It was supposed to be just a typical hang-out with Shiki. They'd agreed to wander around the streets of Shibuya and stop by any place that looked interesting—just the two of them after everyone else had left their meeting spot at Hachiko. As it'd been exactly a month since they'd first met, Neku had worn the exact same clothes as he always had on during the Game.

That was his first mistake.

"I've had it!" Shiki burst out, surprising Neku and making him spin around towards her with a gaping mouth. "What was Joshua thinking, recreating you like that?!"

"H-huh? What do you mean?" They stood in right in front of the Shibuya Department Store, bringing back far too much déjà vu for Neku. Only this time, people stared as the girl yelled.

"I mean your shorts! He didn't leave my repairs on your button!"

Neku looked down, surprised to find that she was right—the very same button she'd pushed him into fixing during their Game together was indeed loose again. Crap, he thought as he stepped back. "Er—thanks for today, but uh, I should go. I'll see you tomor—"

Shiki wasn't having it, though. She grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back over. "Neku! You're not leaving until I fix that! Otherwise, I'll have nightmares about it!"

"That isn't my problem!" he argued.

"Give them to me!"

"Nooooo!"

"Now, Neku!"

"Like hell!" Neku yelled, desperate. "We're in public!"

"It's not like anyone can—" Shiki stopped abruptly, realizing her folly. Her face turned multiple shades of red as the gazes of those around beat down on her, and she lowered her head in a feeble attempt to hide. "Oh right, I guess they can see us now…"

"You think?" the other replied as he pinched his hair. Even if she looked different on the outside, on the inside, she never changed.

But his second mistake came after that—when he agreed to let her come over to fix it. At first, he refused, but she wouldn't let it drop. So, before long, he found himself opening the door to his house for her.

She took off her shoes and entered, looking around with her mouth hanging open. Earthy colors lined the wall, and she noted some pictures atop the fireplace in the living room. Stairs covered by a wall came before that, though, and Neku led her that way after telling her to keep quiet. He flicked the lights on as they ascended, illuminating a ribbon décor painted on the wall.

But why was this a mistake? Well, as quiet as they tried to be, they only made it halfway up the stairs before a sweet voice called out behind them.

"Neku? Are you home? I heard the door…"

Neku's heart jolted, and he didn't even have to look to know that Shiki and his mom had made eye contact. "H-hello!" Shiki's nervous voice stuttered behind him. "S-sorry for intruding."

"O-oh—n-no!" the woman at the bottom replied. "You're not intruding, I just…"

Neku finally glanced back, only to see his mom staring back and forth between the two kids. Thin, fragile, and timid, she wore a plain dress with a small jacket over it, and she kept one hand over her chest as if afraid of speaking too loud. "Hey, Mom," he greeted, sheepish as he kept his hands in his pockets. She was always home, but he had, at least, noticed that his father wasn't home—that wasn't a mistake. "Sorry for not checking in. We'll just be hanging out upstairs."

Those words, however, were his third mistake.

"Hanging out?" she repeated, her blue eyes wide in shock.

Neku averted his own gaze, and his hand tried to fiddle with a pin—only to remember didn't have pins anymore. "Yes. Hanging out."

The woman tilted her head, and her straight blonde hair fell over her shoulder. "That's all well and good, dear… I just never expected you to bring a girl over here."

He took a minute to clear the knot caught in his throat before replying, "She's one of my new friends, so I'm having her over for a bit. That's all."

That brought a smile to his mother's face—a smile brighter than anything he usually saw. "Is that right? I don't know how you did it," she said to Shiki, "but I appreciate you taking the time to befriend him. Do you have a name?"

"I'm Shiki Misaki," the girl said, her smile paralleling the woman's. "It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you, too, Shiki. My name is Kaiya Sakuraba. You're welcome here any time… You and any other of Neku's 'new friends,'" his mother offered with a chuckle.

"Thank you! I'd love to visit more—your house is so nice!"

"That's kind of you to say… We're a modest family, but we try our best."

"I like it. It feels very homely."

Neku turned away as the two talked, his annoyance building. He should've been more careful—the two of them meeting spelled trouble somehow. He had to put a stop to this conversation before it took a turn for the worse.

"Neku doesn't usually stay around here long, so I hope you'll give him a reason to come back home more often," Kaiya said. "You seem like a very nice girl."

"Thank you. You raised a good son, so I'll definitely come visit him more."

His face red, Neku scoffed. "Shiki, I'm going upstairs with or without you." He then kept walking.

"It was really nice meeting you," he heard Shiki say behind him before her footsteps followed his.

