Approaching Target

 Juusaki sits by a bench near the school gate as he observes Denji from afar while Denji enters a black limousine and drives off.

“1603 hours. Time out list 1. Target has left school,” the voice in his brain announces. Juusaki then walks towards the next limousine which is next in line after Denji’s car.

“How was school, sir?” The driver asks.

“It was fine.”

“How unfortunate,” the limousine proceeds to drive off to the Kingdom Towers.

The Kingdom Towers is a set of two buildings next to each other connected by a walkway every 10 floors. Each tower has its name, Tower A, or King Tower, and Tower B, or Queen Tower. Juusaki arrives at his tower, and the driver tells him as he drops him off, “We could have food delivered to you.”

“Do not worry about it. I am fully battle-ready, therefore making my food is a trivial matter.”

“As you say, young master,” and the limousine drives off.

Juusaki arrives at his room’s door and places his finger on the door’s handle. An unlocking sound is heard, and Juusaki opens the door. The room is spacious and grand. It rivals even the President’s Room in some hotels. It has a fully-fledged kitchen, a personal bath, a king’s bed that has a borderless window beside it. Although grand the room it be, it can be called bare and empty because of the room's generous space. There are only two cardboard boxes beside the door which can be called Juusaki’s belongings. It is not enough to fill the room with personality and make anyone call it Juusaki’s home, but this doesn’t bother Juusaki, for he knows that he won’t be staying for long. After sorting out his things, Juusaki goes to the borderless window and takes out his glasses. He looks 12 floors downwards.

“Zoom Vision,” Juusaki says as he holds the right handle of his glasses.

With this telescopic vision, he sees Denji putting his things out of his bag in his bedroom. Juusaki’s room overlooks Denji’s room which is 12 floors below it.

“Remember what I thought you,” a voice in his memory speaks to him, “No one can keep feeding you constantly as we did before, and you cannot just keep ordering takeouts! You must be able to feed yourself! Alright, try cooking some eggs now, agent.”

Juusaki looks over a list as he sits by the dining table. “Eat, check. Clean dishes…”

Later, “Check. Bath…”

And later, “Check. Do homework, check. Read… mangas?”

And later, “Check… Watch anime…?”

And later, “Check…” A voice from his head speaks, “This is such a waste of time. Remove it from the list.”

Juusaki speaks to the voice in his head, “But if the moderator requires me to do it, I shall do it.” “Do you even know the meaning of optional?”

“Optional or not, the moderator has placed it in the list.”

“You know, as your Assisting Intelligence, I warn you not to influence yourself with these things. This will cause you to deviate, and soon enough, they will tag you as a deviant.”

“But the moderator has placed it in the list. If I don’t follow it, I would be a deviant.”

“That’s a good point. I will end the argument here. I am your Assisting Intelligence, and I won’t be ever against you. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

“That is highly appreciated.”

Juusaki reads at the end of his list, “Sleep. Note: Pretend to sleep, to sleep?” And Juusaki lies in the bed, sleeping straight.

“It’s 6 AM,” the voice in his head speaks.

Juusaki reaches out for the list which he placed on the table, “Cook breakfast…”

After doing everything on the list, Juusaki gets picked up from the tower and dropped off at school, and looks around to find something. Juusaki’s eyes fix on a black limousine, and Denji exits from it with Nana meeting him from the side. “Target spotted.”

Lunch came, and Juusaki is eating with Misaki and Nana, but this time, with a few other girls with them. It would be awkward for a normal boy to be hanging out with so many people of the opposite gender, but Juusaki doesn’t seem to care at all. Still, this time, Juusaki is left out from most of the girls’ conversations.

“Greetings!” A voice comes up from nowhere behind Juusaki and the girls stare wide-eyed in shock.

Nana looks at Denji and asks, “Oh, what are you doing here?”

“Why do you ask me so coldly? I just came by to see how you were doing,” Denji responds.

“If that is your intention then…” Nana trails off.

The other girls, along with Misaki, look at Denji with passionate eyes.

Denji taps Juusaki’s shoulder, and Juusaki looks behind him. “Target is near.”

“Hello there, my name is Denji Kurosaki, what is yours?” Denji politely asks.

“Script 1 Executed.” Juusaki stands up and outstretches his hand, “My name is Juusaki Hachiko”

 he says politely, “I have heard of you, Denji Kurosaki-sama, it is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

“Ho-ho-ho! How very straightforward!” Denji muses in amazement as he shakes Juusaki’s hand.

 “Anyway, I would like to invite you to have lunch with me. Would you like to come?”

“I accept your kind invitation, Kurosaki-sama.”

“You know, It’s alright with me if we drop the formality and be comfortable with me. Just call me Denji.”

“If you wish, Denji-san.”

“Good, good,” Denji points to the table where he and his friends are seated with his palms, “Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

The girls look at Juusaki in awe whispering to each other, “Who is he that he caught the attention of Denji himself?”

But not all of them look in awe. Nana for one looks at him with suspicion in her eyes, and Misaki, with a smug but expectant look. “You didn’t have to move, huh, Juusaki-kun,” Misaki mutters.

“Isn’t he the guy that answered his math textbook on the first day of class?” A friend blurts out.

“Everyone, this is Juusaki Hachiko, be friendly with him. He is my friend now,” Denji introduces.

“Friend?” A friend of Denji asks in surprise.

“That was quick…” one mumbles.

Denji turns to Juusaki and points to his friends respectfully, “This young man right here is Akio Nagaya from Nagaya Foods, and this is Daichi Mashiya,” Denji’s eyes turn into friendly scorn, “he jokes a lot so don’t mind him, and this is Hibiki Niriya, the dumb one.”

“Hey!”

“And he is Kyou Satsuki of SAT. He rarely speaks, but he is a kind person.”

“I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Juusaki slightly bows.

“Now, now, haven’t I told you to drop the formalities?” Denji hugs Juusaki with his left arm. “Let’s be together from now on!”

Juusaki looks at Denji with sparkling eyes for he does not know what a friend means. “I’ll try my best, Denji-san,” Juusaki states shyly.

It has been two weeks since that encounter, and the lunch break bell rings. Juusaki has not made his way to his cafeteria as he usually did for two weeks, and Denji isn’t there to invite him to his friend circle for Denji had a student council lunch meeting to attend to. Juusaki takes out his lunch on his table planning to eat in the classroom, but Misaki interrupts his view. “Hey, haven’t you forgotten something?” Misaki asks sharply.

Juusaki looks up at Misaki with no expression on his face.

“Emotionless as ever, huh?” Misaki slams the table lightly and sighs, “you annoy me, but it seems fair to you that you wouldn’t share your relationship with Denji since I won’t give anything to you in return. Is that it?”

“No, I didn’t find the chance yet.”

“Is that so? I believe you had tons of chances to do so.”

“Sorry if I had missed those, but I am working on it.”

“You better do, so you should come to eat lunch with—”

Kyou Satsuki enters the classroom interrupting Misaki’s talk with Juusaki. “Hachiko-san, aren’t you going to lunch with us?” Kyou asks with a tone of concern.

“Ah, but Denji-san hasn’t come yet,” Juusaki states with a slight disappointment in his voice. “Yes, but, we are all friends together, right?”

Juusaki opens his mouth and hesitates and nods instead, “I’m coming.”

The two boys leave the classroom as Misaki tracks them with her eyes. “He shows a little emotion when he is with Kyou-kun, huh,” Misaki mutters. “Interesting, how interesting.”