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Kiryu’s been in jail for two years and Nishiki was alone.
Again.
It was early October and the weather was just starting to get cold. The pleasant nip of the early autumn chill had people bringing out their scarves and sweaters, clutching their paper cups of coffee and tea as they hurried along the always busy Kamurocho streets to get to anywhere. The turn of the season always brought a turn of mood, and Nishiki found himself growing gloomier as the days grew shorter and the air turned cold.
Business hadn’t been good and there was little for him to celebrate the past few weeks. He was still grinding out his days in the shadow of what he’d done, consumed with guilt and missing Kiryu more than he’d ever thought he could. And to make matters worse, there was no way for him to visit his kyodai.
Nishiki found himself wandering aimlessly through Kamurocho, ignoring everything around him. Not even the taunting shouts of the local thugs could snap him out of his miserable introspection.
It wasn’t until the whisper of a hand against his back and a shaking package of cigarettes appeared in front of him that he was brought back to reality.
“Ya look like you could use a smoke, buddy.”
Nishiki stared at the older man who had snuck up on him. Majima Goro, the Mad Dog of Shimano, dressed in his obnoxious and tacky snakeskin jacket and leather pants, had wrapped his arm around Nishiki’s shoulders and was offering him a cigarette. He was grinning widely, his teeth flashing behind chapped lips, his chest and stomach exposed to the cool air and Nishiki wondered how he wasn’t freezing half to death yet.
Nishiki took the proffered cigarette cautiously. He and Majima weren’t friends. They had barely talked since they’d first met in 1988 and, as Nishiki recalled, Majima had kicked his ass in his favourite bar. Still, he knew what Majima’s reputation was like and he dared not make the other man angry. He was technically his superior, and Nishiki didn’t want to make things worse by insulting him.
Majima flicked a lighter and held out the flame to Nishiki first. Now he was suspicious. It wasn’t like Majima to light a cigarette for anyone like this, especially someone to whom he owed no loyalty.
“Thanks,” Nishiki said quietly. “Do you need something, Majima-san?”
Majima made a face as he lit his own cigarette, gloved hand cupping the lighter’s flame to keep it from blowing out. He exhaled a gentle puff of smoke and put the lighter away. “Not really,” he admitted, eyeing Nishiki. “But you’ve been mopin’ around the place for days, heard your performance at work is slippin’ too.”
Nishiki grunted. It wasn’t untrue, but he certainly didn’t like the fact that word was getting around, and he certainly didn’t like that it was spreading far enough for Majima, of all people, to hear about it. “It’s nothing.”
“It ain’t nothin’ if it’s buggin’ ya this bad,” Majima pointed out. “You’ve walked past me a dozen times in the past three days and ya ain’t said hello once.”
Nishiki winced at his own lack of decorum. Not having manners was a surefire way to get in trouble, if not an outright fight. Especially with someone like Majima.
“Majima-san, I am so sorry, I didn’t even notice. I…”
Majima patted Nishiki’s shoulder. “Hey, calm down, kid. I ain’t tryin’ to bust yer balls here. It ain’t like ya to be so…” He trailed off and made a fluttering motion with his hand. “So what’s wrong?”
“It really isn’t anything,” Nishiki pleaded. “I’ve just been… thinking. Too much, really.”
Majima stared him down, puffing on his cigarette. “You can either tell me what’s wrong, Nishikyama-san, or I can make you tell me what’s wrong, if ya know what I mean.” He arched one eyebrow to emphasize the threat.
Nishiki shuddered. He knew what Majima was capable of and he had been on the receiving end of his wrath once, years ago. “Look,” Nishiki sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the smouldering cigarette between his fingers. “I miss Kiryu.”
“Yeah, we all do,” Majima said with a shrug. “So why’s it buggin’ ya worse now ? It’s been two years, right? Why’s today makin’ ya feel worse?”
“Don’t laugh.”
Majima laughed. “Ya can’t tell me not t’ laugh and then not tell me why I ain’t supposed to laugh.”
Nishiki growled in frustration. Majima was not his favourite person in the world, but he’d had to tolerate him on more than one occasion because he was still higher ranked than him. And with Kiryu in prison, it felt like Majima was almost stalking Nishiki, like he missed Kiryu enough that his kyodai was some kind of substitute.
