Entry # 3 Chapter 11
Assignment 11: Four Posters
“Ittekimasu[1], for the last time, you’re sure you can’t come with us?” Massu said.
“For the last time, no. I have a full load of stuff to do over Christmas. I’ll be going home for New Year though, so I’ll see you guys soon.” Tegoshi laughed at Massu made an exaggerated sad face at him, and hugged both Massu and Shige.
“Itterasshai[2]. Have a good trip back to Yokohama.” Tegoshi waved as his friends closed the door of the apartment behind them.
“Is it really ok to leave him alone like this?” Massu asked, as they dragged their luggage towards the train station.
“Hmm?”
“I mean even though we’re together so much now Tegoshi seems lonelier than ever? What is it that Yamashita-senpai has that we don’t anyway?” Stopping in his tracks, Massu sounded unusually serious, and somewhat aggrieved.
Shige patted Massu on his shoulder. Although he often acted like a dork whose only interest was food (and sometimes sports), both Shige and Tegoshi knew that he was really sensitive and loyal. That was how their friendship had formed, and how it had withstood the test of time and other obstructions. But now their companionship seemed to be doing nothing for Tegoshi, and no wonder Massu was feeling hurt and confounded.
“He’s matured a lot since he came to Tokyo, so let’s just trust that he’ll work it out for himself when he’s given some peace and quiet.” Shige smiled, and started walking again.
But Massu must have seen something in that smile, for he called out, “Wait a second, this is not your ploy, is it?”
“You’re imagining things, Massu, just imagining things.” Grinning, Shige did not look back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tegoshi listened to the clock tick as he lay in bed. He had been trying for the past half-an-hour to take an afternoon nap, as he had woken up very early for a shoot, but to no avail. Ever since Shige and Massu left, Tegoshi had been taking longer than usual to fall asleep. It was odd, but Tegoshi concluded that it was because the house was too quiet. Living alone had been a new and unsettling experience for him. His family had never travelled without him, and Yamapi, despite his sometimes wild ways, always returned home to sleep.
Thinking about Yamapi unsettled him further. Finally, Tegoshi decided to forget about taking a nap. He would, instead, go to the agency to collect his new schedule.
As Tegoshi stepped into the agency, something in the main hall made him stop in his tracks. 4 gigantic posters were plastered on the previously blank wall, of Yamapi, Ryo, Koyama and himself. As Tegoshi gaped at the posters a familiar voice greeted, “hey Tegoshi!”
Tegoshi turned to see Koyama grinning at him from the doorway of the office, with Ryo standing next to him.
Koyama walked up to him. “So you’ve seen our Christmas tradition.”
“Huh?”
“Johnny-san doesn’t like to have posters of the models in the agency. Says it breeds narcissism. But when he goes on holiday at the end of the year, the female assistants in the agency will vote for their favourite models for the year, and posters of the 4 most popular models will be pasted on this wall, well 4 because that’s all the wall can accommodate. Of course it’ll all be taken down before Johnny-san comes back at the beginning of the year. Actually the people here say that Johnny-san knows what’s happening, but closes one eye because it generates healthy competition. Everyone wants to be on the wall at the end of the year. So congrats, Tegoshi, it’s probably a record that someone actually got onto the wall in his first year.”
“Thanks,” the honour was somewhat dubious, but it was recognition nonetheless. He made a mental note to smile more at the female assistants in future.
Then Tegoshi’s eyes fell on Yamapi’s poster. He was wearing RUSS-K’s winter wear, and was gazing straight at whoever was looking at the poster, a small smirk on his face.
Tegoshi suddenly felt an ache in his chest. He wanted to see this person, in the flesh, so much.
Ryo watched as Tegoshi’s eyes turned wistful. “Tegoshi,” Ryo said softly, “Yamapi will be here later to get his schedule.”
Tegoshi nodded to Ryo. “Thank you.”
“Come on, Koyama, let’s go for dinner.” Ryo slung an arm around Koyama and half-pushed, half-dragged his friend out of the agency.
“But we don’t know whether Yamapi’s coming!” Koyama exclaimed, once they were out of earshot. “You haven’t spoken to him since the bust-up right?”
Ryo shrugged. “I’ll make him come.” He took out his handphone, punched a message and sent it out, presumably to Yamapi.
“Ok, now we can really go and eat.” Ryo started walking, but Koyama did not follow.
“Is it really ok for you? To give Tegoshi to Yamapi?”
Ryo stopped.
“Tegoshi is not mine to give. Come on, I’m starving.”
