Reiji finally made it home, his body weighed down by exhaustion. His mind was a jumbled mess, thoughts scattered in all directions.
Without a word, he headed straight to his bed, his limbs feeling like lead.
He let out a tired breath as he sank into the mattress, his face clouded with a deep gloom.
"Old man..." he muttered under his breath, the memories of the day replaying in his head, each one adding to the heaviness.
A long sigh escaped him, and with one last glance at the ceiling, he closed his eyes, letting the silence swallow him up.
Sleep came, but it felt more like an escape than rest.
The shadowy figure of the God of Reincarnation stood tall, his presence radiating fury. He had possessed his priest once again, his eyes burning with rage as he gathered the cultists around him.
"The mission was completed..." he said, his voice soft, almost too calm.
But before anyone could relax, his tone shifted.
"But where was the soul!?" The God of Reincarnation shouted, his voice booming, shaking the very ground beneath them. His aura burst forth, dark and oppressive.
The cultists flinched, fear washing over them as the air grew thick with tension. The place, already gloomy, seemed to darken even further.
One of the elders, trembling, bowed his head low.
"Oh, our Heavenly Great God," he began, his voice quivering, "We couldn't claim the soul... someone interfered with the process."
The God of Reincarnation clutched his head, a low growl escaping him. "You damn fox..." he hissed. "You really do care about your descendant..."
He paused for a moment, considering. "I was planning on consuming your kin... but oh well..." A wicked grin curled on his lips. "Taking the longer route seems fun too."
With a sudden flick of his hand, he released the priest's consciousness, who immediately staggered, his body still reeling from the penalty of possession.
The priest, holding his aching head, looked around at the cultists.
"What's the report?" he asked, his voice strained.
"We suspect that one of the priests of the Gods of Earth is responsible…" one of the cultists ventured.
"Them again, huh…" the priest of reincarnation muttered, his expression darkening. "Seems like they noticed our plans... As such, we'll move ahead of schedule."
His eyes gleamed with malice. "Gather the cultists across the country. Continue the search for the descendant of the nine-tailed fox..."
A collective smile spread across their faces—creepy, unsettling.
"We need its magic to wake up our saint," they all whispered in unison.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the cult's lair, a muscular man remained trapped and sealed, his fate unknown.
BEEEP! BEEEP! [Alarm Clock Noise]
Reiji opened his eyes, still half-asleep. He glanced at the alarm clock that wouldn't shut up.
With a groan, he raised his hand and tried to hit the snooze button, but his aim was off. His hand slammed into the corner of the nightstand instead.
"AAAAA, fuck!" Reiji cursed as he jumped up, clutching his hand in pain.
He got up slowly, still half out of it, and started making himself something to eat.
While chewing, he checked his phone. 1 point.
"What should I do with it…" Reiji muttered to himself. He tapped the Exchange Button and, without thinking, swapped his 1 point for $300 USD.
Next, he paid his bills—electricity, water, internet. The usual boring stuff.
He walked over to the storage where he and his dad used to keep the groceries.
The shelves were almost empty now. There were only a few cans and instant noodles left.
It used to be full—enough to last them for months—and the thought of it made his chest feel tight.
"I need to do groceries," Reiji said quietly to himself.
He grabbed his phone and called Shouma.
Welcome to Shouma's Hotline, the voice on the other end said with a grin in his voice. "Where your misery is my pleasure. How may I make your life worse today?"
"Hey, you busy?" Reiji asked. "I need a slave to help me buy groceries."
Shouma stayed quiet for a second.
"Geez… Fine. I'll buy you your favorite. Happy now?" Reiji replied, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.
"You could've started with that," Shouma said.
Reiji rolled his eyes. "You damn pig."
After a bit of back-and-forth, they met up. Reiji spotted Shouma from a distance—walking like a zombie, his face gloomy.
When he finally looked up at Reiji, his expression was full of those puppy eyes that made Reiji want to roll his eyes even harder.
"Tsk… Fine!" Reiji grumbled, walking ahead.
The two of them headed to Wackdorald, a fast food place they both secretly loved. Reiji grabbed some fries and started eating, glancing at Shouma.
Shouma was busy eating three burgers at once, his cheeks stuffed, looking like he hadn't eaten in days. Reiji just stared, feeling even more pissed.
When they walked out, Shouma was holding two more burgers in his hands, clearly in no rush to stop eating.
Reiji and Shouma headed to the supermarket. Shouma tossed Reiji a pair of tinted shades, and they both slapped them on.
looking like they were in some cheesy action movie.
Shouma pulled out his phone and hit play on the slow and calm movie soundtrack (yeah, from Fast and Furious, don't ask).
Without missing a beat, he jumped onto the push cart like it was a skateboard.
The two of them started drifting down the aisles like it was some montage scene.
They grinned at each other, but that happiness was short-lived.
A guard popped up out of nowhere, telling them to knock it off.
"Alright, alright," Reiji muttered, putting his hands up. They both apologized and moved on, still laughing under their breath.
Reiji was on a mission, he needed to grab the usual stuff, you know, drinks and a few essentials. But the moment he turned his back, Shouma went into overdrive.
The cart was suddenly filled with the weirdest stuff: bizarre flavored chips, random energy drinks, and even some kitchen utensils that had no business being in a grocery store.
Reiji turned back, staring at the mess in the cart. "What the hell is all this, Shouma?"
Shouma just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Well, you're trying to be healthy, right? This is 'nutritious'... in its own way."