“Kid, I ain’t gonna laugh,” Majima promised, his voice dropping to a quiet, almost normal pitch. “We all got some shit we gotta deal with, so why not tell me, maybe I can help.”
Nishiki looked him over. The Mad Dog of Shimano was the last person he wanted help from. But no one else was even giving him a second thought. “It’s just… it’s my birthday tomorrow, and Kiryu’s the only person who ever remembers.”
“Huh,” Majima mused, crushing his cigarette out beneath his shoe. “Meet me outside the Kazama office tomorrow at five.”
“What?” Nishiki asked, alarmed. “What for?”
“Just do it,” Majima snapped. “An’ don’t be late.”
Nishiki frowned as Majima turned on his heel and walked away, humming to himself. A shiver ran down his spine, shaking Nishiki’s shoulders and he took one last puff of his cigarette before crushing it under his shoe. He had a bad feeling about meeting Majima the next day.
--
Nishiki wasn’t late to the meeting. He’d been in the office anyway, going over some reports with Kashiwagi, who, as suspected, didn’t say anything about Nishiki’s birthday. He trudged down the stairs and to the front door where Majima was very clearly waiting for him.
“Majima-san,” Nishiki said, bowing. “It’s good to see you.”
Majima waved his hand and grabbed Nishiki’s shoulders, making him stand up. “Quit it with that shit. I ain’t gonna make a fuss if ya ain’t bowing. Calm down.”
Nishiki breathed a heavy sigh. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” Majima said, clapping Nishiki’s shoulders. “All right, what should we do first?”
“Excuse me?” Nishiki asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“It’s your birthday, ain’t it?” Majima asked with a grin. “So I’m gonna treat ya.”
“What?” Nishiki asked again, stammering. “No, Majima-san, really, you don’t have to.”
Majima stepped closer, getting up in Nishiki’s personal space like he was threatening him. “I know I don’t. But ya ain’t gonna turn down an invitation from your superior are ya?”
Nishiki’s spine stiffened under the threat. This exact situation, the unpredictability of Majima’s personality, was why he avoided him whenever he could. With a sigh, Nishiki shook his head. “No, Majima-san, I suppose I won’t turn down your invitation.”
Majima grinned. “Good!” He exclaimed, his mood reverting back to the bubbly happy one he’d had only a few moments prior. He draped his arm over Nishiki’s shoulders and pulled him away from the Kazama office doors.
“Let’s see… where should we start?” He tapped his chin theatrically, gloved fingers making a ‘pap’ noise with every tap. “Ah, I know, let’s take in a show, Nishikiyama-kun?”
“Y-you can call me Nishiki.”
Majima’s eyebrows shot up in delight. “ Really ?”
Nishiki nodded. “You said we weren’t being formal today, right?”
Majima made a little humming noise, delighted to be trusted enough with his nickname. “All right, Nishiki, let’s go take in a show.”
Nishiki sighed and let himself be dragged along. He didn’t ask what kind of show Majima had in mind, but he was certain that they weren’t going to see a movie. Nishiki wasn’t wrong and he wasn’t entirely disappointed when Majima rolled him up to the entrance of Asia , the gentlemen's club on Pink Street.
Nishiki tilted his head as he looked sideways at Majima. “Really?”
“Yep,” Majima agreed. “Heard they got some new girls on the roster last week. Should be in for a good time, whaddya think?”
Nishiki didn’t have a chance to answer as Majima dragged him inside. The doorman led them into the club and showed them to their seats, almost right up against the stage.
“Ooh,” Majima purred. “Good seats. You can see all the action from here.”
Nishiki wanted to evaporate, he sank lower in his seat, embarrassed to be sitting with Majima at the strip club, especially since Majima was making a big deal out of everything. It wasn’t that Nishiki didn’t enjoy these kinds of outings, it was just awkward to be sitting next to Majima, who was commenting on everything about the place, almost like he used to own a club or something. Majima patted Nishiki’s arm with the back of his hand as the lights dimmed and he fell into a surprisingly uncharacteristic silence as he leaned back in his seat.
