Chapter 1: The City of Ikebukuro

"Where is that guy?" Masaomi grumbled as he leaned against the pillar. "He used to be so punctual, too. Man, this place must be scary if it changed him this much."

Masaomi checked his phone again, but there weren't any new messages. He tried calling, but it seemed that his friend had his phone off. "C'mon, Mikado, don't leave me hanging…"

Almost as if his friend could hear him, his phone rang with a new message.

[Sorry! Got caught up. Sent someone in my stead. Hope you like her.]

A girl? Masaomi raised a brow at the pronoun and was unable to stop himself from grinning. Oh, his friend was certainly moving up in the world if he could ask a girl to come pick up his childhood friend! He could still remember shy and awkward Mikado, who stumbled over his tongue whenever he tried to talk to anyone, let alone a girl!

"You've changed a lot, haven't you?" he chuckled to himself. He picked up the duffle bag at his feet. "I wonder where she could be…"

Truth be told, he probably should have stayed where he was so that whoever the girl was, she would be able to find him fast. But he was starting to get bored of staying in one place. Surely she wouldn't mind if he wandered a little. Besides, how big could this city be?

As luck would have it, the very first thing he ran into was a girl being harassed by a group of guys. If this were Saitama, no one would dare anything like this in public where Chikage could see. But this place must not have someone as noble as the Toramaru Bike Gang Leader. Then again, it was a rather big city. Even if there was someone like Chikage here, Ikebukuro was big enough that that person might not be able to protect everyone.

"You have some nerve," one of the guys growled. "You think you can just waltz around here?"

"Now, now, that's not nice at all," Masaomi said as he walked towards them. He noted that the guys all had the same color tied around their arms. This must be the infamous Color Gangs that Chikage had cautioned him about. How exciting. "Let the poor girl be."

"It ain't your business, brat. Scram."

"When a beautiful lady is involved, it becomes my business." Masaomi winked at the girl who was giving him a curious look. Oddly enough, she didn't look too scared being cornered by the blurry guys. Maybe this was a daily enough occurrence for her? The thought made his blood boil and Masaomi decided that he wasn't going to go easy on them. What do you know? Chickage's nobility must have rubbed off on him as well.

"Kid, last chance. Walk away."

"Funny, I was going to say the same to you."

Most of the guys turned to face Masaomi with angry looks, which Masaomi returned with a cheeky smile. Did they really think that they could win just because they had numbers? Without waiting for any signs, Masaomi struck first. He brought down the biggest guy with three well-aimed punches. Chikage probably would have done it in one kick, but he wasn't quite at that level yet. But he got the feeling that being in the city would surely power him up.

"Still think you can win?"

There was a bit of a pause as the guys looked at Masaomi more carefully. Then with a loud snarl, someone yelled, "You're going down!"

It took a total of fifteen minutes. Kida Masaomi was, as he predicted, the victor. The gang had numbers by their side, but Masaomi had years of training and experience. Besides, no one could quite match up to the standard that Chikage had built in Masaomi's head.

With that out of the way, Masaomi dusted himself and turned to the girl, who had watched the entire thing with what he thought was an amused look on her face.

"My fair maiden," Masaomi declared with a bow. "I apologize for such crude display of violence before you. Are you harmed in any way?"

The girl giggled softly, but Masaomi couldn't help but to notice how off it sounded. Almost as if he was hearing it under water or through glass. It didn't come across cleanly and Masaomi felt a small part of him tense.

"You must be Kida Masaomi," she said.

Oh? Could this be the girl that Mikado sent? With that thought, Masaomi shook off the tenseness. There was no way that Mikado would send anyone sketchy. They were talking about Mikado, you know. Despite being shy and awkward, he was a great judge of character.

"Why yes, I am! If I may be so bold to ask for your name?"

"Makijima Saki. Thank you, Sir Knight, for rescuing me." She curtsied a little, playing along with Masaomi's little drama. But still something felt off about her. As if she was not quite all there. Masaomi forced down the unease that came with seeing that behavior. Trust Mikado, he told himself. Trust him.

"Ah! You're too kind!" Masaomi placed a hand over his heart. "I might just fall for you if you keep that up!" Then a littler more seriously, he added, "So how do you know Mikado?"

