In the end, Wen Xulong was adamant that Nao come along, and thus he found himself leaving with the other two boys.
The karaoke room wasn’t far from Kit’s Place, so Rin didn’t bother calling a pod and simply continued walking beside the bustling road. Nao walked at his side, while Wen Xulong trailed a few steps behind, chattering away. With him carrying the conversation, Nao didn’t feel quite so uncomfortable.
The night air was cold. An hour earlier, it had been delightful, crisp and fresh; now, it was too biting to be called anything but unpleasant. Strong winds whistled between the tall buildings, blowing Nao’s hair into his face. The sky had been overcast half the day, and a fine drizzle began to fall at last.
Wen Xulong pulled an umbrella out of his bag. “Guess that front’s finally hitting. Shini-sama, Nao-chan, don’t get wet, now.”
Nao reached for his bag, then belatedly realized. . .he had left it beside his desk. Nevermind the fact that he didn’t have his umbrella—he didn’t even have his tablet. All of it was locked inside the school building, inaccessible until Monday morning.
Rin popped his umbrella and stepped closer to Nao, covering both of them. “Don’t forget your things next time.”
“Th—. . .” Nao had been about to thank Rin, but suddenly stopped, remembering what Rin had said. He could only shut his mouth and frown.
Rin cast a sidelong glance at his dissatisfied expression and said, “It’s fine if you want to say thank you, but there’s really no need. The umbrella is big enough for two anyway.”
Nao gave a tentative smile in response.
It was indeed not long before the karaoke room came into view. It really was extremely simple, a two- or three-story building with a bright pink neon sign saying KARAOKE. One door was propped open, and the sound of music and chatter spilled faintly out.
Wen Xulong ushered the two in, leading them up to the second floor. The trio sat down in a corner booth. Rin pulled out his homework and started on it with an expressionless face, while Wen Xulong put his feet up on the table with a happy sigh. Nao was busy processing the atmosphere.
Up on the stage was a group of four performing a song that sounded quite rowdy, invoking a sense of vigor from one’s soul. Their foreheads were covered in a thin film of sweat from the bright spotlights above, but their voices were nonetheless very strong. Nao was a little awed.
The four-person band onstage sang a few more numbers; Nao listened and felt that music was something he liked a lot. Eventually, they each gave bows and departed the stage; an employee of the establishment took the microphone and asked which patron would like to sing next.
Xulong sat up to jostle Rin. “Shini-sama, go on! You haven’t sung here in so long, our poor friends are missing your voice.”
Rin sighed and rolled his eyes, but set down his pen and stood up. Raising his voice slightly, he said, “I’ll go for a couple rounds.”
“Ah, Shiniama-san is back!” the employee said as Rin mounted the stage. “We haven’t seen you here in a bit. Two songs, then?”
“Mm.” Rin handed the man a sol, then took the mic. “Fake Parade and. . .SHINIGAMIBUYOU.”
Wen Xulong grinned at Rin’s second choice.
Tilting his head slightly, Nao asked, “Xulong-ge. . .what does ‘shinigamibuyou’ mean?”
“Something like ‘death god dance’,” Wen Xulong answered. “Nao-chan, do you know any Japanese?”
“Mm. . .A little,” Nao said.
The music started up again, and Nao’s attention was drawn back to Rin on the stage. Rin’s voice poured out all at once, smooth and rich and clear. Nao was a little shocked.
Rin’s expression remained as neutral as ever, not changing in the slightest even as the syllables flowed with all the vibrancy of the melody. It offered quite a stark contrast and gave one the impression that they were gazing upon a divine being in disguise.
Having had a sudden flash of insight, Nao turned back to Wen Xulong. “Xulong-ge, the first part of Rin-san’s surname is ‘shini’. So then, is that the word for ‘death’?”
“Sort of,” Wen Xulong said. “It’s derived from one of the word’s verb forms, ‘shinimasu’. Shini-sama’s surname is actually unique to his family. It was created after his ancestors smashed their surnames together.”
“So, the nickname ‘Shini-sama’. . .”
“Well, Shini-sama certainly passes for a god of death, doesn’t he?” Wen Xulong said, grinning brightly.
Nao smiled back. Wen Xulong sat back and glanced toward the crowd, then suddenly turned his gaze back to their table, scrunching up his shoulders as if trying to hide.
Nao’s interest was piqued. Frowning, he followed Wen Xulong’s previous line of sight and saw a young waiter looking in their direction. He was very handsome, with spotlessly smooth bronze skin and black hair pulled into a messy bun. He seemed to be gazing at Wen Xulong.
“That waiter stares at me every time I come here,” Wen Xulong said in a low voice, with the air of one divulging great secrets. “I’ve wanted to talk to him for ages, but I’m such a wimp that my legs go all wobbly every time I’m about to try.”
