Summary: The brunet's eyes stumbled upon the badge fixed on the silver-haired guy's shirt. Strangely, it didn't indicate the name he knew. Instead, it was written in Romanji: "OTTO." The young man in front of him followed his gaze and finally understood where his confusion was coming from.
"Ah! Don't worry, just a dumb joke."
"Oh... Okay, see you later then."
He didn't use any name, not knowing which one to use.
The charming "OTTO" nodded, and Kuroo reached the end of the counter. As he waited for his drink, he couldn't stop ruminating on the question. What could be so funny about calling your colleague "OTTO"? Kuroo had never been particularly fond of Germanic names, but this one was still quite… peculiar. Only when he was called to pick up his drink did the answer finally occur to him:
"Otto-san... Daddy! Sugar Daddy!"
Chapter 5: Otto the sugar daddy
Kuroo let out a deep sigh. No, he wasn't sleeping; he was just resting his eyes! Mobilizing two neurons at such an early hour was pure torture. He would have given anything to go back to bed. What a cruel fate he was enduring...
Outside, the sun had barely made an appearance. Normally, all his classes started at a reasonable hour, and he was perfectly content with that. So why? Why on earth had they decided to move his classes from 10 to 7 am? It had been almost five years since Kuroo had to get up that early, and it was particularly painful for him. He would have been tempted to skip the classes, but the teaching staff had threatened to deduct points from their final grade if they didn't show up. However, the logistics of their torture treatment had not been well-executed: the room assigned to them, tiny and poorly lit, could barely accommodate everyone.
Moreover, Kuroo had to face this ordeal alone. Chris, who hadn't chosen the same classes, was probably luxuriating in extra sleep at this very moment, leaving Kuroo to endure the early morning struggle in solitude. Unfair, to say the least! Luckily, the only vacant seat in the room happened to be beside him, a small consolation in his solitary suffering. He scanned the room, starting to recognize his fellow students without being able to put names on faces yet. He frowned; the annoying diva was nowhere to be seen. Had he overslept? Or, good grief, did he not have time to refresh his manicure? The horror! How could he confidently parade without perfectly manicured nails to complement his coat? Kuroo chuckled, amused by his thoughts.
Karma quickly made him pay for his little mockery.
As the class was about to begin, the door slammed open behind Kuroo. He turned instinctively, more intrigued by the noise than by the person entering. But this order quickly reversed. He had a hard time recognizing him at first, but he almost choked in surprise when he did: it was the diva. Who... strangely no longer had much of what he knew about him (so not much really). While he usually had an impeccable style, this time Kuroo wondered if he hadn't just come in pajamas. He had messy hair and big bags under his eyes, hidden behind a large pair of glasses. He wore a black windbreaker with nonexistent elegance, jeans way too big for him, and a pair of worn-out white sneakers. Phew, he thought he wasn't a morning person, he had found someone to outmatch him. His gaze met the diva's when he realized where the last available seat was.
The diva seemed annoyed, but his usual look of condescending disdain had disappeared. He was just... wrinkled as if he didn't have the energy to express more complex emotions. The diva approached and pulled the chair next to him to sit. He took off his jacket, and Kuroo could then see the T-shirt he was wearing underneath, covered with small green aliens. Green aliens, yes. Those with balloon-like heads and oversized eyes. Kuroo swore he heard the diva growl when he noticed his gaze. The brunet looked away, troubled, and remained so until the class started.
Then began a losing battle...
The Enemy: a cell biology class taught in English at 7 in the morning.
To face it: his English level, which he realized was not that good, and his two alert neurons. He fought for a good while. But just as he thought he was getting back on track, a graph appeared whose explanation seemed most nebulous to him. He still clung on and continued to write. But the sentences disappeared from his mind before he could even put them on paper. And gradually, he felt the words burying him, making him suffocate, crushing him. He eventually let go of his pen and let out a discreet sigh. Damn, this wasn't how he was going to make progress... If he didn't have the notes that he wasn't currently taking, how would he manage to study for the exam? And his parents who were counting on him... What a little brat! Wanting to leave for the city like a grown-up without even taking responsibility! Soon he would be on the streets! And all because he couldn't concentrate, damn it.
A brief low growl snapped him out of his infernal spiral. He turned his gaze. This was the second time the diva had made weird noises at him; noises he swore he had never heard before this day. He met his gaze, not understanding what he wanted.
