[SS] JudgementCon: LoliJustice

June 23, 13:15

"Hmm-hmm-hmm~♪"

The sound of a little girl humming came in a half-step behind the ambient music flowing through the speakers placed all over the small shopping center. Her fluffy hair seemed to sway back and forth over the randoseru on her back in rhythm with the catchy ear worm the ambient music became.

If one looked at this girl with a vibrant pink and white dress and red stockings and beret that seemed to accentuate the bright blonde hair and blue eyes, one would realize that she was likely no more than nine or ten years old. This little ball of childish innocence which tended to draw in an almost absurd protective nature from those close to her was Fremea Seivelun.

Normally, it would be out of place for such a young and vulnerable girl like this to be wandering about in such a crowded location on her own. But, today she was on a mission.

"Nyaah! Essentially, I will definitely get that mackerel flavor candy today!"

She pumped up her fists as she finally made her way to the promised location. Today, that nice weird older boy would be helping her out to find that candy she wanted to give to her busy older sister. She was sure her big sister, Frenda, would love it. After all, mackerel was something she always seemed to enjoy eating.

But, every grand light cast its own shadow and Fremea was no different. Behind her, a shadow of violent goodwill was on the prowl.

June 23rd, 13:15

The trials of the morning were finally over and the lack of concentration to make a proper breakfast was absent earlier on. But let's be very frank with the reality, there was no possible way if he even had the energy to make something eatable.

His only try and truest method of ensuring he has food was a good bowl of cereal. But he had run out of cereal, and he means to replenish his supplies soon enough. He was willing to spend money on that because there was no way he would mess up pouring milk into a bowl of cereal.

Nothing so simple right?

That is why before his meeting, this loyal dog of judgment had planned his time ahead to take a quick visit to the shops and plan to have a quick fix with a microwave burger. Something so simple as pouring milk into a bowl. All this had required was removing the burger and placed it in the microwave setting it as directed.

However there was no doubt about it in his mind, nothing else could convince him otherwise to what he has finally acknowledged. "I'm cursed." Oda said as he looked at the finished result of his microwave burger, sitting there in the store provided microwave which was one of the best models in the world. There was no doubt about the superiority this store's microwave brand had with every other type in existence.

It was built and supplied here in Academy City, the place which was 10-20 years more advanced in technology than any other place on the planet.

And yet for some reason his burger came out like charcoal and yet he wasn't too surprised about this outcome. For a long time know he had felt he was cursed, because for some reason when he attempts to make food they mess up in all sorts of ways.

And now messing up this simplest of tasks had only confirmed he was cursed. There was no doubt about it since he knew he couldn't buy a replacement. His budget at the moment was razor thin since his foster parents could only send so much money this time around. Normally he would have enough to survive on the money he received, buying something to eat at a Resturant. But now he couldn't afford it, something which only meant one thing.

He needed to overcome his curse as soon as possible or find someone to make him a bento. He can no longer waste money on restaurant food and yet who would help or would help teach him? It didn't matter though at the moment despite the rumble of his tummy reminding him of his sad attempt to have a quick fix lunch.

His duties came first, and so did his promises.

Walking out of the store filled with disappointment, the boy perked up quickly as if putting on a face for the public. The green armband which symbolised Oda's membership of judgement was on full display, as the boy hurried to the intended location to make sure he kept his promise.

And there she was one of those rare international students in this entire city; she stood out like a sore thumb with her blonde hair and unusual clothing. But it was because of those traits which made others more likely to target her that Oda was willing to lend a hand. It was already bad enough she was roaming the city all on her own the first place.

"Seivelun-chan?" Oda had said calling out to catch her attention as he approached.

~Suitable BMG~

"Kukukukuku... I have arrived."

A man with a mysterious air stood in the center of one of the many long halls of the mall complex. He stood with one hand covering his face, and the tilt of his hat was such that it cast a shadow over his features due to the angle of the light. His face was almost completely concealed as a result. It was impossible to tell what he felt as the crowds of people parted before him like the Red Sea had before Moses from his expression.

But his laugh made it clear. He chuckled, looking down on the many mortals that fled rather than stand before him, face to face. There was no one here with the qualifications to stand equal to him. But his job on this day, given to him by his associates and esteemed superiors, was to search for someone who could do so. Rumors, spoken of in the darkest depths of the shadows indicated that someone with the potential had arrived at this location. It was unclear whether they were the truth, but he would soon find out.

"Oh, hopeful comrade. Are you indeed worthy? Or shall you shall to your knees before me, like so many before y-?!"

His words were cut short, completely inelegantly. He had believed that no one could face him, but someone had. It was a young man in high school carrying a veritable mountain of clothes, to the point where he couldn't even see where she was going. He had mis-stepped and fallen, causing that great mountain to collapse atop him like an avalanche. Before that natural disaster, he could do nothing but fall to earth, utterly defeated by this unforeseen foe.

