Chapter Text
He parked his car and sighed in annoyance as he took the key out of the ignition; he couldn't help frown when the car heater was turned off as well. He decided to smoke a cigarette before getting out of the car; outside, small snowflakes were falling onto the windshield and melting against the crystal. It was just December 1st and, all forecasts notwithstanding, the cold wave had arrived one week earlier, making the last month of the year start with a slight snowfall. And he hated the cold.
Generally speaking, Ogata Hyakunosuke hated many things, but the cold held a privileged place in his long list.
The smoke quickly filled his coupé, so he put his cigarette out before finishing it. Continuing with his preparatory protocol, he wrapped a scarf around his neck, arranged his dress coat, adjusted the trenchcoat neck and then, at long last, stepped outside to face the fucking bad joke that cold December had turned into.
Ogata hurried until the second floor of the building, holding his breath to avoid the evening cold air. As he arrived at his apartment and inserted the key to open the door, he realized it wasn't locked. The fact that he never forgot to lock his door betrayed a guest in the department, so obviously taking advantage of his absence and making themselves comfortable around the place. Since the only person who had a copy of his keys was Asirpa, his 13-year-old neighbor, there weren’t too many possibilities as to the identity of his likely uninvited guest.
"Ogata, welcome!"
A girl with very long dark hair and bright blue eyes poked her head out in the corridor upon hearing him enter.
"Asirpa," Ogata greeted back. "What's wrong? Did you get tired of your brother at last?"
"Not yet," Asirpa replied. "Today was the first snowfall, so I thought you'd be cold. I came to turn on the heating and warm up the place before you arrived."
It was only then that Ogata realized that the apartment was indeed warm. Once in the kitchen, he found that Asirpa had dinner ready for him as well. He wasn't used to being in the receiving end of such attentions, but it didn't bother him in the slightest when Asirpa was the one dispensing them.
"It's a waste that you're living with Sugimoto," he said, arranging his hair.
Asirpa just smiled. She knew there was a "thank you" hidden in those lines, but she didn't feel the need to discern exactly where.
"Are you having dinner now?"
"Sometime later."
"It's hot now."
"..."
Ogata took off his trenchcoat and his dress coat before sitting at the table as Asirpa returned triumphantly to the kitchen to serve dinner for him.
"Aren't you eating?"
"I already ate. I didn't know if you'd arrive late, so I snacked here and there when cooking," she explained, leafing again through the book she'd been reading before Ogata's arrival. "That reminds me, there is no more fish or milk left."
Ogata just nodded.
He didn't take long to finish his dinner, mainly because he used to eat very little. Asirpa poured him hot tea and was doing the dishes when two sudden knocks at the door announced a second incoming guest; one second later, the door violently opened to show a man with a face crossed by several scars.
"Asirpa, I just saw the fucking car of that Ogata jerkass outside!" The man cried. "Come back home before the shitty bastard sho...! Argh, he's already here."
The newcomer and Ogata exchanged some very little affectionate glares and then visually wished a death more painful than slow to each other.
"Asirpa, remind me why I've never reported Sugimoto for his inability to raise another human being," Ogata asked.
"You never have because I asked you not to," Asirpa dutifully told him. "He's an educated and well-mannered person most of the time. He only gets this vulgar when he’s around you."
"You see?" Sugimoto pointed out. "The problem here is so obviously you."
"You're the problem," Ogata corrected. "And now, out of here."
"Asirpaaaaaa!" Sugimoto lamented. "Why do you have to come to Ogata's place? Can't you take him to ours so I can kick him out instead?"
"I don't think he'll want to go," Asirpa pondered. "We never put the heating on that high and I think Ogata would get cold."
"That’s clearly his fault for not appreciating the warmth of our hearts."
"Asirpa, you’d also like to be an only child, wouldn’t you?" Ogata asked, two steps away from succumbing to an allergic reaction caused by Sugimoto's words.
