Hello everyone. Coming at you guys again with another chapter.

Guest: Take your time when reviewing. Your studies come first. These chapters aren't going anywhere.

Without further ado, here is the latest chapter: Preparations and Phone Calls.


"Hahahaha," After an hour passed, laughter came from the entrance, and a girl with wavy black hair walked in. The Digi-Destined all turned to look at the girl, and Junpei's eyes widened. It was Junpei's opera partner.

"Saya!" The Bearer of Thunder said in shock. "What're you doing here?"

"You said you needed help," Saya answered. "So here I am!"

"But you didn't have to come all the way here." The girl lived near Suginami City. It was at least a 1-hour drive with traffic. "I could've just told you everything on the phone."

I know," Saya said, smiling. "But this is the first time you asked me for anything. I wanted to see you and experience your facial expressions in person. Your pleading expression will be more meaningful that way."

Junpei gave Saya a look. "You're really making it hard for me to ask for your help. Is coming all the way here necessary?"

"Yes," Saya stated as a matter of fact. "Now, do you want my assistance or not? If so, you know what you have to do."

"Inside the whole restaurant?" Junpei asked, exasperated. "In front of my friends and the other customers."

"I didn't pick this place." Saya pointed out. "You did. Are you going to do it? If not, I'm leaving."

Junpei let out a defeat sigh and knew what he had to do. A method was silently arranged between them if Junpei ever needed help from Saya, but the boy didn't need it until now. He thought he could get away with it since they were talking on the phone, but as usual, he underestimated the girl's determination and resourcefulness. There was no avoiding it.

"Oh almighty goddess of muse," The boy uttered the words with difficulty, folded his hands, and bowed down a bit in an exaggerated manner. "Will you bestow upon me your blessings and assist me in my time of need? I would greatly appreciate it."

Everyone inside the restaurant looked at the pair weirdly. Some of them, including Junpei's friends, were holding back their laughter.

Saya looked at her opera partner smirking. Coming all the way here to see this was worth it for her. "A little sarcastic at the end, but I'll take it. So, what do you need? I'm assuming I need to include your friends as well?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"If it was just for you, you wouldn't have contacted me," Saya knew Junpei somewhat well during their time together. He would never ask her for anything. For him to ask, it had to be pretty big and serious. "Mind introducing me to them?"

"Sure," Junpei sighed. He didn't want to introduce Saya to his friends, but her help was needed. She wouldn't do it without context either, so Junpei walked her to everyone and introduced them each saving Izumi for last. His voice got a little more happy at the last bit.

Saya gave a quick look at Izumi and then stared at Junpei. She gave him a long look. No one knew what she was thinking.

"I'm going home," She said and walked away from the group.

"What?!" Junpei said, surprised. "Didn't you agree to listen and help?"

"I did," Saya turned around to the boy and replied. "I changed my mind."

Saya continued to walk and exited the restaurant. Junpei stared at her retreating figure in confusion. He would never understand this girl.

"Junpei, you idiot!" Izumi said, getting up from her chair. "You guys stay here. I'll go and talk to her."

"Wait, Izumi," Junpei said. "She's my opera partner. Let me go and tal-."

"Don't," Izumi put up her hand stopping the boy. "You've done enough. I'll handle it." Izumi then ran out of the restaurant to catch up to Saya.

"What?" Junpei asked, confused, and turned toward his other Digi-Destined. "What did I say?"

Takuya and Tomoki shook their heads and shrugged. They didn't know what was going on either. Kouji and Koichi, on the other hand, had an idea but didn't want to say it out loud.

"So that's your opera partner, Saya," Kouji said, changing the subject. "Hopefully Izumi will be able to talk to her, but how is she going to help with our predicament?"

"Saya is the daughter of some rich company," Junpei replied. "I was hoping she could help with our expenses on travel."

"That would explain her haughtiness yet elegant demeanor," Takuya said. "She must be really rich. What company is it?"

"We don't talk about it much," Junpei thought, trying to remember the details outside their vocal sessions. "But I think she said it was Hashimoto Industries."

"Hashimoto Industries?" Koichi's whole body shook. "Saya… Saya… Junpei was that girl Sayaka Hashimoto!?"

"That's her full name," Junpei confirmed. "What? Do you know her?"

"Know her?" Koichi stared at his friend with wide eyes. "Junpei, she's the sole daughter of one of the biggest companies in Japan. They're the Top 3 here and Top 10 in the world! Their name shows up in the news and papers at least once a month!"

Takuya, Tomoki, and Kouji listened with surprise. Junpei just raised his eyebrow. They knew the girl must've been rich when meeting her, but they didn't know how rich. From Junpei's story and brief introduction, they thought she was just a talented singer from a well-known family.