"U-Ugh... What wa-Are you oka-?!-?!"

He was not even allowed to speak his last words. As the young man's female companion rushed toward him in worry, she slipped on one of the many sleeves scattered upon the floor. She fell, powerless before the pull of gravity, and splendidly drove an elbow right into Naoto's sternum as she flailed about in a futile attempt to avoid impacting the ground. It was a powerful blow that would awe even the heroes of the Argo. Naoto's life was snuffed out like a candle's flame before the gales of the great storms of old, which blew away the capitals of the greatest of civilizations. He never stood a chance.

June 22, 15:19

"Nyaah. Nyaaaaah!"

The little blonde girl stood, pouted, and cried. Her hands firmly pressed on the sides of the gachapon machine while they shook it around. Much like a half full container of candies, the contents of the machine moved in and out of the pile with each and every one of the individual gachapon following this cycle.

"Nyaaah! It's not here!"

Tears began to accumulate on the corners of her eyes as she cried out in desperation. This one couldn't be sold out! The announcement of the mackerel-flavored candy was only recent.

But, no matter how much she tried to deny it, reality was staring her straight in the face.

A set of footsteps began to reverberate throughout the store, revealing the shop keeper coming out to the machine with a furrow in his brow.

"Little girl, if you're not going to take your chances with the machine, at least don't make too much noise. It will bother the other customers."

"Nyaah. I can't find any more…Are there any more of that mackerel candy, mister?"

"If it's not in the machine, then we're all out. I'm sorry little girl."

The girl stared back at the man.

"Pouting won't change the fact that we're out of stock, little lady. It's not in my best interest to suggest this to any customer, but try another store little lady. Maybe they'll have it."

She nodded and, with great hesitation, turned to walk out of the store. Trying another store was easier said than done. This was already the fifth store she had tried. The outlook was becoming grimmer and grimmer by the second.

---

Present Day, Present Time

"Sievelun-chan?"

The voice of an older boy sounded off from her side. As she turned around, she turned to see the familiar tall boy. His glasses displayed prominently on his face while his iconic green armband, signifying his allegiance to Judgment, displayed prominently on his biceps.

He was the boy who had promised to help her find the candy she wanted to present to her sister.

"You're here!" Her eyes sparkled with the fervor of a soldier after a superior's grand heart-pumping pre-battle speech.

"Come on! The Mackarel Candy won't wait, Judgement-oniisan." She grabbed at his hand. "Let's go!"

June 22, 15:19

He couldn't believe it as he stood there watching very familiar trouble makers in the act. They hadn't noticed him yet as they walked down the street to him, they were bothering a younger student who looked like his bag of shopping was taken by force. From what Oda could tell from the distance the older student on the left was gloating about an offering made by the younger student.

"Look at all this tinned food. You seem to have gotten the last of them on sale from that shop here, and all for me thank you." The elder student side on the left and the right trouble maker just grinned while agreeing. "Yes, yes you're a good lad." the younger student in the middle of them looked very stressed, and Oda knew what to do, and it didn't require violence as many expect from him.

He was a member of Judgement and had to live up to the name. He was only allowed to fight when he gets attacked first, or others are in physical harm. All that needs to be deployed here was a reminding them to stay in line.

And all he had to do was stand his ground where he stood and announce just whose principles he stood behind.

"STOP! In the name of judgement." Oda said as the trio finally got close enough for him to announce his presence. Immediately the two trouble makers realised who it was and chucked the bag forward without thinking and ran away knowing they were in trouble.

"Ahhh its the dog of Judgement!"

The younger student looks dumbfounded as Oda managed to catch the overly heavy bag without anything dropping out by a miracle.

Though he was annoyed he wasn't able to give those trouble makers a stern talking too he was glad the situation didn't get any worse. They were just self-serving high schoolers trying to take advantage of someone younger.

Taking a brief look inside the bag to reveal what those older students was after had seemed to be nothing but tinned food. Hotdogs, tuna, peaches and even mackerel..?

"Thank you..." the younger boy said as he looked nervously towards Oda and with a smile Oda handed the bag back. There wasn't much to talk about as he saw the entire thing, and with only a few words of advice the judgement member saw the young student off.

And when he waved goodbye on cue his stomach growled. "All that tinned food. I should have asked for one at least." Oda said as he started to walk slowly with his arms around his stomach. "I'll go grab some ready to eat tinned food myself." Oda said as he slowly walked towards the same shop that younger student had emerged from earlier.

What he found was absent of any tin food left in the store. Nothing as the young student had bought the last lot and that has left Oda disappointed. "I guess I'll just find something else... and quickly." Oda said with a disappointed expression as he searched the other shelves for something that was ready to eat.

