MaiMia's An: Ah, it's been a while hasn't it ww Hopefully no one forgot the plot ww The two of us went on a writing hiatus for a while so e.e As usual please enjoy~ 

Mikoto's AN: It's been a while since a new chapter came huh? I hope you guys still remember the story, I had a lot of fun writing with Mai san again! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Alright. Did any of you guys come up with any ideas since yesterday?" Kashitaro asked as he watched Kuro and Senra clean up the dishes which they had used for breakfast, having been more or less forced by Amatsuki to do so.

"I... couldn't think of anything. I thought that the box might have had some clues which might help us track them down?" Sou answered.

"I kinda thought that we could just wait for one of them to come again and then we could try to catch him!" Sakata exclaimed as the others looked at him in disagreement.

"That... w-would be a bit bad if we don't have a plan and just wait for them..." the blond male said as the fox-masked male hummed in agreement.

"Did anyone else come up with anything to catch them? I mean, they did talk about a cat mouse game but we know nothing about it and what to do."

"We're the cats and we're meant to catch the mice... so we just have to capture all four of them," Amatsuki said quietly. "For once, I agree with Sakata. They'll definitely come to taunt us... so we should use that chance to get one of them."

"But with that, we'll need a plan," Neru pointed out.

"Stab them until they can't move?" Mafumafu suggested with a smile, making Luz freeze and Eve just chuckle and shake his head.

"Another reckless idea."

"And what makes you think they'll stand still and let you stab them?" Neru asked, making the albino pout at him.

"I mean if only one of them comes, we can try~" Kuro chirped as she entered the room with Senra, stretching her arms as she sat down on the couch.

"Though maybe we should make him give us some information before we finish stabbing him or something like that~" she added as Senra hummed in agreement.

"I mean that sounds like a good enough plan~" he said.

"Let's try to find some other opinions maybe?" Kashitaro suggested with a sheepish smile, not really fond with the idea of hurting those criminals even if they were bad.

"Yeah... how about you don't stab people...?" Luz suggested with a shaky smile.

"How about we leave the stabbing as a last resort?" the mushroom-haired suggested softly. "Take them in and let's question them and if they don't cooperate, feel free to do what you need to do?"

"Sounds great~!" Amatsuki said with a hum, the albino nodding. Eve could only hope those four cooperated if they were caught...

"Well, this is if they come that is. What if they won't appear anymore and just watch us while laughing as we wait for them or something like that?" Senra asked as he went to sit down next to Kuro.

"I think we should make a plan or something of some sort."

"Well... we can just look around the city to search," Eve suggested. "Especially those places that we suspect might be their hideout."

"It'll be easier since we at least know how one looks like!" Neru pointed out.

"Alright. This sounds better than nothing," Kashitaro said nodding as he was relieved to see Neru cooperate and not say too much today.

"So should we wait for a while or should we begin searching?" Eve asked. "Personally, it might be easier if we split up to two groups. One waits, one searches."

''Hm... I agree. But how should we split up the group? For me, I'm with any group I am in,'' the fox-masked brunet said.

"I don't recommend Kashitaro-san for the search team... no offense..." Luz said with a sheepish smile, though he was sure everyone here from the Daylight Police would agree with him.

"Agreed." Neru immediately nodded.

"Yeah, same! I am not gonna go and search for him again!" Sakata whined.

"I-I'm also for letting Kashitaro-san go into the waiting team instead..." Sou said with a sheepish smile as the oldest brunet looked at them blinking.

"Am I that bad that you guys don't trust me with searching?" Kashitaro asked, laughing.

"Yes, so please don't let him into the search team," the redhead said as he looked at everyone.

Remembering what Sakata had said, the albino nodded too. "So Kashitaro-san will be on the waiting team... Me and Ama too!" Immediately dragging the red-eyed brunette with him to the waiting team, Mafumafu gave no chance for a rebuttal.

"Neru-san and I can go for the search team since we know the hideouts... Kuro-chan and Senra-san are also quite well-versed with the town so they'll be good for the search team too," Eve suggested. "That leaves Sakata-san, Luz-kun and Sou-kun..."

"Sakata can join us!" Mafumafu said brightly, quite willing to drag the redhead with him.

"Ehhh, I wanted to walk around the town though, Mafudoooon," the redhead whined as he let the albino drag him to their side though.

"I-I'm fine with either group so I will go to the search group if Sakata chooses the waiting group...", Sou said as he didn't look at any of them directly.

"Sou-kun is good at directions... though he might be a little absentminded and Luz-kun can help us a lot too, so they might be good for the search team," Neru suggested.

"Ah, I don't mind," Luz said with a polite smile. "Please take care of me then!"

"Please take care of me as well..." Sou quickly mumbled as he nodded in agreement before walking over to them, making sure to stick close to Luz as he was happy to have the light-haired male in this group at least.

"Then the four of you can stay here and wait while the rest of us search," Eve said with a small smile. "We can begin now if you guys want."

"I don't mind. The faster we finish up this game... the faster we can just put this behind us." Neru crossed his arms and huffed.

"I-I don't mind either..." Sou answered as the rest nodded. "Well, we will just keep watch here so you guys have fun," Kashitaro told them with a smile.

"Right. Chop, chop, let's go," Neru urged, eager to get out of the house.

"Calm down, we still need to get some stuff and get you some other clothes than your uniforms," Eve said with a chuckle. "The citizens would start a riot if they see Daylight Police on this side."

