Enigma here. So, this is just something I decided to write out before I forget the idea. Perhaps, later, I'll attempt to wrte more oneshots, maybe even tie them all together, but until then, this is all there is. I hope you enjoy, and please review when you are done. Thank you.
###
Mr. Mew knew exactly how lucky he's been. He held a large gratitude, even if it's somewhat reluctantly, to the Composer. Granted, said Composer was messing around with his master's life a lot more than…well, truth to be told, Mr. Mew would prefer if the Composer never screwed around with his master to begin with. But what's past is past, and Mr. Mew grudgingly admits that, thanks to the Composer, he's still animated and well. He can continue watching over his master.
Speaking of his master, she nearly screamed and rolled off her bed when she saw him jump down from her desk and slide down the bedpost before leaping on top of her stomach and settling himself into a comfortable position. The Composer was quick to send a long, detailed text to his master, though, and her shock quickly subsided. She spent the rest of her nap time pouting and telling him exactly how mean he is for startling her like that, but Mr. Mew didn't mind. Even stuffed animals deserve some love and attention, and he was certainly enjoying his. Besides, it gave Master something to think about outside of reflecting back on the recent trials and hardships she had to endure.
###
Mr. Mew found it interesting that his Master happened to live on the outskirts of Shibuya. After all, what was the chance that a person chosen to play the Game would also happen to live right around the city the Game is hosted in? Not that he was going to complain, Master definitely needed any sort of advantage she could get back then.
To be specific, Master seemed to live near what was called Cat Street, near the northeastern side of Shibuya. It seemed that Master actually knew Cat Street rather well, seeing that she takes the bus from there into the heart of Shibuya. In fact, to celebrate her return from the dead, she decided to visit that café that opened up on Cat Street somewhat recently. Apparently, she had been dying to see what it was like, but there had always been something or another that had been getting in her way.
So, with Mr. Mew in her arms, Shiki dashed away to the café in Cat Street, giving a hurried goodbye to her parents. Mr. Mew found it a bit strange that her parents of all things didn't question how their daughter came back from the dead, but he wasn't going to question it. Things were only simpler that way. Master didn't seem too bothered about it, so maybe she knew the reason behind it, or maybe she was just hiding things from him. Maybe both. But he could dwell on such things later.
Master, being one who was accustomed to the life in Shibuya, was always looking for bargains. Thus, it was no surprise to Mr. Mew that the first thing she saw when she reached the café was the dry eraser board propped outside on a wooden easel, the words "Today's Special," plastered across it in a vivid, fiery red.
"Hm, looks like it's the sugar-glazed donuts today," she mused. "Well, I don't think I can eat 'half dozen' donuts. I don't even know if I eat donuts that often. But I can indulge myself for fifteen hundred yen, right?"
"Without a second thought, she bounded into the café, sliding herself right into one of the seats in front of the counter. "Hello, I'll like today's special, please."
"Oh, a new customer! Welcome to…wait…"
Mr. Mew definitely recognized that voice. From Master's gasp and the act of putting her hand towards her mouth, she must've recognized it as well.
"…Mr. H?"
'I've been told that's my name, yes," He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "What did you say you wanted again, Shiki?"
"Today's special," Master suddenly frowned, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Wait. How did you know I'm Shiki?"
"Some things just come with the job…like knowing the whole incident involving your entry fee."
"…I see."
Oh, dear. Now his master looked completely dejected. Obviously she hadn't goteen over that whole…predicament, not that Mr. Mew could blame her. Making sure that nobody was around to see anything that might "potentially" give them a heart attack, Mr. Mew began squirming around in Master's arms, trying his best to do something, anything, to distract her. In this case, that meant playing around with stray locks of her hair.
"Joshua's work, I presume," Mr. H noted, not seeming to be the least bit surprised.
"That's his name?"
"If we're talking about the same pretty boy who has a habit of messing with other people…yes."
"I see," Master said wistfully, stroking Mr. Mew's head with her free hand. "I don't know what he was doing, but…he sent me back, and left me with Mr. Mew, so I guess I should be…wait. What about everyone else?"
"Ah, don't worry about them, they're all safe and sound in the RG as well, Even Phones, who…well, we all saw what kinda happened there," Mr. H disappeared behind his counter. "Say, let's talk this over donuts. Today's special, right? My treat."
Mr. Mew was therefore stuck with lying on the counter like the stuffed animal he was supposed to be, in case anyone did come into the café, and watch Master and Mr. H eat donuts.
Stuffed animals can't eat, so no donuts for him. He wanted one though.
"Anyways, as I was saying, Phones and Beat are fine. Joshua sent them back to the RG with you. Hell, he even sent back Beat's sister, though not with her entry fee. Even the Composer can't help it if the Player loses."
"Wait, does that mean Rhyme will never get her memories back?"
"…Actually…that was her brother's entry fee. So Rhyme's memory is safe and sound. What she did lose though, well…how do I put this…it'll be like you forgetting about design and fashion."
"Her entry fee was her ambitions?"
"Close enough. All of her dreams, to be exact," Mr. H sighed as he nibbled on a donut. "It is a bit of a shame, I have to admit."
