CH 8

“It’s been a while, Minami-san.” 

The business card Mukai held out was simple at first glance, but upon receiving it, it had a unique texture. It was light like handmade washi, yet thick. The company name was engraved to stand out, and only the name Mukai Shinya was printed in a distinct font. 

“You look well.” 

It had been approximately two years. Mukai was wearing a light grey suit with a deep red tie. His hair had grown out a little. 

“You do, too, Mukai-san.” Chihiro had turned tense from nervousness, but he tried to dispel any suspicion and smiled as naturally as he could. 

In the meeting room at NITTA, Chihiro exchanged business cards with Mukai who was standing next to Hata. Ochi was next to Chihiro and he also took out his business card and exchanged greetings with Mukai. 

There were two titles on Mukai’s business card: A Works Assistant Representative and Director. 

“Thank you for your help in the past. I didn’t think we’d be able to meet again like this.” 

“Same here. I was surprised to hear from you, Hata-san. Once again, I will be in your care.” 

The way Mukai spoke was free and easy. Chihiro fondly recalled how Mukai’s tone would subtly change depending on the person he spoke to. 

Even so, Chihiro felt flustered inside, thinking that just a slight change in hairstyle would give such a different impression. In the past it was styled in a clean, short cut that showed his forehead. Now though, his bangs were thick and had a completely stylish feel to it. 

“For all three of us to be able to meet again like this, I’m also very happy!” Hata said, full of pleasantries and grinned. 

Mukai was working at a promotional company that was run by a close friend. Hata had supposed that it was actually a joint business. 

On their company website, “Corporate Advertising, Sales Promotion, Strategic Planning, & Consulting” were listed, and they also included various corporate projects in their achievements section. This time, they were requested to work on the branding and promotions for NITTA’s EC Store. Hata’s company was in charge of the events and exhibitions, so knowing that that kind of stuff was Mukai’s strong suit, he had introduced Mukai with a mischievous look. 

It was just Mukai and Ochi who were meeting for the first time, but that night, they all went to an izakaya to deepen their friendship. 

At the four person table, Mukai was sitting in front of Chihiro. 

The Mukai he had thought he wouldn’t meet ever again was right in front of his eyes, chatting pleasantly as always. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes would droop. Had Mukai always laughed like this? Chihiro thought it was strangely refreshing. 

⬧⬨⬧⬨

“Minami-san”

Since they had work the next day, they decided to disband early. Although Chihiro should have parted with the three who were heading in different directions at the ticket gate, as he was headed to the platform, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. 

It was Mukai. 

“Eh!” Surprised, he let out his voice. 

Mukai, who seemed to have chased after him, was panting lightly. Chihiro was confused, wondering if Mukai had come after him to give him something he may have left behind. 

“Do you have a moment?” 

“Eh? Ah, yes.” 

The coming and going of people in the main passageway was too busy, so Mukai moved towards the edge. 

“I apologize for being so sudden. I hesitated a bit but I thought I should say something after all.” Mukai locked eyes with Chihiro and blinked. 

Chihiro unconsciously smiled at the nostalgic habit. Whenever Mukai had looked at Chihiro head on, he had occasionally blinked like this. It was probably a habit that he himself was not even aware of. 

Even though Chihiro had smiled, Mukai had a perplexed expression for a moment, but then, as if drawn in, he smiled faintly. 

They both remembered the conversation and kiss from that time. Feeling familiarity and awkwardness at the same time, Chihiro unintentionally averted his eyes. 

“Minami-san” Mukai’s voice had turned stiff. “I did something rude to you last time, and I haven’t properly apologized. I’m sorry it’s in such a place, but please let me apologize formally.” 

So that’s why he chased me down, Chihiro thought surprised. 

“I’m truly very sorry.” 

“No!” As Mukai was about to bow his head, Chihiro shook his head, flustered. “Please stop. Besides, I was plenty rude, too.” Thinking back on his behavior, Chihiro couldn’t bear the embarrassment. 

“I said some cruel words to you, Minami-san.” 

“‘It would be sensible to stay and be protected by the company you joined as a new graduate,’ that one? ‘…even though you can’t really do much work, you’re conceited.’”

Word by word, he couldn’t forget. 

Mukai’s expression stiffened. 

“It’s fine. You were right, anyway.” Chihiro smiled as lightly as possible. “To be honest, I was angry and depressed about it at the time. But I’m glad you said it.” 

“━━I wanted to hurt your feelings in the end. Saying such cruel things, I’ve been regretting it this whole time.” 

