really does. My best friend… Things suddenly took a turn for the worse between us yesterday and it's all my fault for not being honest with her. If I had only told her more about myself, Sayuri wouldn't have—"

Seiko's shadowed gaze was facing the floor and her entire body shook with many emotions welling inside. She felt she had to do something about Hiro's current state, and that she was going to. She hastily looked up with a furious look on her face. "Stop it, Hiro! Quit blaming yourself for everything and just suck it up!"

Hiro looked up with surprise. He had never seen his sister this angry at him before. "…Seiko?"

"Don't you even know how much everyone around you feels when you're like this?!" Seiko continued to argue. "You get so depressed without consulting anyone that it drives me insane to watch you, Hiro! You need to learn how to rely on someone for a change and face your problems, instead of sulking all the time! Why don't you tell your friends and I how you really feel about this issue?" She sighed, letting her shoulders drop after lowering her voice by an octave. "You're not alone, you know. I'm here with you, aren't I? You can tell me about what's going on, but don't force yourself to do so if you're not ready. We're twins, so we should know everything about each other that regular siblings don't. Even if you refuse to let me know about your circumstances, I'll always stick with you. You're my big brother, after all. No one can ever replace you and I no matter what happens to us."

"Seiko…" Hiro understood the love Seiko was always showering him with due to the fact they were family, an unconditional truth that could not be altered in one way or another.

Seiko's expression took another switch, becoming an upset frown while blushing. "I mean, I know you like your friend and all, but you can always spoil me every now and then. I'm the baby of our family, so it wouldn't hurt to be treated like I was before you met her. To be honest with you, I don't actually hold anything against Sayuri… I mean, she's your girlfriend and all, isn't she? From what you've told me so far, she is someone important to you, so she's important to me, as well." She smiled sincerely and her voice became softer. "I'll support the two of you, and… I'd really like to meet her anytime in the near future. Don't forget that, you hear me?"

She sauntered gently over to the refrigerator and opened it, grabbing the box of pudding with her left hand before closing it. Then, she hurriedly rushed back to her room, shutting Hiro's door behind her. Hiro blinked, mystified at what had just happened.

"Well, that was weird," he said to himself. "I got told off by my own sister." He laughed. "I can't believe it! Seiko actually yelled at me. But," his expression softened, and a warm smile appeared on his face, "I'm glad she did. I never would have thought something like this would happen, but I'm lucky to have her around." He closed his eyes. "Thanks, Seiko."

It was evident Hiro was grateful for Seiko's assertive push moments ago. He felt relieved of the pain which stormed around his heart earlier. Then, he opened his eyes; however, his smile soon faded as he was lightly puzzled afterward. "Wait. Did she just say that Sayuri's my girlfriend?" His eyes widened as he finished his self-inquiry. "…!" His face started to heat up with a shade of red rising along the way. Oh man, he was really flustered at that moment. Then, he closed his eyes tightly and yelled, "SEEEIIIIKKKOOOO!"

A few seconds later, his purple cell phone began to vibrate and Hiro opened his eyes, taking a glimpse at the caller ID that showed up. Apparently, the call was from Takuto.

"Takkun?" Hiro asked in a somewhat confused manner. "What could he possibly be calling me for at this time of night?" He slowly extended his left hand towards the device and took hold of it. Then, he used his thumb to flip his phone open and placed it near his ear. "Takkun? What's up?" he smiled casually. "I wasn't expecting you to call me at this hour. It's only nine-twenty-seven right now. Did you need something?" Hiro narrowed his eyes with a playful grin and inquired seductively. "Or, did you want to hear my voice before you fall asleep?"

On the other end of the call, Takuto made a quick sickened facial expression. "Ew! There's no way in hell I would ever call you for that, idiot! Did you get wasted or what?!" He calmed himself down, returning to his detached self before Hiro had answered the phone call. "Anyway, you've been down in the dumps for nearly twenty-four hours now, so I was thinking maybe you'd want to go visit your detective friend together tomorrow. You know, to keep your spirits up."

"Huh?" Hiro's eyes widened. "You're asking me to see Sayuri together with you?"

Takuto nodded on his side of the phone call. "That's what I'm sayin'. Do you want to come with me or not? We don't have to if you still feel bad about what happened yesterday. I just thought you'd like to talk things out with her, despite the fact that she's still our enemy. She seems like someone you would rather see than the rest of us right now. So, what's your answer?"

