Hope all of you are safe during these times. And for those who are struggling I wish you the best. Hoping this chapter will be of some help.

A big thank you goes to SomebodyLost for all their work, and helping me figure things out. And I'll see you all at the end of the chapter.

Almost all of these character don't belong to me, but to Atlus.

Chapter 21

Idly listening to her boyfriend putter downstairs, Sadayo eagerly looked through the pile of DVDs by the TV. The night was a bit bumpy at the start, but now it was turning quite fun. She got to mess with him a bit, she got to hear about how much he cared and worried about her, and she finally got a response out of him concerning his thoughts on her maid outfit.

'He sure picked quite a few of them,' Sadayo pondered at the options available. There were some romantic films to be sure, since Akira knew her interests, but there were some smatterings of action, comedy and horror as well.

While she was obviously leaning towards the romance, she wanted to be considerate of Akira. "It's not fair if I just pick what I want. I wonder what kind of movies he's into?" Shuffling between Bubbly Hills, 90210 and Guy McVer, her gaze drifted to The Running Dead. "I've never been really good with those. But, maybe it should be fine as long as I have Akira with me?"

'The cliche scenario of the girlfriend clinging to her boyfriend's arm during a scary movie.' Sadayo rolled her eyes, even as she blushed. "Seriously, that's the kind of thing teenagers pull when they're trying to get closer to someone they like. We've already moved past that stage." Still, her eyes slowly drifted back towards the movie again before she forcibly looked away, laughing at her silliness.

Letting out a happy sigh, she gazed at the stairs. "Akira would be back soon with the snacks so I should make a choice now."

But then she heard a loud knock from downstairs.

In the still night, the knock was a jolt of sound. Sadayo almost yelped, but was thankfully able to catch herself.

'Is someone outside?! Could it be Sakura-san?! One of Akira's friends?!' Sadayo desperately looked around in search of a possible exit or hiding place. 'Maybe under the workbench? Or under the sheets?' Sadayo could only groan at how obvious it would be if they came upstairs to find a big lump under the blanket. Maybe Akira can shoo them off?

"Akira-kun? Are you in there?"

Sadayo immediately halted and looked back at the stairs. 'That… sounded like a girl. Could it be one of those other women Akira talked about?' Sadayo bit her lip, dithering. She knew that she should be out of sight, but as nagging thoughts began to spread, she couldn't help her body from moving on its own. Quietly, she went down the steps, taking solace that the cafe's lights had been killed earlier, darkening the stairwell. Still, she didn't completely descend to the rest of the steps and settled for a peek around the corner.

Walking from her was her boyfriend's back, and beyond him, framed by the door window and illuminated by Leblanc's outdoor lights, was a young girl. She perked noticeably even when Akira didn't immediately open the door.

"Hana-sempai?" Akira asked.

'Sempai?' A knot formed in Sadayo's stomach. She didn't recognize the girl at all from Shujin, so maybe she had overlooked her, yet something told Sadayo that it wasn't the case. But... if not from Shujin, then the girl could've been from Akira's old school. Sadayo urgently leaned in as her boyfriend opened the door, not wanting to miss whatever information she could get.

"Hey, it's been awhile! So you're really living in a coffee shop. Uncle Tetsu told me about it, but I found it hard to believe. But here you are!" The girl immediately chattered, gesturing at Akira excitedly, but something felt off to Sadayo.

"Yep. Here I am?" Akira replied, fueling Sadayo's intuition. He sounded more awkward than Sadayo expected him to.

"Oh, you're probably wondering," the girl continued, gesturing to her short, diagonally-cut dark hair and the shades on top, "but I got a haircut. Decided to try something new since I started college. You know what they say about having a new start—"

"Hana," Akira interrupted, raising a hand, "I'm going to be blunt, but what are you doing here?" His voice sounded exasperated, like he would rather be anywhere than there.

"Oh… um..." The girl deflated, raising a hand to touch the clip holding her right bangs. The gesture seemed to give her a positive boost, since she added, "I… I just happened to have some free time during the summer. I just thought that… it would be nice to see you again, catch up for lost time."

"I see," Akira's head tilted downwards to what seemed to be the luggage next to the girl.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I wasn't planning on staying here or anything. I made a reservation at a hotel. I just realized how close I was to your place and well…" the girl nervously smiled, "surprise?"

Sadayo watched Akira take a deep breath. The whole conversation was honestly starting to feel uncomfortable, and it made Sadayo feel even more so that she was overhearing this. She could only imagine how it must feel for the girl.

"...Well, I'm certainly surprised, that's for sure," Akira finally replied. "Look, Hana, now is not the best time for this. Maybe it's best that you head to your hotel now. You don't want to end up stuck because the trains stopped running."

"Yeah… I guess that was really reckless of me," the girl dropped her hands, sounding so demoralized that Sadayo worried that she would cry at any moment. "I guess I'll come back later then. Still, it was nice seeing you again, Kir — I mean, Akira-kun."