"Heeeeeeeeeeey! Stop there, you fucking bastard!" Sugimoto countered. "I'm a wonderful big brother, unlike you who are always ignoring Hanazawa. You're a fucking little piece of shit."
"Indeed," Ogata agreed. "And in spite of that, Asirpa spends more time with me and Yuusaku won’t stop calling me all the time."
"I hate you," Sugimoto snapped, letting himself fall face down.
Ogata 1 - Sugimoto 0.
"I think I made too much tea and Ogata isn't going to drink all of it," Asirpa remarked. "Let's help him finish it or it's all going to waste."
Ogata didn't object to Asirpa going to the kitchen to pour tea for Sugimoto and the latter didn't refuse it, so they spent three extraordinary minutes sitting across at the table without exchanging insults or trying to murder each other.
"Ogata, do you have any plans for the 24th?" Asirpa asked, joining them at the table.
"Why?"
"Because I think it'll be fun to get together and do something for Christmas," she explained. "We were thinking of a Christmas dinner at our apartment."
At that precise moment, Sugimoto began noisily sipping his tea. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't finding the idea of having dinner with Ogata any fun, but if Asirpa wanted to celebrate with a dinner, he wasn't going to ruin her plans. Ogata, on the other hand, wasn't interested in joining said dinner, but the idea of accepting the invitation just to ruin Sugimoto's day instead was rather attractive.
"I don't have any plans for the 24th," Ogata said.
"You should," Sugimoto snapped.
"Why the 24th?" Ogata asked, ignoring Sugimoto. "The Christmas dinner should be on the 25th."
"I assumed both of you had plans for the 25th," Asirpa replied.
"Why?" Sugimoto and Ogata asked at the same time just to grunt at each other for the coincidence.
"Because you're supposed to have a date with your boyfriend on the 25th."
"What?" Both men snapped at the same time again.
"It's the Christmas date!" Asirpa explained. "You both have a boyfriend and you should know it. Everyone is talking about it at school and all TV programs have these lists of 'the best places for your Christmas date and blah blah'. Haven't you seen the news? Or the ads in the streets?"
"Now that you mention it..." Sugimoto began, recalling that the streets were crammed with advertising for the 'romantic Christmas date', though he hadn't paid any actual attention to it. "And what's that supposed to be like? A second St. Valentine?"
"Hmm, more or less," Asirpa said. "But I guess St. Valentine is more like a date to confess your love, right? You prepare the chocolate yourself and give it to the person you like and confess to them. The Christmas date is a little more serious," she added, glancing upwards and trying to recall his school friends' chatting on the topic. "I think it's more like a... reaffirmation of the relationship? It's not like a 'I like you' but more like a 'I want to stay by your side'."
"Really," Sugimoto said. "Honestly, it all sounds a little more serious than St. Valentine. I had no idea. I suppose I'll ask Shiraishi then and..." Sugimoto suddenly realized he'd overlooked an important fact. "Wait a moment! What did you say?"
"About what?" Asirpa asked.
"About that 'you both have a boyfriend' part."
"Well, that, exactly."
"This damn Ogata has a boyfriend?"
"Why, yes."
"What?!" Sugimoto spat. "Since when?"
"I don't know," Asirpa admitted. "But he's been dating his boyfriend for longer than you and Shiraishi have been seeing each other."
Ogata 2 - Sugimoto 0.
Across the table, Ogata quietly sipped his tea. He pretended not to care about Sugimoto's yelling, but deep down he enjoyed seeing him annoyed for any small thing. Such as being the last person around to learn he had been seeing someone else for months now.
"And how did you find out?" Sugimoto questioned Asirpa.
"I asked him because I noticed he looked happier."
"What...?" Sugimoto snapped, not completely following. "Ogata? Happy? This bastard doesn't even know how to conjugate that word!"
"It's an adjective. You don't conjugate it, genius."
Sugimoto turned around to glare at Ogata and the latter just smirked at him and articulated a silent "go fuck yourself" with the lips.
