Rei stepped into his house and let his shoulders drop.
Finally, home.
This past week had been hell with the organization of the opening night. President Daitenji had even assigned him an assistant to help him. Mr. Yamato. A fussy man with a mix of Yuriy and Hiromi's personality and the fixations to call him Mr. Kon, even though Rei had told him to drop it.
Today the man tormented him with the color of the napkins. Rei had innocently told him to go for red.
"Which red?" Mr. Yamato had asked then. Rei had been checking again the guest's list and had stared at his assistant a bit perplexed.
"Uh normal red?" he answered.
"Mr. Kon," Mr. Yamato said pompously. "There are different types of red. Apple red, scarlet, carmine-"
Rei had lost the count of red he had read out.
Who would have known that red could have so different names? It wasn't like he didn't care about colors. His culture gave a great importance to colors and so did he. Each color had different meanings and expressed different feelings. What he didn't care about was the different shades a color could have or their names.
Of course, Mr. Yamato didn't think the same. He had made him lose half an hour, and, in the end, they had settled for a crimson.
"Which isn't just a red, Mr. Kon, but a shade of magenta," Mr. Yamato had pointed out.
Rei had met a lot of particular people, but nobody had been such a nutter. Well, he was sure Mr. Yamato could not find out which shades were Kai's unique red eyes.
At least he makes a good job, Rei thought as he went straight to the bathroom. This was the first afternoon where he could finally catch a break.
The weather had become hotter in the last days and he needed a cold shower. Rei let out a pleased sigh when the water touched his skin. Once he was all wet, he sat down on the small stool with a washcloth and let his mind wander off as he rinsed his body and hair.
He hadn't seen Kai not even once since that day. Both had been very busy. Rei with the BBA and Kai with the launch of his new Beyblade line. There had been no opportunity to talk.
Rei opened the water again and closed his eyes, letting it wash over him.
Sometimes it still felt surreal thinking about Kai's parents. Well, of course, Kai hadn't been delivered by the stork, but Rei had always assumed he just didn't have them. Which wasn't totally untrue, Susumu and Misaki had been absent for most of Kai's life. Rei had recognized it back then. The lost in Kai's eyes. It could be different from each person, but it always left a mark.
Something clenched down in Rei's heart. Pain, it always tried to surface, but Rei suppressed it quickly. He shut the water off, took a comb and started to brush his hair.
It wasn't too late for the Hiwatari, there was still a chance for them. . . But what should he tell Kai? It wasn't like he ever listened to anyone, not even when he was close to death. Rei knew he was leading himself into dangerous territory, this could end into a total disaster if he wasn't careful- Ouch!
Rei stared down at the comb stuck in his hair and grimaced. It was in moments like this that he thought of just cutting his hair off, but he always discarded the idea quickly. He was too attached to his long locks to get rid of them.
And she has always liked them.
Maybe he needed a little trim but for now, he just untangled the knot and continued to brush his long locks carefully.
Once he finished, Rei wrapped a towel around his middle and went into the living room. His programme was to sit in front of the fan and loaf around for the rest of the day.
But of course, when he was finally going to relax a bit, someone rang the doorbell.
"Just a moment!" Rei shouted, going to the bedroom. He couldn't open the door wearing just a towel. He put on a light summer tunic, one of his baggy pants and quickly tied his hair in a low ponytail. As he got closer to the front door, he could hear familiar voices coming from outside.
"Rei, finally!" Takao shouted as Rei opened the door. "We almost thought you weren't at home!"
There was also Max and Hiromi with him.
"Come on, Rei!" Hiromi broke in. "Put your shoes on!"
"What?" Rei blurted, confused.
His eyes caught Max's, who was grinned at him, his gaze full of mirth. "Ready for some shopping?" he asked cheerfully.
"Shopping?" Someone told him please it was a joke.
"Yep," Max replied, unfortunately. "Hiromi thinks we need nice clothes for the opening night of the stadium!"
"And afterward we are going to the arcade and Hiromi is going to pay!" Takao added. "Isn't it awesome?"
"I said I will only pay for the first game!" Hiromi corrected him.
So, this how she had corrupted him to go shopping with her.
"You know I'm not interested in this kind of things," Rei remembered them, leaning against the door frame. He didn't like video games, he had always been more of an outdoor games guy. And he wasn't a fan of shopping either.
"Reeei, don't be a grandpa," Takao whined. "It will be fun! It's not like there are only video games!"
"I have to support Takao in this," Max beamed. "It's been a while since we didn't do something together!"
"And then you have to look especially nice, Rei," Hiromi asserted. "Since you are not only a historical member of the BBA team but also the one organizing the night!"
"But I already have something-" Rei tried to argue.
"Do you want me to go through your wardrobe just like I did with Takao?" she threatened him.
Rei sighed, knowing he had lost this battle.
They decided to take the bus since the mall was a bit a far from his home. Rei wondered where Daichi and the Professor were since Hiromi was determinate to play image consultant for the BBA team.
"The Professor is busy with his parent's shop," Max told him. "While Daichi disappeared when Hiromi showed up at the dojo and started to talk about shopping."
