Talking: Nice to meet you.

Whispering: That's wild.

Thinking: (What the hell is happening?)

---------------------------------------------------------

{3rd Person POV}

https://youtu.be/_f3wzJKqboI

After the string of hectic and stressful days, the Phaethon siblings and the people close to them were in dire need of some form of relaxation. Taking advantage of the fact that Sundays were the slowest days for the video store, Wise decided to leave it closed for the day.

He didn't bother getting out of bed for the first few minutes after waking up. He texted his two employees, Heddy and Sjal, that they had the day off. The two girls quickly responded to the message, leaving Wise to simply sit back and relax. Current time, 8:00 AM.

Outside of the store, Kiba walked through the streets of the slow and peaceful Sixth Street. He huffed and mumbled under his breath as he walked, clearly annoyed. Due to the fact he lives alone, he doesn't have much money. In other words, he was dead broke.

He couldn't buy a lot of his stuff new, which made it all the more annoying that his TV remote decided to just fail on him the night before. Smacking it didn't work. Was it the batteries? Nope, even with a new set it didn't work.

Kiba: (Ugh... This is what I get for getting junk...)

After repeatedly trying to get it to work a few more times, he just gave up and decided to get it to the most trusted tech mechanic he knew. Enzo, from the Turbo Remodelling Shop.

【Turbo Remodeling Shop】 [Top-Ranked Specialist Store]



The boy walked inside the store, a bell above the doorway ringing as he opened and closed the door behind him. His gaze was immediately drawn to a distinctive head of spiky white hair and a red jacket. The figure looked back and smiled despite not having a mouth.

Billy: Buddy, perfect! I was just gonna text you for help with something...

The black and white-haired boy nodded, his hands in his pockets as he walked up to stand beside the taller man.

Kiba: What is it?

Billy: I'm thinking of switching lubricant brands. Should I go for a thinner one, or a thicker one?

Kiba: You're thinking of WHAT?!

The boy's eyes widened in shock. WHY THE HELL WAS BILLY BUYING LUBE?! The taller male turned around showing two bottles of machine lubricant.

Billy: Hmm? Just talkin 'bout the oil I use to maintain my firearms, doncha know?

And his eyes went back to normal just as quickly as they widened.

Kiba: Oh... That's what you were talking about...

Billy: Oh~ I get it. You thought I was talking about something else!

The android spoke in a teasing voice, wiggling his non-existent eyebrows.

Billy: —Robot lubricant! You're right. My mechanical joints do need a lot of lubricating oil... Buddy, you sure care about me!

Kiba: Yeah... Sure... (Is he stupid or does he pretend to be?).

Billy: It's a shame I've only got enough to buy one type this month, otherwise I'd get both!

The robot continued to contemplate his choice of lubricant. Kiba, straightforward as ever, reached into Billy's jacket pocket and pulled out a denny doin.

Kiba: Wanna flip a coin for it?

Billy: Great idea! When you can't decide, it's best to leave it up to fate! Tails for thick, heads for thin.

The heterochromatic boy nodded, flipping the coin into the air. The two watched expectantly as the coin rapidly flipped in the air. It reached its peak, before quickly falling back down to the boy's hand. He slapped the coin into the back of his palm before revealing it to have landed on heads!

Billy: Alright, thin lubricant it is!

The two walked over to the counter where the owner of the store, Enzo, was waiting for them. Billy quickly paid for his lube, leaving Kiba free to ask for help with his predicament.

Enzo: Hey kid, what brings you here today?

The boy placed the TV remote on the counter with a glare at the inanimate object.

Kiba: This thing just randomly stopped working!

Enzo: Oh don't worry about it, it'll be done in a—WHAAAAAAAT?!

The second Enzo looked at the remote his eyes widened, his sunglasses fell, and he dropped his pipe with a scream of shock. Kiba and Billy reeled back from the shout, covering their ears as they did so.

Kiba: What the hell is wrong with you?!

Billy: What happened?!

Enzo babbled nonsensically, absolutely flabbergasted at the object he was holding in his hands. The teen and android looked at each other in confusion, shrugging simultaneously. Billy grabbed Enzo by the shoulder and shook him slightly.

Billy: Mr.Enzo, what's up with you?

The older man reached over the counter and grabbed Kiba

Enzo: Th-This remote... It's one of the best-ever wireless TV remotes! How did you get a hold of this?! The company that made them went under 30 years ago!

