3 Years ago

The smell of charcoal and smoke filled the Izakaya pub, as the chef grilled some skewered chicken on the grill in front of his customers. The sound fo beer glasses clinking and old men laughing was a daily occurence in the pub, but specially so for tonight. A group of men had gathered in the pub and they were the source of glee and joy tonight, downing their alcohol and giving cheers every 10 minutes or so. They were celebrating for a friend of theirs, who had finally gotten a promotion, finally leaving the intern life. He was finally assigned to be the manager for the new signees for his company, a new rock up-and-coming rock band. And the man leading the celebration was none other than the comedian, ara Osamu. A celebrity in his own rights, but tonight, he was nothing more than a proud best friend. 

The celebrations lasted what seemed like all night, till the only ones left were Osamu and his friend, the man of the hour. They ordered more beers, finally just sitting across each other and relieving their past memories. As they popped open a new bottle, Osamu leaned back as he smiled at his friend, a chicken skewer in hand.

"Finally made it huh dude. Guess I'll be seeing you around more often."

The man poured himself a glass, laughing at the thought of meeting his friend even at work now.

"Ain't happening man. These kids are still new. I met them yesterday and they're only what, 18? It'll take me a while to get them on your level."

"Well then that's something to look forward to then right!"

They both laughed, high on alchohol. They clinked glasses one more time, downing their glasses like they always do. 

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

Osamu leaned against the chair, looking at the kids next to his table. They were grilling meat with wonder in their eyes that reminded him of his own youth. They were smiling from ear to ear, as though eating meat was a dream they never thought they could achieve. Bute even Osamu noticed, behind those innocent eyes and youthful smiles, they were tired. Their eyes had dark circles that were too noticeable, even behind the makeup. His eyes trailed to the guitar and bass cases behind the kids, leaning against the walls. They were old and dirty, tell tale signs of use and tear. He couldn't help but sigh. These were supposed to be a popular band. They were supposed to be rolling in dough by now and yet...

He turned to face the man in front of him. Just a year and a half ago, his eyes were full of vigor, his face full and rounded. And now, it was nothing more than a shell. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks devoid of its former fats. The man noticed Osamu staring, and as he looked up, Osamu could see the guilt in those eyes.

"Eat. Please. For both your sake and theirs."

"I'm sorry man. For making you pay for all this. I just..."

"I know, i know. How many months does this make. 3? 4?"

"5. It's the 5th month the company hasnt given them their paychecks."

The man turned to look at the kids, all enjoying the meat in front of them. None of them were fighting for it, unlike normal kids would. Instead, they were trying to feed each other, specially the only girl in the group.

"I've been trying to keep them afloat with my own pockets... But i don't know how much longer i can keep it up with my own paycheck. I'm not excluded either Osamu. It's getting lesser and lesser."

Osamu could hear his voice cracking, despite the rowdiness of the restaurant. He was speaking softly, trying to make sure the kids could not hear him. The man turned to Osamu, shielding his eyes away from the kids. He could feel the tears running down his cheeks as the guilt and fears again crept up to him. 

"I can feel my body getting heavier. It's getting harder day by day."

"Dude, just quit man. I can hook you up with a spot in my company. It's not worth sta-"

"I can't just leave them man!"

At that, Osamu couldn't say anything more. He sat there, unsure of what to say or do.

"I've already signed my insurance form. If anything were to happen to me, the kids will get the insurance money. The company already signed it."

" Why do you have to go that far man? Why? You don't to do that."

"Cause... they're practically my kids. I can't let my kids starve."

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

Osamu stood outside the funeral home, a cigarette in hand as he hears the monks recital echo out into the streets. He couldn't bear to go inside, to look at his friend one last time. He should have noticed. He should have known. He didn't want to believe it then, if only he did. He could feel his comdey partner, Himura, pat him on the back. 

"You really should go in to see him at least. He'll want that at least."

"Yeah, i should."

As Osamu turned around, he noticed someone familiar, leaning against the wall outside the funeral home. He too had a cigarette in mouth, face devoid of emotion. He recognised him as the band's singer, a kid who kept to himself most of the time. A weird kid, was what his friend described him to be.

"Hey, I'll be in soon, just got to talk to somebody."

He pushed Himura in, walking towards the kid instead. 

"You even legal yet?"

"You gonna rat me out?"

The kid didn't even bother butting it out, instead taking another puff.

"How you guys holding up?"

"Jun's inside taking care of everything, while Seiya's trying to console Ami. She took it pretty hard, Can't blame her. She was the one who found him like that. Ain't easy seeing a man hanging in the middle of a room like that."

Osamu could see the kid freeze, his eyes glazing over as he recounted what he saw in his head. 

"And you?"

The question snapped the kid back to reality. He shook his head slightly, before taking one last puff.

"Someones gotta be strong. Gues that'll be me."

As the kid was about to leave, Osamu stopped him, giving him a card.

"Here. My number. Use it when you need some help."

He took the card, but didn;t anything else before walking away.

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

It took him a couple of weeks, but eventually the kid contacted him. As Osamu sat at home, reading the news about the tragedy of his friend, he couldn't help but feel indignated. They were slandering him, painting him as someone who gave up easily. The nerve. When the call arrived, he had to control himself.

"Hey Mr ara? I need some help."

"What is it?"

"I just met with the insurance company, to pick up the insurance money, but apparently, someone else already picked it up. And from what I know, only the band and I are the only ones registered as his next of kin. I tried calling the chairman but he's not picking up"

"What do you mean? What're you trying to say?"

"I think... I think the company just stole the insurance money."

~~~~~~~~~~

Me and Sana sat there, unsure what to make of the story we just heard. I could hear Sana fidgeting in her seat, unsure what to say.

"So.. what happened?"

Osamu took a sip of his tea before looking at me. He turned to Sana and seemed to continue his story, but ths time with words i could not recognise. I turned to Sana as well, waiting for her translation. It took her a second, as though the words were a little too hard for her.

"Well to put it simply, He ended up suing the company. He got the band on his side and they managed to win the lawsuit, but the band didn't come out of it cleanly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's hard to explain but, the band and the company basically cut ties with one another, and Redbones managed to nullify their contract. But that left a bad taste with the company."

"So what's wrong with that?"

I turned to Osamu, not exactly understanding the whole situation. He looked at me and said one word.

"Yakuza"

I just stared at him, stunned.

"The company had ties with the yakuza, and these meant they still had some sort of social standing. The whole scandal kinda took a hit on their image but that doesnt mean they lost everything. They managed to pressure alot of the Tv Stations to not allow the band on their premise afterwards, and alot of radio stations and such weren't allowed to play their songs. So for a couple of months, Redbones went radio silent."

He took another sip of his tea before lighting up what was his 3rd cigarette.

"Thankfully, the company went bankrupt like a month or 2 ago, and that technically means Redbones can start promoting again. And looking by the way hes trying to contact me, it seems they're back on the right track. Helps that Redbones was already immensely popular in the beginning, and they still have a lot of fans. And now I can finally help them be the band my friend wanted them to be."