#for me. Okay | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dirtbra1n · 21 days ago

Text

Seigi Sunday the first—hi seigi :)

logistics before we begin: one big post each week! for everybody’s convenience. as dictated by the poll we’ll be starting with white text on black background (dark mode), but I figure we can alternate between dark and light modes because the vote was fairly close. in the meantime I’ll be upping the brightness of the screenshots so they’re hopefully a little easier on the eyes. let me know if it super sucks

as we move forward feel free to keep an eye out for counters such as Most Beautiful Man In The World count, or general Wow thats a beautiful man.... count. or times I personally call seigi richard or the both of them together deeply sick individuals. it's december we can make it a Warm Drink Drinking Game or something.

now let's begin :) took a very long time Collecting the tools as an apology take this I love graphic design I'm really very good at it

I started over winter break, but once I was going to class four days a week during the day, then straight to my job in the evening, taking a morning nap in the break room and heading right back to school, it really did a number on my internal clock. I could never quite, think clearly. My wallet was full, but I had nothing in particular to spend the money on. I don't think I'd ever heard someone use my actual name at work—both my friend and I were uniformly addressed as "guard." Even food was starting to taste bland. I knew I couldn't keep it up much longer.

[…] I guess I'll just try to get my shifts reduced or find a new part-time job if I can't manage it? Yeah, that's the plan.

HI SEIGI!!!!!! it’s always morally okay to quit your job you should always quit your job. quitting jobs keeps you young seigi get OUT of there. anyway I forgot how immediately we get here

I crossed the road and ran toward the voices. There were four or five people—men in worn-out suits—raising hell. The man in the middle of the group, carrying a suitcase, had tripped and fallen. One of the drunks cackled and dumped his beer on the man's head. I took a deep breath. "Officer! Right over here! Hurry! Someone's being attacked!" The over-excited drunks scattered and escaped into the station. The man on the ground remained. He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe himself off. "Are you okay?" '...You're a lifesaver."

AAUUUHHHHHHH SEIGI even if I hadn't needed to contend with image limit I would've typed this out. god

Under the light of the bug zapper, the man turned around. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and an impeccable command of Japanese, but his features were the most captivating of all. I prayed he hadn’t caught the little “whoa” I’d let out under my breath. I’m going to make a bold assertion: I’ve never laid eyes on a more beautiful human being in my life. He had high cheekbones and a perfectly sculpted nose, gently curled blond hair, and his skin was pale and silky smooth. His eyes were a shade of blue that I felt like I could stare at for hours. It was like someone had taken individual parts from all the most beautiful people in the world and combined them in immaculate balance to create this creature. Time and space—even down to the tiny particles of dust in the air—all flowed at a different pace around this man. It was almost enough to make you believe in the divine.

The most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my life* was standing before me in a grey suit. He told me his name was Richard.

BIG DAY FOR SICKOS!!!!!!!!

*yeahhh thats the stuff

Both officers gasped and leaned forward, thinking it might be illicit narcotics. I took the bait, too, but the bags didn't contain nefarious white powder.

nefarious white powder. Okay anyway

I wrote my name on the notepad on the desk with a ballpoint pen. The officer looked at my first name—written with the same characters as "justice"—and guessed "Masayoshi" for the reading, but I shook my head and wrote the pronunciation down, too: Seigi Nakata.

中田正義 like this. I love you boy....

