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Ahhhh, another beautiful day in the city of Shibuya. It's streets being filled with teeming life 24/7, 365 days a year. And on a summer no less! The boistering heat of the season brings many of the young'uns into action, and it's no different for the Wicked Twisters, who have walked into a new life after their gruelling Reapers game. But while they still find a way to be friends in the RG, the summer has kept them all busy in unique ways!
The Bito siblings have had the most eventful circumstances around them. Beat himself, as grown up as he was, thought high school, much less the idea of going through college, was way behind him. So he devoted his talent to the thing he loved the most, his passion, skateboarding. Prior to going to a break, Beat was a major competitor in skateboard tournaments in Japan. Rhyme, despite her age (and her brother's protest), was Beat's manager, though at this point it was out of necessity rather than a choice, but she was more than willing to help her big bro, even if it compromised her time at school. In the end, with Beat's skills on the board, and Rhyme's comprehension of being able to tell a scammer from an investor and sponsor, as well as guiding him through the paces of legal contracts, spotting out opportunities, (Basically pulling every weight that Beat's skating couldn't, in all honesty). They both managed to contend the Skateboarding Championship in the heart of Rome, Italy! Considering Beat had thought that Rome was Romania and almost booked two tickets for Romania, Rhyme had to come in with Beat and make sure he gets on the right track. A summer break with his brother, whilst a mostly business trip if anything, would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for both of them. That, and the prize money annnnnd a chance for Beat to qualify for the Olympics Skateboarding event wasn't such a bad reward. Although Beat would probably reprimand her of that and remind her that they're doing this to have a good time first, and potentially reap (heh) on the rewards later.
Nagi got a terrible start at Summer, having finished her last college exam and prepping for a degree at the end of July after a gruelling June. You're probably thinking that wasn't so bad, right? Well, that June was the release of the new EleStra game, and that was absolute AGONY for her poor, poor sool. Having to endure not having a physical copy of the game and having to CONSTANTLY avoid forum talks, discussion posts without spoilers, discussion posts with spoilers, character fanart, gameplay, to simple funny memes, took a toll on her mental restraint, but alas, she persevered...only to find out that there were no physical copies of the game to be in stores again until September. BUT! There was a saviour, and it came in the form of Fret, who already had a copy of the game, and he played it, no less! Having decided that he had nothing better to do, and that Fret's company would be appreciated and help him communicate more, Nagi yanked him from Rindo and took him to her apartment, where they'll spend the entirety of the vacation playing the game...it probably doesn't mean anything dubious, right? It's not like she's keeping Fret hostage and imprisoned for her own personal gain, right? Haha, yep, no, definitely nothing of the sort!
As for Neku and Shiki...well, let's just say they're a busy bunch.
But alas, summer mornings in Shibuya bring about the rise of players. Not UG Players, mind you, but FanGO players! This time of the month is when the annual summer event hits, giving players plenty of rewards and summer-exclusive items, perfect for bolstering players with high-end gear, and if you're new you could easily farm through the levels. Not to mention the rare chance to get exclusive prices, usually FanGO related merch, if you meet certain conditions! It truly is a wondrous thing, and it all begins on this very day once the clock hits 6 AM.
Oh! And what's this near the Hachiko Statue? Two FanGO players, this early in the morning?
"You ready? It'll start any time soon." The girl in a cat hoodie said to her partner, who was sleeping on the bench. "Oi! Wake up you sleepy dummy head!"
"Ah!" The dummy head woke up. "I'm up, I'm up! Sorry, what did you say?"
"You sure you got enough sleep? Maybe we should just do this another time..." She said to her yawning masked friend.
"No! It's fine, broken sleep schedules are part of my life now. I'll just make up any lost time I got tomorrow!"
"That's...concerning." She said dumbstruck. "Honestly, I think you should just stick to a regular sleep pattern. I'd rather you not spend extra time on grinding and just sleep properly."
"Worried I might get your eye bags?"
"That's makeup, dumbass. It's not even the close."
