Boom, boom, boom.

Nikki's forearm and fist was pounding on Minoru's door like a police officer. 

It was after 5PM now. We'd stayed in Charlotte's theater for a long time, planning. Even Miyuki reluctantly stayed, knowing this was important but in her own feelings. I understood that, but in time she might think differently. She'd gone home, thinking it over. She'd have to come around. She just had to.

Boom, boom, boom.

Minoru worked for a company like UberEats if not UberEats when not working on the Rainbow Edition, so he might not be home. But, we figured if there was anyone in this neighborhood who could network, it was him. He had the printing resources to make flyers, and knew every business and person in the neighborhood by name. He had addresses to deliver the Rainbow Edition every week. The addresses of friends and allies. 

Boom, boom, boom. 

We'd decided on a flyer. Just like the Rainbow Edition, but made in a hurry. Come to a meeting in Charlotte's theater tomorrow. Something flashy to catch the eye, but about an issue that would make them arrive in droves. Like the neighborhood meeting we'd had in French Cup about the initial threat, but much more massive. We'd even move into the street if there was enough interest. Nikki liked that idea, because maybe there'd be more eyes on us.

Boom, boom-

A lock unclicked. Nikki's arm went down. He brought up the hood of his lime green faux fur coat in the sudden chilly wind. The door slowly opened and there stood Minoru, looking so young. 

"What's up? My dad's sleeping," he said in a hushed tone, stepping out onto the landing with us in his house slippers. He closed the door with a quiet click.

"What's up? What's up? French Cup!" Nikki repeated after him, still obviously irritated. 

Minoru was silent, but made a slight bow to us. "Of course. Of course. I wanted to write about it in the Rainbow Edition. I'm so..." he lowered his voice, probably because he was so close in proximity to one of his parents, "...fucking...mad. I don't know what to do. I think if I write about it, it won't have any impact at all. I wasn't there. I want to write a big article, get everyone else mad. I want to do something-"

"Well, this is your opportunity. We're doing something. We all agreed. We want to hold a big meeting-" Nikki went right into the attack, telling him rapid fire.

"Whoa, whoa. Okay. I need to go get my notebook."

"Okay, hurry up."

Minoru indicated to us to wait, and then slipped back inside his apartment. Nikki impatiently tapped his shoe on the floor, his arms crossed. No doubt more ideas were floating around in his head like a soup waiting to be spit out like it was too hot. In the back of my own head I was still lost, but just like with everything he was leading the way. Where I would stumble, there he was. It was the exact reason why I'd wanted him to run French Cup with me in the first place. Seeing him like this only tightened my resolve. 

In just a couple of minutes, Minoru was back, hugging a yellow spiral bound notebook to himself with a no.2 pencil in his teeth. He whipped it out of his mouth and opened the notebook, tip poised at the fresh white page. Always the professional. 

"Okay, big meeting," he wrote. 

"Yes, a big meeting. Everyone we can find. I know everyone is mad about what happened at French Cup, hell, and at Zombie Walk! I know there's been people present when our shops have been invaded by people from the hotel demanding unreasonable things, yelling at our friends, writing bad reviews about us for absolutely no reason. We want to hold a neighborhood meeting about all of this, and what to do about it. We think a protest is the answer. We want to go to the hotel in an organized fashion. I didn't agree at first to the organization part. Hanako said we need a permit, so that makes sense. But, we want as many people as we can get. We'll decide when the protest is going to be- You know what? This is all bullshit."

Both Minoru and I looked up at him. 

"Huh?" I started, but wasn't fast enough.

"This is bullshit!"

Minoru's finger went over his mouth, pointing at his apartment's door. His sleeping dad. 

"Well, you know what? If you can't talk here, then let's go somewhere else! I'm furious, aren't you furious? You just said you were!" Nikki was like a spitting cat. 

"Yes, I'm mad, but I think what you said about organization is the right way to go about this. We can't get anywhere if we're unorganized. We need to have a focus. That's why I was going to write the article. It's something everyone can refer to, making everyone literally on the same page." Minoru was speaking so calmly. It surprised me that anyone could be that calm.

But, as the seconds ticked by, what he'd said made a lot of sense. There were a lot of people who didn't know what had happened. They didn't know the facts. If there were an article-

"That's going to take too long! We know who the perpetrators are! They're going to leave! We need to do this while they're still in the hotel!" 

"Whoa, wait." Minoru was writing this down. "You know who did it?!"

"Yes! Gyeong-Wan caught them in the act!"

