RIVALS INCARNATE

Chapter Forty-Nine: Careless

PRESENT, 2020 (Tokyo)

Another social gathering was set to happen that coming weekend. It was an annual charity gala where most of the local politicians, ambassadors, and military officials were invited to attend and raise funds for foundations that will be introduced during the event. Kyouhei Kurosaki had immediately received the invite that early afternoon of Tuesday and he quickly sent Yuko Amazawa an update about it. This was the first attempt of Kurosaki to reach out to her.

It had been three days since that last brief business call they had. Since then, Kurosaki had gone lull and had chosen to drain himself in his work and the ongoing Diet meetings. At this point, all he ever cared about now was to keep his character well-defined as he purposely engaged more in what was currently happening in the political world. He started to be more determined in boosting his ratings with the public, so he focused more on showing his notable presence to people by expressing how much he cared. He supervised charities and a lot of fundraising events, with the pursuit of being known from it. He acted like how Yuko had wanted him to be. 

He gave a good act as if he was actually a saint. He never spoke too much that would trigger any kind of argument or controversy because he did not want to add more to the stress that Yuko and his staff have been going through. Apart from that, it had been the most hectic season of the year for him too, the deliberations were nearing soon and the elections will eventually happen. Kyouhei had been feeling very restless in the past few days. And all he could ever really think about was just work, work, and work.

Fortunately, whenever he got too exhausted and would need to keep his mind off from the stress, he had found a way to alleviate the density of his worries. Since a week ago, he had been discreetly going to a luxurious bar in an upscale part of the red-light district in the city to drink. It was where other quite famous personalities have been going to where no one would ever really give a damn. It was a safe haven that Kyouhei took for granted so that he could run away temporarily from his troubles and be just as careless when he needed to be because lately, he had also been feeling a little too out of himself and he could not just keep everything bottled up anymore.

That was why later that evening when he had felt like he needed to get away from everything else again, he decided to go to the place. He chose to be alone as well and he had never really let anyone know where he had been going because he knew he can't ever really trust anybody at work nor just anyone around him anymore. Knowing nothing else but to be alone to make himself feel more relieved, he entered into the discreet bar and walked straight to the bar counter. The smell of the place had started to feel like it was home for him and it quickly eased his mind off from his distress. He sat on the stool and casually ask the bartender for his usual drink. The five times he had been there, he had never really ordered anything else but the same bourbon drink.

And as Kyouhei waited for his drink to get served he turned and looked around the place. Since it was a weekday, there were not too many people drinking. But he could recognize a few faces he had seen from the show business world. They were in groups and some were kind of too noisy. The soft jazz music playing in the background blended with the chattering. Kyouhei simply indulged himself in that. He preferred this more rather than being all by himself in his apartment again, sulking through silence. Though he still would have wanted it better if he could actually meet someone again, he chose to just idle for a while.

Apparently, meeting a stranger every night was another reason why he was actually doing this too. Whenever he felt the sudden urge to run away, he realized that having someone with him to get by the night would suffice. It was what had helped him rub off the remaining painful sting that had been left inside his chest lately. Because he was still not over that heartache. Kyouhei flinched and sighed out loud. The memory of Yuko's rejection had been haunting him every time he would force himself to sleep alone in his apartment and it was tormenting.

When he discovered the feeling of pleasure from being held by someone, even if it was just temporary, Kyouhei was just relieved enough to find something that could help him to forget that even when he knew it was never really going to last and that the feeling of emptiness was still going to come back the next day. Yet the temptation was just too addictive for him, that it never really mattered anymore. Whenever he started losing himself into the bliss of s*x, he would just forget everything else. And slowly, he will find himself becoming even more daring and severely intoxicated in the fleeting comfort of being touched and kissed. Although all of it had been meaningless and had ended quite faster than he would have wanted, it was still what he knew he needed. 

And tonight, this was what Kyouhei had in mind to fulfill. He actually really wanted to look for someone new again who would be willing to accompany him for one night, no strings attached. He preferred it this way. Fast, detached, and easy. It was more practical and even more manageable because Kyouhei could just do and forget afterward. He could not really afford any more complicated feelings. The more distant he felt, the better he was getting himself numbed out from anything that had been making him feel miserable. He realized, eventually, that having no feelings was much better.