"Does your brother know, Ogata?" Asirpa asked.
"What brother?"
"I suppose not. When are you telling him?"
"Telling who?"
"Since he cares so much about you, I'm sure he'd love to know you're seeing someone."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"She's talking about your brother," Sugimoto patiently explained. "Hanazawa Yuusaku. Doesn't ring a bell? It's this tall guy, all smiles, such a good soul... The typical policeman who lives to serve and protect. I'm sure we don't have criminal activity in this city just because no delinquent would want him to feel disappointed at humanity. Ah, he's so cute. Alas, it's such a pity he's also insane."
"Is he?" Asirpa asked, intrigued.
"Obviously so. No sane man could love this son of a bitch," Sugimoto stated, pointing at their guest. "So much insanity can't have a natural cause. Ogata, didn't you do something to him when you were little? A hard hit to the head could explain it all. Anything. I don't know, a shot to the head or something like that. Could it be?"
"His mental derangement is his own," Ogata said, sipping his tea. "I didn't have anything to do with it."
"You were born," Sugimoto accused. "That's enough of a reason to make anyone lose their mind."
"I was born first, you imbecile."
"That's even worse! Hanazawa was born only to find you were already in this world. That would drive any man to insanity."
"Even if you don't acknowledge your brother, he loves you dearly," Asirpa remarked.
"Of course he does," Ogata agreed, smiling. "That's because I'm such a great person."
"Go fuck yourself," Sugimoto groaned. "You only want attention. If you really wanted Hanazawa away from you, you’d have moved without telling him a word a long time ago. Or you could block him from your contact list, but nooooo. There you have him: always close to you because you love when he chases after you. You fucking manipulating, spoiled cat."
Ogata 2 - Sugimoto 1.
"I think we'll be finished with the tea after this last round," Asirpa announced.
"Shitty Ogata, shouldn't you go out with Hanazawa on the 25th?" Sugimoto asked after Asirpa went to the kitchen for more tea.
"And shouldn't you be more concerned about Shiraishi?" Ogata snapped back. "And what makes you think incest appeals to me."
"Damn idiot, I meant a family meeting on Christmas. Don't make me think of Hanazawa and you in...! FUCKING FUCK! Why did you have to say that? You're a piece of shit! No! You’re a monumental lump of shit with a crown on top! I don't fucking get how Hanazawa can like you at all!"
Asirpa came back with their cups of tea at that moment, but she didn't inquire as to what had compelled Sugimoto into his latest string of insults directed at Ogata. She knew that it might have very well been the mere coincidence of having to live in the same country at the same time.
"I wonder the same about you and Asirpa."
"What are you talking about?" Sugimoto said. "It's real easy to love Asirpa."
"I don’t want to put pressure on you or anything," Asirpa began, both hands around her tea cup to warm them, "but my plans for the 25th are stay at home and enjoy my vacations. I might visit the police station in the afternoon to take some hot chocolate to Tanigaki and the others. If you don't make plans for Christmas anytime soon, the best restaurants will all have their reservations closed for the date, won't they?"
Both adults glanced away and sipped their drinks without a word. It was hard for them to admit that, out of the three, the child was the one who was right most of the time.
"It's not like I care about making plans for Christmas," Ogata said.
"You don't, but your boyfriend might," Sugimoto snapped at him. "Not everything in this world revolves around your damn ego, you fucking idiot."
Ogata 2 - Sugimoto 2.
"I'm finished!" Asirpa announced, making Sugimoto drink his tea in one go. "Well, we're going now. Bye, Ogata! I wish luck with your plans!"
As Sugimoto was leaving the apartment, he turned around and showed Ogata his middle finger as a goodbye sign, but it turned out the latter made the same gesture at him. Both clicked their tongues in annoyance for the coincidence.
