8:04 AM
"What do we do now that we're here?" Shin asked. "Do we just wait for the Don to fall into our laps?"
"I wish! The 33rd Don is definitely the most handsome Don yet. Actually, now that I think about it, the 20th Don may give him a run for his money," Silver replied.
"How do you even know what someone who lived in the 17th century even looked like?"
"Ugh, live a little, Shin — use your imagination. Sure, they had portraits of the 20th Don, but none of them were flattering. Nowadays, there's all sorts of fan art and sketches that make him look better."
"So what you're telling me is that the 20th Don is actually super ugly, but people on the internet edited him to make him hot?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Wow. The power of the internet is crazy. They could probably make an uggo like yourself half decent with a couple years of work."
Before Silver could pummel Shin into the already cracked concrete tiles of the plaza, a short, young boy caught her eye.
"Hey, Shin?" she asked. "Isn't that Shig?"
"Huh?" Shin retorted as he slowly unbraced his arms from the flinching position he had taken — preparing for Silver's onslaught. "Oh yeah, that totally is Shig. What is he doing standing in the middle of the market like that?"
Shig was extremely short for his age at a measly 5 foot 0 inches tall, which made him the frequent butt of jokes among his evil classmates Shin, Taiga, and Silver. Despite that, he was still a confident, boisterous boy who carried himself like a celebrity — probably because he saw himself as one. Right now, his short brown hair was slicked back rather awkwardly, as if he was forcing himself to look prim and proper. This look was a far cry from how he normally appeared, and this abnormality was only furthered by the cheap, tight suit he had on. He had black beady eyes that were underscored by heavy dark circles and eye bags, caused by his late nights of playing video games.
Looking closer, the two saw Shig hiding something behind his back. He was uncharacteristically nervous, tapping his foot, fiddling with his thumbs, adjusting his tie, and overdoing it with the mint breath spray.
"He's on a date!" the pair said in unison.
Shin and Silver were used to accosting Shig, but they had never had such a great opportunity to humiliate him. Following Shig's line of sight, the two noticed a young blonde girl shopping at Mr Whitebeard's fruit and vegetable stand. Reflexively, the two grimaced at the memories of getting punished for misbehaving in his classes. Deleting those days from their memories, the two were able to connect the dots and figure out that Shig was waiting to go out with that pretty blonde lady at the stall. Instinctively, the two dashed towards the boy, with Shin grabbing him and taking him to the side of the plaza where they couldn't be seen.
"Mommy, I think I just saw a kidnapping," said a young boy who had seen a small brown-haired boy be carried away inconspicuously by a blondie with a poor dye job and a curly-haired woman.
"You kids and your imaginations," the mother laughed to herself in response.
8:07 AM
"AHH! Who are you?! I'm too young to die! I haven't even held a girl's hand yet! Please don't kill me!" cried Shig as he was carried to the side of the market.
"Shut up, Shig. It's just us," said Silver as Shin dropped Shig onto the floor, returning his sight back to him.
"Oh. Oh God no! Please! This is even worse than if I had been kidnapped! Kill me already!" he shouted as tears began to swell in his eyes.
"Stop acting like we're some sort of evil syndicate worse than kidnappers!" said Shin.
"We are your friends, ya know?" Shin and Silver said in unison with eerie grins covering their faces.
Shig took a step back in complete and utter fear. "I know you two have some sort of prank planned for me, so just get it over with already. I have somewhere important to be."
"Somewhere important, huh?" Shin said, looking at Silver.
"Somewhere important — or someone important?" she asked teasingly.
Shin twisted his body backwards with a ridiculous, wide-eyed look, wrapped his arms tightly around his own torso, and began wildly kissing the empty space in front of him with obnoxious, wet smacking sounds.
"Oh yeah, Shig," he mumbled teasingly before being pushed to the ground by the now-blushing Shig.
"Yeah, maybe I am here to meet someone. What's tease-worthy about that, huh?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," answered Silver. "We're just here to help you out. This is your first time talking to a woman, after all."
"Yeah, what she said," entered Shin. "Who better to give lady advice than a woman and a man who gets a bunch of women?"
Silver and Shig burst out laughing before continuing their conversation.
"Listen here, Shig," she said. "The best way to win a woman's heart is to show your emotional side a little bit. Women at this age are so used to seeing men act all cool and macho, so subverting expectations and presenting yourself more like a human and less like a caricature would get her super interested in you."
"No, Shig! Don't listen to that sissy over there. Women love a bad boy, you know. It's like biologically programmed in their DNA to be attracted to hot, cool guys. Make sure you act a little bit disinterested and unbothered during the date. That's how you get them interested."
"Are you stupid, Shin? No girl is gonna find that attractive."
"You're the dumb one asking him to act like a wuss in front of the girl he likes. Who's gonna find a crybaby attractive?!"
"He doesn't have to start bawling — I just meant tha—"
"Enough!" Shig interrupted. "It's already 8:12. You guys have just been wasting my time with these opposing viewpoints. Listen, I'll try both of them, okay? Just let me do this."
Shig then began to make his way back towards the centre of the plaza, where the blonde girl was now waiting with a bag of fruits in her hands.
"Don't worry, Shig! We'll guide you during the date!" the two shouted from the side of the market.
"H-hey!" Shig muttered as he made his way towards the girl. "What's up, Holly?" he said while snapping his fingers into the shape of pistols pointing at her.
