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[jannah1721]

A NaySean FMV

SIMM doesn’t give us musician Sean but the vid follow the same theme of my fanfic (refer to my previous post) : Nay fell first, Sean fell harder🤍🩵

Ps: I didnt know how to end the video😅it’s up to ur imagination to make up the storyline at the end🤭

[jannah1721]

Misfortune

Summary: Nay fell first, Sean fell harder.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star in my mind and its characters. This is purely a work of fiction, and I am not making any profits from this story.

If you asked Nay when it started, he wouldn’t have a definite answer.

Maybe it was during that evening when he stayed back at the campus to help the seniors with preparation for the new semester. There, he saw Sean, headphones in, eyes closed, swaying gently to music only he could hear, with the sunset in the background. It was a breathtaking sight.

Or maybe it was earlier, at the university competition. Nay had gone only to support Daonuea. But when Sean stepped onto the stage, everything else fell away. His voice…it carried feeling. Like a confession wrapped in melody. Nay didn’t know what the song was about, but he felt every word in his bones.

From that moment, Nay thought Sean was untouchable. But real enough to steal Nay’s calm.

🤍🤍🤍

Daonuea noticed.

“You like him”, he said one afternoon, sprawled across Nay’s bed, scrolling on his phone.

Nay didn’t answer. He was staring at the ceiling.

“I turned it down”, he murmured, more to himself than anyone. “I told myself not to fall”.

Daonuea sat up. “But?”

Nay shut his eyes. “He makes it hard”.

💙💙💙

Sean didn’t notice Nay at first. Or maybe he did, but he didn’t “see” him. To Sean, Nay was just “Daonuea’s best friend”: the quiet one, always polite, always around. Until one night, during a thunderstorm, the dorm’s power cut out. Sean groaned, tossing his guitar aside. “Well, so much for practicing”.

Daonuea was out with Khabkluen to buy some snacks. Only Nay remained, reading by flashlight.

Sean sat beside him. “It seems that you are calm, huh?”

Nay looked at him. “Only on the outside”.

Sean didn’t know why Nay’s response hit him the way it did.

They talked for hours that night. Not about music or majors, but about fears. Regrets. Childhood memories…the kind of conversation that lingers days after it ends.

After that many hours then they realized…that both Daonuea and Khabkluen were gone that long.

🤍🤍🤍

That was when Sean started looking.

He saw how Nay bit his lip when concentrating. How he turned his face towards the sun during walks. How he always playfully hug Daonuea from behind to surprise him whenever they met and Daonuea wasn’t aware that Nay was near.

One day, as they left the library together, Sean bumped Nay’s shoulder lightly.

“Nay…Do you ever feel like your heart’s playing tricks on you?”

Nay’s breath caught. “Yeah. Every day”.

💙💙💙

Nay didn’t plan to fall, but he did. He fall quietly, like rain soaking into soil. Unseen but undeniable.

Sean fell later. But when he did, it was a storm.

Sean found himself writing songs about eyes that never met his long enough, smiles that vanished before he could catch them. One day, he showed Nay a song. Didn’t explain. Just let him read the lyrics.

Nay softly recited, “Today, love has graced you with its presence…”

Sean’s voice cracked. “And stolen all my peace”.

Nay smiled through the ache in his chest as he continued reading the line, “Oh dear heart, your misfortune has begun”.

🤍🤍🤍

[jannah1721]

A love that was always there

Summary: Chain and Pun are drawn into a moment of honesty, where secrets are revealed, and love that had been quietly simmering for years finally comes to light. (This is a side story to my previous story titled A Vampire Historia)

Disclaimer: I do not own We Are and its characters. This is purely a work of fiction, and I am not making any profits from this story.

It’s a typical Wednesday at Phum’s residence. Pun, the caretaker, moves efficiently around the kitchen, receiving the usual shipment of blood from the delivery rider. It’s a task he’s become accustomed to. Once the stock is stored away, Pun gets to work on his other chores, cleaning the house until the scent of soap and fresh linens fills the air. By noon, the residence is spotless. He heads upstairs to freshen up and change, preparing for the afternoon classes that await him.

The day drifts by in the usual way, calm and uneventful. By evening, Pun returns to the residence. As he walks through the hallway to his bedroom, he notices that Chain’s door is ajar. Pun, always intrigued by the mysteries of his childhood best friend, peeks inside.

Chain is seated at his desk, typing away, his brow furrowed in concentration. Pun’s heart does a small skip as he watches Chain for a moment. He feels both familiar comfort and an ache deep inside. He knocks softly on the door.

“Hi, Pun! Come in!”, Chain’s voice is warm and he looks up with a smile.

Pun steps in and walks over to sit at the edge of the bed, his usual spot when they’ve had casual chats like this. “Hi, Chain! What’s up?”

“Just a little busy with assignments. How was your day?”, Chain responds.

“Normal. Nothing out of the ordinary happens today”, Pun answers, feeling a strange emptiness in his voice as his mind wanders. The mundane conversation fades as the lingering thoughts from the past semester break return to the forefront of Pun’s mind. The question burns in his mind… and his curiosity wins over.

“Chain...”, Pun hesitates, his voice barely a whisper as he gathers the courage to ask. “What do you think of Toey?”

Chain is taken off-guard by the sudden question, but he masks it with his usual composure. He looks at Pun, his expression neutral, but his eyes give away a subtle hint of surprise. “Nong Toey? Hmm... I think he's adorable”, he answers, his voice light and casual, almost like he’s evaluating a younger sibling. “And hardworking. Why do you ask?”

Pun’s heart clenches, a sharp pang of something he doesn’t want to name. He swallows hard, pushing aside the tightening feeling in his chest. This is the right moment. The moment to know the truth.

Taking a deep breath, he asks the question that has been tormenting him ever since that day. “That day... How did you convince Toey to remove his charm?”

The words hang heavy in the air. Pun is barely able to meet Chain’s gaze, looking at his hands instead. They have been avoiding talking about this topic. But Pun needs to know – what actually happened that day.

Chain’s expression falters for a split second. But as quickly as the vulnerability appears, it disappears behind a calm, unreadable mask. Chain leans back in his chair, eyes briefly flicking to the ceiling, lost in thought. Pun can’t read the emotion in his face. Was it guilt? Indifference?

Chain’s eyes move to look at Pun - his gaze sharpening as he studies Pun’s face. The weight of the inquiry seems to settle heavily between them. Pun watches Chain too, unsure of what to expect. It’s as though Chain is seeing through him, evaluating whether he can trust himself to answer honestly.

After what feels like an eternity, Chain rises from his seat. He crosses the room to stand directly in front of Pun. Without warning, Chain’s right hand moves to Pun’s cheek. His cool touch contrasts sharply with Pun’s warm skin, sending a shiver down his spine. Chain’s thumb gently caresses Pun’s cheek, tracing soft lines. Pun’s breath hitches and he instinctively leans into the touch. Looking at Chain’s sad smile only deepens the sense of longing in the air.

“I’m sorry for worrying you”, Chain says softly, his voice tinged with regret. “I... I know what I did was wrong, and... I’ve already reflected on it. Fang even slapped me twice for what I’ve done that day. I deserved it”.

For a moment, both men are silent. Now, both Chain’s hands move to both of Pun’s cheeks, cradling his face as though trying to steady Pun, as well as himself.

“You don’t need to know how I did it”, Chain continues, his voice almost a whisper now. “I promise you that it won’t happen again. OK? So don’t worry about it”.

Pun stares up at Chain, his heart hammering in his chest. Despite the confusion, Pun feels a tiny sliver of relief. As if some unspoken part of their bond is healing.

But then, Pun blurts out the question that has been gnawing at the back of his mind.

His voice trembles slightly as he asks, “Do you love Toey?”

It’s a question that he hasn’t dared to ask before.

Chain chuckles softly, the sound bittersweet. With a small, wry smile, he answers.

“Love is a heavy word, Pun. Let’s just say that Toey is my type. I do like him... but Toey loves Q. So I don’t stand a chance”.

Pun feels a pang in his chest at the answer. He presses on with his next question, “Won’t you fight for him?”

The question feels like a plea, but Chain responds in a calm manner. “You can’t force someone to love you, Pun”. Chain lets out an amused laugh. “What is there to fight?”

Pun lowers his gaze. Slowly, the tightness in Pun’s chest loosens. He feels light, like a weight has been lifted. The turmoil inside him calms, and he secretly lets out a small smile. Chain’s honesty and his openness, makes Pun feel a little better.

“How about you, Pun? Do you... love me?”

Pun, caught off guard by Chain's unexpected question, feels as though the air has been knocked out of him. He is frozen, his heart races, thundering in his chest as he feels the heat rise to his face. His mind reels, scrambling for a response that he’s never been able to articulate before.

It’s all too much, too overwhelming. The truth of his feelings has been buried inside him for so long, too afraid to be exposed, too scared of the consequences.

Pun’s eyes dart everywhere except towards Chain. He’s terrified of what admitting his feelings could mean, afraid of losing something precious, of ruining what they already have.

Chain, sensing the hesitation, gently cups Pun's chin, tilting it upward so their gazes finally meet. There’s no anger in Chain’s expression, only quiet understanding and patience. “So, do you love me, Pun?”, Chain repeats, softer now.

Pun’s throat tightens. He can’t find the words, but… he can’t keep this inside anymore. The walls he’s built for so long begin to crumble. So, with a sudden burst of courage, he closes the gap between them.

Without a word, Pun reaches up and presses his lips to Chain’s.

It’s a kiss that’s filled with all the longing and frustration built up over the years. Pun’s heart beats wildly, not just in fear but in the rush of finally being honest with himself. With Chain.

Chain is caught off guard for just a second, but then he responds, slowly, gently. His lips move against Pun’s, warm and inviting, and Pun feels his body relax into the kiss. It’s everything Pun has ever dreamed of, yet he never allowed himself to believe it could happen. He’s lost in the moment now, no longer questioning, no longer afraid.

Chain deepens the kiss, his arms coming around Pun’s waist, pulling him closer, as if he wants to make sure that this is real. That this… is really happening. Pun melts into the embrace, his hands instinctively finding their place against Chain’s chest.

For the first time in a long time, Pun feels whole. It’s not perfect, it’s not simple… but it’s real. And as they part, breathless but smiling, they finally acknowledge this connection that has been building for years, finally coming to fruition.

Pun looks up at Chain, his heart still racing. “I... I love you”, he breathes.

Chain’s smile is soft, his eyes warm with affection. “I love you too, Pun”.

=== === ===

“Pun”, Chain begins, his voice low, “When the incident with Toey happened, and I saw your face… how sad you looked… I felt guilty. I couldn’t stand it. Seeing you hurt because of me… That’s when I realized that... I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to see you sad”.

Pun’s breath catches in his throat. The sincerity in Chain’s voice hits him harder than expected.

Chain takes a deep breath before continuing, “I’ve always known, Pun. I’ve always known how you feel about me. How much you care. But I never had the courage to address it. I never wanted to hurt you by giving you false hope. I was confused, unsure of what I felt for you. I didn’t know if I could ever return those feelings… if I could love you the way you deserve”.

Pun’s heart skips a beat. He hadn’t expected Chain to confess his doubts, his confusion. It feels surreal to hear it, to know that Chain has been in the same struggle that he has.

“But now”, Chain continues, his eyes locking with Pun’s, a certain clarity in them now, “I’m sure. I know what I feel, and I’ve always loved you, Pun. Just as much as you love me”.

A rush of warmth fills Pun’s chest. He smiles softly, a mix of relief and joy flooding through him. Chain's confession is everything Pun had hoped for - and more. But then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, Pun tilts his head slightly and raises an eyebrow.

“Even though I’m not your type?”, Pun teases.

Chain blinks in surprise for a moment. Then he chuckles. “Not my type?”, Chain repeats, pretending to look offended. “You’re telling me you don’t think you’re my type? That’s rude, Pun”.

Pun laughs too, the tension of the moment dissolving into something lighter.

Chain shakes his head, still chuckling. “Well, I might have a type, but I believe the feelings somebody evoked within me is stronger than having a type”.

Suddenly, as if he is reminded of something, Chain walks over to his desk. He opens the drawer slowly and pulls out a small, elegantly wrapped box.

“Here, for you”, Chain says, handing the box to Pun.

Pun’s eyes widen as he takes the box, his curiosity piqued. He carefully unwraps the packaging, revealing a delicate bracelet with a cute penguin charm hanging from it. His face lit up instantly and he gasps in excitement.

“Hey! I've been wanting this! I planned to go back to the store and purchase it at the end of the month! OMG, I'm so lucky! Thank you so much!” Pun jumps up and down, his joy bubbling over. He’s practically bouncing with excitement.

Chain chuckles softly, amused by Pun's reaction. “Really? Yeah, you're really lucky then. I knew that you like penguins though”.

Pun beams, his eyes sparkling. “Hehehe, thank you so much, Chain! Thank you so much!” He can’t stop grinning, overjoyed by the unexpected gift.

What Pun didn’t know was that Chain had been there that day. He had watched from the corner of the store as Pun lingered in front of the jewelry display, his fingers tracing the outline of the penguin charm bracelet, contemplating whether or not to buy it. Pun had even picked it up, held it close, and examined it with a thoughtful expression, but in the end, he had placed it back on the display shelf.

Chain had stepped in shortly after, silently picking up the bracelet. He remembered the exact feeling he had that day - he wanted Pun to feel special. If he gifts the bracelet, something that Pun desired, to the man himself, he will feel special. And so, Chain had purchased the bracelet on a whim. Now, watching Pun’s overjoyed reaction, Chain couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

Pun, still grinning widely, glances up at Chain, his happiness evident in his eyes. “You really made my day, Chain. This is so sweet of you”.

Chain simply smiles, his usual calm demeanor returning. “I’m glad you like it, Pun”.

As Pun hugs the bracelet to his chest, Chain is glad he did it - glad he could make Pun feel special.

“Pun… can I ask you something?”, Chain softly asks.

Pun, still fiddling with the bracelet, looks up, his brow furrowing slightly. “Sure, what’s up?”

Chain pauses for a moment, gauging the right words. “When all that stuff happened with Toey, did you… were you jealous?”

Pun freezes at the question, the weight of it sinking deep into his chest. After a long, silent beat, Pun takes a deep breath. “Yeah… I was jealous”, he admits quietly, his gaze falling to the bracelet, his fingers absently tracing the charm. “I was jealous of the attention you gave Toey. And when the incident happened... I thought you might have fallen for him, that you cared more for him than for me. It made me… question everything”.

Pun meets Chain’s eyes, his own gaze filled with honesty. “But even so, I’ve never hated Toey. He’s... he’s just a kid. And, well, I knew he didn’t ask for any of what you have done to him. I can’t hate him for something you did”.

Chain feels a pang of guilt as he looks at Pun, his heart aching a little. Chain reaches out, his fingers gently brushing the back of Pun’s hand, sending a small jolt through Pun’s body. “I should’ve never let it go that far. But I promise you, Pun, I’ll never do anything to make you feel that way again. You’re the only one I care about, now and always”, Chain sincerely says.

Pun’s heart flutters at Chain’s words. He looks at Chain with a playful grin, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m glad to hear that. Anyway…”, Pun raises his hand that’s wearing the bracelet, “Now that I have this, I guess you’re stuck with me forever. You’re never getting rid of me now”. Pun winks.

Chain laughs softly, “That’s great. Because I don’t plan on letting you go either”. He moves his face closer to Pun and adds, “Guess we’ll have to learn to live with each other forever now”.

And just like that, their heart feels full. And for the first time in a long while, they feel like they had done the right thing. Their feelings for each other are clear now. Nothing else matters except for the shared understanding between them. They stay there, laughing and holding each other, feeling exactly where they were meant to be.

End note: Hello guys! Since I've been rewatching We Are, I'm reminded of my first fic here and I suddenly had a lightbulb moment with Chain and Pun so of course, I HAD TO WRITE haha

Hope you guys like this short chapter focusing on Chain and Pun. Please leave a comment! It will be much appreciated! :)

Thank you for reading!

[jannah1721]

#QToey - “I’m in love with the person who wrote the letters”

Their story reminds me of this bollywood movie in my childhood, hence, the song choice. Who else is like me?🥹*Hi5✋🏼*

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Anniversary Live 2025 Report

It's finally here, sorry for the long wait!! Let me share some overall thoughts first( ^_^)/~~~

Venue: Probably the newest and fanciest venue I‘ve ever been to. Loved all the screens with Kalafina visuals. They had them across the entire area, some bigger, some smaller and a really big one in front of the venue itself. The theater appeared to be a bit intimidating at first glance but I actually appreciated the layout, I feel like you got to have a pretty decent view from most places, even in the upper balconies.

Collaboration events: This one was somewhat of a fail for me. Originally, I wasn’t too impressed with most of the collaboration food but I was still eager to get it, especially the stuff that was wrapped nicely. The chocolates looked lovely but they were already sold out when I arrived at 11:00 on the 15th.🥲Was also planning to get the katsu sandwich in the Kalafina packaging but that was sold out as well. Not afraid to admit that I cried a little when I realised I woudn't be able to get them...I did get one of those gorgeous tray sheets at Taco Bell at least🙌 Managed to secure one of those tiny photo cards too but meh, honestly nothing to write home about. Gave me the opportunity to write something on the message board though so that’s a good thing 👍 The whole gacha situation was a challenge to say the least. So exhausting! I got a numbered ticket (#127) for the queue so I could start lining up at 13:30 (was actually one of the first people to enter). This worked out pretty smoothly and everyone was able to enter earlier than expected. At first I was lining up in the wrong queue because they were telling people they had to go through the on-site merch sale area first. Thankfully, a staff member came over and guided me and some others to the direct queue (after all, I wasn’t planning to buy any merch since I had already made my reservation). My first gacha round didn’t take too long since most people were still busy buying merch and there were a total of ten machines (also had prepared my 500 yen coins the day before so I didn't have to line up to change my money). I was moderately lucky but didn’t get some of the items I wanted🙃 So after I picked up my live goods during my assigned time slot, I got back in the queue to do a second gacha round😅. This time the wait was long, probably an hour or so. Also, 10,000 yen just gone☠️Thanks to @concretebadger and my super kind friend, I managed to get the complete set! BANZAI🤗 I also got two lovely tokutens for participating in the big flower stand project (a postcard and badge of the drawing). Almost didn't get to meet up with the organisers of the project but thankfully I ran into them right before the start of the show (generally, I find it fascinating how many people I managed to run into despite the sheer amount of people at the venue - thanks to everyone who said 'hi').

Seat: I really liked my seat and am glad I went for the balcony area. Had a completely unobstructed view of the stage🥰It was a little further away of course but I did bring my binoculars so it was fine.👍 In my vicinity people were thankfully not very keen to stand up all the time so I had one less thing to worry about. The screens on the side were also a perfect size to see their facial expressions. The people in charge of the projections made sure to include a lot of close-ups 😍 Bless them!

Sound: Maybe it was just my specific location towards the left side on the balcony but the sound system was a bit off I think, or possibly the manipulator did a horrible job with the mixing? How did everyone else feel about this? The background music was often overly loud (if not to say obnoxiously noisy) and drowned out the vocals. During some parts, it was honestly hard to hear the girls among all the other noises. It was much better during songs that had a more simple or acoustic arrangement. The microphones seemed to have some issues too at times because there were a few distortions (?) which made their voices sound different (?) and occasionally, you just couldn’t hear them singing the beginning of certain lines - this could theoretically be chalked up to them being hesitant and starting too quiet (Wakana does that at times) but it happened a little too often to all three of them which is why I‘m assuming there might have been some technical issues.

Vocals: What are seven years? Nothing! It was like no time had passed at all! Some people may disagree but for the most part, the girls sounded amazing to me! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and very rarely heard notes that made me cringe. I was amazed how they managed to just pick up where they left off. Of course there were parts that were less flattering and they had some of their usual hiccups but I feel like they handled everything pretty well. Have they done better and more polished live renditions of some of these songs in the past? Probably (tho there were some stand-out performances that impressed me more than their old versions). Overall, there was clearly a lot of effort and love put into each and every performance and at the end of the day, that's all that counts for me. They didn’t “phone-in” their singing, they put all their heart into it and you could tell. I even liked songs that I am usually not such a huge fan of (e.g. “ring your bell” and “ Alleluia”). Also, say what you will but there’s a huge contrast between the YKL Kalafina covers and the real thing, it’s almost jarring how different they sound so I particularly appreciated performances of the songs that had previously been covered at YKL. Needless to say, I much prefer the real thing! It's just not the same without Wakana and I must say, Wakana delivered solid vocals during most songs that required those super high and long notes. Hikaru also did a great job and sounded powerful throughout most of the setlist. She was getting visibly tired though towards the end of the up-beat section (Wakana on the other hand surprised me with her stamina). As for Keiko, do I even have to say it? She delivered a fabulous performance as one would expect from her. She nailed all her epic long notes (e.g. “Hyakka Ryouran”, “Kyrie”, “Hikaru Furu” - she sounded better than she did during the 10th Anniversary Live if you ask me)

Production & arrangement: Honestly nothing special or outstanding. They kept it simple and remained faithful to Kalafina’s usual M.O. The focus was on their voices and there wasn’t anything extravagant to distract from that. On the contrary, I feel like there was a conscious effort being made to include more acappella parts to highlight their harmony. With the exception of a few instrumentals and solos, I don’t think Satoshi Takebe added a lot of creative twists to change the original sound. He even mentioned in a tweet that he wanted to pay tribute to Yuki Kajiura’s work, stay true to her music/style and not make it his own or anything. On this note, I would like to add that YK's absence was not really an issue. As I have mentioned a few times already, YK has rarely been an integral part of their live productions so her not being in charge of this concert, has done nothing to affect its quality.

Atmosphere: 1000/10. The girls were in such a good mood and determined to make this concert the best experience ever. It really felt like they had never been apart. Their interactions with each other were heart-felt and didn’t come across as staged or forced. You could tell how much they missed performing together. The audience was also super responsive and everyone seemed to have the time of their lives (myself included of course).

Setlist: Admittedly, it wasn’t what I had hoped for but it was pretty much what I had expected from this sort of live so I can’t be mad. And there were a few really pleasant surprises that I didn’t think they would include (“Hanataba”, “Lacrimosa”, “Kyrie” and “Hyakka Ryouran”) so YAY for that. Also beyond happy that they did an acoustic version of “sprinter” because that’s so much better than the studio version (which I typically don’t like). Same goes for "KnGnN". Check out a detailed report below the cut 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

1 oblivious: I knew it was coming and it’s usually not a song I’m particularly fond of but this performance may have been the best one I’ve ever heard (biased opinion but hey, you can’t blame me for that😅). The song kicked me right in the feels! Or maybe it was just like a dream come true to hear/see them together again! When they appeared on stage, they looked like angels. What a revelation to see them in all their glory once the sheer curtain was dropped. They sounded amazing, absolutely breathtaking! Was impressed by everyone’s vocals. Shout-out to Hikaru for her high notes! For a few lines in the beginning, Wakana didn’t quite sound like herself (the distortion I was talking about earlier?) but I am not sure if it was a lowered pitch or something the manipulator did on purpose to smooth out her voice. It sounded okay and wasn’t too distracting so I didn’t mind it. Later on, her voice sounded like it usually did during “oblivious” so maybe it was just a glitch or whatever. When Wakana and Keiko did their little back-and-forth duet thingy, I almost started crying because I had missed them so much. WaKei FOREVER 🤗

2 Kizuato: A bit bummed that they didn’t perform “Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku” (then again, I might have died instantly so it was probably a good thing) but this was a beautiful performance so I can’t complain. The three of them once again sounded amazing and their harmonies were to die for.

3 Mirai: Typically one of their weaker live performances and this was no exception. But really, it’s about getting that connection with the audience, running around on stage, greeting the audience and having fun. I don’t mind if it’s not polished and I usually don’t even pay attention to that during this song.

4 Hikari no Senritsu: Felt a bit all over the place so I wasn’t quite able to get into it. The music was overbearing at times and it took away from the charm of a few individual lines. I expected to be touched by the performance since Keiko had been going on and on about how this was her favourite song to sing together but I didn’t have a particularly strong reaction to it. To be fair though, it has never been one of my favourite songs so that might have been the reason for my rather lukewarm reaction. An interesting cello solo from Masateru spiced things up a little but otherwise, there weren’t any significant changes.

5 storia: For this one, I always keep my expectations low regarding vocals because I know it’s a hit and miss when it comes to Wakana and Hikaru. It’s been like this forever so I’m not surprised to hear them struggling at times. Nevertheless, this is a song I have always enjoyed so I can easily look past minor issues. As expected, the girls did struggle a bit (Hikaru in particular didn't deliver the most flattering performance) but it was totally fine. That final chorus once again caught me right in the feels, especially the WaKei part🥹Both the YKL cover and Wakana's solo cover are still fresh in my mind so to finally hear the song as it is meant to be, feels like such a blessing.

6 ring your bell: The piano intro was a bit misleading and for a couple seconds there, I seriously thought they would be introducing a brand new song 😅 It was a nice touch though, I do enjoy intros like that (probably Takebe's idea). Surprisingly, I liked this performance more than I thought I would. I usually give this one a pass because I don't care for the unflattering vocals. I've never understood why it keeps getting performed when it is such a challenging song. But this time, I honestly enjoyed almost all of it (especially Wakana's parts at the end- she did a great job here). Those YK cover versions pale in comparison if you ask me.

7 Hanataba: What a surprise! 😮 Possibly one of their best (if not the best) performances of the night. Usually not a fan of the accordion but here I didn’t mind it. They made some minor changes to the arrangement to highlight the accordion and the vocals. The girls were on fire, especially Hikaru. You could tell she was happy that her chosen song made it onto the setlist.

8 Lacrimosa: From one surprise to another. I was actually expecting them to sing “Consolation” at this point because according to the previous MC, this was meant to be their “Consolation” album block. Would have been happier with “Consolation” to be honest but “Lacrimosa” was a nice treat too. The background music was quite loud again so some vocal parts weren’t discernible or got overshadowed by other stuff.

9 Manten: I don't remember much from it so it must not have stood out to me.

10 to the beginning: Never liked it but this time, I had a blast. A fantastic performance with so much energy and love put into it. The audience went crazy of course so that was also fun to watch. While I personally do not stand up for songs and categorically refuse to partake in any weird arm movements (clapping is the most I will do), I still think it's nice to see everyone so invested.

11 Kimi no Gin no Niwa with strings: This was beautiful. Just strings and piano, might have been my favourite rendition of all time (and I am usually not even such a huge fan of the song). Quite a few more acappella lines than usual I think. Gorgeous arrangement.

12 sprinter with strings: What can I say? Perfect. No notes. Tears everywhere. So glad they decided to go for an acoustic version (by now we all know how much I dislike the studio version). It wasn't as emotional as that Arena Live encore performance but for me, it came pretty close.

13 Hyakka Ryouran: Became a big fan after the 10th Anniversary performance. Didn't expect them to include it once again in the setlist but I certainly didn't mind. This one was just as solid I would say although I feel like Keiko was actually a bit stronger here than she was back then, especially during her "yaiba".

14 misterioso: Meh, one of my least favourite Kala-songs but coincidentally, one of their most frequently performed tracks. I have always wondered why but I guess there are a lot of people who love it (especially in the anisong community). Wasn't really into it so I don't remember anything significant.

15 One Light: Super happy about it. A perfect candidate for their up-beat corner and really a true banger. Don't think there has ever been a bad performance of this, they always slay. I believe they missed the mark a little on that moment where they all come together to raise their arms right before the climax. It felt a little rushed so the cameras for the screen didn't capture it properly XD (it was probably fine for those in the front rows who could see every detail up-close). Either way, the audience erupted into cheers when Hikaru did her infamous "yukeru" kneel.

16 Kyrie: Wooohoo, one of my favourite Kala-songs so I am always excited to hear it performed live. Certainly a surprise though because I didn't think it would be chosen for their Anniversary Live setlist. The audio was pretty messy during this one and I was sad to hear that Keiko's drawn out "Kyrie" at the end didn't get as much attention as it deserved.

17 Ongaku: It started out a little weird in a slightly different tempo than I am used to (at least I think so?). It was a minor thing but big enough to distract me a little for a minute or so. Keiko slayed though and Super!Wakana knocked it out of the park (loved how Keiko held her hand when she helped her walk up the stairs for the solo)

18 heavenly blue: A long-ass up-beat section comes to an end with another banger. After this one, Keiko even said that this was one of their most challenging corners they ever did. It's always fun when Keiko asks the audience after "Ongaku" if we can handle yet another up-beat song (of course we can!) and they transition right into either "Signal" or "heavenly blue" (pretty much their go-to songs for an epic ending). I do love "heavenly blue" so I am happy they included it. The background vocals during the bridge were a little too loud for my taste so you couldn't hear the girls properly (the bridge is one of my favourite parts of the song).

19 Alleluia: There was no doubt in my mind that they would either finish the main section or the entire concert with this song. Didn't expect to love the performance as much as I did. Usually not the biggest fan of the song since Wakana's parts are not particularly flattering for her and even Keiko tends to get a little shouty at times. But this time, I rally enjoyed the song and the minor issues didn't really register with me all that much. Guess I was just too deep into the emotions they were trying to convey.

En1 Magia: So glad they included this! I always thought it was a shame that it didn’t make it onto the 10th Anniversary setlist. We heard a lot of YK cover versions in the past couple of years (to a point where I was getting a little tired of the song) but this revived my love 😍 So good!! The guitar solo sounded weird to me and didn’t have a proper transition to Keiko’s bridge part but that might just be my personal perception. Maybe the guitar fans among you thought it was great😅Keiko’s solo also lacked a bit of oomph but I think it was her microphone’s fault 🙃Hikaru sounded a bit quiet too at times. Hopefully they can fix those minor issues with some studio magic before they do the TV broadcast.

En2 Hikari Furu: Another elaborate piano intro (different from the ones that Sakurada used to do) but this time it was pretty obvious they would sing "Hikari Furu" so I didn't have to guess. Unfortunately, the song sounded a little meh vocal-wise, certainly one of their messier live versions and overall, one of the least enjoyable performances of the night for me which is a huge shame because this is one of my all-time faves. Lots of things came together here so I can’t put the blame on a single factor. For some reason, their voices wouldn’t blend well together and both Wa and Hi had a few too many screechy moments. Wakana sounded almost hoarse when she started singing (maybe she got a little emotional?) and at the end she had some very noticeable shaking during her long notes (I know she has that a lot for her solo stuff too but I didn’t really notice it all that much in other songs from that night but here it was hard to ignore). The background music was also quite loud during the climax of the song so it didn’t exactly help to make it sound better. Keiko delivered an awesome "mabushii asa" though.

En3 into the world: Perfect ending to be honest and again, nothing beats this, not even a YKL cover (although I will say that I enjoy those too). It was kinda bittersweet though. Obviously this song is about taking new paths, not knowing what lies ahead. And really, this is what we have to deal with right now.

At this point, the future is blurry, no one knows what will happen to Kalafina. The girls didn’t even hint at any possible future activities. There was just an endless amount of appreciation for the past and present. Every time one of them thanked the fans for patiently waiting for Kalafina’s return, I couldn’t help but tear up a little. Yes, the wait was rough and I am sure many people lost hope along the way but I personally always knew we'd see them back together again. And when Wakana straight up broke into tears during an MC (with Keiko comforting her and shielding her from the cameras), I cried like a baby (especially when Wakana cried even harder and made Keiko tear up too) 🥲 All the pent-up emotion just came to the surface. Hikaru on the other was determined not to cry throughout the whole concert. They are too precious for this world!! I really hope they don't cut this moment from the broadcast (but knowing them, they probably will). For the time-being, I’ll just follow Keiko’s advice and continue listening to Kalafina and love them🥰Who knows, maybe one day…? I'll never give up hope and I don't think the girls will either. While she didn't outright say it, Keiko couldn't help but utter a few hopeful words, more like a prayer actually, "叶うならまた~/And if my wish would come true, maybe [we can do this/sing together] again~" It was an amazing concert, I had the time of my life and will treasure those memories forever. Thank you Kalafina!!

Cannot wait for the TV broadcast to experience all of this again and to relive every little detail. I should have written the report right away (or taken some extensive notes) when my memories were still fresh but my schedule for the following days was simply too busy. Now I'm back home and fighting against a jet-lag so the finer details are escaping me T_T (I feel like I am getting a few things mixed up and don't even know which things happened in which MC)

[jannah1721]

What started off as an obligation, gradually turns into an object of affection. Or worse, perhaps, a dangerous infatuation?

*A kind of poetry. I’m lacking inspiration to write a full-length fanfiction at the moment.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Heart Killers and its characters. This is purely a product of my imagination, and I am not making any profits from this.

OBSTINANCE

noun. “stand stubbornly” ; resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires

A storm has come on this thirsty land;

Where not a single drop of rain has fallen in a long while;

There is rage, there is this state of helplessness;

A little gap between belief and suspicion.

I kind of measured the danger;

Shivering in fear and excitement as I stand in his way;

Then the game began;

This storm is stubbornly attempting to dispel the enemy’s doubts.

He started to spread in my heart;

He started to accept me;

Strange that I wasn’t feeling guilty;

For not everyone is capable of loving their enemy.

Our bond turns deeper;

If I’m a mirror, he’s the reflection;

These thorns in our path are not scared of withering;

But my courage is wounded as the days gone by.

The gust of wind repeatedly taunting this verdict;

“Save your heart, for love is deception”, it said;

But I’m already drenched;

The fragrance of affection already spilled on me.

Crazy that I have forgotten about the world;

I’m totally passionate to reside in your shelter;

I don’t want to end up like Romeo and Juliet;

I will not bear injustice with a smile.

How adorable is this heart killer;

There is a price to pay in exchange for this infatuation;

A lover will stand out in this crowd of madness;

He shall rebel – and protect this ship.

[putschki1969]

KALAFINA REUNION 📢IT'S TRUE📢

Why did I even go to bed last night??! Damn it, I lost precious time. Anways, many of you must have seen my post last night about that ominous Nikkan Sports article speculating about a possible comeback of Kalafina. I honestly thought it was fake news since it contained a ton of unconfirmed/uncredited information. However, there was lots of interesting stuff that kept me from dismissing it entirely. I mean, who would go through all the trouble coming up with details such as specific quotes or exact concert details? Turns out they mostly got the dates mixed up but the rest was true. At noon Japanese Standard Time, we got all of our official announcements. Here's the gist of it〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Kalafina Staff Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter

Announcement of "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Open at 17:30 /Start 18:30 Venue: Tokyo Garden Theater Performers: Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru) Music Director: Takebe Satoshi

To everyone who loves and supports Kalafina We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". We want to sing together as a trio again, knowing that you all have always cherished Kalafina, even while we are doing solo activities. We look forward to seeing you there! Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru)

Ticket sales are scheduled for the following dates: ■Wakana/KEIKO Fan Club Advanced Lottery October 10, 2024, 11:00 - October 20, 23:59 ■Hikaru X (formerly Twitter) Advanced Lottery October 25, 11:00 - November 4, 23:59 ■General Ticket Lottery November 9, 11:00 - November 11, 23:59

Keiko Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter & Fan Club Site & Tristone & Instagram post

To all our supporters We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Through my solo activities and activities with FictionJunction, I have had many new encounters and taken on new challenges, and I am where I am today thanks to the support of many people. This is a personal matter, but the reason I took a break from singing and then decided to sing again was because of Yuki Kajiura's music. And it was the feelings of everyone who has supported us up until now that led to this event. I am grateful for those feelings, and I am simply happy that the three of us can deliver Kalafina's music again. I am truly looking forward to seeing you all next year. KEIKO

Hikaru's Post on Twitter and Instagram

To everyone who always supports us We are happy to announce that we'll be holding a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Even during my solo activities, I always got a strong sense of everyone's love for Kalafina. I'm grateful we are getting this opportunity to sing together again as a trio and to perform all those treasured songs which Yuki Kajiura has written for us. I hope we can raise a new flag together with all of you. I look forward to seeing you there that day! 2024.10.03 Hikaru

Wakana Posts on Twitter & Botanical Land & Instagram post

(We finally have an official statement from Wakana on her Insta) It has been decided that an "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" will be held on January 15th next year. From 2018 to the present, we have each pursued our own music, but we have decided to sing together again. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who always think of and love Kalafina. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Satoshi Takebe Tweet 1 & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3 (deleted)

Today I had a meeting with some artists I truly respect and had a beer in the middle of the day 🍺 We had a fun afternoon. I hope there will be lots of fun things to do next year too. I can't say anything yet, but I'm already working on some exciting projects!! (Tweet 1)

I believe that my mission is to support artists. It is never my intention to betray or hurt people. That is the one thing I have always stayed true to, and I will continue to do so. It may sound naive, but I believe that sincerity and passion are what motivate people. (Tweet 2)

Due to confidentiality obligations, I cannot explain the situation. However, Kajiura-san is an artist I respect, she's a wonderful musician, and I am a fan of the music she creates. I would like to support the three members with the utmost respect. (Tweet 3 - deleted)

Tweet by Yuki Kajiura & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3

Regarding Kalafina I've received some inquiries in relation to the most recent announcement of an upcoming Kalafina Live Concert so I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that I, Yuki Kajiura, will not have no involvement whatsoever in this concert. Furthermore, I have not received any advance notice or explanation from the organisers or any of the group members. Given the situation, I am therefore unable to answer any questions. I apologise, but any future inquiries regarding Kalafina should be directed at the organisers and official agencies of the group members.

I believe the members of Kalafina have decided to step away from me as their producer to go on a new path that is not related to me. I had been searching for a way to work together again in the future to create new Kalafina music but that will no longer be happening. It is very unfortunate but this is the road that each member has chosen. We are all individuals searching for our personal musical path so things like this happen.

As you all know, the three of them are truly wonderful singers so I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver amazing vocals and music to their fans. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again for the privilege and happiness of having been able to create music together with them for nearly ten years, and I wish Kalafina continued success in the future.

Yuki Kajiura (Tweet 1)

I hope for a great success regarding the upcoming concert, and that's all I can say about this. I hope to continue making music in a cheerful and fun way in the future (^^). (Tweet 2)

This may be an unnecessary remark, but… there's no way that Kalafina will no longer be able to sing their past songs just because one producer has left, and I personally don't wish that upon them.

I'm sure they'll create a wonderful harmony at their live show in January, so I hope you'll give thunderous cheers and applause to Kalafina's singing and to the musicians who support them on stage. Once again, I wish them all the success in the world. (Tweet 3)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Wow. All of this is wild. I don't even know what to say. I can hardly believe it. On one hand, I am beyond happy and excited. There's no way I will not be there for this concert and everything beyond that. But on the other hand, all the announcements make this feel a little bittersweet. The personal statements by Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru don't necessarily feel disingenuous but they sound a bit flat and forced. Sadly, there's no personal statement from Wakana yet. Obviously, the elephant in the room is Yuki Kajiura's statement and her exclusion from the entire project. The way her statement is written comes off as quite bitter, passive aggressive and honestly a little petty which doesn't bode well for the future (maybe her manager Mori asked her to phrase it in such a way to make the organisers look bad. And I can understand why she would feel frustrated at being excluded like that). Mostly, I interpret her standoffish attitude as a knee-jerk reaction or as a way to strongly distance herself from the whole thing and not so much as an attempt to bash the members (the latter half of the statement would indicate that at least). Also, she already seems to regret posting such a harsh statement and posted a couple of follow-up tweets. I truly do not understand what is going on behind the scenes to cause so much hostility between Yuki Kajiura, her management and whoever is pulling the strings for this Kalafina reunion (presumably Space Craft's management). My best guess is that Space Craft is at least somehow involved in this project since both Wakana and Satoshi Takebe are able to participate (Takebe is not affiliated with Space Craft but he's been in charge of almost all of Wakana's solo work so maybe there are some ties to the agency).It looks like Space Craft are adamant about not working together with YK (same old childish attitude). Then again, Satoshi Takebe has enough influence in the industry to organise a project like this without the help of Space Craft. Maybe Sony is also involved? I have no idea. Hope we are getting more details once the ticket lotteries start. A new Kalafina website (still being developed) has popped up and it's run by Space Craft so that's probably proof enough that they are one of the main players in all of this.

I wonder if this was a spur of the moment thing once they realised how much hype there still exists for Kalafina after that "ring your bell" performance at the FSN event...Overall, the timing is so weird, Why now? I mean, this doesn't sound like it has been in the making for a very long time based on the fact that Yuki Kajiura didn't even know about it. Keiko and Hikaru literally collaborated with her a couple of weeks ago so how did this topic not come up even once???! Wonder how it will affect future collaborations between Yuki, Keiko and Hikaru? They still have the Asia tour dates coming up in November so I can imagine it would be kinda awkward to work together after this bomb has been dropped. Will they still be covering Kalafina songs? Either way, I refuse to believe tha there has been a real falling out between any of them. It comes across like a series of unfortunate events. Maybe some miscommunication and rushed action but nothing that couldn't be cleared up with a proper conversation.

One thing I'm also curious about is whether or not Satoshi Takebe will take on the role as producer for future music (if they are even planning to go down that route?? It does sound like they might have new projects/releases in store for us...I do feel a little conflicted about that since Yuki Kajiura is such an important component of Kalafina. This is basically what I thought would happen back in 2018/2019. With someone else coming in to take charge of the music production. Back then I wasn't completely against the idea since I was convinced the girls could make it work (especially with the help of someone as established and competent as Satoshi Takebe) but it certainly wasn't my preferred option. Ughhh, I will remain open-minded for the time being. My love for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru goes beyond anything so as of right now, I feel happy and excited. The live in January will be a celebration of Kalafina so there's no way I'm not going. If they continue to hold "tribute" concerts like this, it will mostly be a nostalgic cash-grab but hey, I'm the target group for that. They can have all my money. And I can definitely see myself supporting them in future projects even with Yuki Kajiura out of the picture. Takebe has been engaging in some surprisingly frank one-on-one discussions on Twitter and so far, it looks like certain confidentiality agreements keep him from going into detail in the matter but his involvement as of right now is limited to being a director/producer for the concert on January 15.

It goes without saying that I will not tolerate any hate towards the girls on this blog! If you are bitter that Yuki Kajiura is not involved, that's your prerogative, I'm sure this will antagonise quite a few hardcore YK fans. But please, don't shit on the members for making this decision. I'm sure they put a lot of thought into it and felt like this course of action was in everyone's best interest. They are clearly thinking about the fans, their own passion/love for Kalafina's music and obviously their careers within the industry.

How do you feel about this?

Happy!

Sad!

Conflicted!

Angry!

Voting ended onOct 4, 2024

[jannah1721]

A vampire Story

Disclaimer: This is purely fictional and is only a product of my imagination. This is a Toey X Everyone Vampire AU from We Are The Series.

EXORDIUM

“Uncle Tay! Are you alright?”

Toey crouches down to where his uncle just fell down, worry visible on his face. He carried the older man to sit on the sofa nearest to him before he proceeds to inspect his uncle’s physical condition to make sure that there are no injuries. However, he noticed that his uncle feels a bit warm.

“Uncle, you have a fever! Please go home and take a rest. I can take care of the shop”.

“But this bouquet needs to be delivered today…”, Uncle Tay points to a bouquet of burgundy roses that fell on the floor together with him just now.

Toey quickly grabs the bouquet before facing his uncle again, “Don’t worry, uncle! I will have this delivered in no time! For now, let me take you back to your house next door. I’ll deliver the flowers afterwards and buy you a porridge on my way back, ok?”

PUN

Toey arrived at the address of the recipient. He rings the bell on the gate once and is immediately greeted by a cheerful young lad.

“It’s usually Uncle Tay who sent the flowers”, the man tries to strike a conversation with Toey while signing the receipt.

“Ahh Uncle Tay caught a fever today so I went on his stead”, Toey explains.

The man takes both of Toey’s hands in his, surprising Toey, and stares at Toey’s face with his big eyes. “Ohh that’s unfortunate. Wishing him speedy recovery. Thank you for the delivery. I’m Pun. And you?”

“Toey”.

“Toey! Hope to see you again!”

Toey watches Pun’s disappearing figure as the gate closes.

CHAIN

Tay Florist receives a similar order from the same resident the next week.

“Mr. Phum? When did he start being your regular customer, Uncle Tay?”, Toey inquires, in curiosity.

“Ahh it’s been a while. 2-3 years ago, if I’m not mistaken. In the beginning, he used to buy the flowers in person. A fine man, trying to woo the love of his life. He started opting for deliveries after he managed to win the heart of the recipient of the roses. It has always been burgundy roses. Which symbolizes commitment, gratitude and loyalty. The last time I saw him, he told me that they started to live together. Ahh the fact that he still ordering from this shop till now means that their relationship is going well. I missed seeing him in person though”.

“Wahh such a beautiful story”, said Toey in awe. “Couple goals!”

Uncle Tay chuckles and put a bouquet of burgundy roses that he just finished wrapping, onto Toey’s hands. “Here, please deliver this to Mr. Phum’s residence. I hope you still remember the way?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll be going now. Will be back soon!”

It takes about half an hour from the florist to Mr. Phum’s residence by motorcycle. On the way there, it started pouring.

Toey rings the bell on the gate. He wasn’t greeted by Pun this time. Instead, he heard a voice asking who he is from the intercom’s speaker, that is also, after he rings the bell for the third time. After confirming that Toey is there to deliver the roses, the gate automatically opens and he is instructed to enter. He rushes towards the front door of the big house, where a man who looks slightly older than him, opens the door.

“I’m very sorry that you had to wait in this rain! Our caretaker is pretty occupied right now. Thankfully I heard the bell”, the man explains, apologetically.

To be honest, Toey was feeling a little displeased but he understands that things happen. What is needed is just an apology, which he already received.

“It’s alright, I understand. Your signature, please”. Toey hands the receipt to the man.

Instead of taking the receipt, the man reaches out to hold Toey’s right hand, which is used to hand the receipt. Toey gasps. He looks up at the man’s face. Toey thought that the man is attractive. He feels like there’s a magnetic force between them. Which tries to pull Toey towards the man. Toey desires…to get closer…

“Toey!”

Pun throws himself onto Toey, giving Toey a bear hug. Toey wakes up from the…”trance”…

“Nice seeing you again! Ahh let me introduce you! This guy here is Chain. He’s a medic student! Chain, this is Toey! The one that I told you about!”

The guy, Chain, nods in acknowledgement. “Ahh! Hello, Toey. Nice to finally meet you”.

Toey doesn’t show it, but he feels a little uncomfortable and awkward, after what happened between him and Chain just now, and also, wondering what about him that Pun told Chain about.

“Nice to meet you too, Chain”.

Pun quickly signs the receipt and takes the bouquet.

“For your information, I’m the caretaker of this residence. Umm…This might be a weird request. Say, Toey. Do you mind to work here during this summer vacation? I need help with managing the residence at this time. You don’t have to worry about foods and we will provide you a room here for you to stay for free! I know I sounds desperate. I really don’t know who else I can ask. If you agree, we can discuss this with Phum. He pays well, no worries!”

Toey is bewildered by the sudden request. “Umm but I have to ask for Uncle Tay’s permission first…”

“Phum will call Uncle Tay regarding this matter, is that ok?”, Pun excitedly proposed, ignoring Toey’s discomfort.

“Umm…let me think about it, yeah?”

“Yay! Sure!”

“Toey, Mr. Phum personally requested you to work for him as a caretaker at his residence this summer vacation. He called me just now. He agreed to pay you 300,000baht for this 3-weeks period. Do you want to take up the offer?”

Toey chokes on his breakfast. 300,000baht? For real?

“Are YOU ok with that? He is asking for someone else’s employee to work for him”, Toey retaliates.

His uncle lets out a light laugh. “I don’t mind, my dear. He’s paying you way more than I could afford to pay you. Plus, I know he’s a good man. You will learn a lot living there. It’s good to have a change in routine during this holiday. Go ahead, Toey. I’ll be happy if you accept this offer”.

“Fine”. Toey is determined to fulfill his uncle’s wish.

PHUM’S RESIDENCE

“Everyone, Nong Toey will be staying here till the end of summer holidays as our caretaker. Pun, kindly brief him on things to do and everyone else, please be kind to Nong Toey”.

Toey’s thought upon meeting Phum for the first time was…the man is so charismatic. He wishes to be as cool as and successful as Phum. Finding out that Phum is just two years older than him, he was amazed that Phum owned the residence at such a young age.

“Meet my fiancé, Peem”.

Peem, on the other hand, is such a graceful creature, Toey thought. He admires how soft spoken and warm-hearted Phum’s fiancé is, as Peem welcome him with a delicious chocolate cupcake.

Toey was soon introduced to the rest of the tenants. Pun and Chain, whom he already known. Fang, Phum’s older brother. Tan, Fang’s lover, who frequently visits the residence and sometimes staying over. Phum also mentioned another resident named Q, who was not in attendance during Toey’s arrival as the man was having his artworks showcased in another city. Apparently, Q is a painter. Phum told Toey that he can expect to meet Q perhaps by tomorrow.

“Pun, did Mr. Phum rent the rooms in this residence?”

Pun snickers. “Well, you could say it like that but we are all actually Peem’s friends! Me, Chain, Tan and Q! Tan doesn’t live here but you would see his face here almost every day. If he stays over, he’ll be in Fang’s room. Chain and Q move here as this residence is closer to the university. Phum of course offered to stay for free, but both of them insisted that they should pay rent, at least. As for me, I am being paid by Phum as I decided to be the caretaker here”.

Pun was showing Toey around. Phum’s residence has 3 floors in total. Phum and Peem’s room is on the highest floor, Fang’s room on the second floor, while Pun, Chain and Q’s rooms are all on the first floor. Toey is given the room next to Fang’s on the second floor. There is currently an empty guest room on the ground floor, which was often used by Phum’s friends named Beer and Mick, whenever the two men stayed over, usually to finish up university assignments. Now that it’s the semester break, the two friends went back to their respective home town, according to Pun.

Pun and Toey are now in Toey’s new room. The room is painted in dark blue color, Toey’s favorite. “I like the room. It’s cozy”, Toey sits down at the edge of the bed, feeling the soft, gray luxury silk duvet with his hands.

Pun clears his throat. “Nong Toey, I have a serious question to ask you”.

Toey’s smile falters a little in a worry. Yet he gently nods, a cue for Pun to proceed.

“Did you ever encounter any vampires before?”

Toey blinks. “Umm…yeah, I did. Even though their population is not that much but I know that some do live around us. I never had a negative experience like being attacked before though. Thankfully, the vampires that I encountered…they all have self-control…Is what I would like to believe”.

“I see. Do you have any charms on you?”

“To keep vampires away? I did have this charm that my parents gave me few years back. But since I live in a safe neighborhood where no vampires are known to be living there, I rarely wear it. I usually just keep it in my bag”, Toey rummages through his backpack and lets out a hexagon-shaped charm necklace with a rose engraved on it to show to Pun. Pun inspects the necklace carefully.

“Hmm…this charm of yours is already weak. It needs new holy recitation and to be run through the holy water to revive its power. It’s ok. For now, you can wear this one!”, Pun gives Toey an oval-shaped, golden colored charm necklace with a symbol of what looks like a sun on it. “Please wear it all the time, at least when you are working inside or around this residence”.

Toey tilts his head, a confused expression on his face. Pun answers Toey’s silent question. “Because aside from me and you, the rest are all vampires”.

PUN (II)

It is Toey’s second day at Phum’s residence. After breakfast, he runs down the mental notes of Pun’s instructions: in the morning, they will start by beautifying the garden outside. After lunch, they will start cleaning inside the house. Cleaning the tenants’ rooms will only start at 3pm since most vampires sleep after the sun rises. They don’t need to prepare any meals as vampires only need blood to survive. Toey was astonished yesterday, when Pun showed him what is inside the cabinets in the kitchen. He also realized that they are all cold cabinets, like a refrigerator, set at 4 degrees Celsius. For the storage of packets of blood, divided by types. There are mostly animal blood and some human blood. The stocks of blood from the blood bank are usually delivered on Wednesdays. At one corner of the kitchen though, there are some rice, bread, instant foods, snacks and some ingredients for cooking, which obviously belong to Pun. However, the ingredients for baking – they are Peem’s. Surprisingly, Peem loves baking.

“Have you ever get bitten by your vampire friends before, Pun?”, Toey inquires, in the middle of cutting some stems for propagating the plants.

“Lots of times. But I make it clear that I don’t want them to make it a habit. I wear strong charms, so most of the time, it’s not possible for them to bite me. I offered myself, but only during special occasions or critical conditions”.

“I see. I’m very curious. How did you stay this long with your vampire friends?”

“You see, nong. Biologically, they might be different from us humans. However, they still do have emotions, feelings and even changes in moods. These things that connect and bind people together – they have them. They also have interests and hobbies, just like us. They have their favorite sports and video games – just like us. We shared feelings, being vulnerable, seeking to understand each other and putting our trust…Ended up with this fulfilling and meaningful friendship”.

Even though Toey is not looking at Pun, he can hear smile in Pun’s words.

Toey smiles as well. He looks up at Pun in admiration. Then he turns his body facing Pun and can’t help but to ask, “So…how does it feel to be bitten?”

Pun gives him a sly leer. “Hmm, so curious, aren’t you? Let’s see…The experience differs with different vampires but for sure, before you get bitten, you will feel a certain kind of…attraction…if I may say that…Because the way vampires get to bit you is to lure you to them so you will definitely feel like something is pulling you towards them. Sometimes you will be aware of it and sometimes you don’t”.

Toey recalls that day he first met Chain. He remembered the pulling sensation, as well as how his mind got hazy all of a sudden. He shivers, thinking that Chain was probably trying to bite him that time.

Pun crosses his arms, then gently rubs his own shoulders with his hands, as if hugging himself - presumably reminiscing the feeling of getting his blood sucked by a vampire. He closes his eyes before he continues, “Once the vampire’s fangs are inside your neck, you don’t really feel pain….It does stings a bit in the beginning but in no time, you will be overwhelmed by…a euphoric rush…Your pleasure receptors felt stimulating…Uhh…”

“I see! Umm…thank you for the explanation!”, Toey shouts, red blush appears on his cheeks. Toey was focused on Pun’s facial expression the whole time. He was a little embarrassed seeing Pun’s look of ecstasy. Although there is another thing that makes him curious now: who is in Pun’s mind?

Q

Toey and Pun just finished mowing the lawn and currently heading back inside the residence to clean themselves first before lunch.

“Toey, Phum bought some toiletries for your room. I forgot to bring them to your room yesterday. So come by my room first!”

“That’s so sweet of Mr. Phum. He gives the best hospitality”. He silently praised the owner of the residence in his head. He has increasing respect for the man as well.

The second and the middle room from the stairs on the first floor, is Pun’s room. The room nearest to the staircase belongs to Chain. Toey spotted a “DO NOT DISTURB” label hanging on the doorknob of Chain’s door when they passed by. Toey grins by himself, thinking how interesting his days will be, surrounded by various kinds of characters.

