Under the Rain [Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS]

S2-27✩ Eyes that Evoked the Fiery Emotions Within

In a few minutes, the light drizzle eventually came to a stop. After finishing their lunch, Yusaku and Mirai decided to take a stroll around the park and catch the bus instead of the train. Next, they were heading to Café Nagi to pick up Ai--an idea that Yusaku suggested of course after he had made sure Takeru wouldn't be there by secretly texting Kusanagi to notify their visit.

While walking there, Yusaku told Mirai about how he first met Kusanagi. It was a story that she didn't expect, since she always thought the man was a distant relative of his. "Really? What gave you the idea?" He asked her out of curiosity.

"Well, since you two are super smart I thought it just runs in your family," she sheepishly giggled. "Sounds ironic coming from me, huh?"

"Do you want to learn programming, then? I can teach you," he offered, then upon seeing her grimace, he added, "But you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to."

She scratched her cheek, hesitating for a moment before she eventually replied, "Actually, I could use some help with my homework... would that bother you?"

"Not at all. Which one was it again?"

They continued chatting until the city plaza was within their eyesight and saw Kusanagi diligently wipe the tables and chairs of Café Nagi. The man stopped doing that as he noticed their arrival and greeted them with a wide smile. "Hey, you two are here! Did you have fun?"

While Mirai was confused by his question, Yusaku was quick to give a reply, "Yeah, we had a nice walk. How did your day go, Kusanagi-san?"

"Not many customers came by today, even before the rain. Maybe that new hamburger place is what caused it, but I'm not worried about the competition. My hotdog still wins in terms of taste and looks!" Kusanagi stated proudly before taking off his apron and handing it to Yusaku. "Anyway, Yusaku, can you look after the shop for a minute? Nature's calling me!"

The man then bent over to his eye level and whispered to his ear, "Don't worry, I'm having Ai patrol the area on his drone in case Takeru suddenly decides to turn up."

Yusaku wordlessly nodded and watched as Kusanagi gave him a thumbs up and walked away towards a nearby public toilet. Yusaku didn't openly show it, but he was glad that Kusanagi was loyal to him and decided to support his decision, even though their opinion differed. Likewise, he intended to do everything within his power to help Kusanagi and his family. He smirked. If he were still his old self, he would never imagine the bond that they first forged for the sole purpose of uncovering the truth behind the Lost Incident would evolve into mutual trust like this. Still, he liked the sound of it.

When he turned to see the truck, he found Mirai staring at him there. "What's wrong?" He asked the girl.

"Yusaku, you're the type who would occasionally tell white lies, huh?" She asked him back as she sat on one of the chairs. A small smile was tugging on her lips when she continued, "What did you tell him when you asked for a day off? You didn't tell him we were visiting his brother out of concern for him, did you?"

That had caught him off guard, because she guessed him right. Still, he retained a poker face as he refused to accept it. "You're right about not telling him, but I won't call that a white lie because: one, I was just keeping the truth to myself; two, I was waiting for the right moment to tell him and I actually plan to do that after he has returned; and three, when I told him I couldn't help him out today, he didn't ask anything and thus, he didn't give me a chance to lie. So he probably just assumed I was taking you somewhere nice to make up for what happened."

"Is that so..." Mirai murmured as she propped her chin. "So, Yusaku thinks hiding the truth is not counted as lying, eh..."

Yusaku's eyebrows raised. He was about to ask what she meant by that when he was suddenly distracted by a racket from a distance, and it sounded very much like Ai's voice. He looked over there and the color immediately drained from his face when he saw who was approaching them with a panicked Ai following behind him. He was Takeru, someone who supposedly shouldn't be there.