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Monday
On Mondays, Beat teaches Neku how to skate at Miyashita Park after school. When they first started out, Beat had hovered over him like an overprotective parent, freaking out over the slightest scrapes. He’d have Neku decked out in more protective gear than necessary, and their first few lessons were mostly just Beat double-checking on his gear rather than actual skating. It wasn’t until Rhyme tagged along to one of their sessions and reminded her brother of how much more frequently he used to hurt himself that he finally let up.
Today, Neku lands on his butt for the fifth time (yes he’s been keeping count).
“Phones, you aight?!” Beat yells, coming close to inspect him.
Neku rubs his bottom, it’s sore from meeting the asphalt so many times today, but other than that, he’s fine. He flashes Beat a thumbs up.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Beat breathes out a sigh of relief. “Maybe it was too early for you to learn an ollie after all.”
Neku smiles. “Or maybe I just need to try again. You told me yourself, didn’t you? It takes most people several months to master it.”
Beat nods. “Took me only one month, though.”
“Well, you aren’t most people.”
Beat smiles big and bright. “Ain’t that the truth, yo!” He helps Neku back up and they get back on task. Neku ends up falling a few more times, but he always gets back up again with a smile and a thumbs up.
Once they’re done practicing, they make their way to Justice Burger.
“Man, workin’ up a sweat always works up my appetite!”
It’s then that Neku’s stomach decides to audibly growl. He flushes in embarrassment. Beat looks at him with a grin. “Looks like somebody’s hungry! Eat as much as you want today, Phones! It’s my treat!”
“Beat, I appreciate it, but you don’t have to-“
“Uh, yeah, I do. Or else you’ll just get, like, one burger or somethin’. Look at how skinny you are! ‘Specially your waist, man that thing’s tiny! Imma buy you two, no, three burgers! We’ll see if we can get you lookin’ less like an hourglass after!”
Beat ends up keeping his word and buys Neku three burgers, a large soda, and large fries. He buys six burgers for himself. They continue to talk about skating as they eat, reviewing the things Neku’s improved on and what things he can work on to get even better.
“Remind me again why I can’t just tape my shoes to the board?”
“Too dangerous, yo. It’d be like driving without the brakes. Like, say you’re skating down the street, you see a mama with a baby stroller, how do you stop if your feet are taped to your board?”
Neku nods, that was a very good point and he feels a little dumb for not thinking of that. He smiles.
“You know, you make a pretty good teacher.”
Beat flushes a little, then smiles back. “Ya think? Hey, do ya think I could make a job outta this?”
“It’s definitely something worth looking into.”
They continue to talk and chat until they finish eating. Neku turns out to be hungrier than he thought, because he manages to finish off his meal without any issues. Beat walks him home even though he lives in the opposite direction. Neku’s long since stopped protesting this, he knows it’s because he still worries.
All of his friends still look at him like he’ll disappear at any second.
They chat on the way, about things that Neku’s missed and things he can look forward to. When they reach his house, he thanks Beat like he always does. For his time, for walking him home, and for everything else that goes unsaid. But Beat knows, they’re close enough now that words don’t need to be said for him to know. He flashes him a big, bright grin before leaving.
“No problem, Phones. Same time next week?”
“Same time.”
Tuesday
Neku doesn’t mind modeling for Shiki and Eri, especially since they usually treat him to sweets after. Today though, today he definitely minds.
“Why are there so many frills?”
“It’s Gothic Lolita! It isn’t Gothic Lolita if there aren’t any frills!” Eri exclaims. “Now hold still, I need to fix your bow.”
Neku sighs, but does as he’s told.
“There we go!” Eri says as she pinches his cheek. “Now don’t you look adorable? Right, Shiki?”
Shiki chuckles. “Mm-hmm.”
Neku glares at her. Traitor.
“Oh, come on. We both know you’ve worn worse.”
He has. She’s seen it. Joshua’s seen it. Beat’s seen it. The Wicked Twisters have seen it. But he was in the UG then, and the stats those clothes provided overwrote any semblance of embarrassment he could have felt. What kind of stats could this dress provide? He paused. Wait, actually, Lapin Angelique had some really good - Wait, no, he’s not in the Game anymore! Stats don’t matter!