Lucky them, though Rei gruffly.
As expected, the mall was crowded but not many people noticed them. They entered several shops but each time they left empty-handed. At least there was air conditioning and a good ice-cream shop.
"This one!" Hiromi said, pointing at a shop with an elegant banner. "We will surely find something there."
Rei was starting to feel tired of the hunt for the perfect clothes and he wasn't the only one. Takao saw several kids playing Beyblade outside the shop but before he could escape and join them Hiromi pushed a bunch of clothes into his arms.
"Max, I entrust Rei to you," she said, dragging a whining Takao to the dressing rooms.
"So," Max started as they were left alone, "how are things going, Rei?"
Rei shrugged, staring down at a shirt even though he wasn't really interested. "Uhh, fine," he muttered.
Max hummed as he searched through the clothes. "Sure, that's why you look so miserable."
"It's been a very hard week," Rei said, playing with the sleeve of the shirt.
He could feel Max looking back at him. "You didn't still make up your mind, did you?" he asked, concerned.
Max was the only one, aside from Kai, who knew about Daitenji's offer and the village's demands.
Rei shook his head. August will be here soon, and he couldn't stall with Daitenji either. He had to make his decision after the opening night.
"You know what," Max said, mischievous. "I know how to cheer you up!"
Rei looked up with a frown. He didn't like that tone of voice, it never promised anything good.
Max took out his phone, pressed several buttons and put it close to his ear. "Hello, Kai!" he exclaimed after a few seconds. "Are you busy?"
Rei couldn't believe it. "Max!" he hissed when he understood what his friend was trying to do.
Max was also the only one who knew about his crush. Well, it wasn't like Rei wanted to share his secret but during a drinking night a few months ago at Takao's house -after several shots of his grandfather's sake- he had been very vocal about his feelings when Kai didn't show up.
Luckily, only Max and Takao had been present in that moment and the latter had already passed out when Rei had started to babble and. . . cry. At least Rei had learned that his alcohol tolerance wasn't high enough as he had thought. . . Anyway, Max had been enough sober to remember everything and since then he tried to play match-maker.
Needless to say, he was really bad at it. Rei didn't know if it was a positive or negative thing.
"I wanted to ask if you wanted to come at the new arcade with me and the others," Max said, winking at him. "Oh, and Rei is here too."
Negative. Absolutely, negative. Rei wanted to hit his head against the mannequin behind him for the embarrassment.
"Don't worry!" Max said with too much enthusiasm. "We are at the mall right now, so we will take some time as well."
Rei tried to hear what Kai said on the other end of the line, but it was impossible to understand the murmurs even with his hearing.
"Very good! See you later!" Max closed the call and grinned. "Mission completed, Kai is going to join us!"
"Kai is going to join us?" Rei repeated slowly.
"I thought you would show more enthusiasm," Max mused. "Don't tell me you aren't happy?"
"It's not that," Rei said quickly. "I didn't think he would have agreed to come. Knowing him. . ."
Max laughed. "Now we have to find something for you-" He cut himself off, his blue eyes became wider and shiner. "Look! This is perfect for you, Rei!" he said, showing him a Tang suit without sleeves but different from the sporty ones Rei usually wore.
It was a very elegant suit, probably made out of silk, not too eye-catching even though it had golden details like the frogs and lines. It was perfect for a night event. The only problem was. . . the suit was a deep purple.
Rei stared at Max, a bit unsure.
"Oh, come on," Max said, encouraging. "Trying it doesn't harm." He even made the big puppy eyes, nobody could resist them, not even Rei.
"Mm, fine," Rei gave in, taking the suit.
"Go ahead, I'll catch up in a minute," Max smiled. "I have to look for something."
Rei nodded. He went in dressing rooms area and started to laugh when his eyes landed on Takao who was wearing a tree pieces red suit. He looked more like a ringmaster than a guest star.
"Yeah, thank you for your clear opinion, Rei," Takao said, miserable. "Are you happy now, Hiromi?"
Hiromi put a hand under her chin thoughtfully. "I guess you don't have the charm for certain outfits."
"Or maybe you just have bad tastes?!" Takao returned. "I told you it was horrible!"
"I think he needs something more practical, Hiromi," Rei told her before the two started to argue. The shop assistant was giving them already long looks. "After all, he'll have a match and there is no time to change clothes."
This reminded Rei that he had to decide the second Beyblader for the friendly match at the inauguration. Takao being the BBA's poster boy had been the first obvious choice. Rei had thought of Kai then, but he wasn't sure that he and Takao were able to contain themselves and not destroy the new stadium.
"Fine, I'll look for something more fitting," Hiromi said, walking out of the dressing rooms.
"Whew, thanks, man," Takao sighed, turning to Rei. "Speaking of the match, did you ask Kai?"
"I'm not sure if he is the right choice, Takao," Rei confided. "I don't think you two have enough self-control to keep it down."
"We are no more kids, we are older now-" Takao said with too much seriousness, causing the opposite effect, and Rei snorted.
"I'm being serious, Rei!" Takao claimed, punching his arm without any force. "We can contain ourselves and still have a good match!"
