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“No way! You can’t be 157, you’re a midget!”
“Yes I am! The staff doesn’t need to lie about my height!”
“Huh…Guess we’re currently experiencing an optical illusion.”
“Not you too, Josuke!”
It was the annual physical examination day, and it was never a pleasant experience for Koichi. He was of smaller build that the average Japanese who usually stood at about 170 centimetres (he still has two years to have his growth spurt; Koichi liked being positive) and for a boy to weigh just beneath the 40 kilo mark! The health staff would wheedle excessively that Koichi needed “to exercise and eat more”, even if Koichi’s growth rate could have been affected by his premature birth.
“And so you left dumb and dumber in the dust and decided to come here today? That is a remarkably wise decision.”
Of course, ever quick to condemn Josuke and Okuyasu’s jokes was Rohan, whom Koichi decided to visit after getting tired of his friends’ jabs at his existing height. Gradually calming himself over the cup of tea that Rohan made for his visit, Koichi’s eyebrows quiver in uncertainty as he recalled Josuke and Okuyasu’s words.
“Mr Rohan…Do you think I’m shorter than I am now, too?”
“As your best friend, allow me to be honest. You certainly don’t look as tall as you should be, but the measurements say 157 and that is reality, so I find no reason not to believe the truth.”
While Rohan didn’t mince words, he was capable of thoughtful honesty (only where Koichi was concerned), and that answer was enough to pacify the teen, who continued sipping on his tea in relief that at least one person wasn’t going to make fun of his height.
“…Incidentally, Koichi. Have you ever wondered why you appear shorter than you should be?”
That question from the artist took Koichi by surprise. Despite the jabs he’s ever received, Koichi never seriously thought about the reason.
“…Because I slouch?”
For all his admiration of Koichi, Rohan snorted in obvious scorn at the random guess.
“As you are one who wears his uniform in proper and tidy manner, obediently attend after-school cram and helplessly virtuous to a fault, I hardly think that poor posture is the root of your supposed problem.”
“I, I can’t tell whether I’m being praised or insulted here…”
“Nonsense, I do nothing but sing your praises!”
“Let’s not forget you also have a habit of teasing me, Mr Rohan.”
Koichi got away with the proverbial last laugh as Rohan swallowed non-existent words in face of the truth. Their past experience with Cheap Trick has taught Rohan that while Koichi was a saint, he shouldn’t be pushing those boundaries too far lest Koichi assumed again that “it was a joke on Mr Rohan’s part”. Being abandoned (even though Koichi came back for him) once was more than enough.
“Remember the first time I used Heaven’s Door on you, Koichi?”
“Yes, not a very fond memory though…”
Rohan brushed away any imaginary affront he could have had at Koichi’s admission, because it was Koichi and he could probably forgive Koichi for almost anything. Koichi’s personality left him with very little to be dissatisfied with after all.
“You are by nature, a timid person but more often than not you have risen to the challenges you’ve faced, so you are by no means a coward. You desire peace and do not like confrontation or conflicts if they can be avoided. Due to your friendly unassuming nature, you constantly maintain a humble take on matters. Do you see a pattern here?”
“…That I’m a doormat?”
“I don’t see how a doormat can fight a serial killer. Koichi, the point is that you lower yourself before others!” Rohan finished with a flourished motion of his hand.
“…But that’s not a good thing, is it?” Koichi was not dumb, but this time the meaning of Rohan’s words was lost to him.
Rohan observed the smaller boy sitting in front of him. For one whose stature was at best, a minor character, Rohan knew that there was more to Koichi, more than what Heaven’s Door told him. As an artist, he has met his fair share of people, and though he has a more difficult personality that the average person, Rohan prided himself on being a fine judge of character (Sure, he can’t stand Josuke but of course he understood the boy was better than he first assumed. He just didn’t like Josuke).
“Koichi, you may seem small in front of others, but only because you perceive yourself to be so. Your personality aids to the image you project, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. From a lower perspective, you may have been able to understand things that others cannot, and your pre-empted stance of accepting others is best expressed by your image.”
Rohan did not usually ramble endlessly like this, but when it was about Koichi, not even a thousand words can help Rohan encompass the boy in a nutshell. Koichi tilted his head in mild curiosity and anticipation, wondering where Rohan was heading with what he was saying.
“You may seem of short stature, but when people fall, you will be their last stop before they hit the ground. And I think it goes without saying that you always catch them in time.”
Rohan couldn’t help but allow his lips to curl up in satisfaction, basking in Koichi’s widened round blue eyes as the meaning of his words sink in the fluffy blond head.
“…Thank you for the encouragement.”
“Nonsense, it was purely my honest opinion.”
Koichi bashfully laughed at Rohan’s brusque words, knowing that Rohan probably meant that or he wouldn’t be saying such embarrassing words with a straight face.
“Still, it just made my day. Thank you, Mr Rohan.”
The silence of his home was the perfect choir to the dazzling smile Koichi offered, a true sign that Koichi genuinely appreciated Rohan’s company and conversation. Not that Rohan’s mind was functioning normally right now.
Without a word Rohan grabbed the closest paper and pencil and began furiously drawing, much to the perplexity of the teen just sitting opposite of him.
“Mr Rohan…?”
“Hush, Koichi! I must pen it all down before the vision of your smile leaves me! Inspiration has struck me; I feel like I can draw an entire chapter on your smile alone!”
“W-What!? Please stop that, it’s embarrassing!”
Ever the artist, Rohan was now solely dedicated to illustrating his muse’s smile in one chapter, with said muse burning his face like a boiled lobster in a futile attempt to stop Rohan from immortalising his so-called smile (of course, it was futile).
X X X
“Koichi, sorry about the other day. We probably went a little too far with the jokes.”
It was just a week later that Josuke and Okuyasu came to apologise for their jabs, a pleasant surprise for Koichi considering that he had all but forgotten about it.
“Nah, it’s alright. What are friends for if we can’t even exchange jabs once in a while? Besides, I’m comfortable with my size,” Koichi mentioned, quick to forgive in his good nature. Rohan’s words echoed in his mind, and Koichi smiled in recollection of his encouragement.
Glad their friend didn’t seem to be offended as he had been the previous week, the chatter quickly moved on to games and the usual things that boys talked about.
“Speaking of comics, did you know girls were all over this week’s chapter of Rohan’s serialisation?”
Okuyasu’s comment prompted surprise from both Koichi who hadn’t read it yet and Josuke who tried not to read it.
“Really? That’s surprising considering how that guy is like. I didn’t think he’d draw something that appealed to girls.”
Josuke’s off-handed reply fuelled Koichi’s curiosity and Okuyasu pulled out a copy of this week’s print, flipping to the page where Rohan’s serialisation started.
“I just saw it and man, even I have to admit I was blown away! He introduced a heroine this late into the story, but you just can’t condemn the judgement. Look at how the girl smiles! It’s no wonder the hero fell in love at first sight!”
As Okuyasu brandished the page in an exaggerated gesture, Josuke whistled in plain admiration whereas Koichi almost choked on the bread that he just took a bite out of.
“I don’t want to say this because it’s Mr Rohan we’re talking about, but that girl IS cute. Makes me wonder if Rohan based it off someone, since he’s so hung-up on realistic touches to his work.”
“We could ask him the next time we see him!”
Koichi didn’t need to ask to know. Basing a heroic character off him was one thing, being cast as the heroine was entirely another matter. Koichi decided that he had to pay a visit to Rohan’s home again, soon.
Why did it never cross Rohan’s mind that the smile wasn’t meant for everyone?