Eri giggles. “He’s worn worse? Ooh, like how? Maid dresses? Sailor Uniforms? Cosplay?”
“Shiki-“
“Yes to all of those.”
“Shiki!”
And Eri actually guffaws. She’s clutching onto her stomach for dear life and there are tears starting to form in her eyes.
“It’s not funny,” Neku says, crossing his arms with a frown.
“You’re right,” Shiki says, “it wasn’t funny, it was adorable.”
Betrayal thy name is Shiki Misaki.
“Shiki, please tell me you have pictures. I have to see this!”
The other girl shakes her head. “Sorry, I don’t. But we could always just dress him up now!”
“Great idea! We could use that waitress outfit we made for the school festival last year and-“
“Hold on!” Neku yells, “I only agreed to dress up like this because you said that your client’s the same size as me. There’s no reason for me to wear anymore skirts or dresses!”
“We’ll buy you an extra-large mint chocolate chip ice cream from that new dessert place that opened recently,” Shiki says, and dang, she knows him too well. But he doesn’t come cheap.
“Make it two and we have a deal.”
He ends up wearing a few other skirts and dresses in addition to the waitress uniform, but Neku thinks it was worth it in the end. The new dessert place has gotten incredibly popular ever since the Prince f’d it, so even just getting reservations is nigh impossible. But Shiki and Eri make it work thanks to the connections they’ve made through their ever-growing business. Both girls watch him with thinly veiled envy as he barrels through his well-earned treats.
“He’s still so skinny, where does it all go?” Eri mutters over her parfait. “Are you sure you don’t want to get into modeling professionally? It really seems like a waste, especially since that figure of yours seems to be unnaturally good at staying thin.”
“Neku’s never been one for the spotlight,” Shiki says as she takes a bite out of her own parfait.
“Hmmm. Well then, I guess he’ll just have to keep working exclusively for us!”
“The two of you are the only people in the fashion industry that I respect,” Neku says without preamble.
Both girls put a hand to their hearts at the same time. “That is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me,” Eri says, and she legitimately looks like she’s tearing up.
“You’ve come such a long from that boy that kept getting Mr.Mew's species wrong,” Shiki says, and she really is tearing up.
Neku can feel his face heating up. “You guys don’t have to make a big deal out of this, I’m just stating the truth.”
“Just stating the truth he says,” Eri shakes her head. “A natural charmer, this one. You really need to watch out for him, Shiki.”
Shiki nods along. “Yes, the strong must protect the sweet.”
“That should be my line,” Neku says with a frown.
“It’s cute that you think you’re stronger than me,” Shiki replies, which is…fair. He struggled to lift a box full of clothes for their new clothing line earlier today, but Shiki was able to lift it with one hand. While carrying an equally heavy box with her other hand. He wonders how much easier it would have been to defeat Phoenix Cantus if Shiki had been with them.
They continue to eat and chat for an hour more before parting ways with Eri. Shiki walks him home, holding his hand the whole time. He notices that she grips it tighter whenever they’re at a crosswalk, but he doesn’t say anything. They talk as they walk, about their friends, school, and current fashion trends (yes, Neku’s actually keeping up with them now, if only because he likes keeping track of Gatto Nero’s progress).
When they make it to his house Shiki gives his hand a tight squeeze.
“I’ll see you again next Tuesday. We got in some new Mr.Mew hoodies!”
Neku smiles. “Hmm, that sounds nice. I could match with Shoka.”
Shiki giggles and gives him a peck on his cheek before turning to leave with a smile and a wave.
Wednesday
On Wednesdays, Neku plays video games with Rhyme. Sometimes, it’s at his house, but usually, they do it at Rhyme’s house. This means that a lot of the time, Beat ends up joining them.
They’ve started playing Animal Crossing. Rhyme’s had her copy for about a year now, but Neku’s only just started working on his island. He’s visiting Rhyme’s at the moment, with Beat looking over his shoulder as he plays.