"Just basically toss them clothes that fit. Got it~" Mafumafu hummed.

"Well let's go soon then, I don't wanna stay in here for too long~" Kuro chirped. "You guys give them some clothes, I'll just wait~" she said.

"Well, I guess I can lend you guys some clothes. Or at least Neru, I don't know if Sou and Luz can fit into my clothes," Senra said as he looked at the said people.

"Luz-kun probably can fit into those baggy clothes you have... your height difference isn't too bad," Amatsuki suggested. "If not, just bring your baggy clothes and I'll readjust them."

"Sou-kun can loan mine," the mushroom-haired male said. "We're about the same size."

''Alright. Well just follow us then.'', Senra said as he walked out of the dining hall, Kuro waving at them as she watched the three daylight police officers leave with the blond, Eve and Amatsuki.

"With that settled... can I go be a shut in again?" Mafumafu asked cheekily as he took a few steps to his room.

''Ehhh, Mafudon, we have to do some work too even if we aren't going outside! Like stay here and make sure that no one gets in or something like that!'' the redhead exclaimed as he clung on the albino's arm, pulling him back to where he stood before so he couldn't escape.

"But Ama-chan and Kashitaro-san can easily take care of that later!" the albino whined loudly as he was dragged, wanting nothing more than to laze in his room.

''You have to do some work as well! Amatsuki already makes our food and Kashitaro can be a hopeless case if you are not careful! Now stop being lazy and help us too!'' Sakata told the albino before he continued to drag the other male.

"But...!" Whining even louder as he was dragged back to his original place, the albino pouted childishly as he gave up. "Fineee."

''Good!'' the redhead huffed before he gave the other a reassuring smile. ''Don't worry, Mafudon, I will be here to help you so you won't have to do too much work! But you still gotta do some!''

From a bit further, Kashitaro chuckled as he watched the scene in front of him in slight amusement.

''You two seem to have gotten quite close, haven't you?''

"Well Sakata is fun to hang out with so..." Mafumafu said with puffed cheeks. "And we do share a room so we talk a lot too!"

Wasn't it normal to get close to your roommate?

''M-mafudon... You think hanging out with me is fun?'' Sakata asked as tears welled up in his eyes.

Though the situation seemed a bit too comedic as neither could take the redhead seriously.

''Well, I'm glad you think so of Sakata then. Getting along is really nice so I'm glad you two do,'' Kashitaro said with a smile.

"Yes I do!" Mafumafu said with a grin. "And also I can do this!" Reaching his hands forward, he pulled at Sakata's cheeks and stretched them before grinning widely.

''Ehhhh, what are you doing, Mafudon, stwoooop!'' the redhead whined as he tried to pry the albino's hands off his cheeks.

"Squish, squish!" the albino giggled before letting go, satisfied for now. "Sakata's really fun to be with!"

Especially with Sakata's rather cute chubby cheeks!

''I'm happy but don't do that again!'' the redhead whined as he rubbed his cheeks and pouted before stepping a bit further away so the albino couldn't do it again.

"B-But!" the albino pouted before putting on puppy eyes. "At least sometimes?"

Surely this trick would work on the redhead? Mafumafu just really liked to pinch Sakata's soft and squishy cheeks!

''E-ehhhh? Sometimes if you are not being a lazy shut-in then!'' the redhead gave in after stating his condition. The albino was using the same trick that he used on the others usually but that didn't mean Sakata was immune to it. Mafumafu was like him.

"Ehhhh?! But being a lazy shut-in is my thing!" the albino whined loudly as he clung to the redhead. "You shouldn't be allowed to use that against meeee!"

''Well change being so lazy and go out once in a while and I will let you, it's not that hard, is iiit?'' Sakata asked as he moved around in order to get the other male off him.

Pouting as he clung tighter to the redhead, refusing to be shaken off. "It's very haaard!"

Readjusting his grip, Mafumafu hugged the redhead tighter. "Once a month is fine riiiight? That's enough already!"

''Sure! Then you get to squeeze my cheeks once a month.'', the redhead answered with a grin.

"Wait that's not fair!" Mafumafu immediately complained. "I need more chances to squish your cheeks! That's a small thing! Forcing a shut-in to go out is a big thing!"

Turning to the other two in the room, he immediately puffed his cheeks and gave them the puppy eyes. "Kuro-chan, Kashitaro-san, help me pretty, pretty please?"

''Well, better start getting used to go out then, Mafu-chan~'' Kuro chirped amused as the brunet shook his head with a smile.

''Good luck, Mafumafu-kun. Sakata actually doesn't like people doing that so this is better than nothing for you,'' he told the younger male.

"Ehhhh?!" Mafumafu pouted even more and clung to Sakata. "Fine! Every time I go out you must let me squish your cheeks okay?!" This he practically demanded with a determined look. Although that determination would most likely be crush in a few weeks.

''Mhm, sure! Let's go get some udon, Mafudon!'' the redhead exclaimed as he looked forward to going outside with his new friend. If it was for hanging out, letting his cheeks get squished was worth it.

"When we go out then!" Mafumafu said with a smile and a nod.

"Did I just hear Mafu actually saying he'll go out?" Amatsuki mused as he walked back with the rest. "What a surprise."

"For the sake of squishing Sakata's cheeks, I will!"

''What kind of reason is that to go outside?'' Senra asked as he entered the room. ''Though hey~ Mafu-kun finally is willing to go outside more often so I'm fine with that~''

''Agreed~ Stupid reason but who cares~?'' the blonde female chirped as she watched the others walk inside the dining hall.

