Episode 11: Prisoner by Generosity

The rain eventually dies off as the clouds evaporate to reveal the warm rays of the late afternoon sun. Shinta blinks when he felt his umbrella stop trembling from the noise of the drops hitting its slippery, blue fabric. He sighs a bit in relief as he pulls the umbrella closed and continues through the docks, trying to locate the houseboat, which had become his second home since his departure from his old hometown of Okinawa.

He heard meowing from the edge of the docks. Looking down, he saw the yellow cat he found in the ally in Yuhi Town bending down towards the ocean, pawing at something. Curious, he gaits over to the edge and looks down, seeing a black officer's hat banging against one of the pillars holding the dock up.

"That's..." Shinta mutters as he reaches down and pulls the hat out of the slowly taming water. A gold pin in the shape of the Ouen Squad symbol hung over the visor of the hat, glistening in the ray of the recently released sun.

Shinta frowns a bit, remembering Hajime being one of two members to wear a hat in place of a bandana. He most likely lost it during the peak of the storm when the wind started to build up. Shaking some excess water from its rim, he heads into the houseboat, deciding to hold onto it until morning when the city isn't soaking wet.

The inside of the houseboat was eerily vacant, save a few Noble spirits wandering around, all of which seeming uptight about Ouen and EBA. Having gotten used to their hatred to the two squads, Shinta decides not to ask questions and heads to the lower deck to the corridors where the Noble Squad slept. He stops at the first door on the left, pushing it open to find the outside light slowly dimming from the sun sinking into the ocean.

Aside from his usual sights, his three-foot, twin-size bed against the wall, the head facing the window, a nightstand at the foot of the bed, and a closet on the adjacent wall, there were two shadows taking up most of the floor. His confused frown increases as he reaches over and flips on a light switch beside him, illuminating the room with a bright light.

Not long after the room burst with light, Shinta's eyes widen in shock, seeing J and Hajime laying on white futons with blankets covering their bodies. Hajime grunts and squeezes his eyes shut to block out the blinding light, his skin no longer pale and his shivering had stopped.

"Haji-kun! What happen!?" Shinta yelps as he rushes up beside where J slept, crouching down for a closer look at the two. Hajime opens his eyes halfway, still trying to adjust to the blinding degree of light in the room.

"Can't really explain..." he mutters, half consciously, "This isn't out of pure generosity...that's for sure..."

"Pure?" Shinta mutters. Hajime remains silent a minute before turning his head towards the Noble rookie, straining a weak smirk.

"I figured you would still be in Yuhi, tending to the cat you found in the ally..." he mutters. Shinta furrows his eyebrows at the Ouen rookie's sudden change in subject. Whatever was going on that led to this scenario, he clearly didn't want to explain.

"KIKUCHI-SAMA!!" shrills a voice. Shinta nearly jumps as he whips around to see Tsuyoshi barge into the room with the yellow tabby clinging to his bald head, purring and rubbing his cheek along its smooth surface, "What is this cat doing here!? And don't you dare claim it followed you home, because I can sense your affection burning all over it!"

"I couldn't just leave him in that ally!" Shinta retorts, "I had to do something!"

"Chii! Maybe if you used an aftershave that didn't smell like fish, you wouldn't have a living toupee coddling your head..." Hajime snorts snidely as he turns to face the ceiling. Tsuyoshi shoots a glare and an aggravated finger towards him.

"Kisama!" he growls, "We saved you from drowning in that storm and this is how you repay us!?"

Hajime snorts again and turns his head away from the conscious party, "Was that before or after you shoved me off the docks?"

"Wh-what!?" Shinta nearly exclaims, shooting a glance towards Tsuyoshi, "Is this true, Moriyama-san!? Did you shove Haji-kun off dock just so you have reason to keep him here!?"

"I call it an eye for an eye!" Tsuyoshi exclaims, "Since they pulled the same stunt on you just so they can make you respect and worship them!"