“Yo, you can grow money trees in this game?” Beat asks.
Rhyme nods. “Mm-hmm! Neku, feel free to grab as much as you like. I’m already pretty good with money.”
“Are you sure?” Neku asks. “I feel like you’ve already given me a lot of stuff.” Since he started playing, Rhyme’s given him a lot of clothes and furniture which, upon further research, turned out to be some of the most expensive items in the game. Rhyme keeps insisting that it’s to help get him started, but Neku thinks she’s already gone well beyond that.
“It’s fine,” Rhyme says with a wave, “I think I’m at a point in the game where my island’s reached its peak. Plus, I’m having a lot of fun seeing how your island’s blossoming!”
Rhyme’s island is designed to look like a large Internet cafe. There are several computers and laptops littered about, with comfy chairs and tables close by. Most of the furniture and roads are colored in pinks and whites. There are a few skull images painted on the walls or on signposts. But what sticks out the most to Neku are the villagers that Rhyme seems to have personally curated.
“You must really like squirrels.”
Rhyme smiles and nods. “Yup! I don’t know why, but I feel a sense of…affinity around them.”
Neku can feel Beat stiffen next to him, but he doesn’t say anything. Right, Rhyme probably still doesn’t remember her time as a cute little Squirrel Noise, and Beat probably wants to keep it that way. Neku decides to change the subject.
“Speaking of, I finally got my last villager.”
Rhyme’s face brightens. “Oh, who is it?”
“This cat named Raymond.”
“Woah, ain’t that the cat people are goin’ crazy over online? Like people are legit paying actual money for him!”
“What? Why?”
Rhyme shrugs. “Sometimes, love drives people to do crazy things. But I am curious to see what all the fuss is about, would it be okay if I visited your island?”
“Sure.” Neku exits Rhyme’s island and prepares for her arrival into his. He hasn’t done much work yet, but he’s managed to recreate the graffiti wall from Udagawa Backstreets and design all kinds of clothes based on the Jupiter of the Monkey and Gatto Nero brands. There are a few signposts and tiles littered about with doodles of Mr. Mew he’d done when he was bored. He hasn’t quite decided on his island’s theme yet, he’s just playing it by ear for now.
He leads Rhyme to Raymond’s house. He’d just settled in, so he still has all of his furniture inside boxes. Rhyme’s character comes up to him to talk to him.
“So, how is he yo?”
“Hmmm…He’s got a cute design and he seems nice enough, but I wouldn’t pay actual money just to get him to come to my island.”
“I’ve noticed a lot of people are willing to pay for digital characters lately,” Neku comments. “I was watching Nagi play EleStra the other day, and she ended up shelling nearly 10,000 yen just to get a character she really wanted.”
“Was it another malt of that creepy Tomonami dude?”
“It’s alt, but yeah.”
“Creepy?” Rhyme asked, tilting her head to the side, “I think he’s quite charming.”
“Bwaaaah! Rhyme, whachu talkin’ about?! That guy gives mega huge creep vibes!”
“You’re just saying that because he looks like MInamimoto,” Neku says.
“Yeah, and? Ain’t that enough? I definitely wouldn’t wanna date a guy that looks like a killer!”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Rhyme says, as she takes her phone out to reveal a tiny little Tomonami charm. Beat looks aghast.
“Rhyme, why do you have that?!”
“Like I said, I think he’s charming. Besides, I’ve never even met Minamimoto, so I don’t really have a negative point of reference like you do.”
Neku scoots over to get a better look at the charm. “Aw, it’s pretty cute.”
“Phones, you too?!”
Neku chuckles. “I said the phone charm’s cute, not Minamimoto, calm down.”
They play a little longer, but when the sun starts to set, Neku takes that as his cue to leave. Both siblings always insist on walking him home, and Neku has long since realized that arguing against them is futile. On the way home, Rhyme starts listing off some more games for him to try out when he has the time.
“So just to be clear, it’s still called Bokujou Monogatari in Japan?” Neku asks.
Rhyme nods. “Yeah, the name change only applies to its western localized title. I feel so sorry for the western fans though, it must be so confusing.”