"Don't react like it's something so rare!" the albino puffed his cheeks as he crossed his arms. "I'll still be a shut-in!"

"Not if I have something to say about it," Amatsuki said with a smirk.

"We're ready!" Eve said with a smile as he guided Sou and Neru back to the living room.

"Eve-kun they're bulling meeee!" Mafumafu immediately whined, leaving the mushroom-haired confused.

"Huh?"

''We're not! We were just surprised to hear that our little shut-in here suddenly accepts on going outside just to be able to squeeze Tomato-san's cheeks here~'' Kuro defended themselves as the redhead looked at the blonde female confused as he pointed at himself.

''Tomato-san? Are you talking about me?'' the male asked confused.

''I mean, you are the only redhead in this group so it has to be you,'' Senra answered.

''Ehhh, I mean sure why not,'' the younger male accepted shrugging as his friends sweat-dropped when they heard that.

''You are alright with that?''

"Somehow he is," Luz said with a soft chuckle. "That's Sakata-san for you."

"Well, I'm glad Mafumafu-san has finally decided to go out more," Eve said with a polite smile. "It's not good to stay in all day."

"Speak for yourself too Eve-kun!" the albino huffed. "You overwork so much!"

"W-Well..."

"At least he's going out now unlike you," Amatsuki pointed out with a sigh, leaving the albino unable to rebuke and only huff and cross his arms.

''Would love to talk more but shouldn't we get going now? If we stay here those people might come again soon before we can find them,'' Senra pointed out as Kashitaro nodded in agreement.

''You guys should get going then probably,'' he said as he looked at his teammates who were now dressed in casual clothes instead of their usual uniform.

"Make sure you guys keep close and in contact with us," Amatsuki said and Eve nodded.

"You guys text us too if anything happens."

"With that, we should go!" Neru urged. "They might make their move any second now!"

''L-let's go then,'' Sou said as he stuck close to Luz, waiting for someone to lead the way so they could follow.

''Good luck, you guys! Tell me how it was outside!'' Sakata told them as he waved at them.

The six of them left out the door, leaving the four alone in the office.

"Well then, what should we do?* the albino asked as he flopped onto the couch, immediately making himself comfortable.

"I don't know but don't go back lying down just to laze around again! You have to be on guard, Mafudon!" Sakata told him as he tried to pull the other male off the couch while Kashitaro watched them in amusement.

"Assuming if they even come here..." Mafumafu mumbled as he reluctantly got pulled off after making himself comfortable.

"Even if it's an assumption, it's still better to be ready," the brunette lectured as he tutted. "What if they took away one of your plushies?"

"They're not plushies! Mafuteru if my guardian deity!" the albino said with a pout.

"Mafuteru?" Kashitaro repeated confused along with Sakata before the redhead understood, his mouth opening when he did.

"Ahhhh! That weird white teru teru bozu thing with a drooling face which you hug the whole time?" the redhead asked.

"Mafuteru's not weird!" the albino immediately proclaimed, crossing his arms with a pout. "Mafuteru is the best!"

"Sure, sure. So if you don't want Mafuteru to get taken away, wake up a little, won't you?" Amatsuki scolded.

"I mean... If they'd actually come, who would want to take Mafuteru with them anyway?" Sakata asked as he tilted his head as the older brunet shushed him.

"Sakata, don't insult Mafumafu-kun's friend," Kashitaro warned him.

"Kashitaro-san understands meee!" Faking a sob, he clung to the fox-masked brunette, whining childishly. "Sakata's so mean to Mafuteru!"

"Don't be such a child," Amatsuki muttered with a roll of his eyes, his heart twinging slightly at the sight.

"I'm not mean! Also, it should be good if no one wants to kidnap Mafuteru so you won't lose him!" Sakata pouted as the fox-masked male could only laugh sheepishly as he awkwardly patted Mafumafu's head.

"There there. Either way, calm down and just work hard so your friend won't get kidnapped."

"I will!" the albino said with a grin as he let go of Kashitaro and clung back to Sakata. "As revenge for being mean to Mafuteru, lemme squish your cheeks!" Without any delay, the albino pinched the redhead's cheeks, leaving no room for complaints.

Sighing in exasperation, Amatsuki looked to Kashitaro, a slight frown on his face. "Why are you supporting this?"

"I mean as long as he works hard and doesn't decide to laze around, it's good that he at least has more motivation now, isn't it?" Kashitaro asked as he watched how Sakata tried his best to pry the albino off, whining and complaining as he tried to pull away, saying things like: "Let go off my cheeks!" Or "Stop doing that to me, Mafudon!"

"True." Shrugging slightly, Amatsuki took a seat on the couch, watching Mafumafu refuse to be shaken off by the redhead as he continued to squish his cheeks.

"Well, they're here like you predicted," a voice rang from the window, a brunette sliding in with a raven-haired male close behind.

Immediately pulling out his gun, the red-eyed brunette trailed his gun on the two of them, a cold look on his face. "I'm assuming you two are from Shadow Hunters then."

"No, we are just visitors who enter through the window, you know?" the raven-haired male said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Let's do what we came for and go again..." he muttered tiredly.

"Ehhh?! They actually came?!" Sakata screeched as he quickly stood up and pulled the albino with him behind Amatsuki and Kashitaro.

