Chapter Text
Riyo burst through the door, Rudo tailing behind her, and went inside the apartment.
“Yo! Enjin, Zankaaa! You guys here?” Walking farther into the apartment, she immediately spotted Enjin in the kitchen cooking lunch, and Aibo was already eating her own.
“Yup! I’m here, Riyo!” Enjin shouted back, his attention still on the stove. “Just in time for lunch, have you guys eaten yet?”
“Nope! Was waiting for your cooking!” Riyo chirped, walking into the kitchen and finding Aibo under there. Riyo crouched on her level and started petting her, “Aww!!! Hello, pretty princess!”
“I’m good, I already ate breakfast with Regto earlier,” Rudo replied, looking around the apartment. Noticing its size, it’s not too small nor too big, just average enough for two people to live in. Speaking of which—
“Where’s Zanka?” Rudo turned around to look for the said guy, hearing the faint clicking of a keyboard in the other room.
“Sending the pictures to Shikage and helping him edit them, of course.” Enjin continued working on their food; Riyo was already talking about the movie night with Aibo already in her arms, while Rudo still looked around the apartment.
There’s a nice big window in the living room behind the TV where you can see the city below. Next to the living room is another room, assuming it’s Zanka’s because of the faint typing of a keyboard. Suppose the place isn’t exactly soundproof, then.
“Yo, Rudo! Might wanna call Zanka out of his room? We’re gonna eat now.” Enjin finished cooking, portioning the food for each separate plate.
“Uh, yeah, sure thing, Enjin.” Rudo knocked on a door, assuming it was Zanka’s room. “Hey, Zanka! Enjin said it’s time to eat!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” Zanka replied behind the door, typing something on his laptop before closing it. Sending a thank-you message to Shikage and leaving his room.
“Rudo? Aren’t you a bit too early today?” Zanka stared at the boy, and hearing Riyo’s obnoxious laughter gave him enough explanation. “Never mind.”
The two boys walked to the kitchen, where Enjin had already set the table, and put food on their plates. “Eat up, kids. Movie night’s not until 7, so I suggest we go out and pick up some snacks.”
The group ate in silence. Enjin insisted that Rudo eat again, even though Rudo had already had breakfast. Riyo seemed to never run out of stories and gossip from different cleaner branches or from different people; call the girl a social butterfly if you will. Meanwhile, Zanka kept Aibo in his lap as he ate from his own plate.
Enjin brought the dirty dishes to the sink before washing them. Zanka offered to help, but the older man refused, leaving the boy dumbfounded.
“Oh my gosh, Zanka! If we’re going out, we need to pick an outfit for you!” Riyo chimed in, already dragging Zanka to his room.
“What? Why? I’ll just wear a hoodie and some sweatpants. I don’ wanna dress anythin’ fancy,” Zanka retorted, but letting himself be dragged either way, Rudo followed from behind.
“I'm not making you anything fancy, silly! But at least dress nicely!” Riyo chirped, already rummaging through Zanka’s closet.
Riyo picked out a few clothes from the closet,
“Here! Put these on and let me see how you look.” Riyo tossed a knitted navy-blue turtleneck sweater, a pair of steel-blue cargo pants, and an oversized beige jacket to balance the whole fit.
Zanka obliged and went to the bathroom to undress; like hell he’d undress in front of his friends/coworkers. Inside the bathroom, he couldn’t help but look in the mirror. Yeah, no, he needed to stop this awful habit of staring at his body and feeling bad about it. He also needed to keep to a natural, normal diet. He’d work on that soon.
He wore the outfit Riyo had chosen for him, but not the jacket yet, and came out of the bathroom to fix his hair in the full-body mirror next to his closet. “So, what’dya think?” He looked behind him, where Riyo was beaming with joy, and Rudo looked like he’d just seen a ghost. “The hell is up with that face, Rudo?” he snickered, then started to put on the jacket.
“You look so freakin’ cool!”
“YOU COULD LOOK NORMAL?!”