Beat crosses his arms. “What I still don’t get is how anyone can find a game about farmin’ fun.”
“It’s not just about the farming, although that certainly is a big draw,” Rhyme says, “it’s also about building positive relationships with the people around you!”
“And marrying hot people.”
“That too.”
“Huh…Okay then, maybe I’ll give it a shot.”
Rhyme pouts. “Oh, so when I recommend a game to you, you’ll put off playing it for years. But the moment you find out that Neku plays it too, you’re suddenly more willing to give it a shot?”
Beat balks. “What?! That ain’t true! I’ve played your games before!”
“You only started playing Animal Crossing after Neku got the game!”
“That was a condense!”
“Coincidence,” Neku says.
“Yeah, that!”
Rhyme crosses her arm and puffs out her cheeks, turning to look away from Beat.
“C’mon Rhyme, don’t be like-“
She uncrosses her arms and grabs hold of Neku’s hand, walking ahead. “Oh, Neku, did you hear something? The air sure is loud today!”
Neku’s never had siblings before, but he’s always found the Bitos’ relationship to be very endearing. But he’s never seen them fight before, he feels like he’s in uncharted territory. Beat jogs to catch up to them.
“Okay, then rec another game to me! I’ll play it as soon as we get home!”
Rhyme peeks over her shoulder. “Promise?”
“Promise!”
Rhyme starts to slow down a bit. “Okay…You may hold Neku’s other hand.”
“Didn’t know I needed your permission for that, but okay.”
As they continue their walk towards his home, Neku finds himself idly thinking how nice it must be to have a sibling. Someone to play with and argue with. He wonders how much more different his life would be if he had one. The Bito siblings are lucky to have each other, and Neku’s lucky to be a part of their lives.
Thursday
Coco always greets him with a wave and a smile.
“Neku! You have got to try the new cakes on the menu! They are simply delish!”
Coco turns out to be right, as she usually is when it comes to recommending sweets. They both eat and chat, keeping each other updated about their current goings-on. Coco tells him that progress on Shinjuku has been going well, that Tsugumi has been feeling much better and might even get to visit her sometime in the near future, and that while it’s been a very slow process, she feels that the remaining Shinjuku Reapers have all finally started to feel like a family again.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Neku says, and he means it, he really does.
Coco pauses the stirring of her teacup. “Once they’re finished rebuilding it, would you ever consider visiting Shinjuku?” Then her eyes grow wide, instantly regretting the words she’d said.
“S-sorry! That was insensitive of me! Of course, you wouldn’t! Forget I asked!” She quickly gulps down her tea.
“It’s fine Coco,” Neku replies. “I…I don’t have any fond memories of Shinjuku, and what happened in those three years…still feels very fresh. I’d like to see Tsugumi and the others again, really, but…I think I need more time before returning there.”
Coco nods. “I understand. But if you ever feel up to it, let me know. Anytime.”
Neku smiles at her. He knows that’s not a privilege she gives to just anyone. “Of course. Thanks, Coco.”
“So, how’s school going? Have you been able to adjust with everything okay?”
“It took a while, but yeah. It’s a little weird having all of my classmates act like I was never gone, though. I think they’re starting to form conspiracy theories about me? I came to class a little early the other day, and I overheard some of them talking about how their memories about me didn’t seem to add up.”
“Oof. Well, that’s supes awkard.” She looks down at her half-eaten cake. “I’m really…uh -“ She stops herself. Neku knows she was about to apologize to him again, she’s been doing that a lot. He knows she feels guilty, knows that that’s something that will always loom over their relationship. It always sends a pit down his stomach whenever she gets like this, because he’s really come to genuinely care about her and he hates seeing her like this. Seeing her look at him with guilt and pity.
He wonders when he’s made it a habit to become friends with people that have killed him. He hopes it isn’t a recurring thing, because he doesn’t think he’ll ever grow used to the sensation of being shot. Of his life slipping away. He doesn’t want to go back to the UG, he wants to stay here, and he’s still so scared that one day - one day he’ll lose everything again and -
“Neku? Neku!” He feels something warm grab hold of his hand. He feels his breathing start to return to normal. He looks up. Coco has his hands wrapped in hers. She’s crying, and oh, he really hates seeing her like that.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she ducks her head. “I don’t think I can ever say it enough.”