"Anyways," The boy yawned. "I thought you wanted to do this. Don't tell me you want to stop already?"
"Don't get me wrong. I really wanna catch up to the final movie after watching the Camel's Lot and Baba Luna adaptations, but it wouldn't be worth it if I made you lose sleep over it. And besides, it's just FanGO, not like the servers will shut down after this. Not with the story still continuning."
"Yeah, there are still the Journey of Leftovers and Stars of The Lostbeasts arcs for you to play!"
"Don't spoil! I still haven't played through those arcs yet!"
"Right, sorry. But the point I wanna make is, I don't mind if I lose a little sleep over helping you. Just say the word and I'll come over to help."
"And the point I wanna make is I don't want you losing sleep over helping me."
"Well, that won't stop me from wanting to help you."
"F-Fine, be that way then, dummy. Don't blame me when the sleep deprivation hits you." The girl concedes to her partner's stubborness.
"I won't. Thanks for caring though. I'll...work on a sleep schedule."
"G-Good. Glad I got that in your head."
And then the clock struck 6.
"There!"
"Let's go!"
I suppose some additional context is in order. The remaining two members of the Wicked Twisters, Rindo and Shoka, were caught up in FanGO's summer event, and for good reason! For one, Shoka's old account was suspended, so that means that she's back at Level 1, and is heavily behind at present and new content. Luckily, Rindo is there to help her, and has been helping her ever since they reunited. The last thing they both need to do to finally reach the level cap is to play the summer event a bit more! However, that's not the only thing they're aiming for. Y'see, the summer event also has one really, really sweet caveat. Remember the FanGo related merch I was talking about? Well, those prices range from having free dining at FanGO themed restaurants with food related to the game, a tour to the HQ of FanGO's development, the place where the magic happens, and the final reward, where two Players can get two tickets to the exclusive premiere of FanGO's latest movie: "FanGO: The Final Battle: Grand River of Tranquility: Salomon." A mouthful like salmon, but every die-hard fan would kill to get those tickets. And that's the primary goal of the duo, and the reason why they woke up to play at the game's daily reset.
The objective is simple, and the method, more so. With every monster you get and or battle, you get a point, the rarer the monster, the better the points. But the rare monsters only show up in the most hidden places where none dare enter, or get stuck at. That's where Rindo comes in. He knows Shibuya like the palm of his hand, and with finding the rare and glamorous beasts of FanGO, he might as well be the master of the land. With Shoka's assistance, they can get these points in bulk AND lightning quick! And so they did, and they went around all around Shibuya, Dogenzaka, the 104, Udagawa, Spain Hill, they basically searched every nook and cranny of the city all the way until the afternoon.
And oh! There they are, battered and tired, and their phones having run out of batteries.
The duo panted whilst sitting sloppily on a bench near the Hachiko statue, right back where they started.
"Batteries...run out..." Rindo managed to say.
"Yeah...they've pretty much run out here as well, got like 15 percent here, but managed to hit the level cap!" Shoka replied while looking at her phone.
"Wait, don't we have the same phone? How the hell does your phone still stand?" He asked bewildered.
She chuckled in response. "Silly Rindy, it appears you don't know the way of the skips!"
"I thought they didn't do anything but skip the animation. Doesn't make a difference time wise so it's not like it shaves seconds for speed farming points."
"Ahhh, but skipping the animation means the game is running on less fumes. Less fumes means more batteries, more batteries means more encounters." Shoka explained. "See where I'm getting at?"
"Ohh! Then maybe you can teach me that sometime! It would really help me out, haha!"
"S-Sure. Don't sound all that excited though, it's pretty simpl- oh." Shoka's phone vibrated, there was a message.
"What's up?"
"Oh, uh...something came up." She then turned off her phone after sending a message. "We can talk about it over curry you want."
"Sounds good, share the bill?"
"Nah, my treat. I've been badgering you for this for over 3 weeks. Might as well give you a bone."
"You make it sound like I'm a dog following your orders..."