---

Present Day, Present Time

"Come on! The Mackarel Candy won't wait, Judgement-oniisan." She grabbed at his hand. "Let's go!"

The young girl known as Sievelun grabbed his hand and was pulled along to the direction she had wanted to go first. But what exactly was the plan this little girl had in mind? He had some ideas, but it was right to at least give the young girl a chance to solve her own problem first. Taking this approach would give the girl a sense of independence and allow her to solve her problems on her own when no one else was around.  

It doesn't mean he didn't want to help, Oda had liked the idea of giving anyone a helping hand.

That was the reason he joined Judgement to give help to those who needed it.

And for now even if its just a minor case, this girl needed help finding some Mackarel.

"Oh, how cute. That little boy is dressing like a middle schooler!"

"Are you lost, kid?"

"What is someone so young doing here without supervision? Utterly irresponsible."

Hakusho Tsuru tried his hardest to explain that no, he was a middle school student! Unfortunately, between his mumbling and hesitant speech, no one seemed to notice. Several times, they even tried to cart him off to the lost children area! The boy let out a long sigh. If only he weren't so small, and so weak. Then he wouldn't be consistently mistaken for a grade schooler! But alas, his size was not something he could easily change, no more than he could change his own weakness. Again, a sigh, and then an attempt to move on before being caught by some other good samaritan.

That said, the good samaritans had at least one part right- Hakusho Tsuru was well and truly lost. He must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque, because the arts and crafts store he was looking for was nowhere to be found! The boy looked left to right, trying to remember the map he'd looked at when he got to the mall. "Eh... Eh..." Was it really any wonder people were assuming he was a lost grade schooler? He needed to pull himself together! Or at least... Less far apart. Oh, why didn't they have maps at every corner of this impossibly large place!

It wasn't as though he had much time to gather himself, though. Every time a sufficiently large crowd came through, Tsuru found himself carted off with it. Fighting against a flow like that... It just wasn't possible for a weakling like him! So was it really a surprise that he ended up somewhere completely unfamiliar? Ah, he needed a chance to gather himself. He ducked into the nearest storefront to get away from the crowds, at least for now.

As tempting as it is, Tsuru did not find himself in the lingerie department of a clothing store. No, it was just a regular old candy store. The chocolate looked delicious, and he found himself licking his lips without thinking... But he wasn't sure he could afford both it and the origami paper he had come for. Perhaps he should buy his paper, then see if he had enough pocket change left to buy a candy bar? But... That would require finding his way back here after, and he didn't have a clue where he was!

June 22, 15:19
The young girl slowly wandered. She had gone through a plethora of stores to no avail and that candy had been sold out. There was naught an oasis in sight for this girl as she traversed this desert  of a shopping center.

Disheartened, she sat on a nearby bench and gave out a deep sigh. She had already searched to the point where she was sure that the same scenario would repeat over and over again. She was just a young girl, after all. The cycles of motivation and loss of motivation were far more turbulent for people like her.

“I can’t…just…”

The little girl muttered to herself. As she stood on the precipice of hopelessness, all she could do was persevere even the slightest bit.

With a shred of the embers of her spirit being lit back up, Fremea stood up and walked. She walked and walked and walked. At some point, she had completely lost track of where she even was and then, she bumped into something.

“NYAAAH!”  She cried out as she feel back. As she looked up, she saw a tall boy in glasses with a Judgement armband.

---

Present Day, Present Time
In stark contrast to how she was when she met Taichi the day before, Fremea took immediate initiative, leading her new companion with her to the first location she could think of. Was it the desire to show off to the big older boy that fueled her initiative or perhaps a motivation that she had gained now that she was not alone in her search? Perhaps it was both.

Her aim was a nearby candy store which she had singled out on the map. It was the first possibility she could think of for the location of a mackerel flavored candy to be resting. All she needed to do was shake the gachapon and find it resting in there.

She would definitely do it this time.

With that motivation fueling her, she made her way down the mall’s hallways, ignoring everything around her as her goal stood within sight. As she did so, she passed over a small hill on the floor of the hallway.

A hill? Indoors? Why is there a hill in here?

But, before she could look down and ascertain the identity of the hill, something else entered her eyesight. One of those gachapon which would have her target sitting inside of it was only a few meters away, just in front of a food shop.

“There! Essentially, I’ll go there first!”

With that simple declaration, she kicked off as she ran off the oddly placed hill towards her first gachapon.

June 22, 15:19

Life is an amusing thing; there is no order or pattern to follow. No quick solution to its numerous problems and answers to the disorder that threaten our society. Well maybe not so much on the last part of being a member of Judgement, Taichi Oda had the authority to act to help stop disorder in Academy City. But sometimes disorder is not always a big problem; sometimes it's solving the little problems we face day by day that makes Academy City a great place to live.

"Huh? What the..." Oda said as something had bumped into him.