Nishiki sat up as the dancer took the stage. She was new, he’d never seen her before and the routine she performed was different than any of the ones Nishiki had seen before. She danced lower, more movements on the ground, on her knees, as she spun, working her way up until she was back on her feet and pulling herself into all sorts of interesting shapes. Nishiki didn’t notice that he’d unconsciously leaned forward to watch until the lights came back one and he felt Majima staring at him.
“Ya wanna stay for the next one?” Majima asked, grinning.
Nishiki cleared his throat and shook his head. “No, I think I’m okay, Majima-san.”
Majima chuckled, a high pitched giggle and clapped Nishiki’s shoulder. “All right, it’s your birthday after all, come on, let’s go.”
Nishiki shifted uncomfortably as he got up, embarrassed that he’d been caught ogling, even though that is what they were there to do. He followed Majima back out into the daylight, almost afraid to ask what was next.
“Club Jewel,” Majima announced, as if he could read Nishiki’s mind.
“Why?” Nishiki asked.
“Because I know a couple of the girls there,” Majima said. “And they would absolutely love it if you’d come say hello on your birthday.”
Nishiki hesitated. “Did you set this up?”
Majima simply looked at him, crooking an eyebrow, and grinning. “Let’s go, they’re waiting.”
Nishiki sighed and followed along behind him. Majima stopped when he realized Nishiki was dragging his feet.
“Hey,” Majima said slowly. “Look. I know we ain’t really friends, Nishiki-san, and I know you’re missin’ Kiryu. Do you want to call this whole thing off?”
“What?” Nishiki asked. “N-no, it’s not that…”
“It is,” Majima pointed out. “We ain’t ever had drinks, even. The most time I think we’ve spent together was kickin’ each other’s asses in ‘88, and passing tense hellos in the street. I know I ain’t the person you want to spend today with, so if ya want to bail, I ain’t gonna stop ya, and I ain’t gonna be offended.”
Nishiki fidgeted in his spot. “I’m sorry, I’ve been selfish. Thank you for planning all of this for me, Majima-san. I want to see what else you’ve planned.”
Majima laughed and clapped Nishiki’s shoulder, sliding his arm around him. “That’s the spirit, kid. Come on, trust me, it’ll be fun.”
Nishiki breathed a heavy breath and let Majima drag him along. The weight of his arm around Nishiki’s shoulders was pleasant, familiar, even if he was completely unfamiliar to him. It was a strange comfort; almost like Kiryu was there, and he let himself relax a little.
Club Jewel was one of the clubs Nishiki didn’t often visit. He wasn’t as familiar with the women there but Majima certainly seemed to be. He ordered a table and requested two girls by name. The doorman seemed excited to go get the girls, and they were led to a booth quickly.
Majima slipped into the booth easily, making himself comfortable and Nishiki did the same, looking Majima over skeptically.
“What?” Majima demanded.
“They let you in here dressed like that?”
Majima barked a laugh. “You’d be surprised with what I can get away with dressed like this.”
Nishiki shook his head and was about to make a comment when the two hostesses arrived. Nishiki looked up and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The two women standing in front of their table were some of the most beautiful women Nishiki had ever seen - and he thought he was an expert in finding cute girls at clubs to drag along to yakuza meetings.
One was wearing a soft blue gown, dotted with sequins that made a floral pattern among the wispy tulle overlaying her skirt. The dress had no sleeves and hugged her body, with a gentle ruche of the top and a sweetheart hem. She wore a simple drop necklace and very little makeup. Her long, honey golden hair was curled in large, loose curls.
The other woman was dressed in a shorter black dress that shimmered and shifted colours in the lights. The dress had a square neckline and puffy cap sleeves with a black lace trim. She was bustier than the other hostess, and she wore an elegant black choker with chandelier chains draping down across her collarbone. Her black hair was done in an elegant updo with glittering, jeweled hairpins dotting the style.
“Majima-san!” the woman in blue exclaimed. “Thank you for requesting me!”
The woman in black bowed. “It’s nice to see you again, Majima-san.”
