Long overdue, here is chapter two.
The next day, Yuu arrived in Marukawa Shoten, bright and early. Since the usual studio was getting fixed and renovated, there was a room in Marukawa that no one was using, so Chiaki and his team were using it as a temporary studio. Chiaki was happy to see him again after all those weeks of the cold shoulder.
"Yuu, it's so great to see you again!" Chiaki said as he ran up to his friend.
"It's great to be working with you again, Chiaki. Of course, I've got to keep on working so I won't lose my edge." Yuu smirked.
"Uh, right. That's right." laughed Chiaki as they walked over at their desks to work. They began to sketch some new scenes for Chiaki's manga as Chiaki began to ask about Yuu's meeting with Ijuuin.
"So what was it like meeting Ijuuin-sensei?" asked Chiaki.
"It was really awesome. He said that he thought your work was interesting and he thought that it was an honor that I get to work with you. Which it is."
"Wow! He sounds like a really nice guy!"
"He is. He gave me his business card as well." said Yuu as he showed Chiaki the business card.
"You're really lucky, Yuu. I can't wait to meet him too."
And speak of the devil, Ijuuin suddenly passed by and recognized Yanase. He went inside to greet him.
"Yanase-san. Fancy bumping into you here." Ijuuin smiled as he greeted Yuu.
"Ah, Ijuuin-sensei. It's quite a surprise to see you here." Yuu commented with a smile on his face. Apparently, Chiaki was quite speechless to see Yuu and Ijuuin communicating casually.
"Oh, by the way. Ijuuin-sensei, this is Chiharu Yoshikawa himself. Real name Chiaki Yoshino." Yuu said as he introduced Chiaki to Ijuuin.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshino-san." Ijuuin said as he shook the star-struck young man's hand.
"Oh no, Ijuuin-sensei! If anything, it's a pleasure to meet you!" said a very excited Chiaki, who felt that he wasn't worthy in Ijuuin's presence. Ijuuin was quite flattered but was modest about it.
"Relax, Yoshino-san. You don't need to go crazy over me. I'm a mangaka just like you."
"But you're Kyo Ijuuin, author of The Kan! I could never write anything like that."
"Don't think that way, Yoshino-san. I've read your work; your stories have a lot of depth and I enjoy the character development." Ijuuin reassured Chiaki.
"Whoa. Thank you, Ijuuin-sensei." Chiaki thanked him.
Then Ijuuin looked over at Yuu and glanced at him sketching something.
"Sketching something there, Yanase-san?" Ijuuin asked, which sort of startled him.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Yuu replied, trying to hide the paper. He was sketching Ijuuin since he looked good in a natural pose.
"Yanase-san, I want to see it, please." Ijuuin asked nicely. Yuu, not wanting to disrespect Ijuuin, gave him the paper. "Is this supposed to be me, Yanase-san?"
"Yes, it is. It's just that you look quite photogenic and I thought that sketching you would—"
"Can I keep it?"
"What?"
"I like it. It definitely looks like me. Is it finished yet?"
"Well, it is. So…you can keep it." Yuu said as he blushed slightly.
"Thank you, Yanase-san. Well, it was nice seeing you both. I probably see you later when I take my next break."
Ijuuin nodded and showed himself out. Yuu was speechless and he felt his chest tighten.
"Whoa, Yuu. Ijuuin-sensei liked your drawing." Chiaki commented to his friend.
"I know. It's…perplexing."
"What was it a drawing of?"
"Just…something. We should probably get back to work, Chiaki. The deadline is important. " Yuu said, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh. Okay." Chiaki nodded,
Soon, night came and Yuu and Chiaki were more then halfway done. Then Chiaki suddenly remembered that he had plans with Hatori.
"Oh shit, I almost forgot! Tori and I were supposed to go see a movie. I don't know what I'm gonna do!"
"Go ahead." Yuu answered tersely.
"Huh?" Chiaki asked.
"You can go on ahead. I'll finish up everything here and I'll give it to you as soon as I'm done, hopefully tomorrow at the earliest."