He was surprised to read no animosity in it, only a vague discomfort at most. Under his astonished gaze, he saw the diva pull his chair closer to his and tilt this computer screen. Kuroo remained momentarily speechless. He didn't expect that from the diva. Had he misjudged him? Probably yes, because at this moment, he represented to him the most amazing human being the earth had ever borne.
The diva didn't say anything and continued writing his notes. Kuroo quietly thanked the young man, the latter offering a nod in response. Kuroo quickly resumed taking notes. The more he wrote, the more he promised himself to build a shrine in the diva's honor: the notes were transcribed more or less in Japanese and perfectly organized. He didn't just transcribe what he heard; he synthesized the information, made links with the beginning of the class, and organized everything according to a color code that Kuroo had no trouble understanding. In short, a masterpiece. Kuroo couldn't believe that even though he didn't seem to be a morning person, he managed to solicit enough synaptic connections to do such impeccable work. And for that, he had his immense respect. He vaguely wondered why the diva had come to his rescue. Did he look that pitiful? He shrugged: if he indeed attracted pity, it didn't matter as long as it benefited him.
The moment the class ended, the diva quickly packed up his things, put on his windbreaker, and disappeared before Kuroo could even thank him. The brunet lowered his eyes to his notes; it was rare that he absorbed so much information all at once, and for that, he owed thanks to the diva. He promised himself to find a way to thank him later...
-/-
The curse struck Kuroo again the following day. They had been informed the previous afternoon that the biochemistry tutorial, normally scheduled for Wednesday at the very reasonable time of 1 pm, had been moved to Tuesday at 7:45 am. The scenario repeated itself more or less: Kuroo was still exhausted, even if, in the end, the additional forty-five minutes of sleep had their effect. There were far fewer people in the room, but the seat next to him was still vacant, empty of the only friend he had made, who insisted on taunting him with his repeated lie-ins.
As the day before, the door slammed open behind him, and he recognized the diva. This time, the young man apparently had time to take care of his style, but not to put in his contact lenses, as evidenced by the large pair of glasses perched on his nose. Kuroo sensed no animosity or annoyance in him, just a deep weariness. He came to sit next to Kuroo, without addressing him, and without emitting any of his unsettling noises this time. The brunet took it as a great sign but didn't dwell on it and focused his attention on the class. He was able to follow everything this time; no need for great English proficiency as they spoke his language: the language of chemistry. While some wished to talk about the rain, he only wanted to hear about double bonds, carbon, and hydrogen. He was in his element, and the feeling of not drowning under the mass of information coming at him was nice to say the least. Yet he was forced to admit that it was not the case for everyone. Next to him, the diva was having a nervous breakdown; his notetaking was punctuated by exasperated sighs or other incomprehensible murmurs, seemingly full of wrath. The "coup de grâce" was finally delivered when the chemical structure on the board was erased far too quickly for the diva's liking. He dropped his pen abruptly, cursing the whole world before slumping back in his chair, crossing his arms like a frustrated child. This time, Kuroo couldn't help but let out a laugh. The diva turned to give him a death stare, but he seemed troubled when he discovered that the brunet was smiling at him, mocking indeed, but without challenge or judgment. Kuroo handed him the sheets he had just written, placing them in the middle of the table, before resuming taking notes. The diva's gaze traveled several times between Kuroo and the sheets he had put within his reach.
"Hurry up, or you'll be even more lost,"Kuroo whispered to him, without turning his gaze away from the board.
He felt the diva look at him for a while, but he decided not to meet his gaze. Eventually, the young man next to him looked away, moved the sheets towards him, and started copying what was on them. He quickly caught up but continued to use the brunet's notes to copy chemical structures and other convoluted formulas.
Soon, the theoretical part came to an end, and they had to tackle some exercises. After spending the first ten minutes working silently on their own, Kuroo finally came to the rescue of his table neighbor, who was once again on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He saw that accepting help was something difficult for him. But Kuroo didn't mind and continued to help him without his voice announcing any judgment. He just stated the facts. The diva finally relaxed when he realized that the explanations did indeed help. Without even realizing it, he also started interacting with Kuroo, asking for explanations here and there or presenting his work for his feedback. Silence finally fell, and each returned to work on their own. This time, when the class ended, the diva didn't flee immediately. He packed his things without hurrying and put on his coat without haste. It took Kuroo a while to understand that his neighbor was taking his time to attract his attention without having to call out to him. Once their eyes met, the diva bowed to thank him and left without saying anything. Kuroo watched him go, a little thrown off by the events. He finally looked away, letting out a smile. In the end, being social and not sticking to his prejudices had paid off.
