Standing at his desk, Ryota observed the midnight blue box which sat atop his computer. His golden hues rested on the ring he had taken out of it. Gently holding it, he let his left hand reach for his earlobe.

They form a set, he mused, as his fingers grazed against the cold gem of his earing.

Both pieces of jewelry were mementos left by his mother, or so he believed. One was an earring with a beautiful yet dull-looking indigo gem. The second one was a ring— well a signet ring to be precise. The ornament atop of the silver ring was another indigo gemstone with a similar luster.

The craftsmanship to create the two pieces of jewelry was exquisite despite the aura of low-quality good they emitted. Mikaël especially liked the engraved cursive letters on each of them. бриз on one side, мгла on the other.

He smiled, truly beautiful.

His eyes glinted. Taking the signet ring, he gently laid it inside the midnight blue box, atop the stack of letters, before closing it and putting it in one of his desk's cupboard. It was not that he didn't want to wear the ring. After all, the design and aura it gave off both fit his taste, but a ring wasn't exactly convenient for him. An earring, despite the initial pain, when piercing his ear, was much better.

::

"Don't you have anything to tell me, Mika?" Claude calmly asked, his hands elegantly holding his knife and fork as he cut his steak.

Mikaël perked up at his name, his head tilted to the side questioningly, as he raised an eyebrow in inquiry. For once, he honestly didn't know what his manager was getting at.

The blond sighed, putting his cutlery down he wiped his mouth with his napkin before pushing the rim of his glasses. "About the recent cases of attack on middle schoolers?" He developed calmly.

He crossed his legs, his blue eyes directly staring into Mikaël's golden ones. A silent way to tell the teen he couldn't get out of this conversation. "Haven't you heard of it?" He rhetorically asked.

Ryota's hand went for his left earlobe, he wryly laughed. "Well," he drawled, his eyes darting to the side. He didn't like it when Claude looked at him like that. "Maybe I heard Jun mentioning it once or twice?"

Blue eyes narrowed.

"I mean, perhaps Teach also said a few things about it?" He continued, unsure of the way he should act. After all, both men currently were at the restaurant. They weren't alone and as a public figure— maybe not, but model whose popularity was at its peak, Ryota had to care for his image.

Claude hummed, apparently satisfied with his charge's answer. He deftly reached for his cutlery and resumed eating. "I'll drop you off tonight, so don't worry about the time," he added before putting a piece of steak in his mouth.

Ryota nodded, thanking the male with a laugh, he grabbed his water glass. His eyes trailed over the restaurant's classy decoration in acknowledgment. He mentally praised his manager.

Claude certainly had some money, to be able to take both of them to such restaurants regularly and to rent an apartment for him out of Tokyo while he remained in the city, the Italian's income was anything but small.

Right, Ryota's eyes momentarily narrowed as he sipped on his water. Did Claude have another source of income apart from his job as a manager? He shook his head, no use asking this question, to begin with, he didn't know a manager's wage.

"Right, I'll spend the night in Namimori. I'll go back to Tokyo in the morning since it's getting late."

Mikaël hummed, nodding in agreement.

::

Going through the shop's aisle to find the coming week's lunches, Mikaël gently hummed to himself. The earbuds were plugged in his ears as he casually listened to some pop singer. The song wasn't anything special, but it allowed him to relax a bit, to cut himself from others for a moment.

His golden eyes flickered to his shopping list before stuffing the paper in his pocket. He quickly scanned his shopping basket before walking to another aisle. Milk, some water bottles, fruits—

"Excuse me, could I have your name?"

Ryota's hand, which was reaching for a pack of water, paused mid-air. His golden eyes flickered to the side to meet a pair of heterochromatic irises, he took the package and placed it in his cart. "You are?" He cautiously asked as he took one earbud out of his ear.

The boy, probably a few year's younger than him, smiled. His red eye seemed to glint for a second and his grinned deepened. Mikaël's brows unnoticeably furrowed before he smoothed his features, answering the stranger's smile with one of his perfect grin.