Next day was colder due to all the snow that had piled up overnight. Ogata wasn't in the mood to go shopping and have his milk and fish reserves replenished, so he went back home directly after finishing work. It was obviously not a priority for him at the time to wander through the magazines section at the supermarket before reaching the food aisles and, very fortuitously, leaf through a restaurant reviews magazine, as any of those magazines could accidentally fall into his shopping basket without premeditation or malice aforethought any other day of the week as well.
After all, he wasn't interested in planning any Christmas date.
The few next days weren't any better for Ogata, weather-wise. In spite of the biting cold, he forced himself to go shopping on Thursday as a) he was running out of food at home (and he'd even depleted his pasta reserves), and b) he'd meet his boyfriend after work on Friday, as they did every Friday evening. And he liked having everything organized at home in case it took him more than one day to come back.
Once in his usual supermarket, he grabbed a shopping basket -although he never filled any up to the top- and carefully planned his route so he'd have to very casually go across the magazines section. As he realized it was unlikely that any magazine could inadvertently fall into his basked because it was still empty, he ignored the section and went to get the rest of the things he needed instead: once ready to leave and with his basket acceptably full, he could suffer a casual accident in the most premeditated fortuitous way possible. Ogata ended up going through the pasta, fish and milk aisles faster than usual because the latter two were in the frozen goods section and he'd had enough already putting up with the weather outside to freeze indoors as well.
After finishing with all other items in his actual shopping list, he offhandedly returned to the magazines section, where he spent several minutes of existential uncertainty as he had no idea as to what magazine should be involved in his casual accident. For starters, he wasn't even following the correct procedure. Why would he make a reservation at a restaurant or a hotel to spend Christmas with his boyfriend when he hadn't even confirmed anything with him? It was a given that his boyfriend had already plans for the date.
Ogata turned on his heels and headed to the checkout aisles.
The view from the observation deck in that luxury restaurant always managed to capture Ogata's attention as he waited for his boyfriend to dine.
Such was his weekly routine since several months ago and he was more than satisfied with it, but it wasn't as though he'd admit to that. Ogata and his boyfriend made plans to meet in some city restaurant in Friday evenings, though the date got sometimes extended to last the whole weekend. It was no pretension of his boyfriend to boast his fortune by choosing luxury restaurants or hotels for their meetings, but rather, he simply favored the privacy and sobriety those places offered to their customers. At the beginning, Ogata assumed their meetings took place in exclusive places -where privacy and the accommodations offered were in fact closer to secrecy- because the man he was seeing was married and he was just the lover. Ogata enjoyed their relationship without making too many questions: he'd rather not dwell on what tomorrow could have in store or whether there was the possibility of a future together for the two of them.
Ogata looked away from the view beyond the observation deck and cast an interested glance around: he was sure that was the same restaurant where, three months into their relationship, his lover had excused himself to answer an important phone call. Upon returning to the table, he had explained to Ogata that he had to go back home and gather some important papers needed at the office. It’d been hard for Ogata to hide his surprise when his lover proposed to accompany him so they could continue with their pending plans at his place.
That's how Ogata had found out the man he was seeing wasn't married (so he had him for himself only), but just preferred a high level of privacy. The revelation had also given him the slightest shred of hope about a future for the two of them, if the invitation to his house was to be taken as a first sign.
Lost in thought, it took Ogata some time to notice his cellphone was vibrating.
"Hello."
"Ogata, I'm sorry I'm late. I kept myself busy at the office longer than needed."
"I've just arrived," Ogata lied.
"Of course you have." His boyfriend chuckled. "I'll be there in a few more minutes."
Ogata hung up and arranged his hair. The few times his boyfriend was late for any of their dates, he was sure to compensate by extending their meeting over the weekend at his place. And Ogata loved when that happened.
Two nights later, Ogata returned to his apartment. As he drove the car into the parking, he found a snow figure shaped as a smiling giant cat standing exactly in the numbered lot that belonged to him. Ogata narrowed his eyes and frowned. Immediately afterward, he stepped on the accelerator and ran over the cat, sending the snow flying around, though most of it fell on top of the car hood and the windshield.
