Work Text:
◆ “Strange sighting in Shibuya”
1: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 04:04:04:04
I don’t know if this belongs here, but have you guys seen, or heard, about the mysterious couple around Yoyogi Park?
2: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 07:44:26:10
that post date… creepy as all hell
3: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 09:22:24:02
A couple in yoyogi park? what are you talking about?
4: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 10:40:05:11
Deetz plz
5: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 10:52:41:06
>>3
>>4
It’s actually not just Yoyogi Park, I heard people have seen them in different spots other nights. But that’s where I saw them myself, taking a hanami spot.
6: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 11:01:18:13
Two guys? When you said couple I thought you were saying couple couple… I was thinking of a guy with a real hot yokai chick
7: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 11:08:55:04
The hell are you doing in the occult board? Are you lost?
8: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 12:46:07:19
>>5
So what’s the deal? Are they man-eaters or something?
9: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 13:04:29:10
>>5
got any pics?
10: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 13:22:14:23
>>8
No, I don’t think there’s proof they are doing anything scary or threatening, but something about them is off.
>>9
I do not.
11: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 14:16:48:09
>>10
So what? You saw two guys. That is not a “strange sighting”.
12: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 14:34:11:22
>>10
“Off”. Op’s reaction to meeting a gay couple for the first time be like
13: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 15:04:53:15
>>10
I think I saw them too, near Meiji Shrine. I also felt like something was off with them, with their voices. They were also walking like, in sync? And their shadows were weird. It felt as if they were avoiding the torii gate too.
And you know what’s creepy? I was there with a friend, and she keeps saying she doesn’t remember them.
14: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 15:06:06:24
You guys need to get out and touch grass more often. This is ridiculous.
15: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 15:08:12:01
>>14
I know this board gets a lot of LARP but I’m being serious...
16: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 16:52:04:09
Look at this thread. It will deliver NOTHING
17: Really Unsettling Anonymous 04/04/20XX (Thu) 18:03:11:44
>>5
If they’re haunting spots, they might be ghosts. I wonder if they died together and now just wander?
The thread ended there.
Kaoru closed the page and returned to LINE, where Miaki had sent her more threads. Kaoru tapped another link, which opened on a new tab. This time, rather than an archive of 2channel saved in the Wayback Machine, the archive was still up.
◆ “Weird things going on in Harajuku”
1: Really Unsettling Anonymous 24/08/20XX (Wed) 21:30:14:08
I just found this couple of guys who looked like normal Japanese students, one with normal dark hair and the other one with light pale hair, standing silently in front of a shop. I thought they were drunk, then I realized they were actually observing the street. The people, the cars… Like it was all super interesting to them.
Then, suddenly, the one with pale hair stared right at me. He didn’t move his head or say a thing, he just fixed his eyes on me. I apologized and he didn’t react at all. Didn’t even blink. It was so creepy, man.
2: Really Unsettling Anonymous 24/08/20XX (Wed) 21:54:24:10
NPC moment.
3: Really Unsettling Anonymous 24/08/20XX (Wed) 22:30:47:05
Maybe they were drunk? Lol
4: Really Unsettling Anonymous 24/08/20XX (Wed) 22:30:47:05
>>3
Come on now, I already said it wasn’t that. I’d know the difference.
5: Really Unsettling Anonymous 25/08/20XX (Thu) 02:36:42:11
Wait, this sounds familiar. Didn’t we have a thread like this just a week ago? What shop was it, OP?
6: Really Unsettling Anonymous 25/08/20XX (Thu) 08:13:37:02
>>5
It was XXXXXXXXX.
7: Really Unsettling Anonymous 25/08/20XX (Thu) 19:27:25:03
>>2
Or maybe they are new to being human... Whatever they are…
8: Really Unsettling Anonymous 25/08/20XX (Thu) 23:05:21:20
>>6
That’s not the same one, but it’s close
>>7
No they are not. This has been going on for a while now. I remember reading that they exist somewhere in the boundary between this world and the next one
9: Really Unsettling Anonymous 26/08/20XX (Thu) 00:01:40:09
The ghost couple going on dates is back!!!