With that, she gave Akira a bow and grabbed her luggage before running off. A part of Sadayo wanted to chase and stop her, but she refrained. So she waited for a few moments before walking out.

Akira stared at the direction the girl ran off, hands clenched, before letting out a long exhale. Closing the door, he rubbed his forehead for a moment before turning back. To his surprise, his girlfriend had snuck right behind him, looking quite worried.

"So you heard all of that, huh?" Akira did his best to smile, but it felt like plaster.

There were so many questions running through Sadayo's mind at the moment, but seeing his discomfort, she lent him a comforting smile. "Why don't you take a seat? I'll make us some coffee."

Holding her gaze, Akira weighed her words and calm countenance, and eventually, he nodded. Taking a seat by the counter, he watched his girlfriend approach, placing her hands on his shoulders and a peck on his cheek for comfort. He returned it with a gentle squeeze of her hand before letting go.

As she made her way around the counter, Sadayo recounted how watching Akira work had always relaxed her, and she hoped that she would be able to do the same for him tonight. She made sure to do everything just as he had taught her, not wanting him to worry about how good or bad it would go. She noticed it was working when she caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye, and noted his unabashed, loving expression, which made her face heat up and hands nervous. But calming him wasn't the only reason why she offered.

Sadayo always preferred to keep herself busy to take her mind off things. And after witnessing the awkward discussion, Sadayo needed something to do or else her mind would start imagining all over the place. Still, despite her efforts and concentration, she couldn't help but wonder if—

"She's not my ex-girlfriend."

Glad that she wasn't handling the hot coffee pot, Sadayo turned towards her boyfriend, who now seemed calmer. "W-what do you—"

"Sorry," Akira rubbed the back of his neck, "after that whole situation with Makoto and Ohya, I want to avoid any misunderstanding. And I can guess how that talk sounded like. But we never dated. If you remember, I told you that I've never had a girlfriend. Other than you of course." Akira turned away bashfully.

"...I remember you mentioning that, yes." Sadayo felt a bit embarrassed at his reminder. Part of her wondered if he was just that good at reading people, or if she was just that easy to read.

She focused once more on finishing the coffee. Fortunately, it went off without problems, helped by the many tips that Akira had offered her before. Sadayo poured two cups, set them before Akira, and rounded the counter once more to take a seat next to him. Inhaling the steam off the aromatic coffee, Sadayo took a few minutes to gather her thoughts and savor her drink with her boyfriend.

"Still," she finally commented, "with the way you guys were talking… it felt like you were close." Sadayo didn't glance at her side, but even in her periphery, his sudden stiffness was apparent — a lone action that spoke volumes.

"Yeah… we were close," Akira sagged, looking at his cup in melancholy. "Her name is Hana Izumi. We were neighbors and grew up together. Our parents used to get along well and she would come to the shop at times and help out."

"So she's a childhood friend. It's not surprising."

"She's also older than me."

"Of course she is..." Sadayo playfully rolled her eyes. Luckily, it seemed to work, getting Akira to visibly relax.

"Yeah, she always tries to act like she was watching over me. But honestly, she's way more reckless and aggressive than I ever was. Now that I think about it, she'd probably have fun messing with Ryuji. She'd tease him about dyeing his hair and trying to act all rough and tough," Akira chuckled. He could imagine how flustered Ryuji would be.

"Sounds like a handful," Sadayo giggled, joining in the mirth.

"She definitely was, but I admired that about her," Akira circled the rim of his cup with a finger, lost in thought. "I tended to spend a lot of time helping my family, so I never hung around with the other kids. Even when I did, I tended to rub them off the wrong way somehow but she was different. Even when we fought we'd share an ice cream later. When I told her I was too busy she'd end up staying as well to help out. By the time I got into high school she was already a third-year, but she still made time to make sure I was doing okay and adjusting. She would always smile and say that she was my Sempai, and I was her favorite Kohai." Akira's smile began to widen as he turned to face his girlfriend. "There was this one time where we had this big argument over who was the best Featherman. We were so upset with each other that we didn't talk for like a couple of days. My mom was actually beginning to worry when suddenly Hana came over and challenged me, saying, 'No way I'm going to lose to stupid Kira-kun'."

"So who won?" Sadayo was intrigued at this glimpse of his childhood, happy to see an excited Akira, yet unable to ignore the uncomfortable tug at her heart. Though she noted the cute nickname.

"Neither," Akira chuckled once more. "We would keep challenging each other to more and more contests all day until we were both too tired to keep count. Then my dad came out with soda and reminded us that the next episode was airing." At that moment, Akira's smile dimmed. He sighed, missing those days. "Just like that, a big fight was forgotten. It was so easy back then."

"...You liked her," Sadayo plainly said, an ache in her chest. It was obvious — the soft, lost expression when he reminisced on his time with the girl and how close they were...

