Chapter 2.1

There are two things that definitely had some impact on the making of Kodai’s personality.

The first was his family environment.

He was on really bad terms with his parents.

His father resented his mother for prioritising her career over housework and raising her child, while his mother was fed up with his father for demanding that she do housework despite the fact she made more money than him.

The atmosphere in the house was always stiff, his parents didn’t talk much, but the times when they did, it would turn into an argument.

You would think kids left in that sort of environment would have varied reactions. The type who didn’t want to be at home, the type who would close their heart, the type that would strengthen their mental resolve.

Kodai became the type of person to diffuse situations with jests. He acted as a bridge between his parents who wouldn’t talk, saying funny things and being silly. Whenever his parents let out a small laugh, he became so happy he could hardly bear it.

In vain of Kodai’s hard work, they divorced when he was in middle school and his mother left the house. Now, she had a new family with a man who shared the same mindset as her and Kodai hadn’t had any interactions with them.

Kodai was relieved that he could live without hearing their arguments, but he definitely felt a sense of loneliness. To hide that feeling, he continued to joke around happily in front of his father.

The second reason was his sexual orientation. Since he was sociable, Kodai had a lot of both female and male friends. But he realised that when he related more with girls and felt more at home with them, whereas, whenever he was with boys, there was a strange feeling that wouldn’t settle.

He’d always tried to create a gentle atmosphere so he was often teased by his friends asking, “By any chance, do you swing that way?” When he realised he really did swing that way, his habit of lightening the mood with jokes only grew stronger.

Even though it was gaining more awareness, a lot of people were still hesitant about same-sex relationships, and even Kodai himself found it hard to accept.

If someone asked him if he swung that way, he would first reply, “Ah, you could tell?” before brushing it off with a laugh, “As if, what’s with that?” Rather than get angry and try to deny it, no matter what he was told, he would smile gently and reply. That was his biggest means of self-defence even while he was growing up.

Kodai, who had grown up in such a way, met Endo when he was 20 years old. They had both graduated from a beauty vocational school and got a job at a city salon. Endo had dropped out of college and entered the vocational school so he was 2 years older than Kodai.

After their training, as he and Endo were working together, Kodai didn’t get along with him at first since their personalities were such opposites. Endo probably felt that as well.

In the strict human relations of the sport-field of a workplace, Kodai, who was friendly and humble, was teased and treated favourably by the senpais, whereas Endo, who showed no sociability and wouldn’t listen even to his senpais, made a lot of enemies. 

More than anything else, there was one more reason why his perfect looks seemed to provoke people.

It was a line of work with many people who had high beauty knowledge and were sensitive to trends, but Endo stood out due to the quality of his raw skills.

He was often told snidely by his senpais, “Are you sure you didn’t choose the wrong industry?” their words full of jealousy.

No matter what he was told by them, his face never changed a bit.

For the first two years at the shop, Endo never touched a pair of scissors. He only touched his clients’ hair to shampoo or colour it. Even though he was still an apprentice, he was people’s go-to for shampooing.

When his probation period ended and he was able to start cutting hair, the number of requests of Endo exceeded the senpais who had been there for years longer in no time at all.

“Being attractive must be nice~ To be able to get requests just because of your face.”

When Endo was told those types of words by a particularly sarcastic senpai called Anzai, he would reply blankly, “Thanks,” which caused him to be looked down upon even more.

By the time Kodai had already stuck with him for 2 years, he realised that Endo wasn’t some talentless guy with nothing but a nice face. In reality, he worked harder than anyone else, always being the last one left in the store, practising endlessly on mannequin heads, and also practising with Kodai, trying out cutting and colouring each other’s hair. When things didn’t go well, unlike Kodai who would complain or make excuses, he always kept silent and earnestly kept on trying.

Only Yashiro, a caring senpai with three more years of experience, and the shop manager judged Endo’s hard work and talent past their first impression, while the rest of the senpais continued to see him as an enemy.

The fact that Endo would tell customers bluntly what wouldn’t suit them, or how their ideas wouldn’t turn out like how they expected, also was seen as cocky by Anzai and the rest. 

The hospitable Anzai, who would take his customers’ orders and replicate them faithfully, couldn’t stand that the cocky youngster had more clients than him, despite Anzai having more experience and being his senior.

Kodai, who can read a room perfectly and was friendly, was adored by Anzai and treated as if he was Anzai’s adopted child. Kodai was always upset that Anzai didn’t think well of Endo. He knew that Anzai wasn’t amused by Endo’s cockiness. But, he also knew that Endo’s sense and ability had always been higher than Anzai’s.

Influenced by his rough childhood, Kodai wasn’t good at dealing with the awkward tension between the two people. That was probably why he was content with being Anzai’s henchman. By daring to side with Anzai, he casually volunteered to act as the peacemaker when the atmosphere became tense. 

The salon they worked at was in a shopping mall, and was open all year round except for New Year’s, with it having a shift system on holidays. Kodai’s and Endo’s off days usually didn’t align so they had never gone out together during their resting days. 

Endo didn’t like tagging along with people in the first place so he didn’t go out to eat or drink after work and he wouldn’t go out with Kodai when their shifts on holidays matched. 

Endo only participated in the New Year’s Eve drinking party, which was mandatory for all staff members. It was their third end-of-year party so Kodai sat next to Anzai like always and stayed with him as he became more and more chatty because of the alcohol.

“And I just thought, you know, with that face, how could you ask me to give you the same hairstyle as Kitami Eri? Isn’t it priceless?”

Anzai started happily badmouthing a client who had requested the same hairstyling as a famous Japanese actress. Kodai tried not to completely agree with him, nor go against him and create an awkward atmosphere, saying things like “You’re saying too much,” or, “Yes, her face was the complete opposite of Kitami Eri-chan but she was still cute,” with a strained smile.

In those kinds of situations, Anzai had a face like a picture-perfect villain, even the store manager and Yashiro tried to warn him to ‘get it together’ with forced laughter.

He can’t put it well into words, but there was an aspect of Anzai’s villainous actions that he couldn’t hate. Kodai was the type to want to try his best to respond to his customers’ orders, but there were some requests that he couldn’t see as anything but hopeless. Anzai expressed the feelings he had suppressed and laughed about it among colleagues. He said a lot in private but he faithfully fulfilled his customers’ requests without breathing a word of it — it was definitely professional. 

After laughing at his clients’ absurd requests for a while, Anzai said with contempt, “Speaking of Kitami Eri,” laughing sarcastically.

“There’s no way her newest film made over 500 million at the box office. Who the hell watches that sort of repetitive tragic love story?”

“Excuse me, I actually watched it. I cried a lot, you know?” 

When Kodai said this jokingly, Anzai scrutinised him, “Woww~”

“Was there one here too? Stereotype. Because you have such a mediocre sense, you’re so boring.”

“Excuse me, Anzai-san. Please enlighten me on how to become a more interesting man.”

“Even if I told someone like you, you wouldn’t get it, I’m telling you. The stuff I watch is for indie-film enthusiasts.”

Anzai dodged the question and instead spoke to Endo who was sitting next to Kodai silently drinking while staring at his phone.

“What types of movies do you watch?”

Endo begrudgingly raised his eyes from his phone and said the title of a recently-adapted live-action version of a popular shounen¹ Shounen = manga genre for young boys manga.

Anzai’s entire face broke into a smile. 

“Oi, are you serious? The original was already long-winded and worthless, the live-action would be so shit, for real. To start with, manga live actions are all like garbage.”

His desire to dog on the mediocre hobby of the junior who was his enemy oozed out.

Endo dropped his gaze back to his phone and said lazily, “I guess there really are people who think putting others down means they are somehow on a higher level, aren’t there?”

Anzai’s face froze in the middle of his smile and his voice dropped. “Huh?”

Endo looked at him like he was some trivial being. “They don’t try being unique or expressing their own taste because it would expose their shallowness. Instead, they prefer criticising other people or things to feel superior, because it feels good.”

“Oi. Why are you talking in that tone of voice with someone older than you? Which one of us is trying to feel superior?!”

Anzai kicked his chair and stood up in rage.

Endo also stood up quietly. Kodai, who was stuck between them, also stood up and tried to mediate the explosive situation.

“Happy New Year,” Endo said curtly and headed towards the exit. 

Yashiro was calming down Anzai as he went crazy with anger and Kodai bowed a few times and apologised before following Endo.

“En-chan, no matter how you look at it, you went too far.” 

He caught up just as he left the store, and Endo glared down at him coldly as Kodai chided him.

“You were going along with too much. If you’re being looked down on, at least try to fight back.”

Kodai was surprised by those words and looked at Endo. Was he trying to defend Kodai in his place?

–

T/N

Ugh ppl like Anzai piss me off sm

Let me know if there are any mistakes!

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  Shounen = manga genre for young boys