-Day 2: Friendly Competition-

Another day, another mission—Joshua knew the routine. He and Megumi woke near Towa Records on day two, each with a slip of paper in their pockets reading: "Teach a citizen music. You have two hours. Fail, and face erasure." That coupled with timers already ticking on their hand just led to a sigh from the younger of the pair.

"Everything's always missions right away, sleep as soon as you finish. Can't we have a little free time?"

Megumi ran a hand through his hair to straighten it out after his ungraceful slumber. "How are we supposed to teach someone music, though?"

"Well, you like music, don't you?" Joshua asked, his eyes flickering to a pair of headphones resting around the elder man's neck. "Know how to play?"

"I do, but—"

"Splendid. I'll leave this one to you, then," the Composer candidate said with a grin, holding a hand up in a wave. "I'm going to play hooky."

Megumi took a step back, surprised. "Hooky? But—we need to stick together, or the Reapers—"

"Relax, it'll be fine. Just go inside a shop, grab a guitar, and play something. The Reapers will leave you alone in there. ...Probably."

The man frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest—after working one week with Joshua, part of him was familiar with the child's whims, while the other part of him begged to be the voice of reason. "What about you, then? You can't fight without me."

"I'll just avoid them. I'm headed to do some shopping, so I'll enter a store with a decal, too."

"Shopping? At a time like this?" Megumi's deadpan stare broke through his shades, but that only made Joshua's grin grow wider.

"Of course. The Game's more fun with shopping, don't you think?"

"We only have two hours, though. How are we—how am I supposed to find someone that wants to learn music in such a short time?"

"It's a music store—people come here all the time interested in learning more. Just find a nice, young, impressionable kid." Joshua's purple eyes wandered past his Partner to stare at the people going in. A pair of boys no older than eight entered first, and the Player shook his head. "Older than that. Maybe a teen? And we have a few memes—you could try imprinting someone out here with that simple 'music' one to get them to head in. What about that guy?" He nodded to a boy with spiky yellow hair, his dark clothes to give an almost punk-ish feel to him. He played with the skull choker around his neck as he listened to music, his fingers tapping to the beat.

"I suppose I could try that," Megumi drawled, adjusting his shades. Even with his eyes hidden, he held his nose up as he studied the living boy. "He does seem like the type to start a band."

"I'll leave it to you, then. See you in the morning." Joshua gave his Partner one last pat on the back before heading on towards Miyashita Park. He checked his phone on the way, only to find a few missed calls. He'd already noticed it buzz while he'd been taking pictures the previous day, so he expected that. Still, this was something to discuss in person. Keeping his senses open, Joshua watched for Reapers or the Noise they would summon if they saw him alone.

How many years had it been now since he first stepped foot in that café? He couldn't remember. He just knew he'd been really young when he decided to wait there for his parents, grabbing a cup of coffee with the money they'd left him.

Joshua soon reached the most difficult part of his journey: Miyashita Bridge Underpass. He had only one path to go there, and he found it teeming with Noise facing the other way. They all turned at once, as if sensing him. Well, it wasn't like he had anything to lose anyway—failure simply meant erasure, and at least then he wouldn't have to deal with this exceeding boredom. So with a smirk, he rushed in, jumping to the side to dodge an attack.

Two different frogs came at him from opposite sides. He ducked down, and they ran into each other. That, however, left him open for an Alterna Wolf to rush by, tearing at his arm. Joshua cringed and held his arm, backing up against the wall so he could capture all the Noise in his line of vision. He hadn't even made it halfway yet.

"Watch out!" Just before the Noise could leap at their prey again, a slash shot through them like a sword's blade. A teenage girl with long, red hair tied up in a ponytail followed through, holding up a pin as she prepared another attack. "Katsu, you've got the boy."

Joshua blinked, staring at the two Players that had come to his "rescue"—not that he'd needed them. He had the situation perfectly under control. Despite their help being unwanted, though, the other one of the pair, a boy who appeared a year or two older than Joshua, hurried over with a recovery pin. "Hold still," he instructed as he concentrated on the younger boy's wound. The blood cleared and the cut healed, as if it'd never been there. Joshua crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. Fine, if these two wanted to butt in, he'd let them handle all the sweat.

The elder boy breathed easy, staying next to Joshua while he watched his Partner. "Good thing we found you," he said. "Where's your Partner?"

