Zephyrus was walking down the path that was already becoming familiar.

Izaya had not appeared in front of her since she had left his apartment, and the days with Shizuo had been quiet but peaceful.

Living with Shizuo was a far cry from living with Izaya. It was more of a surreal honor than an exciting experience, to be staying in the same apartment as the man in a bartender suit, who had offered her his place so she wouldn't need to stay at a hotel.

Zephyrus sometimes thought she should be more excited at living with her favorite character, but the days had passed somewhat listlessly for her. She was comfortable in Shizuo's company, but he was quiet. And after living with Izaya and the snarky Namie, Zephyrus was not used to being the one to start a conversation.

If Shizuo noticed she was unusually quiet compared to when they had first met, he didn't say anything.

He had introduced her to Tom and Vorona as well. Vorona had been suspicious of her, but accepted Shizuo's decision. Zephyrus had just smiled, and hadn't even had to restrain herself from hugging the blonde beauty.

For a person who had tried all their life to be normal, the time spent with Izaya had felt like a dream, while the time she was spending with Shizuo felt like reality.

Zephyrus didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

The evening seemed like any normal evening, but as she ventured down the path to Shizuo's apartment, Zephyrus felt a nagging feeling.

Despite that, a male voice which belonged to neither Tom nor Shizuo took her by surprise.

"Going somewhere?"

The voice she had heard many times from the fictional world emerged again in her reality.

She was walking on the pavement with no episode of her favorite anime playing from her laptop under her arm.

Questions filled Zephyrus's head before she turned to face the black haired man whom she had left without notice.

He spoke before she could even feel guilty.

"You've been fired from your job."

"What?"

Zephyrus said. Izaya stood in his usual fur trimmed jacket, looking as he always did, having appeared out of seemingly nowhere like he was prone to do.

But there was no smile on his expressionless face.

"You no longer have a job. I made arrangements to ensure that."

Izaya told her simply. Zephyrus stared at him.

"I-It wasn't even one week!"

Izaya just continued looking at her, no sign of amusement in his expression. Knowing he expected her to speak, Zephyrus inhaled.

"…Why?"

"Because I don't like to share."

Izaya said like it explained everything, but it didn't satisfy Zephyrus.

"You say I'm your best friend, but you're confining me like this! This isn't how friendship works, Izaya!"

"While interpersonal relationships is not my personal area of expertise, I'm not 'confining' you. I'm simply preventing you from becoming trapped in the monotony of everyday life. Isn't that what a good friend should do?"

"I- Fine, but I can't stay useless and unproductive forever!"

"Who says you're useless and unproductive? You've been extremely useful to me."

Izaya still didn't sound amused. Zephyrus sighed and pushed her hair back from her forehead.

"Yeah but, I need to earn money, Izaya."

"If you want to earn money I could always hire you as my assistant –"

"It's just not the same! I'd be using a personal connection and –"

"Isn't that the way the world works? People make use of each other, they socialize and network all in order to have a good career."

"Yeah but –"

"I pay Namie good money, you know, and she doesn't exactly have the credentials to be a secretary. However, she does her job more than adequately, better than any professional secretary I could think of, which is why she's able to keep her job. And she's a horrible woman who has no respect for her boss at all."

"….."

Zephyrus stared. As if he knew she was catching on to his train of thought, Izaya continued.

"You on the other hand, are my best friend. What difference would you being my assistant be from that? I'm sure you'd be more than capable."

…I'm still his best friend?

Zephyrus thought, but Izaya for once was not looking to read a human's mind.

"Think of it. What use would a desk job be in the long run anyway? You say you need to earn money to feel productive. That's an illusion. Is earning a little money every month something you would base your life and identity on?"

Zephyrus was silent as she stood on the pavement, having just left the workplace she no longer had.

"Not everyone is like you, Izaya."

Izaya's eyes narrowed, and the smile that appeared on his face was sharp.

"That's right. Not everyone is like me – all the more reason I should do my best to keep someone like me by my side, don't you think?"

"…I really am not as great as you think."

"That's subjective, Zephyrus. Are you questioning my perception of you? Are you saying my vision of you as a human is flawed?"

"…What is your point, Izaya?"

"I'm surprised I even have to spell it out for you."

Izaya said, but he did it anyway.

"My point is that if I were to lose my best friend, it would only be to that other world – and nothing else."

"…."