“NYAAAH!” a voice wailed.

There was a little girl who had fell probably from walking into him unexpectedly or maybe he had made the careless mistake in his hunt for food. Maybe he had knocked her down without knowing; this wasn't only wrong in general but embarrassing for him as a Judgement member.

Though he didn't care about his reputation.

What's important here was to see if the girl was OK.

"Hey, there..." Oda said as he knelt down in response, "It's OK I'm a judgement member is there anything I can do to help?" Oda said not sure how to talk to children younger than him and so acted rather formally.

---

Present Day, Present Time

In some way, he was proud that Seivelun was taking charge on her own. He promised to help but at this point, he was just watching over the little girl. She had a real determination to find her candy and rushed forward to her goal until something strange also caught Oda's attention.

"Why is there are hill..." Oda said as he was about to focus his attention on the odd obstacle he heard Seivelun continue.

“There! Essentially, I’ll go there first!”

She ran onwards without even giving him a warning, and odd curiosities that Academy City had to offer wasn't important right now. Oda made sure to follow the little girl to keep her safe and will return later to discover the truth beyond the oddity inside the shopping hallway. And he was able to keep up quickly, running forward to catch up he used the Hill as a stepping stone to launch himself forward to keep up with the little girl who quickly ran through the crowd.

No one wanted to touch the corpse.

After the girl got to her feet, she and her boyfriend immediately began picking up all the clothes they'd dropped. Enduring the many stares of the crowd, they rushed around as quickly as they could, having already forgotten the unfortunate Naoto in the midst of their embarassment. All they wanted to do was disappear.

And when they left, the situation didn't change. No one came to help him. No one called an ambulance. They just left him there to rot. Every single passerby willfully averted their eyes from his existence, not wanting to acknowledge it for fear of the nuisance it would certainly become. For a while, it seemed as if that place would be his grave, but...

A saint came. A little girl with blonde hair and beret stepped on him, and she left a miracle in her footsteps. As the entirety of her body weight pressed into his gut, his eyes shot open, and he began to breathe once more. He had been revived, restored from beyond the grave! What else could this be but a miracle?! Who else could she be but a saint?!

Rejoicing at his good fortune, Naoto immediately tried to get up and follow after the girl, to thank her. He would follow her until the end of days, sharing word of her wonderful grace. He would become her disciple, and learn everything she knew about the proper way of living! But his consciousness had been restored for scarcely an instant before the wheel of his fortunes turned once more.

"Why is there a hill..."

Once more, a great weight pressed upon his body. But it was not that of a saint; there was nothing holy about it! It was a great pressure that squeezed the life out of his trembling body once more. Was this why miracles were not known?! Was this why no one had ever heard of a modern day saint?! Was it because devils followed them across the earth, erasing all traces of their every accomplishment?! How evil! How deplorable, how despicable!

But alas, there was nothing he could do. He was already crossing back over the river Styx. Even if he wanted to tell the world about the great injustice he had learned of in his final moments, it was already impossible to do so. For Kirikami Naoto had died a second time, and there was no longer anyone to save him. He was not even given the chance to leave a dying message.

The look on Tsuru's face said it all.

The corners of his mouth twitched. His eyes shifted from side to side. At any cost, he wanted very much so to not get involved with this dead body on the floor.

And so, it seemed, did everyone else. The crowd just seemed to flow around the green-haired, fedora clad body. Mostly, at least. The distinct footprints on his back were proof that not some people didn't even notice. As much as Tsuru wanted to just walk off, find his paper, and let someone else deal with this... Something at the back of his conscience told him not to.

To be fair, he could call Judgement even if he was weak. Then they could send someone to clean this up, look for the perpetrator, and Tsuru could carry on with his day without those little pangs of guilt. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. Just call Judgement and move on. He just needed to know one thing first.

He nudged the older boy's ribs with his foot. "Ah... Excuse me, nii-san... Are you alive?" Either way he didn't really care, and they'd probably be an equal hassle... But since he was going to call Judgement, he should at least try to be more specific, right? It sounded right.

June 22, 15:19

Life truly is unfair. Those who stood tall were far and few and the methods by which they grew tall were never consistent. It was quite the miracle to Fremea that someone could even be as tall as this boy was. But, at the same time, the boy’s height was terrifying. To a young girl like her, that boy towered like a giant.

Would he be mad at her for bumping into him? Would he go all “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum” like those giants in fairy tales and try to eat her?

"Hey, there..." The boy said as he seemed to kneel down in response, "It's OK I'm a judgement member is there anything I can do to help?"

It seemed the giant was not going to do anything to hurt. If anything, he seemed to be willing to help her out. As she stood up, she looked the boy in the eye.

“Essentially, I’m looking for a mackerel-flavored candy as a present for my big sister!” There was no longer any reason to walk without enthusiasm. Her first hope had been found. “I haven’t found any yet!”