“No, Coco, please stop. It’s fine. I’m fine!” He’s not. No matter how many times he says it, he’s not. He can’t even convince himself. But he doesn't want Coco to feel bad, so he lies, for her sake, and for his.
Coco’s hands tighten around his as she looks back at him. “You’re not, I know you’re not. And that’s why I want you to be selfish whenever you’re around me. As your uber-cute and uber-cool big sister, it’s my job to spoil her splendiferous little brother!”
Neku feels his mouth stretch into a smile. It isn’t forced, it comes naturally at hearing his friend’s words. “Little brother?”
Coco grins. “That’s right! My uber-cute, splendiferous baby brother!”
He thinks about how he’d always wanted a sibling. He supposes Coco makes for a good surrogate one. She looks at him with anticipation.
“Well, is my precious baby brother going to make any requests? It’s his big sister’s treat today, so he can order anything he wants off the menu!”
She isn’t doing this to assuage her guilt. She’s doing it because she genuinely cares about him.
“Um, then I guess I could try some of the other new cakes?”
Coco’s eyes light up. “Okey-dokey, leave it to big sis! I’ll get you every new cake on the menu!”
“Oh, you don’t have to get every-“
Coco puts a finger in front of his mouth, effectively silencing him. “Ah, ah, ah! Let your Big Sis spoil you! It’s what we do best!”
So Neku lets her. He eats so much that he feels like his stomach is going to burst, but he enjoys every bite, and he enjoys Coco’s company. When it’s time for them to part ways, Coco doesn’t walk him home, but she does call to check on him when he makes it back. She promises to treat him to a newly opened cat cafe next week, and Neku finds himself looking forward to it.
Friday
It started when Joshua first introduced Haz to Neku.
“He’s an old friend,” Joshua explained. He doesn’t elaborate.
Neku took one look at him and immediately deduced that Haz wasn’t human.
“Is he a Composer too?”
Joshua chuckles. “Astute as ever, dear partner. Yes, that’s right. He’s a Composer for a different city, but he’s on something of a sabbatical right now.”
Neku raises a brow but doesn’t push it. His gut tells him there’s something more, something deeper and personal, but if Neku’s being completely honest, he’s much too tired to deal with anything related to the UG at the moment. So for now, he lets it go. For now.
They usually meet up at Neku’s house. His parents always seem to brighten whenever Neku has friends over, and Joshua and Haz seem to be at their best behavior whenever they face Neku’s parents, so he doesn’t mind. They usually convene in his room, and Josh and Haz both make themselves comfortable without much effort, settling themselves into his bed or the cushions on his floor and helping themselves to whatever snacks his mother has set out. They’ve been starting Haz out with children’s films (“It will be easier for him to digest”, Joshua had said) because he’s somehow never watched a single movie his whole life. Tonight, they’re watching Whisper of the Heart.
“I don’t get it,” Haz mutters, “I thought Shizuku hated this boy? How did it go from hate to love?”
Joshua shrugs as he grabs a handful of popcorn. “It’s a pretty popular trope, especially for romantic comedies.”
“Hmm…Well, it certainly is a strange one,” he turns to Neku, “Have you ever experienced that? Hating someone, but learning to love them.”
Neku answers without thinking twice. “Yeah, that’s how it was with most of my friends.”
“Including Josh?”
“Especially Josh.”
“Aw, Neku, you love me?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Fascinating,” Haz says, and he’s actually taking notes. “So what was it about your friends that led you to love them?”
Neku pauses to think. “With Shiki, it was her patience. She wouldn’t give up on me, no matter how much of a jerk I was. I know part of that was for the sake of survival, but she really went out of her way to get me to open up. I knew she didn’t have to go that far.
With Beat, it was after we started working as Partners. I came to appreciate how easy he is to read. He always means what he says and he doesn’t mince his words.
