A nice hot summer day, ah, seems all too cliche and unreal. But being optimistic isn't all that bad right? There's many opportunities in the day to do, And I'm quite pumped to be honest, even though I don't exactly *know* what I'm so pepped for I just am!

But, Who is 'me' you are probably asking? Atsuro Kihara, your Grade A apprentice of Naoya, and a computer genius and an Otaku! Heheheheh.

In all seriousness, or not, I called up Yuzu and Kazuya today to see if they wanted to do anything today.

Naoya has requested an errand and I figured it'd be fun to do with my friends he recommended I phoned them anyway, The last time we chatted was during school before we finally got a break, It's been practically forever. With Yuzu being free, she shortly contacted Kazuya as well. I didn't mind though, Kazuya and I have been friends since forever, like the beginning of time. Maybe I can even say that I'm his best friend.

Now normally he seems intimidating and nonchalant and indecisive but he's a really cool guy on the inside. But people around seem to think otherwise, I'm not sure why, but hey, Everyone has their own opinions on things apparently and you can't force everyone to see things the way you see it, sadly.

I looked up and speak of the devil a certain exotic color of royal blue bangs and headphones buried on both sides of the hair among his head stands Kazuya Minegishi, He seems to be holding a grocery bag and has his phone out texting someone. My intuition says Naoya. Naoya is his cousin and the only family he knows in this area. Naoya is also my mentor when it comes to technology and things such as that, so that's how I got to know Kazuya through.

"Hey! What's up, Kazuya? It's real nice of Naoya to make us wait on such a hot day like this." I started up a conversation. Even though he didn't flinch or jump, I could tell he was some kind of surprised when he looked up and saw me, "Yeah." Was his simple reply which was satisfying.

"Hm? That's all you have to say, Kaz? How's your summer been? Isn't it finally great to be able to do things you wanted to do but just couldn't due to all the homework and stress school freely gives like a goody bag?" I laughed a bit, and Kazuya nodded.

"I haven't done a lot, but I guess it's been okay."

"Same here! I was just on my laptop all day until Naoya contacted me." And I tapped my foot humming, "Oh yeah, we're waiting for Yuzu, huh? She's naturally quick so it shouldn't be that long." And then Kazuya nodded again, which he had a habit of.

"How has Naoya been doing?" And Kazuya thought for a minute with a grunt, "Very secretive lately. I don't really mind, He's always needed personal space. But it's extra lately, but I have no reason to criticize since I'm the same."

"Time to yourself is needed every once in a while, I guess. Can't say I deeply relate though."

"Ah, I remember that time when you bumped into Yuzu and talked her ears off and she started complaining as you guys got into an argument." The blue haired boy stated and I sweatdropped a bit,

"And it's been the same ever since." I firmly added with a chuckle at the end, "Indeed..."

And then a bit of silence was in the air, It was so warm and nice out, I guess we were both content with the silence we had though. As we both just messed around with our phones, I gave Yuzu a text message asking, where was she and if she was alright, Just incase something came up.

A reply came after a good minute.

'Ya, I just had to 2 go bck and get my bag, Naoya gave me something awhile ago apparently he said 'we'd al need it.'

Typical Yuzu, she typed in such a worry and butchered most of her words, but hey it was kinda a cute trait.

'Oh alright.'

And then after I my phone returned to the home screen, I looked up just in time to meet Kazuya's gaze meet my own he was still silent though.

"What's up, Kaz?"

"Nothing... It's just..." He started, "Your hair grew a bit longer."

"Aha, I know right? I knew you'd point that out soon enough! I really need to cut it, right?"

I really should now that I think of it, then I wouldn't have to wear my hat all the time to avoid most comments on it.

"No, it's not that. It looks nice."

"Oh!"

Kazuya giving me a compliment? This is surely new. But, I guess I won't have to cut my hair then.

"If that's the case, I might not cut it after all. Though your hair never changes, haha, that must be nice you don't have to cut it 24/7."

The bluenette just shrugged tweaking his headphones, and then he said: "Yeah, I guess."

Not a long while after, a sound a footsteps were heard as a voice was heard catching his attention, "Hello~, What's up guys?" The voice belonged to no one other than Yuzu Tanikawa, as she held her bag that was lazily hanging from her single shoulder.

"What's up, Yoohoo?" I snickered a bit earning a glare that could crack anyone's confidence if caught off guard, "Don't call me Yoohoo! You keep calling me that now all the boys at school do it, and teachers think it's my real name!"

"Why not? I mean, it suits you, Yoohoo!" I kept teasing as she growled, Kazuya's soft sigh could be heard within distance as you interrupted our little playful fight, "So, what did Naoya say?" I figured that Kazuya must have been texting Yuzu as well, She did say something about a run-in with Naoya.

"H-huh? Oh, right! I ran into Naoya a little earlier, sometime yesterday afternoon, and he gave me these heavy things..." The auburn haired tsundere made no haste to dump 3 devices out her bag which caught Kazuya's interest but, most of all I think it's caught mine.

Ooh, Naoya, Sending us COMPs[1]? Interesting, but what for? This and that little errand he requested me to do must be connected somehow. I grabbed a dark blue one, the color of Kazuya's hair, oddly, a nice color at that yet mysterious.

Yuzu looked confused so I decided I may as well chime in, "These are COMPs, they are well devices that let you do a number of things, like a portable computer, and a communication device! It's pretty neat if I say so myself. I wonder why he gave us these though... I have one at home already."

"Oh, a 'COMP'? I think I've seen a commercial about these techy things, or something... Play around the world with others, as they refer to as 'Communication Players'." And she picked up a pink one and stared at it in awe.