The murder perpetrated, Ogata went up to his apartment to take a shower and sleep a little before deciding what to do with the remaining of his Sunday. Twenty minutes after getting into bed and not able to fall asleep, though, he had to admit he was even more awake now. Ogata was feeling anxious and his pillow wouldn't put him at ease. Without giving much thought to it, he picked up his cigarette pack and stepped into the balcony to smoke.
The damn Christmas dinner issue was starting to get to him.
Following his failed attempt at buying a reviews magazine to decide on a Christmas dinner, he'd concluded the whole issue was plain nonsense. But the determination only lasted him a day, as Friday had found him considering it one more time. Ogata wasn't bothered by the issue of the dinner itself or the date, but rather, there was the fact that his boyfriend was the one who always invited him: to restaurants, hotels, theaters, everywhere and everything. Ogata had never taken any initiative. In his mind, he excused himself by telling him that, even if both of them had jobs of their own, it was pretty obvious that his boyfriend was a man far busier than he, and thus he was the one who had to be sought out when the time came. In the long run, he'd ended up getting used to that routine.
He arranged the neck of his jersey before lighting his second cigarette. It was cold, but the need for nicotine was stronger in those moments of existential uncertainty.
Ogata jumped to Plan B.
He produced his cellphone and turned on the screen. With Plan A aborted, Plan B was simpler, as it involved looking up some place to arrange a reservation online. Before typing a single word on his screen, though, he realized two important points: first, internet wasn't too reliable of a source when it came to recommendations. Many of the articles were written by anonymous users who weren't professionals, or that included information that Ogata wasn't interested in, and therefore, the experience wasn't the same as reading a magazine article prepared by a critic paid to do their work thoroughly. And second, if he searched for that kind of information on his cellphone, he'd end up receiving unsolicited advertising about events or romantic places every time he'd try to perform another search online.
Plan B aborted.
Ogata had lit his third cigarette when he heard the apartment door quietly open. After a few more seconds, he saw Asirpa poke her head out in the living room.
"Oh, there you are!" Asirpa said. "Hello, Ogata. I thought you were sleeping. I just saw your car parked outside. Have you just arrived?"
"More or less."
"I didn't see your car in the past two days. Did you spend the weekend with your boyfriend? Tanigaki and Hanazawa dropped by yesterday because it was their day off and we had dinner together. It's a pity that you weren't home. I'm sure your brother would have loved to see you."
"Who?"
"By the way, now that we're talking about him... It snowed a lot and the parking was all covered, so Hanazawa cleared the whole place and made a giant snow cat. It turned out great! Did you see it?"
"No."
"That’s so bad. It was really cute! He made the snow cat in your lot at the parking. Maybe it melted before you arrived?"
"Who knows."
"If you spent the weekend with your boyfriend, does that mean you've already decided what you'll do on the 25th?"
"No."
"Then you won't do anything?" Asirpa asked. "My brother managed to get a reservation for the 25th in that pretty restaurant downtown. The one with the observation deck!"
Ogata ground his teeth and frowned. Sugimoto had managed to get a reservation in the same restaurant he used to dine at with his boyfriend, except that he hadn’t used the money and the contacts of the latter for the lack thereof. Ogata didn't underestimate Sugimoto's determination to get whatever he wanted once he put his mind on it, but it still surprised him that Sugimoto had gotten a reservation less than two weeks away from Christmas. The place probably had a reservation list four months long.
Ogata 2 - Sugimoto 3.
"I bought chocolate," Asirpa said, returning Ogata to reality. "I'll prepare some hot chocolate and make cookies! Would you like me to bring you some?"
Ogata just gave her a half smile.
"See you in a while, then!"
Once Asirpa left his apartment, Ogata put his efforts into Plan C, which was basically Plan A + B combined into one: he ordered online several reviews magazines. Since it was Sunday, they'd arrive in the mail in two days time, but it was all right: he could wait.
Ogata lit another cigarette.
Because it was all right, wasn't it? He could wait...