"Is that right?" Her smug look suddenly turns on. "Then would you still be inclined for some curry, my little Rindoodle?"
Rindo just sighed. "Shouldn't have said anything in the first place...I preferred it when you called me Rindragon." And with that, they set off.
It takes a while to go to Dogenzaka from the Scramble Crossing, but, that distance needed to be covered with small talk. Something that was crucially missing from their talk. Rindo, having learned recently to take the incentive more in his own decisions, decided to be the better man and start talking, starting with why Shoka was frequently checking her's phone's messages.
"Soooo, what's happened? You keep checking your phone for a response or something."
"Oh, that...turns out my landlord is kicking me out of the house I rented."
"What!?" Said the shocked Rindo. "How can they do that to you? I thought you always payed rent."
"That's what I thought too. But when I asked why, they told me it was due to "unforseen circumstances". Shoka explained, with the quotation signs and all.
"Sounds like an excuse to rob you and replace you for another poor guy."
"Probably, good thing I don't have anything they could rob. Still..." Shoka sighed. "...Tomorrow's gonna be hell for my legs trying to find a new home."
"Hmm...you could always stay at my house." Rindo nonchalantly said.
"I'm sorry, what!?" If Shoka was drinking water, she'd be doing a spittake. Instead, she shot up a perplexed glare at Rindo.
"You heard me. There's a vacant room next to me nobody's using, so I could talk to my mom and set you up for the room." Rindo explained.
"And she'd be okay with it?"
"I mean, she'd probably ask you to follow some conditions and ground rules, but she's not demanding or mean or anything like that."
"Alright but I don't know...feels like you're being too nice to me, I don't feel like I deserve that kindness..." Shoka said with a melancholy.
"You do though, what are you talking about? You're my friend-hell,you're my best friend, Shoka. I want to be there to help you." Rindo explains as he puts his hand towards Shoka's shoulder without hesitation.
"R-Right! Um...thanks, I uh...think you're my best friend too." She stammered. "C-Could you uh..." A motion of her eyes towards Rindo's hand gave enough hint to the boy...and he pieced two and two together to finally realizing how embarassing his action was.
"R-Right, sorry!" Rindo took his hand out of her shoulder and put his mask back in his mouth, more so to hide his rosy cheeks.
"Look, I appreciate it, but...let me think about it. At least for today."
"I understand. The offer's still standing. Not like we're looking for new roommates."
"Right. I doubt you'd make a good roommate anyways." Shoka snarkily said.
"Let's just get that curry, alright?"
And get curry they will, as they entered Spicy Curry Don however, a familiar face faced Rindo.
"Hello, please take your seats. I'll take your orders in a minute."
"Wait a second...It's you!" Rindo shouted, recognizing the dark blonde haired guy standing in front of him.
"Huh?"
"Rindo, you know him?" Shoka asked, confused by Rindo's reaction.
"I'm quite perplexed as well. I've only arrived at this city a few weeks ago. I hardly know anyone here. Much less the person addressing me here."
"U-Uh...I guess I'm mistaken. Sorry about that." Rindo apologized.
The worker chuckled. "Don't worry friend. We all make those kinds of mistakes. Tell you what, whatever you order is, on the house for today. Just put your orders in and I'll prepare them." With that, he walked in the kitchen and started preparing.
"Congrats Rindo, you saved me a few yen and all because you mistook this guy for someone else!" She cheered for her memory issued partner
"I could've sworn I've known him too..."
"Maybe some curry can help you remember."
"Can't argue with that."
"Are you two lovebirds satisfied with your choices?" The guy asked. While there was no spittake, the two did choke on their food.
"WHAT!?" They both said in unison.
"Oh? Was I mistaken of your relationship status?" The man asked, perplexed by their reactions.
"Damn right! How did you even think we were in a relationship!?" Shoka lashed at him.
"I observe and analyze social cues. You two seem awfully close from what I've gathered, talking whilst eating tells me that you two do not care for basic table manners between each other, which shows that you two are open between each other and don't care about how you two behave in front of each other, or in front of people."
