Since Chifuyu left, you've been lying on your couch. The TV was on, but you weren't paying attention to it. It was just background noise. You couldn't help but think about the future.

Your near future. How exactly you're going to prevent Draken's death. Wondering if Chifuyu should be involved at all.

Since Chifuyu's been employed, you felt more hesitant to include him. Not wanting him to get fired, especially since it's heavily gang-related..

Takemichi might be my best option... You think, staring at the ceiling. I need to talk to him about timeleaping anyway.

You still couldn't get over the fact that you couldn't get a vision of Mikey's future anymore. There's a trigger to that power, isn't there...?How could have Mikey triggered that ability?

Suddenly, you hear a familiar engine from the distance. Almost rapidly getting closer to your building. You immediately jump up from the couch.

Is that...?!

You get up, almost slipping on the wood floor. Rushing to the door, you open it. You hold onto the railing for the balcony, looking down.

It was Inupi on the dark red CB250T. The one you were gifted not too long ago.

You take a deep breath, your whole body lowering as you exhale. You almost believed that just thinking of Mikey would summon him to you. You weren't exactly ready to face him though, so seeing Inupi was honestly a relief. You jog down the stairs to see him.

"Hey, [Y/N]," he greets you, getting off the bike. You wave, greeting him back. "Did Draken tell you to drop this off for me?" The boy nodded in response to your question.

"Yeah, makes sense..." You say, sort of sadly. Inupi gestures to take the keys.

You take your hand out and he places it on your palm. You clasp it, "Thanks and, uh, sorry if that was an awkward talk for you..."

The boy shakes his head. "It wasn't," Inupi replies. You tell him you were glad and he says goodbye to you.

You put the keys into the bike and start it up again, looking around where to park it.

Wait! You look back, turning your head over at Inupi.

~

"Just when I thought I could find a lead from the Kanto Manji Gang, this happens..."

"There's other ways," Chifuyu said to you. "You could look at Koko's future."

~

They were super close before. They must've taken pictures together! You say hopefully. Or maybe even a photo of Koko from a yearbook!

You drive toward the blonde. He turns to face you, obviously noticing. You stop the bike, "Hey, do you-"

Wait... That'd be weird to ask forwardly! You realize.

You start the panic internally, "Do you..." You drag your sentence, still thinking of what to say to him.

You started to realize how stupid (and a little creepy) it was to ask him for a photo of someone else.

They haven't talked since the Kanto incident two years ago! What if he doesn't have photos of him at all?! You start to think.

Inupi continues to stare at you blankly, patiently waiting for what you're about to ask. The two of you hold eye contact silently.

Hey, Inupi, do you still have a photo of Koko? Can I have a photo of someone you DON'T TALK TO ANYMORE? You recite in your head. God, that sounds ridiculous!

"Do you..." You drag your sentence, "...Have plans right now?" You finally say. The boy shakes his head, "No, I just got off work."

"Do you... Want plans right now?"

I SOUND SO STUPID!

Inupi was understandably confused, tilting his head a little. "I mean, like... Do you want to hang out?" You rephrase. Embarrassment kicking in.

"I don't mind," he tells you, shrugging. "At your place?"

"Yours!" You answer quickly.

Wait, does that sound wrong...?

"If that's okay!" You panic, wondering if you sound too forward. "I, uh... Want to get to know you more!" You make an excuse. You sounded optimistically awkward.

You get off the bike and tell him to lead the way. Inupi was complacent and didn't question you.

As you ride passenger behind him, you try to calm yourself down from the embarrassment.

-

"Sorry, it isn't much," Inupi says, opening the door for you.

The apartment building was shabby. As you walked into his suite, it was small. Only one other door in it, assumingly for the bathroom.

It's this place or be roommates with Draken... You think to yourself. Remembering how thin the walls are at the brothel.

"At least you're organized," you reassure him. "Takemichi lives in a house, but his room would fit into this building just fine." He laughs a little at the comparison, believing it was a joke.

"Sooo..." You start. The two of you sit on the wooden floor across from each other. You try to think of some sort of small talk.

"Are you in school?" You asked.

