𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂 𝙾𝙵𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄

Chapter 9

But what was done was done and there was no going back now. Instead, they got to moving any furniture that had been left behind, trying to prep the rooms for painting. By the time they had gotten everything out of the way, it was already late.

"Let's meet back tomorrow and start with the main room."

Y/N nodded, agreeing with the plan. Then, a thought occurred to F/N. Considering the main room was fairly large and there were other rooms to paint, they would need more people to get the task done quickly.

"Hey," they said. "Do you mind if I bring some people over to help? It might be too much for us to handle on our own."

Y/N became hesitant. He wasn't sure if he'd be comfortable with people he didn't know coming over. He wasn't fond of people, especially people he wasn't familiar with. His friend noticed his hesitance and offered some reassurance.

"Don't worry. They'll be people you either know or are at least familiar with."

At hearing that, Y/N was less hesitant. He figured it would be fine as long as he knew the people his friend was planning to invite to help.

"Thanks," he said, appreciating his consideration.

His friend simply smiled in return, happy to help in any way they could. So, they called it a day and headed back to their respective homes. Once at his apartment, Y/N let out a sigh of fatigue. There was a lot of moving and prep work that had been done. Afterward, he'd have to look into getting furniture and equipment as well as any necessities.

But, Y/N decided it was enough for the time being. He went to the fridge and grabbed a (f/d), deciding to entertain himself with a few videos he found. Just then, he stumbled upon a video of a person painting their favorite character on their bedroom wall. They had already sketched out the design and were adding layers of different colors.

It caught his interest. The idea began floating around in his head the more he watched them progress in their work. When they finished, he was left amazed by how clean and neat the paintwork was done as well as the overall look of the character. That was when he settled on the idea.

–

Y/N shoved sketches of his ideas in front of his friend. F/N took the papers and looked through them all.

"You couldn't settle, huh?" they said, taking note of the multiple characters on each paper.

About half of the sketches were of his own characters while the other half were of characters from his favorite shows. "Help me pick. I spent hours just settling on a few characters."

"Okay," they replied and looked over them. "Well, it's a big space, so you could probably sketch out two or three of these. But, it's going to take a while."

Y/N knew it would be a time-consuming process, but he figured it would cure him of his restlessness. At least, for the moment. "How about...on the wall facing the entrance, you sketch out this one?"

F/N handed Y/N the sketch he was referring to. It was of characters from his current work. The two main characters were in the center, as always, with two of his favorite side characters/friends of the main characters standing on either side of them. Behind them was the main antagonist.

"Since it's your most popular and one you're most known for, you should have this one there."

F/N then looked through the papers again and pulled out two. "This one you could put where everyone in the office can see it. And this one, you can put over there."

Y/N nodded, looking toward the walls F/N had referred to. He could perfectly envision it. Now, it was a matter of executing it and that...that he hoped he could do. Once the locations had been settled, there was a knock at the door. F/N went over to open it. They grinned widely, greeted by their friends.

"Hey!"

Y/N looked over and sure enough, as F/N had promised, they were all familiar faces. Each and every single one was someone he had talked to at least two or three times before. Upon seeing Y/N, they smiled and gave their greetings.

"Y/N! Hey."

"Hey," he replied. "Thanks for coming to help out."

"No problem."

"Sure thing."

F/N got each of them started on a particular section, handing them all either a paintbrush or a roller. One of the girls opened up a paint can and admired the color. "Nice pick, Y/N."

"Thanks..."

They immediately got started. The atmosphere was peaceful but soon turned lively. Among jokes and music, there was laughter. Now that Y/N had gotten comfortable enough, he was also taking some part in it. Just a bit. By the time they realized it, the room was already painted. Once it dried, they would go over it with another layer of paint.

They took a break and sat out on the balcony., Y/N had offered to buy food as thanks for their help. Though they said it was fine, Y/N insisted. When they finally gave in, F/N and their friend joined Y/N in going to get food for everyone. They had walked through the area before, but only to go to the hardware store.

So, along the way, they were caught up with looking through the windows of various shops. Even though there weren't as many shops and restaurants as in one of the other locations Ms. Kurokami had shown them, it was still a nice area.

The people greeted each other, employees from a few restaurants were outside offering samples or flyers, and shop owners were busy either ushering people inside or fixing up.

They looked around, wondering what was good. F/N eventually went up and asked someone what the best restaurants were and what they recommended.

"There are plenty of restaurants here and there but the best places are the more hidden ones," the person said before giving them the directions to the place they recommended.

The restaurant they were guided to was one located in a rather small building. They passed by small shops that were set up inside before reaching their destination. There were only three tables set up, with four seats for each. The kitchen was mostly exposed so anyone could see what the chefs were doing and cooking.

However, the place was full. All the tables were filled and there was a line of about ten people waiting to order, with six others appearing to be waiting. There was no doubt now that the food would be good. F/N turned to them.

"What do you think? Should we wait or go find another place?"

"Well," their friend said. "We don't really know any other good places. Y/N?"

Y/N nodded. "We're already here... Might as well."

"Alright," F/N said. "Then, it's decided."

They took their place in line and waited to put in their order. Y/N watched as other people received their food. The food looked tasty, the presentation neat and flawless. But it wasn't just the appearance. Various aromas of spices and ingredients filled the air. Just the smell was awakening his hunger.

After what felt like an hour, it was finally their turn to order. "Hi. What can I get for you?"

F/N looked down at the menu on the counter. "Hmm... It's our first time here, so... What do you recommend?"

The employee asked for their tastes and recommended dishes based on their preferences. Finally, they settled on what to get, finished up their order, and paid. As they went elsewhere to wait, Y/N saw the line. It had gotten longer since they had been in it.

The number of people waiting for their food also increased. It made Y/N feel bad, considering they had ordered quite a bit of food. But, it was over before he knew it, hearing their order number be called.

F/N cheered. "Let's get this back and eat!"

They grabbed all of the bags and left the small restaurant, heading back to the studio where the rest awaited their meal.