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Hyuse was lost.
Very lost.
Hyuse narrowed his eyes as he looked around the area he was in. His hoodie rubbed against his horns as his head turned and he reached a hand up to adjust it, keeping himself hidden.
He was somewhere in the city, but it was not an area he’s visited before and he didn’t know Mikado city well to begin with, so Hyuse had no idea where exactly he was, nor how to get back.
Hyuse walked forward slowly while taking in his surroundings. He stopped in the middle of the plaza and circled around. After a few minutes of looking for any identifying landmark or familiar face, Hyuse gave up and rummaged in his pocket.
He pulled out his phone, a gift from Rindo. “It’s a communication device, it’ll come in handy!” is what the director said, but that was immediately disproved as Hyuse turned it on–or tried to. No matter what button he pressed, the screen stayed black with no signs of life.
Hyuse scowled. “Is it dead? Are Meeden batteries so bad? I’ve barely even used…” Hyuse trailed off as he remembered both Yotaro and Yuma borrowing it before, the former to play games(downloaded by himself), and the latter because his own phone died.
Hyuse didn’t bother to figure out what Yuma was doing with it, but he made a note to never let him borrow his phone again. Hyuse shoved the useless item back into his pocket, slightly frustrated.
He tilted his head up, looking at the sky. The sun was far to the west and was sure to be setting soon. Hyuse briefly wished for lampyris, so he could fly again. Shaking his head, Hyuse thought back to what was happening before he got lost.
He was dragged out by Usami. Her, Konami, and Torimaru were going shopping, though Hyuse wasn’t sure what all for, and Usami decided that it would be fun to bring him along. He remembered her mentioning something about getting more clothes and accessories.
They brought him to an unfamiliar part of the city, and after a few stores Hyuse got distracted by someone selling taiyaki nearby. Feeling a little hungry, Hyuse wandered over and bought a few–as a neighbor, he wasn't paid by border, but Reiji gave him some allowance when he saw they were going out–while Usami and Konami were chatting, waiting for Torimaru to buy what he needed.
When he turned back, they were gone.
Hyuse tried to look for them, leading him to now.
Hyuse frowned and crossed his arms, pondering his options.
The bustling plaza settled down some as it got later, a momentary peace as the day-shoppers went home and others packed into restaurants to eat dinner. Still, many people were coming and going from nearby stores.
The automatic doors of a grocery store opened smoothly and a tall man walked out, holding a bag with one hand and rubbing his head with the other. “We better not run out of anything else after this…damn rush hour!” Kageura growled, his hand moving more aggressively.
As more and more people headed to dinner, his family's restaurant got busier, leading to a shortage of some supplies. Kageura’s mother sent him out to buy more ingredients since he was idle, despite him washing dishes for them, completely ignoring Kageura’s grumbling.
Not that he really minded.
Kageura gave his hair a rest to pull out his phone, sending a text to his mom saying he’s got the ingredients and will be back soon. He shivered slightly in the cooling air. Kageura shoved his phone back in his pocket, keeping his hand there, and made a quick turn in the direction of their restaurant.
In the corner of his eye, he saw someone in a hoodie standing still in the middle of the plaza. Kageura didn’t pay them any mind originally, but as he lifted his foot they shifted slightly and their fluffy brown hair poked out from the hood.
Kageura froze, a vague familiarity creeping over him. He looked closer, inspecting the figure. Just then, they tilted their head up. The hood fell back slightly, revealing the figure's face. “Ah? It’s that guy!” Kageura exclaimed, surprise coloring his tone.
It wasn’t long ago that he had to face him in battle, what’s Tamakoma’s Hyuse doing here?
Kageura took a step in the direction of the restaurant but hesitated. Glancing at the bag he’s holding, he sighed and rubbed his hair. Shifting his feet, he turned and strode towards the other agent.
“Hey!” Kageura called out, catching Hyuse’s attention. Hyuse blinked and turned towards the voice, recognition shining through his eyes. Kageura felt a light prickling sensation on his face and scowled, “What the hell are you doing standing around like a lost puppy?”
Hyuse reached up and pulled at his hood as Kageura came to a stop in front of him. His gaze swept over the taller man and he simply stated, “I got separated from the others.”
“Feh, is that really why you're idling around alone–” Kageura cut himself off, remembering that Hyuse is a foreigner and likely doesn’t know the city well, hence why getting separated is a bad thing.