"How many time do I have to tell you!? What happen at clinic was accident! I was too upset by ordeal to realize it 'til after they nurse me back to health!"

Tsuyoshi grits his teeth a few seconds before the boat jostled slightly. Shinta scrambles over to the window, seeing scattering clouds begin to pan away from view. He whips around to face Tsuyoshi in hesitation.

"Stop the boat!" he demands, "We have to get these two to hospital!"

"They're not going anywhere," said a voice. Everyone turns their attention towards the hallway to see Hayato walk into the room, crossing his arms.

"Senpai! Why you doing this!?" Shinta exclaims, "I understand you want to make Agents pay for ruining our reputation! But did you have to go this far just to get it!?"

"The puffer fish that poisoned one of the Western Ouendan was a complete disaster on Noble's fault," Hayato said before eyeing Hajime, "Therefore, it's only proper that we repay that incident by offering to take him to the Island where Kuroiwa-hakase's clinic is. Common generosity, I'm sure you know too well."

"But what Haji-kun have to do with our vengeance!? He hasn't done anything that would provoke you to harm him just so he have reason to accept our hospitality!"

"Is getting in our way and protecting these Western Ouendan 'not doing anything provocative'?" Hayato meanders over to Hajime and presses one of his blue fuzzy slipper feet against his chest, seeing him shut one eye and wince at the sandwiching pressure of the futon he's being crushed against, "See, that's the thing with life debts. You forgo things that boil our hatred and focus only on ways to repay rivals for their kind generosity." Hajime's aggravated frown increases as Hayato grinds his foot onto his chest, further squeezing the sandwiching pressure, "Isn't that why Shinta-kun is just as distractive as your squad when the Western Ouendan are around? Because he feels he has to repay them for the hospitality they offered?"

"Your kouhai learned to speak and understand English by watching you talk..." Hajime grunts, trembling from the pain of Hayato's grinding foot, "So why don't you stop pretending he has the attention span of a krill and ask him if he's defending the Agents by choice?" Hayato sneers in annoyance, "Or are you so knuckleheaded, like your billiard cube of a follower, that you immediately assume they forced him to respect their every being?"

Tsuyoshi's entire head reddens in anger, "Hiretsukan! You shall pay dearly for those insults, you feral runt!"

"That's enough!" Hayato exclaims, throwing his hand towards Tsuyoshi as a form of command to stop him. He eyes Hajime again, his frown tightening, "Whether or not Shinta-kun trusts the Western Ouendan by will is no concern of mine. The only thing that matters is saving our reputation before it washes away with the tide!" Hajime muffles a frustrated growl, "The closer we are to the clinic, the deeper your suave friend will sink in the cement of his debt to Noble. And this time, Ouen runt, not even your entire squad will have the strength or will to pull him out!"

He shoves his foot off Hajime's chest, squeezing out the air he managed to draw in during the sandwiching ordeal, and heads for the room only to stop next to Tsuyoshi. Without even looking, he grabs the cat by the scruff of his neck and tears him off the bald Noble's head, causing him to scream in pain as he tosses the cat towards Shinta.

"If you're going to keep this cat, Shinta-kun, clean him up," Hayato said, "Moriyama's aftershave isn't the only thing stinking up this room." He then heads out of the room.

"Saionji-sama!" Tsuyoshi exclaims as he runs out after the Noble leader. Shinta looks between his higher-ups, then the cat in his arms before sighing in frustration.


Hayato heads into a small kitchen on the upper deck of the houseboat, taking a tall pot out of the cupboard and placing it in the sink to fill with water. He heads to the fridge to get some vegetables only to find it wide open with a white, furry rump sticking out of the bottom shelf. His frown increases as he reaches in and grabs a pair of long ears, pulling them back to reveal a bunny rabbit holding a long carrot in its mouth.

