CH. 88 - We're Still Here

 Late one evening on a new day, well after the party had occurred, Shiori sits at the kitchen counter with her notebook in front of her and a frustrated look on her face. She taps her pencil on the side of her head as if thinking intently about something. Asami comes down the stairs and into the kitchen looking for a late lunch. Shiori notices her and decides to ask a question.

 “What do you do when you can’t come up with a good enough idea for something?” Shiori asks. Asami turns to look at her, a bit surprised before smirking a bit.

 “Finally asking me for help, are you?” Asami asks smugly. Shiori sweats a bit and looks away, embarrassed.

 “Maybe…” Shiori says softly. Asami walks over to her and leans on the counter next to her.

 “Well, I’d probably ask my son for help.” Asami says while taking a bite of a strawberry from the fridge. Shiori rolls her eyes.

 “I know what you’re doing. I don’t need to talk to that dummy.” Shiori huffs. Asami smiles and steps away from her.

 “Worth a shot. Although I’m not lying.” Asami says. Shiori looks up at her with a surprised look. Asami looks over her shoulder at her. “I mean, have you seen some of the things he’s come up with? That boy has a mind filled with ideas. You’d be surprised how many of my ideas were inspired by him.” She smiles at Shiori, who looks surprised. She doesn't say anything for a moment before Asami speaks up.

 “Don’t worry, sweetie, we can handle this on our own. Let me see.” She comes back to Shiori’s side to read over her work so far. Shiori looks at her from the corner of her eye as Asami reads.

‘One of my idols reading my book…’ She thinks before smiling warmly and waiting for Asami’s response. ‘I never thought something like this would ever happen. I never thought… my life would ever be this eventful.’ Shiori thinks before Asami speaks up.

 “Okay, I see. Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but in moments like these, I just spit stuff out on the paper and have at it. Let your stories unfold as they would in real life, then go back through with a comb and file it out.” Asami says with a smile. Shiori looks at her, then at the page with a nod.

 “Okay, I think I get that. I’ll give it a try.” Shiori says before getting back to work. Asami smiles warmly before walking away.

 “She’s such a sweet girl.. Always working..” Asami says in a soft whisper to herself before stepping away.

 In the city that same night, Kenji locks up the front door of his restaurant with some kitchen staff outside with him.

 “Goodnight, guys, see you tomorrow.” Kenji says with a wave as a couple of kitchen staff wave back and walk away in a different direction. Behind some bushes a bit away, a couple of men watch before turning to each other and smiling evilly.

 Suddenly, the glass of the front door is shattered as one man opens the door. Hours later, when no one is around in the dead of night, the criminals step inside, and one immediately goes for the register as the other makes his way through to the back. The one at the register pries it open and pulls out the isos from the drawer. 

 “Jackpot.” he says with a smirk before hearing his partner call for him.

 “Hey, get over here!” He shouts softly as the robber rushes back to the office his partner is in.

 “What is it?” He asks.

“Check this out.” They both stare at the safe on the floor by Kenji’s desk. “How much you think he’s got stocked in there?” He asks.

 “Too much. Let’s lighten his load.” The second robber says. The first smirks before putting a cracking cup to the door and starts spinning the combination. After a moment, the second robber starts to sweat nervously.

 “C’mon, man, hurry it up. Who knows if Fullsky or Watchdog is watching us…” he says nervously while looking over his back.

 “Relax man. Neither one of them has shown their face in months. Besides, these older safes are just too easy. It’s as simple as one, two…” He says before a final click is heard. “Three.” He cracks it open and looks in with excitement. The robber digs around before both their faces quickly drop to disappointment.

 “What?? He’s got nothing in here, not a single Iso! Just a bunch of useless papers! What about you?”

“I got 300 from the register. Nothing else is worth the weight.” The second robber says. The first looks upset before standing up.

 “Whatever. Let’s just get outta here.” He says as they exit through the front door while knocking over a couple tables in the process. As they step out front, the first robber stops. “I feels like I’m forgetting something… Oh yeah.” He says with a smirk before picking up a rock from the ground and smashing it through the large front window, shattering it. “That’s for not having anything in that stupid safe of yours.” They both laugh before running off, having been satisfied with robbing and vandalizing Kenji’s ramen shop.

