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Touichirou had planned to start his world domination plan in Seasoning City. He had a date, a time, a location for their stronghold. It was all planned.
So Shimazaki had to go there himself and get the lay of the land.
Hatori had been nominated to go with him, and now the two of them were at the Seasoning City train station, linked arm in arm.
"You don't have to hold my arm like this," Shimazaki said, glancing to Hatori. He couldn't make eye contact; the whole being blind thing stopped that, but he still tried to be polite around the Super Five. After all, they'd openly accepted him.
"I don't want you walking off the platform," Hatori answered calmly. "You tend to get distracted."
Shimazaki huffed. True, when there was so much to perceive in these busy places, he lost track of the finer details. He could sense the auras of living creatures, tell where electricity flowed, see it all in his mind's eye, but things like doorways or ledges still managed to stump him, and more than once he'd walked into a wall. "I still don't think we need to link arms."
The arm that was linked in his moved, and instead Shimazaki found Hatori holding his hand. "Is this better?"
He grumbled, but didn't answer. Hatori took that as a yes and gently guided him through the crowd.
It's strange trying to chart the town. It's full of people, and Shimazaki tries not to focus on them too much, instead letting himself remember the paths he's walking, mapping the edges and the gaps in the concrete.
"Here." Hatori pulls a cane from his backpack and forces it into Shimazaki's hand. There's visible displeasure. Hatori laughs.
Still, Shimazaki uses it. He lets the end of the cane wander from side to side, and internally he plots a path to walk when he's here next with everyone else. The auras of everyone start to get annoying, so he focuses his attention, watching the others fade away until it's just him and Hatori in the blank expanse of the world. "Anything interesting I should think about?"
Hatori mumbles to himself, looking at his phone. "Huh? Oh, no." He pockets the device and takes a glance around. "We're in the shopping area, but there's nothing that you'd care about. Supermarket, television, another supermarket."
Shimazaki has no eyes but he still rolls them. "Nozomu."
"Sorry!" It's sheepish as Hatori places a hand on Shimazaki's shoulder. "Alright, are we looking for weapons, useful places, or what?"
"Things I can use." Turning his head, Shimazaki tries to figure out where exactly the sun is. Directions like North are important.
Hatori thinks for a moment. "There's a stop sign right there."
By the late afternoon, Shimazaki has the town memorized. Every crack in the pavement makes sense, its source and effects known and accounted for. The shops are recalled by name, location, stock. Hatori mentions every place the Super 5 can make use of, what to look for inside each place, how it feels in the hands, what it could smell like, taste like.
The next time they come here, Shimazaki knows how he's going to fight.
"Hey Ryou." It's quiet as they head back to the station. After the town had been committed to memory, they'd taken to shopping, and now the moon was out, sending people scurrying back to their homes in attempts to escape the night air. "When we start our takeover plan, the city might get a bit..."
"Wrecked?" Shimazaki fills in, cane tapping against the floor. He's too lazy to focus, letting Hatori lead him along. "Yeah, that happens."
Hatori gently guides Shimazaki left, towards the station. "How will you know where everything is? Won't your map be all wrong?"
Shimazaki smiles, turning to face Hatori. "I'll just update it."
Behind his glasses, Hatori's eyes widened. "You'll what?!"
There's a grin on Shimazaki's face as he looks at Hatori, normally closed eyes now open and staring at him, unseeing and yet allseeing. "I'll listen for it. Feel it through the ground. When a building falls, I'll remember where the rubble lands, and work around it."
Nervous, Hatori laughs. "You're terrifying."
"I wouldn't be a Super 5 member otherwise," Shimazaki answers, before immediately walking into a shop display. "Fuck!"
Hatori snickers. "I'm very scared right now."
"Watch it, you little shit."