A/N: Have a slightly short chapter from me.
"So what have you been doing lately?"
Michinaga turned around to face Tohru as his friend gave him a pointed look.
"Lately you kept running off somewhere once our work shifts were over and occasionally ran out over some 'family' emergency. What's this so-called business you have been keeping to yourself?" asked Tohru again as Michinaga tried to deny it.
"It's nothing like that... I just got some other stuff to do."
Tohru gave him a wary glance. "You're not hiding some kinda side gig that you're not telling me, right? Now that I thought of it, there were some other instances of you running off somewhere after getting some calls..." His friend slung his arm over his shoulder. "So what was this other part-time job you're having? And what did you mean that you have some other 'family members' that I didn't know? Fess up, what was this secret you're hiding?"
Michinaga rolled his eyes at his friend.
"It's nothing like that... and even if it was kinda like some part-time job, it's not something you would want to do," reasoned Michinaga as he tried to discourage his friend from pressing on the issue even more.
Could Tohru even picture it anyway? Doubt his friend would even take him seriously if he told him that he's been busy fighting in a reality survival gameshow set up by some people from the future (who were totally different from themselves) for fun and later trying to fight off those same future people who wanted to recover their 'game navigator' whom they've stolen from? He might've just told Tohru that he was duped into doing some shady underground business.
"So what HAVE you been doing for the past few months?" badgered Tohru again as Michinaga gave him a loud cry.
But then, could he fault Tohru for being curious about the things he'd been doing in secret? The two of them had been close ever since they were young and neither ever hide anything from each other. Or even keep secrets from each other. Yet lately, his friend must have been wondering about where he's been running off to on a constant basis, just like how he used to do... when Tohru had first joined the DGP.
What a role reversal, don't you think?
Then again, it's not like he could tell Tohru about the DGP now, nor could he tell him about the unlikely friends he ended up accumulating; about Keiwa, Neon, Tsumuri and oh... Ace. He definitely couldn't tell Tohru about Ace. As much as the fuss about Ace's disappearance in the media had started to cool down, it'll still be hard to explain to anyone how he of all people ended up befriending that cheeky fox.
.
"But you know, Michi..." Tohru suddenly spoke out as Michinaga turned his head back towards his friend.
"This was a good change, actually. You've really become a lot more sociable than before. I thought I'd be the only one who could stand someone like you as a friend."
Without sparing any more thoughts, Michinaga kicked Tohru off the bench they were sitting on as the other man started laughing his head off.
What kind of nonsense was that all about?
xxx
He entered the room Ace was in to find the room empty aside from the man himself. That was rare because usually either Tsumuri or Ace's mother would be around to watch over the guy. Or god forbid... that Keiwa. Whenever Keiwa was here in this by Ace's side he always mope around the room as if the world's burden was on his shoulders.
What did the fox do to the guy to the point that Keiwa was so all over that Ace? N-not that he was envious of it!
"This is nice to see for a change. Miichi getting more friends!"
Michinaga let out a loud groan. Geez, why did Tohru have to word it like that? So annoying!
Michinaga half-heartedly tried to kick on one of the bed legs as the bed shook slightly.
"Hey you, fox idiot! Wake up already from this stupid slumber! You're not even some princess cursed into deep slumber like those fantasy stories!" He gritted his teeth. "What's that bullshit about wanting to fight the admins and free everyone from their clutches? In the end, you just let yourself be played and manipulated by those future people!"
He gave the edge of the bed a few more kicks to vent his frustration.
"Wake up already, you idiot! I want to kick your butt so badly!" Michinaga just shook his head. "This is so annoying..."
"You're really not being so honest with yourself..."
Michinaga gasped as he thought he heard Ace's voice speaking out to him. But as he turned to check on Ace, the man continued to be sleeping.
He kicked the bed once again before rolling unceremoniously on the floor in pain.
(Well, who told you to kick the bed stupidly, Azuma Michinaga!)