N.Y.I.Y.T.R. | Ryujin Nippon One Shots

Drive Thrus & Car Rides | N.Y.

You glance at your watch as you hurriedly grab your tote bag from your desk, rushing out the gallery with your phone in between your shoulder and your ear.

"I'm at the front entrance—on hazard," the voice on the other line said.

"Okay cool, I'm walking out now," you reply, finally taking hold of your phone as you exit the building. You spot a space-grey Audi flashing its light on hazard and immediately headed towards it. You pulled the car door ajar and sat inside, slightly out of breath from brisk walking a few seconds back.

"Yo," you breathe out, acknowledging the man behind the wheel. "Sorry I took a bit of time. Had to deal with some stuff last minute," you explained as you adjusted the air conditioner towards you.

"Nah, s'all good. I ended practice early anyway," he assured, as he put the gear on drive.

When people ask how you became close friends with pro volleyball player Nishida Yuji, you always give them the same exact answer: "I don't know, we just vibe. Similar interests and similar mindset, that's all." They always seem to buy it, but in all honestly, even you weren't sure how your friendship blossomed into this; carpooling with him every day after work to get dinner at a nearby food chain.

A pro athlete and an art curator, your industries were miles apart and yet somehow your paths crossed that night at the karaoke bar. It's been almost 2 years since you shared that drunken-duet with the athlete who accidentally went back to the wrong room. You were singing alone, wallowing in some god-knows-what depressing thoughts when you were met with a quirky Nishida. You were under the impression that his fun side was only a product of the alcohol in his system, but after meeting him at a ramen shop the week after, you realized this guy was a crackhead 24/7.

Since then, you both became best buds, sharing the same weird interest in live horror storytelling and Smash Bros game nights.

It was a low-maintenance friendship that you genuinely enjoyed. You didn't have to see each other every single day to know that you've got each other's back. In fact, just a few months ago he was away in Kariya, Aichi to train with his league, which meant you weren't able to see him for 3 whole months.

It was only recently that he offered to drive you to and from work after finding an apartment a few blocks away from yours in Tokyo.

"Sooo, McD's?" he started.

You shrug, "Yeah sure, I'm always a hoe for fries."

He chuckled, "Facts."

You fumbled with your phone to connect your Bluetooth to his car, knowing full well he likes your playlists more than his own. "How's Olympic training going, by the way?" you ask.

"Really good actually. I'm trying out this new feint move with Yuki-san. You know that thing where we do fake sets to throw the other team off?" he explained. You nodded eagerly, "Yeah! Damn, if you guys pull that off it'll be sick."

"I know right?" his voice was laced with obvious excitement. Nishida loved talking about volleyball. His eyes light up and his tone rises one octave higher each time he does. You didn't mind listening to him talk at all, in fact, his passion for the sport had a positive impact on you as well. Thanks to him, you rediscovered your passion for art and decided to pursue a career at one of the biggest art galleries in Tokyo; something your parents would never have approved of.

"Anywaysss, I feel like I blabber about volley way too much. How was work? How's the new exhibition coming through?" he mused. He made a right turn at the intersection and McDonald's big yellow 'M' came into view.

"Dude! Actually, I got you some free tickets to go see it next week. It's coming together pretty well. Just needed to fix an issue with one of the artists today; hence why I was late, but yeah, all good so far," you beam.