Markus lifted his phone to his ear and began talking. “Hello? Terry? Is that you?”

“Good. Now, as to the reason for my visit. That bird? It wasn’t. He was an emissary for another kami,” Takeda san said.

“Another? What do you mean, another?” Markus replied, unwittingly attracting the attention of Yamato-san.

“I mean to say that you have attracted the attention of another kami, another ‘god’,” Takeda-san replied, using air quotes.

“I thought Luke said that wasn’t possible?” Markus questioned.

“No. He said that another would not attempt to take you from him. That is all. This kami is, however, more devious than you would like to deal with, I am sure,” the ephemeral man replied.

Markus thought for a moment as Yamato-san tried to get his attention.

“Is everything okay, Barton-kun? You seem distressed,” the older man asked, concern evident on his face.

Markus pulled the phone to his chest, as if to mute his words. “Yes, Yamato-san. All is well. Just some news from work, is all. I am still employed by my other job in the States, after all,” he said with a soft smile.

“Ah. A tricky situation, indeed. I shall leave you to it, and inform the ladies that you are indisposed. Perhaps you should continue your conversation outside, my friend?”

Realizing where he was, Markus apologized profusely and took his “call” outside. Takeda-san followed.

“My apologies, Mr. Barton. I have made you appear rude. That was not my intent, I assure you,” Takeda-san said with a deep bow.

“It’s okay, Terry. No harm, no foul. Now, as to why you think I’d not like to deal with this person?” Markus replied with a smile.

“Simple. They are smarter and more clever than you. Or I. Or any mortal soul in this world, or another. They are part of the reason I am in the sorry state that I am. I foolishly entertained the notion of being paid twice, and quickly learned that the cost was far greater than I previously thought. I am a good part of the reason our shinigami will not allow us to be stolen by another kami. My greed outpaced my ability to reason, Mr. Barton. As a result, while I am far richer than any other human on Earth, I shall never be capable of enjoying it.

“You have no choice in meeting them. My hope is that you do so with at least some forewarning,” Takeda-san said, then looked off to his left at some unseen thing. “I must go, Mr. Barton. Use caution in your dealings with the kami of Nimaijita. Farewell.” Takeda-san turned and walked to his left, fading into the sunlight.

Markus stood there, gazing into the ray of sunlight that the ghostly man vanished into, lost in his thoughts.

At least until the clerk came outside and excused himself. “My apologies, sir. You have that bear in your hands. Would you like to pay for it inside?”

“Hmm? Oh! I’m so sorry. Yes. Yes, absolutely. I was caught off guard by an important call from work. Lead the way, please?” Markus replied, his face growing hot.

The clerk led him in to the register, where Markus paid for the bear, purchasing some candies, besides. The clerk thanked him, and handed him his goods, then Markus went back out to meet his friends.

Akane watched him curiously, as he had seemed rather lost when he came back in. Certainly, the call had to be important if it caused him to walk out of the store without paying. Wrapping her arms around his right arm, she looked up at him. “Markus? Is everything okay? You seem… lost?” she asked.

“I’m okay, Akane. Just a call from my other job in the States. I wasn’t expecting it, is all. I still haven’t quit that job, yet. The reality of my new job is hitting me, I guess,” he said, smiling into her honey eyes.

She nodded to herself. It made sense, after all. He was dealing with so much newness in his life, that getting lost in thought about it all wasn’t terribly unexpected. Indeed, she’d be more concerned if he weren’t lost in thought at times.

Having seen most of what the Zoo offered, the quartet made their way out of the park. As the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon, the air had begun to grow chilly. Akane and the others huddled inside their coats, while Markus simply smiled, enjoying the cool air.

“Where would we like to go next? I’m up for just about anything!” Markus exclaimed once they’d left the confines of the zoo.

Yamato-san simply looked over at Markus in wonder. How could he not be cold? “Um… Barton-san? Forgive me for asking, but how is it you are comfortable without even a light jacket? I know you said you were nearly uncomfortable at the aquarium, but we’ve been walking around outside for the better part of two hours!” he exclaimed.

Markus smirked and proffered his left arm. “Feel it. My hand, too. You’ll understand, then,” he replied.

Yamato-san gingerly placed his fingertips to Markus’ inner forearm, and recoiled almost immediately. “So hot! Your hand is the same?” he asked, eyes wide.

In response, Markus simply grabbed the older man’s hand and held it for a moment. “That is simply crazy! Ikeda-chan? You now have a personal heater. Use it well,” Yamato said in envy as Markus pulled his hand away.

They shared a laugh at this, and in response, Akane simply took Markus’ hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. Markus looked down at her smiling face.

Gently, she pulled on his hand, causing Markus to lean over, and she murmured softly into his ear, “I fully intend to, Kuma-kun.”

With a gulp, Markus slowly straightened, feeling his body heat rising once again, along with a tingly feeling in the center of his chest. Hanako chanced to look over at him as he did, and eyed Akane suspiciously.

“Ikeda-kun? What did you just say to make that man so embarrassed that I could feel the very air heat up from here?” she asked.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Akane smiled to herself and shook her head. “Nothing of importance, senpai. Just teasing him a little. That’s all,” she replied, the smile never leaving her eyes.

Hanako and Yamato-san grinned at Markus, each feeling fairly confident they knew what she had said to him. Hanako looked over at Akane once more, and asked, “So where to next, Leader?”

Akane looked up at Markus, who was still red, and smiled. “How about we go to an arcade? If it’s still open there is one I used to go to when I was a kid. Do you remember, Ichikawa-san?” she asked Hanako.

Surprised at being put on the spot, Hanako racked her brain trying to remember where they went thirty years ago. “Was it Jolly Time Arcade or something like that? I don’t quite remember,” she said apologetically.

