"Hm? What's wrong with you?" Kota asked, raising an eyebrow.
Except for when Keita had mercilessly rejected the man all those months ago, he had never seen Asakura display such an expression before. It was as though a huge sign for gloom was written above his head in capital letters.
"Nothing. There's nothing wrong." Asakura replied, his voice sounding slightly strained.
"Eh? Why do I feel like you are hiding something?" Kota probed further.
"The only thing I am hiding is a strong dislike for you, my friend." Asakura scowled.
Kota stared at the other man with doubtful eyes. He trusted his instincts above all else, and they told him the person in front of him was acting very strangely. As such, Kota wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of it.
The meeting room they were currently in had a small balcony. It wasn't very big, but it was enough space for a few people to get some fresh air.
Without waiting for Kota's reaction, Asakura got up and went outside. He lit up a cigarette, taking a deep puff before blowing it out slowly.
Not wanting to leave his friend alone for too long, Kota quickly followed Asakura outside. Once there, he crossed his arms and leaned against the handrail, with his head turned towards Asakura. As he stared at the man, Kota carefully took in the man's appearance.
The cool night air brushed through Asakura's hair, tussling it in every direction and giving him a rather wild look. His face looked pale in the evening light and his eyes were clear and sharp.
That appearance made a handsome image, Kota thought to himself.
"Seriously now, what's bothering you, Ryuu?" he finally asked, breaking the silent atmosphere.
"At the moment, you are." Asakura exhaled another large cloud of smoke.
"I have a feeling that you are in a strange mood, even more so than usual. And that question earlier about the actors… Ah!" Kota cried out in shock, gaping at the other man in amazement. "Could it be that… you are looking for someone?"
Asakura remained silent, rolling the cigarette between his fingers. His eyes were gazing straight ahead, unfocused, as if he was seeing something that wasn't really there.
"Subaru, do you remember the room exchange we did back at the onsen?" His deep voice reverberated in the air, sounding neither loud nor low.
"Eh?!" Kota blinked quite a few times. He was confused as to what that had to do with anything. "Yes, I remember there was a group of several young men, who arrived the same day we did. One of them exchanged his room with yours."
"Right. The thing is, I eventually met that person and we had a chance to talk."
"Eh, is that so?"
Kota's eyebrows climbed so high up on his forehead that they almost got lost behind his hair.
"You didn't mention anything about that to me before." he said, sounding slightly reproachful.
"That's because I didn't think it was important." Asakura puffed one last time from the cigarette before snuffing it. "Besides, if I remember correctly, at that time you were too preoccupied with chasing after women."
"Even so, I would have listened to my friend's tale." Kota scrunched up his nose. "So? What is it about this person that's having you in such a daze?"
"He…" Asakura hesitated for a second. "He's like me… I think. In a way, at least, he is. He also likes men, but his experience was far worse than mine."
"Oh… I see." Kota whispered, sighing deeply. "So, just because of that, you sympathized with him, right?"
"At first that's what I thought as well. That I only got close to him because I felt a sense of empathy and solidarity. But ever since I have given him my business card and told him to call me, I began to anxiously wait for it."
"That group, they were actors, weren't they? I believe I heard a few of them talking about getting a part in a drama or something of that sort."
"En. He's an actor, but due to a particular circumstance, he hasn't been doing his job for a while. I gave him my business card and even told him about the movie tryout. All in hopes that he will give himself another chance. But until now he hasn't called, and neither did he apply for the audition."
"Why don't you contact him instead? It's not like you to act so passive. Generally speaking, if you were so interested in him, you would have begun stalking him already."
"I won't ever be able to clean my record of that, will I?" Asakura sighed in distress.
"Nope." Kota retorted, grinning widely like a Cheshire cat. "You will forever be a stalker in my eyes."
"Thanks." Asakura frowned, taking out another cigarette and lighting it. "Unfortunately, I can't contact him because I never got his number."
"Haaaa." Kota exhaled deeply. "I never knew you could be this stupid."
"Shut up." Asakura retorted snappishly.
In retaliation, he directed a puff of smoke towards him.
Kota, on the other hand, evaded the smoke by nimbly shifting to the other side of the balcony.
"Then, do you know anything else about this person?" he asked airily.
"I only know his name."
"That's good then! You can find out what entertainment company he works for and have him come to the audition. It's as simple as that really."
"No."
"No?"
"Even if I find him, there is no way I will do that. The reason I told him about the movie is because I wanted to help him. He has to come because he chooses that for himself, not because I force the matter. Otherwise, it will be meaningless."
"Honestly, you have a strange, almost masochistic passion for tormenting yourself." Kota huffed in exasperation, rubbing the place between his eyebrows. "First Keita, now this mysterious person. Aren't you tired of this, Ryuu?"
Hearing those words, Asakura couldn't help but chuckle.
Indeed, it was exactly as Kota just said. He had a knack at finding people that caused him to swim in muddy waters.