'Saturday: 26th November: 11:31:09'

Saturday

26th November

11:31:09

‘Yo! To what do I owe the honour of a message from Iron Katsumada?’

Even through text, Takuya seemed almost nervous. A man of his style and stature felt like he should be as averse to grammar as he was to long breaks from chest day, but the reply to his initial messages underwent several pauses and presumed rewrites before it finally came through. The repeated kaomoji gave Naoki’s eyebrow cause to raise.

It didn’t suit the captain of the Bodybuilding Club. But Naoki knew this plight, even as he himself made assumptions on the other end.

He spared Takuya the expense of an immediate cut to the chase, smiling slightly, tightly, as he typed.

“Hey. Was curious to know how the mixer went. Bag any romantic adventures?”

Before he sent, a small shrug and a sigh escaped Naoki, and he rewrote a few words.

“Bag any girls?”

After a few moments’ delay, there was a buzz.

‘Ohhhh - Yknow what, I’m still looking. The mixer went great tho! Had a couple things happen here and there, but we got it smoothed out. All in all went chill. Doors still always open for you bro!’

Another kaomoji, and Iron Katsumada’s heart panged at the thought of sidelining the conversation.

Still, he glanced at his front door. Wondered if Mrs. Senzaki got back to her lodgings okay. Shook himself.
It had to be done.

“That’s awesome. And appreciate it. Could join you if a few other things work out well. You happen to know if there’s any fitness influencers out there looking to do a collab?”

This time, there was a delay in the response. He couldn’t blame Takuya for being at the end of his attention span, if he was getting ready for, or even in class. There was always the possibility the trainer on the other end was battling with a hangover.

Naoki went over his own preparations while he waited. He was ready to rush out his door at a moment’s notice, depending on the reply.

Although at the same time, sitting on the edge of his deskchair, he didn’t know what he was expecting. This tactic was only marginally better than swivelling back towards his desk and browsing the net for the nearest ‘ten-thousand-a-day’ scheme.

He waited. Almost to the point when he began to swivel.

Bzzzt.

Naoki breathed, and reached for his phone.

‘Bro. You have no idea how many dudes reach out to me asking about you.’

The reply’d come in spades. Takuya had sent back a whole list of contact details, along with subscriber counts.

‘Take your pick, honestly.’

Takuya…

Regardless of what his hopes had been, Naoki couldn’t have expected this if he tried. Maybe he really would have to join one of the club captain’s mixers sometime.

‘In particular I know this one guy, RAKUSHOU, has gotten a couple million views before.’

Naoki had already checked. 2.3 million, on his best video. Just the one, but there would be a sponsors out there who would pay simply for that chance.

“Much appreciated, brother.” Naoki typed, and with the same drag of his thumb, began drafting a message to RAKUSHOU.

The key to making money was to serve a larger interest. The more of them you could do that for simultaneously, the better.

Videos were easy. You could cram a whole day’s worth of content into a few minutes, and set the stage for sponsors.

If they did their job advertising, at least 5% of viewers would buy. A supplement company selling 600-yen bottles would salivate at the number - ‘2.3 million’ – and it was practically a given that much, much more than the 100,000 he needed would find its way to Naoki.

‘Bro, never thought you’d call me that’, Takuya sobbed, via another kaomoji.

‘Ask me anytime if you need anything. Just spot for me sometime!’

If Naoki was iron, Takuya was a gem.
He breathed a small gratitude for the even-tangential bond they had, and sent a thumbs-up sticker.

Someday, he’d try to repay it properly. He promised himself.

In the end, RAKUSHOU never replied. Naoki went down the lineup Takuya had sent over, but one by one there was silence.

He knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Even though Takuya had opened the door, it wasn’t as though someone was eagerly waiting on the other end.

The next hour was a slow, small funeral Naoki tried not to have for the time he’d lost, when he finally reached the bottom of the list.

He eyed his other screen, curiously similar in appearance to the set of names he was trawling through on his phone. He wondered if Takiguchi would give him an earful if he did a public appearance before they’d even launched.

Of course. Naoki’s options were limited. He tried to shut down the idea altogether. But still, he felt restless.

The fire that’d begun inside him had been tamed somewhat, dampened by the power of distraction while he texted Takuya. The little shower of relief that’d peppered his tour through the list of influencers had been enough for Naoki to ignore it almost, to feel like it’d gone away for a while.