---

Present Day, Present Time

Sure enough, the gachapon before her was supposed to hold the elusive mackerel candy she had been searching for. At the very least, the label on the machine had said so.

“Mmm. Does it really have it…?” She looked around the machine, peeking through the transparent portions of the glass that were not covered by the label.

The machine was filled with multiple colorful capsules with various different treats inside of them. But, Fremea was unable to tell what was inside the capsules. Her hands shook as she kept firm hold on the machine, hoping to find the elusive item popping up as the contents of the machine shuffled. But, in the end, her sight was far too obstructed.

Aa she stopped shaking the machine, she turned back to the Taichi, who was not too far away. “Can you find one in here?” She asked, pointing to the one candy she had been looking for.

---

There is a saying, “To hide a leaf, put it in a forest.” Within the forest of people that was this shopping mall, many leaves remained hidden, watching their target with attentive eyes. They would not let him out of sight. That lolicon was getting far too close. So, they just needed to wait for the right opportunity.

June 22, 15:20

“Essentially, I’m looking for a mackerel-flavored candy as a present for my big sister!” the little girl said much to Oda's surprise by the sudden response. “I haven’t found any yet!” the girl continued as Oda remained unsure at the moment of how to respond. Usually, he would deal with issues involving disputes and some of the heavy-handed students like members of Skill-out. But the request from little girls or children in general often was tackled by the more 'light-handed' members of judgement. But it didn't mean he couldn't try, the point of him joining Judgement was to help out no matter the issue.

He doesn't always want to have to fight to help others.

"Allow me to help you with your search." Oda said with a gentle smile as he stretched out his left hand slowly. This was just a gesture similar to a handshake, though nothing like that due to the different sizes of their hands. Really it was a gesture that he was reaching out to help, nothing more or nothing less. "My name is Oda Taichi and what should I call you?" Oda asked as he thought about the issue already in is mind. That boy he had helped earlier seemed to have bought all the tinned food here at least.

Maybe it would be best to search another day? After their stocks had been restored ?

---

Present Day, Present Time

“Can you find one in here?” Seivelun had said and immediately Oda stepped forward towards the machine. He looked over it in a big dramatic matter as a slight attempt to create some humour along the way. He then overlooked it from the top and tried to peak from behind. But he couldn't exactly see the required item either. There were too many items in the machine itself that it made it hard to see what was deep inside the machine as other capsules covered them. So as Oda had foreseen after hearing the place the day before that, it would cost a good amount of yen pieces.

But that would be alright, the boy from Judgement had saved some for these type of machines which accepted the same amount of yen in the laundry machines. He can always get more change later, but he felt it was right to offer the change to the little go to have a few more tries. So slowly as he kneels down onto her level against the machine, the boy took out a small change bag from his pocket filled with Yen pieces.

"I can't exactly see what we're looking for but there is no telling what lies at the bottom. So let's give this machine a few more tries before we move on.

The instant Tsuru's foot nudged Naoto's ribs, his entire body spasmed like it had been shot through with lightning, and his previously limp hand shot out and grabbed the boy's ankle with unrelenting force. It wasn't quite enough to cause discomfort, but it was enough to give the impression that the grip would not be relinquished easily. And from beneath the fedora, a pair of dull eyes glared.

"You..."

Within the voice you could hear the grudges of a thousand lost souls. Having been abandoned by everyone, what sort of dangerous curse did the spirit of this body bear? Tsuru had no way of knowing, and if he were smart, he would have no desire to know. If he were smart, he would run. But, because he was not strong, even if he could choose that course of action, he lacked the strength to follow it through to the end. He would not be able to break Naoto's death grip.

...Or at least, that's what the situation might have looked like if a seemingly dead body suddenly grabbed your ankle.

"You saved me!!!"

Vigor filled his prone once more, and he leaped to his feet, only to kneel down once more so that he was at eye level with his savior, having placed his hands on the boy's shoulders in a moment of passion. He had been abandoned by the world, with even the great spirit that dwelt within his accursed left arm having abandoned him. But, as his soul was leaving this world, this young boy had done what no one else would and saved him! He owed his life to this boy, his messiah!!!

"What could I ever do to repay you?!"

As tears streamed down his face, it appeared the shock of his sudden trip to Hades at the hands of a demon had thoroughly erased his memories of the saint who'd revived him the first time.

If this were the zombie apocalypse, Tsuru would already be dead. After all, when the dead body reached out and grabbed his ankle he just stood there and blinked. Once. Twice. Three blinks. Spaced about a second apart. He had no idea what was going on, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"You saved me!!!"

Tsuru was pretty sure he hadn't saved anyone, nor had he tried to. In fact, he hadn't even gotten around to making the call to Judgement... Which was probably for the best, since it turned out it wasn't a dead body in the first place. Though... As the older boy knelt before him and grabbed his shoulders, he wasn't so sure that this was any better.