“Just go straight to the kitchen when you’re done. I’m cooking fried rice! Are you ok with that?”, Pun asks, while handing Toey a basket of luxury hygiene products.

“OK! See you later!”

Pun gives a small wave and closes the door.

Toey notices that the room at the end of the hallway, next to Pun’s, had the door open wide. Instead of heading towards the stairs, he starts walking to the other side, to the room which supposedly belongs to Q. Toey peeks inside. What he sees, is fascinating. The room is full of beautiful, soul-stirring (at least in Toey’s POV) paintings on canvas. The room is undoubtedly messy, with the brushes and other painting tools scattered all over the floor, on the desk, on the nightstand, yet it is spotlessly clean. A single painting placed near the balcony catches his eyes. He sets down the basket of hygiene products on the floor, so he can have a closer look and admire the painting: A side profile of who Toey assumed to be a man because of the hair, taken a little from the back, so the face can’t be seen clearly. The man is leaning back on a round daybed, with a stunning view of mountains and ocean. Toey analyzes other details in the painting and come to a conclusion that it might be at some resort. At the bottom right of the painting, is a scribble of words.

The moon is sinking again today

The vibrant canaries singing melodiously

The scent of love getting near

The beauty untouched – hope to see you again

Q Nirandon

It seems that Q is not only good in painting but he seems to also be quite a poet. No wonder Phum called him “Maestro Q”.

This painting is mysterious and the poem somehow affected him in a way that he felt loved. Toey likes it. He is eager to meet this artist face to face. He believes that Q must be someone endearing; a darling sweetheart.

For a while, Toey has forgotten that he is CURRENTLY INSIDE Q’s room. But there’s no Q in sight and the room is dead silent. The fact that the door was open means that Q must have already been back home from the showcase. Toey turns his head towards the door leading to the bathroom. It was left ajar. Toey pushes the door open.

Toey only sees a pair of pale legs hanging at the edge of the bathtub. On instinct, he rushes towards the bathtub, finding a man with both eyes closed, crossing his arms, underwater. Toey panics. He roughly grabs both the man’s shoulders, getting the man’s head out from the bathtub and propping him into a sitting position.

“Hey! Are you ok? Can you hear me? Wake up!”

Toey lightly slaps the man’s cheeks in hopes that the man would wake up. The coldness of the man’s skin upon Toey’s touch, creates more panic in him.

A hand grabs Toey’s right arm, stopping his actions. Toey finds himself staring deep into Q’s sharp, hazel eyes. Oh yeah, Toey forgot. Toey was imagining a worst-case scenario; an accident; of falling asleep in the bath. Toey forgot, that Q is a vampire. Toey forgot, that vampires don’t breathe the same way humans do. Toey forgot, vampires can survive underwater. Q harshly pulls the same arm, and Toey ends up falling into the bathtub.

Despite the cold water, Toey is currently feeling the heat as he realized the position he’s in. He had his back facing Q, trapped in Q’s arms, the man is breathing down his neck and most importantly, Q is half naked, with only boxers on. They stay in that position for quite some time. Toey is speechless and Q seems to enjoy smelling the poor human.

“I’m hungry”, Q breaks the silence. Toey swears he can hear the loud thumping of his chest. He’s feeling the tingles, hearing the man’s deep voice.

“Uhh…I’ll get you your meal in a bit! What do you prefer? The animal blood or the human blood?”, Toey’s voice went a pitch higher due to nervousness (and shyness). He tries to free himself but Q embraces him tighter.

Q whispers into Toey’s ear, “Remove the charm”.

The charm, is what saving Toey from being bitten and hypnotized by Q.

“Don’t worry, I won’t suck you dry. It won’t hurt. I’ll make sure I’ll make you feel good…”, Q further persuade, his voice going lower with each sentence.

Toey is thrashing his body around, left and right, visibly struggling to free himself now. “Please, let me go!”

The man behind him further strengthens his hold, also refusing to give up. “You came to me yourself, with a delicious smell. Now you want to leave without giving me a taste? You’re torturing me”.

Something inside Toey snaps hearing those words. Q made it sounds like Toey is simply a source of nutrition. It upsets him to be looked at that way. He doesn’t know where the energy came from but finally, he is able to break away from Q’s grip, jumping out of the bathtub. Thankfully, Q remain in his place and doesn’t continue hunting for Toey.

Toey can finally take a good look at his captor’s face. Epicanthic fold eyes, pretty Greek nose, gorgeous freckles, firm jaw, red luscious lips. Toey’s breathe stuck in his throat. Q is absolutely stunning; highly attractive. He is an art himself, says Toey in his mind.

“I’ll get you some packets of blood soon”.

Toey runs out of the room in his drenched clothes, which he doesn’t realized until he arrived into his room. He doesn’t even realize that he ran across Pun, who just came out of his room, shouting Toey’s name when he saw the trails of water Toey left behind. Pun looks at the direction Toey came from. Q’s room. He shakes his head.

“Poor boy. I have to remind him to be cautious around Q and Chain. Those two are pretty voracious”.

When Q gets out of his bathroom, his eyes focus on something unfamiliar on the floor near his painting. Dark blue colored basket. Toey left Phum’s gifts for him in Q’s bedroom.

FANG

Toey arrives at the kitchen in fresh clothes after about 10 minutes. Pun is nearly done with the cooking.

“You don’t have to go back to Q’s. I already sent his lunch over”, Pun announces, while cracking an egg onto the heated pan.

Today’s lunch consists of TomYum fried rice with sunny side up eggs and sausages. Pun interrogates Toey regarding what happened inside Q’s room over lunch. He is pretty entertained by Toey’s story.

“Q might look like a Romeo on the surface and he may act like one. In reality, he’s more like Tybalt. Hot-headed, argumentative, brash and strong-willed. But perhaps those traits are what caused him to be known as the Maestro. I should’ve warned you about him. But now that you already met him, you know what you have to put up with”. Pun winks at him. Toey lets out a sigh.

After lunch, they both start cleaning the hallways and the common rooms from the ground floor up to the 3rd floor. They finished a little past 3pm and both of them decided to split up cleaning the tenants’ rooms next. Today, Toey is in charge of cleaning Fang and Phum/Peem’s rooms.

Toey knocks on Fang’s door. “Mr. Fang, is it ok for me to come in and clean your room?”

It doesn’t take long for the door to open. Toey is greeted by another shock of the day. Fang opens the door, just in shorts, a sexy case of bed hair and love bites all over his neck and chest. His lover, Tan, probably also half naked, can be seen still sleeping with one of his arms hanging down the bed. Toey is sure that his face must be as red as a tomato right now.

“Uhh…uhh…I’m sorry! I can…I can go clean Mr. Phum’s room first!”, Toey stumbles on his words, trying to look at anywhere but the provocative man in front of him.

Toey hears Fang’s laugh. “It’s ok, Nong. Give me 5 minutes”.

From behind the door, Toey can hear Fang telling Tan to wake up. He is standing frozen, still processing what he just saw.

Two figures emerge from the room, now fully clothed in their cozy loungewear.

“Go ahead, Nong. We’ll be at the library upstairs. Do inform us when you’re done”, Fang instructs.

“Sure, Mr. Fang”. Toey still can’t meet Fang’s eyes as the scene just now keeps replaying in his head.

Fang’s room is pretty organized. Paper works stack neatly on the working table, cosmetic products lined up on the vanity desk, ebony-stained open shelves which are filled with books and other decorations such as vases and crystals. The room is painted in dark purple, a color that suits the man, Toey thought. All in all, Fang seems to be someone who dislikes untidiness so cleaning his room doesn’t demand lots of energy from Toey.

Bedroom area – Done.

Bathroom – Done.

Only left with cleaning the balcony. The sky is clear today, and Toey is slightly distracted by a flying eagle hunting its prey. He leans his body on the guard railing, zero in on the eagle.

“And like a thunderbolt, he falls”.

Toey jumps in surprised. Fang’s face is too close. Too close that if Toey move just an inch forward, he will be able to kiss Fang’s cheek.

“Mr. Fang! Umm…I’m sorry! I’m going to clean here real quick!”

Only then Toey notices, that Fang is standing behind him with both hands stretched out holding the guard rail in front of him. Which means, he is sandwiched between the rail and Fang. The tall, beautiful man behind him, doesn’t budge. Toey starts panicking.

Fang giggles, running his fingers through Toey’s bangs. “You do your job well. I already inspected the room inside and it’s perfectly clean. Thank you”.

Toey blinks, not expecting to be praised at all.

“I came back to get my sketchbook. Please continue. Take your time”.

Toey fixes his gaze on Fang’s retreating back until the man is no longer in the room. When he turns back to look at the tree where the eagle was moments ago, the eagle is no longer there.

The eagle is already on the ground, feasting on the now dead squirrel.

Q (II)

Day 3.

After the encounter with Fang, the rest of yesterday was pretty uneventful. Toey was more tired than usual, since it was his first full day working at Phum’s residence. But he will be able to adapt soon. With determination, he throws his fist up in the air, ready for a new day.

Upon entering his bathroom, Toey suddenly remembers that he left the basket that Pun gave him in Q’s room. Toey’s chest feels warm and fuzzy thinking about Q. He makes a mental note to retrieve the basket later.

The bathroom gets steamy, the mirror gets misty, after the hot shower. Toey comes out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. Outside, Q was waiting. Sitting casually on Toey’s bed.

Their eyes met. Toey is feeling the pulling sensation again. Like being sent into a trance. Everything else is a blur to him. The next thing he knew, Q gave his basket back and Pun was standing near the door with a stern look on his face.

Q was up late, finishing yet another painting. He scans the contents of the basket on the floor. It irritates him, that he wasn’t able to taste the blood of the new caretaker despite being so close to the human last time. He has to admit that the human also smelled heavenly.

8.45am: The human probably is just about to get out of bed. An opportunity to prey, Q thought. Q imagine the human being disoriented; it will hopefully be easier to gain control over the man in that state. He strives to satiate his needs. He needs…That human’s blood. So he brought the basket, heading upstairs, towards the new caretaker’s bedroom.

Q knocks on Toey’s door. When there is no response on the third knock, Q pushes the door open. He can hear the shower running; along with faint humming of song. Q sits on the freshly made bed, waiting for Toey to finish. Turns out, Q made the right decision. The human before him looks horrified upon seeing him inside the room. Q focuses on the smell. Appetizing, Q thought. Toey also looks enticing at this moment. He wants to devour him.

Much to Q’s delight, there’s no charm on Toey. Apparently, the human removed the necklace whenever he went to take a bath.

Toey is coming nearer, thanks to the effect of his ability. Q opens his arms; the human enters perfectly into his embrace. He was about to rejoice in triumph; his fangs were out, ready to sink into that pale skin.

“Q”.

Q turns to the direction of the voice. His human friend is standing at the door. He doesn’t look pleased.

“Close the door, Pun”.

Pun doesn’t obey. Instead, he comes closer to Q, showing a garlic on his hand. It’s a warning.

“I said, close the door, Pun”, Q tries once more.

“It’s still morning, Q. Don’t do this. Leave him”, Pun orders, in a serious voice.

Q lets out a big sigh of distress. He disenchants the human in his arms. When Toey “wakes up” from the trance, he looks around, confused. Q hands him the basket. Toey wonders why the man looks annoyed. He then sees Pun on the door. Who looks equally as annoyed.

PHUM

Toey has been adapting well with his new routine. What he learned so far about the vampires of the Phum’s residence, is that even though they didn’t have designated dinner or lunch times, some nights, they will gather in the common room and socialize. They will play board games, watched YouTube together while chatting away. Sometimes, they invited Pun and Toey too. Where Toey found out that Tan is the king of gossip among them.

Toey finds that vampires are scary in general. Mostly because of the neverending bloodlust and the fear of getting killed by having his blood drained by them. But living here slowly changes the way he looks at the nocturnal creature. They had their own way of having fun, that doesn’t necessarily involved humans. Someone like the classy Peem, also fancy some wine to add to the fun. Toey can say with confidence that he has been getting along well with all the residents, even with Q, whom he had an awkward first encounter.

Day 9.

Pun and Toey enter the residence after they are done with the gardening works. Phum approaches them then.

“Aww Phum? You have meeting? Usually, you’re not up yet at this time”, Pun asks.

Phum smiles. “I want to go buy some gifts for Peem’s birthday”.

Pun gasps, both hands covering his mouth. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot! I’ll prepare for the surprise and let you guys know the plan via LINE later!”

Phum nods with a content look on his face. He then turns his body facing Toey. “Toey, freshen up. You’re coming with me”.

“Yes, sir!”, Toey responds with a salute.

For the first time ever in his life, Toey sits down on a passenger seat of a Porsche. He cannot mask the excitement shown on his face.

“You’ve been working with us for more than a week. How do you feel? Have you been adapting well?”

“I am, Mr. Phum. The people in the residence are nice and Pun has been very helpful with teaching me new things. So far, there are no boring days working at your residence. I’m very grateful that you offered me this job”.

“That’s good to hear. I want to know your honest opinion now that you know about our nature. What do you think of…our kind?”

“Ohh…I still think that vampires are intimidating in some ways. But I always believed that vampires are also just like us – there are the good ones and there are the bad ones. My parents never taught me that vampires are evil creatures. And they were right. Living at your residence confirmed the fact that kind vampires exist”.

When Phum doesn’t respond, Toey steal a glance at the man behind the wheels. He has a wide smile on, possibly acknowledging Toey’s answer and is satisfied with it.

“We’re heading to your uncle’s shop. You must’ve missed him, don’t you?”

Joy reflected in Toey’s eyes. Toey nods, vigorously. “And he must’ve missed you too! You haven’t visited the shop in years!”

Phum snickers. “Oops! He told you about that? Yeah, I missed him too. I can’t wait to see him”.

Toey can see from the car’s window: his uncle looking dubiously at the arriving Porsche now parked in front of his shop.

“Uncle Tay!”

His uncle’s expression turns cheery upon seeing his nephew coming out of the passenger seat. The said nephew immediately giving his uncle a warm hug.

“Toey! Have you been well?”

“Hello, Mr. Tay. It’s been a while”. Phum greets, with a deep bow.

“Oh my God! Finally, I see you again, son. Come in! Toey, make Mr. Phum a rose tea. That’s his favorite!”

Ohh. Pun never told him Phum likes Rose Tea. He learns something new about his employer today.

Toey brings the freshly brewed Rose Tea for the two gentlemen, engrossed in their conversation, after having not seen each other for a long time. Toey wonders, did his uncle know all this while? That Mr. Phum is a vampire?

“Toey, please prepare a bouquet of burgundy roses as usual. But today, he wants an extra-large bouquet with some other flowers. Red carnation, red chrysanthemum, scarlet sage and yellow jasmine. Please arrange them nicely”.

“Sure! I’ll get it done in a moment. Umm…uncle? Do you mind if I take some flowers too…?”

His uncle lightly laughs. “Yes, you can, son. I’ll keep them in your tabs though”, his uncle jokes. Toey scrunches his face in fake annoyance and marches his way back to the workshop to compile and arrange the flowers.

Mr. Phum made great choices: red carnation for deep love, red chrysanthemum for “I love you”, scarlet sage for “forever mine” and yellow jasmine for grace.

Phum and Toey left the flower shop with Peem’s XL bouquet and some mini bouquets Toey made for all the residents at Phum’s, as a token of appreciation for becoming his friends. Uncle Tay also supplied him some chocolates and different flavored tea to bring to his temporary home. Phum announces that they’ll be going to the cake shop next and then stop by the mall to get Peem a gift.

“You know what, Toey? Peem is different than the rest of us. He loves human foods like cakes and he drinks as well. Do you know why is that?”

Toey shakes his head.

Phum lets out a smug smile, as if looking proud. “Because he is a half human half vampire”.

Toey’s eyes grow wide in shock. Another thing he learn today!

“Now he is mostly vampire, although he still retains his love for human foods. Before 18, he was more human. He rarely thirsts for blood. His metabolism worked like human back then so there was a time when he ate so much that he became chubby”. Phum chuckles, recalling the memory. “Ahh but he was still cute though. Peem is always cute”.

What is in Toey’s mind right now? Peem is such a lucky person to have an affectionate and devoted lover like Phum. Toey wishes he would have a love story as beautiful too.

Pun is waiting in front of the entrance door. He winks and gives a thumbs up; a signal that the line is clear. Peem works at his aunt coffee shop nearby as a barista. Today, he had morning shift, so Pun was at a lookout in case Peem and Phum get back at the residence at the same time. Apparently, Peem is not home yet so they quickly bring inside their purchases for Peem’s surprise party tonight.

Phum bought a mouthwatering, squared-shaped Ferrero Rocher cake while at the mall, he bought matching denim jackets, presumably for both himself and Peem.

PEEM

“SURPRISE!”

Sounds of claps and confetti blaster fill the residence the moment Peem entered, back from his work. Peem’s bright smile further lights up the room. He pulls all of them into a hug, one by one.

Toey and Pun bring out the birthday cake, lighting up 2 big candles and 4 small candles, which presents 24 years old. After making a silent wish, Peem blows out the candles altogether. Pun then cut a portion of the cake and feed it to Peem. Peem screams in delight. “SO DELICIOUS!”

Phum moves forward and hand the roses to Peem. “Toey specially arranged this bouquet for you”.

Tan whistles, followed by cheers from the rest, all eyes looking at Toey. Toey scratches the back of his head, blush creeping out on his cheeks from the sudden attention on him.

Phum presents another gift, the matching jacket. Phum and Peem help each other put the jacket onto each other. Both jackets have kind of like angel wings at the back. The wings on Phum is silver colored while the one on Peem is in metallic gold.

“What is this, Phum? Do you want to say that the angel wings means that you’ve been sent down from the heaven to protect me?”, Peem teases.

Phum puts both his hands on Peem’s waist, gazing into his lover’s eyes, “And vice versa, love”. And he kisses Peem’s cheeks. Which earns “Boo”s from the other spectators. Toey stands rigid at his place. He is not used to seeing people giving PDA.

“Enough lovey-dovey in front of us. Here! My present!”

Q comes in between the lovebirds, breaking their moment. He hands Peem a medium sized canvas, covered by a gold fabric, the painting hindered from view.

“Don’t open it here. You better display this somewhere in your bedroom”, Q orders.

Peem can’t help but take a peek. He widens his eyes and his face suddenly turns red.

“Q! You! You! You…pervert!”, Peem points his fingers towards Q in shame.

Q just shrugs. “I guess I win the best present title this year”.

Tan and Pun tried to take a peek as well but they were brushed off pretty harshly by Peem.

They give their presents to Peem one by one with Toey being the last one to hand his. A bouquet of yellow tulips inside a white porcelain vase.

“Happy birthday, P’Peem! I wish you will always have cheerful thoughts and abundance of happiness!”

Peem delightfully receives his present, before lovingly patting Toey’s head. “Thank you, nong. You’re such a sweet kid”.

Phum clears his throat. Peem sniggers, “Seriously, Phum. You can’t be jealous of Nong Toey right now”.

The other man just rolls his eyes.

“Ohh nong, you and Pun can eat the cake with me! These guys can’t eat this”.

Tan walks to where the cake is and dabs his fingers onto the icing on the cake. “I haven’t taste human food for a while so let me take a bite”. After tasting the icing on his fingers, he pursed his lips and winces. “Eww! Yuck!”

“OI!”, Peem smacks his head. Others are laughing witnessing the scene.

“Come on, let’s cheers for another year with Peem!”, Chain holds up his blood-filled glass.

Everybody nods.

“CONGRATULATIONS PEEM FOR ANOTHER YEAR!”, Chain shouts out.

“YEAH!” Everyone clanks their glasses.

Peem thanked everyone, with a smile reaching his eyes.

“Ohh! I got everyone else a present too!”

Toey then distributes his self-made mini bouquets around. He picked his choices for each of them carefully.

A sunflower for Phum; which represents adoration.

Daisies for Pun; which symbolizes gratitude and appreciation.

White camellias for Tan; which means “You’re adorable”.

Pink dahlias for Fang; which conveys grace and kindness.

Daffodils for Chain; which depicts virtue of integrity.

Last but not least, Q receives the bouquet from Toey’s hands with a Duchenne smile, “Thank you”.

Lavender roses for Q; which stands for “Love at first sight”.

Pun and Toey are cleaning after the party while the vampires gathered around the living room, watching some viral TikTok videos.

“Nong Toey and Pun, come meet me and Peem in our bedroom when you’re done, OK?”, Phum instructs before he retreats to his room on the 3rd floor. Toey wonders if it’s about work.

“Come in!”, they heard Peem’s voice from inside the room. Peem can be seen already changing into his silk night robe, and so does his partner.

“Thank you for preparing the birthday party. I really appreciate it”.

“It’s no big deal, P’Peem! I hope you enjoyed the party”, Toey bashfully replies.

“I did. And I’ve put your present over there. Hope the flower will last for a week”. Toey is happy to see that the vase with the yellow tulips is placed on the low table near the door.

“Nong Toey”, Peem calls, in a serious tone.

“Y-yes?”

“I have a favor to ask”. Peem pauses. “I want another birthday gift”. Peem saunters towards Toey and whispers into his ears, “Let me taste your blood”.

Toey honestly doesn’t know how to react. He doesn’t necessarily want to refuse. But he was certainly, a little afraid. Should he accept because they are the reason why he’s here in the first place? What if he declines? Will Peem gets mad? So many thoughts running through his mind…

Toey is internally panicking, he doesn’t realize he’s backing off from Peem until his back bumps into Pun. Pun catches him, and tries to calm him down.

“Hey, you’ve been wondering how does it feel to get bitten, right? Don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe”.

It makes sense now why the two of them were called together. So Pun already knew Peem’s plans…

“Will you let me, nong Toey?”, Peem asks once again, in a gentler tone this time.

Toey takes a deep breath. “S-Sure…”

He can see Peem’s eyes lit up. “Good. It won’t hurt. I promise”.

Toey keeps his head down, suddenly feeling hesitant. Peem gets closer again; holding Toey’s chin up to look at him in the eyes. “Can I?”

Peem’s eyes is captivating. How could he refuse?

Toey nods slowly, giving his consent. Peem smiles. “Then, can you remove the charm?”

Toey looks back at Pun. The other human is gesturing Toey to give the necklace to him. So Toey does just that.

Peem spins Toey around, so now Peem is on his back and he is currently facing both Pun and Phum. “I just like to drink this way”, Peem declares, while undoing 3 buttons of Toey’s shirt, exposing his whole neck, as well as the upper part of his shoulders and chest. “Relax, nong. Soon, pleasure is all you would be feeling”.

Toey shuts his eyes on reflex. He feels a sting for a split second, when the fangs puncture the skin. Soon, the feeling of euphoria overcomes him. Toey is hit by sensory overload – the rush adrenaline; the heightened awareness. He can literally hear Peem sipping his blood and can feel the blood getting suck out of him. Toey lets out a soft moan, his right hand moving up to weakly grab Peem’s right arm across his shoulder, which is used to hold the human in place. The biting stops instantaneously and Toey can now feel the tickles from Peem licking his neck. Heavy breaths, mind still in a daze – Toey is a mess. An irresistible mess.

“Can Phum join us?”, Toey hears Peem’s alluring voice from behind.

Toey glances at the man in question. He has a dark expression on his face. Toey can’t be sure if it’s due to jealousy or desire. Toey can’t think; not right now. He absentmindedly responded with a breathy “Yes”. Phum slowly walks towards him, licking his lips, like a preying predator. Phum snakes his hand around Toey’s waist, leans down and bites into the veins near his collarbone. Toey gasps for air; the bite this time hurts more than the last bite. But he also experiences more pleasure as he is attacked both from the front and back. Peem is now kissing all over the back of his neck. Toey’s knees weaken, he squirms and is holding onto Phum for his dear life. Toey’s moans fill the room.

Pun hangs a lotus charm on the doorknob. A charm strong enough to keep away the smell of tonight’s activity from the other vampires outside.

With that, the first ones to taste Toey’s blood, are Peem and Phum.

TAN

Day 14.

Toey hides behind Tan, who was just coming in from the entrance door. Pun stops chasing him.

“Hey, nong-nong! What are you guys playing at?”

“He pranked me! Ugh!”, Pun frustratingly cries out.

Toey sticks out his tongue. “It’s your fault for not paying attention!”

Pun clicks his tongue. “So, Tan. What are you doing here? If I’m not mistaken, Fang was out”.

Tan snaps his fingers. “That’s why I’m here! Fang sent me here! He needs me to bring him some books from the library”. Pun and Toey nod in acknowledgement.

Tan claps his hands. “Nong-nong, let’s go to the library together? Help me search for the books, na?”, he blinks his puppy eyes repeatedly.

Pun snickers, “Let Toey help you with that. I’m going to clean up the mess this little gremlin made in the kitchen”. He gives Toey a disdainful glance and Toey retaliates by sticking his tongue out once more.

“Come on, Tan”. Toey casually holds Tan’s hand, leading him up to the library on the 3rd floor.

Out of all the vampires in the residence, Toey feels comfortable the most around Tan. The man is a ray of sunshine; always happy and pleasant. He likes making people laugh, even though Toey had to argue, that some of his jokes were dry humor. He doesn’t look intimidating either. In fact, Toey describes him as “adorable”, despite the man being 6cm taller than him.

Fang sent Tan the cover of the books via LINE to make the search a little easier, so he shows the photos to Toey as well. The library is huge, with wide collections of books since the siblings’ Fang and Phum, loves reading. They walk straight to the “Architecture section” and starts exploring.

“Tan, how did you and Fang get together?”

“Hehehe We float a krathong together during Loy Krathong, then I confessed, and he accepts!”

“That’s so cute! I want a love story like that too!”

“Ayyy you never had a lover?”

Toey shakes his head.

“Aww it’s ok, nong. You will meet the right person one day. What type do you like? Let’s say, among us. Whom do you like?”

Toey is taken aback by the sudden intrusive questions. “E-ehh?”

“Let me guess! Someone like Q, isn’t it?!”

Toey’s face is flushing crimson. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! Wh-What makes you think Q is my type?!”

“Heh! You’re so obvious, nong. I can see stars in your eyes whenever you’re looking at Q”.

Toey’s eyes widen in shock. He wonders if the others notice too, if Q notices too. He shakes his head in embarrassment, he hopes that it’s only Tan who is attentive.

“Ahh! I found one!” Nice timing! Now, they can move on to another topic!

After confirming that they find the correct book, they immediately move on to search for the next books.

“Nong, have you ever get bitten before?”

Toey halts his actions, his noggin recalling the night of Peem’s birthday, just few days ago. In all honesty, he remembered the sensation; the pleasure. The wolfish look on Phum’s face still lingering at the back of his head. Toey remembered Peem whispering a “Thank you” before he passed out. He woke up the next morning, tucked into his bed. It felt like a hungover. Some memories are blurry; uncertain if those are real memories or part of his dream or imagination.

Back to the present, Toey answers Tan with a quiet “Yes”.

“Ohh…Was it…a bad experience?”

Toey shakes his head and beams a smile towards a worried-looking Tan. “I gave my consent”.

Tan lets out a sigh, the frown dissipating. “Must be someone trustful then. I’m glad”.

15 more minutes of searching before they finally find all 5 books that Fang asked for. They cheer in victory! Tan then put all the books inside his tote bag. On their way down, Tan offers some advice.

“Nong Toey, I’m not saying this to break your heart but you should know, that Q is a playboy”.

Toey’s heart does ache hearing that. But he is able to mask the disturbed feeling. “You’re still talking about that? I never said that I like Q!”

Tan shrugs. “Whatever you say, nong. I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. I don’t want you to have false hope”.

Toey understands Tan’s intention. He knows whatever Tan was saying is true. And truth hurts.

“Aww this is why you’re my favorite Phi! Don’t worry, I’ll only be here for another week. I won’t be catching feelings because I probably won’t see you guys again as much after next week”, Toey exclaims in a playful tone, although feeling dejected inside.

Tan, being a sensitive person, is aware of Toey’s change in voice. He can grasp the way Toey tries to cover his sadness. So he puts his arms around Toey’s shoulder the moment they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. “Nong, if you’re sad, I’m sad too. So don’t be sad, na. We can still stay in contact via LINE. We can meet up somewhere when we’re free, OK, nong?”

Toey simply nods and smiles, grateful for Tan’s effort to brighten him up.

“As for Q, you may think I’m nosy for prying into your business but again, I’m saying this for your own good. If it’s just a crush, that’s fine. But if things turn serious…I just want you to be careful in the company of a monster...” Tan pats his back. “…So that you don’t become one yourself”.

Tan’s cryptic final sentence sends shivers down Toey’s spine. He watches Tan’s back, walking towards the entrance door; standing still, until the door closes completely.

CHAIN (II)

Day 17.

Today, Toey is in charge of cleaning Chain and Q’s rooms. As usual, he would go to clean Chain’s room first, unless the man requested otherwise. As Toey enters the room, he notices something different than usual. The scent. The room smell…sweet and calming…

Toey falls on the floor, unconscious.

Chain has to admit: more often than not, he is not a good person. Following the rainy day when he failed to seduce Toey, he thirsts for the said human’s blood. Toey have a smaller build, beautiful face, entrancing eyes, tempting lips – he looks so delicate in Chain’s eyes. Just his type.

He had his eyes on Toey. He’s aware, of the secret glances the human throws at Q. He’s aware, that the human spends longer time cleaning Q’s room. He’s aware, how Toey’s cheeks tinted pink whenever Q was talking to him.

He clenches his fist. It’s always Q.

Studying in a medical field provides him with knowledge of different chemicals and how they affect the human body. In addition, he also has access to all these chemicals.

His plan is simple. Disperse the chemicals to the air, let Toey smells it which puts him to sleep.

The chemicals have no effect on vampires.

Step 1 – Done.

Next, he has to wait for the effect of the chemicals to subside; for Toey to wake up. Most probably in an hour.

He can drink Toey’s blood while he is asleep. But that won’t be fun. He wants to let Toey experience the thrill too, he wants to hear Toey’s sultry voice, he’s excited at the thought of making a mess out of Toey.

Chain carefully carries an unconscious Toey onto his bed. He grabs two neckties – one for blindfold, another one to tie both Toey’s hands together. He unbuttoned Toey’s shirt, without taking it off. He also unzipped the pants, hanging it down loose but not completely yanking the piece of clothing off. Chain likes the view. The teasing glimpse of flesh. For the whole hour, Chain just lay next to a sleeping Toey; admiring and caressing all over the human’s face and body, practicing self-control as he waits in patience till his victim regain consciousness.

Toey thought he’s awake. He can feel the grogginess from sleep inertia, yet, his vision is somehow blocked. He is unable to open his eyes. Maybe sleep paralysis, is what he then thought. He tries to move his hands. He is able to. However, he can feel both his hands are bound together. Then he feels a touch on his face. He flinches in surprise, letting out a small gasp. Later, he feels a movement next to him. With him being blindfolded, his senses heightened. He lets out another gasp, as he feels stroking on his waist. He feels a hand. Big and rough. The hand keeps touching him all over, with his moans getting louder by the second. He can’t even tell the person to stop. This feeling is new to him, he never felt this kind of pleasure before.

Toey was pulled into a sitting position. Whoever this person is, Toey doesn’t hear a single sound from them yet. The person shoves their head in between Toey’s tied limbs. Toey can now feel both his captor’s hands on his back, bringing him closer towards his captor. He can also feel breathing on his chest. Indeed, they are now so close.

“Remove the charm, Toey”. The first words Toey heard, from his captor. Toey thought that the voice is very familiar, but he can’t pinpoint who exactly the person is. Moreover, he is still in a state where he’s unsure if he’s awake or if he’s dreaming.

“Remove the charm, Toey”. The voice orders, again. Subconsciously, he did as he was told. Pulling the necklace over his head and throws it down the floor.

He did that because the pleasure is addicting. He wants more. Perhaps by removing the charm, he will get more.

Toey feels immense pleasure as his ear was licked by his captor, followed by a light bite; while the hands on his back now move up to pull on his hair. The lips then move to kiss over the trail of his jawline. The lips linger for a while on his neck, giving his neck light pecks until finally…Toey feels a familiar sting. Of fangs digging into his skin. This time, the sensual gratification increases threefold.

Toey pants heavily after the first bite. Soon, he is pushed to lay back down on the bed. The vampire hovering on top of him.

Toey’s blood turns out to be as delicious as he looks. The thought of destroying the innocence of the man beneath him is tempting. But Chain has to restrain himself. He still has respect, for Toey, for Toey’s emotion. Toey never shows any romantic interest towards him. That gesture always goes to his rival. Chain believes that kisses on the lips are something sacred. Something that is done between two partners who are genuinely in love with each other. In this case, Toey is clearly not in love with Chain. So he respects that, and he plants kisses everywhere on Toey except his lips. Chain stoops down to feast for the second time, on the other side of Toey’s neck this time. Soon, Toey suddenly turns his body to the side, abruptly stopping Chain from slurping the human’s blood. His fangs graze Toey’s skin in the process. Chain is worried that Toey could be wounded.

Chain notice tears streaming down from the blindfold. Toey is sobbing, laying on his side with his knees bent towards his chest, curled up like a baby. Chain strokes Toey’s hair again, kissing and licking the spot on his neck where Chain just digs his fangs into, in order to close the wounds.

“What’s wrong?”

“I…I…” Even if Toey doesn’t say, from Toey’s shaking legs and how he thrust his hips into the air; Chain understands.

Chain removes Toey’s pants, leaving him in his boxers, arousal visible. Chain spreads Toey’s pale legs apart, propping them onto Chain’s shoulders. He places kisses on the inside of Toey’s thighs, which earns him melodious, erotic whimpers.

Chain will let Toey feel another level of ecstasy. He will help Toey release, but without touch. He sinks his fangs into the spot where he just placed his kisses. Toey screams. In ecstasy. And he reaches orgasm. Chain is satisfied, fulfilled, accomplished.

Toey passed out soon after. Chain put Toey’s clothes back on, then he removes the bind and blindfold. He is gazing lovingly at Toey’s sleeping face, wipe away the tears and placing a lingering kiss on his forehead.

“I’m sorry”.

He carries Toey bridal-styled, back to the human’s room.

Chain finds Q standing in the hallway, in front of his own room. The man glares at his direction, who is carrying Toey in his arms.

“He was supposed to clean my room at this hour”, Q’s voice is laced with spite. What’s with Q’s expression? Angry? Jealousy?

It doesn’t really matter to Chain. Q is jealous of him all the time. Q might be known as the Maestro, but Chain outsmarts him every time.

“You won’t have your room clean today then. Sorry”.

He can hear cursing words thrown onto him as he turns on his heel to go upstairs.

After tucking Toey into his bed, Chain finds Fang and Tan waiting for him outside Toey’s door. Fang steps forward, with a solemn look on his face.

“Fang…”, Chain starts.

A heavy sound of a slap echoes throughout the hallway. Chain is startled. Fang just slapped his left cheek.

“Fang…”, he tries again. He receives another slap, on his other cheek.

Fang grits his teeth and grabs him by the collar. “You. Can. Fuck. Around. For. All. I. Care. But. Not. In. This. House. And. Certainly. Not. With. Our. Caretaker. Do. You. Understand?”

Chain never saw Fang loses his temper. Now he sees Fang’s eyes are burning. Not going to lie, this whole situation frightens him. There is a certain, distinct smell, which emits when a human and a vampire are making out. The other vampires can smell it from Chain and Toey, thus, they don’t need explanation.

Fang calls out for Pun, who sprints to the 2nd floor from the ground floor upon hearing the call of distress. “You’re closer to Chain than the rest of us, right? Teach him to have self-control. Don’t let this happen again. Clear?”

Chain glances at his human best friend. Pun looks…crestfallen…He looks heartbroken even.

It is an open secret – that Pun has been crushing on his childhood friend Chain for the longest time. Chain is always aware of the signs, even though Pun never told him honestly about how he feels.

“Pun…”

“I’ll fetch Toey’s charm from your room later”. Chain notices Pun’s eyes glistening. His best friend is holding back his tears as he scoots away from Chain.

Suddenly, Chain feels guilty. Not due to the fact that he just finished ravishing his residence’s caretaker. He is guilty for possibly breaking Pun’s heart. He rests his right hand on his left chest, where the heart is supposed to be. It’s throbbing. This feeling is unfamiliar to him.

Toey woke up tired and confused that late evening. He told Pun he didn’t remember how he passed out, much to Pun’s delight. When Toey awkwardly told him his recollection of bits and pieces of activity he’d done in Chain’s room, Pun managed to convince him that it was all just a dream. Toey was just exhausted and passed out in the middle of work. Toey believes him.

EXTREMUM NOCTIS

The room is red. Toey is sitting on a sofa chair, in his black short pajamas. He feels a hand touching his shoulder on his left. Phum is standing behind the chair, smiling down on him. Then, he feels a hot breath on his right ear. He meets eye to eye with a grinning Peem. Toey gulps. He casts his eyes downwards. Both Fang and Tan, each holding his calves on each side, also staring at Toey, with dangerous smile. Q and Chain enter the scene, bringing each of Toey’s hands up to their lips, kissing the back of his hands.

Toey leans back into the chair, breathing heavily. He doesn’t know whose hands, are now exploring his abs, and whose lips, give kisses onto his thigh. He can hear the sound of his pajama top getting rip apart, then another pair of lips brushing his neck, sucking on his skin, surely, leaving love bites. He closes his eyes, feeling highly stimulated.

“Ahh~ No…”

Toey wakes up in his own bed, in cold sweat. He also feels the wetness down there.

“Ahh~ It was just a dream…” A wet dream to be precise, that feels all too real.

It is his 2nd last day of working and technically the final night of living at the Phum’s residence. Peem already informed everyone that they will be having a farewell party tonight. Toey is a little sad, that the summer vacation is nearly over, that a new semester will start soon, that he will leave this residence, leaving Q…

Toey lightly slaps himself. “Wake up, Toey! No time to be melancholic! You have a long day ahead! Fighting!”

The day passed by uneventful, just as normal.

“CHEERS!”

Everyone clanks their glasses together.

“Nong Toey, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for willing to help out with the chores in this residence for the past 3 weeks. I’m sure Pun is the one who is more thankful for this arrangement but I’m equally as grateful that you accept to serve us during this holiday”, Phum expresses his thoughts. “Now, come forward and share your farewell speech. Applause, everyone!”

Everybody claps their hands, and Toey shyly walks to the front.

“Thank you, Mr. Phum, for giving me the opportunity to speak here tonight. Where should I start…Ever since the past few years of living in this city, I actually always passed by this residence. Whether I’m going across another town or handling deliveries around this area, I always notice the existence of this residence. Only about a month ago, that I finally knew who lives here. That day when Uncle Tay was unwell, opens a new door in my life. I was sent here for flowers delivery, and met Pun. Pun is sunny, even when it’s storming outside. At least that’s how I see him. Thank you, Pun, for helping me adjust to the new environment. I still thought that everything was a strange disposition, but I’m really thankful to Pun for recommending me to experience working and living alongside…vampires… I mentioned this to Mr. Phum before, but I’m going to say it again for everyone to hear. I believe there are good and bad vampires, and living under one roof with everyone is a prove that kind vampires exist. That vampires are evil creatures is just a myth. So I would also like to thank everyone for being kind and patient with me.

Thank you, P’Peem, for always treating me to sweets. Your bakes are extremely delicious, I’m very impressed!

Thank you, Mr. Fang, for always siding with me in arguments. Even though sometimes I’m aware that I was just being egotistical and you’re simply going along with the banter with Tan and Pun, but you’re always able to find something to support my arguments. For me, that’s such a caring gesture.

Thank you, Tan, for channeling your merry energy, bringing encouragement and optimism throughout my days living here. You’re the best Phi, you’re fun to be around! But your jokes are too much sometimes. I suggest you to work on your comedy skills! You and Pun can be a comedy duo. Yes, that will be epic!

Thank you, P’Chain. Even though I didn’t see you much since you’re busy with your studies, I know that you’re a warm person. You’re friendly, approachable, quick to offer a helping hand and very empathetic. You’re also diligent! I thrive to be someone like you!

Thank you, P’Q, for allowing me to come into your room to look at your paintings whenever I’m feeling down or whenever I was struck with a gloomy mood. I understand why you were called the Maestro. I can gaze at your paintings for hours without getting bored. Your paintings swoon me over, providing me with warmth and joy.

Last but not least, thank you very much, Mr. Phum! For agreeing with Pun’s idea of letting me work here, for actually giving me a chance to work here, for everything that you’ve done to make my stay here as comfortable. I really appreciate it! And I would also like to thank you on behalf of Uncle Tay, for always choosing and buying from the flower shop!

I’m leaving tomorrow but I already miss everyone…I hope this goodbye isn’t final. I hope we could still be in contact and meet again in the future. Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. This summer vacation has been memorable and I’ll keep it that way forever”.

Toey was sobbing by the time he finished his speech so everyone circled around him, patting his back, giving him support. Everybody is going to let loose tonight. It’s going to be a long night.

“Toey, which university are you attending?”, Q asks. Both of them are sitting on Q’s balcony, gazing at the stars, away from the others who are still partying hard downstairs.

“Niyomsil University. Why do you ask?”

A moment of realization painted on Q’s face. “Ohh”.

“Why~~~”, Toey keeps pestering, braving himself to pinch Q’s cheeks.

Q slaps his hands away and storms back into his room. Only to return outside with a small canvas.

“Here, for you. If you miss me, which I know you will, just look at this painting and think of me. I’ll be there for you in spirit, always rooting for you”.

Toey suddenly feels shy. It’s a painting of Toey. He recognized from the painting the denim clothes he was wearing few days ago. In the painting, he was laying on his stomach on Q’s pillow, on top of Q’s bed, in Q’s room. His face flushes red, seeing his expression in the painting. Is that how he looks at Q? He screams internally.

“Thank you, P’Q! I’ll treasure it”.

The reason why Q asked, was because he wanted a confirmation. Toey’s answer gave him that confirmation. He had met Toey before. On a trip to a resort in Pattaya last year. His room was nearer to the café. That one morning, he was unable to go back to sleep, so he walked around the resort, searching for inspiration for a new painting. Q is very selective in his drawings so after failing to find what he desired, he went back to his room. By the time he arrived at his room, he found a group of students having breakfast together at the café. One such student caught his eyes. That student is sitting on a round daybed, enjoying the morning view. Something about the whole scenery, sparks his artistic soul. He quickly set up a blank canvas and let out his painting tools, and started painting. He only caught a glimpse of the student’s face, but he’ll surely remember his features, especially now that Q already made a portrait of him. Before the students leave, Q managed to read the table tag: Niyomsil University.

But of course, Q didn’t let Toey know. He can take his time sharing about his life with Toey later. Why? Because they will surely meet again sooner or later. Surely.

VALE

Toey finishes packing his belongings and ready to go return to his home after he was done cleaning Fang and Phum/Peem’s rooms. Phum hands him an envelope with 300,000baht in cash and a small box, wrapped with wrapping paper and ribbon.

“A token of appreciation from all of us”, Phum says. Phum offers to give Toey a ride back home.

Everyone is present this time to see him off. He hugs them one by one, say one last farewell and the car drives away, leaving him with a contented, fulfilling memories of a summer vacation.

The gift from Phum’s residence is a music box. It’s a song that Toey always heard inside the house, but he never questioned who played it or if the song means something. Toey thought it was just a song; mutually fancied by all the residents’ there.

NOVUM SEMESTRI

The first day of the semester is exhausting. Adjusting to new schedules are overwhelming; meeting new classmates and reconnecting with old ones are exciting yet draining; figuring where his classes are, as well as getting supplies are time-consuming and tiring; the professors’ expectations and information on assignments also gives him anxiety about the new semester.

Toey sighs in relief when the day is over. He walks together with his friend, Matt, towards his motorcycle, ready to go back home.

Elemental pain

I can’t quite reach the place I saw in my dream yesterday

I thought the things that stir up my life should be more pure

Toey looks around rapidly, trying to find where the singing came from. That’s the song that he listened everyday for the past 3 weeks!

Standing a few meters to his right, is Q, wearing a similar uniform to his. Toey’s eyes widen in wonder and excitement.

“P’Q!”, Toey calls out. Q walks up to him. Toey is starstruck by this sight of Q. The man is charming even in the uniform. “You didn’t tell me that you enroll here too!”

“I wanted to surprise you. I’m starting my Master’s Degree here. How was it? Surprised?”

Toey nods his head vigorously.

“Well, I guess last week wasn’t a goodbye. You’ll be seeing me around a lot from this day onwards”.

“Q? Ohh, is that Toey?”

Both of them (plus Matt, who was left out from the conversation), turn their heads towards the source of the voice.

Oh boy, Chain is here too.

{TO BE CONTINUED}

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading till the end! I was planning for it to be just a short prompt but in my usual fashion, I overdone it haha When I have more free time in the future, I will most definitely re-write this with more details and an actual plot. As you can see, there is actually nothing going on in this story. It’s simply my guilty pleasure writing, to feed my imagination with the idea of Toey X Everyone AU. I didn’t think I’ll make a vampire story in the first place but after having some mental pictures, ohh, the concept is fascinating. So I wrote it. My plan is maybe to have Toey being this “chosen one”. I can’t come up with reasonings and backstories this time so perhaps I can add that next time. I want to also be able to clearly define the conditions of vampires in this story, for e.g. sunlight doesn’t burn them, but they’ll worn out easily if exposed outside for a long time, etc… I want to make my own vampire lore hehe

Q didn’t manage to drink Toey’s blood this time wkwkwk But since this will definitely be QToey endgame, he will have all the time in the world to have a taste of Toey next time! I like the idea of Q and Chain being rivals. Jealous Q in the series is HOT. I’m living for that wkwkwk I would also like to introduce Matt, Mick and Beer next time! ChainPun endgame is also set!

I will leave you guys here for now. Thank you again for reading till the end. Hope you enjoy and find yourself re-reading this story whenever you missed We Are. Bye!

P.S. Originally I posted this at my twitter. If you are interested, you can check out @TsukiHoshi17 on twitter. I need more #WinnySatang moots! XD

[jannah1721]

Love Trigger (Light - HeartThrob version)

This is a fanfiction, meaning that all events and occurrences in this story are all fictional and all are part of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual life events and people, living or dead, are all purely coincidence. I am not, in any way, affiliated to Snow Man members or Johnny’s Entertainment so I do not own the Snow Man members mentioned in my fanfiction.

=================

“AHHHH!”

Raul is startled by his tutor’s frustrated whine. “What’s the matter, Abe-sensei?”

Abe is pacing around the room while texting someone on his phone.

“The other cameraman at work suddenly got sick today so I was asked to cover for him. The project this time is in Okinawa and I have to fly there tonight! Gosh! This is so last minute! I don’t like this…Aghhhh!”

Raul chuckles. “Your work seems fun. You got free flight all over the country, got to explore lots of places, sometimes got free foods…It’s like holiday!”

Abe let out a tiny laugh before sitting down next to Raul. His panic slowly subsides. “Well, you only see the fun parts. Try to be in my shoes. You’ll experience how tiring travelling is on this job. Plus, my main job is as an editor. So I also have editing works to do afterwards. I’m sorry, Raul-kun. I guess you have to go back early today. I have to go to the airport in a few hours. Heck, I have to pack really quick! Huhuhu… I’ll text you again next week for tutoring times, yeah? Gomenne!”. Abe makes an apologetic hand pose.

Raul laughs lightly. “It’s alright, sensei. Thanks for explaining the Stormer’s Theorem today! I can now grasp the concept. I’ll see you next week!”

Raul packs his stuffs. Before he leaves, he told Abe, “Ahh! Don’t forget to get me some souvenirs too, OK?”

Abe pinches Raul’s cheeks. “You cheeky boy! Ok, I’ll get you something from Okinawa”.

“Hehe Yay! See ya, Abe-sensei!”

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

Yeah

Abe managed to arrive at Haneda Airport on time. He met up with all his crewmates before they board the plane. Since the ticket was booked very last minute and the sick co-worker’s ticket is non-transferrable, he doesn’t get to sit with his crewmates. When he arrived at his seat, there was already a man sitting at the window seat next to him. This man is very fashionable; wearing all black – black leather jacket, black leather pants, black inner shirt and black loafers. Abe can also see a Fendi silver necklace and another Fendi bracelet on the man’s right wrist. The hair is slicked back, looking so smooth and shiny. Abe is in awe. He never saw someone this fashionable up close. Not even the influencers that he had worked with before.

Ohh a little background! Abe Ryohei, a 30-years old with a flaming passion for knowledge, is currently doing a part time PHD while working as an editor for a living. An influencer-driven media company which aims to promote Japan to a global audience took him in 5 years ago. The company acknowledged Abe’s ability to fluently speak in English to be advantageous for the company’s vision and mission. Thus, they offered him the job as soon as the interview was done. Since Abe is good in IT, he was given the editor position but in reality, the employees’ roles in this company are quite flexible. There are also cases where some of their staffs suddenly turned into online celebrities overnight. For example, there was this one time where an influencer had to pull out from a project very last minute and the company was not able to find another influencer as replacement. All appointments have already been finalized and the filming was scheduled to be done the next day. Albeit frustrated, some of the most talkative staffs decided to appear on screen and do the interviews, keeping professionalism. And Walla! When the video was released, it received very good feedback and unexpectedly got more views, which boost the popularity of the company in media platforms.

There are few other editors as well in the company and sometimes, if Abe is tired from doing editing all week long, he will ask his manager to give him administrative work instead, like researching for new Halal foods establishments then making appointments with the owners and stuffs like that. Like right now, he is replacing a sick cameraman so when he arrives at Okinawa later, he is expected to perform cameraman duties.

Talking about personal life, Abe had a breakup just 3 months ago, from an ex whom he dated for about 2 years. The man visibly had an inferiority complex, which resulted in him always throwing insults towards Abe to make himself feel better. The man was constantly anxious, knowing the fact that Abe is an educated man with a good job and is earning more, unlike him. He is also controlling, not allowing Abe to hang out with his friends in peace. Abe has realized the red flags 6 months into the relationship and he did try to breakup with the man sooner. However, the man will find ways to manipulate him to stay in the relationship. Abe had break down in front of the man 3 times! Abe yelled that he can’t tolerate his partner’s behavior anymore; he screamed at his partner for being mentally abusive and it’s affecting his productivity at work and study; and finally, he dejectedly asked for a breakup. However! Whenever Abe brought up the topic of breaking up, the next day, the man injure himself one time, another time he said that his grandmother passed away so Abe, being a sympathetic being, cannot leave him alone! The man will be nice to him for a week before the abusing cycle starts again. The third time, Abe had enough. He was no longer happy in a relationship that is supposed to be loving and warm. That day, the man saw Abe and his workmate talk and giggles at a train platform. They were invited to a launching event 5 stations away and it didn’t occur to Abe that he will meet his partner at the station at that time. However, Abe thought it was a blessing as this time, he can finally exit this relationship and his ex will have his spotlight moment getting break up in front of the public. So the ex approached them, pointing at Abe’s co-worker, accusing Abe of cheating. Abe screamed out whatever in his mind as loud as he can, attracting attention obviously. He shouts out how abusive the ex is, about how Abe tried to put up with his bullshit for a long time, going into details about each abusive moments he remembered and now, he wants, no, NEEDS a breakup for real. The ex, looking uncomfortable with all the attention on him, fell down to his knees, begging for forgiveness. Abe ignored him and dragged his co-worker, who was visibly startled, quietly standing beside him all this while, into the next train that arrived. Inside the train, Abe promptly blocked all communication with his ex. He has been living so much better ever since.

Hmm? What about Raul? So Raul is…The son of Abe’s mother’s best friend. He is currently in college, majoring in Mathematics. Since Abe also major in Mathematics during his undergraduate study, Raul’s mother reached out to him to tutor her son. Abe is more than happy to help. Not only is he able to share his knowledge, he also receives extra pocket money for his service. Plus, Raul is an easy kid. The kid is so polite, able to absorb information quickly and the type that doesn’t hesitate to debate if he finds a certain theory to be different from what he understood, which is a trait that Abe respects him for. Abe will get to know the way Raul thinks, get to listen to his perspective, sometimes even realizing that he might be on the wrong side of things. They exchange ideas respectfully, without putting down one another. Abe really likes Raul and he believes his student will be an amazing scholar one day.

Anyway, back inside the flight: Abe greets the fashionable man next to him. When he gets to look at the man closely, he thought the man is breathtaking. He never saw someone this handsome and he told himself in his head, this man might be an online celebrity of some sorts. They only exchange a “Hello” out of courtesy and then going back to doing their own things.

The plane departs Tokyo exactly at 8pm. It will take approximately 2hrs 40min to reach Okinawa.

Before I knew it, my thoughts are all about you

Without realizing, this Feeling is overflowing

The popular Love song I heard on the street

It won’t leave my head, I don’t know why

The melody that won’t let me sleep

Abe is enjoying his book while listening to some classical music when suddenly, he feels the plane shakes. Hard. The plane is going through turbulence, the roughest he had ever experienced. He can hear some women screams out of fear and he admits, he is pretty scared himself. Abe goes from laying on his seat to hunching forward, due to anxiousness. His mind goes towards thinking all the negative things. He can’t help it.

Suddenly, a hand comes and grips his right hand. He comes eye to eye with the man next to him. The man has a gentle expression on his face, as if to calm him down.

“Don’t worry. This won’t last long. Everything will be fine. If you don’t believe me, just look at the stewardess. If they don’t show any panic, then we don’t need to get panic. They know better. Trust me.”

Abe’s anxiousness instantly dissipates into thin air. The man also has a gentle voice that’s very pleasing to the ear in addition to his impressive persuasion skill. Abe trusts him. And they keep holding hands until the bumpiness stops a few minutes later.

Once the situation calms down, Abe thanked the man beside him. The man answers with “No problem” before he slides back comfortably into his seat, crossing his arms, then goes back to sleep.

About another 45mins, they safely landed at Naha Airport.

Don’t be shy. As you are, Follow me

I won’t be able to say that Word afterall

Mystery, no matter what I do, I can’t reach your Philosophy

[2 weeks later]

“Welcome!”

Abe enters his favorite local cafe. The barista gives him a knowing smile.

“Good morning, Abe-san! The usual?”

“Good morning, Watanabe-san. Yes, please. And I would like to also order a tuna toast today”.

“Got it! Your total is 780Yen”. Abe hands the exact amount. “Thank you. Please have a seat. I’ll deliver your order soon!”

Watanabe Cafe is fairly new, only opened about 2 years ago. Abe accidentally stumbled upon the cafe after finishing his job near the Nakameguro area. He decided to roam the neighborhood a little more before he went back home. Watanabe Café has a list of “The benefits of coffee for your skin” on the board near the entrance door where usually, there will be a list of menu on it. Abe was intrigued by this weird marketing and decided to enter. He found out that the owner, Watanabe-san is a skincare enthusiast and a coffee lover. Which explains the list of the board outside.

