All You Need Is Love (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 8

PRESENT
🌻

Pleasant jazz music floated out on the air as he pushed open the heavy chocolate brown doors.

"Come on in." A white-haired bartender at the very beginning of old age came to greet him, standing in front of the stylish, simply designed wood bar. There were seven tall stools set at the bar. There were no tables, and no customers besides Gulf.

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."

"I'll be taking your order. Mew is running a little behind schedule, so he told me to invite you to have something to eat while you wait."

"I see."

This information produced a sigh of relief from Gulf. He chose a seat on the left half of the bar.

He felt more nervous than he thought he would, even though this meeting was under the hollow pretext of a class reunion. He was worried about what Mew wanted to tell him. He didn't know how he should act towards him. He told himself that he just had to keep smiling toll the end. But in truth, he felt very little confidence.

"What'll you have to drink?"

Gulf considered the question as he wiped his hands with the warm towel the bartender handed him. "If you've got some beer on tap, I'll have that." He knew it lacked flair, but he wanted to wet his parched throat.

"Certainly, sir. Anything to eat?"

Gulf looked at the menu and chose soy beans with Chinese style cold tofu and fried chicken. Once he'd ordered, the beer, served in a tall, crooked glass, and the soy beans were ready at once.

"Are you a friend of Mew's?"

The bartender was wiping a glass with a cloth in silence. "Mew owns this bar."

"Is that a fact."

He remembered seeing the title of director in the card Mew had given him. The name of his company had been Koryu Cooperative Industries.

"There's not a person running a bar anywhere in Kabuki-cho who doesn't know the name Mew. Mew's family have been in charge of more than half the places here for more than a generation."

A dubious glance turned on Gulf.

"I haven't seen him since we were in high school together, so I don't know what he's been up to lately."

"I see." The bartender's demeanor relaxed at Gulf's answer. "The director is still young, but his father's aide Mister AA has done a lot to help, so he's finally earning the respect of the community now."

AA---he had met the man eight years ago, and at the time Gulf would have said he was in his late thirties. He had seemed like such an adult then. But maybe he had only been in his twenties after all.

If that was true, he had considerable initiative.

AA was synonymous with the words yakuza or gangster in Gulf's mind.

There was a long silence then. Just as Gulf was wondering if he should order another beer, the door opened.

TBC