H o s h i - g a - H o s h i i - d e s u

"I want the stars"

by Lucathia

chapter 27: To Shibuya

Manta kicked the can out of his way, his hands tucked in his pockets. He had already gone to his cram school, which, as he expected, was deserted at that hour. It was highly unlikely that Hoshi would return there, not if he didn't want to be found. Now that Manta thought about it, it was highly unlikely that Hoshi would return to any of the places that the four of them had decided to search.

Would they be able to find Hoshi before their summer vacation ended and the school year resumed once again?

Manta uncomfortably tugged at his sleeves as he glanced down at the glistening water below the bridge. He was currently standing on the bridge that he and Hoshi had stood upon. The sun was high in the sky at the moment, clearly shining its rays.

Manta shaded his eyes with his hands, trying to glance up at the sun. He stared at the sky for quite a while before sighing. He then bent down and picked up the can he had kicked, responsibly deposing it in a nearby trashcan.

After exiting the store, Hoshi spent a lot of his time going through the tour book again. He walked along the sidewalk with most of his attention fixed on the tour book, though he still managed not to run into people. A few of the mentioned places caught his attention, but he wasn't sure which place would suit his needs the best. He finally settled on going to Shibuya. It was entirely a random pick.

So, decision made, Hoshi resolutely shut the tour book. To get to Shibuya, he needed to take the subway and get off at the Hachiko exit of Shibuya Station.

It didn't take him long to walk to the nearest station, but once there, he had to stand in front of the map for quite a while to study which exact line would take him to Shibuya. He impatiently traced the different routes with his eyes.

"Going on a tour?" asked a sudden voice to his right. Hoshi was surprised that someone was speaking to him. There were tons of people milling about in the station, but none of them had approached Hoshi to talk to him before now. Since there were so many people in the station, Hoshi almost wanted to just stay and observe the people here, but he had decided to go to Shibuya, and with his decision made, he was going to go there regardless.

Hoshi glanced at the young man next to him. He was neatly dressed in a white, pressed, button-up shirt and a pair of deep blue pants. A very friendly smile was present on his face. Hoshi had to wonder whether that smile was genuine or not, for why would someone act so friendly to a complete stranger?

Hoshi willed his mind to open a bit to the young man, hoping that some thoughts would trickle in.

He has that tour book in his hands, so he is most likely not familiar with Tokyo.

Hoshi glanced at the tour book he held, which he then stuffed down his bag. "I'm going to Shibuya," replied Hoshi as he turned his attention back to the map.

There goes that tour book. Well, Shibuya. A wondrous place perfect for shopping. Not to mention that it was the location of the 1964 Olympics. What a coincidence. I was going there myself.

"Are you looking for which train to take? If so, I can show you which one to take, since I'm going there too," said the young man, his slight smile still present.

I wonder why this boy is going there by himself. Most people go there either with their family or their friends.

Hoshi looked away from the map. "Really? That would be nice of you." Inwardly, Hoshi answered the young man's thoughts.

He wasn't going with his family or his friends because he didn't deserve any. He blinked at his own thoughts. He didn't deserve any family or friends? Then what was he doing going on this trip to decide other people's worth?

He brushed off his own thoughts as he bought a ticket for himself. He slid the ticket into the slot and the door opened for him to pass through. He followed the young man to the train and into the same compartment. He then found a seat for himself.

Horo Horo stood in front of the stoplights, watching the light change from green, to yellow, and then to red. A group of people gathered in front of the light, waiting to cross the street. He watched the light turn green again. The people crossed the street to the other side. The people on the other side crossed over to this side. And the cycle repeated over and over again.

Horo Horo sighed.

This was so boring.

There wasn't even a trace of Hao or Hoshi or whatever that guy was called now. He jumped from one foot to the other, his feet getting tired from standing still for so long. The people who passed by whispered among themselves, wondering what the spiky, blue haired boy was doing.

The ride was kind of boring as Hoshi watched people get on and get off. Apparently, the young man next to him wasn't very talkative. Hoshi didn't want to start a conversation either. He was fine with the silence.

However, after awhile, Hoshi noticed the absence of the young man's thoughts. Hoshi focused on the man's mind, and to his surprise, he didn't hear anything.

Hoshi glanced at the young man, who had his eyes closed. He could tell that the young man wasn't sleeping though.

"What are you doing?" asked Hoshi curiously.

The young man opened his eyes and glanced at Hoshi. "Just emptying my mind."

"Why?"

The young man smiled. "Well, I have to present a calm appearance during my job. I find emptying my mind very helpful."

Hoshi nodded as he turned his attention away from the young man. It had been a surprise to him that he couldn't hear the young man's thoughts. He had thought that his power might have somehow been sealed up again, but it turned out that the young man had unintentionally maneuvered around Hoshi's power.

The compartment was crowded. The station had been crowded enough, but it was even more crowded in here. When the train stopped again, a few people got off while a lot more got on. A pregnant lady with dark auburn hair managed to secure a ring for herself to hold on to.

The young man sitting next to Hoshi immediately noticed her presence. Hoshi watched as the young man stood up and offered his seat to the lady. She smiled gratefully and sat down. He took the vacant ring that the lady had been holding on to.

What a courteous boy. If only my husband showed as much consideration as him! Geez, he could have driven me instead of making me take the train. It's not like he's going to work anytime soon. The lady put her bag next to her feet as she complained inwardly.