It was 12:45 a.m. by the time they finally let us go. I told him I’d wait with him until the taxi got to the police box, and he gave me this look, like he was utterly baffled by me. “Are you sure you’re not a knight?” “A night?” “A gentleman,” Richard pronounced expertly in native-sounding English. “You accompanied me until I was finished with the police even though they said you could leave earlier.” “Well, it would’ve been annoying if I’d left and they realized they still needed me for something, right?” The taxi was taking its sweet time, so Richard went into the convenience store next to the coin-operated lockers in front of the station. He bought two bottles of water and returned to where we’d been waiting. The moment he handed one of them to me, the taxi finally arrived. I let out a loud “um” without really thinking, and he paused. “I, um, I know you’ve been through a lot today, but please don’t let this experience make you hate Japan. Not everyone’s like those idiots.” “I’m quite aware. Not to mention, making sweeping generalizations about people is a rather foolish endeavor. You shouldn’t feel responsible for their behavior.” Foolish. I hadn’t heard that word in a long time. The blond man with a much greater command of my own native language than I placed his suitcase in the back seat of the taxi instead of the trunk. This rather unusual meeting was coming to an end. Deciding that this might be my only chance to bring up what was on my mind, I took it. “Excuse me, just one last thing! Mr. Richard, you appraise jewelry, right? Like rings and stuff…” Richard looked a bit surprised at first. His eyes, blue like the sapphires he’d pulled out at the police box, gazed at me. The taxi driver grumpily announced that he was closing the door from the driver’s seat, but Richard stuck a leg out, setting his gleaming leather shoe on the asphalt. He took a business card from his breast pocket and gave it to me with one hand. “Jewelry Étranger” it said. I had to wonder what “étranger” meant. It had an e-mail address and phone number on it as well. “Call me at any time. I’m fairly easy to find near Nihon-bashi.” “But—” “Until we meet again, my knight in shining armor,” Richard said with a smile. I was speechless, probably because it was absolutely impossible to argue with him. And it wasn’t just his face but all of his mannerisms, too. The taxi vanished into the night, leaving nothing but a streak of orange from its taillights.

jesus christ. you know you two are sick. also sick is the visual image of the streaking orange light but Seriously so so sick what the hell is wrong with you both

my god. I'm not gonna say anything unnecessary but . mmmm. well whatever Hey seigi can we think of the optics for a second here

poppingthequestionquestionmark.jpg

I took the small black box out of my backpack, popped the lid open, and showed him the ring with the pink stone in the middle.

this is a gun I'm planting by the way. with my foresight knowledge of the future and twisted mind. give it a few novels

...[de]manding you give me the 'real' one back? Well, don't worry. I took thorough photos of the ring and even made two sets of printouts. You should take one. What else should we do just to be safe? Add some kind of seal, maybe?" Honestly, I didn't really expect an almost total stranger to trust me, but I did really want to know more about the stone. Richard remained silent even after I made my case. I hoped he would believe me. After all, he did see all my personal information at the police box that night.

guess you both will just...... have to trust one another............

we.ll. anyway seigi Get ready to say the line

It was probably a kind of longing. For the ring in his suitcase. oh you're sick you are so sick. you're going to pay for this one day nakata seigi Give it a few novels. like. four maybe I forgot. sicko. putting that aside richard smiling grinning and or laughing gives me catastrophic secondhand moe radiation poisoning This is so fucked up.....

Richard's expression didn't change as he continued, "Are you aware that this ring might be stolen?" I looked up at the ceiling the moment I heard him say it. I sighed before looking back at Richard. He was beautiful as ever, even with a frown on his face. He looked like he wanted to call me baffling. I supposed my reaction was pretty unusual. I couldn't stop smiling. I felt so happy. It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "You're... You're amazing! You really are a jeweler! That's just incredible!" "Keep your voice down." He shot me an icy glare, and I shut my mouth. I'd let myself get a little too excited. Richard was silent as a forest as his marvelously colored eyes gazed at me. Beautiful things had a mysterious power, one strong enough to strike a person dumb and render them unable to transgress. It reminded me of how I used to feel compelled to put my hands together in prayer every time I walked past the temple near my house, despite not even knowing what denomination it belonged to. Richard had that quality, and so did the ring.

"unable to transgress" Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. covering my little notebook with both hands. seigi do you ever think before you speak don't answer this

I took karate classes from third grade until I had to quit to focus on high school entrance exams. Even though my instructor was strict, I enjoyed it, but my favorite thing by far was that Hiromi wouldn't get mad at me when I got home late on days when I had class. I'd take the train after karate to visit Grandma at her apartment. I really loved her, though Hiromi hated having to visit her for Obon and New Year's. Even as a small child, it was clear that she was avoiding her mother, but Grandma was always kind to me. She was strong for her small frame and scary when she was angry. She was nothing like the grandmas at my friends' homes, but she was overjoyed to see me every time I came to visit. She would always tell me, "Don't do bad things. They'll catch up to you." Her eyes would look so lonely.

