But things we take for granted... They're really the most essential things. And they're precious.

ㅤ ㅤAkane fiddled with some of the stuff laying around, tossing anything remotely irrelevant without a care after she was done half-assedly inspecting them. "You better not say it’s 'cause you wanna talk with a dead relative or anythin’ wacko like that. The dead are dead, there's no turnin' back." ㅤ

ㅤ "Either, I don't care." ㅤAt that point, she was merely chatting to fill the silence as a distraction, watching him using his paranormal gizmos without having a clue about how they work. "Is it for the money…? Can't be only doin' this for the chills and thrills. There's nothin' fun about that!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤA good meal in good company after a physical warm-up session? What more could she ask for! ㅤSure, his food was not on par with whatever Teruteru could whip out, but who cares. She sure as hell didn't. So much so she wolfed down the sandwich until nothing was left of it. "Man, that was tasty!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤAnd walk all the way back by herself… alone? That was NOT an option Akane was willing to consider in the current situation. ㅤShe groaned in annoyance when Kage turned down her offer. What a stubborn one that guy was… "Say, why you so hung up on doin' all that fancy schmancy ghost huntin'?" ㅤ

ㅤ "R-Right…" ㅤShe didn't sound convinced, but the sooner they get this over with, the sooner they leave… ㅤShe slowly moved, freeing him from her weight to get back up on her feet. Looking back at the collapsed shelves… nope nope nope. "L-Let's just get out, haul the money and never come back!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe gave him a shrug, continuing devouring her sandwich as she spoke with her mouthful, her words barely recognizable. "Mmphf suit yerself, Kaz. Bffut atfter a good worfkout, mmmph ya' gatta reecover some energeee wiff food!" ㅤAt least it seemed to her he got the gist of what she meant, good. ㅤ

An apple a day keeps anyone away if you throw it hard enough.

ㅤ ㅤThis was a pain in the ass. She could just go on her merry way and leave Alpha be, but he looked so pathetic by himself, she took pity on him. ㅤNot that Akane had anywhere else to be right now, but it was a bit annoying that her heart tugged towards helping him out. "… All right. Let's go." >>

ㅤ "You're the best!" ㅤShe casually tossed the toy over to the other. ㅤ

ㅤ "All right! Thanks for the food!" ㅤAkane grabbed the oversized sandwich with both hands, almost dislocating her jaw to make it fit in. She was starving, this was great! ㅤIt took her a moment to realize the mechanic hadn't made anything for himself. He must be hungry after all that exercise! >>

ㅤ ㅤAkane was frozen in place, not moving even an inch. She was paralyzed by fear, believing physics weren't at play here. "Th-... That's a frickin' ghost that pushed the shelves--" ㅤIf Kage got a reading, that meant ghosts are actually real, and that meant she can't punch it to self-defence. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe grinned widely, her smile widening as she watched the sandwich's height increase progressively with the weird mix of ingredients. "Are you done already?! C'mon!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤReally? He /really/ had to be thorough about this? His hirer wouldn't know if they cut corners, how could they prove it anyway? "Geez... fine. Whatevs." ㅤUpon entering the hardware store, Akane's danger sense tingled. Checking all around them, she noticed how unstable the nearest shelf was. >>

ㅤ ㅤThe ultimate cook would definitely not let Akane anywhere near the kitchen either. This truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity. ㅤShe eagerly watched Souda prepare his specialty, curious how it would turn out. She was already salivating in anticipation. "You better not forget the meat!" ㅤㅤ

ㅤ ㅤAkane was not a picky-eater, he could offer her a moldy sandwich and she'd sink her teeth in without hesitation. Bless her cast iron stomach. "What. Food is food, anywhere's fine." ㅤWhen he reluctantly agreed to take the lead, the gymnast perked up, vibrating with excitement. "All right!" ㅤ

ㅤ "Geez... If you got on some goons' bad side, you ain't gonna last long." ㅤShe couldn't be bothered to remember names most of the time, so fortunately for the smaller figure, his name didn't ring any bell. "Alpha… huh? You better start learnin' how to defend yourself if that's true." >>

ㅤ "Yeah! You win the prize to treat me for dinner! How cool's that?" ㅤWhat a way to nonchantly turn her loss around to her advantage. Even if she'd have won, Akane would have requested for a free meal anyway. "Well, if you so wanna give me the honor to pick… hmm, whatever sounds good right now!" ㅤ

ㅤ "Yeah, yeah, big deal. This is nothin' compared to Coach Nekomaru's training regimen. You wouldn't last a minute." ㅤThe gymnast barely could call this a warm-up from her perspective, but it made for a nice jog at least. "So, since you won, where you treatin' me?" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤWhat the heck was wrong with the TV? What a piece of junk… She tried wacking it to stop the unsettling noise it keeps emiting, to no avail. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤConsidering Akane had to travel triple the distance, it wasn't that impressive Kazuichi made it first… But! A win is a win. He won on her terms fair and square. ㅤShe skidded to a stop few seconds after he reached the finishing line, throwing her arms in the air. "Man! Guess ya' won that huh…" ㅤ

ㅤ "If you keel now, I will make you get back up, you'll see!" ㅤThat was… vaguely threatening as her voice faded in the distance, completing her first back and forth. ㅤNow she only had to catch up to Kazuichi before he reached the tree to win. Akane was competitive, she hadn't planned to lose. ㅤ