"And then we have the resident idiot," the brunette muttered sarcastically.

Refusing to be pushed behind Sakata, the albino stepped forward, his knife out at the ready to be thrown. "So why are you two here?"

"Call it introduction I guess," the brunette said with a shrug. "The other two should be introducing themselves to your other group... though you already knew one of them."

"So we don't even have to find you... So you are here for an introduction? Nothing else besides that?" Kashitaro asked as he silently shook his head when he saw that the redhead clearly wanted to say something about the brunet's comment from before.

"Maybe it's just an introduction... maybe it's not. Who knows~?" the brunette hummed. "You wanna start, old man?"

''I swear to god, one day I will throw you in a lake to watch you drown or something like that...'' the raven-haired male muttered before nodding. ''...Soraru. That's all you need to know, I think. Your turn, shortie.''

"Booo~ Boring!" the brunette called out like a child, refusing to acknowledge Soraru's insult before grinning. "Urata, as the old man said, that's all you need to know."

"And so? What were you hoping to expect with telling us this?" Amatsuki questioned. "Dunno~ Maybe just to swipe something~?" Grinning lazily, Urata turned to Soraru. "So why were we here again Soraru-san?"

"Urata, I swear to god stop pretending like you don't know, you were the one that told us to go outside when I could have just stayed inside and continued playing Dragon Quest or do anything better than this..." Soraru muttered under his breath annoyed. It was clear that the brunet just wanted to annoy him.

"Fine, fine~" Urata stuck his tongue out before turning to the four. "Unfortunately, one of our members leaked our plans to you just cause he found someone hot... so we're just here to clean up~"

"Leaked?" Amatsuki furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean that hint he gave?"

''Hint? Which hint were we talking about again?'' Sakata asked confused, not remembering about the hint they were talking about.

''Also, what kind of member is he to screw up because he found someone hot...?'' the redhead asked as Kashitaro laughed awkwardly.

''I'm sorry, so the hint we got was because your member was interested in one of us?'' the fox-masked male asked.

"Kinda... that... Senra was it?" Urata hummed before he walked over and picked up the faux bomb box. "Well we shouldn't take too long, Soraru-san! After all... our game has begun."

"It has begun... that means..." Without hesitation, Mafumafu threw the knife, grazing Soraru's cheek. "That means we're allowed to start catching right?"

Soraru didn't wince but merely clicked his tongue in annoyance as he wiped the blood away that went down his cheek. ''God damn it, I hate this day,'' the raven-haired male cursed under his breath as he caught the knife before it could fall onto the ground. ''Let's just go, I've had enough of this,'' he said before he jumped out of the window, leaving first.

"What a grumpy old man~" Urata chuckled to himself as he took a step out the window. "Good luck- May the best side win."

Without another word, Urata jumped out too, carrying the box with him.

"Did anyone check what was in that box?" Amatsuki as he slipped the gun back into his holster, still staring at the window.

"I'm sorry, I didn't really check. The ones who looked closer, were Neru and Eve. Both of them aren't here though," Kashitaro answered as Sakata's body relaxed a bit as soon as he saw the two of them leave.

"Do you think that they are going to come back again?" the redhead asked as he looked at the window where the brunet and raven-haired male had been standing.

"Probably not but who knows for sure?" Mafumafu said as he flopped onto the couch. "At least I'll leave a scar~"

"I'll just ask them later. For them to take it back... it means something must have been hidden in that box." the brunette pointed out. "All we can do now is wait for them to come back I guess."

"Yeah... I wonder how they're doing... Urata-san said that the one who their member was interested in was, Senra, right? Do you think they met?" Sakata asked as the older brunet crossed his arms. "I wonder..."

"I don't think so. Senra would have mentioned it," Mafumafu pointed out lazily. "And it didn't seem like they knew each other."

"Or Senra could be hiding it. We have secrets we hide," Amatsuki mumbled before he glanced at the two in the Daylight Police.

"I guess we all do but let's see how it goes for them first. Maybe we can ask them about it later once they come back," Kashitaro said.

"Eh... I didn't mean to ask if they knew each other, that didn't even cross my mind," Sakata said before shrugging. "I guess we will see! Let's just wait for them for now!"

"That may be the best option," Amatsuki said with a nod as Mafumafu stretched on the couch like a cat. "Well we all know what that means!" Hugging one of the couch pillows, Mafumafu shut his eyes, ready to sleep.

"Ehhhh, already?", Sakata asked before he sighed and went to the couch, sitting down on the space that was still there. "Fine! Take a nap until then! I'll just wake you up later!" the redhead exclaimed.

Giggling softly, Mafumafu crawled closer and rested his head in the younger's lap, falling asleep quickly.

Sighing softly, Amatsuki turned to Kashitaro. "Would you like to help me make something today too?"

The older brunet thought about it for a bit before nodding with a smile. "If you will let me, I would be happy to help you," the older brunet answered.

