Innocent World: Chapter 9

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When they got back to the apartment, Hirokuni headed straight for the bed.

“Hey! Bath first. Go take a bath!” Yamamura barked.

With a look of annoyance, Hirokuni shuffled toward the bathroom. As long as Hirokuni put on clothes when they went outside, Yamamura hadn’t bothered much with his grooming habits, but things had changed. Ever since Hirokuni had gotten sick and Yamamura had laid him in bed to recover, Hirokuni had taken a strong liking to the comfort of the mattress. Even after getting better, he would insist on sleeping in the bed.

Yamamura could still clearly recall the first time Hirokuni crawled into bed with him. He smelled awful. Yamamura couldn’t take it and immediately jumped out of bed, telling him, “You smell like sweat. Go shower.” Hirokuni reluctantly took a shower, but when he came back, he climbed right back into Yamamura’s single bed and snuggled up close against his back.

At first, Yamamura was shocked, wondering if Hirokuni was making a move on him. But it only lasted for a moment—Hirokuni had fallen asleep almost immediately. Meanwhile, Yamamura found himself wide awake. He’d never slept so close to anyone who wasn’t a romantic partner before. It felt awkward to be lying there without doing anything. Not to mention it was hot. As he lay there debating whether to deal with the heat or sleep on the hard tatami mat, he must have eventually dozed off.

Since then, they’d been sleeping together every night. Yamamura had considered buying another futon, but given that he’d be taking an advance on the inheritance and getting out of here in less than six months, it seemed pointless to buy something that would just end up as extra baggage. At first, Arisawa, the lawyer, called to check in once a week, but those calls had since dwindled to once every two or three weeks.

Hirokuni didn’t seem to find anything strange about sleeping so close to another guy. Yamamura had been puzzled by it, so he once asked the quack doctor, Ochiai, about it.

“He cuddles up to you while you’re sleeping? That’s pretty unusual,” Ochiai had said.

“Yeah, it’s weird, right?” Yamamura replied.

At the time, Hirokuni had gone to the bathroom. Since Hirokuni was starting to understand more Japanese, Yamamura had to be careful not to say anything careless around him. Ochiai stroked his beard thoughtfully, the thick bristles making him look even more stifling in the heat.

“Well, it might seem strange from a Japanese perspective. Most Indigenous Peoples sleep in hammocks, but there are tribes that sleep directly on the ground. Families in those tribes sleep huddled close together for protection from predators. Hiro-chan might have grown up in a similar environment. So, maybe he sees you as family. Isn’t that nice?”

The bathroom situation had been resolved by making Hirokuni go before bed, but the smell was still unbearable. That’s why Yamamura had made it a rule for him to bathe every day. At first, Hirokuni would just splash some water on himself and call it done, but after Yamamura’s persistent nagging, he eventually started using soap.

When it came to personal hygiene, Hirokuni hadn’t even had the habit of brushing his teeth. Yamamura had asked Ochiai to teach him that too. The very next day, Hirokuni started brushing his teeth. Curious about how Ochiai had managed to teach him so quickly, Yamamura asked, and Ochiai explained, “I told him that if he doesn’t clean his mouth after eating Japanese food, evil spirits will get in.” It was such a childish trick, but it worked. Hirokuni was stubborn and wouldn’t do anything unless he was convinced, but once he learned something, he did it properly.

When Yamamura got out of the shower, Hirokuni was already asleep in bed. As if expecting Yamamura to join, he was sleeping neatly on one side. Yamamura slipped into the other side of the bed, feeling the usual warmth against his back.

He wasn’t paying close attention, but Ochiai’s words kept popping into his mind. Killing people with empty cans. What a thing to say. Now, every time Yamamura saw an aluminum can, Ochiai’s words would probably resurface in his mind. There were countless aluminum cans in the world. At this point, what could anyone really do about it?

Other people’s problems are one thing, but I’ve got enough on my own. Yamamura noticed another bill from the consumer finance company stuffed into his mailbox. Since he’d stopped going out much, he had a little more of his paycheck left over, and with the inheritance plus the stipend for taking care of Hirokuni, he had a bit of breathing room. Feeling confident, he’d used a chunk of it to pay down his debt, but now, with several days left until payday, he was stretched thin again. …The mountain of debt was still tall.

