Work Text:
At first, their plan was simple.
“We’ll grab some snacks, buy training clothes, then head back.”
Toru laid out the agenda like a war general.
“Ten minutes. Twenty max.”
“Easy!” Taka exclaimed, wearing a black hoodie and mask, feeling like a modern ninja.
“I can do anything on my own. Chill, bro,” he said proudly.
Toru gave him a long look. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”
One hour later…
“WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Taka half-whispered, half-screamed through a Line call.
“THIS MALL IS MASSIVE. THERE’S AN INDOOR WATERFALL?!”
Toru sighed. “I told you not to go upstairs alone.”
“I just wanted to have a quick look around and suddenly—it turned into a treasure hunt!”
“Where are you now?” Ryota asked.
“I’m… by a dinosaur statue. And there’s a whiteboard. And… like… a laundry shop?”
Tomoya cut in, panicked: “DID YOU WANDER INTO THE NURSERY ZONE?!”
Taka tried to stay calm.
But every five seconds, he encountered another creature—
a child clinging to his leg, a suspicious security guard, and fans who nearly recognised him despite the mask and cap.
“THIS IS LIKE A ZOMBIE MOVIE,” he typed frantically.
“EVERYONE’S COMING FOR ME.”
Ryota: created an emergency group chat.
Emergency Group Chat: Find Taka
Tomoya = intel centre
Toru = the brain
Ryota = just vibes
Taka = the burden
Then Tomoya started an Instagram Live.
“Guys, if you see a short tall guy in a hoodie looking extremely stressed, that’s our vocalist. DM us.”
“WHY DOES THIS MALL HAVE SUCH A LONG PASSWORD?!”
Taka tried connecting to the WiFi.
Eventually, he sat on a bench near the indoor playground, surrounded by children and pink balloons.
“Here, mister. So you won’t cry,”
a toddler approached, offering him a biscuit.
“...Thank you, little hero,” Taka accepted it with trembling hands.
Finally, Toru arrived—thanks to manual navigation and the faint remnants of his sense of responsibility as a leader.
When he saw Taka sitting beneath a Frozen poster, hugging a tiny shopping bag and a kids’ biscuit, he paused.
Took a deep breath.
“I braced myself for everything... but this still hurts to see.”
Taka stood up. “I NEARLY DIED IN THERE.”
“You got lost in a mall for 40 minutes. There are floor guides every 20 metres.”
“EVERYTHING LOOKS THE SAME!” Taka cried, eyes glistening.
— Pfft!
When they made it down to the food court, Tomoya and Ryota were already eating.
“Oi! You finally made it!”
Ryota: “Did you get anything?”
Taka held up one bag.
“A t-shirt in the wrong size, snacks I don’t like, and… children’s biscuits.”
Tomoya patted his shoulder.
“At least you got a spiritual awakening.”
Toru sat down, took a long sip of iced tea.
“From now on, you’re not going anywhere alone.”
Taka nodded slowly.
Then murmured,
“…but seriously. How do you leave this car park?”
Taka survived the mall. Barely.
No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this fic (except Taka’s pride).