Zanka rolled his eyes and walked out of his room, not caring whether the two would follow. Meeting Aibo by the door, he said, “Hey there, pretty girl.” Zanka picked up Lovely, coddling and cooing her.
Enjin walked up, dressed as well, spinning the car keys’ ring in his hand. “So, ready to go Zan-zan?” flashing his signature smile. Finally, Riyo and Rudo came out of Zanka’s room, following Enjin. Rudo still looks a little shocked that Zanka isn’t wearing his usual old man clothes— or what he calls Zanka’s daily work fit.
Considering the fact that Zanka doesn’t really dress up when he’s at work, even on certain occasions when he sees Zanka in the local convenience store during their day off.
But it kinda makes sense with Zanka’s story. From what he was told, Zanka ran away from his home and left his whole life behind, not wanting to go back to—
Beep beep
“Yo Rudo, you gonna keep staring at the void or are you gonna come in?” Huh? Enjin? Wait- since when did they reach the parking lot? What the hell. Never mind that!
“S-sorry- got lost there for a sec…. My bad.” Rudo got on the backseat, sitting next to Riyo. It had been an arrangement for them for the youngest to sit in the backseat— aka Rudo and Riyo— while the “adults” sat in front.
“So, Zan-zan, what’s our itinerary for today?” Enjin started the car and pulled out of the condo building. Zanka took out his phone and opened his notes app, where he writes down all the important lists, including the itineraries for every Akuta hang-out month.
“First things first, groceries. Not only for tonight but also for our pantry, Enjin, we’re running out of food and need to restock. Next, shopping. Riyo, you’re on this one, and we can only buy on our agreed budget…”
If Rudo were asked who was the most insufferable person that he met, he would answer Regto for the constant teasing and cheeky remarks that he got during his life living with him, but if Rudo were asked the second time, he would say Zanka Nijiku with all his heart. Sure, Enjin warned him about Zanka being a piece of work, but he didn’t expect to be like this! I mean, seriously, the packed-up schedule on his calendar is one thing, but a full list for an itinerary? What even is an itinerary??—
Rudo immediately snapped out of his head.
“Yooo… Rudo, my guy, are you okay? You look like your eyes are about to pop!” Riyo shook his shoulder, trying to bring him back to reality. By then, Zanka had finally stopped talking. He didn’t even hear the rest of what Zanka was saying, but he was glad it was finally over. Not only is Zanka an absolute perfectionist, but he also has an awfully annoying voice. (Only Rudo thinks that.)
“Uh- y-yeah, I’m fine… I guess…” he answered, but somehow, ever since he got inside the car, he felt like he was about to throw up. “Hey… Enjin? I don’t wanna sound rude, but… did you get a new air freshener?”
“Oh yeah! You noticed? Thought it might be nice to mix things up a bit!” Enjin flashed his signature cheeky grin, feeling proud of himself. “Cool...” Rudo forced himself to suck it up, not wanting to sound disrespectful towards his manager, but deep down, he could feel his stomach turning ugly at the smell.
After a few minutes of the torturous smell of Enjin’s new air freshener, they finally arrived at the grocery store. Walking to the grocery store, Rudo remembered that Zanka said they're allowed to pick any snacks they want for tonight, and if he says anything, Rudo already has something in mind.
The candy aisle.
Sometimes, Zanka wonders how a person like Rudo functioned like a normal, fresh-out-of-college person, and he’s literally 20 years old! Yet he still acts like a kid—
“Damn, look at this kid, running straight to the sweets.” Enjin’s voice echoed through his head as his eyes darted towards Rudo, who was running to the candy aisle.
What a child…
“I’ll go get him; you guys get what you need to get. I’m supposed to look after him anyway,” Zanka announced, already separating himself from the rest of the group, following Rudo as he eyed the other food aisle, thinking what to buy for himself.
“Let’s meet up here, alright!?” Enjin shouted as he and Riyo walked in the opposite direction, getting themselves a cart and looking for their own snacks to eat later.