Even though he wanted to get rid of his debt for real, he couldn’t help but feel that once it was gone, his motivation to work might disappear too. The only reason he was working now was to pay off the debt. If it were gone, he wouldn’t have much reason to push himself at work. He figured that once he got that advance on the inheritance, he’d pay off his debt and coast for a couple of years doing nothing.

Just as Yamamura was finally starting to doze off, he felt movement from Hirokuni behind him. In the cramped bed, brushing against each other had become a regular occurrence, but this time something was different. Hirokuni's movements were oddly unnatural. At first, Yamamura thought he might just need to go to the bathroom. But then, as Yamamura lay on his side, something hard was thrust between his thighs.

Even through the fabric, Yamamura could feel its warmth. He swallowed hard, dread creeping in as he realized what it was. Sure enough, the thing that had been thrust between his thighs began to move slowly back and forth rhythmically. There was no mistaking it— Hirokuni had begun to masturbate with Yamamura's thighs. Hirokuni’s body pressed tightly against his back, and Yamamura could feel the labored breaths falling against the nape of his neck.

Even though he was in shock, Yamamura’s heart began to race. His breath quickened, and a slow heat spread through his lower body. After just a few minutes of rhythmic thrusting, Hirokuni withdrew from between his thighs. Yamamura heard the sound of tissue being used, just as he'd taught Hirokuni to do, followed by the pungent scent that filled the air. The dampness of precum that had spread through the fabric of Yamamura's shorts felt disturbingly real, it sent shivers down his spine.

The act ended as quickly as it had started, and soon Hirokuni’s steady breathing resumed. He was a quick finisher—it had been the same the last time Yamamura had caught him. But that wasn’t the point. The real question was why Hirokuni had done it with him. Engaging in such an act with another man… wasn’t that something only a gay person would do? But Hirokuni wasn’t gay. He’d once seriously said that he wanted to sleep with the old hag next door.

So, what was it then? Had Yamamura just been a convenient outlet? A stand-in for a tree trunk or something? Was it simply because Yamamura was nearby? It wasn’t like Hirokuni had tried to penetrate him or anything, so Yamamura couldn’t even bring himself to be angry. But what he couldn’t hide was how intensely aroused he had been by Hirokuni’s desire rubbing against his thighs. If Hirokuni could do something like that to him, then maybe he wouldn’t mind having the same done to him, right? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the heat in Yamamura’s lower body surged to full intensity.

He wanted to try it. He wanted to slip between those firm, muscular thighs and rub himself against them. Now that the possibility had presented itself, Yamamura found it impossible to suppress the urge. It reminded him of the guilty thrill of his first time masturbating—how he’d clung to his pillow, overcome by a mixture of shame and excitement. The warmth he still felt on his back seemed to be calling to him.

He made up his mind. He’d start slow, and if Hirokuni resisted, he’d stop immediately. With that decision made, Yamamura shifted his body slightly and rolled over. Not wanting to face Hirokuni directly—it would be too embarrassing—he gently turned Hirokuni’s face toward the wall. Given how cramped the bed was, this kind of pushing and shoving was routine, so Hirokuni just let out a small grunt, “Ahh,” without resisting, turning as Yamamura directed.

Yamamura pressed his body tightly against Hirokuni’s back, deliberately grinding his erection into him, making sure Hirokuni could feel it. Hirokuni only let out a soft moan, “hah,” without opening his eyes. His face showed nothing but exhaustion.

Yamamura slowly pulled Hirokuni’s shorts down to mid-thigh. Then, he lowered his own clothing, underwear and all, to the same level. He slid his erection between Hirokuni’s tight, muscular thighs. It was just frottage—despite already knowing the sensation of bare skin—the sensation of Hirokuni’s firm legs around him made his fingers tremble. The excitement was almost enough to make his head feel like it was about to burst. The urge to reach out and touch Hirokuni’s penis surged within him, but he held it back with all his might.

