The first day of school wasn't really something Mikado had been looking forward too, and now, on top of that, he'd found out that his school uniform was a bit too small now. He didn't really feel like he'd grown all that much or gotten taller but apparently, he had. The blazer's sleeves were a bit short, resting on his wrist and revealing the shirt underneath. His pants also stopped about an inch above his ankles.

"This isn't good." He muttered. Izaya who was sitting on the bed behind him, looked up from his phone.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

"I think my uniform must have shrunk in dry cleaning, it's too small," Mikado explained with a frown looking at himself in the mirror.

Izaya laughed. "It's more like you've gotten taller." The man grinned, jumping up from the bed and walking over to the teen.

"Do you think so?" Mikado asked and Izaya nodded. "I know so. I would probably say you're maybe an inch and a half taller than when we first met." Izaya put his hands on the teen shoulders, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror.

Mikado was pleasantly surprised. "Do you think I'll get taller?" he asked the older man who blinked and shrugged.

"I would say so, who knows maybe one day you'll be taller than me." He smirked as if he were imagining it.

"Hm, if that's the case my uniform is going to look pretty terrible when I finish school," Mikado said making a face.

"Nonsense. You know Raira doesn't enforce the uniform, you can wear what you like but if you really want one, I'll buy you a new one." Izaya offered as his arms slid around the teen's waist. "Hell, use that bank card I gave you. I know you haven't been using it."

Mikado averted his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to use it knowing it was Izaya's money. "I gave it to you to use, so use it. If not, it's just going to sit there and I'm going to keep adding money to it." Izaya pouted, resting his chin on the teen's shoulder, meeting eyes with him in the mirror.

"Adding money to it!?" Mikado exclaimed in shock and the man grinned in the mirror.

"Of course, I add money into it every month," Izaya said innocently. "You could say it's an allowance since the amount your parents give you is barely enough to buy groceries. Plus, I told you you're mine and you know what?" he gave a sly smile.

"What?" Mikado frowned unimpressed.

"I take good care of my things." The older man smirked, his red eyes glittering. Mikado shivered as Izaya nuzzled and kissed the side of his neck.

"Mh…Don't…" he protested, though he didn't really want him to stop. "I have to do my speech today."

"Hm~" Izaya hummed melodically. "Well turn around then~" he teased and Mikado did just that.

Mikado wrapped his arms around Izaya's neck as their lips met. Mikado parted his lips when Izaya's tongue requested entrance, letting out a pleased purr as their tongues twisted together. Mikado pulled away a few minutes later, slightly breathless.

"We'll buy you a nice new uniform." Izaya smiled. "Sadly, I'm going to be very busy so you might have to go on your own." The older man kissed his forehead and Mikado nodded.

"Okay then." Mikado agreed.

I'd much rather go with you though, I don't mind waiting.


Mikado had been nervous as always about giving a speech at the opening ceremony. But just like the first time he'd done it, it had gone perfectly. He'd spoken easily and thankfully, didn't make a fool out of himself.

Mikado walked through the busy halls towards the notice board where the year's classes were posted.

I hope I'm in the same class as Sonohara-san, I don't really want to be alone. Though, I guess I could make more friends…I doubt it though. I like Sonohara-san, she's a nice girl. Possessed by a demon sword but still a nice girl.

"Oh, Sonohara-san!" he called out to his friend spotting her in the crowd. She turned to look at him, a small smile on her face.

"Good Morning, Ryugamine-san." She greeted him in her quiet voice.

"Did you find out which class you're in yet?" he asked, curiously looking at the huge crowd in front of the boards. Everyone was trying to see which class they were in, if they were with their friends or not.

You could easily spot the ones who are left behind, they looked sad as their friends told them they would hang out at lunch time and that they'll be fine. Mikado knew that wasn't how it went most of the time. Usually, friendship groups that were split up ended up drifting apart, the members joining different groups in their new classes.

"No, I haven't," Anri answered his question. "I thought I would wait until it was less crowded." Mikado smiled at his friend,

"I don't think that is going to happen for a while." He frowned, "I guess we'll just have to squeeze our way in there." The two of them shared an uncertain look before nodding and trying to squeeze through the crowd apologising and bowing to people until they were able to see the board.

Mikado's blue eyes scanned the boards until he found his student number and name.

Ah, I'm in class 2-A.

He looked beside him to see Anri looking at the same class roster as him, he followed her eyes to see her name.

"Oh! We're in the same class." Mikado realised with a smile and Anri nodded also looking relieved. "I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too…" Anri nodded with a small smile. "Please take care of me again this year." She politely bowed.

"O-oh right! Please take care of me too." Mikado bowed in response.

It turned out being in the same class wasn't the only thing that was going to stay the same this year as they were elected class representatives once again, this time, however, they didn't volunteer but rather voted in by some of their previous classmates that said they did a good job.

Mikado didn't mind. It was easy enough to do but they had to have a meeting after class with all the other representatives and Mikado really didn't feel like it. It had been a week but he was still feeling the effects from his and Izaya's anniversary, or rather, the excessive sex they'd had.

