anticipation, waiting for the high schooler's response. "He definitely beats Shinichiro in regards to talent..." the clock on the wall ticks with every second that passes.

    "...he's bad at...turning down a challenge?"

    The three kids slump their upper bodies onto the table in defeat.

    Guess that's it. Mikey really is unbeatable...

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Keisuke and the Akashi siblings end up dropping the plan in utter defeat and continue to go on with their lives.

    Sure, it sucks knowing that their best friend is practically invincible, but isn't that also awesome at the time? Having a best friend who can do anything and everything with just a little bit of practice and determination? Keisuke's always admired Mikey and learning that his best friend is basically a superhero in a kid's body hasn't hindered that admiration in the slightest. In fact, it increased.

    Will Keisuke ever admit this to Mikey? Hell no.

    Will he keep this to himself till the day he dies? Absolutely.

    Keisuke shoves his hands in his pockets and listens in on the conversation Takemichi is having with Haru as Mikey hovers over Keisuke's side like an overprotective bodyguard. Senju walks ahead of the group, adding onto the conversation the older Akashi is having with the curly haired boy.

    Strolling down the hot sidewalk, the five kids continue to travel to who knows where.

    For the first time in a while, Mikey decided to hand the reins over to Senju, allowing her to drag and lead the four other boys to wherever she desires. The way her eyes lit up in excitement at the prospect of being in charge made all their hearts soften and turn into goo.

    Another thing Keisuke will never admit out loud is how much he wishes Senju could be his younger sister...

    (He actually admitted this to Takemichi a few weeks back after Mikey had successfully absorbed Takemichi into their little friend group. Instead of laughing or making fun of the nervous boy, Takemichi crinkled his blue eyes and smiled that perfect crooked smile.)

    AGH WHY IS KEISUKE BEING SO SAPPY RIGHT NOW?!

    Keisuke ruthlessly shakes his head, hoping to get rid of the tooth rotting thoughts in his brain.

    Two small hands grab ahold of either side of Keisuke's head, stopping him from rattling it like an empty Christmas present. He blinks away the small stars that appear in his vision and gradually notices the boy standing in front of him.

    Dark eyes bore into his soul.

    With his hands still on Keisuke's cheeks, Mikey tilts his head and gives the boy a confused look.

    "You good?" He asks, his tone laced in exasperation and worry. The hands on Keisuke's face are warm and sweaty but the boy doesn't mind in the slightest.

    Keisuke flashes Mikey his best toothy grin. "Duh! Just tryna get something out of my hair!" He exclaims a little too loudly, catching the eyes of both his friends and nearby strangers. Again, he doesn't care. Mikey's hands keep him pinned in place, saving him from drowning in his own thoughts that threaten to engulf his entire being.

    "Hmm...ok, if you say so!"

    And just like that, Mikey removes his hands from Keisuke's face and retreats back to the boy's side.

    "Where are we going, Senju?" Keisuke abruptly asks, avoiding Mikey's dark stare to give the platinum blonde girl his unwavering attention.

    Her feet come to a sudden stop. She turns around very slowly, gradually revealing her wide green eyes and slack jaw as small beads of sweat roll down her skin. Oh no. Keisuke knows this look.

    "Uhhhhhh..." Senju's face turns pale as she whips her head left to right, observing her surroundings. "UHHHHHH..." her gaze returns to the four boys. "I UHHHHHH....I DON'T KNOW?!"

    Damnit.

    They're lost.

    "WHAT?!" Haru screams at the top of his lungs; he stomps towards Senju and grabs her by the shoulders, surprising a small yelp from the girl. "ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!" Senju leans away from her older brother, her face contorting into a look of guilt.

    "I-I got distracted, ok?!"

    "We're lost because of YOU!!!"

    "Wait, we're lost?!" Takemichi exclaims in horror; unshed tears glisten within his wide blue eyes as he snaps his gaze to Keisuke, Mikey, Haru, and Senju.

    No one says a word.