"We have a… friend in common."

Masaomi didn't miss the pause. Perhaps it was Mikado's girlfriend…? Masaomi grinned widely at the thought, but didn't comment more on it. He wanted to hear it from his friend's lips. He wanted to hear the stuttering voice of Mikado as the teen blushed and looked down with a bashful look in his eyes.

"But that was really sweet of Mikado to get a pretty girl like you to show me around Ikebukuro. Did you know that he couldn't even speak to girls back in the day? Ah, I'm so proud of that guy for having met such a beauty as yourself!"

Saki smiled politely as if she could care less about Masaomi's babbles. Perhaps Mikado's girlfriend was Saki's best friend? And Saki felt as if her friend was being stolen away by the heart-throb of the school, Mikado?! Masaomi mentally shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. That kind of thought would be more fun once Mikado was there to blush and shout "Masaomi!" at him.

"So how is Mikado? I can't wait to see how much he's changed! Or maybe he hasn't changed at all? I wouldn't be surprised, that guy is pretty special like that."

"He's…" Saki trailed off, thinking carefully. "I can't say for how much he's changed. But currently, Ryugamine-san is at the top of Ikebukuro."

Masaomi wasn't sure if he understood what that meant. But Saki didn't explain further, so he didn't push. He was going to see Mikado soon anyways. No need to get antsy. He would find out soon enough.

"There sure are a lot of colors," Masaomi observed lightly.

"Color gangs," Saki said as an explanation. "Don't tell me you didn't know that before you challenged those guys earlier?"

"I don't see why that's so important. If you're strong, you don't flock together to bully innocent girls."

"You are a strange one."

"I prefer the term noble."

Saki giggled and again, Masaomi felt himself tense. Just what was it about that giggle? No, now that he thought a little more about it, it wasn't just the giggle. It was in the way she moved and the way she talked. She just felt off and Masaomi wasn't sure how else to describe it. Just how did Mikado meet her and why did he choose her of all people?

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," she offered when they arrived at Masaomi's humble apartment. "We can go to school together."

"Oh, you also go to Raira?"

She nodded. "I look forward to seeing you again, Sir Knight."

"And I you, my fair maiden."

Despite how beautiful she was, Masaomi still couldn't quite shake off the feeling of strangeness. What was it? Perhaps he could ask Mikado about it? Surely, Mikado would be able to pinpoint it without any problem.

No new messages from Mikado. Masaomi frowned a little. Just how busy was that guy?

He placed the duffle bag down on the ground and looked around. The place came furnished with the old renter's things, which was the reason why Masaomi had wanted this place. It was cheaper than the other places because apparently the previous renter died in here and blah blah blah. Mikado sent him a well-researched list of apartments that would be affordable, but Masaomi hadn't really read anything too carefully. He had just looked at the prices and decided on this.

And now that he was here…

"Ikebukuro!" he shouted with a laugh. "I'm three years late, but I'm finally here!"

When Masaomi and Mikado were in the last year of elementary school, they saw an anime that took place in Tokyo. That wasn't the only reason why they decided to come to Ikebukuro, but it was the main one in Masaomi's mind.

They pleaded and begged and bargained with their parents until finally, it seemed as if everything was going to go their way. The two of them were going to live in Ikebukuro together while going to school, just like anime characters!

Masaomi didn't expect his mother to collapse that year.

A minor stroke, the doctors said. But how the hell was he supposed to leave her and go off to Ikebukuro? The thought of having fun soured his mouth and in the end, he waved goodbye to his best friend.

But you know, that was three years ago. Many things have happened since then. Masaomi was no longer the bitter child who felt betrayed by the world. Just as he suspected that Mikado was no longer the cry-baby who depended on Masaomi.

He was looking forward to seeing his friend again.

Saki looked cute in the Raira uniform.

"Good morning," she greeted him in that eerie manner that put Masaomi's hair on edge.

"Good morning, my fair maiden!" Masaomi greeted back with a bright smile as if he wasn't bothered. "Did you have wonderful dreams about me? Because your beautiful smile haunted mine!"

He quietly hoped that he didn't have to spend much longer with her.

Raira Academy loomed ahead of them and Masaomi could barely contain his giddiness. Finally! Finally! He was going to be able to see his friend again!