"I did ask didn't I?" Amatsuki muttered as he went to the kitchen, Kashitaro following behind him to bake something sweet for everyone.

~~~~

After visiting the fourth location and not finding anything, Neru was on the verge to just throw a whole house at the Shadow Hunters if they ever saw them.

"I wonder where they could be..." Luz muttered nervously, sensing Neru's impatience.

"W-well, they are really good at hiding and until now, we only saw them twice so it's no surprise...", Sou answered, looking at the brunet nervously.

"Aw man, I'm getting bored~ Can't we go back for today and continue searching tomorrow or something like that~?" Kuro asked as she crossed her arms behind her head.

"We could... but could we check one more location? It's rather close by," Eve asked carefully.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself and not yell, Neru nodded. "If it's near then we should just clear out this area and be done with it." Oh, how tempted he was to throw punches already!

"A-alright, let's go then..." the blond male said as he waited for the mushroom-haired male to lead the way.

"Let's go quickly before someone grows too impatient here," Senra said as he glanced at the brunet.

Huffing and crossing his arms, Neru glared at Senra while Eve nervously chuckled. "Don't be too mad Neru-san! I'm sure we'll get them someday!"

"Someday." Not wanting to yell at the rather kind-hearted mushroom-haired male, Neru answered simply.

"Well then, let' go!" Luz said encouragingly. "Well, if you're growing rather impatient, I would suggest you go home because our base is nowhere near here~" the purple-haired male's voice from before sang out as he sat on the roof with a pink-haired male by his side.

"You again!" Senra exclaimed before he pulled out his gun, pointing it at them.

"E-eek!" Sou screeched as he quickly hid behind the tall light-haired male, the pink-haired male focusing his attention on them as he widened his eyes.

"Ah! Maashi, that's the one that didn't notice me at all! Noooo, my poor maiden heart can't take this!" Nqrse wailed as he clutched his heart.

"I am getting a headache from all of this I swear," Senra said as he looked at the pink-haired male confused.

"E-Eh?" Luz let Sou hide behind him to protect him as he tilted his head. "Are you talking about me...?" Did he even meet someone like this?

"Hi pretty blonde flower~" 'Maashi' said with a giggle as he waved at Senra before gently patting Nqrse. "There there, you're very pretty so if they don't notice you, it's their fault."

"Can I murder them yet?" Neru muttered under his breath.

"N-neru-san, no!" Sou told the brunet as a slightly panicked expression formed on his face as he quickly glanced back at the pink-haired male who was whining even more now.

"Look Maashi, he doesn't even remember me, god damn iiiiit~!" Nqrse cursed before he looked back at the light-haired male. "Hey you! Tall guy over there! You better remember me this time! I'm Nqrse! N-q-r-s-e! Remember me!"

"...I'm with Neru this time, can we murder them yet?" Senra asked as he looked at them annoyed, his face both red from fury and embarrassment when the purple-haired male had called him by this weird nickname.

"Eh?" Even more confused now, Luz didn't know what to do but nod at the pink-haired male.

"Aw the pretty blonde flower wants to murder me~" Shima giggled. "At least know my name first! I'm Shima, but my friends call me Maashi!"

"Why are you guys here?" Trying to keep his composure, Eve asked carefully.

"Hm... We came here cause Maashi screwed things up!" Nqrse stated bluntly before looking down and scanning the blond male up and down.

"So? What do you think is so interesting about that pretty blond flower?" the pink-haired male asked as he ignored the glare aimed at him.

"Don't call me that, I swear to god," Senra grumbled as he muttered something under his breath.

"Isn't he just pretty~?" Shima said with a dramatic sigh. "And I didn't screw things up! Urata-san asked us to introduce ourselves!"

"Introduce...?" Eve asked, confused. "Yup~ Introduce~ After all, our game has begun! It's more fun to know your opponents!" Shima said as he threw a flirty smile at Senra.

"Can you please stop?" the blond male asked with an embarrassed blush as his grip on the gun tightened.

"Aw, so you came just to introduce yourself, how nice~ I'm Kuro, nice to meet ya~" the blonde female chirped as she waved her hand as a greeting, ignoring that she was still holding the gun.

"Aw, Kuro-chan is so nice~" Shima said as he waved back at her. "Though we don't need you all to do your introductions since we already know all your names and all the secrets everyone in Twilight Police trying to hide~"

"Well, ain't that just great..." Eve muttered with a sigh.

"So basically, you guys are stalkers," Senra stated as he narrowed his eyes. "Just great..."

"Not stalkers~ Or yes, I don't know~" the pink-haired male shrugged. "But who cares~"

"I'm more of a hacker~ The stalker here is Naruse-chan~" Shima hummed. "But now that the pretty blonde flower has called me a stalker, I'm hurt~!" Faking a pout, he clutched his chest as if it hurt him physically.

"Whatever. Since introduction is over, that means we get to chase you down right?" Neru said impatiently, wanting to get the game over with.

"I mean sure~ If you can though that is~" the pink-haired male chirped as he twirled around. "Anyways~ I got to see Luz over here so I wanna go back now~ Gotta tell aniki about this story~"

"I'm satisfied for today too~" Standing up, he waved goodbye to them, remembering to blow a kiss to Senra with a giggle. "Let's go before they murder us Naruse-chan~"

"Wait!" Senra exclaimed as he tried to shoot at one of them but missing as he cursed quietly before trying again, only for him to be too late as they had left already. "God damn it."

Frustratedly biting his nails, Neru wished he had his gun back so he could have taken a shot as well, but they didn't really trust him with a gun just yet. Curses!

"Well, if what they said is true, we should just head back right...?" Luz suggested, not liking the tension in the air.

"Yeah, we should." Even the rather composed Eve seemed rather out of it.

"Alright. Let's go back and tell the others what happened," Senra said as he put his gun away. He just hoped that the others were alright.