"Likely where you two should actually be," Joshua replied, shrugging. "I'm taking a coffee break."

"You're Yoshiya Kiryu, aren't you? Also known as Joshua." That caught Joshua's attention.

"You know my name, but I'm afraid I don't know yours. I haven't kept up with who's all died after me. I've been way too busy playing Games, you see," the boy said with a chuckle.

"I'm Katsu. Katsu Nishimura. I'm something of a fan of yours," the healer told him with a smile. "It's rare to find someone else my age in the upper class with definite family problems. That's why you killed yourself, isn't it?"

Nishimura? Joshua considered a moment, recognizing the name. Soon enough, it clicked—their family ran a large pharmacy. Joshua remembered meeting the three children once when his parents had a business meeting with the owners of the store, but he barely paid attention to them. He only remembered two boys with one girl between them in age.

"I thought it'd be fun," Joshua answered, a hand under his chin as he feigned innocence. "It's not every day you put a bullet in your own brain!"

"Haha, you're pretty brave—and popular now. Not that you weren't before, being the sole heir to the Kiryu advertising firm, but the news is all over it now. I heard your mother's trying to claim it was an accident, but most aren't biting." Katsu's gaze stayed on his Partner as she fought the Noise, and he closed his green eyes to heal her as he continued talking. "One new reporter's gotten pretty popular by showing the mother-son bond Mrs. Kiryu talks about."

Joshua's expression grew dull, and the other held up his hands. "N-not that it really matters! You're part of Eden's Game now, right? That means you're trying to become the Composer."

"So are you and your Partner," Joshua pointed out. "Wouldn't it be better to let the competition die?"

"That's just what the Reapers want," the girl spoke up as she finished the last of the Noise. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before going over to greet Joshua, too. "I'm Akane, and I don't know about you, but I think we Players need to stick together right now." She shot Joshua a daring grin, as if challenging him. "Well, I'm still going to win the points award, but they never said any others who survive will be erased, right? I'm sure you could all become my new Reapers."

"I see you two have already worked out who's becoming Composer and Conductor if you win. Though that's a big if."

"Don't think you're going to beat me, shrimp," the girl joked. "I just saved your ass."

"That's debatable," Joshua quipped right back at her.

"Debatable?" She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Careful, brat, or I'll show you a 'debatable' black eye."

"Don't be so rash, Akane," Katsu attempted as he placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder. That made the boy jump—no one ever touched him. His mother had always placed him on too high a pedestal for that. "Joshua here was just having a bit of fun with the Noise. Right?" He then smiled down at the other for confirmation.

Joshua folded his arms, shrugging his shoulder away. "Naturally. Tag should be a part of anyone's sport repertoire."

Akane stared at them a moment before sighing and holding a hand to her head. "Oh my gosh, I've found two complete weirdos."

The youngest chuckled. "Aww, you're too kind."

Katsu also let out a little laugh, but he brushed off the subject by saying, "C'mon. We'll escort you so you aren't attacked by more Noise. Where are you headed?"

"Just to get some caffeine in my system," Joshua answered, settling with a half truth. "It's so hard waking up and going straight to work." He had to lose them somehow, though, so turning sly, he went further to say, "If you two really want to come with me, I suppose I could let you buy me a cup. I've never been on a triple date before, so I'm not sure how paying should work."

With a huff, the girl led the way towards Cat Street—she must've seen him headed in that direction before. "Now I'm definitely not letting you score more than me," she complained as she stretched her arms. "You'd make Shibuya even crazier than it already is."

"Even crazier?" Joshua asked as he followed. "I don't follow."

"The Composer's like Shibuya's god or something, right?" she reminded. "I don't know if you've noticed, but there've been a number of psychos and shady people around recently. People that prey on the weak and never let up until they're run bone dry." She stepped out into the light, staring up at the sky. "All people want it happiness, but it's so far away anymore. This isn't the Shibuya I remember when I was a kid."

Joshua stepped out as well, letting that information settle over him. He hadn't considered the people of Shibuya before. Were they what made it so dull?

"Can the people of Shibuya really change, though?" Katsu questioned as he, too, entered the sunlight, the rays bouncing off the golden streaks in his black hair. "No matter how they act and try to hide it, the ugly faces underneath are always still there." He threw a sad smile at Joshua and added, "Even seemingly close families can hide the deadliest scars."

