what goes around, comes around.

Kimmy quickly noticed the other presence in the room and quickly fixed herself, sitting up straight and smiling at the new face. At his comment she laughed daintily, crossing her legs in a way that would become uncomfortable in the long term.

“Oh, really? Let’s hope I won’t have to run in to any of them–but now you’ve heighten my expectations of you, so don’t go boring me now~!”

She winked, hoping that paired with her tone it would come off as playful.

“I’m Kimmy Engel– I’m sure it’s an honour. And who exactly are you, sweetie?”

Hikaru Shirakawa. It’s my pleasure.

He replied, walking forwards to sit down on a chair and offer his hand.

And, well, not to blow my own horn, but I’m never boring. I’d offer to introduce you to the others, but... it’s not worth it, I think.

Gleefully grinning, Jak mentally and physically prepared himself. Now was his time–his opportunity. He just had to buy a few more seconds. Moving aside the rest of his burgers, he ignored Hikaru’s actions–they didn’t hurt that much, especially considering his endurance.

❝Well, we sell vintage stuff too, so we’re popular with th’hippes, though most of ‘em get scared off…❞

Trailing off, his eyes scanned the surrounding area, as he prepared himself to make a move. Just a few more seconds, and he’d be ready to do it. His food began to absentmindedly swing back and forth, building up momentum.

❝’S kinda borin’–and feels too artificial. It ain’t homey. Then again, someone like you wouldn’t get that, EH?❞

With that “EH?”, Jak struck, his foot shooting up and making direct contact with Hikaru’s crotch–an attack that would leave no discernible evidence, as well as being one of the more painful ones. Normally, he would have gone for a punch, but…

Well, this was way more satisfying.

As soon as he could, he jumped up, and dashed out the kitchen. Bye bye.

What the absolute fuck! Before he could do anything, Hikaru felt a sharp searing pain in his crotch, and instinctively slammed his head down on the table. Ouch.

That... That bastard! That absolutely shameless fashion disaster! That disgusting hooligan! Oh, he was gonna pay for this. No more being the better person bullshit.

Rubbing at his forehead, Hikaru slightly wobbled out of his chair. There was only one door, and that asshole couldn’t have gone far. He grabbed his half-empty bowl and stalked down the hallways, seething.

Sure enough, he found him in the main room, obnoxiously chatting with some other contestant. Fine. Be that way. Act all innocent.

Oh Jakkie boy~

“Oy, really? That’s a shame. It might just be for the cameras, though. And thanks.”

This guy was just piling on the compliments. Moshe would have felt overwhelmed, but he was already blushing, so it couldn’t get much worse. He coughed awkwardly to clear his throat.

“A library doesn’t seem like something they’d put on a reality show. Let’s take a look, eh?”

He almost took Hikaru’s hand - that would have been embarrassing, especially he would have been too stubborn to correct his mistake and let go - as he went in search of a better room.

Eventually they found a small room with a big chair and a camera sat in front of it, taping. Moshe raised one eyebrow.

“What is this? Why would you want to sit directly in front of a camera?”

Hikaru was thankful Moshe didn’t suddenly take his hand. His first instinct would’ve been to slap it away, and he’s sure that wouldn’t have been a great first impression.

But hand-holding... he’d make a note of that for later.

...Oh, this must be a confession room! You know, where people go in and gossip about each other, or, you know, confess things.

❝Yeah, it gets really annoyin’ sometimes! Still, ‘m used t’it! Ya just gotta tell people t’think o’ Jak ‘n Daxter! Or somethin’ like that!❞

Jak watched as Hikaru took some of his burger, before taking another bite out of the one he’d already claimed. The burgers weren’t the best, to be fair–the ingredients were pretty cheap, after all, and Jak liked weird tasting foods, so they were an acquired taste. He wasn’t going to eat all of them anyway, so he didn’t mind if Hikaru took one.