~~~~

The six of them return to the headquarters, only to be greeted by a sweet fragrance from the pastries Amatsuki baked with the help of Kashitaro. He was about to overbake when Kashitaro stopped him, telling him it was enough for all of them. He had the tendency to stress bake and bake too much it would take days to finish.

Mafumafu was still resting in Sakata's lap, giggling as Sakata tried to pry him off.

"We're back." Eve called out.

"Welcome back!" Sakata greeted them before he started to shake the albino even more. "Come on, Mafudon, get up, everyone is back here already!" the redhead whined as he tried to get the other off him.

"Ohhh, this smells great! Just something we need after a hard day of work!" Kuro chirped.

"Don't wanna~!" Mafumafu said as he burst into small fits of giggles.

"Welcome back," Amatsuki said as he stepped out of the kitchen with Kashitaro, the two of them just finish cleaning up what they had used. "How was it?"

"Can you believe what happened?! We met two of the shadow hunters!" Kuro exclaimed before shrugging. "Ah~ But I guess you assumed that already huh?" the blonde female chirped.

"I just want to go to sleep... and never meet them again," Senra added afterwards.

"We met two here too," Amatsuki casually said.

"What?" Neru's eyes widened. "They actually came here?"

"So all of us met some of them..." Kashitaro said as he crossed his arms, thinking about it. "Well, we still don't know where they are hiding but they found us."

"And apparently they know our identities and secrets as well..." Sou added quietly.

"They... what?" Paling slightly as he heard that, Amatsuki stared at the six of them, demanding answers.

"Amatsuki-san, let's talk for a minute." Stepping forward, Eve pulled the brunette back into the kitchen and politely closed the door.

"Ah, that's bad if they found out~" Mafumafu finally sat up. Though his voice was cheery, his expression was not.

"...I-is Amatsuki-san hiding something bad?" Sou asked as he frowned slightly when he saw the brunet and the mushroom-haired male leaving.

"I mean... most of us here do. For him, it's worse than for some of us," Senra answered as he watched them leave.

"Either way, Ama-chan's had a pretty rough past that he would rather stay hidden..." Mafumafu hummed as he clung to Sakata.

"Rough huh...?" Neru frowned a bit, wondering what might have happened.

"No prying, kay~? Or off with your head~" Mafumafu said in a rather light tone, but everyone could tell he meant his words.

"W-We won't!" Luz immediately cut in, fearing what the albino could do.

"Good~ I don't really have any secrets cause I don't care what people think of me but I looooove Ama-chan!" Kuro said as she stretched the love for some time.

"He is like family to me~ So if you do anything to harm him, I will make sure you guys suffer from other things before Mafu-chan will cut off your head," she warned them as Sou gulped, quickly hiding behind Kashitaro who nodded with a small smile.

"Like we said, we won't pry so no need to worry about anything," the brunet said.

"Good, good," Mafumafu hummed before he hugged Sakata tighter, being clingy.

The door swung opened, revealing Eve and a rather expressionless Amatsuki, who immediately pushed past everyone and headed back to his room without a word.

"Well," Eve immediately said, trying to cut away the rather cold mood Amatsuki was radiating. "Amatsuki-san said he had baked some pastries for us with Kashitaro-san... shall we eat it before it all goes cold?"

"Ah right we did. It ended up being... quite a lot so I hope you guys want to eat a lot," Kashitaro said as he chuckled lightly before heading inside the kitchen, soon returning with a tablet with many different kinds of pastries.

"Honestly, Amatsuki-kun did most of them, I only know how to make Japanese sweets so I could only help a bit," the oldest admitted with a sheepish smile as he placed the tablet down on the table for everyone to take something if they wanted to.

"It's fine Kashitaro-san! You still helped, right?" Luz said with a smile, trying to help lift the mood.

"Well, thank you for the food," Neru said as he took a seat at the table with the others.

"Aw, Ama-chan even made that chili pastry I really like!" the albino said happily as he took a piece.

"Chili... pastry...?" the light-haired male asked nervously, sweating nervously.

"Chili Pastry? That sounds weird! Just like you, Mafudon!" Sakata stated with a smile as he looked at the pastries, looking at the dangerously red-looking pastry before going over to the simple cupcake, taking that instead.

"Am not weird!" Mafumafu whined childishly as he took a bite of the pastries, humming happily.

"Well, it doesn't taste that weird... I think," Eve said with a rather sheepish smile.

"You never had one Eve-kun! Want one?" the albino asked as he shoved the plate in front of Eve, his red eyes sparkling.

"A-Ah... I'm not that hungry!" Eve immediately said, as if the cupcake he was holding was not food.

"But!"

"Now that I think about it, Eve is the only one who managed to avoid Mafu-chan shoving some chili pastry into his throat~ Like I had to eat them once and it was... an unforgettable taste," Kuro finished with a grin as she watched those two in amusement.

"K-Kuro-san!" Eve said rather panickedly, not wanting the blonde female to remind the albino but it seemed like it was too late.

"Really? Then, Eve-kun must have some!" Mafumafu insisted, trying to get Eve to eat some.

"If he doesn't want to eat it, then don't force him?" Luz suggested, a little nervous, but relaxed slightly as Eve sent him a rather relieved smile.

"Don't people always say to try something before judging though? Maybe he'll like it!" Sakata stated, not realizing how he was encouraging the albino even more to push the mushroom-haired male into his doom.

"Exactly!" Mafumafu said with a grin as he shoved the plate closer. "So Eve-kun, have one?"

"E-Eh..." Eve stared at the albino, a rather sheepish look on his face.

