Sho felt awful when he didn’t see Jun on the other futon upon waking up.

After they’d tidied up and left the sake bottle in the corridor alongside the rest of the dirty dishes, they’d bidden each other a good night and slept in the same room. Sho had been inebriated enough that he fell asleep immediately, but when he woke to his alarm and discovered that Jun, in his cute striped pajamas, was sleeping at the low table with his arms folded and serving as his pillow, Sho knew.

He must have been snoring.

He didn’t bring a mouthpiece since he thought he’d be alone, but it completely slipped his mind to buy one when he had been on his way back to the onsen.

Jun slept soundly, and when Sho checked, he found Jun’s phone with a Michael Jackson case peeking underneath the pillow of the other futon. Jun must’ve left it there when he’d decided to move to the low table since Sho’s snoring was keeping him up.

Sho moved quietly to the bathroom, brushing his teeth quickly and taking care not to wake Jun yet. He didn’t know how to. It wasn’t like they were late; Sho simply had the habit of setting his alarm an hour earlier than he should so he could mentally prepare himself for the day he was going to have.

So it was still early, and Sho was sure Jun’s phone wouldn’t go off for another hour. Sho decided to prepare instead, packing an additional pair of socks and gloves with his ski goggles. He only had to pack a change of clothes after he’d decided to serve as Jun’s personal ski tutor, and when he was done, he slid out of the room quietly to find Ninomiya.

“Ah, good morning, Sho-chan,” was how Ninomiya greeted him in the front desk, though it had ended in a yawn. Sho returned the greeting as Ninomiya stretched, looking very much at home and not bothered by Sho’s presence despite him being a guest. “Breakfast is miso soup, onigiri, and spring rolls. Don’t ask me why, that’s Oh-chan for you. I’ll bring them shortly since you’re awake. Where’s Jun-kun?”

“Still asleep,” Sho answered. “Can you call a taxi for us, Ninomiya-san? After breakfast.”

Ninomiya nodded, already picking up the receiver of the telephone. “Call me Nino though. I get sick of the formality every time.” He started dialing and Sho half-listened to him making the reservation and half to the sounds in the quiet establishment.

Aside from the constant rustling of the pine trees outside because of the mountain breeze, he really couldn’t hear anything else.

“Where did you say you’re going?” Nino asked, tucking the receiver away from his mouth.

“Happo-One Ski Resort,” Sho told him, and Nino nodded, relaying the information to the operator before putting the phone down.

“Reservation’s under your name, and the taxi will be here an hour and a half after breakfast.”

Sho thanked him, bowing a little, and Nino responded with a salute and a grin.

On the way back to his room, he tried to be careful in his steps because he didn't want to disturb any of the sleeping guests. Jun, too, was still asleep when he returned, but Nino did say that breakfast was coming, and Sho didn’t want Jun to be woken rudely by the sound of the door sliding and Nino dumping trays on the table.

He shook Jun awake, albeit softly, and couldn’t help smiling when Jun buried his face further in his arms with a tiny grunt. He reminded Sho of children who hated Monday mornings.

Sho did it again. “Matsumoto-san.”

Jun turned his head away, and Sho tried once more. “Matsumoto-san, breakfast is coming.”

Jun slowly lifted his head, and Sho found it difficult to look away from how his eyelids slowly fluttered open. He had long eyelashes and really brown eyes that matched the color of his hair. His fringe was obscuring his distinct eyebrows so Sho couldn’t really see if he was frowning or not.

“What time is it?” Jun asked groggily, and Sho quickly pulled his hand away, realizing that he had been holding on to Jun’s arm even after Jun had opened his eyes.

“Fifteen to seven,” Sho answered, walking towards the room to fetch Jun’s glasses for him.

He came back to Jun fumbling around, blinking sleepily as his hands moved to try and find his glasses somewhere around him. Sho handed it to him with a quiet “Here” and Jun accepted, nodding in thanks before putting them on.

Sho sat across the low table, watching Jun adorably trying to make himself look more presentable by straightening out his top and fixing his hair.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out, making Jun halt in his movements. “I know why you had to sleep here. I’ve been doing that for years, and for that I’m really sorry. You didn’t get enough sleep because of it.”

He looked down, not wanting to meet Jun’s eyes, feeling ashamed.

He heard Jun sigh. “You snored like a foghorn last night, Sho-san.”

“I know,” Sho mumbled in embarrassment. “One of my colleagues recorded it during the company trip two years ago and played it on loop on the way back home.”

