Rei sinks into the chair next to Daiki. "Do you only have sweets here?" Daiki glances over while looking at his papers. "No, it's just that your fatass is eating everything." Rei slightly sulks but brushes it off. "Whatchu got there? There's no way you're paying rent for a cabin that would fall over with a slight storm." The sound of paper shuffling is apparent. "I offer hitman services for petty little highschoolers. The people who come here are usually spoiled brats, so that's how I keep me, er- I guess US fed." Rei seems disinterested. "And why are you spilling your guts all over me?" Daiki turns around irritated, thinking to himself You asked me, dipshit! But then gets back to it. "Oh man! This one's from Kenta." Rei gains a sliver of interest. "Kenta? Is he strong or something?" Daiki uses his imagination to think of a world where Kenta was strong, then laughs at the thought of it. "Nope. He's just a kid with mommy's money that's also my most frequent customer." "So you could even say he's your favorite regular?" Rei adds. Daiki shakes his head. "Not really. And isn't it weird to be a regular for a hitman business?" All of a sudden, Amane's voice could be heard from the other side of the cabin.
"Why are you so aggravated? It's never this serious." Nora intervenes quickly while walking into the cabin. "Yes it fucking does. You need to understand that I'm trying to help you." Amane adjusts her gaze to look directly at her. "I never asked for your assistance. I do not need you wasting your breath on me either." Rei and Daiki look back confused. "Daiki, if shit goes down, I would pray for your cabin but it'll break instantly." Daiki looks slightly panicked. "What are you talking about?! It's gonna rain tomorrow." Rei looks back at the situation unfolding in front of them. "Well you better hope this doesn't go too deep down." Nora seems to be getting more and more annoyed. "You literally have to kill to live. God forbid I try to ease it slightly by helping you do so." Amane presses on. "If I have to kill to live, it already means that I've killed before. You 'helping' me is just making things more complicated." Nora looks her dead in the eye. "You're acting like a child who thinks they know what they're doing. All I try to do is help you out and you lash out on me. Use your fucking brain for once or is that dead too?" That seems to have struck a nerve on Amane's side. "This is what's exhausting about you. When something doesn't go your way, you begin spewing insults and trying to intimidate me. You're the real child here, Nora." Nora's face starts to introduce a shade of red. "Holy shit, Amane. I'm doing the best I can to help you out cuz you're an insufferable outcast that can't express what's on her mind—""It sounds like helping me is a chore, so you can leave it to the side. Maybe next time I go out to feast, you can be a good girl and stay in this cabin." Amane interrupts, with her voice slightly rising. Nora's grip starts to tighten and the distance between each of them closes. "Don't speak down on me. I'll kill you here if I have to. I just helped you kill those two for you." Amane doesn't crack. "And all that led to was a ruckus and a nuisance. You're nothing but dead weight when it comes to teamwork with your overwhelming ego." Nora snaps. "Fine then! Cuz i'm fucking dead weight i'll get out of your hair. You'll also be grovelling on your knees, looking as pathetic as a fish out of water, begging me to come back because the truth is…" She heads for a cabin. "You aren't as strong as you think you are. In fact, you're pretty fucking weak." The door slams, leaving Amane leaning against the wall, staring at where Nora stood.
Rei and Daiki stare at each other. Rei tears through the silence. "So… what kind of movies do you watch?" Daiki slaps his shoulder and pulls him down to whisper in his ear. "That's not the right question to ask, nitwit! Amane's hogging the fucking couch now!" Rei whispers back. "Well when she's pissed she lays down." Daiki doesn't seem to fully believe that. "Only when she's mad?" Rei corrects himself. "Well she also lies down when she's sad, tired, unmotivated, bored, nervous, scared-" Daiki doesn't care in the slightest. "Forget I asked. What should I do to cheer her up so I can sit on MY couch?" Rei pretends to think, putting a finger on his chin. "You could attack her but knowing how grumpy she is, she'd probably chop your head off!" He tries to hold in his laugh and Daiki walks away annoyed. "Yo, Amane."
