Neon had a lot of questions. One of which was why was she meeting her supporter at Keiwa's house.
As far as Neon knew, Kyuun and Keiwa did not interact let alone meet. Sure, Kyuun was aware of Keiwa's existence but the only time Keiwa saw Kyuun was when he was escorting her out of the battle arena that Michinaga-san set up.
Thinking that she won't lose anything if she just knocked on the door, she did just that.
As expected, the person who answered the door was Keiwa.
The last time she saw Keiwa, there was this anger in his face that she doesn't think she has saw it before, and Sara-san was in danger before too.
To be fair, she hasn't seen his expression as it was covered by his helmet.
Although she could admit that Keiwa had the potential of being as ruthless as Michinaga-san.
The Keiwa she was seeing now seemed resigned. She couldn't sense any lick of emotion from the man before her.
"Neon-chan… can you give me your ID core?"
"My ID core?"
"I'm afraid once you'll see who's inside, property damage would be inevitable, I just want the apartment to continue standing by the time you leave."
"Property – it's not like Beroba's inside your house, right?" Neon asked.
Keiwa shook his head, sighed, and then nodded.
"Seriously? After all, she's done?!"
"I'm a bit like you now, Neon-chan," Keiwa admitted. "Someone the goddess of creation revived."
"She re- you died."
"After your last round of the Jamato Grand Prix."
"But why?"
"The reason nee-chan is a Rider now…"
"That seems unfair…"
It really was unfair. Sara-san agreed to become a Rider so that Keiwa won't be one, but he ended up becoming one anyway.
It was also unfair to the other participants, as selfish as it is think about it, Sara-san got her wish of getting her brother back even without winning the Grand Prix.
Just like her father was…
"I know…"
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Neon hugged the man before her. "You did not deserve this."
Keiwa did not deserve this kind of life.
Sara-san did not deserve this kind of life.
No one deserved this kind of life.
"Neither did you." Keiwa hugged back. "All things considered, I just tolerate her existence as she stays in the house full time."
"Haaaah?!" Neon exclaimed. "She's squatting?!"
Beroba's staying with the Sakurais full time, like a toxic mother-in-law, not that she knew any, who'd just invite herself inside the house, unannounced.
"Wait… why did Kyuun want me here then?"
"Kyuun-san is already inside, just; please give me your ID core."
"Okay, I'm giving Kyuun a piece of my mind."
Neon gave Keiwa her ID core as she hastily removed her sandals at the genkan.
"Wha-"
"Hello, Neon-chan!" Beroba cut off whatever remarks Neon might have.
"Konnichiwa, Obaa-san."
"Obaa-san?!"
"Keiwa called you Berobaa-san, why are you upset?"
"See, Tycoon? You won't let me have any fun?!"
"Do I have to ask Kekera-san how old you are again, Berobaa-san?" Keiwa fired back as he got a frying pan and began prepping it for his next dish.
Beroba simply pouted at the retort.
"So, why are we meeting here?" Neon turned his attention to Kyuun, totally ignoring the glare and pout that Beroba was sending her way.
"It's part of Beroba's sick game." Kyuun admitted.
"What does she get out of this?" Neon raised an eyebrow. "And why are we agreeing to her game in the first place?"
"She can hear you." Beroba decided to cut in.
"Then, maybe, leave?" Neon offered with a scathing smile.
"Told you, Berobaa-san, once people visit often enough, they'll get numb to the idea of you being here, free-loading off of me and my sister's incomes."
"Wait, they don't even pay rent?"
Like a toxic person indeed.
"Nope."
"But this is the first time Na-go's visited, she should be reacting differently."
"It was suspicious enough that Kyuun wanted to meet with me in Keiwa's house, and I was right." Neon glared at her supporter.
"Hai, hai, Neon-chan, what would you like to have?"
"You're cooking me, food?"
"Sure, since I'm already cooking for Berobaa-san and Kyuun-san."
"Do you even pay for his service?" Neon looked at her supporter.
"We don't have money, Neon." Kyuun admitted.