Majima leaned back and looked at Nishiki. “This is Nishiki-kun,” he told the women. “Nishiki-kun, this is Chiyo, in blue, and Mika in black.” He stood up and let Mika slip into the booth where he’d been sitting as Chiyo sat next to Nishiki on the other side.
Nishiki’s face flushed as the women cooed over him and introduced themselves. “You aren’t leaving, are you?” He asked Majima.
Majima flopped back down into the booth. “Not when ya ask me so politely to stay,” he teased.
Mika patted Majima’s leg. “You’re so sweet to bring your friend here for his birthday ,” She crooned.
“He’s had a rough week,” Majima said. “He deserves to unwind a little bit, don’t ya think?”
A waiter appeared with four bottles of light beer and a platter of fruit and chocolate.
“Thank you!” Majima said with a grin as Chiyo set about pouring Nishiki’s drink into a glass.
“The rest of your order will be out momentarily,” the waiter said with a bow.
“Rest?” Nishiki echoed. “Majima-san, we didn’t order.”
“You didn’t,” Majima pointed out. “But I wasn’t about to let your birthday go without a little celebration with some beautiful company.”
The girls tittered laughs, and Mika handed Majima his glass of beer.
“Tell me about yourself, Nishiki-kun,” Chiyo asked. “What do you do for work?”
“A lot of accounting stuff, mostly,” Nishiki answered.
“Oh, do you work with Majima-san?”
“Damn right he does,” Majima interrupted. “Best little paper-pusher I’ve ever known. And this kid? Tough as nails. He doesn’t take no for an answer, I think only our boss is scarier than Nishiki-kun.”
Chiyo laughed and placed a hand against Nishiki’s arm. “Really? You seem so sweet and quiet.”
“I am not as tough as Majima-san insists that I am,” Nishiki said.
“So modest,” Mika purred. “Majima-san, are all of your friends like this?”
“No,” Majima said, thoughtfully. “Nishiki-kun is special. He’s a sweetheart under all his tough guy act. And smart. I ain’t ever seen a guy so clever with talkin’ his way outta trouble, except maybe me.”
“You talk your way into trouble,” Nishiki teased, feeling a little more comfortable now. “You’re always running around with some new scheme.”
Majima placed a hand against his heart. “You do pay attention, I’m flattered!”
A few minutes of chit-chat passed, the hostesses paying more attention to Nishiki than to Majima, as planned, and Majima leaned back in the booth, sipping his drink. He saw the surprise order rounding the corner and grinned widely to himself.
“Hey, Nishiki-kun?” Majima asked, interrupting the conversation that he hadn’t been a part of.
Nishiki looked up as the wait staff arrived carrying an elegant birthday cake with the candles that imitated fireworks adorning it. They sang a little birthday song that Majima had never heard, but thought was cute, and Nishiki looked almost like he could crawl under the table and hide in his embarrassment. The hostesses clapped and sang along with the wait staff, Chiyo wrapping her arms around Nishiki’s shoulders and giving him a little sideways squeeze. The staff applauded and wished Nishiki a bunch of birthday wishes as they cut the cake and handed Nishiki the first slice.
Majima slipped one of the staff a folded stack of bills as a thank you, enough for everyone to get a share as he was handed his own slice of cake.
“You really love embarrassing your friends don’t you?” Nishiki asked.
Majima laughed. “Are ya embarrassed by this? I ain’t even drinkin’ yet.” He tapped his spoon against his lips. “An’ we ain’t gone to karaoke yet.”
“Ooh, karaoke,” Mika crooned. “I haven’t been to karaoke in such a long time.”
“Really?” Majima asked. “Well would you ladies like to join us after your shifts for dinner and karaoke?”
“Majima-san,” Nishiki pleaded. “You don’t have to…”
“Oh, that would be lovely!” Mika agreed. “What do you think, Chiyo?”
“I think our shifts end shortly after Majima-san’s reservation,” Chiyo teased with a big grin as she held out her spoon for Nishiki to take a bite of cake. “Nishiki-kun, have some cake.”
Nishiki glared at Majima before letting Chiyo feed him. The cake was excellent, better than anything he’d have treated himself to, and Nishiki felt a pang of guilt for being so uptight. “Did Majima-san plan this specifically so that we could take you two out after work?”