"Yeah, but we just call them COMPs for short, if we had to say Communication Players everytime it'd be quite a mouthful."

"Great, but what do we exactly need these for? I'm not into these type of things like you are, Otakuro[2]," Yuzu bluntly stated as I clutched my chest dramatically as if I took a bullet to heart, "I'm wounded! I think this might be the end!"

And unless I was hallucinating or something... I think I saw Kazuya in the corner of my eye laugh a bit, that's rare. He usually doesn't outright express himself, but he is unpredictable just like his cousin after all.

"Pfft, Atsuro, you never change." She replied. "But back to the main topic..."

"Naoya told you something right?" I cut her off and she gave a shrug indicating I was right, "He kept it short, I believe he said something like 'You'll all need these'..."

I opened up my laptop and began to hack into the COMPs with ease but however, I couldn't tap into the system files yet, due to an encryption, Of course set by Naoya. This is a test of course! I'm ready to do this. If he set this up and gave the COMPs to us, It's a total message that he wants me to hack into it.

"Ooh! Lookie here, an encryption." I point out starting to enter into the system commands.

Yuzu raised an eyebrow, "Then shouldn't you like... I dunno, leave it alone? It's there for a reason, I don't think he'd want us to go through the files..."

"Oh please, This is a homebrewed COMP of course, and this is a test he set out for me, His master apprentice as the errand he contacted me about."

Yuzu rolled her eyes, "Homebrewed? Is that even possible to create one of those things by hand?"

"Naoya IS a genius after all." I replied with a sly smirk.

And well that's true, he surprised me quite a lot with that too. I wasn't expecting an encryption, "Hm, It'll take some time to unlock it seems."

"W-wait, did we even agree on this? Think Atsuwrong! You can't just hack into it still, And if he is the genius you make him out to be t-then you CAN'T hack it."

"Atsuro-Kun, can crack it." Kazuya chimed in from his silence period and Yuzu sighed, "But that's not the point."

"Just relax, Yoohoo." I say and she didn't really have much else to say, "Here, Let me just check out some stuff, Until then you can take those COMPs guys and check your email or something. I won't take TOO long."

A creepy email was in there, called the 'Laplace Mail' and we all widened our eyes at the strange message.

Good morning. Here is today's NEWS.

➀ At around 16:00, a man will be killed in a Shibuya-ku apartment. The wounds on the corpse are consistent with an attack by a large carnivorous beast.

➁ A large explosion will occur in Minato-ku Aoyama at 19:00. The cause is unknown.

➂ At 21:00, a blackout will affect the entire Tokyo metropolitan area.

Have a nice day.

"What the hell is this?" Yuzu shivered a bit, "This is... creepy."

"Interesting... It's probably just a joke of some sort, I haven't finished cracking them yet."

Kazuya just looked down in wonder as a rustling noise was heard as Yuzu moved back in forth, "That's not a funny joke in my opinion. Good god..." And then the girl slinged her bag, back over her shoulders, "I need a break from this craziness."

I waved my hand, "I should be done in less than two hours."

Yuzu huffed, "Fine, but hurry up!" And she shoved her COMP back into her bag and then walked off as Kazuya just tucked his white and black colored COMP in his pocket safe and sound.

Moments passed by as I hacked it, It was slowly coming by, and I was catching on quick at the complicated code he set up for me, and then I got some access and being able to view a simple folder that was labled, 'Corrupted Folder, Internet Access Reqired.' And I sighed, I didn't even notice Kazuya was next to me as he silently waited, "Internet?", And I shook my head up and down, "Yeeeeah." I scratched the back of my head and he looked around.

"I'm pretty sure there is free internet in a little coffee shop in Omotesando." He says and that peeked my interest, "Okay, All we need is to get there and I'll be able to finally peek inside." He said after a good hour has passed and him and Kazuya were seated, as the bluenette sipped some of his black coffee staring across at a furious typing me.

I met his gaze, "Hm?"

"Nothing, you looked cute all fast typing in a hurry, like that." Kazuya blurted out without thinking and I widened by eyes even wider than the time I read the email that was sent automatically by the COMP, and I could tell he realized what he said as a red hue flashed across his cheeks, it was faint but noticeable.

"U-uh yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's alright, man." The thought of being called 'cute', was new, but it was still an awkward silence. Usually I'd shrug something like this off, but for some reason I was embarrassed.

"A-anywho, I cracked it, now it just needs to synchronize with your COMP as well as Yuzu's." I said to break the awkward tension but failing.

"Y-yeah, I'll uh, text her." And he stood up and walked out the cafe leaving me a light sigh, Lately I've been getting all embarrassed around Kazuya, it was overall awkward, but why was I so embarrassed? I mean there was nothing to be that embarrassed about... he was like just a friend of mine, my best friend.

But still maybe being called 'cute' in general really ticked me.

I never been called 'cute' since I was a kid, I could barely even choke out the word, but I stood up shaking off those awkward thoguths and Kazuya texted me from outside saying where we'll meet up at and I placed my laptop in my bag and grabbed my COMP.

And very strangely...

I think I liked being called cute by Kazuya- no, I think I'd rather have him call me 'handsome', How weird... I really need to stop thinking, and finish up this errand, the day is still young, and there's things to do, right?

Failing to even notice my own red blush a waitress awkwardly just waved and took my money off the table with a pitiful smile as if she knew that I was embarrassed but I smiled back thinking it was just a kind gesture.

Ugh, Kazuya...

[1] A COMP is a Communication Player, y'know, the things used to summon demons.

[2]Otakuro, is a Japanese slang and a play on Otaku, meaning to be insulting.