You fiddled with your fingers in front of your lap, wondering if this sudden hangout was equally as awkward for him.

But he didn't seem to mind it at all. Unlike you, his body language was very relaxed.

"I dropped out a couple years ago," he answers, "I didn't see a reason to attend anymore."

You nodded. "Wait, when were you born?" You asked again. Realizing you didn't even know how old he was.

"Oh, '89," Inupi tells you.

"YOU'RE TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME?!" You exclaim, shocked. You initially assumed that both of you were the same age. "So you're 19?"

"18," Inupi corrected, "My birthday's in October."

"So, are you and Koko the same age?" You ask. Thinking the question was a decent segway to what you wanted to talk to Inupi about in the first place.

The blonde nodded, "Yeah, he's 19." He then asks what year you were born. You told him you and Takemichi were born the same year.

"When exactly did you stop attending school? 2005?"

"2006. After the Kanto incident..." Inupi answered your question. He leans back a little and looks up at the ceiling, "I still remember that day. Koko and I mutually decided to part ways. But..." Inupi stops for a second.

Only now did you realize that the two of you were a little more similar than you expected. Both of you guys parted ways with someone you cared about after the fight with Tenjiku.

"I don't know..." He says sighing, leaning forward. Resting his elbows in his lap. "I just hope he's doing well, even if he's in the Kanto Manji Gang."

You frown, "I get where you're coming from," you sympathize. "Sometimes, when I think of Mikey, I feel like I should let him go. He chose to lead his life this way..."

"But I can't accept it. The whole Three Deities thing... It just doesn't sound like him," you said honestly. Inupi nodded, agreeing with you.

"I was there when Toman had their last meeting at the Musashi Shrine," he tells you. "Something about 'changing the course of the future,' and ending Toman while they were the top gang."

Changing the course of the future, huh... In hindsight, he really did. And for everyone, it was for the better.

All except for himself...

You remember how happy everyone looked in that timeline. Getting their dream jobs. Getting married. Still getting together even after all these years.

You couldn't help but feel both you and Mikey wasted your lives. When you could've been happy with the rest of Toman.

Inupi chuckles softly, which gets your attention. "It was kind of funny when it happened, actually," he said grinning. "Everyone was so shocked. I guess we all expected some winning speech from Mikey but instead, he all thanked us for supporting Toman 'til the end."

You smiled as Inupi told you what happened. It was a bittersweet way to disband the group. Everyone there was tearful during the whole ceremony.

Though this memory seemed to be a decently happy one for him, you couldn't help but feel sad. Only because that Mikey wasn't the one leading the Kanto Manji Gang.

"How was your experience with Toman?" You asked sincerely. And also genuinely curious. "Must've been better than Black Dragon?" You chuckle a little.

"Depends on which Black Dragon's generation you're talking about," Inupi tells you. You tilted your head, asking him how long he's been there. He smiles, "Since the first generation."

You were amazed, Inupi could tell. The blonde averts his gaze and scratches his head, "Well... I've known them since the first generation. I didn't join until later."

"Shinichiro was amazing," he says, smiling endearingly, "I wanted to be just like him."

"Remember when you were telling me about 'trying and failing'?" He suddenly brings up, "And the whole 'can see the future' stuff?"

You nodded. That conversation was before the two of you tried to fight Terano South.

"If I could see the future, I think I would've stopped trying so adamantly to revive the Black Dragons," he tells you truthfully.

You asked him why he would think that. "Because I probably would've accepted that it ended after the first generation."

"No one could lead the gang better than the first generation," he said surely. "Though, I do think Takemichi has a lot of potential in doing it," he says, "If he's still up for it. I wouldn't mind serving under him."

"Takemichi? Leading a gang? I think he'd shit his pants in front of such a big crowd," You joke, laughing a little.

"But I do see where you're coming from," you agree. Your body language was much more relaxed compared to the beginning of the conversation. You were starting to feel comfortable with Inui.

"During the fight with Tenjiku, even without me or Chifuyu... Or Mikey. He was able to band Toman together and continue to fight," you continued.