It was like a dream come true when she moved in with us, since I had no idea about the dementia at the time. Grandma was my hero back then, while my mother was never home. And when she was, she was bossy and mean. My mother laid into me when, in the fall of eighth grade, I told her I wanted to start working instead of going to high school. "I work my ass off to make sure you can go to college, and this nonsense is how you repay me?" That sort of thing. Furious, I snapped back at her that I didn't need her help because I was going to stand on my own two feet, just like Grandma. We both lost our tempers, and it almost came to blows, but my grandma intervened and Hiromi flew out of the house. Grandma was bawling. "I was angry. I was so angry. I can still vividly remember Grandma's face and voice. 'I'm a bad role model. You shouldn't try to be like me, Seigi.' That was the day she told me the story about the ring. She was crying the whole time. She was so frantic to get the whole thing out, almost like there was a spell on her compelling her to finish... It was terrifying." Don't do bad things. They'll always catch up with you.

I was sure that both my grandmother and the ring itself would want it to go back to its rightful owner. Back in elementary school, I didn't like my name very much. When the kids at school saw me helping an old man cross the street, they mocked me. "Look at what a good boy Mr. Justice is!" I was so embarrassed I wanted to die. It wasn't like I was helping people because of my name. That incident happened on a day I had karate class, so I confided in my grandmother about it. I asked her why people laughed at me for helping people. Why they mocked me. Grandma looked at me with fire in her eyes. I tensed up, thinking she was angry, but she just smiled sweetly and stroked my head. "I'm proud of you, Seigi," she said. Those words were my salvation. Wanting to help people wasn't a bad thing. But looking back now, it made me think of something else—my grandmother's regret. Her pain. The past she could never escape.

"Please. I just want some closure." Richard set down his water glass. He closed his eyes very deliberately, and his expression grew serious. "Going forward, I will no longer be treating you as a customer but as an acquaintance. Is this acceptable to you?" "Go ahead." "Very well, Seigi." His blue eyes were looking straight at me. They were so piercing they made me sit up straight.

okay .

I gazed at Richard's blue eyes, comparing them to thee pink sapphire. It felt like time, which had frozen in Tokyo fifty years ago, had begun to tick forward again.

alright .

literally without fail. just skin rending agonies OKAY!!!!!

"wrong thing to be distracted by" Okay seigi what do you mean by that. were you distracted by his signing his own name. Why are you acting so maidenly about this. he's not going to think you're being too earnest about when you both can get this all sorted because a) he likes you earnest Totally not like that by the way. and b) he's too busy getting distracted in his own right by your insane running commentary. but aaanyway,

definitely you should've woken him up.