“Oh no, he’s onto you, Majima-san,” Mika teased.
“I told ya he’s clever,” Majima purred.
Nishiki shook his head, a small smile touching the corners of his lips. “I would really like it if you ladies would join us after work to get dinner and maybe go to karaoke or something.”
Chiyo made a little cheering noise, throwing her hand in the air in her excitement. “Nishiki-kun, do you like the arcade?”
Nishiki’s eyebrows shot up at the question. “Yeah, I don’t mind it, I haven’t been for a little while though. Do you?”
“I love the arcade!” Chiyo said. “But I’m never any good at the UFO machines and they have the cutest little toys inside right now.”
Nishiki laughed. “Would you like me to win you one?”
Chiyo wrapped her arms around his and gave him the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster. “I would love that.”
Nishiki looked over at Majima.
“I didn’t plan this bit,” Majima promised. “Which one has the cuter toys, Chiyo-chan?”
“They’re all cute!” Chiyo said with a defiant pout. “Why?”
“Well,” Majima considered, tapping his chin. “Depending on which arcade ya wanted to go to would change our dinner plans a little bit, don’t you think?”
“And what about karaoke?” Nishiki pointed out.
“ Serena has karaoke as I recall,” Majima offered. “An’ there’s an arcade just down the street.”
“You’d want to just go to Serena?”
Majima shrugged. “That’s your favourite place isn’t it? I would have suggested we end the night there even if we weren’t going to go crash their karaoke.”
“What about food, then?” Nishiki said.
“There’s a little izakaya place right across from the arcade,” Majima said. “Or the noodle place around the corner from the Poppo, or the other restaurant with that barker outside right there, too. I don’t actually know what that place is, to be honest.”
Nishiki grunted. “You know I have no idea what that place is, either. Kiryu swears those two places have been there since forever.”
“I like that little izakaya place,” Mika said, interrupting the conversation. “But it isn’t really a fancy birthday dinner.”
Nishiki shook his head. “It doesn’t need to be fancy. Izakaya sounds good.”
“Then it’s settled!” Majima cheered with a single clap of his hands. “Arcade, izakaya, and karaoke at Serena.”
“Hooray!” Chiyo said with a huge smile on her face as she squeezed Nishiki’s arm again. “Come on, Mika, let’s go change so we can go eat.”
Mika shook her head as Majima let her out of the booth. He flopped back down unceremoniously and reached for one of the chocolate-covered fruits that had been left on their platter.
“You really did plan all of this, didn’t you?” Nishiki asked.
“The arcade and izakaya wasn’t part of the plan,” Majima drawled before eating the chocolate. He frowned thoughtfully as he chewed and made a point to not talk with his mouth full. “I was gonna offer ya Kanrai, to be honest.”
Nishiki’s face paled at the thought. He knew exactly how expensive that would get. “R-really?”
“Yeah,” Majima said with a shrug. “It’s your birthday. Would ya rather go there before the arcade?”
“I… haven’t been to Kanrai in a long time,” Nishiki admitted.
“The girls will be happier with that, I bet,” Majima said. “They’re both too polite to suggest the most expensive restaurant in the city.” He chuckled at the thought. “And you’re too shy t’ ask.”
Nishiki huffed a sigh. “Thank you, Majima-san.”
Mika and Chiyo arrived promptly as the rest of their dishes were being cleared from the table where Nishiki and Majima waited. They’d dressed back in normal clothes, Mika in a pencil skirt and deep green sweater, and Chiyo in a pale blue skater dress almost the same shade as the gown she’d been wearing, and a light brown cardigan.
“Ladies,” Majima said, offering Mika his arm. “Lookin’ lovely. Shall we head off to dinner?”
Mika took Majima’s arm and he led the way out of the club. Nishiki followed suit and Chiyo grabbed his arm and held on tight like she was afraid he’d run away if she let go. Nishiki had to admit he liked the attention and Chiyo was easier to talk to than Majima. They chatted together as they walked behind Majima and Mika, talking about their favourite arcade games and how excited Chiyo always got for the cooler fall weather. They walked past Kanrai and Majima stopped.
“Hey,” Majima said. “Wanna eat here instead?”
