"Dash, catch!"
Giving a command, I threw the ball in my hand as far away as I could. I watched as the ball flew above a white, snow covered field, eventually coming down and sinking deep into the snow. My canine companion also showed interest in the ball's flight, but wasn't too keen on actually chasing it. We stood there, facing the field, only the soft noises of our quiet neighborhood filling the air. As seconds passed, I snorted.
"Yeah, ain't falling for that…" I muttered under my breath with a grin. "You're a smart girl, ain't ya?"
The ball, after all, was just a snowball. Despite her lazy nature, Dash likes playing catch, but she's also smart enough to tell a snowball from a regular ball. Not sure if I should feel proud of having such a smart dog, or disappointed of my prank failing… Eh, maybe both.
It was a wintery noon. The weather was nice, though a tad too cold for my taste. But there wasn't any wind, so I didn't mind it too much. The sky was only partly cloudy, letting in some sunlight, sparkling on the thin layer of snow the town was blessed with just last night. Hopefully it'll stick; snowy winter scenery makes up for the freezing weather. Plus, snow makes it even easier to neglect cleaning up after your dog. I usually prefer giving Dash her evening walks, but when I looked out of the window and saw the freshly fallen snow, I decided to give her the earlier walk. Wrapping up my thoughts, I yanked the leash, and Dash and I resumed walking. The weather being this nice, I decided to make this walk a long one, going wherever the streets lead us.
It's been a few days since Christmas. Ever since that day, I've felt… more fresh, I guess. Fresh and happier, I think I should put it. I came to notice how I found joy in things I didn't pay much mind to before, and fewer things managed to piss me off. Just yesterday, Tamiko mentioned that I smile more than usual. Actually, right now as I was walking with Dash, I found myself smiling for no particular reason. Well, obviously there's a reason for that, but still.
The smile, however, soon disappeared as I remembered that New Year is only a couple of days away. Tadaaki and I would be heading off to crash that house party, where we'd meet one of Tsukuda's buddies, and convince him to arrange a meeting. Yeah, Tadaaki has made sure that the dude would be wasted enough to actually oblige, but my pessimistic side made me think if we'd have to persuade him in some other, non-pleasant way… Not that I'd have a problem with that, but it'd just bring us more trouble. Eh, let's just hope things won't turn ugly. Gotta keep my head cool… Oh, and hopefully it won't take too long, since I'd also like to attend Ui's party.
"Arf!"
My train of thought disappeared in a spectacular explosion caused by the shockwave of Dash's bark. Jolting in surprise, I came to a stop. Now, what got her so surprised? Thinking about it, I thought I heard some footsteps, but my gaze – as usual – was pointing at the sky. Turning to look at the direction Dash was facing, I was met with two fairly familiar gals, both taken by surprise.
One of the gals – Ritsu – was holding her hand over her chest, sighing with a trembling voice. "Geez, that shook me up!"
She was accompanied by Mio, who also seemed understandably startled. Dash's barks can be quite loud, maybe because she has so much energy to spare after lazing around the whole day. After getting over the initial shock, and recognizing each other, the atmosphere turned into a friendly one.
"Oh, Eiji-san. Good morning," Mio greeted me.
I nodded for an answer. "Yeah, hi. Sorry for the scare. She usually doesn't bark at people, but maybe she just recognized you two."
During my sentence, Ritsu skittered over to us, crouching down in front of Dash, immediately giving her some scratches behind the ears.
"Oh, you recognized me, didn't you? I'm your favorite, ain't I?", she said to the dog, sounding overly sweet.
I just rolled my eyes, noting under my breath: "Tamiko's her favorite, that's for damn sure…"
Since Ritsu was occupied with treating Dash like the only dog in the world, I directed my attention at Mio. "Anyway, what are you two up to?" Some casual chit-chat never hurt anyone.
"Oh, we're actually on our way to the library to study," she explained, raising the bag hanging from her shoulder. She then frowned. "We were supposed to be there an hour ago, but someone felt like sleeping."
Ritsu, crouched down at my feet, scratched the back of her head as she chuckled nervously. "Ah, well, you know… It's so easy to just turn off the alarm, roll over and fall back to sleep. Right, Eiji-san?"
The hell are you asking me for?
"No, actually. I always keep my phone on the opposite side of the room, so I have to get up to turn off the alarm," I said, telling her off for trying to use me as peer support.
…Not that it really matters, as I never set my alarm for school days, but in any case.
Ritsu furrowed her brows, looking a bit questioning. "…Not sure if that's smart or lazy."
Quickly inhaling some air in preparation to yell at her, I made a split second decision to calm down; it wasn't worth it. Luckily, Ritsu didn't seem interested in staying with the subject, instead changing it.
"Anyway, how was Christmas? Santa-san got you any presents?" she asked me.
"…Yeah, actually," I said, a bit amused by her choice of words, and dug out my phone. "A phone charm."
Ritsu eyed the blue plastic flower hanging from my phone. Thinking at first, a flash of curiosity suddenly shone in her eyes.
"Would it be that you and Ui-chan were on a date?"
She clearly pretended to be over-enthusiastic, probably to tease me, but to her dismay, it didn't do the trick. Yeah, it's still embarrassing that people delve into my and Ui's affairs, but it ain't a secret that a dating couple would go out on Christmas.
I nodded. "Um, yeah."
Ritsu proceeded to give Dash's fluffy head a thorough fondling, simultaneously humming smugly. "I see. Anything fun?"
"Flowers, mostly," I said with a shrug. "Oh, and we also found a good looking family restaurant in the downtown area. The food wasn't anything special, but we liked the place's atmosphere."
The following silence managed to confuse me. Looking down at Ritsu, I found her staring back at me with a questioning expression. Man, what you on about now, Miss Tainaka?
"That sounds… a bit too normal," she muttered, fragments of disappointment in her voice.
…Is that a problem?
"Are you seriously the guy who waltzed into our clubroom during a school day like you owned the place?"
What does she take me for? That I'd go and do something stupid and crazy with Ui, possibly putting her in danger? Is that how she imagines me? Fucking hell, what a piece of work this gal is…
She sighed, running her hand across Dash's coat. "I thought you were more of an 'action movie, then metal concert' type of guy, but guess not."
…Ah, so that's what she meant. Me and my pessimistic mind… Luckily I didn't voice my thoughts too early. Oh, and I actually considered a metal concert, but they were all sold out. But yeah, now that I think about it, it was kinda ordinary for a date. Vanilla, as some would call it.
"Well, yeah," I shrugged, and glanced at her. "What about your Christmas?"
Ritsu sighed, pushing her head against Dash's. "Nothing but studying, I must've been a bad girl this year."
Gee, sorry I asked. Dash just panted, not caring about the invasion of her privacy… Actually, I don't know why, but I think she's feeling a bit sympathetic towards Ritsu. Pets have an ability to recognize when a human is feeling down, after all.
"Hey, now…" Mio muttered, unamused. "At least pretend to be motivated."
Reluctantly, Ritsu detached her head from Dash's, though still expressing many levels of pain and misery. "Gonna have to skip New Year, too, at this rate…"
"Sucks to be you," I gave a sarcastic answer.
Ritsu looked up to see my face better, frowning at my mockery. I'm sure she was probably coming up with some witty comeback, but her plans were shot down by Mio, who grabbed her by her coat's collar. Ritsu peeped like a squeaky toy.
"Alright, enough. Yui and Mugi are waiting for us," Mio scolded her, before turning to look at me with a tired expression. "Sorry for the trouble, she's just looking for an excuse to slack off."
I snorted. "Well, guess I better not give her one."
With that, I decided it'd be best to move on. I was ready to yank the leash, but was interrupted by Mio's surprised 'huh' utter. She was staring at my face, almost as if thinking. I was about to raise an eyebrow, when Mio's thoughtful face broke into a small smile.
