As soon as Hiroyuki woke up the next morning, Jiro started doing laundry.
Hiroyuki had a smile on his face, throughout his commute to work. Normally, being shoved into the subway train during rush hour, made him grumpy. But today, he felt somehow happy. It was probably because today was payday.
Looking over his paycheck, Hiroyuki let out a deep sigh. It really was pitifully small. After deducting rent, food, utilities, and his train pass, he had little leftover. How was he to buy Jiro some decent clothes?
As he thought about Jiro's clothes, his cellphone rang. His mother was on the other line.
"Come home for dinner tonight. Your father is away on a business trip," she told him.
"Alright," he agreed.
At home, Hiroyuki found Jiro wasn't there. Perhaps, the young man had gone out for a walk in the park.
Perusing the fridge for ingredients, Hiroyuki made a tomato and ham omelet. Then, he carefully put it in the fridge. He'd left a message on the dining table as well as the refrigerator door for Jiro to eat the omelet for dinner. When all his preparations were made, he left.
Hiroyuki's real home was a mansion in the wealthier part of the city. The ancient architect was heavily influenced from the Tang Dynasty of China. This home had been passed down through many generations.
A butler opened the door and politely greeted Hiroyuki. Then Hiroyuki was led into the dining hall.
Hiroyuki's mother was slim and still retained her beauty. However, these past few years hadn't been kind to her. Wrinkles formed around her eyes and mouth. She looked older than her actual age.
"Your father isn't angry anymore Hiroyuki," his mother gently informed him. "It's time you return to the family business. I know things can't be easy for you out in the world by yourself."
"I'm fine mother. I want to do this for a bit longer. It's not that I won't return, but I need some time to learn about how to run a business. I don't want to fail and let everyone down."
"Alright, but only for one more year," his mother let out a sigh.
Hiroyuki nodded. After dinner, he went into his bedroom. The room could be described as coming straight out of a fancy bedroom catalog. His mother had hired an interior decorator to design his room. As he opened the closet, he saw boxes of his clothes from high school. Right, he had almost forgotten about them. Taking a few boxes down, he unboxed them and riffled through them. By the time he finished, he had several sets of clothes.
These should fit Jiro. At least, they should fit him better than his current clothes. Hiroyuki's mind wandered back to Jiro in the pink t-shirt and jean shorts. He shook his head, as though to shake the image out of his mind.