Shutting his eyes, Yamamura thrust his hips forcefully. The bed creaked under the strain. Whether it was because of how aroused he was or out of some self-preservation instinct, worried about what would happen if he dragged this out, Yamamura came almost as quickly as Hirokuni had.

After cleaning himself up and pulling his shorts back into place, Yamamura felt a wave of relief that everything had ended without incident. But just as he was about to relax, Hirokuni, who had been facing the wall, rolled over to face him, staring intently. Frozen like a frog caught in the gaze of a snake, Yamamura couldn’t move. Hirokuni’s unblinking eyes locked onto his, making Yamamura swallow nervously.

It was Hirokuni who had first used Yamamura’s thighs as a tool for his own pleasure, but how did he feel about having the same done to him? Unable to withstand the intensity of Hirokuni’s gaze, Yamamura turned his eyes away, half-expecting a punch to come without warning. Fear tightened his chest. He could feel Hirokuni shifting beside him, and just when Yamamura couldn’t take the tension any longer and was about to get out of bed, Hirokuni snuggled up against him. His eyes were closed, and he let out a deep, steady breath.

So… he wasn’t upset. That realization brought Yamamura an immense sense of relief, and the tension in his body melted away. With his eyes still closed, Hirokuni tilted his chin up slightly. The streetlight filtering through the curtains cast a faint glow across the room, illuminating Hirokuni’s long lashes and his smooth, firm face.

Yamamura couldn’t rationalize what was happening—it was pure impulse. Without even realizing it, his tongue had lightly brushed against Hirokuni’s smooth forehead. Perhaps it was the relief of feeling “forgiven” for the frottage, or maybe it was the unexpected allure of Hirokuni’s face that drew him in. In response, Hirokuni briefly opened his eyes, leaned forward, and licked Yamamura’s chin before closing his eyes once more.

A strange, sweet sensation welled up in Yamamura’s chest. A nervous sweat broke out on his back, and in confusion, he turned away from Hirokuni. What… was that? What was with that weird, dog-like lick? Sure, he had licked Hirokuni first, but still...

Hirokuni was the type of guy who would eat with his hands if left unchecked, wouldn’t bathe unless explicitly told to, struggled with Japanese, and sometimes had violent outbursts. Yamamura knew all that. And yet, despite knowing, he suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to have sex with him—to do it with Hirokuni.

He had felt aroused by naked bodies before, but that had always been a reflexive reaction to physical stimuli. This was different. Yamamura wanted to see how this man would moan and lose himself in the act. Even as his rational mind warned him that it would be a hassle later, that it was smarter not to get involved, he couldn’t quell the growing urge to try it.

Yamamura slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he sat by the window, staring absently at the lump of blankets where Hirokuni lay. He smoked cigarette after cigarette until dawn.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

When Yamamura woke up, his back was sore from the awkward position he’d slept in by the window. Hirokuni was already awake, going through his morning ritual of plucking his facial hair. Even though Yamamura had shown him how to use an electric shaver, Hirokuni preferred to pluck his whiskers. Since he did it every day, the hair grew back slowly.

After finishing with his facial hair, Hirokuni began eating one of the bananas they kept stocked. He was wearing shorts but no shirt, his pale, small nipples exposed. They stood erect, and Yamamura couldn’t help but imagine them craving his touch. A flood of rosy fantasies stirred him up first thing in the morning. He lowered his head, feeling out of control with his own thoughts.

Just like when he was a teenager, his lower body felt heavy with arousal from nothing more than his own imagination. It wasn’t wrong to relieve himself in the morning, but he was very aware of how unusually light-headed and unsettled he was. After dealing with his urges in the bathroom, he came out to find Hirokuni drinking water in the kitchen. At first, Hirokuni had drunk straight from the faucet, but after learning he could drink without spilling, he’d started using a glass.

Lust surged back. Just standing there, Hirokuni looked so sensuous, almost seductive. He was no different from usual, but it was as if Yamamura’s brain had suddenly put a strange filter over everything.

