Work Text:
Jealousy
By King Bakune
It was a busy Friday night, which was also going to be the night where Yuri and Monami are out walking at the streets. Some people peered at Yuri, probably amazed at her drill hair. She covered her face from them out of embarrassment, not wanting to have unnecessary attention than what she already got. She then got close at Monami and whispered at her ear.
“Monami, what are we even doing at the streets during this late time?” she said.
“Since it’s Friday tonight, I thought going to a restaurant might be a great idea since we’ve worked our butt off this week. And besides, who doesn’t like a good grub after work?” she hummed and tilted her head guilelessly. Yuri sighed, yet obediently nodded.
Going to their left, they arrived to a small pathway between two buildings. In front of them was a double door entry and a red neon sign that wrote out “Devil’s Chimera”. Yuri’s anxiety started to spike up; this screams “you must not be there”. What if she meets members of a gang group and want to rob her? Or even worse, she might get ambushed by them without a drop of mercy!
“H-hey! I think we went at a wrong place, this isn’t the restaurant we promised to go!”
“Don’t worry, I’ve been to this place before, so it’s alright for us to be in. Plus, they have some cute waiters, haha~,” laughing like a dirty old man and ignoring her concerns, she went in confidently. She unfortunately couldn’t escape away from Monami lest she wants to be lost and not wanting to look like a fool by dawdling. Breathing deeply and closing her eyes, she braced herself and went in.
Then, still afraid, she opened her eyes, expecting the place to be dubious lighting, fights breaking out somewhere on the corners of the restaurant and pervy men leering to women. Rather what she saw made her expectations flip upside down. The smell of the place was fantastic, possibly made out of natural leaves from a tree. The people were eating at their table well-mannered, chatting and laughing, and the lighting of the place was bright orange, giving the restaurant a nostalgic and soothing atmosphere. From among the many customers, long drill tentacles raised up from the depths of the customers to Yuri. She followed the tentacles and found Monami standing near to a door with a sign above it that says “Private Booths”.
“See, I told ya it wasn’t that scary. Also, I’ve reserved ourselves a dining room just for ourselves,” she smiled brightly, pointing at the door behind her.
Before they enter, someone tapped Yuri’s shoulder and she turned around to see a woman with a brownish-red curly hair and scarlet lips.
Yuri assumed that she wanted to talk about an alien activity going on in her area; after all, she works for Monami and they’re expected deal with them.
“Um… excuse me miss, do you need any help? If it’s about aliens, you can consult us.”
“No I’m looking for an old friend. Your face remind me of her,” the woman chuckled heartily.
“Oh… I’m sorry, but maybe you could be mistaken… you can at least tell me her name.”
“Hm… her name is Yuri Otani.”
Hearing her name took her by surprise. Looking closely at the woman’s hair, it reminded her of a familiar face…
“Miyu? Miyu Tamaki? is that you?!”
“Yup, that’s me!”
The two hugged each other unable to contain their enthusiasm. They laughed, they dance and finally, they took some space to let a word in between them.
“It has been a long time since I’ve graduated Miyu. I’m sorry for not contacting you, life has been crazy.”
“No, it’s me who should be sorry. And I didn’t know you are working as an alien counter-measurer!”
She could say that again. It was even a surprise for her even if she wanted nothing to do with aliens at all, but alas…
“Well, for this special reunion, I think I can add one guest more to this little booth. My Treat!” Monami pointed at the door and Miyu nodded. Entering the room, it was a beige themed with couches and a rectangular table between them. As the girls sat down, a waiter quickly entered the room with a keen smile. He had a slick black hair, smooth face and awe-inspiring eyes. Yuri’s cheeks turned red as she gazed at the waiter; Monami wasn’t lying when she said that the waiters are good-looking, they sure were.
Alluring voice, measured moves, polite voice… Yuri felt goosebumps as strong as the heat of her blushed cheeks. He took the orders with a smile, retired with a bow and, finally, the girls were alone.
“Say Miyu, how’s life been treating you?” Monami asked.
“Eh, ‘tis boring; taking care of records and trying to help klutzy new employees can drain the living crap out of you.”
“Ah yeah, it’s kinda tough to help the new bloods to adapt in their new job, haha!”
Yuri clenched her teeth. In her eyes, Miyu getting a normal job felt like a spit at her face from all the headaches, stress, and tears she got working as an alien counter-measurer.
“That’s amazing to hear Miyu! You’re really blessed in life,” she tried her best to drown out her anger by complementing her, but instead it exasperated it.
“Oh, from what she said earlier, you guys work as alien counter-measurers? I’m surprised to hear, especially coming from you Yuri.”