If only that'd been it. However, his mother called up behind them, "Be sure to keep your door open, Neku!" The lump in his throat got worse, and he almost choked on air from the embarrassment that clouded around him.

Three mistakes—and yet, those mistakes brought her to his room, Shiki immediately fangirling over his CDs. He had a huge collection of them, too, though not all of them sat in the racks he'd gotten to hold them, as they'd somehow gotten scattered around in his messy room. Posters of his favorite bands sat side-by-side with abstract paintings, and they brought color to the otherwise bleak grey walls.

After changing pants, he gave her the shorts so she could fix the button, and the smile she had while sewing—he couldn't even begin to describe it. Yet somehow, that smile pulled him in. As she went on about the button and Joshua's mistake, Neku soon found himself saying, "You're really one of a kind, Shiki." He didn't even know what he meant by it, but he knew he was glad somehow—glad to be her friend.

"Isn't everyone, though?" she pointed out before offering the shorts back. "Here—good as new."

"You're especially rare, then," Neku replied as he took them. "Thanks."

Shiki's eyes captured his in a stare, and neither could pull away. "You really think so?"

"Yeah…"

Silence passed between them for a moment, and her next word came out in a whisper. "Neku…"

He couldn't tear his gaze away. Her soft features, the way she murmured his name—it'd caught him in a spell he didn't want to end. It was only when her expression changed to one of confusion that he made himself to break away from it, ducking down in his collar as he muttered, "Sorry."

"Eh?" Shiki moved over next to him, studying him as if trying to figure out what he was thinking. "For what?"

"It's just nice," he mumbled, only just loud enough for her to hear. "Seeing the real you instead of Eri…"

More silence, save another surprised whisper of his name. Soon, Shiki smiled again and said, "I'm glad, you know… That you got to see me in my real body after everything."

His eyes shot up to hers, a bit wide. "You are? Erm… I mean, why?"

"Because—um, well—it's kinda nice, knowing that you're actually seeing the real me on the outside, too."

Neku paused, tilting his head towards the floor again. "You've always looked like that to me," he mumbled.

"N-not always! I mean, you didn't even know I wasn't in my body until our sixth day."

"No, but…" He took a deep breath, the words lumping in his throat before he forced them out. "You were always looking at that photo. The one with 'you' and 'Eri.'" His hand moved up to rub the back of his head, though he still didn't look at her—he had to keep himself distracted somehow, or he'd never get it out. "It's not like I really cared at the time… But I always kinda thought 'Eri' was the prettier one."

Shiki's jaw dropped, and no amount of music could hide the huge "Ehhhhh?!" that escaped her small body. Those words were his fourth mistake.

"T-that means—you thought I was? But I'm not that pretty really!"

"Was that a weird thing to say?" he asked, though inside, he couldn't help but curse himself. Normally, he'd never had said anything stupid like that—not even admitted to thinking it. So why was it so different with her?

"N…Neku…" Shiki took a moment to regain her composure, though he could feel her eyes on him every step of the way.

"S-sorry. I thought you'd like to hear it, or something." His hand eased down to his mp3 player, and he pressed the volume up a few notches. "I don't want to creep you out or anything. I just… This more right for you."

Maybe he'd missed something she said—he didn't know. But, before he knew it, he felt his headphones lifting up off his head. "U-um, thank you," he heard Shiki's voice say next.

"It's…It's nothing," he replied as his eyes darted around—anywhere but on her. "Don't mention it. Seriously."

Again, though, Neku could feel her staring. And that's when he made his fifth mistake—he had to look at her. He froze when their eyes met, and all he could hear was his heavy breathing and the beating in his chest. Not even his music could save him now, for she had seized control of that. Finally, he managed, "Is there something on my face?"

"N-no…"

"You sure?"

"W-well…"

He relaxed as he stared at her, and he kept his voice gentle as he said, "You can tell me."

"Um, is it okay if I thank you for what you said?"

"Huh? Um… I guess."

Nothing could've prepared him for her 'thank you,' though. Shiki's lips rested on his cheek, and Neku could've sworn his whole world stood still around them. All too soon, it moved again as she pulled away. "T-thank you…"

How much time even passed as they sat there? He stared at her as she hugged her doll, cute in how timid she looked, and when she said his name again, it drew him in more. He leaned closer and closer, studying her face as he moved towards her. "Shiki," he cooed, as if his voice and body acted on their own. "We're friends… right…?"

She gave a nod, her eyes latched onto his. "Mm…"

"And," he continued, feeling his forehead rest against hers, "we're Partners… aren't we?"

