Chapter Text
Warm sunlight trickled into Shoka’s eyes from where she slept—a girl buried beneath a heap of blankets all nested together on a black leather sofa. And yet despite all that coverage, the sun’s greedy little rays of light had somehow made their way through the cracks and disturbed her peaceful slumber.
Nose crinkling at the bright annoyance, Shoka rose, letting the blankets cascade off as she scrounged for her phone. Was it really almost noon? Crap—she barely had an hour to get ready and meet up with the others. Seeds of doubt began snaking their way into her stomach. This time she’d be seeing everyone—Neku, Beat, and even Beat’s sister, Rhyme. Between being plopped back into the RG, taken in by Uzuki, and not only reuniting with Rindo and the others, but also being accepted by them? She knew her luck had to come to an end at some point.
If only she could let the quiet, dark room lull her back into a stressless sleep. Instead, she rolled off the soft leather couch to observe her surroundings. There was no sign of the feisty pink-haired Reaper whose living room she currently inhabited, but that didn’t surprise her—Uzuki had been a busy-bee since before Shoka met her. First with cleaning up the mess left by Neku’s group years ago, and now she had three years worth of Shinjuku’s prior invasion to fix. She’d no doubt gone back to work piecing Shibuya’s UG back together.
Shoka didn’t envy Uzuki one bit. It seemed like way too much of a hassle. On top of that, she’d for whatever reason added housing Shoka to her long list of chores. A twinge of irritation sparked as Shoka’s stomach growled. She knew her living person appetite couldn’t be easy for a Reaper to keep up with, yet she still had no idea how to even properly thank her for all the trouble. Shaking her head, she decided that was a matter for later.
After quickly dressing and throwing on her prized hoodie, Shoka dashed out of Uzuki’s home and into Shibuya’s crowded streets. The hazy summer day’s humidity made her cringe after the cool dryness of the airconditioned apartment complex. She wished more than anything she could just retreat back into it, but she’d made a promise to the others, and she had every intention of keeping it. No way she’d backtrack now, not after everything that’d happened. With those thoughts renewing her energy, she let her feet carry her forward.
Hachiko seemed to be fated for any and all meetings. Or maybe her losers were just uncreative. Either way, Shoka pushed her way through the masses for day two of the Wicked Twister get-together. Would this become a regular thing? Hanging out with her friends all the time? The idea wasn’t the worst. In fact, she found herself hoping it to be true. A soft snicker drifted from her lips. Who was she kidding? None of the Twisters would ever let her skip out now that they’d found her. That much was clear.
Hurried footsteps slowing to a light patter, Shoka spied the blond swoops of Rindo’s hair and the familiar jumble of his patterned jacket. Beside him, tall and lanky, stood Fret, leaning against a long planter with Nagi hunched over the latest light novel for EleStra nearby. And then… there they were. Beat, Neku, and wait—that wasn’t Rhyme. The girl beside Neku had brunette hair. Shoka’s heart faltered.
It couldn’t be—could it? Those glasses, that stylish green cardigan… An extremely embarrassing squeak tumbled from her mouth, drawing the attention of everyone waiting.
A jab of fear rooted Shoka to the cement, caught in the sheer disbelief of who was among their group.
“Hey, Shoka.” Neku raised a hand in simple greeting, a gentle smile on his lips. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, good to have ya back, Kitty Girl!” Beat added. “Sorry my sis ain’t here yet. She’ll show up fo’ sure later.”
“Uh… Y-yeah. Sure, that’s fine,” her words traitorously tumbled over themselves. Her eyes skirted around the petite frame of the girl to focus on Neku’s orange spikes instead, since that seemed like a safer place to hold her attention.
“We brought a friend along. Hope that was okay.” Shoka caught a knowing sparkle in Neku’s blue eyes. He knew what he was doing.
Lips now taut, Shoka sealed them for fear she’d sound like a total idiot again.
“Hello!” The girl waved, friendly with a warm face. “I’m Shiki Misaki. Your friends told me all about you.”
Was she hearing this right? Told her about… who? Shoka? It was as though a million little switches had been flipped off in her brain as she stayed locked in place, dumbly staring at the older girl.