“So you ARE lost,” Kageura accused, crossing his arms. Hyuse thought for a moment before nodding. Kageura pulled his mask down, shark teeth showing clearly through his scowl. “Can’t you call someone? Why are you just standing here?” he grunted, glancing at the bag he’s holding.
“My phone's dead, as I can’t contact anyone I was thinking through my options,” Hyuse explained, honestly a little surprised at Kageura’s unexpected appearance and questions. They’ve only interacted a few times before, in rank wars and when Hyuse just happened to be with Yuma, so Hyuse didn’t expect Kageura to help him.
Kageura ignored the slight pricks coming from Hyuse’s emotions, which wasn’t difficult as they were surprisingly light and didn’t hurt. It meant that the other wasn’t feeling any strong emotions towards him, and the rare sensation was a little relieving to Kageura.
Kageura fished out his phone and unlocked it while saying, “I’ll call Yuma for you.” Hyuse shook his head and Kageura paused. “He’s at HQ, most likely fighting with others,” Hyuse sighed, knowing that even if they got through to Yuma, he’d then have to call Usami or one of the others, and since he can’t read it would end up becoming a troublesome ordeal.
“Damn it!” Kageura cursed, “Who was with you then? Do you know their numbers? I only have Yuma’s,” he continued. Hyuse tilted his head. “Usami, Konami, Torimaru. I don’t.” he stated, very helpfully.
Kageura wanted to scream.
He glared at the indifferent teen in front of him and huffed. Just then, his phone chimed. Kageura glanced at the screen and saw a text from his mom asking where he was. He scowled and shoved it in his pocket, turning around.
Hyuse was momentarily confused, but then Kageura gestured to him with his head. “Follow me, you can charge your phone at my family’s restaurant,” Kageura told him.
“Oh.” Hyuse blinked, “Thank you.” he nodded. Kageura scoffed and opened his mouth to respond when a sharp feeling pierced his neck. The familiar sensation felt like barbs digging into his skin, snagging on his flesh and rooting there. Footsteps sounded behind them, clear in the nearly empty plaza.
Hyuse glanced over, while Kageura curled in on himself slightly and raised his hand to his neck. When he peered over his arm to look, despite already knowing who it was, his sharp glare was enough to send any normal person running.
But when was this guy ever normal?
“Wow~ what an unusual pair to happen on to, how are you two doing?” A cheerful voice rang out. The owner of it raised his hand over his blonde hair to wave at them.
Kageura grit his teeth as Inukai’s curiosity pricked his skin unpleasantly. “What the hell are you doing here!?” He sneered, scratching his neck harshly. Hyuse nodded to Inukai and briefly wondered why he was running into so many border agents.
Inukai’s smile didn’t waver at the harsh tone and he lifted his other arm, a bag full of items rustling as he did so. “I had some things I needed to buy, this is a public space after all,” Inukai chirped.
“You!” Kageura snapped. Inukai paid him no mind and shifted his eyes to Hyuse, who was standing a bit behind the raging man. Inukai’s eyes narrowed, remaining crescent shaped.
“It’s rare to see you without Yuma or the others in Tamakoma, what are you doing out here alone?” He inquired innocently, stepping a little closer so he could view Hyuse without Kageura blocking him.
Hyuse glanced at him, eyes narrowing. He knew this man. Aside from being a part of that 1v6 match, he was a member of the ninomiya squad. One of the few squads that knew his true nature.
Kageura glanced between the two of them and scowled. “He got lost, that's all,” he asserted, slight confusion seeping through his sharp tone.
“Oh?” Inukai drawled. He met Hyuse’s eyes and a trace of coldness tinted his own, “Are you sure you aren’t running away?” he smiled, “You’re at that age after all!” Inukai added teasingly.
Hyuse blinked and his indifferent gaze turned icy.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” he asked, tilting his head up while keeping his eyes on Inukai's.
“Hah? What the hell are you talking about?” Kageura interjected, placing his hands on his hips and watching Inuaki, annoyed. “Even if you were that type of troublesome teen, aren’t you just projecting?” He scowled. Kageura didn’t get why Inukai’s thoughts would jump to that, but he could feel the tension in the air.
Inukai broke away from Hyuse’s unwavering gaze and his face lit up. “Just joking, of course!” Inukai laughed it off, acting as if the moment never happened. Hyuse blinked a few times, his eyebrows furrowing.