Now, Abe visits this café at least three times a week. He likes the cozy atmosphere of the café and the smell of fresh coffee. It’s just a small café so there is not too much noise. Watanabe-san also plays classical music inside the cafe, which is a plus point for Abe personally. The interior design is a mixture of modern and European classic. The café had checkerboard flooring with some areas even carpeted, two lite casement with circle top windows, different kinds of wooden table paired with wood shell chairs and some uplifting quotes on the wall. There is one section near the back of the café where there is a fake flowers and vines wall décor where lots of customers will take photos for their social media.

Watanabe arrives to Abe’s seat with his orders, Watanabe’s special café latte and tuna toast.

“Enjoy~”

Abe’s favorite seat is near the big window overlooking the garden outside. This café is not located at the commercial street but near to the residential area. Thus, there are not that many businesses around the café and the café have a little more space, even though it’s not really that big, for a garden. Watanabe-san grows different kinds of flowers and vegetables in the garden, which is a calming sight.

He takes a sip of his caffe latte. He hears a familiar voice. He looks up.

Abe tsk. It’s his ex, Juri! Oh my God! This is not a good start of the day.

Abe takes out his phone and pretends to be busy. He doesn’t want his ex to see him or to approach him in any way so he keeps his head down. He prays that Juri won’t see him and just take away his order or something.

Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t answer his prayer.

“Ryohei?”

Abe curses in his head. He looks up, trying to be as emotionless, before he speaks, “Oh, Hello”.

Juri invites himself to sit down at the seat opposite Abe with a cup of the similar caffe latte in his hand. Abe squirms in his seat, expressing his discomfort. “You should not talk to me. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore”.

Juri puts his head down, as if expressing regret; tries to reach out to hold Abe’s hand, but Abe slaps the hand away. Juri sigh in desperation. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m aware that you felt hurt by what I did. And I deeply regret it. For real this time! The fact that you’re still alone here today means that you’re still single, right? Why not we start over? I swear that I’ll be a good and understanding partner this time! I will not fail you. I promise!”

Abe rolls his eyes. “Stop it! This is not the first time I’m hearing this! Guess what? The last time you said this to me, surprise surprise! You hurt me again! And again and again! Just drop this conversation. Let the past stay in the past. We’re done. You should find someone else who matches you better”.

At this moment, only the two of them are inside the café as customers so Watanabe-san, can clearly heard their conversation. Abe manages to see Watanabe-san staring at them for a brief moment, before he goes into the kitchen.

“I can’t, Ryohei! My mind is so full of you. I realized what a fool I am after I lose you. I was unable to reach you by phone or social media messengers. I guess you have blocked me and I deserved it. Please, Ryohei! You have to believe me this time! As long as you’re still single, I won’t give up on you!”

“Oh yeah? What makes you think that I’m still single?”

“What?!”

Abe turns his head to look out the window. His eyes widen.

He sees that handsome man, who sit beside him on the plane last 2 weeks. That man is currently in white shirt and blue slacks. He also wears a bandana on his head, rubber latex gloves on his hands and he is also holding a hoe.

“I’m dating a gardener”, Abe suddenly blurts out.

There was a pause. Before Juri laughs aloud.

“Seriously? A gardener? Come on, that’s a downgrade, Ryohei! For real?”

Abe smirks. “Do you hear yourself? You are disrespectful to the kind people who did all this noble jobs. He might not earn as much but he’s thoughtful and selfless. I’m very much happy in my current relationship so please…just forget me. Just think of me as a parasite or a villain or anything, I don’t care! I don’t want to get involved with you anymore. Please…”

Juri stands up, then exit the café in a rush, without a word.

“Thank you! Please come again!” Abe can hear Watanabe shouts.

Abe let out a sigh of relief.

He looks outside again. The gardener is now can be seen pruning some twigs. Abe thought about how good looking the man is, even with gardener outfit on.

Once Abe finishes his meal, he goes up to Watanabe first before exiting the café.

“Umm…This might be a strange question…But do you happen to know the gardener outside?”

“Ahh~ If you’re asking me if I know him personally, then no. I recently thought I should give the garden a makeover. I plan to extend the café to have outdoor seatings too so the garden has to be pleasing for customers. It might also attract passerby to stop by. Anyway, I acquired a service from Zarigani Landscaping 3 days ago and he is the gardener assigned to beautify my garden. He did an excellent job so far. He introduced himself as Meguro. But that’s all that I know. By the way, I heard everything just now. I hope things will get better for you”.

Abe scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. “Ahh…I’m embarrassed that you have to witness that. But thank you. I’ll come back soon, yeah!”

“See ya, Abe-san!”

Abe catches a glimpse of the gardener’s back. Then he goes his merry way.

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name, Say my name

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name darling

“Abe-sensei”

“Hmm?”

Raul hands Abe an invitation card. “My brother is getting married next week. My mother asked me to give this to you. Your whole family is invited”.

Abe scans through the beautifully printed card. “Ohh? Hokkaido?”

“Yeah. My soon to be sister-in-law is from there”.

“Ahh I see. Thanks! I’ll let my family know and if everyone is available, we will be there”.

“Hehe ok! But even if only some of you are available, please do come, yeah! Your family is already like an extended family of ours. My mom is so excited to introduce your family to our soon to be in-laws”.

“Haha! Your mom is the one who’s most excited, heh? She’s so cute”.

“Of course! She’s suggesting my brother lots of wedding stuffs as if it’s her wedding”.

“Hehe It’s the first marriage in your family after all. Alright! Back to our tutoring session! Have you solved the equation?”

“Yes, sensei! Is this correct?”

Raul presents his answer sheet full of mathematical formula for Abe to check.

[2 days before Raul’s brother’s wedding]

There is no tutoring session for Raul this week and the next as his family had to fly to Hokkaido for the wedding preparation. Seems like the stars are aligned. Because Abe has to fly to Hokkaido today for work. His other family members will arrive at Japan’s northernmost island tomorrow and he will meet them at the hotel that his family has booked. Today, he will fly with his workmates and stay at an accommodation provided by the company they’re working with.

Abe and his team are sitting near the boarding gate area, waiting for it to open. They are chatting about things to do when they arrive at Hokkaido later.

“Yes, yes…No worries…Yes, it’s here with me…”

Hmm? Abe knows that voice. He turns his head towards the direction of the voice.

What a coincidence! It’s the gardener! And his flight seat mate during his previous flight!

As if the man could hear his inner voice, the man turns his head, facing Abe directly.

Both of them widen their eyes in surprise. Abe just nods his head in acknowledgement and the man replies with a sweet smile and raises his right hand in acknowledgement too.

Abe analyzes the man up and down. Today, the man is wearing a denim set. Denim jacket with a white shirt, denim jeans, black sport shoes and a black bucket hat. He has a quilted jacket in his hand as well as a duffel bag. Ahh How fashionable!

Ehh? Why is he coming here? Oh my God! Is he coming towards me?

To the left of Abe, there is one empty seat. His team sits to his right and some, opposite him. The man sits down next to Abe and puts his right hand out, expecting a handshake.

“Hey! We meet again for the same flight!”

Abe accepts the handshake. “Yeah! What a coincidence! What are you doing in Hokkaido?”

“Ohh I’m attending a cousin’s wedding this Sunday. Since I’m a close relative, I’m expected to help them with the preparation so I come early. How about you?” “Ahh I see. I’m here with my colleagues for work”, Abe points at his team. Some of them reacted and give a nod.

Meguro nods. “I see. What’s your seat number? Are we going to be seat mates again today?” He playfully asks.

“Ahh I don’t think so. I’m sitting with my team this time. The last time, my ticket flight was booked at the last minute so I wasn’t able to sit with them”.

The airport staff announces the opening of the boarding gate.

“Ahh~ If we meet each other somewhere in Hokkaido, that’ll be cool. If you do spot me, don’t be shy to come up to me yeah! Nice to meet you, Mr…?”

“Abe. Abe Ryohei”.

“Abe-san, ne? I’m Meguro Ren. Well then, have a good day, Abe-san!”, Meguro stands up.

“You too, Meguro-san!”, Abe waves. Meguro waves back and gets in line to board.

Abe’s colleague who is sitting to his right pulls his arm excitedly. “That guy is so handsome! If you do meet him again, introduce him to me please!”

“Shh! We don’t know if he’s still single or already taken. By the way, didn’t you just have a new boyfriend 2 weeks ago?”

The colleague pouts. “Heh~ it’s not wrong to just be friends, right?”

Be friends. Yeah, Abe would like that too.

And if they had a little more time to chat just now, he would’ve mentioned that he saw Meguro one other time before. In front of Watanabe’s Café.

There’s no turning back anymore

Be my girl – the heart won’t lie

Honey Imma make you mine

Hold you tight right now

Can you give me one more night?

Let’s get it now

[D-day Raul’s brother’s wedding]

The wedding takes place at the bride’s family residence. It is a mansion, verbatim. The bride’s parents are both well-respected doctors and even the bride herself work in a similar medical field. Abe’s family is in awe, of the venue and the guests that arrived. Abe spots many familiar faces. Very respected scholars, government officials, professionals in various fields, celebrities and even some well-known sports player. He feels so small and out of place.

“Julian found a partner from a respected family. So lucky!”

Abe’s mother already blurts out what is on his head.

Abe’s family were greeted warmly and Raul leads them to their seat.

The wedding ceremony is held inside a ballroom. Every guest is seated on a seating plan of round table with 8 seats. Since there is only 4 people in Abe’s family, they sit together with another family of 4, a guest from the bride’s side.

The wedding runs smoothly. Abe is overwhelmed by feels upon experiencing a very emotional event. When both the groom and the bride finished with their wedding vows, and the pastor can be heard saying “I shall now pronounce them husband and wife”, an intense rush of emotion overcame him, his heart throbbing seeing the joy in both the groom and the bride. So much love in the air. He was so much happy for Julian. It was overall, a very beautiful wedding.

It is now the cocktail hour before dinner is served. Light snacks are brought out at this time and guests mostly used this time to mingle around while the groom and bride with their families went for photograph session. Abe’s parents are already socializing and his brother also has gone to meet one of his high school classmates so Abe decides to go to the food stalls to get some snacks. While he was browsing, he heard someone called his name. “Abe-san?”

He turns around. Ahh…No way this is a coincidence again. The universe is surely trying to tell him something by sending this man to him over and over.

“Meguro-san? What a pleasant surprise! Umm…what is your relation with this family?”

“Ohh I am the groom’s cousin. What about you?”

“Ahhhh I see. I am Raul’s tutor”.

Meguro looks like he just realized something. “Ohh! Your mom and my aunt are best friends, correct? Rau told me”.

Abe excitedly responds with a “Yes!”

“Hehe it seems that fate has brought us together for a few times already. Perhaps we are meant to be friends, Abe-san. Do you like the idea of that?”

*Kyun!*  Abe’s heart throbs.

“Sure! I thought the same thing too! Let’s get to know each other then!”

They both giggle.

“Ren! Come on, Julian called us for photoshoot!”, shouts a young man who looks almost similar to Meguro.

Meguro sighs. “Ok, I’ll be there soon!” He looks back at Abe. “Ahh That’s my brother by the way. I hope you’ll be staying till the end…?”

“Yeah! Plus, your aunt will not allow us to leave the event early”, Abe jokingly states.

Meguro laughs. “Haha Nice! I will see you later, ok? Enjoy the foods!”

With that, Meguro left.

Leaving Abe with a familiar sensation that he hasn’t been feeling in a while.

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving for your love

The wedding couple re-enter the ballroom after about an hour. It is now reception time and after the toasts, dinner is served. After dinner is the ballroom dance. This is the next time Abe and Meguro see each other again. Abe goes up to a young lady in a beautiful blue dress to invite her for a dance as his mother keeps pushing him to find a lady to dance with. At the same time, Meguro invites a lady in a red dress to be his dance partner. Abe and Meguro meet at the dance floor. Even though they are dancing with their respective partners, their eyes are glued to each other. Without each other’s knowing though.

The final event of the night is the bouquet toss. A lady in her late twenties successfully receives the bouquet on her hands. After the Grand Exit, the guests start to leave the venue one by one.

Meguro is standing near the ballroom exit. He greets Abe’s family when they are about to leave.

“Thanks for coming!” But Abe notices that Meguro is giving him a stare a little too long.

“Ahh Mom, Dad! This is Meguro-san, Raul’s cousin”.

“Ohh? You’re such a fine young man! It must be tiring handling a long day event like this. Everything is magnificent! We very much enjoy the food too”, Abe’s mother commented.

“I’m glad to hear that, ma’am”, Meguro bows in gratitude. “Umm…may I talk to your son for a moment?”

“Ahh! You guys can go ahead. I will be back later, ok?”, Abe interrupts.

Abe’s mother looks back and forth between his son and Meguro. “Sure. You guys have fun, yeah!”

“Thanks! Be careful!”

As soon as the backs of Abe’s family disappear from sight, he turns his head to Meguro. They both smile.

“Let’s go to the verandah. We can talk while enjoying the crisp night air”, Meguro suggests and lead them there.

They talk a lot. Aside from letting each other know basic things about themselves, Abe also talks about his work, briefly about his PHD thesis, and some of his funny, clumsy episodes which Meguro finds it hard to believe. Meanwhile from this conversation, Abe manages to observe Meguro’s infatuation towards Astronomy. Meguro points up to the night sky then explain to him the solar objects and constellations in very great detail, which Abe finds interesting. He also gets to know that Meguro loves designing and being in nature, which is why he works for a landscaping company. Abe finally told Meguro about seeing him at Watanabe Café. Meguro pouts. “You should’ve greeted me”.

Abe snickers. “Nahh~ I don’t want to disturb you”.

They didn’t realize they have talked for hours until they heard the grandfather’s clock inside the mansion chimes. Which indicates, it’s already midnight. They go inside and sure enough, the hallway is now quiet even though it is still lit up.

“Where do you stay? Let me send you back”, Meguro offers.

“L’agent Stay. One of the hotels near Odori Park. Umm…If it’s ok with you, then I shall take the offer”, Abe politely answers.

“Hehe it’s fine. We can have extra time to chat in the car”.

On the way to exit the mansion, both of them comes across a tired looking Raul. Or…upon closer inspection…A drunk, tired Raul. Abe is worried as Raul is swaying in his steps. Abe stops in front of him and holds his shoulders. “Raul-kun, are you alright? I’m afraid that you might faint anytime soon”.

Raul sluggishly hung both his arms on Abe’s shoulders. “Sensei? *hiccup* Where are you going? *hiccup* I have a confession to make… *hiccup* Will you listen to me? *hiccup* Please…?”

Raul then traps Abe in a tight hug, startling both him and Meguro.

“Oi Rau! Let go! He’s your sensei!”, Meguro tries hard to pull Raul’s arms away to no avail. Raul is holding Abe so strongly.

“Actually I…like older women…”

Abe and Meguro stop their actions. “Umm…ok?”

“*hiccup* I used to find this math teacher who taught me in high school, so so hot! *hiccup* so 2 years ago, when I just turned 18, I went to tinder and set the age as high as possible in hopes that I could match with not necessarily her, because I know she’s married. But perhaps someone who might look like her. Someone mature yet hot. *hiccup*”

Abe and Meguro give each other looks. They don’t know where this is going. Abe is still struggling to be free from Raul’s uncomfortable hug. Raul continues his confession.

“I matched with a woman. She stated that she’s 40 in her bio but upon meeting her, I knew that she’s much older. *hiccup* We met, for dinner. At this high-class restaurant. She paid for us both. We look like sugar mommy and her sugar baby. *hiccup* And then she asked me why I want to be involved with a much older woman. I told her my story. About the teacher. *hiccup* I don’t remember the details which leads to what happened next. *hiccup* Maybe it’s the atmosphere. Ahh~ she told me that she could satisfy me more than my teacher do. *hiccup* It was my first time. We did it at the restaurant’s bathroom. Ahh~ And I felt like I’m in nirvana…”

Both Abe and Meguro widen their eyes. They thought, they are not supposed to hear this. But Raul is not done yet. And hugs Abe tighter.

“I freaked out after that. I think I did something really really awful. So I cut contact with her. That was the last time I saw her…until recently… *hiccup* We met at a convenience store and she approaches me, since she remembers me. I was trying to act like I don’t know her. But my mask fell, I cannot act. *hiccup* Anyway, she told me that she just got married. I congratulate her. Then she asked me a favor… *hiccup*”

Ok not lying, Abe and Meguro are now absorbed in the story and they are curious to know more.

“She asked me…if I want to help her and her partner…to fulfill their desire of having a threesome”.

A little pause.

“I was at a crossroad. An offer like that doesn’t come easily. One side of me want to experience the thrill but another side of me is saying that this is unethical, this is wrong. *hiccup* So…it has been 2 years. I’m now a 20-years old adult. I’m more mature now. So I decided…”

“You decided…?”, Abe and Meguro gulp and ask at the same time.

Raul titters. “So I decided…why not? Hahaha! *hiccup* I drove to their place right after and we done it. Ahh~ It was the best bang I ever had~~~” Raul animatedly brushes his jaw on Abe’s neck.

Meguro facepalm. “Oh my lord…”

Abe is speechless. Raul is a young man with a raging hormone so he shouldn’t be so surprised. But this story, this confession…It’s too much.

Meguro now smacks Raul’s arms repeatedly until he let go of his poor tutor, who is frozen in shock. “Come on now! You’ve traumatized your tutor! Shoo! Go back to your room!”

“Bye sensei~ *hiccup*” Raul slurs his sentence. And both Abe and Meguro see him walking away like a zombie.

In conclusion, Raul is a sloppy drunk. Yeah.

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

“That baby dino is already talkative on normal days and he gets more chaotic when he’s drunk”. Meguro opens the passenger seat’s door of his car to let Abe in. “Douzo”.

“Thanks”. Abe finally finds his voice back, but his cheeks are still burning. “To be honest, that’s the most private thing I ever heard from anyone ever! Oh my God! I wonder if he’ll remember. I hope it’s not going to be awkward the next time we meet for tutoring session…” Abe covers his face with his both hands.

Meguro laughs, “At least you got some juicy info you can use to blackmail him in case he doesn’t listen to you”.

“Haha! Raul is a good kid. At least around me. Tonight was the first time I saw him out of his usual character”.

Meguro starts the engine. “Oh yeah? Thanks for telling me that. I’ll have something to make fun of him next time. Haha! That kid is always frivolous around me!” He then sets the GPS location then starts driving.

Meguro turns on the radio and keeps searching for a channel with good music. However, he’s not feeling the songs that are playing on air at the moment.

“Nee, Abe-kun. What’s your favorite song?”

Abe thinks for a moment. “Hmm…Recently, I listen to Watagashi (Cotton Candy) by back number a lot”.

“Ahh! Back number-san! I like their songs too! But my favorite is Kaitou (Phantom thief). Koko kara kimi o ubatte~ (From now on, I shall take you) Yozora o nukete~ (Through the night sky) Houseki mitaina machi o tobikoete~(We’ll jump over this city that resembles a jewel). Meguro immediately sang the chorus.

Abe’s eyes lit up. He looks at Meguro in awe and claps his hands. “You sing really well!”

“Hehe hold on, let me turn on the Youtube Music. We shall sing our hearts out”.

Abe and Meguro spend their time bonding over music throughout the ride.

After about 20 minutes, they arrived at Odori street. Abe asked Meguro to just drop him at the side of the main road, but Meguro insisted on stopping directly in front of the hotel. It’s already past midnight after all – no traffic so he can easily enter and exit the narrow streets.

“You’re such a fun person, Meguro-kun. I’m very happy to get to know you”.

“Hehe same goes to you, Abe-kun. I learned a lot from you tonight. Maybe we could hang out again sometime? Oh yeah, can you give me your LINE? If you’re ok with it…”

Abe nods vigorously. “Yes, yes! No problem!”

They share their respective LINE accounts.

“Thank you for the ride. Text me when you arrive back to the mansion. Have a good rest, Meguro-kun”.

Meguro doesn’t answer. He simply stares and keep staring lovingly at the man who is still in the passenger seat.

Abe feels his face heats up. He let out an awkward smile. “Uhh…Bye!”

Since Meguro didn’t open the door lock, he manually unlocks the door. However, the moment he tries to open the door, Meguro locks it again.

Abe faces Meguro. The man has an amused, playful look on his face.

Abe unlocks again. Meguro locks again.

“Meguro-kun! What if the lock gets broken?”, Abe scolded.

“Then I’m ready to risk it all”, Meguro replies, suddenly in a deep voice. Still staring at Abe.

Abe gets nervous, his voice quivers. “Risk? What?”

“Is your love…a prison break?”

*Kyun! Kyun!*  Abe is confused. He can’t decipher the meaning behind Meguro’s words but hearing “Love”, makes his heart pounding fast.

Meguro chuckles. “Haha! I’m sorry! I was trying to be all poetic but I guess that wasn’t good enough. Uhh…Forget what I just said. Man…That was so uncool of me…But you’re so cute, Abe-kun! You should see how you look right now. Hahaha!”

Abe blushes. Meguro called him cute?! Kyun kyun! “You! Don’t tease me! I’m older than you!” Abe covers his face in embarrassment. “Come on, unlock the door!”

“Hahaha! OK OK!”

As soon as Abe heard the door unlocked, he quickly swings open the door.

Meguro pulls down the window to bid farewell and good night, which Abe do the same.

“I’ll text you. Sweet dreams, Abe-kun!” Meguro waves, with a big, sweet smile.

*Kyun!* Abe waves back. In his mind, he’s picturing, imaginary roses, framing his current vision.

Then the car drove off.

At this moment, it’s as if he can hear the second verse of his favorite song, Watagashi, playing as background music.

“When you smile, just like that, I finally found a place in my heart…

…where it’s noisy, aching and frustrating…”

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

[The next Wednesday]

“Abe-chan! Are you ok to go on this assignment?”, Abe’s project manager asked, handing him a pamphlet.

“Hmm? What’s this?” Abe scans through it.

“A new cinema is about to open in the city and what’s special about it…is the fact that the cinema is exclusively for couples only. Which means, you have to enter in pair. If you’re coming in a group, they should be even-numbered. We are invited to be one of the first to check out what they have to offer. I am expecting at least a written review for the blog if not video review”, his manager explains.

The pamphlet shows the interior of the cinema. There are no regular cinema seats. All seats are in the form of round daybeds, in different colors, with canopy, which perfectly fit two people. This ensures maximum privacy, for when any couple decided to get intimate and they will not have to worry about other people judging their life’s decision to engage in something naughty in a public space. Hmm…Abe finds it interesting.

“Wow! I’m intrigued. Sure, I’ll go. Who’s going with me?”

His manager tilts her head with a grin. “Whoever you want!”

Abe is visibly confused.

“OK, listen! We just received this invitation today, and the screening is tomorrow night! See!”, his manager shows him the colorful heart-shaped invitation card with a bigger than usual theater admission ticket.

“Since this is a last-minute invitation, all of your colleagues are unfortunately already booked for other assignments. So take this ticket and have fun with your friend. Think of it like killing two birds with one stone. Enjoy the experience and just write a review when you get back to work the next day. If you come back with some video record, that will be much appreciated but you don’t have to force yourself. Here, one ticket for two persons”.

“Umm…Thank you, Ms. I shall take the offer”.

…was what he said but…seems that it’s hard to find someone who will be able to accompany him with this late invitation. He texted his childhood friends, his university friends, even his brother, everyone is booked and busy tomorrow night. He even texted Raul, but the kid is still in Hokkaido.

Speaking of Raul…There’s also his cousin…

[Flashback to the night after Meguro dropped Abe off at the hotel]

All his family members were already asleep when he got back. He went to shower immediately soon after. When he checked his phone after he finished his bath, there was a text message from Meguro’s LINE.

“I arrived home safely. Thank you for tonight. See you next time. Good night! *sleep emoji*”

Abe felt bubbly-tingy inside. He can’t control his smile. And he replied with:

“That’s good to hear. Thank you too. See you next time. Have a good rest! *moon emoji*”.

[Back to current time]

Abe hasn’t received any more text after that and he hasn’t texted Meguro either. He figured that perhaps Meguro was busy helping with cleaning up after the ceremony like Raul do. Abe is wondering if the man is still in Hokkaido or already back in Tokyo? Hmm…Should I text him? *KYUN* No…Should I invite him in the first place? Ahhh! My heart is racing! What’s happening?!

Even when I’m awake, I’m yearning still

For your gestures and your habitual phrases

Oh can you be my lover?

Abe decides to go for a hi-tea at Watanabe Café.

“Welcome, Abe-san! The usual?”, Watanabe-san greets him warmly, as usual.

“Umm…Today I’m feeling tea”.

“Ohh~~~? That’s unusual. What would you like to have?”, Watanabe-san grins.

“Umm…One Calendula tea please. With one carrot cake to go with it”.

Watanabe gasps with his eyebrows arching upwards. An expression of surprise. But it only lasts for like a second. Then he goes back to professionally do his job, “Noted. That’ll be 935Yen”.

Abe hands him the amount and goes to sit at his usual place near the window.

Once seated, Abe notices that the garden looks very much different than the last time he visited. Although the landscape is not done yet, the garden can clearly be seen more systematic and very much neatly in order compared to before.

“What do you think? Still a work in progress, but I can already imagine how beautiful the scenery outside gonna be when it’s complete. Especially at night. I’m aiming for a romantic atmosphere”, Watanabe comments, bringing Abe’s orders onto the table.

“It’s gorgeous. Truly”, Abe says, his honest thoughts.

“Enjoy your meal”, Watanabe bows. Abe stops him before he left.

“Ahh! Watanabe-san! Umm…are you available tomorrow night?”

Actually, Abe doesn’t really understand why he even asked. He’s aware that Watanabe has a business to run and he kind of already expecting the man’s answer…so why did he asked? Seems like his body reacts first before his mind does.

“Tomorrow night? Why?”

“Ahh! My workplace received an invitation to try out this new couple-only cinema in town and my manager is kind enough to let me enjoy it privately. Unfortunately, I’m unable to find a partner yet. Everyone I asked is already booked and busy tomorrow night…So…Umm…yeah…”

“Ahh! That new cinema! Wow! That’s cool! See, I have no problem to close the café early but there’s already a booking for a private event here tomorrow night. I’m sorry to let you down…”

Abe shakes his head. “No, it’s ok! It can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it!”

“Watanabe-san! I’m going now”.

Both men turn their heads to the man who just entered the café.

“Hah! Nice timing! Meguro-san, come here for a bit!”, Watanabe gestures the man to come to Abe’s table.

Every time Meguro appears, Abe will always get stunned over how good the man looks. Right now, Meguro is wearing a blue-white striped, button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up a quarter. He’s also wearing plain dark blue slacks – overall, a simple casual look. Abe doesn’t know how the man able to elevate a simple look to be so fashionable in his eyes.

“Abe-kun! We finally meet again! How are you?”, Meguro enthusiastically greets him. His eyes practically glowing.

Abe is getting shy all of a sudden. “I’m good. How about you?”

Watanabe interrupts while snickering. “This guy had told me that you both met at his cousin’s wedding in Hokkaido last week. Fufufu…”

“Ahh! You ordered the carrot cake! And Calendula tea too! I ordered this combo too yesterday!”, Meguro happily informs.

Abe now understands why Watanabe was surprised with his orders just now.

Watanabe clears his throat. “Umm, so…why not you ask him?”, Watanabe points at Meguro.

Meguro looks at Abe and Watanabe questioningly. “Hmm?”

“This guy right here needs a company for an event tomorrow night. He invited me but I have to run the café, right? If Meguro-san has no prior engagements tomorrow night, maybe you can join him”, Watanabe explains. Abe is tongue-tied at the moment.

“Umm…Yeah…Just as he said…”

“I’m fine with that. I can accompany you. Come, let me know the details”, Meguro sits down on the opposite Abe.

“You guys continue with the discussion. I’m going back to the kitchen yeah”.

“Ok, thanks for letting me use the shower, Watanabe-san”.

“No problem”. Watanabe excused himself.

Meguro stares at Abe’s face lovingly, like that night. Abe is nervous once again.

“I miss you, Abe-kun”, Meguro says, in a soft voice.

“Umm…I miss you too”, Abe awkwardly replies.

“Really? I’m happy to hear that. Hehe so, where are we going tomorrow night?”

Abe then provides detail information about the appointment tomorrow. Meguro nods his head at every key point he listened.

“So our date tomorrow will be at Miyashita Park, 8pm, correct? How about dress code?”

Abe tries not to react to that “date” word but his heart is definitely pounding right now. *Kyun!*

“Correct. The invitation here stated to wear anything comfortable but no pyjamas”. Both of them find it amusing, they laugh a little.

“Alright. Since this will be our first date, I think I will dress up a little. Hehe you just wear anything you’re comfortable with yeah. I bet anything looks good you”.

*Kyun! Kyun!* What? Why did he say that? I should be the one to say that to him! Even if he wear just plain T-shirt and shorts, he will still look like a model.

Meguro looks at his watch. “I gotta go now, Abe-kun. I will text you tomorrow, ok? Thanks again for inviting me”. He stands up.

Abe stands up too. “I should be the one to say thank you! If it’s not because of you, I will be denied entry tomorrow”.

“Hehe. I’m more than happy to help. See you tomorrow!”

They shake hands.

“Bye, Watanabe-san!”

“Bye!”

The moment the door closes, Abe and Watanabe look at each other. Abe mouths a “Thank you”. Watanabe’s eyes squint slightly, but he just smiles and didn’t say anything. Abe is both excited and nervous for tomorrow.

I guess you already know about my feelings

Feelin’ so bad, you can’t get away

Yeah

Abe arrives at the venue first. He is wearing a brown silk button-down top with black trousers and a beige trench coat to keep him warm. He is standing at the corner of the building’s lobby, waiting for Meguro. 10 minutes later, Abe spots Meguro entering. The view takes his breath away. Meguro is wearing a long, black topcoat, a black Fendi turtleneck shirt with grey checkered pants. Abe makes a mental note: Meguro looks hot in turtleneck and he needs to wear them more. Meguro is walking towards him in a regal manner, as if he’s on the runway of fashion show.

Meguro smiles and waves at Abe all the way until he’s standing in front of him.

“Wow! You’re looking like a celebrity, Meguro-kun!”

“Nahh~ You’re flattering me. I can’t win against you though. You’re looking so dashing tonight. I like it”.

*Kyun!* Abe blushes. “Ok that’s enough. Let’s go!”

They go up to the highest floor, where the new cinema is located. Still half an hour to go before the movie begins but the guests are advised to attend early so the staffs can explain the to do and not to do in the theaters, as well as guests can roam around the venue to take photos or videos for their socials.

There are 4 theatres inside the cinema. All theatres are equipped with IMAX screen. As with the nature of the seats, surely their amount is limited compared to regular cinema. The floors are fewer too. But everything is designed to ensure maximum comfort for the target audience – which is couples. Even from the entrance, the cinema is covered in red and black, with paintings and murals of roses and European architecture. The romantic atmosphere is further heightened with their custom alluring and captivating scent of tuberose all over the cinema.

The organizer informs everyone the movie they are going to watch tonight is a classic movie called “The Brave of Heart Will Take The Bride”. Abe remembers that he has watched the movie when he was still in elementary school. He does remember his mother sometimes giggling, sometimes crying, over watching some of the scenes in the movie. He remembers his mother told him the scenes were romantic, they made her heart feel warm. But what does an elementary school boy know about romance? Tonight, he might be able to understand, what his mother was feeling. The story is about two non-resident college students who fall in love during a vacation in Europe. However, the heroine is already betrothed to another man, the son of a family’s friend. Come hell or high water, the hero is determined to do anything to win the heart of the girl’s family, especially the girl’s father. And to prove that love wins all.

When all the guests have arrived, they are guided to their seats, ready for the movie.

Oh baby, tell me what you’re gonna do

If I’m going to see you,

This fuzzy feeling will be going on full speed in the end

I’m not crazy, Make a move

It’s heaven,

For me who becomes aware of the feelings

“Oh my God! It’s so fluffy. This is literally a bed. Ahh~ so comfy~”

Meguro lays his full body down. Abe laughs. He also sits down and starts inspecting the seat.

All guests were given free popcorn of their choice. Meguro chose the seaweed flavored while Abe chose the cheese flavored. Seems like both of them prefer savory over sweet. Anyway, Abe notices that there are two popcorn holders at each side of every seat. He snaps a photo.

“Abe-kun”, Meguro calls.

“Hmm?” When Abe turns around, he sees Meguro is posing with a peace sign. Abe chuckles and snaps a shot. Then Meguro pats the space beside him.

“Let’s take a photo together”.

*Kyun! Kyun!* Their first photo together is laying on this daybed, inside the couples-only cinema! How scandalous!

Nevertheless, Abe obeys. He lays down next to Meguro and snaps 3 pictures.

Soon, the cinema turns dark and the movie starts.

“That was enjoyable! I like the scene at the train station, where the hero said if the girl loves him, she’ll turn around. And she did turn around! That made me thrilled~”

Meguro never watched the movie before and he have a lot of comments. Meguro seems to have a good time and Abe is glad to see that. The movie is more heartwarming than what he expects from a definition of romantic. There were no overly intimate scenes, which is good because he doesn’t want to watch people making out on screen with Meguro beside him. That will be very awkward. Since the movie is a classic, Abe also kind of reminisce his childhood and how living was before without gadgets. He is grateful to be born in the 90s as people his age witnessed the fast evolution of technology throughout the years. However, Abe wasn’t there to review the movie but the whole cinema experience. And it is safe to say that he will definitely give positive feedback.

There were moments throughout the movie though, that Abe got distracted. Distracted by the attractive man beside him. Meguro’s hand accidentally touched his and for the first time, the man apologized. The second, the third, the fourth, Abe thought the touches were definitely on purpose. Meguro was nonchalant however, his eyes glued to the screen. The fifth time, before Abe moves his hand away on reflex, Meguro grabs it. Abe let out a gasp and quickly close his mouth his other hand. Then Meguro faced him. “Don’t freak out. This is part of the experience. Of course you will want to do lovey-dovey stuffs at a place like this, right? I won’t cross the boundaries, I promise. Just holding hands. Ok?”, Meguro whispered. They were so close. Abe’s breath hitched. He can’t think straight at that moment. He simply nodded and soon, Meguro intertwined their fingers in that gentle hold. They stayed holding hands till the movie ended.

*Kyun! Kyun!*

“Thank you so much for letting me share this experience, Abe-kun! So this is how it feels to be the one who has earlier access on something this big. I feel special, honestly. Haha!”

“Hehe I’m glad. Thank you as well for accompanying me tonight. I’ll let you know when I already finish and publish the review on the company’s blog. I’ll send you the link”.

“Sure! Hmm…I would really love for us to get dinner together but I have to go now”. Meguro stretches his lips horizontally, looking sad all of a sudden.

“Ahh! It’s ok! It’s already pretty late too so I understand. We still got to work tomorrow so let’s head home and rest yeah”, Abe assures.

“Where do you live, Abe-kun?”

“Koenji. How about Meguro-kun?”

“Ohh My apartment is a walking distance from here. At Omotesando”.

“That’s very near!”

“Haha! I’ll invite you next time. Don’t worry, I live alone”, Meguro winks.

Abe doesn’t understand why he should be worry that Meguro lives alone but he certainly should be worry at the condition of his heart right now. Why this man keeps on doing this to him?

“At least let me walk you to the station, Abe-kun”.

They part ways exactly before the ticket gate.

“Send me the photos later”, Meguro reminded.

“Sure! I had fun tonight. Until we meet again, Meguro-kun. Good night!”

Abe taps his phone on the ticket gate and goes inside. Meguro remains in his spot, watching Abe walk away until when Abe is about to disappear from his sight, Abe suddenly turns around. Even from afar, both of them can see they are both surprised. Abe waves his hand first and Meguro waves back. After a few seconds, Abe goes deeper into the station, out from Meguro’s sight completely.

Meguro is ecstatic. He’s jumping in joy! The people around are giving him weird looks.

Before Abe turned around, Meguro had prayed in his heart, “If he likes me, please turn around”.

He now knows the answer to his prayer. He likes Abe too. He really likes him.

From their very first encounter on the plane, he can already feel some kind of connection with the man. From now on, he will put in more effort to slowly develop their relationship.

Meguro called this: Operation Making Abe’s Heart Throb And Eventually Fall In Love With Me!

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name, Say my name

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name darling

“Abe-sensei, I didn’t know that you and my cousin are friends”.

“Ahh Meguro-kun? Hehe I met him on a plane. He sat next to me that night and that’s how we met”.

“Ehh~ I see. He kept on asking me about you these days so I wonder what’s up?”

“Ehh~ Really? He should’ve just asked me directly. He got my number”.

Raul widens his eyes, with the expression of “Oh! He finally got it!”

Raul lets out a scornful laugh. “Heee~ Abe-sensei, you’re single, right?”

Abe is taken aback by Raul’s sudden question. “Uhh…Uhh…Why do you ask?”

“You know~ Meme was asking me things like how was your sensei today, did your sensei like this, did your sensei like that. I think he likes you, sensei”, Raul excitedly says what’s on his mind. “What about you, sensei? Do you like my cousin?”

Abe blushes. “Wha-What are you talking about? Uhh…I don’t think you should make an assumption like that…”

“Meme is single, just to let you know”, Raul interrupts. “His previous relationship was…6-7 years ago? It was a long time ago and they broke up pretty badly too. Hmm…Anyway, we have numerous mutual acquaintances, but he never asked me about any of them. I’m pretty sure that he is interested in you. Nee, nee, sensei! If you say you like him too, I’ll be very happy!”

Raul is giving Abe puppy eyes. Abe doesn’t know how to react to this.

“Like I said…it’s just your assumption. He never told you directly that he likes me, correct? So don’t come to a conclusion like that. Yes, I do like Meguro-kun. But as a friend, that’s it. Ok?”

“Heh~ but I trust my instinct~ Hmm it’s ok! If you guys somehow fall for each other, I’ll be rooting for you guys, ok?” Raul bobs his head, expressing joy.

“Ok, focus! Focus! Back to your paper, please!”

Abe receives a text message. Raul peeks at the pop-up screen. The sender is named Meguro-kun. Raul smirks. “Aha! Speak of the devil!”

“Shh! Finish your equation!”

Ever since that night, both Abe and Meguro are actively texting each other. However, they had not meet each other yet since then. Abe hasn’t visited his favorite café for a while too due to busy schedule. Meguro text reads {Abe-kun, are you free on the weekend?}

Abe replies with {Yes, I am 😊 Do you want to meet?}

{Yay! Since the cherry blossoms are blooming right now, I thought maybe we could do Hanami?}

{Sounds great! I would love to! Where do you recommend?}

{I was thinking we could go on a Meguro River cruise at night. I’m not sure where is the best place to go during the day though. You have any idea?}

{Hmm…I can only think of Shinjuku Gyoen. There are Japanese, English and French gardens and variety of cherry trees we can enjoy.}

{Shinjuku Gyoen sounds good to me 😊 so we shall meet there? Is Saturday, 2pm ok for you?}

{Sure. Saturday, 2pm at Shinjuku Gyoen. Confirm!}

{Great! I’ll see you then!}

{See you! Have a nice day!}

{You too. I miss you.}

Abe paused. *Kyun!* Why did he threw that in there so casually?

Abe typed back {I miss you too}

{Can’t wait to see you}

Abe wants to squeal in delight but Raul is here so he has to remain composed.

{Me too. I have to go now. I’m tutoring Raul at the moment. We will text again later yep}

{Ohh ok I understand. Sorry for interrupting your tutoring session. *apologetic emoji* Bye bye for now!}

{No worries. I’m waiting for him to finish his equation hehe Bye bye!}

Abe sighs in relief. From all the workload and overtime at his job since the past month, he really is in need of a break, even if it’s just a short break. Meguro came at the right time, bringing him out for cherry blossom viewing. Abe puts his phone down and turns back to face Raul. Raul is grinning like a cat.

“Wh-What?”

Raul puffs his shoulder. “Nothing~ I finished the equation. Take a look”.

There’s no turning back anymore

Be my girl – this heart won’t lie

Honey Imma make you mine

Hold you tight right now

Can you give me one more night?

Let’s get it now

This time, Abe arrived exactly at 2pm, which is the appointment date and Meguro arrived 10 minutes earlier. No problems there at all but Abe did have a problem before getting there. He took too long to choose his outfit for the day. He was rummaging his wardrobe for a suitable outfit. He wants to look extra presentable for Meguro today since Meguro is always so fashionable, so him, as his date, should at least match up with Meguro’s vibe. That’s what he thought. After an hour of choosing, he decided on a white lightweight sweater in floral patterns, pairing it with white corduroy pants. He also wears a long beige wool blend coat to give him extra warmth especially when it gets chilly during the night. For shoes, he just went for brown sneakers for utmost comfort.

“Thank you for waiting, Meguro-kun!” Abe sees Meguro standing near the entrance gate, looking down at his phone, and Abe runs straight towards the man. It is pretty easy to spot Meguro as he is always dressed to the nines and as always, Abe is wonderstruck today too.

Meguro is wearing a simple black tee inside his army green bomber jacket, paired with black cargo pants and black sneakers with green stripes. He also had a Fendi cashmere scarf around his neck. Abe likes this look too. Meguro simply looks good in everything!

“Abe-kun!”, Meguro’s eyes practically glowing the moment he sees Abe in front of him. “Wow! You look so fluffy cute today!” Meguro starts touching all over Abe’s coat, feeling the material.

“Ohh? So only today that I look cute?”, Abe teases, making puppy eyes and puffs his cheeks.

Meguro brings his face closer towards Abe. “Your existence itself is cute, Abe-kun. It’s just that today, you put extra dose of cuteness. I like this look on you”.

*Kyun!* First compliment of the day! Abe is glad that Meguro approved his choice of clothing. That 1 hour of frustration wasn’t going to waste. But why is he so close?!

“Uhh…Umm…You’re flattering me! Ahh! Let’s go in!”

The first 30 minutes, they just strolling through the gardens, enjoying the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The ground is carpeted in petals, making the place so surreal in pink. Even if it’s still 2pm, there are already a huge number of people camping below the Sakura trees since it’s also a weekend. They expected more and more people will be coming later in the evening.

They finally find a spot at the English Garden. Meguro place a mat on the ground for them to sit down. They both made a prior arrangement via text: that they will be swapping bentos. After they finished setting up all the snacks and drinks, they hand out each other’s bento. Both of them are nervous yet excited to discover what the other had prepared.

“Let’s open together, ok?”, Meguro suggests. Abe nods. “Ready, set – Open!”

Both of them squeal in happiness.

Abe has prepared a shrimp tempura bento. Instead of plain rice, Abe made garlic rice. There are 3 long and huge shrimp tempura on top of it. The sides consist of some broccoli and mini tomatoes, potato salad and a perfectly shaped tamagoyaki.

Meguro on the other hand, prepared unagi bento for his beloved Abe-kun. He placed a strip of half-sized unagi in one compartment, plain rice with sesame seeds on top in the other compartment, potato salad in another, carrots and edamame on one small compartment and finally two slices of apple, orange, dragon fruit and strawberry each. In other words, it’s kind of fancy.

“Wow! You really prepared a lot. Umm…I’m sorry that my bento can’t compared to yours…”

“What are you saying? I’m already happy with the fact that you went all your way to prepare this for me! Ohh and I have to admit, I cheated a little. I bought the unagi from a shop and put it there as it is because I don’t know how to cook unagi. Heee…but I assure you, I prepared the rest! Just for you! Hope you like it!”

Abe chuckles. Meguro is so honest. A green flag.

“Let’s dig in then! Itadakimasu!”

Meguro goes for the tamagoyaki first. He lets out a satisfied groan. “Oh my God! Not only does it look perfect, it also tastes perfect! The strong dashi flavor and the soft and pillowy texture. I love it!” Meguro gives a thumbs up.

“I’m glad!” Abe goes for the potato salad. He also lets out a sound of approval. “You seasoned it nicely. This is good!”

They finish their meal while throwing compliments in between. Good vibes only.

All snacks and drinks were completely finished too 3 hours later. They really enjoy each other’s company and they didn’t realize that time flies so fast. They clean up and get ready for their next destination.

“Before we depart, let me go to the restroom first”, Meguro says.

“Sure. Go ahead. I’ll wait here”. Meguro nods and goes inside. Abe is standing outside the restroom building, waiting. A few moments later, Abe is surprised when his left arm is pulled aggressively. He bumps straight onto a man’s chest and when he looks up, he sees Juri’s face.

“Not you again! Stop bothering me! Let me go! It hurts!” Abe squirms.

“That man you were with, he is one gentleman. Is that your new gardener boyfriend?”

“Wha-No…” Abe does not finish his sentence yet when Juri immediately cuts him off.

“Haha! I knew it! Someone who’s very dignified and looking like a chevalier cannot be your boyfriend. How come someone like him will be interested in you, right?”, Juri states, full of spite.

Abe knows he should not be fazed by Juri’s words, but deep inside, it stings to hear that being thrown into his face. He has the same thoughts too sometimes. Meguro is just too good. When he can obtain anyone who is better and prettier than Abe with just a flick of his fingers, why would Abe even think he has a chance? Juri is playing dirty. Why would he challenge Abe’s self-esteem now?

Abe doesn’t react. He keeps quiet. He just keeps staring at Juri’s face, with a judging poker face and throwing daggers with his eyes. It’s as if Juri can see flames in Abe’s eyes. Abe is angry.

“Ryohei?”. Abe freezes. It’s Meguro’s voice! Meguro is calling his given name! *Kyun! Kyun!*

“Thank you for waiting, Ryohei”. Meguro goes straight to hold Abe’s waist and stares down at him lovingly, before he turns his attention to the other man in front of him.

“Ohh a friend, Ryohei?”

Abe is irrefutably astounded but he composed himself as quickly as possible. But he doesn’t know if he should tell Meguro that’s his ex in front of him. “Uhh…Yeah…A friend…”

Meguro goes forward with a handshake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ryohei’s partner, Meguro”.

Juri accepts the handshake. “Tanaka Juri”.

Meguro’s right hand then goes inside his pants pocket, then letting out a business card. He presents it to Juri, with his business smile. “I’m the CEO of Zarigani Landscaping. If you’re thinking of a fresh outdoor space, or perhaps setting up irrigation systems, you may reach out to my company. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture and I have worked with clients all over Japan. You may visit the website stated there to see the reviews of our services. Most of them are more than satisfied with the outcome”.

Both Abe and Juri are shocked with this revelation. Meguro is not just a gardener, but also the CEO? Juri suddenly feels small. He keeps looking between Meguro and Abe uncomfortably and finally he says, “Uhh nice to meet you. You guys enjoy your date! See ya, Ryohei!”

After a swift wave towards Abe, Juri walks away.

Abe lets out a sigh of relief. Then he looks at Meguro. The man just keeps on surprising him.

“I came here by car”, Meguro starts. “Let’s get in first. We’ll talk in the car”.

They stay quiet all the way to the car. Once inside, Meguro puts his left hand on top of Abe’s right hand, softly squeezing it in a comforting manner.

“Don’t let what that man said get into your head”.

They make eye contact. Abe obviously looks clueless.

“I overheard everything. He sounds like he’s projecting his insecurity onto you and that’s not a nice thing to do. He shouldn’t put down someone’s self-esteem like that. Trust me, you are enough. You’re special the way you are. I really like the way you are now. Let me guess. An ex?”

Abe nods.

“No wonder. Anyway, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, right? And I think you are beautiful. And I don’t mind being your boyfriend, really”.

*Kyun! Kyun!* Abe feels his face burning. He tries to change the subject.

“Ahhhhh! By the way! You never told me you are the CEO!”, his hand escapes Meguro’s hold and he points his index fingers accusingly at Meguro.

Meguro laughs. “CEO of a small, medium enterprise, Abe-kun! It’s no big deal! It’s not like I owned a company with a million-dollar net worth. Plus, I don’t like to introduce myself as a CEO outside business. It attracts…different kinds of people…which I’m uncomfortable with in most cases. Abe-kun too! Please don’t change the way you behave around me now that you know I’m a CEO. We’re equal, so please treat me just like the way you usually do”. Meguro is now holding both of Abe’s hands in his. “Please?”

Abe smiles. Meguro is a humble man.  “Alright, Meguro-kun. I’m just surprised, really! You hid that fact very well. Ohh and you grasp the situation quickly too back then. Your acting is believable!”

Meguro grins. “Ohh? I don’t want it to be just an act though”.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you want it? Me becoming your boyfriend?” Meguro just boldly say that head-on, confidently.

*Kyun! Kyun!*

“Ahhhh! Meguro-kun, you’re bad! Don’t tease me!”

“Haha! Don’t worry, I’ll slowly make you admit to that, Ryohei~”

“Ahhhhhhhhh! I didn’t hear that! Nope!” Abe shuts both of his ears with his hands.

Meguro steps on the pedal and off they go to Meguro River.

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving to be loved by you

It takes about 16 minutes to reach Tennozu Pier, where the port is. The area is already packed with people simply enjoying the cherry blossoms and there’s also already a long line of people waiting for the cruise. After they got off the car, Meguro goes beside Abe and grabs his hand.

“So that we won’t get separated. We have to march through these people. Brace yourself”.

Abe nods in understanding.

All the way to the dock, they hold hands.

They manage to hop on the boat about half an hour later. It’s 7pm and it’s already dark. The city of Tokyo lights up, producing a stunning and scenic view of glowing cherry blossoms along the river. The cruise will run about 70 minutes.

“Oh my God! What a magical view! I never went on a cruise at night before!”, Abe comments, full of glee. He cannot stop snapping photos of the tranquil beauty of the cherry blossoms at night.

Meguro is also taking photos but most of them, are of Abe. But the man doesn’t realize of course.

“Meguro-kun, do you know what Hanami at night called?”

“…Yozakura?”

“Correct! 10 points for you!”

“Haha! Are you mocking me? Of course I know that!”

“Hmm…Then, which Yen coin had Sakura engraved on it?”

“Which Yen? Oh no…100 Yen?”

“Correct! Another 10 points for you! We have chrysanthemum on the 50 Yen coin and Tachibana flower on the 500 Yen coin”.

Meguro responds with an “Ohh!” and nods in understanding. He is amused but he likes how excited Abe looks right now, randomly giving quiz and sharing his knowledge.

“Ok last one! Hmm…There is a name for the state when all the Sakura petals have fallen and the leaves are budding. What is it called?”

“Ok I don’t know that one. Can you tell me the answer, Abe-sensei?”

“Hehe It’s called Hazakura. Even though there are no Sakura flowers on the tree”.

“Ahh I see. Ok, right now, I have one question for you”. Meguro crosses his arms. Abe nods, signaling him to continue.

“Do you like cherry-themed garden?”, Meguro asks with a serious expression on his face.

“For your next project? That sounds fascinating!”

“Nope, the garden is here”. Meguro grabs Abe’s right hand, placing it onto his chest. “I have the garden right here. And it’s blooming beautifully. If you like it, I’m willing to give it to you”.

Abe is lost in Meguro’s sharp eyes. He feels like his heart going to burst out from his chest. They stay in that position for what feels like eternity, until Meguro slowly let go of Abe’s hand. Abe doesn’t say any word, his mind is still processing Meguro’s words.

Meguro clears his throat. “Just so you know, I’m not playing. The offer is still valid”. He winks.

Abe puffs his cheeks and hits Meguro on the chest with his hand.

A sudden breeze of cold night air passes by. “Aaa-choo!” Abe sneezes. Cute, is what Meguro thought.

Meguro then happily envelopes himself around Abe, hugging the man from the back, trapping his beloved in a warm embrace. Abe goes panic. “Wh-wha-wha-what are you doing?”

“Providing you and me, extra warmth”, Meguro carefreely answers.

Abe puts his hands over his face. “People are watching…”

“No, they don’t. They’re watching the Sakura trees. Even if they do, let them watch. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong”, Meguro assures, tightening his hold on Abe.

Abe gives up. He decides to listen to Meguro and positioned himself comfortably in Meguro’s embrace. Meguro is a level-headed person. And somehow, it’s calming him.

Abe takes out his phone, opens the camera app and turns it to selfie mode.

“Say cheese, Meguro-kun!”

They snap numerous photos together. They are some photos where Meguro stare at Abe’s face when Abe is posing for the camera, and vice versa.

“Love is as delicate and fleeting as cherry blossoms, yet it fills our hearts with everlasting joy.”

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

“Thank you for today, Meguro-kun! I really had fun!”

They are currently inside Meguro’s car, just arrived at Abe’s apartment. After the ethereal boat cruise, both of them decided to get dinner at an Indian restaurant nearby the pier, then continue their yozakura stroll a little bit more before ending their date today.

Meguro looks like he’s in deep thought. He simply turns his face towards Abe, giving him a gloomy smile as a response.

Abe tilts his head and asks worryingly, “What’s wrong?”

“Abe-kun”. Meguro takes a deep breath. “Can we continue this date tomorrow? That is…if you’re available”.

Abe lets out a smile of content. Is this what this man is worried about? Meguro can be cute sometimes. “Of course! I have no plans for tomorrow yet so…I’m very happy to go out with you again tomorrow. Sure! Let’s do it!”

Meguro’s eyes suddenly lit up. He’s also grinning from ear to ear. He shouts, “YOSH! Then, are you ok with going to Maxell Aqua Park, Shinagawa? I’ve been wanting to go there for the longest time but never had the chance to”.

“Ahh! Sure, I’m ok with that! It’s been a long time too since I visited there. Maybe during high school? You’ve made me excited to see the penguins now! Hehe can’t wait!”

“Hehe ok then, it’s a date! I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 10am?”

“Sure! I’ll you see tomorrow then! Have a safe drive back home and good night”.

Meguro pulls a trick just like he did to Abe back in Hokkaido – locking the door the moment Abe about to get out.

Abe turns his head around with an annoyed expression, his fingers clicking to unlock the door manually and immediately open the door.

“See you tomorrow, Meguro-kun”, Abe says, with a breathy, sultry voice.

Abe waves before he entered his apartment complex.

Meguro raises one fist to the air, as if celebrating a victory. He had thought of bringing Abe to another date tomorrow since the cruise. He prayed, that if Abe agrees to go on the date, he will officially ask Abe to be his lover. Now that his prayer is answered, he has some planning to do. He also has to prepare emotionally, so the confession will go smoothly. He makes another prayer.

“May he accept me as his lover”.

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

“Yo! We’re matching! Haha! I guess we think alike, huh?”

Both Abe and Meguro are amused at this situation. But Meguro especially, is more than happy. Because they already look like a couple right now.

They are dressed appropriately for an aquarium date. They both are wearing marine blue jacket. Meguro is wearing a similar marine blue singlet as an undershirt, paired with marine blue joggers. He uses the same shoes that he wore yesterday. Meanwhile, Abe is wearing a marine blue shirtwaist. Definitely designed for women. However, it doesn’t look out of place for Abe. He is looking gorgeous in it. Meguro thought. Abe is wearing white chinos and he completes the look with marine blue sneakers. Meguro also notices that Abe is wearing a dangling glass earring in a snowflake shape at his right ear. Meguro smiles. Today is starting good. And it’s going to get better and special.

