When Rukawa first came to this city, he never would have imagined that he would be standing in Sakuragi’s bathroom taking a shower today, nor did he even think he would get to see Sakuragi.
How fickle fate could be.
Sakuragi’s rejection and aversion toward him had not changed at all from a few years ago.
They always said time would wash many things away, but it seemed that was not the case in reality.
Rukawa stood beneath the showerhead, letting the hot water gradually warm his somewhat stiffened body.
After dropping Sakuragi back off, he hadn't originally intended to stay here for long; he didn't want to see Sakuragi looking uncomfortable on his account.
He had only wanted to sit a little longer, as the car still held the lingering warmth the Big Idiot had left behind after stepping out.
He hadn't expected that this heavy rain would block off all his paths, as if it were ordained by fate that only Sakuragi's home was the ultimate place he could go.
Rukawa was never a pessimistic person, but he couldn't be called an optimist either.
To be precise, the concept of an "outlook" did not exist in his inner world; he only made a clear distinction between "doing" and "not doing."
The difference between Rukawa and many people was that he wasn't accustomed to judging whether something was beneficial to himself or whether the success rate was high. His usual approach was: if I want to do it, then I'll do it.
He came to this city simply driven by a thought, and as for what results he could achieve once he arrived, that was outside the scope of what he cared about.
Precisely because of this state of mind, he now felt somewhat at a loss.
Just like the question Sakuragi asked him, he couldn't answer it himself: what on earth did he want by coming here?
Because he was somewhat dazed, he spent a bit too much time in the shower.
Coming out of the bathroom, he gave a wry smile as he looked at the bathrobe he was wearing.
The expression on Sakuragi's face when he threw the bathrobe at him was still as vivid as ever: "I am not going to lend you my clothes to wear. The dryer is over there, so until your clothes are dried, just wear this." Just as he walked out, Sakuragi immediately backed up again and said angrily, "Don't tell me you don't know how to use a dryer!"
Seeing that stance, Rukawa felt as though if he really didn't know how to use the dryer, he would be thrown out the front door by Sakuragi.
"I know how to use it."
With a bang, Sakuragi slammed the bathroom door shut.
Rukawa looked at the bathrobe in his hands, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated: Once I leave, is he going to just throw this bathrobe away? And besides, without underwear, wouldn't wearing only this feel a bit strange?
After finishing his shower, Rukawa came out to the living room.
Sakuragi's apartment had very much the style of his small place in Kanagawa, with bold, spacious furniture, but with many small items placed all around—undoubtedly souvenirs he had collected everywhere.
Rukawa even saw some small pottery pieces he had once seen in Kanagawa, back when Sakuragi had vividly explained the origins of these little objects to him.
The Big Idiot's days could always be lived to such a full extent.
Although he was taken in out of sheer necessity, Rukawa truly looked like an invited guest as he leisurely wandered around Sakuragi's detached house.
When he first entered, taking advantage of the moment Sakuragi went to get him slippers, he had glanced inside the shoe cabinet, and now he sauntered around again as if taking a casual stroll.
After walking for a while, Rukawa concluded: the Big Idiot lived here alone, and there were no traces of a second person's daily life.
This was good news.
However, thinking of the media reports from last month, the irritability in his heart began to rear its head again.
Sakuragi's voice interrupted Rukawa's irritation.
"Are you sightseeing, or are you investigating a case?"
Rukawa turned around and was very surprised to see two bowls of noodles set out on the dining table in front of Sakuragi.
Sakuragi said with a gloomy face, "I certainly don't want to find out tomorrow that you starved to death in my house."
Rukawa was very surprised, unable to believe he would receive such treatment.
The two of them eating ramen head-to-head felt as though it were just yesterday, and as Rukawa ate, he couldn't help but think of the past.
The way Sakuragi ate was still as appetizing as ever, and Rukawa even felt that he could draw a lot of energy from the Big Idiot eating ramen.
"Thanks for the dinner." Rukawa meant these words from the bottom of his heart; the only thing he had eaten all day was an airline meal on the plane, and this was his second meal since then.
He wouldn't be the current Sakuragi if he didn't block those words right back.
"Don't flatter yourself. I made it for myself and accidentally made too much." Sakuragi bit hard into the slice of meat in his mouth.
"Cooking noodles for yourself this late?" Rukawa didn't believe it.
Sakuragi glared at him: "Can't I be hungry?"
Rukawa said earnestly, "As an athlete, stuffing your face with junk food won't do. For your muscles..."
"Rukawa Kaede, if you don't shut up right now, see if I don't throw you out into the rain right this second!" Sakuragi threatened fiercely.
Actually, Sakuragi wasn't really kind-hearted enough to spend the middle of the night boiling noodles for someone in the kitchen.
The truth was, he was genuinely hungry.
The meal he had made for himself earlier tasted like chewing wax; there was no appetite to speak of, and no flavor to be tasted.
Yet Sakuragi would never admit that his mood had been affected by that guy squatting in the car out in the heavy rain.
The moment Rukawa walked in, he couldn't quite be called a drowned rat, but having half his body soaked meant he was still prone to catching a cold.
No matter how displeased Sakuragi was, he was still a kind person, so he kicked the guy into the bathroom at the first opportunity.
