Act 2: Secrets of the Skies

Segment 1: Frosh Days

Chapter 1-9: Pointers


Takaharu sniffed and looked over his biochemistry notes. Exams were unrelenting, and the halfway mark of the fall semester was upon him. End-of-term exams were here. In fact, the first one had been the morning after Asuka's game. He figured he wasn't doing that badly in that one, but he would have to hide that final result from his parents. It wasn't going to be pretty.

Lomamon climbed onto the back of his chair. "Lomamon, what are you up to?" Takaharu asked.

"Don't you have time for other things?" it implored. "You've been studying all week."

Takaharu sighed and his head leaned back in his chair. "I'm busy."

"With what?"

"I have exams, man!"

Lomamon hopped off his chair and sat on his bed. "You're no fun." It crossed its arms.

Takaharu cast it a wistful look. It returned the favour with a tongue stuck out. "Lomamon, I know it's frustrating, but I have to finish off this program."

"How much longer…"

"I just started! It's another five years and some months!"

Lomamon let out a cry of desperation. "Five years?" It collapsed on the mattress. "Why…"

Takaharu flipped over the page. "That's just how it is." He started working away at a practice exam. "Maybe I should just send you back to Tokyo," he commented. "At least you could play with Tailmon then."

"No!"

Takaharu gazed at Lomamon with slitted eyes. "Okay, then what do you want?"

"I just want to explore. Is that so hard?" They hadn't seen much of Fujisawa since Takaharu had arrived back in April; all Lomamon had seen was most of the campus and a few parks, all through Takaharu's phone, and he seemed less available than back in high school. It didn't help that it had no idea what Takaharu was looking at. All the stick drawings and notes and formulae went over its head. "C'mon, you haven't gone off campus since September other than the game last Sunday."

"And you slept through it!" Takaharu complained, hands thrown up. Lomamon was motionless. He put his hands back down on his knees. "Ai… tell you what, when exams are over, we can go take a walk around Enoshima, how about that?"

"Mmm…" it moaned, "but that's next week."

Takaharu slapped his forehead with a hand. "Ow, that was my pen." He set the pen back on the desk and rubbed the blow he'd just dealt himself. "Look, there are some things I have to prioritize, but we can always go on an adventure after that, okay?"

"Can I be outside this time?"

"Of course. Just, you know, you gotta stay quiet." He picked up his pen again and resumed jotting down answers to the practice exam.

Lomamon nodded and yoinked Takaharu's phone. He didn't mind. It gave Lomamon something to do while he studied, at least. "By the way, Takaharu, you know both of their birthdays are coming up soon."

"Wait, who?"

Lomamon stared in awe at Takaharu, paws still clutching the smartphone. "Ryuta and Yuuka?"

Takaharu opened his mouth, then stared out the house's window. "Actually? They never said anything about it last year."

"They don't celebrate like Kazuhiko?"

"Maybe not. At least, not with friends or anything like that. Exactly when?"

"The end of November and the start of December."

"One right after the other? What a coincidence." He sighed. "Yuuka might insist on not doing anything special. Ryuta, though… I might send some stuff over." His fingertips rapped the table a few times. "Lucky guys, the both of them." Takaharu returned to his practice exam. "Wish I could be as cute as Kazuhiko or as cool as Ryuta."

Lomamon looked up from Takaharu's phone. Takaharu had buried himself in his study. His last few attempts at approaching a classmate had been firmly rejected, and Yuuka had admitted to Asuka and him that she and Ryuta chatted all the time. He hadn't been very happy since he found out after Asuka's game. He was, after all, now one of two odd ones out in the Tamer group, and Asuka had no interest in him.

Takaharu crossed out something. "I'm not jealous, I swear." Lomamon coughed a laugh up. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just realized something." Takaharu gave Lomamon an expectant look and then splayed his hands out, as if to ask for the explanation. "We're both impatient people, is all," said the furred Digimon.

The two stared at each other. Takaharu broke the silence with a snort, sighed, then stared at his course notes and practice exam with menace. Suddenly he got up from his chair. "To hell with it. Lomamon, let's go. Right now."

"Wha?"

"You wanted to see something different, eh? What time is it?"

"Still the morning."

"Then we have plenty of time. Let's go now!"

