ichibukuro | avalon ic inbox.

[He is better than Rei in a lot of ways, but that bar is really low.]

sounds good. see you in an hour.

[True to his word, Ichiro arrives at the cafe an hour later. Still unsure of what Rosho could want to talk to him about, he raises his hand in greeting upon seeing him.]

Hey! Were you waiting long?

[ When Ichiro arrives he'll find Rosho at a table, a coffee cup and a little dessert box he's prepared to take back home with him as well as, of course, a slice of cake for himself. Its a half cafe half bakery, so its pretty obvious why he chose it as their meet-up spot. He raises his hand in greeting in return, expression warm and inviting. ]

When I'm in a place like this, waiting isn't a problem. [ He could keep ordering himself sweets and he'd be just fine. ] But not at all.

[ Rosho gestures to the seat opposite of him. ]

Have you eaten? If you'd like to order anything please consider it my treat. Its the least I could do for taking up your time so suddenly.

[First Tsumugi and now Rosho... Ichiro is being treated and spoiled so much.]

It's really no trouble. But if you're sure... [He wasn't kidding about having time to spare. While it's still snowing in Avalon, the snowstorm has passed and folks are way more prepared so he hasn't gotten nearly as many delivery requests as he did at the worst of it. Which - Ichiro's happy people are having less trouble but that's more free time for him.

Anyway. He orders one of the more savory items on the menu.]

What is it you wanted to talk about?

[ Rosho takes a deep breath, trying to figure out where to even start with this conversation. Admittedly there's a million questions running through his mind that he knew Rei wouldn't answer but he knows better than to bombard Ichiro with them. Rei said they're "estranged", so he can't forget that. ]

Rei let me know the truth about you two. I mean, in as few terms as he likes to tell me about most things. I'm aware you're related but you don't talk. Thats about it really.

[Ichiro stiffens up immediately. What the hell is Rei thinking telling anyone about their relationship? Of course Rosho's his teammate (and sasara. sasara must know too or will know soon. fuck) but with how uninvolved with each other's lives they've been, there would have been no need to say anything.

And the way Rosho says it implies Rei only told him recently. Why now? Does him being in Avalon now really make that much of a difference?

His treat is abandoned in favor of Ichiro crossing his arms against his chest. Guarded.]

If that's what he told you, then that's that. What else is there to say about it?

[ Ah... he can already tell he's messed up. That was probably not the best approach to make. Then again he had a feeling saying anything in regards to Rei would probably make the mood sour.

Whatever happened between the two of them must have been bad. Really bad. And as usual, Rei won't give any impression of being bothered while someone else deals with the weight of the repercussions.

Rosho bows his head in apology. ]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be nosy and press the issue. I just...

[ He lets out a heavy sigh, raising his head again. ]

I'll be honest. The whole thing pisses me off. The fact that Rei keeps secrets like this. The fact that he's got kids. And its not just you. I know now, that its the three of you that are his. And I have a feeling you all don't have a good opinion of him. I wouldn't blame you.

[ Any time he thinks about what Rei said, about looking forward to seeing Buster Bros— his own children, lose the DRB again, his blood boils. He doesn't want to lose, but hearing that sort of thing just makes him feel terrible.

They deserved better. ]

I'm not here out of any obligation to him. I'm not doing this for him at all. I'm talking to you because I wanted to talk to you. Rei doesn't know about any of this.

[ Rosho's not sure if any of this is going to get through to Ichiro and throw down his defenses, but if it doesn't, he only really has one other option here. ]

...if its any consolation, I've punched Rei in the face before. I did it when he told me about you too. And if you told me to do it again, I would.

[While Ichiro doesn't entirely lower his defenses, he listens to everything Rosho has to say. He's a good guy. Despite his connection to Rei, Ichiro can tell he means everything he's saying.]

If he's gonna be punched for my sake, I want to be the one doing it.

[How satisfying it would have been to beat his ass in the DRB.]

I'm not proud of this but, I lied to my brothers about him. I told them our dad was dead and I got away with it for years because he was gone. So him suddenly getting involved, even back home, [Though he's still not sure why Rei's name was on Nemu's file.] and having the balls to finally come out with it - I don't get it. It pisses me off too.

[More than he can put in to words. He wants so terribly to declare that Rei isn't their dad. He doesn't have the right to call himself their dad. But --

He laughs, humorless.] Maybe we can double team him.