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Notes:
[1] I’m leaving
[2] Have a nice day.
“Ittekimasu[1], for the last time, you’re sure you can’t come with us?” Massu said.
“For the last time, no. I have a full load of stuff to do over Christmas. I’ll be going home for New Year though, so I’ll see you guys soon.” Tegoshi laughed at Massu made an exaggerated sad face at him, and hugged both Massu and Shige.
“Itterasshai[2]. Have a good trip back to Yokohama.” Tegoshi waved as his friends closed the door of the apartment behind them.
“Is it really ok to leave him alone like this?” Massu asked, as they dragged their luggage towards the train station.
“Hmm?”
“I mean even though we’re together so much now Tegoshi seems lonelier than ever? What is it that Yamashita-senpai has that we don’t anyway?” Stopping in his tracks, Massu sounded unusually serious, and somewhat aggrieved.
Shige patted Massu on his shoulder. Although he often acted like a dork whose only interest was food (and sometimes sports), both Shige and Tegoshi knew that he was really sensitive and loyal. That was how their friendship had formed, and how it had withstood the test of time and other obstructions. But now their companionship seemed to be doing nothing for Tegoshi, and no wonder Massu was feeling hurt and confounded.
“He’s matured a lot since he came to Tokyo, so let’s just trust that he’ll work it out for himself when he’s given some peace and quiet.” Shige smiled, and started walking again.
But Massu must have seen something in that smile, for he called out, “Wait a second, this is not your ploy, is it?”
“You’re imagining things, Massu, just imagining things.” Grinning, Shige did not look back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tegoshi listened to the clock tick as he lay in bed. He had been trying for the past half-an-hour to take an afternoon nap, as he had woken up very early for a shoot, but to no avail. Ever since Shige and Massu left, Tegoshi had been taking longer than usual to fall asleep. It was odd, but Tegoshi concluded that it was because the house was too quiet. Living alone had been a new and unsettling experience for him. His family had never travelled without him, and Yamapi, despite his sometimes wild ways, always returned home to sleep.
Thinking about Yamapi unsettled him further. Finally, Tegoshi decided to forget about taking a nap. He would, instead, go to the agency to collect his new schedule.
As Tegoshi stepped into the agency, something in the main hall made him stop in his tracks. 4 gigantic posters were plastered on the previously blank wall, of Yamapi, Ryo, Koyama and himself. As Tegoshi gaped at the posters a familiar voice greeted, “hey Tegoshi!”
Tegoshi turned to see Koyama grinning at him from the doorway of the office, with Ryo standing next to him.
Koyama walked up to him. “So you’ve seen our Christmas tradition.”
“Huh?”
“Johnny-san doesn’t like to have posters of the models in the agency. Says it breeds narcissism. But when he goes on holiday at the end of the year, the female assistants in the agency will vote for their favourite models for the year, and posters of the 4 most popular models will be pasted on this wall, well 4 because that’s all the wall can accommodate. Of course it’ll all be taken down before Johnny-san comes back at the beginning of the year. Actually the people here say that Johnny-san knows what’s happening, but closes one eye because it generates healthy competition. Everyone wants to be on the wall at the end of the year. So congrats, Tegoshi, it’s probably a record that someone actually got onto the wall in his first year.”
“Thanks,” the honour was somewhat dubious, but it was recognition nonetheless. He made a mental note to smile more at the female assistants in future.
Then Tegoshi’s eyes fell on Yamapi’s poster. He was wearing RUSS-K’s winter wear, and was gazing straight at whoever was looking at the poster, a small smirk on his face.
Tegoshi suddenly felt an ache in his chest. He wanted to see this person, in the flesh, so much.
Ryo watched as Tegoshi’s eyes turned wistful. “Tegoshi,” Ryo said softly, “Yamapi will be here later to get his schedule.”
Tegoshi nodded to Ryo. “Thank you.”
“Come on, Koyama, let’s go for dinner.” Ryo slung an arm around Koyama and half-pushed, half-dragged his friend out of the agency.
“But we don’t know whether Yamapi’s coming!” Koyama exclaimed, once they were out of earshot. “You haven’t spoken to him since the bust-up right?”
Ryo shrugged. “I’ll make him come.” He took out his handphone, punched a message and sent it out, presumably to Yamapi.
“Ok, now we can really go and eat.” Ryo started walking, but Koyama did not follow.
“Is it really ok for you? To give Tegoshi to Yamapi?”
Ryo stopped.
“Tegoshi is not mine to give. Come on, I’m starving.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
[1] I’m leaving
[2] Have a nice day.