Chapter 3

The girl in the entryway of Yakazai was, in a word, stunning. In several more words, she was captivating, breathtaking, and mystifying. With even more words, Junichiro could have probably composed a poem or song about her. Although, it probably wouldn’t be very good, since neither of those were his strong suits. He was much more suited to acting than composing literature about pretty strangers, after all.

She stood there, surrounded by an air of quiet, mysterious confidence that made her stand out against the simplicity of her surroundings. Locks of wavy black hair cascaded down her shoulders like waves of liquid midnight, shining gently in the bar’s warm lighting. Her face was gentle, with soft, delicate features and wide, deep blue eyes that scanned the room with cautious interest.

She wore a sleeveless, cream-colored dress that fit her comfortably. Her outfit wasn’t particularly over the top, nor was she dressed down. It was like she had chosen the dress without much thought and even less doubt. It suited her perfectly, complimenting her in every way possible.

Perhaps the most alluring thing about her however, was that she seemed to have no care for the quiet stares of everyone around her. It seemed like what she wore, she wore for herself, not for anyone else to gawk at. However she looked in her own eyes was the only thing that mattered to her. That sense of confidence was what caught Junichiro’s attention the most.

The proprietress extended the same greeting to her that she had given Junichiro, then went back to preparing drinks. The girl smiled in response, then took a step towards the bar, then another, then another. She moved with all the grace and perfection of royalty, though it seemed natural and not practiced. At least, she did until she stumbled over the lip of a rug and fell face-first to the floor. She quickly jumped up and color leapt to her face, dusting her cheeks a deep red with embarrassment. She hurriedly sat down at the bar and buried her face in her hands as if to shield herself from further humiliation. It was all Junichiro could do to stifle an amused laugh at the stark contrast between her regal demeanor and her clumsiness.

Renji’s eyes moved back and forth between Junichiro and the mystery girl, until his lips finally curled upwards in a large grin. “So the great inscrutable Naoya Yukimura, King of Aloofness, has finally found a girl that catches his eye, huh?”

Junichiro whipped around to face his friend, ears burning. “W-What? No, I was just…” His voice trailed off, his usual wit deserting him as he failed to formulate an excuse for staring. He let out a breathy sigh and let his head hang, ashamed that Renji had been able to see through him so easily. He usually prided himself on being fairly unreadable, but something about her—this mystery girl—made him an open book.

Renji leaned forward, clasping his hands together like he was about to make a business proposition. “I don’t blame you, dude. There’s something special about that girl, I can tell. In fact… I think you should go talk to her. It’s high time Naoya Yukimura got some experience with the ladies.”

“I’ve got plenty of experience, thank you. I flirt and break hearts all the time on set. They can’t get enough of me, I’m a regular Casanova. There is absolutely zero need for me to prove anything to you or myself right now.”

“Au contraire, debonair. We’re 23 years old and you’re a guy whose only experience with girls is on the set of a movie. You think that translates over into real life? Because it doesn’t. What you need is to go over there, introduce yourself, and try to make conversation with that girl.”

“Are you crazy, man?” Junichiro asked, his eyes widening at Renji’s nonchalant suggestion of something so bold. “I can’t do that. She’s gotta be like, way out of my league. There’s just no way that would go well in any capacity, Renji.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You’re a moderately attractive guy and a pretty good actor to boot. Not to mention you’ve got your shit together better than most other dudes. You could pull any girl you wanted—including that one over there—with just those qualities alone, not to mention whatever else you’ve got stashed away.”

Junichiro let out an amused huff as he relaxed a little. He’d known Renji long enough to know what he was trying to do. He was manipulating him: showering him with compliments and reassurances to goad him into doing what he wanted. It had worked many times before and would probably work many more times in the future. Junichiro trusted Renji. Hardly ever had he steered him wrong, whether it be as his manager or his friend. But something was different this time. For once, it was just difficult to accept that Renji knew best. Junichiro felt almost…afraid. Afraid of messing up this chance.

“I don’t know, Renji.” Junichiro began, face somewhat downcast, “You know my usual confidence is just an act, I don’t really have any of it while I’m Naoya. Besides, even if it did go well, you know the agency’s policy on dating. They’d kill me if they found out and probably throw you in front of a car for letting me do it.”

Renji drummed on the table impatiently. “Yeah, that’s why you’re doing it in disguise, dumbass. Look man, I’m not telling you to go over there and ask her to marry you or anything like that. I just think you should go talk to her.”

Around the time Renji’s last sentence exited his mouth, the proprietress approached their table and sat their food and drinks in front of them. Steam wafted through the air above the takoyaki like an ocean mist giving the octopus one last send-off. Junichiro hadn’t realized how parched his throat had become—both from speaking with Renji and admiring the mystery girl—until the glasses of beer and water he ordered sat in front of him. The beer fizzled audibly as bubbles floated to the top of the glass, sparkling like liquid gold. The water on the other hand, was calmer and more collected, waiting patiently to bring cool comfort to the dryness of Junichiro’s throat.

The proprietress looked towards Junichiro and pointed at Renji with a callused thumb. “Amano might be an idiot, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. Sorry to intrude on that last part of your conversation, but I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at that girl and I think he’s right. That poor girl’s been coming in here every week for the last month. She seems lonely, like she wants someone to talk to her.”

“See? Even Granny agrees with me.” Renji said, crossing his arms with satisfaction, “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be right here to dry your tears.”

Somehow, that didn’t reassure Junichiro, but he could tell he wasn’t getting out of this. If he tried to chicken out of a chance like this, Renji would never let him hear the end of it.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” He finally groaned, standing up from the booth, “But for the record Renji, I am not ‘moderately attractive’, I’m freakin’ sexy as hell.”

Junichiro slammed back his glass of beer to get some liquid courage flowing through his veins, slapped his cheeks, and tried to call upon even a smidgen of the false confidence that belonged to Junichiro Kurotaki, the heartthrob bad boy taking Japan by storm. Fueled by alcohol and Renji cheering after him, Junichiro marched off towards his destiny.