He stretched his arms and began to pack his things too. He wasn't particularly in a hurry, given that he didn't have any other classes for the day. That's when his phone vibrated in his pocket. A huge smile, strangely Machiavellian, spread across his lips. It was an alert from his bank announcing that his mother's money transfer had just been made: compensation for the crab incident. So now he knew what he would do with his day: rebuild a semblance of a wardrobe. And find underwear because he couldn't stand washing them every night to have a clean one the next day, a rotation of two boxers was very limited. But soon, the torment would come to an end.
He threw himself into the subway heading towards the city center, where he would surely find the Holy Grail. He spent his journey more occupied with wondering what new style he would adopt, without caring this time about the other passengers who pressed him against the window (my my, he was really becoming a real Tokyoite). He still managed to free up enough space to send a message to his two younger sisters, who were usually his personal stylists. Both responded promptly, and he had to promise to keep them informed of his progress. He smiled and put the phone back in his pocket.
When he arrived at Shibuya station, it was the human mass more than his will that made him exit the train. The first trial he faced was to find which exit, out of the nineteen possible ones, he should take. Really, between 13A and 6 West, the choice was difficult. He chose exit number 5. The mass movement carried him like waves rolling to the shore. Finally reaching the surface, he was immediately overwhelmed by the ambient commotion. Maybe not a real Tokyoite yet... He wondered if he would ever get used to the unique atmosphere that prevailed in the heart of the city: the huge giant screens like a forest replacing the horizon, immense buildings, and the jungle of billboards in every direction. The noise was everywhere and came from all directions. Kuroo, even though he wasn't quite familiar with this wild urban sprawl yet, was starting to adjust.
Once he crossed the immense intersection, he took out his phone: 10:30.
All right, first things first: find a place to have coffee. It was out of the question for him to do anything until his "caffeine meter" was recharged. The brunet turned into an alley where the crowd seemed a bit less dense and went on a reconnaissance mission. He would have liked to visit Akaashi-san, but unfortunately, the "Fukuro coffee" was way too far. So, he had to find something new. He let his gaze wander around without slowing down. A storefront finally caught his attention. His pace was faster than his visual air, so he had to take a few steps back to examine it in detail: "Karasu no Kôhî," the crow's coffee... It was a trend to give establishments bird names apparently. He decided that it must be a sign and entered.
The place was overall quite pleasant. Kuroo wondered who had dared to paint most of the walls orange, but after a few seconds of getting used to it, it seemed less shocking, almost enjoyable. The brunet stood in line and focused on studying the menu above the counter. Lowering his eyes, his gaze fell on the person behind the counter, and... he recognized him. Kuroo furrowed his brows. Was his brain playing tricks on him again? No, it was impossible to forget the silver-haired young man facing him. Kuroo could never forget his savior/medium! Without him, he would never have known that the fragrance licorice and honey suited him so well. Their eyes hadn't met yet, giving Kuroo a bit of time to think about how he would approach him. After all, it wasn't certain that the latter would remember him. Maybe he was just a little lost sheep among the crowd of other lost sheep that Sugawara-san had rescued! Maybe it wasn't him but his twin brother: one working at the seven-eleven, the other in a coffee shop on the other side of the city... Or a look-alike... Damn, now that he thought about it, it actually made sense...
"Hello, welcome to Karasu no Kôhî, can I take your order?"
The brunet was (once again) taken aback. Since no response reached him, the silver-haired man looked up. Kuroo smiled at him (one of his typical smiles), and he vaguely thought that if the guy didn't recognize him, he would probably seem very, very creepy. Fortunately, that wasn't the case; the brunet caught the moment his counterpart recognized him, and the silver-haired smiled at him with all his teeth.
"Oh! It's you! Nice to see you again! You look better than last time!"
Kuroo greeted him as if meeting an old friend.
"Hey! Yeah, thanks again for last time! I owe you one!"
"It's really nothing! Are you getting used to the city? What will you have?"
"Slowly, but yeah. A latte, please. Oat milk."
"Perfect! Your name?"
"My name?"
"For the drink."
"Oh! Kuroo!"
"Okay, noted! ," he smiled, "your order will be at the end of the counter"
"Okay, thanks Sug..."