They both knew that Inukai was asking if he was trying to escape, and while it made sense to speak so covertly when around someone who didn’t know, how quickly Inukai changed his tune was surprising.
Hyuse brushed it off, having met all kinds of people.
“Tch, bastard…” Kageura scoffed, sick of Inukai’s cheerful mask. “Let’s go,” he scowled, jutting his head in the direction of the restaurant. There was no reason to stay there and entertain Inukai, especially not when his phone weighed heavy in his pocket.
Hyuse nodded and moved to follow the older man, but as they began walking, Inukai followed with his hands in his jacket pockets.
“Where are you two going together?” He asked brightly, oblivious to the hints kageura was giving him throughout their interactions.
(Well, intentionally oblivious.)
Kageura’s teeth grinded against each other and his shoulders shook harder with every step Inukai took to follow them. The blonde's emotions crawled across his skin and it was so much compared to the light feeling of Hyuse’s.
The discordant sensations made him want to puke.
His eyes shot wider and he whipped around, grabbing Inukai by his shirt's collar. Hyuse stepped aside before Kageura even moved, avoiding any possible involvement.
“No one invited you! Stop following us!” Kageura shouted, slit pupils locked onto Inukai’s face. Inukai smiled brightly in that idiotic, irritating way he always does and Kageura couldn’t stand it, yet he couldn’t look away either.
Inukai raised his hands in a placating manner, outwardly trying to appease him, as if Kageura was the unreasonable one, but Kageura could feel his emotions dancing on his skin.
As Inukai opened his mouth to respond, Hyuse’s gaze flitted between the two older agents. He didn’t feel anything in particular, even if he was suddenly dragged into their bad relationship it didn’t matter to him, but watching Kageura… he suddenly felt a little familiar?
Hyuse placed his hand on his waist and inspected Kageura closely. As he watched the one-sided argument, an image gradually appeared in his mind.
Kageura’s voice suddenly overlapped with Enedora’s, and he pictured, more like remembered, his comrade snapping in a very similar way.
Kageura scowled at Inukai, but he suddenly felt the prickling sensation given by Hyuse change slightly and he was distracted. Kageura turned his head and saw Hyuse staring at him, expression unchanged.
He furrowed his eyebrows and though he expected Hyuse’s emotions to turn sharper, as people usually react to him getting angry negatively, they were still light and generally not painful. Yet…something changed?
As those two were distracted by each other, Inukai’s smile faded and he scratched his cheek with his finger, a little helpless.
A piercing ring broke through the silence and Kageura startled as he felt buzzing in his pocket. He immediately let go of Inukai, who was back to his usual cheerful expression, and clumsily grabbed his phone.
He saw his mothers caller ID and broke out in a cold sweat. Kageura answered hesitantly, and was hastily apologizing as “Where are you!?” rang out from the device.
“I ran into some colleagues, I’m on my way right now,” Kageura answered and hung up, reaching back to grab Hyuse’s arm and pull him forward.
“Come on, there’s no time to waste. I’ll get you a phone charger soon, but there’s some things I need to do first. You can eat while you wait,” Kageura rattled off, hurrying towards the restaurant.
Hyuse’s eyelids lowered and he looked down as he was pulled, the image of a dead man still in his mind. He shook his head, focusing on the mention of food.
Anyways, Kageura had a much better personality than his superior, so they aren’t that similar.
(Even if remembering the way Kageura calls Yuma reminds him of Enedora always naming others after animals condescendingly.)
Hyuse looked up. “The dancing food?” He asked in response, not minding the wait.
“Dancing…?” Kageura blinked, and his mind went back to a certain shrimp. “Pfft–hah! Heard from Yuma? Yeah, that's our Okonomiyaki,” he laughed sharply.
Inukai chuckled in amusement, still following them.
Kageura’s eye twitched, but he didn’t stop this time. “Why are you following us?” He growled, glancing at Inukai in irritation.
Inukai shrugged lightly, “It’s dinner time isn’t it? I figured I’d go out to eat today,” he chirped as if he just happened to be going to the same place they were.
“Tch.” Kageura pointed towards Hyuse with his thumb, “You're treating him then,” he sneered. Inukai didn’t get angry and cheerfully agreed.
In Inukai’s opinion, he owed the other neighbor anyways, for how he treated him a little earlier.
