Chapter 2: A stamped t-shirt is not suitable for a party

“Rin-chan!”

“Wake up!”

"AaUmmM!?" I snap graciously.

"Bro, wake up!" tells me a familiar voice.

“What the heck?!” I mumble as I struggle to sit. Wait?! Who on earth is in my room?!

“Aki!?” I say joyfully while I watch him frantically dig into my closet’s clothes.

“It’s nice to see that you’re still alive, friend,” he answers with a smile as we hug each other.

He looks more sleek than usual. If you work for one of the world's most prestigious fashion brands, you better look like you do.

“Oh boy!” he sighs, clearly disappointed by my breathtaking collection of animal-stamped t-shirts. “Your fashion sense has gotten even worse than when we were in high school.”

“Please! There are some pretty cool ones.” I say.

“Like?” he asks, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Like this one with… Wa-wa-Wait!” I stutter as I realize. “What are you doing in my room?! On a Wednesday!?”

Aki-chan lets out a satisfied laugh. “Isn’t it obvious?” he says as he hands me a shirt and a pair of jeans. “We’re getting you some new clothes!”

“But I have clothes!” I snap back, clearly offended, as I point him to my breathtaking t-shirt collection.

“Bro,” he tells me with a severe tone while he places one hand on my shoulder and gives me a pair of shoes with the other. “There’s no way I’m letting you go to the class reunion with any of these,” he says.

“Oh. I’m not going!” I tell him with confidence.

“Oh. You’re coming!” he says with conviction, giving me THE GAZE.

“But. Like. I’m not in the mood to…” I begin.

“Ah, ah! Hurry! Get changed,” he cuts me off. “Masa-chan is waiting in the car outside.” And he shuts the room’s door closed.

I stay still for a second. It’s nearly impossible to win an argument against Aki-chan when he’s motivated…

“Masa-chan!?!” I say with joy and hurry to change my clothes.

…

“Masa-chan!” I shout as I lock the house’s entrance door and run toward my friend.

“Rin-chan!” he says, and we hug each other.

“Looking good, bro!” I tell him. “Have you been hitting the gym lately?”

“Just a few days a week,” he says as he shies away at my compliment.

“Please! You’re just missing a pair of wagging tails to look like a pair of puppies,” says Aki-chan from the co-driver seat. “Hurry! We don’t have all day.”

I look mockingly at Masa-chan as he heads to the driver's seat.

“Where are we going, Fashion-man?” asks Masa.

Aki-chan hits him on the shoulder and sets the location on the car’s GPS.

“All right. Let’s get going,” proclaims Masa-chan as he starts driving.

Where in the world is Aki taking us? It looks like somewhere near Ginza. Although fashion-related activities usually stress me out, I just stay chill. Hanging out with these two always brings the best mood out of me.

“Guys,” I say from my backseat. “Why are we even going to that bloody party?”

“Are you kidding me?” says Aki.

“It’s not like we want to see all those pretentious asses again. Right?” I tell them.

“Man! That’s exactly why we’re going! To show off on their pretentious faces!” snaps Aki.

“First. We all got a glow-up!” he says as he makes a circular gesture.

“What’s a glow-up?” I say with an uncomfortable laugh.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn't hear that,” Aki says.

“Second. Masa-chan has got an amazing job, me too, and you… had an amazing job until… you didn’t,” Aki says while shrugging. “But no one has to know that slight detail.”

That bloody job! So many memories I don’t want to recall right now.

“I guess that won't happen,” I say.

“Why not?” asks Aki.

“Last night, Inoue-san came to the conbini,” I say, sighing.

“What?” they yell.

“And she saw me!” I say sadly, remembering the scene.

“What in the world was Inoue doing so far away from her territory?!” lets out Masa.

“How am I supposed to know?” I say.

“And how did she react?” asks Masa.

“Well. She was a little drunk, but I would say she was… surprised?” I tell them. “It was fast. We barely exchanged a few words.”

“Well, at least it was Inoue-san,” says Aki. “Anyone else from her toxic group of friends… and all the class would have known so far.”

“That’s right,” says Masa. “Inoue-san is not the kind of person that spreads gossip.”