"Uhh..." They both had no words for his...astute observations. They swore they thought that kind of stuff was normal between friends.
"I noticed you two constantly shared your meals and drinks as well. That often is a sign of a strenghtened relationship...or one that is often affectionate towards one another."
"OKAY! I think we need get out of here rigghttt now!" Shoka said in a hurry to get away in a hurry, tugging Rindo's nearest hand and dragging him away from there.
"Wait, I still haven't finished my meal!"
"Then you should have eaten faster!"
"My...the proxy has seemingly grown a bit more from when we last met. Still, they seem to be well. This bodes well."
"H-Hey...you're still holding my hand." Rindo said. He wasn't even pulled by Shoka at this point, so he was very confused as to why she was still holding on to him.
"S-So? Do you hate it? Want me to stop or s-something?" Shoka shyly said whilst tightening her grip of Rindo's hand.
"N-No...I like it." Rindo tightened his grip and got a better grasp on her hand.
"G-Good. Glad you do." Their hands have clasped together, and despite the sweat, they don't mind. They both closed their distance towards each other, and they're practically touching each other's shoulders.
"H-Hey. Can you...come over to my apartment? I want help with packing."
"S-Sure."
And just like that, they silently walked together. The silence was comforting though, nice. Their walks were slow, but peaceful. The train ride was bumpy, but steady and allieviating. It felt like they were alone in the world, not a single person to care about what they were, and not a single thing to worry about in the world. It was in short, blissful. And they both enjoyed that bliss and comfort, even if they weren't saying it. That said, they still had a home to go to.
"Alright," Shoka closes the door of her apartment. "welcome to my home until tomorrow. Make yourself at home, and...you okay, Rindo?" Shoka asked.
The room was a random assortment of littered junk, empty food and stuff that should be in garbage, but isn't. In short, he was not okay, in fact, he was appalled. So appalled in fact, that he instantly went for his mask and raised it deep into his face as if he was a doctor bracing for a risky surgery operation.
"Hey, what are you doing that for!? It doesn't stink that much!" Shoka said flabbergasted.
"What do you mean, 'iT DoEsn'T STinK ThAt MuCH'!? It's like a pigsty here!" Rindo said in a mocking tone, clearly bothered by the stench of the room, and her irresponsibility of keeping it that way.
"It's not a pigsty, Rindo. It's a work of art." She said sarcastically. "Besides, I still haven't done my spring cleaning! And probably never will now!"
"...Spring cleaning was two months ago!"
"ANYWAY! It's not like I'll be living here anymore, and the bed's fine, so just help me pack and- what are you doing?" As Shoka's words fell upon deaf ears, Rindo goes for the closet and picks up the broom and dust pan, alongside a garbage bag he found inside.
"At this point it'll be hard to know what's the stuff you'll want to pack and what's the stuff to throw. So I'm taking charge. I'll be done in 10 minutes, you just take it easy on the bed."
"But-"
"No buts, please. Trust me, I'm sure the landlord will complain less that way." With that, Rindo began his quick brooming.
For the past 10 minutes, Rindo began to sweep through the trash and separate through Shoka's stuff and random garbage that had accumulated. Whilst Shoka was watching, she was thinking how seamlessly he was sifting though everything, and how much he groaned doing it. It shouldn't mean much, and yet, it feels like she's making a burden of herself. This in turn sowed seeds of doubt in her head. Doubt that she might not be as competent of an independent person as she thought she was, doubt that people might be unwillingly picking up her slack when she could be doing the same, and doubt that she might not be good enough for someone like Rindo.
"Hey, can you open up the window a bit?" Rindo asked.
"Oh, uh, sure." Shoka obliged, opening up the window with little to no effort.
And yet, he doesn't seem even the slightest bit of angry at her. That was what baffled her. Why wasn't he showing any reaction, could he really be okay with this? This line of thinking bothered her, and somehow made her even more hotter than when she was outside, so she decided that enough was enough, and relieved herself of her precious hoodie.