Granted for the first week of school, Raira only had half days because they believed it helped student's transition better from the holidays to a normal school routine so even with the meeting he would still get home earlier than on a normal school day.

The meeting was quick and basically exactly like the one they'd had the year before. They introduced themselves and the teachers explained what their responsibilities were. Mikado found the whole thing to be rather boring.

Maybe I should ask Sonohara-san if she wants to go out for some lunch or something. It's been a while since we've hung out together. I've been so caught up with everything that's happened with Masaomi and Izaya…

The meeting ended and Mikado hurried after the girl. "Hey-" he started to call out to her when someone cut him off by calling his own name.

"Um, excuse me! Are you Ryugamine-senpai?"

Mikado turned to see a boy wearing the Raira uniform. At least, Mikado thought it was a boy – he almost looked like a girl. He looked like a middle schooler if not an elementary schooler. He was short with large brown eyes and longish, styled dark blue hair.

"Uh, and you are…" Mikado knew the other teen had been at the representative meeting but he struggled to remember his name. "Kuronuma-kun?" he asked unsurely.

"Yup! Kuronuma Aoba, a first year." The boy introduced himself, his eyes sparkling excitedly. "I was so surprised to hear you introduce yourself! It really is you!"

Mikado frowned, confused. Who is this kid? Have I met him before? No, surely I would have remembered if I met someone as loud as he is… Mikado's memories came up empty and he was sure he'd never met the younger teen before.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't worry. It's our first time meeting, I just learned your name a few minutes ago." Aoba beamed, having noticed Mikado's troubled look.

What the…what is up with this kid? Is he a stalker or something? Mikado shuddered at the thought of having his very own Harima Mika.

"Oh, I see…" Mikado replied carefully. "Why were you so surprised then?" Aoba's brown eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Because…oh." The small teen looked around cautiously before lowering his voice. "Aren't you in The Dollars?"

Mikado felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. He looked at the teen before him with wide eyes, his mouth gaping open. He instantly closed it when he realised.

Damn it, why didn't I keep my face neutral!? He scolded himself. How does this kid know I'm in The Dollars anyway? How much does he know? He thought suspiciously, wondering how he should act.

"What…What do you mean?" he asked but his voice came out as more of a squeak. In his pocket, his two phones vibrated.

"Oh, you finally got it," Aoba said with a grin. Mikado carefully pulled out his old red phone from his pocket and read the message, which was from The Dollar's mailing list that read:

[I'm recruiting members from Raira today! Please let me know how it's going at other schools!] It was sent out by the username Wakaba Mark.

Mikado tried his best not to narrow his eyes. He disliked that people randomly went out and added members now. That was how so many stupid thugs had ended up in the group. He could feel his dislike for the teen in front of him growing already.

"Are you saying…?" Mikado trailed off, looking at Aoba who grinned.

"Yup! I'm Wakaba Mark. I was about the sixth hundredth person to join the Dollars, but you remember how the registration site got trashed and went down? My names not on there anymore…" he looked disappointed.

Sixth hundredth huh? That's when we were still in charge of recruiting members, we only lost control around the eight hundred mark. It could be possible he was an early member but why do I get the feeling he's lying?

"H-how did you know I was part of The Dollars?" Mikado asked, uneasy. He didn't understand how Aoba had found out. The teen gave him a confident smirk that made Mikado's skin crawl.

There's something wrong with this kid… his brain seemed to warn him.

"I wasn't quite sure. But…remember when The Dollars had that huge meetup in real life a year ago? You were there in the middle, talking to the woman that was our target, right? The image just stuck in my head ever since!" Aoba exclaimed.

Ugh…I didn't think anyone would notice.

The Dollars was a unique organisation that increased its power through the internet. They were categorized as a colour gang but the ties that bound the group together was loose at best, yet extremely wide-ranging.

They were connected through cell phones and the Internet— hidden bonds that rarely took physical form. Anyone could be part of the gang from the teenage girls to the housewives you passed on the street could be in The Dollars. The ability to plant that seed of doubt was The Dollars' shield. And the possibility that it was true, was The Dollars' weapon.

The Dollars were a gang with an eerie form of expansion. Their founder was shrouded in mystery, and almost none of its members knew who the leader was. But at that precise moment, the very founder and source of that mystery was sweating buckets at some uncomfortable questions from a random kid at school because he'd made the simple mistake of standing out in a crowd of all things.

"Umm, uhh, you don't have the wrong idea, do you?" Mikado asked, averting his eyes.

"You got that e-mail." Aoba pointed out with an almost smug smile.

"Ah. G-good point." Mikado shuffled awkwardly on his feet as he wondered what to do.

"So you do keep it hidden! Don't worry. I can keep a secret! I'm very good at protecting others' secrets, in fact!" Aoba said, his eyes shining with reverence. Mikado didn't believe him for a second.

"But what was so special about that night? Ryugamine-senpai, are you actually an officer of the Dollars or something?" Aoba asked curiously.