"Okay!" Lomamon hopped onto Takaharu's back. Yoshiki and Eiji were too busy watching something streaming to the TV to take notice of the fuzzy Digimon with its arms around his shoulders.

"I'm out guys, I'll be back!" Takaharu skipped out the door before either of them could look over their shoulders.

"Wow, he was in a rush," Yoshiki muttered.

Eiji narrowed his eyes and glanced at Yoshiki before returning his view to the TV. "You know, sometimes I swear he's talking to someone in his room."

"You think so?"

"I'm almost sure, but… we've never seen him come home with someone else."

"Could just be a phone conversation."

Eiji shook his head. "No, too crisp and clear for that."

Yoshiki shrugged. "Beats me."


Amedramon nosed Ryuta in the shoulder. "You got a package delivered."

"Huh." Ryuta looked up from his lecture notes. Memory management and pointers. First year and first semester to be sure, but midterms had been easy. Chris had just bothered him a lot for help. "Did Canada Post say from where?"

"Uh…" it poked around, careful not to scratch the screen with its claws. "Looks like Yokohama. Wait, no, that was something else. Fujisawa?"

"Fujisawa…" Ryuta looked up from his notebook and tapped the end of his pen against it. "Oh, that must be Takaharu then." He got up from his chair. "I'll be back real fast." Just as Ryuta pulled the dorm unit door open, he jumped back in surprise. James had a hand raised to knock. "James! Holy… you freaked me out."

"Oops. I had something to ask. You see Chris today? He wasn't answering his door and I think he's been in a study hole. He didn't show up to anime club last Tuesday."

"I mean… I don't go outside much either, to be honest."

James' broad shoulders shook with amusement. "Ah, you computer science people, I swear. Huh?" His face dropped in surprise. "What's that?" He was tall enough to see right over Ryuta's shoulder.

Ryuta turned around with a bad feeling. Amedramon wasn't even sitting. It had its paws up on Ryuta's chair, still clutching his phone, not expecting at all to be caught out like this. "Uh, James, it's just a plush toy," Ryuta pleaded. "It's fine."

"Your giant plush toy… is holding your phone."

"I know! It's weird and wonderful, just like this Earth." Ryuta had a shit-eating grin. "Come on, let me out." James didn't budge.

Suddenly Ryuta's phone vibrated in Amedramon's paws and fell out of its grip. "Ahh!" Amedramon panicked and dived to catch the phone before it hit the floor. It stared up guiltily at Ryuta with its violet eyes.

"You should have let it fall," Ryuta grunted through gritted teeth. It wasn't like it mattered anymore. James had seen everything and shoved Ryuta aside.

James yelled, "Ryuta, what the hell!" Amedramon was motionless as he bent down to examine it. "This – this is a…" he gestured wildly at Amedramon. "Frickin' dragon!"

Ryuta gently closed the door behind him. "Amedramon."

"Oops," it squeaked.

"Say hi to James."

"Hi, James."

The Caucasian stayed slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Ryuta skipped past him and picked up his phone from Amedramon's paws. "Ah, mom, what a terrible time to call. Mom!" he sighed.

James' hand slowly came out to touch Amedramon, just to make sure it was real.

"No, I'm fine. Yeah. Midterms are over. Of course! Yes."

Amedramon gazed at the incoming fingers. James had some truly meaty hands, much like the rest of his body.

"Yuuka? Yeah, hers is tomorrow. Don't worry, I sent it a while ago. It should arrive soon."

James jumped back as Amedramon opened its maw and revealed its fangs. "Ryuta, what the fuck, how the fuck do you have a live dragon in your room?!"

"Sorry, I have a friend in here." He covered the microphone. "James! Shush!"

"Ryuta!"

"Give me a sec!" He returned to his phone call. "I – no! Mom – mom – no!" Ryuta covered his eyes with a hand and shook his head. Amedramon hopped up onto the mattress and glared at James.

"Ryuta…" James continued, eyeing Amedramon. He backed up as much as he could against the wall of the unit.

Ryuta looked down. "James, you didn't take your shoes off!"

"That's what you're concerned about right now?"