"Yes! That's the kind of coolness that would make even me applaud in admiration. That girl's already head over heels for him," said Shin from a distance.
'Crap! That was so cringe! No way I actually did that. Did I just jump out of a generic high school rom-com or something? This is all Shin's fault. She probably hates me already.' Shig thought to himself.
A silence overcame the plaza that seemed to last forever — until a soft chuckle left Holly's mouth.
"Haha!" she laughed. "You're really funny, Shig."
"How did that work?" Silver sighed to herself from afar.
'Woah! That actually worked. Thanks, Shin.' Shig thought.
"Here," Holly said, extending her arm out to give some fresh apples to Shig. "I just bought these from Mr Whitebeard. Have some."
"Thanks," Shig said, blushing profusely. "Hey, you called that old man Mr Whitebeard, right? Does that mean you used to go to his tutoring sessions as well?"
"Yeah, I totally did!" she said as her face lit up. "He used to be so scary when I was a kid, but when I got older, I came to realise that tough guy persona he used to put up was just an act to make sure we did our work. In actuality, he's such a sweetheart."
"BOOYAKA! That's one point to Shin; zero points to Silver. Looks like my advice is actually helping him out."
"Shut up and watch this brat," Silver said before holding up a makeshift sign reading the following:
'Mr Whitebeard is the perfect place for you to show your sensitive side! Tell her about how scared you used to be of him and how much he helped you grow.'
'Great, those buffoons are eavesdropping.' Shig thought.
"Hey Holly, why don't we walk and talk, ya know? I have a lot of stories about Mr Whitebeard myself — let's head this way."
"Yeah, sure."
"Okay, I'm pretty sure he read my message, Shin. Now we just have to follow him and watch him prove me right. Look, they're heading towards the left exit of the plaza — quick!"
8:15 AM
As Silver and Shin discreetly followed behind the two lovebirds, they failed to notice the dishevelled and broken Taiga storm into the centre of the plaza behind them.
"So, you were talking about your own experiences with Mr Whitebeard," said Holly.
"Uh, yeah," replied Shig.
'Remember, show your sensitive side, but don't embarrass yourself.' he thought.
"Yeah, Mr Whitebeard used to scare me so much. Whenever I'd get a question wrong, he'd give me this crazy death stare like I was a failure. Don't even get me started on the end-of-topic tests he'd give us. I still remember the time I got a D on one of them. He made me stand in the corner for the whole day. My weak, fat body was aching by the first ten minutes — if only I could forget those days."
"Alright, nice, Shig," said Silver. "You've shown her that you're okay with being vulnerable. She's totally gonna fall for you."
"Wait a second," entered Shin. "Is he crying?!"
"What!?" shouted Silver.
'Before I knew it, tears had begun cascading down my bloated cheeks. So much for looking cool in front of Holly.' Shig thought.
Shin couldn't hold back his laughter. "HAHAHAHA! No way! That dumbass really went and started bawling in front of his date! You've got to be kidding me!"
"Shit!" said Silver. "I knew that tactic was high risk, high reward with someone like Shig. What is that fatty even crying about?! I was in his class. All Mr Whitebeard did was make him stand in the corner for one minute. That dumbass is making it sound like torture."
"Looks like this date was a bust," Shin guffawed while clutching his stomach.
Shig felt the soft, delicate touch of Holly's smooth fingers wipe off the tears that had fallen down to his double chin.
"Hey," she said softly. "I'm really happy you opened up about that. I know it must not have been easy for you, but I'm grateful you felt comfortable enough near me to say that. How about we continue our date at Triple Bite, and then you can talk to me all you want in private? Does that sound fun?"
"Yeah, yeah it does."
'Marry me. What kind of angel straight from the heavens have you sent me, God? She can't be real. Someone like this is beyond human — she's ethereal. I must marry her and serve her for the rest of my life.'
With that, the two walked to the entrance of a desolate alley and took a taxi, enjoying the rest of their day.
8:25 AM
"What the hell?" Silver and Shin said in unison.
"No way that bullshit worked — right?" asked Shin.
"What kind of crazy woman did Shig find?" asked Silver.
Both awestruck, they made their way out of the bushes they were hiding in and onto the empty street exiting the plaza. Here, Shin was greeted with the sight of an all-too-familiar Rolls Royce parked at the end of the street.
"Silver, come!" he said while running to the car.
The car was parked to the left of an alleyway that Shin hadn't seen in use in years. For all he knew, that alley led to nowhere, since he never saw anyone come in or out. From what he could remember, it led to an unused small section that was technically still part of the plaza, but practically speaking, it led to nowhere. With Silver right behind him, Shin ran towards the car and alleyway, noticing that a young, pink-haired man was sitting in the front passenger seat. From what he could tell, the boy was knocked unconscious, so he wouldn't be a factor if a fight were to break out.
Finally, Shin and Silver entered the alleyway, only to be greeted by two very familiar figures. Taiga stood at the end of the alleyway, bleeding and bruised, clutching his ribs. In front of him, however, stood a tall, looming figure who could be made out from a mile away. His white gloves with the number 1000 branded on them stood out to Silver, while Shin immediately recognised the man from their first encounter.
"Ah, the not-so-prodigal son has returned," Noctis said with a smile that was so obviously fake it unnerved Silver and Shin to the point of paralysis.
Shin stopped dead.
The grin he'd worn all morning quietly disappeared.
His eyes locked onto the bruised, bleeding figure standing at the end of the alley. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"...Taiga?" asked Silver.