Shibuya Snapshots

Streets

I had the idea for this prompt ever since I saw it, but I wasn't sure how to do it well :/ I hope everyone enjoys it regardless.

He's starting to see the appeal of the city now. Perhaps more wandering through the streets will solidify it for him.

-xXx-

Humans truly are irrational.

Haz doesn't understand why Rindo had fought so hard to save the city. It had been saved, but he wanted to try again for what, five people? Why sacrifice the lives of thousands for five?

He wants to understand, but he doesn't. He doesn't know why he gave Rindo that chance either. Joshua had described it as him falling victim to human irrationality, but he doesn't agree. He had wanted to understand. And all he learned was that friendship was a big part of human decisions.

Perhaps that was why he had helped them, in the end. Merging Kubo's Noise into one had not been an easy feat. And the fact that Rindo even remembered who that was is even more impressive.

It seemed like Rindo's Soul was finally starting to grow. Which was good, considering he was Joshua's proxy for Kubo's Game.

It had been quite the experience, observing. He hadn't been too sure which side to support. He had sent Kubo to destroy Shinjuku after all, and Shibuya was still unpurified, so Kubo purifying it himself would have done just that, but destroying it in the process. On the other hand, Joshua is someone he looks up to and perhaps even a friend. And he didn't want his fellow Composer to no longer have a city to run. So color him surprised when he had opened an opportunity for Joshua to legally intervene in the game, just for the other to refrain, only briefly showing himself to his former proxy.

But he still doesn't completely understand what they all saw in the city.

He walks around the city, no guide to show him around this time. Maybe some unbiased observation will do the trick.

He wants to start from the Scramble, but it's loud, much louder than Shinjuku can be at times, and the multiple different directions he can go leave him at a loss. So he starts at Udagawa and retraces his steps.

He wanders towards Tipsy Tose Hall and he already feels lost and the ever-present need to know about the area and history around him.

Might as well get another tour guide. He scans the crowd and spots a younger Shibuyan with short blonde hair wearing an orange top and a jacket. They're on their own but seem perfectly relaxed. Perfect.

He approaches them.

"Excuse me, friend,"

"Huh?" They look up from their phone.

"I'm not from around here," Hazuki explains. "Would you be able to show me around, friend?"

The blonde-haired teen observes him for a moment, as if sensing his vibe that would be less than usual to the average Player. After all, those who visit from the Higher Plane, Composers and Angels and the occasional Demon alike, don't have the same frequency as people on the RealGround.

"Sure!" They say after a moment. "Where do you need to get to?"

"Nowhere in particular. Shibuya is different from where I'm from, so I'd like to walk around and get a real feel for the city."

"Alrighty! Oh! What's your name?"

"Hazuki Mikagi. Call me Haz."

"Nice to meet you Haz! I'm Raimu Bito, but everyone calls me Rhyme."

"Lead the way, Rhyme."

Rhyme leads him towards Spain Hill and he asks questions about the history of the location, not pausing to consider if they know the answer or not. He watches as people walk from the Parco building where they were undoubtedly shopping and head towards Center Street, either towards the bubble tea store or the fortune-telling shop.

They go to Tower Records next, the grassy arch of the Modi Building standing out against the tall buildings as the locals chat under it or enter the Garagara store there or buy air in a can from Vegelovers. There's air all around them so Hazuki doesn't quite understand the purpose of it. A small part of him begs that he buys some.

He and Rhyme spend some time debating the pros and cons of air in a can, based on everything that they can think of.

They end up walking into the Tower Records and looking over the selection of music they have there. Hazuki finds himself purchasing an album from the band Def Märch, a band of Reapers that Joshua had off-handedly mentioned to him once.

They exit the store and head up to Cat Street, Haz once again making the 'street full of cats' remark that causes Rhyme to giggle. Rhyme tells him about a cafe that used to be on this street. Haz remembers a conversation with Joshua in which his fellow Composer had mentioned Wildkat, a small cafe run by his Composer who was also the illustrious CAT. They must be referring to the same person.

Huh. Small World.

Rhyme leads him down Cat Street to Tokyu Plaza, somewhere he and Rindo had not wandered to when he had the boy lead him around the city. The area is quite big and while he's inclined to enter the Il Cavallo del Re main store, he can sense the expensive prices and judgemental store workers from the outside, so he refrains from doing so. Rhyme wordlessly agrees.

They peek into the other shops and window shop for a few minutes before leaving. They go to the next street which is by the border of the city. Takeshita Street is pretty big and has winding narrow streets and too many people to fit. But they find themselves easily slipping past the people.

They step up to a pin vendor who has a very enthusiastic attitude that Haz can't help but replicate. He and Rhyme don't end up purchasing anything, but the shopkeeper doesn't mind and bids them a good day. Haz wouldn't mind talking to this person again.

They wander towards another small vendor selling Croaky Panic and the elderly woman running the shop was dressed so ridiculously that Haz has to cover his mouth to hide a laugh. He buys a pin with a golden frog on it in memory.

Rhyme tells him about a pancake place that they've always wanted to go to, so he follows them down the narrow alley and enters the pancake restaurant. The pancakes are good, Haz has to admit. Which only leads into yet another debate with Rhyme about the best way to make pancakes which can really only devolve into a debate about the best breakfast food. Which it does.

"Hey, is it okay if we call it here?" Rhyme asks, glancing down at their phone. "My older brother is gonna get worried if I don't get home soon."

"Yes," Hazuki tells them. "I will be fine getting home myself. Thanks for the tour; I will miss having a casual debate partner, however."

Rhyme shakes their head with a smile. "Well, you know what they always say. We only part to meet again."

Haz tilts his head. "I can't say that I've heard that one before."

Rhyme shrugs. "Well, can't have heard them all." They narrow their eyes at him, but there's no anger or suspicion behind it. "Even for being a Composer."

Hazuki blinks and before he can ask how they knew, Rhyme had already left, slipping into the crowds and leaving him there. He shakes his head in amusement.

He slips into the UG for a brief moment before uptuning to the Higher Plane.

He's starting to see the appeal of the city now. Perhaps more wandering through the streets will solidify it for him.

-xXx-

I originally didn't plan to have Rhyme in this, but I wanted another interaction between characters who wouldn't normally talk to each other and decided that either Rhyme or Beat would be a good fit. But Rhyme has more patience so Rhyme it was.

I hope that I characterized Hazuki well because I've never written him before and he doesn't have all that much screen time.