Yamamura slunk back to his spot under the window and stared up at the sky. The fact that today was a day off was annoying. If there had been work, he could have left the house quickly. Even when he tried to look away, the noises behind him kept drawing his attention. He scratched his head in frustration and turned around.

“Hey, why don’t you go to Ochiai’s house?” he said.

“Ocha?” Hirokuni replied.

Unable to pronounce "Ochiai," Hirokuni had taken to calling him “Ocha.” Yamamura had burst out laughing the first time he heard it, but soon after, he’d felt the same embarrassment himself. Just like with Ochiai’s name, Hirokuni couldn’t pronounce “Yamamura” either, so he called him “Yamui,” a goofy nickname that made Yamamura cringe.

“Yeah, you go there every day, right?”

“Ocha… out,” Hirokuni said.

Oh yeah, Ochiai had mentioned yesterday that he’d be away. Yamamura had heard it but completely forgotten.

Despite having already relieved himself, the lustful thoughts started creeping back in. He couldn’t believe that something as simple as frottage had left him feeling so overwhelmed with desire.

“Hiro, I’m going out for a bit,” Yamamura said, grabbing his wallet and standing up. He thought about hitting the pachinko parlor to clear his head. Just as he was about to put on his shoes, his phone rang. He’d almost forgotten to take it with him.

"Good morning," the caller was Nishida.

“What the hell do you want this early in the morning?” Yamamura said.

“Early morning? It's already eleven o'clock. Can I come over now?” Nishida replied.

As a salesman, Yamamura’s weekends were generally free, since it was hard to get contracts signed when the husbands were home. When men were around, sales success rates dropped to almost zero.

“What about your girlfriend? You’re just going to leave her alone on the weekend?”

“About that, turns out she had to cancel last minute—some relative’s sick or something. She should’ve told me earlier. I’m already out here, though. So hey, don’t you have that weird cousin living with you? Let me see him,” Nishida said.

“Uh… well…” Yamamura glanced at Hirokuni, who was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall.

“I’m telling you, he looks normal,” Yamamura said.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m already outside your door,” Nishida replied.

“What?” Yamamura looked up just as there was a knock on the front door.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Nishida stared at Hirokuni with an intrusive gaze. Hirokuni, in turn, stared right back at him. The two of them locked eyes, creating a strange tension in the room—like a person and a wild animal sizing each other up through the bars of a cage, reminiscent of a zoo.

“...He’s not wearing a shirt and has a shaved head, but he looks pretty normal. Actually, his face isn’t bad at all,” Nishida whispered to Yamamura.

“Well, he was originally Japanese,” Yamamura replied quietly.

“But didn’t you say he does stuff like dance? Doesn’t he wear feathers on his head or something?” Nishida asked.

“That’s just you watching too many movies,” Yamamura chuckled.

“This guy doesn’t understand Japanese, right?” Nishida asked.

“He’s starting to understand a bit, but speaking is still a struggle,” Yamamura explained.

Nishida walked up to Hirokuni like someone approaching a caged animal and casually said, “Hey, what’s up?”

Hirokuni didn’t respond.

“I’m Yamamura-san’s buddy. Nice to meet you,” Nishida added, trying to sound friendly.

Silence. Frustrated, Nishida walked back over to Yamamura.

“He’s not responding. Does he even understand me?”

“He only gets proper Japanese. If you leave out or shorten even a single word, he won’t get it,” Yamamura explained.

“Ugh, that’s a pain,” Nishida said, shrugging. “I’m thirsty. Got anything to drink?”

Without waiting for a reply, Nishida rummaged through Yamamura’s fridge, helping himself to some tea. He then glanced around the room.

“I knew something was different—the place is cleaner than before,” he remarked.

“It feels cramped with two people living here,” Yamamura said.

But that wasn’t the whole story. Ochiai had also advised Yamamura to keep the room clean and well-ventilated. Ancestral Indigenous Peoples, Ochiai had explained, were particularly susceptible to respiratory diseases. He had warned that if Hirokuni caught something, it could take a long time for him to recover. Yamamura didn’t want the hassle of Hirokuni getting sick, and he especially didn’t want Arisawa, the lawyer, to find out that Hirokuni’s illness was caused by a dirty apartment. After all, Yamamura had agreed to take care of him.

