Chapter Text
“Hey,” said Baji, “what are you doing?”
Chifuyu was gazing at his other employee who was petting one of the calico cats in their arms. He had been doing this once in a while and Baji had taken notice. Chifuyu blinked, coughed, and said, “N-nothing.”
Baji rolled his eyes. “Anyways,” he said, “I’m gonna be studying for my midterms so I’ll work half of my usual part time shifts for a few weeks. Is that okay?”
Chifuyu glanced at Kazutora, who was pressing his lips on the top of the cat’s head and smiling to himself. “Sure, I’ll just have to…uh…”
Baji snapped his fingers in front of his best friend’s eyes. “Hey,” he said. “Concentrate, Chifuyu.”
“It’s ‘ boss ,’ to you,” said Chifuyu, tapping his pen on Baji’s fingers. “I’ll adjust your schedule but Kazutora might be pissed if I add him on for more to cover for you.”
Baji shook his head. “C’mon, Kazutora’s not gonna be mad at me . Have you seen how weak he is to me? And have you seen my face? Who’d deny me, hm?”
Chifuyu glanced to the side and said, “Probably all the girls and guys you’ve asked out and have failed to woo.”
“Hey!”
Chifuyu laughed out loud as Baji grabbed him by the collar and threatened to punch his lights out. Kazutora noticed the commotion and rushed over, pushing Baji away. “Keisuke!”
Baji pushed his hair back. “It’s fine,” he huffed. “We were just joking around.”
Kazutora checked on Chifuyu and straightened the crumpled collar. “Are you okay, boss?”
“I’m fine,” said Chifuyu as he placed a hand on Kazutora’s. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a good few seconds before Baji coughed.
Releasing his hand, Chifuyu said, “Baji has midterms coming up so we’ll need to have you cover more shifts. Is that okay with you?”
Kazutora blinked. I have to spend more time with Chifuyu? “Uh, yeah, that’s fine. I’m going to go back to, um, working if that’s all.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Chifuyu, motioning him away.
Baji chuckled to himself as he noticed the back of Kazutora’s neck turning red.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing,” he said. “The both of you are amusing.”
“Amusing?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Baji took his phone out and without looking up, he said, “If you two keep playing cat and mouse, who’s gonna win?”
“Huh?”
“I’m gonna go home,” he said. “Mom’s made dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The bell jingled as Baji exited Peke J Land, leaving Chifuyu and Kazutora to close up for the night. As Kazutora locked the front doors, Chifuyu dragged a few of Baji’s shifts off of the digital calendar. He added a few with Kazutora’s name and thought, At least Kazutora is getting some extra cash for a few weeks. That’s good for him.
“Boss,” Kazutora called.
Chifuyu looked up from the computer. “You’re done?”
Kazutora placed the keys on the counter. “Yeah.”
“Okay, yeah, good night,” said Chifuyu, turning his attention back to the monitor.
Kazutora stood in front of the counter for a bit, clenching his fists. “Um,” he started.
“Aren’t you going home?”
Kazutora breathed out a sigh of frustration. “Yeah, I’m…going home. Good night, boss.”
“Y-yeah, good night,” said Chifuyu as he watched Kazutora walk out the back door. Scratching his head, he wondered, Does he also remember everything? Or, is it something else? He has been eating less these days. Shit, did he want to eat together?
Chifuyu slapped both sides of his face and muttered, “I really hate that I remember.”
Turning the computer off, he straightened the items on the counter. He placed his apron on the hook and glanced at his phone as he locked the shop’s back door.
As he walked back to his apartment, which was in the opposite direction of Kazutora’s studio, he thought about why Kazutora had stayed for a bit after closing up. He still retained the memories of each timeline and knew Kazutora was a good person, but this behavior was a bit strange. Was it because he made boundaries as his boss?
Chifuyu thought about this for a bit and couldn’t seem to find an answer. He called Baji after he ate dinner and without greeting him, he asked, “Am I an idiot?”
“Is this a trick question?”
Chifuyu sighed. “Baji, something’s up with Kazutora.”
“Is he—hold on,” said Baji. “MOM, I’M TAKING A BREAK FROM STUDYING…I’m talking to Chifuyu. Yeah, of course it’s him. Why would I lie?…MOM!”
“Uh…do I need to hang up?”
“Huh? No. My mom’s just nagging me,” he said. “Anyways, back to Kazutora—why do you think there’s something wrong with him? Is he not doing a good job?”
“No, I’m not talking about his performance at work. He’s employee of the month this month and every single month, unlike someone who threatens to punch me every time he makes a mistake—which is ALL the time.”
Baji paused before saying, “Yeah, okay, I’m not helping you. I’m hanging up now.”
“HOLD ON,” shouted Chifuyu.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, great, you didn’t hang up,” he said. “I just…something’s up with Kazutora, that’s all.”