Yamato-san looked between the two, somewhat confused. “I think you mean Molly Fantasy. It’s the best arcade in Kyoto, I say.”

Akane snapped her fingers. “That’s it! I used to go there all the time! Didn’t it have a mascot in a pink dress? Lala-chan, or something?” she asked, becoming animated.

“That’s the one! I remember…” Yamato-san said.

Markus smiled and simply listened to the happy chatter around him as the trio of friends reminisced about their childhoods as they walked to the bus stop. Feeling a vibration in his pocket, he pulled out his phone and checked it. It was a message from Atsuki.

Hey bro!

We just got back from Okinawa. Mom is doing fine, just missed us. Since I still have the rest of the day off, and Gen-kun has no client today, I wanted to check in and see how your date went! Well?

Spill it! ლ(*꒪ヮ꒪*)ლ

Markus smiled and replied.

Hey!

Still with her. As a matter of fact, why don’t the two of you go to Molly Fantasy and meet us? I think you’ll have a good time.

Markus got a thumbs up in response and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. This would be good.

Markus stood patiently with his friends while they chatted about the arcade. He smiled, recognizing several of the titles they were discussing. After a few minutes, Akane stopped suddenly, turning to face him.

“I’m so sorry! We’ve been going on about the games we used to play, and have been ignoring you. I’m sure it was probably different in America. Do you have much in the way of arcades there?” she asked as the other two went silent, looking at him expectantly.

“Well, not as much as you do here, it seems. Our arcades were mostly inside the local malls, and were only open from maybe noon til nine. Usually, they were too crowded to enjoy fully. I went a few times as a kid, but the malls were always too far for me to go alone, not to mention the fact that it was also usually too dangerous for me to even try,” he replied.

Akane gazed at him with a sad expression. Hanako and Yamato-san’s were outright pity. Markus colored under their collective gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah… what did I say?” he asked self-consciously.

“You didn’t get to enjoy arcades with friends?” Akane asked.

Markus shook his head with a rueful laugh. “Not really. My father kept me on the straight and narrow by pushing me into work at a rather young age. I was mowing lawns and cleaning gutters by the time I was ten. My summers were pretty full, and I didn’t get out much. You have NO idea how out of character for me just taking off to Japan was. I will be forever grateful that I did, however,” he said, taking Akane’s hands with a broad smile.

Akane smiled and shyly dropped her head. “Me too, Markus. But!” she said with excitement, squeezing his hands tightly, “We will make up for as much time as we can today! You are going to what we would say is the absolute best arcade in Kyoto!” she said as the bus pulled up.

They boarded the bus, and found seats near the rear. Markus and Akane squeezed into a seat together, with Hanako and Yamato-san across the aisle from them. They spoke quietly with each other until they got to the arcade, nearly forty-five minutes later.

Once they exited near the Aeon Mall, Markus realized with no small amount of surprise that they weren’t far from his hotel.

“Huh,” he remarked.

“What is it, Barton-san?” Hanako asked.

“It’s nothing much. We’re just not too far from my hotel, is all. Just a few blocks southeast from here is where I’m staying. I recognize the mall from my maps,” he said with a smile.

“Really?” Hanako asked, giving Akane a sly look that Markus missed completely.

“Mm-hmm. I wanted to roam the mall during my stay at some point, so I made sure to get a place somewhere close by. Now that I know there’s an arcade here, I might wind up blowing my entire advance,” he said with a laugh.

Akane pressed her lips into a thin line, looking between Markus and the grinning Cheshire cat that was Hanako.

“Oh look! There’s Molly Fantasy! Let’s go, Markus!” Akane said, pointing towards the arcade. She took Markus’ hand in a death grip and pulled him along beside her.

Markus grinned, figuring Hanako had done or said something to embarrass her kouhai again.

As they entered the arcade, Markus was greeted with an explosion of color and whimsy. A large mascot that somewhat resembled a muppet was waiting in the middle of the arcade, waving at all the newcomers. Markus simply stopped near the entrance, gawking in wonderment at everything around him. Hanako and Yamato-san went to get game cards.

There were video games, gacha machines, claw machines and several more fun things to play and do.

Akane looked up at Markus and took his hand. “Well?” she asked excitedly.

“This… This is what we need in the states. Holy shit,” he mumbled.

Akane giggled and lay her head on his arm. “It’s a good place, Kuma-kun. A good place to be a kid again. Or, just to be one, in the first place,” she said quietly.

Markus nodded and smiled down at her.

“Markus! I didn’t expect to see you here! And the lovely Ikeda-san! How are you two getting along?” came an excited voice from Markus’ right.

Startled, he looked over to see the smiling face of Atsuki, with Genkai behind him.

“Atsuki! Gen-kun! How are you two? How is your mother?” Markus asked, happy to see his friends.

“Kimura-san! Gen-chan! I didn’t think you two would be able to be here. I thought you were visiting your mother?” Akane said, a smile on her face.

“Mother is well. Thank you so much for asking, friends,” Atsuki said, looking between Markus and Akane.

Genkai chanced to look down, seeing Akane’s small hand clasped within Markus’ much larger one, and felt a momentary pang of jealousy. He sighed softly and forced a smile onto his face. “What’s this, Barton-san? Are you two” -he dropped his voice to a stage whisper and cupped a hand to the side of his mouth- “holding hands?”

Akane giggled, twisting a little as she shuffled her feet and clutched Markus’ arm. She nodded shyly.

Atsuki looked down and grinned. “Ha! I knew it! You move fast, my friend! No matter. You two are a good match. I feel it,” Atsuki said.

Hanako and Yamato-san walked back up to Markus and Akane, deep in conversation with each other. When Hanako noticed that Yamato-san wore a slight frown, she looked ahead of her.

“Yūben'na….” she breathed, caught off-guard.