Amane looks up at him, her soulless eyes empty and unreadable. "What." Daiki's eyes twitch. Nora's right, she's kinda like a child, all pouty and shit. "Could you like, hop off the couch? It's not just yours y'know." Amane's expression looked blank, yet said so much more. "I would, but both my legs seem to be broken. Please leave me be." Daiki, overwhelmed by confusion, still insists. "Didn't know you had jokes like that. But you're gonna seriously have to stop snooping around." Amane looks up with a disgusted and annoyed expression. "I'll refuse. If you couldn't read the room, I think you saw that I'm a little agitated from me and Nora's argument. Or maybe that was a different Daiki in the room." Daiki sighs slightly. How is she so… inhumanly sassy? "Well it was this Daiki. And—""Well it looks like 'this Daiki' still doesn't know how to listen. I remember stating that I refuse to move." Daiki slightly grits his teeth. This. Little. Bitch..! "Fine. Stay there, but don't get too comfortable." Amane turns away, the old and beat up couch squeaking. "Too late, I'm already molding into the couch."
The nightlight creeps into the cabin. Rei tries to cover his laugh. Daiki looks tired from the situation that just occurred. "Air~ball~" Daiki slaps his back out of embarrassment. "Shut the hell up. We need to get her to stop sulking somehow." Rei still doesn't take this seriously. "So you can ask her out later? Trust me gang, she does NOT want you." Rei is containing so much laughter his face turns a bit red. "I'm not doing this to make her happy." Daiki says. "I already know you a good amount. I still need to get to know her more." Rei sighs, wiping a tear off his face. "So what's the play coach?" Daiki thinks. What.. is the play?? Daiki sits down and rests his chin on his hand. I don't know anything about her. I need to find a way to cheer her up though. Take a shot in the dark and guess what she likes? "Rei, what does she even like?" Rei ruffles his hair in confusion. "Crazy shit I'm bout to say, but I really do not know." The outside wind whistles outside, and with the silence, it feels as if it passes right by Daiki. Tch. Can't blame him though. What could she possibly like? She doesn't like Nora… "Fuck! I can't think of anything else!" Daiki messes up his hair in frustration. Think! Think hard! A dense silence looms over the room as a spark of an idea rushes in Daiki's head. That… could be a last ditch. I just have to think in her shoes. If I was pissed, what would I do to feel better? Daiki jolts up, practically leaping out of his seat as his voice booms off the walls of the cabin, startling both Rei and Amane. "Alright! All three of us are going downtown and spending the whole night there!" Rei and Amane both look at him with the same expression. Rei, in the confusion, manages to squeak out. "Uhh… what?"
Moths flutter past a gleaming city, its blinding lights slowly dimming as it starts to get late. The trio is walking down the strip. If I want to cheer up Aname, what's the play? Daiki glances over at the huge arcade, marked by an oversized bowling pin watching over the city. "You guys down for the arcade?" Rei nods. "Sure, it's closing in two hours so we might as well go now." Amane still seems uninterested but reluctantly goes. They walk into the arcade, the sounds blaring. Oh shit, maybe Amane doesn't like loud stuff. She's small and frail, and it's kind of a stereotype- "It's loud here, my ears are bout to explode!" Daiki sighs and turns around. "Sorry, we could leave if-" His expression goes from welcoming to annoyed as he sees that it was Rei who said that. "Suck it up! Ain't you a man?" Rei side eyes Daiki. "You were just about to comfort me! Once you found out it was me you decided to switch up, huh?" They clash their heads as Amane walks past them. "We have two hours until closing. Let's just get this over with." Daiki snaps back to reality as he shoves Rei off him. "Yeah, you're right…" They follow behind Amane as she walks around, not even looking at the attractions there. "She's not here to enjoy her time, she's here to conclude it." Rei scoffs. "She does not want to be here bro." Daiki takes his observation to heart as he thinks even more. "So what's the right move?" Rei sighs. "A simpleton like you obviously couldn't-" "Just tell me the damn plan." Daiki says. Rei sighs. "My IQ exceeds even people that are above average. While you were thinking of one plan, I was done thinking of ten." Daiki raises his brow, wanting to shut him up again but taking Rei seriously. Rei continues. "I don't want to tell you the exact path you should take. You are trying to cheer her up, not me. But you could try something where she must participate." Daiki rubs his chin, using up all his brain power. "Like… A roller coaster?" Rei nods. "Great idea, but it is currently 9:49 pm. There are no amusement parks around here that are open past 8." Shock splits across Daiki's face as he attempts to brush it off. "Yeah, we'll just bring her to a convenience store. and think about it, no sweat." Daiki starts to pick up his pace to catch up to Amane. Daiki quickly checks his phone to see that the time is 9:49 pm. This guy didn't even look at the time and was spot on. And how could he know the opening times if he's not from here? And something about the him now feels way more different than the snarky dumbass from when we entered…
They leave the arcade. Rei's laugh breaks loose for a bit. Amane walks out with the same expression she walked in with. "We went to an arcade to walk around for an hour? That's way too funny…" Daiki is frustrated but is still not backing down just yet. "Alright, why don't we go to a convenience store." Amane sighs. "How long will that take." Daiki grumbles in annoyance at the question. "A few minutes, it won't kill you." Amane walks into the darkness and Rei pats Daiki on the back. "Didn't know you could make creative jokes like that." Daiki is puzzled. "A joke? I don't remember making one." Rei sighs. "Nevermind. Let's go, I'm starving." Daiki dismisses it and watches as he follows Amane. "Oh, wait- guys!" Then both turn around with confusion. "Wrong way…"
The jingle plays as they walk into the convenience store. Rei grabs the back of Daiki's shirt and starts walking to the magazine section with a devious grin. Daiki doesn't even have to know where they're going to understand what Rei's trying to do. "You can buy them but you don't gotta drag me into it." Rei's grin is still strong, as he sarcastically states, "Thanks boss. I'm honored you gave me that privilege." Daiki follows behind Amane secretly. I need to know what she likes so I can learn more about her! She stands in front of the salad chicken area. She eyes the chicken a lot, but her expression still remains the same. Daiki watches closely. Is she gonna get it?