"Then I'll leave you to it," Saki said with a small nod. Then she was off, leaving before anyone could really notice that the two came to school together. Perhaps she was just shy about that?

Well, it didn't matter all that much to him. Right now, Masaomi's head was filled with jokes that he could spring on Mikado. Right now, his heart was racing at the thought of seeing his friend again. Right now, there was little to nothing that could bring Masaomi down from his high.

Masaomi did not see Mikado during the Orientation. Nor did he see him during the tour of the school. It was unusual. Mikado was an honest guy who paled at the thought of skipping. Where was he? Masaomi drummed his finger against crossed arms. He gave the tour guide a bright smile and asked a flirty question, but his heart wasn't really into it. Just where was Mikado anyways?

He heard the whispers before he understood what was going on.

"Oh my gosh, is that really him?"

"I've heard that he-"

"Shh, don't say it. You don't know who might be listening."

"The Emperor actually showed up!"

"Why is that guy here…?"

"He came with his guard dog."

"Well, they're never that far apart."

Masaomi's eyes followed the whispers and landed at the school gate. And at first, he wasn't too sure what he was seeing. A bartender with a student who was bandaged up? It was an odd enough sight by itself, and the added backdrop of the school made it even worse. But then the student nodded and walked away from the bartender, and Masaomi finally saw the student's bruised face.

With a cold look that Masaomi had never imagined he'd ever see on that face, one Ryugamine Mikado made his way towards the school building.

Fifteen seconds.

It took him a total of fifteen seconds to snap back to reality. Without any excuse or explanation to the tour group, Masaomi turned on his heels and rushed to the front of the school. He vaguely heard shouts behind him and around him, but he couldn't focus on that. In his mind's eyes, all he saw was Mikado's face. The dark bruise on Mikado's left cheek, the band aid over Mikado's right brow, the cold look in his eyes as if he lost all hope in this world.

"Mikado!" The name tore out from his throat as Masaomi screeched to a halt few feet before his friend. Despite the worry over the injuries and the dark look about his friend, Masaomi couldn't stop the wide grin on his face. "Mikado!"

But what greeted him wasn't the bright smile that he'd always imagined his friend would have on his face. In fact, Mikado tilted his head to the side, looking at Masaomi as if he was calculating something (as if he was a math problem, except that wasn't quite right. The look in Mikado's eyes when he tackled math problems weren't this cold, this detached).

"Who are you?"

"Ah… How cold! Jeesh, just because I dyed my hair, you don't even recognize me? Alright, no choice. I'll have to give you three choices. Choice 1, Kida Masaomi. Choice 2, Kida Masaomi. Choice 3, Kida Masaomi!"

Mikado's eyes widened and there was a spark of something in his eyes. And in that moment, Masaomi saw the small kid that he had been so close to. Masaomi laughed, feeling strangely relieved at something although he wasn't too sure what. He went to put his arm around Mikado's shoulders but before his hand could reach his friend, flashes of blue stood in between them.

Three Raira students stood there, two of them glaring down at Masaomi and the other one with a polite smile to Mikado. And with their appearance, any ounce of emotion on Mikado's face shut down and his eyes regained that cold glint.

"Ryugamine-san," the one with the polite smile greeted. "Is this brute bothering you? Should we throw out the trash?" Despite the friendly tone of voice, the look that this kid shot Masaomi brought a shiver down his spine. What the hell?

"Leave him alone," Mikado said. Then he turned to walk down a hall. "He's no one special."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Masaomi shouted. He took a step forward towards Mikado, only to be stopped by the three students.

"Ryugamine-san might have told us to leave you alone, but if you bother him, we will eliminate you." The kid sneered, obviously not thinking much of Masaomi. "Crawl back to whatever sewer you came out of."

Masaomi snarled, but he could care less about these guys. The one he wanted to talk to was over there, walking away. "Mikado!" he yelled over the students. "If you're going to treat me like this, then why did you invite me?"

Mikado didn't even pause or turn around. "I didn't," he answered calmly. He didn't shout or speak louder than a normal conversational level, but Masaomi could hear it clearly. "I haven't been in contact with you since you called me a traitor."

Then he was gone, leaving Masaomi confused and frustrated.