"If he won't eat one, I'll have a bite so you can stop tormenting him," Neru said with a sigh. At least he can help the only person that he like in this place.

"Really? It's a deal then!" Mafumafu said happily as he began tearing a small piece for the brunette.

Eve let out a sigh of relief before shooting a glance at Neru, asking him if he was sure he wanted to do this.

The others also looked unsure except Sakata, who only looked at the brunet in curiosity, wondering if it was really bad or not.

"N-Neru-san, do you really want to eat that? It looks a bit... Well, either way, a-are you sure you want to eat that?" Sou asked quietly as he looked at the pastry in worry.

"Well... it can't be that bad, right?" Neru asked, now a little concerned.

"It really isn't!" Mafumafu hummed as he placed the small piece on Neru's plate.

The brunette stared at it momentarily before picking up his fork. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"

"Maybe... it will taste better than we thought it would and it actually is really good?" Kashitaro said even though he didn't look convinced himself.

"Well... you have nothing much to lose so go ahead and enjoy."

"Good luck Neru-san," Luz said softly as he could only pray that the brunette will live through this.

Sighing, the brunette questioned his life choices as he took up the piece of pastry and brought it to his lips. Immediately, he began coughing before he even bit or swallowed it down. Reaching for a piece of tissue, the brunette spat it out, tearing up from how spicy his life.

"It's... official... I hate... you."

"E-ehhh... N-neru-san don't say that... H-hate is a very strong word," Sou reminded him but still scrambled to get a glass of water before running over to the brunet to give it to him.

Nodding his thanks to Sou, Neru downed the glass of water quickly, nearly choking.

"N-Neru-san be careful!" "Sorry for that Neru-san..." Eve said with a sheepish smile, even though it wasn't his fault for forcing the pastry onto him.

Waving his hand dismissively, Neru tried to assure Eve before glaring at the albino who was giggling.

"So spicy that it's delicious~"

"You're out of your mind," Neru muttered, fanning himself.

"Teehee~☆"

"Well, he is unique!" Sakata defended the albino as he continued munching on the different pastries, Kashitaro also looking at some and handing some over to Sou who didn't dare to take anything yet until the fox-masked brunet offered some to him.

"Well, unique is something I agree with," Kashitaro said as he looked at the brunet who was still fanning himself.

"Yeah out of all of us, he has the most unique tastes in most things. And we have to go along with it," Senra said with a small sigh.

"You all are making it sound weird!" Mafumafu crossed his arms and huffed.

"Can't really blame them though," Eve said with a soft chuckle. "So would you like one, Eve-kun?"

"A-Ah... no thank you...?"

"Maybe he is full, Mafumafu-kun. There is always time to offer him some another day," Kashitaro assured him with a smile, feeling bad for the mushroom-haired male who was still trying to politely decline the albino's offer.

"You're right! Then, next time!" Mafumafu smiled and placed the plate back down, making Eve sigh in relief and smiled his thanks at Kashitaro. He also made a mental note to remind Amatsuki to not make these cursed pastries again. Or if he did, make for one only. He would like to live, please?

Holding out one of the pinkish pastries to Sou, the mushroom-haired offered it with a smile. Despite the chaos, he still noticed Sou not daring to take any of the pastries for himself. He rather liked this one... it had a mild strawberry taste to it. Amatsuki really was a good cook.

Having just finished the cookie that Kashitaro had offered him some time ago, Sou looked at the mushroom-haired male confused when he saw the older male holding out some pastry towards him, blinking a few times before pointing at himself in confusion, silently asking if it was meant for him.

Nodding with a smile, Eve tried to assure that it wasn't as bad as the chili pastry. "You don't have to if you're full... but this one is one of my personal favourites."

"O-oh... A-alright then. Thank you..." the younger male thanked as he bowed slightly before taking the pastry, looking at it for a few seconds before taking a bite.

As soon as he did, a sweetness started spreading in his mouth as his eyes widened in surprise before he continued chewing, savoring the taste.

"Uwah... it's really good!" Sou exclaimed happily before he continued eating the strawberry-flavored pastry.

"It is, isn't it?" Eve said with a rather warm smile, his heart slightly fluttering as he saw how happy Sou was.

"Don't they seem like a couple?" Mafumafu said loudly, making Eve's face burst with colour.

"Mafumafu-san!"

"E-eh?! W-w-what?" Sou stuttered as his face turned as red as Sakata's hair, the younger male immediately covered his face, not wanting anyone to see him like this.

"Don't they? Don't they?" the albino teased, making the mushroom-haired male burst into a brighter shade of red.

"How about we don't tease them?" Luz suggested with a sheepish smile.

Neru who was still trying to calm his taste buds, nodded, signalling his agreement.

"They're just teasing a bit, don't take it seriously, Sou," Kashitaro told the younger male, laughing lightly as he patted the blond male's head as Sou continued eating his pastry in embarrassment.

"Eh~ I kinda wanna tease them more though cause why not~? Like let's change it from Ama-chan to Eve-chan from time to time~" Kuro chirped.

"Please don't?" Eve pleaded with a nervous smile. He was more used to being the one who stopped the teasing... not the one being teased.

"I agree Kuro-chan! Let's tease Eve-kun more~ It's so rare to see him this flustered!" Mafumafu said with a giggle.

"I agree~ Though I am kinda tired so I will be going into my room and rest a bit~ You guys have fun teasing Eve though," Senra said with a grin before standing up, not before taking some more pastries with him.