"You seem a lot happier, Eiji-san," she noted. Seeing my puzzled expression, she elaborated with a chuckle: "Not just at this very moment, but in general, I mean."
Not only Tamiko, but Mio, too, mentioned it? Huh, now it really makes me think if it could be true.
"H-Huh, really?" I asked in a low voice, scratching my cheek as embarrassment kicked in.
Ritsu, still hanging from Mio's hand by her collar, smirked slightly. "Must've been a good date, huh—Argh!"
Her sentence got cut off as Mio yanked the collar, practically strangling her. Hell, makes me glad I've never outright pissed Mio off. Guess I should be careful to not find out what happens if I do.
"Enough out of you!" she snapped at Ritsu, who was desperately prying her fingers between her throat and her coat's neckline to avoid untimely demise.
"I get it, I get it! Let go, I'm dying here!"
Ritsu's exaggerated grimace made me grin out of amusement. Mio finally let her go, and Ritsu stayed on the ground to catch her breath for a few seconds, before slowly and carefully getting on her feet. As I was looking at the two gals, something came to my mind, and I decided to voice my thoughts.
"Oh, by the way, Ui's hosting a small gathering on New Year, if you have time to stop by," I told them.
I wasn't sure if Yui had already told them about it, but I decided to inform them just in case.
Ritsu, massaging her throat, sighed in a sorry tone. "Tempting, but I'm afraid it'll just be studying for us."
"Motivation, Ritsu…" Mio muttered unamusedly. "But yeah, I'm afraid we can't spare much time."
"Ah, damn," I said under my breath. "Oh well."
Well, Ui already predicted that the seniors would be concentrating on their studies, so I wasn't too disappointed. Okay, maybe a bit, since it's always fun to hang out in a big group, but then again, Ui and the rest are good company on their own, too.
"Yup, guess it's just you and Ui-chan," Ritsu quipped, quickly taking a step away from Mio, who didn't seem too approving of her remark.
"Ah, no," I shook my head. "Jun-san, the cat girl and my sister will be there, too."
Ritsu raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Really?"
"Yeah, really. What're you getting at?" I asked, frowning a bit as I was getting tired of her shit.
"Oh, no, nothing," she said in a defensive tone, waving her hands. "I, uh, just thought it'd be only natural."
Wait, really? My gaze slowly drifted to the side as I thought, and realized it myself.
"…You know, now that I think about it…" I muttered, squinting, and soon pressing my eyes shut as I suppressed the growing frustration.
Yeah, she's right, it would've been an opportune moment for a date. Damn it. Sure, I like to hang out with the other gals, too, but… lately I've developed a, uh, taste for being alone with Ui. Gotta keep it in mind in the future.
I exhaled deeply as I opened my eyes, my gaze returning back to the girls. "…Eh, too late to cancel the plans."
The girls glanced at each other, before returning to me with some amused – and a tad sympathetic - smiles. Ah, hell, guess I overreacted a bit without noticing… Though the girls didn't voice their thoughts, 'what a lovesick dork this guy is' was written all over their faces. Realizing that, I quickly turned my face away to hide my embarrassment, and yanked Dash's leash.
"But anyway, you got places to be, so I won't hold you for any longer," I said quickly in a half-assed and pathetic way to flee from this conversation. "Say 'hi' to the others for me."
Mio covered her mouth with her wrist to hide her chuckle. "Of course."
"Have a nice walk, you two," Ritsu bid us with a wave of a hand.
Without bothering to look at their direction, I gave a lazy wave, resuming my walking, and picking up the pace after only a few seconds. Ugh, no matter how much I try to convince myself that there's nothing to be embarrassed about in liking your girlfriend, it always ends up like this. After a minute of fast-paced walking, I slowed down a bit, continuing at a bit more suitable pace. I glanced at Dash, gladly padding along next to me.
"Always the same thing, huh, girl?" I said to her in a low voice.
Dash looked back at me, panting for an answer.
I snorted. "But yeah, honestly, the idea of us spending the New Year together sounded intriguing. Just Ui and I, sitting together at the kotatsu, enjoying her amazing noodles… No one to bother us. Well, except for Yui-san, but I'd just throw a 5000 yen note at her and tell her to head downtown and enjoy herself just to get her out of the house."
I quietly chuckled at the mental image. Though, Yui probably wouldn't even need money to head out and find something interesting to do. Her capability to distract herself with the most mundane of things is honestly pretty amazing. But, thinking about it, she wouldn't even need to leave the house; whenever I'm visiting the Hirasawa residence, Yui always seems to realize when Ui and I are having a warm moment, and quietly slips upstairs to her room to leave us be. Maybe she's actually being considerate, or maybe she just feels really awkward.
"…Anyway, no can do, since Ui has already invited her friends," I sighed, continuing my one-sided conversation with Dash. "But on the other hand, I have Valentine's Day to look forward to. And Ui's birthday soon after that… Hm, maybe I should get a part-time job to buy her a present. I mean, yeah, she's had a hard time accepting any presents after I got her that necklace, but still. Oh, and only a few days after that is the Winter Festival. Wonder if she'd be willing to visit it this year, too. We're hosting a coffee stall with my club, after all…"
In the middle of my sentence, I brought a hand to my cheek to scratch it, but stopped as my fingers touched my lips, and found the corners of my mouth stretched in a smile. Quieting down, I slowly ran my fingers across my upper lip, carefully feeling it. Yeah, there it is again; I'm smiling just at the thought of her. It took me a moment to pull my hand back, and inhale sharply, the cold winter air practically freezing the insides of my nostrils. I exhaled in the form of a quiet, embarrassed chuckle.
"You know… I love that girl," I confessed to Dash, who was patiently listening to me as we walked. "But I'm always too embarrassed to say it outright to her."
I took a long look at Dash, and frowned a bit. "Yeah, yeah, I shouldn't be, I know. I just can't help it. Thus why I always end up expressing my feelings through actions instead of words…"
I thought about my words, and ended up frowning even more as I turned to look at my fist, currently holding onto Dash's leash. "…in both good and bad."
However, I tried to cheer up a bit, and snickered. "Heh, she'd probably have a ring on her finger and we'd be living together, and I still couldn't say it."
I felt my face heat up slightly as I poured my heart out to my canine companion. It's definitely something I wouldn't say out loud to anyone, no matter how much I trust them, but Dash is a dog, and dogs are quite good at keeping secrets, thus why I use Dash as my therapist from time to time. And since we're out for a walk, it's not like anyone will overhear us or anything…
"Mommy, that man is talking to a dog!"
Snapping out of my thoughts, I hastily started scanning my surroundings for the source of that outburst. It took me a second to find a small kid, accompanied by his mother, just across the street. Ah, yeah, that's right; I usually walk Dash in the evening, when it's already dark, and there's not many people about…
"Now, now, it's rude to point at people," the mother scolded her son.
Quickly turning my head the other way, I headed off in a swift pace as embarrassment started to kick in. Damn it… Wait, hold on, that kid… He called me a man. Shit, up until now, I've usually been a boy to strangers. Heh, have I really matured that much?
…
Couple of days went by. It was New Years' Eve, the sun was starting to set, and the end of the year 2009 was drawing closer every hour. It was the dawn of the new decade. The town was eerily quiet as most people settled at their homes to spend time with their loved ones, or had traveled elsewhere to visit relatives. I was at my neighborhood's train station, sitting on a bench, my hands nestled in my coat's pockets. Couple of other people were sitting a bit further away. It was quiet and peaceful. Tiny pieces of snow were falling from the gray sky, resembling glitter as they passed by the beams of light. I watched them through my steamy breath to pass the time, until I began hearing approaching footsteps. I had a good feeling of who it was, but I turned to look just to be sure…
"…Who the hell are you?" I asked the person standing right next to me.
The person clicked his tongue. "You gonna keep saying that until it suddenly becomes funny?"
I stopped playing serious, and broke into a grin. "Just kidding."
