EXTRA 1 – Unlikely friends

Kota Subaru. 30 years old and Chief Editor at Suzumori Publishing.

That day he was sitting at his desk reviewing some documents. His hair was messy, a sign that he had been brushing his fingers through it many times. He had a serious and focused expression, with his rimless glasses pushed high over his nose. His long and slender fingers were holding a pen, fumbling with it from time to time.

Just as he was about to touch the paper with the tip of his pen, in order to make a few annotations, his office door was suddenly pushed open and a man strutted inside. The sudden commotion made Kota's hand slip and a particularly ugly scrawl appeared on the document. A deep crease appeared between the man's eyebrows, giving his otherwise handsome and accommodating features a slight shade of ferociousness.

"Ah! Kota-san, I apologize."

His assistant rushed inside hastily. She glanced apprehensively at the man who had just barged inside her boss's office.

"Asakura-san he... Well, he said he must see you right now so I... I couldn't..." She stopped, blushing furiously with embarrassment.

"It's alright, Hikari-chan, I understand. You can go now."

"Won't you have her bring me some tea or some sort of refreshment?" Asakura asked after the assistant left.

"You don't deserve it. Look what you made me do!" Kota picked up the ruined document and flaunted it in front of Asakura.

"Sorry." Asakura said, raising a hand and grinning. "But still, you should have at least asked for some water. What kind of host are you?"

"The kind that hates unwelcome visitors." Kota retorted mercilessly.

Then, he put down his pen and stared at the other man. In the meantime, the 'unwanted visitor' had already calmly taken a seat in one of the armchairs placed near the window.

After a moment of silence, Kota got up and took a seat across from him.

"So, who was the one that ruffled your feathers so early in the day?" Kota inquired,

As he did so, Kota leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs with a sequence of casual and elegant movements.

"I was flatly rejected." Asakura said without any emotion visible on his face.

"Good for you." Kota replied in the same manner.

"I'm not joking."

"Neither am I." Kota retorted without the smallest change in his expression. "You need to face a few rejections from time to time. It's good for the soul."

"You're heartless." Asakura sighed deeply.

At this point, his impassive mask was finally crumbling. His inner turmoil was beginning to transform into a storm, which threatened to break the walls he had placed around his heart. Like huge waves rising only to violently crash against the coast, one by one, his emotions also rose and fell against the boundaries of his heart.

Due to this moment of weakness, Kota was finally able to notice a glimpse of emotion flickering in the other man's eyes.

Seeing this person, who usually looked strong and composed, showing this kind of defeated expression, made Kota's own glacial attitude thaw ever so slightly.

"Keita-chan?" He asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Mh." Asakura replied, letting out a drawn-out sigh. "He said he already has someone he likes."

"I guess you were one step behind Kurosawa-kun."

"So, you already knew." Asakura frowned. There was a slight hint of accusation in his tone.

"Of course, I know! One has been my friend for many years, and the other is the Editor I personally scouted and then trained. I would be stupid if I didn't know something was going on. And by the way, I hope you didn't go to his apartment and scare him." Kota shot the other man a sharp gaze.

"I didn't scare him. What am I, a frightening beast that eats people?! And how did you know I went to his place?"

"You're easy to read." Kota waved a hand in dismissal. "Then, I am curious to know how you ended up getting the boot."

"I told him everything."

"I see." Kota sighed. "Still, it appears the frightened kitten has grown some tiger claws. If he was able to keep his own in front of your passionate declarations, that means I won't have to worry about him anymore. After all, knowing you, sweeping someone off their feet is quite an easy task when you really put your mind to it."

"Keita-kun is different from those people." Asakura declared matter-of-factly.

"Yes, he is indeed. Though, I'm glad to see he has grown up and is finally able to face his fears and pursue what he wants."

"What about me then?"

"You just lick your wounds and get back to your company. Don't you have work to do?" Kota snapped at him. Suddenly remembering the blotted document from earlier made him feel irritated.

"Are you rooting for the other team? Tsk, so mean."

"I'm rooting for whomever can make Keita-chan happy. You lost your chance the moment you decided to hide from him all those years ago."

"Such cruel words. Then, are you going to comfort me for my loss?" Asakura asked, leaning closer and touching Kota's leg teasingly.

"Who's going to comfort a stupid guy like you?! Just go away quickly!" Kota bit out, smacking Asakura's hand away.

"I never knew that deep down you were a tsundere." Asakura teased with a chuckle.

Still, he knew better than to mess around excessively. Therefore, he got up and was ready to leave, when Kota suddenly stopped him.

"Ryuu, what are you planning to do from now on? He's not likely to change his mind, you know."

"I know. I'll just do what I have been doing for the past fifteen years: follow him in silence."

"Ugh, creepy." Kota said, repressing a shiver and also feigning a disgusted expression.

"That's what he said as well." Asakura let out a hearty laugh.

Now that he had talked about it, his heart felt slightly lighter. Consequently, by the time reach for the door handle he was already in a better mood.

"Let's grab a drink one of these days. It'll be my treat."

After directing an air kiss at Kota from afar, as well as shooting the man a playful wink, Asakura finally pushed the door open and left the office.