Socialization and smalltalk with the girls

Sujiro's father asked Matheus the question that everyone wanted there wanted to hear, and the answer was. "why the crow man, spared my son because you asked?"

Sujiro added, "Yeah, I was wondering it too, you were staring at him but the crown said nothing."

Matheus says "Oh, I thought you were hearing him, I guess he used telepathy or something like that. I'm not sure, but maybe he did it because he liked, something I did."

"Like what?" Natsuki said failing to contain his curiosity.

Matheus says "One day I felt the desire to fornicate, but I didn't, he said that he saw it and it pleased him. To be honest, I don't though my appeal would be attended, I was as much surprised as you Kimimame."

They stop, looks like they are thinking.

Sujiro wonders "What if this plague and fog is the work of a god, the crown me and Matheus saw."

Everyone looks at her father as if they are expecting him to talk "How this crow man looked like?" he said looking at Matheus.

Matheus answers the truth.

Father stops to think and then says "I don't remember a God like this and you Natsuki?"

"Me neither. Do you know his name" she asked Matheus.

Matheus says "no" with his head.

"Why do you guys think the crow is a God?" Matheus said.

Natsuki says "Well, looks like one, he does supernatural stuff and answers appeals from humans that he likes, just like our god, but this crow can also be another thing."

After a brief silence, Sujiro says "Yeah, you two don't know, but certainly our king will tell us, plus this happened before right, Dad?"

The dad says yes with his head "My grandma told me the town was attacked by a spirit when she was young, but I don't remember any more details, maybe this is happening again."

"Then it's no biggie. If this happened before and doesn't make enough damage for her to remember and tell you, then probably the problem will be solved again." Sujiro said trying to improve the mood.

Sakura says "Yeah, looks like only around 24 people died, then it stopped. "

Their humor got slightly more optimistic.

"Gohan time" Sakura clapped her hand "I bet you are starving" referring to Sujiro "And you, wanna eat too?" she said to Matheus.

He accepts.

Sakura asks her childhood friends if they wanna eat, but they say to her that ate earlier.

Sujiro went to the cozy living room with her 3 friends, but Matheus stayed, she looks back and says to him "Come." since he was shy.

To you know, socialize to try to cope with the sadness.

The group of 4 cute girls look around the same age, around 18 years Matheus thinks.

They are curious about him.

Kobeni says "You don't live here right?"

Matheus says "No, but I live in a city near hear, Cubatão."

Makima says "Wow, but still far away to go on foot."

"Bus, 15 minutes ride"

Natsuki says "You can stay at our house if you want, it's here on the side, we even share a wall right Sujiro?"

"yeah."

Natsuki continues "I'm sorry, I hope you don't have a hard time explaining your absence at work... college or... I don't know, what you do for a living?"

"I'm 19 years old, finished school when I was 17, 2020. Now I'm kinda a freelance journalist, my boss told me to go here, so I'm doing my job being here, you don't have to worry."

They felt relief.

Natsuki offers "You can stay at our place." the 3 thank him again for saving Sujiro.

"ok." 'Wow, they look so sweet, is everyone in this town like this?"

Sujiro comments "I hope we won't have school tomorrow, and the town gives us some good 2 or 3 days of grief I don't know."

They agree with melancholy. All this time Matheus was thinking about how the hell he is gonna convert them. It is a tough game 'preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words

Matheus wonders if maybe they want him to replace their dead friend "Jotaro."

Sujiro says "Tell us what life was like after you finished school."

Matheus thinks for 2 seconds then says "Lonely and lost."

Kobeni inquires "Lonely?"

"yeah, I stopped talking with the friends I made at school, and they stopped talking to me, I guess we both just wanted someone to talk to at school, not a long-lasting friendship. I think we don't talk for more than 6 months, I don't know."

Makima was confused "But you have friends right? I mean, that you talk to them you know, more, like every week. Not mentioning your family"

"My guardian angel, Jes-"

"no, I mean, here in this world, normal people," Makima said.

...

"1, I guess"

The 4 looks at each other "Wow"

Makima says "You need more friends, they are wholesome, we are since we are children..."