"ACK! USAGI-CHAN!" squeaks a startled voice. Hayato shuts the fridge to reveal Rin standing behind it, red as her uniform and fidgeting uncomfortably.

She quickly snatches the rabbit out of his hand and cuddles it in her arms, "Don't hold her like that, Saionji-san! You'll hurt her ears!" she then notices Hayato's increased frown and folds her hands together, still managing to keep the bunny situated in her arms, "Please let me keep her, Saionji-san! She's already suffered enough when I found her dumped in an orange crate in the middle of the neighborhood ally! I don't want to put her back in that situation!"

"As long as you keep her out of the fridge, she can stay," Hayato said, pulling the fridge back open to continue his ingredient search. Rin giggles with excitement as she gently hugs her rabbit.

"Did you hear that, Usagi-chan? You get to stay here with me!" she then heads out of the kitchen, "Come on! Let's get you cleaned up so you don't get rain water all over the boat!"


"Come on, will you stop wiggling?" Shinta pleads as he holds a soaking, sud-filled cat on a blue stool in the bathroom. His blue jacket and gloves are gone and the white shirt, with the emblem of Noble on the left breast pocket, he wore underneath had their sleeves rolled up to keep from getting wet, "I know you hate water, but if I don't clean you up, Senpai's gonna throw you out." The cat stares up at him in a pleading manner as he picks up a showerhead, "Don't worry. The longer you stay still, the faster I can wash you off and the sooner you can run loose on the boat."

The bathroom door suddenly slides open as Kaoru stumbles in, his hand clutched around the bottom of his cape as a large, moving lump hangs underneath. Before Shinta could ask, the Noble chief grabs him by the knot of his bandana and shoves him into the laundry room separating the bathroom from the hallway of the houseboat. Another second passes before the yellow tabby is thrown out beside him, still covered in suds.

Shinta turns and attempts to barge back in only to have the door slide shut in his face, "Hey!"he grabs the handles, attempting to pull them only to feel his hands jerk, "I'm not done yet, Kiyuin-san! Open up!"

There was no response aside from the sound of the shower going off. Muffling a growl, Shinta picks up his cat and barges out of the laundry room, "Come on. I'll rinse you off in the kitchen."

While entering the living room, he nearly collides with Rin, scampering into the corridors with a white bunny in her arms. He glances towards her passing figure, then down to the cat, who gives him a curious glance.

"Oh, man," he groans, "We're getting a lot of animals on this boat. I hope Senpai doesn't change his mind and make me put you in some cramped shelter in town."

The cat cocks his head to one side, wagging his tail a bit before glancing down to the floor, seeing a long haired Shih Tzu sitting at Shinta's feet, lolling his tongue and wagging his tail. Shinta looks down as well, noticing the curious look on the dog's face before bending down and holding the cat near him.

The two study each other a few minutes, staring and sniffing the air around them. The cat then wiggles out of Shinta's arms and scampers to the Shih Tzu's side, licking his long hair with his rough tongue. The dog growls in comfort as he lies down and allows the cat to continue grooming him. Shinta watches the two's acquaintance grow seconds before a blood-curdling shriek almost sent them careening to the ceiling of the boat.

"Get away from him, you vermin!" Reika exclaims as she charges into the living room, throwing her pompoms at the immediate party. The two house pets yowl in fright as they split in different directions, the cat scrambling straight into Shinta's arms. Honoka charges after them, forcing the rookie Noble to yelp in shock and scramble to the corner of the living room, using his back as a shield to keep her pompoms from landing on his new furry friend as suds and water flew onto his clothes and the floor around him.

The living room became an area of shrieks, punches and animal sounds as the Noble Girls beat on Shinta with their pompoms while the Shih Tzu growls and pulls at Reika's skirt in an attempt to pull her away from them. Hayato eventually emerges from the doorway of the kitchen, seeing the calamity make a mess of the room.

"What is going on here!?" he yells. Reika and Honoka sharply turn to Hayato a second before pulling away and pointing at Shinta.