"Wow Junpei," Tomoki said. Those were the only words he could say to describe what he was feeling. "How did you get to know someone like Saya?"

"Like I said, she's my opera partner," Junpei answered. "And if I'm being honest, the role was forced upon me."

"So what?" Takuya said thinking about fantasies of being rich. "You must've done some awesome things having such a rich friend like that."

"Whatever it is that you're imagining, stop," Junpei said snapping Takuya out of his rich fantasies. "Besides today, I've never asked Saya for any favors. All we've done together was just classes and vocal sessions."

"Why?" Koichi asked. "From what I read from the papers, the family is enormously rich. An expensive one-week vacation for us would just be pocket change for her. Asking for some things shouldn't be a problem."

"But what kind of friend would I be if I asked that," Junpei answered. After his adventures in the Digital World, the boy valued the bonds with his friends dearly even if some of them were forceful. He didn't want to ask his friends for money or pay for him. It was his bottom line. "I'm not a person who wants to be friends with others just because they're rich."

Takuya, Tomoki, Kouji, and Koichi looked at Junpei and smiled. Out of all of them, Junpei was the one with the most friends outside the group, and they understood why. He had a talent to attract people with his skills and established a connection with them. The boy released a feeling that made it easier to communicate with him. It was weird, but they could feel the earnest trust of the boy. With his morals, not once did Junpei misuse that trust causing him to make many friends.

"Besides, I'm not doing it for free either," Junpei added and grabbed his head. "Saya is the type of person who never forgets things, especially big favors. She's never going to let this go. Just thinking about what she's going to ask me is giving me a big headache."

"I've been her opera partner & classmate for about a year, and I still don't completely understand her. I probably never will." Junpei sighed. "The girl is so powerful and rich, so why did I have to get stuck with her?

"So you don't care if she's rich and powerful?" Kouji asked.

"Why should I care?" Junpei answered with a question.

"Saya is connected to the most influential people in Japan," Koichi explained. "I'm sure a lot of people treat her lavishly getting on her good side. Shouldn't you?"

"Unless they want to, I'm not going to treat someone differently just because they have a little money," Junpei said. "Besides her bodyguards who flank me every day when escaping, she hasn't made any notions to treat her differently. To me, she's just a regular girl and opera partner who I annoyingly see every day."

Kouji and Koichi shared a look. They now had a better understanding of the situation and an answer to why Saya was so focused on Junpei. They just didn't want to say anything. Sometimes, some people have to figure things out themselves.

"Hehehehe," Giggles were heard as Izumi and Saya walked back inside the soba restaurant. Their arms were linked together and were talking like the best of friends.

Izumi! Saya!" Junpei stood up. "You're back! Does that mean?"

"Yes, I'll help," Saya responded to Junpei. "Izumi told me everything. Most of it is still hard to believe, but I did witness some of it with you a few hours ago, so there's no denying it. I've already got Makoto and Toshiro to buy the tickets for you guys. If you guys need anything else, just contact me."

Just as those words left her mouth, Takuya, Tomoki, Koichi, and Junpei's cellphones all received a message. They each looked at their screens and saw that they were plane or train tickets to their specific destinations. Some of them were scheduled to leave in the next few hours.

"Wow, that was fast," Tomoki said. "How did you even get our contact information?"

"Izumi shared it with me while we were talking," Saya replied. "Junpei, you should've introduced me to her a long time ago. Even though I just met her, she is such an amazing girl."

"Thank you, Saya," Izumi said. "But I think you're amazing. You're doing all this stuff for people you barely know. It's so selfless."

"Don't sell short yourself now. I've seen some of your photos or posts as a reader model. You do some amazing work on your two feet," Saya complimented back. "You're even more amazing!"

"No, you are!"

"No, you are!

"No, you are!"

"Okay," Kouji said, breaking the girls' conversation. "As much as I like keeping up with your compliments, we have more pressing issues. Izumi and I still need to get to our destinations."

"Oh! I got that covered too," Saya said.

"How?" Kouji asked, confused. "My destination is located on an uninhabitable island. There's no boat or airline routes that'll take us there."

"Yours was a little more troublesome, so you and Izumi will have to take the private jet."

"Private Jet!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Yes," Saya confirmed. "Since there are no routes, you'll need personal transport. I already contacted the pilot and will send Izumi the meeting details."

"Are you sure that it's okay to use your private jet?" Koichi asked. "Doesn't your family need to use it?"

