For Neshiki Week 2021.
Day 2: Role reversal
Cute
adjective, cut·er, cut·est
noun, Necute
Something that is adorable and makes you feel warm inside.
Source: Urban Dictionary
Example: Yeah, so I didn't know about Gatto Nero 'till I got back but... here are some flowers. Just as congratulations. I-it's not a big deal I just got them on the way from the station.
Ikemen (イケメン)
noun, ikemen (singular), ikemen (plural), Shikimen (Shiki)
"Ikemen" means "a good looking man, a handsome man, a cool man".
Source:
Note: Can also be used for girls. It's a personality. A lifestyle.
Source: The countless shoujo manga that have female-ikemen. Notable examples: Yu Kashima from Gekkan Shoujo-Nozaki-kun.
Example: Here Neku, you need to be careful. You shouldn't walk too close to the side of the road. I'll walk on the outside part.
The Adventures of Necute and Shikimen
Service with a Smile!
Ever worked in retail? Working in it now? Anyone who's got experience with it can tell you why you wouldn't want to work in retail. While there are a few who sincerely like it, the low pay, long hours and often rude customers aren't an incentive for anyone to speak very highly about their jobs. Every now and again, however, a golden customer appears.
This is someone who almost everyone enjoys seeing as a regular.
Neku Sakuraba used to be one of these. He's been forgotten for a few years due to not technically existing in the RG. While being dropped down back into existence, his street cred has not returned with him. He has lost affection with shopkeepers, especially since many have moved on to other things.
Shiki Misaki, on the other hand...
Now, there's a golden customer if Shibuya has ever seen one.
xxxxx
"State my name? Oh sure, it's Rindo."
"If you're asking me who I think is cooler...hmm my first instinct is to go with Neku. He really helped me a lot in those last few days of the Game…"
"He did introduce me to Shiki, though. He seems less of a legend and more of a regular guy when he's next to her. Maybe she is cooler, after all."
"But then again, Neku's good at giving me advice outside of the Game too. Uh, about what? Y-you know. Various things."
"Though, Shiki gives me good advice too and she helped me with something I was confused about the other day...Man, I'm not sure…"
xxxxx
Full price?
What has the world come to since he's come back?
He's completely thrown off.
He didn't have to pay full price for anything! The shopkeepers used to recognise Neku, have a bit of a chat with him and then tag on a little sly discount. If it was a restaurant, he could even get things on the house.
The shopkeeper at Natural Puppy practically shoos him out of the store.
Natural Puppy! Of all the damn places!
Yeah, you're welcome , he thinks. He just saved Shibuya again and this is the thanks he gets.
Maybe he's being a bit petty. He shouldn't be expecting a discount, that's just a shopkeeper being generous or favouring him. But he's having to build up relationships with them all from square one and that's the thing that's bugging him.
So, sure, maybe that's why he's not so eager to go shopping so soon, after that less-than-ideal experience.
"Neku, do you want to go shopping with me?"
"Of course."
What? He's not going to say no to Shiki.
xxxxx
"The name's Tosai Furasewa but you can call me Fret!"
"Dude, that's the girl who made that teddy bear, right?!"
"Oh whoops, gotcha! A cat, a cat, right. Anyway, yeah that thing almost squished us so if she made that then she's the coolest of all."
"But seriously though, that's totally a bear, isn't it?"
xxxxx
Their first stop is centre street's own Shepard House. Shiki says she likes their clothes for the comfort factor but also because had their come-up around the same time that Gatto Nero did. They're very comfort-casual but they've got a few smart shirts as well.
She heads over to the shelves and spends no more than five minutes perusing before getting a turtleneck for Neku in two colours, one in burgundy and another in a cool gray-blue shade. He heads to the changing stall and takes off his jacket, pulling his shirt over his head. He glances at the mirror and a thought occurs to him. He's grown quite a lot; how does Shiki know what size he is? He checks the label. Yep, that's completely right. Is it the discerning eye of a designer?
He recalls a hug Shiki gave him earlier upon his arrival. She did linger a bit longer than needed (not complaining)...did she just miss him or was she checking to see how tall he is?
Neku considers asking her later but perhaps it is better not to know.
He studies himself in the mirror. He likes the burgundy. Not bad.
Pulling the curtain aside he steps out to show Shiki his outfit and notices that she's standing by the shelves again. She's talking to one of the shopkeepers and laughing at something he said. She notices Neku had exited the stall and bounced over. "I knew it! This suits you perfectly." She feels the fabric, tugs at the area below the armpits. "It's a good cut for you too."
"It is pretty good," he agrees. His cheeks pink, slightly, at the feel of her hands.
"Nakano, what do you think?" she asks the shopkeeper.
"I think it looks lovely. You've got an amazing eye for these things, Misaki."
