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

S1-5✩ Not Even a Mask Can Conceal a Noble Heart

When Tsubaki had finally stopped walking, Yusaku certainly wasn't expecting she would lead him here of all places. An all-too-familiar yellow food truck was parked in front of them, with its "Café Nagi" signboard gleaming under the sunset ray. Its owner, someone whom Yusaku also knew very well was seen diligently frying some sausages inside it. A hiss was heard when the man added more sausages onto the oiled hot plate. In a matter of seconds, a mouthwatering aroma wafted around and reached our protagonists.

Yusaku gulped as his stomach rumbled again. Kusanagi's hotdogs were just too appetizing to be resisted.

"We're here! Thank goodness it's still open," Tsubaki said happily before sniffing the tasty aroma. "Mnn... A food that smells as good as this has to taste equally good, don't you think so, Fujiki-kun?"

In response, Yusaku raised one of his eyebrows at her. "Haven't you tried one yourself?"

But his question went unanswered as Tsubaki had already walked to the counter and greeted the cook. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hotdog Vendor!"

Kusanagi looked at the source of the voice and his smile instantly widened the moment he saw her. "Ah, it's you, Missy! It's been a while since I last saw you. You stopped coming a week ago, it made me wonder if you'd ever come again!"

From the way Kusanagi replied her greeting, Yusaku could ascertain that Tsubaki regularly visited Kusanagi's stand until at least a week ago. Though, her earlier statement sounded like she hadn't eaten one of Kusanagi's hotdogs yet. He only continued to observe as Tsubaki nervously chuckled. "I'm sorry for suddenly disappearing like that."

"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize! After all, it's up to the customers when and whether they want to come to my food truck or not," Kusanagi laughed as he continued cooking, "So then, I guess you've found a better place for that puppy you fed my sausages to, eh?"

Tsubaki smiled thinly at his question. "True... the heaven is certainly much better than the harsh environment he was living in."

Kusanagi's eyes widened for a split second and he stopped moving his hands. The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. "Oh... that's what happened?" He asked slowly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm really sorry for that, Missy."

"Thank you. It makes me happy to hear that from you," Tsubaki replied, now with a more genuine smile across her lips. "But I'm afraid I won't buy anymore plain sausages from you. Umm, so maybe I could buy them cooked instead?"

Kusanagi blinked, processing her words and finally laughed heartily when done. "Of course you could! Coming right up!"

"And make it two, please," Tsubaki added as she gestured to the silent boy who still stood idly next to her. "It's for me and my friend over here."

Kusanagi turned to greet the friend that Tsubaki mentioned, but ended up only staring. It's because he just noticed Yusaku was there all along and realized he was the friend whom she was talking about. Yusaku, on the other hand, was looking away, as if ignoring him. Kusanagi quickly caught on that Yusaku was telling him to act like they didn't know each other. Well, he could just play along, but for the sake of his curiosity, he decided to improvise and also tease Yusaku while he's at it.

Kusanagi bent over to whisper to Tsubaki, all the while making sure Yusaku could also hear him. "That guy over there is your friend? How come? He doesn't look like the type who would hang out with others-especially, with girls."

"Sshh, he can hear you!" Tsubaki whispered back in panic, but she sure did a poor job at doing it. As Yusaku hid an unamused facial expression and Kusanagi hold back his grin, she continued her so-called whisper, "He might not look very social, but he's really kind. He helped me bury Puppy-chan and inspired me to become a better person. That's why we're here... um, to express my gratitude to him, I'm treating him."