❝’Know, right? I don’t seem like it, but I’ve been t’cookin’ classes! I can show ya thing or two sometime, considerin’ that slop you’ve made! Still, you might be too dumb t’get it, so I’d recommend you keep tryin’ until you figure it out! If ya burn yourself with oil ‘n the process, I’m sure it’d improve your face a little!❞

He smiled, tilting his head. His plan was working excellently, as he deated what his next move would be, finishing off the rest of his burger.

❝Well, ‘s specifically a punk one, but ‘s ‘ctually pretty big for a specific genre! Two whole floors, real colorful–posters ‘n memorabilia everywhere, that sorta thing.❞

While Jak was yapping away, Hikaru took the chance to bring his chair closer to him, forcing himself right into Jak’s personal space.He deliberately bumped against his legs a little too hard, and then rested his chin in his hands.

People actually come to your store for that shit? That’s amazing...

His chopsticks hit the empty side of his bowl, and Hikaru realized he must have been stuffing his face to distract himself from Jak’s mindless drivel. Ah well, it was good food anyways.

He flipped his hair, making sure it hit Jak in the face.

Anyways, Jakkie boy, how do you like this place so far? Hm? Is it interesting enough for you?

Smirking to himself, Jak took another bite out of his burger. Internally, he was debating what his next move would be–he couldn’t just leave, but he’d lost his edge. Hikaru was attempting a new tactic, so he had to adapt to go along with it.

❝Aw, yer welcome, Hickory Dickory Dock! Y’sure Kyle ain’t just ‘caus they forgot yer name and just couldn’t be bothered to remember it, though?❞

Watching as he ate the onion, Jak steeled himself, watching closely. Onions were only edible as onion rings, so if he was forcing himself to eat something so gross, Jak would consider it a win–he didn’t have to suffer forcing the horrible product down his throat.

❝I work fer a record store! ‘S nothin’ special, but I’m th’only employee other than three other guys, so ‘s nice and relaxed!❞

The cute act was a little irritating, but Jak was a fan of cute things–still, Hikaru was doing it all wrong. To Jak, it just didn’t suit Hikaru at all. He looked sort of like a snake or something–that was the animal Hikaru reminded him of, at least. Hiss.

Haha, maybe you’re right! At least I don’t have to remind everyone how to spell my name, but what would I know, right?

Hikaru smiled, making sure to bare more teeth than necessary. Leaning closer, he simply reached over with his chopsticks and quickly picked up a piece of one of Jak’s burger patties, and popped it in his mouth. He amde a show of licking his lips and biting them as he pretended to savor the flavor.

Oh! They’re not that bad, Jakkie boy! So you do have a skill! You should teach me how to make these sometimes~

He reached over and took another bit of the burger patty again. The sauce was disgusting, and the patty itself wasn’t even cooked well, but Hikaru was an expert in pretending to enjoy food he hated. Coffee, for example...

“…”

Hikaru, how could you, playing with this man’s gay little heart? Moshe felt his face heat up, which was rare, but continued to act normally, pretending it wasn’t happening.

“Yes, let’s. I feel like having multiple people trapped in a house like this is bound to cause drama. We have to look out for each other.”

Okay, Moshe, this is a reality show, not a war zone.

“Speaking of which, why don’t we take a look around? There might be something interesting to do while we wait.”

Hikaru couldn’t help the big grin growing on his face. The guy was actually blushing!

Ah... Kuronuma-san, I’d love too! You’re so kind and sweet, you know? Everyone else has just been , well, rude... But anyways.

Already, just like the man in front of him, Miko was already judging this stranger… Hikaru, he called himself. He seemed like a wannabe cool kid, complete with inflated ego.

But it’s probably too early to make these assumptions. Maybe he’d be proven wrong? (He doubted it.)

“Hm. Hikaru, huh?

I’m Miko Fujiwara.

Nice to meet you, too.”

He nodded as he shook the offered hand, giving a smile in return. It was common courtesy, after all.

“Why you’ve seen me now?

Well, I haven’t left my room

Since our arrival.”

Really, he just couldn’t bring himself to care to talk to anyone.

Hikaru could sense this Miko’s awkwardness from a mile away. Pushing him would just make things even more awkward, so he decided to give the guy a way out.