The teen took a small step back, his green uniform fluttering slightly, before giving an exaggerated curtsy. He stood up, his smile brilliant, if not more dazzling than before, he reached for the green's hand.

"I'm like you, can't you feel it?" He questioned, excitement dripping from his voice, a strange blend of restlessness and anticipation in his mismatched eyes as he brought the others hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

Ryota frowned, he began to pull his hand away. "What do you—"

"Say, how was death?"

He paused, his eyes narrowed, and he forgot to take his hand back. "You," his eyes glanced to the side, noticing the commotion they were causing. He coughed, pushing his cart away from the aisle and the forming crowd. "Can we talk outside?"

The blue-haired teen beamed, the strange aura around him not dissipating. "Kufufu, sure," he drawled.

::

"Would you like anything to drink?" Mikaël asked from the kitchen as he finished to put the food away.

The teen hummed, "A glass of water will do, thanks."

Nodding, Ryota took two glasses from the cupboard and a bottle of mineral water. "Here," he said as he put them on the living room's low table. Taking a seat across from the teen, he made himself comfortable, waiting for the boy to begin.

The pineapple head smiled. "You can call me Six for the moment I suppose," he began as he sipped on the cold beverage. "I didn't think I would meet someone like me, so I got a bit excited," he explained, the grin never leaving his lips.

Mikaël slowly nodded, a bit unsure of what precisely the teen was referring to— though he guessed it more or less had to do with him dying.

Sensing the green's distress, his smile deepened. "Kufufu, no need to be so guarded. As fellow comrade who braved death, don't you think we should get along?" He questioned confidently.

"Braved death, you say?" Mikaël murmured skeptically.

"Exactly, although I doubt our conditions are the same, they are still close enough," the heterochromatic eyed teen said. Watching as the green quietly sipped on his water, his eyes flickered to observe his features.

He paused, resting his eyes on the indigo gem on his earring. Oya?

::

"Don't you think the neighborhood is a bit dangerous these days?" Jun casually asked as both males put their stationery away. He zipped his bag. "I mean, have you counted the number of middle schoolers that got attacked recently?"

Ryota hummed, closing his bag and swinging it over his shoulder. "Let's be grateful no high schoolers have been targeted," he answered before taking his phone out and checking the time.

"That's where you're wrong Mika, I heard one of the first-years was attacked yesterday," he explained in a whisper as they exited the classroom. "The disciplinary committee seems to be the most targeted. Apparently, their president, a third-year middle schooler, is even more irritable than before."

Mikaël raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Why are you lowering your voice? 'Got something to hide?"

Jun grimaced. "'Course not, I simply don't want that demon to hear me," he said in a hushed voice. He clicked his tongue. "I don't know whether you're lucky for not knowing what I'm talking about, or unlucky since you don't understand what you could get yourself into."

Sensing the pitiful gaze the other was sending him, Ryota scowled. In one swift movement, he swatted the brown-eyed male's arm away and began to walk faster. If Ryota was childish, then Mikaël was even more.

"Awww, c'mon Mika, don't act like that!" He laughed, chasing after the green who blatantly ignored him as he waved and smiled to some of the whispering girls in the corridor.

"Haha, gotcha!" The raven smirked as he tapped the green's shoulder. Ryota's golden eyes flickered to the dark-eyed teen, not bothering to hide the discontent in his hues. Undeterred, Jun flashed him a smile.

Mikaël sighed, smoothing his expression he put on his model's Colgate smile. "Yeah, congratulation Jun. Shall I give you a medal?" He asked, voice dripping with sweetness.

"Yes please," Jun shamelessly admitted before bursting into another laughing fit at the sight of his friend's disgruntled face.

Ryota heaved a helpless sigh, he beamed. "Whatever, I'll see you on Monday. I've got to go," he bade before walking in the opposite direction of the shopping district.

Jun pouted, "You're so not fun when you want to Mika!" He whined, only getting a slight wave of the ex-basketball player's hand.

::

Casually walking down Namimori's less crowded streets, Mikaël stared at his phone's navigation app. His brows were lightly furrowed in concentration as his golden eyes flickered between his screen and surrounding.