The brunet's eyes stumbled upon the badge fixed on the silver-haired guy's shirt. Strangely, it didn't indicate the name he knew. Instead, it was written in Romanji: "OTTO." The young man in front of him followed his gaze and finally understood where his confusion was coming from.
"Ah! Don't worry, just a dumb joke."
"Oh... Okay, see you later then."
He didn't use any name, not knowing which one to use.
The charming "OTTO" nodded, and Kuroo reached the end of the counter. As he waited for his drink, he couldn't stop ruminating on the question. What could be so funny about calling your colleague "OTTO"? Kuroo had never been particularly fond of Germanic names, but this one was still quite… peculiar. Only when he was called to pick up his drink did the answer finally occur to him:
"Otto-san... Daddy! Sugar Daddy!"
Eureka, his neurons had finally found peace!
He realized that he had just spoken out loud (shouted really) when he noticed that everyone in the coffee shop had turned to look at him.
"Damn..." muttered the brunet. Seems like he could speak in a low voice when he wanted to.
The silver-haired one, who initially seemed bewildered, eventually burst into laughter.
"Hush! We said not in public, Kuroo-san."
Kuroo had the terrible urge to disappear, to dig a hole and return to the bowels of the Earth. He finally thought that the best way to overcome his shame was to own it: he let out a mischievous smile and suggestively raised his eyebrows, which made Sugawara-san laugh once again. Once everyone had diverted their attention from him, he approached the cashier.
"Sorry for that."
"It's nothing! I had a good laugh."
"I didn't, but oh well. So, was I right? For the 'Otto' thing?"
The person in question nodded, a mischievous smile appearing on his lips:
"Disappointed not to have the exclusive right to call me 'Otto-san'?"
"Well..."
Sugawara chuckled.
"Well, on that note, I'm going to disappear. I wouldn't want people to have time to memorize my face."
"Alas, I think it's too late, Kuroo-san."
"Hope springs eternal."
"Yeah... Well, see you later, Kuroo-san!"
Kuroo returned his farewell and left the cafe, completely unaware that this "see you later" would be more apt than he could have imagined.
-/-
"Tetsu! You're just showing us the basics! I thought you wanted to change your style ?!"
"Seriously, man, a little boldness!"
Tetsurō rolled his eyes, bitterly regretting agreeing to the video call with his sisters. Even though they weren't physically with him, they managed to drag him through the streets of Shibuya. He ended up entering the massive Shibuya 109 shopping center. He had already given up the idea of opposing any resistance. It was quite simple: he didn't have the luxury of making a single decision.
"Basic, basic, basic..."
"Even your undies are basic!"
Kuroo raised an eyebrow.
"Do they need to be anything other than basic?"
"Who knows?"
The young woman provocatively wiggled her eyebrows.
Kasumi Kuroo (Katsu Katsu ) was two years younger than Tetsurō. Her specialty: pissing off her big brother. She was pretty good at it, her methods being effective even if she was hundreds of kilometers away from him.
"You could find a good use for them, Tetsu!"
Natsume Kuroo, the youngest, was also pretty good at being a pain in his ass. Under her appearance of a frail and innocent high school student, was a literal demon.
He, however, deeply loved his sisters and enjoyed their company, even if they were tormenting him.
"By the way, have you found a cute face to your liking yet?"
Tetsurō gave them an enigmatic smile.
He had to be smart about his answer: if he answered negatively or very vehemently, it might seem suspicious. However, the problem would be the same if he evaded the question. He still opted for the latest solution:
"Natsu, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"
"Well... no."
"Seriously, turn on your camera, it's weird hearing your voice and not seeing you."
"No!"
"Turn it on!"
"But why?"
"You might be getting high on crack in a back alley, we need to know!"
"Dramatic much?"
"Come on!"
Tetsurō heard his youngest sister sigh, but she eventually complied.
Kasumi and he then discovered Natsume, in what seemed to be a bathroom stall, in uniform, leaving no doubt about her geographical location.
"You're skipping classes again!" protested her older brother.
"This will cost you a lot if you don't want me to tell Mom."
"Okay, okay! It's math."
"Oh." answered the two older siblings in unison.
Indeed, while ordinary people despised logarithms and other derivatives, Natsume loved them, and the affection was mutual. By the time she was two years old, Natsume could already do Euclidean divisions; she tackled three-variable equations at around twelve, and at seventeen now, her hobby was sending salty critiques to mathematicians at the University of Cambridge or Oxford, depending on her mood. So, there was no harm in her skipping high school math classes.