Kiba: H-Hey! I dunno alright?! I found it in the dumpster!

Kiba pushed himself off of Enzo's and straightened his grey hoodie. The man adjusted his sunglasses and cleared his throat.

Enzo: Ahem... I don't know if I will be able to fix it. Though, it is strange that it broke so suddenly. This company was known for its quality and durability. How could somebody throw out a collector's item like it's nothing?

Kiba: Hell if I know. They threw out a TV along with it too.

Enzo: YOU HAVE THE TV TOO??!?!?!?!

~Time Skip~

After a good deal of hyperventilating in excitement from Enzo, the three men came to an agreement. The owner of the shop clearly looked interested so Billy, using the businessman techniques he picked up from watching Nicole, offered the TV and remote to Enzo for a price.

Kiba weighed his options. Sure, selling the TV would leave him without much entertainment. But if it was truly worth as much as Enzo was hyping it up to be, then it might even let him get by for the coming months without needing to rely on Belle and Wise for financial support. He didn't want to mooch off them.

Alas, the boy arrived at his apartment building followed by Billy. The teen told the older android to wait outside of the door, mainly because he didn't really like having guests over. Kiba didn't want anyone to look at his... honestly, sad apartment.



The strong boy carried the heavy CRT TV in his arms, walking along with Billy towards the maintenance shop. As they walked, Billy couldn't help but strike up a bit of conversation.

Billy: Soooo you said you found this thing in the dumpster right? Must've been a lucky day huh?

Kiba: Yeah, this thing's been with me for the last couple of years. Kinda sad to see it go but, eh. *Shrug* If the money's good I won't have to worry about rent for a bit.

Billy: Sheesh, you struggle with rent? Me too bro, me too.

Kiba quickly realized he had put himself in a vulnerable spot by revealing this to Billy. The boy shoved the taller android with his shoulder.

Kiba: I don't struggle with rent! You didn't hear me say anything, you hear me?!

The two entered the remodeling and Enzo began to quickly examine the TV and Remote. Everything seemed fine, so he decided to simply plug it in and see if it worked. With nervous trembling hands he plugged in the giant brick of a device, clicked the on button on the remote and IT TURNED ON.

Enzo: Huh... Didn't you say the remote didn't work?

He began to remember last night.

Kiba: Um...

~Flashback~

An incredibly tired Kiba yawned as he entered his apartment after a long day of adventuring through the Hollow, followed by an afternoon of Arcade games with Billy. Both his physical and social batteries were totally drained. 0/240, some might say. He didn't even bother to turn on the lights!

With a tired yawn, the boy removed his jacket, shirt, shoes, pants, and socks—all in that order. He usually slept in only his boxers. He walked over to the closet, where he kept his futon and blanket—before accidentally tripping on a cable he couldn't see.

Kiba: ACK— Damn... Piss off...

He stood up again, grabbing his futon from the closet and quickly unrolling it onto the floor along with the blanket. He grabbed the TV remote from the floor to watch something before going to sleep. He clicked the on button, nothing happened, and you know what happened after that.

~Flashback End~

It's safe to say, the heterochromatic boy felt dumber than a brick right about now. He spoke up with a facepalm.

Kiba: Yeah... Whatever, just give me the money.

Quickly trying to calm himself down from having such a rare collector's item piece right in front of him, the bearded man cleared his throat.

Enzo: Alright, kid. Let me give you some advice. Don't ever let the person buying set the price. I'll give you the honest worth of this sweet thing, but that's because I like ya. Other people won't be as honest.

He went to the back of the store for a few seconds before coming back with a paper bag seemingly full of cash.

Enzo: Here ya go kid, 525,000 Dennies.

Kiba and Billy looked shocked as Enzo handed him the cash.

Billy: Buddy... This is amazing!

Kiba: Woah... (I've never held this much money at one time before...)

The teen and android duo left the store together, with Kiba still absolutely flabbergasted at the amount of time he got from selling his old TV. He would've done it sooner if he knew about its worth!

Billy: Say, buddy. I forgot to ask you this yesterday at the arcade—wanna exchange numbers?

Kiba became a bit flustered at the question, recoiling a little before reaching for his phone and flicking it open. They quickly exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

~Time Skip~

Current time, 12:00 PM. Kiba returned home with the money he had gotten from selling the TV and immediately hid it away inside his closet behind his futon. He knew his apartment was incredibly empty, but seeing that spot where the TV used to rest made him ever so slightly sad. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone buzzed. It was the messaging up Knock Knock.