10: Really Unsettling Anonymous 26/08/20XX (Thu) 11:02:04:21
Cutest yokai honeymoon
11: Really Unsettling Anonymous 26/08/20XX (Thu) 13:50:31:09
You guys definition of ‘cute’ is not normal.
12: Really Unsettling Anonymous 26/08/20XX (Thu) 19:27:25:03
OP if you see them again ask what year is this
13: Really Unsettling Anonymous 26/08/20XX (Thu) 22:15:52:17
wait how do you know they are a couple?
14: Really Unsettling Anonymous 27/08/20XX (Fri) 09:29:40:08
>>13
If it’s the same one, they are often holding hands. And sometimes they glance down, as if to confirm that they’re still connected.
Or so people say here, at least.
Kinda invested, I’m NGL.
15: Really Unsettling Anonymous 27/08/20XX (Fri) 12:18:07:15
OP witnessed gay affection for the first time and decided to make it the occult board’s problem.
16: Really Unsettling Anonymous 27/08/20XX (Fri) 15:06:34:23
heat exhaustion
drink water everyone
17: Really Unsettling Anonymous 27/08/20XX (Fri) 23:31:55:07
This sounds like something my granny told me that happened to her when she was my age wtf… she met a human, and a monster whose life was bound to that human… when one was hungry the other did too, when one went to sleep the other also did it… and so on…
18: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 02:20:22:16
If anyone sees the gay ghosts report back with pics for fucking once
19: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 07:57:16:11
Tourist here.
I came to the occult board expecting terrifying ghost encounters and this thread is about a wholesome couple sightseeing.
Disappointing.
20: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 10:45:43:22
>>19
Now go back.
21: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 12:01:46:14
>>7
>>8
Can confirm this has been going on for years. Most of the reported sightings are in Shibuya and near districts like Harajuku or Daikanyama, but some saw them in other places like Susukino, Sakae and Amemura.
22: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 14:50:13:20
Romance is dead when two people holding hands and minding their business is considered worth of mention in this fucking board
23: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 14:53:11:01
>>6
>>21
>>22
Imagine haunting Shibuya for years and still staying together
Now THAT’S the real supernatural part
24: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 17:38:40:07
>>23
Huh? Why does that first post appear as if I wrote it?
25: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 17:42:11:25
OP has Alzheimer lol
26: Really Unsettling Anonymous 28/08/20XX (Sat) 17:44:13:33
>>25
This is the first time I see this thread. I swear. I didn’t make it.
27: Really Unsettling Anonymous 29/08/20XX (Sun) 02:04:01:05
Bump
28: Really Unsettling Anonymous 29/08/20XX (Sun) 11:18:44:09
Lame. Boring.
Sage.
29: Really Unsettling Anonymous 29/08/20XX (Sun) 16:24:52:17
>>26
your heat stroke is evolving!
drink more water!!
Kaoru rolled her eyes and, not without cursing herself mentally for wasting her time reading until the end, she slid her phone back into her purse.
Takashi stopped on his tracks and turned to Kaoru. “What was that long sigh for?” he asked, looking at her from behind his glasses.
Kaoru let out a sigh. “Miaki’s being silly,” she said.
Miaki had been Takashi and Kaoru’s friend ever since they were children. An enthusiastic fan of the paranormal, Miaki claimed to possess a sixth sense that allowed her to see things that others didn’t, and she often talked about things that neither of her friends could even start to understand.
“Is she still rambling about the ghost from the other day?”
Takashi’s question reminded Kaoru of Miaki’s latest barrage of messages: “They’re talking about the same monster couple I saw! You have to read it!”
