Guy's Night Out

Kenshiro's car drove to the restaurant with a great deal of care. If having a VIP in the world of crime wasn't enough to make you drive as if you were carrying a bomb, having said person's family would only multiply that feeling. The two brothers mostly remained silent for the drive, aside from the odd pleasantry. Benjiro mostly opted to let his eyes gaze out the window and take in the various sights. He had lived in his new hometown for almost six months now, but his introverted tendencies still carried over.

The bookstore he visited some time ago, school, the library and the diner he went to with his father was about as explorative as he got. Going a few towns over was practically unheard of. They passed right by several restaurants, some shops, a spa, and a hardware store before Benjiro thought to ask, "So where is it that we're going?"

Kenshiro held up one 'wait a moment' finger before saying, "Aaand we're here."

The car pulled into the parking lot of a somewhat upscale looking hibachi place. When they got inside, the mouthwatering scent of grilling meat, sauces and a little beer hit their noses. Benjiro let out a low whistle when they got inside. The waiter who escorted them was clearly nervous, seeing such an intimidating figure, but wisely didn't comment. They were seated in a private booth, away from most of the noise. Benjiro tried to start talking but Kenshiro held up his hand to be silent for a few more moments. Each of the brothers continued to remain mostly quiet until their meat and drinks arrived. After the waiter finally left, the elder finally broke their temporary vow.

"Alright, so what's so important that your girlfriend had to reach out to me?"

Benjiro's ears and cheeks colored at that, "Y-You mean Harkuok-ka? She's n-not my girlfriend, just my st-student. I thought you knew th-that."

"Yeah I knew", Kenshiro leaned his chin on his hands and smirked, "But I figured that, you know. A guy, a girl, spending hours together after school, gradually getting to know each other a little at a time until..."

"Ken!"

"Sorry", Kenshiro laughed while waving his hands in placation, "You are so easy to mess with. But seriously? I know she looks kind of mean, but she's not half bad looking and she's strong. You could do a lot worse if you're looking for a girl."

Benjiro grimaced, "I think if I even hinted at something like that, she'd probably rip my arms off."

Kenshiro let out a chuckle before taking a swig of his beer mug. He took a few small slabs of beef and laid them on the grill.

"Now this is how you do a night on the town, eh", Kenshiro said in appreciation.

"What's going on", he said lowly watching the coals.

The smell of the meats wafted towards Benjiro's nose making his unsettled stomach growl.

"What do you mean?"

"Beni, I get a message from someone saying you've been having a rough time, "Ken explained while flipping the slabs, "I know that something sh***y is going on and I want to know what it is."

Benjiro ran his thumb up and down his water glass, "I don't know if ..."

"If what? If it's something I'll understand cause I'm an adult?"

'That and if I told you, most likely someone's going to end up getting hurt', Benjiro thought, pursing his lips.

Kenshiro took the brown pieces of meat and divided them between the two plates, "Beni, you're my brother. If someone's trying to hurt you, I need to know."

Benjiro took a bite from his beef and slowly chewed, "There's these two girls..."

Kenshiro raised his eyebrow, "There's more? D**n little bro, never pegged you as the type to be a ladies man."

The wiry young man chuckled before shaking his head, "I don't th-think that's the c-case."

The cycloptic man lean forward and nodded at his brother to continue. Benjiro took a moment to eat a few more bites while collecting his thoughts. After swallowing, as succintly as he could, he explained the odd relationship between himself and the neighbor girl. As well as the suspicious behavior of his former crush and now adversary. The more Benjiro talked, the looser his tongue became. The entire time, the muscular brother simply sat and listened, occasionally affirming that he was listening or asking a question for clarity. Past a certain point, the younger brother went from cautiously explaining to full on ranting about his frustrations at the fairer sex between eating meat skewers. By the time he finished, Benjiro had to take a few deep breaths and a long draft of water.

"D**n", Kenshiro grunted, "Sounds like you've been bottling up again."

A ripple of guilt washed over Benjiro, "I've talked to D-Dad about some stuff, b-but I don't want to w-worry him."

He didn't notice, but his older brother shifted uncomfortably hearing that. Trying to shift gears, "Isn't there anything you can do about those b**tards that like that rich girl?"