Ogata lit another cigarette immediately after finishing his previous one.
On Tuesday, Ogata found the magazines in his mailbox after coming home from work. Without wasting any time, he spread out the magazines on the living room table and began leafing through them. Even if he refused to acknowledge it, the anxiety he was feeling had been strong enough to keep him in the balcony smoking non-stop several nights in a row in spite of the cold.
Ogata had ordered four magazines averaging 200-250 pages each, so he had a total of about 1000 pages to check. It occurred to him that he might have gotten a bit carried away, but then he remembered Christmas was less than two weeks away and it was a given that 85% of all the restaurants reviewed in those magazines had their reservations closed already.
After leafing through the first magazine, he wasn't surprised to find out that many of the most recommended restaurants were places he'd already visited, invited by his boyfriend. That stressed him even further, as he had now to look up a place that he actually liked, that was part of the 15% of places that had still had open reservations, and that he and his boyfriend hadn't visited already.
Ogata 0 - Christmas 1.
Two hours later, Ogata realized he hadn't even taken off the coat or the tie yet. He'd also forgotten to prepare dinner, but as he wasn't feeling in any mood to cook, he just treated himself to a cup of coffee and stepped onto the balcony to smoke.
As a side effect of the anxiety he was feeling -and going unnoticed by him-, his routine had changed for the worse in the past days: he wasn't eating properly, his daily doses of nicotine and coffee had exponentially increased and, on top of things, he'd been spending several hours at night smoking in the balcony. He was cold, but the need for closing the whole restaurant reservation issue was more of an urgent matter for him right now.
Two more days following the same routine and Thursday found him hating the world.
Ogata Hyakunosuke hated the world already, and that wasn't any breaking news. That morning was different, though, because the body colluded with his mood to be most uncooperative: he woke up pained, feeling tired and with clear symptoms of having a cold.
Ogata 0 - Christmas + cold 2.
After cursing the fucked up world he had to be born in, he took a few pills along with his morning coffee and cigarette and left for work.
In spite of his mood, his body and the world he had to live in feeling like they were all buried in the deepest shit, Ogata carried out his work in a most impeccable way. However, the fact that he had an even more remarkable face promising a painful death to anyone who dared cast a glance at him didn't go unnoticed by his colleagues, and his boss suggested that he go back home after lunch break and rest. As he wasn't going to let a damn simple cold stop him, he paid no heed to any suggestion and completed his working hours.
By next day, the situation had escalated and he sported now a face that foreboded an indiscriminate mass attack on everyone in sight. In order to prevent a massacre, his boss insisted he returned home and Ogata, upon weighing the situation against his pride, thought of heeding the latter, but it was Friday already. Friday! There was no way he'd put off the date with his boyfriend for such a small inconvenience, so he decided to invalidate his pride for once and agree to his boss' suggestion of going home.
As soon as he arrived at his apartment, he turned the heating on and plopped into the sofa. "Fucking cold," he thought as he checked the hour on his wristwatch: he had several hours to rest before leaving for his date.
Asirpa's voice woke him up after some time.
"Ogata. Ogataaaa? Are you okay? I think you have a bit of a fever," the girl said, her hand on his forehead.
"I'm okay," Ogata replied, sitting up on the sofa.
"If you were okay, you'd be working," she pointed out. "I was going shopping and saw your car outside. If you’re sick, why didn't you tell me? I'm on vacation right now and can look after you."
"I can take care of myself."
Asirpa puffed her cheeks at the denial, but she then remembered it was Friday.
"Oh, Ogata," she began, "it's so bad that you're sick today, isn't it? I mean, it just had to be today."
Ogata narrowed his eyes and stared at her with distrust.
"And I was about to go shopping to make you a hot soup," Asirpa went on. "Who knows, a homemade meal and some rest could help you, right? It'll be a pity if you get worse and can’t go out later."
Ogata 0 - Christmas + cold + Asirpa 3.
"I guess," Ogata said, arranging his hair.