"So consider it an accomplishment, Zeph-chan. To have affected my personal feelings to the extent that Orihara Izaya is willing to hire you as his assistant just so that you will stay by his side….and not go off to someone like Shizu-chan. That takes some skill, you know. You'd definitely be useful to me."

"…I'm that important to you?"

"You can be pretty dense, can't you?"

Zephyrus just stared, blinking twice. Izaya sighed as if he was the one tired, before he spoke.

"Mikado-kun said something to you, didn't he?"

"….."

"Is that why you didn't even leave a note?"

"….Yeah."

Zephyrus confessed. Izaya sighed as if talking had become tiring for him. He looked like he wanted to lean against the wall nearby.

"Go ahead. I won't judge."

Zephyrus said without thinking and Izaya blinked at her.

"Communication is not my forte either." Zephyrus answered him.

Izaya chuckled at that, his usual smile coming back onto his face as Zephyrus said, "Well if you won't, I will."

And then she proceeded to do exactly just that, leaning her head back against the wall as she gathered her thoughts.

The amusement returned to Izaya's expression but Zephyrus wasn't paying attention until he said –

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

"Of course not. I've forgotten who I am."

Zephyrus said ambiguously. Izaya's eyes glinted with interest.

"And who are you?"

Narrow brown eyes looked at him, before his best friend smiled wryly at him.

"Someone not normal."

Izaya felt something indescribable.

"Well, I'm not normal either."

He found himself saying, and the human he had selected as his best friend agreed with that same smile, "I know."

"I wish I was normal though."

"That's where we differ." Izaya said as he slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall next to Zephyrus.

There was a peaceful silence for a moment, and Zephyrus reflected that it was different from the one with Shizuo.

"Personally, I think change is a wonderful thing."

It was then that Zephyrus remembered one thing Shizuo had said about Izaya –

That Izaya was able to adapt well.

"Besides, it shouldn't be anyone's business whether I change or not. Not even my best friend's, much less a mere high school boy."

"…I see."

Zephyrus said, as they leaned against the wall as if they didn't know each other.

"If you really believe you're changing me, isn't that all the more reason to stay?"

"I…."

"Leaving me just because you don't want to do any more 'damage' is just an excuse. Don't you think you're just running away? By absolving responsibility. If it's true that you've done 'damage' to the continuity of this timeline, you should stay and assist in the aftermath, wouldn't you say?"

Izaya was smiling with serious eyes.

You caught me. I'm a coward really.

Zephyrus thought. Unable to read her thoughts, Izaya went on.

"Mikado-kun will just have to get used to it. You don't have to change to make him feel comfortable, you know. You have no responsibility to him."

"On the other hand, you have a responsibility to me as my best friend."

Zephyrus remained silent, until Izaya spoke without making eye contact.

"…Or is it that you prefer Shizu-chan?"

…

Ahhh

I hurt him

I hurt Izaya

But I didn't know….

No, that's just an excuse.

I just wanted to make things better

But I forgot Izaya has a brittle heart

And was insensitive towards his feelings

And I ended up hurting him

"…If you really want to find a job I won't stop you, but remember you're not from this world. Neither of us knows when you're going to leave, so you might as well spend your time more fruitfully."

"My best friend is the human Zephyrus from another world; not the human Zephyrus with a job."

Cars zoomed past by on the road like it was any other ordinary scene as they met each other's eyes.

"…I can type fast."

"?"

Izaya looked like he hadn't expected that response, and Zephyrus continued.

"I can type fast. Without looking at the keyboard. But that's all I can do really. I can give you my observations about humans or whatever, but I can't guarantee they'll be useful. And I can only do so if it's for your job."

"….."

"I can be your assistant – in exchange for letting me stay here. I don't want any money, since I'll be going back to my world one day. So….yeah."

"That's more than good enough."

Izaya said. He turned, his hands in his pockets as if he was about to walk off alone.

"Then shall we go?"

"…Where?"

Izaya turned and gave her a smile which Zephyrus would have wished, at any other occasion, that Shizuo could see.

"Home, of course…Zeph-chan."

…

…

Some time later

…

"Izaya."

"What is it, Zeph-chan?"

Izaya had walked with Zephyrus like a normal person along the pavement and across roads, quiet for once as they both immersed themselves in their thoughts.

"I – need to call Shizuo. To apologize…"

Izaya's expression didn't change, but the look in his eyes did.

"Shizu-chan might not pick up since it's my number, but you can try."

Zephyrus looked at Izaya's smile and took the phone from Izaya, searching for Shizuo's number.