They arrived at their destination about 40 minutes later. They buy admission tickets from the ticket machine and proceed to enter the underwater world. Inside the building, there is actually not just aquarium, as in rows of tanks displaying marine life. Upon entering, there are numbered routes people should follow. Firstly, they are greeted with big walls of Sakura projection mapping. Abe and Meguro take turns to pose for photos here. Next, they move on to the “Magical Ground”. There is a photo booth where you can pay to get your photos taken, with the background of the sea world. A good souvenir indeed. Meguro puts his right arm over Abe’s shoulders and Abe leans his head onto Meguro’s chest, while they make a peace sign. Clicks! The cameraman gives them a ticket that they should keep to fetch their printed photos at the souvenir shop when they finish their aquarium tour. What’s interesting is that there’s also a merry-go-round next to the photo booth. Instead of the usual horses’ ride, there are different kinds of undersea creatures presented there.

They are transported to a celestial world of cherry blossoms, where there are cherry blossoms projections on the wall, the ceiling and even on the ground. However, this part exhibits some small underwater creatures such as seahorse. As they go deeper, the space turns darker and right then do they get that aquarium atmosphere. They are seeing bigger creatures now such as koi fish and frogs. Interestingly, there is also a drinking bar and even a pirate ship, that people are able to ride on, at this section of the building. Meguro initially suggested that they should hop on the pirate ship but after seeing the long que, he cancelled his decision. They quickly move on to the 4th route called Jellyfish Ramble. Here, they enjoy the ethereal view of different species of jellyfish in cylinder tanks.

Little Paradise is the next section they went into. This part exhibits even bigger creatures such as sharks and stingrays. There is a photo spot arch so both of them stop to take some photos there. The next route which are the Wild Street and Jungle area, mainly exhibit creatures like chameleon and seal.

They go to the upper level, to the stadium next - to catch a dolphin show. The stadium is already almost full the moment they arrived but they manage to get seats on the 5th row. It is known that dolphins are smart creatures. Meguro and Abe believe in it more after seeing the show. There is also a penguin show and a capybara feeding show at the outdoor square, so they move there respectively afterwards. That is the end of their aquarium tour. They head to the souvenir shop next to the stadium to fetch their printed photos. They also bought matching bangle bracelet with photos of cute pinniped (or commonly known as seal) on them. The color of the bangle also matches the color they are wearing today so after they bought them, Abe immediately snaps some photos of them wearing the bangles. They head to the food court next to replenish their energy. Meguro is getting more restless as time goes by. He wishes himself a good luck, as the time for him to profess his feelings is getting nearer.

If everything can be forgotten and overlaid

We’ll go together

Just pull the trigger

I won’t let you go

Let’s get it now

“Ahh~ I’m full~ That was a good meal!”, Abe exclaims in happiness.

They decided to share a huge sized Margherita Pizza for lunch. They will be heading to Nikon Museum next, as discussed during their lunch earlier.

Before exiting the building they are currently in, they come across a clear glass room named “Feel The Chill – Snow Room”. It is basically a small room covered with real snow, with temperature set at 14degrees Fahrenheit. There are also some artificial trees in there to create an outdoor vibe.

“Let’s go in! We rarely get to experience snow here in Tokyo!”, Meguro suggests. They are amazed. The room is cold and even for a while, they can’t believe they are able to experience snow out of season.

“Abe-kun, I’m sorry but can you help me take pictures from the outside?”

“Yeah, sure!” Abe goes outside and snaps some photos of Meguro inside the Snow Room as instructed.

Abe is about to go back inside when Meguro makes a “Wait” gesture. Then he gestures Abe to come closer to the glass, in front of where Meguro is currently standing.

Meguro breathe out onto the glass. The cold temperature inside creating a condensation to form on the surface of the glass, emerging as a fog. Abe patiently waits as Meguro write “Can” on the glass.

Meguro moves a step to his left. He breathes onto the glass again and now he writes “You”. He moves another step and repeats the process again. “Be”. Finally, Meguro is one step closer to the door. This time, he writes “My Lover”.

Meguro opens the door.

“Can you be my lover?”

Abe is at lost for words. He doesn’t expect Meguro will ask him out this way or even the fact that he’s considering Abe to be his partner. Honestly, Abe is so touched.

“I like you, Abe-kun. I like you so much. I’m in euphoria whenever you’re around. I feel a flip-flopping here (pointing at his stomach) every time I meet you. My heart’s racing, my palms sweating more than usual and I’ve been thinking about you a lot that I had trouble sleeping on time. I realized that these are symptoms of falling in love. I have fallen in love with you, Abe-kun. Please be my boyfriend”.

Even in this situation, Meguro is being polite that he bows at the end of his speech. He doesn’t raise his head, until Abe speaks up, in a quiet voice. “Yes, I do”.

Meguro raise his head a little. “Say that again, please”.

Abe takes a deep breath. “Yes, I will be your lover, Meguro-kun”.

Meguro jumps in joy and instantly gives Abe a bear hug.

“I love you, Abe-kun! I love you so much!”

Abe returns the hug and whispers a “Thank you”.

With the Snow Room as a background, Meguro thought it was already setting up a nice romantic atmosphere. Meguro pulls off from the hug and stares deep into Abe’s hazel eyes, then moves to Abe’s cute nose, then finally, to Abe’s red, plump lips. Meguro reaches down for a kiss, but Abe hits his chest, stopping him.

“I…want to let you know my feelings too…I felt all the similar things you felt. I’m also head over heels for you but it never crossed my mind that you will be in love with me too. I realized who I am, so I thought I am no match and you deserved someone better. I’m very…touched…Thank you for choosing to love me. I really appreciate it”.

A tear escapes from Abe’s eyes. Meguro brushes the tear off. He feels relieved upon hearing Abe’s confession. Meguro presses his forehead onto Abe’s, inhaling Abe’s scent and eventually he asks, “Can I kiss you now?”

Abe chuckles. He is feeling shy at the moment but eventually he closes his eyes and faces upwards.

Their first kiss is a sweet one. Starts with a simple peck. Then Meguro dares to kiss Abe’s top lip, so Abe responds by kissing Meguro’s bottom lip. Meguro proceeds to use his tongue to lick open Abe’s mouth, but it seems that Abe is not ready yet. He pushes Meguro by the chest again.

“One step at a time, my dear”.

Meguro gives an open-mouth smile. It’s alright. He is more than satisfied for now.

“Shall we go now, Mr. Boyfriend?” Abe slides his right hand into Meguro’s left, linking all their fingers.

“We shall”.

Abe and Meguro now, officially create their love story.

They finally find each other’s half, and they hope this love will never fades.

Under the fleeting Sakura petals, they walk hand in hand.

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving for your love

[Epilogue]

“See! I told you my instinct is never wrong!”, Raul exclaims.

Raul and the two lovebirds are currently chilling out at Watanabe Café. Abe got off work earlier today. Abe asked if Raul was able to come earlier for the tutoring and he did. Since they finished early, Abe decided to treat Raul at his favorite café, in addition to breaking the news of him and Meguro being a couple. By the time Abe and Raul arrived at the café, they saw Meguro was about to finish working for the day, at the café’s garden. Abe greeted his boyfriend and Meguro told them that he would be joining them at the table soon.

“Congrats, sensei and Meme! May you guys excel in this relationship. I’m looking forward to hear more of your love story!”, Raul cry out in joy.

It has been a week since Abe and Meguro officially become lovers. Watanabe, who overheard the whole conversation the couple had with Raul, also chimed in to congratulate them.

“So you guys are a couple now, huh? So happy for you both. Congrats!”

“Thank you, Watanabe-san. By the way, how do you like the garden so far? Just another session, then if you are satisfied, we will finish the contract”.

“I’m more than impressed with your work, Meguro-san. I believe the customers will find the garden, a pleasant spot too. I’m considering getting your service again for the garden maintenance. Is that possible?”

“Sure! I will bring over the paperwork on our next session. We shall sign another contract, ok?”

Abe is happy to hear his boyfriend getting a praise for his work. He hopes Zarigani Landscaping will continue to strive.

“Speaking of business – Abe-kun! I just received a call this afternoon to meet a client at Akita tomorrow. If you are free, let’s go together. I’ll booked the flight tickets now”.

“Sure! I would love to! Just let me know the price yeah”.

“Hehe no worries, this one is on me”.

And Raul is left witnessing the couple cutely bickering about the travel payment.

“Ahh~ It must be nice to be in love. I wonder…when will I find mine?”

He takes another sip of his honey lemon soda and continue observing his sensei, now resting his head comfortably on his cousin’s chest, while they both giggling, eyes on Meguro’s smartphone. They met as seatmates on the plane by coincidence. Few months later, they planned their seats together. Raul thought dreamily, this occurrence is so romantic. "Ahh~ I want a lover too~"

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

“Ojamashimasu”

Abe and Meguro check-in to a business hotel in Akita the next day. Since Meguro’s meeting is scheduled in the late evening, they departed Tokyo in the afternoon. Today is Saturday. They will be staying at the hotel for a night and tomorrow, they will try to explore Akita a little bit.

“My client’s site is 5 minutes away from here. But I believe we have a lot to discuss. It might take a while. I might even get a dinner with them later so you don’t have to wait for me and you can go explore the city. Just be careful, ok?”

Abe nods in understanding. “Sure. All the best and take care!”

Before Meguro leaves, he gives Abe a kiss on the forehead and a peck on the lips. “See you later”.

Meguro left.

*Kyun! Kyun!

They are already acting like a married couple. Is what Abe thought.

Abe goes out to explore the neighborhood near the hotel. He goes inside some vintage shops, a nice, old-school coffee shop and a family diner for dinner. As he walks around town, he takes note of some establishments that he finds interesting, for work purposes. He updates Meguro of his whereabouts until he gets back to the hotel at around 8.30pm. Meguro’s last text was at 8pm, informing Abe that the client is indeed inviting him for a dinner and that he will be back at the hotel as soon as they are done. Abe decides to take a bath first and maybe watch a TV while waiting for Meguro to return.

Meguro hasn’t returned yet when Abe finished his bath. After taking that warm bath, Abe feels sleepy. He lays his head on the pillow, still in his bathrobe, and falls into a deep slumber.

“Tadaima!”

Meguro enters the room. But there is no answer. After removing his shoes, he slowly goes further inside.

He is greeted by a breathtaking view of his lover, sleeping peacefully on the bed, in a bathrobe. The view is inviting, and Meguro have to admit, he is somewhat aroused.

Once he reaches the bed, he sits down on the edge, then softly caressing his lover’s face, admiring the sight in front of him.

Abe stirs up from his sleep. “Meguro-kun? Okaeri”, the man murmurs, sleepily.

Abe tries to sit up, but before he could do so, he was pushed back to lay on the bed by his lover. He gasps in surprised. Meguro is looking at him, with dark eyes. Abe knows that look.

Lust.

“I’m still hungry, my sleeping beauty. You’re looking so delicious right now that I want to go ahead and feast on you”, says Meguro, with a deep voice.

The light is already dim. The mood is set. Meguro’s right hand then moves down to open the slit of Abe’s bathrobe, and caresses Abe’s thigh.

“Ahn~” A sweet moan emits out of Abe’s mouth.

Meguro brings his face closer. “Do you want it?”, he whispered exactly into Abe’s left ear.

Abe’s eyes are hazy. He too, is getting pretty much stimulated right now.

He reaches up to wrap his arm around Meguro’s neck. And initiating a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongues battle for dominance, but Abe immediately gives in, accepting the ecstasy from this pleasure.

After they pull away from the kiss for breath, with a breathless voice full of yearning, Abe says:

“Savor me. Let my essence linger on your palate”.

They fulfilled their raging inferno of love throughout the night.

Meguro promised, from now on too, he will continue to find ways to keep Abe’s heart, throbbing for him.

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

===END===

[jannah1721]

Love Trigger (Dark - Tragedy version)

This is a fanfiction, meaning that all events and occurrences in this story are all fictional and all are part of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual life events and people, living or dead, are all purely coincidence. I am not, in any way, affiliated to Snow Man members or Johnny’s Entertainment so I do not own the Snow Man members mentioned in my fanfiction.

=================

A man looks at the snow falling outside his window.

“Ahh~ it would be nice if I could touch the snow right now…”

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

Yeah

Through the window, Abe Ryohei watches his new next door neighbor moving in. There are two men – the noisy one, who keeps on complaining how heavy the stuffs are; and the quiet one, who responds to all the complains with just, a beautiful smile. That’s what Abe thought. The quiet one intrigues him. He closes his curtain and continue to do whatever that he did before he heard the moving noises.

About half an hour later, Abe heard a knock on his front door. Through the peephole, he sees his new neighbor, the quiet one, in front of the door. He opens the door.

“Hello! I just move to the apartment across yours. My name is Meguro Ren”.

The man bows, then, brings both his hands to the front, which is holding a giftbox.

“Here is a little gift. It’s a lavender scented candle. Hope we can be good neighbors!”

Meguro Ren smiles. That beautiful smile Abe found fascinating.

Abe takes the giftbox carefully from Meguro’s hands. Their skin touches. For a moment, Abe feels a tingling sensation through his body. He finds it weird.

“How sweet of you! I’m Abe Ryohei. Welcome to the neighborhood! Please come in. Let me make you tea. Ohh I saw another man with you before. Please invite him too!”

“Ahh That’s Koji. My housemate. He’s asleep right now. Tired from all the moving. Don’t worry, I’ll ask him to greet you another day”

“Ahh that’s fine then. Please come in!”

Abe immediately lights the candle that Meguro gave him before proceeding to make tea. They sit at Abe’s living room, talking about the neighborhood and getting to know each other personally. Both of them immediately clicks, and it has been nearly 2 hours before Meguro receives a text message on his phone.

“I have to go now, Abe-kun. Koji is searching for me. Need to set up some more things inside the house. Thank you for the tea! You’re such a good company. Let’s chat again some time!”

“If you need help with anything, just let me know, ok? I had a good time too! Thank you again for the candle!”

Meguro left. Abe has a fuzzy feeling inside his chest. He smiles, a happy one.

Before I knew it, my thoughts are all about you

Without realizing, this Feeling is overflowing

The popular Love song I heard on the street

It won’t leave my head, I don’t know why

The melody that won’t let me sleep

Abe is a budding psychiatrist. He’s on the way to apply for a practicing psychiatrist license and is now on his second year of residency. So far, he’s been located to work in various environments in the community – sometimes at the local clinic, at schools and even at prison once.

Abe loves his job and is trying his best to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment on every case he took. However, due to a trauma from a past incident, he’s currently seeing a psychiatrist himself. He’s currently on medication but is getting better, thus, his dosage is getting lower as prescribed by his attending psychiatrist.

The next morning after the new neighbors move in, Abe experiences an unusual phenomenon.

“Oh my God! I’m going to be late! Where are my keys?”

He always put his keys on a table near the entrance so he finds it weird when he didn’t see the keys there. He also remembered that he never moves his keys from the table once he’s inside the house. In frustration, he searches on and under the table thoroughly, checking the drawers and rummaging through his bag. No luck. He runs his hand through his hair, feeling panic. He needs to ask the apartment’s security guard for some help. He unlocks his front door and goes out. The moment he closes the door, he sees it. His keys are hanging on the door lock. He lets out a sigh of relief. However, he still finds it weird. How come he forgot that he has left the keys outside?

“…Everyday is an embodiment of love…We’ll still be loving each other tomorrow morning…”

Abe turns his head at the direction of the singing voice. There he sees Meguro, in a black shirt and shorts, just about to go out from his own apartment. Looks like the man is about to throw away two trash bags to the designated disposal area downstairs. He also seems to have earbuds on because once he made eye contact with Abe, he taps his right ear and greets, “Good morning, Abe-kun!”

“Good morning, Meguro-kun! Everything going well?”

“Yeah! Just waiting for the telecom company to set up the wifi today”

“That’s good to hear. I’m going to work soon. Have a good day!”

“Same goes to you! Ahh, you can go ahead using the elevator. I’m using the stairs”

“Are you sure? We’re on the 11th floor”

“For exercise”, and Meguro giggles.

Abe chuckles too. “Alright then. Take care!”

And he sees Meguro walks down the stairs.

Abe takes his bag which was on the entrance table, locks the door and goes to work.

On his way though, that popular love song, Ai no Katamari, is repeatedly playing on his head.

Don’t be shy. As you are, Follow me

I won’t be able to say that Word afterall

Mystery, no matter what I do, I can’t reach your Philosophy

It has been 2 weeks since then. Abe has only seen Meguro another 3 times in the morning, within the past 2 weeks. He hopes his neighbors are adjusting well to their new place. Speaking of neighbors, he still hasn’t met with Koji, Meguro’s housemate. Aside from the first day, he never saw Koji going out from the apartment. Probably their schedules just don’t match. Sometimes Abe leaves early in the morning and return late at night. Also, he doesn’t know what Koji does for work. He never asked Meguro when he came over on the first day and Meguro also never told him.

Tomorrow is 14th February. Valentine’s Day. Perhaps he could drop by and give them some chocolates. If he’s lucky, he’ll be able to meet Koji.

It’s decided. He will go to the supermarket to buy ingredients to make chocolate cakes later after work. For his family, friends, work colleagues, and also, his neighbors.

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name, Say my name

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name darling

Abe return to his apartment complex around 7.30pm. Upon exiting the elevator on his level, somehow he lost his balance and his groceries fall to the ground – scattered all over the floor.

“Hey! Are you ok? Let me help you!”

A youthful looking man gives him a helping hand.

“Ahh! I’m sorry for the trouble! Thank you so much!”

“No problem! I help you carry these inside”

Abe opens the door to his apartment and let the man in. After the man puts his groceries on his dining table, Abe thanked the man again. Now, he can see the man’s face more clearly. He is very beautiful. Almost like a woman.

“You’re the new neighbor, right? Koji-kun? I’m Abe Ryohei. Nice to meet you!” Abe reaches out for a handshake.

The man returns his handshake and giggles. “Nice to meet you too, neighbor! Ahh! I supposed to meet someone downstairs in a few minutes. I better get going. I’ll see you around!”

“Ahh I see. Ok, see you!”

“Oh wait!” The man pulls out a polaroid camera from his bag. He brings the camera up towards Abe. “Smile!”

A confused Abe then smiles and makes a peace sign. *SNAPS* The photo is taken.

The man then passes the polaroid photo to Abe. “Here, for you! See ya!” Then he runs off towards the elevator.

“Thank you!” Abe shouts at the direction of the elevator. He shakes his head. Koji-kun seems to be a peculiar one. As he remembers that he needs to quickly get to work on making cakes, he tosses the polaroid photo into the drawer of the entrance table without waiting for the photo to develop.

There’s no turning back anymore

Be my girl – the heart won’t lie

Honey Imma make you mine

Hold you tight right now

Can you give me one more night?

Let’s get it now

Abe is awakened by what sounds like pans falling down to the floor. In his half-awake state, he makes his way towards the kitchen. Sure enough, he sees his pans on the floor.

“Ahh…I might’ve placed them so close to the edge…”

He yawns and returned the pans on top of his kitchen table.

As he is about to go back to his room, he hears another noise. He quickly turns back to the living/dining/kitchen, scanning the room. This time it sounds like something or…someone…bumps into something. He starts to feel a little bit…scared. He switches on the light. Nothing is out of ordinary. Maybe the noise came from the outside. He closes the light and goes back into the bedroom.

The remaining night, he dreamt of Meguro-kun. Meguro-kun was embracing him so tight, that he can’t breathe. Meguro-kun whispered into his ears, “Just pull the trigger”. Abe looked down. Suddenly, there was a gun on his hand.

Abe wakes up in a jolt, sweating and breathing heavily. He cries. He can’t decide – whether the dream is a good or bad omen.

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving for your love

Abe’s day didn’t start well but life must go on. It’s Valentine’s Day – even though he doesn’t have a lover yet, he still has lots of people that he wanted to say thanks on this day. He can’t wait to see the smiles on the faces of the people he’s about to give his homemade chocolates and chocolate cakes. At least that thought makes him smile and he’s ready to face the day.

Abe goes out at his apartment the same time as Meguro does. He eyes Meguro up and down. Meguro looks so dashing in a red suit. He might be going on a date. Ahh…That’s when it hits him. Of course the man is going on a date. Why would a man as handsome as him doesn’t have a lover? That thought sends Abe to a little depressed state.

“Good morning, Abe-kun! Ahh! That looks heavy. Come, let me help you with it”

“Ehh? No…” But before he could refuse, Meguro already took the bag on his left hand and proceed to elevator. “Thank you…” They ride the elevator together.

“These are so many chocolates. Are you going to go on many dates today?”, Meguro playfully asks.

“Of course not! These chocolates are for my friends and colleagues. Since it’s a lover’s day, I thought why not celebrate it with the people I love and thankful for. Not having a lover doesn’t mean that I can’t celebrate it, right? And these chocolate cakes are for my family. I’m meeting them for a bit after work. Ohh! I also made a cake for you and Koji-kun but I left it in the refrigerator. I’ll come by your apartment later when I get back! How about you? You dressed up so dashingly. Are you going on a date?”

Meguro chuckles. The elevator door opens. They have reached the ground floor. As a gentleman, he holds the elevator and let Abe goes out first. “After you”.

“I have a meeting with an important client today. We really want this particular business to sponsor our theatre production. That’s why I dressed up like this today. Gotta starts with the visuals for a good first impression, right?”, Meguro winks.

“Ohh I see! Hehe All the best! Hope your theatre got the sponsorship!”

After hearing the explanation from Meguro, somehow, Abe’s mood brightens up.

When they get out of the apartment building, Meguro passes Abe his bag.

“Alright, I’m going this way. If the stars aligned, I shall see you in the evening. Thank you!”, Abe bows and turns to the direction he’s going.

“Ahh hold on, Abe-kun!”

At this point, Abe freezes. His mind blank and he feels like he can hear his heart thumping.

Meguro moves closer, adjusting the ribbon tie on Abe’s neck.

“There. Now you look much cuter. I hope to see you in the evening. Have a good day!”

Meguro left. Abe still frozen in his position.

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

The rest of the day went by smoothly. He had a really eventful day which leaves him feeling good. He reaches his apartment at around 9.30pm. It is quite late, so he thought he might just go to Meguro’s apartment to just send over the cake. They don’t need to invite him inside.

“I’m home!”, Abe opens the door to his apartment. Hmm? The next door apartment is pitch black. For context, from Abe’s kitchen, he’s able to see into Meguro’s living room, provided that the curtain is open. He notices that all the curtains are still raised and no lights are on so he assumed that no one is home.

“It’s Valentine’s Day anyway. Probably they are out late…”

Abe is a little disappointed. Deep inside, he does want to meet Meguro tonight. However, he is also tired. So he decides to take a bath then go to sleep. He can just give the cake in the morning.

After a refreshing bath, Abe, now in his bath robe, goes to the kitchen to drink some water before he gets ready for bed. When he arrives at the kitchen, he notices that there is a light coming from Meguro’s apartment. A dim orange light from a desk lamp. But the curtains are still raised. Maybe one of them just got home?

Abe notices some movements. He can’t see clearly because that place is still mostly dark. Only the dim light from the desk lamp is the source of light at that side. He forces his eyes to focus. He sees a hooded figure. The figure looks like he/she’s searching around the place for something. Is the person wearing a glove?

Abe immediately crouches down. He doesn’t want to risk being found by whoever is on the other side. He also feels like throwing up.  So many things going on in his head. It can’t be! What if…Is he currently witnessing an attempted robbery?

He slowly moves his head up, just enough so he could still see whatever going on the other side. The next scene he witnessed, sends him directly into a panic attack.

He saw the hooded figure beating Koji-kun with the desk lamp. The top of the desk lamp has a sharp edge. And it was used to hit Koji-kun’s head numerous times. The last thing he saw before he decided to dial the security guard number was…Koji-kun’s face on the window, it was as if he’s looking directly at Abe, and he mouthed “Save me”.

The security guard picks up the call on the third ring. “Yes Abe-san, is there anything wrong?”

Abe has trouble breathing but he tries his best to mutter, “Koji-kun…my neighbor…he’s bleeding…There’s an intruder…Please…Come up soon…Please…”

Two security guards arrive at the 11th floor as soon as they can. One of the guards knocks on Abe’s apartment while the other one knocks on Meguro’s apartment.

“Abe-san! I’m coming in!”

The security guard unlocks the door using the master key and enters the apartment, searching for Abe. He finds Abe still on his kitchen floor, breathing hard.

“Oh my God! Abe-san! Hold on, let me call an ambulance!”

Abe stops the security guard. “Don’t mind me…How about Koji-kun? Is he safe?”

“There’s no one inside” The other security guard shouts from outside Meguro’s apartment.

Now, Abe feels like his heart stopped. “…Ehh?...”

“What’s going on?”

Everyone turns to the direction of the voice. Meguro’s voice.

“Ahh I’m sorry for entering your apartment without permission. We received a call from your neighbor. He saw an intruder in your house and that your housemate is bleeding…”

“WHAT?!” Meguro then runs into his apartment shouting Koji’s name numerous times. He comes back outside after a few minutes. “It seems that Koji is still not home though. And there’s nothing out of ordinary. Everything is in place”.

Silence.

Then it was broken by the sound of the elevator arriving at the 11th floor.

A man with a long hair comes out.

“Ahh! Meme! You just arrived home too?”

Meguro lets out a sigh of relief. He comes up to the long-haired man and wraps his right arm around the long-haired man’s shoulders.

“Thank God you’re safe!”

The man, obviously confused, asks, “Why? What’s wrong?”

At this moment, the long-haired man also realizes that there is a security guard standing in front of their apartment, as well as the neighbor’s apartment door is currently wide open. Abe comes outside, with the other security guard soothing his back.

“Oh my God! What happen? Are you ok?” The long-haired man approaches Abe worryingly.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine soon. Thank you. And you are?”

“Ahh! I’m sorry that I haven’t greet you since we moved in 2 weeks ago. But Meme had told me that we have such a cute neighbor. And he’s not lying, you’re really cute! I’m Mukai Koji, your new neighbor! Nice to meet you!”

Abe feels like throwing up again.

“Wha- But you’re not Koji-kun that I know”

The long-haired man then tilts his head, questioningly.

“How…? I mean…The Koji-kun that I met before…is not this person!”

Abe’s breathing becomes frantic again. And he can hear the craziness coming out from his own mouth. He’s sure he’s about to break down anytime soon.

“Ohh? But this is the first time that I’m meeting you…”

Abe falls to the ground, both his hands holding his head. His head is hurting.

“But I swear…I saw…I saw people inside the apartment…”

“Abe-san, I’m sorry but I think you might be too tired. It’s probably just all in your head. No one is harm, see? Both your neighbors are safe. Nobody is hurt. We’re more worried about you right now. We can help you call Miyadate-san if you need him”, said the security guard who soothes his back.

Abe shakes his head. “Don’t. I don’t want to trouble him this late at night. But listen…last night, I talk with Koji-kun in front of this apartment. He helped me brought my groceries inside…”

“You need to rest, Abe-san. It has been a long day. If you’re still concerned about this, we will just call Miyadate-san here. You may consult with him about your condition. For your peace of mind”, the security guard persuade him.

Abe does not answer.

He tries to stand up slowly, then bows to everyone. “I’m sorry for worrying all of you”. He then turns to the security guard behind him. “You may inform Miyadate-san but only if he’s not occupied with anything right now”.

“Alright, Abe-san. Please take care”.

Abe goes inside his apartment while the other security guard apologizes again to the tenants of apartment 11B.

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

About 15 minutes later, Abe hears a knock on his door.

“Abe, it’s me, Miyadate”.

Abe opens the door to his psychiatrist, who thankfully lives on level 7 at the same apartment complex. He invites Miyadate-san in then proceed to sit at the living room, across each other.

“The security guard told me what happened. As a psychology student yourself, I believe you must have an idea what this means, right?”

Abe looks at Miyadate for a brief moment before he looks down again, not answering his psychiatrist.

“Tell me the details. I want to listen to you”, Miyadate continues, with a gentle tone.

After taking a deep breath, Abe told his psychiatrist whatever that he saw earlier that night.

After finishing his story, Abe hesitates, but decides to just ask his psychiatrist, “What do you think? Is it…Am I going through a relapse?”

“Hmm…Since this is the first time after a long while that this happened, it might possibly be a symptom. Or maybe, it’s just today. Since today is Valentine’s Day, you must’ve felt overwhelmed. Perhaps there was some event today that have triggered it. Can you tell me how was your day today? From the time you woke up”.

Abe talks about his day. From having a “bad” dream so he woke up in a not so good mood, Meguro-kun helping him carry his Valentine’s gifts till downstairs, his exciting day at the workplace where he also received some more chocolates from his colleagues and patients, meeting up with some of his friends at the park after work, a fancy early dinner with his family who live half an hour away, then coming back home.

Miyadate nodded his head occasionally while listening to Abe’s story. When Abe finishes, Miyadate sits back while crossing his arms, thinking. Suddenly, he asks, “How is your new neighbors? You’re getting well with them?”

“Ahh Meguro-kun sent over that lavender scented candle the day they move in and I’ve been seeing him around occasionally. I still don’t know much about him though, aside from his work as a theatre manager and actor. I saw the other housemate when they move in. I never met the housemate face to face until last night. Meguro-kun said his housemate is called Koji. I met who I thought is this Koji guy last night in front of this apartment but just now, a different man introduced himself as Koji. And he said this was the first time he met me…” Abe suddenly remembers something. “Wait!”

Abe runs to the entrance desk and rummages through the drawer. He freezes.

“It’s gone…”

“What is?”

“The polaroid…It’s not here…”

Abe falls down. His head is hurting again. Miyadate rushes to his side, trying to calm him down.

“I swear…I…Koji-kun…He took a polaroid photo of me last night and he gave it to me…I put it inside this drawer…Why…”

Miyadate keeps on soothing Abe’s back. “Shh…It’s ok…Take your medication and have a rest. I suggest you take a day off tomorrow. I’ll come back to visit you again tomorrow. Come. Let me help you up”.

Abe sees Miyadate out after that. Before the psychiatrist left, he puts his right hand on Abe’s left shoulder, squeezing it a bit. “If you are having a hard time, talk to someone yeah. I don’t want to force more things out of you since it’s already late. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Sleep well”.

He moves forward, enveloping Abe in a brief, gentle hug.

“Thank you, Miyadate-san. Ahh hold on!” Abe goes back inside for a moment and comes back out with a small chocolate bar in his hand.

“For you. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Miyadate receives the chocolate with a smile. “That’s the spirit. Did anyone ever told you that you have such a nice smile? Anyway, thank you. Expect a return gift next month”.

Abe chuckles. “Good night, Miyadate-san. See you tomorrow”.

Once Abe is sure that the elevator door is closed, his smile falters. “Stay strong, Ryohei”.

He enters back into his apartment.

From the apartment across, Meguro sees everything. And he clenches his fist.

Even when I’m awake, I’m yearning still

For your gestures and your habitual phrases

Oh can you be my lover?

Apartment 11B receives a knock on the door the early morning of 15th February.

“Hold on. I’m coming!”

Mukai Koji opens the door. Abe Ryohei is standing outside, with a box of cake on his hand.

“Umm…Good morning. I supposed to give you this cake yesterday for Valentine’s but uhh…last night happened so…I guess this is also an apology for inconveniencing you last night. I hope you will take this…” Abe holds out the box towards Koji.

“Good morning, Abe-chan! Aww you don’t have to but that’s so sweet of you! Thank you!”

Koji receives the cake excitedly. Abe is a little surprised by Koji’s addressing him with a -chan but he’s glad that the man does not freak out especially after what happened last night.

“I would love to invite you inside but both me and Meme are getting ready for work soon so…”

Abe quickly waves both his hands, making a “no” gesture. “Don’t worry! Don’t worry! I just want to send this over to you. Hope you will enjoy the cake and have a good day!”

“Same goes to you Abe-chan! Ohh regarding last night…We heard everything from the security guard…Don’t worry too much about it yeah. To be honest, I am scared of what you believe you saw but I didn’t find you scary. At this modern times, mental health problems should be made aware. Uhh…I’m sorry if I sound insensitive…uhh…because I don’t know how it works but…I hope you will be able to resolve everything and uhh…Get well soon!”

Abe smiles. He can see the genuine concern from Koji.

“I’ll do my best!”

Both of them giggle.

“Shoppi! You can’t go outside!”

Abe freezes. Shoppi? He felt like he heard the name before. But where…?

A beautiful white cat, a Norwegian Forest breed, slips out from the apartment.

“Mou! Shoppi! Ahh Abe-kun! Good morning!”

Meguro comes out with just a towel covering his waist and with hair still dripping wet. Abe’s breathing hitches.

“Dude! Have some decency! Go back inside, I’ll take care of Shoppi”, Koji scolds.

“Ahhhhhhh alright alright! Have a good day, Abe-kun!” And Meguro goes back inside in a hurry.

“Shoppi~ Do you want to meet Abe-chan? Say hi to Abe-chan!”

Abe crouches down to the floor and pet the cat. “Nice to meet you, Shoppi~ You’re so pretty!”

The cat stares at him.

Abe loves cats. Usually, he didn’t find cats uncomfortable but there’s just something about Shoppi that makes him…uneasy…

“Let’s go inside baby. Mama and Papa don’t want to be late for work”, Koji says while bringing the cat up to his chest, like holding a baby. “I claimed myself to be it’s Mama. Ahh! But me and Meme are not a couple though! He’s actually my cousin and we decided to move in together to save up on rent since our workplaces are not far from here”, Koji winks.

“Ahh I see. Alright, I don’t want to take up more of your time! I’ll see you around, Koji-kun!”

I guess you already know about my feelings

Feelin’ so bad, you can’t get away

Yeah

“Good morning, Abe. How are you feeling today?”

“Better than last night, doc. Please come in”.

Once they are seated, Miyadate starts, “The chocolate is delicious by the way. I finished the whole bar in one sitting while watching a documentary. Say, what is your favorite flavor? I’ll try to make a chocolate with your selected flavor for White Day”.

Abe is feeling a little shy by the compliment and the request. “Hmm, let’s see…I like white chocolates. But really, any flavor is fine, Miyadate-san. It’s the thoughts that counts. And I’m glad you like my homemade chocolates”.

Miyadate makes an OK gesture. “Well noted”.

The doorbell rings.

“Hmm? I wonder who’s that. Please wait a moment, Miyadate-san”.

Miyadate nods.

Abe looks at the peephole. It’s Meguro. Abe opens the door.

“Is something the matter, Meguro-kun? You’re not going to work yet?”

“Nope. Nothing’s the matter, Abe-kun. I’m going to work after this. Here, for you”. Meguro brings out a bouquet of pink tulips and magnolias from behind him.

Abe doesn’t know how to react so he simply stares at the flower bouquet till Meguro speaks again.

“I have some time to spare before my meeting soon so I went to the nearest flower shop to get this for you. I hope this will cheer you up”. Meguro smiles. That radiating smile.

Abe flusters and takes the bouquet from Meguro. “Uhh…Why are you like this…You don’t have to but thank you. I really appreciate your concern. The flowers are beautiful”.

“I like seeing your smile, Abe-kun. You really have a nice smile. Ohh there’s a note attached to the bouquet and I’ve written my number there. If you want someone to talk with, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I can listen to you and I will help you as long as it’s within my capabilities. Ahh! I gotta go now. Give me a text later yeah so I can save your number too! See ya!”

Abe can only mutter a soft “Thank you” after having a hard time finding his voice.

Meanwhile, Miyadate hears everything from inside the living room. “Hmm your neighbor is very thoughtful. That is how neighbors should be”, he comments. Upon seeing Abe enters the living room with the bouquet, he continues, “Put the flowers into a vase immediately so they will last longer. We can still converse while you’re arranging the flowers”.

“Ok, doc”. Abe goes to the kitchen to find a suitable vase then proceed remove the flowers carefully from the bouquet. He looks at the note with Meguro’s number on it for a moment and he carefully put it aside, near his phone so he will remember to text the number later.

“Say, Abe. What do you think of your new neighbor? That Meguro-kun, especially”.

“Meguro-kun? Umm…I find him to be very kind and as you said, thoughtful. I also thought that he must be a reliable and responsible man. He’s conventionally attractive too”, Abe answers with his thoughts while filling ¾ of the vase with cool water, then, cutting the flower stems.

“I see. Are you in any ways, attracted to him?”

Abe stops.

“Aside from this, giving you flowers, did he do something else before this?”

Abe doesn’t answer.

Miyadate sighs. “Judging from your silence, I guess he did something, huh? And you find yourself attracted to him. Isn’t that right?”

Abe keeps his silence and is now putting the flowers into the vase, arranging them.

“For now, I believe whatever this Meguro-kun did to you before, might be a trigger to what happened last night. However, this is a tricky situation, Abe. Meguro-kun may be the trigger and may also be helpful to overcome your Philophobia”.

Abe finishes arranging the flowers. He proudly presents it to Miyadate. “Look! They’re so pretty, right?”

Miyadate sighs again. “Abe, I’m your doctor. You can’t avoid this problem forever. I’m here to help you. Be honest with me about your feelings then we can start from there”, Miyadate encourages, sternly.

At this point, Abe is ignoring his psychiatrist altogether and places his attention to the flowers in front of him.

Miyadate stands up. He moves towards the kitchen counter. He places his right hand on top of Abe’s. “I know you’re afraid. Let’s take this slowly, shall we?”

Abe still doesn’t respond.

Miyadate then comes up with an idea. “Ok fine. If you don’t want to talk about your feelings right now, why not we try to solve the mystery of whatever that you saw last night?”

Now Abe turns his head towards his therapist curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s ask the security guard for CCTV footages. There is a CCTV at every floor’s foyer, right? Which overlooks both apartment entrances. For your peace of mind, as well as for me to do an accurate evaluation on your well-being, let’s get the footages”.

Oh baby, tell me what you’re gonna do

If I’m going to see you,

This fuzzy feeling will be going on full speed in the end

I’m not crazy, Make a move

It’s heaven,

For me who becomes aware of the feelings

“At around 10-11pm, correct? Let’s see…”

With the security guard permission, both Abe and Miyadate were directed into the control room and the 3 of them investigate the CCTV footage together.

“Oh no! The file is corrupted during those hours”, the security guard exclaims.

“Hmm…That’s suspicious…”, Miyadate remarks.

“Actually, this is a common thing. The CCTV in this building is old and the owner of the building don’t bother to replace them with new system. The current CCTV can only store 1 week worth of footages and at some random hours, the footage may be corrupted”, the security guard explains, while showing them some footages at random different times which are corrupted as well. “This is so unfortunate. I’m sorry I’m not able to be of help, Abe-san, Miyadate-san”. The security guard genuinely looks apologetic.

“It’s ok, Mr. Guard! You have helped us enough! Don’t worry! I have another favor to ask you though. Can I keep the whole one week of footages?”

“Yes, sure! No problem!”

“One more thing, Abe. Around what time did you say you met Koji-kun the day before yesterday?”, Miyadate reminded.

“Ahh please open the footage on 13th February, 7pm”

“Roger that”

The security guard browse through the footage collection. He found the footage and he click on the video.

“Damn! Corrupted!”, the security guard shouts, distressed.

“It’s alright, Mr. Guard. We’ll skim through the rest of the footages later”.

“Alright, Abe. I’m going to the clinic now. Please take your medication as I prescribed. I will check you up once a week. We shall discuss more about your condition in the next session. Call me if you need anything. Also, if you find anything in the footage, please let me know. Have a good rest, Abe”, Miyadate said, while both of them are walking out from the control room, towards the foyer of the ground floor.

“I will, doc. Thank you and have a good day”, both of them bow before they part ways.

A flowerpot falls to the ground and breaks. One step away from Miyadate. If Miyadate was one second late, the flowerpot might have hit him. The sound of the broken pot alerted the people at the ground floor. Abe too, is shocked upon seeing the event unfolding before his eyes.

“Oh my God, Miyadate-san! Are you alright?!”, Abe screams, going towards the doctor. The security guard is also out and going towards their direction.

“I’m fine. I’m just surprised. God had saved me. If I was only a second late, there might be a bloody accident”.

The 3 of them look up, trying to find from which apartment does the flowerpot belongs to. It is hard to pinpoint exactly from which apartment as lots of tenants in the building grow flowers in their apartments.

“And almost everyone is at work now. It’s ok, I’ll go around and do a check up on all apartments in the evening. I’m glad nothing happened to you, Miyadate-san. You may go ahead to your workplace. Take care!”

Once Miyadate was no longer in sight, both Abe and the security guard let out a sigh of relief. The security guard turns to Abe, “Weird stuffs are happening around Valentine’s Day. Strange, huh? I hope nothing else happens after this”.

Abe agrees.

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name, Say my name

Babe, baby, babe

Say my name darling

Abe is back to work 3 days after. There were no strange happenings within the last 3 days and Abe had also gone through the rest of the CCTV footage. There was no sighting of the pretty man that Abe thought was Koji at all in the footages. But it was also hard to confirm that the man he saw was never existed because of some corrupted footages at random times of the day. And if he was really seeing things, who helped him bring his groceries inside the apartment that night? Did he himself go back outside to become the “second” person? The thought makes him shiver.

Abe is currently sitting at his workstation, browsing through his patients’ data. His fellow co-worker, Jesse, who just arrived with a cup of coffee on his hand, excitedly greets him by patting Abe on his back.

“Good morning, Abe-chan! I heard you’re unwell a few days ago. I hope you’re feeling better now”.

“I am. I’m ready to get all these tasks done today”.

Jesse nods. “That’s the spirit!” Before Jesse left Abe’s desk, he spotted something, and he chuckled.

“Hmm? What’s so funny?”

Jesse smirks and playfully blurts out, “I think I know how you got yourself healed”.

Abe is still clueless.

Jesse moves to touch the back of Abe’s neck with two of his fingers. Abe got goosebumps from the touch. “Even if you wear collared shirt, I can still see it from this angle, you know. Hehehe! Having fun, heh?”

But Abe still cannot process Jesse’s words.

Jesse is a little annoyed at Abe’s clueless reaction, then marches up to the said man with a portable mirror. “Take out your phone. Put the camera in selfie mode”, Jesse instructed.

Abe does what he was told. Jesse faces the mirror behind Abe’s neck so Abe can see the back of his neck in his phone. There, he sees two red marks on his skin. They look like hickeys. And fresh too. Abe freaks out.

“Who’s that person, Abe-chan? Looks like you were bitten hard. Must be good, huh?”

Abe does not hear anything Jesse said after that. He’s trying to remember. But he had no memories of ever sleeping with someone last night. Heck, he didn’t even leave his apartment at all yesterday and he invited nobody over. Is it happening again? And it’s even worse now?

There’s no turning back anymore

Be my girl – this heart won’t lie

Honey Imma make you mine

Hold you tight right now

Can you give me one more night?

Let’s get it now

[Flashback to 3 years ago]

Abe is in his final year of medical school, under the supervision of Professor Matsumura.

One night, Abe wanted a detailed explanation on a specific medication. Usually, they will discuss everything at the school but that night, the professor invited him to his apartment at the lecturer’s quarters. They sit in the living room and start the discussion. After a while, Abe felt dizzy. He remembered standing up as he felt like he wanted to puke, then his professor’s voice asking him “What’s wrong? Where are you going?”, before he passed out. When he woke up, he was on his professor’s bed, with his professor lying next to him, both of them, naked. That was when he realized. His professor had planned all that. His juice was drugged. And he was having a hard time believing that – he was assaulted.

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving to be loved by you

[Back to current timeline]

The rest of the day, Abe is in autopilot mode. He asked the supervisor in charge to give him only paperwork jobs for the day with the excuse of he’s still recovering from a fever. Actually, he’s not in the right mind space to see patients right now.

Abe takes out his phone and is about to send a text to Miyadate, hoping to see his psychiatrist later after work. He was just about to type…

“Abe-san! A delivery for you!” The mail boy hands him over a package with no sender name. Just addressed to him.

He opens the package. He shrieks.

Inside, are various photos of him INSIDE his apartment. Photos of him cozying up on the couch of his living room, photos of him cooking in the kitchen, even scandalous photos of him in the shower and also…photos of him sleeping in his bedroom.

Abe is visibly trembling. What is happening? Who is doing all this? Did he really had a relapse that he doesn’t even remember who he let into his apartment?

“May I know who dropped this parcel off?”, Abe asks the receptionist at the front desk of the clinic.

“Ahh the courier man dropped this off. They said they received special instruction to remove the dispatch note as it was a surprise. What’s the occasion, Abe-san? You finally got a lover?”, the receptionist giggles.

“No…Umm…Did they gave you the dispatch note?”

“Ahh yes. Thankfully I didn’t throw it away yet. Here you go”.

He scans through the document. He gets the 3rd shock of the day.

The sender is in initial M.H. and the address is Unit 11A, Astrolab Complex.

His home address.

His vision goes black.

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

Jesse sends him back to his apartment that evening.

“If you’re still unwell tomorrow, just take another day off. Don’t force yourself too much, ok?”

Abe thanked his colleague before Jesse goes on his merry way.

Once inside Unit 11A, he ransacks the whole apartment, searching for hidden cameras. After hours of searching everywhere, he finds none. This is driving him crazy. Literally.

Is he really going crazy?

He takes out the dispatch note from his work bag and stares at it for a while.

From: M.H.

Unit 11A, Astrolab Complex.

Pick up date/time: 17th February, 10am.

Surely, he was home during the pick up time. In his memory, he was in his living room, reading a book at that time. He never called for a courier to pick up a package from his apartment. However, the one thing that he found most scary is the initial M.H.

Matsumura Hokuto.

His professor that is still missing since 3 years ago.

[Flashback]

That fateful night, it was Abe’s first time. He was also never been in a relationship before. He felt violated, of course. But Mr. Matsumura confessed that he had always been in love with him. Ever since his 1st year of medical school. And the thought that they will probably never see each other after this, because he will be graduating soon, made the professor decided to do this. Mr. Matsumura looked genuinely apologetic, he begged for Abe’s forgiveness and soon asked him, if they could be lovers.

Call him foolish, call him naïve. But he is inexperienced when it comes to the topic of love. He believed in the sweet words thrown at him. And Mr. Matsumura was never not kind to him. So he accepted.

His judgement was clouded by the thoughts of falling in love. He doesn’t realize at the time that he was manipulated. He forgot that whatever the professor did to him a while ago, was something unkind.

Abe has been dating Mr. Matsumura for 4 months now. It can be said that, Abe doesn’t expect his first love story would be in such a way. Being in a relationship is not always rainbows and butterflies – and Abe learned it the hard way. The professor strictly asked Abe to not tell anyone about their relationship, with the excuse of them being in a student-teacher relationship. Abe thought it was an acceptable request since he doesn’t know what impact it will lead to if the school knows about it, although, Abe is already a full-grown adult. As a matter of fact, even if anyone knows, there would possibly be no problem at all. It is not something morally incorrect.

Being in a relationship like that was quite tough. They don’t really go on dates because strangely, the professor was afraid that they would be discovered. Abe would be invited to sleep over at the professor’s place for certain days in a week. They would do the deed then. And every time, it was getting harsher for Abe as his professor would force him into experiencing different kinds of “pleasure” with the justification of “exploring”. And every time Abe refused, he would get beaten until he submitted.

The first month was decent. They would meet at the cafeteria during lunch if Abe is not doing clinical rotations, and had dinner at the lecturer’s quarters once a week. Second month rolled in and it started going downhill. The abuses began, they don’t eat lunch together as often again with the professor kept saying he’s busy and as Abe promised not to tell anyone about their relationship, he had no one to talk to about the problems he’s facing. It’s no surprise that these new intense experiences took a toll on his mental health. He started having dark thoughts. But he can still persevere. That is…Until he received a text message from an unknown number one day.

“I have a present for you. Come to the lab at 12pm sharp” – the text read.

Abe thought it was from his lover. They had a fight the night before so he truly thought that perhaps his professor was trying to make up with him. He let out a small smile. He leaped his way to the lab exactly at 12pm only to find there was no one around. It was lunch time after all. However, there was a yellow box with a ribbon, sitting on top of one of the benches. He got closer and surely; it was for him. There was a note on top of the box written “FOR ABE RYOHEI” on it. Abe excitedly opened the box.

There was a just a piece of paper inside with the message “Go to the theatre room”.

Ohh this is like an escape room game. Find clues and solve the mystery. He likes it.

He didn’t waste time to make his move towards the theatre room.

When he arrived at the huge theatre room, no one was in sight. Just like at the lab. He checked every seat, from top to bottom level - he found nothing. Then he made his way to the stage. There were just props and costumes; nothing addressed to him. He was about to give up when he heard a small noise. It was coming from the backstage. He slowly and quietly moved to the backstage. Gradually, the sounds started to get clearer. He can identify two different voices. He peeked inside.

That was when he experienced deceit.

Mr. Matsumura, his lover, can be seen doing the nasty with another student.

“You’re the most beautiful. You’re so good. I love you”.

Those are the words that Abe thought his professor exclusively said only to him.

He can hear his heart shattered into pieces.

Something ignited inside him at that moment. Rage. The rage of “How dare the person I love did this to me”. The rage of being fooled. The rage of failing to protect himself.

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

[Back to current timeline]

Abe is trying to think logically no matter how irony that might sounds right now. Since the photos were already delivered to him, of course whoever the sender was, already got rid of the hidden cameras. He takes all the photos out from the package and begin to examine each photo in case he can find some details to help him sort out this situation.

This one photo of him cozying on the couch, reading a book, caught his eyes. Behind the sofa he was sitting on, is his work station at home. His laptop, his printer, his stationeries are all on that desk. His gut is telling him to check his laptop.

He switches his laptop on and immediately checks the printer history.

There he has it!

All the photos that were sent to him, were printed here!

The photos are stored in his laptop under the folder “Ryohei’s phone”.

That terrifies him!

He takes his phone and opens the gallery. Sure enough, the photos are all there.

He’s bewildered. He tries to gather his thoughts.

“Did I take all the photos myself? Then sent it to myself at work? What is happening? Heck! Did I have dissociative identity disorder? But…That doesn’t explain the hickeys! I can’t give myself hickeys at the back of my neck!”

“Shoppi! Come back here!”

Abe’s thoughts abruptly paused when he heard Meguro’s voice from outside. Seems like he’s coming nearer.

Abe goes to open his door and get a little surprise, seeing Meguro’s cat in front of his door with Meguro’s red suit jacket in its mouth. Abe crouches down to pet the cat. “Hello, Shoppi~ How are you?”

Meguro reaches them, panting. “He’s such a naughty cat. He wouldn’t let go of my jacket!”

Abe grins. “I guess he likes red”.

“Oh yes he does! You don’t know how he likes chewing on the red roses that Koji just bought. And he wouldn’t sleep on the bed that we bought for him. He prefers to sleep on Koji’s red blanket. I’m sorry to bother you”.

Abe shakes his head. “No, not at all! He went straight to my door. It feels like he wants to visit me! Is that right, Shoppi? Do you miss me? I’m happy that you come visit me~”

Abe helps removes the jacket from Shoppi’s mouth and return it back to Meguro.

“Thanks! By the way, how are you? You still look pale though. Don’t push yourself too hard yeah. When you’re tired, get some rest”. Meguro looks worried.

“Don’t worry, Meguro-kun. Just some work things that I have to settle. I’ll sort things out soon”, Abe smiles.

Meguro suddenly moves forward, giving Abe a gentle hug. Abe’s heart rate speeds up and he wishes he will not hyperventilate.

“I can see that you’re hurting. And it pains me. If there’s anything I can do to help, please tell me. I’m worried about you”.

Abe stands still in his spot, doesn’t know how to react. Meguro steps back after giving a few more soothing rubs to Abe’s back. Meguro is giving soft eyes.

At this point, Shoppi is already walking back towards its owners’ apartment. Meguro shakes his head. “The cat got an attitude. Anyway, I walk him outside occasionally too. I will text you whenever I bring him out so you may join if you feel like it”.

Abe’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes! I would love to! Let’s bond again sometime, Shoppi!”

“Hehe good night, Abe-kun!”

Abe stays in his position until Meguro enters his apartment. They wave at each other before Meguro closes the door.

Abe turns around. He is about to step inside when he notices…something on the floor. Like a small card. He picks it up. His eyes got bigger. So many thoughts are running in his mind. But one thing is clear now…

He knows…he was being messed with. Everything has fallen in place. He will not let this go and he will find the truth. Really soon.

If everything can be forgotten and overlaid

We’ll go together

Just pull the trigger

I won’t let you go

It’s 3am. The whole neighborhood is already in silence. Abe’s apartment is already pitch black.

A door opens. Only if one really focuses, can one hear the tiny footsteps entering inside.

A shadow of a figure emerges on the wall.

Now, the door of the bedroom is being open. Slowly. Quietly. And it closes so soon.

The figure approaches the bed.

The figure bends down…

“GAHHH!”

Abe rushes out of his bed towards the light switch. The light now illuminating the room, exposing his intruder. He had immobilized the intruder with a stun gun. The intruder is currently lying on the floor in pain.

“I need explanation, Meguro-kun!”

Meguro slowly looks up at Abe, who is now standing as far as possible from him.

He sneers. “Heh~ I didn’t expect you to figure it out so soon. I would like to toy with you a little bit more”.

“Tell me everything! Who are you? What do you know about me? Why are you doing this?!”, Abe screams in one breath.

Meguro tries to stand up, even though the shock is still going through his body. He directly makes eye contact with Abe. And he chuckles darkly.

“You’re trying to be a practicing psychiatrist, right, Abe-kun? Then why don’t you try to assess me right now? Let’s see if you’re good at your job or not”.

“You’re a psychopath, that’s for sure!”

“Ohh? And on what basis did you come with that conclusion?” Meguro is still holding eye contact with Abe, while he moves to sit on Abe’s bed, making himself comfortable.

Abe takes a polaroid photo from his nightstand and shows it to Meguro.

It’s the photo that “Koji” gave to Abe the night before Valentine’s Day. The photo of Abe was taken near the entrance door of his apartment. Behind the entrance door is a desk. And on top of the desk…is a mirror. And in that mirror…Reflected the figure of the one who took the photo.

“I guess this photo slipped out from your jacket last night. Now I know that it was you, who wants me to believe that I am insane. I also remembered where I heard the name “Shoppi” before I met your cat. This man called its name before he left your apartment. What is your motive? And who is this man?!”

Meguro tsk. “Damn! I knew that cat is a bad omen. But Koji insisted to adopt that little monster…”

“Which Koji?”

“Ahh~ the one that’s in the photo…that’s Fukazawa”.

“And where is this Fukazawa guy now?!”

Meguro smirks, moves his body forward, folds both his hands in wishing gesture and puts them below his chin. He has his legs open. “Six feet under. At Hissori Forest”.

Abe goes rigid upon hearing it.

“Hissori Forest…”

[Flashback]

Abe can’t get the image of Professor Matsumura making love with another student out of his head. It was driving him crazy. He decided then that he would observe his lover till the weekend. On Sunday, he would invite his lover to his favorite date spot, Hissori Forest, to confront the man and they could talk things out. Unfortunately, the date ended up in a tragedy.