Not that fond of people bothering you huh? Neither am I. I’ll let you have your alone time then. 

He quickly fixed up his things, and carefully walked towards the door, making sure to give this Miko as much space as possible.

Hiksey rolled off of Jak’s tongue nicely, and he couldn’t help but stick with it–even if the other didn’t like it, Jak didn’t really care about Hikaru’s feelings in this situation. It was harmless teasing, he reasoned. Plus, if he was gonna get called Jakkie, he may as well!

❝Hey, Hiksey’s a cuter nickname than Kyle, though! So I’m gonna stick with that, Hikkers! Wait, whaddya like better, Hiksey, Hikkers, or Hik-Hik?❞

Frying up his burgers, Jak soon deposited them onto paper towels to let the oil seep through, before grabbing a few buns. The burgers themselves looked rather odd, but he could account for the fact they tasted pretty damn good–full of flavour, and part of your five a day!

❝Well, I like green ‘n purple a lot too, but green ‘n purple look gross together, so…❞

Trailing off, he took a bite out of one of his burgers. This was probably an act, but he’d keep rolling with it. It was probably proof he was irritating the other even more.

❝I do, ‘ctually! Sewed, painted, stitched and spiked these meself! ‘Course, I don’t do all my clothes, just this set, but ‘s what I normally wear–counts as uniform fer my job, too!❞

What about your ugly ass red jacket, twinkface? Jak wanted to ask, but chose not to. He’d save that for later.

Hikaru simply smiled. At this point, it was blatantly obvious Jak was just trying to get him riled up. Besides, trying to defend himself was getting tiring, so whatever. He’d focus his energy on pissing Jak off specifically from now on. He could deal with his bullshit later.

Well, if you insist... It’s very sweet of you to make your own nickname for me, anyways.

He remembered catching Jak shuddering over his onions, so purely to irk him, he took a large ring in between his chopsticks and slowly started eating it, making sure to keep his eyes locked with Jak’s the whole time.

Really, your job? Do tell me more.

He tilted his head to the side, blinking cutely. He figured Jak hated the cute act, so, just for him, Hikaru would be the most sickeningly cute he’d ever been.

Once he was done with the meat pile, Jak really got his hands into it, rolling it out into smaller balls. Once he was done with that, he grabbed a pan out of one of the cupboards, and oiled it up with some olive oil.

❝There it is! The dere-dere mode! I knew deep down ya liked me, Hiksey!❞

Hiksey? Really, Jak? Well, in his mind it was close enough to “hick” without outright sounding like it, so subtle insult right there. Grabbing his meatballs, he flattened them down into burgers, before tossing them into the pan and beginning to fry them up.

Even Hikaru’s humming was irritating, but Jak paid no mind to it, as he whistled some anime opening as he worked, before returning his attention to Hikaru.

❝21 years old, assigned male at birth, still male, Scorpio, Blood type is O-, my favourite animals’re rodents ‘n otters, my favourite food’s puddin’ a la mode, favourite movie’s Taxi Driver, ‘n favourite director’s Tarantino. ‘M a computin’ student goin’ into programmin’, and m’favourite colour is blue!❞

Hiksey... just hearing that made Hikaru want to strangle the man then and there. But still he smiled brightly.

Aw, if you’re having a hard time with my name, you can just call me Kyle! That’s what all my friends call me anyways.

Another lie. The only people who called him Kyle were his clients, and he figured letting Jak call him that would be a subtle reminder of his true role.

If anything, Jak could come in handy.

Your favorite color’s bllue, you say? No way!

He laughed, picking at his meal with chopsticks. He was really going all out with the act, huh?

Say, Jakkie, do you design all your clothes yourself? I’ve never seen anything quite like them.

The irritated expression on Hikaru’s face brought a strike of glee to Jak, and he wasn’t afraid to show it as he continued smirking, working on his sauce. He was slowly but surely pissing off Hikaru more and more–who knows, he might get some bonus cash behind the scenes if he instigates drama between them!

Then again, he’d prefer not to. Having an enemy sounds like a bad time.

Or something.

