Why had he thought this was going to be easy?
Takasaka hadn't felt comfortable with approaching Katsumi about his supposed problems whilst he still had flu (it hadn't seemed fair), but now he wished he had. When he'd tried to talk discreetly about it during a rehearsal, Katsumi had resorted to his normal tactics to avoid talking about himself, namely to change tack incredibly rapidly and start talking about something else. Before Takasaka could confront Katsumi with the fact that he had changed the subject, they had both been startled by Takafumi who had started to lay into Koji for trying to cut out on the session early. Of course, Katsumi had felt duty-bound to join in, to such effect that Koji had suddenly realised he wasn't in such a rush after all. How the pair of them managed to get away with it was a mystery to Takasaka, every time he'd tried a direct approach he'd ended up flustered and anxious.
He'd found it hard to break the subject with Katsumi later on. He'd seemed in such a good mood, it was a shame to spoil it. Besides, Katsumi was in a rush. He had, a few weeks ago, accepted an invitation to go and eat at Koji's and although he didn't really want to do it considering he was just getting over the flu and didn't want food poisoning as an encore, he felt compelled to honour the commitment.
Takasaka had come across Katsumi sitting on a sofa with his bag on his knees, pulling things out of it like a demented conjurer. Takasaka was always surprised by how much rubbish that boy seemed to carry around with him as a matter of course, most of which he had a good reason for owning. Nonetheless, he appeared monumentally disorganised at times, a fact which Katsumi had long since learnt to blame on his blood type. After a few moments, however, he had straightened up with a triumphant grin.
Takasaka knew better to comment on that. He had been forced to endure Koji's cookery on a couple of occasions and had heard a third-hand account of the infamous Porridge Incident which had led to Koji getting his hair cut for the first time in years (admittedly, it had probably been embellished a bit as he'd heard it from Katsumi, but the basic facts were correct). He had bought Koji a cookbook once and it had led to a meal that Katsumi, who was never normally at a loss for words, could only describe as "conceptual" before hurriedly changing the subject to something slightly more appealing. God help Izumi or anyone else in the vicinity when Koji took it into his head that he was going to be a cook today.
He looked anxiously at the boy. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, going to eat at Koji's?"
The question appeared to have caught Katsumi completely off-guard. If anyone else had asked him, he'd probably have said "do I look unhappy?" but it didn't seem right with Takasaka. He respected him too much to tell him such a blatant lie.
"Why do you ask?" he said. "If you're worried, there's no need to be. I'm alright." Some of the time, he added to himself. Admit it, Katsumi, you're far from 'alright'. You're utterly screwed up. You think it's healthy to be so obsessed with someone who died so long ago?
He told himself to shut up and concentrated instead on the complicated series of evasions that the question required.
***
It was late September, a few days off his nineteenth birthday and raining lightly the day Katsumi decided he'd had enough of the office and that he was owed a day off. Everyone knew flu didn't count.
Katsumi had given his flu to Koji. This meant Koji was lounging around in bed and attempting to pester Izumi into joining him. Izumi would probably let him, because he was sick and for some reason Izumi felt sorry for Koji when he was sick. Katsumi privately thought that Koji sick was even harder to get on with than Koji well and tended to avoid him when he was under the weather. Normally because it meant the man indulged in self-pity to a quite disgusting degree and became incredibly demanding on the time and sympathy of anyone stupid enough to go near him-Katsumi had experienced it a couple of times before and had been dragooned into acting as a kind of nurse. He had no wish to do so again. He'd sent Koji a get well card, but aside from that he was on his own and good luck to him (or rather good luck to Izumi, Katsumi thought to himself).
So there was nothing for Katsumi to do in the office, so why bother hanging around? Taka would not have been happy if he'd done what he normally did when he had nothing in particular to do, which was to find a secretary or some other bored female to flirt with. He'd done it a couple of days ago and practically began laughing on the spot when he saw Takasaka's expression. He knew it was mean, but he'd gone right ahead and teased him about being jealous next time they were alone just to see what happened next, which was nothing he couldn't have guessed anyway but was still very funny. Yeah, his sense of humour was inappropriate, but so what?