…
She walks away. You're not gonna get it?! Daiki is baffled. "Boo!" "WHATTHEHELL!" Rei sticks out his tongue, putting on an endearing act. "Sorry~ Didn't see you there." Daiki is visibly taken aback and a little riled up. "Yes you fucking did-!" He sighs and shifts past him. "A little busy right now though, so-" He's forcefully stopped by Rei grabbing the back of his shirt. "When are you going to get serious and cheer her up?" Daiki is confused and feels slightly insulted. "Almost like that's what I've been tryna do this whole time?" Rei's starts to get increasingly more serious. "Can you not catch onto what you're doing wrong?" Daiki spins to face him, which makes Rei lose his grip. "You have a big mouth for someone who hasn't been doing jack shit to help me out." Rei's disappointment grows. "There's no reason for you to start getting mad. Just open your eyes and realize what you're doing wrong. Daiki stays stubborn. "My eyes are wide open and I can see my effort going down the drain! It's kind of hard to communicate with a girl who gives you vague answers constantly." Rei doesn't start to show signs of anger as he tries to hide a smirk formed from pity. Daiki sees his poor attempt at covering the smirk. "Did I say something funny?" Rei waves his hand. "No, no, you didn't. But let me give you one piece of advice before you flip on me…" Daiki begins walking down the aisle to find Amane again. "You're doing things that satisfy you, no?" As Daiki turns back around, his mouth opened ready to ask him what that means, Rei gives him a thumbs up and heads back toward the magazines.
"You sure you don't want anything, Amane?" Daiki asks. "No. I'm not hungry." Could've just said that earlier then~ You're kinda bugging me here~ He snaps out of it and thinks of places to go. I'm all out, we might be fried… "Why don't we go to the train station?" Rei suddenly suggests. Daiki is confused once more. The fucking train station? There is literally no point in going there… but… "I wouldn't mind that then." Adds Daiki. Amane nods. "Do I really have a choice?"
The sound of the train pierces through the air. The trio walks around the train station looking around. "This place is pretty cool." Rei says, his eyes wandering. "Back where I'm from, the train station is like a billion years old compared to this place. Everything is, really." Daiki is lost in thought. Glad you're enjoying it before Amane even says a full sentence. "You're doing things that satisfy you"..? That satisfies me? It's supposed to satisfy her. What does Rei mean? Daiki glances over at Amane. She is keeping up the pace with the three, and she's doing so while staring outside of the windows. Rei looks over at Daiki. He smirks, seeing a vision. "This place is too fucking cool! TOO FUCKING COOL!!" Daiki is brought back to reality for a second as Rei's sudden outburst startles Amane and Daiki. "Keep it down, you're-" Rei runs off, his fascination oozing. He mutters under his breath, "If you can't pick up on this, you're as good as a pile of trash."
"Damn Rei… running off so suddenly." Daiki looks over at Amane who's still looking out the window. "Do not mind him. He's a country rat, so he doesn't see this often." Daiki is caught off guard. Her first actual decent sentence tonight! He shakes it off. What should I say now? If only Rei were here… "Rei…" You're doing things that satisfy you, no? Daiki stares at Amane, who is still staring outside. Something strikes over Daiki hard. From pure instinct, Daiki says,
"Do you want to go stargazing?"