The person, of course, was Tadaaki. But not the Tadaaki I've grown so attached to, no. His hair was a lot darker, having only the slightest remains of the blonde dye left in it. And most importantly; he was wearing glasses. He wears contacts almost exclusively, but switches to glasses during formal events, or – like now – when he wants to disguise himself. He knows a lot of people, and in turn a lot of people know him. And since we're going on an undercover mission, he wants to stay off the radar. Just imagine if we were standing in the middle of that party, and all of a sudden some moron recognizes Tadaaki and yells out his name. Luckily, I've barely made any acquaintances outside of my neighborhood and Sakuragaoka, so there's no risk of me getting recognized. Though, I still wonder if I should've changed out of my red hoodie.
Tadaaki took a seat next to me, fixing his glasses a bit. "You checked the schedule?"
"Yup," I nodded. "The train's due in just a few minutes."
Tadaaki was eyeing me, puzzled. "You know…"
Ah, are we gonna discuss the plan?
"…I still don't get your dislike of public transport."
Oh.
I shrugged. "Still got both of my legs, so why waste money on traveling inside the town?"
"And I'm still saying that doesn't make any damn sense," he muttered. "The place's literally on the other side of the town, that's at least two hours of walking. You'd really go that far for your principles?"
"Eh, seeing as I'm here, I guess not," I noted, glancing around the train station.
Tadaaki was frowning at me for a second longer, before breaking his poker face with a chuckle. "Well, right now, we're on a tight schedule, but when we're done, we can walk back, if that's what you really want."
I smirked at him. "Ain't you just sweet?"
The smirk quickly died down, weakening into a mere slight smile. "But seriously speaking, I think I'm gonna walk back. Gotta head to Hirasawa residence, you see. The train doesn't stop there."
"Alright, man, I got you," he snorted, before turning to face forward. After a second or two, his eyebrows rose as he realized something. "…Guess you better keep the drinks at minimum, in that case."
"Ah, yeah, can't show up drunk at her place," I muttered, realizing it myself. Easier said than done, as I haven't had a drink in a while, and will probably go overboard, but I'll do my best to control myself.
We sat in silence for a short moment. Uneasiness kept building inside me as I was wondering if I should ask him about something. I decided to do it.
"Hey, uh…" I caught his attention. "Why exactly did I need to bring it with me?"
I elaborated by patting my coat's pocket. Tadaaki clearly understood what I meant by it. Thus why he turned serious, keeping his voice low. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was hearing us.
"Yeah, well, when I asked Ichiro and you to come with me, I didn't mean for you to just keep me company… You, uh, haven't been to many house parties, have you?"
I shook my head. "Nah, not many, if any."
Tadaaki took off his glasses, cleaning the lenses with the hem of his shirt. "Well, the people there, they ain't nice. For some reason, the parties always manage to draw in the worst this town has to offer. Lunatics, yakuza's next-in-line, opportunistic motherfuckers with no sense of morale… This party's host is one of those, so he'll most likely invite lots of his kind. I mean, he's told everyone that he won't tolerate picking fights or bringing your 'toys' to the party, but still. I don't trust people to follow rules."
He got the lenses clean, but was left staring at the glasses, thinking for a bit. "…The point is, you're protection."
A bit surprised, I raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you're afraid someone's gonna pick a fight?"
"Not just a fight, I'm talking about…" he said, but quickly cut his sentence off. I had a feeling what he was about to say, and was glad he didn't.
"Anyway…" he muttered, putting the glasses back on his face. "In case things turn ugly, we run. But… if we can't run, only then we'll use it. You got it?"
Seeing Tadaaki this stern and outright worried… Should I be worried too? The way he puts it makes it sound like we're walking into a lion's den with no plans of coming back in one piece. Or maybe he's just exaggerating in order for me to stay in line and not do something stupid. In any case, I sure as hell got his message. And no matter what happens, I'd have his back, just like he's always been there for me.
"Crystal clear," I nodded, sharing his serious expression.
Tadaaki glanced at me, acknowledging my answer, before turning his head the other way, looking at the train tracks.
"And here's our ride," he muttered, as the train could be heard approaching, and its headlights could be seen cutting through the darkness.
We boarded the train as it stopped at the station, taking seats next to the door. The train car was almost empty, just how I like it. With a nudge, the train started moving again, and it wasn't long until we were speeding across the town. Though it was a lot quicker than walking, it would still take a while for us to reach our destination. Tadaaki was digging his pocket, pulling out his earphones. Inserting one of them into his ear, he offered me the other one. I took it, putting it into my ear. The music was already playing. I recognized the band as a British alt-rock band. This song happens to be one of my favorites from the band.
…
Twenty-ish minutes later we were standing in front of a rugged looking house. Though, pretty much all the other houses on this street weren't very well-kept. The only thing that made this one stand out from the rest were the dozen mopeds parked in front of it, and the faint sound of music emanating from inside. By now, the sun had already set, darkening the sky – and the town – even more, making this place look even more off-putting. If I could describe this scenery with one word, it would be 'upsetting'. It's clear this house doesn't belong to a happy family. One can only wonder where the house's adults are, and if they'd even allow parties like this. Looking at the place, I'd guess they simply do not care.
Two teenage dudes were squatting next to the front door, having a smoke. They glanced at us as we approached the house. I tried to avoid eye contact, but luckily they didn't pay us much mind, instead returning to their conversation. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I guess I'll just follow Tadaaki's lead. Speaking of him, as he grasped the front door, he stopped, and turned to look at me.
"Keep your shoes on, these guys don't care about such things. Oh, and keep your coat on, you definitely don't want to leave your stuff unwatched," he instructed me.
I didn't even have time to answer, when he slid the door open. The sound of loud music rushed out of the doorway in a shockwave, taking me by surprise. I followed Tadaaki inside, sliding the door close behind me. The house's foyer was dimly lit. Many pairs of shoes and coats littered the floor, and I had a hard time moving forward without stepping on any of them, as I didn't want to anger any of the house's occupants just yet. Following Tadaaki (and the loud music), I soon found myself standing in the house's living room. Colorful party lights were blinking and flashing at the corner of the room, acting as the only source of light. Dozens of guys and a handful of gals – all more or less my age – were hanging out, drinking, smoking, or just waving stupidly to the rhythm of the music. Flashy clothes and hairstyles seemed to be the vogue. The air was a mixture of cigarette smoke, sweat, and a faint odor of puke. Yeah, even though I've never been to any before this day, this most definitely is a teen house party.
Tadaaki was scoping out the people there, probably looking for someone in particular. After some seconds, he poked me with his elbow, motioning me to come closer.
"He's there. Don't stare, don't point," he told me, almost yelling to get his voice across the music. "On the couch, the guy drinking from a flat bottle."
He gave me a second to find him myself. After looking around a bit, I found him, too. A rough looking guy, sides of his head shaved, and the rest of his hair shaped into a half-assed mohawk. So that's the guy who's gonna help us arrange a meeting with Tsukuda? Huh, we were prepared to wait for his arrival, but seeing as he's already here, we might get this done sooner than we thought.
However, Tadaaki soon poked me again to get my attention. "He doesn't look drunk enough, though."
"Meaning?" I asked, having a hard time keeping my voice loud but not too loud.
Tadaaki glanced at the guy, and then at me. "Let's just wait."
Guess there ain't any other option, huh. Tadaaki seemed to have an idea of how we'd spend our time, as he walked over to some guys next to us. I decided to stick close to him, as I didn't feel myself too comfortable in this place.
"Yo, where can we get some drinks?" Tadaaki asked the guys.
Ah, indeed, the guys were holding onto beer cans. They turned to look at Tadaaki, and as they didn't recognize him, their expressions turned sour.
"Huh? Get your own fucking drink," one of the guys told him off.