"He started it!" they shout. Shinta turns his head to see Hayato before scrambling to a standing position, holding the cat tight to his chest.

"It's not what you think, Senpai! he retorts, "He was just trying to-!"

"Shinta-kun, what's the idea carrying that cat around the boat with shampoo on his body?" Hayato interrupts, "Washing a cat is no different from giving Keane a bath."

"I know how to wash him, Senpai! But Kiyuin-san barged into the bathroom and threw us out before I could rinse the shampoo off him! I was heading to the kitchen, hoping to use the sink as a secondary bathtub!" Hayato grumbles as he rubs his temples in frustration.

"Fine," he said, "Just so long as you don't ruin the living room carpet." He then took his hand off his temple and looks at Shinta again, "And when you're done, take the tray I put on the counter to our 'guests'." Shinta blinks in confusion as Hayato turns and heads back into the kitchen, "Since you're so fond of them, I'll leave you to take care of them until we arrive at the clinic."

Shinta stutters as he looks over to Honoka and Reika, who scoops the dog into her arms, both storming out of the living room, then the cat in his arms before sighing and heading into the kitchen to hopefully get him washed.


Later that night, Shinta pushes the door to his room open, spilling in the dim hallway lights. J still laid in his sleeping futon, struggling to breathe through the paralyzing effects of the fugu, while Hajime continues to lay beside him, facing the other side of the room.

Upon hearing the door slide open, Hajime turns his head over to see Shinta reach up and flip the light switch, exposing a brighter light. The Noble rookie had removed his soaked uniform, revealing a white undershirt and blue boxers, holding a long tray with two bowls of vegetable soup sitting on it.

"I hope I not wake you," Shinta said as he walks into the room and places the tray between Hajime and J.

"My stomach was growling so much, I couldn't go back to sleep," Hajime said as he sat up and took one of the bowls off the tray, "I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast."

Shinta furrows his eyebrows in worry as he flops into an Indian position beside Hajime's futon, "How can you take this so calmly!?" Hajime blows on a spoon full of soup before sticking it in his mouth, "Senpai force his hospitality on you, and the rest of squad want to get rid of Agents any way they can. Aren't you least bit frighten by this!?"

"It's like he said before," Hajime began after swallowing his first spoon full, "The incident with the fugu is completely Noble's fault, so it's only fair for them to pay their dues by taking Jonouchi to the clinic." he scoops up another spoon full of soup, "What happens after that is up to Jonouchi; but it's a daunting bet he'll let Noble have their vengeance, hoping they'll finally understand each other."

Shinta compresses his lips, as Hajime blows on the spoon again, then turns his gaze over to J gasping for air, "When did this happen; Agents helping Japan with their problems?"

Hajime stops before he could stick the spoon in his mouth, looking over to J, "Approximately three years ago. One day, the Agents showed up in Yuhi Town on a much needed vacation, wandered into a disaster in progress and were immediately picked out by the person trying to call for us. I admit we were upset that they were chosen over us; but rather than make a big deal out of it, we made them encourage the person using the Ouendan performance Japan's been used to for many years."

He pauses a moment to take another bite out of his soup, "The following day we got sick and had to rely on the Agents to substitute 'til we recovered. It was then that we realized how useful our alliance could be in such situations and decided to let the Agents be involved in our daily routine. Upon observation, we found out that most of Japan relied as much on EBA as they do Ouendan based more on appearance than style. The only thing that keeps EBA from being fully committed to Japan's problem is the method of their call. Their radar systems only respond to how America calls for them; so the only way Japan could get a hold of the Agents is if they catch sight of them or we choose to let them be involved in that person's dilemma. The routine soon became so common, by the end of the year we'd tally how many people called for us, and use it as a moral to improve our status."

"But...isn't that like pushing opposition to be superior?" Shinta asked.

"Are you familiar with the term 'friendly rivalry'?"

"Friendly rivalry?"

