Rain fell steadily, the wipers scraping rhythmically across the windshield. Neon lights stabbed at our eyes from every direction.
"She's been talking to herself a lot lately," I said to Seto. "Haru barely has time for her. I'm starting to worry about her health, that we might be neglecting her too much."
Seto, sitting in the passenger seat, replied, "A kid who's been through that much, what do you think they grow up like? Of course they come with baggage. Especially with those glasses, her imagination's off the charts. Megamind. She can create anything in her own world—might even create artificial consciousness. She barely needs to live in the real world. And on top of that, she's a kid carrying the hearts of man across this whole freakin' island. Even grown idiots like you and me feel like ass just thinking about it. Right now, all we can do is make sure she doesn't turn into a mafia boss."
"Kurayami needs to face the real world. Otherwise, when she grows up, she might never leave her comfort zone. Her teachers say that at school, she just draws her dream worlds all day, no interest in socializing. Haru and I talked about this—maybe being an idol isn't right for her. Wearing a mask for people means creating another persona to cope. But from Kurayami's perspective, she's already succeeded so much… what reason is there to stop?"
Seto laughed. "Heh, look at you, taking her side. So—have you ever thought about what we'll have left in the future?"
I thought for a moment. "No idea. Money and experience in car theft, maybe. What about you?"
"Fame, and blood spilled. We're the people behind Japan's hottest idol, Yurei—and we're yakuza doing gray work on the side. I still wonder how we're supposed to manage all this. If one day I get shot in the head and it's just you and Kurayami left, what happens to the group?"
I turned to him. "Simple. Don't die. As long as you've got me, and we've got each other, I guarantee it won't happen again. And that Oni—we need to find out what it wants from us, or who it's working for."
"Oniwabanshu II, for sure. He's definitely following that old bastard. If we'd done something to him at the shrine that day, things would've ended differently. Haru told me there's still unfinished business between us and the Oniwabanshu—some kind of truce deal with Makoroku. And that Oni guy's probably one of their people who got bought out."
"That guy's a hired gun," I said.
"Hope Haru has a plan," Seto muttered.
"Here's what I think—we should investigate what Oniwabanshu is planning next. If we just wait for Haru to handle it, we might end up walking straight into another trap they've already set."
When we arrived at the hospital, we both put on masks and went inside to talk to a nurse. Just then, a man with his face wrapped in bandages staggered toward us. Seto bumped shoulders with him, causing the box of medicine in his hands to fall to the floor.
"Sorry," I apologized on my friend's behalf.
"Tch… kids these days," the man muttered as he bent down to pick it up. "Still know what manners are, huh?"
We helped gather the medicine and handed it back. The man planted his hands on his hips and glared at us.
"What are you doing out this late?"
Seto twisted his body mockingly, annoyed by the man's rude tone. "Buying medicine, obviously. And judging by you, big bro—those are a lot of injuries. One box gonna be enough?" They glared at each other, neither backing down.
"Seto… watch your mouth," I warned, gripping his shoulder.
"Who're you getting it for?" the bandaged man pressed.
"My younger sister's sick," I answered politely, before Seto chimed in.
"Shortness of breath, fever. She's got school early tomorrow, so she needs to carry it with her."
The man glanced at the box in my hand. "Fever reducer?"
"Yes," I nodded.
Hearing that, the man took the anti-inflammatory medicine from Seto and left the fever reducer with me. Without looking back, he walked away, tossing out a final line.
"What is it that feeds pain, only so tomorrow it hurts even more, hmm~?" The strange man hummed softly to himself as he disappeared from the hallway.
Seto raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Totally lost it upstairs, huh. Heh. What the hell was that guy's deal? Well—at least we didn't have to pay for the medicine."
I stood there for a long moment, thinking about his words, before lifting the bottle to read the label: Pain and fever relief.
"Come on, Seoki. Let's grab some ice cream on the way back for the others," Seto said, walking ahead while rubbing his head lazily.