@nothazukimikagi continued !!
If ripples in time were stones in a pond, then Shibuya was an infinite wave pool, clashing in all directions. As long as Joshua could remember, he’d seen the overlays from neighboring planes. Players and reapers mingling with classmates and families, inseparable at a glance.
Then, later on, adding all the possibilities, they joined in like a countermelody to the song that defines the city. For every success, there was a million failures. For every failure, a thousand successes. A practiced ear could pick through the oncoming, inharmonic collisions and find a finely tuned masterpiece. That is, if one knew precisely where to look.
Even for the Composer, sifting through all the noise could be difficult at times, but in recent years, he’d learned how to truly open his senses to the possibilities of this place rather than its shortcomings. Laughter and tears, Togetherness and solitude. All were necessary, and in some ways, beautiful. If Shibuya was a song, being played by a grand orchestra across eternity, then it was left to Joshua to compose a tune befitting of that grandeur.
He took pride in that responsibility. The burden was his to bear, and that suited him well enough. However, the scrutiny that this place received was not unknown to him. The powers that hear not the ever-flowing melodies, but sense only Noise and discord. Whenever challenge arose, the people never failed to rise with it, for reasons mysterious to those above. Unpredictability was synonymous with life to Shibuya.
Speaking of those unable to comprehend this place, it appeared there was an interloper still lingering on these streets. Strange... He hasn’t run back upstairs with his tail between his legs yet? Well. This would be interesting.
“Hey there. You’re still in town, are you?” The words were laced with sickly sweet honey, dripping with false invitation. Thinly veiled by the sugary voice, a venomous undertone shadowed the question. “You’re not lost, are you? You never were any good at finding your way around this place, friend.”