Izaya had lightened his pace slightly and was walking beside Zephyrus who was calling Shizuo.

"…Shizuo?"

"Zeph here. Hey listen, I got fired from the debt collecting agency. But I'm fine, really."

"…Yeah. I'm going back to Izaya's apartment. …Yeah it was Izaya's doing. No wait, don't get angry at him, it's not his fault. It's mine. I left him without a word so he just took…drastic measures. I swear Izaya didn't blackmail me, we just talked. We're best friends after all."

Zephyrus said bluntly to Shizuo and Izaya turned away as if to hide the smile on his face. He looked like he wanted to say something but was restraining from doing so.

"Yeah, really. I don't sound like I'm lying, do I?"

"….Ahhh…thanks. But I'm sorry we won't be able to have dinner together after all. I thought I'd call you to let you know…I didn't want to disappear without a word again."

"Thanks Shizuo, but you don't have to worry about that. Again, I'm really sorry."

"….Yeah. I'll see you around, then. And thank you."

Zephyrus said, then pressed the button to end the call.

"Keep it."

Izaya said when she moved to hand the device back to him.

"Eh?"

"It's yours now."

"Huh?"

Izaya looked bemused at the confusion on Zephyrus's face.

"My assistant should have a phone for me to contact her, shouldn't she?"

"But…"

"Don't worry," Izaya waved a hand casually. "I have plenty of spare phones."

"Yeah you have 10 phones." Zephyrus said and Izaya blinked.

"Well, if you're sure….."

Zephyrus said, looking at the phone in her hand as if she couldn't believe one of Izaya's phones now belonged to her.

The brown haired girl turned it over, then slid it carefully into her pocket.

Then she shoved both of her hands into her pockets, looking away slightly.

"….Thanks."

A hand patted her hair then drew away. They walked in peaceful silence for a while before Zephyrus brought up –

"Hey….Izaya."

"Hm?"

"About what I…"

Zephyrus trailed off, but Izaya understood.

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

"…I just don't want to hurt anyone."

I left you. Are you sure you should forgive me so easily?

"Really, I'm not that sensitive."

Izaya walked away from Zephyrus.

That's right. You shouldn't forgive me so easily.

Zephyrus thought with a bitter smile, before Izaya spoke.

"We may be distant from each other, but we're connected when we reach out to each other."

"….."

Zephyrus was trying to connect to the new direction Izaya had taken, as he faced her with a wry smile.

"Do you understand, Zephyrus?"

"We're both observers of mankind. We're both independent and solitary. With different pasts and personalities, different things that made us so similar yet drastically different. It's not unusual for us to feel the other is too far away sometimes."

"But –"

Izaya reached out a hand across the distance between them.

"Distance doesn't matter, as long as our hands can still reach in the end –"

Zephyrus reached out a hand, and Izaya clasped their hands when they reached.

"– And grasp our connection together, just like this."

Izaya seemed far away, having walked away from her. But the smile in his eyes and warmth of his hand gave Zephyrus a realization she couldn't have reached by herself.

"…I understand, Izaya."

'There's nothing to forgive' – Izaya's actions spelled his words out clearer than if he had said them himself. The burden on Zephyrus's heart was gone as if it had never existed in the first place.

"Thank you."

They withdrew their hands at the same time, smiling as they met each other's eyes.

When they were walking side by side again, the tension in the air had disappeared and Zephyrus held up a hand curled into a fist.

Izaya looked at her in bemusement even as he copied the action expectantly.

"Is this some significant gesture from Zeph-chan's culture?"

"The guys and I used to do this all the time."

Zephyrus answered him and knocked their knuckles together with a smile.

"It's called a bro-fist I think. It signifies that we're bros, which is a casual term for comradeship, usually amongst males."

Izaya looked at their joined knuckles curiously, before a mischievous smile spread across his face.

"It's a good thing Shizu-chan doesn't know of this, don't you think?"

Zephyrus scoffed lightly but smirked and bumped fists with Izaya as he laughed as if thinking about it.

He was so laughing so hard, like he was enjoying himself, that he was half-leaning against her shoulder.

Zephyrus bumped Izaya lightly on the head but was soon ruffling his hair instead, as he looked at her with mirth in his expression.

"Don't you think it would be funny to see? Don't you? Shizu-chan trying to do a 'bro-fist' with someone and sending them flying instead! Hahahaha! Ahahahaha! Ah- my stomach hurts just thinking about it -!"