“Not this time. This time it’s different, or so she says. It’s about this, uh… Immortal monster couple?” Kaoru shrugged. As her friend, Kaoru wanted to believe Miaki, but sometimes it was just too much. Who even spend so long looking for and reading through all those archived threads? “And remember not to call them ‘ghosts’ in front of Miaki.”
Takashi chuckled, “Miaki is amazing,” he said, shaking his head as he resumed walking. “She should consider becoming a writer.”
Kaoru hummed and, pushing the thoughts of Miaki and their conversation aside, followed Takashi.
It was that time of the year, and Yoyogi Park was once again dressed in bright colors as Tokyo Rainbow Pride unfolded. People meandered through the colorful event venue, exploring booths that, among other things, sold merchandise and offered free games to play to win prizes, like any typical Japanese festival would.
Looking around, Kaoru felt a smile form on her face. The ambiance was always a breath of fresh air, and she always felt a certain pang of sadness when it was over, when she had to put the rainbows into the drawer and return to her ordinary life. A life in which her family kept assuming that any male friend that she made was actually a secret boyfriend, where she was forced to wear an impractical skirt as part of the company’s uniform, and where everyone seemed determined to remind her at all times that she should get married and have children as soon as possible.
“There’s lotsa flags… Ooh, this one’s pretty!”
“That’s a lesbian flag, Hikaru.”
The first voice hummed in wonder. “Ya really know lots ‘bout them things, Yoshiki!”
“N—No, I…” The second voice stuttered, now speaking in a lower tone. “I jus’ know a lil’ bit…”
The other voice chuckled. “Ya don’t gotta get all shy ‘round me, y’know?”
“S—Shut it… It ain’t so easy…”
The conversation took Kaoru away from her most bitter thoughts. She turned to her right side, her curiosity picked by the college-aged man who was currently teasing another one at the booth beside her in a very strong accent: close to Kansai dialect, but not quite.
“Yer cute, Yoshiki.”
The man, called Hikaru, had white hair that looked effortlessly smooth and natural despite being bleached. He wore a white cap and pants paired with a simple orange T-shirt, all from a very recognizable brand. Kaoru watched as he casually twirled a small lesbian pin on his fingers before returning it to its spot.
The second man, the one whom Hikaru had called Yoshiki, and who was drinking a choco-banana gorilla smoothie, looked far more ordinary. He was the type of man you’d find anywhere in Japan, but what drew Kaoru’s attention was that, despite the warm weather, this man was covered from head to toe. He wore a black turtleneck, a long navy blue puffer coat, and a black scarf paired with pants and gloves to match.
“I don’t wanna ‘ear I’m cute,” Yoshiki protested, but it only seemed to encourage Hikaru’s teasing further, which he ignored by switching topics. “More import’ntly… D’you gotta grab everything like a crow?”
Hikaru quickly objected with a laugh. “Hey! I ain’t no crow!”
“Right. Crows like things ‘cos they’re shiny, not for them bright colors. Those are bees...” Yoshiki then stared at Hikaru before his face broke into a smile. “Yer never changing… C’mere.”
Yoshiki, who’d been holding hands with Hikaru, let go to produce a tissue and gently wipe away some food near Hikaru’s mouth. Hikaru closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, letting Yoshiki do.
Suddenly, Hikaru’s eyes shot open, wide. “Oh Yoshiki! I jus’ remembered ‘bout this thin’ with lotsa prayers n’ wishes pinned—”
Yoshiki, now finished, yanked on Hikaru’s hand. “Ain’t no way. Leave ‘em wishes alone.”
Hikaru made a pout, his head slightly down in defeat. “’kaaay…”
“Seriously. I ain’t letting ya do it no matter how much yer insisting... ‘S too dangerous… Wait. You already ate everythin’ I bought ya?”
“It’s ‘cos it’s been so long since I got anythin’ in here…!” Hikaru rubbed his stomach as if to emphasize his words. “Everything’s real tasty!”