Josh, well, he took the longest for me to warm up to. He has a very…difficult personality and he’s done a lot of things that I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for (Joshua’s still smiling pleasantly at him, but Neku doesn’t miss the way the other boy flinches, though he hides it well). But I gave him a chance, the same way Shiki did for me, and I’ve found that he’s just a really lonely kid, so I thought what the heck, I’ll be this poor sap’s friend.”
“Wait, you decided to be my friend out of pity?”
“Yeah.”
“I really appreciate your blunt honesty,” Haz says, and he’s still taking notes.
“Our friendship was founded out of pity,” Joshua says, this time with more of his signature dramatic flair.
“Our friendship was founded from the bullet you shot through me.”
“Touche.”
“So did you forgive him, or not?” Haz asks.
“Jury’s still out on that.”
“Neku, it’s been three years.”
“Hm, yes, and you certainly made sure I had enough time to ruminate on that by trapping me in Shinjuku for three years.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, I was trying to protect you!”
“Well, you would’ve done a better job protecting me by sending me somewhere populated.”
Joshua falls dramatically onto Neku’s lap. “I can’t believe this, my one and only friend has forsaken me!”
“I thought we were friends too?” Haz asks.
“My one of only two friends has forsaken me!”
“Get up Josh, you look ridiculous,: Neku says, flicking a popcorn onto his face. Joshua scrunches his face up but doesn’t get up.
“I can’t tell if you two get along or not,” Haz says.
“Honestly? Neither can I,” Neku replies as he flicks another popcorn onto Joshua’s face. He’s really tempted to just pour the whole bowl unto him.
“Would you be open to being my friend?” Haz asks.
“Sure, why not?”
“Well, since we’re friends now I suppose I can tell you-“
Joshua abruptly gets up. “Neku doesn’t need to know about that. Not yet.”
“Know about what?”
“Don’t worry about it, dear. You just focus on getting your life back on track.”
There’s something more, but Neku doesn’t press. He probably should, but he likes the way his life is now, and he feels like if he presses the subject further, he might end up losing everything he’s gained again. So he doesn’t. He turns his attention back to the movie and Haz and Joshua go back to interjecting their own comments here and there like nothing happened.
His mother always invites them to sleep at his house, but they always turn her down. This time, however, Haz hesitates when he does so.
“I’d really like to try out this ’sleepover’ one of these days,” Haz says before leaving. He turns to Joshua as if silently asking for his permission. Joshua shrugs. “I should be free two weeks from now if that works for you.”
Haz smiles the biggest smile Neku’s seen him wear. “Really? Then it’s decided, um, if that’s okay with you, Neku?”
Neku nods and smiles back. “Yeah, it’s fine. I usually don’t have school on Saturdays anyway. I’ll see if any of my other friends are free, too.”
Joshua stiffens. “So of course Beat will be among them, but your other friends…am I right to presume that you’re referring to your underclassmen?”
“Underclassmen? Oh, you mean Rindo and Fret?”
“Rindo?” Haz asks, seemingly perking up.
“Oh, do you know him?”
“Yes, we’ve met once. He showed me around Shibuya when I first got here. Do you think he could be my friend as well?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Now I am greatly looking forward to this sleepover experience!” Haz says. Joshua, for whatever reason, looks completely exasperated.
“Uh, Josh, you good?”
“Yes…I’m just now realizing how difficult maintaining an underclassman can be.”
Saturday
The Wicked Twisters never have any set plans whenever they meet up. Sometimes they eat out, sometimes, they go to the arcade, sometimes they go shopping. Today, they’re at a karaoke booth. Fret’s just finished belting out My Heart Will Go On, earning an impressive score of 95.
They all clap for him. It was a very passionate performance, and Fret’s English was honestly quite impressive. Nagi goes next. It’s the theme song for EleStra, and Nagi sings it with an intense fiery passion that Neku hadn’t known she was capable of dishing out. She earns a score of 100.
They all whoop and cheer, and it’s only then that Nagi seems to remember who she’s with. Her face immediately flushes and she returns to her seat with her head ducked down.
“That was great boss!”
“Yeah, Pinny! You can really belt it!”