Silence ensured after that tidbit of information. Master was staring at the donuts as if they were actually horrible and deadly stalks of broccoli in disguise. Wait, she might actually like that, but at least it sounded unappealing to Mr. Mew, and that's what counted, right?
In any case, Mr. H noticed Master's sudden reluctance to eat as well. "Hey, hey, it could've been worse. At least things like dreams can be replaced. It happens all the time. People take up one dream just to drop it for another. Rhyme will do the same, she'll simply reach for new dreams. Hell, if she's lucky, she might even end up rediscovering them, it's certainly possible."
Master continued to look at the donuts dejectedly.
"…Come on, Shiki," Mr. H started scratching his neck again as he struggled to think of what to say next. "I'm going to feel real stupid if I end up eating my own donuts when I was supposed to be treating someone else. What's on your mind this time?"
"Well, you know, just wondering how everyone is…and if I'll ever see them again," Master muttered the last bit under her breath. Mr. Mew only heard her because of his inert "cat" senses, though seemed that he wasn't the only one to possess such senses
"Shiki, why do you have to worry about all the problems that can be easily answered, of all things?" Mr. H grumbled as he reached for another donut. "You live in Shibuya. S-H-I-B-U-Y-A. Well, close enough that you'll be attending your first year of high school here, right? In any case… just about EVERYONE in Japan comes to Shibuya eventually. It's unavoidable, this place is a freaking people's magnet. You're bound to bump into them again, one day. It could be tomorrow, a week, months, years, who knows? I know it's not much, but it's something, right? Besides, you and Phones had a promise, remember? I understand if he might be a cold, harsh anti-socialist at times, but he isn't the type to forget promises. Or break them. So cheer up and have a donut, will you?"
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes~" Mr. H wagged a donut in front of Master tantalizingly. It was all Mr. Mew could take just to keep himself from leaping onto the donut. Unfortunately for him, people had just entered the shop, so he had to stay still.
Shiki took the donut that was dancing in front of face and began munching on it, her face still somewhat dejected, or at least in a state of deep concentration. Mr. H moved on to serve the other customers, and Mr. Mew continued to struggle with his own internal self control. It's a donut, what would one expect?
"Mr. H, do you have any boxes or something I could put these donuts in? I don't feel particularly hungry," Shiki said eventually.
"Hm? Leaving me already? You're making me feel sad, Shiki."
"But I ate one donut here already… I thought that would make you feel happier."
"I'm kidding, Shiki," He laughed as he took out the box and put the donuts in it before closing the box with a crisp click. "You'll find them again, I promise. I don't promise things like this often, just so you know."
"Yeah, I figured. Thanks!" Shiki waved goodbye, holding Mr. Mew with the waving hand and the donut box in the other.
"Any time, Shiki. Come again!"
###
Mr. Mew quickly became well acquainted with one of Master's most prominent possessions: her bag. For some reason, Master was apparently not allowed to carry him around in this place called "school," which he heard Mr. H mention but didn't really stop to think about it. Specifically, his presence in "class" was "distracting." It only took twenty minutes before the bag was a very familiar place to him. That may have sounded a bit impressive, but Mr. Mew thought anyone would've managed the same if they were stuck into a bag and had nothing better to do then just stare at everything in it. Chilling inside Master's bag also held very little appeal to Mr. Mew, so he tried to pass the time by staring at her cell phone, watching the lights' steady pulse.
He idly considered whether or not he should fall asleep right then and there. Sleeping wasn't too big of a problem for him, seeing that neither he nor his master was under constant danger of being erased by Noise any longer, and Master already knew that if she picks up a limp Mr. Mew, chances were he's just napping instead of taking an eternal slumber. At least, Mr. Mew was sure that the Composer had included his sleeping habits in that text of his, and that Master actually read it carefully.
He didn't actually feel very sleepy though, so instead, he took advantage of the lack of zippers on Master's bag to squeeze enough of his head out to see what was going on outside. He was greeted with a somewhat interesting sight. It seemed that class consisted mostly of boys and girls, wearing similar attire, walking around and chatting. The desks, though positioned in an orderly fashioned, were hardly used in the proper manner. More often than not, someone was sitting on the desk itself.
His master was one of those who were using the desk properly, though, so it was easy for her to notice that his head was popping out of her bag. She tried to push him back in, but Mr. Mew simply wriggled back out again, and she shook her head in exasperation.
"Fine, Mr. Mew, you can watch. Just don't cause me any trouble, won't you?"
Of course that's not going to happen. Mr. Mew prided himself on being a good stuffed animal, as well as a high-caliber cat. He gave a curt nod, and his master smiled before turning her attention back to the front of the room.
Mr. Mew would've blinked in curiosity as he saw Master's eyes widen and her mouth drop open into a small O. After all, what could've possibly been such a shock to her that she would've ended up in such a state?
However, stuffed animals can't blink. So he instead resorted to looking to the front of the room as well. And he understood.
Same hair. Same headphones. Same "I don't really care what's going on," face. Same slouching posture with his hands in his pockets. He probably would've dressed in the same clothes too if it wasn't for the fact that there was a strict uniform code in school.