Baji pursed his lips. “Do you think it’s because you keep making googly eyes at him at work and he’s disturbed by it?”
Chifuyu coughed. “I-I DO NOT MAKE GOOGLY EYES AT HIM!”
“You did it today.”
“I did?”
Baji let out a laugh. “Chifuyu, man, you’re so obvious when you make eyes at him. I bet he’s already noticed.” Of course, Baji thought, this is a complete lie because Kazutora hasn’t noticed at all.
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re saying Kazutora is uncomfortable with me? Damnit, I didn’t want it to be this way.”
“No, no, wait—“
“Alright! I’ll just try not to stare at him while we’re working then! I’ll avoid him. Thanks a lot, Baji! You were a great help. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Wait—“ Chifuyu had hung up the phone before Baji would get another word in. Baji, on the other line, was going to text Chifuyu and tell him that wasn’t the issue, but his mom nagged him to get back to studying, so he wasn’t able to stop Chifuyu’s dumb plan.
Chifuyu rubbed his eyes and sighed. He mumbled, “I guess I gotta stop looking at his pretty face.” He pulled on his hair in frustration as he exclaimed, “I should’ve memorized what his face looked like, goddamnit!”
He was unsure if he was ready to stop looking at Kazutora. He might notice and ask what’s wrong . There was a possibility his new behavior would be noticed, but he was determined to make Kazutora comfortable at his job.
His determination to keep Kazutora a happy employee was going well, albeit some frustration stemming from the employee he wanted to keep satisfied. During the morning shift, Chifuyu avoided being alone with Kazutora and pushed Baji to be his helping hand. When Baji left for his afternoon lectures, Chifuyu maintained a distance and for tasks that may have required Kazutora’s help, he did them instead.
Kazutora knew Chifuyu was avoiding him so during the lull when the shop was empty in the afternoon, he approached the counter, clutching a feather cat toy. “Boss,” he called.
“Hm?” Chifuyu looked up from the monitor and was met with Kazutora’s face. He turned back and asked, without looking at Kazutora, “What’s up? Is something wrong?”
Kazutora tossed the cat toy at Chifuyu. “You’ve been avoiding me all day, boss.”
“Huh? No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have. Did I do something wrong?” Kazutora leaned his head to the side as he tried to make Chifuyu look him in the eyes. “Chifuyuuuuu.”
He only calls me by name when we’re off work or it’s something important . “L-look, Baji told me you’ve noticed me looking at you while at work and that you’re probably uncomfortable with it so I’m just trying to not do that.”
Kazutora blinked, frozen in place. “Y-you’ve been looking at me?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Chifuyu’s face grew red as he had just realized Kazutora didn’t even notice him looking at all. I’m going to punch Baji in the stomach when I see him next . “Uh, so…I guess you haven’t noticed, huh?”
Kazutora touched his cheeks and said, “N-no. I didn’t notice you looking at me. I’m sorry.”
“Alright then,” said Chifuyu. “I guess, um, yeah.”
“Yeah.”
Kazutora turned around to try and hide his blushing face. He rushed over to the shelves at the front to tidy up the items (even though everything was already tidy). Chifuyu leaned back in his chair and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. I swear to God I’m going to punch Baji the next time I see him .
Kazutora felt a bit panicked but calmed himself down by playing with some of the pets in the store. He didn’t notice Chifuyu looking at him at work because, well, he was also looking at him whenever he had the chance. Thank god he didn’t notice that I was doing that . A few customers came in to purchase some pet food and cat toys, so Chifuyu was busy ringing them up. Kazutora snuck a peek at Chifuyu, who was smiling and taking charge—these were things that made Kazutora’s heart race.
And now that he knew Chifuyu was also looking at him, it made him a bit hopeful that something would happen between them.
After the shop closed, Chifuyu and Kazutora met up with Baji and Mitsuya at a restaurant nearby. Both of them sat across from each other on the tatami mat, cross-legged. Mitsuya said, “Draken and Takemitchy will be here in a bit. They’re just running late.”
“What about Mikey?” asked Chifuyu as he rolled up his sleeves.
Mitsuya swished the ice cubes in his cup. “Mikey’s resting. He had a pretty competitive race last week, so…”
“Ah,” said Chifuyu. After a few minutes, Draken and Takemichi came storming in. “Hey, Takemitchy, did you tell Hina you’re drinking with us tonight?”
Takemichi, mid-way between standing and sitting, gasped and muttered, “Shit!” He slipped his sneakers on and dialed his beloved’s phone number.
The rest of them erupted in laughter as they watched Takemichi bowing while talking on the phone. Baji chugged the rest of the beer that he was nursing before everyone came and said, “Alright, let’s get drunk, boys!”
