The very next day after class Ikustosu made his way to the old graffitied building on the edge of town. As he walked through the alleyways he thought to himself why everyone assumed he stole the tokoyaki, it felt so strange to him. Suddenly he notices someone walking up behind him, it was the tokoyaki salesmen.
"Hey kid you need to pay up. Don't think you can just take them for free." He angerly said.
"What is up with you people? I payed, don't you remember?" Ikustosu responded in an annoyed tone.
"No you didn't, everyone told me yesterday."
". . . ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I gave you the money. You took it with your own hands. Just because someone said it doesn't mean it's true, why do you even believe them?" Ikustosu raised his voice so loudly that it echoed through the narrow alleyway so much that other people peeked to look at what was happening.
"Is everything alright?" Two large men approached them from behind.
"This kid is a thief and he's trying to pick a fight." Said the tokoyaki salesmen.
". . . Are you people serious?" Ikustosu could not believe the words he was hearing.
"Listen here brat, we don't tolerate thieves around here." Both men clenched their fists and started walking slowly towards Ikustosu. He felt a huge rush of glutamine which caused his fight or flight response to kick into high gear. The two man tried to grab him by the shoulder but he quickly dodged and started running in the opposite direction.
"What the hell is going on here? I don't have time for this, better lose 'em or else I'm really screwed." He said to himself as he sprinted through the narrow streets.
The two men were fast enough to keep up with him. Ikustosu was a pretty fast runner and nimble as well but they did not give up on the chase. Now feeling even more stressed he leads them to the most tight alley he could find and from his experience of parkour he started jumping from wall to wall, on every pipe he could use as leverage to make it on the top of the small buildings.
"Sorry fellas, I have places to be." He snarkily said to the from the flat rooftop.
"Damn brat, we'll get you for this one." As the two kept yelling at him Ikustosu already started walking away, showing a faint trace of a smile.
After traversing the rooftops on the edge of the city he made it to their headquarters.
"I'm here, sorry I'm late." He loudly exclaimed, entering the building through an old half damaged door. When he looked inside he saw Cisou and Serena cleaning the place up, Ria was on the computer looking to see if anyone had sent any potential work to do. The building was visibly run-down as cracks as big as a bug to the size of dogs were present all around them, and from those cracks there would be occasional drops of dust or small rubble. The railroad that was near them didn't help, it was decrepit as much as the building. The only room on the first floor had a dusty couch on the corner and opposite of the sofa stood an old TV that was broken, on the other side of the room was a table with 3 chairs and a desk on which rested an old computer, it was the only piece of technology that worked in the structure. The second floor was mostly destroyed but Ikustosu would use it as a balcony from time to time.
"Yo, yo Iku, you made it." Cisou was friendly as ever.
"We started cleaning up a bit, I can't believe you two work here, this place is like a hangout for junkies." Said Serina with a worried tone while she pointed out the obvious.
"Well we get by. . . Somehow. We don't even spend that much time her since our work is on field." Ikustosu explained.
"So do we have any offers?" He added.
"No dice. . ." His sister responded coldly.
"Well it's the same as always then." Said Ikustosu as if it was his daily routine to say those exact words. He went to sit down on the old sofa and as threw himself on, a huge cloud of dust is expelled from it's shackless.
"I guess I should help with cleaning up since nothing exciting will happen." Ikustosu said while coughing. Just when he picked up an old broom someone walked in.
"H-hello. . . Is this the right place?" The voice spoke with a nervous tone. Cisou's face light up with joy.
"RYUTSU! I knew you'd come." It was Ryutsu who stumbled his way in.
"I just came to tell you that I can't work here. . . I don't have the skill." He said while looking at the floor. Cisou's face now went from joy to disappointment.
"Awhh come on! Why'd you even show up then?" Cisou exclaimed loudly.
"Well I-I didn't want to ignore your request." Ryutsu stumbles through his words.
". . . Man, you're quite the softy, tell you what, work with us for just one day and see how you feel about it." Cisou kept insisting.
"Why are you so adamant about me joining anyway, I don't even know you people." Ryutsu asks.
"I don't know. There's just something about you that gives me that kind of energy you know?"