"Yes!" Ryuta went back to his phone call again. "No, he didn't. What, put a sign up on the door? No, they normally do around here. He just forgot." He sighed. "Look, mom, give me, I don't know, ten, fifteen minutes, okay? I have a bit of a problem right now. No. He is the problem right now." Ryuta sputtered a laugh. "Haru, please, give me fifteen minutes! Okay, bye." Ryuta finally had a chance to breathe.

"Enjoying what you're seeing?" asked Amedramon innocently as it licked its scales clean. James was sitting now on the carpeted floor, too stunned for words. "No?"

"This is a dream, James. You dreamed everything. Please wake up," Ryuta said, hoping James would take the bait. "You just have to go back to your room and fall asleep again, and then you'll wake up, and everything will be f-"

"James, why are you in Ryuta's room?" Chris, headphones down around his neck, poked his out from the shared bathroom. Ryuta had forgotten to lock his side of the door. "Yo, whadda fook?!"

Ryuta screamed in frustration, hands on his head. "God fucking damn it, guys!" Both of them completely ignored the Japanese student and had all their attention saved for the white dragon on the bed. It was looking mighty pleased with all the attention being paid to it. It fanned out its wings and flapped them a few times.

"Ryuta…" started Chris, "dude, you sure those weren't weed gummies earlier?" He gently slapped himself a few times in the face, just in case. Nope. Still a dragon in the room.

James and Chris glanced at each other, then up at Ryuta. He gave him a wide toothy smile. "You say one word of this to anyone else, I will cut your organs out." He grinned harder.

"Like with a katana?"

"Yes!" He didn't have one, obviously. "No! I – fuck, whatever."

"Dude, okay, but also, it's a talking dragon," James added. "Is it, like, a silver dragon? White dragon?"

Ryuta inhaled and gave Amedramon a look, who looked back up at him. They both had their lips pressed tightly. Did they say it? Amedramon shrugged.

"Look, it's a Digimon," Ryuta replied, hoping that would throw the two of them off so much that they'd stop believing their eyes. It didn't work. Of course it wouldn't work. That would be too simple.

"Yoooo!" Chris exclaimed. He rushed back into his room, then popped back out with a deck of cards. "They just released a booster pack over here!"

Ryuta collapsed into his chair. He was defeated. Why was he surprised? He was just like Takaharu and Kazuhiko. Maybe if he had shown up to anime club, he would have known that Chris was a Digimon fan. Amedramon nosed Ryuta, but he just waved it away. "I'm done," he whispered. "I'm just finished tonight."

"What kind of… what did you say it was?"

"Hi! I'm Amedramon!" it greeted.

"Oh my good god, you're huge, though," Chris remarked. James was still backed up against a wall. "Like, dog size of huge."

"Meh, dogs are stupid though." Amedramon rested its chin on Ryuta's head, flattening the fauxhawk. "Hee. Nobody will ever believe you," it teased. Ryuta reached up and itched the base of its horn. "Right, Ryuta?"

"You have no idea how many people want to believe dragons are real, you know!"

"Oh, is that why they get names like yours?"

"Yes!" Suddenly James and Chris burst out laughing. "Yeah, I get it! It's ironic! But seriously, though, either of you tell anyone and I swear to god I will shank you," Ryuta warned.

"Okay, I'll stay quiet," Chris managed between laughs. James just motioned that he would zip his mouth. "Digimon… holy shieeet, Ryuta. Wait, do you play?"

Ryuta grimaced. "Barely. I only got into it because of some guys back home. Not quite my thing." Chris seemed disappointed. "Ah, okay, fine, we can duel real quick."

James got back up and recovered himself. His legs were still wobbling. "I've seen enough today. I'm out. Maybe that bake sale did have weed in it. Fuck!" He slipped out the door before Ryuta could say anything else.

"Chris, give me a moment, I have to go grab a package." Ryuta slipped out of his unit, leaving just Chris and Amedramon. Chris probed at Amedramon's wings.

"Seriously, these real? Like, flying kind of real?"

"Nah, not strong enough for that, but I can glide."

"Glide only? That sucks. So if you're a Digimon, then -" Chris suddenly burst out laughing again. "Why the fuck, Japan?" Amedramon made a face of confusion. "So if you're a Digimon, you can evolve, right?" Amedramon nodded. "Like, to what? Can you show me?"

"Neh… not in here."