"Well, let's get back to business, Tetsu, this T-shirt is lame, plain, basic, boring."
"Really?"
"Wait, wait, Natsu," intervened Kasumi, "it's still a must-have, kind of like the little black dress, you know."
Her younger sister let out a little mischievous laugh:
"Do you remember when we made Tetsu try on your clothes? Epic!"
Kasumi let out a laugh before smiling foolishly:
"Oh yeah, epic..."
"Shut up! You're just jealous; that dress looked great on me!"
"It wasn't too bad..."
"Damn right it wasn't too bad, I was drop-dead gorgeous. Well, there you go! A little floral dress would suit me well, at least that's not 'basic', happy?"
"Sorry, I think we don't have a floral dress in your size..."
Kuroo jumped in surprise hearing the voice behind him. He didn't need to turn around to recognize the person behind him.
"Daddy!"
He instantly regretted his words.
"Did he just call that guy 'Daddy'?" murmured Kasumi.
"Yes... Maybe we should have insisted on the underwear..."
Kuroo muted his phone.
"I said not in public, Kuroo-san!"
"Sorry, I can't help it now," he replied.
Sugawara winked at him.
"Our paths crossed again," observed the brunet.
"Indeed."
"So, do you work in every store in the city, or should I be worried?"
"Worried about what?"
"My survival? Otto, that sounds a bit like a serial killer's name now that I think of it."
A diabolical smile slowly spread across Sugawara's lips. Kuroo felt his blood begin to freeze. But instantly, Sugawara's features softened (which was no less frightening).
"No, it's just that rents are astronomically high here."
"Ah, yeah..."
"Plus, if I had chosen you as a victim, I would have been a little more discreet..." added the silver-haired man, still smiling.
Kuroo swallowed difficultly.
"Well," Sugawara clapped his hands, "let's see what I can do for you!"
He stepped back and studied Kuroo's physiognomy, making him turn several times with a serious expression painted on his face.
"I'll be right back!" he announced before disappearing into an adjacent aisle.
Kuroo nodded and turned the microphone back on.
"Who's that guy ?!" yelled his sister.
"Ugh, you're breaking my eardrums!"
"Answer you little shit!"
"Nothing, a guy I keep running into... Yeah! You know the guy who helped me at the seven-eleven last time? That's him!"
"Oh!"replied his sisters in unison.
"But what's he doing here?"
"He works here..."
"Yeah, I guess, but..."
Kuroo didn't hear the end; he muted the sound when Sugawara came back to him, arms loaded with clothes.
"Here!"
He thrust the clothes into his hands before dragging him towards the fitting rooms. Before his brain could properly process what was happening, he found himself inside a unmuted his sisters.
"Well, go on, try it on!"
He put his phone on the chair inside and started taking off his pants. However, he was stopped in his action when the screams of terror from his two sisters reached him.
"Ah, my eyes!"
"Dude, we didn't sign to see your butt up close!"
Kuroo let out a mischievous smile and dropped his jeans on his legs before approaching his ass to the phone. He burst into laughter upon hearing a new cry of disgust:
"Well, thanks for the enthusiasm!"
"Come on, stop it; spare us this horror show, hurry up and change!"
Kuroo turned the phone back and complied, not failing to escape a little chuckle.
He looked at the items in front of him, not entirely sure how it would look on him.
"Well ?" asked Kasumi after several minutes, visibly impatient.
Kuroo took the phone, holding it up to the mirror. Instantly, an expression of surprise and appreciation appeared on their faces.
"Oh! Dude! Damn, you look good like that !"
"Yeah !"
"Really ?"
The brunet turned in front of the mirror, seeing his reflection. He was now dressed in black cargo pants, an oversized tank top that, while not the ugliest, devilishly let drafts through, and a black jacket that almost reached his knees.
"Seriously! It gives off a bit of a bad-boy vibe! Tech wear vibe, not bad."
"It's like your usual style but a bit more sophisticated!"
"Isn't it too long?" asked Kuroo.
"No, it's stylish!"
"Buy it!"
He didn't have the leisure to doubt any longer, as his younger sisters started singing in unison to push him into buying the ensemble. They only stopped when he finally gave in. After all, it didn't look that bad on him.
When he came out of the fitting room, Sugawara was gone. He looked around for him for a moment before finally resuming the conversation with his sisters, who seemed to have been particularly inspired by this last fitting session.