Joshua knew the truth in those words all too well, and he averted his gaze. Katsu seem to notice, saying next, "But we don't have to worry about that here, right? They can't even see us—they think we're gone for good. We're free now, and they're the only ones that have to pay the price." Katsu then spun around, stepping backwards with his hands behind his head. "So, tell me, Josh. Mind if I call you Josh? Why do you want to become the Composer?"

Why? To relieve his unending boredom, of course. But he wasn't about to answer these people so easily. "Who wouldn't want to become Composer?"

"All those people who forfeited, for one," Akane answered, fiddling with a pin as they walked.

"Not that I care, but why didn't you two forfeit, then?" Joshua asked, staring off in the park's distance as they traversed it.

"It's what I said earlier," the girl answered as she tossed up her pin and then caught it. "There's been a lot of jerks and shady people lately. I wanna put an end to that."

Katsu, on the other hand, shrugged. "Honestly, one of you two can have the top seat. I don't really care to go back to life anyway, so I thought being part of this would make things worthwhile."

"What do you mean 'one of you two'? I'm your Partner, you know!" Akane nitpicked, and the young man held up his arms in defeat.

"Fine, fine. You can have the top seat." He threw a grin and a wink at Joshua, though, with a finger on his lips like they would keep some secret from her.

Finally, they reached Cat Street. Joshua turned to them and said, "This is close enough. You two should head for the mission now." Amusement captured him as he added, "Unless you want my Partner to get all of today's points."

"Ha! We're stealing today's win," Akane retorted, though she then gave the younger boy a thumbs up. "Good luck, Josh. See ya again." She then turned and started walking back towards the park.

Katsu didn't follow right away. Instead, he stepped up to Joshua next, happy as always. "You heard her. Guess I'll have to get going, too... I kinda wish I'd found you first yesterday instead," he joked. "All she ever does is drag me around everywhere—it's so exhausting!"

"Ah, yes. I had a Partner like that at one point," Joshua replied before stopping himself. He didn't know these people—he didn't have to give them information about himself. He turned his distrust into a joke by saying, "My current Partner would've been so lost without me, though. It's like we were fated to be together."

"Fate, huh? Heheh..." Katsu's grin widened, and he held out a hand to shake. "Then I think our meeting was also 'fate.' And I look forward to the day our fate together's fulfilled."

Was that an attempt to be poetic? If so, Joshua had to rate it an F for "fated failure." Still, he shook the other boy's hand and said in a sardonic voice, "Treat me kindly, then." The sarcasm seemed to fly right over the stranger's head, and he waved and followed his Partner back through the park.

Now alone on Cat Street, Joshua could see the Noise gathering around in an attempt to erase him. They had no chance, though, for he rushed to his final destination: WildKat Café.

The bell above the door welcomed him back to the RG, though only the shopkeeper would've greeted them—had that shopkeeper not dozed off at a table. Joshua approached and, with a softer smile than normal, pinched the man's nose.

The owner woke with a startle, muttering, "Kotone?" as he stuffed his usual small shades on and turned his head up.

"Huh. That's a new one," Joshua commented. "Don't tell me you've actually been seeing someone these past few weeks."

Sanae Hanekoma, owner of the WildKat Café, gave the boy a grin. "Hey, Josh! It's about time! Did you get my messages?"

"I saw your calls, but I didn't bother to listen to the messages," the boy replied. "Didn't have time. And anyway, you're avoiding the question."

"Nah, nothing really new. Just an old friend I was talking to the other day."

"An old friend whose name you're muttering in your sleep?" Joshua put a hand to his chin in question, far too interested in this subject to let it drop. "And here I thought you were the old hermit who doesn't go out enough for social relationships, much less romance."

With a sad smile, Hanekoma pushed himself up and walked over to the espresso machine. "Enough about my past. Want the usual?"

"Of course." Joshua took a seat at a table by the window, where he used to always sit when he was alive. Back then, he could only watch the Players in the Game, wondering what it was like—and imagining all the fun he could have if he joined.

Soon enough, Hanekoma set a cup of coffee down in front of the boy, who noted the feathery latte art before he took a sip. "Where's your Partner?" the barista asked.

"He's doing the mission. I thought I'd drop by while I'm close enough to the area since you've tried calling me more than enough times."

