I called the cab, and within minutes, a small vehicle pulled up at the curb, winding down the tinted glass window. "Hmm..." He muttered, the cigarette falling off from the corner of his mouth. "Just trying to keep myself alive after the day's work."
We nervously nodded our heads along with him and climbed into the cab. He swirved off to the main road, on extreme speed. Takumi leaned back in the front seat, then hesitated for a moment, clutching to the seatbelt like his life depended on it before reaching over to roll down the window.
Once again, he stepped on the brakes, and the car turned sharply to the right. Takumi felt his soul lift from his body and instantly grabbed onto the dashboard of the car for support. "Whoa, easy man. Easy..."
I just sat there in the back seat, enjoying the banter between Takumi and the driver until we were there, right in front of the familiar Khaki of Okada. Takumi tugged nervously at his back pocket, like he wasn't sure he was ready to step out of the cab alive.
Honestly, I couldn't blame him after that horrific death-blazing drive, who could? We stared for a second, not quite believing there was going to be a second hangout right here, right now. Outside, crowds of people were hunched over the tables, all focused on their phones. "Okada opened another thing right under my nose."
I looked up at the slightly opened door of the khaki building. Then I caught a glimpse of Okada. "Oi!" I yelled, pushing through the crowd, weaving between legs and elbows. "Don't you dare move!"
Takumi yelled from behind, "Wait for me!" before rushing forward, slamming the door behind him.
Inside, it wasn't much different from outside, still crowded but then with more people than I had seen in the morning. I spotted Okada immediately, lounging on a newly bought burgundy leather couch, legs crossed lazily, sipping on a chilled bottle of Dom Pérignon straight from the neck.
He definitely was wasted from the Lord of alcohol plunged into his system. He flipped around to his side, sitting on a few crisp Japanese Yuan clearly unbothered about the people in the khaki.
I raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the packed room. "Hey… mind telling me how all these people could fit in here?"
Okada looked up lazily from his sleep, a smirk spreading across his face. "Man, you're back? How was it with Roku, where you able to get your rights to your old previous games version back?"
I stepped closer, nodding toward him. "Yeah, successfully," I replied, a small grin tugging at my lips. "But dude… tell me it ain't my money you used to buy that chair. It looks insane—so expensive. How much did it cost in JPY?"
Okada's smirk widened. He shook his head slowly, finally sitting upright on the burgundy leather couch, legs still crossed. "This bad boy?" he said, patting the armrest like it was some prized relic. "I got it for half a thousand dollars. And trust me, it warms your ass and gives you a nice massage while you lounge. Totally worth it."
I raised an eyebrow, impressed despite myself. "Half a thousand? That's… ridiculously overpriced. And you just… threw it here? Hope you made twice that money back?"
He leaned back again, bottle in hand, clearly enjoying the reaction. "What do you think? Look around, everyone is playing your succubi game. The money alone made today is enough for us not to work ever in our life well for the next 3 years. Yeah, man. You gotta live a little, right? Besides, you spend half your life sitting anyway, might as well do it in style."
Takumi, who was still catching his breath from the cab ride, muttered under his breath from the side, "Sensei… this place is cool."
I chuckled, glancing at him. "Welcome to my world, Takumi. Get used to it." I could feel Okada's burning gaze on Takumi, sizing him up like a hawk spotting prey. I waved a hand, cutting through the tension.
"Hey, enough staring, let me introduce you properly." I turned to Takumi, gesturing toward the lounging figure on the couch.
"This is Takumi."
Takumi straightened up instantly, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "Another genius, Sensei? I am worthy to be amongst you two!"
I smirked, shaking my head. "And Takumi, this is Okada." Okada tipped his forehead, giving a lazy nod. I laughed, patting Takumi on the shoulder. "Okada here is the owner of this place. I come to crash after late hours at work. Meanwhile, speaking of work… do you know what I did to Roku?"
"Who is Roku?"
"Fill me in on the details…" Okada interjected, pushing himself up from the couch and patting the empty side beside him. "Come on, seat yourself."
I slid into the spot, crossing my legs casually. "Could you believe that greedy fat ass?" I started, shaking my head with a smirk. "He couldn't even recognize me because I had on the fancy suit pants and everything. The guy greeted me like a long-lost friend, treated me decently, and even offered me a seat, can you imagine that?"
Okada chuckled, swirling the Dom Pérignon in his hand. "No way… Roku actually behaved himself?"
"Exactly," I said, leaning back. "I mean, the audacity of the guy. Acting all proper and polite, thinking he could butter me up. Little did he know, I already had the upper hand. I got my old games version back, and he didn't even see it coming."
"Damn, so what are e doing next huh? Was the plan only getting your game versions or getting the ultimate revenge? And that his pretty mistress too. How about we take turns in messing her up?"
I let out a short laugh, but it didn't carry any humor this time. I straightened a little, my voice calmer, sharper. "Relax," I said, cutting him off. "She hasn't served her purpose. When she does, we taking turns at her."
"....." Takumi stood there lost.
"Hey Boy, you drink some alcohol? Go bring cup on the top shelf, let me pour for you."