“M-many thanks. You are all too kind.”
Shoka turns to Rindo. “Alright Fearless Leader, it’s your turn. Unless you need more time deciding?”
Rindo shakes his head. “No, I’m good.”
The song Rindo chooses turns out to be a heavy metal rock song. And the boy can really belt it. Neku looks around the room to find that the rest of his friends are all varying levels of shocked. Fret and Nagi have their mouths hanging open, Shoka is blushing, and Beat, well, he looked surprised at first but he was quick to recover. Now, he’s got a tambourine and is playing it to the beat of the song.
When he’s finally done, Rindo gets a score of 98.
The room is silent for a good few seconds before they all erupt in raucous applause.
“Rindude, how long have you been hiding those lungs?”
“That was incredible, Lord Rindo!”
“Dude, that was awesome! Wasn’t he awesome, Kitty Girl?”
“Y-yeah. That was…really good.” She’s still blushing. Ah, young love.
“You were amazing Rindo,” Neku says. Rindo’s blushing brightly, but he seems to preen at all the praise he’s getting.
"Th-thanks everyone."
They continue to take turns. Beat sings a hard rock ballad and Shoka sings a popular J-Pop song. They both earn high scores of 97 and 95 respectively.
“Dang, I can’t believe worms for brains beat me.”
Beat gives out a loud laugh and pats Shoka’s head. “The key is singin’ as loud as you can! That way the mic can hear your feelings, yo!”
Shoka shoves his hand away, but she’s smiling.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” She hands the mic to Neku. “Let’s see if you're as good a singer as you are a Player.”
“Ooh, we finally get to hear the Legendary Player himself sing!” Fret exclaims.
“You got this, Phones!”
Neku takes the mic. He’s faced Reapers, Game Masters, and swarms of Noise more formidable than a karaoke machine. So why is he so nervous? He gulps. He’s sung before, of course he has, but never in front of other people. Not even his parents have ever heard him sing. He decides on a slow song, something that won’t take too much energy out of him.
The familiar notes start to play as Neku closes his eyes. He sings. He doesn’t know if he sounds any good and he’s honestly too scared to open his eyes, afraid that once he takes in his friends’ expressions, he’ll lose his nerve and just collapse on the spot. He keeps singing, the song is familiar, one that he’s sung while idly doing chores or taking a shower. It starts out melancholic, but takes on a more hopeful tone as it goes on, reminding him of his own personal journey. It’s a good song, and he hopes he does it justice.
Neku only opens his eyes when he’s finally done. He turns around to find that he’s scored a 100. He turns back to his friends.
“Dude! Dudedudedude!!!! That was awesome!” Fret says, and he’s practically jumping out of his seat. Everyone else is clapping excitedly and cheering.
“Man, Phones, you can sing!”
“R-really? Thanks.”
“As humble as ever,” Nagi says with a laugh.
By the end of the night, after adding up all the scores, Nagi ends up winning the title “Karaoke Queen.” She stuck to theme songs from different games and anime, but she sang each one with such a fiery passion that she ended up getting a perfect score each time. She even memorized the dancing movements for some of them.
“Pinny took the grand prize today, but wait ‘till next time, yo! Imma do some serious training to level up!”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to start randomly bursting into song like we’re in a cheesy musical every time we hang out,” Shoka says.
“I meant like, just singin’ at home and having’ Rhyme grade me, but that ain’t a bad idea Kitty Girl!”
“Me and my big mouth.”
They eventually part ways at the train station, promising to meet each other again next Saturday. Beat walks Neku home, keeping a watchful eye out for cars and always making sure that Neku’s within his line of sight.
“Man, I can’t wait for our next Karaoke Party! We should invite Rhyme, Shiki, an’ Eri next time! Priss Kid, too!”
“That sounds like a great idea. I’d bet they’d all offer some stiff competition, too.”
“Oh, fo’ sure. Rhyme’s a great singer! I’ve heard her singin’ sometimes when she’s doing her coding stuff. She can really hit them high notes!”
Neku laughs, he can imagine it. “Now, you’re getting me excited.”