Neighborly, aren't we? Tadaaki, however, didn't seem to mind the rude answer. Guess he's used to this, at least more so than I am. Though I felt like butting in in a similarly unfriendly manner, I decided to let Tadaaki do the talking.
"Okay, let me rephrase: where can we buy some drinks?"
The guy, still looking a bit annoyed, thought for a moment, and bobbed his head towards the hallway. "There's a dude in the kitchen."
"Sweet, thanks," Tadaaki said, digging his coat's pocket, and pulling out a single cigarette, handing it over to him. "It's on me."
The guy stared at the cigarette for a short moment, and finally took it, giving Tadaaki a nod of gratitude. Slipping me a smug grin, Tadaaki exited into the hallway, me following right after him. Noticing my puzzled expression, he chuckled.
"Smarter to make friends than enemies," he explained.
I mean, I guess so, but the only kind of cigarette that guy deserved was a lit one shoved into his nostril… Ugh, best to keep cool, and just let Tadaaki handle things. These guys don't look too friendly, and I'd like to avoid a fight if possible. Dodging a few other people in the hallway, we found the house's kitchen, which also held the dining area. The music wasn't as loud here, and it wasn't as dark as the rest of the house. A group of guys were gathered around the table, playing some party game. Judging by the money on the table, they were gambling. I was kinda interested, but maybe it's for the best to keep my money in my pocket for now.
There were also a few others hanging around in the kitchen. None of them struck us as 'the dude', so we just stood there in the doorway. However, one of the guys leaning against the kitchen counter – a chubby one with a baseball cap – noticed us, and waved his hand to get our attention.
"Heya. Ya new here?"
"Oh, yeah, just arrived," Tadaaki answered, putting on a friendly face. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could buy some drinks?"
The guy flashed a grin as he grasped his cap's visor. "Ya're in luck, as I'm yar guy."
Pushing himself away from the counter, he walked over to the fridge. His walk seemed a bit wobbly, so he's probably been sampling his own merchandise. He opened the fridge, allowing us to see its contents:
Beer and cider, hard liquor of all kinds and sizes… The fridge was absolutely stacked with drinks. Holy hell, this guy must be a professional reseller. Guess he's made an arrangement with the party's host to use the fridge for his sales purposes. Staring at the massive amounts of drinks, I took a second to wonder how a chubby guy like him could keep them safe all by himself, until I noticed a bulkier, taller dude standing next to the fridge, his arms crossed, and a mean look in his eye. Ah, yeah, guess he ain't alone after all. Gotta be careful to not get too close to the fridge…
"So, what'll it be?" the guy asked us, and right after began pointing around the fridge. "Running kinda low on cider, the gals love that stuff… I can sell ya individual shots of the strong stuff, if ya ain't feeling like buying a whole bottle. The more ya buy, the less ya pay, ya know, the usual."
Tadaaki held his chin as he looked at the fridge's contents, before turning to look at me. "Anything in mind?"
I shrugged. "I'm down with anything, though I'm not planning on staying too long."
Tadaaki nodded, catching my meaning. Something that we can drink while we're here, strong enough to be enjoyable, but still something that wouldn't get us absolutely shitfaced by the time we finish it. Pondering for a few seconds more, he pointed at one of the six-packs on the lower shelf.
"How much for that export stuff?"
"Ah, that?" the guy muttered, and took a second to recall. "2500 yen."
"2500…?" I muttered in surprise.
The guy happened to hear me, and snorted. "Imported stuff generally costs more, but it's also stronger than yar average beer. And there's also my cut, obviously."
Tadaaki thought for a short moment, before digging a wallet out of his pocket. "Alright, we'll have it."
"Wonderful, wonderful," the guy grinned, presenting his palm to us. "Cash only, no trading nor credit."
As Tadaaki was looking for the correct sum of money, I quickly decided to pitch in, digging out my own wallet, and giving Tadaaki a 1000 yen note. He took it with a nod, adding his own money into the pile, and handed it over to the guy. He counted the money, before shoving it into his pocket, and reached for the sixpack we had just purchased, giving it to Tadaaki.
"Thank ya for yar business. Ya know where to find me," he bid us as he grasped his cap's visor.
"Thanks, my man," Tadaaki said, looking at the sixpack in his hands. "Oh, one other thing: does that sliding door lead to the backyard? Is there any space in there to hang out?"
The guy glanced at the door Tadaaki was talking about, and nodded. "Sure does. Just keep it down a bit so the neighbors don't call the cops."
Tadaaki nodded, and gave the guy a quick wave. "Will do. See ya."
With that, we began heading across the kitchen towards the door. Walking there, we happened to pass by the table and the guys gambling around it. Ah, some kind of a dice game. Eh, I enjoy skill-based games more, at least I'd know whether I should bet high or not. We reached the sliding door, which indeed led to the backyard. There wasn't much space, but it was still better than nothing. Though I enjoy loud music as much as anyone my age, I don't want to hear ringing for the rest of my life, and I also don't like the idea of the house's scent seeping into my clothes. So, this was the best place to be. Also, only now I realized just how damn hot it was inside, so the cold air felt nice against my skin.
Half-a-dozen of other people were also hanging out in the backyard. To get ourselves some privacy, we moved away from them to the other side of the yard. There we found a small garden plot, which had been left neglected for who knows how many years. The plot's brick structure provided a suitable seating, so we sat down on its edge. The high fence bordering the backyard prevented any nosy neighbors from seeing us, but looking at the neighborhood as a whole, I doubt anyone even cares, as long as we don't make too much noise. Tadaaki ripped the sixpack's packaging open, taking out the cans. He handed three of them to me, keeping the rest for himself.
"Guess we better put them in our pockets, I don't see any other option," he muttered as he shoved two cans into his coat's pockets, and I followed his example.
Opening the remaining can, I gave it a sniff. Hm, weirdly pleasant aroma for a beer. I took a sip, letting my tongue get used to the taste, before swallowing. Phew, it sure is stronger than the cheaper beers, but also better tasting. Tadaaki, too, tasted his drink, humming agreeingly.
"Not bad," he noted.
"I know, right? Too bad it's expensive as hell, otherwise I could get used to this," I said, taking another sip.
I glanced at the other group of people, noticing the cigarettes some of them were smoking.
"…You know, you can light up one, if you want. I don't mind," I told Tadaaki.
He clicked his tongue. "Yeah, right. The last time I did that in your presence, you broke your two-and-a-half year break."
"Hm, did it bother you that much?" I asked, swirling my drink.
"I dunno, did it bother Hirasawa gal?" he asked back in a snarky tone.
I shrugged. "Eh, she noticed the smell, but I realized to blame you."
"Gee, thanks for fueling your girlfriend's distrust of your friends…" he quipped, sipping his drink.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. "Nah, she trusts you guys." I then glanced at the drink in my hand. "…Not sure if that's a good thing."
Tadaaki snickered. "Yeah, yeah, I was just kidding."
His laughing could be resonating inside the can as he brought it closer for another sip, after which he was quiet for a short moment.
"So, does she know we're out?"
"Yup," I nodded.
Tadaaki fixed his glasses a bit. "That where we are and what we're doing?"
"Nah," I shook my head.
"There's gonna be hell to pay if she finds out…~" he muttered in an annoyingly melodic tone.
I tapped my fingers on the can as I thought about it myself, reaching only one conclusion: "…Better hope she doesn't."
Tadaaki kept doing small nods in a quick succession, even continuing as he took a drink, and smacked his lips. "You know what I think?"
"What?"
"You should back out of this," he told me.
I twitched in surprise, hastily turning to look at him. "Huh?"
"You know…" Tadaaki muttered with a shrug, glancing around him. "…This. The whole thing. Let Ichiro and I handle it."
"W-What? Why?" I asked in pure confusion.
"Because of that Hirasawa gal, that's why," he elaborated, pointing at me. "You got much more to lose than us two. Imagine we fuck up big time, and get ourselves hurt real bad, or even arrested. That's a definite goodbye to your future career and many other things."