"Each of my family members has our own private jet," Saya said. "I haven't been using mine since starting college. When I told my pilot, he was leaping with joy. I guess he missed flying or something."

'You have your own private jet…' Koichi and the others, except Junpei, didn't know what to say to that. They only had two words to describe Saya: Rich Girl! Seriously, how did Junpei know this girl?

Thanks, Saya," Kouji said, breaking everyone's stunned state, and got up. "We now have transportation. We should go get ready and go."

"Whoa Kouji," Takuya said, stopping him. "Aren't you forgetting something?

"What?" Kouji asked.

"Our parents," Takuya punched in the contacts on his cell phone. "We need to tell them where we're going."

"No, it'll only implicate them." Kouji rejected. According to Bokomon, people who have been with the Digi-Destined long enough would also get sent to the Digital World. Their parents were in that category. It was best to keep their distance unless they would get dragged into a fractal field and be attacked by Digimon.

"It's too dangerous to tell them," Kouji continued. "Besides, this week is Golden Week*. All of our parents know we're getting together to hang out anyway."

"They think it's only for one day." Takuya corrected. "The trip we'll be taking will at least take 2-3 days with transportation. Our world isn't like the Digital World where we can just enter and come back a second later. We won't tell them about the Digimon, but we have to tell them about the traveling. Unless you want them to contact you, and they found out you're in the southern part of Japan. You know they can do that."

Kouji silently cursed the new technological advances of society. It made some things easier, but made other things harder like keeping your whereabouts secret from your parents. "I get that, but my mom is-"

"-allowed to be your mom," Takuya finished for him. "She worries about you like any family member should. It's her way of showing she loves you. I know it's hard to communicate sometimes, but that's how families work. It's better to tell her now anyway than for her to have a nervous breakdown later if she finds out.

"You're right," Kouji sighed. "I'll call my mom and tell her."

"Great!" Takuya smiled and turned to his other friends. "You guys, too. The faster we finish the calls, the faster we depart."

Everyone nodded, got up, and exited the restaurant. They all went in separate directions around the train station to get some privacy when calling their families.

There was a reason Kouji didn't want to contact his family. Don't get him wrong, he loved his dad and stepmother. It was just that his mother could be a real worrywart. Every time Kouji fell on his butt or got lightly injured, Mrs. Minamoto got extremely worried and asked about his well-being. She would nitpick about every single thing he did.

It was extremely coddling, but Takuya was right. It was just her way of loving him even if it was annoying sometimes. He just had to deal with it and called.

As expected, when Kouji told his mom about the trip, she got into full overprotective mom mode.

"You're going on a trip in a few hours with your friends for a few days?" Mrs. Minamoto said, surprised. "Kouji, this is really last minute. Have you packed everything you need? Maybe you should come home so I can make sure."

"No," Kouji rejected. "It's not going to be a long trip like 2 days at least, and I already have the necessities packed."

"Really?" Mrs. Minamoto asked. "You packed your toothbrush, toothpaste, and camping tent?"

"Yes. Yes. And I don't need the tent. I'll be hanging out with my friends near cities and beaches, so I won't need it.

"Cities and beaches? You know my rules about talking to strangers, right?"

"Yes, I know," Kouji said, repeating her rules like he did a million times. "Be vigilant. Keep your distance. And don't let the person drag you into a secluded area."

"As long as you remember, but are you sure don't want to come home first? I can pack you your favorite lunch for the road."

"I'm fine! Stop Worrying!" Kouji exclaimed but calmed down. "But thanks for the concern. I'll be home in a few days and will call if there's an emergency. I don't want to miss out on your home-cooked meals. They're the best, Mom."

"I guess I over-worried again," Mrs. Minamoto said, apologically. "It's just hard seeing you grow up and leave the nest to travel."

"I understand, but it doesn't mean I'll leave for long. I'll come home and say hi. I'm your son, after all."

"Yes, you are," Mrs. Minamoto said, smiling. "Now, let's talk about the dangerous things you'll meet at the beach."

"Mom!" Kouji groaned.

While Mrs. Minamoto badgered her son, the complete opposite was happening with Koichi and his mom. Instead of Ms. Kimura nagging her son, Koichi was the one doing the lecture.

After he was discharged from the hospital and returned to full health when returning from the Digital World, the boy decided to take on more responsibilities. Koichi couldn't stop his mom from working, but he could do all the household chores like cleaning and laundry.

Every day, Koichi would make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for him and his mother. He made sure the house was spotless and in some cases, did the medical coverage for the family. He wanted to do anything he could to lighten her load. This continued for seven years.