And it seems that he still has the same lack of recognition prowess. Though Master had long since recognized him, he didn't seem to notice her.
Actually, now that Mr. Mew thought about it, this situation was perfectly understandable. Back in the Game, his master was posing as her best friend the whole time. Now that she was back into the real world and in her original body, it only makes sense that people from the Game won't recognize her. Especially since there's little semblance between her best friend, with her brick-red hair and her relatively radical outfit that pushed the uniform code to its limits, and her original, quiet and reserved self, with normal brown hair and glasses to boot.
"Everyone, to the back of the room!"
Mr. Mew toppled back into his master's bag as everyone scrambled around, cramming themselves into the back wall of the group. From the back, he heard some muffled noises, where it seems that his master was being hugged, or more accurately manhandled, by her best friend. The Composer certainly had his work cut out for him, seeing that he made sure that everyone who wasn't TOO close to Master believed that she went on a three week camping trip in a place with no phone connection. Of course, that had some interesting side effects, such as Master being shaken back and forth because her best friend wanted to express exactly how "depressed and gloomy" she was during Master's "trip."
"E-Eri! Please s-stop shaking me around l-like that!"
"But I missed you so much! Who would help me with sewing up my designs if you were off on some camping trip? We can't even email each other because there's no Internet there!"
"But-"
"No buts! We're going to have to make up for those three weeks, so we have to begin working again as soon as-"
"Quiet down back there!" Mr. Mew heard from the front of the room. Everyone's voices, including the two girls', died down as they heeded the teacher's words. Mr. Mew guessed that the "teacher," or whatever that person at the front of the room was called, must be the leading authority. Perhaps this "teacher" was the one who disallowed his presence to begin with.
The teacher began to read down the list of names. There were a few names that sounded familiar to Mr. Mew, like "Mina Kaijo," and "Ai Kyuen." He didn't spend much time to ponder it though, as Shiki swiftly picked up her bag after hearing "Shiki Misaki." It hasn't even been forty minutes in this bag yet, and he was already somewhat annoyed with it. Seeing that his master was sitting down on a proper seat again, Mr. Mew took this time to wriggle his head back out again, trying to look as discrete as he could while giving the room a one-over. Of course, that boy hasn't sat anywhere yet. Mr. Mew knew, since the boy's name hadn't been called.
"Neku Sakuraba,"
Master started shaking again. Mr. Mew cocked his head slightly at her, wondering what could possibly be the problem this time. He saw soon enough though: The boy has set his bag at the seat directly to her left. No wonder his master was so nervous.
"Hey," The boy said quietly, his eyes staring at the desk.
"…Hi," His master mimicked his action, staring at her own desk.
"…Well, I didn't know you were in this school, Shiki."
So he knew. So much for lack of recognition.
"…How did you know?"
"I saw the piggy." He turned to face her, his mouth curving into a small smirk.
Mr. Mew couldn't help but turn his head at the boy, annoyed at how, even today, he still called him a piggy. How many times has it been said that he was a CAT? As a result, Mr. Mew couldn't help but feel extremely satisfied as he watched the smirk melt off the boy's face.
"Um, Shiki, the piggy moved,"
"Yeah, about that…it was thanks to that guy. You know, the one who…yeah."
"Oh. Him. I see."
The resulting silence was only broken by the teacher running down the remaining names, one by one.
"…Hi, piggy?" The boy ventured, trying to break the silence.
Mr. Mew was dying to glare at him and reply, "Hi to you too, spicy tuna roll." Despite wearing the student attire of a white formal shirt and black pants, the boy still reminded him of the sushi roll. Perhaps it was the somewhat rebellious orange hair that did it.
But stuffed animals can't glare. They can't speak either.
Mr. Mew was forced to just twitch as he continued his impassive staring at the boy. Thankfully, his master saved him from having to express his words any further. "Hey, Neku, even Mr. Mew thinks he's a cat."
"Of course he thinks he's a cat, that's what you've been telling him since Day One. It's like that female mammoth in Ice Age 2."
Master rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, I don't want to have to deal with this argument again."
The boy chuckled. "Geez, I thought you would be worried if you'll ever have this argument with me again."
"…" Master simply stared at the desk again. "Yeah…I was…I thought you were…gone."
"That's what I thought too." He chuckled again, though this one sounded much emptier than the first.
"The Composer didn't even tell me…I had to hear it from Mr. H…"
"He doesn't tell anyone anything," the boy grumbled. Mr. Mew agreed: The Composer never told anyone his hare-brained schemes before; he certainly didn't look like he was going to change that habit any time soon. "I thought I was the only one to make it back as well… Say, you met Mr. H?"
"Yeah, I happened to-"
"We will begin this year's first lesson when Misaki-san and Sakuraba-san finishes their discussion," the teacher coughed loudly before eying the two reacquainted survivors. "Oh, and Sakuraba-san, please put the headphones away."