What, is he seriously that worried about me, my future, and my relationship with Ui? Whatever the case, I didn't need anyone to babysit me. I'm willing to take some risks for the greater good.
Something came to my mind: "And what about Ichiro? He wants to be a cop, for fuck's sake. Getting caught in a fight won't look good on his resume."
Tadaaki scratched his thumbnail on the can's surface, snorting. "You know how stubborn he is, he ain't gonna back down. Hell, even if we left him behind and told him to not follow us, he'd still tag along. He's not gonna miss a chance to get revenge."
Hm, he's got a point there. Ichiro's a stubborn bastard, and knows how to hate, that's for sure. However, I still wasn't fully convinced.
"And your future? That ain't important?" I asked, a bit of annoyance in my voice.
"Hey, I ain't the one looking for a stable job," he noted, and snickered. "Besides, nothing has mattered for the past seven years. I don't really care what happens to me."
…Why the hell is he bringing that up now of all times? Is he trying to control me with emotions?
"…Hell, I'm already feeling like shit because I asked you to bring it along with you," Tadaaki muttered, lifting his glasses to rub his eye. "You should be with your girl, not here to watch my back."
I leaned forward a bit to get a better look at his face. "Dude. I'm there for you, whenever you need it. I ain't gonna let you do stuff like this alone," I said in a soothing tone, as right now things were getting kinda moody.
"Yeah, you've always got my back. I know that, and I appreciate that," he said in a low voice, nodding a couple of times, and taking a long sip from his beer. "…Just keep in mind what I said. There's a lot to lose."
I know, that's something I've been thinking about a lot, too. However, I've come to the conclusion that it's either get beaten up now, or get beaten up later when you least expect it. We have the chance to prevent things from going any worse. Who knows how many bastards Tsukuda has under his wing this time next year. Shit, thinking about it, it's not only about revenge and convincing them to leave us alone. It's also about getting rid of a gang that's been causing problems to the whole town. Not like we'll be hailed as heroes, but I guess it would make me feel a bit better about myself.
"Hands off, you fucking piece of shit!"
A loud, angry yell from the other side of the backyard caught our attention. Two guys were engaged in a skirmish, having grabbed each other by their collars.
"I didn't touch your fucking drink!"
"The hell you didn't, you slimy fuck! Admit it!"
"I did not! Fuck off or I'll break your fucking nose!"
Tadaaki and I watched as their squirming became more violent by the second, and it wasn't long until both of them raised their fists. That's when a few other people ran up to break them up. Tadaaki took it as a que to stand up. He stretched his legs a bit, and took another sip.
"…Yeah, I don't wanna be here if something goes down. Let's head inside. Maybe I can bribe the DJ to play some heavy metal," he said, unamusedly looking at the scene just opposite of us.
Eh, a part of me wanted to see how this would turn out, but maybe it's for the best to move elsewhere. Besides, some metal music would go nicely along with this drink. We quietly walked past the quarrel, heading inside.
Half-an-hour went by as we were sitting in the living room, downing our drinks and listening to the music, all the while watching whatever was happening around us, which honestly wasn't that interesting. I was down to my last can of beer, and the alcohol was starting to make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Yeah, getting kinda drunk here, but not overly. I'm sure Ui will notice something is off, but as long as I won't go overboard, I don't think she'll mind.
The guy acting as the DJ decided to play something less aggressive, also turning the volume down a notch, so the atmosphere in the living room calmed down slightly. I was having a conversation with Tadaaki just a moment ago, until two gals approached him, bumming a cigarette and some sips from his beer. I knew where it was going, so I moved myself a bit further away, letting them have their moment. One of the gals offered me some company too, to my surprise. It took many polite declines for her to realize I wasn't interested. Either she's way too drunk, or maybe I'm actually that attractive… Nah, probably the former.
Instead, I decided to keep an eye on the person of the day; Tsukuda's guy, who was sitting on the opposite end of the living room, currently drinking the last drops from his booze bottle. Yeah, judging by the fact he's having a hard time sitting straight and staying awake, I'd say he's pretty much done. Maybe I should tell Tadaaki—
"Yo."
A hard slap on my shoulder caught me by surprise. By instinct, I clenched my fist, but managed to control myself enough to not actually raise it. I turned to look at my side, finding some unfamiliar guy, dressed in colorful aloha shirt and a shitty grin on his face. I could easily smell the booze in his breath.
As I didn't answer, the guy took a seat next to me, still keeping his hand on my shoulder.
"Who're you?" he asked.
Staring at him unamusedly, I slowly shook my head. "Nobody."
"Well dooh-fucking-daah, if it ain't Mr. Nobody, the world's most mysterious man!" he yelled sarcastically whilst throwing his hands in the air. "C'mon, man, it's a fucking party, relax a bit, yeah?"
I shrugged. "If you say so."
The guy laughed, almost choking on his spit in the progress.
"Hey, man, you drunk?" he asked.
"A bit," I said.
He grinned. "Well I'm fucking drunk."
I raised my eyebrows sarcastically. "No, really?"
It earned me another laugh from this moron. "Y-You know, you're fucking funny."
"Mhm," I uttered, getting tired of this. I've never liked the company of drunks, at least when I'm not drunk enough.
The guy kept chuckling as he pulled out a half-full bottle of whiskey from his pocket, opening it, and taking a sip. With a satisfied sigh, he looked at the bottle, before passing it to me.
"Sip-sip."
"Huh?" I muttered.
"Sip-sip," he repeated. "Take a sip."
I furrowed my brow as I eyed the bottle. I'm not really keen on the stronger stuff, but… Eh, it'd be rude to refuse a free drink. After a moment of thinking, I took the bottle, staring at it for a second longer, and brought it to my lips. The initial taste wasn't that bad, but when I swallowed it, that's when the burning kicked in like a fucking truck. Both my tongue and my throat were on fire. I felt like gagging, but managed to control myself, instead just letting out a small cough. I could feel a tear run down my cheek as I pinched my eyes shut.
"…Yeah, it's strong," I managed to get the words out of my numb throat, and handed the bottle back to the guy.
He, however, refused it with a shake of his head. "Ah, nah, y-you keep it. You a good guy, you deserve it, you know?"
Yeah, he's clearly had enough, seeing how he's just giving me the bottle. Well, it's an offer I can't refuse. I definitely won't be drinking it tonight, so I'll save it for later—
All of a sudden, the guy grabbed my hand which was holding the bottle. Seriously, man, no sudden physical contact, or you're gonna pass out sooner than you think!
"Eh, hold on… Y-You a good guy, but, I think you need to… Uh… deserve the bottle, yeah?" he mumbled.
Oh, no, I didn't have time for this. "Just take it back, then."
He shook my hand a bit. "Now just hold on, I'll give you 1000 yen if you drink it all!"
Wait, first he's gonna give me the bottle, and now he's also willing to give me money? Easy money is my weak point, but… Ugh, there's simply too much left in this bottle. Does it count if I throw up right after?
After pondering my options for a second or two, I finally shook my head. "Nah, no thanks."
"What? What? You… You don't think I got the money? You don't trust me?" the guy interrogated me. Ah, hell, please don't get aggressive all of a sudden…
With his free hand, he dug around his pockets for a short moment, finally finding a money bill. He brought it closer to his face, squinting his eyes as he tried to make sense of it in his drunken state.
"Ah, fuck, all I got is-is this 5000 yen note," he muttered, frowning a bit. His head wobbling from side to side for a few seconds, he turned to face me, and flashed me a grin. "…You know, I'm a fucking idiot. A big fucking idiot, but… I'll give you this if you drink it all."
My jaw dropped slightly at his proposal. Okay, at first I wasn't interested, but 5000 yen, just by drinking the remainder of this bottle? That must be more than what this cost! My eyes were shifting between the bottle in my hand and the 5000 yen note.