"What could I ever do to repay you?!"

Tsuru's face froze quite solidly in an expression of surprise. He had no idea what was going on. He was vaguely scared of this man, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He was just... Too intense. Far too intense. The type of person who it was hard to shake off. The type who always interfered with Tsuru's low effort lifestyle.

Ahh. eh.. You could.. er... Start by... Uh... Letting going, err, of me?" Tsuru mumbled quietly. Please? He added silently. He was pretty sure they were getting some strange looks from the crowd.

June 22, 15:21

In the end, Fremea’s perseverance had definitely delivered unto her some salvation in the form of a helping hand from a tall boy. As he had reached his stretched left hand out to her, he spoke those gentle, yet simple words that offered her a form of simple salvation. "Allow me to help you with your search. My name is Oda Taichi and what should I call you?"

With a big grin on her face, she spoke. “It’s Fremea Sievelun, nyaa~”

With her short and simple introduction, she grabbed at Taichi's own outstretched hand without any hesitation. This would be the start of a wonderful cooperative relationship.

But, in the shadows, the sound of a shutter echoed before fading only a meter away. Had anyone been paying attention to it, the sound would have been easily noticeable. But, in that busy shopping center where all were focused on their own searches, such a sound was easily drowned out.

And such a sound eventually became the trigger for a long, arduous struggle.

---

Present Day, Present Time

Eager to try things out, she was about to take out her own little pouch which she had filled with as many spare coins as she could find the night before. As she saw Taichi take out his own pocket change for her use, she started to pout a bit.

Even if she had asked for help, Taichi giving her a crutch did not bode well for her. She would find the mackerel flavored candy she desired and she would do it without being a burden.

Not physically.

Not monetarily.

“Nyaah! Essentially, I’ll do it!” She pulled out her own pouch and opened it up to reveal a surprising plethora of spare change. One could only wonder how long she had accumulated such an amount.

She picked up coin after coin until she hit the minimum price and started to turn at the machine’s dial before the capsule came out. And the first one was….

“A dud…”

So, she simply continued.

“Nyaah! Essentially, I’ll do it!” Seivelun had responded

He was honestly glad because let's be very honest here Oda Taichi here wasn't that well off financially since he relied on take away food. If only he were able to cook proper food with fresh ingredients, he wouldn't mind shelling out some yen to help the girl find what she was looking for but wait a minute.

Wasn't he still doing that anyway? Oda felt like a gullible fool that he is willing to risk his precious coin for helping out one of many people in this city. But the real reason to why he was doing this without thinking had escaped him his mind. He was that dense to why he wasn't selfish despite his woes and maybe because he knows deep down he will survive.

Oda was very good at surviving any hardship he has faced so far, and that includes a lack of funds.

“A dud…” she continued expressing her doubt on her hopes and then Oda looked around for an answer. He's been to these stores many times, and he has learned the delivery dates for new stock takes. He knew this as he often had to plan his favourite take away meals from each shop as they go quickly. So looking at the store name he realised that the new stock intake would be a day or two away, but there was once which had theirs last night.

Which mean with a calculated assumption which even surprised Oda that the chance to find what they want will lay with that one.

"Seivelun-chan? Why not try the store across the way? I know for sure that one had got new stock in from last night. So the chance is much higher to find what we want there than at this store." Oda said trying to say it clear in a way she would understand. But he might have skipped on a few details he wasn't sure.

It was a genuine suggestion and wanted to saw what the little girl would say in response. Since this is the only real way he could offer to help but pointing in the right direction if she wouldn't allow him to help the other way.

"Ahh. Eh... You could.. Er... Start by... Uh... Letting going, err, of me?

"Of course, my savior! As you wish!"

He obeyed immediately. What kind of fool would disregard the request of the one who had saved their life? Such a person would be lower than the trash on the ground. Even though he'd almost ended up five feet underground just now, making such a small thing seem almost trivial, that was still something he wanted to avoid people using to describe him.

But something like this was not enough. It didn't even come close to repaying the life debt he'd incurred, much less expressing the full breadth of his gratitude. He had to do everything he could to help his savior in any way possible. So even though he stood, he did not leave. His savior had come to this shopping complex with a destination in mind, no doubt. And his next act of service would be to ensure he arrived there by any means possible.

"Where are you headed? Wherever it is, I will ensure you arrive safely. Even if you are traveling to the ends of the earth!"

He spoke with the same fervor a religious man hailing a saint would have had. An ordinary man might have been intimidated by his motivation, but he stood before a holy Messiah. There was no need to worry about such a mundane thing. Even if faced with a hundred men, Naoto had the fullest faith that he would not budge. But as he was thinking about the ineffability of his savior and dispensing with mundanities, a truly mundane thought came to his mind. But though worldly, this was an important question, so he did not hesitate in voicing it.