Beside him was a fence, an old one judging from its state with a worn-out attraction park behind it. His eyes went up, trying to catch anything behind the rusting fence, before settling on a dust-covered billboard.

Kokuyo Land, his gaze went back to his phone, quickly fishing through his notes, he confirmed the place's name.

Satisfied, as he didn't get lost, he stuffed his phone in his pocket. Casually readjusting his hold on his school bag, he went around the fence, looking for the abandoned park's entrance. His brows were knitted in a frown, his hand reached for his left earlobe as he mindlessly rubbed it.

He didn't understand what Six— or whatever his name was, was doing in such a place. Catching sight of the broken gate, Ryota's step came to a stop. He stared at it for seconds, which to him seemed like hours, before stealing his nerves.

Well, no use turning back now, he thought. Quietly inhaling and exhaling as to calm his nerves, a technique he used whenever he had a significant competition or appointment before, he fluttered his golden eyes open. He had some questions for the boy anyway, what use was there in fleeing?

With a peaceful mind, Ryota stepped into Kokuyo Land, unaware of the shit he got himself into and the demon who was chatting with his fellow undead, Six.

::

"Ah? So you're the guest?" A high pitched voice cried out from behind the green-haired teen. Mikaël's head swiftly turned, his golden hues met with the figure of a small— well compared to him, girl.

The lady jumped from rock to rock until she arrived just before him. Taking a closer look, Ryota noticed how her eyes were a distinct shade of violet, gently complementing her pale face which was framed by her short reddish hair.

She seemed arrogant. Ryota chased those thoughts, never judge a book by its cover, he reminded before beaming at the girl. "A pleasure, Mikaël Lamarre," he introduced. It didn't matter whether he told her his name or not, if she was sent by Six, then chances were she already knew, or would.

The girl's purple hues widened slightly at the name before she narrowed her round eyes. She took a step closer to the green who remained unperturbed, the brilliant smile on his face not moving an inch. Sizing him up and down, she nodded to herself before stepping back. She smirked.

"You're French right?" She rhetorically asked while satisfyingly nodding to herself. Seeing as the older boy nodded in agreement, she grinned. "Oh my, fantastique! I'm Emma," she introduced her tone and attitude much more welcoming than before. "But I go by M.M. You probably guessed, but I'm French too."

"Oh, vraiment?" Mikaël replied as he switched to his mother tongue. His golden hues which had scanned her appearance before took a quick look at her gratified face at the mention of her home country and his smile deepened. "This explains the sophisticated air around you," he complimented, the words effortlessly rolling off his tongue.

M.M. grinned. "Right? At last, someone who understands fashion," she expressed with a sigh as she walked to the glasshouse. Speaking of fashion, she took another look at Mikaël's face.

The boy simply returned her inquisitive look with one of his Colgate smiles. The girl's eyes widened as she excitedly clasped the boy's hands. "Oh my, you're that model from Seasonale's Zunon Boys!" She exclaimed.

At the mention of his company and one of the magazines he often starred in, Ryota's smile stretched, turning a tiny bit more genuine he hummed.

"Awesome!" She beamed. Her eyes shone, and as she was about to go on a whole ranting session, she refrained herself. Awkwardly coughing in her fist, she let go of the teen's hands. "—Sorry about that," she whispered, embarrassment tinging her voice.

"No, don't worry about it," Ryota smiled, long used to some of his fans being too energetic for him to follow.

"A-anyway," M.M. resumed as she turned around, leading the way to the greenhouse with confident strides. "We shouldn't let Mukuro-chan wait for too long. I don't want my pay to decrease," she muttered.

Mikaël chuckled, bemused, before narrowing his eyes. Mukuro was it?

бриз /briz/: Breeze 

мгла /mgla/: haze, mist, fog, brume 

Vraiment: Really

Fantastique: Fantastic

So, since I received my exams result I've been in an extremely pleasant mood. Therefore, here's a chapter. 

Kokuyo Arc begins, but it shouldn't last for long, to be honest.

Thank you for reading, until next time^^

Character pic:

-Claude Mannone