Cold Fever - Chapter 3 - Part 3

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Story 3

I was planning to go out in the T-shirt I had worn to bed, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that the shoulder was torn. I changed into a plain black T-shirt and put on some jeans. Feeling someone’s gaze, I turned around to see Fujishima sitting up in bed, staring at me intently. He wasn’t wearing any clothes. I hadn’t dressed him.

"Are you going out?" he asked, to which I replied, "Yeah."

"Who are you meeting?"

"…Taniguchi. I’ll be back before noon."

I approached the bed and gently stroked Fujishima’s soft hair. To be honest, I would have preferred to laze around in bed until midday, but since Taniguchi had said he wanted to meet and talk, I couldn’t refuse.

"I was thinking of going out too. How about we have lunch together?"

As I touched him, I felt a sudden desire. I leaned down and licked Fujishima’s lips.

"…That tickles," Fujishima said, narrowing his eyes. Unable to resist any longer, I pushed him down onto the bed.

"…Tohru?" he whispered as I cradled his head and kissed him, pulling the sheets away. When I touched his exposed desire, it twitched in my hand.

"No… We shouldn’t… You’ll be late, won’t you?" His words were a soft resistance, which I enjoyed before pulling away. Fujishima rubbed his flushed face with the back of his hand and covered his lower half with the sheets.

"…Take your phone with you. I’ll call you," he said.

Instead of replying, I nuzzled his cheek like a cat. It was hot outside. Even though I had only walked from the apartment to the station, I was already sweating lightly. Staring down at my short, dark shadow, I remembered that I forgot to ask Fujishima why he was going out.

Our meeting place was a coffee shop near the station. Despite its sign claiming to be a specialty coffee shop, the coffee wasn’t particularly good. Taniguchi often grumbled, "It’s a scam." But it was always empty, and you could talk for hours over a single cup of coffee without anyone complaining, so it was convenient for meetings.

Since opening our office two months ago, most of our discussions had been there, so this was the first time in a while we were meeting outside. When I entered the shop, the air conditioning was barely working, which might have been another reason it didn’t attract many customers.

Taniguchi usually sat in the back right corner, and I tilted my head in confusion when I saw that he wasn’t alone.

"Sorry for dragging you out here," Taniguchi said with a smile. Next to him was Kurokawa, someone I had met a few times at Taniguchi’s old apartment. Unlike the cheerful Taniguchi, Kurokawa had a heavy, brooding presence. He was good-looking, even handsome, but there was a darkness about him. Maybe it was just my aversion to people like him, but I didn’t like Taniguchi’s friend. They seemed close, though; Taniguchi had started sharing a place with him last year.

"The thing is, I’m thinking of hiring someone to handle the office’s accounting."

In June, Taniguchi and Tohru had opened an office together. Tohru had always admired Taniguchi’s photography, and after meeting at a publisher’s party and becoming friends, they had held a joint exhibition in March, renting a gallery for three weeks. Tohru had visited the gallery multiple times during the exhibition, observing the reactions of the visitors. Some people walked by without much interest, while others meticulously examined each photo. The varied responses fascinated him.

After the exhibition ended, they had gone out drinking to celebrate and, in their excitement, decided to start an office together. Tohru had worked freelance until then, but he found the administrative tasks burdensome, and the idea of having an office appealed to him. Besides, he felt that working with Taniguchi could be a success.

Taniguchi had taken on the paperwork, scouted locations, and handled the various tasks needed to set up the office, and two months later, ‘Office Crew’ was up and running. Although they didn’t have any assistants yet and it was just a place to call their own, it was a start.

"An accountant, huh?" Tohru said, still not fully grasping the situation since Taniguchi had handled most of the administrative work.

"Yeah, I’ve been doing it myself, but it’s starting to get tough. I’m thinking of having someone manage both the accounting and our schedules."

"That sounds good, but can we afford to pay them?"

"I don’t need a salary until the office is fully up and running," Kurokawa, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. Taniguchi quickly hushed him, "You should keep quiet for now."

"I’m thinking of asking Kurokawa to handle the accounting. He’s been studying for it, and he’s willing to work for a low salary. Plus, I think it would be better to have someone I know and trust," Taniguchi explained.

Tohru took out a cigarette from his jeans’ back pocket and lit it.

“What about your current job?” Tohru pointed at Kurokawa as he asked the question, noticing Taniguchi’s uneasy expression as he averted his gaze. Before Tohru could figure out what was going on, Kurokawa puffed up his chest and replied.

“I’m fine. I’m resigning at the end of this month.”

“You’re quitting a stable job to do this, even though you might not get paid?”

“Yes.”

“…Have you reconsidered that?”

Tohru couldn’t help but offer the advice.

“No need. This is what I really want to do.”

Tohru couldn’t understand what was so appealing about working in a photography office. What was Kurokawa thinking? Taniguchi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I told him too, you don’t need to quit your current job to do this. But he didn’t listen, and he’s already submitted his resignation. Now there’s no turning back.”

