Kenji

**Kenji** is a character in the Pet series and is the manager of a bar that Hiroki and Tsukasa work at. Witnessing his friend Yokota willingly drive off a cliff and seeking answers, he has his memories altered to avoid his planned murder at the hands of his employer, Katsuragi.

## Appearance

He has chestnut colored dreadlocks with the length nearing his shoulders. Younger, his hair was shorter.

For clothing Kenji is seen wearing a dark purple tank top, and Hawaiian shirts.

## Personality

Not seeing the joy in the act, Kenji instead berates Hiroki for getting everything wet with the hose. He is organized in running a bar, and carrying out Katsuragi's jobs with no questions asked. One instance is handing over the keys to his van since Katsuragi needed to swap vehicles for a while. His practice of not prying extends to him not asking why his best friend suddenly took off for Bali. He does change to a no nonsense approach after Yokota dies, taking measures that a key will find its way to the police if anything happens to him. Attempting to act calm in the face of strange happenings, and with that leading nowhere, he panics as he tries to explain what he thinks is going on.

## Story

Kenji is in his apartment before noticing Hiroki outside spraying water everywhere with Tsukasa. Calling out the window to cease this, he joins them below where he notices Katsuragi's car. With that he tells them to dry off, he is not running a gay bar so enough with the wet t-shirts.

Joining Katsuragi in his vehicle where Yokota is mentioned, Kenji states that he left some time ago for Bali and is not coming back for two or three years. He then rented the floor out to Hiroki and Tsukasa who he refers to as lively idiots. Complying with Katsuragi's plan to swap cars, Kenji wordlessly exchanges keys and is tasked with leaving an item in his own car that Katsuragi will leave at a designated area. Kenji is to leave the spare key behind as well.

Having made his way to a harbour, Kenji emerges from his dive into the water with a gun. Placing that in the back of the car, and driving back he finds that he forgot to add the keys.

Returning to the docks he stops his presence being known to Katsuragi and Satoru when to his shock he finds Yakoto in the car. Pursuing him as he drives off, Kenji can only watch as Yokota leaves the tunnel and drives off the road where his car explodes some distance below.

    Stunned at what happened, Kenji remembers Yokota mention if he did not remember what else they saw when retrieving counterfeit bills. As he remembers a hand at the bottom of the water his phone rings. After telling Katsuragi that he forgot, the next day he meets with him in the morning, rejects the payment and informs Katsuragi that he has hidden the key in a safe place. If anything happens to him, it goes straight to the police.

Accusing Katsuragi of murdering Yokota, Kenji sees a cigarette thrown at him disappear. He is further surprised when Katsuragi now has the key he hid, and hears he will be visited by the crushers.

Entering the room with Hiroki on top of Tsukasa, he tells them to save the foreplay for after breakfast. Asking how they would both like to manage the bar, he means to head to Bali for two to three years and after transferring the rent money, they can keep whatever profits are made. Saying that he is heading to Bali, but thinking he will really be in LA, Kenji notices an envelope addressed to him. Aghast to see a plane ticket to LA and not Bali written, he is further surprised to receive a call from Kaori and greatly so when there is a large eye on the wall staring at him.

Watching Hiroki offer to fix Tsukasa's phone, Kenji sits fixed to his chair, staring in bewildered horror as Hiroki suddenly unbuttons Tsukasa's shirt and promptly licks his chest. Hearing that he is acting weird, Kenji asserts that they are, and needs to know what the hell they are doing.

Now seeing them sitting beside one another, Kenji is asked if he is alright and reasons he must be tired. Heading to get some water for a headache, he is stunned to see Hiroki shoot himself in the mirror, then reeling around to see no one in the room.

Seeing and asking what a cigarette is doing there, Kenji reacts by throwing it before being restrained by Tsukasa and Hiroki. Not registering what Hiroki is even saying, Kenji watches baffled at a stream of sparks pouring out the tap. Suspecting Katsuragi is behind these events, Kenji explains he knows some freaks who can get inside people's heads. Grabbing Hiroki, he reveals such people made Yokota drive off a cliff.

Stopping when he sees Hiroki's face, and panicking when it dawns on him that Hiroki and Tsukasa are the crushers Katsuragi said would come. He is seen at ease serving drinks at the bar, happily sharing how the guy's off to Bali, telling Katsuragi that he never would have guessed that Yokota was a murderer.

Earlier, he tells Hiroki and Tsukasa about Yokota leaving before being sent to sleep to calm him. Awakening, he sees Yokota who is really Hiroki, and shares his best memory, one of them diving together. It transpired that whilst diving he discussed gaining a respectable job with Yokota, namely running a bar which resulted in his peak, his happiest moment forming.

Remembering when he first met Yokota, he immediately began a fight. In a different memory, he is with Yokota outside with a needle being thrown to the ground as they discuss the type of work Katsuragi offers.

His valley is seen and is him from his childhood having memories of his mother who struck him with a carpet beater whilst he hid under a desk.

With his memories modified, Kenji remembers that it was Katsuragi that suggested that he open a bar. This still caused his peak to form with that suggestion, but it was a golden sun peak in lieu of the previous one with Yokota.

Kenji is remembered by Hiroki as influencing him in wanting to run a store. Hiroki feels their feeling were intertwined as a result of Hiroki's weak lock.

As Tsukasa erases his memories, Kenji is remembered and visualized in his Peak as one of the memories that disappear from Tsukasa's mind.

## Relationships

### Yokota

Kenji is Yokota's best friend, but not at first when they met in a bar. They worked together for many years until Yokota suddenly moved to Bali. Reminiscing, Kenji is relieved to not have orders being barked at him. Kenji states that he is bored because he has no one to argue with anymore. When retrieving a gun, he chastises the absent form his life Yokota for leaving him to do all the heavy work and they used to split everything down the middle until now. Seeing who he thinks is Yokota again, he reacts with anger for him disappearing on him like that. Kenji's memories are altered to remember Yokota as a murderer, which does not surprise him at all. With this, he voices that Yokota lived like he had given up hope long ago.

### Katsuragi

He appears to view Katsuragi as someone who can offer jobs on the side. Kenji's position of being affable wtith him and not delving into the details of shady activities also results in Kenji being wilfully blind to what Katsuragi is capable of planning to do to him.

### Kenji's Mother

He has memories of her hitting him and so remembers her a certain way.

### Hiroki

Kenji does not react well to Hiroki's escapades when he is working at the bar Kenji runs. He trusts him and Tsukasa enough to leave the bar in their care whilst he is away. He reacts with shock when he views Hiroki shoot himself in the head.

### Tsukasa

Like Hiroki, he employs Tsukasa and rents out the second floor to them both.

## Images

Diving and discussing making an honest livingHiroki's image form behind himSeen by Hiroki and Tsukasa as a child
## References

1. ↑ Pet Anime, Episode 1: The Crushers
2. ↑ Episode 4: A Trap for Hayashi
3. ↑ Episode 13: Rainbow