Mika looked shocked. “Majima-san, that’s Kanrai.”
“Yeah,” Majima agreed. “It is. Ya wanna go?”
“Ooh, really?” Chiyo asked. “That is a pretty fancy birthday dinner. What do you think, Nishiki-kun?”
Majima was grinning like the Cheshire Cat and Nishiki didn’t have much choice but to follow him as he led Mika inside. Chiyo was quietly excited as they were led to a table and Majima started ordering plates without considering the cost. Nishiki squirmed at the gesture as Majima even ordered drinks. Chiyo and Mika were talking now about their favourite meals, and how they’d both only been to Kanrai once or twice.
Majima grinned at Nishiki across the table and Nishiki shook his head. Mika asked Majima something about what he would want to do for his birthday and Majima took the cue to talk about a birthday in Sotenbori at the Cabaret Grand. Nishiki was barely listening but the girls were held captivated by the way he spoke. He stared at Majima, who was talking animatedly, but without the air of the Mad Dog that Nishiki was so used to seeing. It was almost like Majima wasn’t the overly violent, manic and unpredictable man that he’d been known to be. He was almost normal. Except for the outfit. Nishiki couldn’t believe that he would dare to be caught dead in that outfit; Majima seemed to have way more decorum than he’d thought. It was almost like the Mad Dog thing wasn’t even quite real.
Nishiki shook his head, pushing the questions out of his mind. Majima had a reputation, after all, and they weren’t friends. This was a one-time deal.
The food was brought out quicker than Nishiki was expecting and Majima encouraged him to have more of the fancier cuts of meat than he was expecting to have. Everything was so good , he couldn’t believe that he had almost insisted on the cheaper izakaya.
Majima ordered another round of drinks as the plates got cleared away as the meat was cooked and Chiyo insisted that Nishiki share her pieces when he was too distracted to cook his own. Majima was laughing with Mika, and Nishiki had never seen him this relaxed before. It was almost like he was sitting with friends after a long time, and the loneliness Nishiki had been feeling without Kiryu had begun to ease. Maybe, he considered, having Majima as a friend wouldn’t be so bad.
Majima paid, insisting Nishiki just fuck off with his offer to pay for part of the meal. It was his birthday, Majima wasn’t going to make him pay for his own meal, what kind of hospitality would that be? Nishiki frowned, his eyebrows knitting together as Majima draped his arm over his shoulders and led him out of the restaurant. Mika and Chiyo were holding hands and giggling to themselves as they led the way down the street toward Tenkaichi, and the SEGA arcade there. Majima offered Nishiki a cigarette, which he accepted, but Nishiki was faster with the lighter this time. Majima chuckled and let him light his cigarette.
“You aren’t bad company,” Nishiki said.
“You ain’t heard me sing yet,” Majima warned.
“Well, you paid for Kanrai,” Nishiki teased. “I’ll spare you too harsh judgement on your singing abilities.”
Majima laughed. “That’s fair. You ain’t too bad yourself, ya know.”
“Really?” Nishiki asked. “Could’ve sworn you were just being nice to me because of Kiryu.”
“Naw,” Majima corrected. “You’re a good kid. Kiryu ain’t got anythin’ to do with it.”
“But you’re here because he isn’t,” Nishiki pointed out.
“And?”
“And, I wouldn’t have said anything to you if Kiryu was around.”
“Ya don’t think so?” Majima asked. “Ya don’t think that Kiryu would’ve mentioned something about his kyodai’s birthday to me if he was here?”
Nishiki frowned at the thought and Majima patted his shoulder.
“I ain’t doin’ this outta some misplaced sense of duty to Kiryu-chan,” Majima said. “You’ve been wanderin’ around aimless for months, mopin’ around like ya lost the part of you that makes ya want to keep going. I get that. I’ve been there, kid.” He shook his head, crunching his cigarette out beneath his heel. “If takin’ ya out for your birthday makes things better, don’t ya think I’d have done it anyway?”
Nishiki frowned more. “We’ve barely ever talked.”
“Yeah, that’s not your fault,” Majima said slowly. “I always got the feelin’ that ya didn’t like me, an’ that ya didn’t trust me.” He chuckled. “Not that I blame ya, I kicked your ass all over Serena back then, an’ I ain’t really done ya any favours ‘til now.”