Tuna Roll grumbled in annoyance as he lifted his headphones off his neck with both hands. Mr. Mew caught words like "unwanted attention," "awkward moments," and "embarrassing," coming from the boy as he opened his bag and carefully placed his headphones inside. Meanwhile, Master was cradling her head in her hands, her palms cupped around her glasses so that they wouldn't smear the lenses.
"Thank you. Now, today we'll be learning how the human body is composed of…"
###
Tuna Roll was always a somewhat intriguing fellow. Even when he tries to stick to the shadows and keep himself inconspicuous, he still ends up being in the center of something or another. It must have something to do with that hair of his, which is expected considering the fact that his hair is best said to be a kindle, a flame of some sort, fiery and gentle at the same time. Well, it also does look like the topping on spicy tuna rolls, but that's not important. In any case, Mr. Mew can see why he wouldn't want to be a part of anything. Or, at the very least, don't want to be a part of the humiliation.
It seemed that there was this term called "Lunch" where people are allowed to eat, chat around, and walk around outside the school complex, among other things. Tuna Roll seemed to just vaporize into thin air as soon as the bell signaling this "Lunch" rang. Apparently, he saw the barrage of questions coming a long time ago and left Master to deal with the onslaught all by herself.
"So, Shiki-chan, do you happen to know this new kid?"
"Hey, hey, you never told me that you picked up some looker when we were out on summer break!"
"Shiki-chan is so lucky…"
"Hey, hey, where did he go? I wanted to see what he's like…"
If Mr. Mew was allowed to, he would've jumped out of the bag at this point and scratched everyone within range. Couldn't they see that Master was distressed about their incessant interrogation? Her face resembled a ghost's, and her eyeballs were flying around as if they were in a pinball machine.
But, no, if he jumped out and started attacking other people, the whole school would freak out because there was a "stuffed animal" that was animated and being aggressive. Then he would have to run from steadily higher ranked individuals as they all attempt to catch him, with the eventual result being him sent to a lab of some sort so those crazy people with tweezers can go and chop up his stomach and try to find out what made him tick. That would make Master sad to say the very least, so he dropped the idea.
Thankfully, his intervention was not necessary. As Master was turning a corner, trying to shake off the maggots who were literally trying to leech off her, an arm grabbed her, the hand covering her mouth, as it dragged her behind a classroom door. The crowd voiced their surprise about Master's sudden disappearance, and some people even checked inside the classroom, but since Master and her kidnapper were both behind the swinging door, they escaped notice. The crowd, impatient after a bit of searching, eventually decided to disperse, heading along to wherever they had to go.
Once her kidnapper was sure that the crowd had left, he removed his hand from her mouth, allowing her to speak again.
"Neku!"
So Tuna Roll was the culprit. Mr. Mew wondered why he wasn't surprised.
"Ow, ow, stop hitting me! What the hell are you-"
Mr. Mew wriggled out of the bag just in time to see Tuna Roll sprawled on the floor, his left cheek a bit red and swollen. He yelped and rolled away as Master stood up and attempted to kick in the side. "I just helped you and this is what I get?"
"Since when did 'help' consist of randomly dragging people into a classroom? You could've been some juvenile rapist or a sadist or…yeah! Don't scare me like that!" She folded her arms and pouted Tuna Roll staggered back onto his feet.
"Geez, you're shorter than before and yet the hits still stings…"
"What does height have to do with anything!" His master pouted some more as she scooped up Mr. Mew with one arm. "It's not like I'm that much shorter compared to…before."
"..." Tuna Roll was silent as he heard Master's words. Mr. Mew knew that they all were aware of just where his master was heading with this. Considering the fact that she was suffering from lack of self-confidence to the point where she ended up pretending to her best friend, such bouts like these were only to be expected.
"…Idiot."
Mr. Mew was dying to get out of his master's grasp and maul the boy for his lack of empathy. As if Tuna Roll wasn't any more direct than he had to be. Mr. Mew wondered if the boy ever thought about something called subtlety.
"I thought I went over this already," Tuna Roll rolled his eyes. "'You're you. You're not Eri. You'll never be Eri. You'll only ever be you.' That's what I said, right?"
Master froze as she heard the all too familiar words. Tuna Boy walked past her, undisturbed by Master's actions. Mr. Mew couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Tuna Boy…no, Neku, he's not some Tuna Roll when he's like this, when he's completely unreadable, when his eyes are hidden in the shadow of his bangs. It's at times like these when he's scariest. He was just like this in the game when the going got tough, when he was staring down the odds. When he was given the chance to kill Master…and when he took that chance.
"'Count on it. You'll always be Shiki.' That's another thing I said," he continued. "I don't forget my words. So stop worrying. What's done is done. We're back, Shibuya isn't some wasteland even though that stupid jerk said he would make it one, and everything's a lot better than it was or could've been. And I'll always be your friend. It's another one of my promises, after all, one that I will follow without question to the ends of the Earth."
"…Yeah…"
Neku looked back in annoyance. Mr. Mew could see his eyes again, and that comforted him deeply. It's always safer when you can see his eyes. "You're not convinced, aren't you? Fine, I can fix that," he walked halfway out the door, looking back again. "You coming?"
"Huh?"