I… I know I shouldn't, I know I should take it easy, but… 5000 yen is 5000 more than what I have at the moment. There isn't really that much left in the bottle either, I can probably get it down in three or four gulps. But, Ui and the others are waiting for me at Ui's place. I can't exactly show up there shitfaced, can I? Or… can't I?
…
Oh, fuck it.
Having made my decision, I gave the guy a strong, determined nod. "…In that case, I'm down. What are the rules?"
He snickered. "Rules? I don't fucking know, just drink it, let's say…" He happened to notice the watch on my wrist. "…in under a minute. Sweet watch, by the way."
In a minute? Okay, doesn't sound too bad. I was afraid he would suggest drinking it all in one go. Regardless, the more I stare at the bottle's contents, the more I'm starting to have second thoughts. Swallowing nervously, I brought the bottle closer to my mouth.
"…Okay, say when."
The guy nodded with a grin as he took a better look at my watch. "Startiiiiiiiing… Wait, is that a fucking minute hand or second hand…? Oh, wait, it's a second hand… Now!"
Taking a deep breath, and spending a second considering how fucking stupid this was, I brought the bottle to my lips, raising it, and letting the whiskey fill my mouth. Gulp, went the first mouthful. Both my throat and stomach immediately protested against ingesting so much poison in so little time, punishing me with nausea. At first I thought I could get two gulps down before taking a breather, but I quickly came to realize it was simply impossible, so I hastily lowered the bottle, catching my breath. A drop of whiskey ran down my chin as I was furiously swallowing my own spit to prevent myself from puking immediately, after which I took many deep breaths.
"Fucking hell, man! Keep going!" the guy cheered me on.
Phew, okay, maybe it's not so easy after all, but no way I'm missing out on that 5000 yen. Alright, Sugimoto, time to focus. How long has it been… 15 seconds, maybe? Eh, that should be enough, better continue if I want to get this done in under a minute. Taking a deep breath once again, I drank from the bottle. Another glug flushed down my throat, feeling even more unpleasant than the first one. It was, however, a rather large one. As I lowered the bottle to catch my breath, I glanced at it. Yeah, only a mouthful or so remaining. Maybe I can do this… Or not, as warm spit started making its way up my throat to my mouth.
Breathe, swallow, breathe, swallow… Hell, wish I had a glass of water to go along with this, but maybe it'd be against the rules. My vision blurred slightly as my whole body was concentrating on not throwing up. Ugh, I can feel it in the back of my throat… Shit, if I drink the rest now, I'll definitely throw up, but if I spend too long catching my breath, I'll run out of time. But, 5000 yen is a nice compensation for a bit of vomit. Though, I still ain't sure if throwing up counts towards getting the money…
My thinking was interrupted by the guy's excited laughter. He yanked my watch closer to him. "Come on, man! Y-You've got only ten, nine, eight…"
Oh, shit, the time's almost up!? My slightly drunken mind throwing my sense of rationality out the window, I hastily brought the bottle to my lips, raising it all the way up, and letting gravity do all the work. As I felt my mouth being full, I swallowed.
My heavy breath fogged up the inside of the empty bottle. I lowered it, and indeed, it was empty. I… I did it. I fucking did it! I drank it all in less than a minute! I felt like throwing the bottle across the room, but my excitement lasted only for a split-second, as nausea kicked in. Taking heavy and slow breaths, I carefully showed the bottle to the guy, avoiding any sudden movements in an effort to not upset my stomach any further.
"T-There…" I muttered to him, my mouth full of spit. "A-All done."
The guy laughed even harder, finally letting go of my wrist, in turn clasping my hand for a handshake. "H-Holy shit, man! I didn't know you was actually serious."
Well, I wasn't, until you pulled out that 5000 yen note… Oh, shit, now it's coming up, fuck… Ah, wait, I managed to keep it down.
Giving the bill one last look, he finally gave it to me, outright slapping it onto my palm. "Here, dude, I'm a man of my word. Enjoy."
"Yeah, thanks…" I managed to say under my breath as I shoved the bill into my pocket, before returning to heavy breathing.
I reached down to set the bottle on the floor. I then slowly leaned back, pointing my face towards the ceiling. I tried to relax, but it proved quite difficult. The music, previously having been just a pleasant background noise, was starting to get overwhelming. It was damn hot, I felt like taking my coat off. Never mind any of that trivial shit. I just needed to concentrate on not puking. Deep breaths, Sugimoto…
"Eiji?"
I slowly turned to look at my side, finding Tadaaki. He was staring at me, his eyes full of surprise and confusion. The two gals he was talking with were still there, both giving me a small applause.
"The fuck was that?" he asked.
I was about to talk, when something tried to creep up my throat, so I had to swallow hastily, which caused me to cough. "…A wager. Earned myself some pocket money."
Tadaaki raised an eyebrow as he looked at the drunken guy next to me. I'm not sure if he caught our earlier conversation. Probably not; bet he was having a whole different conversation with those two ladies. He seemed to stare at the guy for a few seconds too long, almost as if noticing something, but soon turned back to me.
He furrowed his brow in a worrying manner. "Dude, that was quite a lot you just drank. You good?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll live," I said, waving a hand at him. It was a lie, I felt like I'd drop dead any moment.
I then recalled what I was about to say to him a few minutes ago. "…At least I'm in better shape than him."
I pointed subtly at the person of the hour, sitting on the other side of the living room. He was bent down, holding his face on his palm, looking like total shit. Tadaaki realized immediately what I meant.
"Huh, finally," he muttered, fixing his glasses determinedly, and glancing at the two gals. "Sorry, but our other friend looks like he needs some fresh air, so I'll catch you later, okay?"
Giving Tadaaki some rather flirty goodbyes, the gals left. Tadaaki stood up, turning to look at me. Before he had a chance to speak, I raised my hand, indicating that I had something to say first.
"I-I'd come with you, but…" I wasn't able to finish my sentence.
"Yeah, I get it, I was about to say that you should just sit down for now," he nodded, glancing elsewhere. "Just catch your breath, drink some water, and come find us. We'll be outside."
It took me a lot of strength to turn to look at him. "What're you gonna do?"
"Didn't you hear me? He needs some fresh air," he said, and grinned. "And maybe a cigarette, and someone to tell his secrets to."
Heh, that shit-eating grin can't mean good. Tadaaki's gonna work his magic, alright. But yeah, as he said, I better just stay here and relax until my stomach allows me to move again.
I gave him a quick wave. "Alright, see you in a bit."
He nodded, and was about to head over to our 'friend'.
"Hey, hold on."
Tadaaki turned to look at the guy next to me, who had called out for him. The guy was looking at Tadaaki with squinted eyes, seemingly trying to remember something.
"Fuck, you look familiar. Do I know you?" he asked.
Hold on; Tadaaki seemed to recognize him earlier in return. Do they know each other? If they do, Tadaaki sure doesn't want to reveal himself.
Tadaaki glanced elsewhere for a second, before shrugging. "I don't know. Come tell me if you do."
As the guy didn't have anything more to add, Tadaaki continued moving to the other side of the living room. I obviously couldn't hear his conversation with that other guy, but after a bit of talking, Tadaaki got him on his feet, and they both left the living room. I resumed leaning back and concentrating on breathing, when the guy chuckled quietly, swaying his head around in a drunken manner.
"What are you two up to?" he asked, sounding amused.
I wasn't feeling too well, thus why I felt more annoyed than usual. "None of your business…"
The guy glanced at me, frowning. His carefree character was slowly starting to break. "Mr. Nobody and his fucking business that doesn't belong to anyone else… You got a belly full of whiskey, ain't you gonna cheer up?"
"Belly full of whiskey actually made me feel worse," I retorted.
To get my point across, I moved my foot around the floor blindly, finding the empty whiskey bottle, and shoving it towards the guy's leg. He glanced down at the bottle, snorted, and nodded many times in a quick succession.