That Sunday, they arrived at Hissori Forest late in the afternoon. This place does not have frequent visitors. It is far from the city and it’s just a deep forest covered by pine trees. Abe knew this place since childhood as he used to live at the countryside. When he was still a little boy, his parents would always tell him tales of different monsters that exist in the forest in order to scare him or disciplined him. When he turned into a teenager, his curiosity got the best of him and he decided to enter the forest to see what kind of monsters reside in there. Instead of monsters, he found a calming spot, with a beautiful scenery, with smells of fresh greenery, and it became his favorite spot to go whenever he feels down. Both Abe and Mr. Matsumura sat at the front of the professor’s jeep, with Abe leaning his head down on his lover’s shoulder.

“When was the last time we went on a date? It’s been a while, right?”

“Yeah. This week is especially busy. I’m grading a lot of students for the Shelf exam”.

“Busy? You still have time to play around with other man though…”

Abe lifted his head up. “I saw you that day. At the theatre backstage, fucking another man. I thought you said you love me. Am I not enough?!”

Mr. Matsumura kept his poker face. Then he sighed. “How do you know that I was there?”

“It doesn’t matter! What matters now is that you are cheating on me! What’s your justification?”

Abe’s head was suddenly roughly slammed on the car’s windshield, causing a crack. He let out a painful scream yet the professor was still holding the back of his head harshly.

“That’s no way to talk to your professor. Anyway, you know that I like exploring, right? I want to explore more territories which I did not get from you. Don’t get me wrong. You are very good in bed. It’s just that sometimes, you’re not doing it for me. Also, you seem to get tired easily these days. I can’t reach my high because of that. I’m sorry that you had to hear this from me, but you don’t satisfy me in bed”.

Tears fell down Abe’s cheeks. It hurts. From the impact of the glass. And from the cruel words.

“You don’t love me for who I am? You just love me for my body, is it? I can’t accept that! I want out of this relationship! We are breaking up!”

Abe strides away but the professor caught his hand. He forcefully pulled Abe back into his embrace.

“Oh no, that won’t do baby. I can’t risk you telling everyone about us”.

Abe scorns. “That’s not a problem. I will never want to admit ever dating a scumbag like you!”

Now Mr. Matsumura is violently cupping Abe’s cheeks, forcing the poor guy to look into his eyes.

“How would I know that you will never do that? Listen! You can’t leave me! I will make sure that I will make your life hell if you leave me. Remember, I am your supervisor. I am responsible for grading you. I can make you fail! Then you will regret it! 4 years wasted!”

Abe was thrown to the ground.

In a soft, anguished voice, Abe said, “I should’ve known you’re a red flag since the night you violated me. I’m stupid for believing you. I should’ve just reported you that night…”

Abe felt the energy draining from his body. He was unable to think straight. He crawled, trying to just get away from the place. But of course, the professor won’t let him.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” He reaches down to grab Abe’s shoulder.

A sudden piercing scream. Abe had slammed a syringe forcefully onto the professor’s hand, causing the needle to pierce his vein.

“What have you done?!”, Mr. Matsumura screamed in pain.

The professor’s head is spinning. He tried to stand up but fell back down immediately. Then he experienced shortness of breath. It felt as if he was choked. He raised his hand towards Abe before his vision blurred…and he will never wake up…ever again.

Abe doesn’t remember how he felt when he killed Mr. Matsumura. He does remember what he did after he realized that his professor is no longer alive though. He dragged the body deeper inside the forest and buried him there. He went back to the jeep to carry his professor’s belongings, everything, bringing them to a waterfall much deeper in the forest, then throwing all the belongings down.

He had no memories of how he got back to the city. He remembered suddenly waking up at the medical school clinic. The doctor said that he threw himself in ongoing traffic and a car hit him. However, he cannot recall such a memory. He then remembered the doctors talking about Mr. Matsumura going missing. A few days later, a poster with Mr. Matsumura’s face with the header “MISSING PERSON” was circulated inside and outside the medical school.

Abe looked up at the sky. It was gloomy. A downpour was expected to arrive soon.

“Ahh It’s not my fault. Not my fault at all. He was the one who killed me. I just pulled the trigger”.

[Back to current timeline]

“Remember Professor Matsumura Hokuto? He was my stepbrother”, Meguro announces.

Abe shivers hearing the name.

“I saw both of you at Hissori Forest 3 years ago. And I know that he had passed”.

“And you’re here for revenge? Is that it?”

Meguro burst into laughter. “Nahh~ He was never kind to me so whether he’s alive or dead, I am indifferent. I’m just…interested in you”. He stands up and slowly marches towards Abe, at the corner of the room. “I knew my brother was not exactly a decent man. I was surprised when I found out that he had a lover. Nope, he didn’t tell me about it. Let’s just say, at that time, I was annoyed why my father kept on comparing me to him. Why I can’t be as good and successful as he was. So I harbored a strong hatred towards my brother. I followed him around; in case I could find some dirt on him. I wasn’t disappointed. He did have lots of dirt on him”.

“Stand back!”, Abe shouts, pulling the trigger on the stun gun, showing Meguro the electric volts coming through it.

Meguro raises both his hands up, in a surrender gesture. “I knew you ever since you were in your first year. Initially, you were just a face that I was familiar with, as you were a student under my brother’s supervision. I saw everything when he assaulted you. And I was a little shocked when you agreed to be his boyfriend. I saw an opportunity. I want to use you to expose my brother’s dirty secrets to the world. To show my father how his favorite son, was not an angel after all. I hope you still remember how you got to know about my brother’s affair. I was the one who sent the text message to you”.

Abe comes to a sudden realization. No wonder he felt dejavu when he was putting Meguro’s phone number into his phone contacts. Last 4 digits: 0216.

“You might’ve not realized it when I gave you my number because we’re contacting through LINE. But if you scroll down your Messaging App to that message 3 years ago, you might find my name there”, Meguro smirks. “However, I do feel bad about what happened to you. With the stress of being in a medical school, plus the abuses you have to deal with, it’s no surprise that those things took a toll on you. Sometimes I do feel remorse. If I knew that you’re mentally unstable, I wouldn’t have sent that message to you”.

“And I will be kept in the dark then. And I will probably still under the torture of your brother. All this while, I never questioned who sent that text message 3 years ago. I was so enraged by the truth that I forgot the source of the catastrophe. I guess I have to thank you for that tip. Say, Meguro-kun. If you saw us that day at Hissori Forest, why don’t you report me to the police?”

Meguro laughs again and stares deep into Abe’s eyes. “That won’t be fun then”.

He walks to Abe’s closet. “Anyway, with my brother gone, I change my stalker victim to you! Hahaha! Don’t you feel happy? That you have a stalker? I spent most of my time just for you! Watching your every move! Hahaha! I’ve been watching you for 3 years now. Can you believe it? You don’t even have the slightest idea!”

He pulls out Abe’s white collared shirt from the closet. “You’ve been having it rough; I know. I’m still amazed how you’re still able to finish your medical school with flying colors. It’s as if you’re unfazed by whatever that happened. I learned that you have selective amnesia, but it seems that you only forgot some events, you did not forget your studies at all. How prodigious! You continue living a normal life. However, when you fall in love with that teacher at the school you were doing your residency 2 years ago, you started to get panic attacks. You hallucinate. That’s when you were introduced to Dr. Miyadate. And he diagnosed you with Philophobia, the fear of love. The effect of your trauma was quite frightening that one time, the security guard have to slap you on the face to get you to wake up. You were screaming you saw someone dying in your apartment. Dr. Miyadate said that’s your trauma-based memory, of when you were abused, and felt like dying. The teacher gave you mixed signals and at the end, he just left. He got a new job at Nagano prefecture and didn’t even confess to you. I saw you feeling down for days but getting well on your trauma. How ironic, don’t you think? That’s why I found you interesting. Your condition is interesting. You crave for love but you’re afraid of love”.

Meguro steps forward with the white shirt in hand. He folds the shirt and stretch the long sleeves, making it just like a long piece of cloth. Abe keeps his eyes on Meguro’s every moves. He feels threatened now. So he pull the trigger of the stun gun again.

“You’re a psychopath! How about that Fukazawa guy then?! Why did you kill him?”

“Ahh~ He’s just a poor sacrifice for my plan. Which has now…kinda failed, I guess? Fukazawa was a budding actor in my theatre. I always knew that he liked me. So I made him my boyfriend. He had his…toxic traits, you know. And he kinda annoyed me too. That Valentine’s Day night, I told him to meet me at the apartment since Koji was going to be back late. I guess he was expecting a romantic night but guess what? I attacked him instead. And I made sure, that I made you witnessed everything”.

In a swift motion, Meguro uses Abe’s white shirt to knock the stun gun off from Abe’s hands. Abe doesn’t have enough time to react before he was captured by Meguro next. Meguro uses the same shirt, throwing it around Abe so right now, Abe is locked in Meguro’s arms.

Meguro inches his face closer till the undoubtedly struggling Abe can feel Meguro’s breath on his face. “I want to see you go crazy for real. The plan was to make you saw the murder but acted that it never happened. I passed that one. Then I want you to believe that you did things that you don’t. Ahh~ I wonder where did I go wrong?”

Abe slowly lifts his head to see Meguro eye to eye, as if challenging him, and he smirks, “If it’s not because of the hickey, you might’ve succeeded”.

Meguro returns the smirk. “Ahh~ I didn’t expect you will notice the hickeys. I guess I got too carried away~ You’re just too irresistible that it took my whole willpower to not pounce on you while you’re sleeping~”

“Tell me, when did you start all this?”

“Ohh~ From the very first day I moved here. Fukazawa helped me with the stuffs during the moving day and I was glad when I saw you peek through your window to see us. Then I came to greet you and gifted you that candle. You invited my housemate too. And I said Koji’s name. Which is true. Koji is my housemate but I made you believe Fukazawa is Koji. Remember you were searching your keys the next day and found it outside? I took them. And I duplicate them. So I have access to your apartment all this time without you knowing”.

Meguro throws the shirt away and uses his right hand to hold Abe’s back, while he brushes his left hand slowly through Abe’s right arm until it reaches Abe’s hand. He then hooks their hands together before whispering into Abe’s ear, “Let’s dance, shall we?”

Meguro moves his right hand to hold Abe’s waist while Abe’s left hand is still stuck on Meguro’s chest. They sway left and right, while Meguro continue his tale.

“Koji knows nothing by the way. Not about my plans, not about Fukazawa. I have a respect for Koji as a cousin who’s always helping me. Even this apartment - he was the one to convince the realtor to get us an apartment in this building. Anyway, Koji is always busy and it’s a blessing that his working hours doesn’t match with yours. The chances of you crossing paths with Koji is very thin. It works for my plan. I brought Fukazawa into the apartment numerous times without Koji’s knowledge. When Koji is out working. Fukazawa was a naïve one. He believed everything I said and willing to do everything I told him to. I told him that I want us to keep our relationship private. Nobody in this building ever knows Fukazawa, not even the security guard. Because he always entered with a hoodie and mask on. He could be a guest on anybody’s apartments. Nobody ever saw Fukazawa’s face…until the Valentine’s Day eve. I went to bring him out for dinner but before that, I sent him to get some stuffs that I left in the apartment, the same time you got back from shopping. I managed to persuade him to simply keep his head down and go inside without the mask on. I was hoping that you could just saw his face but unfortunately…or fortunately? Your groceries fell down and you guys interacted. But I knew Fukazawa was loyal. He would never expose himself or us for my sake. So I was glad when he told me that he never introduced himself as Fukazawa nor Koji…because you already said it yourself. It was implanted in your head that my housemate is Koji so automatically, the person who came out from our apartment has to be Koji if it’s not me”.

Abe recalls that night he met Fukazawa. No wonder the man said “Nice to meet you too, neighbor”. He never specifically introduced himself as Koji. Abe was the one who assumed the man was Koji.

“However, that guy made one mistake. He was so excited by the polaroid camera that I gifted him, the thing that I asked him to retrieve from the apartment. He snapped a photo of you and gifted it to you. Thankfully, he told me about it at dinner. It’s as if he knew he wasn’t gonna live much longer, and he left you with the evidence. I got a little panic. But it’s alright. Since I got the key to your apartment. I entered your apartment that night. To retrieve the polaroid”.

The night Abe was awoken by the falling pots! And then he heard a rustle inside the apartment? That was Meguro! It was indeed, a bad omen.

“But that polaroid actually elevates the intended effect on you. You must’ve felt you have gone crazy that moment when you can’t find the polaroid anywhere, right? Hahaha! I guess I owe Fukazawa that one! Anyway, I am…a hacker. If you’re wondering how I’m able to track you every time, it’s because I have installed a secret tracking app on your phone. I have already entered your apartment while you were asleep a few times before the Valentine’s Day eve. To be honest, I did have a fuzzy feeling in my chest when I saw my gift, the lavender scented candle – you used it even when you were sleeping, with candle warmer lamp”.

Meguro bites Abe’s left earlobe. Abe groans.

“I felt like you bring a part of me close to you. I personally thought it as an intimate gesture. Where was I again? Ohh Fukazawa. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, whatever you saw from your window that night, all of that, happened. I hit him repeatedly on his head with the table lamp until he was unconscious. What I did to him after that? You know there’s an abandon theatre behind this building, right? I put him inside a body bag, drag him to the balcony of my bedroom…and threw him down. If he didn’t die from the beating, he’d definitely die from the fall. This is the 11th floor after all”.

Abe stops moving. Hearing the brutal story makes him more scared of the man who’s embracing him now. But Meguro forces Abe’s body to keep swaying.

“I retrieve his body the next morning. I rent a car for me to go to Hissori Forest, to bury the body there. But I went to the florist first, to give you the flower bouquet. I knew Dr. Miyadate was inside. I bet either one of you would propose the idea of checking the CCTV. I was right! And I was so well prepared! I deleted the footages when Fukazawa and Koji entered and left the apartment. I also tampered some footages to make it seem like the footages were lost at random times of the day, every day. Ohh by the way, I don’t like how close Dr. Miyadate is to you. I was the one who threw the flower pot down that day. I wish it crashed on his head. I was jealous, you know? No one else can be closer to you than I do”.

“That’s ridiculous! You’re twisted! How can you be jealous when you don’t even love me?”

“Ohh~ but I do love you, Abe-kun~” Meguro reaches down to bite on Abe’s collarbone, leaving his mark. Abe gasps.

“All these years of watching you, how can I not love you, Abe-kun? Love comes in many forms. As you said, I’m twisted, and so do my love. So continuing my story, I successfully buried Fukazawa at Hissori Park that evening. The next plan was to make you believe you did things unconsciously. I already planted some secret cameras inside your apartment beforehand. I sent my favorite shots of you to your workplace, using your apartment’s address as the sender address. I chose my brother’s initial to further convince you that you are…having a relapse. By the way…”

Meguro holds Abe’s chin to face him, making eye contact. Abe’s eyes are hazy. Meguro licks his lips.

“My most favorite photo is the one in the shower. Did you see yourself? So erotic~”

Abe is back to reality and pushes Meguro away so hard till he’s free from Meguro’s caging embrace.

Meguro’s expression turns dark.

“There you are, Abe-kun. You heard the whole story. Now that you know the truth, I can’t risk you calling the cops on me. I guess my fun time with you have to come to an end. There are two ways to have you passed away as if you’re self-exiting. Either I can force you to overdose on your medication…or you fall down. Hmm…I guess seeing you fall down will be much more exciting…So let’s do that then!”

Meguro violently grabs Abe by his hair, dragging him out to the balcony outside his room. Abe struggles. Punching, kicking, doing everything in his strength to get himself away from his captor. At one point, Abe managed to escape, returned inside to reclaim his stun gun but Meguro pulled him back towards the balcony and he struggled to break free once again.

“You know stun gun is only gonna work temporarily, right? You should’ve grabbed a knife or something sharp”.

“A slight chance is still a chance. Even if I can immobilize you just for a split second, I can do something in that split second”.

Now, they have already moved towards the railing, Meguro is still struggling to place Abe in a position where it’s easier to make him fall while Abe is still struggling hard to break free. Abe pulled the stun gun trigger numerous times, but Meguro was able to dodge them. Seeing the fiery determination in Abe’s eyes, Meguro is fascinated. Meguro pushes Abe to the railing, on his back, and Abe’s left hand is holding on to it in a strong grip. The railing is quite safe but with their heights, Abe being 178cm and Meguro is 185cm, accidents like falling may still happen, if not careful. Abe is now dangerously leaning on the railing with Meguro choking his neck. Meguro looks down. He takes a deep breath. He has decided.

“How about this, Abe-kun? Why not…We could go together. Ending my life with you by my side is not a bad idea at all. I also want to know how it feels to fall from this height”, Meguro suggests, looking straight into Abe’s eyes. He loosens his grip on Abe’s neck. He then takes Abe’s right hand, the one that’s still grabbing the stun gun, placing it on his chest, “Come, pull the trigger. With the shock, I bet we will be pushed down together”.

“Hah?! Why would I believe a psychopath like you?! How do I know that you wont only push me down instead?!”

Suddenly, Meguro came to a halt. Seems like something stirs in him, perhaps he is processing his thoughts, so many things jumbling in his mind. He gently pulls Abe into his embrace, slightly away from the railing. Then he pulls both of them down to the floor, still in an embrace. Abe is shocked at this rapid change in attitude. He hears a sob. Meguro is having his head down on Abe’s shoulder. Meguro is crying.

“I…love you so much you have no idea. The thought that…I won’t be seeing you anymore…I don’t think I can stand it…I love you so much…I love you so much…”

Abe is still appalled but he brings his hands to rub Meguro’s back and returns the hug. He decides to analyze the situation a little bit more before he takes further action.

Meguro slowly calms down. He finally brings his head up to face Abe again.

“We both sinned, Abe-kun. We’re both guilty. I believe you also feel guilt-ridden even though you’re afraid to admit it on the face of law. I don’t usually feel sympathy for others. You’re a different case. Till the time of retribution arrives, let us repent in silence, Abe-kun. Be my lover. Let us go far away from this fast-paced, noisy and restless city life. I want to bring you to live with me in the countryside. Leading a slow and peaceful life. Maybe, that’s what we both need…”, Meguro paused. He cracks a small smile, and with confidence, he states, “…Aside from each other. Would you like to try, Abe-kun? Can you be my lover?”

Meguro kept staring at Abe, looking hopeful, while waiting for an answer.

Abe buried his face into Meguro’s chest. He’s bursting into tears as well. He feels intense emotions, and his heart is in pain.

His trembling hands reach out to Meguro’s cheeks. In between sniffing, Abe said, “My toxic trait is when you say you love me, I am compelled to love you too”. A tiny laugh comes out of Meguro. They bump their foreheads together.

“Is that a yes?”

“As long as you don’t try to kill me again”.

Meguro tightened his hug. He looks up to the sky. A lightning. Followed by a thunder.

He takes a deep breath. With determination, he declares:

“I, Meguro Ren, promise to be true to you in good times and bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life. Even in death, I do not want us to part. In this life and the next, for however long our souls remain, I hope mine will always find yours”.

Abe is left speechless listening to Meguro’s vows. He stayed in his position until Meguro squeezed his shoulders, “What’s your answer, Abe-kun?”

Abe is taking his time. Once he’s ready, he announces:

“Let us be true companions. I pledge you, my love, now and forever”.

A roaring thunder. And they kissed.

Let’s get it now

You are my love trigger

A dangerous flavor, but I want ya

The moment our eyes met

I’m Going crazy

Going crazy for you, oh God

I’m craving for your love

{Epilogue}

Abe and Meguro continue living in the same apartment complex until the next 3 years. Abe successfully finished his residency and proceeded to become a healthcare professional that can diagnose and treat a wide range of mental health conditions. Meguro waited till his contract with the theatre ended before he brought Abe to live with him in the peaceful, rural area of Hokkaido. They revealed their relationship to Koji a year after the incident. They made up a story and told him that they gradually developed feelings for each other during every walk with Shoppi at the park. Which is not entirely untrue. Koji was very ecstatic; he won’t stop congratulating them throughout the day. Koji was sad to let them go but the man found another housemate immediately after Meguro left. A pink head who’s as loud an as eccentric as he is. Who also becomes his boyfriend later.

Life seems wonderful for everyone.

I want your love, I want your love, I want your love

Oh baby

I need your love, I need your love, I need your love

Oh baby

[7 years later]

It’s early February. The local meteorological observatory has issued warnings of possible snowstorm in a few hours’ time. Snow has started to fall now, but not hard, yet. Two men are cozily sitting in the living room of a two-storey home in the middle of a vast land in Sarakitomanai. No other houses are built around the area aside from this one. It takes about 40 minutes by car in good weather condition until anyone can find a sign of civilization. The owners of the house seem to prefer living a quiet life. And that’s fine.

A knock on the door.

Abe opens it. He is greeted by two policemen.

One of them asked, “Excuse us, sir. May I know if Meguro Ren lives here?”

Abe hesitates. With a trembling voice, he asked back, “Why?”

The other police officer shows him a polaroid photo. “A forest ranger found two skeleton remains in Hissori Forest by accident. This photo was found in one of the victim’s pants pocket”.

It’s a photo of Fukazawa and Meguro, the night before he was murdered.

Meguro looks at the snow falling outside his window. He sighs. After 13 years of keeping secrets…

“Ahh~ it would be nice if I could touch the snow right now…”

Because the snow will immediately melt with touch.

Just like happiness.

Happiness only lasts for a while.

It doesn’t last forever.

=== FIN ===

You are my love trigger

I want to wallow in the feelings, just like this

Forever and ever

[Offshoot tale] [Back to 19th February, the day both Abe and Meguro made their vows]

After the kiss, Abe and Meguro goes back inside the room. Looks like the rain is about to fall.

Both of them sit on Abe’s bed, side by side, but stay silent. Neither of them knows how to start the conversation.

“Umm…I celebrated my 27th birthday 3 days ago”, Meguro starts, awkwardly.

“Ohh? On the 16th? What did you do?”

“Nothing fancy. My colleagues surprised me at the theatre. As I said before, I’m not in good terms with my dad so I only went to see my mom at a diner near the theatre. She baked me a strawberry cake. Always my favorite. Then Koji threw me a small birthday party. Just me, him and Shoppi. I received an unpleasant gift from Shoppi that day. Ugh…He peed on my favorite hoodie! I swear I was a step away from throwing him out. Ohh but of course, the highlight of that day was…”

The room suddenly feels hot. The atmosphere suddenly turns intense.

Meguro had his face too close to Abe. He blows into Abe’s face before saying, “…to watch you sleep”.

Abe’s heart is racing. In a whispering tone, he asked, “Oh yeah? I wonder what else did you do when you came into my room at night? I believe you don’t just watch me…”

Meguro raises his eyebrow and let out a tiny laugh. “You really want to know?”

Abe breathlessly replies with a “Yes”.

Meguro gently pushes Abe to lie down on the bed. They are staring into each other’s eyes, as if trying to figure out each other’s next move.

“Sometimes, I do this…” Meguro kisses Abe’s forehead. Abe shivers.

“Sometimes, I do this…” Meguro kisses Abe’s right cheek. Next, he stares at Abe’s lips. He bends down. But Abe turns his head away.

Meguro sigh, with a small smile.

“Sometimes, I also did this…”

“Ahh~” Abe let out a sweet moan. Meguro has bitten his earlobe. Meguro chuckles. He’s satisfied with the reaction.

“Sometimes, I did this too…” Meguro places chaste kisses along Abe’s neck before biting hard, at the back of the neck. Another bright red mark appears next to the previous hickey.

“Hmm…” Abe bites his lips to stop the moans. Pleasure. He felt it.

And he craves for it. Now.

Meguro pulls back to have a good look at Abe’s expression. Abe’s eyes are hazy. Meguro can see the desire in those eyes. Abe looks so submissive under him like this. Pleasure. Meguro felt it too.

And he pines for it.

Meguro starts touching Abe everywhere and with every touch, Abe keeps moaning. Tears streaming down his face. He hasn’t been touched for a long while. It is so overwhelming. Every touch from Meguro is burning him.

Meguro take note of every expression Abe made. He’s aroused, examining each and every expression. He felt the need to protect. To bring Abe into his embrace. This time, more passionate, more loving.

“If you say you want me…I won’t hold back. And there’s no turning back for you either, Abe-kun…”

They stare into each other’s eyes again. It felt like eternity until Abe reaches up to kiss Meguro on the lips. The second kiss. More eager and lustful compared to the first kiss, which was not all that innocent.

“Take me. Make me yours”.

Meguro smiles. The sweet smile that Abe loves.

“Your wish is my command”.

They fulfilled each other’s desires passionately throughout the night. Accompanied by the rain. On the bed and continued in the bath.

Although obviously exhausted, Abe manages to mumble, “Happy belated birthday” before he fell into deep slumber, in the arms of Meguro Ren.

His confidant.

[jannah1721]

The state of my heart

This is a fanfiction, meaning that all events and occurrences in this story are all fictional and all are part of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual life events and people, living or dead, are all purely coincidence. I am not, in any way, affiliated to Snow Man members or Johnny’s Entertainment so I do not own the Snow Man members mentioned in my fanfiction.

________________________________________________________________

A team of police, investigators and forensics surrounded the house.

 “The identity of the victim?”, a police in his 50s asked.

“Miyadate Hiroyuki, 35 years old. Program manager at Toshiro Tech”, a young policeman next to him answered.

“Who is the first discoverer?”, the old man continued.

The young policeman points his index finger to a lean man who’s sleeping on a sofa.

“He brought me here asking for help and as soon as I opened the main door and we saw the corpse, he fainted”.

 Meguro Ren. This is the name of the young policeman. After 4 years in a police academy, Meguro is a freshly appointed police officer. He was assigned to the criminal investigation team after the seniors acknowledged his skills and abilities as an investigator during his internship. Today is his fourth case as an official investigator.

 === 1 hour before ===

 Meguro was on his way back home from hanging out with his friends. They ate at a nice restaurant and went to karaoke after that. Ahh it was a fun night.

 He was just carefreely walking down the street when suddenly he was surprised by a man in white clothes rushing onto him and more surprisingly, squeezing him in a tight hug. The man was visibly shaking.

“Please help me…”, the man whispered.

Before Meguro can even asked what happened, the man hold his hand and pulled him to the direction of a 2-storeys house. The name “Miyadate” is carved at the entrance.

 When they arrived at the entrance door, the man looked hesitant. Meguro saw that the man was panting hard too. Seeing the frustration on the man’s face, Meguro volunteered to open the door. What he saw beyond the door was a bloody body of a man lying down on the floor. He heard a thud. When he turned back, the man in white was already on the floor, fainted.

 === Current time ===

 A cute, pink-haired forensic officer approaches Meguro and his superior.

“The cause of death is organ failure from stab wounds. Seems that he was killed instantly as the stab wounds reach his heart. He was stabbed another 6 times in other parts of the body. The weapon is nowhere to be found”.

He continues while holding up a huge toolbox, “We have finished taking the fingerprints and collecting evidence. We’ll go back first to analyze these at the lab.”

“Good job, Sakuma. We’ll reach out to you later”, said Meguro’s superior, Iwamoto, while patting his hand on Sakuma’s shoulder. Sakuma nods and makes his way to the entrance door.

 Meguro hears a groan. Seems like the man in white had awake.

“You go get his statements. I’ll look around the house a little bit more”, urged Iwamoto to his junior. Meguro nods and walks to the said man. Meguro examines the man – pretty tall but not as tall as him, soft features and lean. Doesn’t look like he could murder anyone but Meguro shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The man in white looks up at him with his big eyes.

 “Hello. I’m Meguro from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. It’s a scary coincidence that you brought a police officer to a crime scene”, Meguro greets. He held up his notebook, “The victim has been sent to the hospital for post-mortem. Now, kindly introduce yourself and what is your relation to the victim”.

The man in white sits up properly. “My name is Abe Ryohei”. Abe looks sadly at the floor where the victim was found dead. “I was taken in by the Miyadate family since 7 years ago after my other family members passed away. You might know about the mass murder using poisonous gas at a wedding ceremony 7 years ago. It was the wedding of my relative. It was supposed to be a joyous celebration, but that day turned out to be my worst nightmare”. Abe covers his face with his both hands, “I was supposed to be there too but fortunate…or unfortunately, I have a high fever that day so my parents didn’t allow me to attend the wedding. The bride was my close relative too.”

 Meguro sits down next to Abe and soothes his back. Meguro vividly remembered the case. It was the talk of the whole country back then. It turns out that the perpetrator was the bride’s ex-boyfriend, who was so obsessive of the bride. He can’t believe the fact that his ex-girlfriend left him for someone better.  Abe calms down a bit and continues, “I still have other relatives, but they live in other countries and it didn’t seem like they would like to take me into custody. Miyadate-san was my father’s best friend. He offered to take me into custody as my official guardian, however, I’m keeping my family name, Abe. I was only 16th at the time. I was yet to reach the age where I may engage in legal rights and responsibilities. That’s why a guardian was needed. Or else, I thought I would be able to survive by myself at least for a few years with the wealth my late family has left behind.”

 Abe takes a deep breath and turns to Meguro, “It’s only me and Hiroyuki-niisan who live in this house. The other family members live at Edogawa. We moved here 2 years ago, because it’s nearer to my university and his workplace. Hiroyuki was my foster brother. Today he arrived home earlier than usual. I was in my room when I heard slamming sounds. When I went down, I saw niisan was surrounded by a pool of blood”. Abe paused, hugging himself, “I saw a man. He was wearing a black cloak with a joker’s mask on his face. He was holding a bloody knife. He ran up to me too, but I was able to get away. He chased me throughout the house and when we entered the library, I used all my strength to push the big table onto him, towards the fireplace. The fire was still on when it happened. He finally left the house by cracking the window there with his back in flames. That’s when I immediately ran up to the front door and met you”, Abe finishes.

 Meguro writes down everything in points and asked, “May I know what do you study at university?”

“I’m currently a post-graduate majoring in Informatics in the Department of Science and Engineering”, Abe answers, with light in his eyes.

Meguro is stunned for a while. “A genius, I see. I never like Science”.

Abe laughs a little, “For me, Science is the tool I use to understand the world around me. It provides logic and sense and order in what might otherwise seem chaotic”.

Meguro just smiles and stares at the man beside him. Abe has a nice smile.

 Inspector Iwamoto seems to have finished his rounds and come up to them. Meguro showed him the notebook. Iwamoto-san sneers, “Anyways, until we can prove the existence of this masked man you talk about, you will be regarded as the prime suspect of this case. You said it yourself too, that only you and your niisan live here.”

Abe puts his head down. The way this man speaks hurts him a little. “I understand, inspector. I will cooperate”.

 “Ryohei!”

Everyone turns their heads to the door. There’s a man, probably the same age as Abe.

“Ryota!”, Abe runs up to this “Ryota” and envelopes him in an embrace, just like what he did to Meguro earlier.

“I saw the police tape in front of the house. What happened?”, Ryota asked.

“Niisan is dead, Ryota. He’s dead. He was killed by a Joker! The Joker tried to kill me too, but I escaped from him”, Abe answered, still embracing Ryota. Ryota soothes Abe’s back in circles with his hands, “Thank God you’re safe”. He then moves his attention to the two officers in front of him. “I’m Miyadate Ryota. Hiroyuki’s cousin. You might be wondering why I came here this late at night, but this is normal. Sometimes I swing over after work before I go home to hang out with Ryohei and Hiroyuki.”

Abe releases himself from the hug and nods, acknowledging Ryota’s statement.

 Meguro doesn’t know why but his detective guts is telling him that there is something fishy about this Ryota guy.

“Hang out? What do you guys do?”, Meguro questioned.

“What do we do? Just normal things people do during hang out. Eat, drink, play games, storytelling…” Ryota answers, looking strangely at Meguro.

Meguro nods, “Just routine question. Don’t mind it. Anyways, where do you work at?”

“I work as a chef at Juicy Diner near here”, answered Ryota.

“Ahh Juicy Diner! I’ve eaten there once and the steak was so delicious. I shall come over again some other time. Hmm, ok, what about your home? Is it near here?”

“Yeah. Just a 10 minutes’ walk from here”.

“You live alone?”

“Yeah. My parents work outside the city, so I live alone here”.

 Meguro finished writing more points in his notebook. “I think it’s good that you came here, Miyadate-san. We would need to seal this house to preserve the crime scene and to avoid any evidence being tampered with. So would you kindly bring Abe-san to live with you for a while? We will try our best to solve this case as soon as possible”.

“That would be no problem. We’re no strangers to staying at each other’s place and sleeping on each other’s bed”.

Meguro flinches and he can also see his superior lift his eyebrow. Was the last part necessary to tell? But Abe doesn’t show any discomfort with Ryota’s words.

“The house is also not in a good condition for you to live in now”, Inspector Iwamoto adds, pointing to the direction of the broken window of the library.

 Meguro turns his head in the direction of Abe and Ryota when he sees Ryota caressing Abe’s face. “Come, let’s pack your things and we can go home. You need rest”, said Ryota.

Meguro is feeling that doubtful instinct again. As if a danger is going to come. What is this unsettling feeling?

“Well then. I think that’s all for tonight. Thank you for your cooperation. We shall keep in touch with you guys until the case is closed. I’ll ask the security police to keep an eye on you two so be quick with the packing. We shall take our leave now. Have a good night”, Inspector Iwamoto exits the premise, ushering Meguro to follow suit.

Meguro turns back and look one last time to the disappearing figures of the two men inside the house.

 “Keep an eye on them”, Meguro hears Iwamoto-san says.

“Excuse me, sir?”

“I know you are suspicious of them too. Let’s dig more on those two later. There must be something in their private lives that could serve as a motive for murder. That Abe guy, he is studying Informatics he said? There could be a relation with Miyadate Hiroyuki’s job at the tech company”.

Iwamoto-san sighs, “Good job today, Meguro-kun. You must be tired. Have a good rest tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow at the HQ, alright. My house is this way. Be careful on your way home”.

“You too, sir. Good night”, Meguro bows till his superior is a few distance away.

 “The estimated time of death is between 8:45pm to 9.30pm last night. According to the length and width of the wounds, the murder weapon is probably a 12-inches cooking knife. No other abnormalities were found in the body”, Sakuma explains. “We also analyzed other evidence inside the house but no other fingerprints aside from Abe-san and the victim was found”.

“Hmm. Is he lying after all?”, Iwamoto-san thinks.

“However~”, Sakuma sing-song. “We found footprints outside the house near the broken window”. Sakuma pushes forward a photo of a footprint. “Size 9 shoes.”

Meguro and Inspector Iwamoto look at each other.

“We have checked the shoes in the house. Seems like both Abe-san and the victim share the same shoe size – size 10. So…where does this size 9 came from?”, Sakuma suggests, with a smile.

Meguro doesn’t understand why but he suddenly feels relieved.

 “Come to think of it, when I looked around the house last night, I saw that all the knives were in place in the kitchen. So there is a possibility of someone else breaking into the house and killed Miyadate-san with their own knife”, Iwamoto-san utters.

“12-inches cooking knife is pretty heavy, so the perpetrator has to be someone that has huge hands and stronger built. Probably someone who is used to cooking with that heavy knife”, Sakuma adds.

Meguro’s mind immediately goes into thinking Miyadate Ryota.

“I know what you are thinking Meguro-kun. We can meet Miyadate Ryota later to confirm our suspicions, but we are yet to find concrete evidence. What about data from Miyadate Hiroyuki’s phone and laptop, Sakuma?”

“The data analyst team is currently working on it. I will report to you with our findings at the soonest!”

“Great! Thanks for the update, Sakuma. Come Meguro-kun, we’re going to Juicy Diner!”

 “Welcome to Juicy Diner!”

Meguro and Iwamoto-san was greeted by a bubbly waitress. “For two?”, she asks.

Meguro holds up his right hand and brings out his police badge from his coat pocket. “We’re from the police. I believe there is a chef here with the name of Miyadate Ryota. May us see him?”

The waitress nods and calls for the said man.

 Miyadate Ryota comes out of the kitchen, looking dashing even in chef’s uniform. “Good afternoon, officers. Please come with me over here”, he greets and bring both the policemen to the corner seating.

“Please have a seat”. He then brings out two glasses of water for the policemen before he sits down in front of them.

“Any updates on the case, officers?”

“A bit. We’re here to confirm several things with you. Were you working last night?”, Meguro questions.

“Yeah. I worked till closing time last night. You can ask the other staffs too”.

“Ok. Next, may I know your shoe size?”

Ryota lifts his eyebrow. “I’m a size 9. But why?”

“We found footprints that doesn’t match the shoe size of your cousin and Abe-san”.

“Ok. May I know the shoe size?”

“Size 9. Your size.”

 Ryota freezes but immediately regains his composure. He laughs.

“I see. So I kinda become the main suspect now, is it? Haha ok ok I understand. It’s understandable that you guys are suspicious of me. But officers, he was my dearest cousin. I will never hurt him or Ryohei. And I have no reason to murder him at all”.

Meguro snickers. “Don’t take it to heart, Miyadate-san. Again, it’s just routine questions. We need to check every nook and cranny so that we won’t overlook any possibilities. As you mentioned just now, you were working here last night. So if you are the murderer, we have to knit the loopholes in your alibi”.

“You’re right. Well then. I’m leaving the rest of the investigation to you, officers. Please find the killer soon. For Ryohei’s sake”. Ryota smiles, as if challenging the officers in front of him. Meguro doesn’t like that.

“How was Abe-san?”, Meguro queries.

“In trauma, I guess. I was woken up by his scream last night. He was dreaming of “The Joker”. He said the Joker is coming to get him. But I managed to calm him down soon after. Other than that, he’s ok. I can see he was trying to be as normal as possible this morning. Even though I can still see sadness in his eyes. He must be trying his hardest to accept this situation he’s currently in. I told him he doesn’t have to attend his classes today and just take a rest but Ryohei being Ryohei, he doesn’t want to. Ahh he always made me worried”.

Meguro realizes that when it comes to Abe, Miyadate Ryota’s tone turns fond. He doesn’t like this either.

 “Ok. We will come back if anything else comes up. We might visit Abe-san too in the near future. Thank you for your cooperation”.

Both policemen leave the diner after confirming with the staffs, the whereabouts of Miyadate Ryota the night before.

 “Miyadate Hiroyuki’s last LINE chat was with his colleague. About work-related things. However, he made a call to Kitayama Rintarou an hour before his death”, Sakuma reports, when both Meguro and Iwamoto-san returns to HQ in the evening.

“Who is this Kitayama Rintarou?”, Iwamoto-san asks.

“He is Abe Ryohei’s university lecturer”.

“Hmm? What is the relation between the deceased and this university lecturer?”

“From the LINE chats with this Kitayama-san, we found that this Kitayama-san is currently doing his PHD. Once he had used Abe Ryohei’s research findings in his thesis without consent. Abe-san eventually found out about it when his findings were deemed plagiarized during a presentation. Abe-san confronted the man, but he ended up getting assaulted. Maybe Abe-san reported this to Miyadate Hiroyuki so the deceased tried to take care of the matter”.

“I see. Anything else?”

 At this moment, there is a call to the office. Meguro picks it up.

“Miyadate Hiroyuki seemed to have done extensive research on this guy. The night before the incident, he sent Kitayama-san a threatening text message – saying that he knows other mischiefs Kitayama-san had done. He even attached some evidence. This guy is disgusting. He even offers “Sex-for-grades” with his students”, said Sakuma while scrunching his face.

“Hmm. So this Kitayama-san is afraid of Miyadate-san exposing his wrongdoings so he killed him, is a possibility, isn’t it? Alright! Looks like we have a new suspect. We shall investigate this university lecturer soon. Thanks again, Sakuma. You’re really helpful”.

“Sir!”, Meguro yells. Both Iwamoto-san and Sakuma turn their heads to him.

“We got a call from a crime scene in Chuo ward. The victim’s name is Kitayama Rintarou”.

 The crime scene is inside an apartment on the 5th floor of a 7-storeys apartment building. The dead body of Kitayama Rintarou is lying on the floor of his living room.

 “Similar modus operandi”, Sakuma starts. “Deep stabbed directly to the heart followed by few more stabs on random parts of the body. We will find out if it’s the same weapon once this body gets examined for autopsy later”.

 Meguro looked around the house. From the photo frames on the desk, he can deduce that the deceased is still unmarried. There are only photos of the deceased himself and together with who might be the deceased’s parents. There are also numerous certificates on the wall which indicate his achievements. Meguro sneers. He wonders how many of these certificates the deceased actually achieved with his own hard work and effort.

 Meguro moves to the bathroom. Only one toothbrush. He can confirm that the deceased lived alone. He walks to the kitchen next. Nothing else seems out of order aside from a jug of orange juice on the counter, along with a bottle of sleeping pills beside it. A jug? Means that the deceased was going to serve the juice to other people. Means that…the deceased was waiting for someone. He immediately shouts from the kitchen, “Sakuma-kun! Take a photo in the kitchen later. There’s a jug and sleeping pills. Suspicious!”

He can hear Sakuma replies with, “Roger that!”

 “SENSEI!”

Meguro hears a familiar voice and rushes out from the kitchen. Abe Ryohei is standing at the front door, with both his hands covering his mouth, looking shocked. Meguro doesn’t understand why his heart skips a beat.

 “Abe-san? Why are you here?”, Meguro approaches him.

“Sensei texted me this afternoon. To meet him here…”

“Why is that?”

Abe breaks eye contact with Meguro. “That is…”

“Is it about the research findings that he stole from you?”, Iwamoto-san queried. Abe freezes. “We already found out about that from the data of your niisan’s phone. Do you know that your niisan was checking the background of this sensei of yours till he was able to get hold of some evidence of other misconducts that this sensei had done? We believe that your niisan was trying to expose this dude’s dirt after what happened to you”.

“Ohh niisan…”, Abe falls to the floor, he’s visibly crying now.

Meguro reaches down to hold Abe’s shoulders. “Let’s talk outside, Abe-san. Show me the message you received from Kitayama-san this afternoon”.

 Meguro brings Abe to sit down in the lobby of the apartment. Abe shows him the message. It reads: “Come to my apartment at 8pm. I am terribly sorry for my actions previously. Let’s settle this out in peace.”

Meguro cringes reading the message. Settle in peace, my foot!

 “I can’t believe that niisan actually went a long way to bring justice to what happened to me”.

Meguro looks at Abe. The man has his right hand on his chest.

“Can you tell me more of what happened? And do you know about other unpleasant things that your lecturer had done?”

“It was a month ago when I found out about sensei’s fraud. I came to confront him at his staff room. It was a frustrating experience. I was humiliated in front of other scholars. I wasn’t aware that my findings were already published under sensei’s name a week prior. The scholars who attended the presentation already read through sensei’s research paper, so they called me out for plagiarizing”. Abe hugs himself before he continues, “I never heard of any bad reputation about sensei. I know why after I went to his staffroom that day. He gave me a drink. I drank it. Then I feel dizzy. Then suddenly…He was…He was on top of me…He was…He was touching me everywhere. Then he told me to wait. Then he shoved his phone in front of my face. Thankfully there was a part of my mind that was still on alert. I know where this is going. I know what he’s going to do. With all the strength I had left, I pushed him, I kicked him and I ran away. I ran till I reached home. It was long. I might’ve run for about 30 minutes. But I didn’t feel tired. I didn’t feel anything other than sadness and disappointment. And my mind was already in haywire that I don’t even gave any thoughts of what other people might be thinking seeing me at that moment. Niisan just got back home so I bumped into him in the living room. I cried in his embrace. He asked me what happened. I told him my hard work is ruined. I told him my lecturer stole my research findings. I told him if I were to start with a new research topic, I might have to extend my university period. I might have cursed sensei some more or told niisan several other things too before I exhausted myself to sleep”.

 Meguro clenches his fist. The jug in the kitchen…Kitayama might be planning to do the same thing again tonight. What a disgrace!

 “Ever since that day, I avoid meeting him. I didn’t attend his classes. It was only this afternoon that we finally contacted each other after a while. But Meguro-san. The fact that sensei was killed too…Means that sensei wasn’t the one who killed niisan, right?”

“That’s right”, Inspector Iwamoto suddenly appears before them. “Both of you, follow me to the control room”.

 “This is the CCTV recording from the emergency staircase”. Iwamoto-san then point to the black hooded figure on screen. The figure was walking slowly till there was a point that he was walking closer to the camera that the CCTV could capture the figure’s face. Abe gasps. “It’s him! It’s the Joker!”

 The Joker was captured at every level’s staircase from the bottom to the 5th floor. The Joker stopped in front of Kitayama’s room and rang the bell. For a second, the Joker looked like he moved his mask upwards to his head, but the CCTV couldn’t capture his face as his head was covered by the hoodie. Kitayama opened the door, and the Joker went in.

“One thing we know now is that Kitayama-san knows who is this Joker”, Iwamoto-san states.

 Few minutes later, the Joker was seen going out from Kitayama’s apartment with his mask on. The Joker looked at the CCTV for a while – as if mocking the police who are going to find out about this later.

“Come to think of it…Meguro-kun, who was the first discoverer?”, Iwamoto-san asked, looking like he was just reminded of something.

Meguro shakes his head. “An unknown person. The emergency hotline receives a call from the victim’s phone, saying that Kitayama Rintarou has been murdered at his residence. The caller was using a voice changer and before the staff could ask for more details, the caller hung up. So the staff forwarded the call to our division. Also, when Sakuma and the forensic team arrived just now, the door was unlocked. We suspected that the Joker was the one who made the call”.

 Inspector Iwamoto sighs. “This is troublesome. By the way, Abe-san, where were you before you came here?”

Meguro lifted his eyebrow. Such is a life as a detective. You got to be suspicious of everything!

“I was at the university since the morning. I went here straight from there. I walked here together with my friend, Fukazawa before we part ways halfway through. I can give you his number if you need it…”

“I see. I’m sorry if you feel uncomfortable with me treating you like a criminal, but I hope you understand that it’s my job to suspect anyone, especially if they are directly involved in a case”.

Abe shakes his head and cracks a little smile, “Don’t worry, Inspector. That firmness is what makes you a respectable inspector. I understand”.

“Good. Let’s recap what we know so far. Miyadate Hiroyuki threatened to expose Kitayama Rintarou’s malpractices, so we suspected that Kitayama was the one who murdered Miyadate-san. However, that wasn’t the case because Kitayama was murdered in the same way Miyadate-san was murdered. From the text messages, we assume that both of them never had a direct meeting with each other. Which translates to no one else knows that these two knew each other. The only thing connecting both of them is you, Abe-san. But we won’t exclude the possibilities that either of them might have told someone. Say, have you ever heard your niisan talking to someone about Kitayama-san?”

Abe shakes his head. “I didn’t even know that he was researching sensei’s background and his past offenses. He might have done it in private”.

“What about Miyadate Ryota? Does he know about what Kitayama-san did to you?”

“Yeah, obviously he knows. He’s the next person after niisan that I would talk to about my problems”.

“How was his reaction when you told him about Kitayama-san?”

Abe glances at Inspector Iwamoto. His eyes are glowing with, probably anger. “What’s this? Are you suspecting him?”

Iwamoto-san raise both his hands up, in a surrendering pose, “Like I said, it’s my job to suspect everyone”.

“Why would Ryota killed niisan though? They’re cousins, for God’s sake! A close one too! They thought of each other as their own siblings. Me too, he’s like a brother to me too. Remember that the Joker was going after me as well? Ryota will never do that. Ryota has always been caring. He never hurt me. It’s impossible for him to be the one doing these murders”.

“Ok Ok calm down, Abe-san. We actually visited him this afternoon and he has an alibi for last night. Iwamoto-san was only making sure that we won’t overlook any possibilities”, Meguro interferes, sensing Abe was feeling offended. “But you should answer his question though, how was Miyadate Ryota’s reaction when you told him about Kitayama-san?”, Meguro asked again, in a soft tone.

Abe sighs. “I’m sorry I got emotional. Ryota is important in my life. I don’t want to lose him too”.

Again, Meguro doesn’t understand why it feels like a storm is raging in his chest. Ouch!

 “Hmm…How he reacts? Ryota is not the type that shows his feelings much. I think he might’ve just asked me to calm down and said that karma will bite back while pulling me into his embrace. Yeah. I think that’s what happened. That’s so Ryota. May I know why you ask?”

“Is that normal? I mean, we saw how he treated you last night. It’s that…it’s unusual to see two grown up men being that affectionate with each other, you know…”

Abe finally comes to a realization and blushes, “Ahh…That…Umm…It’s habit, I guess. Because we’ve been together for so long. The first time I met Ryota was on the day I was adopted into the family. I was still emotionally unstable, I felt overwhelmed by lots of things happening at the same time, so I remembered I was crying most of the time within the 3 months after the incident. Ryota’s parents are always busy with work so almost every day, Ryota will come over to our house to play. We all lived in Edogawa at the time. The Miyadate family owned a huge plot of land where all the families lived in one area. So our house, Ryota’s house and the other relatives’ houses are all within the same area. Anyways, it’s always Ryota who calms me down when I have my breakdowns. It’s always Ryota who came to my aid when I was faced with troubles. Ryota didn’t talk much, he just envelopes me into his embrace. And I find myself feeling relaxed, all the time, with him just doing that. And I think I had become dependent on him emotionally since that time…”

 Meguro is speechless, listening to Abe’s explanation. Inspector Iwamoto clears his throat. “Alright. Do either of you have a partner? I mean, romantically”.

Abe shakes his head. “Neither me, Ryota or niisan is in relationships. We always tease each other about this. When will each of us have a girlfriend? But we all agreed that for now, we are still too busy to commit to a relationship. So yeah, none of us has any girlfriend”.

 Iwamoto-san nods. “That was a touching story, Abe-san. Thank you for cooperating with us tonight too. We will reach out to you again if there’s any updates on these two cases. Meguro-kun, please send Abe-san home. Now that we confirmed that the Joker is real, I’m afraid he might come to attack Abe-san next. Follow him till the entrance door”, Iwamoto-san ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

“I’m sorry for this inconvenience…”

“No, no, not at all! It is my duty!”

Abe gives a small smile, “Thanks…”

 Meguro thinks he’s in love. Yeah. He must be.

People say you’ll feel butterflies in your stomach when you are crushing on someone and yes, that’s exactly what Meguro is feeling right now. Other than that, he is feeling some other crazy emotions! He is feeling uncontrollably giddy at Abe just saying “Meguro-kun” and is feeling shy to look at the said man eye to eye. Another crazy thing he thought is that…He just met Abe-san last night! Can a person really fall in love in that short amount of time?

 “Meguro-kun, turn right at the next intersection. Then it’s the second house on the right”.

 Abe leads him to a huge 2-storeys house at a high-end residential area. Meguro is flabbergasted.

“Uhh…So Miyadate-san lives here all alone…?”

Abe laughs a little. He understands the look Meguro is giving. “The Miyadate family is pretty wealthy. However, they aren’t involved in any huge businesses or anything so not many people know about the family name”. Abe reaches out to touch Meguro’s left hand on the steering wheel. Meguro gulps. “Thank you for sending me home tonight. As you can see from here, there’s no one lurking around so it should be safe. You don’t have to leave the car. I can take my leave from here. I hope you will be able to catch the culprit soon. Good night”.

“Ahh! Abe-san!”

Abe turns around before he can open the door. “Yes?”

“Here is my card. Please call me if you find anything strange, ok?”

Abe gratefully accepts the card. “Will do. Thanks”.

 Meguro waits until Abe enters the house. Abe even waves at him before he closes the door. Meguro gladly waves back.

 Meguro doesn’t drive home yet. He drives and parks his car at a side where he can monitor the house. He’s determined to protect Abe-san. So he keep a lookout for any suspicious figures around the house.

 About half an hour later, he sees a figure coming out to the veranda on the 1st floor. It was Abe-san – now already changes to more comfortable clothes, an oversized white shirt. He’s gazing at the sky above, looking at the stars. He had a melancholy expression on his face. Meguro decides that it is such a breathtaking view. A sudden poetic thought comes up on his mind – we are looking at the same stars, yet you are so far from me. Oh no. He had turned gloomy too. He quickly switches on the radio to distract himself from unnecessary thoughts.

 At a little past 11pm, Miyadate Ryota arrives home. Abe, who is still on the veranda waves down at him with a wide smile on his face. Meguro can see Ryota waves back and running fast towards the entrance door. In a moment, Ryota is there on the veranda too. They hug each other, a “normal” thing they did and Meguro notices that Ryota doesn’t leave his hands off Abe’s waist for a long time. Looks like they talk a bit before Ryota escorts both of them back into the house. Meguro tightens his grip on the steering wheel before he drives off. Damn, ugly jealousy!

 “How are you, son? I’m worried about you. I’m sorry I can’t visit you”, Abe’s foster father can be heard from the other side of the line.

“Don’t worry, father. You’re not in good health. Please, don’t stress yourself. I’m fine, really. I’m staying with Ryota now. We can protect each other. I’m sorry for niisan’s passing, father. You must be sadder, since niisan is your biological son. I’m really sorry, father…”

“Shh…I am indeed sad, son. Which father will not be sad when his son was taken away from him? But it already happened, son. I can’t bring him back to life even if I want to. What I can do now is to just be strong for him and to pray that the killer to be caught soon”.

 Abe slowly laughs. His foster father is really strong-minded. As expected from a retired army. Abe always admires his foster father’s wisdom. Miyadate-san is the most patient man Abe has ever met.

“We will have a funeral for Hiroyuki after his body is released. I hope by the time, justice will be served. I’m glad Ryota is there in Tokyo too. Please take care, both of you”.

“You too, father. I will call you back later. Bye!”

“Bye, son”. The call ends.

Relief is a feeling Abe has after calling his father. Feels like some burdens from his shoulder are removed.

 Abe is packing his bags to be brought to the university soon when his phone rings. It’s from an unknown number. He picks it up. “Hello”.

“Ryo~hei~” A deep, creepy voice answers. “Ryo~hei~”. Abe feels chills on his spine.

Abe quickly switches on the voice recording app on his phone. “Hello. Who…Who is this?”

The voice on the other line keeps on repeating his name.

“This is not funny. Come on, who are you?!”

The person on the other line creepily giggled. “You look so beautiful in white, Ryohei”.

That sentence makes Abe vigorously check his surroundings but there’s no one in sight. “You’re the one who killed niisan and sensei, right? What is your motive?”

“Hehehe…”

“What’s so funny?!”, Abe’s voice turns more agitated.

 Suddenly there’s the sound of an explosion from outside the house. He screams. It shocks him.

“Hehehe… That’s my present for you, my dear. Expect more from me next time”. And the call ends.

 Abe looks out at every window, but he can’t see any figures around the vicinity. When he peeks at the front garden, there is a bouquet of flowers and a “Jack-in-a-box” doll on top of the table inside the gazebo. Perhaps the explosive was put inside the “Jack-in-a-box” and the doll pops out when it exploded. It is not wise to go outside by himself now. He takes out Meguro’s business card and swiftly dials the number.