    "Haru's joking, right?"Takemichi says again with a hint of hysteria laced in his voice. Keisuke audibly gulps at Takemichi's expression, not knowing whether he should tell the terrified boy the truth. Nervously glancing over at Mikey, the boy meets his gaze with hardened eyes and gives Keisuke a small nod.

    Damnit!

    "...Don't worry Michi!" Keisuke says while slinging an arm over Takemichi's shoulders. "We'll find our way back as long as no one wanders off—"

    "So we are lost?!" He shrieks loudly, staring up at Keisuke as tears roll down his cheeks in steady streams. "I wanna go home Kei-Chan, I wanna go home now—"

    His heart almost combusts.

    Keisuke tightens his hold around Takemichi's shoulders and leans down till their foreheads are nearly touching. "Didn't I just say we'll find our way back?!" He reaffirms, watching with satisfaction as Takemichi hesitantly nods his head. "Then stop whining! Just trust us, ok?"

    "O-Ok..."

   Keisuke smiles. "Good!" The black haired boy lifts his head and sends Mikey a toothy grin. "Got any ideas, Mikey?"

    Everyone turns to the blonde in anticipation. Surely Mikey must have come up with a few plans they could use to get back home! He's incredible at everything after all!

    The boy in question meets everyone's stares with voidless eyes and a small smile. He opens his mouth, about to reveal his magnificent plan to his group of friends—

    "Nope. I got none!" Mikey answers with a closed eye smile, sending everyone into a state of shock.

    "EHHHH?!" Keisuke and his friends exclaim in unison.

    How is this even possible?! Mikey has to be pulling their leg! There's no way he's telling the truth—

    "Yeah, I got nothing," he says again, earning more looks of astonishment from his friends. Then, if things aren't bad enough, Mikey slumps his body on Keisuke's back and wraps his arms around his neck, stuffing his nose into the nape of his neck. Keisuke is forced to unlatch himself from Takemichi and returns his attention to the sleepy boy on his back.

    "I'm tired..." Mikey mumbles, blatantly ignoring the looks he's receiving from his friends.

    And I'm gonna throw you into the damn streets!

    A panicky voice breaks Keisuke out of his thoughts.

    "What do we do now?!" Haru shouts in distress while releasing his younger sister. Senju stumbles back and watches her brother fall to the floor with his head in his hands.

    Keisuke groans. So what if they're a little lost? They can find their way back in no time and if anyone tries to steal 'em or something then they can just fight back—Simple!

    With Mikey still clinging onto his back, Keisuke strides towards Haru and stares down at him with a snarky grin.

    "Hey Haru. Get up—"

    "Big bro Take is gonna get so mad at me..." Haru mumbles like a mad man. Keisuke rolls his eyes.

    "So what? It's his fault for not keeping a close eye on you."

    "Shut up Keisuke! You don't even know what—"

    "Ughhh stop being a drama queen and get off the ground!"

    "NO! HE'S GONNA GET MAD AND BLAME ME AND—"

    "If he gets mad at you then get mad back!"

    "I can't!"

    "Yes you can! It's easy!"

    "NO IT'S NOT! SHUT UP KEISUKE!!!"

    "NO YOU SHUT UP!!!"

    "Aye, think you can fight somewhere else? You're in our way."

    Keisuke and Haru look up, spotting two ladies glaring down at them. Their red lips sneer at the two boys, successfully making Keisuke's blood boil.

    Where the hell did they even come from?

    "Walk around us!!! It's not that hard!!!" Keisuke shouts back, watching their eyes narrow in frustration.

    "We can't walk in the grass with heels on, you brat."

    What's with everyone trying to make Keisuke's life a living, frustrating, irritating hell?

    "Then take off your heels! We're in the middle of something very important!!!

    The lady with blonde hair suddenly laughs, visibly startling her companion. Placing her hands on her hips, she leans down and fixes Keisuke with rage filled irises. The smell of cigarettes and heavy perfume nearly blows the boy away, but he stands his ground, meeting the stupid blonde lady with his own very menacing glare.