Hiro knew that Takuto was trying to do something for him in his own way. It was a little surprising, sure, but it was it was probably the most wonderful thing the programmer could ever do for him, seeing as how he was not absolutely the same person from back then. Nonetheless, Hiro understood the kindness that did not completely change from Takuto's personality. It left a loving warmth in the college student's chest.

Hiro closed his eyes happily.

Takkun…

Hiro could feel tears running down his cheeks. He realized how much he missed Takuto's old self.

"Hello? Hiro?" Takuto called out. "Are you still there? If you're not, I'm hanging up."

Hiro swiftly opened his eyes in a panic. "W-Wait! Don't hang up yet! I'll go with you tomorrow!"

"Guess you made up your mind, huh?" Takuto acknowledged his friend's answer. "Then, we'll meet up at your place at eight. Got that?"

Hiro nodded cheerfully. "Yeah. I hope Sayuri's going to be there. Thanks, Takkun."

Takuto blushed. He became flustered with his friend's gratitude towards him. "I-It's not like I wanted to help you repair your friendship with her, okay?! First Riki thanks me, and now you do the same thing, Hiro. What's gotten into you guys lately?! Geez…" He looked down a bit and felt the heat rising to his forehead from his embarrassment. "It's like all I've been getting from you two are compliments for saying a few things. You don't need to do that for me. I'm…" Takuto's eyes lower as though he was going into a miserable state of mind himself. "I don't even deserve something like that for what I've done… to Rina…"

"Takkun…? What's the matter?" Hiro asked with bewilderment. "You haven't spoken like this since…"

Hiro feel silent, pondering about Takuto.

…since the break-up,he thought. Takkun… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you until now. I've always wanted to help you and Rina out, but it looks like there haven't been any improvements in your relationship this time. I really hope things will go well for you two. I never wanted to see you guys in so much pain, so why can't we just go back to when everyone was happy? I don't like how things are now! I just want you to be able to make amends for what happened. That's all there is to it, Takkun.

Without any hesitation this time, Hiro shook his head and forced himself to smile, looking back up.

"Ehe!" he laughed joyfully. "Oh, Takkun. You don't understand how much we love you. It's because you've supported us and brought Riki and I back on our feet. Don't you know that? We're only trying to show our appreciation! That's why you've gotten a bit of gratitude from the both of us!"

"Hmm." Takuto was back to being indifferent to everything. "Well. You guys don't have to go that far. I can keep at it without any worries, so… Thanks, I guess. Everyone's been taking care of me for a long time now. It actually made me happy to see you stick with me since we were kids."

Hiro's lips curled up into a smile. "What do you mean? We could never abandon you, Takkun! You're a part of our group, so don't think that you don't belong with us or anything. We'd rather have you around, and we all think of you as an irreplaceable friend. The same goes for Rina, right? Try not to ignore her and let her be with us, too. Hehe!" He gave a cat smirk and closed his eyes. "I know you've been thinking about her every night. You always make it so obvious for everyone to figure out. Are you thinking about dating her again~?"

Hiro had found the perfect opportunity to tease Takuto, which got on the light blond's nerves soon enough.

"Huh?!" Takuto shouted. "You tryin' to pick a fight with me, Hiro? I'm not the kind of guy who dumps a girl just so he can get back together with her again! And I keep trying to tell you all that's not even the case. Get your facts straight or I'll shut you in a closet when I find one! You'll be regretting your words by then. Anyway, just so you know, I don't even have any feelings for her. That's why I broke up with her. Understand?! Now, leave her out of the conversation and get ready for tomorrow. I'm picking you up first thing in the morning, got it?!"

Takuto hung up, which left Hiro perplexed at the former's action. The art student pouted shortly afterwards.

