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Sekiguchi thought his new boss was odd, but not in a bad way, as working for someone quirky was a refreshing change. In fact, it was rather exciting and fun.
He had never met anyone like Yano before. Sekiguchi still couldn't decide whether to call his boss intense or laid-back; the truth was, describing him in a few words seemed downright impossible. And if someone asked Sekiguchi to do it, he would probably end up talking about Yano all day. In any case, he knew what he was doing with money, was able to turn difficulties into opportunities, and had so far treated Sekiguchi well. Not to mention the pay was good. Sekiguchi reflected on his initial thoughts when they first met, which were less than positive to say the least.
Sekiguchi, at the time, sincerely wondered whether the higher-ups were playing a joke on him because he was still considered fresh meat. Yano frequently spoke in rap, was the shortest person in the room, and appeared to be much younger than Sekiguchi. His new boss seemed more suited to look pretty in some host club rather than get his hands dirty with the yakuza, and Sekiguchi had a difficult time accepting that this guy was supposed to be in charge. He couldn't help but notice, though, how respectfully the other subordinates were treating Yano. Nonetheless, Sekiguchi had speculated that he was the son of a prominent member of the group who ascended the ranks through nepotism.
He had expected that this job would be frustrating and was eager to find another job as soon as possible. His first week, however, was everything but unfulfilling. Sekiguchi had never seen so much money before in his life, and he couldn't remember the last time he was so eager to get to work and see what the day held in store for him. He was usually good at judging people, but his boss proved him wrong in almost every way imaginable.
Sekiguchi had no right to complain, especially after his error in judgment, but regrettably, despite his best attempts to understand Yano, there were times when he struggled to do so. Ironically, not because of the rap. Yano was intriguing to say the least, and Sekiguchi had grown increasingly fascinated by him as time went on, drawn to him as a moth is attracted to a candle's flame.
While Sekiguchi was now comfortable enough around his boss to ask some questions here and there when he was driving him around town, conversations would quickly turn sour if the subject changed to anything that occurred before Yano began working for the yakuza.
Sekiguchi had made a point of not discussing anything that might remind his boss of the past, but it was easier said than done. He wished he could do something to help Yano, who clearly had problems that wouldn't leave his mind no matter how much he avoided talking about them, but Sekiguchi felt helpless as he never knew what to say in such situations. In fact, he always had the impression that he was making things worse in some way. It would be so much easier if he could just mind his own business, but he just couldn't when it came to Yano.
They didn't talk much during this particular morning, as Sekiguchi was busy setting everything up in their new hideout. The first thing he had brought was the couch so Yano would be able to sit comfortably while he waited. The latter, however, had other plans and wanted to participate. Nevertheless, every time Yano attempted to take a box or piece of furniture, Sekiguchi would grab it out of his hands and urge him to go rest. His face had never been other than pleasant to look at, but Yano always had bags under the eyes. He clearly wasn't getting enough sleep, and Sekiguchi would never let him do any physical work under any circumstances.
Sekiguchi turned his back for a few seconds, focused on the task at hand. When he looked behind him to see if Yano needed anything, he noticed his boss was now moving decisively toward the last box, a determined expression on his face. Without hesitation, Sekiguchi walked as quickly as he could and reached it before Yano could. The latter sighed and turned away, clearly frustrated.
"I don't want to sit around doing nothing," said Yano as he crossed his arms around his chest in anger. "Letting you do all the work from start to finish is embarrassing…"
"It didn't take very long," responded Sekiguchi in a reassuring manner. "I'm almost done."
Yano stared at him in silence, his face impossible to decipher, until he sighed once more and walked over to the couch, where he sat and looked at his phone. After a few minutes, Sekiguchi was finally done and looked around, pleased with himself. They still needed a few more things to make the place comfortable, but there was no rush. He stretched his hands and cracked his knuckles, then sat down in front of Yano, who barely acknowledged his presence.
Sekiguchi immediately felt something was off. He wanted to ask if the place was set-up properly, but his instinct told him it was better to wait for that. As it was nearly noon, he decided to ask Yano if he was hungry. His boss, as usual, requested ramen. And, as he had done for the previous two weeks, Sekiguchi tried to persuade him that eating the same dish every day couldn't be healthy. However, Yano was stubborn when it came to food. Sekiguchi quickly gave up and complied, then took his laptop and searched for nearby restaurants. After a few minutes, he noticed Yano staring at him with interest, and Sekiguchi wanted nothing more than to hide behind the screen as blood rushed to his face.
"Do you need anything?" Sekiguchi inquired politely.
"You get things done. But why do you always use that instead of your phone?" Yano asked as he pointed his finger at the computer, still staring at him intently.
"I'm not sure. I'm used to it, and I suppose it's useful for multitasking... Not to mention the larger screen," said Sekiguchi, nervously scratching his nose.
He was considering purchasing a tablet anyway, but chose not to mention it as he was overjoyed Yano was interested in learning more about something he did, no matter how mundane.