“I hired her from the moment she graduated from high school, and it made things a tad bit easier for me. She’s an alright employee since I trained her properly,” Monami heartily chuckled and Yuri gave her a crooked smile.
The handsome waiter kicked opened the door, holding a long tray that had their foods. One by one, he put them down on the table using only one hand. It was a Yakisoba for Yuri, a bowl of rice with Unagi for Miyu, and a Yaki-udon for Monami. The Yakisoba tasted more salty compared to the home-made ones she makes where not a drop of salt lands on the food. She looked at her boss who was gobbling up the food like a beast, while Miyu was about to doze off from taking each bite from her food. Yuri stirred the noodle not knowing what to say; suddenly, Monami put her hands at Miyu’s shoulders and smirked at her.
“Say Miyu, don’t ya think that the waiters are cute?”
“Uhm… yeah, they are nice…” Miyu blushed.
“Nice to look at? Nah, they’re divine~! Their faces were chiselled with perfection and affectionate care, with no impurity in them. Their skin feel soft yet firm, and their steady eyes shows their readiness to protect a maiden from perverts. It’s almost like… the gods made them for us!!” she clasped her hands and cried fervently.
“B-but… I’ve a boyfriend!” Miyu shouted, “I’m not interested in hooking up with any of those waiters.”
Wait… a boyfriend? Miyu have a boyfriend?! Yuri was dumbfounded hearing this revelation, then gritted her teeth and stared at Miyu.
“Really? How did you guys meet up?” Monami interrogated her.
“I met him during my 3rd year in university for a group project we were tasked with, and he is such a kind hearted man; he supports you with your endeavours, treats you like a royalty and of course being with you no matter what.”
They continued on their chattering while Yuri wasn’t paying attention to them. Why even bother? Miyu is leagues beyond her; she had everything Yuri could ask for; a stable life. She rose up from her seat and stomped to the door.
“Hey Yuri where are you goi—” Miyu called her but Yuri ignored it and left the room.
In the female’s restroom, Yuri was hiding herself inside of a restroom partition, crying and cursing. Why did Miyu graduated to a university, while all she has is a high school diploma? Why does she have a good job while she works a crummy job as an alien counter-measurer? Tears fell out from her eyes ‘till it was empty. Hiccuping from her turmoil, she heard a knock from the door.
“Yuri, is that you?” Miyu called her name, sounding concerned, “do you need someone to lend an ear?”
“Like you would even understand… just leave me alone” Yuri wiped her tears.
“Yuri, I never left you alone when you needed support and I’ll not make this an exception. Trust me.”
Yuri didn’t fully trust her yet, but she had no other choice besides let out her feelings.
“You know, you might think that your job is boring and lack of excitement; but to me, it’s a blessing to have. No aliens to worry about and no life-and-death situations to experience
“And having a boyfriend, it must’ve been wonderful for someone to be with you in life, someone that loves you. But look at me, always whining and hopeless, I’ll surprised that a man would even love me like this… I hate that I could never be a normal person like you and that you’ll be better off without me!”
Both said nothing to each other, only silence emitted the restroom. Yuri stared down at the floor, biting her mouth with shame; how would Miyu think about her now? Would she see her as a pitiable failure who would never amount to anything in life. She embraced the worst, tightly clasping her hands.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re not my friend, Yuri,” Miyu answered softly, “no matter what, you’re not what job you have or whether you have a lover or not. You’re a kind and caring soul, that’s what makes you ‘you’ and that’s why I love you.”
Yuri, upon hearing this, cried quietly. She opened the door and hugged Miyu, crying at her shoulder.
“I’m sorry Miyu, I’m sorry of how stupid I treated you… you deserved everything in life even love.”
Miyu caressed Yuri’s hair and said, “It’s okay… and don’t beat yourself up, you’re doing your best to live.”
Yuri nodded, wiping out her tears one last time. She then smiled softly at Miyu.
“Thanks Miyu, for everything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you no matter what!” Miyu gave her a thumbs up and having a confident smile. Still the same Miyu after all those years, which gave Yuri a sense of nostalgia of her times in elementary school.
An eerie sensation then crawled at Yuri’s back. It was telling her that something was about to go wrong. Out of panic, she asked Miyu about it.
“H-hey, Miyu… is Monami drunk…?”
“Well, she drank 4 cups of beer while you were away—”
“Crap, probably she’s drunk at this point,” Yuri sighed, “she can be difficult to deal with at times…”
“A frustrating boss, eh?” Miyu chuckled.
“Heh, you can say that again. Anyhow, could you help me to take her out from the restaurant safely?”
“Roger, boss!” both went out of the restroom as they laughed together.