Burning Bright

Decision

{ December 19th, Day 77 }

"What's that? Yarai Kouichi and Sengoku Akira are good friends?" Nishikiori asked. He was questioning Arisa, Katsuragi, and Shiraishi in his house.

"Y-Yes," Arisa answered. "I heard it from the girls in Yarai's group." Mainly, Shigeno and Matsumoto.

"Hmm, I see," Nishikiori said, resting his chin on his hand. "Thank you, you can go now!"

"Y-Yes," Shiraishi said, bowing.

"Then we'll be off..." Katsuragi said. They were nervous.

"... Arisa paused. "Ah... and..."

"I know, I know," Nishikiori said. "I'll tell Saitou to leave you guys alone. If anything happens, just come to me!"

"Ah! Thank you very much!" all three of them said, relieved.

"Th-This is great," Katsuragi said.

"Amazing! We can ask him for help at anything now!" Arisa said.

"... Heh..." Nishikiori laughed with his face cast in shadow. "Hehehehe!" 'Yarai Kouichi, right? The man who is a monster and Sengoku Akira are close friends!" He grinned deviously. "I can use this! Hahahaha! I have thought up a great play for you two!"

The crescent moon shone down on the hut Yarai's group was using. The soft sounds of people sleeping could be heard. Yarai's expression was relaxed. Torako had managed to find a few things she thought they could use for surgery with some modifications. Now she just had to find something to trade for them. They planned to go hunting tomorrow.

"Psst!" three dark figures said as they opened the leaf flaps over their door. They crept into the hut and moved towards Yarai. When they were close enough to touch him, Yarai's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed one of their faces.

"Mumble mumble!" the one he grabbed tried to speak as the others grabbed Yarai.

"He-He's still awake!?" one of them said. "S-Stop! We are allies!!"

"Allies...?" Yarai asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, that's right!!" the other one said. Yarai released the one he was holding.

"Cough, cough! Ow!" the one he released said, coughing.

"That was so wrong!" one of the others said.

"You are even worse than what we heard!" said the third.

"..." Yarai stared at them. Were they really allies? The intruders were three guys wearing glasses. There was something otaku-ish about them. He didn't recognize any of them. "Wh-Who are you?"

"Ah... We aren't anyone suspicious! You can see that, right?" the one he had grabbed said, readjusting his glasses and holding out a hand. "Are... you Yarai Kouichi? We were asked to deliver something to you."

"Deliver something...?" Yarai asked.

"Ah, can we talk about it outside?" the first glasses guy, who had rectangular wire frames asked.

"In here it stinks of women!" said the second with round frames.

"I only like the milky smell of Miina!" said the third with rectangle frames that were thick on top. Yarai didn't get what they were talking about, but he followed them outside.

"..." Segawa opened her eyes. Unlike Torako, who was tired from searching all day, she had heard everything.

"This is from Sengoku?" Yarai asked when they passed him a note, surprised.