About Love: Chapter 12

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Although July had arrived, there was still no sign of the rainy season ending. The drizzle continued day after day. Rain was the mortal enemy of weddings—it forced garden ceremonies indoors, and the poor footing led to a surge in late arrivals. As if weddings weren’t already nerve-wracking enough, the bad weather only added to the stress.

Please let it clear up on the weekends, Asaka Takeshi thought as he clutched his bag to his chest and pushed open the door to his workplace, the bridal salon Dragée. The salon handled all aspects of wedding planning, offering total coordination services. This year marked its tenth anniversary. Led by President Kohara Tamaki, the company had eight full-time employees, five assistants, and three part-time workers—hardly a large staff considering the number of weddings they managed. A “small but elite team,” as they were often called, but their success was undeniable.

Last year, the salon had undergone a major renovation, completely transforming from a stylish, modern space to an antique-themed interior. It now had the charm of an old Parisian boutique—elegant and tranquil. The change had been a hit not just with young couples but also with their families, who praised it as “sophisticated” and “comfortable.” As a result, foot traffic had increased by twenty percent.

On the south side of the first floor, the three private consultation rooms were all occupied. This weekend and the next had particularly auspicious dates, so despite the rainy season, weddings were in high demand. The meetings must have been in their final stages. Asaka, now in his fourth year as a bridal coordinator, was handling two weddings next weekend. Fortunately, both couples were in their thirties and quite composed, making the planning process surprisingly smooth. With no unreasonable requests, everything had progressed effortlessly. Now, all that remained was to confirm that the dresses, gifts, and other arrangements would be delivered as scheduled, and then the weddings could proceed.

The staff office was empty. Everyone was either meeting with clients or coordinating with vendors.

Asaka powered on his laptop and began uploading photos of the wedding course meals he had taken earlier at Bistro Spica.

“Oh, Asaka, you’re here?”

President Kohara entered the office. She wore a bright-colored suit that repelled the dampness of the season, her hair neatly styled, her makeup flawless. As the face of Dragée, she always exuded an air of confidence, competence, and effortless elegance.

“I just got back from a meeting with Spica,” Asaka replied.

“Spica, huh… Their omurice is delicious,” Kohara sighed wistfully, gazing up at the ceiling.

The meeting had ended right around lunchtime, so Asaka had taken the opportunity to indulge in that very dish—but somehow, he didn’t feel like mentioning it.

Still holding a stack of documents, Kohara approached Asaka’s desk and peered at his laptop screen.

“Oh, those look delicious. The presentation is great too.”

“Right? Last time we hosted a reception at Spica, we got some rather harsh feedback—something along the lines of ‘the food is tasty, but the plating is plain.’ I didn’t relay it word-for-word, but I subtly suggested it to Chef Yanagi, and he came up with this. Just adding a bit of color changes the entire feel of the dish.”

“Well… That notoriously stubborn chef actually listened?”

“Chef Yanagi is tough, but he’s a good guy.”

“I suppose it’s different when it’s between men… Oh, right. I have a favor to ask, Asaka. You know how Enoki-san is leaving at the end of the week.”

Enoki had been with Dragée since its founding, serving as Kohara’s right-hand woman and a veteran bridal coordinator. Her husband had been assigned overseas, and she had decided to follow him, making this her final week at the company.

“I’d like you to take over training Koenji, the new hire who’s been shadowing her.”

“Eh? Me?”

Asaka was still considered one of the younger staff members. He hesitated, feeling a bit out of place taking on such a role ahead of the more experienced employees. But Kohara merely grinned and flashed a knowing smile.

“I thought you’d be the right fit, Asaka.”

Kohara lowered her voice slightly, as if letting him in on a secret.

“Between you and me, Koenji and Enoki weren’t a good match. Enoki’s sharp, efficient, always on top of things, right? But Koenji… well, calling him easygoing is putting it nicely. He’s slow. Honestly, I had hoped Enoki would whip him into shape, but it seems it was just stressing him out more than anything. Enoki herself admitted that his slow learning was getting on her nerves, and she’d been a little too harsh on him.”

This year, Dragée had hired a new recruit for the first time in two years—Koenji Hiroshi, a fresh university graduate, twenty-two years old. He was only the second male bridal coordinator at Dragée, following Asaka. Female coordinators often left the company when they got married or had children. Just when they were finally trained and becoming valuable team members, they would leave. In a service industry like this, where people were the most crucial resource, losing employees was always a major concern. Kohara frequently lamented how frustrating it was.

“Since you’re doing well, I decided to bring in a guy this year.”

She had whispered this to Asaka when Koenji’s hiring was confirmed.