Out of necessity, Yamamura had gotten into the habit of vacuuming from time to time. He also made sure to throw trash in the bin instead of leaving it lying around. Since Hirokuni usually ate dinner at Ochiai’s house now, Yamamura went to the convenience store less often, meaning there was less bulky trash to deal with. Part of the reason trash had piled up before was that Yamamura hadn’t known the garbage collection days or how to sort it properly. When he mentioned this in passing while returning a borrowed Tupperware to the old hag next door, she had copied the garbage sorting chart for him.

Nishida leaned against the kitchen sink and sighed deeply. “I was supposed to be on a date at the zoo right now…”

“...Don’t tell me you’re talking about those complimentary tickets,” Yamamura said, narrowing his eyes.

Nishida laughed sheepishly. About six months ago, their company had given out free tickets to a newly opened zoo as a gift to customers who signed up for water purifiers. Their supervisor had gotten the tickets from someone in the industry.

“I only took two,” Nishida said, grinning.

“We were told not to take them for personal use,” Yamamura scolded.

“Come on, no one actually follows that rule. Some people took whole stacks and sold them at ticket shops. Not saying who,” Nishida said with a smirk.

Yamamura clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hadn’t cared about the zoo tickets and had never bothered to carry them around as gifts. But the thought of someone else profiting off them behind his back left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Compared to that, my little two-ticket stash is nothing."

"Yeah, not much compared to selling them at a ticket shop... Wait, come to think of it, weren’t those tickets set to expire soon? Are you sure they’re still good?"

“Wait, really?” Nishida fumbled with his wallet, pulling out the tickets. The expiration date was tomorrow—Sunday.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Yamamura and Hirokuni rode in Nishida’s car, heading toward the zoo. There wasn’t anything else planned for the day, and though Yamamura wasn’t exactly excited—he wasn’t a kid anymore, after all—being told it was free made him think, Well, why not? It wasn’t much, but it was something to do. Plus, he had a feeling Hirokuni might enjoy the zoo.

“Hey, want to go see some animals at the zoo?” Yamamura asked.

“Animals?” Hirokuni repeated, looking puzzled.

“Yeah, animals. Like elephants or lions.”

Hirokuni’s face didn’t clear up.

“Animals… elephants… lions,” Hirokuni muttered, treating “animals” as if it were a specific type of creature, just like elephants or lions. It seemed he didn’t grasp that “animals” referred to all types of animals.

“There’s all kinds of things there, like birds and monkeys.”

At the mention of monkeys, Hirokuni finally reacted.

“Monkeys!” he said with enthusiasm, his voice picking up energy. It seemed like Yamamura had finally piqued his interest. Maybe he’d always wanted to see a monkey. Despite usually being reluctant, Hirokuni put on his T-shirt by himself that day, a sure sign he was excited.

Hirokuni didn’t show any particular wariness or curiosity toward Nishida. Much like the first time they had met, Hirokuni’s expression remained blank whenever he looked at Nishida. But that changed when he realized Nishida had a car. Hirokuni had always seen cars around but knew they weren’t easy to get. Sitting in the backseat of Nishida’s secondhand sports car, Hirokuni repeatedly muttered, “Nishida… good car.”

“Yeah, it’s secondhand, but it feels nice to be praised! Hirokuni, keep it coming!” Nishida said, encouraging Hirokuni with a smug grin. He was clearly pleased, egging Hirokuni on to give him more compliments. Hirokuni also seemed to enjoy the ride, especially the wind whipping through his hair in the open-top car.

While the drive had been fun, Hirokuni’s expression changed as they neared the zoo. He furrowed his brow and started sniffing the air suspiciously. By the time they reached the parking lot, he looked like he was chewing on something bitter, clearly unhappy. The moment they got out of the car, Hirokuni grew restless, pacing around the car, sniffing the air with his nose twitching, unable to settle down. Then suddenly, he pointed at the zoo gate and shouted.