Nishiki shook his head. “I’m thankful you’re here, Majima-san.”
“Are you two coming or what?” Chiyo called from the entrance to the arcade.
“Yeah, sorry,” Majima called back. He clapped Nishiki’s shoulder again and pulled him along.
By the time they caught up, Chiyo was already drooling over the stuffed animals in the UFO catcher. Majima laughed as she pointed out which one she wanted and Nishiki traded in bills for coins to try and win her something.
Mika and Majima hung back as Nishiki and Chiyo bonded over the UFO Catcher.
“Do ya want one?” Majima offered, pointing to the machines full of stuffed animals.
“Do you think it would be easier to just pay the attendant five hundred yen to buy one of the prizes?” Mika asked.
“You’re devious!” Majima teased with a chuckle. “Do ya want one?”
“Maybe,” Mika admitted.
Majima nodded, and cracked his knuckles. “All right, let me get ya a prize.”
Nishiki looked up from his game as Majima sauntered across the room to the UFO catcher next to him. “What are you doing?”
“Mika wants a prize, too,” Majima said with a shrug. “I’m gonna show ya how an old pro does it.”
Nishiki and Chiyo watched with wide eyes as Majima fed some money into the machine and proceeded to utterly fail at snagging a prize. Majima sputtered incoherently at his inability to catch a prize and Nishiki tried desperately not to laugh.
“It’s probably a lot harder with only one eye,” Nishiki offered quietly.
“WHAT?” Majima shouted. “Ya wanna make a big deal outta it?”
Nishiki grinned, flashing his teeth and he shook his head. “No, nii-san, I was just saying that maybe you should let the professionals do the UFO catcher.”
“You ain’t won anythin’ yet either.”
Nishiki scratched his head and pretended not to hear him. “The prizes are slippery too, hahahaha, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself, Majima-san.”
“I’ll bet you a dinner at Sushi Gin I can get something before you,” Majima snapped.
Nishiki arched an eyebrow. “I’m free on Wednesday.”
“You’d better save your pocket change, Nishiki-kun,” Majima purred. “I have expensive taste.”
Chiyo backed off as the men got a little more intense than she’d expected and she hid behind Mika, who was watching intently. Nishiki and Majima fed more money into their respective machines and made another attempt to get a prize.
Five hundred yen later, and Nishiki was victorious. He whooped and held his jumbo Bunchan over his head. Majima groaned loudly and used his last attempt on the machine. Luckily, he managed to snag an adorable puppy pillow and he sneered at Nishiki.
“Dinner at Sushi Gin next Wednesday,” Nishiki reminded him.
“Yeah yeah,” Majima pouted, shaking his head as Chiyo rushed over to Nishiki and grabbed the Bunchan, holding it to her chest. Majima offered his prize to Mika who took it gratefully. “Sorry it ain’t as nice as the Bunchan.”
Mika shook her head. “This is perfect , Majima-san.”
Majima ran his hand against the back of his neck and looked away in embarrassment when he noticed an arcade machine in the corner. “Oh no way.”
Nishiki heard him and followed him to the corner of the arcade. Majima was settling into a machine, running his hands along the joystick like he’d just found a holy grail. “What is this?”
Majima shook his head. “I can’t believe this is even here, this was…” he trailed off. “I got some fond memories about this game from way back.”
“ Space Harrier ?” Nishiki asked.
“Yeah, it’s a long story,” Majima said with a shake of his head. “I have gotta play it.”
Nishiki watched as Majima easily cleared a million points. Majima looked like he was enjoying the game, a small smile playing on his face, the hard anger dissipating as he got back into the game.
Majima swore when he got a game over, but laughed and shook his head. “All right, that was fun.”
“Only two million points?” Nishiki teased.
“I’d like to see ya do any better,” Majima spat.
“Is that a challenge?” Nishiki asked with a smirk. “You already owe me dinner.”
“A bottle of Hibiki if you can beat my score in one go,” Majima wagered.
Nishiki shifted his weight. That was an expensive wager. “Yeah, you’re on.”