"Yeeah, I know the feeling," he snickered, and nodded once more for good measure. "But yeah, it ain't any of my business. You do you, as long as you don't cause a ruckus."
Says the guy inciting others to drink for money…
He threw his upper body forward to get a better look at me. His smile seemed a bit sympathetic. "You just sit and enjoy the music, I won't be a pain in your ass for any longer."
"Sure, sure…" I muttered, having swallowed back yet another load trying to make its way out of my stomach.
"The bathroom's at the end of the hallway, i-if you need it," he said, pointing at the hallway. He stayed still for a second, a look of shock in his eyes, before standing up. "…Fuck, speaking of bathroom…"
One hand on his stomach and another hand hovering close to his mouth, he made a hasty exit to the hallway, pushing some guy out of his way, and earning himself a nasty insult from him. Snorting out of amusement, I returned to staring at the ceiling, counting the passing seconds to keep my mind off my stomach.
…
…..
…?
Wait, how long has it been? Five seconds, or five minutes? I found myself staring blankly forward. I felt woozy, my tongue and fingers felt numb. Raising my hand to sweep my fingers through my hair, I noticed my motor skills were a bit rusty. I felt hot, even more so than before, but it didn't seem to bother me that much… But most importantly, I wasn't feeling too nauseated anymore. I slowly raised my head to get a look around me, though I had a hard time keeping my head straight. My vision kept blurring whenever I didn't outright focus. All the people hanging out and dancing, the angry rap music blasting from the speakers… It was overwhelming. Something about it all made me chuckle out loud. Not just the scenery surrounding me, but my own stupidity.
Yeah, I've gone and done it: I'm drunk as shit.
Everything started to feel automated, like someone else was pulling my strings. Lots of gaps in my short-term memory, too, as I suddenly found myself standing in the kitchen. It was difficult to stand up straight without swaying from side to side. I'm not sure what brought me here originally, but whatever. I moseyed over to the kitchen sink, turning it on, and leaning in to drink straight from the tap. Hell, I didn't even realize how thirsty I was. Pushing myself away from the sink, I wiped my mouth clean with my sleeve.
"H-Heya, man, ya having a good time?"
It took me way too long to find the source of that voice. It was that chubby dude, the drinks salesman. The way he was just slumping on the kitchen counter made it evident that he's been sampling even more of his product.
For some reason, my first reaction was to laugh. "Y-Yeah, sure."
My voice is all mumbly and spluttery, heh.
The guy pointed at the fridge. "Y-Y-Ya fancy a… a drink?"
I shook my head, waving my hand. "Ah, nah, my girlfriend won't like it."
The guy laughed through his teeth, spit flying from his mouth. "Oh, yeah, don't-don't wanna get ya girl angry."
My drunken mind recalled something. "…Hey, uh, you-you've seen my friend here? The guy, with the, uh, dark hair and glasses?"
"Ah, I don't fucking know… Sorry, I-I can't say," he muttered, grasping his cap's visor.
"Yeah, yeah, no-no worries, man, it's cool," I soothed him, even though there wasn't any actual need for such.
Though I felt strangely talkative, this conversation wasn't going to help me. I needed to focus on the task at hand: finding Tadaaki. What did he say… Outside? Yeah, he said that they'd be outside. So, backyard, maybe? I can get there through the kitchen. Okay, that's my destination.
Forcing my legs to move, I began making through the kitchen to the backdoor at an uneasy pace. I passed by the table, which still had a small crowd gathered around it. A quick glance was enough to see that they were playing cards. Maybe I should… No, nope, concentrate on finding Tadaaki! Fuck, maybe I passed out and he left without me. Or… Or maybe something happened to him!? Shit, now I really need to find him!
Sliding the backdoor open, I poked my head out the doorway. The backyard was dimly lit. A few people were having a smoke in a circle, while another guy was leaning against a fence, puking into a bush. Yeah, I know how you feel, buddy… I took a few steps forward, checking out the spot where we were sitting earlier, but no dice – he wasn't here. Even though the thought of him leaving me behind was growing inside my drunken mind, I tried to suppress it, instead thinking that I should head to the front of the house next.
Hurriedly walking through the kitchen (once again) into the hallway, I couldn't help but notice how unnecessarily heavy my breathing was. It's not like I'm outright running or anything, but for some my body felt the need to take deep breaths. As I was moving through the hallway towards the foyer, an idea popped into my head: maybe he's back at the living room. Doesn't hurt to double check just to be sure. Thus I headed back to the living room, stumbling a bit as I walked. All the flashing lights and the dozen or so people staggered my sense of perception. The music – now nothing but muffled noise in my ear – didn't help it at all… Oh, wait, there! There he is, standing in the back, talking to some people. Hell, has he been standing here this whole time?
Trying my best to dodge people as I made my way through the living room, I finally reached Tadaaki. Hell, I was worried. Seriously, what made him ignore me like that? That's what I'm about to find out, so I slapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, dude, why the fuck didn't you say anything?" I asked in an angry tone.
"Eh?"
…
You know, now that I think about it, Tadaaki hasn't been dying his hair for the past week to help with his disguise, so his hair is a lot darker, closer to his natural hair color. So why the hell does this Tadaaki have blonde hair?
And most importantly, why did that surprised utter sound feminine?
The person who I thought was Tadaaki quickly turned around in surprise. And yeah, it quickly became apparent that this person wasn't Tadaaki at all. Firstly, it was actually a gal. She just happened to be wearing the same colored jacket as Tadaaki, was wearing glasses, and sported the same hairstyle as him. From behind, it was easy to mistake her for Tadaaki… Eh, maybe my drunkenness plays a factor in the mistake, too, but anyway.
Realizing my mistake, I hastily took a step back, defensively presenting my palms. "W-Woah, sorry."
The girl placed her hand on her chest and leaned forward to exaggerate a heavy breath. "That scared me!"
"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry, I thought you were my friend," I explained, slowly shaking my head.
"Sure, no problem, I'm just a bit shook up," she said with a nod, taking another deep breath.
I took another step back, sighing. Okay, that was a bad mistake. Hopefully something I won't remember by tomorrow, though due to being drunk at the moment, my sense of shame wasn't as strong as usual. So, Tadaaki ain't here, that's for sure. Front of the house is my next destination. Better make my way out of here, I bet this lady's had enough of me…
…?
Blinking, I suddenly found myself being held by my hoodie's collar. Some guy, a head taller than me, sporting a buzzcut and looking angry as fuck, had grabbed me in a firm grip with both of his hands. He pulled my collar up slightly, and trashed me back a bit.
"The fuck you think you're doing, huh!? You fucking with my girl!?" he yelled.
Ah, now that I think about it, this guy was one of the people that girl was talking to just a second ago. Speaking of the girl, I could see her approaching the scene.
"Leave it! He didn't mean anything by it!" she tried to defuse the situation.
The guy, however, wasn't paying her any attention. "You think my girl looks like a dude, huh!? You little fuck, you fucking twerp!"
The girl, once again, tried to convince this genetically altered monkey to calm down, but to no avail. Drunken rage had taken control of his mind. He trashed me around again, it didn't feel very comfortable. A small sense of panic started forming as I couldn't think clearly. When the guy tightened his grip even more, I could feel the collar tightening around my throat. I grabbed his arms, trying to pry them off. From the corner of my eye, I could see a small crowd forming around us as the other party visitors noticed what was going on.
"F-Fuck off!" was the only thing my drunken mind came up with.
His yells only got louder. "Huh!?"
"Fuck off, you fucking dickweed!" I repeated myself, also raising my voice. "Or—!"
Wait, no, stop. No threats, even my drunken mind realized that. 'Or' is usually followed by a threat, and judging by this situation, that guy won't budge for any nasty words. In fact, it would just fuel his rage even more. Furthermore, I didn't come here to fight. Tadaaki told me that if shit would get real, I'd run. So, I put all my strength in trying to pry his hands off my collar.