The black short-haired frosh continued to admire Amedramon, marvelling over its amethyst-spiked body and tail. It played along. It was thoroughly enjoying this. Chris looked back up as Ryuta returned with a cardboard box. "Ryuta?"

"What?"

"Why is it always Japan?"

"I don't know!" Ryuta set the box from Takaharu down on his desk. It would have to be opened later. Hopefully, Canada Post hadn't rattled it around too much.


Amedramon curled up on Ryuta's bed. Chris had been no match for the well-practiced Ryuta; it seemed Chris was just collecting cards he thought were cool. Well, if that was what interested him most, it was fine. Chris was a good sport about it.

A quartz crystal shattered between its teeth as it bit down on it. Ryuta was taking another break from studying and had cracked open a bag of yuzu sake candies sent by Takaharu. The two of them made crunching sounds as Ryuta tapped around on his phone.

"So, are you joining the anime club? You never said you would," asked Amedramon.

"Nnh… there's a lot of people in it."

"That sounds like exactly where you should be."

"I would like to disagree with that." His eyes flicked up as soon as Amedramon grinned and put two paws forward. "You were going to do it again, weren't you?"

"If you don't join it, I'll force you to."

Ryuta sighed and put his phone in his lap. "How are you going to do that, pray tell?"

Amedramon got up on all fours and slunk off his bed, then put its paws up on his knees and stuck its snout up to his face. "Would you like the whole campus to know?"

"H-hey!"

"I take that as a yes."

"No!"

"Then go." Amedramon bared its teeth in a toothy taunting smile. "Or do you want me to shove you to the floor again?"

"I-"

"Mm. Why does your face turn red when I bring that up?"

"It's nothing! I'll go! Fine. Just… next term. It's a little late now."

Amedramon blinked its violet eyes at him, then gently butted its nose against his. "You promise?"

"I promise!"

"Hee, you really are turning red."

"It's because you're so cute!" Ryuta suddenly squeezed its cheeks.

"Ahhh, no!" Amedramon slipped its face out of his hands and jumped back onto his bed. It frowned at him from atop his bed sheets, then placed its head down and raised its upper lip. "Grrrr."

Ryuta held in a laugh and returned to his phone. "That just makes you look cuter when you growl like that."

"Agh… what is wrong with your sense of cute?" Amedramon moaned, burying its head in its paws. Ryuta glanced up and laughed. Everything it did was adorable.

• • • • • • •

Sumida Tamers

Segawa Takaharu
Happy birthday Ryuta! And Yuuka!
What a coincidence wwww
15:10

Ishida Yuuka
Thank you thank you~
15:12

Shimizu Kazuhiko
Wait, you two have the same birthday?
15:15

Ishida Yuuka
No haha
It's November 30 over there, still
Right Ryuta?
15:16

Koyama Ryuta
So…
15:18

Ishida Yuuka
... go on
15:19

Koyama Ryuta
My roommate and another guy found out about Amedramon
15:20

Shimizu Kazuhiko
oh w
15:21

Ishida Yuuka
they what
15:21

Segawa Takaharu
UHHHHHH
15:21

Shimizu Kazuhiko
… Everything ok?
15:22

Koyama Ryuta
Oh don't worry
I told them if they squeal
15:23

I will them
15:24

Segawa Takaharu
Of course you did wwwww
15:24

Ishida Yuuka
Really…
15:25

Koyama Ryuta
Problem? 😊
15:25

Ishida Yuuka
aish…
Seriously, you and Amedramon are fine, right?
15:26

Koyama Ryuta
I hope so
15:26

Tokuda Satsuki
Can't believe you're the first one to let it slip
15:27

Koyama Ryuta
I know
I thoroughly expected it to be Kazuhiko
15:27

Tokuda Satsuki
HA
15:27

Shimizu Kazuhiko
Hey now
15:27

Tokuda Satsuki
True
15:28

Shimizu Kazuhiko
… orz
15:28

Tokuda Satsuki
Monodramon is very antsy after all
15:28

Shimizu Kazuhiko
Well I'm glad I'm not the first one then 😏
15:29

Segawa Takaharu
Bets on who's next? wwwww
15:29

Tokuda Satsuki
You obviously
15:29

Koyama Ryuta
+1
15:29

Shimizu Kazuhiko
Agreed
15:30

Segawa Takaharu
wowwww… So rude
15:30

• • • • • • •