He looked up, seeing Jun stifling a laugh behind his hand before finally giving in to his giggles. Jun was wiping the corner of his eye with his thumb when he spoke again. “I’m not a morning person, Sho-san, so as early as now I’m apologizing if act a little grouchy the moment I wake up.”

Sho didn’t really see a grumpy Jun today, but there were the upcoming days to consider. He supposed he only managed to not see it because he’d ended up making Jun laugh when he’d talked about how Maru made a ringtone of him snoring.

There was soft knock on the door followed by Nino sliding it open, and he looked too energetic with the smile he was sporting. Across from Sho, Jun snorted.

“You look like Aiba,” Jun said, and to Sho’s surprise, Nino’s eyes widened in shock.

“That is the worst thing you can say to me,” Nino told him, setting bowls of hot miso and plates of freshly prepared onigiri and fried spring rolls on the table. “I don’t look like that idiot. I’m far more handsome than he will ever be.”

“You smile like Aiba,” Jun clarified, and Sho couldn’t help laughing a little when Nino glared at Jun.

“Don’t ever compare me to him again, Matsumoto, or I’ll pour curry powder in your meal and call it ‘an accident’. We’ll see who’s smirking by then,” Nino threatened, already on his way out of the room. “Your taxi will arrive in a little over an hour so I suggest you stuff yourselves now.”

He left after, sliding the door quietly behind him. Sho spent his breakfast in companionable silence, punctured only by occasional sips of miso and praise for the food. Sho felt like he had to meet this Ohno-san since anything he made, albeit not really special, was very much suited to Sho’s palate.

When they finished eating, Sho let Jun to use the bathroom first and volunteered to tidy up the dirty dishes himself. To give Jun privacy, he stayed outside and watched the sky over the mountains, fondly remembering the conversations from last night.

There was a clear blue sky today and it would be the perfect weather for skiing.

Jun tapped him on the shoulder lightly when he was done, and Sho took a bath in record time, not wanting to be late and make Jun wait too long. Somehow, it seemed like he was more excited about the skiing trip than Jun was, but Jun did warn him that he was terrible during mornings, and it was only fifteen past eight.

They walked side by side when they left the room, carrying their bags (a backpack for Sho and a small duffel for Jun) to find Nino chatting animatedly with the taxi driver. Sho wondered if Nino knew everyone and acted familiar around them no matter who they were.

Nino introduced them to the driver, addressing him as Matsu-nii and earning a click of the tongue from the man, though he didn’t bother to correct Nino.

“It’s Matsuoka, actually,” Matsu-nii, or Matsuoka now that Sho knew what the ‘Matsu’ stood for, explained while driving. “Ninomiya only likes calling me that because Aiba calls me that. He also told me you knew Aiba,” he added looking at Jun in the rear view mirror.

Jun nodded. “He planned this trip for me.”

“Would you look at that, that kid who couldn’t recognize an EXILE song in karaoke now plans out trips for somebody else!” Matsuoka said with pride and affection in his voice. “Aiba’s doing well then? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Jun offered their driver a smile. “He’s doing great, but I don’t think you’ll find that anything’s changed about him. He still makes mistakes regarding song titles and sings the wrong lyrics during karaoke.”

Matsuoka laughed. “Yeah, that kid, along with Ninomiya and Ohno—what a troublesome bunch. I thought Aiba would help out in Ninomiya’s onsen like Ohno so I was really surprised when I found out that he’s in Tokyo and working for a travel agency. Couldn’t believe it at first.”

Sho listened how Jun patiently answered any queries Matsuoka had about Aiba, even laughing when Jun relayed the story on how Aiba brought his car to the mall only to come home riding a taxi. It made Sho curious to meet who this Aiba was, because the more Jun spoke about him, the more he had the feeling that Aiba wasn’t too different from Nino.

Matsuoka dropped them off at the Ski Resort in less than fifteen minutes since there was hardly any traffic. It was still early, but there was already a decent crowd consisting of couples and families.

Sho tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach when he saw the stadium, towering past the other buildings. He knew they could take an elevator to see the 90- and 120-meter jumps from the top, but he honestly felt like throwing up at the idea.

Jun’s face, however, said the exact opposite when Sho glanced at him. Jun had this amazed look in his eyes, like a kid on his first Disneyland trip, and Sho knew he was just doomed. He tried to cover up for his nervousness by talking about the stadium based on what he’d researched as he and Jun made their way to the lifts.

