But most of all, he couldn't play this video in front of Shizu and Yoko.
The house was dark and still, and the fragrance of hot bath water and soap wafted even out to the entry hall. Evidently mommy and baby had just now gone to bed, towels under their wet hair. Asakawa put his ear to the bedroom door to make sure they were asleep, and then showed Ryuji into the dining room.
"So the baby's gone night-night?" Ryuji asked with an air of disappointment.
"Shhh," said Asakawa, putting a finger to his lips. Shizu wasn't going to wake up from something like that, but then again he couldn't swear she wouldn't sense that something was different from usual and come out after all.
Asakawa connected the output jacks of one of the video decks to the input jacks of the other, and then inserted the video. Before pressing play, he looked at Ryuji as if to say, do you really want to do this?
"What's wrong? Hurry up and play it/' urged Ryuji, without taking his eyes off the screen. Asakawa pressed the remote into Ryuji's hand and then stood up and went to the window. He didn't feel like seeing it again. Really he should watch it over and over, analyzing it cool-headedly, but he couldn't seem to find the will to chase this thing any further. He just wanted to run away. Nothing more. Asakawa went out onto the balcony and smoked a cigarette. He'd promised his wife when Yoko was born that he wouldn't smoke inside the apartment, and he'd never broken that promise. Although they'd been married for a full three years, he and his wife had a relatively good relationship. He couldn't go against his wife's wishes, not after she'd given him darling Yoko.
Standing on the balcony, he peered into the room: through the frosted glass, the image on the screen was flickering. The fear quotient was different watching it here, surrounded by three people on the sixth floor of a downtown apartment building, compared to watching it alone at Villa Log Cabin. But even if Ryuji watched it under the same conditions, he probably wouldn't lose his head and start crying or anything. Asakawa was counting on him to laugh and fling abuse as he watched, even turning a menacing gaze toward what he saw on the screen.
Asakawa finished his cigarette and went to go back inside. Just at that moment, the door separating the dining room from the hall opened, and Shizu appeared in her pyjamas. Flustered, Asakawa grabbed the remote and paused the video.
"I thought you were asleep." There was a note of reproach in Asakawa's voice.
"I heard noises." As she said this Shizu looked back and forth between the TV screen, with its distorted images and staticky sound, and Ryuji and Asakawa. Her face clouded over with suspicion.
"Go back to bed!" said Asakawa in a tone of voice that allowed for no questions.
"I think we ought to let the missus join us, if she'd like to. It's quite interesting." Ryuji, still seated cross-legged on the floor, looked up. Asakawa wanted to yell at him. But instead of speaking, he balled all his thoughts up into his fist and slammed it down onto the table. Startled by the sound, Shizu quickly put her hand on the doorknob, then narrowed her eyes and bowed ever-so-slightly and said to Ryuji, "Please make yourself at home." With that she turned on her heel and disappeared back behind the door. Two guys alone at night, turning videos on and off… Asakawa knew just what his wife was imagining. He didn't miss the look of disdain in her narrowed eyes-disdain not so much for Ryuji as for male instincts in general. Asakawa felt bad that he couldn't explain.
Just as Asakawa had expected, Ryuji was still utterly calm after he'd finished watching. He hummed as he rewound the tape, then set about checking it point by point, alternately fast-forwarding and pausing it.
"Well, it looks like yours truly is mixed up in it now. You've got six days left, I've got seven," said Ryuji happily, as if he'd been allowed to join in a game.
"So what do you think?" asked
The house was dark and still, and the fragrance of hot bath water and soap wafted even out to the entry hall. Evidently mommy and baby had just now gone to bed, towels under their wet hair. Asakawa put his ear to the bedroom door to make sure they were asleep, and then showed Ryuji into the dining room.
"So the baby's gone night-night?" Ryuji asked with an air of disappointment.
"Shhh," said Asakawa, putting a finger to his lips. Shizu wasn't going to wake up from something like that, but then again he couldn't swear she wouldn't sense that something was different from usual and come out after all.
Asakawa connected the output jacks of one of the video decks to the input jacks of the other, and then inserted the video. Before pressing play, he looked at Ryuji as if to say, do you really want to do this?
"What's wrong? Hurry up and play it/' urged Ryuji, without taking his eyes off the screen. Asakawa pressed the remote into Ryuji's hand and then stood up and went to the window. He didn't feel like seeing it again. Really he should watch it over and over, analyzing it cool-headedly, but he couldn't seem to find the will to chase this thing any further. He just wanted to run away. Nothing more. Asakawa went out onto the balcony and smoked a cigarette. He'd promised his wife when Yoko was born that he wouldn't smoke inside the apartment, and he'd never broken that promise. Although they'd been married for a full three years, he and his wife had a relatively good relationship. He couldn't go against his wife's wishes, not after she'd given him darling Yoko.
Standing on the balcony, he peered into the room: through the frosted glass, the image on the screen was flickering. The fear quotient was different watching it here, surrounded by three people on the sixth floor of a downtown apartment building, compared to watching it alone at Villa Log Cabin. But even if Ryuji watched it under the same conditions, he probably wouldn't lose his head and start crying or anything. Asakawa was counting on him to laugh and fling abuse as he watched, even turning a menacing gaze toward what he saw on the screen.
Asakawa finished his cigarette and went to go back inside. Just at that moment, the door separating the dining room from the hall opened, and Shizu appeared in her pyjamas. Flustered, Asakawa grabbed the remote and paused the video.
"I thought you were asleep." There was a note of reproach in Asakawa's voice.
"I heard noises." As she said this Shizu looked back and forth between the TV screen, with its distorted images and staticky sound, and Ryuji and Asakawa. Her face clouded over with suspicion.
"Go back to bed!" said Asakawa in a tone of voice that allowed for no questions.
"I think we ought to let the missus join us, if she'd like to. It's quite interesting." Ryuji, still seated cross-legged on the floor, looked up. Asakawa wanted to yell at him. But instead of speaking, he balled all his thoughts up into his fist and slammed it down onto the table. Startled by the sound, Shizu quickly put her hand on the doorknob, then narrowed her eyes and bowed ever-so-slightly and said to Ryuji, "Please make yourself at home." With that she turned on her heel and disappeared back behind the door. Two guys alone at night, turning videos on and off… Asakawa knew just what his wife was imagining. He didn't miss the look of disdain in her narrowed eyes-disdain not so much for Ryuji as for male instincts in general. Asakawa felt bad that he couldn't explain.
Just as Asakawa had expected, Ryuji was still utterly calm after he'd finished watching. He hummed as he rewound the tape, then set about checking it point by point, alternately fast-forwarding and pausing it.
"Well, it looks like yours truly is mixed up in it now. You've got six days left, I've got seven," said Ryuji happily, as if he'd been allowed to join in a game.
"So what do you think?" asked
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