"You're at ease with technology, but for me it's the opposite..." said Yano with a pout on his face.
It was yet another difference between the two of them.
"You don't seem to have much trouble with your phone though," observed Sekiguchi, trying to sound encouraging.
"Dobu showed me how to do it. He explained that having one is necessary in this line of work, and that it's just a matter of getting used to it," said Yano enthusiastically as he stood up and began wandering around.
And Dobu was absolutely right, but Sekiguchi would never admit it, especially in front of Yano.
"When I couldn't sleep at all, he'd let me use his phone to play some trendy game with animals," continued Yano, humming a song and happily pacing around now. "It's funny to think that it's popular even among criminals."
Dobu must have trusted Yano a lot to lend him his phone like that. Sekiguchi wondered with a hint of jealousy if he and his boss could ever trust each other in the same way. He couldn't even bring up certain topics without walking on eggshells. Sekiguchi lowered his gaze, his heart pounding; he was beginning to worry that he would never be good enough for Yano.
"Do you want me to show you how to use a laptop?" asked Sekiguchi, determined to prove his worth and teach Yano something useful.
"I don't need it since I can simply use my phone!" argued Yano.
He had stopped dead in his tracks, his arms crossed and frowning. Yano was probably trying to look assertive, but his henchman couldn't help but find it cute more than anything. Sekiguchi had to suppress a fond smile; he often wondered how he could possibly say no to that face.
"You never know what can happen," said Sekiguchi in a gentle but encouraging tone, nervously fidgeting with the computer still on his lap. "What if you can't access your phone for whatever reason?"
Yano hesitated a bit, looking unsure and shifting from foot to foot, until he finally caved in. They sat on the couch and Sekiguchi placed the laptop on the coffee table, along with a wireless mouse he always kept just in case. His boss moved closer to him to get a better look at the screen, and it immediately became much harder for Sekiguchi to concentrate on what he was doing, his face getting warmer by the second.
"So, you press this button to turn on the laptop," explained Sekiguchi as calmly as he could. "If you want to protect the information on it, you can set a password."
Yano leaned his head on his hand and mused, "It's kind of like with cell phones then…"
"It's true that they have more in common than what people think," replied Sekiguchi, glad his boss was taking an interest. "Now, we're on the desktop. You can use shortcuts there."
"Desktop? Shortcuts?" asked Yano as as he jerked his head up to stare at his henchman, looking clueless and confused.
Sekiguchi was almost tempted to use more technical terms in order to experience that side of Yano longer. He didn't see him with this attitude very often, and it was oddly charming. But he didn't want to upset Yano either, so he tried to slow down. After a few explanations, Sekiguchi began to encourage Yano to use the mouse.
"If you click on the last shortcut on the left, you can use the internet," explained Sekiguchi.
Yano placed his hand on the mouse but made no movement. He was focusing heavily on the computer screen, but he appeared disoriented and overwhelmed. If Sekiguchi claimed it wasn't endearing, he would be lying. If he were seated next to someone else, Sekiguchi would most likely have a very different opinion, but things were different when Yano was involved. There was no rational explanation, but he couldn't care less.
They were, however, making no progress. Sekiguchi, growing impatient, decided to assist in a more direct manner, gently placing his own hand on top of Yano's, then slowly moving the mouse and clicking on the shortcut.
"See? This is easy," said Sekiguchi with an encouraging smile. "You'll get used to it very fast."
His enthusiasm was met with a deafening silence. When he looked at Yano, he noticed that his boss was blushing and staring at the mouse, his eyes wide with angry bewilderment. After finally connecting the dots and realizing what he was doing, Sekiguchi hastily removed his hand, feeling the blood rush to his face. He was perplexed as to why he had been acting strangely around Yano lately. It seemed as though he had lost his ability to think clearly during the past few weeks, and he couldn't help but wonder how he was still employed.
"You don't have to move my hand for me!" Yano exclaimed indignantly.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to show you how to do it," Sekiguchi explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought it'd be simpler like this..."
He kept apologizing and clumsily trying to justify his actions, all the while wishing he could dig a hole and hide.
"Just talk me through it, or I swear I'll walk away," said Yano as he gestured nervously with his hands, his eyes suspicious.
Sekiguchi was unsure of how he accomplished it, but after a few minutes as well as further explanations, he was able to salvage the situation, and Yano soon returned his attention to the computer.
Yano was a quick learner, and was even beginning to enjoy himself, which instantly made Sekiguchi feel better. After a while, Sekiguchi felt he had covered almost everything there was to know, if not the most basic and important information, and he decided to let his boss get familiar with the keyboard.
"So you've never used a computer before?" asked Sekiguchi as he watched fondly Yano type random sentences into the search bar. "Most people used one at school at least once."
"Why do you even care?" Yano responded after a brief silence, his voice turning unexpectedly cold and bitter.