[ Something rises up in Rosho, that familiar feeling of pent up adrenaline as his eyes go dark and every muscle in his body goes tense. There's no anger directed at Ichiro for professing to lying to his siblings about the reality of their father, presumed gone, left to care for them in his absence. He imagines their mother was gone too, either voluntarily or... deceased. It eats him apart inside to think of them having to live like this for so long, all on their own, while their father— while Rei was around and doing nothing for them.

Of all the things he can't forgive, its hurting kids like this. ]

I absolutely wouldn't mind the extra hand.

[ Rosho wants to beat Rei senseless right about now. Its sort of tempting to cut this meeting short and have them go over to the Roost to pay Rei a visit in his office. Just a minute or so, it wouldn't take them very long to rip him to shreds.

But he needs to stop focusing on Rei so much. As angry as he is, especially on behalf of Ichiro, this isn't the reason he wanted this meeting. ]

Well, enough about your shitty old man. [ Rosho takes a big piece of his slice of cake and scarfs it down, and immediately he feels much better. Nothing perks him up like sweets. ]

What are your younger brothers like? Their names are... Saburo, and Jiro, right? It must be difficult to be away from them.

[It's almost startling how abrupt the change in conversation is. But his little brothers are to Ichiro what sweets are to Rosho so he's more than happy to move on to talking about them.]

Ah, that's right. Jiro's 17 and Saburo's 14... so I know they could take care of themselves - take care of each other [If they stopped fighting for a second.] but it's still a relief knowing they're not going anywhere back home.

Not that I want them here, either. You know what I mean? [He shoots Rosho a look, clearly referencing back to the start of their conversation. And it's not safe in Avalon. He knows that without Rei telling him.] They're good kids but they'd definitely be getting into trouble here.

[And yet he sounds so fond admitting that.]

[ The youngest is 14... the taste of his cake sours for an unfortunate moment, because Rosho can't help but imagine them all even younger, and their father wasn't around. But after a sip of his coffee and another slice of cake he's back on track. It helps to see the sort of joy evident on Ichiro's face just at the mention of his siblings. They all must care for each other a lot, and as the oldest brother, Ichiro must have had to do so much for his family in Rei's absence. What he'd told him was right, they really are strong. ]

You have a point, and I think that'll make the stay here a little easier. No matter what happens, they'll be waiting for you at home, safe and sound. And kept out of trouble for sure.

[ He gives a laugh. ]

I teach high school, so I know full well how much of a handful kids at that age can be. And I only see them for a handful of hours a day. You're with your brothers all the time.

I think I'd be a lot less patient if they weren't my brothers. [And he knows he still loses his cool with them when they argue too much. They're getting better about that, though.

But with that, Ichiro finally feels relaxed enough to start digging back in to what he ordered. He takes a bite and then continues his thought.] There's no way I could be a teacher. Props to you, Rosho-san.

[He can imagine he's a good teacher, too. If only he were in Ikebukuro: a teacher like him would be good for Jiro.]

Having a role of responsibility teaches you things like that. It comes in handy, I'd say.

[ Since he'd grown up an only child Rosho can't relate to the experience, but being an only son probably had its own effect on him too. After all, he was the sole focus of his parents. Positively, and negatively. He learned to pull his own weight. And yet he never thought of himself as selfish in any manner.

Maybe doing what he does now makes sense in the long run. Afterall, its nice to do things for other people instead of himself. Thats where his passion is now. ]

But anything's possible. You never know what the future holds. I never would've dreamed I'd become a teacher. Actually, it was the last thing I'd ever want to be. I started out doing comedy with Sasara, ya know. Back when we first met.

Was that before - [Ichiro stops himself. Before Sasara was in Tokyo? Before Samatoki? Would that mean anything to him? Since Rosho hadn't recognized Ichiro when they first met, he can't know how much Sasara has told him of Mad Comic Dialogue. Does he know anything at all?

And if he doesn't... it's not his place to tell.]

I mean, that's pretty surprising. No offense but you don't seem like the comedy type.

[But it explains why he can put up with Sasara in the first place.]

[ Something about that unfinished question stings, just a little bit, yet Rosho doesn't press the issue. Whatever Ichiro was about to ask about, surely Rosho has no idea what he means. Even if he wants to know all of Sasara's secrets, when it comes down to it, he's still absolutely terrified to hear the truth.