"It's like trying to best others, but rather than shatter our alliance, it strengthens the bond, giving us more ways to help each other without worrying about what could stop us from saving those in need."

Shinta continues stare at Hajime, almost surprised, then looks down at his crossed legs, placing his hands between them.


"Yo! What just happened?" Spin yelps as he looked up at the monitor in the command room, "First J's signal goes out to sea, then it disappears? What's up with that?"

"I can't sense his spirit either," Ryuta mutters, "Something must've happened to him that we don't know about."

Spin stutters a bit before pulling his communicator out, "Maybe I should call him and see what's happening." Ryuta eyes him as he began pressing buttons.


Hajime muffles a grunt as he heard the faint sound of something vibrating on a soft surface. He opens his eyes to see the sky slowly brighten in the wake of the morning sun, then towards the source of the noise from under the blankets of J's futon before slipping his hand in and pulling something out of his pocket.

It looked like a black box with a star on top of it, vibrating every passing second. Hajime remembered J set the device on vibrate to avoid the beeping noise interrupting the quiet sounds of Yuhi Park. He looks behind him where Shinta's bed is, finding it empty, then presses the star, causing it to open into a cell phone like device with a black screen and a yellow oscilloscope.

"J, you there?" calls a voice that made the oscilloscope bounce to its pitch, "We noticed your signal disappear and was wondering if you was alright." Hajime compresses his lips; it was hard not to recognize the accent and tone of the voice.

"Spin..." he mutters.

"Haji? Is that you? Is J with you? What's goin' on?"

Hajime tightens his compressed lips in hesitation, then opens his mouth to say something only to have the device snatched out of his hand. He clambers to a sideways position, propped on his elbow, and shoots a glare towards the direction of the grab to see Hayato return the glance, in the same manner, sticking the device to his ear and speaking into it.

"I'm afraid your friends won't be speaking to you for a while," he began in a calm, slightly snide tone, "They've become properties of the Noble Cheer Squad." He then shuts the communicator before another word comes out of it, glancing down at Hajime again to see his scowl increase in frustration.

"Saionji-sama!" calls a voice from outside Shinta's room. Hayato turns his head to see Tsuyoshi stand in the hallway with his fists behind his back.

"We'll be approaching the Island in one minute," he said.

"And thus hardens the cement around your jiving friend," Hayato said, as he walks over to Hajime and grabs his arm, forcing him to his feet, "On your feet, runt! We need a force field to keep the rest of our rivals from taking your friend before he's well enough to object!"

Hajime muffles a growl as Hayato shoves him out of Shinta's room and into Tsuyoshi's hands, who grabs his wrists and holds them behind his back to keep him from escaping. The Noble leader emerges a second later, holding J under his arm, as he eyes Tsuyoshi, watching him nod, before they head down the hallway, dragging Hajime with them.


"What!?" Spin exclaims into his communicator, "Hey! Hey come back here!" Ryuta muffles a growl as he stands up and heads for the doors of the command room. Spin blinks as he watches him wait for them to slide open, "Where're you goin'!?"

"To reinforce morality," Ryuta said before heading out of the command room.


Shinta crouched on the front deck of the boat, dressed in his now clean uniform, wiggling a cat toy in front of him and watching as his new tabby companion chases after it. He chuckles as he reaches to pet him on the head before hearing the door fly open. Snapping his head behind him, he sees Hayato walk by him with J limp under his arm, followed shortly by Tsuyoshi and Kenshin, the former jerking Hajime in front of him, his hand tightly gripped on the Ouen rookie's wrists.

Shinta blinks in overwhelmed shock, getting up to say something only to receive a glare from Hajime, his soul burning with rejection for his help; almost like he didn't want the Noble rookie to defy his faction for the sake of a rivaling friend. Hayato eyes them before leaping off the deck and onto the shores of the Island, about to head into the country when three, highly angered spirits burned from a family of trees in front of him. Eyeing the source, he sees Atsushi, Kai and Ittetsu emerge from the shadows of the tree and march towards them, the followers holding their fists behind their back while the leader kept his throttling at his sides, his face a twist of anger scary enough to send a pack of bears fleeing for their lives.

