Miyoshi hadn’t asked to meet Toshihiko at the lab this time. Instead, he’d sent him the address of an apartment building in Shinbashi. That was probably where he lived. Toshihiko was already feeling close to his limit, but reaching his destination gave him some measure of relief. He pressed the intercom at the entrance, got Miyoshi to buzz him in, and ascended to the twenty-fifth floor in the elevator. A model he’d seen on TV was also there and got off one floor earlier. The rent for this place had to be through the roof.
When Miyoshi opened the door to greet Toshihiko, he seemed a little different from before. Maybe it was because he wasn’t wearing his lab coat? No, Toshihiko was more used to seeing him out of it when they went to events together. It must have been something else.
“Thanks for coming all this way.”
Miyoshi smiled, narrowing his eyes and transforming his face into a smile emoji.
“Like I said before, I should be the one thanking you,” said Toshihiko.
The same as at their last meeting, his friend replied that he was just happy to see him. Miyoshi ushered him inside and told him to sit down on the sofa. The sofa was made of leather and had a distinct aura of luxury about it.
While sipping the tea Miyoshi brought him, Toshihiko finally realized what it was that felt different: His friend’s usually messy hair was straight now. His beard had been trimmed, too, giving him a much tidier appearance. Combined with his impressive physique, he now looked like some kind of famous Korean actor.
“You okay, Katayama? Your skin’s…”
“I’m fine. It’s a little hot out, that’s all,” Toshihiko replied.
After that ordeal on the train, he probably looked incredibly pale.
“No, I just meant your skin looks good. But we don’t want you getting heatstroke. Wait a sec.”
The sound of Miyoshi’s slippers on the floor echoed throughout the spacious apartment. The place was mostly empty. Apart from the sofa, there was only a small fridge with some sports drinks inside it. Miyoshi took one out and handed it to Toshihiko. He gulped it down gratefully, feeling the life slowly but steadily return to him.
“Sorry, I should have thought of that. It’s better to have something cold on a hot day.”
“It’s fine. Thank you. I’m feeling a little better now,” Toshihiko said, looking around the room. “Pretty big place you’ve got here. You a minimalist or something?”
“I’m actually getting ready to move out.”
Toshihiko nodded, understanding, and put the plastic bottle down.
“Sorry to skip the niceties, but about that thing…”
“Right.”
With a bottle of mineral water in one hand, Miyoshi sat down next to him. Their shoulders were touching only slightly, but it was still enough for him to feel his friend’s muscular frame.
“Katayama, do you have any idea how much money it takes to develop something like this?”
Miyoshi gulped awkwardly. A drop of water fell from his plastic bottle and splashed onto Toshihiko’s lap, leaving a wet spot. He looked over at his friend’s face. He was staring into the distance, his expression not giving anything away.
“Can’t say I do. Must be a lot, though.”
Toshihiko wasn’t totally clueless about why Miyoshi had asked that question. He probably wanted to stress how big of a favor this was and to ask for something in return.
“I’m prepared to pay you for the trouble. If it’s not enough, then—”
“I’ve got plenty of money,” Miyoshi said, cutting him off. “Katayama… You really don’t understand the value of what you have.”
Miyoshi reached over and grasped his jaw.
“I’ve always thought that. There’s not a person on this earth who wouldn’t take notice of you.”
His fingers were digging in so much that it hurt. But Toshihiko couldn’t brush Miyoshi off. He couldn’t even say anything to break this weird mood. All he could do was gaze at the image of himself reflected in Miyoshi’s doleful eyes.
“It must have been destiny. I was walking along Shinbashi, and there you were. Even with your mask on, I knew it was you. No chance there are two people out there as handsome as you. Nobody seemed to have any idea where you went after graduating. I thought I’d never see you again. But I guess we were fated to meet. It was pretty tough making it happen, though. My instincts aren’t great, so I just had to go to every kind of event you might show up at.”
Toshihiko thought about the day he’d met Miyoshi at that screening. It had looked like Miyoshi was enjoying himself. At all the other horror-themed events they’d been to together, he’d always seemed genuinely interested. When he chatted with guest speakers about their work, he was passionate and friendly, like he’d met a kindred spirit. Was he saying everything had been an act? Those were some impressive performance skills. This guy really was a genius.
“So it was all…”
Toshihiko grunted as the truth dawned on him. Seeing that he was putting things together, Miyoshi smirked.
“Like I’d have any interest in horror. It’s all a bunch of made-up nonsense. Anyone who gets excited about that stuff is an idiot. Most of them are so ugly, they shouldn’t even be allowed outside. But I went along with it for you. Love makes you do crazy things.”
He brought his face close to Toshihiko’s. Their foreheads touched once, twice, three times. He stroked Toshihiko’s cheek like a girl with a new doll.
“I did it all for you.”
Everything finally fell into place. Well, at least Toshihiko knew now. This whole thing had been a mistake from the outset. He recalled what Rumi had said about him attracting unwanted looks. He wasn’t really sure if this qualified as unwanted or not, but it was a stark reminder of his inability to have normal human friendships. Anyone who came into contact with Toshihiko inevitably went a little crazy. Sometimes from jealousy, other times from infatuation or lust. Some warped emotion would unavoidably prevent him from building a proper connection.
Miyoshi was licking his ear now, but he didn’t feel repulsed by it. Maybe that was because he and Miyoshi were the same. Both gifted in their own ways, both never really fitting in. “Let’s try to get along from here on, one outcast to another,” he’d said. Sadly, it didn’t look like that was going to be possible.
“Okay, fine,” Toshihiko said. Shortly. With resignation.
Miyoshi looked up in surprise. Toshihiko gave his consent again, just to make sure everything was crystal clear.
“Do what you want with me.”