But eventually Sho couldn’t stifle the nerves and he had to close his eyes as the elevator went up. He felt someone tugging at his sleeve and he opened his eyes, only to find Jun looking at him with concern, some of his hair falling over his eyes. He wore contacts today, since wearing ski goggles over his glasses would be too troublesome, and Sho found it difficult to look away from his eyes.

“You okay?” Jun asked, obviously a bit worried.

“I,” Sho tried, moistening his lips, “I don’t really like heights.”

The elevator steadily rose up, and there were children who kept jumping and made Sho very nervous. “You should’ve told me,” Jun muttered. “I could’ve gone up here on my own and you could’ve waited at the base.”

Sho nodded. He should’ve told Jun. But then again…

“Who’s going to tell you about the Winter Olympics if I didn’t come with you?”

Jun laughed a little at that. “There’s a tour guide.” He tilted his chin towards the female tour guide talking animatedly to the other passengers of the elevator.

“Yeah but does she know the exact distribution of points Funaki-senshuu and his team achieved for the large hill competition in the 1998 Winter Olympics?”

Jun looked like was suppressing the urge to grin. “No, I don’t think so. Tell me what you know then, Sho-san.”

So Sho did, reciting numbers that he’d memorized from a trivia book when he was on the way to Hakuba. He didn’t think they’d be useful, but seeing Jun smile, hearing him hum as Sho spouted information after another, it was worth it. It was something to focus on, and pretty soon Sho forgot that they were at the top of the 120-meter hill.

“You told me you’ve never been assigned to Nagano,” Jun said when they were back on the ground and Sho could breathe normally again. “How did you know all of those?”

“Guidebook,” Sho admitted, hoping his cheeks wouldn’t redden.

“Do you always memorize them like that?”

Sho shrugged. “Only when there’s nothing else to do.”

Jun grinned. “You must have been super bored then.”

Eventually they made their way up to the ski trails by riding a gondola, and Sho noticed that Jun’s sudden silence mirrored his own from the elevator earlier. It was Jun who wanted to give skiing a shot, but now he seemed less enthusiastic about it.

Sho let him be, but when they finally rented the gear and dressed themselves and were at the peak of the trail, he decided to speak his mind. “We don’t really have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Jun’s shoulders slumped. Even through the thick jacket, Sho could see the big breaths he was taking. Jun possessed broad shoulders, and no amount of jackets or coats did well in hiding them. “I think I’m going to make a fool of myself here.”

Sho trekked closer to him, enough for his skis to meet the edges of Jun’s. “I had to fall on my face countless times just to get the proper gliding right.” When Jun looked at him, he pulled down his goggles so Jun could see the sincerity in his eyes. “My mother laughed at me over and over, but hey, look. I’m the one skiing now in my free time while she just stays in our house at Gunma during holidays. You’ll be fine. We’ll go slow, and it’s not like I’m expecting you to do a ski jump by the end of the day.”

“You can’t do a ski jump, Sho-san,” Jun pointed out. Sho could hear the smile in his tone and that was enough for him.

He moved back to his position earlier, putting his goggles back on. He tilted his head towards the trail, his grip on the ski poles tightening minutely. “Ready?”

He couldn’t really see Jun’s face, but hearing the determination in his voice was enough.

“Lead the way.”

--

Jun had fallen countless times on the snow, but his initial embarrassment had been replaced by laughter every time it happened because he couldn’t believe how hopeless he was.

He wasn’t that bad, but he wasn’t good either. Sho had told him he just needed practice and he did well for his first ski session, but in Jun’s memory, he must have been laughing on the ground surrounded by snow eighty percent of the time.

When Sho had finally complained about his ankles, they returned the equipment to the renting shops before enjoying cups of coffee from a cheap coffee machine.

“I was horrible, wasn’t I?” Jun asked, shaking his head with a smile. “I totally wasted your time.”

Sho shook his head. “No, you weren’t. And you didn’t. You haven’t tried it before so it was natural that you’d stumble and fall. It’s perfectly normal.”

“You’re just being nice. There was a rock earlier that was about the size of my head, and despite your warning I didn’t move to the side to evade it.” That had sent him faceplanting onto a pile of snow, and Jun was certain he still had snowflakes in his hair despite the ski helmet taking most of the damage from earlier.

“Well, from what I’ve known about you so far, Matsumoto-san, you can be quite stubborn.” The corner of Sho’s lips was twitching, and Jun jostled his shoulder.

Sho laughed, and it didn’t take Jun long to join him. He found that it was easy to laugh along with Sho, that the sound of it was contagious enough that he’d end up doing it a few seconds after. Sho’s laugh was boisterous but every time he did it, he looked like he was truly amused, that he was having fun.