    "Listen here you little shit, I—"

    "Fuyuko? Hifumi?"

    The blonde's eyes widen.

    The lady peers past Keisuke's shoulders and the sneer on her lips vanishes within seconds. Keisuke looks over at the lady's companion to see her wearing the same dumbfounded expression as the blonde.

    The hell are they staring at?

    Turning around, Keisuke follows the ladies' eyes until they land on none other than the crybaby himself.

    "Takemichi?!"

    What...What the hell is happening?!

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So, as it turns out, the two ladies know Takemichi because they work with the boy's mom: Katsumi Hanagaki.

    What a small world.

    After the information was revealed, the group of kids very kindly asked (begged, but no one needs to know that) the ladies for help. And, as you'd expect from someone who's weak to countless puppy dog eyes, they instantly agreed to help.

    So that's how Keisuke went from arguing with Haru to following two weirdly dressed ladies as they gush and coo over how adorable Michi is.

    Their high pitched voices were so annoying to listen to. Well, the sassy blonde's voice was annoying; her companion on the other hand didn't talk very much...but still! She just kept going on and on and on about Takemichi like an overbearing mother...or aunt...or grandma. Heh, maybe Keisuke should call the sassy blonde a grandma to get on her nerves!

    A harsh tug on his sleeve draws his attention away from the lady. Turning his head, Keisuke makes eye contact with a very irritated Mikey.

    "They're stealing our Mitchy..." our? That's new.

    Keisuke brushes the thought away and nods his head in agreement. Takemichi's supposed to be hanging out with Keisuke and his friends, not with those heel-wearing hags!

    "Yeah!" Senju pops in on Keisuke's other side while pouting childishly at the two ladies. "They're gonna take him away like a bunch of witches!" She adds dramatically with a sneer to her voice.

    "Witches aren't real, Senju..." Haru pipes in from Mikey's side, disregarding his little sister with a roll of his eyes.

     "You don't know that, Haru!"

    "Yes I do. You're just being stupid."

    "Stupid?!"

    Before the siblings could break out into another fight, which is the last thing they needed, Keisuke grabs Senju by the arm and keeps her grounded to the spot next to him. Keisuke will give it to Senju, she's awfully strong for someone her size. The amount of strength he has to use to hold the girl back is enough to make his arms sore.

    "But yeah, even if they are helping us find our way to S.S. Motors, they might take Takemichi when we're not paying attention..."

    The atmosphere around the four kids drops significantly at the thought of those evil ladies taking Takemichi away for themselves.

    "We can't let that happen!" Senju exclaims with the urgency of someone who was told that their pet cat was gonna be stolen and kept by a crazy landlord. "We have to save him!"

    "But how?" Keisuke inquires while staring at the two ladies talking and guiding Takemichi by the hand in front of them. They just keep ruffling up his perfect curls, pinching his soft cheeks, holding his adorably tiny hands without a single care in the world!

    Who gave them permission to do all those things his Michi, huh? No one! That's who!

    "I got a plan."

    Keisuke, Haru, and Senju turn to Mikey who's wearing the expression of a kid about to be sent off to war. "I might not survive, and if I don't, tell Michi he can have my hot wheel collection."

    HUH?!

    "HEY! YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA GIVE YOUR COLLECTION TO ME IF SOMETHING HAPPENS—" Keisuke is inevitably cut off by Mikey raising his hand.

    "I changed my mind."

    "YOU LITTLE LYING PIECE OF—"

    Before Keisuke could get his sentence out, Mikey begins walking fast towards the two chattering ladies in a desperate attempt to catch up with them.

    The three kids hold their breath the second Mikey finally reaches them.

    And the hand the blonde lady has in Takemichi's hair is abruptly snatched and taken off the kid's head by a small pale hand. Mikey's hand.

    Ohhhhh shiiiiit......