"Oh, Takkun…" He said, a little sad and more worried about what happened. "Can't you just be honest with your feelings for a change? It's not like we're trying to pick on you that much. We all want to let you know how we feel and that we care for you in our own way. You're too hard on yourself. Try to lighten up a little." He closed his cell phone and sighed, leaning forward a bit from his seat. Then, he smiled tenderly. "But, I guess that's another part of you we like to see. Thanks for letting us push your buttons, Takkun." He laid down on the couch, resting on his left side. A familiar face popped into his mind, one from the night before. "Sayuri… I want to talk with you so much right now. My chest hurts from wanting to see you again. I didn't think you had another appearance than the one I saw in the café, but you looked so different I could hardly even recognize you." Hiro attempted to blink a couple of times, but his eyelids were gradually moving. "Can I… still be your friend? I have a lot to ask you, but I don't think I'll be able to at this point. We're not comrades, but enemies. Maybe I should had expected that from the start. If I had known more about you, would the turn of events have been prevented?" Hiro lazily frowned. "Please let me see you once more. Sa…yu…"

As he was saying Sayuri's name, Hiro fell asleep. The drowsy sensation he felt when he lied down finally caught up to him. He had such a peaceful expression on his face, but it was also showing how lonely he felt. Yet, the remainder of the night passed by in to the early hours of morning, until it was dawn and the sun rose up into the sky.

XXX

Hours later, Takuto was standing in front of Hiro's house. He rang the doorbell with a press from his right index finger and waited for an answer. Within seconds, Hiro opened the door and was smiling lightly as he always did.

"Let's go," the programmer beckoned.

Seeing a wave from Takuto's hand, Hiro nodded. "Yeah."

The two of them made their way to the café Sayuri had been working at for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day, but there was still a bit of hope for them. From the outside, they saw the manager/owner of the café cleaning the glasses which would hold the parfaits served there. The two young adults could see his back; he had black hair that reached down to the top of his neck and wore a bartender suit—the black vest worn over a white dress shirt with long sleeves, tucked into a pair of black dress pants with a matching belt. He quickly gained notice of Hiro and Takuto's presences and turned around, revealing his hair parted in the middle from the front, dark brown eyes, but no facial hair. He saw Hiro and Takuto waiting outside of the window and smiled. Then, he stopped what he was doing and put away the glass in his hand, walking over to the door and letting them in.

With a gentle smile, the café owner said, "My, it's good to see you again, Hiro. Have you been faring well so far?"

Hiro smiled back. "Of course. How are things going, Manager? It looks like you've closed up the shop for today."

The older man kept smiling when he closed his eyes. "Yes, I've been doing fine as always. I'm also closed for the day because I'm going to be expanding the café soon." He opened his eyes and continued to speak. "Someone has been giving out large sums of money to the people in this area for quite some time now, so many shops and restaurants have had a splendid business boom beginning from the last month. It makes all the residents who have received this profit happy, and I am, as well. I'm also going to make new uniforms for the employees here and add something special to them."

Hiro's eyes widened slightly. "Oh? What are you going to put on them?" He smiled warmly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see the designs you've come up with."

The manager chuckled fondly. "It's nice to hear your support. However, I see you've brought a friend with you, so please make yourselves comfortable."

"Well we haven't really eaten yet, so do you think we can have breakfast here?" Hiro asked politely.

The manager gave a nod. "Certainly. If there's anything you'd like me to prepare, I'll gladly accept your orders. I hope the young man with you enjoys the food as well."

"I'm positive Takkun will, Sir," Hiro replied. "Whatever's on the menu is the best I've ever eaten in my life, along with the food from Le Renard Noir. Your homemade cooking is what really brightens my day."

Takuto pulled an angry face. "H-Hey! Don't call me that in front of someone else! I'm not as familiar with this place as you are, Hiro. This is the first time I've ever been here and I'd rather eat Riki's miso soup right now, instead of some sweet stuff."

"Takkun, that's not a very nice thing to say," Hiro frowned. "You know we aren't with Boss and the others right now, so there's no way we can eat Riki's cooking until later on."

Takuto looked down with a gloomy expression. "Tch. You really know how to toss my feelings aside, don't you?" He looked up with yet another nonchalant expression after that. "Whatever. I'm hungry, so I'll have whatever the owner of this café makes for us." He glanced at the man standing in front of them. "You said so yourself that we could eat here."

The manager laughed delicately. "It looks like you have quite a unique friend there, Hiro. I hope he'll stick around for a while. I wouldn't want to disappoint him with my cooking."

"Don't worry," Hiro guaranteed the manager. "Takkun's a good person, so don't mind his harsh tongue. He has a hard time telling people how he really feels."

The manager's expression softened, retaining a closed smile. "Is that so? I wonder if he would gladly work here. He seems like a promising young man, after all. I'm sure the rest of my staff would welcome him in an instant."