"Nice!" Asirpa said triumphantly. "Rest now. I’ll be back right away to make you something to eat."
True to his nature, Ogata wouldn't admit Asirpa had been right. After eating the meal she prepared, he felt a little better, so he took a few pills she'd also got for him and went to sleep in his bedroom. It was barely 3 in the afternoon, meaning he had four hours to catch on some rest while the pills did their magic. He'd be on time for his weekly date.
After Ogata left to rest in his bedroom, Asirpa took her time to make some hot chocolate and work on her vacation homework. She was well aware of Ogata's personality and quirks and knew he'd never ask for help, not even if he happened to somehow sustain a shot to the head, so she decided to stay at his apartment and check on his condition once he woke up.
Busy with her homework and reheating the chocolate from time to time, Asirpa lost track of time until a persistent noise caught her attention. After a few seconds, she realized it was a cellphone vibrating somewhere in the living room; as her cellphone was inactive on the table, she deduced it had to be Ogata's. Using the vibrating noise as a guide, she found the device buried under the sofa cushions; even though she managed to read the caller's name on the screen before the call ended, she didn't recognize it. Asirpa carefully opened the door to Ogata's bedroom and glanced inside: his host slept, curled up in his blankets as though he were a cat. As she thought it'd been a long time since she'd last seen him sleep so peacefully, his cellphone vibrated again with an incoming call from the same person, so Asirpa closed the door and stepped into the balcony to answer.
"Hello?"
"..."
"Hello?" Asirpa repeated.
"Hello," the caller said at last. "Who is that?" They added, in a serious tone that sounded almost intimidating.
"I'm Asirpa," she quietly replied. She was used to his brother and Ogata's arguments and wouldn't get intimidated so easily. "Are you Ogata's boyfriend?"
"That's right."
"I know you had a date tonight, but I don't know what to do," Asirpa admitted. "Ogata was feeling sick and lied down to rest for a while before going to meet you. But he's fast asleep right now and I'd rather let him rest. I know he's going to be very mad when he finds out I didn't wake him up any earlier. What should I do? Do you want me to wake him up?"
"Not for the time being. I'd be more interested in knowing why you're there with him."
"Because he's too proud to ask for help," Asirpa said. "I'm his neighbor. When I noticed he was sick, I invited myself to his place to take care of him."
"Didn't he refuse?"
"Nope," Asirpa said. "I think he was so worried about feeling better to meet you, he didn't mind that I took care of him a little. So, what are you doing then?"
"What will you do?"
"I'll listen to whatever you want to do and depending on that, I'll decide what I should do," Asirpa replied. "If you ask me to wake him up, I'll get angry with you because he should rest more. But if you tell me you want to see him, I can give you his address so you can come."
"I'll go see him."
Asirpa smiled at the words. She was glad that Ogata's boyfriend, after learning that he was sick, came to see him instead of having Ogata go to him.
"Knock at the door only once when you arrive," Asirpa told her interlocutor after giving him the apartment's address. "Ogata is a light sleeper and we don't want to wake him up."
"I know."
After the call ended, Asirpa left Ogata's cellphone on the table next to hers and got back to her homework. She didn't have to wait long for Ogata's boyfriend to arrive, though, as half an hour later she heard a quiet knock at the door. Upon opening it, she was surprised to find an old man with very long hair and a beard, both white as the snow, and dressed in an elegant dark green three-piece suit: his sharp expression seemed to betray that the wrinkles on his skin had had to fight quite the battle to mar that beautiful face.
"Are you Hijikata Toshizou?" She asked, recalling the name she'd read on the cellphone's screen.
"That's right," he said, smiling.
"You're pretty cute," she said. "I see why Ogata likes you so much."
Hijikata laughed.
"How old are you?" Asirpa excitedly asked. "I'm 13. When I get as old as you, do you think I'll look as good?"
"Of course you'll do, but don’t be in any hurry. You still have a whole life in front of you before you can even reach my age."