“You good, Shokie?” Fret waved a hand in front of her face. “This wasn’t too much was it? I know we asked yesterday, but maybe this is starstruck overload.”
His voice was nothing but a babbling burble; she didn’t have the brain power to process how considerate he’d become. She did have half a mind to swat his hand out of the air, though.
“Is she okay? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?” Shiki asked.
“I think she’s just a little awkward meeting you for the first time,” Rindo offered. “She’s been a big fan of yours for a while now.”
“S-shut up!” Shoka snapped without thinking. “I-I mean—I’m fine!” Her face began to burn from embarrassment.
“It’s okay. I’m used to this kind of reaction,” Shiki replied, stretching her hand out. “You’re Shoka, right? It’s nice to meet you.”
Giddy excitement bubbled up inside Shoka like a swarm of Shiba’s butterflies as she stared back at her idol’s extended hand. The switches that’d been flipped off in her brain suddenly burst back on. She nodded with enthused vigor, entirely forgetting Shiki’s hand. “Y-yeah. I love everything about your brand—about Gatto Nero. It was the first thing in Shibuya that inspired me.”
The distant click of a camera going off echoed in the depths of her ears followed by Nagi’s chastising voice. “Lord Tosai, I think now’s hardly the time for that.”
“Yeah Fret, you’re treading dangerous water,” Rindo added.
“What water? There ain’t any puddles around, yo,” came Beat’s voice.
Fret lowered his phone, grinning like he’d be offered to advertise toothpaste on one of the surrounding billboards. “Do you guys not see the smile Shokie’s making right now? How can I miss a rare moment like that?”
Rindo scratched his cheek, weirdly sheepish. “Well—yeah, but you can’t just take a picture like that.”
“Why not? I can send it to you later!”
Stepping back, Rindo sputtered, “Huh? N-no, I…”
The brimming exhilaration threatening to burst from Shoka’s chest simmered ever so slightly. Shit. Was she only making a fool of herself even more? Hoodie ears flattening against her head, Shoka stumbled away.
“Can we stop making me a topic of interest right now?” Shoka glared at her ridiculous losers.
“It moves?” Shiki’s voice filled with wonder as she peered at Shoka’s hoodie. “How’s that possible?”
“H-huh?” Shoka’s hand drifted up to one of its ears, giving the fabric a mild tug. “Oh—it’s always been like this. I sorta assumed it was a UG thing, but… Guess it still reacts with my moods out here in the RG.”
“It must have the same black magic in it that Piggy does,” Neku said, eyes also on Shoka.
Rounding on Neku, Shiki wasted no time in correcting him. “He is a cat, not a pig. And she’s right, Mr. Mew only ever moved around in the UG.”
A new emotion checked into Shoka’s laundry list of feelings. Piggy? Had the Legendary Hero of Shibuya seriously just referred to the iconic doll as Piggy?
“Err, who’s a pig?” Fret questioned.
“He’s Shiki’s doll, yo. Giga Pig, the one who almost wiped us outta yesterday on the roof,” Beat clarified in the worst way imaginable.
“Wait… you don’t mean…” Rindo flinched, face notably paler.
“Yeah—I’m still not following what we’re talking about.” Fret tapped his phone to his chin and Shoka could practically see the gears in his brain turning. “Was that the creepy giant bear thing? Y’know, Tsugi-woogi’s bootleg Gatto Cat?”
“Bear?!” Shiki exclaimed.
“Giga Pig ain’t a bear, yo. He’s got ‘dem pointy ears.” Beat raised his fingers over his head to make a literal point.
“Aw, but he’s got a cute face like a bear,” Fret defended.
“With a smooshed up nose like ‘dat?”
“You guys are both such complete idiots! How can you not see he’s a cat?” Shoka demanded.
“Thank you!” Shiki spoke up again, stomping her foot. “He’s not a bear or a pig! He’s a cat! C.A.T.”
A soft chuckle drifted from Neku’s lips. “Looks like I started something.”
“Neku! Say he’s a cat.”
“I dunno…” The supposed Legendary hero reached up to toy with one of his hair spikes.
“Really? You’re the guy Shiba got all worked up over?” His skills in the UG didn’t matter to Shoka anymore—not when he screwed up the most iconic cat in recent history. “You don’t even know the right animal for Mr. Mew.”
