Our Funny Love Story: An Achillean Literary Mystery by Byrd Koto

Author:Byrd Koto [Koto, Byrd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twig and Hwyl Books

* * *

Eizo changed into his joggers and headed to the nearest Family Mart, midway between Oakwood Apartments and Kichijoji Station.

He bought two Sapporo miso cup ramen with braised eggs and a bottle of green tea, and sat at the dining counter facing the station. Perhaps the store lights—harsh white against sterile beige floors—and the plain white furniture, which looked as colorless as the tightly packed shelves, could flush his thoughts out and scrub them until they turned dull.

It was going well until he saw Ran walking toward him from the station. Their eyes met, so he couldn’t repeat the events of the afternoon and pretend to look elsewhere. If he didn’t acknowledge Ran, the editor would certainly give him a hard time.

He raised a hand and waved it loosely at Ran. It said: Shoo, be on your way and leave me alone. To Ran, it probably seemed like a sign of welcome. Why else would the persistent grump enter the store and approach him, take a long look at his ramen, and then ask if he wanted a beer and some finger food?

“If you’re buying,” Eizo said nonchalantly.

Ran returned with a six-pack and a tray of every fried food available in the hot section. If that was what Ran called finger food, then he must have had ten more hands hiding somewhere. It was wild to see this much grease. Coach Ito would never have allowed them to eat so carelessly.

Eizo pulled out a chair for him, and Ran slumped into it almost immediately. Before Ran could say a word, Eizo popped a chicken nugget into his mouth, and then another, followed by one more. The faster he finished the food, the sooner he could leave.

“Look,” Eizo gurgled between bites. “We’re feasting like kids at a midnight party.”

“You’re the kid. I’m the chaperone.”

Ran snapped open a can of beer and downed it in a massive swig. Eizo had never seen someone drink that fast before. In the blink of an eye, Ran set the empty can down on the table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Fought with your girlfriend?” Eizo asked.

Ran snorted. “So that was really you at Jingu ballpark.”

“Did I see something not meant for my eyes?”

“That’s Aiko you saw. Aiko, who fought with Shin,” Ran said, as though he was rattling off the alphabet. “Aiko’s the girlfriend of Shin, who’s the boyfriend of Aiko, in case you need a fucking glossary.”

“Are you the third party?” Eizo couldn’t help but ask. He certainly wasn’t interested in Ran’s messy love life, and he sure didn’t foresee Ran crackling out a sequence of monosyllabic sounds.

Was he laughing?

Eizo turned to look at Ran, who by then had resumed his usual stoic expression. With a slight difference, however. The corners of his mouth were tugging upwards with the remnants of what had been a smile.

“I was their matchmaker.” A hint of pride lined Ran’s words. “Shin and I rented a flat in college. He met Aiko when she came to visit and fell for her.

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