"I'm sure he wouldn't send Celty flying," Zephyrus pointed out, but she had her hand wrapped around Izaya's head, stroking his soft hair fondly as he leaned against her shoulder and laughed with a joyful grin.

"You know, you're kind of cute right now, if only you could show this side of you to Shizuo."

The words left her without thought, but Izaya was in too good a mood to be offended by it.

"Is Zeph-chan thinking Shizu-chan should be in her position or something like that? But you know, if Shizu-chan had his hand wrapped around my head like Zeph-chan does, that wouldn't be good for my head, would it? Ah, did Zeph-chan write something like that? Fantasy isn't reality, you know?"

"Shut up." Zephyrus said, but the smile didn't fade away from her face as Izaya looked so happy his joy was almost infectious. She felt Izaya's soft black hair for a while more.

"You done laughing already? Why do you look so happy?"

"Because I'm laughing with Zeph-chan!"

"No, you're laughing with yourself. I'm not laughing with you."

Izaya just chuckled as if he knew Zephyrus understood his meaning. His eyes shone with a happiness he would be hard pressed to get from being alone, and it was especially apparent when he bumped fists with the human who was still his best friend, who returned the gesture and smile.

"By the way, how long are you going to lean against me?"

Zephyrus asked, but Izaya's mind was somewhere else.

"Hey Zeph-chan, am I your first best friend?"

Zephyrus looked at Izaya's bright expression and took a moment before replying honestly.

"…No."

Izaya's smile didn't fade, but his tone was not as light-hearted as his expression suggested.

"What were they like?"

"Great. He was involved in a lot of activities and could do many things, and he could debate. He could be shy one moment and outspoken the next. He didn't mind me touching his hair, didn't really care for appearance and we spent a lot of time together. I never really thought about it, but I guess we were close enough to be considered best friends."

As Zephyrus said this she ruffled Izaya's hair as if wanting to remind him she was there with him at the moment.

"And he ships Shizaya too."

"Haha. No wonder you two were best friends."

"Yeah. But he left me in the end."

"Why?"

"…Girlfriend."

Zephyrus replied, leaving out the part where he had become distant before that.

"Was he the only one?"

"…There was another guy, though I'm not sure if we could be considered best friends. We were close in elementary school, he was a genius and was really interesting and wanted to teach me chess, he approached me when I was distant from the other kids. And there was a girl too, who was extroverted and…I thought we were best friends but…"

Zephyrus trailed off, and would have shrugged if Izaya hadn't been leaning against her shoulder.

"Well I'm certainly not going to leave, and I certainly won't have a girlfriend."

"Yeah you'd have a boyfriend."

"Shizaya never leaves your mind, does it?"

"Yeah." Izaya blinked as Zephyrus smiled and patted his hair. "Thanks."

"Why?"

Izaya looked like he didn't understand. Zephyrus just smiled and shrugged.

"I felt like it, I guess."

"Is this why Karisawa-san and Yumasaki-san call Zeph-chan a Kuudere?"

"Oh shut up." Zephyrus pushed lightly against Izaya's head. "And get off my shoulder, I'm not Shizuo."

Really, he's so unusually pure at times like this

Zephyrus thought fondly, for Izaya had seemed like an innocent, joyful child when he had laughed with mirth from his heart, his curiosity that had prompted him to ask questions about something he was interested in like that of a pure child wanting to know more about his world.

"But I like leaning against Zeph-chan's shoulder!"

Of course, Izaya had to upset people's perceptions as usual for he was now sporting an amused smirk.

Whether it was true or not, it was clear that had been a provocative statement and Zephyrus pulled his hair in slight warning. "Then at least don't do it in public on the streets!"

"Do what?" Izaya's smirk was definitely provocative and he laughed as he dodged Zephyrus's punch, holding up his hands. "It was a joke, Zeph-chan!"

Zephyrus glared and rubbed her shoulder and followed Izaya as he skipped happily along, as if he hadn't been leaning against her shoulder and drawing the gazes of passerbys towards them.

"But, don't you think it's interesting?"

"What?"

"How humans are affected by things that shouldn't even concern them."

Zephyrus had a feeling, but asked anyway. "Like what?"

"For instance, I was leaning against Zeph-chan's shoulder just now because I felt like it and I wanted to. It was an action I decided by myself, an action which should only affect Zeph-chan and me. Zeph-chan asked me not to do it in public, which is funny if you think about it. Zeph-chan's reaction would have been the same if we had that scene in public or private, because we were sharing a moment just between us."