Hyuse nodded to him, “Thank you,” He stated, though he stopped caring about the earlier incident once it passed. It’s not like he could blame Inukai for reacting that way, since he’s aware of who he actually is.
Inukai gave him a thumbs up, smiling brightly.
Soon after, the three arrived at Okonomiyaki Kageura. Kageura ran off quickly after bringing them to an empty booth, leaving Hyuse and Inukai on their own.
The two sat down on opposite ends. Inukai set his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his intertwined hands. He smiled at Hyuse as the neighbor adjusted his hood. Looking closely, Inukai could spot the slight bulge of his horns, the cloth of his hoodie going over them naturally.
“Is it really fine for you to go out like this? Your trion body is safer isn’t it?” He inquired, his tone light. Hyuse nodded. “There haven't been any problems so far, though I usually go out in my trion body now, we were just going on a quick shopping trip and I didn’t want to,” Hyuse explained.
If it wasn’t necessary, he wouldn’t use his trigger. Though, it would’ve been more convenient had he brought it with him this time.
“Oh~” Inukai drawled, staring at Hyuse.
Hyuse didn’t care and looked around, inspecting his surroundings. There were many booths like the one he was sitting at, and almost all of them hosted groups of people, who were chatting happily with each other. Hyuse even spotted a few border agents, quickly recognized from his internal list of people he saw while watching rank wars.
Recognized or not, he stayed silent and didn’t bother them. It’s not like he’s familiar with any of them, and he doesn’t care for any more random interactions today.
Hyuse leaned back, against the seat, and closed his eyes, content to wait for Kageura. Not long after, Inukai laughed. Hyuse opened an eye and glanced at him.
“You never do change that expression of yours, do you?” Inukai asked teasingly, pointing at him with the chopsticks he was messing with.
Hyuse looked at him with slight confusion and Inukai continued on, “I mean, even during that rank war, when we were all ganging up on you. I have to tell you, seeing you keep that same deadpan expression the whole time I and 5 other people were attacking you was a little disheartening,” Inukai pouted playfully.
Hyuse blinked. “...That’s just how I am,” he said, unapologetic despite the fake hurt Inukai was playing up. Inukai chuckled lightly and snapped back to normal, “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He smiled at Hyuse and tapped his chopsticks against the table.
Inukai held his chin and hummed. “Is it fun?” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “I’ll try it too!” He declared happily. Inukai’s expression immediately turned deadpan in a mimicry of Hyuse’s.
Hyuse blinked as Inukai stared at him with an indifferent expression, one that looked slightly strange on the usually smiling face.
Inukai was a strange person.
Hyuse could understand why Kageura didn’t like him, as Inukai was almost always putting on a friendly facade. He hid his true feelings behind an amiable smile, acting nice, but not really, sometimes.
The cheerful, happy expression felt like a mask.
Not that the one he wore now was any different. Hyuse didn’t delude himself to think he suddenly saw the real Inukai, nor did he care to.
Kageura is a rather simple and straightforward person, most likely due to his side effect from what Hyuse could tell, so it’s natural that someone like Inukai pissed him off.
But Hyuse didn’t care. For one, he wasn’t planning on getting close to any Meedens, why would a stranger’s matters matter to him at all? Secondly, everyone has their own personality and values. As long as it didn’t cross lines, what’s wrong with it? Individuals can act as they please, it is their life and choice, given they don’t hinder others.
And Hyuse could already tell from his fight with him that despite his playfulness, shown even on the battlefield, he is focused on his objectives and does what he should.
So Hyuse, despite sharing a straightforward nature with Kageura, does not mind Inukai’s personality.
Hyuse and Inukai stared at each other with their deadpan expressions, barely blinking. Inukai was doing it for the fun of it, Hyuse didn’t particularly get it but there's no difference in waiting with his eyes closed and like this.
(Basically -_- ← -_-⟡)
This is the strange sight that Kageura came back to. Since they were his colleagues, he was put in charge of serving them after being lectured by his mom.
Kageura balanced the tray of okonomiyaki batter–Inukai and Hyuse hadn’t ordered, but Hyuse’s words, “The dancing food?”, stuck in his mind and he didn’t care what Inukai wanted to eat–in one hand while holding a charger in the other.