Majima stood up and joined the girls watching as Nishiki settled himself into the machine. Mika wrapped her arms around Majima’s arm as he watched intently. Nishiki was good at the game and Majima had to choke back his own shouts of dismay as Nishiki easily cleared two million points. A sudden memory flashed behind Majima’s eye, a promise of being shown a Fantasy Zone and a terrible misunderstanding and he almost needed to sit down.
“Guess that’s dinner and whiskey on you,” Nishiki taunted.
“It’s just luck since it’s your birthday,” Majima teased back, shaking his head. “Ya wanna head to Serena now?”
Nishiki sighed with relief, almost afraid that Majima wasn’t going to let him win the wager. “Yeah, I could use some karaoke.”
Chiyo grabbed Nishiki’s arm and talked his ear off the whole quick walk to Serena, telling him that he was so good at video games, and that he should come back to the club to see her, and that she was having such a good time, that she wouldn’t mind seeing him again if he wanted to go get the izakaya that they didn’t get tonight. Nishiki promised he would.
Reina wasn’t too happy to see Majima walk in through the door, but Nishiki promised they’d made amends and Majima even apologized for causing such a disturbance the last time he’d been in there, and offered to reimburse her for any damages their fight had caused.
Nishiki had to admit that he felt a little pang of jealousy as Majima charmed Reina, and he noticed the flirting Reina was giving back. Once things were smoothed over, though, karaoke at Serena went without a hitch, everyone was having a great time and even Majima was surprisingly well-behaved. He didn’t get too wild on his singing, and actually made an effort. Even Reina took a turn to sing, since there was no one else but them.
When they’d had their fill of singing, the hostesses said their goodnights, insisted on giving Nishiki their phone numbers, and headed home. Reina sat with Nishiki and Majima as Majima paid for another bottle of liquor and invited her to hang out.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?” Reina demanded. “I would have had a cake and we could have had a party!”
Nishiki shrugged. “It didn’t feel right without Kiryu.”
Reina sighed and patted Nishiki’s leg. “Stop by tomorrow, I want to celebrate with you.” She smiled at Majima. “And you too, Majima-san. Come have a meal and drinks, on me.”
“I’d like that,” Majima agreed.
Reina nodded and got up. “I should start cleaning up. You two can stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you,” Majima said with a smile.
Reina patted Nishiki’s shoulder and he patted her hand in return as she passed.
“So ya want me to bring the Hibiki to dinner on Wednesday?” Majima asked.
Nishiki laughed. “I was thinking maybe instead we could save it for a different night,” he said slowly. “Maybe get some take out and go watch a movie or something?”
Majima leaned in, resting his elbows on his knees. “Ya like zombie movies, kid?”
Nishiki shook his head. “I could be persuaded to enjoy them with a bottle of Hibiki,” he teased.
“All right, let’s make plans for another day then,” Majima agreed. “Bring some Smile Burger to my place, I might even let ya pick the movie.”
Nishiki nodded. “Sushi Gin on Wednesday, movie at Majima-san’s place on the weekend.”
“Sounds good,” Majima agreed.
Nishiki set down his drink with a sigh. He was getting tired. “Thank you.”
“Hmm?” Majima asked.
“For giving a shit,” Nishiki said. “And making my birthday suck less.”
Majima chuckled. “I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, after all.”
Nishiki groaned. “You had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?”
“WHAT?” Majima shouted, laughing. “Ya want me to kick your ass in here AGAIN Nishiki-kun?”
“Considering how much I kicked your ass at the arcade? Are you sure you want to risk it, old man?”
“OLD?” Majima growled. “Ya know what? Forget it, I UNINVITE ya from comin’ to my place. And you can forget that Hibiki if that’s how ya wanna play it.”
Nishiki held up his hands, a gesture of apology and no defense. “No no no, I didn’t mean it. You’re not old, you're definitely not old... you’re uh… uh…”
“I’m just fuckin’ with ya, kid.” Majima said, laughing as Nishiki practically melted into the booth in his relief. He wasn’t a bad kid, and Majima was glad he could give him a decent night. He wondered if maybe, just maybe, they could be friends while Kiryu was away. “Happy birthday, Nishiki.”