Yoshiki let out a laugh. “’S like ya got an empty hole for a stomach…”
“That wouldn’t be wr—”
Yoshiki pushed the straw of his smoothie into Hikaru’s mouth, effectively stopping him mid-sentence.
Kaoru felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and found Takashi watching her with an apologetic look and a pale face.
“Kaoru, I… I gotta go to the restroom.”
“Ah, sure!”
Not before lending Kaoru his things, Takashi quickly hurried off.
Kaoru tilted her head, watching Takashi disappear into the crowd. He had warned her this morning that he wasn’t feeling well. Maybe he should have skipped this year…
Something tapped Kaoru on the other shoulder.
Kaoru turned, startled, and this time found the two men that she’d been watching standing right in front of her.
“Yer name is Kaoru? ’S a pretty name,” Yoshiki said, with a soft smile.
Kaoru froze.
Now that they were closer and she stared into those dark eyes, there was something unsettling about the man, something far different from that peculiar yet ordinary first impression, something that she couldn’t put her finger on.
A voice in Kaoru’s head, as in primitive instinct, warned her that she was in danger, that she had to run now that she still could.
Yoshiki’s smile faltered. He seemed to notice Kaoru’s discomfort, because his expression shifted awkwardly.
“Uh—Sorry. Didn’t mean anythin’ by it. I jus’ overheard...” Yoshiki rubbed the back of his neck. “Kaoru’s the name of someone I used ta know. I’m Tsujinaka Yoshiki, by the way.”
Kaoru forced herself to focus. Yoshiki had realized how he had come off. It was nothing. At its worst, that people like them were often a little socially awkward.
Her brain was just overreacting. Yoshiki didn’t meant any harm.
Kaoru gave a nod with a small smile, and pushed the panic inside her down. Just be polite. There’s nothing wrong here. “Nice to meet you, Tsujinaka-san.”
“Jus’ call me Yoshiki.”
“Alright, Yoshiki. Then just call me Kaoru, too.”
Kaoru couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but she ignored it.
Not missing how the other man’s eyes were boring into her rainbow hot sandwich, Kaoru chose to address him instead.
“And you? What’s your name?”
Of course, she already knew the answer.
“Oh, I’m Indou Hikaru!” Hikaru said, straightening his posture. “And jus’ Hikaru is fine, too... Where didja get that?” he quickly added, pointing intently at the sandwich in Kaoru’s hand.
“Hey. I told ya to behave in front of—”
Yoshiki moved as if to grab Hikaru’s head, but Hikaru dodged him gracefully.
“Hah, that won’t work! I’m taller now!”
“‘Cos yer a cheater. Ain’t no way ya could be taller than me here…”
Hikaru childishly stuck out his tongue. “Sore loser!”
Yoshiki sighed, passing a hand through his hair. As if he had just considered something, he squatted down.
“I’m taking a break. We’ve been walkin’ the whole day.”
“Oh, yer an old man too?” Hikaru teased, grinning in a way that made his eyes narrow into crescents. Kaoru noticed he had a crooked teeth. “Ya wait right there then, Yoshiki. ’M taking a look.”
Hikaru was already slipping his hands into his pockets and turning away when Yoshiki spoke again.
“Hikaru. Don’t get lost.”
Hikaru raised a hand in a dismissive gesture, not turning around. “If I get lost, ya can find me.”
“Right,” Yoshiki murmured. “You wouldn’t get away from me, even if ya wanted…”
“No, Yoshiki. It ain’t that.” Hikaru turned back to them, then shook his head. “Ya always find me. Like back then. No matter what.”
Hikaru waved goodbye, and Kaoru waved back, watching him disappear into the crowd.
“Does Hikaru always have this much energy?”
Kaoru turned to Yoshiki as she asked that. Hikaru reminded Kaoru of her family’s dog, always excitedly pulling everyone along and never stopping for a second.
Yoshiki was staring at the spot Hikaru had disappeared into, as if he was considering following him.