Kazutora and Mitsuya were ignoring him, as they were busy discussing Senju and Sanzu’s latest video on fashion trends that they did in collaboration with Hakkai. “I really liked the outfits Senju chose for Hakkai.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Mitsuya.
Baji scowled and snapped his fingers at them. “Hey, hey, pay attention to me.”
Draken threw a tissue at Baji. “Hey, shouldn’t you be at home studying?”
Baji waved him off. “My mom said it’s okay if I came out for a drink with my friends.”
Chifuyu, without looking up from the menu, commented, “She said one drink. And you’ve already had one drink, so go home.”
“My mom never specified how big one drink was,” said Baji. “I’m gonna drink the whole pitcher before I leave.”
Takemichi came back and said, “Hina says it’s okay as long as I don’t drink too much.”
“Man,” said Baji, “you’re whipped.”
Mitsuya flicked Baji’s forehead. “Says the guy who’s still afraid of his mom when he’s almost 30.”
Chifuyu chuckled as Baji poured himself another drink, hugging the pitcher close. He noticed Kazutora’s cup was empty, so he called for the waiter, asking for two cups of water with no ice. He pointed to Kazutora when the waiter came back and placed it on the table. “Thank you,” Kazutora said to Chifuyu.
Chifuyu nodded towards him and then turned his attention back to Draken, who was arguing with Mikey on the phone. “Hey, isn’t he supposed to be resting?”
Draken slammed his phone down on the table. “He is . He’s being a little brat and insisting on staying up because there’s this new FPS game out and Emma bought it for him as a surprise for his win.”
Takemichi smiled. “He’s still the same after all these years, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s like he’s my son,” said Draken, tapping the menu. “Oi, Mitsuya, did you order yet?”
“Nope, just the beer for now,” Mitsuya replied. Draken motioned for the waiter to come over and as the both of them ordered for the table, the rest of them talked amongst themselves.
“Hey, Takemitchy,” said Baji as he downed his beer. “Are ya ready to marry Hina next week?”
Takemichi nodded. “Yeah…we’re finally getting married. I can’t wait.”
“Have you prepared your vows?” asked Mitsuya as he handed the menus back to the waiter. “We don’t want you fumbling and just crying on the altar.”
“Huh? What? I’m not gonna cry,” said Takemichi.
“Wanna make a bet?” asked Chifuyu. “If you don’t cry, I’ll give you 500 yen.”
“What if I do cry?”
“I’ll serenade you and Hina at the reception,” Chifuyu offered.
Kazutora chuckled. “Takemichi, you better not cry at the wedding. Nobody wants to hear Chifuyu singing.”
“What? Come on! I’m a master at karaoke!”
Baji shook his head. “No, you’re not.”
“You’re really not,” Draken said. “I don’t want my wife and my child’s ears to be ruined by your terrible singing.”
Chifuyu pouted. “Man, I just wanted to showcase my singing skills.”
Draken patted him on the back. “There, there, Chifuyu.”
The food arrived a few minutes later, which left little room for them to truly have a coherent conversation. They drank and ate together, pretty happy with the company they were sharing. After their third pitcher (technically second because Baji had consumed one by himself), the talk of the wedding continued.
“Hey, do you think Hina has any cute co-workers attending?” asked Baji. “I wanna see if I can find me a girl.”
Chifuyu held back a burp. “What? You? You’ve been rejected so many times.”
Baji snapped his fingers. “Maybe Takemitchy’s wedding will be my one chance to find love.”
“What about vet school?” asked Draken, pushing his glass away. “You need to focus on that.”
“I’m…doing my best,” said Baji. “Anyways—if not me, then Chifuyu can find someone.”
A silence fell over the table. Takemichi panicked and said, “H-hey now, Chifuyu’s a busy man. He doesn’t have time to date.”
Kazutora nodded in agreement. Mitsuya and Draken exchanged glances as Baji continued on. “Busy? I mean, sure, yeah, he’s busy at Peke J Land but he has time after work. He can totally find someone.”
“But why at my wedding?” asked Takemichi. “You all should be celebrating Hina and I’s happiness.”
“Meh,” Baji commented. “I still wanna punch you.”
“Eh?!”
Mitsuya laughed. “Takemitchy, calm down, he’s not gonna punch you.”
“I really don’t think I need to find someone,” said Chifuyu. Kazutora’s ears perked up but he was trying not to look Chifuyu in the eyes. Instead, he scrolled through some news sites on his phone as the rest of them leaned in to listen to Chifuyu.
“Why? Do you have someone in mind?” asked Draken.
Chifuyu tapped his fingers on the beer glass. “Uh, yeah. I do.”
Kazutora’s eyes widened as the rest of them scrambled to find out who Chifuyu liked. “Who? Who is it?” asked Mitsuya.
