Dandadan: My Aura is Terrifying, But I'm Not!

The Frightful Oni and the Timid Snake

There were weirder things to talk about at lunch, but with this group, "weird" was the default.

Momo Ayase sat cross-legged on the grass, chopsticks tapping against her bento lid as she gave Okarun the kind of look that said she was already out of patience. Across from her, Okarun was hunched over like a bomb about to go off, chewing nervously, eyes darting toward every shadow. Jiji lounged nearby with that smug grin of his, the faint shimmer of his Evil Eye glowing just enough to show off. Aira Shiratori, meanwhile, barely looked up from her phone, scrolling with one hand while nibbling a rice ball with the other.

"Y'know we can't just sit around forever," Momo finally said, voice flat. "If your other ball's still out there, something's bound to sniff it out. We've had enough run ins with perverts and demons that I'm getting real tired of how valuable your ball has become."

Okarun nearly choked, pounding his chest with his fist. "Don't say it like that! You make it sound like I left bait lying around!"

Aira snorted without looking up. "Isn't that exactly what it is? Like catnip for aliens."

Okarun groaned and buried his face in his knees. Jiji leaned back on his hands, smirk widening.

"Relax, man," Jiji said. "With me around, nothing's touching your precious jewel. I'm basically a demon hunter now, I'll make sure no creepy pervy aliens touch your precious golden jewel, HIIIII-YAH!"

"More like a demon poser," Momo shot back as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, she's got a point," Aira added, a smirk curling on her lips. "Didn't you scream when a pigeon flew too close yesterday?"

Jiji shot upright, crossing his arms in an X pattern. "That was a defensive positioning, it was to make sure Evil Eye didn't obliterate such an innocent creature!"

Their bickering was interrupted by the shuffle of footsteps. A group of first-years passed along the walkway just beyond the trees, voices low and urgent. Momo caught a fragment of their whispers, her chopsticks freezing in midair.

"...he showed up again...they say he's got glowing eyes, freaky aura...apparently he nearly made someone faint just by standing there."

Momo's brow lifted as she leaned towards them. Okarun next to her immediately perked up, following suit and trying to listen in. "Freaky aura...huh."

"He's being called some kind of demon boy," one of the younger students whispered before they disappeared around the corner.

The four exchanged quick glances, clearly all thinking the same thing.

"Demon boy, huh?" Jiji scoffed, crossing his arms. "Sudden appearance of freaky things and at our school? I think we found our ball handler!"

"I hate that you might be right, but we've looked everywhere. I really don't think it's around here, but I wouldn't be surprised if this so called demon boy is linked to it. Haven't heard anything about this before..." Momo rubbed her eyes as Jiji nodded furiously.

"Hm, hm, right on Watson. I believe we've finally got a lead."

Aira finally tucked her phone away, eyes gleaming with interest. "Well, real or not, it sounds way more fun than just waiting around and hoping something pops up." She leaned back, lips quirking into a smirk. "We should investigate, look for him or something. If we can figure out what his deal is, we can figure out if he's got any relation to Takakura's lost ball."

Okarun's stomach sank. He had a bad feeling about this, like this "demon boy" was exactly the kind of trouble that always seemed to find them.

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