Chihiro didn’t expect to hear such honest words from Mukai. 

“It’s because I acted unfairly first. It is I who should apologize. I’m very sorry.” Chihiro apologized as sincerely as he could. 

Mukai once again blinked dazzlingly. 

“When I received the invitation from Hata-san, I was pretty hesitant. I thought you probably hated me, Minami-san.” 

“That kind of thing…” 

It was true that it made him recoil, but if anything, the thought that he would never see Mukai again made his heart race. “I was surprised, but I think it’s reassuring that we can rely on your help, Mukai-san. Since I’m familiar with your style of work.” 

Mukai’s eyes widened slightly. 

“…Thank you for putting it that way, Minami-san. I swear to absolutely never do such a thing again. So please rest assured.”

The last part was said in a low voice, and Chihiro nodded, enduring his embarrassment. “I understand.” 

“Besides, I have a steady partner right now.” 

“Eh?” For a moment, he didn’t understand the meaning. “Ah, aah. Is that so?” Enlightened by Mukai’s embarrassed expression, Chihiro’s voice rose sharply in surprise. 

“He’s the president of the company I’m at. That’s why, now more than ever, I won’t mix business with private matters anymore.”

Knowing that he was being reminded that there was nothing to worry about since he now had a boyfriend, Chihiro quickly gave an “Understood” and smiled. For some reason, he felt uneasy. 

“Well then, sorry for holding you back.” Mukai finished the conversation.

“I’ll be leaving now.” Mukai bowed his head slightly, turned around and left. 

In the past, whenever they’d part like this, Mukai would never leave first- not before Chihiro made the first step to leave. He suddenly remembered such a thing. 

After seeing off that well-postured retreating figure, Chihiro also started walking. 

Mukai has a boyfriend…

While he understood that Mukai had talked to Chihiro in private to reassure him, he felt like he was thrown away since Mukai no longer had any interest in him. 

Normally, he should have felt relieved, but Chihiro felt his feelings wither away all of a sudden. It seemed that in the corner of his heart, there was a despicable thought leftover- he wanted to continue to relish the feeling of being superior to a man that liked him. 

Cut it out! Chihiro admonished his immature self. 

⬧⬨⬧⬨

The fact that they had requested Mukai’s company to be in charge of the EC Store promotions had become a popular topic of conversation in the Sales Department. 

Chihiro had secretly worried that Mukai would be sidelined, but when he had resigned, there were many people who had sympathized with how Mukai left the company, and if anything, the news now was received rather favorably. There were even some people who had expressly cheered him on saying, “If it goes well this time, it’ll be a continuation of last time’s work! So hang in there.” 

That day, Chihiro headed to Mukai’s office for the first time. 

The company was located on one floor of a business tower that was directly linked to the station. It was always Mukai that had come to their company, so this was the first time Chihiro visited here. He had some errands to run nearby, so he came by to deliver samples and some materials. 

After confirming the inscribed logo of A Works on the company name plates that were lined up near the information desk, Chihiro headed to the elevator hall. 

It was cold in the morning, and he had seen sleet falling while inside the train, but the heating was working well in the business tower. He got on the high-rise elevator and arrived on the 28th floor in just a matter of seconds. There was no reception desk, but the company name plate was fixed on the light-blue wall and light was shining on it. As expected, it was stylish. 

As he took off his jacket and draped it over his arm, a man suddenly came out from the office. 

He was dressed lightly, wearing a loose-fitting turtleneck sweater and cargo pants, and he was holding a laptop under his arms. With headphones hanging around his neck, he looked like an engineer trying to change his workspace for a change of pace. 

“Excuse me, but are you perhaps Minami-san?” 

Their eyes met and the man called out to Chihiro amiably. 

“Ah, yes. I have an appointment with Mukai-san.” He was surprised the man had guessed his name correctly, but he assumed he must have known the visitor schedule. 

“Please wait a moment.” The man picked up the reception phone that was there. “Hey, is Mukai there? Mhm, there’s a visitor.” 

Chihiro felt strangely impressed at the casual speech and thought to himself that it really was a young company. 

“Uh huh, got it!” 

After saying a word or two, the man hung up the phone and faced Chihiro again. He seemed about the same age as Chihiro, but due to his casual clothes, he looked younger. He was rather beautiful. His light hair looked good with his caramel-colored sweater. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting. This way please.”

Chihiro thought that without a doubt he would be made to wait there, but the man started walking on ahead. Flustered, he followed after and was led to a room at the end of the hall. 