Observing the light flush in Wen Xulong’s cheeks and the way his eyes were avoidant, Nao could guess why Wen Xulong would feel so nervous at the thought of approaching the waiter. He felt a pang of sympathy for Wen Xulong and resolved to do his new friend a favor.
“Wait here for a moment,” Nao said, getting to his feet.
Wen Xulong’s gaze became anxious. “What are you doing?”
Nao didn’t answer. He wove through the crowds, careful not to bump anyone. After working at a busy restaurant delivering food to customers for a week, he was rather skilled at slipping through thin cracks between people without any collisions. After only a moment, he reached the young waiter.
“Um, excuse me, sir?” Nao called.
The young waiter looked back. “Oh, hello there. Do you need anything?”
“My friend is interested in getting to know you, so I was wondering if I could get your contact info for him since he’s too shy,” Nao said.
The waiter’s eyes turned back to Wen Xulong. “Oh my god, you mean the cute boy who comes here all the time with Shiniama-san?”
“Mm.” Nao nodded.
“Absolutely, give me just one second.” He pulled a notepad and pen from the pocket of his apron, then jotted down his name and tablet number. “You, my friend, are a miracle. I’ve been trying to exchange numbers with him forever.”
Nao accepted the note with a smile. “Thank you. Have a nice night.”
“You too!”
Nao made his way back to Wen Xulong. By this time, Rin’s second song had started. It sounded pretty ominous and intense. Nao passed the note to Wen Xulong, then watched Rin singing.
Wen Xulong slowly uncrumpled himself to peek over at Nao. “. . .How in the world did you do that? What did he say?”
“It wasn’t too hard,” Nao said, still fixated on Rin’s performance. “He called you cute and said he’s wanted to exchange numbers for a while.”
Wen Xulong’s eyes went wide. “Really?! He—he called me cute?!”
“Mm.” Nao finally looked back to Wen Xulong. “You should send him a message to make sure the number is right.”
Wen Xulong laughed nervously as he typed the numbers into his tablet. “Aha, I guess you’re right. I owe you one for this, Nao-chan.”
Nao shook his head. “Consider it repayment for your help earlier.”
Wen Xulong put his hands together and bowed to Nao. “Nao-chan, if there’s anyone you like in the future, please absolutely hit me up! I’ll be your wingman until the day I die!”
Wen Xulong’s sincerity was too much. Nao tried to hold it in, but in the end he dissolved into quiet laughter. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Wen Xulong grinned in response to Nao’s laughter, then twisted in his seat to look at Rin. “Shini-sama’s number is almost up. Do you want to sing, Nao-chan?”
“Oh. . .” Nao smiled and shook his head. “No, thank you. I don’t know any songs.”
Wen Xulong looked surprised. “Really? Not even one?”
Nao shook his head. “Music isn’t really something I had time for until now, so I don’t have any songs memorized. Sorry.”
”I henceforth vow to catch you up on music!” Wen Xulong said solemnly. “I’ll bring you a player next Friday after class.”
“Oh, Xulong-ge, that’s really not necessary,” Nao said, waving his hands. “Players aren’t cheap. How about this, I’ll give you my tablet number and you can send me an archive of your favorites?”
“Oh yeah, that works too.”
Nao listed off a string of numbers while Rin gave a bow and thanked the audience for their time. Wen Xulong typed it in, then grinned and stood up as Rin left the stage. “Well, I guess it’s my turn, then!”
Nao waved and watched Wen Xulong walk off to take Rin’s place, while Rin rejoined Nao in the booth. Nao paid close attention to Wen Xulong as he started to sing. While it was clear his vocal range wasn’t as broad as Rin’s, his singing was just as good, if not even better.
Nao felt Rin’s gaze on him and turned to meet it. In a slightly accusatory tone, he said, “You lied, Xulong-ge’s singing is just as good as yours.”
Rin’s mouth twitched. He cough-laughed into his fist a couple times, then replied, “I was joking.”
Nao blinked. “. . .Oh.”
This time, though he tried to suppress it, Rin’s grin was clear, and it was easy to tell he was laughing. Nao couldn’t help joining in, feeling a little silly. But Rin’s laughter suddenly faded when he looked at Nao again.
Nao tilted his head with a curious frown. “What’s wrong?”
Rin flushed a bit, then shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just. . .you seem happier.”
Nao considered this. “Mm. . .I guess I am happier. I have a job now, and I’m getting used to how different everything is. It’s been tough, but it’s getting easier now.”
“I’m glad,” Rin said. “If there’s anything you need in the future, I’ll do my best to help out. I didn’t think about it before, but you’re probably going through a lot more than I can fathom. If I can make it easier, then please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Nao smiled. Rin’s candor and kindness made him feel warm inside.
“Thank you, Rin-san. I’ll remember that.”
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