31 A Long Night

The singer saw Saito standing at the ajar door, staring at them lying side by side on the floor. Jun slept quietly and unaware, by Haruki's side. Even in the dark Haruki could see the mountaineer's angry expression and his clenched fists.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence. The young singer stood in anticipation of what to do, expecting to discover whether the older man would meddle in his relationship with Jun.

If the mountaineer was audacious enough to question something about it, they would end fighting and Haruki didn't want to have to cut off relationships with someone he respected.

So far Haruki had acted conciliatory, trying to take reasonable attitudes and reacting with the group's best interests in mind, even when he didn't feel calm or inclined to use reason. Perhaps his diplomatic reactions and attitudes made Saito take him wrongly.

Right now, Haruki waited for Saito's reaction to find out whether Saito's common sense would make him realize he wasn't welcome now, and he should close the door and leave.

But common sense and Saito have not been together for a long time. He opened the bedroom door fully, as if unaware the baker was sleeping there.

"Haruki-san, I need to talk to you. Now. Can you come with me for a moment? " his tone was gentle, but loud, waking the sleeping man.

"Well then, come in Saito-san," Jun intruded on the answer, while turning on the floor to lie on his back. And with an impulse, he got up quickly.

Haruki flinched involuntarily, not out of fear of Jun. But out of instinct, avoiding being trampled.

"Wait. You two shouldn't argue again! I'm going crazy because of you guys!" The singer controlled himself not to shout. The other residents didn't need to be disturbed because of the minutiae of these troublemakers facing each other right now. 'Breathe,' mentally he told himself.

The usually well-mannered Haruki scowled, caught between the two alphas who wanted him, "Saito-san, do you have something very important to tell or..."

"Yes, I do," the mountaineer responded by interrupting him and explained, "An ocean liner appeared at sea." Saito was calm now, totally oblivious to their aggressive reception, and completed, "See for yourself. That's the reason I called you."

The mountaineer left the room followed by Jun and Haruki, who ran to look out the hall window.

It was late night and the majestic vessel dominated the mesmerizing landscape with a starry sky mirrored in the sea. The ocean liner matched the mansion, huge and bold in design.

Haruki had only seen properties like that in advertising pictures or in series where the protagonists are zillionaires. It made him laugh internally when he wondered if Miss Abe Miyu-chan would have asked for an electronic toilet with a massage jet and music for her cabin, since only what it took was a good illustrator. 'Perhaps she asked for winged horses or a fancy tiara.'

The mountaineer's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"The game is going to start. Miyu-chan is the passport out of here. Come on, let's talk."

Saito went back into the room Kenta drew for Haruki, and sat on the floor as if he were in his room.

Still in the corridor, Jun looked at the vessel with a heavy, thoughtful face and had closed fists.

The singer was afraid of whatever the baker was thinking. From all of them, Sasaki Jun was the one who best represented the archetype chosen for him.

"Hey Jun, let's hear what Saito-san wants to tell us," the singer asked.

Together they went back to the room.

"Shouldn't Saito-san call the others?" Haruki asked, already turning towards the door, but Jun's hand stopped him.

Saito also signaled that he shouldn't.

It was intriguing for the singer to see how Saito and Jun used to think alike. An exchange of silent stares was enough, despite all the antipathy they expressed for each other.

"It's an agreement between the three of us. Whoever goes out with Miyu-chan first clarifies the situation for her." Saito stared at them for a while.

"Tell her? But what about the deal with Honda-san?" the singer questioned them, seeing again how Jun and Saito were in tune with each other's ideas and goals.

This time, Jun explained,

"Your faith in people is enviable, Haruki. How could you be so innocent as a trainee for years?! Honda-san just told us what he shouldn't, despite his attempts of hiding from us," Jun said bitterly, "We ​​need to talk to Miyu-chan. It will be a test of what her character is. After she knows that we are real people and not Artificial Intelligence. Then we'll know what it's really like. If she will demand that we continue with the game. Or ..." Jun spoke the last words with his sardonic smile, winking at Haruki when he finished his thought.

"... If she will help us out," the singer added, smiling at Jun, and winking at him back. He had understood it was the fastest way for them to gain freedom for the real world.

Saito ostensibly looked at the ceiling, rolling his eyes, then immediately went to the door. But before leaving, he looked at the singer, ignoring his opponent.

"I bet they will invite us to the liner by the morning. I advise you to put ice on your lips."

"...!" Haruki had let his guard down, so he blushed like a boy.

Jun snorted, showed his teeth and clenched his fists, walked over to the door, and closed it on the mountaineer's face, turning the key.

He went back to his 'strawberry shortcake' and stared at him with an amused look because Haruki was so flushed with shame.

Jun took his chin affectionately, "Your lips are red and swollen. That envious bastard!" and the 'bad boy' returned to passionately kissing his object of desire.

"Is it that bad?" worried, Haruki asked, between kisses. The answer came with tender licks, and purred, choppy words,

"Never. It has been. So. Beautiful!" and with that teasing, a new kissing session started.

************

The sound of the well-known alert music played.

The kiss was painfully interrupted. The couple walked away frustrated. They would have to go to the game room. The chief engineer wanted their attention.

Haruki looked at Jun's delicious mouth and started laughing. His lips looked like they were stung by wasps. The singer raised his hand to his own lips, feeling them as swollen as Jun's. Result of having spent the last half hour kissing.

"I'm going to change, and you should do the same."

Haruki still felt inhibited from making out with another man, and his clothes smelled more of Jun at this moment than of himself. "Grhhhh!" Haruki growled in frustration while cleaning himself the best he could and changing his clothes. It was new to him. He might need some time to himself to think about it.

But the music was still playing, and he had to go to the game room to meet not only the other men, but also to endure the programmer's tedious talk.

'Bah, how can I be happy and angry at the same time?' the singer asked himself, leaving the room, found Jun in the hall waiting for him to go together. The baker had not changed.

Saito was standing near the game room door, and when he saw Haruki, he motioned for him to enter first. The three men met the rest of the group.

Hinata smiled when he saw them enter. Daisuke and Takashi kept focused on the sliding screen and ignored the trio's entrance. The transmission has started.

The image this time showed neither the programming room, nor was the chief engineer Honda-san the person on the screen.

In the center of the screen, a man with drooping eyes stood staring emptily at them. Thick, voluminous, and gray hair combed neatly on his head. The round face, marked by deep creases, reminded Haruki of a chewy cookie. His neatly cut gray suit and shiny tie looked expensive.

The entire background around him seemed expensive _ from the black table that reflected the objects on it, to the picture in the background with images of dogs and palm trees.

The singer deduced that this was Abe Hiroshi, Miyu-kun's father. He seemed to assess the men in the room. His prolonged silence, and apparent indifference, made Haruki's blood boil.

'I'm not going to accept this any longer,' the singer started the conversation even though it was a rude act.

"Abe-san, how kind of you to come to meet us!" he spoke cheerfully, breaking the ice. "I wish you to be the bearer of good news. Will you rescue us today?"

The magnate blinked.

His head turned to the left, and returned to the center, revealing a nervous tic the older man cannot avoid. He wasn't used to being pressed. His gaze locked on Haruki and he said,

"Hm, the Athlete,"

During the quick movement of turning his head to the side, Haruki realized that Abe was using a wireless earpiece. Someone was giving him information about them. 'That's why he was silent for so long,' concluded the singer.

"Greetings, gentlemen. I'm Abe Hiroshi. And yes, Miyake Takao-san, I bring good news. I will finance the removal of one of you from here. But for that, you will pass a test. The one with the highest score will have this privilege. Which one of you will be the deserving one, gentlemen?!"