“Bad!”

“What’s bad?” Yamamura asked.

“Smell bad… eat!” Hirokuni exclaimed, his words clumsy and confusing.

Yamamura’s mind spun, trying to piece it together: bad smell → animals → lions, tigers → they eat… It was a mental leap, but he finally figured it out. Hirokuni had an incredibly sharp sense of smell, and it seemed he’d caught the scent of the carnivores. Maybe he was afraid of being eaten.

“They’re in cages, so don’t worry.”

“Cages? In?” Hirokuni asked, still hesitant.

“Yeah, they’re in cages. Otherwise, do you think so many people would be going into the zoo? Come on, let’s go.”

Though he understood the idea of cages, Hirokuni remained anxious. His steps were slow and hesitant, so Yamamura had to tug at the hem of his T-shirt to keep him moving. Hirokuni’s face was still tense as they passed through the entrance gate, but once they were inside, he seemed to grasp the concept that the animals were indeed safely behind bars.

It was a Saturday, so the zoo was packed with families and couples. Since the place had only been open for about six months, the facilities were still clean—the buildings, walkways, and cages all looked fresh and well-maintained. While the zoo wasn’t particularly large, the map showed they had all the crowd-pleasers like lions, elephants, and giraffes. There were also plenty of shops and cafes for visitors.

“Man, it really smells like animals here,” Nishida muttered, wrinkling his nose. But Hirokuni, in contrast, was beyond excited. He stared wide-eyed at the elephants, his mouth hanging open in awe of their massive size. In front of the giraffes, he stomped his feet in delight, unable to contain his excitement.

Hirokuni lingered in front of each enclosure, taking his time, so Nishida eventually grew bored and wandered off, saying, “I’m going to grab a coffee over there.”

Yamamura wasn’t particularly interested in the animals either, but Hirokuni’s reactions were amusing enough that he followed him around. As a way to kill time, he read the information plaques by each enclosure. The animals came from places like “India,” “Australia,” and “Kenya,” but none from “Brazil.” Yamamura had seen all of these creatures before on TV or in books, but for Hirokuni, who had never watched TV or read books and had lived his entire life in the Amazon jungle, these strange and unfamiliar animals must have seemed fascinating and exotic. Thinking about it that way, Hirokuni’s childlike excitement made a lot more sense to Yamamura.

Hirokuni, who had been smiling earlier, suddenly changed as they reached the jaguar's cage. The jaguar's habitat was listed as "Brazil." Even though it was finally an animal Hirokuni might recognize, his gaze toward the jaguar lounging in the cage was harsher than it had been with the others.

A low growl, like an animal’s, came from beside him, and Yamamura, startled, turned to look. It wouldn't have been odd if the growl had come from inside the cage. But it hadn’t. The animalistic noise had come from Hirokuni. People around them glanced over, surprised.

Hirokuni growled at the jaguar. The jaguar slowly rose from where it had been lying and lazily approached the bars, locking eyes with Hirokuni. Then it tilted its head back and let out a loud, deep roar, "Gauuwoooorrr!" as if answering Hirokuni’s call. Hirokuni roared back, and the two continued exchanging sounds.

“What... is that? Amazing!” A child pointed at Hirokuni. Though he was attracting attention, Hirokuni didn’t seem to care, continuing to growl as though he were communicating with the jaguar. Yamamura had been watching, dumbfounded at first, but when more and more people gathered around and started pointing, embarrassment crept in. He grabbed Hirokuni by the T-shirt and dragged him away from the cage.

Maybe being able to communicate with the animal like that had made Hirokuni happy, Yamamura thought. But after leaving the jaguar’s cage, Hirokuni’s face darkened, and he didn’t seem excited by any of the other animals.

By the time they’d finished walking around the zoo, Nishida was no longer where he said he’d be, drinking coffee. The sun was strong, and the thought of searching for him felt like a hassle, so Yamamura pulled Hirokuni toward the nearby "World of Insects" exhibit instead.