"By the way, my name is Kirikami Naoto. Forgive my ignorance, but would you give me the blessing of sharing yours?"

"Of course, my savior! As you wish!"

The more this older boy spoke, the deeper the chill in Hakusho Tsuru's spine grew. What the heck did this guy mean by savior! All Tsuru did was step on him a little! Was he some kind of pervert!? Should he call Judgement anyways? Was lying on the floor and waiting for someone to step on you even considered a crime? "Eh... Eh..." Tsuru mumbled, though what he was trying to say was that one character's classic line from that one American children's book series- "I knew I should have stayed home today!"

"Where are you headed? Wherever it is, I will ensure you arrive safely. Even if you are traveling to the ends of the earth!"

Despite his fervent desire to not get involved with this pervert, Tsuru was in such shock that he accidentally responded with the truth. "Err, I'm shopping for, err, origami paper." Shouldn't have said that. Should not have said that. Well... On the other hand... At the very least... Maybe this pervert would keep his word and help him get to the shop, and then leave him alone. For that second part, he was really hoping and praying it would come true. After all, this type of insistent person was ranked quite highly on Hakusho Tsuru's List of Personality Types that are Hard to Deal With.

Well, at the very least, trying to go along with this seemed less stressful than trying to escape. With his unnaturally weak body, Hakusho Tsuru would always take the path of least resistance in such a case. As such, he gave up, and even seemed to visibly relax a bit. After all, how bad could it be? (Jinx, knock on wood... Except there's no wood here.)

"By the way, my name is Kirikami Naoto. Forgive my ignorance, but would you give me the blessing of sharing yours?"

""Ah, I am, err, Hakusho Tsuru. It is... Nice? To meet you, Naoto-san.

"Seivelun-chan? Why not try the store across the way? I know for sure that one had got new stock in from last night. So the chance is much higher to find what we want there than at this store."

By the time Oda had said this Fremea had already turned the machine's dial a few times in hope of finally getting the mackarel flavored candy. Each turn of the dial ended in failure as the candy continued to evade her. As such her eyes glowed with a new found hope as the turned to face the one who had reignited her determination.

"Nyaah! We will be able to find the mackarel candy if we go to that store?!"

Without even giving the judgement member enough time to respond to her questions, she had grabbed his hand once again and was dragging him across the way to the stores on the opposite side. As they drew closer to the other side Fremea's pace quickened as she grew closer to her intended target, as such her hand slipped out of Oda's hand and she took off to the gachapon machine. Then she quickly took out her pouch and began feeding the machine with coins.

Her full focus was dedicated to the gachapon machine as she was giving it coin in desperate hope of getting the mackarel candy for sister and as such she didn't notice the shopkeeper who was standing just a few feet away. The shopkeeper expression was twisted in disgust for a quick moment as he looked in Fremea's direction but his gaze was not set on her instead it was focused on a certain member of judgement who was just a couple feet behind her. A moment later his expression of disgust had vanished as he moved on to deal with other customers not willing enough to become involved.

Unlike the shopkeeper, who had decide to remain uncommitted to the stopping of the lolicon, there was group hidden amongst the crowds of the mall that continued to move closer and closer to Oda Taichi, the unfortunate target of their misled righteousness.

"Nyaah! We will be able to find the mackarel candy if we go to that store?!"

Those words said by Seivelun-Chan had barely registered in Oda's mind before he was dragged off without much a protest. It's not like he couldn't stop her from pulling him around, but he didn't have the heart to stop a determined Seivelun-chan. At the moment he felt honestly useless in her attempt to find what she wanted, and only this far remained to look after her while she runs around the shopping complex.

Sure this was alright, this will help her grow a little bit more independence and her refusal for his personal finical help was a good sign. Though maybe it was denied for another reason he wasn't sure about here. But that was a minor point and just as Seivelun-chan wandered off to the next machine letting go of his hand, Oda had noticed something.

He wasn't the most aware, but he had his way of seeing things that most others cannot. It's not something special but something which became natural to him. And a good number of judgement members share this kind of sense, while completely missing the expression on the shop keeper the judgement boy had looked behind him.

He saw no one specific that stood out, but he had this strange feeling he was being followed. Narrowing his eyes, he looks at no one particular and only straightened up his judgement sash before turning back to Seivelun-chan.

At least this assignment would be more interesting. Though how so he wasn't sure? Oda at least made sure to keep up his guard as the feeling of being followed was strong.

"Err, I'm shopping for, err, origami paper. Ah, I am, err, Hakusho Tsuru. It is... Nice? To meet you, Naoto-san."

"I see. So that is the name of my savior. It is a pleasure to meet you as well!"