❝’S a low-low-low blow there, yanno! Oh hey, that rhymed. Sweet! Anyway, shittin’ on someone fer their accent’s kinda rude, yeah? Not like they picked it themselves!❞

Unlike your shitty outfit. And hair. And fucking red contact lenses.

❝If fuckin’ offs bein’ kind, though, why would I do it? ‘Mean, ya haven’t given me any reason t’be nice t’ya, so…Yeahsies! Gonna keep on talkin’ until y’open yer heart!❞

With the sauce complete, Jak returned to the potatoes, draining them of their water. Good, they’d softened. Now that that was done, he returned to his corner of the kitchen, where he began to mix the vegetables and sauce into the minced meat, creating some sort of messy looking meat pile. 

Looking  over at what Hikaru was doing, Jak couldn’t help but internally shudder. Egh, onions. One of the cursed foods of the land. Garlic was pretty tasty, but onions? Gross. They were always so slimy and thick and just generally fucking disgusting, and he hated them.

Hikaru clenched his jaw and held on to the pan just a little tighter in his irritation. This creep really wasn’t giving up!

He took a few deep breaths. If being blunt wasn’t the way to go... well... Two could play at this game.

If you wanted me to open up, darling, you could’ve just asked~

His words were sweet, but there was no denying the venom in the way he said them. If this Jak wanted him to talk, fine.

He’d keep talking until it made him absolutely furious.

His dish was almost done, so he turned off the heat and grabbed a nearby bowl. Humming loudly, he carefully poured the meat into the bowl, adding a few more bell pepper slices as a garnish.

It had been hours since Miko had holed himself in his room, not bothering to interact with anyone unless it was required of him (he wasn’t in school, this wasn’t some sort of prerequisite). But there were some necessities that have to be done that required him to leave the room, and so he did.

He still wasn’t sure of the layout of the place, so it was by pure coincidence that he stumbled upon the restroom, which was also when he stumbled upon this vain man.

“… . .

Am I interrupting you?

… . .”

Suffice to say, he was at a loss for words.

Hikaru jolted at the sudden voice, turning back to find someone at the door.

Ah... Not really? I was almost done anyways.

This person was... oddly quiet compared to everyone else so far. Then again, if Hikaru was stuck with a bunch of loudmouths he’s sure he’d lose it. Maybe this person could be a good... asset.

I haven’t seen you around yet. Name’s Hikaru Shirakwa.

You could tell a lot from a handshake. Someone’s true personality. And this guy… he was a beautiful, delicate flower. (Poor, gullible Moshe.)

“Not at all. I only just arrived here myself. I was investigating these cameras that are everywhere. I know the point is that we’re being watched, but it feels so invasive.”

The man crossed his arms and continued to stare at the camera and tut, as if scolding a child.

“I’ve campaigned against government surveillance. As least here I’m consenting to it, I suppose.”

Hikaru smiled sweetly as he let go of Moshe’s hand. This guy was falling for it hook, line and sinker, and it was a great ego boost as well.

Hm... well... This is all for entertainment, anyways. It’s not like they have cameras in the bathrooms, right?

In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you! Let’s watch over each other, Kuronuma-san~

Well, it was a good idea at the time.

The idea of being in this house sounded amazing– constantly being watched would be slightly unnerving to most, but Kimmy adored the feeling. 

And then she realized that she actually had to talk to people. Disgusting. 

Scowling, she threw herself on the nearest chair, huffing as she looked across the empty room and talking to herself.

“Jesus. You’d think something exciting would happen around here– why’s everyone sooooo boring?”

... They seemed oddly familiar, and it took him a few moments to remember that it was no other than the famous Kimmy. He didn’t particularly care for celebrities, but he did remember she was a favorite of Kashihara-san, to the point where she insisted on singing nothing but Kimmy’s songs on karaoke nights.

He wondered if it would be worth it to try and talk to her.

At any rate, he was finished with his meal, and it wouldn’t hurt to figure out who was worth talking to early on.

You should count yourself lucky. So far all the people I’ve met here are either absolutely bland, or outright weirdos.