It became too easy for Jun to do the same whenever Sho did it.

“So if you are to evaluate your first skiing experience, what would it be?” Sho asked, clenching his hand to a fist, pretending it was a microphone. “Would you like to try it again sometime or did you have enough?”

Jun hummed in consideration, Sho’s fist hovering close to his face as Sho awaited his response. “I think I’ll try snowboarding next time.”

“You need good balance for that, though,” Sho informed him.

Jun turned to him, his tongue against his cheek. “Are you saying I don’t have good balance, Sho-san?”

“Nonsense, Matsumoto-san.” Sho shook his head, a sly smile playing on his lips. “You’ve been faceplanting on the snow for most of our skiing session so really, what gave you that idea?”

Jun laughed a little, punching Sho playfully on the arm. “What happened to the Sakurai-sensei that was full of encouragement for me earlier? Who replaced him?”

“Ah, I’m afraid that once the goggles come off, Sakurai-sensei disappears,” Sho said, unable to keep his voice even.

“The guy who snores so loud and is afraid of heights takes his place, huh?” Jun teased back, laughing when Sho made a face. “I should have taken a video. Your mouth was wide open and it would’ve made a good Vine.”

It was Sho’s turn to elbow his side. “I’m not proud of it, you know.”

“The fear of heights or the snoring?”

Sho pouted, and Jun really liked how his plump bottom lip jutted out. “I’m buying a mouthpiece.”

“Or,” Jun said, reaching out to poke at the earmuffs wrapped around Sho’s neck, “you can always lend me these.”

Sho looked horrified. “I couldn’t be that loud.”

Jun wanted to reach out and pat him on the head, but he refrained himself from doing so. “I’ll take a video tonight so you’ll know, okay?”

Sho was still shaking his head adorably; the redness on his cheeks due to the cold and the embarrassment standing out because of the dark pea coat that he wore. “I’ll sleep outside then. So you can sleep on a futon.” Sho’s face turned serious abruptly, and Jun waited for what he had to say. “Why didn’t you just bring out your futon anyway? If I woke you up by snoring?”

“I thought I could pass the time by enjoying the view at night, at least until you stopped snoring,” Jun reasoned. He then explained to Sho that it wasn’t his intention to fall asleep on the low table, but he underestimated the effect of sake from last night.

“You could’ve woken me up,” Sho mumbled.

“I’ll make sure to kick you out tonight, then,” Jun teased with a smile, and he chuckled at the sight of Sho’s face falling.

They finished their coffee and rode a gondola downhill, and just when Jun thought that they were coming back to the onsen, Sho instead hailed a cab and told the driver to head for Togakushi Shrine.

“Was the shrine in the itinerary Aiba-san prepared for you?” Sho asked curiously as the taxi drove away, leaving the ski resort behind.

Jun hummed. “Along with a poor drawing of soba. Ayase-san from the inn told me that I should give them a try since they are a specialty.”

Sho’s eyes narrowed fractionally. “Do you like soba, Matsumoto-san?”

Somehow, Jun was reminded of the shellfish question he had asked Sho the night before. “Yes, I do.” It was a known fact among his friends, that while he enjoyed cooking Italian dishes, soba ranked high as one of his favorite foods. There had been a time when he would eat nothing but soba, at least until he’d finally learned how to cook properly.

“In the same way I like shellfish?” Sho asked with a tiny smile.

Jun could recall how Sho had looked at the ark shell as if it held all the secrets of the universe. It made him laugh a bit. “Not to that extent, but I like it, yes.”

Sho nodded, leaning back against the seat. “We’re definitely trying out all the soba places.”

“All of them?” Jun repeated. He wasn’t sure his stomach would be able to keep up with Sho’s. Sho was a big eater, something Jun had seen proof of during the meals they shared together.

“We can go to the top three if we can’t really visit them all. There’s always the rest of the week,” Sho amended, but he still looked hopeful and somehow, Jun didn’t want to crush his feelings. Sho was passionate about many things—his job, his schedules, skiing—but eating was, so far according to Jun’s observations, the activity he poured all of his heart into.

Jun looked out the windows, admiring the whiteness of the mountains that was a contrast to the sky’s blue hue. It was past midday, and he found that he could agree to wherever Sho wanted to go. “Yes. I suppose we can do that.”

They arrived at the shrine without talking much, though Sho had a few complaints about the flight of stairs that they had to climb. Something about how exhausting it was, how his feet were rebelling against him, his face scrunching with every step he took when they reached considerable height. Jun couldn’t help laughing at him and teasing him for being such an old man.