Ryutsu feels a bit disturbed by that statement, as if Cisou was somehow right. This made him even more nervous.
"I-I mean I'm really not good with spirits or anything, I just don't want anything to do with the occult. . . So thank you for the offer but I-"
"WE GOT A HIT!" Ria screamed in joy. Someone hired them for a job.
"WHAT! FOR REAL?" Ikustosu and Ria were now both up in arms about the situation while the others looked on in complete disbelief.
"All we have to do is retrieve the ashes of some mayor in a village called Deadtown." Ria explains further.
"Great! Let's go right now, we can't miss this opportunity." Ikustosu joyfully exclaimed. At the same time Cisou looked at Ryutsu with excitement.
"Okay let's make a deal, one mission, that's all. After that I'll leave you alone but I'd really like to see if I'm right about you." Cisou grabs his hand and before he could say anything they were all running out the door.
"Alright we need to get to the buss station that's on the other side of town, our best rout is probably through the city plaza." Ria explained to the rest.
"Damn, I hope I don't run into anyone I've had trouble with recently. . . I feels like everyone is at my nape for the past day. Not just the tokoyaki salesmen but it feels like it's always my fault, even if I didn't do anything." Ikustosu thought to himself.
They made their way to the middle of the plaza where the city fountain was located, as they run past it Ikustosu notices that the coins that are usually in the fountain this time of day are missing. The city has a unique charity system, it works in such a way that anyone can donate at any time but they have to donate in coins that they throw inside the fountain, then three times a day collectors will come and sweep the money that is left inside. This is not exclusive only for Neancy but for a lot of major cities, and this directly funds important work places for some people therefore it is strictly forbidden to steal.
"That man over there stole from the fountain!" Someone from a large crowd yelled and pointed their finger at Ikustosu. . .
The person was not seen as they blended into the crowd but a lot of people started piling up and before they knew it they were surrounded.
"Iku, why'd you do that?" His sister asks him a question he never expected to hear. The fact that his little sister believed the crowd before she even asked him if this was true baffled him, the sheer dread he felt was unexplainable. Cisou, Serena, Ryutsu and his sister were now looking at him as he had committed the most heinous act imaginable.
"Come on guys, you know I'd never steal from the fountain. . . Come on! Don't look at me like that I'm innocent." Ikustosu plead.
". . . Dude, why'd you do that?" Cisou said completely disappointed.
"I don't get it. . . You of all people." Serena added to the chaos.
Ryutsu didn't even say a word but only slowly backed up a bit. Ikustosu felt only despair, everyone around him was accusing him of things he did not do. The crowd started yelling and throwing their belongings at him, and to ad fire to the flame a police man came sprinting towards him.
"GET DOWN, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST." He yelled as he tackled him to the ground.
"WHAT DID I DO? I'M INOCCENT, I DIDN'T STEAL FROM THE FOUNTAIN!" He screamed back.
"SHUT UP" Said the officer as he smacked him across the face.
"Even if you didn't steal from the fountain you are accused of theft, murder, rape, identity theft and worst of all. . . AFROPINA!" The crowd froze. His sister trying to hold back her tears broke her stone cold demeaner.
"Brother why!?!" She yelled. Serena hugged her so that she would not interfere.
"Ria. . . No I didn't, FUCK! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?" He could not speak as the screams of the crowd grew ever louder so he could only hear himself.
"You're coming with us, I hope you enjoy rotting in prison for the rest of your life." Said the policeman as he smacked his head against the concreate floor knocking him out.
In these moments Ikustosu could only think to himself why this is happening, for what reason and who set him up. He knows he did not commit those crimes, he would never but everyone seems to believe that he is guilty without even looking into it.
"God damn it. . . Ria. . . I'm sorry. . . I'll figure something out. . . Fuck what do I even do in this situation. . . Is this really my destiny?. . " These were all the thoughts inside his head as his fading consciousness drifted away.
The next day.
Ikustosu started to open his eyes, he hoped it was all a bad dream but as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the courtroom it had dawned on him, he had been blamed for crimes he did not commit. Now he had come face to face with supreme judge Gizo, the owner of the most secure prison of Aropa and currently Ikustosu's grim reaper.