What it means to be a friend

9:30 PM, JST. November 24, 2024. Sunday evening.

The Hibana household, living room. There, sitting at the usual table, Sakura sipped on a cup of coffee while typing the commissioned draft of the storyline.

She finishes her cup of coffee while working on that draft for the story. The production for the game was turning out well, and the game director for Ars Nova Productions had contacted her, setting up a meeting for December 1st to have discussions in person.

Rin was having a sleepover with Alpha and Asako again.

Those three really were becoming good friends... That was nice. It'd been hard for Rin to make friends up until this point, so it was good that she got time to spend with them.

It *was* a bit lonely though for Sakura. Not that she minded too much though. After all, it was only a few more years until Rin went off on her own anyway... Maybe sooner, considering how self-sufficient she was.

Sakura yawned and then did her usual routine, heading over to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee while grabbing a snack. But as she did, she pulled out her phone to scroll through social media.

As she browsed Readit, she noticed a familiar person. "Hm? That guy's still streaming?"

John Smith. A virtuous piano concert for his beloved, Yue.

Those were the tag lines for that stream, as well as the clips cut and played on TV.

"I wonder what people are thinking...?" She tapped on the video and then thought back to the advertisement for the stream.

The ad had been super cheesy, but also super romantic. It had also been everywhere today. And it was effective too, considering the number of viewers on UTube was peaking at around 3 million viewers-

"Wait." Sakura blinked and looked at the number again. "...Huh?"

She wasn't reading that wrong. The counter definitely said 3 million. And for good measure, she switched over to English to check the number to make sure that she wasn't misreading the characters.

"Definitely three million..."

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. "Guess that's the power of a sappy romantic that's as attractive as him."

The live chat was an absolute lost cause. The messages were going so fast that it was impossible to see anything but a blur. Not only that, but it was making her phone freeze up.

Sakura shook her head and then closed the chat and then went back to the Readit page to read the comments.

-----AI|IA-----

For Yue: A Global Stream by John Smith, Myth Inc. CEO

A performance by John Smith for his wife and youngest daughter, somewhere in the world beyond his sight. Please, help him spread his message as far as possible in the hopes that they see it and return home.

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SORT BY: BEST

[nosydunbird - John is such a hunk!]

[outspokengiraffe - I KNOW right?!]

[fineturkey - No wonder he's running an idol company...]

[faultycow - Oh! They were opening auditions right?]

[earnesthare - Good luck getting his attention]

[eagerbeaver - I don't care about attention, I just want the eye candy!]

[alarmingchicken - Aoko-chan is so lucky!]

[stingyant - Dammit! That guy's already that handsome and he's that good at singing AND piano?!]

[dazzlingocelot - What kind of woman leaves a guy like that?!]

[stripedmole - I know right?]

[helplesscheetah - Hell, I'm a straight guy and even *I'm* falling for him!]

[agilemagpie - How much cash did this guy spend? And for what?]

[wistfulstarling - You obviously don't understand a man's romance.]

[droopywoodchuck - Right? And didn't you watch his interview?]

[cutepanda - John's a family man through and through]

[realistictuna - Who cares? No price is enough for the one you love]

[quietturtle - lol, what's with all these cringe virgins]

[viciousviper - Says the incel on Readit]

[snoopdoggo - u/quietturtle Says the guy subscribed to r/lolilewds]

[murkybass - lol wut? u/quietturtle confirm?]

[slysnake - hey hey, the guy needs counseling and an intervention, not bullying]

[unusualcanary - Yeah. By officer-san, and in a cozy cell.]

[crazywolf - Yo! Do you see how many viewers there are?! HOW?!]

[snidecoyote - The guy's hot, talented, and has money.]

[luckycat - What u/snidecoyote said. ]

[View Entire Discussion (999+ Comments)]

-----AI|IA-----

Sakura sighed. "Leave it to the internet to devolve into high school discussions..." She shook her head and moved to put her phone away.

And then she got a call... From John.

Sakura sighed and then answered. "You. Are you some sort of ghost or something? How do you always call right when I see something about you?"

"Good question... But more importantly, you busy now?"

Sakura shifted the phone to her left ear and then held it up with her shoulder to pour a cup of coffee. "Not really. Why?"

"Do you think you can come over to the office? There's something I need you to do for me."

Sakura smiled and said, "Now that's not something a guy like you should be asking a single mother like me this late at-"

"It's serious."

Sakura's smile faded and then she frowned. Putting her cup of coffee down, she grabbed her phone again and said, "What happened? Is it Rin?"

"...No. It's Kai."

"That guy?" Sakura's frown deepened and she said, "What'd he do?"