"You can't possibly expect me to stay in this stupid classroom forever, do you? It's so stuffy here, it's not worth it."
"But, all those people in the lunchroom…"
"I'm not stupid. Of course we're not going to the lunchroom. Now are you going to haul your ass out of here or what?"
"Ok, ok. I don't remember you being so demanding." Master huffed as she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room, following Tuna Roll up the flight of stairs that was nearby.
"What, I wasn't demanding enough when I was trying to get you to mind your own business in the Game? Oh, right, I wasn't, seeing that you didn't listen to me."
"You make it sound like that was a bad thing."
"Of course, it's my job to complain about everything you do since you made me do some stupid things like taking off…hey! Ow! Stop hitting me!"
"I couldn't help it, I hate loose buttons!"
###
"…I don't ever remember coming up here before."
Tuna Roll looked at Master incredulously. "Are you serious? You've never been here? Have you ever done cleaning duty or something for the roof? I thought the middle school people might've came here from time to time…"
"I guess not. But if everyone knows that it's possible to get to the roof, what's stopping them from finding us here?"
"If people actually bothered to come up to the roof, you'll see them around right now." Tuna Roll gestured out towards the perimeter, which was notably devoid of any such people. "Do you see anyone here?"
"I get it, shut up," Master mumbled. She let go of Mr. Mew, who took the time graciously to stretch his limbs and move around. It's tough to stay still and not do anything all the time. Tuna Roll and Master sat down, leaning on the walls of the small cabin-like entrance to the roof.
"…I've got to say, I never remembered living being so enjoyable."
Master looked at Tuna Roll with one eyebrow raised, wondering what could've possibly caused the normally stoic and unmoving boy to say something like that.
"I mean, it's just…I don't know how to describe it. Maybe it's only because I don't feel like I'm running around in a life-or-death situation for once. It's been a rather tough three weeks. But now, I can just enjoy the music pumping in my headphones, the lunch I packed…"
Master raised her eyebrow even higher as she looked at Mr. Mew, both of them conveying to each other the same message: "I think he's gone nuts." Tuna Roll continued on, unperturbed, as he put his hands behind his head and stretched his legs out, his eyes closed as he bobbed around to the beats that only he could hear with those large purple headphones.
"Watching the piggy prance around…wait, hey, get off me! Argh!"
Mr. Mew decided enough was enough and jumped onto Tuna Roll, ready to give him a good scratch or two. Tuna Roll's reflexes were still fast due to his experience in the Game though, and Mr. Mew found that he was only waving around at thin air as Tuna Roll held him an arm's length away.
"I was just saying how nice it was not to be in a life-or-death situation, and then I get attacked by a piggy. The hell," Mr. Mew's swipes grew even more wild and out of control as Tuna Roll struggled to keep himself from getting hit "No, stop trying to scratch me, dammit!"
He threw Mr. Mew in a sailing arc, watching him flop back down on the roof about two yards away. Mr. Mew picked himself up and dusted himself off, twitching in a very annoyed manner as he staggered back into his Master's arms. Master glared at Tuna Roll, who now had opened his lunch and was munching away, his eyes glaring right back.
"You didn't have to throw him, Neku!"
"Hey, he attacked me, it was self defense. Besides, it's not like anything happened to him besides his fur gathering some dust, right?"
"But still, what if something did happen?"
"You could probably stitch it back, and he deserved it anyways."
He quickly edged away from another blow. "How can you be so mean! Mr. Mew is-"
The door slammed open.
###
The next thing Mr. Mew knew was that his master was getting assaulted by some squealing thing. At least, that's all he could tell with his eyes covered by long strands of red hair.
"Shiki! Where were you? I was getting worried in the lunchroom since you never showed up!" Mr. Mew tried his best not to fall out of Master's grasp as she was shaken around by this squealing person.
"…Hi, Eri."
"What are you doing here on the roof though? I mean, you never came here before…oh!" The Squealer caught sight of Tuna Roll, who was preoccupied with talking to two people wearing very familiar looking skull caps.
"Is it true, Shiki? Is that new kid your boyfriend? Man, he's cute! Good job, Shiki!" The person squealed some more.
"…I can't believe everyone's calling me her boyfriend," Tuna Roll groaned as he returned to his lunch. "I just happened to know her, that's all."
"Happen to know, right," The bigger of the Skull Caps snorted. Now that Mr. Mew could get a good look, he realized that Skull Cap was the one who became a Reaper for a short duration, after Skull Cap Jr. was devoured by a Shark Noise. It seemed the two of them managed to get back from the Game as well. "Phones is in denial, he's actually has the hots for Shiki for a while now."
"Beat, what the hell!"
"Come on, she was your entry fee! I mean, how much more obvious can it possibly get?"
"That's like saying that you have the 'hots' for your sister because her memory was your entry fee!" Tuna Roll hissed back.
"Actually, Neku, that's not an accurate analogy, seeing that my memory is not exactly the equivalent of a whole person," Skull Cap Jr. offered. "But, really, it's completely obvious. Watching the two of you try to avoid something this inevitable makes me cringe. It's painful."
"…Well, bite me."