To my dismay, he heard it: "Or what, huh!?"
"F-Fuck you!" I snarled through my teeth.
He trashed me around some more. "Or what!?"
"Fuck you!" I shouted, slowly managing to dislodge one of his arms.
"Or what!?"
"I said fuck yo—!"
Thump!
A cluster of stars flashed in my vision as my head took a sudden blow. It took me a second to recompose myself, and another second to realize that the guy just punched me in the face. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, and grimaced as my body finally registered the pain. Ow, yup, that guy packs a punch... I looked straight at his raised fist, which would probably be coming right at me for another hit, if it wasn't for that girl, who had grabbed the guy by his wrist, yelling at him to stop. A loud murmur could be heard from the crowd, I couldn't make any sense of what anyone was saying. My heart was pumping like crazy as the adrenaline kicked in. My breathing got even heavier, my hands started shaking.
Shit. Okay, Sugimoto, think! Uh, fuck, alright, the guy's holding me with only one hand at the moment. I should be able to make my escape. Quickly pull his arm off my collar, and make a run for it. Will he chase after me? Because I ain't sure if that girl can hold him in place. He seems kinda bulky, so maybe I can outrun him, even if I'm drunk. Ah, great, he's turned to look at the girl! Now's my chance to run!
Punch!
My muscle memory, however, had other plans, as my fist collided with the guy's face. His head jerked back as the blow hit, and before I even had time to realize what had happened, I felt a hard push in my throat as the hand that was holding my collar had now shoved me away. I lost my balance, stumbling to the floor. As I was lying there, massaging my sore throat and gasping for air, I had a short moment to kick myself mentally for escalating the situation even further. Yet, my sense of rationality was pushed away by my sense of pride, praising me for giving that fucker what he had coming.
As I was struggling to sit up, I noticed how the guy was holding his face, cursing all the while. When his furious glare finally reached me, he turned to face me, slowly taking his hand off his face. Something dark was dripping from his mouth. Blood? Did I hit his mouth, and cause his teeth to puncture his lip?
"That's fucking it, now this fucker's gonna get it!" he shouted, droplets of spit and blood flying from his mouth.
It was the cue for me to hurry the fuck up and get on my feet. When I managed to stand up, I stumbled a bit, not just because I was drunk, but because the guy's punch was still ringing in my ears. My vision was tunneling up as I tried to restore my balance whilst clenching my fists. Hell, that whiskey didn't do my eye-hand coordination any favors, but whatever. If this fuck wants to fight, a fight he's gonna fucking get!
…Or at least that's what I thought, until I noticed him digging his back pocket, soon pulling out something metallic.
"You're dead, shitface!"
A knuckleduster. That's a fucking knuckleduster if I've ever seen one! The guy slipped his fingers into it as I was taking a wary step back. My previous determination vanished in an instant. Shit, this ain't what I was prepared for! Should I—? Could I—? Uh, um… F-Fuck!
I hardly had any time to think as the guy started approaching me. With every step he took, I took another step back. Yes, I'll admit it, I was scared.
Should I run? Just make a run for it? Though, I don't know if I should turn my back to him. What if he is faster than me after all, and catches me? That's a big fucking gamble – a gamble I won't take. Okay, then what? Stand my ground, wait for him to throw a punch, dodge it, tackle him and then get the fuck out of here? I don't know, I don't fucking know!
My breathing was getting even heavier as I was running out of room to back away to. The hallway was just a few meters away, but so was the guy. I really didn't know what to do, I was in a total state of panic. Drunkenness didn't help it at all, not one fucking bit. Taking yet another step back, I almost stumbled over, but quickly regained my balance. However, in the middle of my stumble, my hand happened to sweep over my coat's pocket, feeling it in its passing.
…I… I guess this is as good moment as any. I think… No; I know I'm going to regret this, but I'm afraid I won't be around to regret anything if I don't do this.
"…I won't fucking go down."
My hand reached for my coat's pocket, found it, and slipped in.
"I fucking won't, you hear me, fucker!?"
As my fingers reached it, I grasped it tightly, ready to pull it out.
"Not when Ui is waiting for me to come and drink tea with her!"
I was just yelling whatever was on my mind to rile myself up for what was about to happen. I was prepared to fight for my life. I'm not sure if the guy even cared what I was saying. He took another step, raising his fist. That's when I pulled it out.
…
All of a sudden, the music, having only acted as an unwelcome background noise in this whole ordeal, died, taking us all by surprise, me and that guy included. Everything seemed to stop for a second as we all noticed the sudden silence.
"Don't you fucking mess with my fucking drinking buddy!"
It was followed by a fierce war cry, coming from somewhere at the DJ's direction. I, and pretty much everyone else, turned to face the yell. I couldn't see past the onlookers, however. But, that problem was quickly solved, as few of them outright jumped out of the way to make way for a dude, sprinting towards us at full speed. Suddenly, he sprung upwards, turning sideways, and raising both of his feet in a vertical position. He flew through the air like a human-shaped missile, his feet finally coming in contact with the guy, who barely had any time to react. A flying kick like that is sure to bring anyone down tumbling, which the guy demonstrated when the kick landed into his side, and he came down crashing on the floor.
No more murmurs could be heard from the crowd, it was so quiet I could hear my ears ringing. The guy, who had just performed that magnificent kick, was slowly getting on his feet.
"I told you, I fucking told all of you!"
My eyes widened as I laid my eyes on him. That flashy aloha shirt… It's that fucking guy whose whiskey I drank, and he even gave me money for it! And he looked fucking pissed!
"Two simple fucking rules! One, no ruckus indoors, sort your shit outside! And two, keep your fucking toys at home, I won't tolerate them here!"
Though I barely even knew him, that sudden change of character made me wonder if that even was the same all-smiles guy I drank with just a moment ago. The part about 'keeping your toys at home' made me quickly glance at the thing I was holding in my hand, and hastily shoving it back into my pocket. But, wait, now that I think about his words more carefully…
The aloha shirt dude approached the guy who was just about to bash my face in, kicking him in the leg. "You. Get the fuck out of here."
The guy was struggling to get up. "T-The fuck you—Ugh!"
…Until he was kicked back down by the aloha shirt dude. "You fucking heard me! This is the third fucking time you've started shit at my damn party. You're out!"
No way he actually is this party's host… Hold on, now that I have a moment to think, he and Tadaaki were staring at one another, like they knew each other. Yeah, maybe he is.
As the aloha shirt dude and the knuckleduster guy started arguing, the crowd began getting more lively again. Some insults directed at the knuckleduster guy could be heard now that people knew the party's host wanted him out. I stood there, stunned and staggered. Not sure if my drunken mind thought I'd also get in trouble or something, but as discreetly as I could, I slipped past the crowd into the hallway, stumbling across it to get to the front door.
Outside, whilst carefully feeling the part of my face which had taken the blow, I let out a tired sigh. Damn, I really let my guard down with the drinking, I should've known something like this would happen. That's why I've always avoided drinking if there's even a bit of reason to expect a fight to happen. Thank the gods that guy with the aloha shirt decided to step in, I'd be in some deep shit otherwise… Slowly opening my eyes, I looked at the darkened neighborhood. The street lights illuminated the light snowfall, which had been going for hours.
Outside, huh… I, uh, was heading outside to begin with, before that fight. But why? Why was I heading out…? Oh, that's right! Now I remember:
I have someplace to be. It's New Year's eve, after all.
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This chapter was getting way too long, so I decided to cut it in half. Next part ETA 24 hours, with a 100 hours margin of error.
The story turned two years last month. I didn't intend the writing to take this long, but [insert excuses here], and so on. Despite that, the story's got lots of new followers and amazing feedback, thank you all for that! We still a few chapters ahead of us, so stay tuned. At this pace, I might even finish this story by the end of the year, but I ain't making any promises at this point.