“Pardon me.” 

The inside was bigger than he had imagined. 

It seemed like a room used for meetings with clients. There were three groups of moveable tables and chairs, each with a large monitor. The carpet and walls were light-blue, and the chairs were a yellow and green that complemented the blue. 

“Mukai will be here soon, so please sit here and wait a moment.” The man pulled out the chair from the table closest to them. 

“Thank you very much.” 

As Chihiro sat down, the man was standing and grinning at him. Perhaps … for some reason Chihiro had a hunch. 

“I don’t have a business card right now, but I’m Isaki.” 

“Ah, I’m Minami.” 

He quickly reached inside his suit pocket to get a business card when the man called Isaki cheerfully replied, “I know a lot about Minami-san. It seems Shinya was in your care in the past.” 

Shinya… hearing Isaki using Mukai’s first name, Chihiro was taken aback. It must be him after all. 

“It was a short time, but I received a lot of guidance from Mukai-san.” Chihiro stood up to hand over his business card, and Isaki accepted it elegantly. 

“Thank you.” 

His fingers were slender and his nails were shining as if they had been polished. Seeing him up close, he really was a beautiful man. Even though he wasn’t at all feminine, was it because of the fineness of his skin or his refined eyebrows that Chihiro wanted to use the expression of “a beauty.” 

“I heard a lot about you, Minami-san, from Shinya.” 

It wasn’t a sarcastic remark, and he spoke very casually, but there was intention in the way he said Shinya. It wasn’t to the degree of a ploy either, but it was a sign saying ‘I know.’ Chihiro felt so embarrassed, he couldn’t look him in the eyes. 

“Such as, he caused quite a lot of trouble.” 

“Not at all! I’m the one that was at fault.” 

“Excuse me.” While they were talking, there was a knock on the door and Mukai appeared. He had taken off his suit jacket and was wearing a V-neck sweater. 

“Well then, I’ll be leaving.” Isaki gave a slight bow and left the room. 

As he brushed past, Isaki and Mukai smiled naturally at each other. It seemed so intimate. The balance of Mukai’s sturdy physique and Isaki’s slim one was also well matched. They look good together, the thought suddenly crossed Chihiro’s mind. 

“Uhm, is Isaki-san perhaps the president of this company?” After Isaki had left, Chihiro lowered his voice and asked. 

“Yes,” Mukai widened his eyes for a moment and then immediately nodded. “I’m often surprised by his appearance, but he’s the one who founded this company. This year is the seventh year.” 

Chihiro had no doubt that it was true- he was Mukai’s lover after all. 

When he first learned that Mukai had a partner, he honestly found it a little dull. But, upon seeing Isaki in person, those feelings instantly vanished. Back when he realized that Mukai had feelings for him, he was suspicious and wondered ‘Why me?’ but with Isaki, he could accept it.

“I’ve known him since our school days, so it’s been a long time. When he started this place, too, I helped out a little bit. And then after I left NITTA, he asked me to come help out here.” 

“Is that so.” 

If you put Mukai and Isaki next to each other, they would no doubt stand out. While imagining the two of them in their school days, Chihiro changed his line of thought, taking out the samples. 

“The new line-up has these three varieties, and the color variation and sizes are mentioned here. This is the actual color.” 

“I see.” 

The crime prevention series for individual consumers, which had competed with major security companies, had grown to the extent that it was treated as one item in the sales subcommittees’ transactions. 

“It’s growing steadily, isn’t it?” 

“There was an incident last year where a fan broke into an actress’s home, wasn’t there? Due to that, the media picked it up and started recommending the products to women living alone. The fact that the products’ design was attractive and easy for women to install on their own was an advantage, so it expanded.” 

When Chihiro showed him the materials he had prepared for the internal meeting, Mukai put his finger to his mouth and stared at the tablet screen with great interest. 

“Did you make these materials, Minami-san?”

“Yes, that’s right. I also compiled the questionnaires from the campaign, would you like to see those as well?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“Then, I’ll send those later by email.” 

In the past, he had thought that making these kinds of materials was nothing but a tedious task. He still thought it was tedious now, but he had come to find a little sense of purpose in it. 

“The data is easy to understand.” Mukai muttered.

It seemed like he was praised, so Chihiro felt happy. 

“You know, sometimes I look over and study the presentation materials you made while you were working for us, Mukai-san.” 

“Mine?” Mukai raised his head in surprise. 

“The secret of the budget-acquisition presentation was also in the materials.” Chihiro made it seem like he was joking, but the fact that he had been earnestly studying was true. 