“I couldn’t just stand by and watch,” Kurokawa interjected. “He’s been running around setting up the office, cutting back on his own work, and doing twice as much for a partner who doesn’t do anything.”

Tohru was taken aback by the blunt criticism, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Hey, Kurokawa! Knock it off!” Taniguchi snapped, but Kurokawa shook his head, determined to speak.

“The office is under both of your names. It wouldn’t hurt for you to help out a little, Takahisa-san. Instead of using convenient excuses like ‘that’s not my strength’ to dodge responsibilities and leave everything to Masayuki, why don’t you try answering the office phone just once?”

Before Tohru could respond, Taniguchi smacked Kurokawa on the head.

“I told you to shut up! You idiot!”

Taniguchi’s clenched right hand shook, and his temples twitched with anger.

“I knew this would happen. I knew Tohru wouldn’t do anything but take photos. But that’s fine with me. I want to work with him, even if it means handling everything else. But you went off on your own, quit your job, and left me completely at a loss!”

“I made my own decision. You shouldn’t have to worry about it,” Kurokawa retorted, biting his lip in frustration. Tohru, who had his own temper issues, couldn’t help but think how childishly sulky Kurokawa seemed.

“And you’re just using my busy schedule as an excuse to stay close to me. Don’t pin that on Tohru.”

“Yes, I want to be with you. But I’m not acting without thinking. The way things are now, you won’t be able to do the work you really want to do. I just want to create an environment where you can do the work you love. I’ll do anything for that. Even learning accounting has been fun because it’s for your sake. It makes me happy to think it will help you.”

Kurokawa continued, “I was serious about my current job, too. It was fulfilling. But it wasn’t what I truly wanted to do. Honestly, I never knew what I wanted to do until now. This is the first time I’ve found something I really want to pursue. I love your photography. I want to protect the world you’ve built. I don’t want anyone else to have such an important role.”

It was clear that Taniguchi had Kurokawa’s unwavering loyalty—or rather, he had the fervent admiration of a fan. Tohru lit a second cigarette. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Fujishima, suggesting they meet at Seiyotei, a restaurant near the Comfort Gallery, at noon.

“Hey,” Tohru called out, interrupting the argument. Taniguchi turned to face him.

“Do you have anything else to discuss besides accounting?”

“Oh, no… nothing else.”

“If you don’t mind low pay, then I don’t care who does the accounting.”

“Oh, good… that’s a relief. Sorry about this guy, he can’t stop himself when he gets going…”

Kurokawa still looked like he had more to say, but a sharp glare from Taniguchi made him hold his tongue.

“And by the way…” Tohru cleared his throat. “I guess I could answer the phone once in a while.”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

A little before the appointed time, Tohru arrived at the restaurant. Fujishima was already there, waiting. The place was always crowded at lunchtime because of its delicious hamburgers, but luckily, two seats at the counter were open.

“Who were you meeting?” Tohru asked.

Fujishima smiled and replied, “Just doing some shopping.”

“What were you and Taniguchi talking about?”

“Work,” Tohru said, deciding not to mention the part where Kurokawa had insulted him as useless. He had always tried to avoid anything to do with money or other such hassles, but after this conversation, he began to feel like maybe he needed to step up a bit more. Yet, if Kurokawa was going to handle the administrative work, maybe he really didn’t need to do anything after all.

“Am I really that incompetent?” Tohru asked.

Fujishima looked surprised, then laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, it’s just… Did Taniguchi say something to you?”

Even though Tohru stayed silent, Fujishima’s gaze felt comforting, making him look down awkwardly.

“It’s not that you’re incompetent … you just have things you’re not good at. That can’t be helped. But since you’ve started this business together, it would be nice if you could share the responsibilities equally, so neither of you feels burdened.”

Had he really been leaning on Taniguchi too much? Tohru had assumed Taniguchi was taking on everything because he wanted to, but maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

“Taniguchi told me he likes you a lot,” Fujishima added.

Tohru looked up.

“He said that during the two-person exhibition’s wrap-up party. He said he loves your photography, but he also really likes you as a person. He mentioned how rare it is to find someone you can speak openly with after becoming an adult. He told me privately how much he appreciates that.”

Fujishima’s eyes softened. “He’s a good friend.”

Feeling restless, Tohru took out another cigarette, but it didn’t calm his nerves. The worst parts of his childhood, the six years he had forgotten, and even the time since he had regained his memory… almost all the people in his life now were carryovers from those forgotten years. They were people who had accepted him after he regained his memory.

But Taniguchi was different. He didn’t know Tohru’s troubled childhood or the six years he had lost. Taniguchi liked the person Tohru had become now. Time was indeed moving forward.

“You’re cute, you know.”

Tohru heard words he wasn't used to hearing.

“I think you’re cute.”

The unfamiliar compliment made Tohru’s back feel hot with embarrassment. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Fujishima’s gaze, so he reached for another cigarette to calm his nerves. Even so, he couldn’t relax. His feet fidgeted restlessly.

It was only later that Tohru realized the uneasy feeling was actually happiness.

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