The shopkeeper, however, isn't really looking at Neku at all. She's still got her eyes on Shiki and is definitely all smiles at the moment. She readjusts her glasses, clears her throat and then looks at Neku. He tries to act like he doesn't notice a thing, disappearing quickly into the stall.
Hm.
He changes back and when he steps out, Nakano is talking to Shiki once again, very animatedly.
"Isn't Nakano nice?" she says, after they pay for the turtleneck and leave the store, "She gave me a tip on where to buy new glasses. She also plays Tin Pin, you play that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I wasn't too shabby at it."
"Thought so! I mentioned that you played to her. She thought it was cool and asked if she could play against you some time."
"So, she wants to challenge me…"
"Neku?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, you didn't get anything for yourself?"
"Oh, I didn't see anything I didn't already have. No biggie. Let's get going!"
xxxxx
"Lady Shiki hath recently bestowed EleStra with in-game Gatto Nero outfits through a collaboration. She is, hence, superior in her 'coolness'. I have nothing else to say on this matter."
xxxxx
Shiki hums to herself, as she straightens out the jacket that she's got Neku trying on.
"MonoCrow stuff suits you a lot too, I think," she says, with a satisfied smile. She pats Neku's own jacket that she has folded over her other forearm. "This jacket here is meant to be paired up with other things but I like the look of a jacket on you, so maybe you should have other options."
He turns to the standing mirror and looks himself over. The jacket suits his figure well. He also likes the crossing patterns of the sleeves on this one. "It's great but I don't know if anything can beat out my Gatto Nero one."
Shiki giggles, though pride seeps into her voice as she says, "If a customer is happy, then who am I to contradict them?"
Neku shrugs off the jacket and hands it to her as she gives back his. "Thanks."
"That's flying off the racks at the moment, good thing you came in to get it today," says a voice from behind them.
"Oh hey, Nakagawa! You're in, today."
"Mornin' Misaki. Who've you got here today?"
"This is my friend, Neku," she answers, cheerfully. "He's in need of new clothes."
"Your...friend, huh?"
The shopkeeper is smiling at him. He has curly hair that obscures his eyes, so Neku isn't going to bet his life on this but judging by the little twitch of the guy's mouth, he's pretty sure that the guy is glaring at him.
What? Is Neku supposed to glare back or something? If he's glaring at all, though again, Neku can't see his eyes.
"It's Nakagawa, right? Nice to meet you," Neku says, offering his own friendly smile.
"Same here, man," he says, though Neku doubts how genuine it is. "Let me take that to the counter for you."
The payment passes with no issues but the feeling that Nakagawa is glaring at him grows increasingly stronger as they pay. Especially when Shiki grabs him by the arm to drag him to the next store.
"Come again, soon. I'll be waiting."
Why does that sound like a threat?
"Hehe, isn't that funny?" Shiki says, "You used to cover up your mouth with your collar and that guy covers his eyes with his hair. I think you two might get along."
For Shiki's sake, he's willing to try.
Not sure how cooperative the other guy was going to be.
xxxxx
Unfortunately, we could not get the next interviewee to stay.
Please enjoy this recording in the meanwhile:
"3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286 208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481 11745028410270193852110555964462…"
xxxxx
Et tu, Okada?!
This is Jupiter of the Monkey! This is his shop!
Okada knows him! And he's friends with Beat, too, isn't he?
So, why the hell is this guy trying to start a rap battle with him?
Shiki isn't even helping him out on this at all!
She is helping out in the sense that she's picking out the latest J of the M trackies and trying to decide which one would be best to get but she's just letting this happen!
Neku doesn't even know how to rap!
"If you ain't gonna spit it, then I'm gonna lay it down, Miss Misaki never misses, gonna drop you on the ground."
...Shit.
Here goes nothing.
"Imma send you outta space, right into the big bang. Next thing you're gonna see, is the J of the End."
…
Neku makes use of the hood on his jacket for the first time, as he leaves the store with Shiki after the end of an excruciatingly long and embarrassing rap battle.
"Not a word. Not one word."
"I didn't think it was that bad! It was cute how you tried so hard. Plus, you guys seemed to have fun. Not to mention, I got us a discount!"
"..."
xxxxx
"Shiki Misaki is a goddess walking among us. She is the best thing to have ever walked the RG and the UG. If you don't like Gatto Nero or Shiki Misaki, you can buzz off."
"Wait, you're not going to be showing this to her, right?"
"No, no you can't! I'm literally going to get out of my seat and going over there if you're even thinking about it. Don't you dare!"
" Come back here right now, you half-brained loser!"
xxxxx
Neku stares at his tray.
He zeroes in on his fries in particular. He has ordered a medium-sized meal set, the same as Shiki has. Her box of fries is undeniably larger than his. While Shiki digs into her meal, he looks over to the counter. The cashier, Koga, he heard Shiki say, is watching the table. When she sees Neku looking, she huffs and looks away pointedly.
