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It was just how he remembered it. The city bustled with people, all going somewhere and not really paying attention to those around them. Many were just looking down at their phones. There was only one person in the hundreds of people around that was actually looking around and taking in his surroundings.
That person was Neku Sakuraba, returning to Shibuya after four long years of art school.
He wasn’t sure why he’d come back. Though, it wasn’t like he had to be anywhere else. After graduation, he’d taken on some freelance work, mostly digital art stuff. It was great and the pay was enough to live on. Since the only tools he needed were his laptop and art tablet, he could have moved anywhere. So why did he come back home to Shibuya?
Part of the reason, he figured, was that he still considered the city his home even though he’d been gone for years. Shibuya was special to him, even though he couldn’t have cared less about the city for most of his life. Just stepping into the city brought a fresh wave of inspiration. New projects appeared in his mind. For the moment, all that he had on his plate was a logo for a client, so he could afford to do a couple of side works. He just couldn’t let them keep him from doing the logo and actually getting paid.
There was something else that had been bothering him too, ever since he left. He had kept in touch with Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and even Eri after he’d left for college. Shiki and Eri were working together in the fashion industry. Beat was developing a culinary career, and Neku wasn’t quite sure where he was working now. Rhyme had just gotten into art school herself. They were all doing great, but there was something that had been getting more and more noticeable to Neku every time he talked to one of them. None of his friends remembered the Game anymore, not even a little.
Neku just didn’t get it, and he frowned as he crossed the street. It had been such a major part of their lives. How could they just forget? He remembered almost every detail of the three weeks he’d spent playing the Reaper’s Game. It was hard to forget something like that. The Noise, the Reapers, Mr. H, and Joshua.
He hadn’t seen Joshua since the Game ended. He still wasn’t sure if he’d forgiven his former partner or not. It was doubtful that Neku would see him while he was in Shibuya. If he did, what would he even say? A small, bitter part of him wondered if Joshua would even recognize him. His hair wasn’t quite as long as it had been when he was 15, but it was still spiked and a bright, very noticeable orange.
For now, he would just get settled into the apartment he was renting. He headed into the building, focusing on other things like whether the WiFi was any good and if Sunshine was still open.
He totally missed the figure standing quietly on the sidewalk and watching him. The crowd parted around Joshua even though they had no idea that he was there. After all, he was still in the UG.
——————
That night, Neku couldn’t sleep. The apartment was nice enough, but now that he was back in Shibuya, he had a strong itch to go exploring. He tried to convince himself that his wandering could wait until morning, but it didn’t work. That was why he left the building around midnight and started for the Scramble. For some reason, he’d taken his old pins out of his backpack, and now they were in his pocket.
There weren’t many people out and about at that time of night. He saw a few teenagers, but they left him alone, headed off in another direction than the way he was wandering. He wasn’t sure where he was going. Familiar buildings and streets led him until somehow he managed to make it to WildKat. The strangest thing was that it was open. Every time he’d passed it after the Game, it was closed, and now it was open in the middle of the night.
Without even taking time to think about whether this was a good idea or not, he went in. The bell on the door rang as he stepped inside. The cafe looked exactly the same as it had when he’d first walked in. Same coffee machines, same seats. Neku wondered if Mr. H had even changed the lightbulbs or if they had just stayed working for years.
Speaking of Mr. H, there was nobody in the cafe. Neku thought about leaving, but decided against it. It felt right, being in the cafe again. Besides, there was a chance that it would help solve the mystery of his friends’ memories.
The door in the back of the cafe opened, and Neku stared as Mr. H nudged his way through it holding a tall stack of boxes. He seemed to be struggling with them. The door looked heavy, and he was trying hard to keep it from closing on him. Neku walked back and grabbed it, holding it still so that Mr. H could get through.
Mr. H let out a loud, relieved sigh and headed for a table. “Whew, thanks. I need to grab a new doorstop for that. Lost the old one.” He set the boxes down on the table with a loud thump.
Neku chuckled. He felt a little awkward. It had been years since he’d seen Mr. H, since the Game in fact, and with everything that had happened during the game… “No problem, Mr. H.”
Mr. H spun around, grabbing the table for support. He stared at Neku in shock. “Phones?!”