Izaya was smiling happily, and Zephyrus wondered if he was doing so because of his love for humans or their friendship.

"Yet, even though the moment was supposed to be between Zeph-chan and me, it affected people who were not even involved. For example, a high school girl who has a platonic relationship with a boy could have been encouraged by the sight. On the other hand, a man could have mistaken it as a romantic moment but also be encouraged in getting close to his own girlfriend. Or a woman could have done the same while thinking on how to get close to her cold boyfriend."

Izaya spoke in the middle of the street to Zephyrus, as if it was just another moment between them.

"Of course, there could also be humans feeling negative emotions, such as envy at the closeness of the relationship of two strangers they don't even know. These humans could react in all sorts of different ways – going to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, finding fault with a previously sufficient friendship, expecting more of their friends or lover – whatever action they take, it would affect people in a way they likely wouldn't have been affected had I not followed what I wanted at that moment which was the completely innocent action of leaning and laughing against Zeph-chan's shoulder."

Izaya said cheerfully, and Zephyrus stared then said, "…You sure you weren't laughing because of humans' reactions then?"

Izaya grinned.

Yeah this is Izaya, even while being cute and happy he has some plan in mind

"Not at all! It's because Zeph-chan mentioned not to do it in public, I was laughing purely at Shizu-chan and being with Zeph-chan!"

"But don't you think it's interesting?" Izaya smiled widely as Zephyrus eyed him skeptically. "How a simple action carried out by someone can have so many unintended consequences on others?"

"The spark I started grew too big, until I couldn't extinguish the fire."

Zephyrus said unexpectedly, and Izaya blinked.

"That's what you were trying to say right? That your action was a spark which, fueled by society, turned into a fire, affecting things which wouldn't have been affected without that small spark."

"Yeah," Izaya agreed with a pleased smile. "It's just like how I push humans, isn't it? I encourage them to take a step in a certain direction when they're in a certain state of mind. But if they weren't in that state of mind, they wouldn't take that step no matter how much I pushed, would they? I'm simply experienced in identifying that moment which can turn into a catalyst for evolution."

"Look," the information broker held out his hand, "That simple action of leaning against Zeph-chan's shoulder wasn't even intentional, yet it affected people anyway. Humans are always in certain states of mind, with a certain state of heart, and every action has an equal reaction. That's why humans are interesting."

"And why are you telling this to me?"

"Because it's something I'm interested in, and it's about the humans I love, so I'm speaking about my interest to my best friend. Isn't that how friendships work?"

"Yeah." Zephyrus smiled.

"So if humans are going to be affected by something not intentional anyway, how would they react if it was towards something intentional – that was what you wanted to see, wasn't it?"

"That's right." Izaya was smiling with bright eyes. "Zeph-chan knows me so well."

"Acid turns litmus paper red, and alkaline turns it blue. But every chemical you test is either acid or alkaline, and so all your results are either red or blue, which is boring. Compared to that, there's an infinite variety of human reactions. Therefore one will never get bored. What people may call manipulation is merely observation for me. There are so many humans, and so many situations, and there's an infinite number of permutations. That's right, just like in science where you observe something naturally and then apply it in a laboratory setting. I want to see humans other than myself, and observe how they will react to the most unpredictable situations, even if I have to manipulate circumstances for that."

"And why not yourself?"

"Because humans can't observe themselves."

Izaya responded after a moment, and Zephyrus thought.

Because you don't love yourself.

"Well," Zephyrus said instead, "I know what it's like to start a spark."

"Oh?"

"And have unintended consequences." Zephyrus smiled wryly.

"But I don't regret it."

"Is that so."

Izaya said and Zephyrus nodded almost distractedly.

They walked in silence for a while as if immersed in their own memories, before Zephyrus spoke suddenly.

"I feel like holding hands."

"What a coincidence. I do as well."

Zephyrus and Izaya looked at each other.

Then they laughed and reached out to grab each other's hand at the same time.

"Shit, we're like kids."

"Kind of late for us, isn't it?"

"Like elementary kids walking home together." Zephyrus grinned. "Can't say I know how that was like."

"My elementary school life was spent being fought over whose team I should join."

"Yeah me too. The guys and girls would fight over whose team I should join. In sports. I didn't want to join either – 'cause I'm not good at sports."

"Such is the fate of the antisocial kid eh?"