“He does fer sure. Gets all excited ‘bout tryin’ out new things.” Yoshiki rubbed his right arm, idly, the sides of his mouth curving up. “’S been a while since we did somethin’ new.”
Kaoru hummed. “How did you two met?” she asked, curious.
Yoshiki’s eyes widened just for a fraction of a second, and slowly, he interlaced his fingers.
“He is... Hikaru is… real important to me.” Yoshiki’s quiet voice carried a certain weight as he began speaking. He made a small pause, as if he were searching for the right words, before continuing. “Hikaru… supported me when I was falling apart, and all I wanted was…”
Yoshiki’s voice trailed off, his eyes fixed on the people swarming the streets, but Kaoru knew that he wasn’t actually seeing them. That Yoshiki’s mind was seeing something else, somewhere distant in the past.
Kaoru rushed to say that it was okay, because it was: Yoshiki didn’t need to finish that sentence. She could piece the rest together.
“Fer ‘im, I’d do anything.”
That brought a smile to Kaoru. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard someone speak about another person with that much care.
“You must love your boyfriend a lot.”
Yoshiki instantly stiffened.
“Oh, uhm...” he said, clearly awkward. “He ain’t no boyfriend. We ain’t like… In love or somethin’…”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I thought…”
Kaoru felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she realized her mistake. She scolded herself for jumping to conclusions because of the way that Yoshiki spoke about Hikaru, and because she’d seen them holding hands. After all, weren’t Takashi and her close, and weren’t the two of them often holding hands?
“Yer good.”
“But I hold hands with my male friends all the time, so people make assumptions all the time… I should know better that you could be coming with a friend just to support them…”
While there’d been significant improvement on a government level, being openly queer in a society where the nail that stuck out was hammered down was still difficult—and it was always easier to attend the Rainbow Pride in the company of someone else.
“Naw. I’m the one who is… Y’know…” Yoshiki made a non-committal gesture with his hand. “We jus’ don’t… got that type of relationship. But we ain’t friends either. It’s… complicated.”
“Oh, it’s one of those queerplatonic relationship things…” Kaoru said. Realizing how that might sound, she quickly added. “I have read a bit about it! I mean, I don’t entirely get it, but it’s okay! I don’t judge!”
Gosh, maybe I need to stop talking…
Kaoru took her hands to her face, mortified, but Yoshiki only blinked in confusion.
“A what?”
“And that’s kind of how it went for me!” Kaoru concluded.
Yoshiki and Kaoru had moved to a side so they could sit, and then spoke about many different things, yet somehow their conversation had shifted into the topic of their shared struggles.
“So it’s rough even here, in the capital...” Yoshiki hugged one of his legs, staring into the distance. “I used to lie awake, thinking my life would be over if anyone in the village found out ‘bout my feelings. That it’d spread like wildfire. Even now it’s… Still hard to think ‘bout.”
“Right?” Kaoru sighed, then tilted her head. “So? How did your family react in the end?”
Yoshiki’s fingers fiddled with the fabric of his clothes, not looking at Kaoru in the eye. It was a habit that Kaoru was starting to recognize as a sign that Yoshiki was trying to gather his thoughts.
“They didn’t really… They no longer…” Yoshiki’s voice faltered. He closed his mouth, then looked away. “After I came to Tokyo with Hikaru, we… we lost contact.”
Kaoru blinked, processing Yoshiki’s words. The way Yoshiki skirted around the topic suggested more than just lack of communication. There was something bubbling beneath the surface that she didn’t know, something deeper that had happened between Yoshiki’s family and him and driven a wedge between them.
Kaoru rose her head, watching the clouds above them. Japan was slow when it came to change, so she figured that she shouldn’t be surprised that a small village by the mountains was as backwards as Yoshiki had described it.
That small village, suffocating in its traditions and rules, hadn’t had room for two boys who dared to deviate from them. If Yoshiki, and maybe Hikaru too, had never shown interest in girls, then the rumors were probably inevitable. Kaoru figured that was the exact reason why they had ultimately left, and the reason why Yoshiki wasn’t in contact with his family. Hikaru probably wasn’t, either.