“Oh, he knows. He just won’t say it.” Shiki pouted up at him.
“I guess my ‘Legendary’ status won’t save me from this one.”
“Absolutely not.”
Scooping an arm around Shiki, Neku drew her close against his side. “Oh well.” Shoka’s already overloaded brain didn’t have enough time to process that action before Neku continued speaking. “At least Josh brought me back to you guys.”
“He did…” Shiki’s crisp glare melted into something a touch softer.
“Apparently he’s capable of more than one miracle too, since he put you back in the RG.” Neku nodded at Shoka.
“Y-yeah. I still don’t really get it.”
“Don’ think any of us get Priss Kid,” Beat interjected. “His mind’s a maze of confusin’, yo.”
“We’re talking about the music conductor person of Shibuya, right?” Fret asked.
“You mean the Composer?” Rindo supplied for his friend.
“Yeah—that.”
Shoka’s brow furrowed at their words.“Don’t see why he’d bother with me. Especially since I’m from Shinjuku, not Shibuya.”
“His mind might work in mysterious, deeply annoying ways, but there’s layers underneath. If I had to guess, and he’d never admit this, he probably partly wanted to reward Rindo for everything he did,” Neku explained.
Reward? Shoka didn’t know whether to be insulted or mortified.
“H-huh? Me?” Rindo looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
Neku shrugged a shoulder. “You’re the new hero of Shibuya.”
“I dunno about that,” Rindo answered awkwardly. “Until a month ago, I couldn’t even make a lot of my own choices.” His gaze flitted to Shoka, filling her chest with unwelcome joy. “I always asked Swallow for help.”
“But that’s not how it is now, is it?” Neku smiled.
The boy blinked, appearing thoughtful for a moment. “No. This time… I want to be the one to help Swallow make some of their decisions.”
Warmth crept into Shoka’s cheeks as she tugged on her hood. A ‘thank you’ rested on the tip of her tongue, but to say that would reveal she was Swallow to the rest of the gang, not to mention being downright humiliating.
“Whatever happened to that Swallow person anyway?” Fret asked. “I mean… We kinda won our Game and the other teams sorta went, well, y’know.”
Shoka’s gut twisted. Why did they have to keep on this topic? Couldn’t they just drop it? It was hard enough to admit to herself how much she wanted to thank Rindo, but now Fret had to go and drop the ‘what happened to Swallow bomb?’
Eyes crinkling with understanding, Neku asked, “This ‘Swallow’ friend was important to you, wasn’t she?”
The rims of Rindo’s ears grew a few shades redder. “W-well, yeah. They are.”
Neku extricated himself from Shiki’s side to clap a hand on Rindo’s shoulder. “If they mean that much to you, be sure to tell them that, alright?”
Despite his pink ears, Shoka watched as Rindo stood a little taller, eyes boasting a glint of determination. “I will.”
“Woah, woah, hold up! You know who Swallow is? Also did Neku say ‘she’?” Fret questioned.
“Well… Yeah, I do know.”
“And you didn’t tell me? Aren’t we pals, Rindude? How long have you been holding out on me?” Fret’s whine was sharp in Shoka’s ears.
“It’s just—a lot’s happened between now and then, y’know?”
Shoka’s heart thundered in her chest as the discussion teetered right on the brink of spilling who she was. The anxiety welled up, threatening to suffocate her. She hated the sensation—of being the object of everyone’s attention.
Unable to bear it or see the look in Rindo’s eyes any longer, she yelled, “I-I need a soda!” Pointing in no particular direction, she bolted away from the group, letting her nerves drive her. Their eyes bore into her back every step of the way. Why was she so dumb? She was bound to be called out for it.
“Shoka! Wait!” shouted Rindo, right on cue.
Shoka halted midstep, allowing him to draw closer.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Letting out a disparaging scoff, Shoka waved a hand. “Why wouldn’t I be fine after all of that?”
“Look. I’m sorry if I said something wrong.” It was all too obvious he didn’t understand her need to get away from everyone.
“Ugh. You didn’t say anything wrong, you dummy!” She drew her arms around herself in a self-conscious hug.
“Then why are you so upset?”