"Are you sure, Yuu?"
"I'm sure. After all, I owe you a lot of help. It's the least I can do."
"Okay, if you insist. Thanks, Yuu." Chiaki thanked his friend shortly before leaving. As Yuu continued to work, he was thinking about his friendship with Chiaki.
"Sigh. I'm starting to think everything I do for him is getting compulsive. I mean, what do I really want from this? I know I want him to be happy, but this is making me miserable. He's told me several times he's not interested in me in that way. And slowly, I've painfully realized that. I guess this isn't meant to be…"
Meanwhile, as Ijuuin was about to head home, he spotted Yuu, working in that dark room with only the lamp by the desk as a light source. Ijuuin, seeing how alone he was, decided to keep him company.
"Yanase-san, what are you still doing here at this hour?" Ijuuin interrogated.
This startled Yuu again. "Oh, Sensei! I'm-I'm just finishing up some stuff Yoshikawa left for me to do."
"Yes, but this much work? Isn't this his manga?"
"He had other affairs to deal with tonight. And there really isn't anything waiting for me at home, so I might as well finish it here. Anyway, I've stayed at home way too long and I needed to go out."
Understanding this situation, Ijuuin grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over so he could sit next to Yuu. This made Yuu blush a little bit.
"Sensei? What's going on?"
"I figured I should keep you company. It's pretty late and it's cold."
"You don't have to pity me, Ijuuin-sensei. You don't have to stay. I'm fine."
"It's not that I have to stay; I want to stay. After all, it's my obligation as your acquaintance."
"Obligation? Acquaintance?" Yuu asked with a confused look on his face.
Ijuuin nodded. "Of course. You're an interesting person to be around, Yanase-san. You're talented and a hard-worker. I somehow wish my team members could be more like you."
"That's kind of…a bit much, but thank you anyway."
Later, Yuu was able to finish everything; earlier than expected. He stuffed the papers into an envelope and packed up his things.
"Looks like you finished early. Great job."
"Yeah, thanks. And by the way, I don't think anyone should know that you were here with me. Chiaki would kill me if he found out a rival author was keeping me company."
"I know what you mean. Not to worry, I didn't see anything at all. This'll be our little secret."
"Um, okay." stammered Yuu as he blushed again.
"Hey, Yanase. Would you mind if I walk with you?'
"N-no, not at all! It's perfectly fine."
As they began walking out together, they started to have a conversation about Yuu's job. It also happened to snow, so their environment was very white.
"So, are you an exclusive assistant to anyone?"
"Although I do work with Chiaki a lot, I'm not exclusive to anyone. I mostly do freelance work. So I don't take sides."
"That's good. You know, with your skills, I think you could help me with my work. You're a great artist, Yanase-san."
"Me? Help you with your work?" Yuu asked as he pointed to himself.
"Yes, definitely. You'll be quite useful to my team. So, what do you say, Yanase-san?"
Yuu's chest tightened even more. It wasn't clear if he was excited that one of his favorite mangaka offered him a job to do or something else. But either way, he couldn't refuse.
"Of course! It would be an honor to work with you. You can call me anytime. Here's my card."
Luckily, Yuu had his business cards with him this time, so he proceeded to give Ijuuin one, albeit he was shaking quite a bit.
"Don't be nervous, Yanase-san. It's okay." reassured Ijuuin as he ruffled Yuu's hair. Which made Yuu blush.
"Well, this is my way home. So, I'll see you when I see you, Sensei?"
"Sure thing. See you." Ijuuin smirked.
As Yuu was walking home, he contemplated what that hair-ruffling meant.
"What was that all about? We only met yesterday and he's being awfully chummy with me. And I feel cold, but somehow…I feel warm too."
Author's note:
- I'm not entirely sure if I kept them in character or not, so please give me some tips if you have 'em.
- I have a few ideas in mind for their love epiphanies, but I'd like to hear yours. So, please share them with me. I like to make my readers happy.