"Huh? No! I don't think The Dollars even have those! I-I'm just an errand runner, that's all!" Mikado protested, shaking his head. He had to get out of this somehow, surely it wouldn't be too hard.

"Oh, really? Well, anyway, I'm just excited to know that someone from the Dollars is so close nearby!" Aoba seemed to squirm with excitement, looking like a small child. Mikado knew he looked younger in appearance too but the boy before him had him beat by a landslide.

Mikado sighed and looked around. "All right. But you shouldn't talk about it at school, and I'd appreciate it if you kept this as secret as possible." His voice was rather curt and cold but Aoba beamed delightedly.

"Sure thing! But I have one request of you…" the small teen trailed off, tilting his head.

"Request?" Mikado echoed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I don't really know much about Ikebukuro. So can you show me around the city?" Aoba smiled brightly and Mikado blinked, he'd been expecting something worse.

"I'm not sure, I don't think I'll be able to...I'm pretty busy at the moment," Mikado replied hesistantly.

"That's alright! It doesn't have to be right away! Why don't we exchange contacts?" the smaller teen suggested cheerfully.

Mikado hesitated, he didn't really want to give any of his contact details to the strange boy. He took out his old red phone once again, thanking Izaya for making him keep it. Izaya had suggested that Mikado use his old phone as a proxy, having another Dollar's account logged onto it and a number to give people he didn't really trust.

They exchanged numbers and Aboa gave him a huge smile. "Thank you so much Ryugamine-senpai!" He beamed. "I hope to hear from you soon!" and with that, Kuronuma Aoba ran off.

Ah, I have a seriously bad feeling about this. Mikado thought worriedly as he walked away to try and find Anri.

Mikado quickly gathered his things and hurried to find Anri, luckily she hadn't left yet and was still putting on her shoes.

"S-Sonohara-san, something odd just happened to me." The teen fumbled as he put on his own shoes. Anri tilted her head questioningly. "A kouhai approached me, he wanted me to show him around Ikebukuro." He explained awkwardly.

It took a few moments for Anri to reply. "You don't want to show him around?" she asked quietly. Mikado frowned,

"Well…" Mikado trailed off as they walked down the street. "I don't really know Ikebukuro that well, I've only been here a year."

Hmm…I know a few places. Izaya's taken me to heaps of places around Ikebukuro and Shinjuku but they're all date spots. I have no idea where teenagers usually go.

"I don't know much either…." Anri frowned looking regretful. They were both quiet people who enjoyed staying indoors either reading or on the internet. "Kida-kun would know…"

"Yeah…" Mikado agreed. Masaomi always dragged us around to arcades and stuff, we'd go to the movies and bowling too…if he was here, he'd know exactly- No! Mikado stubbornly stopped his train of thought. Masaomi isn't here, he's not a part of my life anymore. He is in the past!

"We could try asking someone we know?" Anri suggested quietly as they got closer to park. They thought hard about who they could ask, a lot of the people they knew weren't really fit to ask like Celty and Izaya which they were closest too.

"What about Karisawa-san and Yumasaki-san?" Anri suggested after some time and Mikado blinked. It was probably the best option they had, the two otakus were very well versed in the area but their fervent love of everything 2-D worried Mikado.

They often lapsed into crazy conversations that not even he could understand. They were loud and had no filter at all. But in all honesty, they were the only people they could ask.

"Alright. I think they're basically the only ones we can ask." He agreed, taking about his old phone where he had their contacts. He asked them when they are free and if they can meet up soon.

"I don't know how long it will take them to reply." He said sheepishly as they walked through the park. It was almost depressing, they had walked this way so many times after school but now there wasn't an overexcited blond flirting with every woman they came across, exclaiming embarrassing things and jumping around like a lunatic.

It was lonely but nice at the same time. Mikado didn't have to deal with people looking at him strange nor feel like he was bothering people. It was peaceful and surprisingly nice but when he glanced at Anri, she looked so sad.

She misses him a lot. Mikado realised sadly. They sat down on the bench and Mikado's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Ah, they replied." Mikado smiled reading over the message. "They said they'll meet us at the karaoke parlour at two o'clock." He told Anri who nodded.

"Well, I have some things to do before then so I'll have to take my leave," Anri said quietly, Mikado blinked.

"Oh sure, no worries!" he nodded frantically. Anri stood up and gave him a small bow before walking away.

Mikado sighed and watched her go. "What am I going to do before then?" he wondered. He stood up and grabbed his bag.

"I guess I can go get some lunch, maybe get changed…" he eyed the cuff of his blazer distastefully.


TO BE CONTINUED

Thank you pantlesschibi for proofreading for me! It helps a lot!

Review Replies:

Bloody Rose 16: That's right, Ikebukuro is eagerly waiting for their return.

rinxlenfan4ever: I'm glad you liked it! Thank you, that's good to hear. You do indeed, your comments spur me on for sure. That's good, I hope you enjoyed this one too!