The mop haired boy shrugged, "What g-good would that do? There's dozens of th-them. Some of th-them are the biggest 'prodigies and socialites'", he finger quoted, "And if I did, they probably wouldn't stop."

Kenshiro took another bite of meat and swig of beer before pointing his chopsticks at his brother, "Beni, at some point in your life, you just have to say, 'I'm done taking crap.' And then get on your feet, grit your teeth, mutter a curse if you have to and show the world that you're not weak.

Benjiro appreciated his brother's advice but still.

"Easy for you to say, Ken. You've always been a fighter. And you've never been afraid of a thing in your life.

A pained smile curved on Kenshiro's thoughtful face, "See, that's where you're wrong, little bro. I practically lived my life in fear of one thing or another for a long time. Even now, there's still some things that could make my heart stop just thinking about them.

Benjiro's eyebrows turned up hearing that, "Really? The way you act, you never look scared at all."

The cycloptic man gave a casual shrug, "That's just cause I've seen enough things along the way that, most things that make other people wet themselves doesn't affect me", he paused to lean forward, "And to answer your other point, no. I haven't always been a fighter. But that all changed when you came along."

Sneaking a glance at Kenshiro's blind eye, the younger brother, in a roundabout way thought, 'I made him like this didn't I?'

It was part of the trade to read people's tics and Kenshiro already knew what Benjiro was thinking. He pointed at his eye, "No, I'm not talking about this. I mean when you *first* first showed up. Mom still took care of you for a while, but I knew her. I knew that sooner or later, you'd be on your own."

Benjiro lowered his head and poked his chopsticks at the beef tongue, "Why... just why?"

Without even hearing the full question, Kenshiro just understood. He rubbed his forehead, "It's hard to say. Some people start off with so much... vigor. But they eventually start giving up cause things aren't quite how they pictured. It's like wanting to buy a nice car without considering how much money it'll cost you. Or", he swept his hand over himself in reference, "Wanting a body like yours truly without ever considering just how much time and effort gets put in for it."

Kenshiro waved his hands, "We're getting off topic, point is, problems don't go away just by wishing they will. But", he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone, "If things ever look like they're about to get really ugly, use this. It has my direct number in it. You just hit 'call' and I show up with the cavalry and make some people suffer."

Benjiro took the phone a little hesitantly, "Thanks bro. But if you could, try not to hurt too many people."

The elder brother chuckled but nodded. He didn't normally like people with no backbone, but knowing the root cause of his brother's pacifism gave him pause.

"As for your problem with those two girls, I'd say" he paused to take a large gulp, "Your problem there is that, in their own way, they probably like you."

Coughing and sputtering abounded when Benjiro heard that explanation. Kenshiro couldn't help but laugh at his brother's surprise. After his nose and lungs were cleared, "What do you mean? Were you not listening? What part of anything I told you sounds like those girls are attracted to me?"

In between giggles, " I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain the complexity and ridiculousness that is the female mind. However, just think about it. All the times you spent with them and what you told me they said to you. I know it sounds completely fake, but that could be their way of trying to... get close to you."

All Benjiro could do was sit back and look dumbfounded. He pointed, "Can I have some of that beer?"

Kenshiro cracked an amused grin, "You sure, it's strong stuff."

"Good", Benjiro reached across the table and took a mouthful of the brown liquid. He swallowed but spent the next minute gagging and trying to get the bitter taste of alcohol out of his mouth with copious amounts of meat while Kenshiro laughed. After stuffing his face and regretting it, "What do you think I should do?"

Over the years, Kenshiro had gotten used to people looking at him like a criminal, a fighter, a leader, but it had been some time since such a simple interaction between family.

"I'd probably keep my distance, but that's just me. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want to handle this."

After another hour of asking bits of advice and generally acting like a couple of dumb guys, the duo eventually decided to call it an afternoon. The house felt a little too quiet when Benjiro got back, but his stomach was full and his head a little less heavy. Unbeknownst to the young man, across town in a mansion, a young girl was perusing the internet, taking careful stock of the world of cosmetics.

Hitting the 'Confirm Order' button, Hiromi thought to herself, "Remember, you don't have to grovel but you should... show some... humility. Why am I even doing this."

A question she would continue to ask herself for a while.