Hoshi took in what had happened without a word.

Ren rested against the tree, his arms placed behind his head. The tree's outstretched, leafy branches filtered the sunlight, letting only a few rays pass through. He slowly observed the peaceful scene in front of him.

Millions of tombstones rested in the grassy, rolling hills of the graveyard. Flowers of different varieties decorated the graves--a spot of red here, a spot of white there, and so forth. The purple haired boy's eyes followed a few of the visitors, watching them place their bouquet of flowers in front of their loved ones' graves.

The gentle wind blew through the tall grasses, swirling around the graves protectively.

Ren closed his golden eyes and opened them slowly.

It was so peaceful here.

It was just like any normal day.

There was no sign of him here.

Suddenly, a young girl's scream sounded throughout the compartment.

"Ah!! Pervert!"

Hoshi glanced in the direction of the voice. The owner of the voice was a high school girl wearing a sailor uniform. She hugged her book bag close to herself, her eyes darting around nervously.

Who touched me? Is it that guy over there? Or could it be that old geezer over there?

Hoshi tentatively opened his mind a bit more, hoping that his power was still intact. He was relieved when the images didn't come. Only the thoughts of the people around him poured in.

Impudent girl. She deserved that! Just look at how short her skirt is. She had that coming!

Oh, I pity her. Who was that horrible pervert who dared to touch a young, innocent girl like her? In front of everybody, no less! That guy must be out of his mind.

Her skirt feels so soft.. I'd like to touch it again.

There. That was the perpetrator. Hoshi focused on the last thought, trying to figure out whose thought that was.

He glanced at the numerous faces around him, unable to tell the different people apart. His hands tightened around his bag. He had heard the perpetrator's thoughts, but finding him among this crowd was difficult. Wasn't there anything else he could do? He felt useless.

Now, all I have to do is get off at the next station as if nothing had happened. But where's my coat?

Hoshi quickly glanced around, easily locating a brown cloak lying on the ground. He got up and picked it up.

"Whose coat is this?" asked Hoshi as he held it up into the air.

A man with short, dark hair pushed through the crowd. Hoshi's eyes swept over him, taking in the neat business attire. "Ah, that would be mine. Thank you for picking it up for me-" He reached out to take his coat from Hoshi; however, Hoshi retracted his hands.

"I'm afraid I can't give this back to you," said Hoshi with a smirk.

The dark haired man's eyes darkened. "What are you, a robber?"

Hoshi shook his head. "No, I'm not a robber. But I know what you are." Hoshi's eyes were full of challenge.

The man's eyes widened before he regained his calm. His palms were sweating though. "I don't understand what you mean. Now just be a good boy and give me back my coat."

Damn, did this boy see what I did or something? I didn't think anyone would notice! I've done this five times already after all, and I haven't been caught yet!

Hoshi shook his head. "No way. I was considering asking you to apologize to the girl, but now I think it'd be better if I turn you into the police."

The man fumed. "You think I was the one who touched her? You're ruining my name! I would never do such a thing!"

Hoshi rolled his eyes. "Don't you know when to back down and apologize? You've been caught. You have no way out of this. And I know you're the perpetrator-" Hoshi glared at the man, "-and that you've done this five times already!"

The man's mouth dropped. "How..." The dark-haired man had entirely lost the battle.

Seeing that Hoshi had won the verbal battle, the train's specialized security guards came by soon after to take the dark-haired man to the police station at the next stop. The high school girl bowed quickly to thank Hoshi, a slight blush appearing on her face.

Yoh entered the convenience store, the tiny bells above the door jingling to welcome him. This time, he didn't head towards the racks of CDs, though they were very inviting. Instead, he headed towards the store clerk, hoping that he'd be able to tell him something.

"Um...er...tenin-san, has a boy who looks a lot like me come into this store recently?" asked Yoh hesitantly. He then added, "He has longer hair though."

Cutter muttered, "You bet he came in! What's wrong with you two? Do you like to confuse people or what? Anyway, he came in to buy a tour book of Japan, but he started kneeling on the floor when he was about to pay. Dunno what was wrong with him, but he left very quickly after that."

Yoh's heart beat faster. "Really? Do you know where he went after that?"

Cutter shook his head.

Yoh's hopes sank. Everyone forgiving Hoshi was one thing. Finding Hoshi and making him believe them was an entirely different matter altogether.

"Thanks anyway."

The young man who had accompanied Hoshi at the beginning of the trip approached him.

"How did you know that he was the one?" asked the young man curiously.

Hoshi shrugged. "Good observation skills and good guessing, most likely."

That can't be all that's to it, but I guess I can't probe any further.

"Well, we're here at the Shibuya Station now. I'll part ways with you here." The young man waved good-bye.

Hoshi watched the young man leave. He turned to go in the opposite direction; however, the young man's last thoughts still reached him.

That boy would make a great detective.

Hoshi laughed. Him? A detective? How could he ever be a detective when he was the kind of person detectives went against? He smirked as he headed out of the crowded Shibuya station and into Shibuya, home to one of the largest shopping and entertainment districts, the 1964 Olympic Gymnasium, and the NHK Broadcasting plaza.

to be continued

A/N: :3 My tiny tribute to the summer Olympic games. They're captivating beyond words!

Notes:
tenin-san: polite way of addressing a store clerk (I guess it can be translated to Mr. Store Clerk, if you want to think of it that way)

Next chapter: In Shibuya