Reiji groaned, rubbing his forehead. They moved on, hoping things would improve.
They reached the snack aisle, and Reiji started picking out chips like a man on a mission.
But Shouma, of course, spotted the limited edition snacks—the fancy ones and his eyes lit up like Christmas.
He started adding them to the cart, arguing that Reiji needed to "upgrade" his choices.
The two of them were deep into the debate: Reiji, practical as always, wanted the cheap and practical stuff, while Shouma kept fighting back with things like, "These have 10% more chips, Reiji. 10%!"
Eventually, Reiji gave in. For the sake of peace. He turned to grab something else... only to find Shouma adding even more expensive snacks to the cart with a grin on his face.
"Shouma!" Reiji growled.
Shouma just shrugged again. "You're welcome for improving your taste, buddy."
Reiji sighed. "You know, I'm really starting to regret this whole 'getting groceries' thing."
Shouma glanced over at the candy aisle, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, don't worry. I've got the perfect cure for that—buy every unhealthy thing here. That'll fix all your problems."
Reiji just stared at him. "I was thinking more along the lines of a healthy snack..."
Shouma pulled a chocolate bar from the shelf and waved it in front of Reiji's face. "What's more healthy than pure happiness wrapped in foil?"
Reiji was too distracted by Shouma's antics to realize that Shouma had disappeared again. When he finally looked up, he saw Shouma in the clothes aisle, striking bizarre mannequin poses and trying to scare unsuspecting shoppers.
Reiji rubbed his temples. "You're a menace, Shouma."
Then they hit the pickle jar aisle, and Reiji found himself struggling with a jar of pickles. "Why are these things impossible to open? Why do they make these so tough?" he muttered, shaking the jar.
Shouma snatched it out of his hands with a grin. "Clearly, it's a test of willpower. But then again, you've never been good at tests, have you?"
Reiji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just like you're bad at being helpful."
Shouma popped the lid off with a smirk. "See? The trick is to force your way through life."
Bored out of his mind, Shouma started humming a random tune right in the middle of an aisle. Before Reiji could stop him, Shouma had convinced a couple of other shoppers to join in with some weird, uncoordinated dance moves.
What started as a small, isolated performance turned into a full-on supermarket dance-off. Reiji stood frozen, facepalming. "I don't know you," he muttered, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone.
They kept walking, and Reiji found himself staring at a shelf full of bottled water. "Why are there so many options for water? It's just... water."
Shouma smirked. "Maybe they're trying to sell bottled air next. You know, for those who can't breathe without paying for it."
Reiji gave him a side-eye. "Seriously, what's the difference between spring water and purified water?"
Shouma grinned. "The price tag. You're paying for a label that says 'I'm better than you.'"
Reiji rolled his eyes. "I'm sure the bottled air will be marketed as 'luxury oxygen.'"
Shouma was already on the next idea. "I'll buy it, just to see the look on your face when you realize it's just regular air in a fancy can."
Finally, they made it to the free sample station. Shouma, like a moth to a flame, couldn't resist. But instead of just grabbing one sample, he went into overdrive, grabbing everything in sight.
"How's it taste?" Shouma asked, handing Reiji a bizarre combo of mini quiches and some mystery drink.
Reiji stared at it, clearly annoyed. "You know we can't just keep taking samples like this, right?"
Shouma, undeterred, shrugged. "Oh, it's free! It's practically a crime not to!"
Reiji shook his head, realizing he might never get this grocery trip over with.
After paying for the groceries, they walked out of the supermarket, each with bags in hand. Reiji glanced at Shouma, who was now struggling under the weight of a ridiculous number of bags.
"Alright, time to do your job, slave," Reiji said, flashing a grin. "You're carrying everything."
Shouma shot him a look that could only be described as murderous, but instead of protesting, he simply sighed and adjusted the bags on his arms.
"You really know how to make a guy feel appreciated," Shouma grumbled, but he wasn't about to let Reiji get away with it that easily. With a dramatic groan, he started walking ahead, bags swaying precariously in his arms. "I swear, next time, I'm throwing all of this in your face."
Reiji, walking alongside him, just smirked. "Yeah, yeah, you love it. Besides, you're lucky I didn't make you get me a new TV while you were at it."
Shouma rolled his eyes, still grumbling, but secretly enjoying the ridiculousness of it all. Just another day of life with Reiji.
As Reiji and Shouma made their way out of the supermarket, bags in tow, they noticed a group of figures lurking in the distance. Reiji's eyes narrowed. A few of Riku's minions—those shady figures always up to something—were tailing Haruto, who was walking ahead, unaware of the impending trouble.
Shouma cocked an eyebrow, his usual mischievous grin faltering for a second. "That's… not good."
Reiji's grip tightened around his bags, a slight frown creeping across his face. "What's Riku's crew doing with Haruto?" he muttered, his voice low but serious.
They exchanged a quick glance, unspoken tension thick in the air. Shouma flicked his gaze from Reiji to the minions, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. "This could get interesting."
Without saying a word, the two of them stepped into motion, walking toward Haruto without a second thought. Reiji's mind was already calculating. There was no way he was letting Riku's goons mess with his friend, not on his watch.
Shouma just couldn't help himself. "Hope you're ready for some chaos, Reiji." He said, his grin returning to its usual cocky tilt as he picked up his pace, eager for whatever madness was about to unfold.
Reiji let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "You always know how to make things more complicated."