Hanekoma sat down across from the boy, a frown on his face. "Josh, do you know what you've signed up for this time?"

Instead of answering, though, Joshua blinked in surprise. "...You know?"

"I have my sources. Becoming the Composer, leading Shibuya—it's not all it's cracked up to be," the man continued. "The Composer's bound by more rules than the Reapers beneath him or her. For you, it'd be like escaping one cage only to enter another."

Joshua took a sip as he considered it. Upon setting the cup down, he asked, "Would you be one of those people?"

"Me? Well..." The elder hesitated. Now that Joshua had begun participating in the Game, he had more questions than answers about the man he thought he knew well. What was his role in it, and how did he know so much about the Game? And now he knew about Joshua's entrance into the competition for Composer—something no one else should know.

Hanekoma lowered his gaze, a sad smile on his face. "You know I'll always stay by your side, Josh, no matter what path you take."

"Then you should know me better." Joshua turned his head away and stared out the window. "There's nothing else left for me besides this."

To that, the man paused a moment. Finally, he questioned, "Do you understand what it really means to be Composer? What exactly the Composer does for Shibuya..."

"Strictly speaking, the Composer's the ruler of the dead," Joshua said as he drew his finger along his cup's rim. Four Games had already given him plenty of knowledge, as well as a decent search for the Composer all around Shibuya. "The Composer uses the Reaper's Game to decide what Souls are worthy for what fate, be it returning to life, becoming a Reaper, or being erased in the end regardless. And the Composer can rewrite memories to bring someone back should they choose to—they can do anything within the confines of Shibuya."

Hanekoma nodded. "Yeah, but you could also say that the Composer is like the heart of Shibuya—Shibuya's very own life source in one person. The mental and emotional stability of the Composer affect the city in ways most don't realize."

Joshua blinked, remembering what Akane said about the people roaming Shibuya's streets these days. With a hand on his chin, he questioned, "Then the current Composer's mental stability is off?"

"That would be a reasonable conclusion," the barista answered. "It's been like this for years, really, so I can't argue that Shibuya doesn't need a new leader. It needs a protector to give it life again."

"Sounds like quite the challenge. I'm not sure Mr. GM-Conductor can handle it."

"Josh, this position requires a certain amount of compassion..."

"Are you saying I'm not compassionate?" Joshua joked with a smirk. "I used to feed a stray cat, you know."

The man knew Joshua better than that, though, and stressed, "Josh, if becoming the Composer meant the other Players and Reapers in this Game were collateral damage, what would you do?"

Joshua frowned. He hated those sorts of questions, and this guy knew that. He never got to interact with many people before his death, which affected him even now. But instead of dealing with any stress or anxiety social interactions might've caused, he chose to hide behind jokes and an aloof mask.

That mask cracked for a moment, though, as the young Player considered the people he knew in Eden's Game so far. The two he'd met today—Katsu and Akane. The former was far too strangely nice, while the latter seemed like the foolish type to fight for the weak. Then Megumi, his Partner—the one who stood by him even if it meant going into a new Game. But for what, exactly? What did all of them want, and why were they so nice and accepting of him? Try as he might, he couldn't understand their worlds, but the thought of ending them before he found out more put a bad taste in his mouth.

"We don't really know what will happen to the Players that survive, but don't score high," Joshua pointed out, deciding to shrug off the inquiry. "I just have to make the highest score and let them do what they want. Besides, it's pretty much either finish this somehow or let myself be erased—and that's simply no fun if I let someone else do it."

"Josh..."

Both of them knew the truth, though: he had already joined in, so he had no other option but to play. The boy showed the elder his blank hand. "Looks like my Partner finished the mission." Joshua then rubbed his eyes, trying to fight off the sleep that beckoned him to the end of this day. "I may or may not stop by here again this Game, but you better bring me a cup of coffee when I'm the Composer."

For a brief moment, Hanekoma saw a smile that reminded him of the innocent boy that used to stop by his shop. That smile faded as Joshua fell to sleep, and the man caught him before he could slip out of his seat.

Soon, Joshua would be transported away to sleep the rest of the day, until time for the next mission. For the time being, though, he seemed like no more than a normal, living kid, albeit colder to the touch. With a sigh, Hanekoma picked him up and moved him over to a booth to wait until the Reapers collected him.

"I'm sorry, Josh."