    The two ladies move their gazes to look down curiously at Mikey.

    "Eh? Got a problem kid?" The blonde woman asks with a raised eyebrow.

    "Yeah. You're making my Mitchy un...uncomfortable," Mikey explains with uncertainty, like the last word he said is unfamiliar to his own tongue.

    "Uncomfortable?" The blonde repeats incredulously with a sly smirk. She then turns to gauge her brown haired companion's reaction. "D'ya hear that Hifumi? Apparently we're making our poor little blueberry uncomfortable!" Her friend covers her mouth and giggles quietly, but still refuses to say a single word.

    Is she mute or something?

    Meh, whatever, not like it really matters when she's also the one coddling and clinging onto Michi like an overbearing brat.

    Keisuke watches as Mikey points to Takemichi who's...who's giggling? What the hell is so funny?

    "YOU CURSED HIM YOU WITCHES!!!"

    "Witches?! Oh my god, you kids sure are something else!"

    "YOU LOOK LIKE A WITCH TOO WITH THAT UGLY BUMP ON YOUR NOSE!!!"

    The blonde lady's face expression changed so fast upon hearing those words exit Mikey's mouth.

    "THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY YOU STUPID BRAT?!" She screams, visibly making Takemichi take a step away from her. Perfect!

    "You heard me! My gramps says ugly witches like you melt in water. Is that true?" He asks, causing the older lady to gasp in offense.

    Then, very slowly, she turns to her companion with a dark expression.

    "Hifumi?"

    "...yeah?"  Woah, so she can speak!

    Keisuke's amazement is short-lived the second he hears the words that leave the blonde lady's lips.

    "...Hold my heels."

    Keisuke watches in amazement as the blonde takes her heels off at the speed of light and begins chasing Mikey down the street like a wild lady.

    "...he's bad at...turning down a challenge?"

    Ah, that's right.

    Takeomi's words from a few days ago ring in Keisuke's head like an alarm as he continues to watch Mikey run for his life.

    So this is what Takeomi meant by that?

    "What's so funny?" Senju asks while staring at Keisuke with a confused look plastered on her face.

    Is...is he really laughing?

    Touching his mouth, he feels his lips turned up in a smile and yep, he was definitely laughing.

    "Oh it's nothing!" Keisuke waves off earning a pout from Senju.

    Guess Mikey really is bad at something after all.

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Extra:

    "...did you really have to go and chase that kid Fuyuko?" The brown haired lady asks once they drop the five kids off at S.S. Motors.

    Her girlfriend scoffs and rolls her eyes before she sits down on the disgusting concrete to put her heels back on.

    "Of course, Hifumi!" Fuyuko replies with ease. "That boy needs to learn that there's consequences to his actions!"

    Hmm...yeah, Hifumi can see the logic behind her lover's schemes but...

    "...Surely there's other ways of getting the message across to him hun?" Hifumi asks with a bit of hesitance.

    Fuyuko turns her head up to look at her and smirks.

    "Maybe there is, but c'mon Hifumi! It's more fun this way, don'tcha think?"

    "...you have too much scaring kids babe..."

    "I know!"

    Hifumi sighs and runs a hand down her face. "This is why Kenny doesn't like playing heroes with you."

    Like an offended mother, Fuyuko gasps and throws a hand over her heart like a dramatic actor. "That's so not true!!! He's just a little brat!" She shouts without any bite cause, by the way her eye twitches, she knows it's true.

    Hifumi laughs into the spring air and holds her hand out for Fuyuko to take.

    She grabs onto it with no hesitation.

    "Right, of course, and it's totally not because you like scaring the poor kid every morning with air horns."

    "Exactly! See, you get it!" Using Hifumi's hand, Fuyuko pulls herself back up.

    "We should probably get back to work..."

    Fuyuko sighs tiredly and tightens her grip around Hifumi's hand.

    "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

    So with a certain dread hanging over the two ladies, they make their way back to the red light district with a bag of board games in their hands.

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