ㅤ "It better pay well…" ㅤAkane grumbled under her breath, but kept moving forward nonetheless, taking a turn to their left. ㅤThinking about the cash this job will procure her helped taking the gymnast's mind off things. Just how much food will it get her? "Can't we just tell 'em all's good?" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe hadn't even broke a sweat when she reached the tree way ahead of Kazuichi, turning heel to dash back towards their starting point. ㅤTo no surprise, she briefly crossed path with him on the way back, shouting atop her lungs to encourage him. "C'mon, Kaz! Shake a leg already! Hop hop hop!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤIt took her few seconds to register what Kage said, all her senses on high alert for any danger. "O-Oh yeah?" ㅤAkane reluctantly let go, at least his explanation managed to calm her down a notch. "If that's the case, it ain't a paranormal bozo the owner needs, it's a frickin' handyman!" ㅤ

ㅤ "You better give it your all or else I'm beatin' you up!" ㅤShe was bouncing up and down on her feet, impatiently waiting for him to be ready. "All right! Three-two-one GO!!" ㅤAnd cue the gymnast taking off running like an arrow, adrenaline already cranked up to the max. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ--!!! All the hair on her body stood up at one, squeezing his arm to the point it might even leave a bruise. ㅤWhy did she even agree to follow in the first place? She didn't have to prove herself to anyone about how fearless she was! "W-Who's there?! S-Show yourself so I can kick yer nuts!" ㅤ

ㅤ "All right! Now we talkin'!" ㅤShe was utterly fired up now, barely realizing she had offended him just then. If the mechanic didn't want Akane to call him that, he just had to prove her wrong! "Let's make it the big tree atop the hill or somethin', whatever floats your boat." ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤAkane? Scared? Pfft! ㅤIt wasn't because she happened to end up clinging onto his arms with a painfully tight grip that it meant she was scared! ㅤ…Or that the gymnast's face lost all its colors when she believed she caught the sight of a shadow moving in the dark. "Y-Yeah! This is n-nothing!" ㅤ

ㅤ "Who cares if I make you eat my dust! Tell ya' what, noodle-legs, let's make this fair." ㅤAs much as she'd take any challenge that comes her way to kill boredom, this was not challenging enough for her taste. "If you reach the finish line /before/ I get there twice, you win! How 'bout that?!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe furrowed her brows, casually palping his upper arms as he flexed to check if his claim was true. Sure enough, there was something there, but Akane clearly wasn't impressed. "Tch…! That's not an excuse to skip on leg day!" ㅤ

ㅤ "Urghhh... C'mon, Kaz! There's no way you will build muscles at this rate if you don't challenge yourself." ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe was quite the rowdy one, a wild card even the Future Foundation had a difficult time keeping in line. ㅤBut to believe she'd beat some of their agents senseless… it wasn't per say her fault. She didn't even recognize who they were, and their strength was nothing worth writing home about. >>

ㅤ "Why do you think I keep pesterin' you to hurry up?!" ㅤShe hadn't brought it up until now. Of course he couldn't have read her mind, and guess why she was being so aggressively impatient. ㅤPulling out the small robot, pressing every button… no response. "I think he ran out of juice, I dunno." ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤCue Akane releasing him on the spot, looking way too pleased with herself for getting what she wanted… by force. "Sure will! You better get those legs movin' now, cause I'm racing you to the end of the trail!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe heard Kazuichi loud and clear. But, she's a stubborn one when she got something in mind, and thus wouldn't let go. "Not 'til I hear you invite me formerly!" ㅤEven if he'd refuse, Akane would have forced herself onto him anyway. She wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity to exercise. ㅤ

ㅤ "Tch, bet you didn't even try yourself." ㅤBegrudgingly lowering her hand back down, resting it on her hip. ㅤWhen he brought up Minimaru, Akane's attention completely shifted back on Kazuichi. It switched her mood on a dime, cranking up her excitement. "Finally! It's about time you decide to!" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe squinted, holding eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time, scrutinizing him. He really had no idea what she was talking about, huh? Rude. "Like that, duh! Goin' for a walk without invitin' me!" ㅤAkane huffed in his face, playfully punishing him with a headlock and hair tousle. ㅤ

ㅤ "It shows you never got their hand on wooden spoons. They got that CRUNCH to 'em!" ㅤ

ㅤ "Bet Sonia's just hungry!" ㅤ

ㅤ "You're gonna choke if you try eatin' that. Trust me, you won't like experiencin' it on the way out either." ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe dropped from the ceiling to get the jump on Kazuichi, landing right into his personal space, noses almost touching one another. "Hey, hey! Where you goin' like that?" ㅤThe ultimate gymnast leaned awfully close towards him, curious hazel hues flickering with suspicion. ㅤ

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ㅤ ㅤThis is HER snack, she's not letting go. Time for some good ol' tug-of-war. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤMuffled by his hand, she mumbled something incomprehensible before stepping back with a pouty expression. "What's takin' you so long?! Just gotta give it a good WHACK like an old TV!" ㅤAkane rose her hand above her head with a mischievous smile, about to karate-chop his mechanical project. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤChewing on the other end, Lady and the Tramp spaghetti style. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤIt had barely been a minute, and she was already bored out of her mind. Sonia's room sure is pretty, but nothing was entertaining enough for her. ㅤ... Oh and why the heck not! She slipped out of the room, sniffing the air left and right. As soon as she caught a whiff of food, she followed it. ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤShe perked up at the idea of eating some delicious homemade meal. Better than whatever scraps she could forage. "I'm gonna get to eat your food?! All right! Sign me up!" ㅤ

"Duh, food of course!" ㅤ ㅤAkane sprung back up on her feet, as if nothing just happened beforehand, bubbling with excitement. Anything could satisfy her insatiable hunger, but a potential opportunity to try out something new sure got her fired up. "Watcha got on you, Sonia? A feast for a queen?" ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤAkane grabbed the princess by the shoulders without any prior notice, shaking her vigorously. "Soniaaaaa--!" ㅤShen then dramatically slumped down in front of her, staring upward to maintain eye contact as she begged with big puppy eyes. "I'm starviiiiin'...!" ㅤ