He'd taken the day off-it wasn't like he had loads of free time so why not? The flu hadn't counted anyway- and had decided to go shopping. He needed new clothes anyway, and it was coming up to winter. Not that he was going to buy winter clothes, more like just get what he wanted to and to hell with the weather. Koji thought Katsumi was an idiot for wearing clothes that didn't suit the weather, although he didn't complain about Izumi wearing shorts in mid-December, did he? He just stared. Sometimes Koji was even more predictable than Takasaka. So he could just cope with Katsumi doing the same.
On the subject of Takasaka, what had he meant by asking him if he was happy? Katsumi often wondered that himself, but to hear someone else saying it had thrown him completely.
Katsumi decided not to worry about it. It was his day off and he wanted some retail therapy and to avoid thinking too hard for a few hours. Besides, he'd seen a really cute top he wanted to buy. Sure, it was a girl's top, but who'd know if he cut the label out? Who'd know anyway? It wasn't like he was in the habit of swapping clothing tips with anyone he knew… oh, except for Takafumi of course, and he'd probably think it was a good idea… and he occasionally discussed clothes with Koji… as in "How much did you say that jacket cost again? That could pay my rent for a month, Koji!" The exaggeration was only slight.
Then again, the most famously extravagant of Koji's shopping trips could easily have paid Katsumi's bills for a whole quarter.
It's not as if I ever take my clothes off in front of anyone either, he thought ruefully. If this went on much longer he'd probably have to resort to decidedly Kojiesque tactics to get Taka into bed. Of course it would help if he could even think of the idea without either blushing or spacing out totally. He'd only realised he was spacing out at all the other day when he noticed everyone was staring at him after he'd been silent for fully five minutes.
Standing in a shop and hardly caring about the funny looks he was getting from a couple of schoolgirls (it wasn't like he'd ever meet them again anyway, so why bother worrying what they think, nor was it like either was really his type so no need to bother trying to flirt with them), Katsumi held a top up in front of himself.
Koji would probably throw a fit if he knew I was buying girls' clothes… I hope Serika Izumi doesn't buy something identical or I'll never hear the end of it.
On thinking that, Katsumi relaxed somewhat. Serika Izumi's dress sense was a thing of wonder to him. Some of the things she wore were just absurd. Madoka would never have dressed like that, he felt sure of it. He sometimes caught himself wondering just what her parents must be thinking to let her wear skirts that short… wasn't it a danger on windy days? Or was that a totally flaky thing to think about a girl in a mini-skirt? Very probably. Maybe it was just because Serika was so like a little sister to him that he found it hard to focus on her as any kind of sex object. He knew he'd catch it off someone if he showed that much leg outside of his own home… if only a disapproving look from Koji or Taka-chan. He didn't like it when Koji went on about his clothing, but when Taka-Chan disapproved, it was kind of cute.
He looked at the top again. He wasn't quite sure if blue-eyed blondes could wear purple, although he'd done it before. Ah, what the hell, it was a nice top, he liked it, and most of the people he knew had stopped even commenting on his fashion sense, so why not? Three guesses, no prizes, as to who the exception to that rule was.
***
Later that evening Katsumi lay on his back on his bed, the shopping bags lying in a discarded mess on the floor. Had he really bought a light blue t-shirt with Hello Kitty on it? He couldn't recall doing it but somehow he'd ended up with one, so presumably he had. Geez. Why was it that whenever he went shopping, no matter what his best intentions were, he always ended up with such weird stuff? What was with the necklace with feathers on? Presumably he'd liked it at the time… he still did like it, but could he recall actually deciding to buy it? Could he hell.
This was why Katsumi didn't go shopping that often. He'd have to be very careful with money for the next few weeks. Maybe he should start angling for another dinner invitation from Koji. All things considered, the meal Koji had given him a few days ago hadn't tasted too bad. He suspected Izumi of having helped with the cooking.
Or maybe he should try to get Taka to ask him to go eat round his. It could be kind of pleasant for both of them. He suspected that Taka's evenings were just as boring as his were (Katsumi had a very vague memory of the man saying as much to him whilst he was getting over the flu). Maybe.
Wouldn't it be a bit forward to just ask if he could go over (not to mention more than a little impolite)? Maybe he should ask Taka round here. It might hurt his bank balance a bit-well, you couldn't ask someone over for a meal then give them frozen pizza, could you? Especially not when it was someone you were trying to impress-but if it actually got their so-far platonic relationship to develop into something a bit more… well, something a bit more interesting, wouldn't it be well worth the expense?