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Hiro broke the news, "but Takkun already has a job. He works for an IT company and is a successful programmer there. He's really intelligent as well, and can do more than the average person in less than an hour."

Takuto narrowed his gold eyes in annoyance as he muttered under his breath. "More like less than a minute, dufus."

The manager's eyes widened in surprised when he heard Hiro's proclamations. "My, my! How incredible, Hiro. I didn't know you had such a magnificent friend who is this talented." He was impressed with how the art student stated the facts about the light blond man and felt a genuine sense of awe for the twenty-four-year-old. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't had asked about permitting him to work here. Still, this is a small café, so there isn't really much I can offer someone. Please accept my most sincere apology." He gave a bow with his head and closed his eyes.

"It's fine," Takuto said, trying to keep himself calm. "I'm just interested in the food right now."

"That's not what you said before," Hiro whispered in Takuto's right ear.

Takuto frowned angrily once more, whispering back. "Idiot! I told you I didn't want any sweets right now. Stuff like ice cream and parfaits are for later on after you've digested your morning meal. I thought that was obvious to you, Hiro."

Hiro nodded, understanding what Takuto meant afterward. "Oh, I see!" His expression softened. "You're such a genius, Takkun. I'm a little jealous you would think about the types of food that fit the day. It makes me want to be like you sometimes."

"Now's not the time for that."

Their whispering continued, which puzzled the manager a bit. However, he liked how the two of them were close with each other, and couldn't help but smile admirably when he saw them going back and forth with their small conservation.

XXX

After Hiro and Takuto had eaten their breakfast for the day, Hiro began discussing what was on his mind with the manager, while Takuto was basically acting as a bystander. The former sat across from the manager and to the left of the latter.1

"So, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Hiro announced with a serious expression on his face. "It's something I've been thinking about, but it's also—"

The manager smiled softly, lowering his eyes. "I'm sure I know who you're talking about. It's Sayuri, isn't it?"

Hiro blinked, astonished by the interpretation. "Huh? How'd you know?"

The manager only kept smiling. "Whenever you come to visit, you would always see if Sayuri was around. During her shifts, she would speak in a polite manner to the other workers. Every person I have ever seen her interact with has been spoken to with courtesy, even myself. Yet, seeing you two together made me realize that she could only trust you and no one else with all her heart; it would make her happy because you're her only true friend at the café. Hiro, you were the one who was able to warm Sayuri's entire being just by talking with her and promising to see her as much as you could. Even the staff here are envious of you for doing that."

"Oh no, I don't really deserve to get any credit from this," Hiro brushed off. He smiled gently as he continued to speak with the manager of the café. "I just… wanted to see her again. Sayuri's an important friend I'll never be able to forget, and she's also someone I would trust my whole life to. But I guess she might not want to see me right now." His gaze became sorrowful by the time he finished.

Takuto glanced at Hiro. "Isn't Rina your friend, too?" He frowned unhappily and was as grouchy as anyone would expect from him. "And what about the rest of our group? Are all your best friends girls, Hiro? I thought Rina was your only best friend besides me."

"Well, yeah, Rina's one of my best friends, but…" Hiro trailed off, surprised by Takuto's words. "Sayuri is one as well. You count, too, you know." He was still slightly shocked at that moment. "What's gotten in to you, Takkun? To suddenly bring Rina into this even though she's not here right now. It's as if you want her to be part of this—aside from the fact that you included yourself."

"It's nothing to be surprised about," Takuto commented. "I just thought you'd also want to mention her since you both know this girl. And me. That's all there is to it."

Hiro blinked twice as though he didn't understand anything and tilted his head to his right. "…?"

Wasn't this conversation… mainly about girls in my life, though?He inquired in his mind.

The manager smiled at them before looking down with sadness in his eyes. "Sayuri… When she first came here, she didn't interact with others very much due to her insecurity towards the people in this city. I first saw her when I looked out the window of the café. She was looking around like a lost young pup and didn't seem to know where to go. I decided to speak to her after that and I even welcomed her inside. Nevertheless, I offered her a job and a room to stay in. It was only after you came to the café that she could find herself somewhat at ease with the others Hiro. I still remember that day." The manager chuckled affectionately, reminiscing to less than a month ago.

XXX

Hiro is sitting on Takuto's left.