“Betting my food that those two will get in trouble somehow. Like, I dunno, knocking down a whole shelf?” Riyo snickered, skipping straight to the spicy food aisle.
“PFFT- HAHAHA!” Enjin laughed obnoxiously, wiping a tear on his face. Riyo always had a way to make the day better; she almost felt like the little sister he never had. “Okay, but seriously though, if that happened I’m so gonna kill those guys.”
Riyo laughed along, skimming through the options of food. Looking for the spiciest one of all. She was about to grab that one ramyeon packet with more toppings and two extra spicy sauces when another hand also went to grab it.
“!!”
“?!”
“Whoops-“
“My bad-“
“Did you want that one too?” Riyo started, feeling nervous about the awkward encounter. It felt like those cheesy Rom-com dramas where the male and female lead accidentally touched hands from an accidental encounter.
“Ahaha, yeah… Kinda… I heard it was limited so I went out to buy it.” The guy mentioned, scratching his neck in pure awkwardness. “I’m pretty sure there’s still some more… not like it’s gonna run out in seconds, right?”
Riyo took her time to look at the man in front of her. And goddamn, he’s handsome. Like- Model material kind of handsome. She’s not really like Zanka or Rudo, who find beauty in everything, but she knows a good-looking person when she sees one.
The man has tanned skin, long wicks with golden jewelry attached to each wick, a face filled with piercings, a few she can recognize: snake bites, nose bridge, septum, and a few more that Riyo couldn’t name.
“Nah, it’s fine; you take it. I’ll look for something else instead, thanks anyway.” Riyo walked off, finding Enjin on the other shelf, leaving the model-material guy behind. Riyo got herself thinking; he would totally be Zanka’s type, not just because he’s so model material but purely based on vibes.
“Hey Enjin, you got what you need?” She asked from behind, taking two different spicy packets from the same shelf.
“Yep, you?”
“I'm good. I'm gonna mix these two and see how well my stomach will handle it.” She snickered, showing enthusiasm for the awful spicy food.
“Geez, You’re gonna kill yourself one day, do you know that?” Enjin said, worried and horrified by the spice level of both sachets. But Riyo is an adult, so he really got no say in her weirdly spicy diet. Riyo just snickered, placing her choice of food in the cart.
"So, where to go next?" She asked, following Enjin as they left the aisle. She didn't miss the opportunity to look back at Mr. Model Material, who was currently grabbing as many spicy noodles as possible. Damn, he is probably worse than her.
"Well, Zanka and I are currently low on groceries, so we'll grab a few things too." He replied, grabbing his own snacks for later and putting them in the cart. He and Riyo decided to go to the next aisle and see what they could buy.
~
"Rudo, put that shit down, you won't need all of that." Zanka retorted, arms crossed, while Rudo's arms were overflowing with sweets. This kid got some serious eating issues…
"How do you know that?" Rudo replied, not letting go of any of his sweets. He was very determined about his decision to buy all of it.
"Because I ain't stupid. Plus, you'll get a stomach ache with that amount of sweets, not to mention the price. Did you even check the prices for those? Hell, is that one imported?" Zanka grabbed the foreign-looking one, some sort of expensive macarons with dual flavors. "See? These kinds of candies are a bunch of expensive shit."
"Ugh…" Rudo grumbled; he felt like a kid again. Getting scolded by Regto because he keeps buying sweets. They did say old habits die hard, and in Rudo's case, it's buying an unnecessary amount of candies. In the end, Rudo just took a minimum of 5 different candies before putting back the others he got. It took a while for him to let it go, but Zanka immediately snapped him out of it before he decided to take some more.
"We need to get a cart; you can't keep carrying that in your arms, or else it might fall," Zanka said, going to the corner where they keep the shopping carts while skimming through the aisles to see what he could buy. Zanka took a cart, and Rudo dumped his sweets in before joining Zanka to the beverage aisle.