She said it had felt like her life was about to end before it had even begun. The pink sapphire engagement ring was apparently a rare specimen from abroad—it must be worth the value of a woman's life, she thought. She began vacantly wandering around Ginza, gazing at the women working at the department stores. Eventually, she made her way to Shimbashi and got on the Yamanote line—in the opposite direction from her home. She waited for several stops to pass before picking a random one to get off at. That was when she noticed that the ring had vanished from her left hand. "I still remember that moment like it was yesterday. I didn't feel even the slightest bit of sadness. The ring hadn't done anything wrong, but as far as I was concerned, it might as well have been a collar with a chain attached." She chuckled. "It was like someone had opened the door to my cage." Unfortunately, this wasn't just a funny story. There was a huge uproar when her family found out. Her father even hit her. But when she still didn't feel sad, even after all that, it just made her feel like she was horribly selfish and ungrateful. She couldn't bring herself to suffer a little unhappiness to spare the rest of her family. "I didn't see a way out. I was useless to my family at that point. It felt like there was no reason to keep living anymore, so I figured I'd go back to the same station the next day and die. I jumped and everything, but I only lost a leg, not my life. The people who saved me said it was a miracle, but that day just made me a bigger burden on my family. The engagement was off, and I couldn't use my right leg anymore. I hoped they'd let me live out the rest of my life locked up in a tiny hospital room...but a doctor with a cute southern accent happened to take a liking to me." "Life can take some unexpected turns, huh?" she said with a smile. She looked truly happy. She had a son, and he and his wife were living with her now. Her grandchild was in elementary school. That was a face... A face I never once saw my grandmother make. Ms. Miyashita seemed to notice my surprise and tilted her head as if to ask if something was wrong. I bowed my head and apologized. My thoughts were in complete disarray. The pink sapphire in my hand sparkled. "I...I think my grandmother held onto this ring her whole life because she thought she'd done something irredeemable. But I...I loved my grandmother. That's why I want to bring some closure to this whole thing. Please, take it back." I couldn't say another word after that. Ms. Miyashita said my name. The servant tried to interrupt several times, but Ms. Miyashita paid her no mind and continued. "Seigi, do you like gemstones? Are you knowledgeable about them, like Richard is?" "No, I don't know anything about them... The only piece of jewelry I know at all is this ring." She smiled softly.

pause Completely forgot about richard Good lord, pull yourself together. and it made me wheeze cough laugh. this is another gun incidentally Also I hope you can feel through my painstaking transcribing how emotional this chapter makes me. I hope you can.

lets take a nice break from the emotionality though to throw rocks at seigi

"...Is there anything you don't know?" I tried bringing up the topic of the ring, but Richard just casually stuffed his face with a bun. Whoa, handsome men in suits walk around in public with food in their mouths? The sheer baseness of the thought brought a tear to my eye.

seigi I don't know if I've told you this before Probably not. but there's something really really wrong with you

"Papapa... Paparazzi...?" "Padparadscha. It's Sinhalese—the language of Sri Lanka—for the lotus flower." Sri Lanka. I felt like I'd at least heard that name in my high school geography class. Richard could tell I wasn't really following. "It's an island nation on the eastern side of the Indian Ocean. Its capital is rather famous for its long name." As I finished my bun, Richard continued on his tangent. "...This is more of a personal piece of trivia, but my grandmother was born in the city of Ratnapura. Ever since production began in the 1950s, padparadscha sapphires come almost exclusively from the city's mines." Which would mean the stone in the ring came from there, too. I glanced at him, seeking confirmation, and he gave a silent nod. My grandmother's ring had a stone in it from the city Richard's grandmother was from.

sri lanka Also a gun. likewise everything else here Whyyyy are you two so.. fated to meet one another..........

pointing out the flirtatious nature of banter like this feels like fruit hanging too low. am making meaningful eye contact with the lot of you though

"I did tell you that it was a keepsake from my grandmother." "Con men typically say the items they're peddling are keepsakes or family heirlooms. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that ring was actually stolen. If you think about it logically, it makes perfect sense to assume the item had ended up in the hands of an unrelated party. In the vast majority of cases like these, you wouldn't have had anything to do with Ms. Miyashita. You'd just be a random stranger trying to figure out how to pawn off a ring you didn't know anything about. Leaving an opening in my questioning created an opportunity to learn the other party's intent: A bad actor would try to make excuses, while an ignorant patsy would panic and simply deny the possibility. Of course, it isn't the most useful technique when it comes to people who are earnest to the point of foolishness." "......" "Perhaps you could say it's a tool not unlike a touchstone but for assaying hearts rather than metals." "...All right, you win. Thank you for the train fare." Richard flashed me a knowing smile. In the same moment, I noticed the chatter of the saleswomen on board get noticeably higher in pitch. It couldn't have been a coincidence. The fiercely handsome man with the classical features put his arm on the back of his seat, as if he were about to roll over to go to sleep. But instead, he turned to look at me in the aisle seat next to him. "I do think your innocent charm will make your life more interesting, my knight in shining armor," Richard said with a smile, emphasizing every syllable of that last phrase. He looked almost proud. Before I could reply, Richard announced that he was going to sleep and rolled over. He did actually fall asleep almost immediately and didn't wake up until we arrived in Tokyo Station. I was extremely tempted to slip the money for the train fare into his jacket pocket but didn't want to risk looking suspicious, so I opted not to.