Beat grins. “Good! It’s great to have somethin’ to look forward to, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…It is.”
Beat tousles his hair. “I’ll see you later, Phones.”
“See you.”
Sunday
Neku doesn’t make plans on Sundays, he usually just plays it by ear. Sometimes he’ll just stay at home and sketch or catch up on all the shows and films he missed out on while he was away. Sometimes he’ll just sit and chat with his parents. Sometimes he’ll cook, for himself, for his friends, or for his family. Sometimes he’ll just sleep and lose himself in his dreams.
He tries his best not to let his mind wander. It always goes to the loneliest, darkest parts of his memories when this happens.
Sometimes he’ll go out. He’ll go out to the Udagawa Backstreets, sometimes to reminisce, sometimes to add his own tag, sometimes to just look. Sometimes he goes to a cafe and just sits and drinks his coffee, or sketch, or people watch. He’s been doing that a lot lately, people watching. After living in isolation for three years, he’s come to really appreciate the company of others, even strangers. Sometimes, he’ll just walk around. Look at the shops, both old and new. Listen to the sounds of music and people and bask in all the noise.
Today, he decides to go out. He goes to a cafe in CAT Street, close to were WildKat used to be. It isn’t very popular, and its offerings aren’t anything special, but Neku likes its ambience and calm quietness. He brings along his sketchbook today. When he enters the cafe, he’s surprised to find Minamimoto inside. He pauses, takes a look look back and -ah, there’s a Reaper sticker. He turns to look back inside and shrugs. He walks to the counter, makes his order, then moves on to the table Minamimoto’s sitting at and taps on the empty seat in front of him.
“Is it alright if I sit here?”
Minamimoto looks up from his coffee and sugar cubes (was he counting them?) and raises an eyebrow. He looks around him, then looks Neku up and down.
“Where are the other zeptograms?”
“I’m by myself today.”
“Hm.” He doesn’t say anything more, so Neku takes the silence to mean that yes, he can take the empty seat. After settling himself in, Neku opens his sketchbook and gets to work. They don’t talk, but Neku doesn’t mind. It’s an amicable kind of silence, with just the sounds of pencil against paper and the occasional sip as Minamimoto drinks his coffee. Neku’s so engrossed in his sketching that he doesn’t hear his order being called. A steaming cup of coffee is placed in front of him.
“You need to pay more attention, that’s why you’ve been factored out twice already.”
Neku chuckles. “I guess you’re right, sorry about that. And thanks.”
Minamimoto grunts then leans a bit further in. It’s then that Neku realizes that he’s trying to take a peek at what he’s sketching. Neku angles his sketchbook so that the other man can get a better look.
“Hm. Not bad.”
“High praise coming from the Grim Heaper himself.”
Minamimoto smirks. “Haven’t heard that name in a while.”
Then he walks back to his seat. He continues to drink his coffee in silence and Neku continues to sketch in silence. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting there, but by the time Neku’s done, the sun’s already started to set. He closes his sketchbook and looks up to find Minamimoto staring out the window. He turns to face Neku.
“You done?”
“Yeah. Thanks for keeping me company.”
He grunts and gets up to leave, Neku quickly following suit.
“None of the zeptograms are picking you up?”
Neku shakes his head. “I’m on my own today. But I’ll be fine. Also, I’m pretty sure Rhyme bugged my phone.”
“Hm.”
“I’ll be fine, really. Say hi to Coco for me.”
Neku waves him goodbye. Minamimoto doesn’t wave back, but he does have a very small, very minuscule smile on his face before he turns to leave in the other direction.
Neku comes home to the smell of his mother’s cooking. He has dinner with his family, takes a bath, and video calls Shiki and Beat before going to sleep.
As he lays in bed, he finds himself looking forward to a lot of things. Trying to perfect that ollie on Monday, seeing those new Mr. Mew hoodies on Tuesday, designing his island in Animal Crossing on Wednesday, trying out that new cat cafe on Thursday, watching My Neighbor Totoro on Friday, and hanging out with the Wicked Twisters on Saturday.
He has a lot of things to look forward to now.