I stretched my arms out, as I let out a yawn. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around, noticing I was still in my room. There was a plate of breakfast sitting on the nightstand nest to me. It smelled like Mr. Hanekoma's cooking, which wasn't bad to be honest. It was actually pretty good. I picked up the fork and gingerly brought the plate of food onto my lap once I got into a sitting position. I poked at the food with the fork, before sticking it in the food, taking a bite.

It wasn't long before I finished and stood up out of my warm bed. I grabbed the plate and took it downstairs to the kitchen, where I washed it in the sink, before setting it carefully in the dishwasher. As I turned, I nearly screamed when I saw Mr. Hanekoma standing in the doorway.

"G-Geez! You could at least warn me if you're going to pop up like that. Nearly gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, holding where my heart would be. His laugh cut through the air as he looked at me from just above his sunglasses.

"Sorry (Y/n), but it can't be helped. Josh is here if you want to get ready for him."

"He's here?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Someone's eager to see him. But, you look like you just rolled out of bed."

"Well, of course I did! I just woke up you know. Thanks for the food though," I said, making my way back up into my room to freshen up. Closing the door behind me, I searched my closet for an outfit. I settled on a mid-thigh dress that had a poofy red skirt, with a white, collared, button up top. The skirt had white edging and over the dress itself was a black corset. To top it off, I had red heels, and black knee-high socks. I finished tying a ribbon around my collar and did a mini twirl in front of my mirror, satisfied with my look.

After freshening up in the restroom, I grabbed my long, shoulder-length purse and threw my phone and other necessities in it, and ran downstairs, trying not to trip in my heels, and paused for a minute. Who were Joshua and Mr. Hanekoma talking about last night? Whoever it was must be dangerous, for them to be worried. Well, Johsua's an enigma, so it's hard to know what he's thinking all the time. Walking down the stairs, I went into the front area of WildKat and saw Joshua sitting with his legs crossed at one of the stools on front of the counter. There was a group of teenagers who walked in and I recognized them from yesterday standing in one of the shops.

"Joshua?"

"Oh?" Joshua let out a giggle. "Hello Neku. It's been awhile hasn't it?"

"Yeah... It has. Where have you been? You disappeared after our last... encounter," Neku said, putting his hands in his pockets. One of the girls next to him looked at me and elbowed him in the side. He turned towards me with a surprised expression, but before a sound could come out another of his friends spoke up.

"Yo. Who dis girl? We saw her with you near 104, Prissy Boy," the boy said towards Joshua. I frowned slightly at his nickname for Joshua, who didn't seem fazed at all by it. Joshua merely raised his hand and smirked.

"You did see us. I know her from a long time ago. She's my-," I cut Joshua off by letting out an intentional cough.

"Before you finish that statement Joshua, I should probably introduce myself. I'm (Y/n), his friend. We've known each other for a while now. Mr. Hanekoma introduced us to each other," I said, tucking a stray piece of my hair behind my ear.

"Oh! I'm Shiki! This is Neku, Beat, and Rhyme. So, you two must be close then?" Shiki asked, after gesturing to each of them. I stole a glance at Joshua and shrugged.

"I'm as close as you can get to this kid," I said, walking over to Joshua. I sat in one of the stools that was right next to him and crossed my legs.

"So, what do you know about him?" Neku asked.

"Aw. That's rude Neku. You could just ask me for some information about myself," Joshua said, feigning a pout.

"Not if I want a straight answer," Neku grumbled. I smiled at the two of them and turned my attention towards the orange haired boy.

"Well, Neku, I'm afraid I can't answer that question. It's his life so if he wants you to know, then you'll know. It's not my place to say. Although, I do know quite a bit about him," I said. Neku sighed and Shiki giggled at him.

"See? I told you that you wouldn't get an answer." I let out a small laugh. They would make a great couple. They were game partners during their first week, and Shiki was Neku's entry fee, according to what I was able to observe during my time in the higher plane. While talking to the four previous game members, I noticed a slight change in Joshua's demeanor. He was, happier, to say the least.

After Neku's three weeks were over, Joshua was lonely and longing to be with everyone again. Depressed was a simplistic way of putting it. But, seeing him now, makes me feel happy inside.

"Hey, (Y/n)." Rhyme's voice caught me off guard and I looked at her. Nodding at her, she continued to speak in that soft voice of hers. "Does knowing Joshua mean you know about everything that goes on then?"

"Yes. Although, as I've said before, I've known him for much longer than any of you, so I've known about the games for quite a while now," I said, turning to Neku. "You have something on your mind."