Kaoru only hoped that Yoshiki and Hikaru had found a place where they could breathe in peace.
She figured that they had, if only in each other.
“They didn’t think much ‘bout me at all,” Yoshiki finally continued, turning back to face Kaoru. “But it don’t matter. I’d always choose this path, ‘cos Hikaru is important to me, more important than—”
“Yoshikiii! Look, look!”
That was the moment that Hikaru finally decided to return, his arms full with a chaotic sea of bags, each one spilling over with rainbow colors.
Yoshiki rose from where he’d been sitting, as if wanting to meet him half-way, but Hikaru was much faster.
Soon enough, Hikaru was in full swing, his accent thickening with excitement in a way that made it difficult for Kaoru to understand.
“I got this T-shirt, and this misanga with this year’s slogan, and...” Hikaru, fired up, dove into the bags as he spoke, pulling out one item after another. “Ah, and these glasses are from the garapon!”
Hikaru pointed at the white-framed sunglasses, with rainbow pinhole lenses, that were perched on his nose.
“Ain’t ya gettin’ carried away there…”
Yoshiki shook his head, but there was no real bite to his words: he was smiling.
Kaoru bet that, by the end of the day, Yoshiki would be helping Hikaru carry more bags.
“’S so much fun, Yoshiki! I was speakin’ with ‘em there, and she gave me these! I didn’t know there were humans that’re like me!”
Without missing a beat, Hikaru waved two small flags right in Yoshiki’s face, fast enough to turn them into a blur of white and black among purple and green.
Yoshiki recoiled slightly, frowning as he turned his head away just enough to avoid losing an eye, and reached out to grab Hikaru’s wrist and stop the frantic waving.
“Alright, alright. I got it,” Yoshiki said. The small smile tugging at the corner of his lips didn’t disappear.
Hikaru effectively stopped, still grinning and buzzing with excitement. “I got things for ya too, Yoshiki!”, he announced before thrusting a small replica of a rainbow flag with a tiny pole, a little larger than a hand, into Yoshiki’s hand.
Yoshiki slowly circled his fingers around the gift, awkwardly looking at the flag like it might suddenly grow teeth and bite him.
“Uh… Thanks.”
Kaoru hid a smile behind her hand. With the way Yoshiki talked about himself, and these reactions, she had an inkling that coming to Tokyo Rainbow Pride hadn’t been his idea.
“This one’s for ya too!”
“A… dinosaur?”
Yoshiki stared at the small plushie that Hikaru had thrusted into his arms, head slightly tilted.
“’S the mascot here or somethin’? But ya better not like ‘im too much!”
“’Course I won’t.” Yoshiki raised his eyes to look at Hikaru. “I already got a favorite monster,” he said.
At that, Hikaru blushed faintly and stuttered.
Watching Yoshiki and Hikaru together was reminding Kaoru of her childhood friend—and first crush—and that stirred something warm in her chest.
“You two really grew up together, didn’t you?”
The shift in mood was immediate. Hikaru’s smile vanished and, as if electrocuted, he dropped the bags. Beside Hikaru, Yoshiki also went still, his eyes widening.
“Uhm,” Kaoru asked, tense. “Did I say… something wrong?
“Naw,” Yoshiki said after a beat. “It’s… I had a childhood friend once, but he died a long time ago.
“Oh no, I’m sorry!”
“’S alright,” Yoshiki said in the same detached tone, not looking at either of them. Kaoru didn’t miss the tension that had settled into his body. “You couldn’t know, Kaoru.”
Hikaru remained uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes locked on the ground as he gripped his arm.
If Kaoru didn’t know any better, she’d have mistaken Hikaru’s expression for one of guilt, but that couldn’t be: were Hikaru at fault of the death of Yoshiki’s childhood friend, then there was no way that Yoshiki would stay with him. Still, she wondered if maybe that friend had had a preventable death.