Rudo got hold of the cart while Zanka looked through the options for tea; he didn't even know tea could have such variety. He looked around as well, seeing a hot cocoa with marshmallow toppings on the shelf, and holy shit, he needed that.
He needed to grab it, except it was on the highest shelf. Why are such luxuries placed on the highest shelf?! That's plain evil! What if somebody else grabbed it and it runs out of stock?? Maybe it was a challenge… A challenge where only the determined people are allowed to have that luxurious drink! Yeah, that should be it. Rudo is too deep into his own delusion that he didn't notice Zanka grabbing it for him.
"Here, Fatass."
huh?
"You've been ogling it for a minute there, and I thought ya might eat it on the spot." Zanka put the packet of cocoa powder with the marshmallow toppings on the cart.
"Thanks… Zan- I mean, Zento. I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it, Aight? It's nothing. Let's go, let's check out what else we could buy." Rudo nodded along, secretly thankful to have reached the cocoa for him. He realized that Zanka can be nice when he wants to. Guess he just got some unresolved anger issues…
As the two boys began to walk out of the beverage aisle, somebody called out to them.
"Hi! Excuse me! Sorry to bother, but could you please get Amo the hot cocoa too? She couldn't reach it, and Amo would really appreciate the help!"
Both turned around and met a girl with long, dark hair with orange tips; her outfit looks like it was inspired by lolita fashion, and she's carrying a heart-shaped purse. She looks like she's supposed to be in a modeling agency instead of the grocery store.
"Sure thing, Miss." Zanka didn't hesitate to help, doing what he did for Rudo just a few moments ago. Grabbing another packet of the hot cocoa and giving it to her, "Here you go."
"Thank you so much, sir! Amo is very grateful!" Amo smiled sweetly, holding the packet with such delight. Before Zanka got to turn around, Amo said something that made his blood run cold:
"Has Amo seen you before? You look like that one actor!"
Zanka visibly froze, despite having a practiced answer for these kinds of questions. Yet, no matter how much he tells himself that he's over it. That it doesn't affect him anymore, that he had finally moved on. He couldn't. For some unresolved reason that he doesn't want to bother anymore.
He didn't realize it took him so long to answer and didn't notice that Rudo was already in front of him, nervously defusing the situation.
"You're completely mistaken! He may look like an actor, but he really isn't!! He has that model-like complexion because he got good genes! But he's not an actor, will never be an actor, and couldn't be an actor!!" Rudo is practically panicking now; he's scared that this Amo girl would report Zanka to the press media and—
"Sorry about my friend here; he's a bit fidgety. But thanks for the compliment. Ya really think I'm an actor? I'm flattered." Zanka finally composed himself, flashing a smile, holding his neck, acting humble and nervous, just like the roles that he had when he was younger. Characters like those are the good guys archetype, something he has already mastered after years of acting.
"Come on now, Rudo. Let's go, I'm sure Enjin and Riyo are already waiting for us somewhere. See ya later, Miss!" He dragged Rudo away along with their cart and walked out of the scene. Walking farther away from the Amo girl.
~
"Yo! Amo! There you are, girl!" A man behind her called, walking up to her.
Amo turned around and saw her favorite person, "Jabby!"
"Ya still need that— oh? You already have it?" Jabber pointed at the cocoa powder. Amo nodded happily, "A nice man helped Amo! And you know what else? He almost looks like the guy that's all over Jabber's room!"
"Eh?? really? Are you sure about that? I mean, anyone could look like him," Jabber tried to reason, walking with Amo along the grocery store to find their friends.
"But you said that he's different! One of a kind! How could anyone just look like your Zanka?" Amo questioned him; Jabber, on the other hand, tried to brush it off as a coincidence. Because the news died down 3 years ago. Nobody cares, or at least remembers Zanka Nijiku anymore.
The Hellguard didn't make a statement about it either; the media tried to press for more information, especially the crazy media-hungry journalists, but the Hellguard still did nothing, and after some time, they already forgot about it. So whatever reason is behind his disappearance is unresolved, and Jabber is one of the few people (Correction: Zanka fan) who respects Zanka's decision to disappear and never come back.
