Love Mode, v. 2 - (Yaoi) (Paperback)

This volume focuses primarily on Reiji, our old friend from volume 1 - owner of B&B and other sleazy clubs, and apparently "not" gay. Just after dumping the woman he finds out had been cheating on him, he bumps into a young, family-less (due to a brutal car-accident 4 Christmas' ago involving head-smashing), money-less, trustless high school named Naoya who gets knocked out by a pot that Reiji's vengeful ex-lover drops on his head. Reiji accompanies the young boy, feeling bad that this is partly his doing, only to find that now Naoya is homeless since his apartment burned down - the landlord even tries to accuse Naoya that it was his doing - and so goes so far as to let him live with him. More problems pile up like Naoya's dropping grades that threaten to kick him out of school and an attempted gang-bang rape attack by haughty classmates. Our once cold Reiji saves him in all these respects and has an obvious growing fondness of this catastrophe-ridden "kitten". Naoya, too, is falling for Reiji (only he doesn't know it) and when he tries to find out why Reiji has taken him in gets a big slap in the face of the reality that it was just "coincidence". He doesn't have time to brood over this for long because the following morning he has to make a mad-dash to the school to take a test that will save his school career, only to get into another car accident that leaves Reiji unconscious and with broken ribs...but alive. Naoya decides to take his leave at this point since - having missed the test he can't continue school and feeling that not only does he cause Reiji tons of trouble but doesn't even mean anything more to him than an abandoned kitten so gets a job at a cake shop just at the Christmas season. On Christmas day (coincidentally, also his birthday) Naoya's solo celebration is interrupted by Reiji's sudden appearance to bring him back with him. The two share a beautiful kiss and Naoya finally feels happiness during the holiday season that once only meant misery for him. The extra manga at the end is Izumi & Takamiya's Christmas that involves the two men trying to enjoy their first Christmas together - however, a false emergency call down to Kyoto and then heavy snowfall makes Izumi totally late so that they are only reunited early the morning of the 26th, with Izumi rushing in, hopping in bed with Takamiya and getting a good lesson in "finally" getting over his qualms about butt-fucking with the older man - just in time to save their Christmas, eh? There's then a tinsy-winsy "Valentine" extra manga that is two pages long and just involves the two men, Reiji and Takamiya, making romantic moves on their respective young love-interests.