"Totally. I was also the editor of my class…in elementary school. And when the national exam was over I made games for the guys to play so they would stop disturbing me and my reading. Heh, though in the end I got roped in. Well, it was fun."

"Mm." Izaya smiled. "When did you realize you were different from other kids?"

"Kindergarten." Zephyrus shrugged. "Long story."

"You have so many long stories, Zeph-chan."

"I didn't want to participate in a play." Zephyrus said after a while. "Because the role we were forced to play was…extremely childish."

"Even to a child five or younger?"

"Yeah." Zephyrus said. "So I didn't want to participate. I refused to act."

"But I was the only one. Along with another kid. He was the only friend I had as a kindergarten kid. But he acted on the spot when the teacher scolded me and I pointed out he wasn't doing it as well. I felt kind of betrayed. And confused at why I was the only one opposing that we not do such a dismal play for the kindergarten teacher who was leaving and whom we all loved."

"And I got angry. I shouted at my teacher that I didn't want to do it, and she shouted at me back and made me cry. She used a word she thought I didn't know to patronize and insult me. But I was already reading books back then, I knew that word a kindergarten kid who shouldn't know how to read shouldn't know, and I shouted back at her with that word I shouldn't know. And she got angrier and screamed until I just sat there and cried."

"I remember thinking 'She's an adult, so she's underestimating me because I'm a kid. And she doesn't respect me because I'm just a kid. She thinks I don't know that word because I'm just a kid'. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did –"

" –No wait, ask me how I knew, because a kid isn't supposed to think that. A kid isn't supposed to know that. It's supposed to be psychologically impossible."

"And why is that so?"

"Have you heard of the Theory of Mind? It's a psychological theory that has been tested and supported by empirical evidence. The most famous one being the Sally-Anne task, which is a False-Belief task. Well basically it 'proves' that 5 year olds can't comprehend other's thoughts and feelings."

"So yeah at the age of 20, I discovered that I was psychologically different – a bit too late."

"That's incorrect."

"Eh?"

"If you're talking about the Theory of Mind, and the task with the ball and basket…you've made a mistake, Zeph-chan."

"I have?"

"Yes. It's close, but a difference of 2 ages makes much difference apparently. It's 3 year olds – and 4 year olds are capable of understanding other people have minds different from theirs. You were five, Zeph-chan."

Zephyrus stared as if she was shocked.

"…I'm normal?"

"Apparently. Psychologically, at least."

"I'm normal…."

His best friend muttered as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes." He said in amusement.

"I'm not that abnormal after all. …It's almost a relief."

"Well your thoughts were still rather abnormal for a child of five. Too comprehensive for a kid who's supposed to have only started to learn to realize other people have their own minds, thoughts and feelings different from their own. Not only did you realize why she was acting the way she was, you also deduced it was because of your own 'inferior' social position as a kid; you related your own supposed inferiority to the reason for her superiority…with words like 'respect', 'underestimate'…pretty impressive for a five year old kid, I would think. And you're no genius born with high IQ, are you?"

"…Should I feel honored?"

Izaya laughed at the blunt reply layered with puzzlement, smiling to himself.

"But, I can understand. In fact, I've been wondering if I should go for a brain scan myself."

"Why?"

"To see if there's anything abnormal with my brain, whether, as you thought about yourself –if I'm psychologically different."

"That's surprising to hear from you."

"Haha. What are you talking about? You already knew, didn't you? But yes, with such an extravagant personality like mine, there is room for doubt even for someone like me."

"Really." Zephyrus commented, but there was no mockery in her voice.

Izaya just smiled. "Hey Zeph-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"What was that word?"

Zephyrus stopped. Izaya stopped along with her, looking at her expectantly.

Zephyrus muttered under her breath.

But Izaya seemed to hear. He blinked and smiled wryly.

"I see. That explains a lot, Zeph-chan. Why you're the way you are, that must have contributed, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

Izaya looked like he was about to tell his own story, but instead said –

"What about middle school?"

Zephyrus, who had been about to move forward, stopped.

"Zeph-chan doesn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to."

"…Yeah. Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Zeph-chan."

There was a reassuring squeeze from the other hand.

…

The world was the same around them, the city and its people undergoing their normal lives.

They held a certain distance from that world, and sometimes felt alone, but at that moment they had each other.

"I guess kids who didn't get the chance to be kids end up becoming observers."

"Of humanity. Because they've known humanity at too early an age. And have had time to comprehend human nature."

"And what you learn when you're a kid is too deeply ingrained to forget. Because kids learn easily."