Less than ten minutes after arriving at the office, Kohara was already heading out again. She was always on the move—Asaka had never once seen her sitting still for long. She was past forty now, yet her energy seemed boundless. Perhaps this was the kind of strength a woman needed to build a company from the ground up.

As Asaka inserted the food photos into the menu template, he sighed internally. “So I’m going to be a mentor now… This is going to be a challenge.”

Teaching someone was never easy. He had occasionally looked after new hires before when their assigned mentors were unavailable. Some grasped things after a single explanation, while others needed to hear the same instructions three times before it stuck. Some people learned quickly, others struggled.

In this job, handling multiple clients at once was essential. Without efficiency, the work would never get done. But that didn’t mean the fastest, most efficient workers automatically made the best bridal coordinators. Even if someone was a slow learner, as long as they approached their work with sincerity, they could earn the trust of their clients.

The menu was complete. If Kohara approved the final version, it could be incorporated into Bistro Spica’s restaurant materials. After that, all he had to do was email the staff about the update.

The sound of the doorknob turning made Asaka glance up with a sliver of hope—if it was Kohara, he could get her to check the menu right away. But instead, standing in the doorway was the very person in question—Koenji.

When their eyes met, Koenji grinned and gave a friendly nod.

He was tall, around 180 cm (5’9’’), but his slim frame made him look lanky. The slight droop at the corners of his eyes gave him a naturally cheerful expression, as if he were always in a good mood. His suit still didn’t quite fit him, making him look somewhat awkward, though his hair—no doubt thanks to the guidance of the female staff—was neatly styled in a trendy fashion.

Every time Asaka looked at Koenji, he couldn’t help but think of that person.

“Oh, you’re working today, Asaka-san. I didn’t see you around, so I thought maybe it was your day off.”

“I had a meeting at a restaurant this morning.”

“A restaurant, huh… Man, now I’m hungry.”

Koenji glanced over at the office whiteboard, where everyone’s schedules were written. For a moment, Asaka wondered if he had forgotten to update his entry, but sure enough, his schedule was properly marked with “Meeting.”

His eyes then drifted to Enoki’s schedule.

Meeting with a magazine representative at 2:00 PM.

A quick glance at the clock—1:20 PM.

"Koenji, have you eaten lunch?"

"No, not yet. I was about to go, but a delivery came in, and while I was handling that, Kinoshita-san called me over..."

"Don't you have a magazine meeting with Enoki-san at two? You should eat while you still can."

"I know, but..."

Koenji hunched his shoulders and scratched his head.

"I’ll take care of the delivery slip. Just go eat already."

Looking apologetic, Koenji bowed his head. "Sorry," he murmured before hurrying out.

Three months had passed since he joined in April. He should have been getting the hang of things—keeping track of his seniors' schedules and adjusting his own work accordingly. But Koenji was still clumsy in that regard.

Asaka stood from his chair and walked over to the stack of delivered boxes. The delivery slip was nowhere to be found. He checked around but saw no sign of it. Just in case, he glanced at Koenji’s desk as well, but there was nothing.

"Did that idiot take the slip with him to lunch?"

Getting distracted by one thing and forgetting another. It felt like an ominous sign for the future. Asaka pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a sigh.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

The rain had taken a brief break during the day, but by evening, it had started falling again. The downpour wasn’t too strong.

Asaka got off the train at the station nearest to the izakaya Ruri-iro, where he was supposed to meet someone, and stepped through the ticket gate. Just as he was about to open his umbrella, someone called out to him.

"Asaka-san."

A tall, slender man in glasses. Their eyes met, and the man gave him a cheerful smile. Quickly closing the umbrella he had just begun to open, Asaka hurried over to where Sasagawa Yoshirou stood beneath the station’s overhang.

"I thought you’d already gone to the restaurant," Asaka said.

"Ruri-iro is closed today."

"What? But it’s not even a regular closing day."

"There was a sign saying it’s temporarily closed. I figured you’d be on the train, so I sent you a message a little while ago…"

Asaka hastily pulled out his phone. Sure enough, there was an unread email from Sasagawa. He switched off silent mode.

"Sorry, I didn’t notice."

"It’s fine. So, what should we do now?"

Sasagawa gazed up at the rainy night sky, his voice as relaxed as ever, without a hint of concern.

"I don’t know any other places around here besides Ruri-iro. And walking around looking for one in this rain sounds like a hassle."

As Asaka was considering nearby options, he suddenly felt Sasagawa’s hand touch his arm, and his heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, he was gently pulled back.

"You’ll get wet if you stand there," Sasagawa said.

Hearing those words, Asaka realized there had been no deeper meaning behind the touch. He was just overthinking it. Feeling embarrassed at his own reaction, he looked down in the dim light.

"Hopefully, there’s a decent place nearby…" Sasagawa murmured.