He had only stopped by to drop off the samples and materials, so he felt bad taking up more time. Chihiro hurriedly got up. 

“Minami-san”

Mukai, who had come to see him off at the elevators, suddenly called out his name. 

“I’m glad that I get to work with you again, Minami-san.” 

At Mukai’s overly serious tone of voice, Chihiro unconsciously stood up straighter. 

“━━I am, too.”

You can make the most of your failures, but to be able to redo something like this was rare. They smiled at each other through their eyes, and Chihiro once more promised himself that he would work hard. 

As his elevator reached the first floor and he made his way to the entrance, Chihiro ran into Isaki who was coming back with a convenience store bag in hand. 

“Are you leaving already?” Isaki, who was wearing a down coat and scarf, was especially noticeable amongst the crowd of business suits. “Thank you very much for coming all the way here to bring the materials.” 

“Not at all, thank you for your time.” 

Perhaps it was because of the cold, but Isaki’s cheeks had turned red, and it made his features all the more alluring. 

They exchanged a simple greeting and as Chihiro passed by him, he smelled a nice soft fragrance. Without thinking, he glanced back over his shoulder and saw that Isaki was also looking over at him. Surprised, he awkwardly bowed and Isaki returned a bow while letting out a chuckle. He made even such an ordinary gesture look elegant. 

He was a mysterious person that had Chihiro thinking “He’s really beautiful” every time he saw him. 

Isaki headed for the elevator hall and left. 

━━For Mukai, only someone on that level would suit him. 

Recalling that Mukai had said that they knew each other since their school days, Chihiro wondered if while he and Mukai were working together, Mukai had wanted a little bit of excitement from the long-term relationship. If that was the case, he could understand. 

Isaki knew about Chihiro. Perhaps, Mukai had told him about everything. Something like that wouldn’t be enough to shake their relationship. 

“So cold.” Stepping out of the well-heated building, the biting wind blew at him. The passageway that led to the station concourse was exposed to the wind. 

Chihiro tucked his chin into his coat’s collar and hurriedly headed to the ticket gate. 

⬧⬨⬧⬨

They received several measure plans for the promotions, discussed them with the sales department’s EC division, and then formally signed a contract with A Works. 

The person in charge was Chihiro, and Mukai was A Works’ director. Originally, there was no need for Mukai to participate in such a small matter, but it seemed he also wanted a do-over from last time, and so he decided to take charge. 

Once the preparations for the promotions started, they were in contact almost daily and met up several times a week. 

And Chihiro, now in the position of a client, got to see just how outstanding Mukai was; even more so than when they were just colleagues. 

He had known that Mukai was quick to deliver a response, but it wasn’t just quick, it was also efficient. 

Because he was adept at coordinating communication, he got along well with the headstrong employees, and due to his quick and accurate decisions, the cooperation of the other members went smoothly. 

Above all, he was supposed to be handling a number of other projects at the same time, but Chihiro was amazed at how it didn’t feel that way at all. 

“Someone who can work so well is really cool, aren’t they?” Ochi, who was present at the briefing session, let out a sigh. 

“Indeed. Well, we can’t really follow his example.” 

“Eh? But Minami-san, aren’t you also really capable?” 

It didn’t seem like flattery, but Chihiro burst out laughing. 

“Your statement just now, perfect score. Since communicating harmoniously with your coworker is also work.” 

“I’m serious though.” 

If Mukai also thought that he had matured a little bit, it would make him happy. Though he didn’t really feel confident. 

But I’m just going to do my best. 

That day, Mukai came to deliver the promotional video, and they checked it over together on the conference room monitor. 

The store’s UI was also to be completely changed, so Chihiro asked to see a sample, and by the time they finished everything, it had turned pitch black outside. 

“It’s already this late?” 

Each department was relatively settled down in February. Looking at the time, it was just a little past eight o’clock, but it was quiet in both the conference room and outside. 

“It’s gotten cold, hasn’t it?” 

Chihiro thought to adjust the thermometer and turn up the heat, but all they had left to do was clean up and go home. 

“Ah–  ow.” He went to pick up the binder but managed to graze his finger on the edge. His finger tingled with a sharp pain. 

“Are you alright?” 

“I just cut my finger a little.” 

Blood was dripping down from Chihiro’s index finger. As he reflexively put his finger to his mouth, Chihiro suddenly jolted. This same situation had happened before. 