"Phew! All done, I'll just put this on the catwalk an-woah!" A shocked Rindo threw the bag in the sight of something incredibly rare...a Shoka without her black hoodie.
"What's with your reaction? I just took off my hoodie is all."
"Well it's just...I always saw you with your hoodie on. And seeing you without it is like...seeing you naked..." Smooth analogy Rindo, smoooooth.
Shoka sighed. "Way to make simple stuff seem awkward as hell, dumbass."
"S-Sorry." Rindo noticed something was up with that though. Usually she'd come up with a snarky punch line, or mock him with more confidence and punch, but not this time. He put the trash out in the emergency catwalk, took out his mask and sat beside her on the bed.
"What's there to be sorry for? You know, besides the sorry dump that is my place."
"It's not that baaaad, it's fine...ish." Said the guy who cleaned the sorry dump.
"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" She saw through him.
Silence is golden, and Rindo was full of it.
"Still, sorry for making you clean the house." She apologized afterwards, her tone changing to a more somber one.
"Oh, it's fine, my mom's a germaphobe so her habits picked up on me a bit. You should have seen Fret's room, it was a swamp!" They both shared a small laugh.
"Was mine that bad?"
"No, not really. It was pretty easy to clean off and the junk didn't stink that much. I guess I overreacted about calling the place a pigsty, sorry."
"It's fine. Not like you were wrong about this shithole. I mean, I probably know why the landlord wanted me out of here." She chuckles, not for a good reason though.
"Shoka..."
"I mean, it's been like this ever since I became alive again! I fell back to old habits, only this time I have no one pestering me about them, and no one to help me get through them! I'm so worthless to even get through them myself, despite being the easiest shit that any human with a braincell can do! I'm so pathetic I need to have the guy I like pick up my slack, hah! I'm not even worth the effort!" She ranted, all with a fake smile and laughter that seemed to damage herself more than it should've.
"Shoka!" Rindo grabbed her shoulders and brought her back to reality, although, not quite.
"Let me go, you dumbass!"
He only tightened his grip around her, and he went for a hug to calm her down.
"Let me go! Just...let me go..." When the screaming and pulling subsided, sobbing and tears followed, and Rindo still hugged her. It stayed like this for a while until the sobbing stopped.
"You okay now?" Rindo asked, stopping his embrace and facing to see Shoka, when she saw her, her tears ran down her face. "Here, got a tissue." He offered, with Shoka grabbing it and wiping the tears off her face, and blowing the snot that came out of her nose for good measure.
"Yeah, thanks...sorry you had to see that, I'm looking pretty pathetic now, huh?"
"Stop saying that." Rindo bluntly replied back. "You're not pathetic, you're not worthless, and you're not whatever the hell you're thinking you are right now."
"Did you miss the part where I was crying my ass off and ruined your shirt?"
"The shirt's washable. And crying doesn't mean shit, okay? It's perfectly normal, and it doesn't make you pathetic, it just means you were strong for too long."
"Strong? You must be mistaking me for some other gir-"
"No, I'm not. I'm not mistaking you for some other girl, not Nagi, not Rhyme, or anyone. I'm talking about you, YOU are strong! You've gone through so much, and you're still standing here. No one who isn't strong could go through what you went."
"But I'm usele-"
"And before you say some shit like you're useless, no, you're not that either. You've been there for me for the longest time." He grabbed his phone and showed it to Shoka. "You've been playing FanGO with me ever since I started, you helped me get through the roughest parts of the game, I STILL can't get through Camel's Lot without having your advice on the top of my head about having to deal with the Knights and the Holy Spear!"
Shoka was in awe of what she was hearing from his mouth, at one end, she wanted to say no with all her might, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel a warm feeling on her heart, one that would stop her from doing anything irrational.
