Luka
They were standing so close that if either of them took a deep breath, they might bump into each other.
Even from where I was standing, it was uncomfortable.
"Alright, let me translate what he just said," Michael began, lightly poking Kazuo in the chest with a finger. "With all this politeness and all these attempts to sound like a good guy, Ed is trying to tell you that we want to become co-owners," he gestured between himself and Edward. "You give the two of us a tiny piece of this bar. In return, you get all the opportunities that come with our names."
At first, I wondered if I'd misunderstood him, while Kazuo looked so annoyed that I thought he might physically throw Michael out of the building.
I had never seen somebody get under his skin this fast.
"What?" Michael asked, shifting his gaze from Kazuo to Edward. "Did I say something wrong? Because that's exactly what we're offering." He spread his hands. "You can spend the next ten years smashing your heads against government office walls, but your legendary bar still won't get a permit. Let's be realistic here." He pointed directly at Edward. "With Edward Monclair as one of the owners," he said, then ran his hands down the front of his own body with a shameless grin. "And this handsome man standing right in front of you, you don't stand a chance. No matter how hard you try."
"Michael." Edward snapped at him, finally pulling the blond man's attention away from Kazuo. "Stop."
Michael rolled his eyes, yet took a step back.
"We are not trying to take your bar from you," Edward said. "We have no need for that. We genuinely want to help." He folded his hands behind his back. "As Michael rather bluntly pointed out, having our names attached to the paperwork would be beneficial."
He paused briefly.
"We tried to find another solution… unfortunately, this is the only legal option we were able to come up with," he said in a calm voice. "I believe it's a reasonable solution. We won't interfere with your bar or the way you run it." He gave a small nod. "You have my word."
"You do realize that by doing this, you'll be tying yourself and your precious reputation to this place?" Kazuo muttered.
"To hybrids," I added quietly.
Edward turned toward me, looking directly into my eyes.
"Yes," he said. "I do." Then he turned back to Kazuo. "I am aware of that. More than that, that's the entire point. I understand that agreeing to this is not an easy decision, and I am not going to pressure you. Still, I do believe it's something you should think about."
"Yeah, I agree. I think you should really think about it too," Michael added.
He crossed his arms over his chest and flashed another self-satisfied grin, never taking his eyes off Kazuo.
"If you actually want to open your bar, you should think very carefully."
Kazuo's lip twitched.
Poor James, clearly feeling the tension hanging in the air, suddenly jumped into the conversation.
"Um..." he said nervously, digging through his briefcase. "I think Luka and Kazuo probably need some time to think this over, so..." He pulled out a thick stack of papers and carefully placed it on the table in front of us.
"I've prepared a draft agreement," he continued, his whiskers twitching slightly. "It includes provisions that significantly limit how much the other party can interfere with the day-to-day operation of the business while still formally making them your partners." He nudged the documents a little closer to us. "Please read through everything before making a decision."
Then he looked at me, and the huge eyes he lifted toward me were surprisingly certain.
"They are good people," he said. "They don't want to hurt anyone. They truly want to change things."
He hesitated for a moment, rubbing his fingers together.
"This will help the bar… It'll help everyone." He took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself down. "I know sharing something you've worked so hard to build is incredibly difficult." He turned toward Kazuo. "But this really is a great offer." James looked at us with an expression that was almost pleading. "So please. Don't reject it right away."
"Thanks, James. We'll take a look," Kazuo replied, sounding much more friendly now.
As if reacting to the tone in Kazuo's voice, Michael suddenly walked over to James and placed a hand right on top of his head.
"Well, there we go, James. No need to worry. They'll definitely read it," he said with a wide grin, then he turned to Edward. "I suppose it's time for us to get going, isn't it?"
"Perhaps he's right," Edward said, visibly annoyed by Michael's behavior. "Well… We will make sure the reporters do not publish anything inappropriate, so please don't worry about that." He glanced at his partner. "Isn't that right, Michael?"
"Oh, you're no fun at all." Michael sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll get rid of them." He pointed at us. "But there will still be news articles, so everyone should be prepared for that. Alright. Let's get out of here."
He grabbed James by the shoulders, turned him around, and started steering him toward the door.
"Think carefully, fluffy," Michael called over his shoulder.
That finally pushed Kazuo over the edge.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Edward let out a quiet sigh.
"Thank you for meeting with us." There was a strange softness in his expression. "I hope we'll hear a positive answer from you. Take care."
Then he followed the other two out.
The door closed behind them.
Silence fell over our unfinished bar.
Kazuo and I remained standing there, neither of us having the slightest idea what we were supposed to do next.