"And for a long time."

"And so I guess as adults they're kind of childish. Because they never got the chance to be a kid."

"I don't think there is any difference between adults and children. People are kids forever and sometimes kids are more grown up than adults. They are incomplete, that's what makes them have a complete existence. Humans are like that."

Izaya smiled as he said this, as if looking at something he knew only he could see.

"That's why I love humans."

"So it's alright, Zeph-chan. To be childish for your age. If you were 21 at 5 years old, vice versa applies, you can be 5 years old at 21 as well. People are kids forever, always searching for something, always exploring and kids like Zeph-chan are more grown up than adults, who was behaving more like a petulant child than Zeph-chan was."

"You're human after all."

Izaya seemed happier than usual, as if it was the first time he had the privilege to have someone he could be himself with and who wouldn't reject him. It was evident by the bright smile he gave to Zephyrus.

"I love all humans equally, but if I had to choose a lover, which thankfully I don't have to, I would choose to be paired with Zeph-chan. That's how compatible we are, I think."

Zephyrus stared for a while at Izaya's words, before going against Izaya's expectations and grinning.

"Haha. You and me? Izaya and Zephyrus? A pairing? Together? As a couple? No way! That's laughable."

She laughed in amusement as she thought about it, and Izaya smiled wryly.

"Doesn't Izarus exist?"

"Well yeah but Izarus is a ship. It's not real."

"Shizaya is a ship as well. It's not real either. Yet it still exists."

"….."

"You say it's laughable, but isn't Shizu-chan and I together even more laughable? It's ridicule at its finest!"

Izaya couldn't help but taunt with a smile on his face, but Zephyrus only said –

"No, it's perfection at its finest."

She said with a serious look on her face and Izaya's smile slipped slightly. He sighed and pulled her along.

"Well anyway, I'm satisfied with Zeph-chan as my best friend. Being together romantically wouldn't be as fun after all."

"Yeah romance isn't fun at all. A relationship isn't something that's fun, it's something committed and serious. So yeah, definitely just friends."

"Friendship is already so complicated, what would love be like?"

They said at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise.

Then they laughed together in mirth, as if happy they had found someone like them.

"Hahahaha! Zeph-chan really is like me! You don't want a lover either, do you?"

"Haha. It's not as if I don't want a lover, but I think the person would be better off without me."

"…Ahhh is that so. I think I would be better off without a lover."

Izaya said, stopped suddenly, then smiled slyly.

"I have two little sisters."

"….I have two older brothers."

Zephyrus said, looking at Izaya curiously.

"I'm the oldest child."

"…I'm the youngest child."

Zephyrus smiled wryly when she got what Izaya was trying to do.

"My parents were distant when I was a kid."

"My parents were controlling when I was a kid."

"My name is an aptronym."

"My name was supposed to be an aptronym."

"Oh?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Interesting." Izaya smiled.

"My parents have a weird naming sense."

"My parents decided there had to be a common factor in our names."

Izaya chuckled at this, then continued on.

"I was observing humans in middle school while being the top student."

"….I was observing people in middle school while being the outcast."

Zephyrus said. Izaya ruffled Zephyrus's hair and proceeded to change the topic.

"I was manipulating people in middle school."

"I was helping people in middle school."

"Even while being shunned?"

"No, after. 'Cause I knew what it was like to have no friends."

Izaya smiled as Zephyrus said this, then continued on.

"I was trying to kill Shizu-chan in high school."

"Shizu-chan saved me in high school."

"…I was a 'model student' in high school."

"I was an outright rebel in high school."

"Ah, Zeph-chan was a rebel?"

"Shut up it wasn't on purpose. I was just doing my own thing…..since I had nothing to lose. …..Then somehow I got called a rebel."

"What an ironic coincidence, I had everything to gain."

Izaya said as he smiled, then asked, "Well what did Zeph-chan do?"

"…..Sleep in class?"

"That's all?"

"Listen to music in class if it got boring."

"Didn't you get scolded?"

"I think the teachers were trying to ignore me. I didn't really get scolded…..and I didn't care if I was."

"Eh, was Zeph-chan doing so well Zeph-chan's teachers couldn't say anything – or something like that?"

"Yeah, actually." Zephyrus said and Izaya blinked. "Like, they would call me out if they thought I wasn't paying attention but I could answer their question so they couldn't say anything? Something like that."