“Here, I’ve brought the charger. Plug your phone in with the outlet next to yo… what the hell are you doing?” Kageura cut himself off upon reaching the table and seeing the strange staring contest.
In the back of his mind, he was unsettled by the expression Inukai held. It wasn’t like him to look so indifferent, even if he was always fake.
A moment later, Inukai’s emotions settled over Kageura and were the same as always. For some odd reason he was relieved. Kageura was immediately disgusted with himself and glared at Inukai, the root of his problems.
Inukai blinked and he was back to being cheerful. “Nothing, nothing. I was just seeing if keeping your expression like that was any fun, since our friend here wears nothing else!” He explained jovially, leaning back in his seat to see Kageura better.
Kageura tch’d at him and set the tray down on their table, “I’ll start cooking this up for you in a moment,” he told Hyuse, ignoring Inukai even though he was also serving him.
Kageura looked around for a moment before finding the outlet needed. He plugged the charger block in, suddenly glad for the in booth outlets, and handed the other end to Hyuse.
“Here, plug your phone in. The others must be worried,” Kageura grunted. Hyuse inclined his head in thanks and pulled his phone out. Thankfully, the way to do it was rather self explanatory so he didn’t need to try to explain why he didn’t know how to charge one of the most used Meeden devices.
After plugging it in, Hyuse set it on the table so he could see when it turned on immediately. That done, he turned to where Kageura was preparing their food. Inukai was also watching him, and Hyuse thought that he looked a little fond for a moment, but it was gone as soon as he saw it so Hyuse didn’t give it a second thought.
Kageura expertly cooked the okonomiyaki, showing his skills as the son of the restaurant owners. Hyuse eyed the food hungrily, forgetting that he ate a couple taiyaki only a few hours ago.
Kageura set his spatula down as he waited for it to cook enough to flip and leaned against the booth. His gaze wandered to Hyuse and he frowned. “Would it not be more comfortable to put down your hood? We’re inside, and it's a little hot with this cooking,” Kageura asked, only just noticing that it was a little strange.
Inukai and Hyuse paused, and Hyuse subconsciously reached up to pull at the edge of his hood, covering his horns more securely. “...no, I prefer it this way,” He said, meeting Kageura’s eyes.
Kaguera raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Or are you just hiding something?” he leaned forward, grinning slightly. Hyuse froze minutely. “Is it a messy hair day? Can’t be worse than mine right?” Kageura quipped, trying to see.
Inukai reached out and was about to speak when the phone set on the table lit up. “Oh, it’s alive,” Hyuse stated quickly, trying to distract Kageura. It worked, and Kageura glanced at its screen.
“Damn, they called you a lot,” Kageura whistled, seeing the 109 missed calls from multiple numbers. Hyuse picked it up as Kageura went back to the food, with Inukai happily chatting with him despite the attitude he got back.
Hyuse clicked on one of the missed calls to call it back, and it was answered as soon as it rang. “Hyuse!?” Usami’s panicked voice rang out, catching the attention of the other two, though they averted their eyes and left them to it. “Yes,” Hyuse said simply, confirming it was him.
On the other end, Usami sighed in relief and gave a shaky thumbs up to Konami, Torimaru, and Reiji.
They got Reiji involved when they couldn’t find him, but it was to no avail.
“Where are you? What happened? Why did you disappear?” Usami rapidly fired questions, running her fingers through her hair. None of them thought that Hyuse tried to escape, he didn’t before let alone at this point when he had a way home, but that just left their neighbor running around lost in an unfamiliar city.
She was so worried.
“I’m at…” Hyuse started, but trailed off, realizing he didn’t know the name of the restaurant. He shifted to look at Kageura questioningly. “Okonomiyaki Kageura, it was on the sign,” Kageura muttered while flipping the okonomiyaki.
“I’m at Okonomiyaki Kageura, with kageura and Inukai,” Hyuse answered and tilted his head slightly before adding, “I didn’t disappear, you did. I just went to buy some Taiyaki nearby and you were gone.”
“Eh? Kageura and Inukai? What are you doing with them?” Konami exclaimed in surprise, a feeling shared among the Tamakoma agents. Usami put the call on speaker.
Torimaru blinked. “Ah–near the taiyaki stand…?” he frowned, remembering what happened then. He couldn’t carry the groceries he bought by himself, so he called Usami and Konami in to help, by the time they got out Hyuse was nowhere to be found.