Rei raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't mind keeping it down?" he asked.
"No, if I'm still having fun!" Takao grinned. "And I'm sure Kai will accept as well if you ask him," he added enthusiastically.
Rei chuckled. "I will think about it," he said and entered in a cubicle before the shop assistant, who was now staring annoyingly, came to scold them.
Something fell on his head as he tried the suit on. It was a simple pair of black pants.
"Put this one too, Rei," said Max from the other side.
Rei observed the pants with critical eyes. They looked really tight and uncomfortable, it wasn't something he usually would wear. Could he even move around in this?
"Are you sure they are my size?" he asked loudly.
"Of course!" Max answered in English. "They are just from the skinny line!"
Rei frowned but he put them on, through with a bit of difficult since they were really, really, tight. He then looked at his reflection in the mirror and gasped.
The pants were a bit too long, but this was the last of his problem since they were too tight, especially at his backside. As for the suit. . . it had been a while since he wore something different than white, the purple was just too much. He couldn't walk around in this.
"Rei?" Max called him. "You still there?!"
"Yeah," Rei answered. "I'm putting back my clothes."
Suddenly the curtain was opened, and Rei turned around in surprise.
"Wow!" Max breathed. "You look amazing!"
No, he looked like a gigolo. He could already see a line of old ladies asking him to escort them to a party.
Hiromi peeked from behind Max and clapped her hands. "This outfit is perfect for you, Rei!" she cheered.
Rei folded his arms in front of his chest. "I'll not go outside dressed in this way," he told them.
"What?! But it would be a shame for-for-" Hiromi stuttered and hid the face in her hands.
"What she means is that it's a pity to leave this outfit here when it was clearly waiting for you," Max said with amusement. "The purple makes your eyes pop!"
Rei looked back at his profile. Well, he didn't exactly look bad. Maybe it had been the initial shock at making feel out of his skin. The outfit was just a bit different from his usual style. Sure, the pants were tight, but it didn't stop his bloodstream as he had thought. And the purple suit. . . sometimes changing wasn't bad.
"But if you don't really feel comfortable, we can look for something different," Max said, gently.
Rei pondered a bit on it. "The suit is fine," he whispered. "But maybe the pants are just a bit too long."
Through to the mirror, he saw Max's lips turn upward. "I'm sure this can be arranged!" he reassured.
"I can fix them for you, Rei!" Hiromi proposed. "Nobody can beat me with a needle!"
"Fine," Rei said, turning back to them. A smile surged up to his face. "Thank you, Hiromi."
Hiromi smiled back and raised her thumb. "You're welcome, now I'm going to check on Takao," she said and disappeared from their sight.
It took another twenty minutes before they got out of the mall, everyone with new clothes.
"Let's go to the arcade now!" Takao barked, taking the lead. The new arcade was close to the mall and it was in a two-story building.
"Wait!" Max said when Takao walked to the entrance. "We have to wait for Kai!"
"Is he coming too?!" Takao said with new enthusiasm. "This will be more fun!"
Rei and Max chuckled while Hiromi shook her head fondly. Suddenly a blue motorcycle passed close to them, making a huge sound with his stupid engine, and stopped a few feet away. Rei turned around and glared. He hated the sound of motorcycles; his ears were too sensitive to it. And he was sure the asshole did it on purpose to pass near them!
"Hey, you!" Hiromi shouted. "Be careful!"
The biker removed his helmet, and Rei's eyes went wide. He quickly felt his adrenaline kick and his heart beat faster.
"Kai?" Takao said, voicing out the group's confusion. "Since when do you have a motorcycle?!"
Kai didn't answer as he dismounted from the bike. He was wearing a simple grey shirt with a band logo Rei didn't recognize, his signature scarf and a pair of leather pants with black boots. Only Kai could wear things like that in the middle of the summer without breaking a sweat. Rei would have envied him if he wasn't busy in pining after him.
Kai put the helmet in the box and then their gaze met. Rei gave him a welcome smile and Kai answered with a nod. His mouth shifted slightly upward but it was enough to make Rei go weak at the knees.
Keep it together, Rei told to himself. No time to act in stupid ways.
"So, I'm not a motorcycle expert," Max said, eyeing the bike, "but this doesn't look like something for mass consumption."
Kai made a sound that translated meant, congratulation, you are not wrong, Max.
"Can I take a ride?" Takao asked, tapping the bike's seat, which was a wrong move. When will he learn to not touch Kai's things without permission?
"No," Kai spat, glaring at Takao. "And stop touching it with your paws."
Takao pouted and muttered under his breath, "possessive bastard" before he turned back to his usual self. "So, can we go now?" he asked and at that same time an expensive looking car parked beside Kai's bike.
Rei and the others gawked at Yuriy and Boris as they stepped out of the car.
"They wanted to tag along," Kai informed them, limbs crossed in his usual pose.
Yuriy pointed a finger at Boris. "You mean, he wanted to tag along."
"A bit of fun will not harm you guys," Boris said, rolling his eyes.
"Good!" Takao cheered with raised arms. "The more the merrier!"
Rei wasn't sure there will still be an arcade by the end of the day.