“As long as she doesn't tell Ayasaki-san, I think I’m safe,” I say without believing a single word.

Of course, she’s gonna tell Ayasaki-san! They’re besties, and Ayasaki is the quintessential gossip girl, meaning I'm a dead man!

Two months ago, when I started working at the conbini, I ensured that the conbini wasn’t near the fancy territories our school classmates frequently visit. That’s why I also took the night shift, just so no one would know that I, Sasaki Rin, first in our class, ended up working at a conbini.

“And if she has. Who cares!? I bet most of them have not even finished college.” assures Aki. He always manages to soothe me when I’m overreacting.

“And moving on to the third and most important reason,” says Aki. “It 's in Eras!!!”

“You have no idea of how many times Aki and I have tried to get in there,” says Masa. “It’s the goat of nightclubs nowadays. And we’ll have a blast of a night, with gossip or without it.”

“You have arrived at your destination.” says the GPS.

I guess it’s time to get an outfit.

…

We spent the rest of the evening in Aki's workshop. The whole evening went on trying possible combinations that our Fashion-man liked. To my surprise, he told us that everything would be free. “Employees benefits,” Aki said.

I can't say that spending the day putting on shiny skinny trousers isn't my definition of a great evening with my friends, but we did have some fun. We all ended up with similar-looking outfits for the night. Masa's and my outfit are a pair of dark trousers and a light-colored shirt. Aki told us that his outfit would be a surprise until the party day, so Masa and I booed him thoroughly. Before I even notice, it's about an hour before my shift starts, so we leave the workshop with our killing outfits, and Masa drives me to the conbini.

I say bye to them from the backdoor and go inside.

Maybe I am overreacting. Maybe Inoue-san still cares a little for me, so she won't tell anybody. Perhaps I will have a great time at the party. Who knows?

I force myself to stop dwelling on those thoughts and begin my shift.

…

Thursday went like a flash. I asked a co-worker for a shift change, just one day, so I had to work from Thursday night to Friday morning to go to the party. I'm tired, but I'm a little used to it.

After a pleasant nap, I get up and take a shower. Once I’m all clean, I look at my cell phone to confirm that Aki has sent me five messages reminding me that he will drag me to the party if I’m unwilling to go.

As I start dressing up, Masa and Aki break into my room.

“Don’t you know how to knock?” I ask.

“Your mom let us in. She’s so happy that we’re taking you on a night out,” says Aki, ignoring my question.

“Are you going to do something about your hair?” repeats Aki with a raised eyebrow. Masa lets out a few giggles.

“I mean… does it look bad?” I say, and before I know it, Aki has gone to the car and back with a complete hairstyling kit.

Before I can tell, my hair has turned from a coconut to a fancy slick back style. I guess I look surprised because Aki’s face is oozing satisfaction.

“You can thank me later.” he snaps.

“Ha! Thanks to the best Fashion-man in Tokyo.” I snap back. Masa and I laugh together as Aki smiles.

“Guys! We gotta leave,” says Masa, noticing the time on his cellphone.

I take my shoes, and we rush downstairs. My mom, dad, and younger sister are watching a movie in the living room. When my mom notices us, she’s coming to greet us.

“It was great seeing you again, kids. You’ve grown so much,” she says while smiling at Aki and Masa. “ Remember, you can come whenever you want, and I’ll help you knock down this kid’s door,” she says, referring to me. Masa and Aki let out a good laugh.

“We’re counting on it,” says Masa. He and Aki proceed to say goodbye and leave the room.

“Have a great night Rin,” Mom tells me while gently touching my cheek. “That Aki knows how to do his job.”

I take my eyes away from her, and she giggles. Then she proceeds to kiss me on the cheek. Ever since we lived in America (For a year!), she got used to many Western traditions like this one.

“Mom. I’m going late!” I say, trying to break free from her grip. But I know it's useless, so I kiss her back on the cheek. She smiles.

“Be sure to send a greeting to Inoue-san from me,” she says.

“Sure,” I tell her as if I would actually will. I wave my dad and sister a quick bye and run outside.