He and Mukai had been working over time, just like now. And he had cut his finger on a piece of paper. That time was the first time that he had suspected that Mukai seemed to have special feelings for him. 

Remembering himself from that time, drunk on the feeling of victory, his embarrassment flared up and he felt like running away.

“Use this please.” Mukai took out a tissue from his pocket. 

“Thank you.” As he was about to take the tissue, blood from his finger tip dripped down onto the desk. 

“Are you alright?” 

Chihiro’s cheek became hot as his hand was grabbed in a hurry. 

“This must hurt, right? It happens to me sometimes, too.” 

Chihiro’s heart was about to capsize as Mukai was pressing the tissue onto his finger. He also felt shaken at the fact that Mukai had referred to himself in a less formal way1, and then he felt even more shaken for having felt shaken by such a thing. 

“━━Thank you.” 

Noticing that Chihiro’s body had gone all stiff, Mukai made a face as if saying shit and let go of Chihiro’s hand. 

“No, that…” 

Even though Mukai had no such intentions, he had interpreted Chihiro’s reaction as if he was on guard. Chihiro wanted to refute but he couldn’t think of a good follow up.

Chihiro squeezed the tissue on his finger. Luckily, the bleeding stopped right away.  

“I’ll throw it out.” Mukai threw out the tissue and while he was at it, also cleaned up the desk. 

“Excuse me for a moment.” Mukai had his phone in his hand and stepped out of the conference room. 

He seemed to have noticed that someone had contacted him and was talking to them. Since it was quiet all around, he could hear Mukai’s voice coming through the door. He was giving instructions to whatever he had just heard. Chihiro wasn’t sure who the person on the other end of the phone was, but he imagined it to be Isaki. 

Even though he had only seen Isaki the one time when he had gone over to Mukai’s office, he suddenly came to his mind. 

The delicate and beautiful skin, the pretty eyebrows and bright hair color…if he stood next to Mukai, they were a perfect match. 

Isaki gets touched by Mukai. And, with those beautiful fingers, he also gets to touch Mukai as much as he wants. 

Up until now, Chihiro had never had any interest in other people’s love affairs. So why was he imagining it? 

In what ways does Mukai touch Isaki, and in what ways is he touched, I wonder. What about kissing? Embracing? Sex? 

Chihiro was shocked at himself for getting excited while thinking about same-sex intercourse, and then felt upset and guilty for shamelessly imagining such a thing on his own. 

And yet, he would find himself thinking about it again. 

And imagining it. 

…Am I perhaps…falling in love with Mukai? 

No way. 

Even though he tried to deny it, the thought once again resurfaced in his head. 

He never imagined that the memory of being forcibly kissed back then would torment him even until now. 

That ferocious tongue had entered his mouth and had violently ravaged his tongue. His tongue was sucked, caressed, and his head was so numb that he hadn’t been able to think of anything. 

He had been so surprised at the sudden attack that he couldn’t put up any resistance, but more than anything, that was the first time he had ever been kissed that intensely and overwhelmed completely. 

I wonder if Mukai kisses his lover more roughly. Or is he gentle? 

He had been insulted back then and full of anger, but if he thought about it, he hadn’t felt any disgust at all. 

“Minami-san” Mukai had finished up his call and came back in. 

Chihiro had been absentmindedly deep in thought and was so surprised at his name being called, he had almost dropped his phone. 

“It seems that Isaki is in the area and said he’d pick us up, so would you like a ride to the station, Minami-san?” 

Chihiro’s instinctive thought was immediately ‘Nope.’

I don’t want to see it━━I don’t want to see Mukai with his lover.  

Chihiro was shocked by the strong feeling of refusal. 

“Let’s go together.” Mukai said as a matter of fact and started getting his things ready. 

Chihiro was close to giving some excuse such as he still had leftover work to finish. But he took the plunge and responded with, “Well then, I’ll take you up on the kind offer.” 

He wanted to deny the reality that he might be falling for Mukai. 

I just admire him, respect him, and have some feelings of guilt about what happened two years ago. There’s no way I have feelings for someone of the same-sex. 

There is absolutely no way. 

But, once he had clearly recognized his feelings, he could no longer ignore them. And somewhere along the line, he had already noticed it. 

“It’s cold, isn’t it.” Mukai said as he propped up his coat’s collar and they exited the building. 

The long coat looked annoyingly good on him. 

“You’ve changed your hairstyle, right?” 

Upon their reunion, that was the most surprising thing. He had known that Mukai paid attention to what he wore, but he had thought that it was more on the lines of earning the trust of his colleagues than anything else. It had a slightly different nuance than that of Isaki, who kept his nails beautifully polished. 