"Whatever you say, Neku," Skull Cap Jr. sighed.
"Entry fee? What? Can somebody explain?" It seemed that Squealer had caught onto the conversation. Mr. Mew shook his head in defeat. Too bad stuffed animals couldn't sigh, either. But if he could, he would've, because this was going down a very dangerous-looking road.
"…" Master stared at the ground, unsure of what to say.
"…Um, why is it suddenly so silent? Guys, guys? Say, Beat and Rhyme acted like this too when I asked them why were they calling me Shiki and acting as if they knew me…"
Tuna Roll threw the Skull Caps a look. They could only shrug in response. He sighed as he nodded in understanding. "Well, Shiki, it's up to you."
"…Um…" Master tightened her lips into a line in thought. Tuna Boy sighed again at her actions.
"Don't worry about it. If she's your friend, she'll understand,"
"Hey, Phones, what's going on?" Skull Cap ventured.
"Sorry, not my place to tell you, you're going to have to hear it from Shiki."
Time passed as everyone's eyes turned towards Master, some bewildered, some curious, some completely clueless, and a certain pair's being completely mysterious and impossible to read. Mr. Mew had a hard time staying still as he just stared it the floor, his "limp" form in his master's arms. The silence was killing him, even though he understood why Master would keep her mouth shut. Nobody wants to reveal something like, "Oh, I was actually dead for the past three weeks and I had to play some type of Game that was actually a life-or-death 'spirit' hunt in the simplest of explanation. Oh, I also happened to act using your body, that's why people that you were me."
Mr. Mew couldn't take it anymore. He had to know what his Master was thinking. In fact, he can easily find out. During the Game, his master telepathically gave him commands and other comments constantly. This is because the Groove Pawn pin linked Master telepathically to him, as well as helping guide his movements. Master had noted that he "did his own thing," and that was true. Mr. Mew handled the actual combat himself, and his master was the command tower, or the player of a video game. Telepathy went both ways though, and Mr. Mew decided, just this once, to open up again to the connection between them, the one which he blocked, for his master's privacy, when he ended up accompanying her to the RG. It couldn't hurt, right?
It always felt a bit hazy when he's connected telepathically to her. There's also that feeling of being afloat, being lighter than what he actually is. It's only expected, seeing that his body isn't supposed to be completely under his own control during this situation.
"Oh would you cut the crap? Who ARE you?"
Well. That sounded familiar. Mr. Mew heard the words bounce around in his head. Listening to his master's thoughts was something like hearing echoes in a cave, but it had that silent, almost eerie and surreal quality, like staring into perfectly spaced ripples in a pond. He waited with whatever breath he could hold (Even though stuffed animals can't breathe) for the next echo.
"I told you. This girl, Shiki – I'm nothing without her."
Mr. Mew rolled his eyes in exasperation. He can see where this was going to go now. So much for worrying.
"Well…I like you the way you are…"
Mr. Mew cut off the connection after that. There's no need to worry anymore. His master can make up her own mind. And now that he thought about it, he's sure that there was one person who knew how this was going to turn out, and that person didn't need to have a telepathic connection to know.
Master cleared her throat as she scratched her eyebrows aimlessly, trying to think of how to start this off. "So, remember how I was on a camping trip for three weeks? Yeah, that actually didn't happen…"
###
Master did much of the explaining, though Tuna Roll and Skull Caps had to eventually speak up to fill in the holes of the story. Master was stuck as Tuna Roll's entrance fee for a while, after all.
Squealer was actually quiet for once as the dust settled. Tuna Roll had returned to his lunch, the sound of his food getting crunched into pieces being the only sound disturbing the silence. Skull Caps were glancing at each other periodically, disturbed by the silence, but unsure of what to say to break it. And Master was stuck staring at her feet, unable to look up after pouring out everything inside her.
"So…let me get this straight. You were dead for the past three weeks, and your spirit or something has been running around in a survival game. You managed to pick up a complete cutie in the process (Tuna Roll grunted in annoyance at that), watched him get killed by the guy in charge of the game, and then you all came back to life because said guy in charge felt sorry for you guys. Am I right?"
"Pretty much," Master mumbled, still staring holes into the ground.
"…I get it. This is a prank, right? I've got to say, this is really creative, but I don't think it's particularly funny…" Squealer looked around, laughing nervously, hoping to see the people around her confirm the thought. Tuna Roll, however, merely looked unimpressed, while Skull Caps were busy glancing at each other while twiddling their thumbs, unsure of what to say.
Mr. Mew decided that was his cue. He wriggled and pulled his plush body out of his master's embrace, nimbly hopping down to the ground and walking up to Squealer, giving her a rather impassive stare, as if daring her to deny his animated existence.
",,,Tell me I did not just see Mr. Mew jump out of Shiki's arms and that he is not staring at me right at this moment."
"Sorry," Tuna Roll shrugged as he put the lid back on his lunch container, stashing it back into his bag. "If the piggy can move, there's not much I can do about it."
Mr. Mew twitched irritably at Tuna Roll's comment, but he decided to continue staring at Squealer in case she changed her mind instead of trying to end Tuna Roll's life. The former took priority, after all.
