Takemichi bid her farewell and a safe trip home.
He took off running, wasting no more time in fear of making Draken wait. He had no idea what awaited him at the shrine, and if being honest, he was not exactly ready to find out.
The day had felt endless up to that point. The only thing he wanted to do was pass out in his bed and sleep for a couple of weeks.
Just a few minutes later, he managed to reach the place Draken described. Although the closer he got, the more unnerved he got by the silence, his footsteps the only thing echoing in his ears.
It seemed that he was the first one to arrive.
No matter how long he stayed in the past, everything still felt like a dream.
Time flew by so fast, but each second dragged on like a lifetime each. If Takemichi were to describe it, he would compare it to the feeling of being immersed in a game. With the exception that this was real life, and his every choice determined whether people would survive to see past 2017.
It also seemed to put a target on his back. There were no men in coats with guns ready to kill back in his original timeline. He had lived a painfully lonely life. Lonely but safe.
Would it be even safe to return anytime soon? Does that mean he is stuck in the past until he saves Draken?
The sounds of motorcycle engines pulled him out of his thoughts, and soon enough, he saw what must have been dozens of delinquents arrive in their respective rides. They all wore the same black uniform with golden ornaments. Some of them carried massive flags, waving around the symbol of Toman Manji Gang.
Instinctively he flinched, his legs ready to bolt at such sight.
He was still on top of the stairs leading to the shrine, not feeling brave enough to step any closer to them.
Despite the massive amounts of delinquents arriving in hives, he could not spot Draken nor Mikey anywhere.
With how massive the meeting ground was, it would take a while to find them by himself. Why was he even invited here if this seemed to be a Toman meeting?
Takemichi gulped, trying to summon the courage to ask around for Mikey.
"Yo! Wuss boy!" A voice called out behind him, making him jump in place.
Takemichi turned around in record speed and stared in shock at the same girl he had left back in the karaoke room.
"W-what are you doing here?" Takemichi screeched, stepping back and almost falling down the stairs.
"I could ask you the same thing." She frowned, her arms crossed. "Why did you run away? Got cold feet or something?" She decided to ignore the concept of personal space, and instead start inspecting his sweaty face. "Well. Whatever. Just don't get the wrong idea."
"Huh?"
It was a bit hard to hear her with the commotion behind them. The poor lighting made it hard to see her but that scent of vanilla remained equally intense.
"I don't really know you." Or like you, for that matter, Takemichi could practically hear her think. "I just wanted to feel like a grown-up."
She sighed, looking down at the growing crowd of delinquents as if searching for a specific someone.
"Let's just forget about it."
"Y-yeah." Takemichi stuttered, bothered by the sudden closeness.
In an attempt to step away, Takemichi hurried down the stairs. But the girl followed close after, seemingly following the same path as him.
"You are a Toman member or something? Why are you here?" She once again asked, changing the conversation topic.
"I got invited by Draken." He mumbled, able to now breathe properly.
Once they descended, they started to walk into the crowd. Takemichi, with not much clue as to where to go, just followed the girl. The number of delinquents grouped in one place unnerved him, but with some summed up courage, he marched across. Not daring to make eye contact with anyone.
The girl, however, did not appear surprised at the commotion around them, so he deduced she must have ties with Toman.
"Oh, you're friends with Draken?" She exclaimed in surprise before suddenly laughing.
"That makes the whole thing so much funnier!" She bumped her shoulder with his, almost making him stumble to the side. At least Takemichi now knew that they had friends in common.
Without realizing it, Takemichi ended up following her like a lost puppy. Her presence eased his nerves as she was the most familiar figure within the mob of strangers. The way she walked with ease amongst a crowd of delinquents told Takemichi that she was familiar with the sight.
It also evidently confirmed that the only odd one out there was him.
"Hey! You!" A deep voice shouted nearby them, making Takemichi flinch in surprise. There was a lot of shouting going on in these sort of delinquent places, but that voice stuck out from the rest. The girl did not seem as surprised. "You must be Takemitchy, and ah, Emma. Seems you found Mikey's guest."
Takemichi turned around, meeting lavender eyes. In just one glance, Takemichi could tell he was different from the rest, perhaps it was the vibes he emitted, of aloof confidence, or perhaps, it was the brightly dyed hair. No matter, Takemichi understood that in front of him was another Toman high-ranking.
The guy seemed bored as the rest of the delinquents moved to create a pathway for him, upping the intimidating factor.
"Guest?" Emma asked, side-eyeing Takemichi once again. "You know Mikey as well?"
At that, Takemichi nodded, still feeling out of place. The feeling worsened as the guy's sharp gaze inspected Takemichi before focusing back at Emma.
"Mikey wants the guy to take part in the meeting." He said. Takemichi could not read him at all, flinching again once those droopy eyes stared back at him. "Follow me."
On their way to Mikey and Draken, the guy introduced himself as Mitsuya Takashi, the second division captain of Toman (High ranking indeed!). By then, Takemichi was finally able to relax, not aware how tense his shoulder had become in such a short time. Although it would have been even better had Emma not suddenly decided to cling onto his arm.
When he gave her the look of asking why, she merely shrugged, muttering in a low voice to 'just follow along'.
He had not met many delinquents that were not ready to beat his ass up, so the change to slave from mere acquaintance was a nice change of pace. Those two could not have been any different from Mikey and Draken, Takemichi concluded. But they were just as kind.
Mitsuya was mostly quiet, occasionally responding to some of Emma's comments. Takemichi was kind of mushed in between them, just letting himself be guided. He was still in awe at Toman's massive numbers.
Soon enough, Takemichi's eyes met with Mikey's, who casually sat on his CB250T.
Despite being surrounded by people with the same uniform, Mikey managed to stand out. Maybe it was that alluring charm that followed him wherever he went or the noticeable respect he received from those around him. Even Draken, despite his height and eye-catching tattoo, felt small compared to Mikey.
Speaking on Draken, he was giving Takemichi a poorly hidden stink-eye, glancing at his and Emma's interlaced arms.
"Yoo, Takemitchy," Mikey shouted, not quite moving from the place on his bike yet. "Sorry for the short notice. Glad you could make it." He said as if Takemichi had much of a choice in the matter. It was then he also noticed Emma's presence.
"Oh? Do you two know each other?" Mikey asked while Draken just continued to stare at Takemichi.
Emma nodded, a hum escaping her lips as her grip got tighter. "We met each other at the karaoke and then on our way here. Isn't that funny?" She casually remarked. "I didn't know you would accept such a cute lil' coward into Toman, Mikey."
At that, Mikey smiled. "I think he's pretty cool." He stated, earning a look of disbelief from everyone around him.
