The moment they stepped out of the arcade, Jimmu pulled out his phone and tapped the screen.
A notification blinked back at him.
He blinked once. Then twice.
"We have thirty minutes left until we have to meet at Sumaru Park."
Daiki blinked. "Wait, they send that stuff to you?"
"Yes." Jimmu tilted his head. "Why wouldn't they?"
"I dunno, because that would be useful? Why didn't I get the message?"
Jimmu stared at him like the answer was really obvious.
"...Where's your phone?"
Daiki remembered what happened to it right there and then.
His eye twitched. "It broke, okay? It shattered when I fought my first Yurei."
Jimmu nodded, completely serious. "Unfortunate. If you backed up your data, you could still access—"
"Don't," Daiki cut him off. "I'm broke. I can't get a new phone."
Ranta tugged Daiki's sleeve. "Um... who are you meeting at Sumaru Park?"
"Our teachers soon. We're architecture students."
Daiki didn't even know why he lied. There was no point anymore.
"But first, we should ask where you came fr—"
"We should eat," Jimmu interrupted, already turning on his heel.
"Bro. What?"
"Food first," Jimmu said calmly. "Then questions."
"But we have a kid here..."
Ranta sniffed softly. "...I am kinda hungry."
Daiki froze.
He looked at the kid.
He looked at Jimmu.
Then he looked at his stomach, which hadn't had food since breakfast.
He sighed loudly.
"Fine. We get food. Only because we're all hungry."
"And crispy noodles," Jimmu added, voice errily firm and phone already in his hand, looking for locations.
Daiki rubbed his forehead. "You're obsessed."
Jimmu nodded. "Yes."
After a couple of minutes, they found a street stall tucked behind two shops they had to slip through. The sign read:
TSUBASA'S CRISPY NOODLE PARADISE
Smoke puffed into the air, carrying the spicy scent of fried dough and sizzling broth.
Daiki's stomach growled.
Ranta had perked up.
Jimmu looked like he had finally achieved enlightenment.
They sat at a big outdoor table, Ranta between them with two empty seats across from them.
The owner dropped off three bowls of steaming crispy noodles.
Daiki let out a whistle. "Okay, that looks... really good."
Jimmu didn't even say any words before he was already halfway through his bowl.
No hesitating.
No breathing.
Just noodles.
Daiki pointed. "Hey...! Don't choke!"
"I'll breathe when I'm done," Jimmu said calmly, mouth filled with food.
Ranta giggled.
Daiki relaxed a bit. It was a good thing the kid was calming down.
He ate a bit before leaning toward Ranta to talk to him. "Okay, Ranta. You wanna tell us how you ended up in the arcade?"
Ranta poked at his noodles. "My... my friends dared me to go inside the arcade after school. They said they've done it before, and nothing happened. I thought it would be cool."
Daiki nodded gently. "Okay.. And then the—"
Daiki thought a little bit before deciding to try to lie again.
"Wild animal grabbed you, right?"
Daiki was terrible at lying.
"Yeah..." It seemed like Ranta was going along with it. "I heard something in the ceiling. Then the strings wrapped around me. I couldn't move."
Daiki put a hand on his shoulder. "You're safe now. We won't let anything touch you again."
Ranta nodded, reassured.
Before Daiki could say more—
"YO! FUSHINOOOOOOO!"
Daiki's ears twitched.
He knew that voice.
Ren Takagi stormed down the street with a grin, waving one hand high above his hand.
Behind him was his partner: a tall and muscular boy with spiky orange hair, broad shoulders, and a grin that radiated chaotic bravery.
Taiga Kusunoki.
"DUDE! Fushino! You're still alive!" Ren shouted.
"I am," Daiki said dryly. "Thanks for believing in me."
"Always!" Ren plopped into one of the empty seats at their table without asking. "So, uh, who's the kid? And... wait. Are those crispy noodles?"
Jimmu didn't even look up. He just tightened the grip on his bowl.
Taiga sat down too and slung his arm around Ren. "We finished our search way faster than everyone else. It's no surprise, really. We're efficient!"
Ren's smile shone like the sun. "Hell yeah! We're unstoppable, baby!"
Daiki blinked. "...Are they the same person?"
"RIGHT?" Ren shouted.
"DAMN RIGHT!" Taiga echoed.
They high-fived.
Loudly.
Daiki groaned. "I really don't have the energy for this right now."
Ranta laughed again, louder this time.
Ren leaned closer, noticing the dirt on Jimmu and the bleeding knuckle and dark fingers Daiki had.
"You two get into a fight or something?"
Daiki smirked. "Saved a kid. Beat two of those... 'animals' up. Normal Monday."
Taiga pumped his fist against his chest. "HELL YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT!"
Jimmu slowly raised his hand... and stared at Taiga and Ren with a serene and gentle expression that only revealed....
Annoyance.
"Loud," Jimmu said flatly.
Taiga blinked. "Uh... what?"
"You two are loud," Jimmu said evenly, voice calm like he was answering a question at school.
Ren leaned back, hands in the air, grinning. "C'mon, lighten up! It's time to celebrate! You guys saved a kid!"
Jimmu's eyes didn't move in the slightest. "Still loud."
Daiki chuckled. "Okay... are you done eating?"
Jimmu's chopsticks hovered mid-air. "Almost."
Daiki groaned. "Yup, take your time."
Ranta snickered quietly.
Taiga puffed out his chest. "Well, fine! Guess we'll quietly celebrate... but only for now!"
Daiki rolled his eyes, muttering. "I miss Jin...."
Jimmu finally finished his bowl. "Fine. Continue. But keep your volume level within a reasonable range."
Daiki smirked, elbowing Ranta gently. "These are your examples of who you don't want to act like when you grow up."
Ranta's eyes widened for a second, but he softly laughed after. "Yeah... I hear ya."
Daiki grinned. "Yup. Just don't tell anyone of them I said that."
Ren and Taiga started practicing cool handshakes, and Jimmu stared at them like they were committing crimes against humanity.
Daiki sighed, satisfied. "Alright. I'm done. Let's take this kid back to his home."
When the thirty minutes were up, the group headed to Sumaru Park.
Masataka, Shimizu, Morishima, and Kojiro stood at the center of the park, clipboards in hand, scanning the returning students.
Kojiro's eyebrow raised the moment he saw a small boy holding Daiki's hand.
"...Fushino," Kojiro said slowly, "I didn't take you for the kidnapping type."
Daiki threw up his hands. "I didn't kidnap him! He was being held hostage."
Shimizu stepped forward, kneeling to Ranta's level.
"Are you alright?"
Ranta nodded timidly.
Morishima's eyes softened. "We'll contact the local authorities and deal with everything. He'll be taken back home safely."
Ranta squeezed Daiki's hand tighter before letting go.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Daiki smiled. "Anytime."
Shimizu guided Ranta away, speaking gently.
Masataka crossed his arms. "You two. You'll report what happened when we get home. Good job not dying."
Daiki exhaled. "Thanks... I think?"
Jimmu nodded. "We also had noodles."
Masataka paused.
"...You're a strange one, Ayanami."
Ren gave Daiki a thumbs-up from behind him.
Taiga flexed for... no reason?
Jimmu just stared into the sky.
Daiki cracked a smile.
It was a long day.
Life-threatening.
Chaotic.
Stupid.
But it was good.
Daiki looked down at his hands.
His knuckles were bleeding like hell.
His fingers felt numb and weak.
And yet, he was still standing tall.
That's all that mattered.