“Isaki’s friend is a hair stylist. I was their practice partner. Just a bit longer and they almost changed my haircolor, too.” Mukai smiled wryly. 

As expected, it was Isaki’s influence, Chihiro gave a small smile in reply.

“Ah, he’s here.” 

Before long, a sleek sedan pulled up, flashing its lights. It was too dark outside, so Chihiro couldn’t tell what car model it was, but the shape was distinctive, and it gave off a feeling that it was precisely Isaki’s car. 

“Thank you for taking the trouble of dropping me off.” 

“No problem, since it’s on the way.” 

Chihiro sat down in the backseat and Mukai naturally got into the passenger seat. 

“Good work.”

“Mhm.” 

Their short back and forth exchange made it apparent that they had been together for a long time. 

Isaki reached out towards Mukai who had put on his seatbelt. Even though he was just fixing the seat belt that had twisted around, Chihiro reflexively looked away. 

—

“Thank you very much.” 

They had reached the station in no time at all. Chihiro got out of the car and then watched it leave. It made a turn in the roundabout and then the tail light finally disappeared in the distance. 

His body felt heavy. He was extremely exhausted. He finally knew why he felt so emotionally overwhelmed. 

He had one-sided feelings for a man that had a partner he shared his public and private life with. 

It was the first time that Chihiro had feelings for someone of the same sex, so he felt distressed. But thinking about it, even when he liked someone of the opposite sex, it had never thrown his heart into such disorder. Not even once. 

They would both become aware of each other, meet up a few times just the two of them, and when it felt right, they’d start dating. It was always like that. So he had never experienced having one-sided feelings for someone. 

As he headed for the station, he stopped walking after taking two steps. His breath melted in the cold air. 

The hand in his pocket was cold. 

He unconsciously turned around and looked in the direction the car had disappeared in. 

Isaki’s hand that had fixed the twisted seat belt came back to his mind. 

They’ve been together since their school days…that’s a long time. 

The thing with him was probably just a momentary impulse. Chihiro found it ridiculous thinking back at how he felt it was strange but nice when he wondered why Mukai was interested in someone like him. 

Like an idiot, Chihiro laughed at how stupid it was and felt a lump at the back of his throat. 

They had only worked together and aside from that, he knew nothing about Mukai. The only things Chihiro knew were fragments of his career history, that he was a fan of old sci-fi movies, he was unhappy with the latest trilogy, his family was good at drinking, he was gay, a sadist apparently, and that he had a long-term partner. 

And that partner was a gorgeous, beautiful person that had the ability to start a company and make it successful. 

So why was he so attracted to a person he had no chance with and only knew superficial things about?

He wondered if it was because he had been so strongly shaken by having his weakest traits be exposed by Mukai.

The renewal and promotions for the EC Store would start next month. After that, this project would finish. Even if they requested an extension, there would be no need for Mukai, the director, to be involved. 

How many more times would they be able to meet then? He felt a sharp pain in his chest. 

Back when Mukai had resigned, he had also thought to himself that they wouldn’t be able to meet anymore. But it hadn’t felt so painful as now. 

Mukai let him experience a lot of emotions he hadn’t known before. Most of them hadn’t been pleasant, but they were all precious to him. 

After taking a deep breath, Chihiro started walking slowly. 

These feelings too, after time passes, will become precious things. 

—

That night, Chihiro had a dream. 

It was an erotic dream of Isaki and Mukai on a bed, but at some point, Isaki had turned into himself. He was drunk on Mukai’s passionate kiss, and was aroused by their skin sticking to each other. Saliva and sweat, their breathing, the vivid erotic dream. 

He opened his eyes. 

“……….” 

His sheets had become damp from sweat, and the echo of the dream lingered in the air. His whole body felt hot, and he kicked off his blanket. He closed his eyes and carelessly extended  his hand to his aroused body. He tried his best to not think of anything at all and just take care of his body’s normal physiological response. 

In his dream, Mukai had called him ‘Chihiro.’ 

“Unbelievable.” Mumbling, he laughed to himself. 

It was a dream because it was unbelievable.

The part where Mukai is talking about his new boyfriend & mentions he’s the company president. And then that he wouldn’t mix business and private life? That really confused me and I read it over and over and over trying to understand if I’m misunderstanding something, because it’s the opposite?? Dating the company president IS mixing those two? I have no idea. So if you’re confused, I am too. ^^;;