Expectations // Soukoku

19 // Your smile (brightened up my days)

"You came into my dangerous and anxious heart
Your beautiful smile brightened up my empty days"
*Not an exact translation, I think

IMFACT - NANANA 

Cover: Chan, Jun, Donghun (A.C.E)

Stream Higher by A.C.E

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A tall and thin male with soft features smiled, his full lips forming a pretty curve. The girl before him flushed a deep shade of red, hiding her hands behind her back as her shy eyes found the boy. Dazai sighed loudly and switched the channel. A football game, Japan-Kyrgyz Republic. He had never cared about sports nor romance films. On a particularly bland Tuesday evening, he found himself browsing through the TV channels. Nothing quite caught his interest.

This would be one of the only times in history he would ever thank his parents, when a text appeared on his previously dark phone screen, his mum. She was asking to meet him at a fancy restaurant in Tokyo. Dazai took his phone with the slightest bit of curiosity curling around in his stomach. It would be wishful thinking to hope they had finally realised to let Dazai live his life. Convinced he could finally fix some things if they met up, he agreed. Although he failed to provide them with the information of Chuuya absolutely coming with him.

Speaking of Chuuya, he was now watching the game with his back hunched. His hand gripped onto a glass of water way tighter than they needed to. He looked very invested. Of course, sports would interest him more than they did Dazai.

Dazai redirected his attention to the screen. For the first time ever, he found himself indulging in the men running after a ball in a grass pitch — well, he supposed there was more to it than that. While an overly excited commentator yelled the names of the players who served the ball to one another.

It was surprisingly fascinating. Dazai had never been as compelled by such things as now that he watched it with Chuuya.

The day they were supposed to meet came unnecessarily quick. Dazai and Chuuya were standing side to side in front of a deluxe restaurant. Dandy looking people walked past them with the most disgustingly elegant expressions. The place was not somewhere Dazai would go to out of his own accord, even if he did have to money to do so. A long black car slowly braked behind them, coming to a full stop. Two people dressed in very formal attire stepped out. Their brows were arched in firm frowns and mouths formed into thin lines, not a very accepting face to make at someone. Of course, those two angsters had to be Dazai's parents, who else?
Dazai gave them a small wave — it was only answered by his mother's humph. The couple walked over with disapproving eyes never leaving Chuuya's face. Dazai took a step closer to him and squeezed his hand affirmingly. Chuuya's visibly tense shoulders relaxed. Seeing that talking out here was going to be as useful as the p in raspberry, Dazai followed his parents inside in silence. He had heard that raspberry thing in a YouTube video.

The pair entered the restaurant through the glass double doors. On both sides of the door, men in black tuxedos stood like they had been pierced with spears. Ever since arriving Dazai had not seen them do as much as flinch. They could have also been wax figures. That would have made sense. But if they were real people, they probably got paid well. If anything the place did not look like it lacked in the monetary department.

The group walked after the waiter like a bunch of ducklings until they arrived at a door. A sign hung on the door. The corners of the sign were decorated in thin lines, which formed shapes and curves. Written in golden cursive, it said: Reserved. The waiter held the door open for them to enter. Dazai nodded his head at him as he walked past. The waiter did not react. What a boring place.


In the room, dark walls surrounded a big table in the middle. Expensive-looking paintings hung along the walls, covering some of the grey lines. The lines were in a wavy, asymmetrical pattern. Tsushima Gen'emon and Tane sat down at the table, Dazai and Chuuya took it as a cue to sit opposite of them. Accross from Chuuya was Tsushima Tane and from Dazai, Tsushima Gen'emon.


Then Gen'emon reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He set it on the table and slid it across without a word. Unlike a normal letter from the bank or landlord, this one looked thick. A chunky envelope, great, not at all suspicious. His hopeful eyes landed on Dazai, who reached for the envelope. He lifted it up and carefully opened it. Treating it as if it might explode at any second, it didn't but you can never be too careful. Dazai swallowed a big lump down his throat, his skepticism still present. Very cautiously, he peeked inside. It was money. Of course. Dazai poured the money to the table. Yen notes hit the hard surface with a small thud. There were five stacks, each bound together with a tight rubber band. They appeared to be 10,000 Yen notes — the largest note. "It's five million in total. A million each, hundred notes per stack, all ten thousand." Gen'emon listed like he was talking about a casual amount of money, this was not a casual amount of money.