The exhibit was nicely air-conditioned, sparsely populated, and had benches, making it a comfortable escape. The one-floor insect exhibit focused mainly on stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles, with several insect specimens mounted on the walls. Some of the display cases held live insects. But Hirokuni paid no attention to the beetles, rushing straight to the butterfly specimens.

Hirokuni stopped in front of a specimen of a large, metallic-blue butterfly. "Scientific name: Morpho rhetenor. Habitat: Brazil," the simple description read. Yamamura never liked these kinds of insect displays, especially the grotesque way the bodies looked up close, but he had to admit the butterfly’s blue wings were beautiful.

Suddenly, Hirokuni grabbed the specimen case off the wall and started shaking it side to side.

“H-hey!” Yamamura rushed to stop him, grabbing Hirokuni’s hands from behind. A nearby child shouted, “He touched it!” while their mother quickly grabbed the child’s hand and scolded them, “You mustn’t touch the cases.”

“You’re not supposed to touch the cases,” Yamamura said, feeling the strange tension in Hirokuni’s arms gradually ease. When it did, Yamamura awkwardly let go, realizing for the first time the sensation of Hirokuni’s skin under his hands.

“Fly. See,” Hirokuni said, pointing to the ceiling. It seemed like he wanted to see the butterfly flying. The specimen had been so beautifully preserved, it almost looked like it could take off any second.

“This butterfly is already dead. It’s a specimen.”

Yamamura figured Hirokuni wouldn’t understand what “specimen” meant, even as he explained.

“Um, well, because the butterfly’s pretty, they kept it here to display... even after it died.”

“Fly... pretty.” Hirokuni stretched both hands high in the air, gently waving his wrists as though he were mimicking the butterfly's flight. Maybe Hirokuni had actually seen this butterfly in flight before.

“Lots... pretty,” Hirokuni mumbled, his eyes distant as he imagined a scene in his mind—a swarm of blue butterflies fluttering in the air. Yamamura could picture it too: blue butterflies drifting through the green jungle, and Hirokuni, standing there naked, gazing up at them. Lost in his daydream, Yamamura suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing Hirokuni was staring at him. Embarrassed by the absurdity of his own thoughts, he quickly averted his gaze.

“But, you know, dead butterflies don’t fly anymore,” he muttered, tugging at Hirokuni’s T-shirt, leading him out of the insect exhibit. Something wasn’t right with him today, Yamamura thought. He hadn’t been himself since yesterday. It was probably best if they weren’t alone together for too long. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Nishida. He said he was at an outdoor café, so Yamamura headed that way with Hirokuni.

On their way, they passed by an area called the “Animal Interaction Zone,” where kids, ranging from kindergarteners to elementary schoolers, were playing inside a small, five-meter-square pen with rabbits and guinea pigs. Hirokuni’s gaze fixed on the rabbits, and his pace slowed.

“What, you wanna pet the rabbits or something?”

Hirokuni glanced at Yamamura and simply replied, “Pet,” before marching off toward the interaction area on his own.

“Wait a sec! That’s usually for kids, you know!” Yamamura called after him. His voice caught the attention of a young woman in a uniform tending to the rabbits. She looked up, her face full of curiosity. Embarrassed, Yamamura’s face flushed red. He grabbed Hirokuni’s arm and stopped him before asking the attendant, “Uh, this place... it’s just for kids, right?”

“Oh no, adults are welcome too,” she replied with a friendly smile.

Still, Yamamura couldn’t imagine Hirokuni playing around with small animals.

“You’re not planning to eat them, are you?” Yamamura asked with a smirk.

The young woman’s expression turned startled, while Hirokuni, completely serious, answered, “Not eat.”

“You’re not gonna kill or hurt them, right?”

Hirokuni’s face darkened slightly with annoyance. “Not kill.”

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Comments

  1. Awh. I wonder how hirokuni feels about yamamura. He keeps staring at him and snuggling up to him. And there was also that incident in the bed 😂

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    1. he's not glaring at him anymore, so i think he likes yamamura now lol i think he's just doing what feels good to him, his feelings are very basic

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