 The group stands with their mouths open and shock spread across their faces. Lucy specifically has a distraught look as she watches her dad sweep up shattered glass.

 “Dad! What happened?!” Lucy asks while rushing up to her father. Kenji’s eyes show hurt in them, but his face attempts to comfort his distraught daughter. 

 “Oh, hi kids. Don’t worry about all this. It’s nothing really.” he smiles softly. Haru and Sugawara look inside to see that the place is a mess. Ryuji sweats a bit.

 “Was anyone hurt?” he asks softly.

 “No, no. It must’ve happened in the night. Thankfully, no one was around to get hurt. Although I wish I could say the same for old Betsy. That poor register was passed down to me from my father.” Kenji says while looking into the restaurant softly. Shiori and Hikigaya clench their fists tightly as they give each other a look from the corners of their eyes. 

 “Don’t worry, dad. We’ll help clean this up. Where’s Dominic and the others?” Lucy asks. Kenji chuckles to himself a bit as he continues sweeping.

 “As it turns out, when they saw what happened to this place, they decided to take a step back from my shop. Finding employment elsewhere, claiming it’s just too dangerous to be around here now. What a load of crap..” Kenji says under his breath as Lucy sweats with an upset look. “Those good for nothing freeloaders had other jobs lined up and were just waiting for a chance to abandon ship. Leaving me to drown..” Kenji says angrily but silently as he grips the broom even tighter. He stops for a moment before sighing.

 “I’m sorry, guys. It seems you’ll have to find a new place to eat because I don’t think there’s any coming back from this. With no crew and no funds to fix the place up… I don’t know what I’m gonna do…” He says softly as a single tear drips from his eye. He rubs his eyes and clears his throat before smiling again. “So why don’t you all go home? I’m gonna finish cleaning up here.”

 “No way!” Haru shouts. Kenji looks at them surprised as the others speak up.

 “Yeah, we’re here to help.” Hikigaya says.

 “For all the times you put yummy food in our tummies!” Chizuru says, determined to help.

“It’s the least we can do.” Shiori says too. They all look at him with determined smiles on their faces. Lucy even looks a bit surprised before looking at her dad with a ready smile.

 “We’ll get back on our feet together, dad.” Lucy says. Kenji is surprised for a moment before smirking.

 “Why am I not surprised? My little girl has always been good at picking her friends.” Kenji says emotionally. The group smiles before immediately getting to work.

Within the next few days, they get the shop all cleaned up and even get the damaged stuff replaced. Soon, the shop is totally repaired, looking better than new. Kenji stands outside with his hands on his hips, staring at the fixed shop.

 “I gotta hand it to you kids. Your help really shaped up. It was also super kind of your mom to fund the whole thing, Hikigaya. You sure she doesn’t want any repayment?” Kenji asks while looking at him. 

 “Nah, she’s…” Hikigaya starts then thinks back to a few days ago.

 His mom holds him in a chokehold with a playfully angry face.

 “And make sure he doesn’t give any money back! We don’t need it, he does, got it?!” Asami shouts.

 “Yes! Now let me go!” Hikigaya shouts back, trying to free himself.

Hikigaya droops a bit remembering the moment.

 “She’s good…” he says. Kenji exhales softly, looking back at the shop.

 “Well, make sure you say thank you for me. Couldn’t have done it without her help.” Kenji says. Chizuru stretches before cheering.

 “All done! When will you be back open so we can eat some yummy ramen?” Chizuru asks. Kenji laughs a bit.

 “Well, that depends how long it takes to hire a new crew.” Kenji says. A lightbulb then appears over Lucy’s head.

 “I know! Why don’t we run the shop for a while? That way you can focus on hiring new, more trustworthy people!” Lucy says excitedly. Kenji rubs his chin.

 “I don’t know…”

 “Come on, dad! You even have a world class chef here who knows your menu by soul!” Lucy takes Ryuji’s hand and pulls him close to her. Ryuji looks slightly nervous but nods in agreement. Kenji smiles and stares at them with a thinking glare before giving in.