Sho teased him back just as much, never letting him forget what happened in the ski resort earlier. It made their trek to the shrine easier, more lighthearted since they continued with their jabs at one another.

The path to the shrine was lined with tall trees of an ancient forest, a place Jun imagined to be as equally beautiful as it was now had it not been winter. The undisturbed piles of snow surrounding them and the footprints they left on the road added to the feeling of them visiting a sanctuary, to the thrill as they walked to the shrine on foot. Since Jun had brought his camera, he made sure to take photos for Aiba, not really sure what Aiba would like to see but wanting to come back with something to show.

They arrived at the shrine without much happening, and he and Sho paid their respects, drinking in the energy that the place supposedly emitted; Jun had heard enough myths about the place from his mother and in class when he’d had attention to spare, though he didn’t really imagine he’d draw on the knowledge with someone like Sho by his side.

Jun could tell Sho was itching to talk about the area so he indulged his companion as they made the journey back. Sho was a walking encyclopedia, talking about myths and legends that Jun only vaguely remembered. Looking at Sho, listening to him, Jun saw how much he loved his job and how seriously he took it. Sho may not have been assigned to Nagano before, but Jun was sure that no matter where his company relocated him to, he would do a good job.

“Shall we go find the number one soba place in Togakushi according to Japan Travel?” Sho asked when they reached the village, the other side of Togakushi that they’d decided to walk through so they could explore the area.

“You’re the tour guide,” Jun told him. “I’m the inexperienced traveler here.”

“Japan Travel said that if you liked soba, you should definitely visit this place.”

Jun thought it would be educational to visit such a place, for him and for Sho. Sho must have been relying on travel and food blogs if he didn’t have the time to check it out myself—much like Jun was. “Then take me there so I can decide for myself if Japan Travel is a reliable source.”

Sho took him to a place called Uzuraya, a restaurant located next to the Chusha Shrine, with a tall cedar tree standing by its side. When Jun checked the paper with Aiba’s handwriting on it, he smiled when Aiba had also made a list of the well-known soba shops. Uzuraya was marked with ‘#1 so you better check this out!!!’ in big, underlined characters.

“Can I get an unbiased review from you about this place, Matsumoto-san?” Sho asked as soon as they finished putting in their orders. “If ever I get assigned to Nagano and tourists ask me regarding this place, it would help if I can tell them about a soba lover’s opinion.”

“You haven’t been assigned here yet and you’re already thinking that far?” Jun asked, marveling at how thorough Sho was. “Fine. If I end up loving it, you’re going to know.”

“How many ‘Matsu’ is Matsumoto-san going to give it? Please stay tuned!” Sho said theatrically, and Jun shook his head, smiling at his silliness.

“This isn’t Chubaw desu yo!, Sho-san.”

They shared one look, and blurted out “Matsumoto desu yo!” at the same time, the both of them laughing after.

Sho pulled out his camcorder then, still shaking his head in amusement. “I have to remember this. This place, how many ‘Matsu’ you’re going to give it.” He asked a staff if he could take a video and some photos of the place for his personal use and gave her a thankful bow when she told them it was all right to do so.

“Here we await the opinion of our food gourmet, Matsumoto Jun-san!” Sho said in a perfectly passable variety show host voice, lifting his camcorder to film Jun.

“I’m a food gourmet now?” Jun asked with a smile.

“We’ll see how many ‘Matsu’ is Matsumoto Jun going to give it! Again, we’re in Uzuraya, the home of soba!”

Jun simply shook his head, unable to keep himself from adoring Sho’s silliness. Jun didn’t think he was when they’d first met, but here they were, sitting in a shop with more than a hundred year-old history, mocking a popular variety show since they had nothing better to do.

“I should start a food blog if this pays off,” Jun stated, his chin resting against the back of his hand.

“I’ll provide you with the photos then,” Sho offered with another of his boyish, toothy grins that Jun was getting used to seeing. “If we find a restaurant that’s not suitable to your palate we’ll tell the internet that it’s getting no ‘Matsu’.”

Jun was certain that had he and Sho been bloggers, they wouldn’t have much of a future. From the look in Sho’s eyes Jun could tell that he was thinking of the same thing. “We’re going to become vagrants by the end of the month.”

“All because we weren’t generous with our ratings,” Sho added with a laugh.

Their food arrived then, and Jun sat back and watched how Sho filmed it with camcorder, even giving this lengthy introduction about the food and what it could possibly taste.

