“Ochitsuke--you’d better ease up before you get hurt,” Shinji responded, then muttered under his breath, “...dare to torihiki shite iru no ka wakarimasen.” As soon as he said that, a few more of his friends appeared seemingly from nowhere to back him up…
Keiji opened his eyes--he immediately knew what language the hostile boy had been speaking. “Wait a sec. That’s…that’s mom’s tongue. Didn’t realize that people from this world’s Eastern front lived here too.” With this information in mind, he decided to use it to his advantage. “Hey, chucklenuts.”
Shinji stared at him and hissed, “...Are you speaking to a Hishima with contempt?”
Without missing a beat Keiji added, “Orokamono. Sono gengo o hanasu no wa anata dakede wa arimasen.”
Shinji took a step back once he realized someone else at the scene could understand him. “Well now…I suppose that little card of mine is off the table. Guess you’re from the East as well, hm?”
Everyone else at their table glanced back and forth between the two. Sandbar was the first to speak up.
“...I feel like I’m in one of those movies without subs, yo. Any idea what they’re sayin’, sis?”
Coral could only shrug. “I’m taking Saddle Arabian--not Japonese. Come to think of it, I probably should have done both…”
“Somethin’ like that,” Keiji replied, “I’m also starting to wonder if that’s your real name or just an alias. Regardless, before this gets any messier, you might wanna back off.”
But before anyone could say anything else, Fricket jumped into the conversation like a wailing banshee. “Oh no you don’t! You’re not getting outta here with those robes! That behemoth of a cow girl over there would completely stretch and ruin them with her huge body!”
“...” Yona stared at her for a moment, grit her teeth…and immediately started sniffling. She got up from the table and started walking off to the nearest restroom where she could be heard crying.
Sandbar took a deep breath, and got up as well. But didn’t say a word--all he did was glare at Fricket with a fiery intent behind his neutral, emotionless expression--seething silently with his right fist twitching…
And ultimately, he left without a word as well, presumably off to console Yona and help her through her moment of vulnerability.
“...You dun goofed, ya brainlet,” Coral spoke up on his behalf, and took another glance at Fricket, realizing she had bumped into her in front of the store earlier. “Wait a sec…you didn’t mess with Skeedaddle, did you?”
“Pfft, so what if I did? Brats like him and you are always screwing things up for us older, more mature people,” Fricket scoffed while giggling, “Lousy kids defending someone who shouldn’t even be in this city.”
“Alright, buddy you are now cheesing me off!” Coral yelled, aiming to get up from the table…
Until Keiji held her back, and silently shook his head at her. “...Go to your brother. Don’t argue, just go.”
Coral pouted, but listened to Keiji’s words and hopped up from her seat at the table, hurrying off to find Sandbar and Yona.
Flash grabbed the bridge of his nose. “What is wrong with you people? Do you take satisfaction in hurting people’s feelings, or something?”
“Anyone who opposes the Hishima family doesn’t deserve my pity,” Shinji replied with a shrug of his shoulders, “Now I suggest you all remember that or else you’ll have a problem. After all, we’re the ones funding that Festival you’re all about to enjoy. Would be a shame if it were canceled due to the actions of some not-so-respectful people…” he said with a smug smile, daring them to try anything.
“Grrrgh…” Flash folded his arms and looked off towards the floor nearby. His hands were essentially tied.
Likewise, Keiji refused to take action against him. However, he did ask a question. “...Does the name, ‘Bloodlust’ or ‘Ketsuki’ ring a bell?”
“...Ketsuki…I’ve heard of--” Shinji stared at the vampboy for a moment and immediately took a step back. “...I have to go. The rest of you--Ryuji, Jin, Goro, Yagami--leave a message in my stead.” And within seconds, he disappeared behind the crowd of boys in leather jackets.
…who began to surround Keiji and Flash, preventing them from escaping.
“Shit,” Keiji muttered, “What do you dillweeds want?” “All those names…extremely familiar. This is NOT good.”
Fricket stood front and center among the gang of boys and proclaimed, “Gonna make sure you don’t bother us again. Ain’t that right, guys?”
Each of them nodded.
“How ironic,” Flash retorted with a snide tone, “Your boyfriend chickens out and leaves you to do the dirty work. That’s not cowardly behavior at all.”
“How dare you?!” she yelled back, “Hishima has more important things to do than waste his time with trash like you! And just for good measure…” She removed one of her blue hoop earrings and pressed what appeared to be a tiny device on it.
BLING!
A transparent aura of energy fanned out all around them, freezing all of the other patrons and mallgoers in place.
“What the…?” Keiji looked around and noticed what had just happened, then his eyes traveled to the earring. “...Is that some kinda freaky-ass magic? What did you just do?”
“Make sure we have no witnesses,” Fricket replied as she re-attached her earring. “They won’t see the horrible beating you’re about to get.”
Just then, Sandbar walked back into the scene with a rare frown on his face, glaring daggers at Fricket. “Hey…I’m gonna need you to apologize to Yona, please.”
The girl placed a hand on her chest and laughed with a scoff. “Ah-ha! As if I’d apologize to that walking freak of nature.”
Sandbar refused to accept that, and began slowly walking towards her with a slow, thunderous gait as each step he took radiated with more intense anger that had been building over the course of the last half-hour. “No, no, see. I’m not asking you. You’re going to apologize to Yona.”
Flash could see one of the boys behind Fricket reach into his pocket. “...Hey, bud. You might not wanna--!”
POW!
In quite possibly the most unexpected turn of events, Fricket had punched Sandbar so hard that he took a tumble and hit the floor. “Back off, loser! Don’t you dare get in my personal space!”
Keiji and Flash stared like deer in headlights--completely dumbfounded at what they just saw as they watched Sandbar rise to one of his knees.
His expression didn’t change--the frown on his face conveyed a sense of slight annoyance as he wiped blood from the side of his lip. “...I’m still looking for you to apologize to Yona.”
“You don’t know when to quit, do you?”
Without a second thought, Flash attempted to tackle her…only to be met with a kick from one of the boys that sent him flying into a nearby row of trash cans. “Agh! Oof!”
Keiji ran in front of Sandbar, and called out, “You screw with my friends, you screw with me! I’ll bite your throat out and feed it to vespertillions!”