O-don's Noodle HutA quiet place is rare when it's just a street length away from the city's mall, but O-don's manages to be exactly that: A small food temple of solitude amidst a busy town. Granted, it was Thursday, so it wasn't filled to the brim unlike on Friday and Saturday evenings, and it was still too early for the usual regulars of worn-out office workers loosening their ties and getting something made with passion for the first time of the day.
Azusa, Kenji, and potential other Kishibe students interested in the art of O-don's craft (or students trying to peek at the former two to gather gossip material) arrive at the place. It's yakisoba time.
Ao Shiba Gaming CenterThe holy land of arcade gaming in town, situated near one of the two side entrances. Rhythm games, fighting games, a few gun games, prize machines, two pairs of the same racing game based on a popular anime, a selection of refurbished classics from the 2000s and early 2010s in a corner, an unmarked baby-blue machine containing dozens of even earlier games of various quality, and "Button Slappers", a cross-shaped physical game supporting two to four players where they mash a button in front of them and the slowest one gets slapped with a rubber hammer on their hand. Button Slappers is surprisingly popular amongst delinquents, who often play the King's Mode variant (or, as they call it, "Kill Zone" Mode) where all but the fastest player gets slapped.
As Tomomi was early to leave the back alley and knows the best shortcuts to most places featuring games in this town, he was also the first to arrive by a long shot. Two Kishibe delinquents who weren't part of the Souban's group are hanging out outside of Ao Shiba, the backs of their right hands visibly reddened and their mood slightly soured. They notice Tomomi, grin and approach him, with one of them wrapping their arm around Tomomi's shoulders.
"Heeeeey, friend. Just in time. You're a good boy, aren't you? Yeah, you are. A good boy who is so good-natured that he can't possibly refuse forking over a few Yen to help out his poor fellow students, aren't you? Yeah, you are. We also don't need much, we're also good men, yes, we are. Only 2,000 Yen, that's not much, that's totally reasonable, isn't it?""Yeah, totally. 2,000 Yen for him, 2,000 Yen for me. You wouldn't leave your fellow students hanging, would you? That would make me a bit sad... and a bit angry. But you're such a good boy, yes, you are."As the delinquents continue to heckle Tomomi, they suddenly get dragged away from him and he heard two nasty blows. As he turns around, he sees that the delinquents got a nosebleed each, plus a mysterious man clad in a dark suit, only his eyes visible.
"The fuck?! You know it's a rule between delinquents to not fight in the mall, right?!" "That I am aware of. And because I am aware of it, I punished you, Kishibe dogs, for you approached a member of the Souban's gang with ill intent.""That shrimp's what?!" "I recommend moving, before more orifices of yours shall bleed this night.""Fucking otaku..." "Ahem."The two delinquents immediately bow deep the moment the mysterious man cleared his throat.
"Sorry...! We're sorry, Shinobi Banchou!"And with that, the delinquents run off.
"These dogs have returned to their docile state, as it should be on this hallow ground." "... We shall meet again soon under less neutral circumstances, bespectacled whelp of the Souban's pack."Before Tomomi could reasonably respond, the Shinobi Banchou pulls out his smart phone, made an immediate photo using the camera's light and vanished as Tomomi recovers from the lightflash.
Half a minute later, the rest of the Souban's gang who intended to visit the arcade have arrived.