 Meguro miraculously finds another link between Miyadate Hiroyuki and Kitayama Rintarou. The name is Fuji Ichiro. The name comes up in both Miyadate and Kitayama’s contact list. Meguro is about to check Miyadate and Kitayama’s previous chats in case there are any chats with this Fuji Ichiro guy, when his phone rings. “Hello, Meguro speaking”.

“Meguro-kun, it’s me Abe”. Meguro instantaneously stands up from his seat.

“Abe-san? Is something wrong?”

“He was outside the house. He just called me. He left a bouquet of flowers and a “Jack-in-a-box” outside the house. There was an explosion too…”

Meguro’s mind grows alert hearing the word “explosion”. “What?! You’re still in the house, right?”

“I am. I’m supposed to go to university now but…”

Meguro cuts his sentence. “Stay there! I’m coming. Don’t open the door to anyone. Anyone, ok? Even the people you know!”

“Ok, Meguro-kun. Drive safely”. He hung up.

 “What happened?”, Iwamoto-san asks from his desk.

“The Joker was at Miyadate Ryota’s home. He called Abe-san”.

“What?! Hey! Don’t go alone! You don’t know how strong the man is if you were to encounter him. Take Hikaru with you!”

“Roger!”

 Meguro runs to the Security Operations Department in search of Iwamoto Hikaru, his superior’s son.

“Hikaru-kun! You have a task from your father, let’s go!” Meguro shouts, from outside the department.

A tall man with a nice built, stern-looking face, neatly gelled side parted hair, looking dashing in full suit walks fashionably towards Meguro with both hands in his pocket.

“Where to, Meguro-kun?”

 “Abe-san, you may open the door now. I’m outside”, Meguro requested by calling Abe.

The door opens soon after. Abe observes the surroundings outside.

“We’ve checked till the backyard. There is no one around. I’m Iwamoto Hikaru. Nice to meet you”, Hikaru casually introduces himself to Abe and hold out his hand for a shake. Abe shakes his hand.

 Meguro inspects the items the Joker left behind. There is a note in red ink attached to the doll. It says, “You are mine, Ryohei”. What kind of sick game is this?!

Abe peeks through Meguro’s shoulder. He gasps when he sees the note. The Joker is targeting him after all. He shivers when he examines the bouquet of flowers. A combination of Red Camellias, Azaleas and Yarrows. In flower language, it means “You are a flame in my heart, you are in danger, I love you for eternity”.

 Hikaru whistles. “Looks like you got a secret admirer, huh?”

Meguro shushes him. “Be sensitive. His brother and teacher got killed by this man!”

“Ehh~~~ Alright, alright. I’m sorry~”, he might be apologizing but his tone sounds insincere. Abe doesn’t take it to heart. People have different characters after all.

“We’ll take these to Sakuma-kun. Now come, Abe-san. We’ll drop you at your university”, Meguro ushers Abe to the backseat of the police car.

 Abe plays the recording of the Joker’s call in the car at Meguro’s request. Hikaru is driving.

“This can be filed as a stalker case. Looks like he’s following your every movement. The problem is he’s still invisible to us. We have no idea who this stalker is. We don’t know who we have to protect you from”, Meguro states, frustratingly.

“Hmm. For now, it’s risky for you to go anywhere alone, Abe-san. You should be accompanied at all times. I suggest you stick with your trusted best friends to go with you anywhere in the university. The more the better. We can’t exclude the possibility that your closest friend might be the culprit. You can’t trust even your closest friends now. Avoid secluded areas. Call Meguro if you find anything strange. Also, he can fetch you from and to university. Just inform him of your schedule. And I suggest you stay with Meguro until your partner is home”, Hikaru advice, with a serious expression while Meguro gives him a side-eye. “What?”

“I’ll take your advice. I’m sorry for troubling you…”

“Don’t be sorry. That’s what the police are for. To protect the citizens from danger”.

 The car is now entering the small road leading to the university. It’s still a little far from their destination though. So not many people and cars are in this area during non-peak hours. Just like at this moment…

 Out of nowhere, a hooded man wearing Joker’s mask suddenly jump out directly in the middle of the road.

“SHIT!” Shocked, and in an attempt to evade the man, Hikaru rapidly turns the steering wheel to the right. The car crashes into a fence wall of a house, causing immense damage to the front of the car. All men inside the car are thrust forward from the impact and air bags are deployed.

 “Ugh…” Meguro’s field of vision is tunneled for a while. He sits up straight and takes a deep breath before he regains full vision. He looks to his side. Hikaru seems to have fainted. Then he hears the sound of broken glass and Abe’s scream.

“AGHHHH! STOP! LET ME GO!”

 The Joker breaks the window of the backseat and grabs Abe’s hand, pulling him out of the vehicle.

“Abe-san!”, Meguro is still a bit dizzy and he’s struggling with removing his seat belt. When he is finally able to get out from the car, he sees that the Joker is having a hard time pulling Abe into a van parked near there. Abe is flailing so much to remove himself from the Joker’s grip. He runs up to them but before he can reach them, Miyadate Ryota suddenly appears to save Abe from the situation.

 Ryota grabs the Joker by the shoulders from behind and throws a punch to the Joker’s head. The Joker punches Ryota back and when Ryota evades the punch, the Joker runs away from them all. Meguro lets out his gun and aims it at the Joker’s legs. He pulls the trigger.

“AGHHH!” Bullseye. The Joker falls to the ground.

 Both Meguro and Ryota run up to the Joker. The Joker tries to get up when suddenly, he starts to cough vigorously, then he holds his neck with both of his hands. Looks like he choked. Both Meguro and Ryota stop in their tracks. In a split second after, the Joker falls back down. The two men continues to reach the Joker.

“Oi! You are under arrest for an abduction attempt!”, said Meguro, breathing heavily. He crouches down, shaking the Joker but there is no response. He turns the Joker around first and removes the mask. A young man he never seen before and Ryota also looks like he doesn’t know the man. Meguro shakes the Joker again. “Oi! Wake up!” At that moment when his face is close to the Joker, he feels no breathing. Meguro stops his action. It can’t be! He checks the pulse on the Joker’s neck and wrist. Inexistent. The Joker is dead.

  It takes about 15 minutes before the ambulance and police force arrive at the scene. Hikaru is already awake by this point, helping Meguro inspect the van while Miyadate Ryota accompanies Abe at the backseat of their damaged police car, getting medical attention. The main doctor declares the Joker is dead and takes him away by ambulance. Meguro finds the Joker’s wallet inside the van and identifies him as “Fuji Ichiro”. Meguro suddenly got reminded of the mutual contact he found in the previous two victims’ contact list. He checked his mobile phone for the data. Indeed, it’s “Fuji Ichiro”.

 “Thank God you’re safe, son, Meguro-kun!”, Inspector Iwamoto approaches them both near the van.

“Yeah. It’s unfortunate that the perpetrator is dead when we captured him though”, Hikaru said.

“Hmm. Run me down what happened and who is behind this Joker?”, Iwamoto-san implores.

“We were on the way to send Abe-san to his university when the Joker suddenly appeared in front of us. Hikaru tries to evade the man, sending the car crashing. The Joker attempted to kidnap Abe-san by pulling him into this van but before that happened, Miyadate Ryota suddenly appears. They had a little fist fight before the Joker tried to run away. I shot his legs and he fell. We saw that he was like choking, and when I finally reached him, he was already gone”, Meguro explains in detail. “The man is identified as Fuji Ichiro, a post-graduate at the same university as Abe-san. I did my research at the HQ before I came here, this name actually came up in both Kitayama-san and Miyadate-san’s contact lists. But I still haven’t checked what is the link between the three of them”.

“Good job, Meguro-kun. After listening to your story, I become more suspicious of this Ryota guy”, Iwamoto-san whispers. “After they receive medical attention, we shall bring both of them to HQ for statement. Hikaru, son, thank you for helping Meguro-kun today. You guys should seek medical attention too. You never know what side effects you will be having after the crash”.

Meguro and Hikaru nod. “We’ll go to the hospital ourselves after we got the statement from Miyadate Ryota and Abe-san”.

 Ryota and Abe are sitting side by side inside the interview room of the Tokyo MPD. In front of them are Iwamoto-san and Meguro, notebook ready as well as ready for questioning.

 “Abe-san, do you know a man by the name of Fuji Ichiro?”, Meguro starts.

Abe is thinking. “Umm…I can’t recall anyone by that name. May I know who he is?”

Meguro puts a photo of Fuji Ichiro on the table. “This…is the Joker”.

Abe gasps. “Ehh…? But…I didn’t know him. Why is he after me?”

“He attended the same university as you. A post-graduate too”.

“Ahh…then, we might have come across each other. But really, I didn’t know him”.

Meguro leans back on his seat. “We find his contact in both your brother and your sensei’s phone. We will analyze their chats, if any, to find out what could be the motive”.

“He knows my brother?”, Abe asks, looking confused.

“Don’t worry, Abe-san. Our team is very efficient. We will find the relation between them in no time”, Meguro assures him.

Abe smiles and says a soft “Thank you”.

 “About you, Miyadate-san. Why were you there at the crime scene?”, Inspector Iwamoto questioned, his tone stern and looking suspiciously at the man in front of him.

“Ryohei informed me about the explosion at the house. At first, I offered to take him to university but he said that he had already called the police so they would be the one to accompany him to university. We kept on texting until Ryohei said the police has arrived and we ended our conversation”, he pulls out his phone from his pocket and shows the policemen the chat between him and Abe.

“I was obviously still worried. So I tracked him using “Find my Iphone”. When I saw that he wasn’t moving from the location for a while, I rushed to the scene”, Ryota explains calmly.

“Wha…When did you set up that feature on my phone?”, Abe asks him, clearly surprised.

“Last night when you were sleeping. I’m worried, Ryohei. If it’s not for my work, I don’t want to leave you alone. I’m afraid that things like today happened”, Ryota softly says while caressing Abe’s left hand with his right. Meguro decides that Miyadate Ryota must enjoy showing his affection towards Abe-san in public. “Does that answer your question, Inspector?”

Inspector Iwamoto gave him a look. He’s not satisfied with Ryota’s answer just yet. “Hmm alright. Where were you before you arrived at the scene then?”

“When Ryohei called me, I had just finished shopping for ingredients. I was at the diner. My workplace and Ryohei’s university are not that far, if you’re wondering how I rushed to the scene on time”, Ryota finishes his statement.

Truth be told, Iwamoto-san is still very wary of Miyadate Ryota even after the explanation. His stories are too perfect, too calculative. Something is definitely fishy about the guy…

 Inspector Iwamoto looks at the clock on the wall.

“Ok, I guess that’s enough statement. Thank you for cooperating with us again today. I’m sorry that you had to go through the experience of getting in a car accident in a police car, Abe-san. I’m glad you didn’t suffer any fatal injuries”.

Abe shakes his head, “No no! I should be the one apologizing for putting Meguro-kun and Hikaru-san’s life at risk. Since I was the target after all”.

“Hmm…I think we won’t bother you so much anymore now that the Joker is dead. We will contact you again probably if we need further information and when we have settled the three cases. You may take your leave now. Have a pleasant day”. All the men shake hands.

 Before Ryota and Abe leave, Abe turns to Meguro. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me, Meguro-kun. Here, a little token of appreciation from me. I hope you can keep it with you always. Hehe.”

Abe hands over a flower bouquet charm to Meguro. It’s a combination of blue and white flowers.

“They are blue violets and gardenias”, Abe mentions, and somehow, he suddenly looks shy. “You can search for its meaning later. Until we meet again”, Abe bows and left towards the direction of Ryota. Meguro’s heart rate speeds up and he can’t utter a single reply. He is so happy to receive something from Abe-san. However, during the whole interaction just now, he could see, from the corner of his eye that Miyadate Ryota was glaring at him. He doesn’t know why but he’s pleased with that reaction.

 Back from Tokyo MPD building, Ryota brings Abe for a meal at Juicy Diner and persuades him to stay at the diner until Ryota finishes work so they can go home together. Abe has a productive rest of the evening, peacefully doing his university work at the corner seating of the diner.

 When they arrive back to Ryota’s home, Ryota takes a bath first while Abe continues doing his assignment some more. After Ryota’s done bathing, Abe strides to the bathroom and has a relaxing, long bath.

 Abe gets out from the bathroom after about half an hour. He is only in his boxers, and he sees Ryota reading a book on the bed. Abe opens the wardrobe, rummaging its inside for his nightwear.

“Nee, Ryota”

Ryota turns to him, acknowledging.

“When the police finally settle everything about niisan’s murder later, I believe I can return to the house. I will not bother you anymore hopefully sooner”, Abe casually comments.

He finally pulls out his signature nightwear, an oversized white button-up shirt. While buttoning up his shirt, Ryota suddenly hugged him from the back.

“Ahh~” He startles when Ryota bites his neck.

He nervously looks to his side. “Ryo…Ryota?”

Ryota looks up at Abe while helping him button up his shirt. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave me? I don’t mind if you stay here forever. I love your company”. After Abe’s shirt is fully buttoned, Ryota buries his head into Abe’s neck, inhaling the smell of a freshly bathed Abe.

Abe smiles and raises his hand up to pat Ryota’s head. “Stop behaving like a possessive boyfriend. I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep”.

Ryota chuckles and let go of his Ryohei. Oh he doesn’t know.

 === The next day ===

 Meguro is in cloud 9. He searched for the meaning of the flower charm as soon as he got back home last night. He found out that the flowers mean “Secret Love”. Could it be? Meguro animatedly punches the air before he covers his face with both of his hands. He’s excited just thinking about the possibility that his feelings are reciprocated. If that’s the case then he should look for clues and more evidence fast so that the cases will be settled – then, he will be able to meet his Abe Ryohei.

“Yosh!”, Meguro is very motivated now.

 “Ding-dong! May I come in?”, Sakuma slides open the office’s door.

“Welcome, Sakuma!”, Inspector Iwamoto greets, gesturing for the pink haired man to enter.

“Good news or bad news? Which one do you want to hear first?”, Sakuma asks.

“The good one”, Iwamoto-san answers.

“Ok! I shall report to you what we know so far~ Fuji Ichiro’s cause of death is heart failure. Ahh you must be thinking how could a healthy young man like him have a sudden heart failure, right? Because that’s what I thought too. If the deceased is an old man I will conclude it just there but since this is a young man, it is pretty suspicious especially for someone who has no history of heart diseases nor inherited conditions. So we checked the stomach contents very carefully. There is still quite a volume of material left in the stomach, meaning that the victim had his meal just before his death. Seems like he had a burger. We took a sample and Walla! Poison. We believe this is the kind of poison that doesn’t killed you right away. It stays in the body for a few hours before the toxin spreads throughout the body especially to the heart, causing a heart attack. The poison might also speed up its action from vigorous activity. Like running”, Sakuma explains, while passing all the relevant documents to Iwamoto-san.

“Poison? Did he took it voluntarily or was he unaware that he was consuming the poison?”

Sakuma claps. “You should hear his story then. So let’s start with how he is connected to both Miyadate Hiroyuki and Kitayama Rintarou”.

Meguro passes a chair towards Sakuma and gestures to him to sit down so he can report his findings comfortably.

 “All the information I’m about to tell you is gathered from these 3 people’s LINE chat. Fuji Ichiro was Kitayama’s student and he had been sleeping with the sensei since a month ago. He was doing this to gain information and firsthand evidence of the sensei’s misconduct. He would always make the sensei drank lots of alcohol because truth always came out when a person is intoxicated. And it looked like the sensei wouldn’t remember anything when he sobered up. Fuji then passed whatever information and evidence he gained to Miyadate-san. We can’t be sure of the nature of Fuji and Miyadate’s relationship though. The first chat between those two was Fuji telling Miyadate-san that he’s willing to provide Miyadate-san with information regarding the wicked sensei to help Miyadate-san with his brother’s case”. Sakuma shows the printed copy of the LINE chats.

 “However, we came up with one possible reason why he was doing this. Look!” Sakuma shows them the wallpaper of Fuji’s phone. It was a candid photo of Abe! Meguro throws a questioning look at Sakuma.

“Uhuh. Next, look at his gallery”. Sakuma opens the photo gallery of Fuji’s phone. It was full of Abe’s candid photos! Photos of Abe in lectures, Abe reading book at a cafe, Abe playing the violin, Abe working with other people, Abe at a flower garden, Abe at the museum, even Abe stargazing at the balcony of his house in his inviting nightwear, and many more…

“He even wrote poems and stuffs, fantasizing about being together with Abe-san. Hear this:

When I loved you, the whole world became my enemy;

I rejected the whole world, and choose you today;

Your love is my kingdom;

You’re my persistence, my passion;

I’m heart burnt; you’re my addiction.

What do you think? He can write! I like it!” Sakuma recites dramatically. Meguro can feel a headache coming.

“So you mean…This Fuji…is obsessive over Abe-san that’s why he’s willing to help Miyadate-san to expose Kitayama sensei? Ok, I got the connection but if that’s the case, then why did he kill Miyadate-san? It just doesn’t make sense”, Meguro questions while rubbing his temples.

“Ahh~ That leads us to the bad news I’m going to convey to you today”.

 Sakuma takes a deep breath. “Fuji Ichiro…is not the Joker that killed both Miyadate and Kitayama”.

Inspector Iwamoto and Meguro stared at each other.

Sakuma repeats, “Fuji Ichiro is indeed Abe-san’s stalker, but he was not the Joker that killed these two people. Why? Because his footprints don’t match with the footprints we found at the first and second crime scenes”. Sakuma puts down the printed copy of the forensic results on top of the table.

Meguro is trying his hardest to make sense of Sakuma’s words. What is this plot twist? He thought they were already moving towards the end of the investigation. “Ehh…Ehh? So you mean…Fuji Ichiro was not the killer, correct?”

Sakuma nods. “From here, we can assume what happened: the real killer knew about Fuji’s obsession towards Abe-san, possibly persuades him to be the Joker with the reason so that he can acts on his fantasy towards Abe-san since this Fuji guy is quite withdrawn, feed him a meal with poison, then finally, wait for him to die”.

Meguro thinks hard. “Hmm. It’s a pretty foul proof plan, if not for the footprints. But still, we are nowhere near finding out the motive behind the murder. I have a suspect in mind. In my point of view, it must be him pulling the strings behind all this. But we have no solid proof other than that his shoe size matches the footprints found on the crime scene”. Iwamoto-san and Sakuma know who Meguro is referring to.

“Don’t you think he is over-protective of Abe-san? Maybe he wanted to remove whoever posing a threat to Abe-san’s life. But that doesn’t explain why he would kill his own cousin. And why would he chase Abe-san? Ugh! This is so confusing!” Inspector Iwamoto aggressively scratches the back of his head.

 Meguro’s phone rings. The caller ID shown on the screen named “Abe-san”.

“Hey, speak of the devil”, Sakuma comments.

Meguro shushes Sakuma and picks up the call. “Yes, Meguro speaking”.

“Meguro-kun…It’s still happening…”, Abe is talking in a really soft voice, as if whispering as well as in fear, from the other side of the line.

Meguro frowns. He suddenly had a bad feeling. “Can you explain what’s happening, Abe-san?”

After a long pause, he can hear Abe take a deep breath and says the next line frantically, “Someone sent me frightening letters. With candid photos of me. I’m afraid, Meguro-kun! What should I do?” Abe-san is sobbing now.

“Hey, hey, calm down, Abe-san! Ok, listen to me. Take a deep breath. Do it together with me. One, two, breathe in~~~and out~~~ Let’s do it one more time. One, two, breathe in~~~and out~~~ Ok, tell me where you are. I’m coming as soon as possible”.

“I’m at the university’s lab. Today is the weekend so there are not many people on campus. And I’m alone here inside the lab. It’s on the west side of the campus. I’m so scared to even move now Meguro-kun. I feel like I’m being watched. I’m sorry to trouble you but can you come to the lab? I’ll send you the location”, Abe whispers, trying to sound calm but Meguro can hear fear in his voice. Probably fear that this conversation will be heard by “that” someone.

“No problem, Abe-san. I’ll move now. Ahh! If it’s ok with you, please keep this call running. Hopefully it will lessen your fear knowing that I’m here, listening to you, ok?” “Alright. Thank you, Meguro-kun”.

 Abe puts his phone down on top of the table and takes another deep breath. At least he feels relieved after talking to Meguro-kun. He sits down on the stool then rubs his temple. He gazes at the cardboard box with his candid photos and creepy “love” letters in red ink inside it. Abe would think of these words as romantic, if not delivered to him this way.

“You’ve resided in my heart”

“After awakening the magic of desire, you’ve made me crazy”

“You’re stealing my peace, taking my sleep away”

“I’ve written your name on the walls of my heart”

“My heart is restless, jealous – when someone looks at you”

“The moonlight of your love, has settled in my eyes; The fragrance of yours, has settled in my breaths”

“The fire that is burning in my heart, didn’t extinguish even with many rainfalls”

“This intoxication and silence, this distance and helplessness, these heights and depths, these riddles and blockers; Love is a difficult thing”

“If this is madness, then I want to remain mad today”

“This longing doesn’t let me be far from you, even when I am at a distance”

 Abe shakes his head. No, he can’t be weak. Whoever does this to him must have some mental issues. Any sane person will approach the one they like with kindness and affection, not by instilling fear. He gently slaps his cheeks, “Focus on the work now, Ryohei”, he reminds himself. He puts the box aside and restarts his experiment.

 His peace is short lasting as he is disturbed by the sound from the announcement speaker resounds throughout the lab. “Ryohei~”

He gasps. He is indeed being watched! He looks around frantically. Then it occurs to him that if the perpetrator’s voice can be heard from the speaker, means that the man is currently in the broadcast room. The problem is…he doesn’t know where the broadcast room is! His body is in a “Fight or Flight” mode now. He brings his phone up to his ear and in a shaking voice, he asks, “Meguro-kun, can you hear that?”

A screeching sound can suddenly be heard from the speaker, followed by the person dark chuckling from the other side. That person continues with singing: “Secret~ I’m a secret~ I’m hiding here and there in the smoke~ Yes, I’m incognito~ Secret~ I’m a secret~” Then he lets out a big, evil laugh before it turns silence.

It feels like the calm before the storm, Abe hates this.

 He can hear Meguro utters “Shit!” from the other side of the line. “Hold on! I’m nearly there! Don’t move from there, ok?”

Abe hopes Meguro will arrive soon. He feels paranoid. He tries hard to be as calm as possible and carefully cleans up the apparatus he uses for his experiments just now. After that, he packs his stuffs and anxiously tapping his fingers on the desk, waiting for Meguro. After a while, he hears footsteps coming nearer. The person knocks on the door. Abe has a bad feeling. But he braves himself, “Meguro-kun?”

 The door is roughly opens…by a man in black, hooded, and with a Joker’s mask on his face. The man is holding a knife on his gloved, right hand.

“AGHHHH!” Abe screams. Then he throws whatever apparatus near him towards the Joker. The Joker slaps the equipment away and it breaks on the floor. Abe runs within the lab. Trying to block the Joker from reaching him as much as possible. There is only one entry and exit door. He must go in a circle before he can get out of the room. Fighting the man head on is not a choice since the man looks like he has stronger built. He could be stabbed in a flash. Abe is glad that he can still somehow think rationally in this situation.

 “How do you like my presents, Ryohei? Don’t break my heart~”, the Joker speaks out in a Joker-y tone.

 Few more steps till Abe reaches the door. The Joker seems to be aware that Abe is aiming for the door, so he fastens his pace. Abe manages to push the anatomy model near him towards the Joker before dashing out of the room. “HELP!”

 The laboratory is located in a secluded area, 15 minutes’ walk from the main campus. People say it’s an ideal location for horror stories – what’s with a long tunnel before the entrance and the buildings are literally inside a forest. Today, Abe unfortunately experiences that horror. Enhance with the fact that it is currently raining and stormy outside.

 Abe is running towards the tunnel when he turns around. The Joker is catching up to him. “AGHHH HELP!” He sprints as fast as his feet can go.

“Abe-san!”. Meguro is racing towards him.

“Meguro-kun!” Abe quickly hides behind Meguro as soon as he reaches him, while Meguro shoves his gun out in the direction of the Joker.

The Joker stops in his tracks then turns around, making a run from it. The Joker is running to the left to the right, not allowing Meguro to get a perfect aim. When the Joker finally reaches the end of the tunnel, he turns back around to look at both Meguro and Abe. The Joker makes a salute pose before he jumps headfirst towards the bush on the right. Meguro grabs Abe’s hand and runs in the direction where the Joker disappeared. No traces, no movements. It’s as if the Joker had disappeared into thin air.

 Meguro opens the backseat door of his car then ushers Abe to enter. Meguro follows, entering the backseat as well. They are soaking wet from the rain. Both of them pant hard, tired from all the running. Meguro holds out a bottle of water towards Abe. “I’m sorry I don’t have any towels but here, water. You must be tired from all that running”.

Abe gladly accepts the water. “Thanks”.

Meguro stares at the view of Abe gulping down the water. He is certainly feeling something. He quickly averts his gaze away.

“I’m sorry for making your car wet. And thank you for your help back there”.

Meguro lets out a tiny smile. Abe-san is apologizing and expressing his gratitude for the trivial things.

“You are mentally strong, Abe-san. With all the things happening around you, you’re still able to do things as per normal. I mean, with your niisan’s passing, I thought you might be grieving all the time – at least for this period. And it’s understandable if you do”. Abe snickers. “I am grieving. I am still grieving. I only let out my sadness when I’m by myself. I have to be strong. For me, life must go on. Excessive sadness is not good for anyone’s mind. Plus, I’m not good at not doing anything. We need distractions to steer away from thinking about sad things all the time”.

“Good. I’m impressed”.

They sat in silence for a while, didn’t know how to continue the conversation. Abe is now hugging himself while rubbing his arms with his hands in an attempt to keep himself warm.

 “Umm…I have searched the meaning of the flowers”, Meguro starts.

Abe turns his head towards him first, before he realizes something and blushingly looks away. “Ohh…you do?”

“Yeah…” Meguro is feeling awkward now. What should he say next?

 Meguro turns his whole body facing Abe. “Abe-san, I feel the same”.

Abe gazes at Meguro in disbelief. “Ehh?”

“Umm…How should I say this? I…Whenever I see you, I have this jittery feeling in my belly…Uhh…Like a flutter of electricity runs through my body…My palms sweat more than usual…Umm…Whenever we part ways, I longed to see you again…I don’t know…I mean…Those are signs that I’m in love with you, right? I’m sorry that I’m not good with this kind of thing…”, Meguro confesses fast, stuttering in between sentences. He is looking anywhere but Abe.

Abe laughs softly. He finds Meguro looking so cute right now. “I’m glad”.

 Abe reaches out to hold Meguro’s hand in his. Meguro stops panicking. Abe gazes at him directly in the eyes. Meguro is sensing a change in atmosphere. He unconsciously moves his gaze towards Abe’s lips. So tempting, he thinks.

As if listening to Meguro’s mind, Abe licks his lips. Meguro gulps.

“Nee, Meguro-kun. You know what people do after their confession is accepted?”

Before Meguro can answer and gives any reaction, Abe moves forward, claiming Meguro’s lips.

The kiss starts slow as Meguro is still in a daze, not believing this is happening. But as Meguro already makes sense of the situation, he dominates the kiss, turning it into a hungrier, passionate kiss. Meguro had his hand at the back of Abe’s head at this point. They broke the kiss for oxygen. Meguro watches as Abe’s expression turns sultrier, with cloudy eyes and his inviting lips slightly parted. He is about to initiate the next kiss when a ringing from Abe’s phone interrupts their moment. Abe quickly moves away from Meguro before answering the call. Meguro curses in his head.

 “Hello. Ryota?”

“Ryohei! I’m sorry I didn’t pick up your call earlier. Was busy in the kitchen. Anything you want to let me know?”

“Umm…Ryota…The Joker is not dead yet”.

The other line is silent for a moment. “What do you mean the Joker isn’t dead?”

“He was here. He sent me scary letters and photos of me! He also tried to kill me again! But thankfully, Meguro-kun saved me”.

Silence again. “Are you ok, now? Is the officer with you?”

“Yes, I’m alright. And yes, Meguro-kun is here”.

“Can you please pass the phone to him?”

“Sure”. Abe passes his phone to Meguro. “Ryota wants to speak to you”.

Meguro takes the phone. “Yes, Miyadate-san?”

“Ahh Hello officer. I would appreciate it if you could send Ryohei over to Juicy Diner. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him so that nobody can hurt him”.

Meguro doesn’t know what comes over him at that moment. Perhaps, jealousy? Maybe this is how possessiveness feels like too. He replies with, “I think it would be best if he is under the supervision of the police at the moment. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep Ryohei safe. Well then”. He ends the call. He also put Abe’s phone in silence mode.

Abe is dumbfounded with the way Meguro answered. “Hey, why did you…Hmph!”

Meguro pulls Abe into a tight embrace and roughly slams his lips onto Abe’s. They continue to kiss, without caring that there is another call made to Abe’s phone.

 Meguro drives both of them back to his house. Meguro lives in an upper-middle apartment in Shinagawa City. “My home is not as luxurious as the Miyadate’s. I hope you don’t mind”.

Abe chuckles. “It feels homey. I like it”.

Meguro is glad. “Make yourself at home. Let me take a towel and a change of clothes for you first”. Meguro dashes into his room to find the towel and clothes for Abe. Abe is standing still at the entrance, afraid to make the apartment wet from his soaked clothes.

“Ahh Here! The bathroom is over there. Take your time in the bath. I’ll cook dinner”.

Abe scrunches his face. “Umm…What about you? You’ll catch a cold if you keep wearing that”. It is simply an innocent statement, but Meguro thinks otherwise. Meguro slowly approaches Abe till Abe’s back hits the wall.

“What? Is that an invitation?”, he asks, seductively.

Abe is confused. But once he realizes, he vigorously shakes his head and runs inside the bathroom. His heart beating fast. He can hear Meguro’s laughing from outside.

“Hey, I’m kidding! You’re so adorable! No worries! I’ll dry myself and change into fresh clothes! Remember, be careful of what you say, Ryohei~” Meguro said the last sentence in a suggestive tone.

 Abe emerges out from bath about 20 minutes later. He is still embarrassed about what happened with Meguro just now, so he prolongs his time in the bathroom. But he thought that Meguro-kun probably needs to use the bathroom soon as well, so he went out after 20 minutes of dealing with his emotions. Meguro gave him a black silky pajama set. It’s a little big on him, both top and pants. But Abe doesn’t mind. Abe forgot about his emotional situation when he smells food. He walks to the kitchen. He is presented with a view of Meguro’s back. Meguro is now wearing new clothes – a simple white T-shirt and comfortable pants. He’s making fried rice.

 “Hmm. Smells nice~”

“Tastes nice as well. Have a seat”.

Upon seeing a drink station, Abe walks to the said place. “I’ll prepare the drinks. What do you want?”

“Hehe being helpful on our first date. I like it. You’re a good husband material”, Meguro teases.

Abe throws him an annoyed look. “Awww you’re cute when you’re angry too”, Meguro continues to tease. “Anyways, green tea for me”.

Abe laughs softly. Return his attention to the drinking station. “Then, I’m taking the rose tea, ok?”

Deep inside their hearts, both of them enjoy this domesticity.

~~~

Meguro and Abe sitting facing each other at the dining table. “Itadakimasu!”

“How was it? Good, isn’t it?”, Meguro proudly asks.

“Hmm! It’s delicious! It’s amazing that you can cook like Ryota does!”

Meguro’s smile falters, unknown to Abe. Speaking of Miyadate Ryota, he suddenly remembers about the Iphone tracking.

“Ohh about Miyadate-san…Did he…The Iphone tracking…?”, Meguro unable to form a sentence but Abe gets the hint.

“Ahh that! I switched the feature off last night. That Ryota, he did that without my permission. It drains my phone’s battery, you know! Ohh he must be worried. I should inform him…”, Abe is about to get up to get his phone when Meguro grabs his arm from across the table. “Meguro-kun…?”

“I know I’m being selfish…but can I ask you to not talk about other men when we are together? Especially Miyadate-san. I’m sorry, I…I’m feeling agitated whenever you mentioned him. All the way here I was trying hard to distract you away from your phone. Don’t worry too much about Miyadate-san. You heard what I told him in the car, right? That you’ll be under the supervision of the police. He’ll understand. I’m sure of it”, Meguro explains, desperately.

Abe’s eyes soften and link Meguro’s hands with his. He lays his cheek at the back of Meguro’s hand. “I’m sorry. I understand. Come, let’s continue to eat before the food gets cold”.

Just like that, they continue eating and have small talk, getting to know each other better, throughout the dinner.

 “Tomorrow is Sunday. You have any plans?”, Meguro asks while flipping through the TV channels.

“Hmm…Not exactly but I’m planning to continue working on my thesis”.

“Such a hard worker, aren’t you?”

“Hehe what about you, Meguro-kun? In you scope of work, I believe you still have to go to work if needed even during weekends, right?”

“Such is a life of a police officer. Our family has to be understanding with our job too”.

“Hmm…”, Abe nods, agreeing. A vinyl player at the edge of the room suddenly catches his attention. “Hey! An antique vinyl player!”, he exclaims, excitedly hopping towards the thing.

“Ahh That’s used to be my grandfather’s. After his death, my father said that I can have it. So I take it with me to this house”, Meguro also goes towards the vinyl player. “Let me make you listen to my favorite songs”. Meguro then rummages through his collection of vinyl.

“Yay!”, Abe cheers.

 Meguro brings out a classic vinyl of a Canadian singer, Dan Hill. The song track is “Sometimes When we Touch” from 1977. He inserts the vinyl onto the player. The song resounds within the apartment. Abe is peacefully enjoying the song when Meguro stretches his hand towards him. “May I have this dance?”

Abe snickers. So cheeky of him! He accepts Meguro’s hand for dance. He links his right hand with Meguro’s while he adjusts his left hand on Meguro’s shoulder. Meguro on the other hand, has his right arm on the other’s waist. They start dancing to the beat.

 And sometimes when we touch The honesty's too much And I have to close my eyes and hide I wanna hold you 'til I die 'Til we both break down and cry I wanna hold you 'til the fear in me subsides

 Both of them got deep into the song that in their subconsciousness, they start to do more than just dancing. Meguro closes the distance between them, staring at each other’s eyes and he can feel that Abe’s left hand now roams around his body. They didn’t kiss just yet. Simply continue the staring contest, while their breaths mingling with each other.

 Meguro lost his patience first. He claims Abe’s lips, gently this time, before their tongues start fighting for dominance, in which Abe predictably loses. Swayed by passion, Meguro leads Abe inside his bedroom, without stopping the kiss. Only when they reach the bedroom that they break the kiss for oxygen. Abe looks at Meguro with his hazy eyes – it ignites a fire Meguro doesn’t know he had inside him. He swiftly picks Abe up and gently throws him on the bed. His Ryohei looks so alluring right now. Meguro wants to ravage him. He got major aroused right now.

 Meguro crawls on top of Abe, ready for a feast when Abe blocks his face with both of his hands. “No. Don’t”.

Meguro stops in his tracks. “Do you want me to stop here?”

Abe peeks out. He shakes his head.

“Then, what do you want?”, Meguro softly asks. “I won’t do things you don’t want me to. So tell me what you want”, he caresses Abe’s head.

“Umm…I want you…but I don’t want…I mean…I don’t know…”, Abe hides behind his hands again.

Meguro gets the hint. He chuckles. “You’re so cute, Ryohei. It’s ok, we can take it slowly. We won’t do it all the way today”.

Abe lets out a little laugh. He’s glad that Meguro understands.

 Now that Meguro confirms Abe’s desire, the sensual mood resumes. He reaches out to take the necktie he wore to work yesterday from the chair in the room. Then he crawls back on top of Abe, takes both of Abe’s hands away from his face before tying them up with the necktie. He brings the tied hands on top of Abe’s head.

“Trust me. I won’t betray your trust”, Meguro reassures. Abe nods.

Meguro then takes off his clothes, revealing broad shoulders and abs that shows how Meguro frequents the gym. Abe licks his lips.

 Meguro proceed with unbuttoning Abe’s pajama top, one by one, while they’re having a staring contest again. After that, Meguro swiftly removes Abe’s pants. Abe was panting sensually throughout the whole action. Meguro lays back to admire the beauty in front of him. His Ryohei, with an unbuttoned top that reveals his attractive body, and underwear, with his hands tied above his head. It’s as if he’s unboxing a present. Meguro moves forward now to firstly, bites Abe’s earlobe. “Ahh~” The action emits a luscious moan out of the other man. Good step. Next, he moves to kiss Abe’s forehead, then both of his eyes, down to his nose, skips the lips, directly to the chin. Then he moves to kiss Abe’s collarbone and bites his neck, which results in Abe’s arching his back from the pleasure and he moans again. Meguro moves down to play with both nipples with his fingers for a second, which emits another pleasurable moan from the man beneath him, before he places kisses on the abs.

 Meguro uses his fingers to trace the area below the belly. “Ahh~~~”

Abe lets out a long moan while arching his back. So he feels the most pleasurable right there. Meguro smirks. He moves down to caress both of Abe’s thighs, also biting the inside of Abe’s right thigh. Abe squirms. Meguro holds both of Abe’s legs in place again and continues kissing down to his feet. Meguro had kissed all over Abe’s now aside from his lips and obviously, the private part. He’s satisfied with this today. They can take this slowly. He can explore more of his beloved’s body next time. Now he moves back up to claim Abe’s lips, passionately while his hands roam all over the other man’s body. When they break the kiss, Meguro moves back to place airy kisses on Abe’s collarbones and neck while his fingers traces over the area below the belly. Not long after, he hears a lewd chanting of his name.

“Meguro-kun…Ahh~ Meguro-kun… Ahh~ Ahh~ Ahh~~~”

Only the sound of their pants can be heard right now. Even the music outside had long stopped. Abe finally reaches his climax.

 Meguro smiles and unties the bind on Abe’s hands. “You’re so great. So beautiful”. He gives Abe a peck on the nose before he moves to his wardrobe, pulling out a fresh boxer and putting it at the edge of the bed. He also takes a tissue box from his work desk then puts it on top of the boxer. Abe sits up. The afterglow causes Abe to take a little while to be able to think rationally again. He just keeps on staring and following Meguro’s every movement. Meguro walks to the door. He turns around and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this in the bathroom”.

 When Meguro returns from his “business”, he finds Abe already asleep on his bed. Meguro let out a smile. He wishes that time will stop to let him enjoy this happiness a little bit more. He doesn’t want to think about his work, his commitments, just yet. He just wants to spend more time with his Ryohei – falling in love again and again with every little new things he knows about the other person.

 Before he can switch off the light, Abe suddenly jolts up from his slumber and lets out a fearful scream. Meguro quickly moves over to envelope Abe into his embrace, while whispering, “It’s ok. It’s ok. I’m here. I’m here. No one can hurt you, ok?”

Abe, who is awoken by a nightmare, tightly hugs Meguro back. He is sobbing.

“It’s the Joker again, Meguro-kun! He’s coming to get me again!”

Meguro steps back and wipes the tears off Abe’s face.

“Shh…He won’t be able to hurt you now. I’m here. I’ll protect you”.

Abe pushes himself towards Meguro’s chest, holding him in a tight hug again. After a while, he calms down. “I felt someone caressing my face in my sleep. At first, I saw my dad. I missed him. I took that hand in mine. Then I felt that hand moved away. I followed that hand when I finally felt something cold and metallic. When I looked up, the Joker was staring at me! I’m afraid, Meguro-kun!”

“Shh…Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I’ll make sure to expose who is behind the Joker next time”.

Abe then falls asleep in Meguro’s embrace.

~~~

Meguro is not sleeping yet. He has been silently watching Abe’s sleeping face for the past hour. Now, he wants to go to the kitchen. He’s suddenly thirsty. It takes a few attempts before he successfully removes himself from Abe’s embrace. Abe is hugging him like he is his teddy bear. He chuckles at the thought.

 After he finished drinking, his eyes caught Abe’s phone lights up on the living room’s table. He picks up the phone and sees that “Ryota” is calling. Meguro picks up the phone.

“Ryohei! Thank God you finally pick up! Listen, don’t do this again! You don’t know how worried I…”

“This is Meguro speaking”, Meguro cuts Ryota’s frantic lecture. “Ryohei is already asleep right now”.

Silence. “Is that so? Where do you let him stay now, officer?” Meguro doesn’t know how to describe it, but he feels as if Ryota’s tone turns tense.

“My home. Don’t worry, Miyadate-san. Until we catch the Joker, I’ll keep Ryohei safe. I hope the Joker can reveal himself soon”, Meguro emphasizes on the last sentence, as if challenging. “You should go to sleep too, Miyadate-san. It’s late”.

“…You can send him home tomorrow, officer. I have an off day tomorrow so I can look after him”.

Meguro lifted his eyebrow. This man doesn’t give up. “I’ll tell Ryohei later. He can decide if he wants to go home or stay here. Good night, Miyadate-san”. Meguro ends the call.

Meguro feels like he wins.

 Abe wakes up to a view of someone’s chest. The memories of last night return to his mind. A warm feeling is engulfing his chest. He looks up to a handsome sleeping face of a man he loves.

After a while, Meguro opens his right eye. “Do I look that handsome?” Sneaky! Meguro is already awake!

Meguro then playfully pokes Abe’s sides. “Ahh!”, Abe squeals.

Meguro widened his eyes. “You’re ticklish there!” He pokes Abe’s side again. And Abe squeals again.

“Hey! Stop it! Hahaha!”

They end up playfully wrestling each other before the day officially starts. Ahh how they wish this will last forever.

~~~

“Meguro-kun, I’m going back to Ryota’s house today, alright? He said that he’s taking the day off today”.

Meguro frowns. “But…” Meguro moves around restlessly, desperately trying to think of an excuse to not let Abe leave his place. He sighs. He gave up thinking of an excuse and just told the truth. He puts his arms around Abe from the back and kisses his neck. “But I don’t want you to leave. Say, what about we go to Miyadate-san’s house together for you to pack your things up for the night?”, Meguro suggests.

Abe snickers. “Officer Meguro, it seems that you’ve taken your job seriously, hmm? Officers don’t usually let their protected persons stay at their own homes”.

“Hmm…whose fault is that? You’re guilty for seducing an officer to let you stay at his place”.

“Hehe Alright then. Let’s go”.

 When Meguro and Abe arrive at Miyadate Ryota’s home, the said man surprisingly wasn’t at home. Abe rings the bell numerous times, but nobody answers. “Hmph! This Ryota! He said he’ll be home all day”, Abe complains while rummaging inside his bag for the house key. “Maybe he’s going to the convenience store for a while. I’ll text him later. Come in, Meguro-kun”.

 “AHHH HELP! THIEF!”

Both Abe and Meguro turn their heads to the scene at the other side of the road. A thief is running away after stealing a woman’s purse.

“I’ll come back later, Abe-kun!”, and Meguro sprints towards the direction of the thief.

 Abe shakes his head. He goes into the house and immediately up to his room. He unconcernedly packs his things and when he’s done, he brings his small suitcase back down. When he arrives downstairs, he can see a black shadow from the corner of his eyes. He thought Ryota is back.

“Ryota? Where have you…AGHHHH!”

Standing in front of the entrance door, is the Joker.

The Joker bops his head before he charges towards Abe. Abe left his suitcase and darts into the closest room he sees – the guest room. The Joker manages to somehow catch up to him and he’s stuck in his left hand so that Abe won’t be able to close the door. Abe forcefully pushes the door so that it could more or less hurt the Joker’s arm and hopefully made him give up. At the meantime, Abe can make out a golden chunky chain bracelet the Joker wore on his hand.

After a few attempts, the Joker finally gives up and Abe slams the door shut, locking it as well.

The Joker is slamming the door from outside. In Abe’s panic state, he first thought of calling Meguro but when notices that the slamming has stopped but the lock of the door as if the lock is being picked, his mind comes up with an idea of opening the window, so that the Joker will think that he had escaped outside. While actually, he’s still hiding, inside the room.

 The door finally opens. The Joker notices the window opens wide and it seems that no one is in the room. Abe is actually hiding inside the closet, covering his mouth with his both hands. After a minute, he can hear rushing footsteps going far and far away. Once he makes sure the sound is totally gone, he immediately comes out from his hiding place, dashing to the entrance door, then goes outside.

“MEGURO-KUN! MEGURO-KUN!” Abe shouts with all his might.

However, who emerges soon after is Miyadate Ryota instead. He runs up towards a hysterical Abe, holding Abe’s shoulders, asking him what had happened.

“Ryota! Ryota! The Joker was here! The Joker…” Abe pauses.

Ryota has moved his hands to caress Abe’s face. That’s when Abe notices the bracelet that Ryota is wearing. It’s the same bracelet he saw on the Joker.

 Miyadate Ryota follows Abe’s line of vision. He finally realized. Abe steps back from Ryota.

“Ryota…Are you…”

Ryota suddenly grabs Abe harshly by the hair, bringing him back inside the house.

“AGHHH! RYOTA! IT HURTS! STOP!”

Ryota tosses Abe onto the sofa in the living room relentlessly. He then crawls on top of Abe and forcefully kisses Abe on the lips.

Abe is struggling to push Ryota off him, but the kiss makes him breathless and his movements falter after a moment. When Ryota finally let go, he lovingly caresses Abe’s face again. He’s drunk with this view of Abe with his hazy eyes and plump lips.

“How long should I wait until you ask the state of my heart?”, Ryota whispers.

Abe is unable to think straight. Ehh? Is Ryota the Joker all this time? “But…why?”, Abe softly asks.

“The reason is you. The reason is always you, Ryohei”. They are still in their position. Ryota just inches his face closer to Ryohei.

 “I didn’t mean to kill Hiroyuki-niisan, Ryohei. But you know what? I saw it!”, Ryota harshly cups Abe’s chin in his hand. Abe flinches. “I saw what niisan did to you! He forced himself on you, wasn’t it?” Ryota raises his voice.

 === A day before the first incident ===

 Ryota informed Abe that he’ll be visiting Abe’s house as usual after work. Abe would leave the entrance door unlocked around the time Ryota would usually be coming, which is around 10.30pm – 11pm so that Ryota could freely came into the house.

Ryota came a little later than usual that night because cleaning the diner took longer than usual as they are short-staffed that day.

 “Hello~”, Ryota greeted, but no one answered.

He then tried to be cheeky and surprised either Abe or Hiroyuki, whoever he saw first. So he tiptoed inside the house quietly. However, he was the one to be surprised instead.

 “Ahh~”

Ryota heard a soft moan. He walked slowly in the direction where he heard it.

It seemed to come from the music room. The door was left slightly ajar too. Just enough for a person outside to peek in.

Ryota’s blood boiled. Abe was bent over at the edge of the table, holding himself up with his elbows, while Hiroyuki-niisan was behind him, straddling his Ryohei’s legs.

“Ahh~ Stop~ What if…What if Ryota sees? Ahh~ He’s going to arrive soon…”

“Hmm? Then let him be. He’s a man too. He’ll understand that men have needs. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get both of us tonight”.

“Ahh~ No~ Ahh~” Abe was a moaning mess at this point.

“Hmm? What is this? Do you get excited by the thought of being seen by Ryota?”, Hiroyuki teased.

Ryota watched the erotic display in front of him until both of them reached the climax.

~~~

“And then I went back to the entrance and greeted you guys aloud, as if I didn’t see anything. That’s what triggered all of this, Ryohei! I am in love with you since forever! I always make sure to show my affections towards you, but you never noticed! At first, I was ok with it. So what if you don’t love me the same way? I can still love you silently, protecting you from afar. But to see in front of my eyes, my cousin who doesn’t even love you as much as I do, did “that” to someone I love – It’s too much! It’s not fair!”, Ryota explains exasperatedly.

 “I can’t sleep that night. I toss and turn on my bed but the image of you and Hiroyuki-niisan keeps on appearing in my mind. I called Hiroyuki-niisan the next morning. I told him that I want to discuss what to do on your birthday. He said he’ll come back early from work and that we should discuss it before the usual time I visited the house. My mind was already not in a right state, Ryohei. I indeed planned to kill him that night, but the rational part of my mind also told me to wait and listen to Hiroyuki-niisan’s explanation. If my judgement said that he should be killed, then I’ll kill him right away. And that’s what happened”.

~~~

=== Nearly an hour before the first incident ===

 “Sawamura-kun. I already prepared all the ingredients here, the broth is still boiling over there. I’m going to the loo. You know me, “No.2” can take a long time. Ughhh my stomach hurts”, Ryota hurriedly removed his apron and chef hat, and rubbed his belly, faking a stomachache.

“Hahaha! Yeah, sure! Take your time. I’ll take care here”, Sawamura-kun laughed heartily and allowed Ryota to go.

 Ryota obviously didn’t go to the loo. He was rushing to Abe’s house to meet Hiroyuki and initiated his plan. He brought a knife from the diner and wore the hooded long jacket on the way, as well as the Joker’s mask.

 He arrived at Abe’s house in no time. He knew that Hiroyuki-niisan unlocked the door for him so he quietly sneaked into the house. He saw his cousin in the living room. He sneaked up behind his cousin quietly and touched his cousin’s shoulder. Hiroyuki jumped in surprise.

“Shhhhh…”, Ryota raise his index finger to his mouth then slipped off the mask.

“Oh my God, Ryota! You scared me!”

“Hehe what do you think of this concept for Ryohei’s birthday?”

“What? Haha he’ll freak out!”

“By the way…I saw it”, Ryota was now staring at Hiroyuki darkly.

“Hmm? What did you saw?”

“You and Ryohei. Last night”.

“Ahh~”, Hiroyuki pointed at the music room, then looked at Ryota as if asking for a validation. “Haha is it a problem to you?”

“How long? Is he ok with it?”, anger is evident on Ryota’s face now. His volume also rose.

“Ryota~Ryota~ You do understand that men have needs, right? And that boy is available within my beck and call, at least in this house”. Hiroyuki took a sharp breath before he continued, “I did it with others too, outside. But no one had ever left me as satisfied as he does. You’re a Miyadate, too. You can try to ask him if you want. You understand what I mean, right?”

Ryota sees red. So Hiroyuki was treating his Ryohei like a toy, wasn’t it? It disgusted him!

His mind decided at that time. He would end his cousin’s life.

 When Hiroyuki walked past him to go to the kitchen, he took the knife out from his pocket and in a flash, stabbed his cousin directly at the heart. Hiroyuki was still able to turn around to look at Ryota. In his last moments, he was still able to slightly fight back by grabbing Ryota’s shoulder then pushing him to the wall, which caused Ryota to push Hiroyuki back to the wall on the other side before Hiroyuki fell dead on the floor.

~~~

“My hands were trembling, Ryohei. I can’t believe what I have just done. I have no backup plan as well. And you…You’re not supposed to see what happened there that night. I got panic when I heard your footsteps going down the stairs. I quickly put on the Joker’s mask, and I decided to just play the villain at that moment. I have no intention of killing you, Ryohei. I will never”. Ryota releases Abe’s jaw. He takes Abe’s right hand and leads it to his back. Abe can feel uneven skin texture. “You did this to me that night, Ryohei. I left the house with a burning back. But I was pleased with it. This is the mark that you left on my body”, Ryota smiles wickedly and kisses Abe’s hand.

Abe shivers. Ryota loves Abe’s reaction. He then moves forward to trail kisses from below Abe’s ears down to his collarbone.

“Ahh~~~”, Abe lets out a delicious moan.

“Hmm…You’re so sensitive. Hiroyuki-niisan really taught you well”, Ryota comments, amused.

 Abe squirms. He doesn’t remember when it started, but what he knows is that he can never say no to his niisan’s requests. Perhaps because he is indebted to the Miyadate family, that he is willing to give his body to pleasure his niisan. And as his niisan said, men have needs. And Abe himself got his needs fulfilled by doing it with his niisan. His niisan never forced him if he didn’t want to, never used the Miyadate’s name to manipulate him into doing it and they always done it safely. He thought it was a silent agreement between both of them.

 Abe tries hard to focus on Ryota’s statements. Ryota is still ravaging his neck. With a shaking voice, he continues to ask, “Ahh~ What about Kitayama-sensei? Why did you kill him?”

Ryota abruptly sits up. “Hmph! He’s the one that was very deserving to die! He made me sick! He did not only hurt you by stealing your hard work, but he also tried to do sick things to you! Just thinking about it irks me!”

 “I knew that he was waiting for you at his condo that night. I got the information from Fuji-kun. So I came to him before his appointment with you and killed him”.

 “About Fuji-kun”, Ryota snickers. “He’s simply beneficial for me. About a month ago, I accidentally caught him in the act of stalking you. He took so many candid photos of you when he was dining at Juicy Diner. At the time, you just complained to me about your sensei’s mischief. I thought it was a blessing. I could use this man to help you. So I approached him – told him that if he wanted to help Ryohei, then he had to help me gain information about the wicked sensei and passed it to Hiroyuki-niisan. I knew that Hiroyuki-niisan will do his best to bring justice to what happened to you. It’s in his character after all”.

 “Remember the day you were attacked inside the police car? That was my plan to deceive the police into thinking Fuji was the killer for both cases. I gave Fuji the Joker idea, to scare you. You don’t know that he had sick fantasies involving you. So I let him do what he want to you. I asked him to share his plans so that I could initiate my own plan afterwards. He came to the diner, I served him a burger, a poisoned one. He must’ve felt betrayed when he saw me on the scene that day. But I don’t care. I knew he was going to die after all”.

 “Stop! Ryota!”, throughout the entire time of Ryota retelling his stories, he managed to unbutton Abe’s shirt and unfasten his belt, pulling down the pants to his thighs. Abe’s attempts to push Ryota away from him are in vain. Ryota is too strong for him. “Then why did you keep the role of the Joker? Why did you keep on scaring me?”

Ryota uses his fingers to trail along Abe’s body from the chest to below the belly. Abe arches his back, feeling the pleasure. “No~”

“Why? Because you look so spicy when you’re scared, Ryohei. Whenever I remembered how you look that night when Hiroyuki-niisan died, I got turned-on. How helpless you look. It excites me! It made me want to protect you and ruin you at the same time”.

Abe is stunned, hearing all of this. He can’t think at this moment. He wishes that a miracle will come his way soon and save him from this predicament. He can feel tears threatening to fall. He brings both his hands up to cover his face. The shock leaves him with no more energy to fight. “Please let me go, Ryota…”

 Ryota hears a clicking sound from the back of his head. He turns around. He is face-to-face with a gun, pointed at him. Then he sees the angry face of Officer Meguro.

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Miyadate Hiroyuki, Kitayama Rintarou and Fuji Ichiro”.