Usami slumped onto Reiji dramatically, “I’m sorry Hyuse!! I should’ve gotten you,” She cried. Konami was a little choked too, as this situation wasn’t entirely Hyuse’s fault.
“Still, you should’ve called us sooner! Why didn’t you answer before!?” Konami yelled, pulling at her hair. It had been a stressful few hours.
“My phone was dead,” Hyuse stated calmly and then added, “Yotaro and Yuma use it a lot.”
Reiji sighed. “Be sure to keep it charged from now on, and don’t wander off. Kageura’s family restaurant, right? We’ll come pick you up,” Reiji announced, ever reliable.
“All right, I’m eating first though,” Hyuse said, staring at the food cooking hungrily. “Eating–no, of course you are,” Konami grumbled, claiming the front seat in Reiji’s car.
Usami laughed lightly, just relieved that they’ll see Hyuse soon. “I’ll let you go then, wait for us, don’t disappear again!” Usami urged, she couldn’t take it again!
“I won’t, don’t worry,” Hyuse affirmed, hearing it in her voice. With a light laugh from the other line, the phone clicked off and Hyuse set it down to let it charge.
“All figured out?” Inukai asked upon seeing his actions. Hyuse nodded, “They’ll come pick me up soon.”
Kageura grinned, “Then you’d better eat fast, it’s almost done.” Hyuse subtly lit up and looked at the food, Kageura’s grin widened and he threw a handful of bonito flakes on top of the okonomiyaki.
Hyuse’s eyes widened and he leaned down slightly. “It’s dancing,” He mumbled out loud, only paying attention to the food. He remembered Yuma talking about it excitedly, but he didn’t know it’d actually happen.
Kageura smirked proudly, thinking it was a little fun to see this reaction twice. Inukai also smiled, glancing at kageura. Their eyes met and Kageura instantly scowled, but his mood wasn’t all that soured.
He pushed Inukai roughly and sat down beside him, cutting a chunk of the Okonomiyaki off for himself and Hyuse.
Inukai pushed his plate towards Kageura, “C’mon, what about my share?” He teased, leaning his head on his hand. Kageura rolled his eyes. “Get it yourself,” He snapped, pushing Inukai’s plate back to him.
Inukai pouted but complied, getting his own serving.
As this was happening, Hyuse dug into his portion and was eating happily, despite the heat.
Kageura took a bite of his and then glanced at Hyuse. “Hmph,” He huffed, though not unkindly. “Feel free to come over if you get lost again, but don’t make that a habit,” Kageura joked, but his offer was serious.
Hyuse peered at him for a couple seconds and then nodded, “I will, though I won't get lost again,” he huffed, crossing his arms. It’s fine if it happened once, he was in a foreign world after all, but twice? As if.
Inukai chuckled, and Kageura couldn’t help but snort with him.
Facing Hyuse’s confused gaze, they didn’t explain and dug into their food. Hyuse shrugged it off and did the same.
Soon after, the Tamakoma agents arrived to pick him up and Hyuse had to deal with a little too much physical affection then he would’ve preferred, but it couldn’t be helped. While Usami hugged him and Konami roughly ruffled his hair, Reiji apologized to Kageura for the trouble.
After being waved off, Reiji corralled Hyuse and the others out so they could go home. The sun had already set, and he was supposed to make dinner that night. As they left, Kageura and Inukai waved at Hyuse, who inclined his head in farewell.
When they got back to the base, Yotaro ran up to Hyuse and cried while hitting his leg, and the others were waiting worriedly, having been informed of Hyuse’s missing status.
Hyuse didn’t feel like explaining and only appeased Yotaro, while Torimaru crafted a dramatic story, somehow fooling Konami despite her involvement.
Jin walked out of the kitchen a few moments later, a ladle in hand and an apron over his clothes.
“Make any new friends?” he asked Hyuse knowingly. Hyuse glared at him and shook his head. “Of course not,” He scowled.
“Thats too bad,” Jin smiled, chuckling as he went back to the kitchen, Reiji joining him.
Hyuse scoffed, but as he went to sit down with Yuma to tell him that he saw the dancing food, he thought back to the familiarity he felt, and the helpfulness of Kageura and Inukai. Though Inukai mostly tagged along, it wasn’t bad.
Friends were off the table, but Hyuse thought that he may seek them out to play some solo battles soon.