brief intermission Richard I think seigi gets three or so free passes to say whatever the hell he wants to you. honestly I forgot how off your leash you were here. sick, sick man. so sick.

When we were about to part on the platform, Richard shoved the bag of Chinese food into my hands. I told him I couldn't possibly take it, and the jeweler said one more mysterious thing: "I'm not suggesting you eat it alone." ...Uh, you mean you want to eat it with me?" "No. I think you should consider visiting your mother," Richard suggested. Specifically, he probably meant I should tell her what happened today. "I'm sure you have much you need to say to her. Probably much more than you realize." And with that, the besuited jeweler bid me farewell and disappeared into the crowd.

another gun in here There are so many of these damn guns. other news Seigi was all that thinly veiled poorly excused flirting back there just a number of "mysterious things" he said. Wake UP!!!!!! anyway back to being shot dead twenty times

This was the same house and the same spot where Grandma had cried, too. And my mother was making the exact same face that she did. Grandma may not have been a "good role model," but she lived her life trying to make sure the people she loved were safe and happy. They might have died if she hadn't done what she did. No one would unilaterally condemn her actions. No one except Grandma herself... and her dear daughter. "If by some snowball's chance in hell, I, the person who ate up all her money, were to simply smile and say 'thank you' for what she did... she'd be rolling in her grave." "......" "Seigi, hand me the tissues." I handed her the box of tissues from on top of the TV. Hiromi blew her nose and crudely wiped her eyes. She balled up the tissue and tossed it into the trash, then casually ate a dumpling, forcing an "oooh, delicious." She was thirty-five when she had me. She probably thought she couldn't get pregnant anymore, but she still had me and raised me. She had always been like this, as long as I could remember. Always strong, stubborn, and tenacious, no matter the circumstances. She always seemed to be fighting something. "So, uh... how's the food?" "Mmm, delicious. Where'd you get it?" [...] It's not like you had to put everything out on the table at once. To me, family meant holding each other close, even through awkward situations like these, when nothing seemed to make sense. I felt the same way when Grandma was still here. Before we split the offering on the altar between the two of us, I rang the bell and brought my hands together, praying to the person who taught me that when you bring your hands together in prayer, you should relax them a bit, so they form what looks like a lotus bud. I remembered the long message I was meant to relay. When I opened my eyes, my mother was next to me, her hands together, too.

I'm wi[ping all my goddamn tears to make a note here about richard asking seigi if he'd give him the ring for a good price and seigi refusing being in its own right Another gun. but I didn't screenshot it. believe me though please It is a gun

Richard looked around the room before looking me straight in the eye. "I have a different proposal for you. For a while now, I've been wanting to set up shop in Japan. I want to create a space that isn't a showroom for gemstones but a place where I can talk to clients. At present, I plan to utilize the space on weekends." "You're setting up shop here?" "Precisely. And I'm hoping to hire some part-time help. Specifically for one position. The job would primarily be simple chores, like cleaning the shop, and would require at most ten days a month. In terms of dress code, anything is appropriate as long as it's not too worn-out." A part-time job at a jewelry shop. I didn't hesitate to ask what the pay would be like, and Richard gave me a number that blew my salary on the night shift at the TV station out of the water. "What do you say?" Richard pressed me for an answer with his eyes. It seemed like he wanted one right that second. But he was making a very compelling offer. To me, at least. "Are you sure you want me?" "Have you never cleaned a room before?" "No, I mean, I have, but... I mean this is a jewelry shop, right? I don’t know anything about jewelry." “I’ll be doing the selling and talking to clients. I may have you run some errands to buy stationary or mail things at the post office for me, but that will be roughly the extent of your responsibilities. If you were hoping for something more fulfilling, this might not be the right position for you.”

okay pause I’m biting into the low hanging fruit Are you sure you want me? SEIGI. punchline Have you never cleaned a room before? RICHAAARDDDDDD two people uniquely perfect for one another I’m Gonna Do Something. at a later date. a process will have occurred when I’m through with you two. also This is so volume 6 to me you people are SICK!!!!!!!