Neku smiled awkwardly. “That’s me? It’s still Neku, Mr. H.”
The barista stared at him for another few seconds. Then he slowly grinned. “Phones! We didn’t think you were coming back. Welcome back to Shibuya!”
His voice had a lot of his old enthusiasm, but he looked tense. Neku noticed. His smile faded a little. “Thanks. Is something wrong?”
“No! Everything’s great. What do you mean?”
Neku shuffled his feet a little. “I mean, I just saw that this place was open. So I came in. I can leave if it’s closed, no big deal.”
“No, no. You’re welcome to stay. Want a cuppa? What have you been doing, out in the big wide world?”
“No, thanks.” Neku knew that Mr. H’s coffee was probably still just as overpriced as it had been before, but he took a seat at the counter anyway. “I went to art school. Just graduated actually.”
Mr. H’s grin was more genuine now. He was fixing a mug of coffee for himself. “Really! That’s great, Phones. Good for you. What now?”
Neku smiled back. “I’m not sure. I’m doing freelance work, and most of it’s digital. I didn’t have anywhere I had to go, so I came back home.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure how long I’ll stay. I just got back today.”
“Gotcha.” Mr. H nodded and sipped his coffee out of a mug. “Still expanding your horizons, kid?”
That got another chuckle out of Neku. “Yeah. I’m 22 now, Mr. H. Not a kid anymore.”
Mr. H nodded thoughtfully. “Wow. I guess you’re right, Phones, but you still have a lot of growing to do. Trust me.”
Neku was quiet, and Mr. H turned around to mess with one of the machines on the back counter. The barista started talking again. “You kids have really grown up, haven’t you.”
Neku answered, even though he was pretty sure it was rhetorical. “I guess we have. …How’s Joshua?”
The mug crashed to the floor and shattered, and Mr. H barely managed to jump back in time to dodge the hot coffee now all over the floor.
Neku started to stand. “Mr. H? Are you okay?”
Mr. H was tense again. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just… amazed that you still remember Joshua.”
“Of course I remember him. Why wouldn’t I? Is he okay?” Neku was starting to get worried.
Mr. H took a deep breath. “You remember. Of course you remember. Well…” He trailed off and turned back to face Neku, ignoring the spilled coffee. “So you remember what exactly?”
Neku’s eyes narrowed. “Everything. You, Josh, the UG, my three weeks in the Game, all of it.”
“Great.” Mr. H rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “See, you weren’t really supposed to, kid.”
“I’m not a kid. And none of the others did. Why not?” He was fighting to stay calm now. So he was the real mystery, not his friends’ missing memories.
“Nobody who comes back keeps their memories. They fade, and you move on. That’s what’s supposed to happen.”
“Well, I moved on, but I still have them.”
“Did you move on?” Mr. H was looking at him curiously now. “Phones, why did you come back? Most people who win the game leave here and never come back. Your friends aren’t even here anymore.”
Neku shrugged, not really sure himself. “I thought I moved on. I grew as a person, I expanded my horizons, I went to college. Then… I don’t know. Shibuya just called me back, I guess.”
“Shibuya called you back.” The tension seemed to drain out of Mr. H and he sighed. Before, he’d looked just like Neku remembered him. Now he seemed older. “That’s something. I don’t know what’s going on with you and Shibuya and your memories, but I’ll talk to Josh. He might know.”
“So he’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. Busy.”
“Good. Do you think the memory thing is serious?”
“It might be important. That’s all I’m saying. I can’t tell you any more right now. Go home, go to sleep Phones. Come back tomorrow or the next day and I might have some answers, but I can’t promise anything.”
Neku didn’t really want to leave, but when he looked at his watch, he saw that it was past 2am. He needed to get some sleep. “All right. See you tomorrow, Mr. H. Say hi to Joshua for me?”
“Sure. Hey, Neku?”
Neku was halfway to the door by then. He stopped and looked back. “Yeah?”
“Be careful.” Mr. H’s tone was serious. “Keep an eye out for trouble.”
“Will do. Goodnight,” said Neku, and he left.
As he headed back to his apartment, he noticed that the city was quiet. It was almost like Shibuya was holding its breath, waiting for something. He walked a little faster.