Hayato remained neutral as he stood his ground, watching as the Ouen chief stops a foot from him, his height forcing the Noble leader to tilt his head back just to gaze into his frowning, enraged mug.

"I have to commend you for figuring out WHERE we're taking your Western compatriot," Hayato began, "But it's not going to be enough of a confession to yank him from my arms."

"We know what you are trying to do," Kai growls, "And we are not going to stand here and let you shut the Agents out of Japan against our decision!"

"You're still pent up on that belief? That the Western Ouendan will only help Japan when you give them permission?"

"We have been through this before, Noble! Whatever the Agents do in our town is our business, not yours or any other Ouendan that defies our method of encouragement!"

"See, that's where the wool is pulled over your eyes. You're so confident that Japan will continue to rely on you that you blindly believe a small drop of Western Ouendan would only garner you a few turned heads. And that by keeping tabs on that drop, it won't soak into the brains of the Japanese Community and get them to rely on them more than us. But the fact is, by squeezing your little syringe on just Yuhi Town alone, you've created a splatter so big, it's beginning to affect both our squads. You have no idea what those Western Ouendan have been doing behind your back. And rather than listen to our story and put a barrier around your little 'faction', you claim they've done nothing wrong and told us to leave them alone."

Kai's eyebrow began to twitch in increasing anger as Hayato's snidely rose, "Then those Western Ouendan confronted one of my members, not only pulling him into a life debt, but also poisoning him against everything that makes up our squadron. But when we did the same to one of them, you immediately showed up and insisted that we hand him over to you simply because you 'believed' our kind hands will also shove him and the rest of his squad out of our business and our country." Kai's trembling increases the longer Hayato spoke, "I believe the Japanese word for 'hypocrite' is 'nisekunshi'?"

"Kisama...!" the large Ouendan snarls as he pulls his fist back in preparation for a shout. But before he could even draw in his breath, Hajime slides between him and Hayato, throwing his arms out and forming a human shield in front him. Kai jerks to a stop, staring down at the rookie in total shock and anger, then back to the Noble leader who cocks a satisfied grin.

"Your runt was becoming a feral little beast, biting anyone who opposed the methods of your pride," Hayato said, patting Hajime on the head only to gain an aggravated glare from him, "I took great pleasure in putting him in his place. A great tool, this generosity; saves me the hassle of buying a chair and a whip to tame him."

Kai's growl grew louder, as does the throttling in his fist and the trembling in his body, before a louder noise draws his attention. Everyone attempts to look to the source only to see a red convertible screech to a halt between Kai and Hayato, forcing them to step back to avoid getting careened. The hood and windows were pulled down, revealing Ryuta taking helm of the technically modified antique.

The Ouen leader eyes Kai's enraged stature, then Hayato's snobby stance, before turning his head to face his familiar squad, "Go home and cool off! This conflict is between me and Saionji now!"

Kai's frown tightens, "On whose authority!?"

"Morality's!" Kai's anger literally engulfs him in red, spiritual fire, causing everyone but Ryuta and Hayato to cringe and back away in fright, "You have no idea how much trouble your causing our squad by showing up and stopping Noble from lending a hand in this situation!"

"Lending a hand!?" Kai nearly roars, "Jonouchi was just fine being carried by Hajime and the Nobles show up and force them to accept their help! That is not generosity, it is an excuse to make the EBA sever our ties and never accept our help again!"

"There could be more to Noble's interest in EBA than just stabbing their flag between our factions and forcing us to put leashes around their necks! They know what could make us tick and explode in a bonfire of uncontrolled rage, and they're just drawing that line, daring us to step over it and give them more reasons to look down on us!" Kai widens his bared teeth as the fire grew around him, "And the last thing we need is to start a fight between squads that will give others a reason to reject our help and fear their future! Now go home!"