"Just... Get over here when you can, alright?"

John's voice sounded weary. Frustrated. Very different from the usual tone.

Realizing that, Sakura nodded. "Don't worry, John. I'll be there soon... Ah, is my Sweetie doing well?"

"Yeah. She's fine. In fact, she's helping my daughters take care of my wife right now."

"That's great- Wait." Sakura blinked and said, "Wife?"

"...It's a long story."

"Sure sounds like it." She placed her coffee down and then walked back to the living room. Grabbing her keys, slippers, and her coat, she nodded and said, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Take your time. We've got plenty. Isn't that right, Kai?"

*...Yeah.*

"Eh? Kai's there with you?" Sakura walked out the front door and locked it behind her. "I thought he was in America with Tsuki?"

"...Again. Long story."

"Now I'm *really* interested in what happened... My journalist senses are tingling." Sakura walked over to her pink sedan and unlocked the door with her remote. After that, she got in and turned the engine on.

"Well, you'll definitely... You'll definitely get riled up to say the least. But talk to you soon, Sakura."

The call ended.

Sakura put her phone away and turned on the radio, getting ready to drive out. As she did, a familiar voice came on.

*Isn't it lovely? Being together in this place walking hand in hand...*

Sakura frowned. "Wait a minute... That guy's still streaming, right? Then how the hell was he talking to me?"

-----AI|IA-----

John lowered his phone and then looked across the table at his guest.

Kai Jin. Chairman and Patriarch of the now defunct Torabu yakuza clan.

His already graying hair seemed to have turned even more gray in the past few days. At the same time, his usual crisp suit and pants were wrinkled and scuffed. Of course, that was a natural course of action after what happened earlier.

Did the guy realize what he did wrong? Or was he being stubborn about it?

Either way, Kai didn't look at John in the eye, instead staring off to the side while smoking a cigarette.

Seeing that, John said, "You know, that's against protocol."

"Dammit. You'll give me this much at least, right? It's been one hell of a night."

John gave him a curt nod. "You could say that. Though, it's been a hellish 24 hours for me."

Not knowing what was going on with Yue and Meg. Not knowing if they were safe or just hiding from him.

John wanted to believe it was just a mistake. That maybe the Heaven's Mandate had pushed Kai to act stupid as well.

Except that while it might be able to affect Yue and Meg by proxy because of their connections to the Three Realms, it couldn't for Kai. Maybe block communications, yes. But since John hadn't gotten any messages or missed calls since he took care of that mess, it meant that Kai hadn't tried.

And that pissed him off.

Kai flinched, but ignored John, taking a long puff on his cigarette before letting out a cloud of smoke.

John watched him before conjuring a cup of coffee. Black, as bitter as the dark winter night. He took a sip and kept staring at Kai.

Kai glanced at the cup and frowned. "Not bothering to hide the fact that you aren't human any more, are you?"

"You're mistaken." John took a sip and then said, "I'm a hundred percent human. Just not one from this Earth."

"Uh-huh." Kai nodded. "Then am I going to get an explanation for all of this?"

"Depends. You gonna tell me why you didn't give me a call or text when you met with Yue or Meg?"

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to explain why you ran out on them?"

John set his cup down. "I didn't *run out* on them. I took a vacation."

"Bullshit." Kai stood up, sending his chair to the ground. "You left your wife and daughter behind without any money and only the barest information to find you. Do you even consider them your real family?"

John glared at Kai. "You take that back."

"Take what? It's true, isn't it? Sure, you got sappy there when you saw them again, but isn't it a fact that you just played around with Yue's heart before running off to Japan with Alpha and Beta? The daughters who you obviously care for more than Meggie-"

John slammed his fist down on his desk, causing it to shatter. "You know *nothing*."

"I know *enough.* Like how you've probably got at least two other 'wives' overseas that you love more than Yue. Enough at least to run off and leave her behind while taking their daughters with you."

John's eyes grew cold and he stood up. "It seems like talking is pointless."

Kai rolled his neck. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing."

John stepped forward, kicking aside the shattered desk.

Kai stepped forward as well. "Don't think I'm scared of you just because you aren't a normal human."

"And don't think I'll go easy on you because you are."

John stopped right in front of Kai, glaring into his eyes.

Kai glared right back, the man's eyes flashing a bloody crimson in contrast to John's jade green.

And the elevator chimed.

Both men looked over, taking a step back.

The doors opened... And then Sakura walked out. "Sorry it took so long." She adjusted her purse along her arm and sighed. "There's a lot of traffic downtown for some reason..." She trailed off, looking between John and Kai. And then she saw the broken desk. "...Did I come at a bad time?"