"Eren!!!"
Down the hall; Emi's voice carried through the apartment, loud enough to wake the sleeping reaper from much needed rest.
"Breakfast!"
Lazily rolling out of bed, rubbing the sleep from the eyes, and taking a quick stretch before heading out of the room to the kitchen. New year's meant parties; and parties meant troubled that spilled out through the streets.
He and his allies kept themselves busy last night, keeping people inline from the shadows. Drunk people; rankers included caused the most havoc. A drunk man was a nightmare to begin with. A drunk man with the powers of a ranker, that was bad for all parties involved.
"Yeah..." Nearly falling over himself getting down the hall. No shirt and only boxer shorts, hair messy and eyes weary.
"You look terrible."
Emi her brother a concerned look.
"Yeah... Long night. So, my dear sister has cooked me breakfast?" Looking around expectedly.
"Mmmph, Mmphm." She didn't have anything prepared at all. Sitting in a chair at the dining table, waiting for her prince to serve her.
"Emi... You're getting too lazy." He commented, although it sounded more like a yawn, as the words were stretched and unrecognizable.
"I know. But you make it taste so much better."
"Please, please, please." Emi begged, putting her hands in front of her face and bowing.
"Mmmmh, Fine." He said, this girl was probably the source of at least half his grumpy disposition.
She clapped her hands together and cheered for her brother. He could deny her nothing.
Opening the fridge. Eren began cooking for his dear sister. It was the new year after all, might as well do something nice for her to start the year.
Breakfast was eggs, bacon, and toast. Simple but filling. As the food cooked on the stove, the scent of bacon wafted through the house, and it made her tummy rumble.
"What are you doing today?" Eren asked over the sizzle.
"Me, Mayu and Yui are going to spend the day... shopping." That made Eren a little suspicious; a glance to her. The way her hands fidgeted, something about what she was saying was either a lie or a half truth. Maybe she didn't want to bother her brother, or was attempting to hid what she was truly doing.
"Okay... Be careful around the ward. A lot of drunk people still stumbling about." He finished cooking breakfast; serving the meal to both himself and Emi on plates.
---
"Bye Eren." Emi left the apartment in a flash of light blue. Unusually well dressed for her usual attire, more stylish and nicer. Compared to that baggy hoodie and pants he was so accustomed to.
"Hmmmmm." His instincts were warning him. Not his apex instincts, the one for dangers.
But his big brother instincts, those of 'I need to keep a watchful eye on my little sister.'
Although he would surely make a day off it.
~
'Kaori.
Yeah?
What are you doing today?
Not much, just reading and staying at home.
Do you to go on a date?
YES
Oh, okay
I'll take you out on my bike?
Yes please.
Send me your address. And I'll come pick you up.'
~
Very eager was her response, even through the phone he could feel her excitement.
Eren put on his biker gear and storing his spare helmet in the under-seat storage.
He took off from the apartment block. Speeding along the streets in the cold winter morning.
A great apartment tower in ward 10, high class was the first thing Eren noticed. A doorman waited out front with a warm coat.
"Miss Kaori... Your male acquaintance awaits outside." The Doorman spoke into an intercom. A little snobbery in his voice as the leather-clad Reaper waited on a motorcycle outside.
Kaori appeared from the door and skipped towards the bike; a bright smile across her face at the sight of Eren.
But what caught Eren's eye was the similarities to what Emi wore. Stylish winter clothing, rugged up in snow white jacket and a pink scarf, with gloves and jeans.
'I think I know what Emi's up too.'
"Nice place. The golden tigers paid well." He commented on the apartments, they were expensive. The sort that those high ranked rankers could earn by simply clearing those troublesome gates.
"Yeah. It's a bit too big for me, honestly." She chuckled, putting her hand to her cheek and looking at the tower behind.
"Here." The reaper pulled out a pink helmet from the bike seat; passing it over to her. She took and examined the helmet with a sense of interest.