 Ryota sighs. He stands up, facing Meguro. “So this is it? Then it’s game over for me”. Ryota gazes at the coffee table near him. There is a paring knife on it. He dashes to the table to get hold of the knife. He then positions the knife to his neck. Then a gunshot was heard. Meguro shoots Ryota’s arm, dropping the knife to the floor. Ryota screams in pain. “Just kill me, officer. I better off dying than living without seeing Ryohei”.

~~~

When Meguro returned to the house, the house was silent. Maybe it’s his detective instinct, but he decided to look behind Miyadate Ryota’s house first. How shocked he was when he saw the black hooded long jacket and the Joker’s mask on the ground! He tried not to react brashly. He quietly walked to the back of the house and found the back door leading inside through the kitchen, was unlocked. He walked into the house and eventually heard Ryota and Abe’s voices. His eyes widened when he saw the condition Abe was in. But then, it seemed that Ryota was confessing his crimes. So he moved further in, closer to them and recorded the whole happenings until he confessed about his perverted fantasy towards Abe. The two of them were too occupied to even notice that Meguro was there the whole time.

 With that, Miyadate Ryota is arrested and there’ll be no more Joker in Abe’s life.

 It doesn’t take long for the judge to decide on the sentence to be made on Miyadate Ryota.

There was enough evidence, plus, Ryota also plead guilty to the crimes.

 Abe was looking at Ryota sadly. Even though Ryota had hurt him, he still feels sorry for the man. Ryota will always be his best friend, no matter what. When Ryota walks past him, guarded by the police on his sides, Ryota stops. He looks back at Abe and bitterly smiles. “Happy birthday, Ryohei. Come visit me always”.

 27th November – this date will always remind him of the hauntings of the Joker, aside from his birthday.

 Few days after Miyadate Ryota was sent to jail, the police released Abe’s house and his niisan body can now be collected from the morgue. The Miyadate family is obviously devastated with both the death of Hiroyuki and that the perpetrator was actually, Ryota. Still, they prepared a funeral for the late Hiroyuki at their hometown at Edogowa, and Abe invites Meguro to the occasion. “It’s a good opportunity to meet my family”, Abe said.

And when Meguro asked why, he saw the other man blushing. “If you are to be my partner for life, isn’t that the ideal thing to do?”

And Meguro can’t stop himself from pouncing on after that. This man is too cute too handle.

 Abe introduced Meguro to his family as the policeman who helped him during the whole ordeal and now, they had become “friends”. The conversation he had with the family is mainly regarding Ryota’s case. After the funeral, Meguro asked Abe if he wanted to accompany him for a walk first before he excused himself for the day. Abe accepted the invitation. Before they leave the graveyard, Miyadate-san, Abe’s guardian, stopped them. “Meguro-kun, we’ll be having a belated birthday dinner for Ryohei later. Please, stay with us”.

Hmm. Seems like he’ll be staying until dinner then. Meguro accepted. Abe then led him to the park nearby. They strolled around the park, enjoying the scenery and the moment. A date.

~~~

“Happy birthday, Ryohei!”

 Meguro stares lovingly at the smiling Ryohei. The man is now surrounded by the other excited family members, taking turns to take photos of/with him with his birthday cake. The room was decorated with balloons and a banner on the wall which says, “Happy Birthday”.

 “Meguro-kun!”, one of Abe’s cousins calls out to him. “Come here, take a photo with Ryohei”.

Meguro awkwardly walks to Ryohei’s seat.

“Stand behind him, Meguro-kun. Awww don’t be too stiff! Hmm…it’s better if you move to left. Now put your right hand on Ryohei’s right shoulder. Yes! Ok, that’s nice! Ready~ Say Cheese~”

The cousin then hands him the polaroid.

First photo with his beloved. He’s going to treasure this forever.

~~~

The celebration ended pretty late. Meguro didn’t expect to find himself getting comfortable with Ryohei’s family so easily. It’s a warm family, and Meguro hopes that he can build a family like this too in the future.

 Abe accompanies Meguro to the train station. Before they parted ways, Abe thanked Meguro for the day.

“Thank you for coming here today. I’ll be staying here till the weekend. See you in Tokyo next week?”

“We should! Thank you for inviting me too. Your family is so warm and welcoming”.

“I’m glad”. Then Abe looks down shyly. Seems like he wants to do something, but he hesitates.

“Hmm? Anything you want to tell me?”

A peck on Meguro’s cheeks. It was so fast that Meguro thought, did Ryohei just do that?

 “Umm…I hope you don’t mind me doing this…from now on…”, Ryohei’s face is all red now. Ahh this man is so cute that he’ll be the death of me, Meguro thought.

Meguro then brings Ryohei’s head forward, kissing his forehead. This is his reply.

“I’ll text you. See you next week, love. Good night”.

 They waved and parted ways.

~~~

This is a story about obsession. About how dangerous a man could become with obsession. How obsession will ruin and eventually destroy you.

 Do everything in moderation. Don’t love too hard, don’t trust too much, don’t overthink, don’t hold on too tightly. Because that too much, can hurt you so much.

 === FIN ===

[putschki1969]

KEIKO Billboard Live 2023 “CUTLERY” K009・10 

So happy to see that Hikaru came to support Keiko. Yuki Kajiura seems to have come as well.

Keiko Instagram post

If anyone has info on the setlist, please let me know! As always people are being secretive because another set of lives is coming up in Osaka so they don’t wanna spoil the content.

Also, check out this short new promo video which was uploaded yesterday.

[putschki1969]

Wakana 3rd Album Details Revealed & New Artist Visual

Following the little teasers from yesterday, we finally have some concrete news today.

Wakana’s 3rd original album 『そのさきへ』 (“Sono saki he”) will be released physically/digitally on May 31st. The first new album in over 3 years welcomes Satoshi Takebe as producer and is comprised of a total of 10 tracks including the songs “標 (Shirushi)” composed by singer-songwriter Yoshiko Hanzaki, “明日を夢見て歌う(Asu wo Yume Mite Utau)” composed/arranged by Satoshi Takebe with lyrics written by Wakana as well as “Flag”, a character theme song for the mobile app “Memento Mori”. Other songs will be announced at a later date. Please look forward to it.

[Comment from Wakana] This 3rd album “Sono saki he (Beyond this point)” will be the first album in 3 years and 3 months since my previous work “magic moment”. The title of this album came from the desire to “walk towards the future together”. We are all living in the same world, living in the same time. As long as we are alive, we are always moving forward. No matter how sad or painful things are, time won’t stop or wait for us, we can’t stand still. If there are people who feel loneliness in such a time, I want them to remember that they are not alone. I want to make the kind of music that always stays by someone’s side. It’s not an exaggeration but if my music can make you smile, it makes me happier than anything else. With the help of Satoshi Takebe and many other people, I was able to bring my thoughts and feelings to life. While waiting impatiently for the day we can finally release it, we will carefully work on the final details of the album. Please look forward to the finished result! ***Wakana***

【Original 3rd Album『そのさきへ』Product Specification】

[Title]　 そのさきへ [Release date]　2023/05/31 　 Cover images from left to right (Type A, Type B, Regular)

◆First Press Limited Edition Type A（CD+DVD）：VIZL-2189、6,600円 Bonus Content： ●Live DVD「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」（~86min） ＜Setlist＞  01.約束の夜明け, 02.442, 03.オレンジ, 04.夕焼け, 05.myself, 06.時には昔の話を, 07.愛にできることはまだあるかい, 08.君の銀の庭, 09.標, 10.明日を夢見て歌う, 11. Flag, 12. Happy Hello Day, 13.記憶の人, 14. magic moment ※The Christmas songs (Winter Wonderland & Silent Night) are not included

◆First Press Limited Edition Type B（2CD＋Photo booklet＋Poster、LP Sized Package）：VIZL-2190、6,050円 Bonus content： ●LP Sized Package ●LP Sized Photo booklet ●Poster（B2 size) ●LIVE CD with audio tracks of「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」（~86min）※same setlist as the DVD

◆Regular Edition（CD）：VICL-65821、3,300円

Tower Records In-Store Release Events

In commemoration of the release of the new album “Sono Saki he”, two in-store events will be held for the first time in a while at CD shops in Tokyo and Osaka. ◆ [Tokyo] June 10, 19:00- Tower Records Shibuya  ◆ [Osaka] June 17, 14:00- Tower Records Umeda

At both venues, a mini-live and a present handover event will be held. The present will be a signed clear file (A4 size). The mini-live at Tower Records Shibuya on June 10th can be viewed online via teket by all those who purchased at Tower Records nationwide and Tower Records Online. If you can’t watch it in real time, there is also a one-week archive period. ※Starting from May 30, those who purchase a copy of the target product in the target stores will receive a ticket voucher which can be exchanged for a numbered admission ticket to the in-store events (tickets are limited!) ※In addition to the above mentioned benefits, customers will also receive the store specific tokuten postcard

Victor Online Sign Events

To celebrate the release of the new album “Sono Saki he”, two online sign events will be held for those who purchase the album in the Victor Online Store. ◆【1st】 4/16 13h～　BUY HERE　(Pre-order deadline: 4/15)　 ◆【2nd】5/13 17h～　BUY HERE   (Pre-order deadline: 5/12)

As a purchase privilege, you will receive an alternate version of the “Sono Saki he” cover with a different visual depending on the day. This cover image will be signed by Wakana and include a personal reference with your chosen nickname. Both events will be broadcast on YouTube and archived until April 23, May 20 respectively. ※The store specific tokuten postcard will NOT be included

Store Specific Tokuten

In addition, there will be a first-come-first-served purchase privilege for the new album “Sono Saki he” in nationwide store. Those who purchase the album at “Animate”,  “Gamers”, “Tower Records”, “HMV”, “TSUTAYA RECORDS”, “Rakuten Books”, “Seven Net Shopping” or “Victor Online Store” will receive a “Wakana Visual Postcard” as present. Those who purchase at “Amazon.co.jp” will receive a “Mega Jacket/Cover”.

Fan Club Exclusive Tokuten

For members of Wakana’s official fan club “Botanical Land”, there will be special presents for those who order a specified copy. Fan club members will receive a CD with a live audio track of “Nagareboshi” which was performed during the fan club exclusive ending section of 「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」 as well as a photo card (A5 size) with an autograph. Preorder period: 2023/3/15～4/14. More details HERE. ※Specified copies are sold in the Victor Online Store ※The store specific tokuten postcard will be included

Photoshoot Offshots

Wakana Instagram post

[jannah1721]

Binary Star

This is a fanfiction, meaning that all events and occurrences in this story are all fictional and all are part of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual life events and people, living or dead, are all purely coincidence. I am not, in any way, affiliated to Snow Man members or Johnny’s Entertainment so I do not own the Snow Man members mentioned in my fanfiction.

________________________________________________________________

The roar of a monster echoes through the room. There was a huge black colored, hideous creature in the middle of a magic circle, chained to the floor. “How dare you want to break our agreement! After all that I’ve done for you! I gave you wealth & everything else for the betterment of your own life! Now you want to betray me! AGGHHHHH!” The monster screamed in pain again.

 A man in his 60s was standing in front of the creature. “It can’t be helped. No matter how evil I am as a person, I still have love, at least for my family. If I don’t do this, you will go to my heirs after I’m gone. Let me be the only one who was led astray. I don’t want my heritage to continue this evil deed. I want to protect them! Be thankful that I’m only going to trap you inside nothingness for now. I could kill you. But if I do that, I’ll die immediately too. Because that was our deal. I bind my soul to you.” A pause. “The doctor said I have 3 more months to live. And I’m going to spend the rest of my time in peace with my family. I’m going to reveal everything to my family & then I’m going to ask them to burn this box together during my funeral. We could vanish together then” The man then continues reciting some spells.

 In its weakened state, the monster managed to shout, “Curse you! Curse you & your whole family for generations! AGHHHHH!!!” Finally, the monster turns into a matter which got sucked into a box. The man close the box quickly & let out a relieved sigh.

 He turned around to put the box on top of the table. Unfortunately, he suddenly collapsed back to the floor. A heart attack it seemed. With little of his energy left, he swiftly grabbed the box on the floor & went near a wall in front. There was a little crack, like a mouse’s house, on the wall & he fit the box inside. When that’s done, he laid on his back. His vision started to blur. “Oh God, is this my punishment?” A single tear dropped. And his breathing…stopped.

  Title: Binary Star

 *Present day*

 “…in which two stars orbit around a common centre of mass, that is, they are gravitationally bound to each other. Understand?”

 Abe Ryohei. A sophomore at Fukazawa University in Hokkaido, majoring in Astronomy. He is currently in the middle of a lecture. The female lecturer in front is explaining the concept of binary star system & what if the Earth orbited a binary star system.

 “Next class, we will discuss about Accretion, ok? Thank you everyone! Have a good day!” The lecturer exits the lecture hall, followed by rows of students.

 Abe closes his notebook & let out a sigh. He then suddenly being engulfed in a hug & pink hair appears in his vision. “Abe-chan~~~ There’s no afternoon class today so let’s go have lunch at that new café in Otaru!” This guy is Sakuma Daisuke. He is Abe’s best friend since high school. Even though they are quite opposite in personality as Sakuma is a loud person & Abe is more reserved, Abe is thankful to meet Sakuma as his bubbly personality greatly helped Abe during his lowest times. Sakuma is also majoring in Astronomy so they both have same classes.

 Abe smiled but then put both of his hands together, as if to apologize, “Sorry, Sakuma! I have club activities in an hour. So I’m just going to grab lunch at the canteen. I’ll join you next time, ok?”

“Ahh I see. It’s ok! I’ll just invite Koji today! We can go to another café next time, ok? There are lots of new exciting cafes opening around the city! Hehe see ya, Abe-chan!” With that, Sakuma hopped his way out the lecture hall.

 Abe decided to get Yakisoba for lunch today. He then goes to an empty table & enjoys his meal.

 “Can I sit here?”

 Abe looks up. “Sure! Fukka, you didn’t go back yet? I thought you have no other classes today”

 This is Fukazawa Tatsuya. A third year, majoring in Architecture. He is actually the son of this university’s Chancellor! He is widely known as “Fukka”. Fukka is Abe’s roommate in the campus apartment. Yes, even though Fukka is the son of the Chancellor, his parents brought him up like common people. He is not arrogant at all & never flaunt his family’s wealth on any occasions. As for living in the apartment, it was Fukka himself who begged his father to let him stay on campus. Fukka wants to experience an independent campus life, just like other students. Fukka can be quite crazy at times but he’s always in his best behaviour in public, as to not jeopardized his family name.

 “I have a meeting for a group project later. We’ll meeting up at the Student Centre” Fukka answered, then started feasting on his Spaghetti Bolognese. Abe nods & continue eating.

 “Umm…Abe-chan…Your friend who’s with you during the event last week…Umm…Iwamoto-san, if I’m not mistaken?” Ahh Abe knows where this conversation is going. He just play along, “Ahh yes! Hikaru! So, what about him?”

 *Flashback*

 Abe is very much invested in Astronomy that he also joined the Astronomy club in the university. Last week, they had an event in campus to showcase the charms of the club. It was of course, run smoothly & they even obtained few new members into the club.

 Iwamoto Hikaru is a sophomore like him, but majoring in Theatre Studies. Also like him, Hikaru has a strong fascination towards any objects beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Which is why he joined the Astronomy Club - to be directly involved in astronomical events. Even though he didn’t learn in depth since he’s not majoring in Astronomy, knowing in brief & experiencing each astronomical event is satisfying enough for him.

 The event ended pretty late last week. While Abe & his team were busy packing up, Fukka came by their booth with two cups of bubble tea. “Good job, Abe-chan! Here, a sweet bubble tea to cheer you up after a long day!” Fukka handed Abe one cup. Supposedly, the other cup was for Fukka himself. However, at that moment, Hikaru came next to Abe to inform which stuffs to be brought back to the club room & which stuffs to be disposed of. Abe saw Fukka staring at his friend, with stars in his eyes. “Umm..This is for you!” Fukka shyly handed over the other bubble tea to Hikaru. Abe made a face.

 “Eh? For me?” Hikaru received the drink, nevertheless. Abe saw their hands touched.

“Yes! Good work today! Hehe”

“Thanks! I’ll gladly accept this 😊”

Both Hikaru & Fukka giggled while looking eye to eye.

 *Flashback ends*

 Fukka has been single for a year now but Abe knew his previous partner. He can now confirmed Fukka’s preference.

 “Umm…is he in a relationship?”, Fukka asked.

“Hmm…I’m not sure, we don’t really talk about personal things”

“Ohh I see…” Fukka looked a little upset with Abe’s reply.

“But if you want to see him, you can go to the gym on campus. He was hired as a trainer there. You can check the gym’s SNS to know the schedule”

Fukka brightened up. “Ehh? He’s a gym trainer?! No wonder he has a nice build” Abe can literally see Fukka melting.

“He is! What would you know? You never went to the gym anyway! Hahaha!” Abe teased.

Fukka pout & made a gesture as if he want to throw things at Abe. “Abe-chan! Don’t tease me! Meany!”

“Hehe well, good luck! If you decide to go to the gym, don’t injure yourself trying to flirt the trainer” Abe teased again & Fukka hissed.

Time flies by so fast when you’re having fun. After they finished their lunch, they went their separate ways.

“See you tonight, Fukka!” They wave goodbye & Abe goes to the club room.

 “On April 20, a Hybrid solar eclipse will occur. This is a rare phenomenon as the last time it happened was in 2005! Then there is also Lyrids meteor shower, peaked on 22nd-23rd April! We should search for a clear space so we can gather around to see these events together! Feel free to name your suggestions then we’ll vote which venue will be the most appropriate & convenient for all”, said the club president, Matsumura Hokuto.

“Yes, sir!”

“That’s it for today everyone! The last one to left the room don’t forget to switch off the lights, yep!” The club President left. The others left one by one after cleaning up until only Hikaru & Abe are left.

“You can go first, Hikaru. I want to continue with my research for a while more.”

“Ahh ok” Hikaru stands up. But it looks like he wanted to say something, but hesitated.

“Hmm? Is there anything you want to say?”, Abe questioned.

Hikaru squirmed. “Umm…It’s that…About your roommate…The Chancellor’s son…”

 Abe was screaming excitedly inside his head. Like Wow! What a coincidence! Both Fukka & Hikaru asked about each other to him exactly on the same day! The stars must be aligned for them!

 “Yes? What about him?” Abe forced himself not to smile so much.

“Umm…Do you know which gym he goes to?” The good thing about Hikaru is that he is straightforward. He didn’t try to hide his crush for Fukka at all.

“Hah? He didn’t go to any gym! Hahaha! Not everyone is as health conscious & wants to build muscles like we do”, Abe joked. “But he told me that he wanted to try hitting the gym soon. I can recommend you as his trainer, if you don’t mind”

“Yes please! Hehe it would be a great pleasure to be the personal trainer for a Chancellor’s son!”

“Oh stop it! You just want to flirt with the said Chancellor’s son, aren’t you?” After giggling, all of a sudden, Abe makes a stern face. “I don’t mind you flirting with him but don’t hurt him, ok? Countless others also want him for all the wrong reasons. I hope you’re not one of them”

 Abe has witnessed a lot other men & women, talking about their desires of obtaining Fukka behind his back. Fukka not only has the status & wealth, but he’s also pretty, charming, kind-hearted & easy to approach – a full package. And people want to take advantage of him. Fukka had told him that he has trust issues, so it would be hard for him to open up his heart for another relationship after his last one.

 Hikaru nods in understanding. “I promise you, Abe-chan. If he feel the same towards me, I won’t let him go & I won’t hurt him. Ever.”

“Urghh I can’t believe you can be so cheesy! Doesn’t fit your image at all! Now go! You’re scheduled at the gym tonight, don’t you?” Abe shooed him while jokingly making a disgusted face.

“Haha yeah! Thanks Abe-chan! Don’t stay too late! The hallway is creepy at night! See ya!” With a wave, Hikaru left the room.

 It was about 9pm when Abe finally decided to end his research for the day. “I’m so hungry”, he whined. Abe packs up his things, switches off the heater & lights then close the door & locked it. He makes his way to the convenient store in campus. He can already imagine eating a delicious spicy seafood flavored instant ramen.

 His tummy is now full & happily, he goes back to his apartment. Arriving in front of the door, he rummaged around inside of his bag for his keys. “Hmm?” He grabs his pencil case. The keychain on the zipper is broken. He hung the apartment keys on the zipper of his pencil case. “Oh My God! Seriously, Ryohei?” Abe facepalmed himself. “How come I didn’t realize it when I was packing up just now? Huh…But at least I know it must be in the club room” So he goes back to the Faculty of Science building.

 The time is now 10pm. He tells the security guard that he’s fetching his apartment keys which he has forgotten in the club room. The security guard tells him to be quick. With most lights already switched off in the hallways, Abe can feel the creepiness like Hikaru mentioned before. He quickly unlocks the club room & finds his keys on the floor near the desk he used before. “Ahh there you are!” He scoots down to fetch it. Then, from the side of his eye, he sees something shining on the wall. He turns his head towards it & sees a crack, the size of a mouse’s house probably. And there’s something inside the wall.

 Abe puts his apartment keys inside his bag first before he stretches out his hands inside the wall until he can feel that he has touched the thing. He pulls it out. It’s a small metal box. “Hmm? Has this been here all this while?” Abe coughs as he brushes the dust on the box. He then examined the box – red, with beautiful, intricate designs on it. He then opens the box. Empty. Somehow he feel dissatisfied. For a moment there he was excited if he had somehow discovered a treasure or something. He put the box inside the drawer & left the room.

 Unknown to him, he had just released a vengeful, ancient spirit loose. And the story of Abe being haunted, begins.

 Abe is thankful he has his morning free the next day. He suddenly feels a bit under the weather & his body is sore. “Oh my God! Why? I didn’t go to the gym last night though..” He drags himself out of bed to the kitchen. At the kitchen, he feels like he saw Fukka’s back from the window, standing in front of the washing machine on the veranda. He goes to open the door to the veranda. “Good morning Fukka! I thought you have…class…” But when he goes out onto the veranda, there is no one there. Abe feels like the air turns cold all of a sudden. “Haha I must be too tired. Let’s have a shower then I’ll fully wake up” Abe tries to calm himself down & goes back inside.

 The rest of the day goes uneventfully until the end of Abe’s evening class. The class is set in a lecture hall on the 3rd floor & it ends at 8pm. As there were numerous students waiting for the elevator, Abe decided to just take the stairs to not waste time. As his mind is occupied by thinking what to eat for dinner, he suddenly feels as if there is someone pushing him down the stairs. Thankfully, there is someone below who managed to capture him in time. “Oh My God! Are you ok? Be careful yeah”

 The sick feeling is bugging him once again.

 Abe believes that this week might be his unlucky week. He wakes up with a strong migraine the following day. He sends a text to Sakuma that he wont be attending the lecture today & asks him for today’s lecture notes. Sakuma replies with “Get well soon, Abe-chan! I’ll come over after lunch!” Abe falls asleep again.

 Abe wakes up at around 11am now to the smell of cooking. Then, Fukka enter his room. “Sakuma said you’re unwell. Here, I made chicken porridge” Fukka put the porridge on top of Abe’s small moving table & move it near the bed. Fukka put his hand on Abe’s forehead to check his temperature. “Doesn’t seem like you have a fever. Thank goodness. Don’t be too hard on yourself Abe-chan. You must be too stressed out about the assignments or something. Now come, eat. You want me to feed you?”

Abe giggled. “I’m not a kid, Fukka. Thanks for checking up on me.”

“Finish it ok?” Fukka smiles & went out of the room.

 Sakuma arrives at around 2pm. Fukka didn’t have any afternoon class today so Fukka is at the apartment today too. “Abe-chan! How are you feeling? Here are the notes from today’s classes & here are some fruits for you!” The moment Sakuma enters the apartment, the atmosphere turns lively.

 “I’m feeling better Sakuma but still a bit dizzy. Thank you so much Sakuma. 😊”

“Wahhh Fukka is here too! No class?” Sakuma greets Fukka when he enters the living room.

“Yeah. And I’m worried about Abe-chan as well so I went straight here after my morning class. Now that you’re here, why not we play some games?”

“NICE! We haven’t played together for some time haven’t we?” Sakuma puts his bag on the floor, pull out his Nintendo Switch & sit on the sofa next to Fukka. “Splatoon 3?”

“Roger!”

When Fukka & Sakuma are engrossed in their game, you can’t disturb them at all. Abe shakes his head & goes to the kitchen.

 Abe takes the fruits Sakuma brought & cut them into smaller slices. After that he goes to the cupboard to pull out a tea set. When he is fetching the plates & cups, he sees a shadow pass by from the corner of his eye. But when he turns, there is nothing there. Again, the sick feeling creeps up on him once more.

 Abe turns his attention back to the cupboard, fetching the teapot this time. Next, when he turns on his back, he sees a huge black colored, hideous creature in front of him that he instantly screams out loud & the pot falls from his hand & breaks. The sound from the kitchen makes Fukka & Sakuma rush to Abe’s side.

“Abe-chan! What happened? Are you ok?” Fukka calls out.

 Abe is hugging himself on the floor, his body shaking heavily. Sakuma envelopes him into an embrace & soothes his back. “Hey, it’s ok, it’s ok. I’m here. We’re here.” Abe couldn’t utter any words. He grips Sakuma’s shirt so tightly & cries out loud. “Hey it’s ok. It’s ok. No worries, Fukka will clean this up. Come, stand up. Let’s get you back to your room. Careful of the shards” Sakuma help Abe stands up & carefully bring him back into the room.

 “Sakuma, can you sleep here with me tonight? I’m afraid.” Abe begged Sakuma, with a tearful face.

“I’m not sure what are you afraid of Abe-chan. I believe it is all in your head. But ok, I will stay here tonight. Let me just fetch my stuffs from my apartment, ok? And I’ll have to tell Koji I wont be back tonight” Sakuma replies in a soft tone.

Abe hugs Sakuma once again. “Thank you again, Sakuma”

 No other happenings occur throughout the day.

 Abe wakes up to the sound of his alarm. 8am. He slept well last night.

 All three of them ended up sleeping in Abe’s room. Abe notices that Fukka is already up. He wakes Sakuma up, who is still sleeping soundly on the futon. “Sakuma, wake up. Class at 9. Freshen up & eat breakfast. Come on”

Sakuma pulls the blanket further up, covering his whole head. “Hmm…5 more minutes” It seems like Sakuma & Fukka slept late because they were busy playing games last night. Abe pulls down Sakuma’s blanket. Sakuma groans. “Ughhh why are you doing this. Let me sleep.”

Abe shakes his head. “Make sure you wake up after I’m done showering.”

 When Abe returns, Sakuma is already sitting on his bed, rubbing his eyes. Futon already folded neatly. “Morning, Abe-chan~”

Sakuma looks so cute. Abe can’t suppress himself from pinching Sakuma’s cheeks. “Morning cutie pie. Now go take a shower.” Sakuma stands up, puts his towel on his shoulder & walks out of the room with his eyes closed.

 Abe walks out of his room to the aroma of coffee. There are toasts on the dining table, all prepared by Fukka. “Good morning, Fukka”

“Good morning, Abe-chan. Feeling good?” Fukka pour out the coffee from the pot on 3 cups.

“So much. Thanks for yesterday”

“No problem. You scared us yesterday though. Don’t do that again. I really think you need to chill back & relax from time to time. You’re always busy even during weekends”, Fukka scolds him.

“Alright, mom. I’ll take your advice into consideration”, Abe replies, trying to brighten up the mood.

“Good”

They sit facing each other & start eating.

 Sakuma walks out, fresh & ready for the day. He sing-song while approaching the dining table. “Fukka makes toast~Ahh smells so good~”

“Sit & eat now Sakuma”, Abe drags him to his seat.

“Oh by the way! Hikaru told me to remind you about your club appointment at the planetarium today.”

Abe almost chokes on his food. He stares at Fukka, “Wow! Already getting familiar, huh? He could just text me directly, but he chose to ask you to remind me. Unbelievable!”

“Shut up! He probably didn’t want to disturb you because I told him you were unwell yesterday”, Fukka replies, blushing.

“Ok Ok~Whatever you said~”

“Ehh? What? What? Who reminds who?”

Fukka push the remaining of Sakuma’s toast into Sakuma’s mouth, “Hurry up! We’ll be late!”

 Abe is the 3rd person to arrive at Sapporo Science Centre today. The president didn’t want to spend the budget on getting a bus so everyone just go by themselves after classes or prior engagements. Two female club members had arrived very early so they could visit the museum first. The planetarium appointment is at 3pm.

 Hikaru arrives after him. They fist bump. “Are you feeling well now?”, Hikaru asked, a little worry on his face.

“I’m good. Thank you. Congratulations on getting to know Fukka”, he smirks.

“Ahh that…Hehe he visited the gym that very night, I was so shocked! I was so nervous I felt like my heart was going to burst”, Hikaru scratches the back of his non-itchy head.

Abe chuckled. “I’m happy for you.”

 When the time is nearly 3pm, quite a long line is formed to enter the planetarium. The door opens exactly at 3pm then everybody takes their seats. Planetarium is a relaxing place, where you can see the starry sky & observe the planets closely. Abe is thankful that the president arranges this trip where he can study & relax at the same time.

 After he makes himself comfortable in his seat, he is suddenly overcome by a feeling as if someone is watching him. He turns back. There is a man, looks younger than him, with a techno haircut, dresses in a black overall, staring at him. Even after Abe looks at him, the man is still staring intently at him. The man didn’t even blink. Abe turns his head back to the front. Abe feels uncomfortable now. Hikaru on his right side, excitedly whispered, “This place is beautiful! You think I can take Fukka here for a date later?”

At least that boosted Abe’s mood a bit. “Shh! Be quiet! The show is starting.”

 The projection ended after about half an hour. It was surreal. Abe feels like he didn’t want the show to end. Everyone in the Astronomy Club gathers in front of the building, still feeling overwhelmed by the projection before. The president claps his hands for attention, “Everyone! It’s so healing, isn’t it? Glad that all of you enjoyed it. I just received this news. It’s quite abrupt but we are invited by the Director of the National Space Agency for dinner tonight. It will be an intimate dinner between just our club & some of their VVIPs. Seems like they are interested on our achievements since the previous years” The president proudly smiles. “So guys, I’ll text you guys the address soon. Please come if you don’t have any prior engagements. Dressed your best tonight. I’ll see you later, ok?”

 After they bid farewell to each other, they go their separate ways. Abe is about to go to the direction of the subway but then he sees a familiar figure of a man, standing near the entrance of the building, looking straight at him. He quickly turns back to Hikaru, “Hikaru! Umm…how did you came here? By subway? By car?”

“By car. Why?”

“Umm…can you help send me back to the campus? Uhh…” Abe is searching for an excuse. “Ahh! We can go to your place first, fetch all your things for tonight! You can change your clothes at my apartment & we can go together later! It’s my apartment! You can see Fukka! What do you say?” The idea is jumble up on his head & he’s afraid that Hikaru won’t understand what he said but thankfully, it seems like hearing Fukka’s name is all he needs to get a green light from Hikaru. Thanks Fukka! Abe let out a sigh of relief & hop into Hikaru’s passenger seat. Even from the window of Hikaru’s car, Abe still gets a glimpse of the man, still standing near the building’s entrance, still staring at him as they drive away.

 “Abe-chan! I think you will look good in this!”, Fukka offer him a denim top. “I bought this before because I like oversized tops but this one doesn’t really suit me. However, you will look perfect in this! Here, take it!”

 Abe put the top on. He must say he likes it. It’s a denim top with 3 white lace floral patches on the right side & a small pocket on the left side. There are frills on both shoulders & sleeves. Looks feminine, but it doesn’t look out of place for him. He matches it with a bell bottom jeans. He does his hair & put on a little make up after that.

 Abe goes out to the living room, finished dressing up a little after 7.30pm. The dinner is at 8pm & the location is not that far away from the campus. Few minutes later, both Hikaru & Fukka emerges from Fukka’s room. Hikaru looks dashing in a full grey colored business suit, with a simple white shirt inside & a galaxy patterned necktie. Hikaru also smells good. A combination of green apple & mint leaves scent. A masculine scent.

 Fukka whistle. “Gorgeous! You never knew that you actually look amazing in laces & frills, aren’t you, Abe-chan?”

“I like it so much. Thanks Fukka”

“Have a pleasant dinner, you two. Don’t come back too late. Remember the campus has a curfew at midnight.” Fukka reminded while helping Hikaru puts on his trench coat.

“Hmm…Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I send Abe-chan home before 12am. However…” Hikaru moves his face closer to Fukka. Then he continued in a seductive tone, “Say, I send him back exactly at 12. I can’t go back home. Will you let me stay here?”

A blushing Fukka slaps Hikaru’s shoulder & points at Abe. Abe makes a face.

“Eww! Don’t flirt in front of me! Come on! We have to go! Bye Fukka!” Abe quickly gestures Hikaru to put on his shoes & push him out of the apartment.

 Abe & Hikaru arrive at the National Space Agency event hall. They are welcomed by the Director himself. “Most of your friends are already here. Please, enjoy the dinner.”

 The inside of the event hall is spectacular. Chandeliers on high ceilings, marble tiles & walls & big pillars. Abe can see their club president & the vice president are talking with a group of VVIPs while the rest of the members are scattered around the hall. Some are eating, some are chatting & some are viewing the exhibit about space exploration at a small corner of the hall. Abe separates from Hikaru to mingle around with the people from the agency as he wants to listen to their working experience for his knowledge.

 A little after 9pm, Abe had enjoyed the foods & currently walking around the small exhibit. In the middle of the exhibit, there are 2 portraits on canvas. One of it is a stunning painting of the Milky Way while the other one is a painting of a silhouette of a man, looking up at the sky, covered by white curtains. Abe feels a tightness in his chest when he looks at the latter’s painting. It feels as if it was him in the painting.

 “Meguro-san, glad that you’re able to come tonight. Please, enjoy the dinner” Abe turns around to the entrance. He recognized this Meguro-san as the man that he saw earlier today but more dazzling. The man is dressed up in glittering black suit, as if he’s a walking luminary. Abe is mesmerized by the appearance of this man that he keeps on looking until the said man has his eyes on him. Abe moves his gaze away. Abe had goosebumps all over. Suddenly he doesn’t feel well. He makes his way to the washroom.

 Abe feels like he wants to puke but nothing comes out. He tries to calm himself & wash his face in hopes that it will cool him down. The door to the washroom opens. Abe sees the reflection of this Meguro-san from the mirror. Abe didn’t feel any threats coming from the man but he still keep his guard up. Meguro saunters towards Abe & asked, “Afraid?”

Abe turns around, “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so. But I do know you.”

“I don’t understand.”

Meguro takes a deep breath. “Alright, listen. My name is Meguro Ren. My profession is as a painter. I’m from Tokyo & I came here in search of inspiration. Promise me that whatever you that you see & listen from me next, you won’t freak out.” Meguro raise his right hand, “I swear, everything that I’ll tell you, is the truth & that you should believe me.”

Abe is speechless for a moment but then he said, “I can’t promise you. But I shall agree to listen to what you have to offer.”

 Meguro pulls out his phone from his pants’ pocket. He presents Abe the photos from his gallery. The first photo is the painting that he saw at the exhibit before – the silhouette of a man gazing at the sky. “I’m the creator of this painting. I finished this painting 3 months ago. This is my masterpiece. Numerous art collectors came to me, even offered me a high price for this painting, but this is not for sale. I only rent them at certain exhibitions for certain times.”

 Meguro swipes his phone for the next photo. Abe gasps when he sees the painting. “This. Is the first painting I made when I arrived in Hokkaido last 2 weeks. This image appeared on my mind & I converted the image into a painting. At this time, I didn’t know there is a real person with this face yet.” The painting is of Abe, sitting at a café alone while reading a book titled Ringworld by Larry Niven. There is a Kit-Kat flavored donut & a cup of coffee on the table. Abe confirmed in his head, as he remembered visiting the café & ordering the dishes as displayed in the painting.

 Meguro moves to the next photo. A painting of Abe surrounded by butterflies & flowers. The in-campus event that the Astronomy Club had last week, was held near the flower garden. During break time, Abe decided to enter the garden. As he was standing near the lavenders area, he was surrounded by a group of butterflies. “I saw you. At that garden. Last week”, Meguro said. “But believe me, I finished the painting first before I saw the real thing” Abe gets a sick feeling in his stomach again.

 “But you see. These next paintings, I painted them unconsciously. I’m not sure how to explain it. It was as if I was in a trance, then my body moved on its own & I could only register the image when the painting is finished. This one, I painted it 3 days ago.” Meguro shows him a painting of a man falling down the stairs. Abe confirmed once again, it was him. From the clothes he wore that day. “And this one, 2 days ago.” The next one is a painting of Abe, with shards of broken pot on the floor. “Do these things happened to you these days?”

 Abe gulps. He didn’t answer. He only stares at Meguro with wide eyes.

 Meguro continues, “And yesterday, I drew this.” Meguro shows him a painting of Abe on the ground, a pool of blood around his head, a boxed signboard falls down on the ground & there are people surrounding the scene. From the looks of the place, it is at the outside of this very event hall. A drop of tear falls from Abe’s eyes.

 Abe didn’t say anything at all. He moves away from Meguro & leaves the washroom. Back at the event hall, Abe finds Hikaru chattering with one of the club members. Abe taps Hikaru’s shoulder, “Sorry to bother you, Hikaru. I don’t feel well. Can we go home now?” Hikaru turns around & alarmed seeing Abe’s pale face. He nods, “It’s ok. I’m just going to the washroom for a bit. Wait for me yeah” Abe smiles & nods.

 A few moments later, he heard someone shout, “Look! Jupiter is very visible tonight! Come here guys!”

Everyone then walks out to from the event hall to witness the beauty of a shining Jupiter, visible on the clear night sky. All of a sudden, Abe could feel a cold breeze pass by & he heard the sound of a dangling metal. “LOOK OUT!” Abe is pushed aside by Meguro. The boxed signboard hanging on top of Abe falls down on the ground. Screams from the ladies echoing. Everyone’s attention now moves to Abe & Meguro. The Director runs towards them, “Oh My God! Are you guys ok? Thank God it doesn’t fall on you! Oh God! I apologized for this! I will request for an inspection on the sign boards around the facility soon. I’m very sorry again for this traumatic experience.”

 Hikaru enters the scene the moment the Director starts apologizing so he is wondering what has happened. “Abe-chan? Abe-chan! Are you alright?” Abe looks like he is still stunned by what happened, so he doesn’t react to Hikaru’s question at all. Hikaru places his right hand in front of Abe, as if urging him to take it, “Come. Let’s go home”, Hikaru said in a soft voice. Abe finally looks up to him & takes his hand. Abe moves down one step of the stairs before his left hand is grabbed by Meguro. Meguro has this painful look in his eyes, as if begging him to stay. “Abe-kun…May I…send you back home?”

 “Hmm? Who is this, Abe-chan?” Hikaru questioned, looking Meguro up & down.

Abe turns towards Meguro again. “You can follow us home. But I’m going with Hikaru.”

It’s a silent invitation but Meguro understands. He nods.

 *Flashback*

 Meguro lost his grandfather half a year ago. His grandfather is one of the people most dear to him as his grandfather taught him many life lessons & was the closest to him compared to his mother & father. Understandably, he was in a state of depression for weeks after his grandfather passed away. But he realized post-haste that life must go on. His grandfather must have wanted him to triumph in life & his career. So about 3 months ago, he told his parents that he would be travelling to Fukuoka in search of inspiration. His parents saw his determination & gave him their blessings.

 For the first few days of his arrival in Fukuoka, he stayed at a beautiful ryokan in the woods. It’s a ryokan but with a western bed. It’s not that he doesn’t like sleeping on futon. But if he is given a choice, he would prefer bed over futon. On the first night, he paced around his room for ideas after dinner. “Aghhhh! I can’t think of anything!” He collapsed on the bed & unexpectedly fell asleep.

 Meguro was awoken by the sound of a knock. He didn’t remember switching off the lights though. There was a bedside lamp. He switched it on. He saw a silhouetted figure standing in front of his room from the reflection of the wooden sliding door. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel scared but instead, he felt tranquil. It didn’t register in his mind where this man came from & how he was able to enter the room. Meguro walks to open the sliding door.

 He was met face to face with a young man with a soft face, only slightly shorter than him. Meguro examined the man’s face a little more. Droopy eyes & slim lips which is so kissable, considering that the man was opening his mouth a little, as if really expecting a kiss. Meguro was bedazzled by this beautiful man in front of him that he can’t even utter a single word. With no reaction from Meguro, the man moves inside the room. Meguro followed each & every movement of this beauty.

 The said beautiful man stopped in front of the bedside lamp. Now Meguro could see clearly what the man was wearing. The man then seductively opened each & every button of his black, sheer silk shirt, without breaking eye contact with Meguro. The man then took off his shirt & place it on top of the lamp, making the light dimmer & the atmosphere suddenly turned sensual.

 The man was now left with his silk boxer shorts. He went to Meguro who was still standing near the sliding door & pulled him inside the room. The man then pushed Meguro to the bed & jumped on top of Meguro. Next, the man caressed Meguro’s face & brought his head forward, closer. The man closed his eyes. He brought his face closer…And closer…Now Meguro can feel the man’s breath on his face.

 Meguro woke up. He looked around. The lights were still on & the room condition was just like before. “What the heck? A wet dream? Ughhh…” But somehow, even after he woke up, he still remembered clearly the face of the man in the dream. That was Meguro’s first “encounter” with Abe Ryohei.

 That dream inspired him to work on his next painting. At first, Meguro only drew a portrait of the man gazing at the stars but then he pondered, this man is still a mystery. Meguro never met this man before - he was not sure if the man was just his imagination of a desired partner, or was there any other meanings behind it. Meguro heard a song playing in the background of a TV show, which stirred him to add the details to the painting.

 = Whoever is staying in my imagination, is still covered in veil =

 Meguro added white curtains over the portrait of the man. The end result, is the painting of the silhouette man gazing at the sky – Meguro Ren’s masterpiece.

 He went back to Tokyo & started exhibiting his artworks soon after. His artworks & exhibitions mostly received positive reviews from visitors, those who appreciate arts, as well as collectors. He felt pretty content with his current life until two weeks ago, when he suddenly had the urge to travel to Hokkaido. As if his mind has a life & voice of its own, it keeps bugging Meguro to go to Hokkaido as soon as possible. It has proven to be the right decision to make. As Meguro will finally be able to solve the mystery surrounding the man in his masterpiece painting.

 *Flashback ends*

 Hikaru & Abe arrive back to the apartment at around 10.30pm. Meguro parked his car next to Hikaru’s. Hikaru bombarded Abe with questions on the way back but Abe is tired. He promised Hikaru that he would explain everything when they arrive home.

 Fukka is in the living room, watching some TV show when he heard the entrance door unlocks. “Hey guys! You’re back early…Umm…Abe-chan?” Fukka is stopped by Abe hugging him. “Abe-chan, what’s wrong? Hikaru? Oh…who’s this?” Fukka points at Meguro with his left hand while he soothes Abe’s back with his right hand. Abe removes himself from Fukka. Fukka then realizes Abe got puffy eyes. “Hey, have you been crying? What happened here? Can someone explain?”

 Meguro clears his throat. “My name is Meguro Ren. A painter from Tokyo & I was invited to the dinner just now by the Director of the National Space Agency. I rented some of my paintings for their exhibition.” Fukka nods in understanding. Meguro’s hand softly reaches out to Abe’s left arm from the back which startles Abe. “Abe-kun was nearly met with an accident back there. But I managed to save him in time. That’s why he brought me here”, Meguro explained steadily.

 “No wonder you were crying! You must be shocked, right? Thankfully you have Meguro-san right here. Ahh, I’m Fukazawa Tatsuya! Call me Fukka! I’m Abe-chan’s roommate. I’ll make you guys some tea so please come in. Abe-chan, too. Come on, sit there” Fukka drags Abe to sit on the living room’s sofa. Meguro & Hikaru proceed to remove their shoes & enter the living room as well.

 “I’m Iwamoto Hikaru. 2nd year, Theatre student. Thank you for saving Abe-chan back there”, Hikaru stretches his hand towards Meguro, for a handshake.

Meguro accepted. “No problem”

Meguro chooses to sit on the sofa facing Abe. He monitors Abe’s movements. Abe can feel the stare that was thrown towards him & when he looks up, he is already making eye contact with Meguro. Abe lowers his gaze after a second. “Umm…I’m Abe Ryohei, 2nd year, majoring in Astronomy. Thank you very much for your help. I’m sorry if I…didn’t make you feel welcome here. I…I’m still…”

“It’s ok. I understand that it’s quite a traumatic experience since it would cause a serious fatality if the sign board did fall on you”

“A WHAT?!” Fukka shouts from the kitchen & get out from there for a moment. “God loves you, Abe-chan. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Tell me the rest of the story later!” He goes back into the kitchen.

Meguro changes the topic a bit so that everyone can hear the story later. “Fukazawa? Fukka-san! Are you somehow related to this Fukazawa University?”

“He’s the Chancellor’s son”, Hikaru answered for Fukka.

“Ehh? The Chancellor’s son living in a campus apartment?”

“Long story Meguro-san”, Fukka enters the living room with 4 cups of tea & some snacks & biscuits. “Now, story time~”

 Meguro intentionally omitted the parts about his prediction paintings. As all of them comfortably getting to know each other, they didn’t realize that the clock has struck 12am.

 “Oh my God! It’s already past 12am! Very sorry, Meguro-san. The campus has a curfew at 12 so you won’t be able to return home for the night. We have futon so maybe you & Hikaru can sleep in the living room-“

“Meguro-san can sleep in my room”, Abe cuts Fukka’s suggestion. Everyone’s attention is on him now. “Umm…I mean…There’s something more that I want to ask Meguro-san. About his career & how he’s also interested in Astronomy. You know I’m so engrossed in Astronomy stuffs, right?” Abe winks a little, to both Fukka & Hikaru.

“Ahh~But is Meguro-san ok with it?” Fukka asked.

“I don’t mind”, Meguro answered.

“Hmm alright but don’t sleep too late yeah. Pardon our Abe-chan yeah Meguro-san. He is so obsessed with Astronomy that he might interrogate you non-stop!”

“Hahaha it’s ok. I can see his desire for knowledge. I like smart people” It was supposed to be a casual remark but Abe blushes, nonetheless.

 “But you’re gonna sleep here”, Fukka playfully said to Hikaru.

“No way~ That’s not fair! I want a partner too! Don’t you feel bad, leaving your guest alone in the dark living room?”, Hikaru pouts. “We can talk about lots of stuffs too! Come on, Fukka! Let me sleep in your room, please?” Hikaru is now clinging to Fukka.

“Ok Ok! I was just joking~ Come in here. Good night, guys!” Fukka’s bedroom door closes & Abe switches off the lights in the living room.

 “Hmm…I’m a little slim but this one should fit on you, Meguro-san…” Abe startles again, finding Meguro standing close to him when he turns around from his wardrobe, to hand over the nightwear to Meguro.

“Drop the -san. Don’t be too formal. Thanks”, Meguro picks up the clothes. Silky white top with matching pants.

 Abe continues to yank out the futon from his wardrobe & neatly set it up on the floor, next to his bed. Meanwhile, Meguro is changing into nightwear. Abe peeks at Meguro one time & gulps, seeing how broad the shoulders are. Abe quickly moves his gaze away & tries to erase unnecessary thoughts from his head. “I’ve done preparing the futon, Meguro…-kun…” Meguro smiles & strides to the futon. “Thank you”

 After Abe is sure that Meguro has lied down, he quickly changes to his nightwear. Unknown to him, Meguro actually wants to start a conversation, so he instinctively raises his head up. Meguro is presented by a breathtaking view of Abe’s bare back while changing into nightwear. He also notices that Abe wears exactly the same black, sheer silk nightwear as in his dream. It is spellbinding. Meguro can’t stop looking.

 When Abe finished changing, he turns around & stops when he sees Meguro staring intently. “You really like silk, don’t you?”, Meguro starts.

“Well, silk can hold temperature well. Can help stop overnight sweating. And it feels smooth on skin too” Abe switches off the ceiling light. He then climbs onto his bed & switches on the bedside lamp on the right side of his bed. Meguro’s futon is on the left side of his bed.

 “And silk looks good on you too”, Meguro commented.

Abe doesn’t reply but he can feel his heart beating faster. He makes himself comfortable on the bed.

 “Are those two a couple?” Meguro is referring to Hikaru & Fukka.

“Not yet. The feelings are mutual though. Both of them came to me for advice. I hope they realized their feelings soon” Meguro can visualize a smile on Abe when he said this.

“Hmm…how about you, Abe-kun? In a relationship?”

“Not even once. Haha I was brought up in quite a strict household. My life was only going to school to study then go back home to study some more & rest at night. That’s basically my life until university. Only now that I experienced lots of new things. You know what? I only ever experienced watching movies in cinema during my freshie year. Crazy, isn’t it? Hehe but I’m glad that my parents brought me up this way. I might not be exposed to lots of stuffs but I was also protected from straying away from righteousness.”

 Meguro gets more interested. “I see. How about your fascination with Astronomy? How does that start?”

“I’ve always been interested in how our Earth was made. I want to know why the Earth is made up of 70% seas & only 30% land. Then I found out that this Earth, this place we live in, is just a tiny fraction of the whole universe. There are other planets outside, not just Earth. So then I got interested in studying more about these other planets. Then I found out that there are not just planets up in the galaxy, there are numerous other objects & living things out there as well. The things to discover about this vast universe is endless!” Abe explained, animatedly. “How about you, Meguro-kun? What makes you interested in Astronomy?”

“You see, since childhood, I always spend time with my grandfather stargazing. My grandfather was a research scientist, in the astronomy subfields. He would always point his fingers up to the sky & say ‘Meguro, the bright thing that you see there is a planet’ or ‘Meguro, that’s the Orion constellation’ & other such things. Most of the things I know about Astronomy are actually directly from my grandfather. Until now, stargazing is kind of turns into my hobby. Furthermore, life doesn't seem so crazy and stressful when you're laying down while looking at something extremely beautiful.”

“I agree”

 There’s a pause before Abe turns his head to look down at Meguro & asked, “Umm…You say ‘was’. Is he no longer here?”

“Correct. He passed away half a year ago.”

“Ohh I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. His passing actually opens a new chapter in my life as well. More mysteries of life I’ve uncovered within these past months. There’s only one mystery that I have yet to solve. You.”

 Meguro sits up, with a serious look on his face. “When I read the stars that night, I saw misfortunes in the signs. The paintings. The images in my head. There must be a reason behind it all. I don’t mind being led to you but all the accidents…Abe-kun, have you ever considered that you might have been haunted?”

“Haunted? By bad spirits you mean?”

“Yes. When you fall down the stairs or when you broke the glass pot, did you notice anything strange when it happened?”

“Yes! Yes!” Abe now sits up too. “When I fell down the stairs, I felt like there was someone pushing me from the back. And when the glass pot broke, that was because I was shocked after I saw a black shadowy figure in the kitchen”, Abe bit his index finger on his left hand, a habit whenever he’s thinking too hard.

 Meguro takes Abe’s hand & kisses his index finger. “Do you remember what might have caused it? Have you taken something from the beach? Or maybe stepping on things you shouldn’t step on?”

Abe thinks hard. He shakes his head after a while. “I have no idea. I’m not very knowledgeable about these spiritual things. I’m not sure what might have caused it.”

Meguro grins. “It’s alright.” Meguro tightened his grip on Abe’s hand. “I want to solve this mystery Abe-kun. Should we try…going to the witch doctor tomorrow? Maybe he can help us search for the answer.”

Abe nods & with a smile, he said, “I put my trust on you, Meguro-kun”

 They stared into each other’s eyes for a while more before Abe cleared his throat. “Umm…Anyways, you said before that you read the stars. Do you believe in Astrology?”

Meguro chuckles, “Read them for fun. But I never believe in those predictions.”

Abe turns his body to the side & laughs a little, “That’s ironic, coming from you.”

Meguro pulls Abe back to face him, “I am your personal soothsayer. And you have no choice but to believe me because my predictions are 100% correct.” Before the air turns awkward, he continues, “I believe in destiny. And free will. We can attempt anything, at any degree, but no matter how much effort you put in, if something is not meant for you, you will never be able to obtain it. With astrological predictions, many people fall for it because predictions make people feel secure. We know that destiny is something that we will never know until it happens. So why restrict yourself to act according to the predictions, that similarly, you don’t even know if it’s true or not?”

“Agreed” Abe nods his head vigorously.

 “But for fun, do you want to test my astrology knowledge?”, Meguro now rests his head on his arms, at the edge of Abe’s bed.

“Sure!”

“Ok…Umm…What’s your star sign, Abe-kun?”

“I was born on November 27th, so Sagittarius.”

“I was born on February 16th, an Aquarius. According to the astrological reading, you & I are a match made in heaven. Aquarius & Sagittarius are very compatible as partners.”

“What the- Alright, that’s enough” Abe aggressively pulled the blanket over him & lay down on the other side. His cheeks are burning.

“Hahaha! Don’t you want to test me some more?”, Meguro laughs.

“No! I want to sleep! I have class tomorrow morning!”

Meguro now lays back down too. “Let’s exchange contact numbers in the morning. And I’ll fetch you tomorrow evening to visit the witch doctor. Hopefully there’s no more accidents nor paintings until then. Sweet dreams, Abe-kun”

 No accidents happened to Abe on the following day. There is also no new painting from Meguro’s side. They both let out a sigh of relief when they meet up in the evening.

 They safely arrive at the witch doctor’s place – a little drive away from the city. The witch doctor is a man around his 50s. There is a big bowl made from silver, filled with water in front of the man & there are 2 burning incense on both sides of the bowl. The witch doctor doesn’t even look up to them when both Meguro & Abe enter the house. They sit down in front of the man.

 The man suddenly howls. “Bad news, young man! Bad news!”

From the witch doctor’s view, he saw the figure of the evil creature in the bowl of water in front of him.

“You’ve resurrected an ancient spirit! And it is angry! It is seeking for revenge!”

 Abe & Meguro look at each other. Meguro asked the witch doctor, “Why is the spirit angry? At whom does it want revenge?”

“That, I don’t know.” The witch doctor finally looks up to them. “Young man, do you remember if you have picked up anything old? Perhaps an antique?”

When the man said that, Abe now remembers. “No way…The box…?”

“What box?”, Meguro asked.

“I found this small red box in the club room. It was put inside a crack of the wall, below my desk. It must have been there for a long time. I opened the box, but there was nothing inside. Now that you mention it, the accidents started the day after I found the box. So it’s true, then! I was been haunted!”

“We don’t really understand the knowledge & capabilities of ancient people, young man. It is said that supernatural expertise was a common thing back then. Before technology arrives”

 The witch doctor gives Abe an amulet. “Truthfully, my abilities are not capable of defeating this monster. I suggest you look for other witch doctors that could help you eradicate this evil being as soon as possible. This is the best that I can provide you with. This amulet will at least weaken its energy so hopefully it won’t be able to hurt you, for the time being.”

 Abe looks dispirited but thanked the witch doctor, nevertheless. Before Abe & Meguro left, the witch doctor stops them, as if remembering something. “I can recommend you one good witch doctor, young man. His name is Iwamoto. He lives near the Moerenuma Park. Pay him a visit. He might be able to help you.”