“We won’t know if we don’t eat now though,” Jun interjected, and Sho turned the camera to him.

“The food gourmet is now complaining, ladies and gentlemen. It might be wise not to raise his ire; he might have no ‘Matsu’s to give if that should happen.”

Jun shook his head, letting out a chuckle. “Shut up and eat with me, will you?”

“Fine, fine. Just one photo.” Sho then took his camera phone out and Jun only stared as Sho took a selfie with his tempura soba. Sho had never done that in the onsen before.

“We’re in a place with history,” Sho explained later, the tips of his ears reddening. “Who knows when I’ll get to try this out again?”

“You should have taken one with the shellfish from last night,” Jun said, splitting his chopsticks and rubbing them together. “Nino would probably never serve us something like that again.”

“Ah, but I didn’t want to scare you away,” Sho admitted, shutting off his camcorder.

Jun scoffed. “You snored like a boar last night and all it did was make me move to the table. Selfies wouldn’t scare me.”

“I’m lending you the earmuffs, all right?” Sho said, his face a mixture of slight annoyance and embarrassment that Jun found to be endearing. “And I’m definitely buying a mouthpiece.”

“You said that earlier,” Jun reminded him. “Come on, the food’s waiting. Don’t you want to know what I think of it?”

Sho repeated his theatric question of what would be Jun’s rating for the soba, even asking their imaginary audience to not switch channels.

“We’ll be partaking,” Sho finished with a bow before digging in in the usual Sho way of eating. Jun now understood why Sho had asked for his unbiased opinion; Sho could probably eat anything and sing it praises no matter what kind of food it was. He wasn’t just a big eater. He really loved eating and relished every moment of it.

In between slurps and Sho’s repetitive expressions of “This is so good!” “This is amazing!” “I’m totally going back for this!”, Jun thought that if he was going to spend the rest of the week in the same manner, he really wouldn’t mind. Even if he came to Hakuba on a whim and with zero enthusiasm, seeing Sho eat with gusto, hearing him make silly jokes and recite Olympic points out of his memory, he thought maybe Nino had been right.

There was a first time for everything, and while that included Jun’s embarrassing ski session, the fact that it didn’t scare Sho away or made him doubt Jun’s sincerity the night before was a good sign.

Hakuba was many things, Jun realized, while pondering on how many ‘Matsu’s he could give this tempura soba. Initially unwanted because Jun didn’t need the vacation and hadn’t been looking forward to it, but then there was Sho who snored and was quick to feel embarrassed because of it, but always eager to return Jun’s harmless teasing.

Now Jun was looking forward to the upcoming days, to more time spent in Sho’s company. He wondered whether his feelings went beyond friendship and if it was too fast to feel this way, but Jun had always gone with his feelings and let them dictate most of his actions.

And this, this ‘stuffing their faces with soba’ session with his roommate slash ski tutor slash personal tour guide, it felt right. Comfortable even, despite Sho having bloated cheeks and getting soup splatters on his coat because he couldn’t wait to try whatever was on their table.

Jun laughed at Sho, at his stuffed face and reddening cheeks and silly, silly self and thought that maybe Aiba had known exactly what he was doing.

--

Jun had ended up giving the tempura soba five ‘Matsu’s and Sho made sure he had gotten it recorded along with Jun saying “Matsumoto desu yo!” in a ridiculous voice.

They had returned to the onsen just in time for dinner, and unlike yesterday night, Sho’s limbs and ankles weren’t aching much given that he wasn’t able to ski that much.

Sho of yesterday would treat that as a bad thing, but today, Sho didn’t mind. He’d gotten to laugh at Jun’s ineptitude and even convinced him to join in his ridiculousness. The Jun he met yesterday morning didn’t seem like someone who’d be open to such silliness, but Sho was pleased about the surprise.

Ayase-san, or Haruka-chan according to Nino, helped Nino serve their dinner, which consisted of healthful servings of matsutake rice and chicken katsu. Beef and vegetable stew served as the side dish, and since Sho and Jun had gone out exploring the ninja village after leaving Uzuraya, they happily dug in.

“You ever tried the onsen?” Sho asked in the middle of their meal, just as Jun was sipping his hot sake. “We’re staying in an inn that has various pools, but I never really tried.” He laughed. “I wonder when will I.”

“No,” Jun answered, licking his lips to savor the taste. “Nino gave me a tour the other day so I know what kinds of pools he has here, but I never tried. I think I should before the week ends.”

“You think?” Sho repeated, and together they laughed. “You’re in an onsen, Matsumoto-kun. You should definitely do more than just try.”