"It's something I really admire him for. That determination." As much as you loved to tease Takemichi, you couldn't ever lie about how great he really is.

You also couldn't lie about how envious you were of him. Though you felt the two of you were on the same boat with your abilities. You felt Takemichi was greater than you were. With how much he's achieved since the first time you two met.

Not to mention, you felt Takemichi was probably the one who was destined to save Mikey in some way. That he was the hero of this story. Not you.

"You alright?" Inupi asks. You snap out of your thoughts. "Sorry!" You apologize, feeling embarrassed. "All this talk about the past makes me a little sad that things aren't what they used to be, you know?"

Inupi smiles, as to reassure you that he understands. "I like to believe the people we miss feel the same way," he says. "Even if they're not in our lives anymore, that connection still meant something between us."

You thought the words he gave were a little encouraging in a way. It also made you realize how pessimistic you've been since Takemichi timeleaped back.

"I guess I just view things through a small lens without thinking of the bigger picture," you said honestly. "I almost always assume the worst when there's so many possibilities."

Maybe this change in the present is a good thing. You think. You'd been stressing about how everything's changed. Mainly because of how drastic it was.

Maybe joining Brahman was the best option. Now that I'm not alone anymore, I have no reason to go solo. And since I'll be there for the battle, it wouldn't take me a decade!

Inupi's words gave you a little more hope.

Wait... Bigger picture...

I COMPLETELY FORGOT I CAME HERE TO GET A PICTURE OF KOKO!

You were so deep into the conversation with Inupi that you skipped over the reason why you were with him in the first place.

There's no way I can segway this conversation now! It would sound weird!

"I'm sure Mikey also wishes things stayed the same too," Inupi says, seeing that you've stayed a little silent. "Well... That is... If you're thinking of him." Realizing he assumed you were referring to Mikey.

You wave your hand up and down, telling him he shouldn't feel bad for assuming. He laughs lightly, "How stupid of me to tell him he wasn't any match for Taiju."

You laugh with him, "I almost forgot you said that!"

"Speaking of that day," he starts, "I still kind of wish Chifuyu and I had a rematch."

"YOU TWO FOUGHT?" You were shocked to hear. A second later you let out an 'ohhh.' Realizing it was kind of a 3v3 with Takemichi and Mistuya there too.

"He was already weakened beforehand though, so it was a little unfair," Inupi admits. You look up and think, "I wonder if he would accept a sparring match with you?" You said out loud.

Inupi leans closer, "Who do you think would win?" He asks.

Though his face was neutral, his eyes were beady. Similar to a puppy looking at a ball.

You doubt he'd admit it, but he seemed really curious about what you'd say. Maybe even hopeful you'd say he'd win. Either way, his expression was adorable to you.

"I don't know actually," you tell him. You couldn't stop smiling at the cute boy in front of you. "I've never really watched you fight, so I can't give an honest answer," you shrug.

"Ahh..." He says leaning back, sounding a little disappointed.

He seemed so eager, I feel a little bad now... You say to yourself.

A light bulb turned on in your head. "Now that you mention the Black Dragons fight..."

"Were you stronger? Or was Koko?" You asked. Finally turning the conversation back to Koko. Feeling hopeful that you could find a way to ask for any kind of photo of him during it.

Inupi thinks hard. Probably trying to remember how Koko fought. "Strength-wise, we're pretty equal? Technique, I'm not too sure..." He tells you.

"Honestly, Koko wasn't much of a fighter. Though, he did know how to," Inupi says. "I guess he just doesn't prefer it."

"Seems to me he'd rather throw money at a problem than fight for it..." You say. Inupi laughs, "Sounds like him."

"Say, I'm a little curious... What did he look like when he was in school?"

You accepted that asking for a photo of Koko will sound odd. As Inupi gets up to look for his old yearbook, you couldn't think of any excuse as to why you needed it.

A part of you wondered if you should confess to what you were really here for. And come out that you could see the future.

So far, only four people know I have foresight. You think to yourself. Should I really just tell him? Or would that be overwhelming? Would he feel pressured to help me?