"It's some utopia where everything is according to their wishes," Keiwa added. "It's like everyone in their time is a Desire god in their own right."
"Money is so primitive." Beroba commented.
"So no money…"
"We have other means to trade away for something else, if not for that, the Desire Grand Prix wouldn't exist."
"So it's just a case of your currency not matching with ours." Keiwa hummed.
"And you don't call it money."
"The concept of it is the same." Beroba yawned.
"Actually, I might actually have an idea…" Kyuun actually smirked.
"So, Neon-chan?"
"I'm getting what they're having." Neon smiled.
"Kyuun-san, what would you like to have?"
"Can we have some Katsudon?"
"Berobaa-san?"
"Gyukatsu this time, please!"
"Then, can I have some Katsudon?" Neon asked, if not, I will get what Kyuun is having."
"It's no problem, I'm used to the supporters' weird requests for food," Keiwa shrugged. "Considering the things they have me cook, our finances have taken a beating."
Everyone in the house was just eating silently. Neon found the silence a bit awkward while Keiwa did not seem to mind anything at all.
"That reminds me, has Kekera ever told you how you could support having two supporters around your house?" Kyuun broke the silence.
"No, and he hasn't told me of ways to keep our finances from taking a big hit."
"Neon, how about your father?"
"That's a great idea, Kyuun!"
"Nope, I'm not begging for money even if it's house two freeloaders." Keiwa immediately vetoed the suggestion.
"Who's saying you'd be asking for money, frankly, this is just compensation," Neon smirked. "Niram would definitely try to compensate you, even if it's to assuage my father."
"Compe-what are we?"
"I don't know, Berobaa-san, why don't you tell me what you are?"
"We'll just ask my father to ask Niram to get you hired as a DGP staff member." Neon laid out her plans.
"Niram's dead." Beroba yawned. "He died alongside Geats, turning into bubbles."
"If he died by … why's he working with Michinaga?"
"Beats me," Beroba popped another jelly in her mouth. "Niram's death was a sight to see, I have to admit."
"So both the Game Master and Producer are dead." Neon hummed.
"There's Samas." Kyuun offered.
"Samas?"
"She's the girl that's always tailing the producer like a lost puppy." Beroba supplied.
"Do they even hire people from this time period?" Keiwa couldn't help but ask.
"They do," Kyuun confirmed. "PunkJack was a man of this time period."
"Before Girori blew his brains out." Beroba chuckled as she popped another candy in her mouth.
"He was?" Neon's eyes widened as she looked at the supporters.
"You know there is another way," Beroba smirked. "You do know that I both Vision Drivers,"
"No," Keiwa immediately rejected the idea. "It's bad enough that you used sacrifices to revive me, I am not going to use a wish just to get more money, despite the situation."
"Sacrifices?"
"All the people we lost in the DGP have been used to fuel how the world was rewritten like my parents were."
Sacrifices?
People's lives were sacrificed for her to exist?
Neon couldn't process what she just heard, so she tabled the thought for later.
"You know, Tycoon, your parents were admirable." Beroba chuckled.
"What? They wanted a son so one of them made a wish and created me?" Keiwa raised an eyebrow.
"No, that would just be boring," Beroba grinned. "Despite being on death's door, they still cared for their daughter and asked for someone outside the Jamar area to get her to safety."
"We would have been happy if the four of us could live in a house, but no, the goddess of creation just had to take that away so that a Desire god would be happy."
No…
Keiwa's parents were sacrificed for her to exist.
Did her father know about this?
He didn't, right?
"I'm sorry…"
"Neon-chan, it's not your fault." Keiwa shook his head.
"But…"
"You're just an unfortunate result because of some very selfish people." Keiwa engulfed Neon in a tight hug, letting the woman cry on his chest.
"Ugh," Beroba gagged. "No one wants to see your love story.'
"L-love story?!"Kyuun exclaimed.
Keiwa looked at the two supporters with an unimpressed stare.
"Really? Now?"
Kyuun blushed in embarrassment while Beroba just stuck out her tongue.