 “Iwamoto? Near Moerenuma Park? I wonder if he’s related to Hikaru”, Abe ponders.

“Hmm…Anyways, it’s already late. It’ll take a long drive if we are to go there now. We can’t trouble Iwamoto-san at this hour. I’ll send you back to the apartment now & we can visit Iwamoto-san tomorrow. Furthermore, tomorrow is a weekend so we can go anytime you want.”

“Thank you, Meguro-kun. Ahh, please send me to the Faculty of Science building. I want to fetch some things from the club room.”

Meguro looks worried. “Can’t you fetch it tomorrow? It’s late. What if something else happens?”

“Don’t worry. I read the Astronomy Club group chat. There are still people in the room.” Abe holds his phone up to show Meguro the chat screen. “Plus, I have this.” He held up the amulet given by the witch doctor just now. “And I’m the type of person that is restless if I can’t do the things I want immediately. Hehe”

Meguro sighs. “Alright, but be careful.”

 When Abe enters the club room, he finds the President, the vice-president & even Hikaru inside.

“Abe-chan, what’s up?”, the president asked.

“Ahh I want to fetch some things. Umm…what are you guys doing?”

“We’re brainstorming a design to be printed on banners. For our event next week”, the vice-president answered.

“Ahh~ Let’s see…What’s the theme?”

“Life & Death of Stars”, Hikaru responds.

“Ooo interesting topic!” Abe pulls a chair & sits down next to the vice-president.

“Hmm? Weren’t you just want to fetch your things?”

“The more the merrier. 4 different brains, 4 different opinions. We can find the middle point for agreement later. Hehe so, which colors you guys think are the best?”

 Meguro reaches his home, specifically his late grandfather’s home, at around 9.30pm. His family usually gathered here every month but since his grandfather passed away, no one lives here anymore. Meguro is thankful that he doesn’t have to stay at a hotel whenever he goes to Hokkaido because he can always just stay at this house.

 He unbuttoned his shirt then walksto the kitchen to get a glass of water. He then collapsed on the couch. His body feels heavy & soon, he falls into a slumber.

 Few moments later, he was suddenly awoken. His body moves hurriedly to his painting room, strenuously using the brushes to paint an image on the canvas. When the painting is done, Meguro “fully” wakes up. Meguro is genuinely terrified now. He took a picture of the painting on his phone & immediately dialed Abe’s number.

 Meguro is calling. Abe’s phone lights up with the notification.

“Hello. What’s wrong, Meguro-kun?”, Abe answered the call.

“FUKKA-SAN IS IN DANGER!”

“What do you mean Fukka is in danger?”

“I’LL SEND YOU A PHOTO”

Abe switches to his messaging app & clicks on open the photo.

It was a painting of a man crouching down with a phone to his ear, presumably making a call. And in front of the man…Is Fukka, laying on the floor with blood all over his left arm.

 Fukka just got back from the gym a little past 10pm. Hikaru is not on duty today, but he just felt like breaking some sweat. The apartment is still dark when he comes home which means Abe is not home yet. Fukka needs a good, long bath to soothe his body after the workout. He walks into the bathroom to fill the water in the bathtub then he goes inside his room to undress. While he was undressing, the chain of his necklace got stuck with a tiny thread of his shirt. Obliviously, he forcefully pulls his shirt through his head. The chain is broken & the crystal charm on the necklace cracks in half when the necklace falls on the floor. “Oh no. This one is my favourite charm too.”

Fukka picks up the broken necklace & left it on his make up table. He wraps his towel around his torso & goes into the bathroom.

 The bathtub was already filled with enough water at his desired temperature. He lights up an aromatic candle, pours some bath salt into the tub & plays a healing instrumental from YouTube on his phone. He put his phone on the washstand near the sink. Before he dips into the water, he decided to bring a glass of orange juice inside too as he is thirsty.

 Fukka is enjoying his bath time when all of a sudden, the lights in the bathroom switches off. He thought maybe Abe-chan is already home so he shouts, “Abe-chan, I’m inside, switch the lights back on!” The lights turned on again. Fukka relaxes back into the bathtub.

 Soon after, all the lights in the bathroom flicker. This alarmed Fukka & when he heard that the sound coming from the music is turning static, the situation frightens him. Afterwards, Fukka feels as if he was pulled into the water, trying to drown him. Fukka screams for help & struggles for a while until he is able to jump out of the bathtub. Unfortunately, the glass of orange juice also fell down when he was trying to get out of the bathtub. The shards from the glass scratched a long line along his left arm & some shards even hit different parts of his back. Fukka breathes hard while bringing his left arm up for him to see the injuries. Not long after, he collapsed onto the floor due to loss of blood & the last thing that he saw was a blurry image of 2 pair of legs on the door.

 Abe & Hikaru rushed back to Abe’s apartment as soon as Abe received Meguro’s message. Sadly, the moment they arrived, Meguro’s prediction was already realized. Abe swiftly calls for an ambulance.

 Doctors & nurses on standby near the ER quickly put Fukka onto a stretcher the moment the ambulance arrived at the hospital. On the way to the operation room, Hikaru unanticipatedly sees a black figure in the air, floating over Fukka’s body. The figure somehow realized that Hikaru could see it. The black figure then plunges down into Fukka’s body. Suddenly, “Fukka” aggressively sits up while roaring in a deep voice that is obviously not Fukka’s. “You filthy human! I’m going to kill you & your family! You will rot in hell!”

All the doctors & nurses step away from Fukka. “Fukka” repeatedly saying the same dialogue again & again. Hikaru moves forward, holding an amulet in his palm, he touches Fukka’s shoulder. “Fukka” screams in pain & soon, Fukka’s body went limp again.

“Hurry up! Save him!”, Hikaru shouts to the doctors.

The doctors & nurses return to rush Fukka into the operation room.

 The surgeon came out from the operation room. Fukka’s parents rush over.

“Don’t worry, Fukazawa-san. Your son is in a stable condition. He lost a lot of blood & there’s a slight concussion. Other than that, he is fine. We’ll transfer him to the patient ward soon. We’ll monitor him overnight & if everything is fine by tomorrow, he may be discharged. Good night, Fukazawa-san.” “Thank you sir” Fukka’s parents embrace each other with tears of joy.

 Fukka’s mother is the first one to hug her son when Fukka wakes up. His father notices that Fukka doesn’t wear his usual necklace. “My son, where is your necklace?”

“Ohh it was broken just tonight”, Fukka answered, with a strained voice.

A look of realization on the face of Fukka’s father. “I see. Don’t worry, I’ll give you another one later. I have to tell you this now, my son. That necklace, is inscribed with holy incantations to protect the wearer against witchcraft. It’s normal for us, a family of status, to be cast an evil eye upon. That’s why I insist you to keep the necklace on you everytime.”

 Hikaru, Abe & Meguro enter the ward. Fukka’s father gestures Hikaru to come over, “We talk a little during your surgery. He said that he saw a black figure hovering over you.”

Fukka faces Hikaru, “You can see spirits?”

“Usually, no. I can only feel but not see. It horrified me, when I was able to see the thing back there. I’m used to seeing possessed people though. My grandfather is a witch doctor. He makes our whole family practice our healing abilities. I’m still an amateur but I’m capable of exorcism. To a certain extent”, Hikaru explained.

 Abe & Meguro look at each other in understanding. The “Iwamoto” that the previous witch doctor recommended is exactly related to Iwamoto Hikaru. Abe come towards Fukka & pull him into a hug. “I’m sorry, Fukka. This is all my fault. I accidentally released a vengeful ancient spirit as a result of my curiosity. Now it didn’t only haunt me, but it haunts you as well”, Abe cries, regretfully.

“We know the whole story now so it’s better to end this at the soonest. Please come meet my grandfather tomorrow, Abe-chan, Meguro-kun.” Hikaru soothes Abe’s back. “And uncle, auntie, I can take care of Fukka tonight. Uncle & auntie must be busy & you need rest. Furthermore, he’s already in a stable condition anyway. Rest assured, I can protect him” Hikaru declared, while glancing between Fukka’s parents.

Fukka’s parents nodded. Hikaru stays in the hospital to take care of Fukka & Meguro stay with Abe in the apartment tonight.

 Abe & Meguro turn up at the Iwamoto residence after lunch. Both of them are welcomed by Hikaru.

“I’ve told my grandfather everything. Come, he just needs to see you now Abe-chan.”

 Iwamoto residence has a very calming atmosphere indeed. Wide berth of pathways, variety of herbs, plants, flowers & even fruits nurtured, perfectly lawn grass, natural stone water fountain everywhere & so much more that Abe can’t describe about having a fine garden. Hikaru leads them to one of the wooden gazebo where his grandfather is already waiting.

 “Good afternoon, Iwamoto-san”, both Meguro & Abe greet him.

“Good afternoon, sons”, he examined both of them from head to toe. He moves his attention to Abe & stretches his hand, “May I see the object that started it all?”

Abe hands the red box over to Iwamoto-san. The old man inspects the box thoroughly. “Ahh I can still feel the residue of the magic incantation here. I shall recite some holy spells on this so we can capture it in this very box again later. Abe-kun, in order to exorcise this evil being, I need you to agree to some conditions first.” Iwamoto-san is now looking at Abe with a solemn expression. “My plan is to summon the evil being back into a vessel. That vessel would be you. Let it communicate with us using your body so all of us will know what it wants, who it is infuriated with & so on. To do that, we will need you to remove the amulet later & we will give you sleeping pills to aid you to sleep. We need you to be as vulnerable as possible for it to possess you. By learning about the spirit, we can then arrange our next step – which spells to recite to weaken it & force it back into the box. Finally, when we have succeeded in trapping him inside the box, we’ll burn the box. Let it return to where it belongs.”

 Meguro grows anxious listening to Iwamoto-san’s idea. The possibility of Abe getting seriously hurt doesn’t sit well with him. “What if I become the vessel instead?”

Iwamoto-san shakes his head. “Compared to Abe-kun, you have a much tougher build. Have you ever seen someone get possessed before? Whatever that is possessing a person will exert extra-ordinary strength from your body. It will push your body to the limit. That’s why the possessed are tired after exorcism. Say, a frail young woman, can take up to 4 people to hold her down during exorcism. Imagine if it’s a tough man like you”, Iwamoto-san explains. “I’m sorry, Abe-kun. That was not meant to insult you in any way. Each & every one of us has a different body types afterall.”

With a determined face, Abe said, “It’s alright. I understand. I’ll do it”.

Iwamoto-san nods, “Ohh and Meguro-kun, you are spiritually strong too. The monster will not be going near you. If everyone agrees, then we will start the operation tonight. Now, please come inside & make yourself at home. Prepare yourselves well before the war tonight.”

 Before Hikaru leads Abe & Meguro inside the house, Iwamoto-san queried, “By the way, you have any friends with the surname Fukazawa?”

All 3 of them look at each other. “He’s my roommate. He was just discharged from the hospital today.  What about him?”, Abe answered.

The corners of Iwamoto-san’s mouth turn up, “Call him here too. He might be significant in this story afterall.”

 Night falls. Hikaru guides Fukka, Abe & Meguro into a slightly smaller house than the main house at the back of the Iwamoto residence. The house is mostly empty, so it looks spacious. There is a single bed in the middle of the room. Hikaru & his grandfather then light up some candles & scatter them around the room as well as within the circle of the bed. They also light the fireplace. Hikaru then hands over a sleeping pill & a glass of water to Abe. “Good luck, Abe-chan”, Hikaru is undoubtedly worried, but Abe just smiles, nods & swallows the sleeping pill. Abe then hands over the amulet to Hikaru & makes his way to the bed. In a few minutes, he passes out.

 Iwamoto-san urges everyone to stay in their positions before he starts the summoning ritual. In the middle of the ritual, the air suddenly becomes cold. “Abe” lets out a laugh in a deep voice. “Abe” sits up. “Ahhh it feels good being inside a human’s body”, “Abe” moves his body around but then he hissed in pain when he was about to go down from the bed. There’s an invisible sacred barrier, prepared by Iwamoto-san. An angry expression surfaces from “Abe’s” face & he sits back onto the bed.

 “Who are you? Why are you haunting the poor boy?”, Iwamoto-san asked the first question.

“I am the devil of greed. I want revenge on the human who trapped me into void for I don’t know how long. The filthy human who used my power for his own sake & then betrays me!” “Abe” suddenly points at Fukka. Fukka steps back. “I smell a similar blood of that filthy man from you! You must be the descendant of that man! I’m going to kill you!” “Abe” kicks on the barrier.

 Iwamoto-san speaks, “Now that makes sense.” He held up the red box & showed everyone the bottom of the box. There, engraved “Fukazawa Hideaki. 1807.”

“Hideaki? That’s my ancestor. From a little of what I know about him, he was the one who started to build wealth under Fukazawa family’s name. He was also the one who built the university. That building has a strong core & was never renovated.”

“He must’ve used the Astronomy club room for the summoning rituals back then. And Abe-chan happens to find the box after about 200 years. Oh my God”, Hikaru gasps.

 “Abe” kicks the barrier again, “That man. He uses dirty ways to build his wealth. THAT’S WHY YOUR FAMILY IS FILTHY! FILTHY! DO YOU HEAR ME!” The spirit laughs, “You know what? The moment I was freed, of course I was planning to haunt this kid. However, when I followed him back home & saw his roommate, I felt something familiar. That kid has the same smell of blood as that filthy man! But that kid has a strong energy protecting him that I can’t even touch him. I finally had the chance to attack him yesterday when his source of spiritual protection wore off. How does it feel, huh?! To have your skin scratched away by shards of sharp glass?! I want to do more than that to hurt you!”

 “Abe” continues to grin evilly, “Initially I planned to just haunt this kid & when his will is weakened enough, I can possessed him & hurt that kid physically. But you have already done it for me. NOW IT’LL BECOME EASIER FOR ME!”, “Abe” kicks the barrier & this time, the spirit is able to break the barrier. “Abe” jumps to the floor. Iwamoto-san hurriedly recites a holy spell. But it seems that the said spell is not working on the spirit. “Tsk,tsk, too weak, human.” “Abe” turns his attention to a dagger near Iwamoto-san. In a speed of light, “Abe” runs towards the dagger & stabs it into Iwamoto-san’s torso. This causes Iwamoto-san to fall down & stop his spells. Blood comes out of Iwamoto-san’s mouth. “DO YOU TAKE ME FOR SOME KIND OF FOOL? I CAN BREAK OVER A LOT OF SPELLS! I’M NOT WEAK! MY CAPABILITY IS MUCH MUCH GREATER THAN YOU THINK!”

 Meguro pulls “Abe” away from Iwamoto-san’s sides, while Hikaru helps his grandfather. “Abe” uses his right elbow to hit Meguro’s face & out from Meguro’s grip. He turns towards Fukka. “NEXT IS YOUR TURN!” The spirit plunges forward. Fukka runs frantically & manages to evade the dagger whenever “Abe” comes close. “NO! ABE-CHAN! PLEASE, WAKE UP!”

 At one point, “Abe” climb up on one of the huge pillars inside the house & ends up jumping directly onto Fukka. “I GOT YOU~ NOW DIE!” Meguro arrives on time, before the dagger could hurt Fukka. Meguro pulls “Abe” back, hard & now “Abe” is struggling to free himself again. All of a sudden, Meguro is overcome with a revelation. He suddenly remembers spending his time with his late grandfather. His grandfather has taught him a holy recitation before. Meguro remembers the whole recitation by heart as he always chants it since childhood. It just occurred to him that he hasn’t read the recitation since his grandfather’s death. Back to reality, Meguro pulls “Abe” head hard & he started reciting the spell directly into “Abe’s” left ear.

 “Abe’s” eyes widened & he lets out a scream of pain. He trashes around, trying to break free but Meguro keep on holding him tight, while keeping on reciting the spell. Hikaru, who sees that the spirit is finally weakening, hurriedly grabs the red box & chants an exorcism spell. “Abe” lets out a hollow scream before the spirit comes out from his body. A black shadowy figure can be seen, being absorbed into the red box. When Hikaru confirmed that the box was close tight enough, he throws the box into the burning fireplace. “Go back to where you belong, Devil!”

 A loud monstrous scream can be heard throughout Iwamoto residence.

The evil spirit totally banished, everyone is safe, the day is saved.

 Two months later

 Semester break. Abe, Meguro, Fukka, Hikaru & Sakuma decide to spend the holiday at Nagano Prefecture. Sakuma invites his roommate, Koji, along as well but Koji will come later at night because the man must finish his part-time work shift first. They booked a hotel called Yatsugatake Grace Hotel. It’s a graceful hotel located at an altitude of 1375km, surrounded by nature & all the rooms overlook Mount Yatsugatake. The main attraction of this hotel is the starry sky observation session. The hotel even has its own planetarium in case it’s raining or the weather isn’t prime for stargazing outdoors. Abe can’t wait for the stargazing session tonight.

 Abe’s phone ring. Meguro is calling. He picks up. “Hello…Yeah…Still on the way…Sakuma needs to go to the restroom so we’re stopping at the R&R now. Yeah…Ok…See you soon. Bye!”

“Has Meguro arrived there already?” Hikaru asked, from the driver’s seat.

“Yeah, just arrived.”

“Let him know we’ll be there hopefully in 30 minutes”, said Fukka, from the passenger’s seat.

Abe nods, sends a text message to Meguro & looks out of the window. He is sitting behind Fukka.

 “Is that a new earring, Hikaru?”, Fukka asked while examining the snowflake-shaped earring on Hikaru’s left ear.

“I bought it yesterday. Pretty isn’t it?”, Hikaru answered, with a big grin on his face.

“So pretty!”, Fukka exclaimed, his eyes literally glowing. Fukka then use both of his hands to turn Hikaru’s face towards him. “Ehh you only wear on the left side?”

Hikaru takes a deep breath before he looks directly into Fukka’s eyes. “Fukka…”, he starts. “Otters hold hands when they drift off to sleep…” Hikaru pulls out a jewelry box from his pants’ pocket & open it. The other pair of the same earring inside. “Will you be my otter half?”

Fukka snickers & bring his left hand up to cover his mouth. “Ehh? For real? Really, Hikaru?”

Hikaru takes Fukka’s right hand & places the box onto Fukka’s hand. “I love you. Be my boyfriend?”

Fukka is seen blushing up to his ears & shyly nods. Both of them then stared at each other.

 Abe clears his throat. The couple in the front seat finally look away from each other. “I hope you guys remember that I am here too.” Abe then dramatically holding his head with both hands, “OMG what was that I just witnessed? Hikaru’s lame pickup line! Ughhh OMG OMG OMG!!! And Fukka! You should see your face! I can’t believe you’ll have that kind of reaction! I thought you would react more crazily!”

Fukka turns to the back & reaches out to slap Abe’s thigh. “You’re so mean, Abe-chan~~~ Don’t tease us!” Fukka pouts.

Hikaru absentmindedly moves forward to kiss Fukka’s pouting lips. This stuns both Abe & Fukka. Abe continues his playful tantrum, “AGHHH! OMG! OMG! OMG!”

 Sakuma enters the car. “Ahh~ so relieved~ So? What you guys talking about while I was away?”

Abe shakes Sakuma’s body energetically, “Sakuma! Sakuma! You’re not gonna believe this! Hikaru confessed to Fukka in front of me! He throws cheesy pickup lines! Ughhh can you believe it?!”

“Ehh?! So you guys a couple now? YAY! CONGRATS!”, Sakuma rejoiced.

Fukka then put the earring on & show it off to Sakuma. Hikaru also turns around & points to his left ear.

“Matching earrings? AHHH~~~So nice~~~ I want one too! Koji! Give me matching earrings too!”, Sakuma cry out.

“Haha what are you saying? Koji is not your boyfriend!”

 And the journey to the hotel is loud & eventful.

 Meguro is already waiting for them at the lobby. “I already check in for us. Here are the keys. 306 for Hikaru-kun & Fukka-san. 308 for Sakuma-kun. 307 for me & Abe-chan”

 They all go to their rooms to settle their luggages first before they explore the area. Everyone has the same type of room – the standard twin room. Two twin beds & two sofas near the veranda, with a beautiful view of nature outside.

 Abe enters the room first with Meguro following suit. “Wahh~ so spacious~” Abe just wants to take off his shoes. He’s facing the wall. When suddenly, Meguro pushes him to the wall, slapping both of his hands against the wall, trapping Abe. Abe’s heart is racing. “Umm…Meguro?” Abe nervously turns his head around. Meguro’s face is so close. Meguro just keeps quiet & stays in that position for another few seconds before he let go. Nonchalantly, Meguro walks into the bedroom ahead of Abe while Abe is still frozen in his position. Abe heard Meguro yell, “I’m taking the bed on the right ok, Abe-chan”. Abe bits his lips & moves inside.

 The squad explores lots of things even just on the first day. The stargazing session is really fun as there are expert stargazing staffs around so guests can gain information about the astronomical stuffs directly from them. They also had a really nice dinner at a soba restaurant near the hotel. And Meguro, who met Koji for the first time tonight, is so amused by the eccentricity of Koji. At around midnight, everyone goes back to their rooms.

 Meguro is already making himself comfortable on his bed. Abe switches off the room lights, making the room pitch black. Only the lights from the moon & stars outside, illuminating the room. He climbs up onto his bed & lays down. He turns to his right, where the veranda is. He gazes up at the night sky. “Ahh I don’t want to leave here. This place is so beautiful.”

“Abe-chan”, Meguro calls.

“Hmm?”, Abe turns his body towards Meguro.

“You’re curious about my masterpiece painting, right? I’m going to tell you the inspiration behind it now”

Abe’s eyes practically glistening, “Ahh yes! Tell me! Tell me!”

“The night before I finish the painting, I had a dream”, Meguro begins. “That was the ‘first time’ I met you. In the dream.”

“Ohh? What was I doing in the dream? Do you see me stargazing?”

“You really want to know?”

Abe hesitates. “Did I do something bad…in that dream?”

 Meguro switches on the bedside lamp in between their beds. He then removes his night robe & places it on top of the lamp, leaving him in his boxers. He plods to Abe’s bed. Abe is silently looking at Meguro’s each & every step.

 Meguro removes the blanket on Abe & climbs on top of him. Abe turns his head to the side, breaking eye contact with Meguro. He can hear his heart pounding. Meguro held Abe’s head to move towards him. Abe closes his eyes. Their faces got closer…And closer…And when their lips nearly touched, Meguro stops. “This…Is what you did to me in that dream, Abe-chan”, Meguro whispered. Meguro let go of Abe’s head but in a split second, Abe pulled his head back, facing each other. A stare. Then Abe claimed Meguro’s lips.

 Abe broke the kiss. Gasping for air. Meguro chuckles. “First kiss? Not bad. But allow me to show you how deep my love is for you” This time, its Meguro who initiates the kiss. This time it’s more hungrier, more passionate, it left Abe breathless.

After he regained his breath, Abe asked, “Should we put a label to this relationship now? Lovers?”

Meguro hit his forehead with Abe’s & enveloped the frail man into his embrace, “Lovers it is”.

“I thank God for leading you to me”, Abe leans his head on Meguro’s chest. Meguro’s heartbeat can clearly be heard.

“You are my companion star. We are just like a binary star. Gravitationally bound to & in orbit around each other”

 === FIN ===

[jannah1721]

Birthday fic for Meme

Disclaimer:

- The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this story are fictitious.

- As I intend to write this initially as simply a short picture story, this fic wasn’t written quite properly. You’ll understand as you read through. Not proof-read, grammars are all over the place & lack of explanation in scenes. But I hope it’s still easy to understand. 😊

- If it’s not obvious enough, when you see “Fukka” it means Fukka is possessed.

- I might be breaking people’s hearts with this but this fic is made just to satisfy my cravings for horror stories. I love Meme & for his birthday this year, I wish that he would be more successful in the drama/movie industry. I hope we can see him challenge different kinds of roles, including being a villain like in this fic.

- If you decided to read this fic now, take your time & proceed with caution. I hope you enjoy reading the product of my cravings.

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Let me be destroyed in your love

- Hikaru, Fukka & Meguro are working in the same company. Meguro holds one of the highest positions in the company, the Chief Operations Officer.

- This story is set in winter.

- Hikaru & Fukka are engaged & about to get married.

- Meanwhile, Meguro has a secret. He actually had a terminal illness (originated from his reproductive organs) that still doesn’t have a cure, which could cost him his life. However, he didn’t have to worry about this anymore.. so long as he feed the entity that helped him overcome this illness…

- *Flashback* 3 years ago, he found out that he had this illness. He felt lifeless after he received the news. His conditions worsen after a few weeks and when he thought he was at his death bed, an entity appeared before him. The entity claim to be able to get rid of his illness, as long as its needs are met.

- The conditions are: Meguro has to sleep with his person of choice for 13 days before a lunar eclipse happen and on the day of the eclipse, the person will be given to the entity as a sacrifice (in other words, the person will end up dead). This entity seems to symbolize lust; it is interested in Meguro so in order to achieve its “desire”, it needs a vessel.

- Out of desperation, Meguro accepted “The Devil”, hereby starting his life anew down the wrong path. *Ends flashback*

- 3 years since then, Meguro is currently searching for his 5th victim. With the new arrangements in his life, he’s aware that he wont be able to really fall in love.

- Hikaru & Fukka join the company together at the same time about 4 months ago. Both of them known each other for years but at that time, they still have no label in their relationship aside from just best friends. They only get together about 2 months ago & immediately engaged.

- Fukka is a ray of sunshine, not only to Meguro but to all people in the office. Meguro is instantly attracted to Fukka’s beauty and kindness. This attraction leads to lust and of course, he has decided to make Fukka the next sacrifice.

- Meguro did try to seduce Fukka numerous times in the past months but it didn’t occur to him that Fukka and Hikaru are in love. When the two got together, he felt like his plan is ruined and he got furious.

- 15 days before the eclipse: his resolution didn’t fade out & he’s plotting to get Fukka to sleep with him at all cost. He opted to playing dirty this time. He asked Fukka if he could hang out at Fukka’s place after work & Fukka agreed.

- At Fukka’s home, they play games and when Fukka is not looking, Meguro actually gather Fukka’s fallen hairs on the floor to be taken back to his home. Once home, he chanted spells on Fukka’s hairs and ordered the entity to haunt Fukka. Thus, the horror has now begins.

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- The next day, Fukka woke up crying & sweating. He had a dream that felt so real. He dream of visiting Meguro’s home and there, they make love. Still sobbing, Fukka immediately dialed Hikaru’s number and kept chanting “I love you, Hikaru” non-stop.

- At the office, Meguro noticed Fukka’s puffy eyes. He purposely try to be extra touchy to emit a reaction from Fukka & of course, Fukka flinch whenever Meguro got close. Meguro is glad that the spell is working.

- That day, a trouble happen at the office which involve Hikaru & Fukka’s work/department. An argument broke out within the two. Fukka stormed out of the office to clear his head for a while. This mishap is of course, planned by Meguro.

- Meguro met Fukka at the office garden outside & offered Fukka a drink. That drink, is laced with more devil spells, so that Fukka will have to submit his body to Meguro later. Unsuspecting, Fukka gladly accept the drink.

- Fukka returned to the office & reconcile with Hikaru. It somehow made Meguro jealous.

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- Night came. While Fukka just doing his things around the house, he felt like he was being watched. One time, he felt like his shoulders were being touched by someone & another time he felt like someone is breathing down his neck but there is no one else in the house. Freak out, he went to his bedroom to get some sleep. He’s probably just tired.

- When he opened the bedroom door, he scream as he was surprised to see “Meguro” there on his bed. He must be hallucinating. He closed the door & when he turn back to run away from the room, he is met with another “Meguro”, pinning him back to the door & kissing Fukka’s neck. Fukka pushed “Meguro” away & “Meguro” vanished.

- Fukka now confirmed that Meguro must have cast the evil eye on him. Fukka grab his phone & dialed Meguro’s number. Fukka was enraged on the phone when he said “I don’t know what you are doing. Why & how you’re doing it but I beg you to please stop! You know that Hikaru & I will get married soon! I can’t reciprocate your feelings! I hope you understand!” To Fukka’s surprised, Meguro reply with a laugh. An evil one. “I’ll see you soon”, Meguro said.

- The next moment, Fukka fall harshly to the ground as he felt huge pain around his reproductive organs & he can’t breathe. He disconnected the call & dialed Hikaru’s number. Unfortunately, Hikaru didn’t pick up his phone so he dialed the emergency number for ambulance. However, he only heard static sounds on the line.

- Defeated, he try his hardest to stand up in pain, grab his wallet, phone & keys then rushed out the house to go to the hospital. When he opens his door, he was met with Meguro already standing outside his home. Meguro open up his arms for an embrace. In pain & reflex, Fukka jump to Meguro’s embrace & Meguro kissed Fukka at once. The pain suddenly disappeared & replaced with lust. The time is now 12am. 13 days before the eclipse. Fukka is successfully under Meguro’s spell. Meguro brought Fukka back into the house & the first intimate night begins.

= Let yourself flow on me, Let me burn on you too, You look like a thirsty cloud, And you melt like snow, I am your burning nights & you’re the morning that extinguishes it =

 - In the middle of the night, Hikaru was awoken by the sound of something breaking. He goes out of bed & find a broken vase on the floor of his living room. In his still sleepy state, he thought to just ignore it & just clean it up tomorrow morning. The moment he turned around, he was shocked to suddenly met with a wailing Fukka, hugging him tightly, out of nowhere. This is followed by a repetitive & hysterical “Help me! Save me!”

- Hikaru wake up for real this time. It was a dream, previously. He rush out of the room & find the broken vase as in the dream. He immediately grab his phone & call Fukka. The line on the other side answered. Hikaru asked if Fukka was alright. The other side answered everything is alright & that he should sleep because it’s already late. Reluctantly, Hikaru apologized for disturbing Fukka’s sleep & end the call. But he still cant help but feel something is not right. Hikaru didn’t sleep well the rest of the night.

 - Meanwhile, it was actually Meguro who answered the call earlier. He asked the entity to help him change his voice to Fukka’s so he can deceive Hikaru. After the call ended, he angrily throw the phone to the ground. He felt envious of the relationship between these two. Fukka is sleeping beautifully beside him, looking more enticing after their activity.

- With the first night done, the entity can now claimed Fukka’s body and is now able to possess Fukka’s body whenever. Its desire is fulfilled, its hunger is satiated & it gain more strength from sleeping with Meguro.

 _______________________________________________________________

- When Fukka wake up in the morning, Meguro is nowhere to be seen. He want to believe what happened last night was just a dream but the conditions he woke up in state otherwise. He frantically searched for his phone & found it broken on the floor. He really want to hear Hikaru’s voice right now, soothing him & telling him everything’s going to be fine.

- He drag himself to shower & decided that he will just go to the office as usual then tell Hikaru the truth. After work, he will asked Hikaru to go to a shaman with him to get rid of whatever spell he was put in.

 - When Fukka arrived at the office, Meguro was already there. Meguro just greets him as usual, as if nothing happened & Fukka got goosebumps seeing his smile. Fukka forced himself to reply calmly & do his work as normal. Hikaru then arrived, barely made it before office hours officially starts. Fukka suddenly feel sad & guilty. He wants to tell Hikaru the truth now.

- During lunch break, Fukka drag Hikaru to the rooftop. As he was about to tell Hikaru what happened last night, his reproductive organs suddenly start hurting again. Hikaru called for ambulance & Fukka fainted due to so much pain.

 - At the hospital, the doctor explained that physically, there is nothing wrong with Fukka. His body is in a healthy condition and it is probably just fatigue. He went back to Fukka’s ward & found him already awake. But Hikaru notices that… Fukka seems strange. His eyes seems to be void of emotions as he stared at the window. Nevertheless, Fukka still turns around with a smile the moment Hikaru called out his name.

- Hikaru sat on the chair next to the bed. Fukka then put one of his hand on Hikaru’s shoulder while saying “I actually has something to confess”. Hikaru urged him to continue. “I slept with Meguro last night” Hikaru is speechless & just stared at Fukka. Then at a split second, he notice that Fukka’s expression turns sinister. The next words Fukka said, his voice had changed to a darker tone, like it’s not Fukka’s voice at all. “AND I LOVE IT!”

- Both of Fukka’s hands are now holding Hikaru’s neck, choking him. “YOU ARE A HINDRANCE! I HAVE TO GET RID OF YOU!” Hikaru loosened off from Fukka’s sudden strong grip then roughly held him down while yelling to the doctors for help. Four doctors rush in to help hold Fukka down. At first, “Fukka” managed to fight off the doctors’ grip & went to attack Hikaru again. “Fukka” even manage to crawl on the wall, which is something that no humans could do. A doctor is eventually able to inject an anesthetic on him & Fukka then fell asleep.

 _______________________________________________________________

- Hikaru furiously go back to the office & barge into Meguro’s room, throwing a punch to his face. Hikaru quickly demand an explanation but Meguro only riled him up by responding with how alluring Fukka’s body is, how Fukka has a nice voice & how lewd his expressions were last night.

- Hikaru took a step back. At least he now knows who is behind all this. He intend to visit a witch doctor right after work. Before he leave Meguro’s office, Meguro told him to not bother coming to the hospital later as he will fetch Fukka himself & bring him back home. Hikaru didn’t respond.

 - At the hospital, Fukka felt like he had been asleep for hours. His head & all his body hurt. His last memory is when he was at the rooftop with Hikaru so he was expecting to see Hikaru on his side when he’s awake. He’s surprised to see Meguro with a bouquet of flowers instead. Meguro said that Hikaru needs to work overtime so he’s here to bring Fukka home instead. Fukka is obviously wary of Meguro now, but at the same time he is thankful that Meguro is here so he can ask for an explanation of everything that is happening now.

-          Meguro ushered Fukka into the passenger seat of his car. Before Fukka could even asked anything, Meguro sealed his mouth with a kiss. “Don’t ask. You won’t gonna like the answer. I’m just going to say that I’ll miss you when this is all over.” A pause. Then Meguro continued, “Your fiancé knows. That guy must be searching for ways to help you now.” Meguro smiled. “It’s a race against time then. Whether he’s able to break you from this curse.. Or you’ll be trapped with me forever.” Fukka just stay quite throughout the journey back to his home.

-          Surprisingly, Meguro drop him back to his house without doing anything else. Fukka is very thankful for this because it’s not like he has any energy to fight off Meguro at this moment. He would just succumb to Meguro if the guy ever did anything to him now. Being a gentleman Meguro is, he helped Fukka with his things up to his apartment. Obviously, Fukka is reluctant to let him in but Meguro assured him that he won’t do anything, at least not now. Meguro just dropped Fukka’s stuffs on the sofa, put some fruits he bought in a bowl & even arrange the flowers in a vase. After telling Fukka “Don’t forget to eat”, Meguro excused himself.

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-          Hikaru arrived at the witch doctor’s place. He show a photo of Fukka & the witch doctor put the photo on top of the burning incense. Suddenly a horrendous shape came out of the smoke. “Your fiancé is enchanted. By the demon of lust. This demon will gain more power the nearer it is to the lunar eclipse. We must save him as soon as possible. But don’t be rash, otherwise you will hurt yourself.” The witch doctor continued, “This creature, it hates water & birds. As strange as this might sound, but to defeat this thing, we have to make your fiancé inhale the smell of a burning fish’s heart & liver on red hot cinders. It’ll hopefully remove the creature from your fiance’s body & then, we can destroy it once & for all.”

-          The witch doctor said that Hikaru will definitely need a help of a clairvoyant. A young man appeared behind the witch doctor, introducing himself as Abe. Abe will help Hikaru with all the preparations as well as to capture the entity later, since he can sense & see the creature.

 _______________________________________________________________

-          Fukka is done with dinner. After he finished washing up, he went to bed. Fukka switch off his lights.

-          Few minutes later, “Fukka” switch on the lights back. He went out of the house without bringing anything, not even his keys & walk outside into the night. He walk all the way to Meguro’s residence.

-          Meguro live inside a beautiful manor with some servants, on a hilltop, a little away from the city. The distance from the manor to Fukka’s apartment took about 20 minutes by car. But with the power of the entity, “Fukka” able to reach the manor in less than 10 minutes by walking. Meguro was already waiting under the gazebo of his garden. “Fukka” ran to his arms. Meguro kissed him & carried him gently to his room. The second night of passion commences.

 -          Hikaru tried calling Fukka’s number numerous times but it went unanswered. He is worried about Fukka’s condition so he went straight to Fukka’s apartment that night. He knocked on the door but there’s no answer. He’s shocked when he push down the door knob, the door opens. He went inside to find the rooms brightly lit yet there’s no one in the house. He then saw the remnants of Fukka’s broken phone, on the cabinet. Feeling restless, he dialed Meguro’s number.

-          The line on the other side picked up. But before Hikaru could yell at Meguro, he heard a moan. And more after. From the voice that he knew so well. He can hear his heart shattered. Hikaru breaks down & cries in the middle of Fukka’s room while the line still continues until the two reach their climax & the line went dead. Hikaru gather his thoughts. This is a test, he remind himself. He dialed Abe’s number to inform him that they should start the operation tomorrow.

= Have intense longing, again and again, for Your partner Wish, again and again, for Your partner Shower love, again and again, on Your partner Pray, again and again, for Your partner =

 -          Fukka is startled to wake up in a slightly familiar room – the room he saw in his first dream about Meguro. Again, Meguro is nowhere in sight. At this point, he has accepted the fact that he was put under a spell so this kind of occurrence doesn’t surprised him much. He look at himself in the mirror. More marks on his body. It’s nauseating. He get dressed, admire the room & went outside.

-          Fukka is greeted by an old butler outside the room. “Young master is currently visiting his family in the main house. He instructed us to take care of you. Let me guide you to the dining room. Oh & one more thing, you can wander around the estate after breakfast but don’t ever try to escape. It’s futile, you understand what will happen right?” Fukka just nods.

-          On the way to the dining room, he admired the long hallway & occasionally looked outside. The view of snow on the bed of flowers is graceful. Suddenly, he thought he saw a figure of a woman walking. But the next second, it disappeared. Must be his imagination. Spooky.

 -          After breakfast, he wanders about. He met some servants every now & then along his way. He entered a library with a piano in the middle of the room. There was a piano sheet on top. The title of the piece is “I’m written in the line of your palms”. He scanned through the 4 pages sheets, “Such a melancholic piece. I wonder who wrote this” Fukka sit down & starts playing the piece on the piano.

-          He was feeling the song when suddenly it felt like he was in a trance. He closed his eyes & when he open them back, he was outside at the garden. A woman’s laughter attracts his attention. He turned his head & saw the woman is heading towards Meguro, embracing him. The couple then went towards a lake behind the manor. They look happy. Then suddenly, Meguro pushed the woman towards the lake & went back to the manor without turning back. The woman scream for help but no one was helping her & when Fukka was about to run to save the woman, he returned to the piano room. He breathes hard.

-          Fukka is shocked once again when he sees the woman, standing in front of the piano. The woman put her hands on the piano keys but her hands went through it. Fukka realized she is a spirit. The woman then said, “I was the one who wrote this song. I was the first victim of this tragedy.” The woman looked sadly at Fukka & continued, “I have warned others who were brought here before but they were too blinded by their love till they go down the same way as me themselves. As I showed you, he drowned us in the lake, yes. Once he confirmed that we have drowned, he’ll brought our bodies back from the depths & buried us near the lake. Our souls are bind to the devil that trapped all of us here. As long as it still exists, we can’t pass on. Unlike the others, you were brought here against your will. You must escape from here & find a way to break the curse. That way, you’ll do us a favor of freeing our souls from this misery as well”

-          The woman ushered Fukka to look at the window outside. “At the far east of this estate, there is a hidden entrance. It hasn’t been used for decades. You can try to escape from there.” Before the woman vanished, she sorrowfully told Fukka, “I wrote that song with that man in mind. Like air is necessary for breathing, he was necessary for me to survive as well. Turns out I was necessary for him to survive too, but not in the same way I wished him to. That man is not entirely evil, he’s just lost – following the wrong path. Maybe.. he wants to be saved too. Just so you know, whether or not he loved me when I was still alive, my love for him is true. Even now, I really want to save him from this demon.” Fukka strengthen his resolution to get out from this hell.

 _______________________________________________________________

-          It’s the weekend. But Hikaru is seen going to the office early in the morning to check the address of Meguro’s manor. He will confront Meguro head on & get Fukka away from there. He fetched Abe from his apartment then drove to Meguro’s manor. Abe has all the necessary things for exorcism in check. Both of them are nervous of what’s going to come.

-          When they arrived at the manor, the security guard refused to let them in, telling them nobody is granted access unless under the order of the master who is currently out. They waited until another car came towards the gate. Meguro is back. Meguro then welcome his guests onboard.

-          Hikaru instantly demanding to see Fukka. Fukka heard Hikaru’s voice & immediately run towards him, crying. Meguro sneered at this reunion, “My life hasn’t been this exciting for a while. Fine. I’m willing to fight this game head on with you. Show me that your love for Fukka transcends all barriers.” Hikaru grab Fukka’s hand to drag him out but before Fukka can step out from the entrance door, Fukka fell down due to the harsh pain around his reproductive organs again.

-          Fukka cry out in pain. Meguro just stand there unmoving. When Hikaru bend down to pick Fukka up, Fukka enveloped his arms around Hikaru’s head & whispered to him as best as he can before his energy runs out “Find an abandoned entrance at the east side of this estate”.

-          Being a clairvoyant he is, Abe can see the huge creature piercing its nails on Fukka’s reproductive organs. He instinctively react by throwing salt to Fukka, hurting both the creature & Fukka. Now Fukka feel like his back is burning too. “IT HURTS! PLEASE STOP THE PAIN!”

-          “Fukka~ You do know how to stop the pain, right?”, Meguro said, still not moving from his spot. Fukka then stand up to run into Meguro’s embrace. Then Meguro kissed him, for all to see. The pain subsides & he managed to look guiltily at Hikaru before he lose consciousness. Before carrying Fukka back to the room, Meguro looked back at Hikaru, “You have to be smart to win him back. If you’re reckless, you’re going to hurt your lover too.” He moved his attention to Abe & smiled, “Let me see your potential too.”

 -          Both Hikaru & Abe saw their way out of the manor by the guards & when they feel like they are far enough from the main entrance, Hikaru drive east into the forest, not caring about his car hitting the thick snow & everything else. “The bastard is looking down on us. I’ll show him what real love can do.”

 -          Back in Meguro’s room, Meguro gently lay Fukka down on the bed. “Fukka” wakes up & firmly hold Meguro’s head back down, looking him straight in the eyes without uttering any words. “It’s still early but it’s the weekend, we have all the time to do it today”, said Meguro. “Fukka” smiled, “Let’s do it in the bath”. Meguro nods & started undressing both of them. He carried Fukka into the bathroom, gently placed him down in the bathtub & they have another passionate moment.

 _______________________________________________________________

-          Hikaru & Abe found the gate late that evening. It was pretty difficult to find as it was hidden inside the bushes. The lock of small gate was rusty & there are thorns everywhere. Abe carefully cut down each & every thorns blocking the gate & Hikaru used his car oil to remove the rust from the lock. They manage to open the gate right after dusk. They have now entered the manor & rewarded with an impressive view of the garden of Meguro’s manor. They can see a lake & four unnamed tombstones. Abe can also see four spirits near the lake, greeting them. 

-          Both of them hurriedly make their way closer to the manor & peeping inside every room from the window. They found a greenhouse that is attached to the manor itself. Perhaps it’s their luck because surprisingly, when Hikaru push open the door knob into the greenhouse, it was unlocked. Both of them quietly enter & make their way inside the manor.

-          The manor is huge enough that they can quickly hide inside any rooms when they are about to bump into the servants & the servants wont even notice them. They made their way to the west side of the manor. At the end of the west side, they are met with 2 doors & one staircase in between the doors. Abe focus on his ability & point to the door on the left. “Fukka is here”.

-          Abe pull out a vial of purple colored vapor inside. “It’s a sleeping potion. Better be careful in case the man is inside too.” He then poured the vapor inside the room through the gap below the door. After a minute, Abe gestured Hikaru to open the door.

-          Inside, they found Fukka asleep on the bed but there’s no Meguro inside. Abe then told Hikaru it’s best this way too. With Fukka asleep, they can hopefully speed up the process of exorcising this demon. They spread open Fukka’s arms & legs. Abe gave Hikaru 2 fabrics laced with a holy spell to bind Fukka’s arms to the bedpost while Abe bind his legs.

-          Inside a period home like Meguro’s manor is, there is definitely a traditional fireplace inside every room to keep the atmosphere warm, especially during winter like this. This makes it easier for the expulsion process. Abe set aside some coal that is still burning but without flames. Then he set a tripod & a wire gauze before he put a fish’s heart & liver on top of it. The smell slowly diffused throughout the room.

-          Suddenly, the lights inside the room flicker until they switch off completely. The room now only illuminated by the lights from outside the windows. Fukka’s body started to shake frantically & a growl came out from his mouth. “Fukka” let out a great many screams in a deep voice while he tossed around violently, struggling to break free from his restraints. “Get out from that body you filthy demon!” Abe shouted. Hikaru assisted by repeating, “Wake up, Fukka! You can do this!” while trying to hold him down the mattress & patting Fukka’s head at intervals.

-          Seems like when the demon is injured, it hurts Meguro as well. Meguro was inside the other room, doing his accounting stuffs when he suddenly feel huge pain around his reproductive organs & fall from his seat. In pain, he rush over to Fukka’s room. Outside, he bumps into his old butler who also rush over to check what happen when he heard the screams. The old man is worried when he saw Meguro holding his belly in pain but Meguro just nods & opens the door to where Fukka is. He was stunned to see the scene before him.

-          The moment Hikaru saw Meguro entered, he punched him & hold him down to the ground. Meguro signaled his butler to attack Abe but thankfully Hikaru is able to kick the butler’s leg, making him fall down & Hikaru then wrestled both Meguro & the old man to the ground.

-          Abe chants some holy spells for a few more moments to weaken the devil. When the devil already had enough & release itself from Fukka’s body, Abe quickly hold a sacred box up into the air, sucking the devil inside. Then he sealed the box with a holy string. Fukka’s body went limp on the bed. Abe falls to the ground with sweat & tears, his energy is drained. He can’t believe the fight has ended. The electricity is back on too.

-          Abe looks to his side when he heard the sound of Meguro’s vigorous coughs. Blood spurts out of Meguro’s mouth. Abe told Hikaru to let Meguro go & Abe enveloped Meguro into his embrace. “Stay strong, we’ll call the ambulance. You’ll be fine. Stay awake, please.” Meguro is going in & out of consciousness, he is unable to comprehend what was happening. In addition to the pain over his belly, his body feels cold all over & he’s shaking violently. Hikaru help the butler up & urged him to call for ambulance. Hikaru went to Fukka’s side to untie the binds while Abe was holding Meguro the whole time until the ambulance arrived.

-          When the ambulance arrived, Abe pushed Hikaru to go with Fukka & Meguro to the hospital first because he still have to settle some things to completely banished the demon. After they left, Abe went back to the lake & saw the 4 spirits again. Abe took out the sacred box & throw it into the lake. He heard the tormented cry of a monster. The 4 spirits mouthed a “Thank you” before they disappeared into thin air.

 _______________________________________________________________

-          Arrived at the hospital, Meguro was straight away admitted to ER. By luck, the doctors are able to stable his condition for the moment but he might not have lot of time left to live. Moreover, it has been 3 years ago since his death was predicted & he was living with the entity’s power all this while. It is indeed a miracle that he was given another short chance in life after all that happens. The doctors said that his reproductive organs are already mostly damaged.

-          Thankfully, Fukka has no serious injuries & he may discharge from the general ward once he awakes. However, Hikaru coaxed him to get a blood test after he woke up. The lovebirds rejoice upon winning this war against evil.

-          Abe arrived at the hospital. He went up to both Hikaru & Fukka to congratulate them on surviving this test. People said most couples are highly tested during the engagement period & theirs unfortunately came in the form of Meguro with his black magic. Hikaru & Fukka told him that they should congratulate Abe instead for coming to their aid. Before Abe leave the two lovebirds, Hikaru told him to keep in touch & they shall invite Abe for dinner soon.

 -          Meguro was astonished to see Abe visiting him at ICU the next day. Meguro told Abe whatever the doctor explained to him earlier. “I learn something from that Hikaru this time. Real love.. does has the power to overcome malevolence. He was able to find you & you are able to defeat the degeneracy I cultivated for years. It must be strange coming out from me but.. Thank you. Really. Thank you for drawing the evil out of me before I go deeper into the abyss.” Upon hearing this, tears started to fall from Abe, who was just listening to Meguro all this while without uttering a single word.

-          Meguro stared hard at the weeping Abe, “Hey, why are you crying?” Meguro wiped the tears. “Such a weak creature us humans is. When our lives are presented to hang by a thread, we grip whatever we can to keep it together for another day. That includes surrendering ourselves to the devil. You are imperfect. I am imperfect. It’s not entirely your fault as it is the devil’s job to mislead us in the first place. You are given a second chance, albeit a short one; I wish you have repented on your actions”, Abe mumbled between hiccups.

-          Meguro smiled softly & patted Abe’s head. Now he felt like crying too. “You’re a strange one. I almost hurt you back there but you’re still kind to me. The world needs more people like you.”

-          Abe blushed a little but then he remembered his purpose of visiting Meguro today. “The 4 people.. Did… Did you murdered them?” Meguro’s expression turns regretful. “When I obtained the power of the devil & I feel healthy again, I was overjoyed. Then when the time came to send my partners over as sacrifices, I realized, I’ve made a huge sin. I do have the realization! But as you said, I’m simply a weak creature. Within my wavering state, the devil will whispers its threats & it ended up winning me over. Even if I didn’t love them the way they loved me, still, I do feel guilty sending them to their demise when they did no wrong. What I had done will always haunt me.”

-          “But this time, you manage to stop me. I think perhaps deep inside my heart, I do want all this to end. I am sorry for involving Fukka & Hikaru into this mess too. I hope they will forgive me” At this moment, Meguro took Abe’s hand in his & caressed it, as if wanting an assurance. “Help me make a police report, please? This sounds ironic coming from me – I don’t know what the hereafter will be for me but at the very least, I want to be send off in peace” Abe smiled sadly & nods.

 -          *Flashback* The morning Meguro visited the main house: it was an unplanned visit. He merely said he missed his parents, but his intentions were to give his will to his lawyer & discuss the division of his wealth. “My son, are you in trouble? Why are you in a hurry to write a will?”, Meguro’s father looked at his son worriedly. “There’s nothing wrong father. You never know what will happen in the near future. I might be gone soon, you never know”, Meguro replied, in a playful tone. “Shush, don’t say such things. You’re still young & you’re already successful now. The only thing left is getting you married. If you find any suitor, bring her to us. We are old now you know, we also want to hold a grandchild before we go” Meguro’s father laughed. Meguro just smiled & didn’t reply.

-          When his lawyer arrived, Meguro explained that he wants his property to be given into half. Half of it to be donated to charity including the manor & another half is to be further divided into 4. He list out 4 family names. The family names of the 4 he murdered. “These are the people that have been of service to me these past years. This is how I want to repay them back when I’m gone”. The lawyer retain his professionalism & didn’t asked any personal questions. *Flashback ends*

 _______________________________________________________________

-          3 days later, there was a commotion at Hikaru & Fukka’s workplace. Everybody is focused on the news on TV: 4 bodies found inside Meguro’s estate. The police absolutely cannot bring Meguro to jail since he was currently at the ICU but the police did declared that they have Meguro arrested for the crime. There are officers guarding his ward up until the day he passed away.

-          It was the night of the lunar eclipse that Meguro laid to rest. Abe came to visit him everyday too until then. When Meguro asked why, Abe answered, “So that the devil wont take you away again. I can be your companion.. for this short while..” Meguro is happy. On his final day too, Abe was there along with the rest of Meguro’s family, so his passing doesn’t feel lonely. After the burial, Abe thought at present, it is the coldest winter in his life.

= You are an unfamiliar person. When l find you, my heart smiles. What is my connection to you? What do l search in you? What do l want from you? What is there in you that is mine? l don’t know what part of you is mine. But O stranger, you seem dear to me. =

 -          “Better than Shio-Koji (salted rice malt), I’m known as everybody’s beloved all-purpose seasoning, Mukai Koji-desu! & I will be your new Chief Operations Officer starting today! Yoroshiku!” Rounds of applause erupted. “He doesn’t look competent. I hope he’s not a slacker COO”, Hikaru whispered to Fukka. Fukka playfully slapped Hikaru’s arms & told him to be quiet.

-          The new COO immediately went around getting familiar with the team members & when he came to Fukka’s desk, he winked. “You’re so cute” Fukka chuckled & show a ring on the ring finger of his left hand, “Sorry Mr. COO. I’m engaged.” “Ahh, too bad! I’m late!”, Koji replied dramatically. However, he suddenly felt a murderous aura from behind him before he heard, “Nice to meet you Mr. COO. I am his partner”, Hikaru said, smiling evilly while shaking Koji’s hand with a little too much force that Koji ends up retracting his hand back in pain. Fukka quietly enjoy this funny interaction.

-          “Actually, we are getting married soon & we’ll have the reception in a week. We’ll get you an invitation so if you are available next week, please come to our wedding”, Fukka announced. “Ohhh~ What a pleasant news! Everybody listen up! To celebrate these two lovebirds upcoming marriage, together with me being in this new position, I, Mukai Koji, will treat the entire department to MOS Burger for lunch today!” “YAYYYYY!!!” Another big round of applause. Ahh Hikaru & Fukka’s department will be livelier from this time onwards.

 -          The reception went smoothly. They had the most beautiful outdoor ceremony at a mountain resort. The wedding décor was spectacular, matching the season: Luxe velvet tablecloths, glimmering metallic candelabras, hypericum berries & flickering votives. Winter also made the wedding photos look dreamy & majestic; Powdery white snow on the ground, glittering snowflakes in the trees & the soft overcast lighting from Mother Nature's.

-          After their vows & rings, both Hikaru & Fukka are overwhelmed with joy that they broke into tears during the kiss. They can’t believe it’s happening. It dawned upon them at that moment, that they will navigate their path of life together & they shall be each other’s responsibilities.

 -          Before they consummate their love on the first night, Hikaru breathes on Fukka’s ear, “There’s no way to explain how much I love you. I don’t know how much restless my heart is. What I know is that I cannot live without you. I wish to attain you again & again over rebirths.” Fukka replied breathlessly, “As close as secrets are to heartbeats, as close as raindrops are to clouds, as close as the moon is to the night, as close as the waves are to the ocean; Be that close to me, my love”.

 = FIN =

 There are horrors beyond life’s edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man’s evil prying calls them just within our range – H.P. Lovecraft

The word “happy” would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by “sadness” – Carl Jung

You don’t meet people by accident. There is always a reason, a lesson or a blessing.

[thenatsdorf]

Pallas cat and kittens.

[fukkazawa]

SnowManがメンバーの秘密をこっそり暴露で…🗯【Mステ】