It was right on the tip of my tongue. I knew what I was trying to describe, but what was the word? What was it that Richard reminded me of? It wasn’t someone else’s name. It was the way he looked perfect from every angle. It was something else entirely. I know. “A gem! You’re a living gemstone!” It was perfect. I pointed at him, feeling very pleased with myself for figuring it out—for about two or three seconds, before I realized what an insane thing I’d just said out loud and hurriedly put my hand down. I bowed my head and apologized, but Richard just said not to worry about it. “Um… Anyway, I don’t really have any skills to speak of, and you really don’t need someone with such an overactive imagination. I’m sure there’s someone better suited to the job.” “I disagree.” His reply came immediately. My eyes went wide, and Richard smiled sweetly. His smile shone like a gemstone when held up to the light. “To be perfectly honest, anyone could do the job I’m asking you to do, but I wouldn’t ask just anyone to do it. If I wanted an expert in gemstones, I wouldn’t be looking for a part-timer. Gemstones may be objects that people treat with love and care, but the concept of beauty doesn’t fit into some neatly defined box. Beauty comes in myriad forms. It is a concept as rich as it is broad, and being able to recognize and appreciate that is a talent. A talent I believe you already possess. And I can personally vouch for your honesty. Going out of my way to find another candidate when I have someone who’s both available and qualified right here would be foolish.”

“Yes. I couldn’t ask for a better job. Though, you know, it probably would be better if I referred to you a bit more formally.” “And why is that?” “It’s pretty unusual for an employee to be on a first-name basis with his boss.” “Well, if you want to make a numbers argument, I think there are fewer workplaces where coworkers aren’t on a first-name basis.” “Oh, you mean in the whole world?” “Indeed. And this very room just so happens to be part of that great wide world. I’m happy to have you on board,” Richard said, offering a hand.

I just think you both are incapable of having normal conversations. I think you just can’t do it. the numbers thing is so LAME richard. but you don’t want to feel like he’s below you Ooihhhh sorry that’s a gun also Should I kill myself

He plunged a large plastic spoon with a heaping scoop of tea leaves into the boiling water and simmered it over high heat. Once the water began to take on the color of tea, he added the milk and then cut the heat once the froth began to reach the rim of the pot. Watching him flick the stove knob off was the first time I felt like this living gemstone was truly human.

if you’ll join me in ignoring gayboy for a moment That’s a perfectly good recipe for royal milk tea. :) I got deja vu when I was jotting this part down You don’t need to know how many hours I’ve been doing this now

“Drink up.” “Thanks…” I had a nervous look on my face as I sat down and had a sip. “Whoa! That’s delicious! How is it so tasty?” “This is authentic royal milk tea. All the rest are mere imitations.” Mere imitations. The way he said it was so funny, I couldn’t hold back a little laugh. Richard frowned, perplexed. “Let me guess, you didn’t drink the tea they offered us at the police box because it was a ‘mere imitation’?” “I have no intention of defiling my palate with sacrilegious flavors. Tea dies the moment it enters a plastic bottle.” “It dies?”

can you two just get married already. Can’t take it anymore

“It is simply not fit for human consumption. Understood, Seigi?” My new boss said my name. Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian. A British man fluent in Japanese. His grandmother was born in Sri Lanka. His beauty was unparalleled. And he had very strong opinions about royal milk tea. I had a hard time believing such a strange creature lived in the same world as me. When I started taking fewer shifts at the TV station, one of my friends at my prep class asked me what was up with a smile.