He sighs, resting his chin on his hand as he looks at Shiki.
"Don't you hate fries?" he points out. "You're not going to eat that, are you?"
"Er, no, I'm not planning to. Koga always gives me a bigger portion, for some reason but I usually just give them to whoever else I'm with. Beat can usually finish them off," she wiggles her eyebrows, "So, I was hoping that you worked up an appetite and wanted to eat mine."
'For some reason'. Uhuh.
Spending time with the remnants of Shinjuku's Souls gave Neku a new perspective on people's thoughts. People's feelings. He feels like he almost has the ability to Scan people just by observing them, now.
Okay, while that's true he thinks that the shopkeepers are also just all very obvious in how they're crushing on Shiki.
How is it all of them?
"I'll eat your fries but I'm wondering. How come you know her? Do you come to Justice Burger loads?" he asks. "Actually, you knew everyone today. Some of those shops weren't your style, were they?"
"They weren't," Shiki says, "but I knew that stores and restaurants were places where Reaper decals were...so…I visited whenever I could."
"Oh." He feels a twinge of guilt but Shiki picks up on that quickly.
"I mean, that's not all! I also had to scope out the competition, you know!" She waves her hands around, "Um, you know, especially since a lot of those shops were gaining popularity around the same time we did. And you know, sometimes I just got to talking to the shopkeepers, since I wanted to know what the popular items currently were. So, I've made friends with a few of them."
While Shiki scoped out the popularity of clothes, she gained a lot of popularity of her own, Neku can see.
Well, he can't really blame them.
Shiki's got something about her.
The thing that he himself is drawn to.
"I'm glad you've got more friends," he says. And he means it. He's glad she wasn't lonely the whole time he's been gone. She deserves better than to feel lonely.
"Me too." She smiles. "And I hope you can be friends with them as well. I introduced you to the ones I think you'd get on with the most. I know that it must have been weird to come back to so many changes in the city and having to get used to so many new faces. You didn't have anyone much to really talk to when you were in Shinjuku, from what you've told me about your time there. So I'm hoping that you won't feel lonely anymore while you're home."
Oh wow.
He feels a full blush rush to his cheeks as he continues to stare at Shiki's adoring face.
This whole trip? Is for that reason?
She has handled every single thing today, from helping him with his clothes to who they talked to.
"Thanks, Shiki," he says, "I feel like I've depended a lot on you today."
"No worries," she taps a fist at her chest gently, "you can depend on me anytime."
xxxxx
That's a wrap for the interviews! And now we have a segment from the Shiki Misaki Fanclub! We've got some emails from a few members and we'll present a few highlights.
"Misaki was so princely today! She was picking out clothes for some [censored] and adjusted his clothes and everything. I'm so jealous!" - SheepySlammer
"He doesn't seem like bad guy, but I still don't like it." - PastelxForever
"His rhymes are wack but he's a bro of a bro so he's cool." - K1OK
"It's not fair! He was acting all blushy and she was just there like - she was sparkling at him, I tell you! Sparkling! Look at me like that, Miss Misaki!" - Kogratulations
A/N: Tadaa! Day 2 is here! The theme is role-reversal. Aka where Shiki gets a hoard of shopkeeper admirers post-neo and Neku does not...Yes I did rap Okada and Neku's rap out loud to see if it flowed okay, AND WHAT. Also, yes this is my sense of humour, if you are new to my writing welcome to the chaos.
I was so tempted to put f***boy in Nakano's message but thought it might be funnier to let you guys fill in yourselves. Feel free to let me know what swear first came to you HAHA
Honestly nothing to say except that whereas 2K+ words of humour is doable for me in about half the time as 2K+ words of my Day 1 fic haha. I finished this and was like '...that was relatively quick'. Anyway, I put the 'definition' of ikemen there but it really just means a handsome guy but a lot of gag mangas/romcom shoujos really do have the 'ikemen' girl and the 'cute guy' trope and I thought it would be funny to put a bit of it for Neku and Shiki. So yeah you usually get the rich dude taking the girl who doesn't dress up to shop and here power Gatto Nero Shiki is taking Neku shopping. I hoped to balance the trope-i-ness with their actual characterisation so there.
Also this is the first time I've written the Wicked Twisters and it's in a joke fic. Love that for them. I'll write some of them properly soon enough...
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this! I'll leave this as Complete for now but I may or may not end up wanting to write more shenanigans at some point. We shall see~
- Dina (07/12/21)
Note to Reviewers: I've recently been getting a bunch of Guest reviews that have kept asking me to update the next chapter of an unrelated fic. There are a lot of fics that I probably won't be updating anytime soon, if ever, and asking me constantly to update will not make me update them. Please stop with these kinds of reviews as they are clogging up my inbox. As a note, I will be deleting any reviews along this vein from here on. Thank you for reading.