Yano's cheerful demeanor had vanished so abruptly that it was jarring. He turned his head to look at his henchman, and their eyes locked. Sekiguchi's heart was racing so fast he was positive he could hear it. Completely lost in the moment, he had gotten too comfortable and forgot that discussing school, of all things, was not a smart idea. It was difficult for Sekiguchi to keep up with Yano at times, but he took it as a challenge.
"Would you prefer it if I didn't care at all?" asked Sekiguchi.
Yano stared at him in angry silence, seemingly at a loss for words, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Maybe I'd prefer it if you weren't always on my back," he snapped, his eyes flashing with frustration.
Sekiguchi knew at this point that Yano was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Part of him wanted to fix the situation as soon as possible, while another enjoyed the thrill of it. Yano's smile was the best possible reward following one of those conversations.
"What do you mean?" asked Sekiguchi, rubbing the back of his head.
"Stop acting dumb," Yano simply replied.
Sekiguchi was now truly lost and perplexed. He wasn't used to being provoked; typically, people would avoid antagonizing him for whatever reason, particularly if they were the size of Yano.
"I'm genuinely asking," said Sekiguchi.
He desperately tried not to sound too insistent; all he wanted to convey was that he was there to listen.
"Why are you always questioning me about my past?" asked Yano, sounding both accusing and apprehensive at the same time.
He abruptly stood up from the couch and stared daggers at his underling, his fists clenched at his sides. The fact that he was still so close made Sekiguchi feel even more awkward.
"I just want to understand you better," Sekiguchi finally said after an agonizing silence that seemed to last minutes rather than seconds. At this point, it was better to tell the truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it made him. "I apologize for being out of line," he continued, chewing his lower lip.
Sekiguchi fixed his gaze on Yano, his heart pounding erratically. His boss was clearly not having any of it. Yano had his arms so tightly crossed across his chest that Sekiguchi briefly wondered if he was even breathing properly.
"But why do you act as if I can't do things on my own?" Yano persisted, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and anger. "Why are you always concerned about what I do?"
Yano barely reached Sekiguchi's shoulders, but it was the latter who felt scolded. He avoided looking at his boss and took a deep breath, knowing that he needed to choose his words carefully.
"I can't let something bad happen when I could have prevented it," Sekiguchi explained, looking down at his hands.
Another awkward silence ensued, Yano now speechless. His lips parted as if he were about to speak, but no words came out. Sekiguchi immediately realized how it must have sounded and tried to think of more appropriate words that didn't imply Yano was a walking disaster who couldn't do anything right.
"I meant that I don't want anything bad to happen... to you," Sekiguchi managed to say, attempting to hide a mounting inner panic. "Because you're my boss," he quickly added.
"I don't like it when people pity me," murmured Yano, his voice bitter but his face devoid of any emotion.
Sekiguchi was struck by an overwhelming sense of guilt. He was beginning to realize how incredibly condescending he must have appeared, insisting on handling everything himself and shooing Yano away the entire morning. The notion that Yano resented him because he assumed he wasn't respected broke Sekiguchi's heart.
"If I pitied you, I would work for someone else," Sekiguchi said bluntly. "I know you wouldn't be where you are today if you couldn't handle it."
As Yano gave him a wide-eyed look, Sekiguchi immediately regretted what he had said. He shouldn't have addressed his boss in this manner. Sekiguchi was about to apologize profusely when Yano started giggling out of the blue. It was one of those endearing laughs that Sekiguchi loved to hear and could instantly put him at ease.
"I prefer when the people I'm working with are honest," said Yano, nodding in approval. "I don't want to deal with a pathetic yes-man."
Sekiguchi couldn't help but notice that his boss was referring to him less as a subordinate and more as an associate. His already high esteem for Yano had now increased dramatically.
"I'm glad you didn't take this the wrong way. It was never my intention to... I want to help in any way I can," said Sekiguchi, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "After all, that's why I'm here."
Yano expression softened even more. He sat back down on the couch, even closer to Sekiguchi this time, and stayed quiet, manifestly trying to calm himself down. He then placed his hand gently on Sekiguchi's arm, and the latter felt as if he were melting.
"You don't have to prove anything," Yano said with a genuine smile, his gaze fixed on his henchman. "But once in a while, let me do my thing."
"I apologize again for being out of line," blurted out Sekiguchi. "I don't want to be a burden."
"You're far more skilled than I first thought," said Yano with a smirk. "I remember Dobu making you sound like a big stupid mass of muscles, but he couldn't have been more wrong."
That information concerning Dobu should have enraged Sekiguchi, yet he remained silent. He was far too ecstatic at the moment to care. Yano was showering him with compliments, and he was enjoying every second of it.
There had to be a reason Sekiguchi was in this hideout with his boss today rather than some other underling, now that he thought about it. He genuinely had no idea what to say in response, so he simply thanked Yano respectfully, relieved that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
"I might fire you if I don't get those ramen I requested half an hour ago though."