Finally, the bourbon he had ordered eventually came to him as he got immersed in his thoughts. Kyouhei sipped and turned around again but found no one catching his eye yet. Eventually, he finally resolved to just a few drinks for the night. But not too long after he had turned his back and faced the bar counter to focus on his drink, a slight touch against his nape, jolted him from his seat and he immediately snapped his head around to glance at the person behind him.

As soon as his eyes landed on the face of the stranger who had just caught him off guard, he almost lost his footing as he turned around on his chair. Ami Komatsu stared up at him, fluttering her lashes as she slowly showed him a wide smile on her face.

"I thought I was imagining you for a second," she said to him right after their eyes met, her lips curving up to a smirk, "But who knew someone like you would even be here drinking alone. What are you doing in a bar on a weekday night, Kyouhei-kun?"

She looked quite too innocent, but her whole attire was saying otherwise. Ami Komatsu stood with that skimpy little dark blue dress with her hair loose, falling past her shoulders in big waves. She stepped forward, invading Kyouhei's personal bubble so suddenly as she casually placed a hand over his arm.

"Are you with someone?"

Kyouhei could not respond for a second, a little too struck to find Ami Komatsu there. He felt like he was caught doing something wrong and he got instantly nervous when she had touched him.

"N-no," he stammered back, as soon as he found his voice again and he discreetly avoided her eyes as he looked away and tried to smile, "I'm by myself. Just felt like having a drink, that's all."

"Hmm..." Ami hummed as she slowly walked to the side while letting her fingers grazed over Kyouhei's chest lightly before she took the stool next to him and smiled again. "Would you mind if I join you then?"

Kyouhei gulped audibly and hesitated for a few seconds before he quickly turned to face the bar counter again.

"No, it's okay," he answered, quite a little unsure, but he knew he could not just simply decline Ami. Yet, he was too disappointed that he had to let go of the chance of meeting someone tonight that could keep him company. But since he can't just get away from Komatsu that easily, Kyouhei decided to just let this night go smoothly and then get back home right away after a few drinks with Ami.

But Ami was a bit curious to know the reason why he was looking kind of guilty. She knew that he had been going here for a few nights. She knew enough people to tell her that, and she had gotten interested to find out what he was doing here. And something from the way he had looked at her just made her think that he was not really here for the booze alone. Ami watched Kyouhei from under her thick eyelashes. He looked like he was regretting that he had come here and Ami briefly smirked at the look of discomfort on his face. For some reason, she actually enjoyed seeing him this way.

"Are you feeling lonely, Kyouhei-kun?"

The question startled him and Kyouhei found himself gaping in Ami's direction as he processed the words that she just uttered out loud to him.

"Be honest, I'm not dumb and I know why you're here every night, Kyouhei," Ami added after a pause when Kyouhei just kept his silence. And she already knew she got his full attention now as he looked at her with a perplexed face. He just could not believe that she would even know he was going here that often. Then she said, "You're here to meet someone, aren't you?"

Kyouhei's eyes narrowed. And he took a second before he eventually replied to her. He looked away and sipped from his drink before coldly saying, "What is it to you?"

"Well," Ami simply smiled, her voice slowly turning sultry and low as she leaned towards him, her hands slowly sliding on top of the counter to move next to Kyouhei's hand beside his glass and told him, "I just thought that maybe you really didn't have to look around to find someone to be with you tonight."

Kyouhei frowned, and he pulled his head back a little as he gawked at Ami, "What are you trying to say, Komatsu-san?"

Then he felt her pressing closer, her intoxicating scent filling his senses as she moved her face close to his and whispered next to his ear, "You can just have me, Kyouhei. No tabs required. But then, I would require you one thing in exchange first..."

"What thing?" Kyouhei found himself asking beyond his resistance to avoid her advances. He was just too blinded by the tempting warmth around him to neglect it all.

"Your exclusivity," she replied, her hands now moving up to his shoulder, and Kyouhei could not even move away, completely drawn to this entire seduction. Swore that you would only be mine and mine alone. And I would help you in any way you want... In any position you want."

The double entendre was completely obvious and Kyouhei was entirely hypnotized. And before he could even realize what he was signing himself up to, he was already nodding and breathlessly uttered, "I'm on."

Like a fool.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------next chapter: Chapter Fifty