 “Eh, what the Hell? You guys are almost adults, anyway. I’m sure you can handle it.” He says with a smile. They smile and laugh in excitement before Kenji wags his finger at them. “But you better not blow up my kitchen or I’m gonna be real mad!” he teases.

 “We won’t, don’t worry.” Lucy says while waving her hand at him.

 “Alright, I’ll limit the menu and hours until a full crew can come in. I’m trusting you guys with this.” He gives them a wink as the group all jumps.

 “Right!” They shout together.

 As the days pass, the group runs the shop with no problems, and by the end of the week, Kenji is able to hire an entire new staff that is glad to help. Haru wipes some sweat off his forehead before looking around, satisfied. 

 “That’s it. It’s our last day, right?” Haru asks. Chizuru nods happily in her waitress uniform as the shop’s open sign is turned off by Lucy. Sugawara lifts his hands up, slightly tired.

 “We did it!..” he weakly cheers. Ryuji comes out of the kitchen as Kenji steps in through the front door with a pleased look on his face.

 “I’m impressed, you guys. You really pulled it off. I hope our regulars were kind to you.” Kenji says proudly. They all nod as they collect themselves. “Why don’t you guys just head home? Leave the cleanup to me and my new crew. I gotta show them the ropes, anyway.” Kenji says. Haru jumps up.

 “Yesss! Thanks a bunch, Mr. Kagen!” Haru says as he, Sugawara and Chizuru rush out the front door. As the others follow, Kenji stops Ryuji.

 “I’m very proud and impressed with your performance this week, Ryuji. You are truly a talented young chef. Whenever you get your stuff in order, you let me know, and I’ll help out anyway I can with getting you your own restaurant.” Kenji says to Ryuji, who smiles warmly at his words and nods. Kenji pats him on the back before heading deeper into the restaurant. The group gathers out front as Sugawara stretches.

 “So what do you guys think? Wanna get some snacks and hangout?” Lucy offers. Chizuru looks excited, but Shiori interjects.

 “Sorry, Hikigaya and I have some stuff we need to do at home.” Shiori says. Lucy and Chizuru look at her smugly.

 “Stuff to do at home, huh?” Lucy asks.

 “I’m sure they’ll be doing plenty of ‘stuffing’ at home.” Chizuru teases. Shiori and Hikigaya blush intensely at their words.

 “Come on, guys! You can’t just say stuff like that!” Hikigaya shouts at them, flustered.

 “Hey, don’t be so embarrassed. It’s totally natural for you two. Living together, someone sneaks into the other room...” Sugawara teases as Shiori shouts at him.

 “We don’t do that!” She shouts, also flustered. Hikigaya huffs as he looks at the group.

 “Yeah, yeah, I get it. ‘Shiori and I are so in love!’” Hikigaya says mockingly. “But seriously. We definitely have to plan something to do soon. It is our last summer break after all.” Hikigaya says with a relaxing smile before fist bumping Haru.

 “That’s right~! Catch you later!” Haru says happily. They wave as Shiori and Hikigaya walk off under the dimly lit sky as night quickly approaches. 

 Somewhere in the woods, a couple of familiar men walk together down a dirt path leading to an abandoned warehouse. 

 “These guys have gotta start finding more reliable jobs or we’re never making it out of here.” The first robber says.

 “What do you think they’re doing in there now?” The second robber asks.

 “Probably still playing cards, as usual.” He says before sliding open the large front door. As they take a single step into the warehouse, they suddenly stop with fearful and shocked looks. Inside, amongst a mess of belongings and destroyed items, hang a few people tied up in chains upside down, hanging from the roof. One chained up alone and the other two being chained together, they outline words burned into the back wall illuminated by a dim light also hanging from the ceiling.

 ‘WE’RE STILL HERE’ the words read.