"Good luck, Eve~"

"W-Wait a minute! You can't just leave them like this!" Face a bright red, Eve tried to get Senra to stay but failed as the blonde male walked off.

"If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now too," Neru said as he stood up, stealing one of the rather tasty pastries... definitely not the ominous red ones like Mafumafu's chili pastry. He rather leave this table alive.

"Well, me and Mafu-chan would love to tease you a little bit more, Eve-chan~ Just a liiiiiittle bit~" Kuro assured him with a grin, finding a lot of amusement in his expression.

"How about no...?" Eve said sheepishly, still trying to avert the teasing.

"What's all this commotion?" Amatsuki asked tiredly as he stepped into the room.

"Ama-chan~! Wanna tease Eve together~?" Mafumafu asked with a grin but the brunette merely shook his head.

"No thanks."

"Are you feeling better, Amatsuki-kun? I thought you wanted to rest in your room," Kashitaro said as Sou nodded in agreement, looking at Amatsuki in slight worry.

"Nah, I'm fine," Amatsuki said with a shrug. "No use holing up in my room when they know whatever they know."

Though he said that, Mafumafu frowned. He could sense the lingering sadness in Amatsuki's tone... but he decided to push it away, making sure to make a mental note to talk to him later.

"Well, if you want to feel better, taking walks is also really nice and it clears up the mind if you ever need to clear your thoughts," Kashitaro suggested with a smile, deciding to not ask about the matter any further.

"Eating food is also nice!" Sakata added with a smile while still eating some of the pastries. "Also, those pastries you made, taste really good!"

"Especially the chili ones! Thank you Ama-chan!" Mafumafu hummed as he finished the red pastry.

"You're welcome," Amatsuki said with a sigh. "I still wonder how you like those... I don't even taste test them!"

"You don't? Then, how do you even make them?" Luz asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Trade secret~" the brunette answered with a small grin.

"Uwah, scaryyyyy," Sakata said before he decided to not ask any further about it though. "But anyways, I am full now... Are we still gonna do something today or can we go rest for today?" the redhead asked.

"Rest up," Amatsuki hummed, picking one of the less intimidating red pastry and took a bite of it. "Since we know their plans... we can make a plan."

"Agreed," Even immediately said, taking advantage of the situation. "We have a clearer picture now."

"Looks like this day wasn't the worst then," Kashitaro said with a smile as he stood up and stretched slightly.

"Then thanks for your hard work today everyone!" Sakata exclaimed before standing up. "Mafudon, let's go back!"

"Let's!" the albino stood up, ready to run before he was yanked by his collar.

"Nee Mafu~ Don't you think you're forgetting something~?" Amatsuki asked with a dangerous smile.

"E-Eh...?" the albino nervously said, smiling with the same energy at the red-eyed brunette.

"Forget what?" Sakata asked as he stopped walking to turn around and look at the brunet and albino confused. "Is there still something we need to do before we can go back?"

"Mafu?" Amatsuki continued to smile sweetly at the albino, who was nervously sweating.

"Dishes...?"

"Correct~ Now shoo. Go do it," the brunette said as he let go of the albino's collar.

"B-But!"

"No buts."

"Ahh, well good luck with it, Mafudon! I will go ahead first then!" the redhead said with a smile before he ran out of the dining hall before the albino could say anything.

"Traitor!" Mafumafu dramatically cried out before he collected the dishes sulkily and brought it to the kitchen to be washed.

Amatsuki really wasn't going to let him off the hook, huh?

"Well, I'll be heading to my room first then," Luz said as he stood up. "Otsukare, thank you for the food again."

"U-um, I can help Mafumafu-san with dishes so he can go rest faster..." Sou suggested as he stood up, wanting to get away from this room so he could escape this embarrassment he was feeling when he was sitting next to the mushroom-haired male.

"If that's what you want," Amatsuki said with a shrug.

"Do you need help?" Eve stood up, wanting to help too.

"E-eh? A-Ah, n-no it's fine!" the younger male assured, waving his hands around frantically. "I-I'm sure two people can handle th-this!" Sou said before quickly bowing and disappearing into the kitchen.

Eve frowned a little before nodding. Had he done something wrong?

"You should rest Eve-kun," the red-eyed brunette suggested. "You had a long day today."

"But-"

"Rest and don't be stubborn, Eve-kun."

Sighing defeatedly, Eve nodded reluctantly.

"Rest well, Eve-kun. See you tomorrow," Kashitaro said with a smile.

"Yup, you are gonna need this~ I still have some more energy so I will go somewhere before sleeping~ See ya~" Kuro chirped before leaving as well.

"Should we go back too?" the red-eyed brunette turned to Kashitaro, his eyes holding tiredness once more.

Today... was rather exhausting.

"Sure. Let's go get some rest," Kashitaro said nodding. "Though you seem really exhausted. Would you like some tea? It might help," the older male suggested.

"Ah, no, I'm fine," Amatsuki assured with a small smile, though still laced with tiredness. "I think I just need to sleep it off."

"Alright, if you say so. If you need anything and I can help, do tell me. Helping each other now is important after all," Kashitaro reminded the younger male with a small smile. "But if you think you just need some sleep, we should head back now," he said as he waited for the younger male to lead the way.

"Mhm~" the brunette hummed before leading the older back to the room where they both said their good nights.

Tomorrow... is another day.

(8299 words)