Sujiro says "Yeah, our parents are friends too, they told us that they even made us in the same night and room, together."

Natsuki says "We have the same age 17, the third year of high school (12 grade), we are kinda like sisters, I mean our 4."

Kobeni says "Our parents frequently are away for work, so Sujiro parents are like our parents too. Our houses share a wall, with a doorway connecting them. Do you have siblings too?"

"Yeah, but she was born in 2016, and I in 2003."

Sijurio asks "Why you were feeling lost?"

"I had to go to school, had no choice, my life was in the hands of the law, but now that my life is in my hand, I had no clue of what to do with it, all these years I was just surviving, not dreaming or desiring something that would fulfill me."

"Do you still feel lost?"

"No."

Sujiro says to him "Friends are really important, they support each other's dreams."

Kobeni timidly and gently pushes Sujiro's clothes to grab her attention and the others. They get a little far away from Matheus to talk to him privately.

Kobeni asks their opinion "Are we just going to ignore the fact that he straight up is Jotaro?"

Sujiro says "Yeah, he looks like him, if you explain the eyes and the hair, but so what?"

Kobeni is reluctant towards something "I'm feeling weird, I mean, I want him to kinda replace Jotaro, but I know that this is impossible, and at the same time I'm reluctant in trusting him, he maybe saved your life but we just meet him today. He also looks like a weirdo with his pointy stick-"

Surijo calms her "You made the right thing not suppressing your feeling" kisses Kobeni's head making her smile for a bit.

Kobeni continued "In a nutshell, I wanna welcome him but what if he just abandons us or..." She looks sad "I don't know...." sign of frustration "I just want things to go back to normal"

The 3 hug Kobeni. 'she is too precious, must be protected at all costs.' Matheus thought and "stole" her sadness making him cry, but he keeps his blank face. Looks like Kobeni has a phlegmatic temperament.

Their secret talk ended when they saw him crying, making them go.

Sujiro worried aks him "u good?"

Matheus stops crying wipes the tears and says "No worry, I'm fine"

The breakfast got ready and the 2 started eating. Matheus takes this time to think 'looks like Sujiro and Makima are extroverted, but Kobeni and Natsuki are harder to wonder what they are thinking, introverted ones I see. Maybe if I befriend them, they will be saved... yeah it looks like and realistic goal. Can't get atached to them, I still don't know what they did to deserve this punishment.'

Sujiro sees that Matheus is looking at his friends playing tabletop RPG, "Interested?" she asks him.

Matheus says yes with his head.

She says "Are you interested in magic?"

Matheus swallows and says "No, warrior. I rather use a sword that is too big to be called a sword and looks more like a heap of raw iron. But if you guys already have a warrior I can be a mage no problem, I also wanna play with magic sometime else."

The father says to them "We are leaving in 20 minutes."

...

The mood improved slightly.

Natsuki says to him "Come to my room, we wanna show your something."

Matheus offers to clean the dish, but Sakura says "No it's okay, go there and make some friends" She smiled for a moment showing he is welcome.

Her house is cozy, clean, and bigger than his

Right before arriving at the destination Matheus comments "This town is very safe from crime right?"

They say yes.

"Might move to here then, In Cubatão at least 20 people are murdered every year, and the population is not that big, around 100k"

Natsuki says with a slight enthusiasm "You maybe can get a free house if it's available and you follow our king's instructions."

"Really," Matheus says surprised and curious.

"yeah, but I don't know the requirements, you better ask directly to him. Yeah, we arrived."

A door next to Natsuki's room, inside a room floor, is white ceramic, with a circle in the middle and bookshelves in the walls. 'they have hundreds of books here?' Matheus wonders.

Natsuki enters, gets in the middle of the circle, does a t-pose with her palms facing the ground, and says with confidence and pride "So you wanna play with magic?"

Realizing what he is getting into Matheus is embarrassed and says to them "I thought you guys where talking about D&D"

Awkward silence.

Matheus tranquilizes them "But it's fine, this works too, show me the good stuff you got. What's is the pose for?"

Kobeni gets close to his year and whisper "I think she is doing a pose from Jojo."

"oh... okay," he whispers back.