 The two robbers freak out, but before they can even react, sirens blare as three officer cars quickly roll up behind them, each bursting with two peace officers surrounding them all. In a tree on a hill a bit away stands Fullsky with Watchdog crouched in front of her. They watch the robbers get arrested before disappearing with a whoosh into the night. In the forest, at the abandoned stage area they marked, deeper into the night, Shiori and Hikigaya stand together. Shiori takes off her mask and hood before shaking her hair out as Hikigaya does the same.

 “Honestly, it feels good to be back.” Shiori says with a smile as Hikigaya nods.

 “Really good.” He smiles softly before his eyes widen, looking past Shiori. She looks confused before hearing the voice of a person in total shock and awe behind them.

 “WHAT THE FU-” Alice shouts, dropping the basket she had in her hands. Despite the sudden reveal, the night still comes to an end.

 In the infinite desert of Shiori’s soul, she sits with her eyes closed and her face lifted up. She sits in a way that conveys a certain level of peace, meditating as a gentle but firm wind blows around her. She slowly opens her eyes and looks up to see the clouded sky in motion, revealing cracks of light that sprint across the light sands in the distance. Fading in and out as the wind carries the clouds upon its back. 

 “It feels… so warm.” She says softly. Suddenly, a gentle beam of light opens up in front of her. She opens her hand and reaches out as if to hold the soft light in her palm before looking up. She gazes upon a pale blue sky peeking at her through the opening in the clouds before it quickly is once again covered by clouds, taking the light with it. Shiori softly looks back down before slowly wrapping her arms around herself in a gentle embrace, not in an anxious or sad manner but in a way as if simply craving a hug.

 “Hey Shiori.”

 She hears a comforting voice from behind her. As she lifts her head a bit in surprise, two arms spread around her before holding her in a new embrace.

 “It feels better when someone else does it.” he says. The caring figure of Hikigaya says with a smile as he holds her in his arms from behind. Shiori blushes softly before smiling warmly.

 “Yeah.” she says quietly before leaning her head against his and closing her eyes. They sit together for a moment before it snaps to reality, where Shiori lies on her back in her bed in a similar position to her in her soul. She opens her eyes slowly and blinks a few times before sitting up with a stretch and a head rub. She sits for a moment before smiling softly and lifting her arms around herself in a gentle way, like Hikigaya was doing in her vision.

 “He felt… so warm…” she says softly while blushing. She looks up before getting a determined look and hopping out of bed. “That’s it!” She grabs Hikigaya's sweater off the corner of her bed and throws it on over herself. She gets a determined look while lifting up her closed fist. “Today’s the day. I’m gonna tell him!”

 Shiori is then drooped down while sitting at a bench under an umbrella with her head in her hands.

 “I can’t do it…” She groans as Chizuru and Lucy sit before her. Chizuru happily chews on a sandwich as the other two still have yet to touch their sandwiches. 

 “Well hey, think of it this way. At least you’re finally getting to the point of actually attempting to ask, right?” Lucy says, trying to be supportive. Shiori sits up with a disappointed look on her face. 

 “Alotta good that’s gonna do me if I never actually ask him..” She says under her pouty breath. Chizuru swallows the bite of her sandwich before speaking.

 “I don’t know what’s your hold up. You already know he likes you, so just go for it.” Chizuru says casually before biting into her sandwich again. Shiori gets a frustrated look.

 “I don’t know that, and neither do either of you! Just listen to the way he talks about the idea when you bring it up. For all I know, I could be like a sister to him.” Shiori says, upset.

 “Nah, come on. You only live together, fight all the time, fight crime together. … Oh, I see your point.” Lucy says with her hand on her chin as Shiori drops her head onto the table with a thud.

 “This isn’t helping me…” she mumbles.

 “Well, look at yourself. You're literally wearing his hoodie. Something you do all the time. That's girlfriend behavior." Chizuru says as Shiori looks at herself and blushes in embarrassment.

"I mean… I guess, but it's just… he knows I like the size of his hoodies, so he lets me wear them… at least when he actually knows I take them from his closet…" Shiori admits as the girls stare at her. "But i-it's not like that makes him see me as his girlfriend!" she argues, more flustered. They roll their eyes a bit before Chizuru continues.