“Yeah, who is it?” asked Takemichi. “If it’s someone that’s attending the wedding, we can try and help you get together.”
“Thanks, Takemitchy,” said Chifuyu. “But I think this is something I have to do myself.”
“Yourself?” asked Baji. “We’re offering you some help so…take it.”
Chifuyu glared at Baji. “No, because I asked you for help, I ended up getting into a bad situation.”
Baji coughed. “You’re still mad about that girl from the bakery shop? Are you serious? That was months ago!”
“Girl from the bakery shop?” asked Kazutora.
“Yeah,” Baji said, facing Kazutora. “There was this cute girl at the bakery and Chifuyu wanted to get her number, so I pushed him into her. Turns out, she falls on her butt and gets her fingers stepped on by a passerby and Chifuyu had to pay her hospital bills.”
Draken shook his head. “Okay, yeah, we’re never going to ask Baji for help with anything ever again.” He laughed as Baji scooted over and started arguing with him, insisting that he did it out of the kindness of his heart.
“W-we’ll help in any way we can,” said Kazutora. “We want you to find happiness.”
Chifuyu, taken aback, blinked at Kazutora. Mitsuya intercepted the awkward silence and said, “Hey now, let’s just let Chifuyu do things on his own, hm? He has time.”
“Yeah, time to wait and watch the person he wants,” Baji piped up.
Chifuyu leaned over and flicked Baji’s forehead. Through his teeth, he said, “Go home and study, you moron.”
“I’m gonna beat the shit out of you.”
“Not if I beat the shit out of you first,” Chifuyu taunted.
Draken shook his head. “Alright, I’m calling it, we’re all going home. Mitsuya, let’s go pay.”
“What? Why? I’m broke,” said Mitsuya.
Draken pointed at everyone and said, “I’m going to pay for this dinner but you all owe me a meal after this. And I’m gonna cash in when you least expect it.”
Baji, Chifuyu, Kazutora, and Takemichi groaned, but they were aware that Draken wanted them to get home as soon as possible, so they were a bit appreciative of that, at least. Grabbing their shoes, all of them shuffled out of the restaurant and into the warm summer breeze that swept by when they opened the door.
Chifuyu placed both of his hands on the back of his head and said, “Damn, I need an ice cream.”
Draken needed to get home to see Emma, so he drove his motorcycle back home with Mitsuya in tow. Takemichi was going to join them in getting ice cream from the convenience store, but decided to go home to see Hina.
Baji checked his phone. “Damn, it’s late. I better go home. I’ll see you two tomorrow. Get home safe!”
Before Chifuyu could stop him, Baji was already running away towards the train station. Kazutora stepped towards Chifuyu and said, “Wanna go get ice cream with me?”
“Sure,” Chifuyu said. They walked a few blocks towards the convenience store and bought a few ice cream bars. With a few in a bag, they walked towards the park nearby. Settling on the bench, Chifuyu glanced over at Kazutora, who was nibbling on his bar.
“Are you okay?”
“Hm?”
“Your ice cream bar,” said Chifuyu, “it’s, uh, melting.”
Kazutora gasped as he saw the melted ice cream on his fingers. He licked at it and Chifuyu handed him a tissue. “Thanks,” he muttered.
Chifuyu finished his bar and grabbed another one from the bag. “Is something on your mind?”
Kazutora shook his head. “Nothing’s on my mind. I’m just excited for Takemichi and Hina, that’s all.”
“Yeah,” said Chifuyu. “They’ve been waiting over ten years for this. I can’t believe he didn’t marry her when we graduated high school, though. It seems like the thing he’d do. He’s fought in so many of the timelines…I guess he thought he could wait too.”
“Well, he and Mikey did save everyone,” Kazutora pointed out. “I think it’s romantic that he waited. He made a promise, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he did.”
Chifuyu glanced at Kazutora, who had finished his ice cream bar. He handed him another one but Kazutora shook his head. “You should take those home before they melt.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, you’re right.”
Kazutora stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, boss.” He gave Chifuyu a wry smile before departing the park. Chifuyu watched as Kazutora walked away and sighed as he nibbled on the wooden stick.
“I guess I would’ve done the same thing too, Kazutora,” he mumbled. Chifuyu had remembered everything from both the past and the futures where Kazutora was with him. He also knew of the feelings he had for him in all of those timelines and it seems like nothing had changed. He wanted to confess right away to Kazutora but he knew it would’ve caused some misunderstandings if he did that. He did the same as Takemichi—he waited.
“Eleven years is way too long,” said Chifuyu as he hopped off the bench to walk back home. Swinging the bag of ice cream bars that were melting in the hot summer weather, he sighed as he battled how he would tell Kazutora how he felt. “Looking at him from afar just isn’t going to cut it anymore.”