Even with his morning part-time job, school, and internship, he still did all of the daily necessities. Koichi even made a nutritional meal plan for his mother's health. Thanks to that though, Ms. Kimura has been experiencing fewer injuries during work.

"Mom," Koichi said to his mother over the phone. "I'll be gone for a few days, so I won't be cooking. I've already bought the groceries, so you'll have to make it yourself. Please follow my meal plan and don't overexert yourself during work."

"I got it, sweety." Ms. Kimura replied. "Go and have fun with your friends! I can take care of myself just fine. You also don't have to worry too much about me."

"I have to worry about you," Koichi stated. "Especially your body health. You always work manual labor jobs almost every day, and I need to observe your well-being. It's important to me, and I want you to be happy.

"Your health is important to me, Mom. I don't you to grow up struggling with back and shoulder pains. Kouji and I would be devastated."

"I get it," Ms. Kimura said, dropping the subject. Seriously, how did she raise such a meticulous and hard-working son? Sometimes, it felt like the boy was raising and taking care of her instead of the other way around. It did make her happy to see her son so capable though. "Just don't worry about me too much. You also need to have fun too."

"I will," Koichi said. "But I just want to confirm things. Now let's go over your meal plans and daily activities again."

"Koichi…," Ms. Kimura groaned.

"Yutaka, can you tell Mom and Dad I'll be traveling with my friends?" Tomoki said to his big brother on the phone. When he called his parents, they didn't answer and went to voicemail. So he called his brother too just in case his parents didn't get his message. "It should only be for a few days."

"It's not a problem," Yutaka replied. "But don't you have to build your campaign for student council president and finish your daily & weekly chores?"

"They're mostly finished, and Teppei helped me with half of it already." Tomoki then scratches the back of his head. "As for my chores, could you handle them for me until I come back?"

"Tomoki~" Yutaka said, a little unhappy. He was 25 years old and working hard to get his master's degree in science engineering while also holding a full-time job. He came home to relax and spend time with his family, but Tomoki was asking him to do his chores. Of course, he would be peeved.

"Before you say anything more," Tomoki said, wanting to calm his brother. "I've already done half of it. All you have to do is the laundry and dishes. Also, I organized the stuff in your room, and bought something from the store for you."

"Wait, you did what?" Yutaka asked.

"I organized your things and got something for you," Tomoki repeated. "It should be in your room now."

On the other line, Yutaka quickly went to his room to confirm what his brother said was true. Even though he came home to relax, he still wanted to get some of his school assignments done. One of them was doing a paper that took a lot of research and effort. The sheer amount of the research left his room cluttered and messy.

When he entered his room again, the college boy found his room spotless. The books and papers that used to be scattered all over were organized alphabetically on the bookshelf and corners of his desk. His dirty clothes were already in the wastebasket ready to be sent to the laundry, and his bed was made perfectly. It felt like a cleaning service went through the room.

On his wooden desk were two items. The first was a portable music player containing calming music like ocean waves and classical orchestra, while the second was a ceramic incense burner emitting the smell of fresh seawater. These were items that helped Yutaka relax and stay focused.

"Tomoki…" Yutaka looked at his room and items in surprise. "Why?"

"I noticed you were struggling when you studied," Tomoki answered through the phone. "So I wanted to help and get you your relaxing items. It's not much, but I hope it'll help when finishing your research paper."

Yutaka went silent for a moment. He felt touched. His brother went out of his way to do this for him. What a considerate little brother!

He also inwardly laughed. When Tomoki was younger, he was always needy and indulgent thanks to their parents. Yutaka worried this might affect him growing up which was why he was so hard on the little boy back then. His advice wasn't perfect, but he hoped his little brother understood it. Then it happened.

One day, Tomoki stopped asking for expensive video games and demanded an allowance. He wanted to do chores around the house and earn his things. Mr. and Mrs. Himi tried to dissuade their little boy, but Tomoki was adamant. He told them he didn't want to be spoiled and rely on them too much. They couldn't refuse him after he said that.

When Yutaka saw Tomoki again coming home from college, the little boy thanked him and told him that he loved him. The college boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He last talked to his little brother a few days ago, and the little boy was still spoiled then. Why say this now? What changed?

It didn't end there. When Yutaka walked Tomoki to his school, two older boys greeted him and asked if he wanted to play a game quickly. Tomoki agreed, thanked his brother for walking him, and played soccer with his friends. This caused the Yutaka to pause again. Did his little brother have friends now?

Yutaka didn't know how or why, but when he saw Tomoki playing with his friends and refusing to be coddled by their parents, he felt like his advice reached him. He didn't have to worry too much about his little brother growing up anymore. It was reassuring.