"And...you were the reason why I was able to still fight. When I lost you and the others, when I thought we lost against the Noise that were created when I went back to time constantly, and I was left in a world without you all, I...got depressed, like, didn't want to live anymore kind of depressed. When I got that second chance, being with you, wanting to survive that game with you and the others, it gave me strength. It made me want to move forward despite how hard it was, it...made me want to see you again, and talk to you again."
"E-Even still, you're probably just saying it to make me feel better..." Alas, despite her feelings, Shoka's stubborness won't let her open her true feelings.
That was when something snapped in Rindo, not a snap that would make someone irrevocably angry, but a snap to say something, something that he's been bottling up for a while.
"No, no! I mean, yes! I am saying it to make you feel better! But, but!"
"But what?! If you're going to say something just do it and get it over with!"
"I'm saying it because I freaking love you!" Rindo finally shouted back, taking Shoka aback.
"W-What? You...love me too?"
"Yeah! Wait, you love me too!?"
"Yeah! Didn't you hear me saying that before you stopped my dumbass rant!?"
"I thought liking someone or loving someone was different!"
"You dumbass! It's not different! It's practically the same thing!"
"Oi, pipe it down you two! People are trying to sleep here!" Said an old man shouting harder than the two lovebirds in front of the door. This surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) silenced the two of them. Just then, the rain started to crash down, hard as well.
"Ah, great...and I didn't even bring an umbrella." Rindo said.
"You could...always stay the night." Shoka suggested.
"But, you don't even have a cou-"
"Idiot," She interrupted him after sniffling some leftover snot from her nose. "I meant sleep with me."
"O-Oh! If you're okay with it..."
"I am, now skooch over, please..."
Rindo skooches over to the far right side of the bed and Shoka lays on the bed beside him. The pillow wasn't big enough for the two of them and the bed wouldn't work for them if the side Rindo was at wasn't facing the wall. Nevertheless, they were both comfy, holding each other's hands.
"Are you...okay with this?" Shoka asked sheepishly.
"Y-Yeah, I am." He replied with the same level of embarrasment on his face, wearing the mask didn't seem appropriate to hide his face either. "The bed's comfy with you in it."
"I appreciate that, dummy. But that's not what I meant." She said. "Are you okay with this relationship we're having?"
"Y-Yeah. Like I said, I love you. I wouldn't have anyone but you."
"C-Can I ask when did you start loving me? I promise I won't make a self-deprecating comment."
"I...guess when we've known each other for a year, back when I still knew you as Swallow. It was when I realized that you were basically a part of my life as much as you were my friend. Every day I'd basically wake up and you'd be there to greet me or continue the conversations we've been having or you'd end up sharing memes with that we'd both end up laughing at. You were the only friend that was there for me when Fret was too busy with personal stuff and trying to be a ladies man, and...if it wasn't for the fact that I was such a wuss, I'd probably have spilled my guts right here and there. But I guess better late than never, right?" He chuckled a bit. "What about you?"
"Well...I guess it was the same for me, maybe a bit later though. I...was always alone, back when I was still originally a human, and even when I was surrounded by others. Sure, Big Su, Big Sis Ayano and Tsugumi were there for me, but never in the same way as you were. Whenever you needed my help, you always listened to me and made me feel like I mattered. Whenever I needed help, you always supported and helped me get back up, even if you weren't there for me physically. You weren't sick of me, you didn't get fed up or tired of me, you didn't abandon me, you were just... there. And I, like the dumbass that I am, did nothing but insult you while we were in the UG...sorry, I did it again."
"You helped us too, Shoka, please don't forget that."
"I know...thanks, for being here."
"Well, you did want me to pack for tomorrow...although I guess we got sidetracked, huh?"
"Yeah, you were too busy cleaning up this pigsty." She heartily chuckled. "It's fine though, I don't have much to pack anyways. And..." Shoka brings her hands over Rindo and pulls him closer. "Cuddling you like this makes it worth it." Rindo followed suit and cuddled her back, stroking her long hair. Shoka got a chuckle out of that.
"You have a thing for my hair too?"