“It’s…” She glanced back at where the others waited, watching her with obvious concern. Her mouth dried. “It’s not important, okay? So, don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, she took off again without waiting for him to respond.
She soon wound her way through an alleyway behind the bookstore to avoid getting caught up in the throng of people crossing the Scramble. A handful of vending machines stretched across a small segment of the alley, giving Shoka hope for somewhere to momentarily chill and have some breathing room.
Choking back the deepest gulp of air she could muster, she stuffed money into one of the machines, then jammed the button for a Berry Blast soda. Clunking sounded as it tumbled down, and she snagged it before wedging herself in between two of the large vending machines. Taking solitude in their shelter, she snapped the tab of her fruity drink and took a slow sip.
How could she have turned into such a wuss? It’s not like there was that huge of a difference between Swallow and herself, even if it felt like it with how much Rindo had hyped her up. She’d overheard Fret and him arguing about Swallow once during their Game, and neither of them ever suspected it could’ve been the Reaper that had been tailing their every move. She still couldn’t admit it to Fret.
If she’d been in the UG, this never would’ve happened. If she’d been in the UG… she wouldn't have her friends.
Sniffling slightly, she swiped her sleeve across her eyes, not bothering to worry about what it’d do to her carefully applied make-up. She just needed to calm down and get her bearings back—she could do this. She was an ex-Reaper, after all.
“Shoka? Are you back here?” The sudden voice was light and filled with tender concern.
Shoka jolted, knowing who that voice belonged to. “I’m um, just taking a break,” she called back as casually as she could.
A soft humming issued from the older girl's lips. “Alright, well I need to get myself a drink too, so… would you mind taking my bag for me?” Shiki peeked around Shoka’s place of hiding.
“Huh? Oh… Sure?” Lowering her soda can, she settled it on the ground before accepting a stylish Gatto Nero tote bag. It had only just been released with Gatto Nero’s latest line. But it wasn’t the bag that drew Shoka’s eyes to it. Rather, it was the doll that poked out of it. “Is this?”
“Mhm. That’s him. You can hold him if you’d like,” Shiki said as she skimmed a list of teas and sodas for what she wanted.
Shoka’s fingers graced the soft felt of the doll’s body with reverence. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined actually touching the famed mascot of Gatto Nero.
“So, how long have you two been friends?”
“W-what?” Shoka asked, startled by the abrupt question.
“Rindo. You’re close, aren’t you? I can tell.”
Idly toying with one of Mr. Mews ears, she thought how best to answer. Technically, they’d only known each other in person for a month give or take, but the truth was she’d known him much longer than that.
“It’s been a few years, sorta.”
“How’d you two meet?”
“Over this game called FanGO,” Shoka found herself answering a little easier. “I traded with him and… I offered to help him since he was new to it. Then we sort of just got to talking and trading together all the time.”
“That’s that popular creature catching game, right? It must have been a lot of fun playing together—and now you even get to in-person too.” An electronic beeping sound confirmed Shiki had finally selected a drink
“Y-yeah. We got to for the first time a couple days ago.”
“I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to go from only ever playing online with someone all the time to actually hanging out together and doing it.”
“It wasn’t half bad.” More than that, but Shoka wouldn’t admit that aloud just yet. “He even treated me to lunch.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet. I’ll bet you have all kinds of plans to play more together.”
“Well… I want to, but… Now things are awkward.” Shoka slumped over, drawing Mr. Mew to her chest to hug him close. “I dunno how to talk to him.”
For a few moments all Shoka could hear were the sounds of distant chatter from outside the alleyway until Shiki spoke again. “Trust your partner.”
“Trust my what?” Shoka lifted her head in confusion as Shiki came to face her.
“It sounds to me like you’re partners in FanGO, right? And you have been for a long time.”
“I guess, yeah?” Shoka pursed her lips, brain ticking through memories of chatting with Rindragon.
“How much do you know about Shibuya’s Game? The one Neku, the others, and I were in?”
Still confused, Shoka thought for a moment, thinking back on what all she’d learned from Neku during her most recent Game. “Not a lot. I just know that things were run differently back then. The Shibuya Reapers constantly whined about how their Games used to be, versus how us Shinjuku Reapers did stuff.”