Jun had removed his contacts and was wearing glasses again. He had to push them up his nose before he picked up his chopsticks and bowl of matsutake rice. “I want to do it as a reward. You know, when I’ve pretty much covered most of what’s in Aiba-kun’s itinerary for me.”

Sho’s plans in his phone listed that he should go to Obuse and Zenkoji Temple tomorrow. He swallowed before talking, hoping Jun wouldn’t find him presumptuous for what he was going to say. “I’m going to visit the temple tomorrow and Obuse to buy sake as a souvenir.”

In truth, Sho wanted to ask if Jun would be amenable to coming with him. But he’d only known Jun for two days and didn’t really know the right words to say. It was easy when they were laughing about their incompetencies, about variety shows. But he didn’t know what Jun thought of today, if he honestly enjoyed himself or was simply indulging Sho.

Jun was looking at him with his rice bowl covering half of his face and Sho didn’t know what to expect.

Jun stroked the tip of his nose with his thumb. “I think I should buy sake for my dad. He’d probably like that.”

“Do you,” Sho tried, feeling as if his throat had dried up. He didn’t understand why inviting Jun was making him really nervous. Okay, he knew. Jun was good-looking, and he was definitely Sho’s type—cool, confident demeanor on the outside but a little dorky on the inside.

“Do you want to buy together?” Sho finished, evening out his tone. “I mean, I’d probably ask for a free taste if they offer it, but I don’t really know much about sake aside from what I like, and I don’t need to be drunk on samples when the sun’s still up…” He trailed off, realizing that he had been babbling awkwardly.

“Sho-san,” Jun said, looking at him with an amused expression, “yes, I want to. I think that’ll be great, actually.”

“Oh,” Sho mumbled, feeling extremely relieved. But then he remembered. “But I’m going to the temple too so…”

Jun cut him off. “I’d like to come with you, if you don’t mind.” When Sho looked at him, he poked at the rice in his bowl using his chopsticks. “Aiba-kun had the temple in his list as well and I’d also like to take photos of it for him.”

“Of course,” Sho said quickly, nodding. “Shall we set a time then? After dinner?”

That made Jun smile. “After dinner.”

They ate in silence, with Sho not knowing what to say next despite making the invitation and Jun busying himself with eating. Sho prided himself with being a good conversant, always managing to read the situation and know the right words to keep the mood lighthearted and the conversation going.

But with Jun, Sho quickly realized that when they weren’t on a famous tourist spot or eating a five-star (according to Jun) soba, he ran out of things to say. He wanted to talk about so many things, to ask Jun how was today’s sightseeing and skiing experience, to know more about his travel agent roommate who was rediscovering Japan on his co-worker’s insistence, but these things feel like they wanted to burst forth from his mouth all at the same time.

So Sho settled with keeping his mouth shut, instead enjoying the chicken katsu and hoping that the crunches his mouth made as he chewed could mask his raging heartbeat.

“I had fun today,” Jun suddenly muttered, a little quiet since he had his lips around a glass of water. “Even if I faceplanted on the snow countless times and couldn’t ski at all.”

“You were an interesting student,” Sho commented, smiling a little. “I had fun too. Even if all I did on the way to the shrine was complain.”

“And I thought I was the grouchy one,” Jun said, making him laugh. Jun’s face broke into a smile too, and Sho had to look away because he felt that he was getting more and more used to the idea of making Jun laugh.

“I hope you won’t be grouchy tomorrow morning,” Sho told him before helping himself to another piece of katsu.

“I’m weak in the mornings so I can’t promise anything,” Jun admitted with a sheepish smile.

Sho shrugged his shoulders. “I’m weak against heights, as you’ve seen.”

“Your face was so pale; how could I forget?” The teasing tone was back, and this, Sho thought, this he knew his way around. Better this than Jun’s shy smiles and sincere eyes.

“Your face turned absolutely white when, oh, that’s right, when you mashed your face against the snow,” Sho answered, suppressing the urge to grin when Jun had his tongue against his cheek. “Matsumoto snowman.”

Jun had an eyebrow raised, but the corner of his lips was twitching so Sho knew he was in safe territory. “Don’t make the mistake of snoring tonight, Sho-san, or you’re going to wake up to a Vine having a thousand loops in one night.”

Sho cockily reached inside his pants pocket, fishing out an item still wrapped in convenience store plastic. “Got a mouthpiece while we were in the ninja village and you called for a taxi.” He grinned when Jun’s eyes narrowed; Jun didn’t even notice he’d left, then.

