red string || sano manjiro/ mikey

chapter lxxxii: gathering

"when are they coming?"

kazutora sat on the steps of musashi shrine with three others. baji and chifuyu were eating peyoung yakisoba together on the topmost step, opting to share one instead of buying separate ones for each other. some sauce was left on the corner of chifuyu's lips, and it's beginning to bother kazutora a little.

not only him, but baji is such a messy eater too. he doesn't like seeing them gobble up food like such pigs. however, he bit his tongue and didn't say anything to offend them. they can clean up after themselves later, anyway.

"man, i'm getting excited! i didn't know kaz has something planned like this!" pah-chin, fresh out of jail, was eating tempura one step lower from kazutora's. he, too, was messily eating. though it may be a surprise, he looks better than the two eating above them.

kazutora could at least tolerate looking at him. at the two? not so much.

who would have known that he has a pet peeve for messy eaters?

"didn't she tell you when she visited?" baji asks, mouth still full of food.

irk!

"no, not really. she only asked how i was doing and when i'll be released." pah-chin's eyes widened. "don't tell me she planned this?!"

"oh, this isn't even the best part yet." kazutora grinned back at him. "we have to wait for them. kaz said she has something important to tell all of us before we meet mikey."

"a lot happened in two years. i didn't expect toman to disband so soon, and mikey leading a new top gang in tokyo? you gotta be kidding me!"

"i know, right?! a lot of things changed in a blink!"

"chifuyu, why does it feel like i ate less than you?"

"...you're imagining things."

"..." baji stared him down, eyes narrowing. "spit it ou—"

"what the fuck?!"

the four stopped talking and turned in front of them, now realizing that they weren't alone in the vicinity. the twin dragons of toman, mitsuya and draken, stood there with baffled expressions. the youngest sano peeked behind the tall beanpole and waved cheekily.

"yahoo!"

"KAZUTORA?!"

"PAH?!"

"when the hell did you two get out of jail?!"

the two rushed towards them and hugged the two tightly, missing their close friends who have been gone for so long.

"eh? kaz didn't tell you?"

"what do you mean?"

"chifuyu and i were the only ones who knew." baji caught their attention, gesturing to both him and the munching chifuyu by his side. "kaz didn't let us tell you. it's gonna ruin the surprise or something."

"surprise?"

a newcomer's voice caught their attention once again. when they all turned to the entrance of the shrine, they noticed the yellow-haired crybaby himself walking up the steps with his girlfriend, tachibana hinata, right beside him.

shinichiro-niisan left me a task before he died, and that is to save manji from his dark impulsivity.

"whoa! you're all here?!" he exclaimed. "pah-chin-kun? kazutora?!"

"hey, takemitchy!" kazutora cheekily waved over drake's broad shoulders.

takemitchy literally ran towards them, mouth agape at the sight before him. he couldn't believe that the founders of toman are all there, excluding mikey himself. he rubbed his eyes with his fists rapidly, trying to decipher whether he's dreaming or not.