“I see. Well, back in our Game, we had entry fees. They were our price for playing, and they could be anything. A person, a skill, memories—you name it. It just had to be something precious to us, and we could only get it back if we won the Game.”
“So, basically having a handicap on top of being stuck in a Game. That sounds like it would bite.”
“It didn’t make things easy, that’s for sure.”
Shoka watched the older girl, wondering where she was going with all this.
“My entry fee back then was my appearance, so when I first met Neku, I looked nothing like this. And the longer it went, the more scared I got. I thought no way would he accept me—the small, nondescript girl that no one gave a second glance.” Shiki paused, a wistful expression drifting across her face. “But you know, when he found out? He didn’t care. He reminded me that I’m me, no matter how I look. It was just my own fears holding me back. I had to learn to trust Neku, to understand that the feelings I felt weren't the feelings he did.”
Her appearance? That couldn’t have been farther from what Shoka would’ve expected. Questions beckoned her tongue to ask them, but nerves kept her from it.
Shiki leaned against one of the vending machines. “I know it’s hard when your mind’s telling you one thing—making you think you aren’t good enough, or you messed things up so badly you can’t fix them, but Rindo’s been your partner for years. So even if it’s hard to trust in yourself, trust in your partner.”
“I… never would’ve thought about it that way.” Shoka rested her chin on Mr. Mew’s head. “He is kinda like that though. He’s been there with me through a lot. Maybe… trusting in him’s not a bad idea.” The last few words were spoken more to herself.
“I think he’s worried about you. I haven’t known him long, but I know he was out there every day with Beat and Neku, searching for a friend he’d lost. That was you, right?”
Heat filtered into her cheeks. “He wasn’t actually looking for me every single day, was he?”
Shiki nodded. “There was one time Neku thought he’d found you, but it turned out to be a false alarm. It must’ve really bummed Rindo out, ‘cause Neku asked to reschedule something with me just so he could take Rindo out for some ice cream and cheer him up.”
Guilt clutched at Shoka’s heart. She’d never wanted to put him through that. “That must’ve been rough for him—for both of them. I probably shouldn’t have hid for so long…”
“After everything you’ve been through, between trying to keep your friend alive during the Game you guys were all in, struggling to make it through to the end, and ending up back in the RG, I can’t say I really blame you. I’m sure it was a lot to deal with,” Shiki said in a gentle tone.
Shoka bit her lip. “Y-yeah. It kinda got to be too much—one thing after another.”
“It’s not easy to find people in Shibuya. Before our Game ended, I’d already decided on a meet-up spot for Neku and the others to make sure we’d find each other again.” Shiki smiled. “But even then, I took Mr. Mew with me so they’d know it was me—the real me.”
Maybe she was on to something. Shoka wished she were half as put together as Shiki. If she had been, it probably would’ve saved everyone a heck of a lot of trouble. “I guess we’re both lucky we managed to reunite with the people we care about.”
Shiki giggled. “We really are. And now that you’ve found each other again, you can start making up for lost time.”
“Lost time… right.” Easing her grip on Mr. Mew, Shoka let her lips curve into a smile. “Thanks for um, talking to me and stuff. It means a lot.” She may not’ve had things all figured out after their Game had ended, but she could set the record straight now.
“I just hope it helped, really,” Shiki answered more modestly than Shoka ever would have expected. “I’m always happy to offer what advice I can.”
“It did, trust me.” Gathering her bearings, drink, and Shiki’s belongings, Shoka stood. “Thanks for letting me borrow this little guy.” Shoka gave Mr. Mew a light wag. “He’s more comforting than I expected.”
“That’s all part of his magic.” Shiki grinned, taking him back and stowing him inside her bag.
“Yeah… And I think now I know what to do now. Mind if we head back?”
Shiki smiled brightly. “Of course! Lead the way.”
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the others knew she’d been Swallow all along. Having talked it out with Shiki—it all seemed so silly now. Why shouldn’t Rindo let their friends know the secret she’d guarded so long during their Game? They’d accepted her as the ex-Reaper Shoka, so they’d accept her as Rindo’s old friend Swallow too. This was all about trust after all.
Resolve burning in her chest, Shoka stepped back out into the crowded Scramble, ready to try this one more time.