The second Rukawa stepped inside, he was ruthlessly driven into the bathroom by Sakuragi, who roared like an enemy: "Take a shower!"
If Sakuragi's expression hadn't been entirely devoid of any romantic undertones, Rukawa would definitely have mistaken the purpose of being called inside for something else entirely.
Sakuragi's indescribable irritability strangely subsided the moment he heard the steady sound of water coming from the bathroom.
Once his mood returned to normal, his bodily functions woke up as well, and he immediately felt hungry.
As for whether he had accidentally made an extra bowl, that wasn't very important anyway; to Sakuragi, giving a bowl of noodles to the uninvited guest taking a bath was no big deal.
"The ramen you make almost compares to that shop we used to go to together..." After finishing his meal, Rukawa wanted from the bottom of his heart to praise Sakuragi's culinary skills, and he truly missed those days in Kanagawa.
Unfortunately, Sakuragi was not one to play along; he coldly interrupted Rukawa: "When you're done eating, get lost and go to sleep. The guest room is over here." Sakuragi pointed out the room to Rukawa.
As he collected the bowls and chopsticks to head toward the kitchen, Sakuragi kept his back to Rukawa: "Get the hell out as soon as it's dawn!"
Issuing the eviction order hours in advance, Sakuragi didn't even wash the dishes, leaving them in the sink as he returned to his bedroom.
Rukawa lay on the bed and couldn't fall asleep.
He was actually extremely exhausted by now, having gone nearly forty hours without rest, and his mind remained in a state where it simply couldn't calm down.
Lying in bed with his eyes wide open until dawn was an extremely rare occurrence for him, to the point that in the middle of the night he went online and booked an early morning flight ticket, heading out before dawn broke.
Sitting on the plane, he called his manager and assistant, Rock, asking him to rent a car for him at his destination, and after hanging up, he turned off his phone, startling Rock wide awake from his sleep.
For so many years after coming to America, every flight was a time for Rukawa to catch up on sleep, but this time he couldn't fall asleep at all, stubbornly gritting his teeth all the way until landing.
Now lying in the guest room at Sakuragi's house, Rukawa was still wide awake. He could feel the fatigue in his body, but his brain refused to sleep, which was truly a torment.
Rukawa decided not to sleep after all; he sat up, turned on the light, and looked around the guest room, his heart softening at the sight.
Many people wouldn't tidy up a guest room to be as cozy as the master bedroom, keeping the furnishings and amenities quite simple.
Yet Sakuragi's guest room made one feel very warm. From the curtains to the lighting, the bedding, and the table and wardrobe by the bed, everything reflected the host's thoughtful care.
If his current state had been normal, he probably could have slept very well here. That was what Rukawa thought.
However, he suddenly thought of another issue: this room hadn't been prepared for him, but rather for any guest who might stay over.
Who could have stayed here? In those days he didn't know about, what kind of people had appeared around the Big Idiot?
Rukawa grew angry and snapped the light off with a slap.
The sound of the rain outside the window gradually stopped, and moonlight filtered through the thin curtains.
Rukawa lay in bed for a long time until the feeling of anger dissipated, then he got up and left the room.
Sakuragi didn't seem to like drawing the curtains, so even without turning on the lights, aided by the moonlight outside, Rukawa could move around the living room with ease.
Softly pushing the door open, Rukawa saw Sakuragi sleeping soundly in bed.
Rukawa stood at the doorway for a moment, then slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Sakuragi didn't even draw his bedroom curtains; he really didn't know what to say about him.
However, Rukawa vaguely remembered Sakuragi saying in the past that he always got up at daybreak to go for a morning run.
No doubt as soon as day broke, the room would be filled with light, making it impossible to linger in bed.
He didn't know when that habit had been formed, but if he had deliberately started doing it after playing basketball, Rukawa had to admit he was impressed.
Sakuragi usually had very expressive features; when he was serious, ordinary people didn't dare get close to him, finding it quite frightening. When he was happy, he was like a child, and when he felt wronged, he would act spoiled and make people's hearts ache.
In short, he was a very lively person.
Yet Rukawa had never seen him asleep, not even back when their relationship was very good.
Mainly because Rukawa was always the first one to fall asleep.
Sitting quietly by Sakuragi's bed like this today, watching him sleep, was a first.
The Big Idiot looked even more idiotic when he was asleep.
Thinking this, Rukawa reached out and gently stroked Sakuragi's face with his palm.
Big Idiot, I miss you so much. What about you?
Woken up by the morning sunlight, Sakuragi sat on the edge of the bed in a daze as usual, letting his body wake up.
He had gone to sleep too late yesterday, leaving him with very low energy upon waking today.
Yesterday?
Thinking of this, Sakuragi suddenly snapped fully awake.
He remembered there was still another person in the house.
What a headache. How should he deal with that fox now?
Sakuragi didn't have a single clue.
Might as well just kick him straight out. The rain had stopped by now anyway, and his clothes must have dried—there was no reason to let him stay here any longer.
Having settled on this plan, Sakuragi marched aggressively toward the guest room to kick the person out.
The guest room door wasn't closed, and Sakuragi paused for a moment.
Pushing the door open, he saw a bathrobe folded rather untidily resting on the empty bed.
Sakuragi dashed over to the front door, pushed it open, and saw that Rukawa's car was no longer in its spot.
The fox had already left?