Thinking about the past hurts enough already. ]

No, your assessment's perfect. I couldn't tell a good joke to save my life. [ Rosho laughs sheepishly. ] I had zero sense of humor. But I somehow put it in my head that I could still be a comedian. I went to a school and everything. That's where I met Sasara. Somehow, he convinced me to be his partner, and we got by performing manzai together.

[ He gives a small shrug. ]

Unsurprisingly it didn't last for very long. Its been about six years now since our duo broke up.

["Six years" confirms Ichiro's suspicions but leaves him with more questions too. He never got the full story of how Sasara and Samatoki ended up together, so it's hard to imagine how Sasara went from Rosho to a punk like Samatoki and then back again.

He offers Rosho a sympathetic smile.] There's something to be said for trying. And that you guys are still friends.

[Which is better than Ichiro's faired. Also, he doesn't know they're dating. Oh my.]

You're right. Our lives are too short to not take a risk or two here and there. Even though the outcome wasn't what I'd wanted, I don't regret my decision. I don't regret becoming a teacher either.

[ He knows Sasara will always feel differently about the matter, but whats most important for Rosho is that he's able to do what makes him happy. And as long as he's able to do it with Sasara still at his side then he's perfectly content. Stage fright issues aside of course.

He does have a little scoff at the "friends" part though. ]

Ya know, after we broke up, we didn't talk for a long time. About a year or two went by where I didn't hear a word from him. Then he'd just show up randomly at my place usually in the middle of the night. The next thing I know, he's asking me to be his partner again for the next DRB. The whole time I thought, "He's so annoying, I can't stand it. I'll never do anything for him again. No matter how much he bothers me or how much he asks". I didn't want to join his team.

But he has a weird way of coercing you into things, doesn't he? [Just like he had sounded so fond talking about his brothers, Ichiro unconsciously sounds fond talking about Sasara. He can't help it. That had been... a good time in his life.] He was like that when I knew him too.

So what happened? How'd he get you.

[ Rosho has a small laugh, but the warmth in Ichiro's voice is unmistakable. It must be the same way Rosho feels when he thinks about the old days, back when he and Sasara were doing comedy together. The nostalgia hurts, but there's no way he wasn't happy, and he could never say he doesn't think back on that time with fondness, all the appreciation in the world for the memories he was given.

Even if he still wonders what Sasara was up to in-between their time apart, he hopes it gave him good memories as well. If he was able to meet a wonderful kid like Ichiro, surely, it was worth it. ]

Yeah. No matter how much time passes, what he does or where he is, he doesn't change at all.

[ When he thinks about that words, Rosho comes to realize he's exactly the same. Years passed, and parts of him changed, yet he too was exactly the same. ]

Even though I learned to do something else with my life, and I became more dependable to myself, and wanted to be strong all on my own...

[ He was able to move forward with his dream all because Sasara believed in him. He became a part of this team once more, all because Sasara still believed in him. Unwavering and dependable, and always there. Always. ]

I need to be with him. He makes me happy. When someone wants you by their side, its hard to say no when you want the same thing. [ His expression is a little sheepish. ]

And I guess being in love with him helped a little too.

[This whole conversation has Ichiro feeling nostalgic, so of course he thinks about Kuko. Because Kuko was very much that person to him. Samatoki had been too, to an extent, but Kuko was the one.

His best friend. The one he connected with most and felt happiest with. Ichiro would have done anything for him. He would have stayed by his side for as long as Kuko wanted him around. Until the end.

(he did, in fact. but the end came much sooner than anticipated)

And yeah, being in love certainly does help a little.

Wait.

Ichiro just about chokes on air.

?????????]

With Sasara?!

[Honorific dropped. Sorry not sorry, clown boy.]

[ Rosho can't say he's all that surprised by the reaction. Afterall, Sasara is Sasara. To fall in love with someone like that seems implausible. Even laughable.

Too bad Rosho always seems to be involved in his jokes. This is maybe the biggest one yet. Its sort of like fate. ]

I know, my choice is kind of... [ Bad. ]

Its embarrassing, right? You'd think I'd have the decency to pick someone more competent. Someone who's not so childish and annoying and that has no understanding of boundaries and doesn't try to turn everything into a joke.

[ HEAVY SIGH ]

Unfortunately, I guess thats what I like.

[And just like that, Ichiro's brain catches up to his outburst. Rosho had looked so fond while talking about him and he just said that - wow, Ichiro's a moron.]

No, no - Sorry, that was mad rude. If he makes you happy then that's that. You don't have to justify it to me. [Even if Rosho is more agreeing with him than actually trying to defend his choice.]

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