But he was sitting still now. Silent. Of course, alone.
And for just a few moments longer, he wasn’t doing anything. Especially not anything productive.

It burned him more than he could bear. An inferno.
A conflagration sparked by a mere 100,000’s worth of rent.

It was paper. It was lines and circles. It was a chuckle and a chime of forgiveness from a little old woman.

It wasn’t worth it.

And yet, it was everything.

A mistake he should’ve been immune to.

It burned.

He had to snap out of it soon enough, however. Far, far quicker than he’d expected, a reply buzzed on Naoki’s desk.

Spacing himself between his chair and desk, once again the muscle-cast young entrepeneur marveled at his treasure trove of an acquaintance, as he opened up the message.
Naoki recognised the name of the profile from among the list Takuya had sent him.

‘OMG!!!’

It seemed as though MAKIT_FITNESS also had a penchant for visuals. Lines of emoji followed each message.

‘TAKUYA TOLD ME ALL ABOUT U, LOVE UR OFFER

‘SO EXCITED TO MEET!!

‘SHOOTING A VID THIS TIME TMRW

‘U IN?’

MAKIT typed true to form. Top views was 600k, but it was a miracle they’d managed to repeat a few times. He could work with this, but…

“Tomorrow…”

Naoki was less than happy about the prospect of rushing over to Adachi ward and back on Senzaki’s collection day.
But fine. So long as he was back before the landlady retired for the evening, he might restore some of his leverage to talk her out of opening up on the matter of late-night clandestine encounters.

Still?

He was still plagued by the feeling of the notes leaving his hand, the warmth of hers.

Not so much the notes after all.
Somehow, it was the warmth that got to him.

The look on her face as he’d passed her by, full with mixing emotions he only saw in his mind’s eye as he looked back on it.

So short a time ago. But time felt like it was being stretched to spite him.

Who knew how long yet this was going to haunt him.

“I’m in.”

Was all he could type.

And he swiveled back to his desk.

“Alright.” He growled, if only to fill the cloud of quiet warmth that’d gathered around his apartment.

He might as well get back to doing some goddamn, stupid work.

¥¥¥

“You’re late.”

There was a kid posted up outside the shop.

Only one had turned up, today. Even less than last weekend.

Hana ignored him, and procured the pronged metal rod for which she’d been so faithfully bothered by a continued barrage of text messages since setting off from Wan’s.

‘You have your key yes?’

“Yes.”

The one message she’d replied to. Big mistake. She’d only encouraged the out-of-town manager, who was probably bored waiting in line or on a high-speed transit somewhere.

‘Good.’

‘Oh by the way, delivery coming today, just sign like normal and keep it to the side for me thanks.’

‘Have you asked part timers why they want less hours? Thanks.’

‘By the way, HR manager wants to run interviews on recent investigation, I’ll let you know what to tell him next week.’

Heck, maybe she was just sitting in front of a blank wall, texting. Hana wondered what she’d done to become the chatty woman’s special contact.

‘Going to see my friend’s dog, can send you pictures if u want.’

That rendered that question answered. Loathe as she was to turn down dog pictures, she was loathier yet to see any more goddamn text messages. Soon before she arrived on site she simply shoved her buzzing phone into a suitably padded pocket.

“By three minutes.” After she’d unlocked the shutter door and set off the automatic crank, she was less inclined to keep the sole remaining part-timer on a radio silence basis.

“That can’t happen, can it.” The kid replied, faux expectant.
“Still kept me waiting.”

“I can have a reminder texted to you arranged for next time, to arrive three minutes late.” Hana watched the shutter reveal a thick glass entrance, to which she turned her next set of keys. “More convenient that way, isn't it?”

“So you’re saying you want my phone number.”

“Uh-huh.”

She was sick of being fucked around with by little boys. She didn’t even need to look around, though, to discern that this guy barely counted as that. More like a baby, the only toy he could use a smartphone.

Like a tail wagging a dog.

She sighed.

He stood there, swiping up on the next video, and the next.
Gave her a few moments to get inside and set up in peace, at least.

Bzzzzt. Bzzzt, bzzt.

Bzzzzt.

Already, she could feel customers beginning to sniff around the entrance behind the kid.

She had a feeling this was the last moment of peace she was going to get, today. She took a deep breath, trying to do whatever the equivalent of enjoying it was.

Bzzzt.

“Whatever…”

And out.

Slowly, by ways that were mysterious even to her, she brought on a smile, ready for service.