Utsukushii Kare/ My Beautiful Man [ENGLISH TRANSLATION]

Chapter-3; PART-6: Sweet and Bitter

                                  Translator: White Lotus

                                  ◈ ◈ ◈ ◈

Kiyoi was unsure of how long he had been preoccupied with his practice. When he exited the soundproof room because he was thirsty, the hallway was quiet. Coming from the kitchen was the sound of water running. When he peered in, he saw Hira washing dishes.

"Where are they?"

Kiyoi's voice caused Hira to turn around with a startle.

"They already left. It was the last train they had to catch."

Leaning against the kitchen wall, Kiyoi murmured a vague response while sighing.

"Kiyoi, I'm really sorry about tonight. The guys from the club were noisy, right? If I had known you would come, I would have turned them away."

"This is your house, right? Why do you have to be so considerate of me?"

Actually, Kiyoi was about to utter the words that were already in his throat: 'Don't invite them anymore.' The guys from the club were fine, but he didn't like Koyama. He refrained from saying that, though, as doing so would make him appear jealous. He was, in fact, jealous, but he didn't want to admit it. Considering this, he ceased talking and was sulking like a sulky child.

"This is a home prepared for Kiyoi. I want to put Kiyoi first."

Hira stopped dishwashing and came over to Kiyoi's side. Hira was gentle. Very gentle. He dedicated himself to worshiping Kiyoi. What could Kiyoi say to make him understand that all this was making him annoyed?

"Why are you only like this to me?"

"Eh?"

"When talking to the club members and Koyama's younger brother, you speak normally, so why are you so polite when you only talk to me? Just talk to me casually, too. You can make jokes or even use crude words."

"I can't treat Kiyoi the same as everyone else."

"But that's what pisses me off. What the hell are we? You're always so stupidly considerate of me; we're not even friends like that, are we?"

"......Yeah, we're not friends."

Hira lowered his eyebrows in the shape of an 'eight'*.

(T/N: *"Lowering the eyebrows in the shape of an eight" is a literal English translation of the Japanese phrase "眉を八の字の形に下げた," which is a figurative expression often used in Japanese language and culture. It depicts the movement of the eyebrows in a way that resembles the shape of the number eight (八). In this context, it suggests that Hira's eyebrows were knit together, forming a wrinkle or furrowed line across his forehead that somewhat resembles the shape of the number eight (八). The figure-eight shape metaphorically represents a frowning or downturned expression. This expression conveys a sense of intense concentration, concern, displeasure, or any other negative emotion that may cause the eyebrows to furrow or drop in a curved manner. It implies that the person is deeply engrossed in their thoughts or emotions.