Kai continues to glare at Ryuta, the fire surrounding him blew to twice his height. The Ouen leader's frown tightens as he gets up, sticking one foot on the driver's seat, and turns to fully face him, his aura burning at the same height, but with more boldness in his blaze than what surrounded the Ouen chief.

"GO HOME NOW!" Ryuta roars in a tone that made everyone fear him more than Kai. Hayato's smug grin practically fades at the sight of his counterpart's massively bold spirit and domineering eyes battling Kai's enraged spirit and glare. It was now clear how people kept questioning which of the two is the true king of the squad.

After what seems like five minutes of glaring contests and sizing each other's spirits, Kai eventually shrinks, turns sharply and storms off. Atsushi and Ittetsu watch him go, take another glance at Ryuta's large, bold spirit and stare, then turns and hurries off after the Ouen chief. With the air now overcome by the ocean breeze, Hayato regains his smug smirk, bouncing the comatose J under his arm to readjust his position.

"So, my equal really exists," he says as he moves towards the convertible, watching Ryuta flop back into the driver's seat and grasp his hands around the steering wheel, "And here I thought you were just another hologram that Western runt programmed to trick me into believing that Ouendan actually had some reliability in them."

Ryuta immediately whips around and points an aggravated finger at the Noble leader, "Don't you dare start that smug attitude on me, dawg! I didn't break up your little show to save your pompous ass!" he then thrusts his thumb to the backseat, "So shut up and get in the back!" Hayato's smirk only widens.

"No matter how much you know the outcome of this scenario, you still can't refuse sticking your hot-blooded spirit in our business," Hayato says before turning his head and calls with a stern leer, "Moriyama! Sugita!"

On command, Tsuyoshi and Kenshin land around Hajime, each grabbing his arm and stretching him out. Ryuta's lips curl in frustration as Hayato eyes the Ouen rookie, "Visiting hours are over! Take him back inside!"

"Hai!" the two bark before turning around and leaping back onto the houseboat, taking Hajime with them. Hayato turns his attention back to Ryuta, regaining his smug grin.

"Now that you're willing to keep both oppositions at bay, the only thing he's useful for is repaying Kaoru for challenging his rank." Hayato tosses J into the backseat, climbing in shortly after, "A two-on-two battle; your runt and that Western Ouendan against me and Kaoru; to show everyone just how powerful Noble is and prove, once and for all, who the real motivators are." Ryuta continues to eye him in annoyance before restarting the engine and driving off towards the country.

Shinta and the yellow tabby leaned over the rails of the houseboat, watching as the convertible disappears into the shadows of the trees bordering the population, overwhelmed by what had just happened when Hayato set foot on the shores of the island. His only thoughts revolved around the outcome after J recovers. Will Noble really battle the two squads and force EBA to resign their aide in Japan? Hayato is going out of his way to make the squad well known in Asahi, but he worries it may come at the cost of those who helped him realize the truth about alliance, and the bonuses that come with it.

Sighing in worry, Shinta flops down against the side of the houseboat, pulling the cat onto his lap and morosely stroking his back while gaining a sympathetic and worried look from his small companion. Fitting into the squad was troublesome as it was; to find out that there was more to maintaining reliability than who wears the same outfit or struts the same moves is something that upsets him even more. He decides to wait until everyone goes to bed, then sneak out to the clinic to visit J and hopefully straighten out the misunderstanding before it drops down on them like an atom bomb.

End Notes:

1. "-hakase" is a Japanese formality suffix used to address a doctor or Ph.D.
2. "Kouhai" is the synonym version of "senpai"; the junior or underling of the person most admired.
3. Keane is the dog that appeared in two of Noble's segments, and is the apparent icon of the squad. There was no name for the dog, so I just made one up.