The next morning, Kiyotaka opened his door to leave for school. Sitting in front of his steps was a fox. He stopped in his tracks. "Umm, hello there. Something I can help you with?" he said uneasily.
"Yip!" said the fox.
"Hmm, alright. So you do want my help with something, then?" he asked, crouching in front of the wild animal. The fox dropped something that he'd been carrying in his mouth. A hot pink daisy.
"Yip yip!" said the fox. It began running, stopping to look back over its shoulder.
"I should follow you then? Is Maika alright?"
"Yip!" said the fox, and he started running again. Kiyotaka started running after him, surprised when he ended up in the Junes food court. The fox stopped right in front of a group of kids, turned towards Kiyotaka and sat, dropping the flower again. The others looked as stunned as he felt. When Kiyotaka took a good look at their faces, he felt anxious. It just had to be them, didn't it? Sanae Komaki was staring at him, eyes wide, and Miusagi Mochizuki was glaring at him. He shifted his own gaze towards the brunette girl at the front of the group.
"Do you know Maika?" he asked her.
"Yes," Nanako replied.
"I think something may have happened to her."
The group had met up for a short strategy meeting before walking to school together. Nanako had just finished explaining about Maika's ability to talk to the fox, and the fox's ability to help them, when Mr. Fox and a boy she had never seen before stumbled right into their midst. When the boy asked if she knew Maika, Nanako's eyes went to the flower that the fox had dropped. Oh, you have got to me kidding me! she thought. There wasn't time to explain without all of them being very late for class, so Nanako promised the boy that she would explain after school, and they all agreed to meet back in the same place.
That was why Kiyotaka Shijima was sitting next to a strange blonde boy named Teddie in the middle of the food court. Teddie kept offering to get him weird combinations of snacks, and Kiyotaka kept declining. Nanako was late. A couple of her other friends, the blonde girl and what had to be her boyfriend were sitting on the other side of the table from him. Sanae and a frowning Miusagi were sitting on the table next to them.
"I hate that guy," Miusagi muttered quietly to Sanae. "What could he of all people possibly have to do with any of this?"
Sanae patted his arm. "We wondered that about all of us, too. And you don't hate him."
"I do. I really, really do," Miusagi answered while glaring at Kiyotaka.
"You're being silly, I'm going to go talk to him."
"What?!" Miusagi exclaimed.
"He's our friend, Miusagi, or at least he used to be. And he looks like he can use a friend right now." She walked over to the table and sat, saving him from Teddie. "Hello, Taka-kun. Are you doing alright?"
"Y-Yes. I mean, no, not really, but thanks for asking."
"Rough morning, huh?" Takeyoshi asked sympathetically.
Kiyotaka nodded. "I guess that's one way to put it."
Nanako finally appeared just then. "It's about to get even weirder, I guess. Are you sure you want to hear this? It's complicated, dangerous and just plain odd. If that's not ok with you, then you should probably consider bringing this to our attention your contribution, and let us handle the rest."
"N-No, I… I need to see this through. She needs help and, and this fox came to my door. That probably means something, right?"
Nanako let out a long breath before speaking quietly. "Right. I guess we should get started."
Kiyotaka's head was spinning by the time he went home that night. Nanako and Teddie had insisted on walking him home, and he was glad for it.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Nanako said. "It has been for all of us. The good news is, since we found out about Maika so quickly, we can do something about it even faster."
"Right," Kiyotaka replied. Evidently, Teddie was born inside the TV world, and could sense that Maika was inside when he popped his head in. Whatever all of that meant.
"Don't worry, Taka-kun! We'll save her in no time!" Teddie said cheerfully.
Kiyotaka laughed. Then he turned to Nanako, more serious than ever. "I want to help. I... need to. Please let me be involved in this?"
"We'll meet after school tomorrow. Same place. You can come in with us if you promise to stay close. The rest of us are capable of fighting, but you're not. At least, not yet," Nanako said with a small smile. No one she'd taken into the TV hadn't come out with a persona yet. If the fox himself had recruited this boy, there must be something special about him.
"That's fine. I don't have any problem following orders," he said, smiling slightly. It didn't quite reach his light blue eyes.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Teddie shouted suddenly. "These are for you! Make sure you wear them in the TV tomorrow!" He handed Kiyotaka a pair of orange glasses, and then the two of them walked away without an explanation.
Nanako cornered Miusagi on the walk to school the next morning. "So what's the deal with you and Kiyotaka?" she asked.
Miusagi did all he could to not look at her. "It's nothing."
"Miusagi. I need to know what's up. Because if it's going to be a problem for you, and he wants to help, how am I supposed work around it if I don't know what the deal is?"
"I won't be a problem. I swear," he said, finally looking her in the eyes.
"Spill it," Nanako said quietly.
"We just don't get along, ok? A long time ago, he had a thing for Sana-chan, and -"
"A long time ago when?"
"When we all first met."
"Which was when?" Nanako asked again.
"When we were about five," Miusagi finally admitted.
"So he tried to take your girlfriend. When you were five?" Nanako summed it up.
"Well when you put it that way, it sounds stupid," Miusagi muttered. "It wasn't really just that. He went out of his way to be mean to me, to make me look bad in front of her. I don't think he's ever put it behind him, so if we're all working together…"
"You're worried she'll like him better," Nanako said softly.
Miusagi squeezed his eyes shut. "She's one of the only friends I've ever had. I don't know what I'd do if she walked away from me right now."
Nanako patted his arm. "I think it's pretty clear from how she is around you that she isn't going anywhere. Can you please try to put it aside for the team? At least for right now, when Maika needs his help."
"You think he's really crucial to the mission? Why would that be?"
"I don't know. But the fox knows I'm her friend, he knows my cousin, and he went to Kiyotaka's house instead of mine. I think this is important."
Miusagi sighed. "Alright, senpai. I'll be good."
"Thanks, Miusagi. And stop calling me senpai already!"