“Good, because my alternative tonight is smothering you with a pillow.” Jun met his eyes, and Sho couldn’t hold back his chuckles anymore so he gave in, not the slightest bit surprised when Jun’s shoulders shook and he let out a laugh of his own.

Later in the evening Jun ordered two cans of Kirin for them to enjoy as they took a seat on the porch outside to watch the stars.

“Did you know that Nino wanted to become an idol?” Jun asked him suddenly.

Sho never imagined that someone like Nino, who looked like he couldn’t be bothered to move a muscle for dancing, would have that kind of childhood dream. “You’re not serious?”

Jun only nodded. “Told me he and Aiba-kun thought about it when they were younger. Isn’t that interesting? That Nino is now an onsen owner and Aiba-kun is my colleague? I wonder what would have happened had they submitted their résumé to Johnny’s.”

“Well, no one would give us that expensive shellfish dinner last night, that’s for sure.” Sho leaned back, keeping his eyes on the inky black sky dotted with twinkling stars. “What was your childhood dream?”

“Be a professional baseball player,” Jun answered quickly. “You?”

“Soccer player. I used to think about having a match in Barcelona with the people cheering ‘Sakurai! Sakurai!’ every time I go for the ball.”

“You can always go to Barcelona, though I think the ‘cheering for Sakurai’ bit in your dream can never really happen.”

Sho laughed at that. “I’m not a big fan of baseball but let me guess. You’re a pitcher?”

Jun smiled, one of his toothy grins that reached his eyes. “Catcher. I was pretty decent at it in grade school, though we have a baseball team at the company with Aiba-kun as the founder and captain. I participate sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?” Sho asked. Jun sounded like he really adored baseball when he talked about it.

Jun nodded, even hummed. “One of my colleagues is into futsal now and he has successfully convinced me to give that a shot. But even that I can’t do much.” He offered Sho a brief grin. “Work, as you probably have guessed. I rarely get free time.”

“Except now.”

Jun tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Except now. With our company’s baseball captain’s interference at that.” Jun picked up his can of beer, taking a lengthy sip. “You? You played soccer lately?”

Sho shook his head. “Though I kind of want to try futsal.”

“I think you’d be great at it, if you’re good at soccer.” Jun turned to him, and in the darkness, Sho couldn’t see the color of his eyes. “Are you good at soccer, Sho-san?”

There was this challenge to Jun’s tone, and Sho couldn’t back down. “Probably even better than you, Matsumoto-san.”

Jun grinned, lifting the Kirin to his lips. “Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I’ll prove it to you now, but I don’t think Nino has a soccer ball anywhere.”

“Nino doesn’t look like he’s doing any sports at all so no, I don’t think so too.”

They laughed at that, Sho with his boisterous guffaws and Jun with his giggles. When Sho recovered from his amusement, he turned to Jun. “You said Nino wanted to become an idol.”

“Told me he can do backflips so dancing and singing would be no problem. That had he applied for it, he would have been super popular now, girls all over the country adoring him and holding his uchiwa.”

Sho could imagine it, the smirking face of Nino printed on concert goods. “I wish I had that kind of outrageous dream.”

Jun faced him, brows furrowing. “What, becoming an idol? You?”

“Why? You don’t think I can do it?” Sho was a little offended.

Jun shook his head in dismissal. “No, no, that’s not it. But you recite Olympic points off the top of your head, Sho-san. That’s not a talent. Had you auditioned, they’d be looking for someone who can sing and dance.”

Sho chose not to tell Jun that he wasn’t the most flexible of people. “I’d be as popular as Nino would have been, hands down. And I can totally sing and dance.”

“What’s your best song in karaoke?” Jun challenged, mouth quirking up.

“For your information, I can rap, Matsumoto,” Sho shot back, and somehow that really amused Jun, who had to turn to his side as his body quaked in laughter.

“Like Eminem?”

Sho scrunched his nose. “Nothing that graphic.”

“I thought you’d be the guy who just holds the tambourine and puts in the order during karaoke,” Jun said, wiping the corner of his eye with his thumb. It must be the alcohol that made him less composed, Sho figured. He and Jun had been drinking hot sake earlier, and now Kirin.

“Hey, I can totally sing,” Sho grumbled, trying to nurse his wounded ego.

“Let me hear it sometime,” Jun said sincerely. “Your rapping.”

“Okay,” Sho replied. Could he say anything else? “Okay.”

When Jun flashed him a smile, he knew.

It would be impossible to refuse Jun.


Part Three