EP 025 II: WOAH! Hold UP!

The city was quieter now, the streets of Osaka slowly emptying as the night stretched its fingers further into the sky. The trio walked side by side, the neon lights flickering above them like distant stars, casting colorful shadows on the pavement. They hadn't said much during the walk back — the silence comfortable, filled with the kind of unspoken camaraderie that only a long day spent together could bring.

As they turned the corner near the Dotonbori Bridge, the familiar hum of the city seemed to wrap around them, a soundtrack to their return. Maria, still barefoot from the earlier grass slope, was the first to speak, her voice low but steady.

"Good day," she said, the simplicity of the words matching the contentment on her face.

Roko nodded, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "It was. I might never look at a bouquet the same way again."

Kisimoto, walking with a slight smile, glanced over at his friends. "It's nice, isn't it? No monsters to deal with. No world-ending problems."

The city noise faded as they neared their apartment building. The glow of the streetlights illuminated the entrance, and for a brief moment, the hustle of Osaka seemed like a distant memory. They had been out for hours, but it felt as though time had stretched and bent around them, giving them a rare gift: a day without weight, without the urgency of their usual lives.

"Maybe... maybe we should do this more often," Maria mused, pushing open the door and stepping inside the cool, dimly lit hallway. "I mean, who needs world-ending crises when you've got street food and sunsets?"

Roko laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. "I'm in for that."

Kisimoto, always the more reflective of the group, looked back at the dark streets one last time. The faint outlines of the towering city stood against the sky, a reminder of the life they lived in, and the life they had barely touched.

"Yeah," he said, his tone thoughtful. "Maybe it's what we need more of. A break from the chaos."

As they ascended to their floor, each of them fell into their own thoughts, but there was an undeniable shift between them — a kind of quiet understanding that, for all the weight of the world on their shoulders, there would always be moments like this. Moments that grounded them.

They reached their apartment, the door opening into the familiar space. The quiet hum of the refrigerator, the soft flicker of the overhead light. It felt like home.

But just as they were about to settle in, Boruko's voice echoed from the hallway, snapping them from their quiet reverie.

"Did I miss the party?" he called out, his tone laced with sarcasm but carrying a hint of something else — something Boruko wouldn't say outright.

The trio turned, and there he stood, looking slightly disheveled and out of breath. Behind him, the faintest shimmer of the portal was still visible, like a lingering trace of something beyond.

"Boruko?" Kisimoto raised an eyebrow, his voice cautious. "What's going on?"

Boruko's eyes flickered nervously, and for a moment, it seemed like he was about to say something important. But then he hesitated, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just... a little something I picked up on the way back." He waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, what's up? What'd I miss?"

Maria, her curiosity piqued but choosing not to press further, simply shrugged. "Nothing much. Just a quiet night... for once."

But as Boruko stepped inside, the faint hum of the portal still lingered around him, its mysterious presence not entirely gone. The evening's calm seemed to waver, and the unspoken tension between them all was palpable.

They had returned from the city, but it felt like something was just beginning...

TO BE CONTINUED WITH A NEW SEASON...