When Hiroyuki returned home, Jiro was balled up, while hiding in the corner. Approaching the little human ball, Hiroyuki saw that Jiro refused to look up at him.
"What's wrong?" he asked Jiro.
Jiro wouldn't talk. Hiroyuki placed a hand on the other's arm, only to have Jiro knock his hand away.
Although he was eighteen, Jiro had the temperament of a child. He would easily get upset at the slightest provocation. Hiroyuki was good at dealing with unruly people in his line of work.
Because of that, he was not bothered with how Jiro acted.
In addition, most of the time, Jiro was quite easy-going.
"Have you eaten yet?" Hiroyuki asked.
No answer.
Hiroyuki opened the fridge to find the omelet intact. Taking the plate of omelet out of the fridge, Hiroyuki placed it into the microwave.
While waiting for the omelet to heat up, he walked back over to Jiro. "Didn't you see the note I posted on the refrigerator? I also left one on the dining table."
No answer.
Going back to the microwave, Hiroyuki removed the plate and set the plate down on the only table in his studio apartment.
"Go eat," he told Jiro.
Jiro looked up at Hiroyuki, but didn't move over to eat. What was wrong with this kid today? Then, just as Hiroyuki was running out of patience, a small voice whispered.
"I can't read kanji," Jiro confessed.
Shock replaced impatience on Hiroyuki's face. Musing over the matter, he let it slide off his back. "It's alright, next time, I will write using only hiragana. Now hurry up and go eat before you get a stomach ache."
Obediently, Jiro did as he was told. Jiro wolfed down the omelet. He even licked the plate clean.
Watching him, Hiroyuki didn't know what to say. This was like a repeat of their first dinner together.
With that, their first spat ended.
Looking up from the bag in his hand, Jiro happily asked, "Are all these clothes for me?"
"Yeah. They're my old high school clothes," Hiroyuki told him. "Sorry, you have to wear my hand-me-downs."
"Thank you," Jiro gratefully said. "I don't mind wearing your hand-me-downs, especially when they look brand new."
"Go try them on and see if they fit," Hiroyuki replied.
Jiro happily nodded his head and went to the bathroom to change. Despite being in storage for many years, the clothes still had a trace amount of Hiroyuki's scent. Holding the clothes to his face, Jiro inhaled. A broad smile spread on his face. Like this, he could get just a bit closer to Hiroyuki.
When he stepped out, Hiroyuki almost choked on his beer.
He had forgotten. In high school, girls always begged their boyfriends to wear their clothes. The loose shirts were an emblem of the closeness between the two people. Boys liked to see their girlfriends wear their clothes because it was a sign to warn others the girl was theirs. The way the loose clothes fit on their beloved's smaller sized body was also adorable to look at.
"How does it look?" Jiro asked as he turned around to model for Hiroyuki.
"Fits okay, but still loose," Hiroyuki answered.
"That's okay, I can grow into them," Jiro hurriedly said.
But looking at the overly skinny young man, Hiroyuki let out a sigh. He couldn't imagine he would get any taller or rounder.
"Come here," Hiroyuki motioned for Jiro to sit beside him.
Jiro obediently sat down.
While folding up the cuffs of Jiro's pants, Hiroyuki asked him directly, "Why did you get upset?"
The suddenness of the question made Jiro lose his bearing for a moment. Finally, he answered, "I thought you had abandoned me."
"I went to have dinner with my mother. I wrote it in the note."
"Oh," Jiro responded.
"Did you forget? This is my place. If I didn't want you anymore, I would just ask you to leave."
Jiro nodded, as though he hadn't thought about it before.
"Were you abandoned in this manner?" Hiroyuki asked.
Jiro paused and then finally spat out, "My mother."
Noting the younger man was reticent to speak further, Hiroyuki changed the subject. "In the future, I'll write in hiragana. You can read hiragana, right?"
"Yes," Jiro answered.
"Alright, we can put this behind us."
Jiro looked up with bewildered eyes. "You're not mad at me?"
"No. It looked like we had a communication problem, but we worked it out. So, everything is fine now."
Ah? For Jiro who had never resolved any conflict in such a peaceful way, his heart suddenly palpitated with a strange sensation. Hiroyuki was a good person.