"…" Speaking of which, Squealer seemed to be at a loss for words.
Master took the silence as another chance to try and convince her best friend about what actually happened during the last three weeks. "Don't you remember, Eri? I know that you knew I was dead…I heard you mention it during the Game."
"…"
"That day before my death, you told me I wasn't meant to be a designer,"
"…Yeah, I remember…and then…you died in a car accident…" Squealer plopped down on the floor in a daze. "I can't believe this. You actually died…"
Mr. Mew quickly jumped out of the way as droplets started splattering the ground all around him. Squealer sniffed as she wiped her tears with one hand, trying to strengthen her resolve but failing terribly. While Tuna Roll only raised one eyebrow at the scene, Skull Caps were sending questioning glances at each other, their confusion reflected in Master's horrified face.
"Eri, what's wrong? Why are you…?"
"I never got to apologize that time,"
"…Huh?"
"It was the biggest regret I've had during those three weeks. Probably my life too. I mean, you were dead. Why would you ever come back? And no matter what others might say, I don't think corpses can actually hear the words of the living."
"But then, you come back, and what happens? I FORGET. I mean, what the HELL. I talk to you about work and SUMMER CAMP. What a bunch of bullshit," She threw her hands up in frustration. "What kind of best friend am I?"
"…" Master knelt down and brushed her friend's tears away. "You were supposed to forget, the Composer made sure to wipe the memory of everyone who might question our return. From what I saw of him, he's pretty thorough, so it only made sense that you forgot,"
"That bastard is always thorough," Tuna Roll muttered under his breath. Nobody save for Mr. Mew heard him though, and he agreed wholeheartedly.
"Besides," Master continued. "You're MY best friend, and I hope you will remain so for the years to come, because you're everything I can ask for from a best friend. So don't worry about it."
Squealer threw herself onto Master, sobbing yet another storm of tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorryI'msorryI'msorry…"
"It's alright…I heard what you said in the Game, I knew a long time ago. Besides, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was jealous to the point where I took on your appearance. I wanted to be you. I didn't even want to come back to life, because that would mean becoming me again. That's not something a friend is supposed to do, so if anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it's me."
"But that was my fault as well..." came Squealer's muffled voice as she clung onto her friend, talking through the person's shoulder. "I was the one who told you that you weren't meant to be a designer, of course you might've been jealous after that."
"And it's mine for taking your words like that…what's passed is passed, there isn't much use in dwelling on it."
"Hey, hey, Shiki, stop crying! Only I'm supposed to be crying!"
"Shut it and let me cry," Master mumbled as the two friends held each other in a tight embrace under the bright, sunny sky.
###
"Um…you know, I hate to break up this heartfelt scene and all…but, there's only five minutes before class begins again, so…"
Mr. Mew couldn't believe the gall of Tuna Roll, who was casually taking off his headphones and putting them in his bag as he completely destroyed the atmosphere. Seriously, was that kid always out and trying to ruin things for people? He couldn't possibly imagine how Master managed to stand a week with this kid.
"Come on, Phones, not cool. They need their alone time," Skull Cap tried to plead upon the two girls' case.
"Still, we're in school, we're expected to follow the rules."
"Phones, I didn't know you were the type to follow rules!"
"Sorry to disappoint you then," Tuna Roll mumbled, not looking the least bit sorry at all.
"Shiki, I don't know why you have such a cold boyfriend. I thought you couldn't stand those types," Squealer grumbled as the two of them helped each other up from the ground.
"When are people going to believe me when I tell them I'm not her boyfriend," Tuna Roll grumbled as he slung his bag over his shoulders. "I can't even eat in the cafeteria safely thanks to you people."
"Look, Shiki, he even denies it. I can't believe you would go out with such a person," Squealer continued, completely undisturbed by the glares the orange-haired boy was sending her.
"But it's true, he's not…"
"What, you too? Great, so this is actually a case of acute denial from both sides. Argh, what is with everyone in this generation? You're all so damn shy…" Squealer sighed as she picked up her own bag. Mr. Mew hopped into his master's bag as she, too, picked it up, ready to leave the rooftop.
"...Beat, I know you're thinking about saying something. I forbid you."
"Oh, you mean that bit about Shiki being your entry fee for two weeks?" Skull Caps Jr. decided to chime in. "Just saying, that means Shiki is the most important thing to you, right?"
"Hm? What is this? So he actually does care for you, Shiki! I'm so proud of you for managing to catch the attention of someone who cares about you to this extent~" Squealer hugged her best friend tightly, aptly squealing. Mr. Mew wished he could help Master with her fate, but he had already resigned himself to the confinement of her bag.
"…Rhyme…" Tuna Roll threw his hands up in exasperation as he led everyone down the stairs. "Forget it, I'm not going to bother arguing anymore."
"Hey, hey, so that means you admit it now right?" Squealer asked keenly.
"…NO!"
###
Mr. Mew couldn't believe how fast the rest of the school day passed by. He still didn't get to sleep even a bit when he heard the noise of chairs all scraping and being hurled into position as students were all scrambling around, ready to leave the school. He did appreciate the fact that Master can carry him around freely now, seeing that she's not in school anymore.
