Irresistible Mistakes: Maki Yukihisa

Love is for Fools

Dr. Maki is a recent addition to the cast of Irresistible Mistakes. He is present in the stories of the other employees of Addison & Rhodes, especially in Toshi’s and Shun’s routes, and I lamented the fact that he wasn’t available as a love interest. UNTIL NOW.  So, yes, I definitely wanna see what’s up with him, and I have no idea which way it’s gonna go. I have often seen great secondary characters’ stories underperform, and I fervently hope this is not the case here. So, without further ado, let’s pay the good doctor a visit!

Synopsis

It turns out the MC had a one night stand with Dr. Maki, and he wants to see her again. Somewhat reluctantly, she goes to meet him in the bar of the hotel where they’d spent that fateful night. He has a proposal for her: he wants them to be friends. Friends with benefits, of course. Love, you see, is just a fancy word for sexual attraction. He lacks the emotional capacity to understand it – and he likes it that way. The MC is, of course, shocked that he would ask such a thing of her and wants nothing to do with it. She refuses the key card he offers her and leaves.

Dr. Maki is not one to easily let things go, however. He keeps sending her messages that he will wait for her every Friday evening at said hotel, and makes off-hand – and off-colour – remarks at work. She basically tells him to go to hell.

Speaking of work: the MC is given an important new assignment from her boss, Mr. Tachibana. She is to be fully in charge of a new commercial for one of their largest clients, who wants an ad for what a barrier-free life means for people with disabilities.* She is thrilled, but also a little daunted by the prospect. After the meeting, Tachibana has a piece of advice for her: maybe she could ask Dr. Maki about input on people with disabilities, seeing as he is a doctor. Especially since they have such a close relationship… As it turns out, Tachibana saw the MC and Yuki sneak out of the hotel together. While the MC is mortified, Tachibana seems unfazed. As she leaves, she can hear him muttering to himself that she might be the one who can save Yuki.

Maybe it’s that last remark from Tachibana, but the MC goes to see Dr. Maki at his office, primarily – of course! – to get some literature on disabilities. Again, Yuki reminds her that his offer stands. Again, the MC runs. What she doesn’t notice until that evening, though, is that, somehow, he slipped her the key card to the hotel room while she was in his office. So this Friday, she goes to the hotel bar – to return the card and nothing more, of course. Unfortunately, she spills some Bourbon on herself, which means that she will have to take that shirt off. Unsurprisingly, one thing leads to another, and the MC wakes up the next day in that hotel room. Telling herself that this will never happen again, she leaves.

Meanwhile, at work, the MC has finally come to the conclusion that she cannot make an ad about disabled people without talking to disabled people first. The young man who agrees to meet with the team used to be a professional swimmer before he lost one of his legs to a car accident. He also has the strangest reaction to Dr. Maki’s presence: there is palpable tension there, as if they knew each other. Which of course, they do. It was none other than Dr. Maki who performed the surgery where the young man lost his leg.

And this is where it gets difficult; Maki Yukihisa is a man of many secrets, and to give them away would be a disservice. Things are revealed. A bargain is struck. The inevitable happens, but so does the unexpected.

His PoV

His view on things, as usual, gives us some insight into his mind during the events. I found the beginning pretty uncomfortable, because he is very aware of how he manipulates the MC to get what he wants. He does not, however, quite understand why he wants what he wants. And of course, precisely what he’s after changes over time.

The PoV did not necessarily endear Yukihisa to me. It also didn’t really bring anything to the table that wasn’t at least hinted at in the main story. Also, for someone who reads people as well as he does, he can be remarkably dense regarding his own emotions.

The Chemistry

One thing is certain: the MC and Yuki are sexually very compatible, if philosophically opposed. I’m happy to report that the story leaves no doubt about the quality of the sex the two of them are having. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the writing steamy – check out Kings of Paradise for some of that – but it isn’t shy, either. Obviously, the MC is all torn up about her enjoying the sex. But in the end, what makes this combo work is that they both want something from the other, even if, at first, they cannot really formulate what that is.

Where it gets a bit… tedious, is in their communication. Clearly, Yuki is attempting to avoid any and all feelings, which, as we all know, in the long run ain’t gonna happen. One might go so far as to say that feelings are happening as we speak, it’ll just take him forever and a day to find out. Meanwhile, they are playing cat and mouse with each other, chasing and avoiding, challenging and relenting. Kudos to the MC, though: once she figures it out, she is very straightforward about her thoughts and feelings. A rare gem.

The Love Meter

The MC here has a way of saying the things I would actually say in the given situations, and they obviously tend to be somewhat on the sassy side. The Provocative Ending was therefore not entirely unexpected. I felt it was a good ending. Clearly, Yuki needs help in the communications department. But don’t they all?

Bottom Line

* Before we begin, let me address that asterisk. When I read that the MC’s task was to create an ad depicting the lives of people with disabilities, I had some major reservations, because she obviously doesn’t have any disabilities, herself. Fortunately, she figured out that she had to actually talk to the people in question. While the results were the usual clichés, I think it was handled somewhat well. I will have to run it by some friends to be sure, though.

On to our couple.

Much like the MC, I kinda hate to love Dr. Maki. He is exasperating. What I’m really here for is the MC. We get to be snarky. We get to say all the things. We get to be bold. This is probably my favorite incarnation of this title’s MC. While she does have some guilt about the whole affair situation – we are raised to feel that way – she also recognises what she enjoys. She takes initiative, and is not afraid to make herself vulnerable. Could she have a more sensible taste in men? I mean, couldn’t we all. After all, I picked the guy. But yes, she’s a star, and I am here for it!