"Where are we going?" Kaori asked, putting the helmet on her head. She didn't like how stuffy it felt, or the slight smell of sweat that came from the worn-out material.
"Ward 4... We'll keep it simple today." Eren patted the back of the bike. She understood the gesture and sat behind the man.
Although, he had an ulterior motive for picking ward 4. To keep his eye on Emi.
---
"Welcome to cafe Blue Bird." The waiter greeted Eren and Kaori, bringing them to a table.
It was a small, quiet, and cozy little place. A small cafe in the heart of ward 4. Many would know of it; but it held a vantage point for all the shops and streets.
"You haven't said anything about my appearance." She drew him back into reality, away from the task at hand.
"Oh. You look great. I love that scarf." He returned to watching out for his goal.
The perfect use for an army of shadows. To stalk one's sister. Yeah… Not creepy at all Eren.
Finally, he caught the sight of them. They were walking along the street. Stopping and chatting as they looked in the shop windows. But that was only the start of Eren's paranoia.
A few moments later three boys joined the girls. He didn't like them. Long coats, black clothes and the look of boys who had another, incredibly obvious goal in mind.
"Oi. You are my date. You have to pay attention to me." Kaori pouted at Eren, pulling his head away from the window, back towards her.
"Sorry. It's nothing." He apologised. The waiter had already served the two drinks, for which the Reaper was grateful, something to sooth his growing concerns.
"What's going on with you? You're very distracted today, Is something going on out there? What are you looking at?" She leaned forwards, her elbows on the table. A little bit concerned and frustrated at Eren.
"Ah... Well." He rubbed the back of his head. She was right, the man was on a date but not acting like it. Not what she expected from the usually attentive Eren.
He was always very focused on her; trying to find that hidden connection they shared. A trait she quite liked.
"All right then, a game. There is someone out on the main strip I'm watching. You have to figure out who and why." Eren proposed the challenge, if she were going to be with him; might as well get her involved.
"What do I get?"
"I'll pay for this-"
"No. You were going to pay anyway. What else?"
This girl was like Emi, a cheeky woman who knew how to get what see wanted. She had a keen mind and knew which levers to pull.
"Uh, I'll give you a kiss on-"
"Deal."
"You didn't even let me finish."
Kaori didn't respond. Too busy looking out at the main street; more than 100 people. Drunks, shoppers and workers on their way to the job. All were surveyed by the keen eye of Kaori.
"Hmmmmm... That group of 6. Three high school girls, three boys. On a group date... And the one your watching is the one dressed in light blue. Raven haired girl with a pink scarf." She spoke matter-of-factly.
"What... How did you-"
*Tap* *Tap*
"Here please." Kaori touched her cheek with her finger.
Although, Eren was dumbfounded at how she knew exactly who was the one Eren was looking at.
"Your justification?"
"You don't care for drunk people; you hate talking with people you don't know. So that excludes the drunks and the store clerks. Leaving only the shoppers, I also know you teach students. Increasing the likelihood of the one your watching is a student. Therefore, the only group that would have caught your eye was them."
She made a compelling argument, but Eren was still sceptical that it was enough to determine that it was Emi he was watching. She couldn't have figured out that Emi was the reason, could she?
"And... I know you have a sister. Emi, you're her sole guardian. You must be worried that she will get into trouble. You've fabricated this date as a way to stalk her. If you get caught you have a cover that 'You're just on a date.' Very sly, Eren. Using me in your scheme." She giggled, knowing she got Eren's thought process right on the money.
*Tap* *Tap*
She did the same action once more, with a playful look on her face. The man obliged the request; a quick peck on the cheek, a little blush, and a smile.
"That was very impressive, Kaori." He commented, a little embarrassed and a little proud.
"She is nearly a grown woman Eren. She is going to do things like this. You'll have to let her go sometime."
