Ah, he was in a team with Kuko-san. The Naughty Busters? So they were together and then Sasara-san and Samatoki-san joined together with them to make a new team. I guess it was a type of 'your enemy is my enemy' situation.
[Jyushi isn't really thinking much about the questions that Hitoya is asking, just going along with answering what he's asking. He's really got no idea that Hitoya would have any idea already of what he's telling him.]
I never knew Kuko-san had a team before us. [He isn't jealous or anything but it just feels strange to not know.]
[That's not the point. Not what matters to Jyushi anyway though it's something he'll be coming back to as he keeps digging into this mystery.]
I may have gotten to know Kuko around the same time as you but I didn't stay particularly close the same way we did. I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise. I didn't know another about another team but...
[He supposes it's only fair that he add what he does know into the big picture.]
I heard from Shakku a couple years back when he ran off from home. Would have been 16, maybe 17 at the time? He was gone for about a year without a single word about what he was getting up to or where.
[It isn't too surprising the leaders had a group before, right? It was why they were chosen to be leaders now. That only makes sense and Jyushi isn't thinking too deeply about it otherwise.
But hearing that, some things make a little more sense why Kuko was out in Ikebukuro. Knowing his relationship with his father then it was probably some sort of rebellion.]
And so he was in Ikebukuro at that time...with Ichiro-san... [He whines and then shakes his head. Focus!]
I wonder what happened...Sasara-san said he couldn't tell me since he left before Kuko-san did.
[Ah, these lies were bound to bite him in the ass sooner or later. Hitoya already knows that's not true. Knows how suspicious it is that Kuko and Sasara both left with mysterious excuses on exactly the same day.
He gives some thought about how to tease out the details now.]
Is that so?
[He feigns curiosity easily enough, the same way he does when some of his clients are divulging the minutia of their life's stories.]
Did he give a reason why? Or say exactly when that was?
[Jyushi isn't catching on that Hitoya knows more than he's letting on. He's not quite that in tune with things like that and also he never would guess that Hitoya would hide things like this.]
No, he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it?
[Hitoya frowns. The sort of expression he makes when reviewing a some particular evidence that he doesn't like. He didn't expect Osaka's leader to prove so useful in this way but he makes a mental note that maybe he should follow up with the man too...]
Just like Kuko hasn't been too keen to talk about it either.
It seems like something happened, huh? I mean, you know, other than the obvious. Everything doesn't sound like Kuko-san and Sasara-san is just so chatty, it was surprising when he went quiet about Samatoki-san.
[Although Jyushi really wonders if it's his business to be thinking about this. After all, this was Kuko's past, his story, and if he wanted to share it then he could. It wasn't like Jyushi had really shared everything with Kuko as well.]
[Hitoya's thinking along the same lines as Jyushi and it brings up something else that's been on his mind for a long while. Ever since Kuko first dragged them together and insisted they form a team.]
You and I? We both have our reasons for joining Kuko and entering the division rap battles. You're doing it to prove your strength and I have an old score to settle. But what about Kuko? What's in it for him?
[It's not exactly the sort of thing one throws themselves within to without any thought... not even someone as chaotic as Kuko.]
[That's a good question and when Jyushi earnestly tries to think of an answer, he can't find one.]
I...never really thought of it that way. He's very aggressive so something like this seemed like something he'd want to do. But usually he does have some reason, doesn't he?
[Even if it doesn't seem like it. But there's always some underlying reason for the things he does.]
[Very aggressive was certainly an understatement but he won't hold it against Jyushi who always thinks the best of others by default and certainly not now when he's so wrapped up in his concern for what Kuko would think about their present circumstances. But it isn't just a broad understatement...]
Thinking back on it, he's been very aggressive about this. All the more reason there's gotta be something to it, don't you think?
[And Hitoya would put money down that they've landed on it.]
That's another really good point. [Not something that ever stood out to Jyushi, who hadn't known Kuko as long as Hitoya. But also Hitoya tended to notice finer details like this about people in general so it wasn't surprising.]
So do you think this is about Ichiro-san? Or maybe something to do with him, at least? [It seems like that is probably it.]
There's only two people that can really answer that. Fortunately, one of them is here...
[Unfortunately, it's not the one they should be asking but that's just a luxury they don't have here in Avalon. He's really starting to sound like a broken record, already bracing for Jyushi to push back.]
Which leads us back to what I've been saying all along.
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[Jyushi isn't really thinking much about the questions that Hitoya is asking, just going along with answering what he's asking. He's really got no idea that Hitoya would have any idea already of what he's telling him.]
I never knew Kuko-san had a team before us. [He isn't jealous or anything but it just feels strange to not know.]
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[That's not the point. Not what matters to Jyushi anyway though it's something he'll be coming back to as he keeps digging into this mystery.]
I may have gotten to know Kuko around the same time as you but I didn't stay particularly close the same way we did. I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise. I didn't know another about another team but...
[He supposes it's only fair that he add what he does know into the big picture.]
I heard from Shakku a couple years back when he ran off from home. Would have been 16, maybe 17 at the time? He was gone for about a year without a single word about what he was getting up to or where.
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But hearing that, some things make a little more sense why Kuko was out in Ikebukuro. Knowing his relationship with his father then it was probably some sort of rebellion.]
And so he was in Ikebukuro at that time...with Ichiro-san... [He whines and then shakes his head. Focus!]
I wonder what happened...Sasara-san said he couldn't tell me since he left before Kuko-san did.
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He gives some thought about how to tease out the details now.]
Is that so?
[He feigns curiosity easily enough, the same way he does when some of his clients are divulging the minutia of their life's stories.]
Did he give a reason why? Or say exactly when that was?
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No, he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it?
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Just like Kuko hasn't been too keen to talk about it either.
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[Although Jyushi really wonders if it's his business to be thinking about this. After all, this was Kuko's past, his story, and if he wanted to share it then he could. It wasn't like Jyushi had really shared everything with Kuko as well.]
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[Hitoya's thinking along the same lines as Jyushi and it brings up something else that's been on his mind for a long while. Ever since Kuko first dragged them together and insisted they form a team.]
You and I? We both have our reasons for joining Kuko and entering the division rap battles. You're doing it to prove your strength and I have an old score to settle. But what about Kuko? What's in it for him?
[It's not exactly the sort of thing one throws themselves within to without any thought... not even someone as chaotic as Kuko.]
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I...never really thought of it that way. He's very aggressive so something like this seemed like something he'd want to do. But usually he does have some reason, doesn't he?
[Even if it doesn't seem like it. But there's always some underlying reason for the things he does.]
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Thinking back on it, he's been very aggressive about this. All the more reason there's gotta be something to it, don't you think?
[And Hitoya would put money down that they've landed on it.]
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So do you think this is about Ichiro-san? Or maybe something to do with him, at least? [It seems like that is probably it.]
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[Unfortunately, it's not the one they should be asking but that's just a luxury they don't have here in Avalon. He's really starting to sound like a broken record, already bracing for Jyushi to push back.]
Which leads us back to what I've been saying all along.