"What about all the kissing? Haven’t you guys kissed like a bunch by now?” Chizuru asks.

 “I heard it might’ve been a bit more..” Lucy says smugly as Chizuru blushes, covering her mouth. Shiori looks up with an embarrassed and flustered look.

 “Hey! Don’t spread rumors, it isn’t nice. And yeah, I guess we kinda have…” Shiori softens a bit.

 “That would be pretty weird to kiss your sister like that.” Chizuru says. Shiori sighs and rubs her head.

 “Yeah, but those were all accidents. Either he thought I was some badass vigilante lady or didn’t mean to kiss me.” Shiori says, trying to come up with excuses. Lucy just looks at her.

 “Well, aren’t you a badass vigilante lady?” Lucy asks, raising her eyebrow. Shiori is surprised before blushing a bit. 

 “I guess.. I am. Huh.” Shiori thinks about it. Lucy smiles at her as Chizuru gets an excited look with crumbs on her cheek.

 “Speaking of vigilantes! What did you guys do with Alice?? You have to tell me what happened!” Chizuru says excitedly.

“Oh yeah, that..” Shiori sweats a bit before thinking back to that night. “At first we tried to say it was a misunderstanding, but she quickly nerded out and put it all together. There was no stopping her at that point, so we just told her to keep it a secret and that it was super important.” Shiori says. Lucy sighs and leans on her hand.

 “And of course, she didn’t keep it a secret.” Lucy says. Chizuru laughs awkwardly with a sweatdrop as they recall just yesterday.

Alice rushes to the extended group of Touma, Suiyoubi, Hisana, and Kitaro along with the others as they hangout at Alice’s house without Shiori or Hikigaya.

 “GUYS! You’re never gonna believe this! Shiori and Hikigaya are Watchdog and Fullsky!” She says with an excited look as the others stare at her. Suiyoubi and Hisana’s jaws are on the floor as the friends who already know twitch at her words.

 “In that order?” Kitaro asks while not looking away from his game. Touma shakes his head.

 “Makes sense to me.” he says softly. Alice sweats a bit before getting a frustrated look.

 “Come on! I called you here just to tell you that! I can’t be the only one who finds this to be crazy!” Alice shouts.

 “W-well, after watching them fight at G-Green Fur Ranch, that isn’t the most insane thought..” Touma says. Alice pouts before turning to the others.

 “What do you guys think? O-” Alice stops talking as Chizuru puts a hand on her shoulder.

 “Can you give us a moment?” Chizuru asks with a strained smile on her face. Suddenly, her, Haru, Sugawara, Ryuji and Lucy tackle Alice to the ground in a scuffle to get her to stop talking.

Back at the bench, Lucy rubs her head in frustration.

 “Now the whole group knows your secret… Who knows who they might tell.” She stresses as Chizuru finishes her sandwich.

 “Well, they’re some of the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met, so I think it’ll be okay.” Chizuru says optimistically. Lucy looks at her before softening her expression and giving Chizuru a soft smile.

 “I guess you’re right. I’m still surprised Alice would even out you guys like that.” Lucy says, waving her hand at Shiori.

 “It’s fine. I expected it, she was excited.” Shiori says casually.

 “And I doubt she’d tell anyone outside of our group.” Chizuru says with a smile.

 “Not like she really has friends to tell.” Lucy says, playfully mocking as they both giggle. Suddenly, Chizuru’s eyes sharpen.

 “Now, back to the topic at hand.” Chizuru says. Shiori looks at her surprised for a moment before getting an embarrassed look.

 “No no no. We’re done talking about that. It’s not gonna happen.” Shiori says. Chizuru whines at her.

 “Oh, come on, Shiori! There’s no better time to tell him! It’s our last summer vacation, what have you got to lose?” Chizuru asks.

 “A lot, believe it or not. My dignity, our friendship, the idea of getting turned down by a stupid, dumb.. dumb cutie like him…” Shiori trails off softly as a blush runs across her face. Lucy and Chizuru look at each other before looking back at her.

 “You have to tell him.” Lucy says. Shiori looks up at them softly before it fades back into Shiori’s house.