The Last September

I was inside drinking coffee in the late morning, wearing a plush sweater and Adidas sweatpants, when she texted. Overnight the furnace stopped working, so I was huddled around the space heater, one I had bought secondhand when I first moved to Japan. The heater was old but toasty, and the coffee even better.

Then I read her text. Why would Karen want to hang out with me now?

Not that I need excuses to hang out with friends. But Karen's always busy. Between live concerts and her responsibilities working at... that place, she's never in one town, or country, long. It didn't make sense.

I had a scheduled stream that evening. I could easily just tell her I wasn't free.

As I wracked my head, one thought kept coming back. An impossible, profoundly stupid thought that filled me with guilt as soon as it crossed my mind. One that lingered with the saccharine scent of a spring bouquet.

...

Spring was still two months away, and it felt like it. The wind stung like a bitch. I clutched my jacket tighter, wishing I could bring my space heater along wherever I went. Still, whatever reason Karen reached out, I had to know for sure. Just in case.

I peered down the seaside street and, at last, saw her walking toward me.

I took off, straight into her arms. Karen was as I remembered: warm, strong, and well-endowed. She was bundled in a big winter coat with a fur-lined hood—a coat so thick so it made wrapping my arms around her challenging.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I grabbed your boob."

"It's fine, it happens a lot actually. You get permission."

"Nice! I got permission to grab Karen's boobs!"

Karen laughed. I studied Karen's face for signs. Was there something she wanted from me? I couldn't tell, but I found myself wanting to know, no, needing to know.

We headed up the pier to the boat. This was what I had chosen for our outing: fishing. But not just any normal fishing. Mr. Muraoka, our fisherman, would take us to the best spot for catching kasago, scorpion fish, and we'd bring back our haul to the onsite restaurant. There, the chefs would cook the fish, and we'd feast.

As we sailed into the water, farther and farther away from the city, we caught up on mutual friends and recent events. She told me about her 3D showcase. How busy it was. All of her genmates were in Tokyo right now recording their first ever concerts in official 3D models, she told me.

I smiled. If theirs was anything like mine, they'd have a fun time. Finagling the mocap suit, goofing off with the props, seeing how low I could squat with my fatass dragon tail. Sharing laughs with my paisen and the studio assistants. That's what I missed the most. The laughs...

That's wrong. I don't miss it.

I heard Karen say, "Things have changed. Ever since the IPO. I wish things could go back to the way they were."

"Nothing ever stays the same. You know that better than most," I replied.

Karen stared across the black sea. We were sitting next to each other, close enough to feel each other's shivers and watch our cold breaths mingle. The cold made me even more impatient than usual.

"Let's cut the chase. What do you want from me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can't play dumb with me, Karen. I know you miss this sexy bitch, but you're not the kind to show up out of the blue."