If they weren’t picky, there were plenty of chain izakayas near the station. But Sasagawa didn’t like those kinds of noisy places.

"Want to come over to my place?" Asaka suggested. "It’s just one stop away. But dinner will have to be from the convenience store, and the drinks will be either beer or a one-cup sake."

At that, Sasagawa’s face lit up like a child’s.

"I get to visit Asaka-san’s place?"

"It’s a mess, though. If you don’t mind that…"

With their plans settled, they passed back through the ticket gate and stepped onto the platform. The next train was about five minutes away. Standing side by side, Asaka realized Sasagawa’s head was about the same height as the rookie Koenji’s.

Maybe this was careless of me…

It had been raining, and he hadn’t been able to think of a better place, so he had invited Sasagawa over almost without thinking. But once they were there, simply eating and drinking might not be the only thing that happened.

Asaka and Sasagawa Yoshirou had been dating. They had met two years ago, started seeing each other frequently last September, and officially became a couple at the end of May. It had been about a month and a half since then, but nothing had really changed. They met after work for meals. The only thing remotely "romantic" they did was sneaking kisses in quiet streets on the way home.

Since Asaka worked weekends, unlike Sasagawa, who was a public servant, they never went on daytime dates or visited each other’s homes.

Shortly after they had officially started dating, Asaka had looked up information online about sex between men.

Sasagawa might be easygoing, but they weren’t kids. It was only a matter of time before it happened.

Asaka had some vague awareness that "the back is used," but he had no real details.

The more he researched, the more daunting it seemed.

Foreplay… Well, mutual oral was within expectations, so that part didn’t surprise him. The real issue was the actual act.

Since that part of the body wasn’t naturally meant to take anything in, descriptions repeatedly mentioned "extreme pain."

Personal accounts talked about it being "excruciating," "bleeding," and in the worst cases, even causing injuries that required a hospital visit.

Just imagining that sent a shiver down his spine.

If he ever had to go to a hospital for something like that, he would never be able to explain the cause.

And even after enduring all that pain, whether or not there was any pleasure to be had seemed to depend on the person.

If it felt good, then maybe it was worth it. But if it only hurt… That was nothing short of hell.

To avoid pain severe enough to bring tears or injuries bad enough to require a hospital visit, it seemed necessary to thoroughly loosen up and prepare with fingers first.

Asaka found himself staring intently at his right hand.

Neither he nor Sasagawa had any experience with this… probably. And Asaka had no confidence in his ability to use his fingers properly. But if he didn’t do it right, he could end up hurting Sasagawa.

And then there was the biggest dilemma—the role.

With a man and a woman, this wouldn’t be an issue. But between two men, one of them had to take on the "woman’s role."

Apparently, things like age or body size didn’t matter when it came to that.

So… which of us is supposed to be what?

He had seriously considered the question. No matter which site he looked at, it was always the "woman’s role" that bore the physical burden.

If he had to choose, Asaka definitely preferred the "man’s role." But… he had no idea how Sasagawa felt.

Would he be okay with being taken? Or did he want to be the one taking?

It was an important question. But it was also a sensitive, pride-wounding issue. There was no way Asaka could just outright ask, So, which do you prefer?

Besides, he didn’t really want to have such a blunt conversation with Sasagawa. He disliked that kind of rawness.

And yet, he wasn’t without desire.

He wanted to feel the skin beneath Sasagawa’s shirt. To touch his warmth. To see what that gentle smile would look like when it broke apart in the heat of sex.

"Asaka-san."

His name being called snapped him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even noticed the train pulling into the platform, nor that people had already started boarding and disembarking.

Even though rush hour had passed, the train was still quite crowded. When they stepped inside, Asaka ended up close enough to Sasagawa that their shoulders nearly touched.

He planted his feet firmly, maintaining a deliberate distance.

His mind had been so consumed by thoughts of sex that now his lower body was reacting in a less-than-ideal way. If he got any closer—if he caught Sasagawa’s scent—there’d be no coming back from it.

Getting hard just from fantasizing? That hadn’t happened since high school. Meanwhile, Sasagawa gazed out the window with his usual cool composure.

Asaka felt ridiculous.

Disgusted by his own lust, he fixated on the tips of Sasagawa’s shoes, wet and gleaming black.

"Something on your mind?"

Asaka looked up to find Sasagawa peering at him with concern. Ever since he’d switched to rimless glasses, his face had taken on an even softer impression.

When they had first met, Asaka had thought he seemed like a nice but utterly unremarkable guy. And now, he was completely obsessed with him. He was fully aware of that.

"You looked deep in thought for a while there," Sasagawa added.

Dull in some ways, yet oddly perceptive in others. There was no way Asaka could admit he had been agonizing over their roles in bed.

"It’s nothing important," he said stiffly, shaking his head.

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