"I mean it's not as if I wanted to be a rebel, I just saw practical significance in getting some sleep during a class with material I had already understood. What's the point of listening if I already know everything? My day ended late, even at night sometimes from early morning and when I went home I still had homework to do. It came to a point when I didn't even have time to relax or write. I needed all the sleep I could get."

"My goal wasn't to get the teachers to like me, or score well in tests. My goal was to monitor my own progress so that I could pick myself back up and ace the national exam so I could get into a good university. Nothing mattered besides the national exam so it didn't matter how bad or good marks I got on tests that would count nothing in the long run were."

"So yeah, like my literature teacher didn't like me at all but I didn't care. Especially when she took my friends aside along with some others and told them according to their results in the exam, they would fail in the national exam. So I didn't like her at all. There was once she said sarcastic words when I came in late so I listened to her and just strolled in. Another time I came in late again there was only one seat left – or was that the same time? Anyway that seat was next to her so I had no choice but to sit down next to her. I took out my phone and took down notes and she asked me what I was doing and I said emotionlessly I was taking down notes. So yeah we really didn't get along well."

"….It's not as if I wanted to offend the teachers." Zephyrus said after a while. "It's just that our principles clashed, and I wasn't going to change my way of doing things for anyone. Because the results I would get would be all my responsibility in the long run. Bad or good, I would only have myself to answer. My…advanced English teacher knew that. I told her I wasn't comfortable with speaking up in class, and didn't want to write anything I didn't have interest in during a consultation with her. I tried to let her know my own point of view and that it's nothing personal, and she understood. We were on quite good terms actually despite me not paying attention in her class. Since I was one of her top students and all."

"And I figured, as long as I was getting good grades I wouldn't get in trouble especially as I was in a low-ranking school. And it worked, and I even topped the level in a subject in a final exam once so I saw no reason to change."

Zephyrus ended her reflection, then blinked at the silence.

"Ah sorry…it seems I went off on a tangent."

"Why are you apologizing when I asked?"

"…..It's –"

"Automatic? Haha…..a rebel who apologizes automatically….what a contradiction you are, Zeph-chan."

Izaya said in amusement, laughing as he swung their hands.

"It's fine, it's fine. In fact, don't apologize – that was all very interesting information about my best friend."

He said as if happy he had gotten to hear such information, and she looked puzzled.

"Right…"

Zephyrus said, then decided to shrug it off as Izaya happy at getting information about a human.

There was a peaceful silence for a moment before Izaya said –

"I skipped classes in university."

"…..We're doing this still?"

Izaya just smiled widely like a kid having fun, and Zephyrus gave in with a sigh.

"I made sure to attend every class in university."

"I went to a university which wasn't all that hard to get into."

"I went to a university which was very hard to get into."

"I parkoured to university!"

Izaya exclaimed happily and Zephyrus twitched.

"I….took normal transport to university…you bastard."

Izaya smirked smugly, and then said –

"I hate Heiwajima Shizuo."

"I love Heiwajima Shizuo."

Izaya gave an exaggerated sigh, before he decided to move on.

"I like any food as long as it tells me the personality of the person who prepared it."

"I'm picky with food."

"I love high places."

"I hate high places. Hey how long is this going to go on? Don't we have enough differences already?"

"One last one."

Izaya said, then stopped, making Zephyrus stop too –

– As he turned towards the person who was so similar yet so different from him at the same time –

"I love you, as a human."

"…I don't love myself as a human."

Izaya didn't look surprised at the honest confession. He didn't respond to it, nor did he look awkward.

But he didn't let go of his best friend's hand as he gave a gentle smile and moved forward.

He really accepts everything

Zephyrus thought idly, a smile on her face. She felt grateful for Izaya's presence at that moment.

And though many would disagree, she also felt grateful for Orihara Izaya's existence –

– Fictional or real.

"Well, Zeph-chan came back to me in the end!"

The words were direct, but they were said with a fond smile.

Zephyrus blinked, then chuckled fondly as she gave him a teasing grin.

"…You really aren't as confident as you look, are you?"

…

…

…

Somewhere else in Ikebukuro

…

Shizuo looked at the phone in his hand.

Then he flipped it closed and placed it onto the table, then sat down on the chair.

"…..Thanks for the food."

He placed his hands together in prayer and murmured in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the empty chair.

Both sides of the table had food, which was an unusual occurrence for Shizuo's apartment.

The blond merely accepted this unusual occurrence with a silent gaze, and proceeded to eat alone as usual.

The silence that surrounded him in the apartment didn't feel peaceful.