-/-
He emerged again from the shopping center hours later, with arms laden and a seriously damaged bank account.
Outside, dusk had just fallen, coloring the sky with a myriad of orange hues. However, he didn't have the leisure to indulge in contemplation, caught in the hustle of hurried pedestrians. He let himself be carried along and headed towards the nearest subway station. However, he soon found himself overwhelmed by the dense crowd and attempted to navigate through less congested streets. His abysmal sense of direction compelled him to resort to his phone for guidance. The cunning device led him through numerous turns, steering him into increasingly narrow alleys. When Google Maps insisted on him crossing what appeared to be the entrance to hell – a tiny, dimly lit alley with only the flickering neon sign of a small grocery store visible – he hesitated. Ultimately, he took a deep breath and entered the alley. Everything went well until a door suddenly opened on his right, violently spewing the noisy commotion and the olfactory tumult of a restaurant kitchen into his face. The person who had just come out closed the door behind him and looked up.
"Damn it, tell me this is a joke!"
"Kuroo-san!"
Before him stood none other than Sugawara-san, smiling at him with all his teeth.
"What a strange coincidence," he commented finally, not seeming in the least disturbed by the fact that their paths had crossed not once, not twice, but three times in the same day.
"Yeah..."
Silence settled in briefly. Maybe he wasn't the only one finding the situation strange. He observed the young man in front of him, poor guy looked dead tired.
"Uh... Do you work here too?"
"Ah, no! Not this time! I have a friend who works here. I just came to steal some food from him", he informed him, pointing to the paper bag in his hands.
"Clever," commented the brunet. "Oh. Um, thanks for earlier, I didn't have time to thank you before leaving."
"Oh, it's nothing."
The silver-haired smiled at him. The day must have been long for him, Kuroo thought, noting that his smile had lost some of its luminosity. However, an extreme gentleness still lingered on the curve of his lips.
"And you, what are you doing here, Kuroo-san?"
"Oh... The usual, I'm lost."
The silver-haired chuckled.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm looking for the subway station."
"Okay, I'm going there too. We can go together if you want; it's not nearby."
Kuroo nodded, and they left together.
The first few minutes of walking were in silence before fragments of conversation began to establish themselves, finally solidifying to oust the silence.
"I don't know what's more absurd, the suitcase in Moscow, or this crab story!"
"Honestly, I don't know either. On the bright side, I had the opportunity to learn some Russian. Who knows, that might come in handy some days."
"Yeah, like if you end up in the Gulag; a diplomatic accident can happen so quickly you know."
Kuroo raised an eyebrow before bursting into laughter.
"That sounds like a threat," remarked the brunet humorously.
The silver-haired one shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe Otto happens to be my real name, and I'm a Russian spy sent to eliminate a potential terrorist who tried to harm the nation with a putrefied crab," suggested Sugawara, maintaining a smile that suddenly seemed quite unsettling.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're terrifying?"
Sugawara seemed taken aback by the comment but eventually burst into laughter.
"Well, I usually hide my true nature well, although I've heard that I terrify children aged four to six."
"That's a specific age range."
"I work with precision."
"Well, I'm impressed, Sugawara-san."
"They call me Van Helsing in the business."
Kuroo chuckled.
"Otto Von Helsing? Sorry, I'll stick with Sugawara if it doesn't bother you."
"Just Suga will do then."
"Fine, if I have no choice, Suga it is."
The silence fell, softer this time. Night had fallen. They had reached a more residential neighborhood, far from the skyscrapers and billboards. Here, the horizon was made up of small squares of light cut by the windows of houses and a few street lamps whose orange hues illuminated the pavement.
"And by the way, how about you ? Are you getting used to the big city yet ?"
" You mean since the time you found me on the verge of tears in the middle of the hygiene aisle of a seven-eleven? Yes, things have been better since then. I almost don't jump anymore when I hear barks."
Suga let out a small laugh.
"Barks? Sorry, Kuroo, I didn't realize you came from such a remote place you never saw dogs," teased the silver-haired man.
"Ahaha, very funny! No, like, alphas."
Suga raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry if this is too intrusive, but where exactly are you from?"
"Oh, a small town south of Sapporo."
Sugawara seemed pensive for a moment.
"I thought there was a big Sô-kita clan on Hokkaido..."
Kuroo looked at him, bewildered. His surprise seemed to disturb the silver-haired man more than he was.
