"Hm?"

"From...almost killing him..."

"...of course. I think you would have stopped by yourself eventually anyway."

"...I hope so."

"...how's your mom been? Sorry I haven't checked on her much before."

"It's alright. She's been alright. Sometimes I visit her on my days off but we've been doing our own things usually."

"I see..."

"And your parents...?"

"Well... They only send quick messages on holidays, not really anything to start a conversation per se... I just respond in the same manner and we don't talk again until the next holiday."

"I'm sorry..."

"They've been like that my whole life, I'm used to it. I'm a bit jealous of your relationship with your mom."

"I'm sure my mom would like it if you visited."

"Should I?"

"Let's go when things calm down."

"Ugh... I have to repair the bar..."

"We'll get it done in time."

"...I'm worried. What if I have bad feelings towards my bar now...?"

I heard Anzai turn towards me. I slowly turned to face him as well.

"You'll be alright. You're a strong person, Narihira. I'll always be there to help you along the way as well."

"Thanks...Thanks for always being by my side. For always being such a good friend. For protecting me when I'm in danger... I really, really appreciate it." Uh oh... I'm getting teary eyed now.

"Of course. Thank you for being my friend all these years. I hope we can stay together as great friends forever."

I nodded. Then I felt his hand on my cheek as he wiped away a tear. His hand lingered as we stared at each other for a long moment. Then he suddenly turned away.

"Good night..." He said.

"Good night..." I laid on my back. I almost thought...something was going to happen there... No way, right? We'd always just be friends...and I should be satisfied with that...

I thought I'd have nightmares, but I vaguely remembered that my dreams were filled with Anzai saving the day. There was no room for nightmares at all. When I woke up the next morning, Anzai was nowhere to be found. I got up to search for him and found him in the kitchen.

"You're up," he said, cutely wearing a plain black apron. "Want some pancakes?"

"Yes, please," I beamed. What a wonderful sight to wake up to...

We sat at the dining table and ate. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I couldn't stop shoveling food into my mouth. When I finally had my fill, Anzai handed me my phone I had left on the kitchen counter.

"I didn't mean to look, but Rikiya has been calling and messaging you a lot. Shukishi and Atsutane have also reached out to both of us."

I carefully took my phone and scrolled through the list of notifications. "We'll have to explain what happened to the bar, huh...?"

"We can't open again today, that's for sure. We'll have to put a notice on the door and work towards getting it repaired."

"You're right... Should we try to get everyone together to tell them what happened? I at least need to talk to Rikiya. I don't really want to tell the same story over and over though."

"We could invite them over here to talk."

"Would that be alright?"

"Of course. Did you want to message them?"

I nodded and quickly typed out a group message, ignoring the other unread messages I had. It felt too overwhelming to look at them... And Rikiya seemed pretty angry... I didn't really want to see all the nasty things he spouted. I soon got confirmation that they could all come over today. They soon arrived at Anzai's apartment, one by one.

"Narihira..." Shukishi looked shocked. "You cut your hair..."

"Yes, well... That's just what happened..." I'd rather not explain the reason in detail. Especially when Atsutane had the same reaction next.

Rikiya looked pissed when he arrived, but he was taken off guard by my hair which caused his expression to soften slightly. He quietly stormed past me to take a seat in the dining room.

We all took our seats, thankfully Anzai's table was big enough and had enough chairs. I was quiet for a moment, wondering how I could start to tell the crazy story of what had happened last night. I looked at Anzai for support and he gave me a reassuring nod.

"So, um... Well... Rikiya, you can stop me if you don't want me to be giving out certain details, but basically... Last night... A man named Togai visited the bar after you all had left."

No one stopped me as I recounted what happened with some reluctance. I was purposely vague yet again with what happened between me and Togai behind that curtain. Anzai added some of his input about the men he fought with. It was quiet when we had finished.

"...he was arrested," Rikiya finally said. "Togai, I mean. The police called since I was trying to call him for my next payment. They had investigated him and found out how he had scammed so many people as a loan shark while usually posing as a financial advisor. And of course he trashed your bar as well."

"Does that mean...you're free...?" I asked.

Rikiya sighed. "I think so. At least from him. I guess you managed to help me with this impossible problem after all, Narihira. Although I never wanted it to happen like this. I never wanted harm to come to you."

His serious expression took me off guard. "I'm glad... that I was able to help..."

"That's quite the series of events," Shukishi said. "I'm afraid I'm a bit speechless by all of it. I'm sorry you both had to experience all of that by yourselves. I wish I could have stayed longer to help."

"Me too!" Atsutane added. "I can't even imagine being in that situation... I'm glad you both made it out, even if you are wounded because of it..."

"Thank you both..." I said.

"...the bar may be out of commission for a while," Anzai said. "We'll have to notify customers in any way we can and get started on repairs as soon as possible."

"Of course," Shukishi said. "We'll all do what we can to help get the bar back on its feet."

After a bit more conversation, they decided to take their leave. Rikiya stopped in the doorway after the other two had left. He looked at me, his expression upset again.

"When I got that call from the police, I had seriously thought you went behind my back and contacted them about the situation. I see that I was wrong. And I see that Togai hurt you as well. If there's anything else you want to talk about, I'll listen. Don't expect too much from me though..."

"Thank you, Rikiya... It means a lot."

He nodded. "And...thanks for all your help..."

I quickly wrapped my arms around him. He was hurt by Togai just like me...and I worried his experience was far worse than mine... I wished I could hug him and heal all the pain he had gone through...but I knew it was impossible... Some scars may never fade...

"I'll listen to anything you want to talk about as well," I said. "You're not alone."

"...fine... Now let go, it's hard to breathe..."

I let go as he asked and he turned away, his hand on his face. He said goodbye before quickly leaving. I slowly closed the door behind him. I think I'm crying again...

When I turned around, Anzai's arms were there. He hugged me until I felt a bit better.

It took some time for the bar to be repaired and for me to feel willing to go back there to work. I took down the curtain, the only one in the building that was for privacy between customer and employee if they asked for a more intimate request. I felt bad taking it away from them, but I couldn't stand to look at it anymore. Not many used it anyway so hopefully it wouldn't upset anyone.

Opening day was finally upon us and I took a deep breath to prepare for it. I glanced at Anzai and my other friends. They looked like they'd always be there for me no matter what. And it was all I could ever ask for. I smiled as I turned on the neon open sign. I hope we get a lot of customers today, I thought while feeling hopeful.