The trip back to Master's home consisted mainly of Squealer interrogating Master and Tuna Roll about some sort of relationship, with the Skull Caps happy to throw in occasional jibes every now and then. But, despite the complaints Tuna Boy and Master were continuously expressing, Mr. Mew couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness between the group of five. It was hard to explain, but he enjoyed just sitting back and watching them banter. By far his favorite part was when Skull Cap stole Tuna Roll's headphones and ran off with it. Tuna Boy attempted to give chase, but it was somewhat difficult to catch a person on those wheeled-platforms called "skateboards" just by running. In the end, Skull Cap Jr. convinced her brother to give the headphones back, which Tuna Roll held on tightly to for the rest of the day.
Everyone had to part ways eventually, though, and after a while, it was just Master and Tuna Roll walking alone up the streets of Shibuya by themselves. While no words passed between them as they strolled along, Mr. Mew didn't feel as if there was tension in the air between them in any way. It just felt…natural.
Funnily enough, Tuna Roll was the first one to start speaking. "Hey, don't look back when I tell you this, but our wonderful friends are stalking us."
"Huh?" Master's eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious? Why are they…ugh. I'm sorry, Eri can be like that sometimes."
"No matter, I'm sure Beat and Rhyme aren't unwilling victims or something. Hardly," he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, probably," Another silence stretched between them.
"…Say, where do you live?" This time his master decided to break the stillness.
"Beyond the Udagawa Back Streets," he shrugged. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well…just because…" Master shrugged as well. "How do you get to school?"
"I walk,"
"What? Are you serious," She palmed her face lightly. "How early do you wake up?"
"Early enough," Tuna Roll grumbled, obviously not happy with the barrage of questions. "Now, if you are done, let me ask you something,"
"Um…sure,"
"Are you convinced yet?"
"Hmph," Master huffed. "Does it matter?"
"Yes,"
"…Maybe," She grumbled. "Out of curiosity, how does Eri look?"
"…Why are you asking me that out of the blue?"
"Just answer the question," Master stepped in front of Tuna Roll, her arms crossed. He sighed as he considered his options, deciding that it wasn't worth trying to edge pass her.
"She looks fine, I guess…I mean, she looks pretty and all, but, yeah…"
"Ok, now what about me?"
"…What?"
"You heard me," Mr. Mew at this point had no idea what was going on. This interaction between the two of them was starting to get very interesting, to say the least.
"…Why the hell are you-"
"Answer the question," Master scowled, cutting off the rest of Tuna Roll's words.
"…I don't know what you're trying to pull, but if you really want to know…" He sighed before continuing. "You remind me of Yuki Nagato from the Suzumiya series, ok? Bit short, glasses, maybe if your hair was violet instead of brown…and if you didn't smile as often,"
He rolled his eyes after this declaration. "I answered your question now, you happy? Geez…"
"…Yeah, fine," Master sighed. It seemed that wasn't really the answer she was looking for, though Mr. Mew wasn't sure WHAT she was looking for. "Oh, I live on Cat Street, so…it looks like I got to go that way now…" She pointed to a side street to her right.
"Sure. See you tomorrow, Shiki." Tuna Roll smiled slightly before turning around and heading the opposite direction, towards his own home.
"Bye, Neku."
###
If there was one thing Mr. Mew hated more than anything else, it was seeing his master cry. Well, more specifically, he hated watching her cry over that stupid Tuna Roll.
Early in the Game, Tuna Roll almost killed her. She spend a restless alone time over that. Then, it was his anti-social behavior and stubborn attempts to continuously push her away. Let's not forget yet another restless time when Skull Caps Jr. was eaten by a shark. Stupid Tuna Roll acted like it was no big deal.
Yet, she also cried when the game was over, not wanting to leave Tuna Roll behind. She cried when, two weeks later, she watched him take a bullet into the heart, just when everyone finally thought it was all over. Hell, she spent her first night back on a bed crying over that, despite all of Mr. Mew's attempts to distract her from such thoughts. Now that Tuna Roll was back in the picture, Mr. Mew could only imagine what else his master would end up having an epiphany over.
Stupidly enough, he couldn't make himself hate the boy outright. He had done quite a bit of good, after all. To begin with, he is the legendary Player whose tales of heroics and feats were probably flying around the UG even as he thought about it. That alone said a lot. More importantly, he busted Master's case wide open. He confronted her jealousy of her best friend, confronted the reason of her entry fee. He won. He done something Mr. Mew knew he himself would've never hoped to achieve. And that's way no matter how hard he tried, Mr. Mew just couldn't hate him. In fact, he was probably just jealous.
How exasperating. Yet, he couldn't help but feel happy for Master for everything that has happened. He watched, perched on her shoulder, as she lied on her bed and texted away on her phone.
Do u want to ride the bus with me tmm? The stop is on Cat Str.
Of course he knew who the message was sent to. He had a good idea what the reply would be like, as well.
…Fine. What time?
Yes, he certainly can't help feeling happy for her, seeing that she's in good hands.