I meet up with Koki, Takeru, and Reiya at Shibuya Station and follow them down Dogenzaka Street and into a yakiniku restaurant.
"Hey!" Reiya exclaims soon after we're seated. "I just realized this is the first time we're all meeting up off campus!"
"That's true," Koki says thoughtfully.
"Who cares about that!" Takeru shuts him down. "Did you see the staff? She's so hot!"
We all look back down the aisle in the direction of the girl who showed us to our table.
"She is?" I've already forgotten her face.
"You think any girl is hot," Koki laughs as he spreads the menu out in front of us. "So what do you want to eat?"
After calling the server over again, I observe her circular face and heavy-lidded eyes while she pulls out a tablet to take our order. I'm trying to figure out what part of her Takeru finds attractive.
Takeru clears his throat and adjusts his posture when he speaks.
"Could we get an order of belly meat, beef tongue, Galbi, four bowls of rice, and..." He sets the menu down and peers up at her with a painfully corny grin. "Your heart?"
She looks back at him with a straight face. Koki hits him on the back of the head.
"Sorry," Takeru apologizes, laughing and bobbing his head at her.
The server looks back down at her device and repeats the order back to us before walking away as if Takeru didn't say anything stupid. He twists around in his seat to watch her go.
"Look at that poker face," he says wistfully, rubbing the stubble on his chin.
"She's not interested," Koki assures him.
"How do you know?" Takeru retorts.
"Maybe she's shy," Reiya offers.
"No, that's what you call playing hard to get!" Takeru says with a smug grin.
"No, it's not." Koki shakes his head.
"Or she's shy." Reiya tries again.
"Nope." Koki doesn't budge.
"Maybe try a pickup line that doesn't make people cringe," I suggest.
"Or maybe try hitting up the gym." Koki smirks.
We poke fun at Takeru until our food arrives and our table is filled with the sound of sizzling meat over the grill.
"Man, why don't the four of us get together more often?" Reiya says as we begin eating.
"Because of Makoto's work," Takeru answers while he pokes at a piece of meat with a pair of tongs.
"Sorry," I apologize. "My workplace is understaffed during Golden Week."
"Why don't they hire more people?" Takeru asks.
"Well, there is one new girl," I say, recalling Yuki.
"What's with that smile?" Koki observes with a teasing tone.
"Am I smiling?" I press my cheeks down with my thumb and index finger.
"Oh? You like her?" Takeru sends me a sly smile from across the table.
"I wouldn't say I like her."
"He likes her," Koki states.
"What's she like?" Reiya asks.
"Picture?" Takeru intervenes.
YOU ARE READING
A Mark That Lasts Forever
RomanceAll Makoto wants is to enjoy his new life in Tokyo, but his gay roommate Shun has other things in mind. Despite wishing his nightmarish roommate away, Makoto does his best to tolerate him until learning he might not be the person he's making himself...