“Say, Hikaru,” Kaoru squeezed her hands together, unsure what to do with herself after ruining the mood. “What do you like about Yoshiki?”
Thankfully, Kaoru’s decision that the best approach would be to change the subject worked: Hikaru perked up instantly, and didn’t even think it twice before answering.
“His soul! It’s like... Real nice and warm!” Hikaru said, gesturing with his hands. “Makes ya wanna grab it all for yerself!”
Kaoru blinked. “Soul?”
Yoshiki gave Hikaru’s shoulder a playful bump. “Yer sayin’ it like it ain’t all yers already.”
“Huh?”
“What I said,” Yoshiki said, smiling. “Ya can have it all you want... How you want... I don’t mind.”
“W—woah…” Hikaru blushed even harder than earlier. He covered his face with his hands. “Wait a moment, don’t go ‘nd say these things ta me… Makes ya sound like yer proposin’ or somethin’…”
“Proposing how? It ain’t like we can get married.”
“Uh?” Kaoru blinked. “Why not?”
Yoshiki turned his head to Kaoru. “’Cos we’re…” He shifted his weight to his other leg. “Two… men…?”
“But we have had same-sex marriage for…” Kaoru tilted her head. “I actually don’t know for how long, but long enough... You didn’t know?”
Hikaru mumbled to Yoshiki’s ear something that sounded an awful lot to Kaoru to “How long has it been?”, and they stared at each other meaningfully before they turned back to Kaoru.
“We’been… away fer a while,” Yoshiki just said.
Kaoru tilted her head. Yoshiki and Hikaru were too young to have lived overseas on their own before same-sex marriage was legalized, and though Kaoru understood they were country bumpkins, even the smallest village in Japan had TV and Internet.
However, before Kaoru could speak again, Yoshiki did it first. “We gotta get movin’, Hikaru,” he said, grabbing Hikaru’s hand.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. “We do?”
“Ah, wait!” Kaoru interrupted. “Before you go, why don’t we exchange LINE IDs?”
Kaoru always liked events like this. They were one of the few times that she could meet people who were like her, and she had enjoyed speaking with Hikaru, but especially with Yoshiki.
“I… don’t got a phone,” Yoshiki said awkwardly.
Did it break or something? Kaoru thought. That must be such a nightmare. Everything needs an app nowadays. “Then… Hikaru, what’s your LINE?”
Hikaru turned to Kaoru, looking sheepish. “Ah…” He scratched the back of his neck. “I ain’t got one either.”
“Yeah. We don’t need ‘em.”
Yoshiki didn’t elaborate, as if that explained everything.
The rejection stung more than Kaoru wanted to admit, but she decided not to push it. If they didn’t want to stay in touch, they likely had their reasons. Maybe they didn’t want anyone in their lives who knew about them, or about the nature of their relationship. She could understand that.
Or maybe you just read the whole thing wrong, an annoying voice in the back of Kaoru’s mind said. She chose to ignore it.
“We don’t need none of ‘em things. We’re together, and that’s all that matters. Still, Hikaru had fun, and I learned somethin’… So thank you, Kaoru.”
Yoshiki gave a slight bow, and Hikaru followed suit, earning a frown from Kaoru: the sudden formality, and more importantly the finality of the gesture, confused her.
“What do you…”
Kaoru’s eyes trailed down, to the ground.
A ground in where Yoshiki’s and Hikaru’s figures melted into one single, undefined shadow.
A wave of dizziness washed over Kaoru, and she staggered slightly, her vision blurring at the edges.
Kaoru rubbed her eyes. How come…?
“Kaoru!”
Kaoru snapped her eyes open. Takashi was staring at her.
“Sorry. The lines to the restroom were awful. And Yumiko said she was coming, but I couldn’t find her…” Takashi apologized, breath shallow. “But more importantly… What were you doing?”
Kaoru blinked, disoriented. “What… was I doing?”