"I guess... I just don't want to leave her alone again. Life's hard enough without losing everyone." He spoke solemnly. Although he knew he was overprotective of Emi, he just couldn't help it.
"Yeah..." Kaori sighed, looking out to the window to see Emi and her friends. "But that one with her…"
"What." Eren looked over. One of the boys with a head of hair that looked like a pineapple had his arm wrapped around her.
"Not that one..." She groaned at the sight. A bad look in her eyes; the same sort of anger that a mother would have at her son who brought of some troublemaker.
"You know him?"
"No, but I can see that type of guy a mile away. He's an ass."
She rose to her feet; grabbing Eren's hand.
"Our fourth date will be spent ensuring that Emi doesn't get in trouble. Come on."
Kaori grabbed Eren by the hand, dragging the reaper from the cafe. They followed the 6 youths along the street.
***
"You're looking extra hot today, Emi." The pineapple boy commented, wrapping an arm around her waist. She didn't mind the comment, but still didn't appreciate the touching.
"Mmmm." She didn't even acknowledge the guy, only making a slight noise in her throat. Although, she couldn't pull away. Her hand interlocked with his, the other boys were laughing and joking around with the other girls.
"Come on. Say something."
"Uh... Thanks."
"Yeah. That's what I like to hear." The boy's grin grew wider. His hand slipped down her back a little.
Emi did her best to move it back up again, but it was a constant struggle.
"Let's go to the arcade."
"Yeah!" Yui and Mayu agreed, they all walked over to the arcade at the corner of the street.
The walls were lined with game machines. Far smaller than those found in other wards, but a lot cheaper and more accessible.
This one was old and worn, although the lights and music of the arcade games filled the room with an array of colours and sounds.
Meanwhile, a close tail of two people followed along. A short stack covered in winter clothes, and a broody but very worried big brother, reticent in showing emotion.
"Why were you so concerned back in the cafe?" Eren questioned as the pair investigated the arcade.
"My power as an adminstrator... Do you remember those old school RPGs with those classic class text boxes? Where you can see all their stats and abilities."
"Yeah..." The reaper remembered playing some of those. Once upon a lifetime ago.
"Well; Everyone has a little box above their head that tells me nearly everything about them. Stuff like names, ranks, traits, personality, and relationships. Stuff like that. It's how I know that Mr. Pineapple is bad news. 'Self-centred, arrogant and entitled.' Is what it says above his head among other things. He is the type of boy that an overprotective big brother would hate to have around."
"So does everyone have one?" Eren asked curious about his own class box.
"Yes, but not you. Your unique. '????' Is all I see above you. Not even your name is known."
Now that is interesting. A probable relationship to the Reaper's ring.
"No wonder your loaded. That's a handy power to have."
"It's a huge pain in the ass. Knowing what everyone is capable of before even talking to them kind of ruins the point of conversation."
"This one, this one." Mayu jumped up and down; a big grin on her face as she pointed to the machine.
A gacha machine with male and female rankers in anime style. 'Battle Idol: The Super raiders' Was the brand name, a very popular collection of figurines of battle idol rankers.
"Yeah. Can you try and get us the silver princess 'Midori.' Please?" Yui begged the boys. They quickly agreed; all three pulled out their wallets and took turns trying to... It was unknown what the exact goal was, some kind of shooter mixed with cards. It was an odd combination.
"Hmm... Clever girls." Kaori mused to herself, seeing the plan in action.
"You want to fill me in?"
"There're using the boys to gain the figurines, using the idea of 'Well I got it for you, I should get something back.' But that is only inferred. It's something I would do."
"That's kinda... Wait you would do?" Quickly Eren was finding his concern shared between his sister and Kaori.
"Keep your voice down Eren…"
It made Eren think about if she was trying to do the same thing to the Reaper himself, was that all the dates were? Manipulation.
He was unsure of it. Gods know what plans lay in the depths of her mind.
'I like you. We're going on a date.' That's how it should be to Eren. Clean and simple.