"Sô what?"
"Sô-kita, you know, the omegaarchies? There aren't many left, but I thought they were still some clan in Hokkaido."
Kuroo still didn't understand, as if someone had just told him that aliens had invaded the earth decades ago, and he knew nothing of it.
"Omegaarchies?"
Sugawara was too stunned to speak.
"Uh..."
"Wait, wait, just... I didn't think that..."
"Yes, I know, my knowledge about secondary sexes, other than mine, is very limited. Like, I only know what I learned in school, and the subject is not very extensively covered."
"And... never heard about omegaarchies? Or other clans, I don't know, like the first clans of Yama-kita in Kansai or Sô-shi packs?"
Others? Sô-shi packs?
"Uh... no."
A long silence settled between them. The atmosphere visibly relaxed when Sugawara burst into laughter.
"I'm starting to question my entire education," confessed the brunet.
"I see why! What do they teach you at school there? Alphas are big, angry, and muscular guys who only think about fighting, and omegas are defenseless little things who only think about breeding?"
"Yeah... Sort of, yeah."
Suga's laughter intensified. Kuroo watched him howled in laughter, understanding that his lack of education was the cause but not grasping the humorous subtlety of it.
"Phew, sorry, sorry!" the Sugawara managed to say almost out of breath.
"I think you'll have to redo my education, Otto-san."
"That sounded wrong, but I'm afraid that is in order."
Sugawara leaned on his knees to straighten up and resumed walking.
"Okay. Lesson number 1: not all alphas can bark."
"I've heard that already..."
"... And those who can do it sometimes have the politeness and self-control not to do it all the time. For example, me: just because I can doesn't mean I'm not a civilized being. Those who barked at you are just idiots, to be polite."
The sentence had to go through Kuroo's mind several times before he grasped its meaning.
The first prejudice Kuroo had about alphas had just collapsed:
Prejudice No. 1: Alphas are forces of nature, gruff and aggressive Godzilla-kun.
Forced to admit that it wasn't necessarily true, as Sugawara-san didn't meet any of these criteria. Prejudice No. 1: Trash.
"Oh... I didn't... Sorry, I wasn't aware that..."
"I know, don't worry."
"Damn, though... Sorry."
"Pff, it's nothing, I've seen worse. And besides, you don't seem to be well-informed either."
"Yeah... That explains why you sniffed me the first time we met."
Suga chuckled.
"Oh my, I wished you'd forgotten about that already."
" Are you kidding? My first sniffing, not gonna forget any time soon! That's a very special moment."
"Sorry for stealing that precious moment from you," teased the silver-haired.
They laughed together. Only then did Kuroo realize they had reached their destination.
"This is where our paths diverge," Sugawara announced.
"Yeah, um... see you later."
"With the luck we have, it won't be too long!"
"Yeah... It'll allow you to continue your lessons."
"Wait, I know!"
Suga slid his backpack off his shoulders and rummaged inside. He pulled out a small notebook on which he scribbled before tearing the page and handing it to Kuroo. It read "CATO" in capital letters, followed by what seemed to be an address.
Was he inviting him to join a cult?
"What's this?"
"It's... a club, kind of."
"A club ?"
"Yeah, you'll see. I think the best way to learn is to see how it really works from the inside, you know."
No, he didn't know in fact.
"We meet on Thursday evenings at 7:30."
Kuroo stared at the piece of paper for a long moment. He didn't quite know what he was getting into by accepting, and besides, sure, Suga was a nice guy, but other than that, they didn't know each other that well. His doubts eased a bit when looking up, he met the benevolent gaze of Sugawara.
"Okay, thanks."
"See you on Thursday?"
"Yep, later!"
And they parted ways. Once in the subway, Kuroo took the opportunity to search the name of this strange club on the internet, trying to find out what it was all about. However, the search result left him more puzzled than anything else:
CATO Tokyo: Club of Amiable Teapot Owners.
What the hell?
What had he gotten himself into again...
-end of the chapter-
Next chapter: CATO
"The more he thought about it, the stranger it became... No, this teapot story made no sense... What if it was a cartel cover? Under the teapot gathering, maybe tons of "rare teas" were hidden. And by "rare tea" he meant shit like... what, meth? Clandestine meth smuggling? Although wary, Kuroo had still decided to go to the indicated address, just for reconnaissance...
Damn, what was he getting himself into?"
See ya!