Even though you knew you had friends you could rely on. A part of you still felt hesitant to tell them about your foresight.

Inupi sits beside you this time, instead of across. He starts to flip through the pages. "This was in 2004, our first year of high school," he tells you. The blonde finally spots Koko's photo, pointing at it for you.

Kokonoi Hajime. You read. His hair was a lot shorter than now. Unlike the other students, he was smiling in his photo.

I would've had a hallway crush on him... You admit. Keeping the slight embarrassment to yourself. Since you didn't like the guy all that much.

"He was pretty popular," Inupi tells you.

"With girls? I wonder why..." You said, lying. "Guys too," he says.

There was a long pause. "Oh! 'Cause he was still pretty famous for how fast he was able to make money," Inupi elaborated, "A lot of delinquents and even gangs associated with Koko."

You nodded, understanding. Even if you weren't given an explanation, you wouldn't have questioned that Koko was found attractive by just women.

There was a bit of silence between the two of you. On your part, you were still thinking of a way you could get the photo without it being weird for either of you. You wondered if you should just try to get a vision of Koko's future now. But would that be weird too?

"Can I be honest?" Inupi asks you. You turn to look at him. He sounded like he had something really important to say. "Of course," you answer sincerely.

"I thought you only came here to talk about Mikey or something," the blonde says, "Since you and Draken weren't speaking right now."

Does everyone believe I ONLY think of Mikey ...? You question. Feeling self-conscious about other people's opinions of you.

He looks at you, "You didn't bring him up as much as I thought you would," he said. Like he was impressed. To you, it kind of solidified that he believes Mikey is the only thing on your mind.

"But..." He shifts his gaze. Like he was hesitating to finish his sentence.

But I'm not as obsessed as you thought I was...? You predict what he might be thinking. Assuming that would be the worst thing he could say.

"Are you in love with Koko?"

NOPE. THAT'S DEFINITELY THE WORST THING HE COULD SAY!

Your facial expression turned from shocked to offended to confused. Of all the things he could think, why THAT?!

Inupi picks up on your reaction. He puts his hands up, ready to defend his claim. "Well... I mean, you kept bringing him up, sooo..."

HOW CAN I ASK FOR THIS PHOTO NOW?!

IF I DENY AND ASK, HE'LL CALL ME A LIAR.

IF I DON'T SAY ANYTHING AND ASK, HE'LL TAKE IT AS CONFIRMATION.

"I... I..." You try to think of something to reply to him. At least, something that would make him believe you aren't in love with Kokonoi.

"I thought maybe you wanted to talk about him?!" You shift it on Inupi. "I only brought him up once..." He says.

He has a point! You cry a little inside. Whether he thinks you're in love with Koko or not, it'll be weird to ask for a photo of the boy now.

"I thought it could..." You think carefully of your words, "Help me better understand you." You said with very little confidence in your voice.

"Ahh," Inupi expresses, "I get it now."

He believes me?!

"Sorry..." The blonde felt guilty and apologized for assuming. "I guess it was just an odd pattern I looked too deep into."

You nervously laugh, "It's fine...." You wave your hands up and down, "It was pretty weird of me to keep asking about him..." You admit.

Inupi looks out the window. It was getting really dark out. He looks at you and smiles, "You know, it was really fun talking with you," he says.

You smile back at him, "Likewise."

The blonde boy walks you out of the apartment and to your bike. You hop onto it and put your key in, turning the bike on.

"By the way," you look up to see what he wanted to tell you before leaving.

"Tell Chifuyu... If he's okay with it. That I wouldn't mind having a rematch," he asks of you. You nodded, "Sure. I am pretty curious too, so I'd definitely watch."

He smiles, "Really? Then I'll for sure win." You haven't heard him sound this cocky since he said Mikey wasn't a match for Taiju.

You chuckle at the boy's sudden overconfidence, "We'll see." The two of you finally say your goodbyes and you drive off.

Even though you didn't get what you initially planned for. It was a really nice change of pace to hang out with Inui.

I don't think he and I were even close in the future either. You start to think back. You smile to yourself.

Maybe change is a good thing.

Chapter seventy-five, end.