"N-No, I just...really love it, I hardly see it when you have your hoodie on too."
"Oh? Then I guess I'll let it out more for you."
"Are you alright with me doing this?"
"Mhm, it's alright, it feels nice." Shoka yawned a little.
"Did you find a place you can move to tomorrow?"
"Uh,no. Guess I forgot about that."
"You know...the offer still stands."
"A-Are you sure? Is your mom gonna be okay with having me there?"
"My mom is okay with everything, as long as it doesn't involve her allergies. I promise, she'll be okay with you moving in with us."
"I just...don't want to be a burden to you all. You saw how messy my place is, I don't want to bring that mess to your house."
"We'll help you. I'll help you. You don't have to carry your burdens alone. You don't have to be alone."
Shoka teared up a little at that. "You're such a loser, you know that?" She said with a smile, a smile that's so sweet to Rindo, he teared up a little himself.
"I know, but I'm your loser." He replied, and both laughed by that cheesy comment. Their eyes starting to droop more and more.
"You schleepy?" Said a yawning Rindo.
"Yesshhh..." Said a less-convincing, and more sarcastic, yawning Shoka.
"I'll be heading to sleep then, see you tomorrow?"
"If you wake me up first. And, um, can you come a bit closer, to cuddle me?"
"Oh, sure." And in an instant, her lips met his cheek, and in lightspeed, his cheeks got redder than a tomato. Oh if only he had his mask!
"Hehe, got my good night charm!"
"That's pretty unfair, leaving me like this while you reap the rewards." He said with a pout.
"Oh? Is salty Rindo coming back? Come on then, gimme your best kiss." And as he did, he kissed her on her forehead, and somehow, he got redder than she did.
"H-How was that?" He said, being embarrased.
"Fine...but..." Shoka went for another kiss, but instead of the cheeks, she went for his lips, and they stayed there for a while. "We could always do better." She said after smooching him one last time. Afterwards, they yawned both in sync.
"I guess we should sleep now."
"Yeah, that's enough making out for a day. I hope I can sleep without another bad dream waking me up."
"I'll be here if you do have one."
"Yeah, thanks, and Rindo?"
"Thank you, for everything."
"And thank you too. I love you." With that, Rindo shut his eyes and falls to sleep.
"I love you too, Rindo." And with a final kiss in the forehead, she went to sleep as well.
They both slept without a care in the world and no nightmare to bother them.
Meanwhile, back at the curry shop.
"Quite the storm out there, huh friend? And here I am without an umbrella."
"A pleasure to see you as well, friend, care for some curry?"
"No, I'm just visiting, thank you. Although, do you do takeout?"
"No, but I can do an exception. What do you want?"
"Two of what my proxy and her ex-Reaper lover were having."
"Oh? So you found out?"
"Shibuya's my neighborhood, if I don't find out, word comes out. That said, I tend to just keep those kinds of info secret if it doesn't do me any favours. Speaking of secrets though..."
"Are you wondering as to why I'm in a restaraunt? Well, I picked an interest in curry, and I always wondered how they were created."
"...You're a more terrible liar than my proxy, Hazuki."
"Can't blame an angel for trying, Joshua."
"Still, that doesn't answer my question, what are you doing here?"
"Your treatment of one of my residents was something I wanted to see for myself. I had figured I'd see her in the other plane once she was erased, but I never saw her. It's good that your proxy has taken care of her though. I felt that her soul was in an influx of negative emotions being constantly bottled. Her noise was getting quite big, prior to this storm."
"Are you concerned about her wellbeing?"
"Let's just say she used to be a special proxy of mine too."
"I see. Well, you won't have to worry about anything. I can assure you of that."
"I know, but thank you for the assurance. I assume you want me to leave now, correct?"
"No, you can stay. I never wanted you to leave in the first place, Shibuya is open to everyone. Besides, why would I do that? We're friends after all, no?"
"I suppose so. Thank you, friend. By the way, here is your takeout."
"Thank you. Speedy service as well. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again!"
"You too as well, friend."