"Alright," Yutaka finally said, breaking away from his past thoughts. "I'll do your chores until you come back. Have fun with your friends, but remember you still have your campaign to worry about."

"I will! Don't worry," Tomoki replied, enthusically. "You're the best, bro!" The boy then hung up.

Yutaka looked at his cell phone for a moment with a smile on his face.

"I could say the same to you too, little brother."

Since Junpei was already in college, he had a lot more freedom compared to the others. All he did was text his parents about the trip. Once they texted okay, he was good to go.

While waiting on the others, there was still something he needed to do, and walked over to Saya. The girl was flanked by her usual bodyguards: Makoto and Toshiro when he came over.

"Saya," Junpei greeted her. "Makoto. Toshiro."

"Junpei," Saya gave a greeting of her own while her bodyguards nodded in acknowledgment. "You're coming to me this time instead of running? The surprises just keep on coming."

"Don't get used to it," Junpei retorted. "I just wanted to say thank you. If it wasn't for you, I don't think we would have gotten transportation on such short notice. I owe you one."

"You owe me a couple," Saya raised her chin haughtily. "Starting with vocal training. Stop running away from me and actually walk me to the studio for a change."

"Fair enough," Junpei sighed. He owed a lot to his opera partner now. There was no escaping from it this time.

"Also, you're going to need to take me out to lunch and dinner a couple of times," Saya added. "And pay for it."

"Wait a minute!" Junpei said, practically shouting. "What do you mean I have to take you out to eat?"

"I'm sorry, but do you think last-minute plane tickets and usage of a private jet are cheap?" Saya put her hands on her hip. "It's not, and unless you can pay me back for everything, you'll need to make it up to me slowly. Food and conversation is another start."

"I'm kind of saving the world here! Can't you cut me some slack?"

"Saving the world isn't cheap either, and neither is explaining to my parents why I am spending all this money." Saya defended. "Unless you can find another person who can afford your transportation and believe your outlandish story."

"Ugh," Junpei felt another headache coming. There was no winning this verbal battle. He didn't mind treating Saya to a couple of meals, but the girl came from a rich family. Her tastebuds were probably high class. What he earned for a whole year probably wouldn't even cover an appetizer of what she usually eats.

"It doesn't have to be from an expensive restaurant," Saya said as if reading Junpei's thoughts. "You can take me to places where you usually go to."

"You're okay with fried rice or yakisoba from a food stand?" Junpei asked, skeptically.

"I'm not picky," Saya scoffed. "Seriously, what kind of girl do you think I am?"

"A girl who openly kidnaps her opera partner in public and forces him to vocal sessions," Junpei answered bluntly.

"Touché," Saya said. "But I'm absolutely fine with anything you treat me to,"

"That's good to know," Junpei scratched his head thinking. "But it still takes a lot of money for me to treat you many times. Are you okay with home-cooked meals?"

Saya's eyes lit up for a moment but quickly hid them before Junpei could notice. "I wouldn't want you to get into any financial trouble because of me," she answered lightly. "I guess I could lower myself even more and try some of your homemade cooking."

"Wow, thanks, That means so much coming from you," Junpei said, sarcastically. "But if you're really okay with it, I'll text you after I finish my trip, and we can talk then."

"I'll be waiting for it," Saya said, turning around. Her back faced Junpei. "Until then, it's around that time for me to go."

"You're leaving without saying goodbye to my other friends?" Junpei asked.

"I've just met them today, so it would be weird for me to stick around," Saya answered. "Besides, from what Izumi told me, people highly related to you will be dragged into this fractal field like what happened to me. It's best if I make myself scarce unless I want to be caught in the middle of a battle again."

"You're right," Junpei agreed. His enemies were only interested in the Digi-Destined and the spirits of the Legendary Warriors. They had no interest in the other bystanders, so it would be best to keep a distance from their family and friends. "See you later."

Saya walked off along with her bodyguards but stopped and turned her head to look at Junpei. Her face was filled with worry "Junpei, please be careful and come back safely." Those were her final words as she left Shibuya Station.

Junpei just watched her leave. He wanted to say that he would safely come back, but he couldn't make that promise. Last time, he and his friends narrowly defeated Lucemon. There was no telling what would happen on this next adventure, but he and his friends had to move forward to save both worlds. The homes of the Digimon and humans were on the line.

On the bright side, if Junpei and his friends failed, he didn't have to worry about running from Saya anymore. That was a plus.


*Golden Week is a series of four national holidays that take place within one week from the end of April to the beginning of May each year. It's like a Spring Break for Japan. Many people receive time off from their employment on these holidays.

Please Review. I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability.