The next day, Kyosuke and Sato’s group of friends left the onsen early in the morning. They had plans to go hiking up the mountain before returning for one last night at the inn.
On the other hand, Asakura and the rest of his team went along the mountain paths, checking out the scenery and talking to the locals. They found a few good spots that could be used as filming locations and so they all returned to the inn in satisfaction.
It was already late in the evening and food was being served in the private rooms instead of the restaurant.
After eating, Asakura went outside for a smoke. The air was growing chilly as the sky darkened. It was almost nightfall and the colors were a mixture of ultramarine and deep purple.
Asakura titled his head, gazing up at the dark firmament. He let out a deep breath, causing the cigarette smoke to swirl up in the air like wisps of clouds.
“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”
A sudden voice came from behind and startled Asakura out of his musings. He whipped around and saw Sato standing just a step away from him. The young man was also staring up at the night sky, wearing a somewhat melancholic expression.
Asakura gazed at him for a few moments, his eyes tracing Sato’s features almost greedily. His beautiful, clear eyes reflected the horizon, while the lights from the inn cast shadows over his delicate and beautiful face. The corners of his lips were slightly curved, forming a mysterious smile. It gave one the feeling that he was holding onto a secret.
At that very moment, in Asakura’s eyes, Sato looked just like a celestial being that had descended upon the earth.
“Indeed, it’s very beautiful.” He heard himself reply mechanically, as his eyes remained glued to Sato’s face.
In the end, Asakura’s intense stare attracted the young man’s attention. He lowered his eyes and returned a slightly embarrassed glance.
“I meant the scenery.” He spoke calmly.
“You’re part of the scenery at the moment.” Asakura replied nonchalantly. After just giving the other person such a compliment, he continued to stare completely unabashed.
Meanwhile, Sato’s face flushed red and he looked away in embarrassment.
“Kyosuke-kun told me about what happened with Touma.” Asakura admitted bluntly, not thinking twice about selling out Kyosuke. He glanced at Sato’s profile and the side view of his red cheeks somehow made him feel pleased.
Asakura’s sudden words made the atmosphere shift from awkwardness to seriousness quite rapidly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Have you really?” Asakura inquired skeptically.
“Mn. It’s been almost a year since that unfortunate event happened, so it’s time I move on.”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”
“Perhaps, but I have to try. Otherwise Kyosuke might just go and do something stupid.” Sato finished with a small chuckle.
“You have a very good friend, Sato-san.”
“En. He is very good to me. Having him during those difficult times made the experience bearable.” Sato paused for a second, before turning to look Asakura in the eye. His gaze was clear and unafraid. “Aren’t you disgusted? After all, it’s not easy to accept someone like me.”
Asakura smiled and returned the same unabashed gaze.
So Kyosuke hasn’t told him about me. Now I almost feel guilty about ratting him out like that.
Making a swift decision, Asakura chose to be upfront about his own orientation. Regardless of what happened in the future he wanted to be honest and not cause any misunderstandings like he had done before.
“Sato-san, to be honest, I’m the same as you.”
“The same, you say.” Sato whispered, looking a bit surprised. Out of everything he had imagined, he didn’t expect this man to say that. “Well then, I can only hope your experience was better than mine.”
“I didn’t suffer like you did, but the ending was still unhappy. I had to watch the one I had loved for 15 years fall for someone else before I even got a chance to tell him how I feel.”
“That is also very painful. Perhaps even more so than my experience with Touma. At least we got to share some beautiful moments before everything crumbled down.”
“In my case, my misfortune was of my own doing. I had been too afraid of the past and chose to hide from him. When I finally mustered up the courage to speak, it was already too late.”
“I’m sorry.” Sato comforted softly, placing a hand on Asakura’s shoulder.
Feeling the gentle touch, Asakura’s heart stirred ever so slightly. He was impressed by the gentleness of this man. Despite looking so young and pure, Sato carried such deep scars. His past marked him in a way that only experienced adults can be and caused him to occasionally show such a sad expression. Yet, the calmness of his presence had the power to soothe hearts.
Filled with a strong sense of empathy, Asakura pulled Sato’s hand away from his shoulder, grasping it tightly between his fingers. A moment later, he placed something in the young man’s palm.
“Sato-san, I hope you will be able to move forward and give yourself another chance. When you wish to give it a try, use this.”
Sato blinked, his beautiful eyes showing confusion. Glancing down at his hand he saw a business card nestled in the middle of his palm. On it there were a few lines that made him gasp in surprise.
Asakura Ryuu
Managing Director
Nozomu Financial, partner group of KIKAI Entertainment.
“We will be holding an audition soon and I hope to see you there.”
Asakura saw the hesitation written on Sato’s face and he knew what the young man was troubled with. Afraid he would refuse him on the spot, Asakura quickly folded Sato’s fingers, trapping the card inside his fist. He looked into Sato’s reluctant eyes, boring into them with a peculiar intensity. Through his fingertips he could feel the person in front of him trembling slightly.
“My company is directly involved in the production of the movie, but you can rest assured. I’m not one to pull strings or help people who don’t have the talent. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a good businessman.” He joked, hoping to pull a smile from Sato’s lips. “If you decide to take part in the audition, I will make sure you are treated fairly. You won’t be given special treatment, but I will make sure you aren’t hurt by injustice either.”
“Why are you doing this?” Sato suddenly spoke in a low voice, his mind half muddled and half focused on the heat emanating from Asakura’s hand. “I’m just a stranger to you. We haven’t even properly introduced each other, so why are you going to such lengths to help me?”
“Because I know how painful it is to lose chance after chance, to see your dream getting further and further away from you. I know you don’t want everything you’ve worked hard for slipping through your fingers.”
“What if it’s already too late? Even in your case… it was still the same.”
“Even so, in the end, I went and faced that person properly. I got rejected bluntly, yes. It was painful as hell, of course. But that upfront attitude was also what helped me accept the situation. Only by facing your fears can you truly move on.”
Sato remained silent, simply staring at Asakura’s resolute expression with a mixture of fear and wonder. This man suddenly seemed so big in his eyes, his presence and aura were all of a sudden quite overbearing. The seriousness he showed and the firm manner in which he spoke, affected Sato’s wavering disposition greatly.
Accurately guessing Sato’s small change of heart, Asakura congratulated himself for this achievement. Now that he had successfully attracted the young man’s attention, Asakura let go of his hand. While taking a small step backwards, his lips curved into a smile and his eyes flashed with contentment.
“After you think about it properly, make sure to give me a call.”
He then turned around and got ready to leave. But a second later he stopped and tilted his body sideways.
“Ah, and I believe offering someone their business card counts as a proper introduction. Therefore, from today onwards we are no longer strangers. Isn’t that right, Sato-kun?”
Asakura shot Sato a mischievous grin and flashed him a wink before walking away.
“And I am Imamura Sato, from HoshiAkari Entertainment.” Sato shouted after him, clutching the card tightly in his palm.
Without turning his head, Asakura responded with a wave of his hand. He continued to walk with confident steps towards the inn.
Behind Asakura, Sato stared at his retreating back, still muddle-headed and confused. His eyes were fixed on those broad shoulders and lean, yet powerful body. A moment later, as if on command, Sato bent his own upper body forward in a deep bow. He felt his eyes moistening and his breath caught in his throat. A soft whisper came through his smiling lips.
“I’m glad to have made your acquaintance… Asakura-san.”
It was a greeting only heard by him, but it held great weight in his heart. Without realizing, something was already changing inside him.
A/N: Even though it’s quite obvious by now, I just have to point this out: My baby Asakura is finally growing up! 
Oh? Surprisingly, Asakura was very cool this time! He really seems to grow up xD
It’s really hard to move forward… 😥 Sato, fighting~~!
Thank you for the chapter 💜💜💜
Yes, he has learned his lesson and now the results are showing 😁
And yes, it really is, especially when you are still haunted by your past 😢
Thank you for reading and all your wonderful comments 💜💜💜
Smooth 👌
Thank you for the chapter 😊
Oh yes, he can do it well if he really wants to 😉😏
🥰
why am I so happy?
thanks for the chapter <3
Probably because the immature Asakura is finally showing signs of growing up and is doing a very good job at coaxing his future partner? 🤭
<333