Jabber vowed to himself that if he ever finds Zanka, in a random moment like meeting him in a grocery store or just meeting him in the streets, he wouldn't tell on anyone. In fact, he would even keep Zanka safe, so he doesn't need to worry about people finding him because Jabber will protect him—
"Jabber!"
huh?
Standing before him was a short woman with blue hair, with a subtly annoyed expression, who called him. "sigh Are you daydreaming about Zanka again?"
"Ehehe~ My bad, 'thoni…" Jabber just giggled, there isn't a day when he doesn't think about Zanka anyway.
~
"Are ya'll good to go now?" Enjin already placed the groceries in the back of the car, checking if everything's accounted for. The three responded in agreement. Finally, after getting groceries, they're heading to the mall, which excites Riyo so much, "I need to buy new clothes! ooh! and makeup too! I wanna try some makeup trends I saw!"
"I need to buy some tools…" Rudo murmured, remembering that Regto's tools back home are pretty worn out and hella rusty, deep cleaning doesn't work anymore.
The car ride was peaceful, everyone talking about what they were gonna do and what they gonna buy while Enjin tries to drive safely because, he qoute "Give no shits about the others", even though he tries to also not bump other cars or get in trouble with the police, because he got suspended for a whole month and has to endure Gris' driving which puts everyone to sleep.
After searching for an open space to park the car— which is very far from the mall entrance, mixed with the humid air from the other vehicles- Team Akuta entered the mall looking a bit greasier than expected. Everyone was sweating, especially Riyo and Zanka. "Fuckin' hell… Enjin… let us rest for a sec." Zanka complained, sitting on a nearby bench, fanning himself and fixing his hair. He removed his jacket next, letting it sit on his lap for a moment. Riyo joined him on the bench, keeping her distance because she knows how cranky Zanka gets when he's sweaty, fanning herself as well.
"You know, you two really need to work out, no way ya'll get tired after just that," Enjin said, having a worried look on his face as two of his kids friends are already tired after just walking. "Try walking in a humid temperature, old man…" Riyo answered, fixing her hair, thankfully she brought her comb in case of situations like this.
"Kids these days…" Enjin grumbled and sat on the bench behind it, inviting Rudo in. "Well, I'm glad you ain't like these two, Rudo." Enjin teased him and laughed it off like it was nothing. After Zanka and Riyo finally rested, they went to the hardware store first, for both Rudo and Enjin.
Rudo looked for some welding tools, something cheap but not easy to break, and some cleaning supplies as well. Enjin, on the other hand, was just looking at the items on the shelves and decided not to buy anything for now. Riyo and Zanka followed Rudo, knowing that he'll actually buy something, unlike Enjin.
After Rudo purchased his items, they then went to a makeup store, being dragged by Riyo. Though Zanka wouldn't deny that he has his own interest when it comes to cosmetics, remembering he's running out of face powder, he decided to get one.
After paying for the things they bought, they decided to wander off to the mall, seeing that they finished their task early, chatting about whatever topic came to mind.
While they were walking, they walked past a camera store, and God, the camera on display is none other than Assistaff— Zanka has been eyeing the brand since he got himself into photography, he'd kill to have one in his hands. Unfortunately, as much as it's beautiful, it's also mad expensive. The cheapest model ranges from 80k to 100k, and his salary ain't enough for it.
He stared a bit longer at the store window, reminiscing about what it's like to have an Assistaff camera in his hands. Oh, that'll be pure heaven.
He finally left and caught up with his friends, who were waiting for him to move. "Sorry, just saw something." Zanka apologized. Enjin brushed it off as nothing, saying there's nothing wrong about it before resuming the previous conversation. Zanka joined in, throwing his own opinions.
He couldn't help but look back at the camera store, making a promise to himself to save up enough money for the camera.
Someday, he'll have it.