"That's crazy. That's crazy." Rapidly writing. "How quickly can we organize this? What should I do? I can write the article tonight if you give me more information, but it'll take time to print and distribute." 

It was my turn to speak up. The bitter wind tried to fly up my coat, but I wrapped it around myself. It made me realize how cold Minoru must be out here. He'd rushed out here just for us, wearing a sweater, but was that enough against this cold? He was already trying hard for us. Even wanting to write the article before we came to him. But, there would be no article.

"We don't really want an article. Thank you, though," I said to him, trying to be gentle. He cared this much for us. "We need flyers. We need you to make one, print it, and then distribute it through your regular network. We want as many people as we can to come to this meeting and fast. We'll pay you for the work."

"Oh, okay. That's actually a lot easier. I still want to write the article, but this takes priority. I can get right on it. What do you want the flyer to say?" He flipped to another new page. So ready for us. I was so grateful. 

"Okay. You ready?" Nikki spoke quickly, staring at the page, his eyes so sharp.

"Go ahead."

"This is what it needs to say..."

And as Nikki gave him instructions, Minoru wrote it all out. Not missing a beat, working in tandem with us. The perfect person to do this, at just the right time.

In the end, Nikki and I parted ways. He went off back to Charlotte's theater to plan the specifics of the meeting with her in regards to how her theater would help. There were still rules to abide by, even if we didn't want to. That many people potentially, it was a lot. At what point would we have to take it outside? This was just one in so many questions. He'd be a lot better at asking and working it out, in a much better mental state than I was. 

Myself, I was wandering around. As if I didn't even have feet. Just lost now as the day went on. Too much in my head, making me devoid of emotion again. This flash in the pan of anger I'd had, mellowing out and being replaced with just this loneliness. 

I found myself in our neighborhood again after coming from Minoru's. He lived about twenty minutes away, and had I really been walking for twenty minutes? In no time, I found myself rounding around the hotel. Not really wanting to see it, but it was there as this big, unavoidable behemoth. Ready to catch me in its jaws if I didn't run away.

But, I didn't run away. Walking to the front drive of it, where fancy people would drive their fancy cars to be valeted. Standing there, looking at the brass lined revolving door and staring up at its many floors. 

Something in my chest caught at it, but I fought it. That caught feeling, that fear. I wanted none of that. But, neither could I go forward. 

Somewhere inside, Gyeong-Wan must surely be there. If he were looking out of his window, would he see me? I wanted him to come out. This lost feeling squeezing inside. Not wanting him to be a part of this hotel anymore. For him to freely walk out whenever he wanted. Nobody to tell him no, that he had a terrible job to do that he didn't want to do. 

As I watched, a woman came out wearing a tacky coat. She brought it around herself as the chill hit her. I just stared full on at her, not caring if she saw me or complained. It was dark now, and I must look creepy at the end of the drive alone. I didn't care. I half wanted her to fear. Fear, just like we did. 

She left without a glance at me. But, I stood strong. I wasn't going to move.

This stirring in me. This will to stay. To challenge them, just by standing here. This was what the protest had to be about. Being immovable, just like our neighborhood. They may attack us and try to get us to leave, but we'd stand strong. We wouldn't yield. We wouldn't let them take it, this neighborhood that we loved. Even my fists clenched, knowing they were all in there. Living their lives, their hatred and greed for what wasn't theirs-

"Ah- Kazuya?!" 

My head whipped to my left. Suddenly, everything in me drained away. A big breath let out. Gyeong-Wan was smiling at me, holding a canvas bag with his favorite shrimp chips peeking out. I eyed them, then him. He was wearing dark gray suit pants and black dress shoes. No doubt under his coat there was a nice shirt and tie, maybe even a suit jacket.

Well, I didn't think about it twice. Seeing his pants and shoes enraged me where there had been emptiness. A swirl of it, like vomit except it was like the lava in a volcano coming up instead. My hand grabbed his, and I pulled him in the opposite direction. No words. 

"Oh- huh? Are you okay?" He asked, following me without a choice.

"You're not-" I swallowed my spit, too eager to get it out. My anger.

"Huh?" So innocent.

"You're not going back there."

"Huh?!"

"I forbid it. You're not going back there." 

He let out a few breaths behind me as we walked with purpose across the street. Silent, as we went in the direction to what once was home. Just around this corner was the once friendly façade of French Cup, and with determination it would be friendly again. We'd make it the same as it was. But, before we could do that we needed to fight. 

And, no matter what, I couldn't stand the idea of Gyeong-Wan being on the wrong side.