"Huh? Well, yeah. Does that happen often? What Joshua just did during my game," Neku said. Joshua crossed his arms and let out a huff. I looked at him uncertainly, and shrugged hesitantly.

"He has... Phases, that he goes through. But, I will say that it doesn't happen very often. At least it hasn't happened in awhile," I mumbled the last part, and started to fumble around with something in my purse.

"As I can see. You want to speak with Mr. H, correct? Well, we'll go ahead and let you do so, hm," Joshua said, standing up. He grabbed my hand, pulling me up with him. I stumbled slightly but regained my balance. "Want to go and do some shopping with me (Y/n)?"

"Um, sure. Bye everyone!" I said, waving to everyone as Joshua brought us both out of WildKat, the 'hip' cafe as Mr. Hanekoma calls it. "What was that about? You seemed like you were having a good time." Joshua avoided my gaze, and his grip on my hand tightened. "I was, but it just, doesn't seem right. I didn't like how they were interrogating you," he said, furrowing his eyebrows as if he was confused with his actions himself.

"That's adorable Yoshi. You really do care for me don't you?" I teased, punching him lightly on the arm. He let go of my hand and he looked at me with a smirk on his face. Holding his hair slightly to the side, he turned towards me with violet hues. "Of course I do~ Why wouldn't I care for my one and only? You know you're the only one for me don't you~"

I blush crept up onto my cheeks and I turned away and looked at the people coming out of the various shops. "I think you-," my sentence was cut short when Joshua placed a finger on my lips.

"Shh. We're here." I looked up and saw the 'Pavo Real Stationside' sign for a jewelry shop. It confused me why he was bringing me here but I didn't dare question his actions as he gently tugged me inside. The first case I looked at was showcasing a beautiful (f/c) (birthstone) that was silver vines wrapping around it as it was lines in a lacy silver, hanging from a simple yet elegant silver chain that gleamed in the sunlight. In awe, I checked the price and realized that I didn't have enough on me for it. And it was most likely going to be gone by the time I got back with the money. I walked around to some other accessories, and looked around noticing that there was no ash-blond boy near me.

That struck me as strange and I heard a clap of thunder in the distance. As I peered outside the window of the shop, I failed to notice someone walking up behind me.

"Boo," an all too familiar voice whispered right into my ear, causing me to whirl around and nearly hit Joshua, who was holding in a laugh. I calmed my breathing down and glared at him. "That's not funny." Joshua laughed lightly and responded with a simple, "But it's just too easy dear." The pitter patter of raindrops on the ground were like music to my ears. "See anything you like?" Joshua asked. I shook my head. "Everything was nice."

People were pushing through crowds more than usual as it began to rain. Some, even pulling out umbrellas that were previously hidden away. I grabbed Joshua's hand and briskly moved outside the shop pulling him with me. I jumped in a small puddle that splashed Joshua's feet. I turned towards him and laughed. "Oh come on. Don't give me that look. Have some fun already."

"But I don't need to come out here to have fun." My brain took a minute to register what he said and I quickly pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. My dress was soaked in the rain and I danced in the rain, while at the same time, trying not to trip on the slippery ground.

I pulled Joshua with me and spun him around.

"My my, someone's a little ball of energy huh?" Joshua said, smirking at me as I turned towards him. He walked towards me and reached his arms around my neck. I froze unsure of what he was doing until he pulled away and I looked down. I gasped at the necklace I was looking at in the shop.

"Joshua... Thank you so much!" I reached out and wrapped my arms around his torso tightly as I smiled brightly. "But you really shouldn't have. I don't deserve something like this..."

"Of course you do. If you want we can head down to Lapin Angelique next to get you a cute Lolita dress. I'll buy," Joshua offered. I firmly shook my head.

"No. You've spent enough on me and I don't even want to go anywhere near that store with you of all people," I said, dreading the thought of going there with him. Joshua giggled and I could only imagine what he was thinking.

"Aw. Maybe another day then."

"Yeah, sure, but we can't let this opportunity go to waste. It's not everyday that we can get a day like this," I said, looking down at a puddle that reflected us in it. I smiled and pulled away from Joshua.

"We should go and find a puddle to jump in," I said, scanning the ground like a child.

"What are we? Dogs?"

"If we are then you must be a tramp while I'm a lady," I said.

"I'll get the spaghetti for us then," Joshua said, that smirk never leaving his face.

"As long as there's two plates, I'm good."

"Aw~ You're no fun."