[💬Knock Knock DMs💬]

Burger_King: Hey, it's me Anby. Billy gave me your number.

Gotcha :KR-555

So. What's up? Why the message? :KR-555

Burger_King: I was wondering if you wanted to meet up.

Burger_King: I'm on Sixth Street now.

Burger_King: At the Toy Store.

Ok, I'll see ya there I guess. :KR-555

[💬 Bye Bye💬]

The heterochromatic boy did find it a little weird how two members of the Cunning Hares just so happened to be in his neighborhood around the same time, but he did find it a little nice. This is his first time hanging out with other people who aren't Belle and Wise.

Kiba quickly left home after he finished his conversation with Anby. He walked down the stairs of his apartment building and out of the door, not even taking 5 minutes to walk from his home to Box Galaxy. He saw the white-haired calmly sitting on a bench while eating a burger.

Kiba: Yo.

Anby: Ah, Kiba. It's good to see you.

She fixed up her headphones and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Anby scooted away from the center of the bench, a silent invitation for him to sit down with her. An invitation he decided to take.

Anby: I'm having a burger. Do you want some?

Kiba: Um, I'll pass...

Anby: Don't you like burgers? In terms of taste, nutrition, and value for money, burgers are the highest-rated food in modern society. I recommend you give it a try.

Kiba: What are you? Some kind of burger expert?

Anby: Well... I'm just a fan of burgers...

The two proceeded to have a discussion about burgers while Anby ate. Kiba had only tried burgers very few times in his life, but from what he remembered, they were pretty tasty. The white-haired girl seemed to think very highly of the food, something Kiba took note of. She scrunched the paper wrapper into a ball after she was done.

Anby: Burger consumption complete. If you don't mind, I've got some work to do.

Kiba: Work? What do you gotta do?

Anby: It's an important task Nicole assigned to me. Speaking of which, there's something I'd like to ask you. Do you know how Random Play is doing financially?

The taller male was a little taken aback by the sudden question, raising an eyebrow.

Kiba: Well, I don't really know. I'm not really involved in allat... but they seem to be doing pretty well.

Anby: Hmph... So you CAN make money running your own store after all...

The girl looked down at the ground in deep thought, much to Kiba's confusion. He leaned down a little, his eyebrow raised.

Kiba: Hey, what's wrong? You can't just act all mysterious and not give more details...

She glanced at him for a split second, a slight warmth appearing within her when she saw him seemingly worried about her situation.

Anby: I've been going over last month's accounts for the Cunning Hares. It's better than before, but we're still in the red.

Kiba: Damn... Have you ever turned a profit? Because your boss is always in debt with somebody.

Anby: Of course we have... Because everyone forgot to keep track of the expenses that month.

Kiba deadpanned. They really didn't know how to properly run their business...

Kiba: Are... Are you sure you're all ok? You sound like you're gonna be homeless.

Anby: It's fine, our current landlord is a kind person. Even if we owe money we won't get kicked out, so we're not going to end up living on the streets.

Anby stood up, looking a bit more relaxed but still in deep thought. She looked back at Kiba, her eyes holding an undeniable amount of trust in her teammates.

Anby: And, if we really didn't have somewhere to go... We'd still have each other, so things would work out.

Kiba: Right...

Anby: Thanks for worrying about us though. Please, contact me if there's anything I can do to help you... Or if you'd like to do this again sometime. Hang out. Together.

The two teenagers blushed awkwardly before Anby quickly dashed away without saying another word. Her heart was beating so fast and her face was so red! She wanted to just throw herself off a cliff for her awkwardness! She felt like going nonverbal for the rest of the day...

After that weird interaction, the boy continued to do his usual activities. Helping around the neighborhood as best he could while ignoring most of his schoolwork. Yes, believe it or not, he is still a high school student. Is he a good student? HELL NO. Is he passing? Yeah, barely.

~Time Skip~

Current time, 9:00 PM. Kiba was currently out on patrol! After all, he needed to keep the street rats away from his "turf". He wondered what the Red Fang Gang was doing right about now. To their knowledge, their leader disappeared in the Hollow and never came back.

A fate that, unfortunately, many people suffered. The only reason he was out patrolling was force of habit, since he doubted the gang would show up for a while.