"Y-yeah…"

Neku's hand reached up, touching her shoulder. "I don't wanna ruin," he whispered, his mouth easing in closer to hers, "what we…" As his voice trailed off, his eyes closed. He could feel her breath against his face—just a tiny bit away—

That is, until a yell boomed from downstairs. Neku's eyes flew open, and he jerked his head back just before making contact. He cursed as he hid his burning face in his knees, though the yelling didn't stop—it only intensified. "Parents," he muttered, unable to even see Shiki's expression.

"Your dad's home, then?" she asked, though he didn't even have to answer—they could hear the argument between Kaiya and Neku's dad loud and clear.

Neku's hands fumbled for his headphones, which Shiki returned to him. "I hate noise," he mumbled, barely audible. His body stayed rigid until Shiki's hands shifted over his headphones, adding another layer to silence the noise. It helped him calm down, though he couldn't help but feel guilty—his sixth mistake was letting her stay long enough for that man to get home.

"Neku, it's okay," she said. "You don't have to hear the noise as long as I'm here." He glanced over to see her smiling at him, her face still holding a tint of red. "We'll fight it together, right?"

"Yeah… But it's not gonna stop. I don't have any pins." His gaze fell to the doll in Shiki's lap—Mr. Mew. "He doesn't move anymore, either…"

"Sure he does." Shiki's hands moved away, and she held Mr. Mew up. She spun him in a small dance and said, "See?" Next, her deft fingers grabbed the doll's leg and held it out in a kick. "He'll fight anything off for you."

Neku let out a slight laugh as a smile caught his lips. "Heh… Stupid pig." He then took the doll and turned it to its owner. "You're protecting the wrong person."

"Not if I ask him to protect you instead."

"It hurts my pride that a stuffed animal is tougher than I am," Neku joked.

The girl pushed her doll over, wrapping the cat's arms around Neku's neck in a hug. "You're pretty strong, too."

That kindness destroyed any worries about the noise coming from below. Neku gave the plush cat a small pet and replied, "I try."

Though Shiki kept a smile on, he caught a nervous glance from her. He soon knew why, for his heart raced as she leaned on his shoulder. He stared at her in surprise, but she didn't move—she stayed here, with him. And, mistake or no, he let his head rest on hers. "Thanks."

"Mm-mm. We're Partners—we're in this together."

A playful undertone took hold of Neku, and he asked, "Any guesses what today's mission is, then?"

"I haven't gotten a text to my phone yet," she replied, joining in on the joke he'd begun. "Maybe it's a secret."

"Damn. How are we supposed to know if there's a time limit? Seems cheap."

"We can check your hand." As she said that, Shiki grabbed his hand and held the palm up so they could both see. "Looks like no limit to it."

Neku shrugged despite himself. "Josh's Reapers are getting lazy."

"I'd say. Looks like I have two things to get onto him about."

"Wonder if the Composer has a complaint box," the boy agreed. A second later, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Confused and curious, he pulled it out and checked it.

"If you really want a mission that badly," the text read, "you can always retry that dreadful attempt at a kiss you neglected to finish. I mean, come now, Neku. It's terribly rude to leave a girl hanging like that."

Neku's demeanor turned deadpan. Seriously? he thought. You don't come to meet up with us, but you spy on me—now?

Movement next to him drew him out of his thoughts. "What does it say?" Shiki asked, but he deleted the message before she could see it.

"It's nothing!" he told her before going in to rid his phone of its new contact. "Just spam! Spam from hell."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Yes." Another text buzzed—from the same number.

"By the way," the new text read, "I don't have a complaint box, but I'll be more than happy to continue watching you close and personally just in case there's anything of interest I ought to keep in mind."

Neku could only stare. "How…?" he muttered, exasperated. As Shiki looked over his shoulder, he explained, "It's just an ass being an asshole."

The girl let out a giggle and said, "You two are really close."

"Like hell we are. He didn't even show up today." Neku flipped his phone closed. "Prick…"

"Well, he does have an important job. We'll go to Hachiko every day 'til he joins us too, though. After all, I didn't really get to talk to him."

Neku rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure I want you to meet him. He says things. Bad things. All the time. On purpose."

"But he's your friend," she argued. "And he gave us all a second chance."

"Yeah," Neku sighed. "He did." He glanced at her again, Joshua's first text repeating in his mind.

—No, Neku told himself. I don't want to ruin things with her. I'm not even sure what she thought of that—what if it scared her? What the hell even came over me?

Still, she sat so close to him now, and she continued to ramble on about the Game. A small, rare smile lit up his face as he watched her.

I promised myself I'd listen to her from now on, he reminded himself, and I will. So, well—who knows what'll happen. As long as she's here next to me, I can't complain.

In the end somehow, despite all of his mistakes today, he couldn't have been happier with the result.