His savior had given him his name. Words could not express the utter ecstasy he felt at having been privileged with such a precious thing. He took this chance to swear his eternal fealty to this boy once more. Yes, he would follow this boy for the rest of his life! Looking closer, he could even see that Tsuru had relaxed his shoulders. Surely, that was a sign that Tsuru had accepted his guidance. Tsuru had accepted him! He hadn't thought it possible, but his joy soared even higher. 

"Origami paper, is it? I see, I see. As expected of Hakusho-sama, you have civilized hobbies that an uncultured brute like me could hardly begin to comprehend. Did you have a specific store in mind?"

Naoto spoke with incredibly exaggerated humility, but he didn't appear to be acting it out. Rather, it seemed to have came forth naturally. Either he was a talented actor, his respect for his Messiah was just that deep, or... He spoke in such exaggerated fashions on a regular basis. The truth was the third possibility more than the second. Though it was true he felt deep respect for Tsuru after having been saved from near-death, the fact that he expressed it in this particular way could be attributed almost entirely to force of habit.

"Origami paper, is it? I see, I see. As expected of Hakusho-sama, you have civilized hobbies that an uncultured brute like me could hardly begin to comprehend. Did you have a specific store in mind?"

Tsuru nearly fell into the trap of telling the truth. When he'd come here, it was true that he'd had a specific store in mind. That said, he didn't have a clue where that store was anymore- And he really wanted to get this over with! Besides, it didn't really matter where they went... Right? As long as it wasn't too expensive... As a level 1 at a less than prestigious school, Tsuru's scholarship money was... Pitifully low. ""No... Not really."

The way that Naoto spoke made Tsuru quite uncomfortable. The way that he acted made Tsuru uncomfortable. In fact, his very existence made Tsuru uncomfortable! The small boy just wanted this disastrous trip to be over sooner, rather than later.

As Fremea fed the machine she ended up receiving one dud after another. No matter how many times she seemed to spin the dial the mackarel candy continued to evade her. However, she refused to give up and after a moment of pouting at her current situation she began spinning the dial again with a new found energy.

"Judgement-oniisan, is this the store you were talking about?" the girl asked wondering if she had gone to the wrong store in her rush and had missed the store with the new stock Oda had told her about. She looked the judgement member right in the eye as she asked this desperately hoping she was at the right place and that with a few more spins of the dial her mission would be complete.

After waiting for Oda's response the girl would turned to face the gachapon and try to see in to it. If this was the right machine or not there was still the chance that it could have the candy in it and Fremea was not going to leave the machine until she was certain the candy wasn't in it. After failing to see any mackarel candies inside the contents of the new gachapon machine the girl asked the judgement member for his assistance once again "Would you look inside this machine as well to see if there is any mackarel candy?~nyah"

As Fremea searched for candy and Oda Taichi continued his innocent quest to assist the girl with her mission, the watchful gaze of those pursuing the supposed lolicon followed his actions closely. They suppressed their urge to confront him and instead kept their distance as they continued to wait for the perfect opportunity to unleash their attack.

Oda had done nothing really of note so far to help the girl; sure he pointed the way to possible troves filled with the treasure she desired. But it honestly didn't count until it provided any result and so the moment she asked.

"Judgement-oniisan, is this the store you were talking about?"

The moment that Seivelun-chan asked this simple request to look once more at least on a different machine, Oda took this as a proud chance to feel at least useful. Only nodding to her question in response, the boy gave a usual stare at the machine before shaking it a bit see if he can push the desired item into sight. Looking around it see from the sides and then from the top, there was nothing but he wasn't going to give up.

There was one just right next door, and he expects its best to try that one now.

"The shop just next door also has machines, maybe they're the one with the prize we seek" Oda said cheerfully trying to keep the girl's spirits up, but this was only a fake smile and while he did mean what he said there was a reason for the front. Oda has experienced numerous ambushes against those of Skill-out and his days before being part of Judgement.

Call this a sense further strengthened, but the feeling of being followed was strong it was no longer doubt in his mind.

But why? What was the point? And more importantly who?

"No... Not really."

”I see, so you’re just wandering about? It seems I will be able to accompany you for a fair while!”

Tsuru’s vague response caused a bright smile to form on Naoto’s face as he interpreted its meaning to his convenience. While he felt some slight disappointment, as this meant he could not serve the more direct assistance of leading him directly to his destination, the fact that he would be able to spend a prolonged amount of time with his saviour was more than enough to drive any negative thoughts away.

Though he felt that allowing personal interest like that affect him so clearly might have been somewhat unwholesome, he brushed that off easily enough by saying that there was nothing wrong about being happy for a fortunate event. It wasn’t like he’d done anything to make it turn out this way, after all.

"Shall we start looking at that store over there?"

Like any competent guide, he started by suggesting a preliminary destination, pointing out a store that had caught his eye when he noticed a young female foreigner entering.