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a familiar female voice down the hallway between the convenience store and the arcade. He quickly walked over, cracking his knuckles and getting ready to squabble first and ask questions second.

Kiba: (She's here too? Damn, they really come to Sixth Street often.)

Illuminated by the nearby street lamps, he saw three people. A familiar head of pink hair and two angry-looking men had Nicole cornered against a wall. He could faintly hear their conversation as he approached.

Debt Collector 1: Your grace period's up! Pay your debt or suffer the consequences!

Debt Collector 2: Don't even think of using any tricks this time, Cunning Hare Nicole!

Nicole looked between the men, trying to back up as much as possible from them. Her frown then turned into a smile when she saw Kiba walking up to them.

Nicole: Perfect timing! Quick, you can vouch for me, right? The Cunning Hares are an honest, above-the-board business. We always pay our debts!

She leaned over and grabbed him by the arm, using his body as a shield between herself and the debt collectors.

Kiba: What the—?! Uh, sure??? Nicole's trustworthy enough...

Nicole: See! He knows what I'm about. I'll be able to pay you back real soon!

Debt Collector 2: What, you gonna vouch for Nicole? How do you two know each other? You're not partners in crime, are ya?

Nicole: How dare you! Our partnership is absolutely ethically spotless, that's all there is to it!

Debt Collector 2: That sounds even more suspicious!

Debt Collector 1: If you can't pay me back the 200,000 Dennies today, I'll chop off one of your hands—

*POW*

The man was cut off when a rocketing punch collided with his face. His nose scrunched up as blood began to trickle down, splashing the red liquid on the boy's hoodie. The man fell to the ground with a heavy thud, knocked out.

The other man didn't have time to react as Kiba grabbed the side of his face and slammed his head into a wall! The boy grabbed the man's arm and slammed him into the ground beside his partner.

"🐕 Not so tough now, are ya? 🐕"



Nicole was shocked and a little flattered that he had decided to protect her without a second of hesitation. The way he swiftly dealt with the two men using his brute strength alone caused the gears in her mind to start turning and her heart to skip a beat! One of the two debt collectors looked up, barely conscious.

Kiba: Oh, and just so you know, I've got nothing to do with this. I just don't like seeing you people around my street.

He spoke coldly. That was the last thing the man heard before he finally gave in and lost consciousness.

Nicole: Thanks for the save! I was about to call in Pubsec impersonators to trick these guys, but you saved me a few thousand denny!

Kiba: Why the hell do you not have Billy to Anby with you when dealing with people like these? And how are you in so much debt anyway?!

Nicole: Street kid rule no. 3: To catch a big fish, you gotta cast a long line. Squeezing money out of these guys is easy, especially when I have a guy like you with me!

The boy raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to show his confusion. Nicole thought he looked, for lack of a better word, adorable! Belle wasn't lying! He's just like a puppy! Though, a pretty angry one.

Kiba: What do you mean?

Nicole: I got the news today that you are broke!

Kiba: *Blush* HUH?! Tch, n-no I'm not!

Nicole: Don't lie! You're a horrible liar. Plus, Billy and Anby can testify.

He grumbled under his breath in response.

Nicole: I want to offer you a job! My main and personal bodyguard. You should be honored you get to work with me!

Kiba: Oh shut up. I don't even have the time for that. I still have to go to school.

Nicole: Well, how about a part time job? You'll be Kiba Inuzuka! Honorary member of The Cunning Hares. How does that sound?

He weighed his options, a hand resting in his chin. Was he desperate for money? Absolutely. Did he want to work under Nicole? Eeeeeeh maybe. He had a good relationship with Billy and Anby, and Nicole seemed to be a good person at heart despite her greedy tendencies.

He ultimately sighed slightly, hoping this whole Cunning Hare hollow raiding business didn't take up too much of his time. He needed to keep helping around the neighborhood and obviously, the Phaethon siblings.

Kiba: Alright then... I agree. I'll be your... ugh, b-bodyguard...

A job would help him pay Belle back all the meals and help she has given him over the years. With her smiling face on his mind, he shook Nicole's hand.

{TO BE CONTINUED...}

———————————————————————

I hope you guys enjoyed this more laid back chapter before we get back into the story.

These exist to flesh out the relationships between character more, have events that happen in these chapters lead into the story, and, of course, let you guys know more about Kiba.

Speaking of which, ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT KIBA HERE if you have any. I'll respond to your comments.