Akira simply took a sip of his coffee, unable to meet her eyes.

"You may have not dated, but you had feelings for her, didn't you?" Sadayo heard herself continue. Like she was suddenly at the back while some force puppeted her body.

"I did, in the past," Akira put his coffee down, raising his head to meet her gaze. "But I don't feel that way about her anymore."

Sadayo wondered if that last comment was meant to reassure. Still, she ignored that and asked, "What happened between you two?"

"Reality happened," Akira huffed.

To his credit, it was obvious what happened, but Sadayo wanted to know more. To know what would cause him to fall out of love with someone who he used to care for, someone he used to feel so comfortable around that they would argue without fear of ruining things.

When Sadayo looked back at how Akira's conversation with the girl tonight went, she couldn't help but see herself on the other end of that door. She and Akira already had so many things piled against their relationship; her age, her job, his criminal record, and his Phantom Thievery. If they ever took a misstep, the backlash would be devastating, but most of all the idea of Akira falling out of love with her scared her immensely. Enough that Sadayo wished to avoid it at all costs.

Still, she knew it was a painful memory for Akira and the last thing she wanted is to force him into something he doesn't want to do. Sadayo took a deep breath. "Sorry, I shouldn't be prying like that."

"It's fine," Akira placed his hand over hers. "Honestly at this point it's less about the pain and more of the shame at how I acted back then."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember what I told you on what happened after I got arrested, right?" Akira sullenly said, letting go of her hand as he straightened on his chair. "I had the neighborhood hating me, the school treating me like a criminal all the way until the court made their verdict." He lowered his head in resignation. "I knew my parents were having it rough, but I thought that out of all people, Hana would understand. But in the end, even she cut ties from me."

"What?!" Protective anger surged through Sadayo's veins, frustrated that even his closest friend had left him in the dust.

"I still think about it," Akira continued. "How she started out arguing with everyone about what had happened. It was hard, but knowing she was doing that gave me some peace of mind. But then she started to avoid me. She'd always say she was busy or had to get ready for entrance exams. Eventually, I confronted her, but all I got was an apology, that she can't be seen with me."

"Akira..." Sadayo extended her hand and held on to his, giving it a tight squeeze. The way Akira described the event painfully reminded her of her own failures.

"Yeah," Akira sighed. Still, he appreciated her gesture and responded in kind. "I admit, I'm not very proud of my actions back when she told me that. I only found out what happened from my parents later, but it was so obvious. I should have realized it sooner." Akira leaned on his girlfriend, wanting to feel her closer to him. He closed his eyes when he felt her snake an arm around his back. "She was pushed and pulled from all sides just because she defended me. She tried to fight for me all on her own, but it eventually became too much to handle. And during all that time I never once asked if she was being attacked as well, only caring about my own problems like a kid. All I did was worry about myself."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Sadayo softly argued.

Running a hand down his face, Akira groaned. "When I heard her say that she can't be seen with me anymore, I lashed out at her, anything to make sense of her decision. I didn't want to lose her, so I confessed my feelings for her." He covered his mouth with his hand, unable to hide his dejection. "The way she looked at me when I told her that... she looked so horrified. She pushed me off and ran away."

It reminded Sadayo of the night he'd confessed to her. When she looked down at Akira, the small hint of a smirk showed that he was thinking about it too.

"Yeah, when you ran off that night, I was painfully reminded of how I acted that day. I thought I had messed things up and ruined everything all over again."

"Oh, Akira..." Sadayo stroked his unruly locks, hoping to bring him some sense of comfort.

"That was the last time we talked. Soon after, I was officially charged and put on probation, and she went to college a few weeks later. I saw her leave from her home, and I know she saw me too, but she just looked away and left. I didn't go after her. At that point, we had officially become strangers."

"But… she came here to see you, didn't she? Isn't that good?"

"Maybe..." Akira straightened from her embrace, staring back into his coffee. "I don't know what I'd say to her."'

"You could always start with a sorry?" Sadayo did her best to give him a smile, but it didn't do much this time.

"That's not all," Akira sighed. "I know that she had her reasons. I know that I was unreasonable and harsh. But a part of me still feels betrayed." His hand tightened into a fist as he felt his frustration build. "I know it's petty of me, but…"

Sadayo couldn't blame him. A part of her did feel some anger towards the college student for hurting him, but ultimately, she empathized with the girl's position. She gently grabbed his hand again, rubbing the knuckles and calluses to relax his grip.

"I understand it hurts, but avoiding things won't solve anything. You need to talk to her and figure out where both of you stand now, because sometimes life doesn't give you a chance to apologize to those we want to." She lifted his hand, gave it a gentle kiss, and Sadayo smiled. "After all, isn't that what you taught me? That it's never too late to make things right?"

She felt Akira's other hand caress her cheek. Meeting his gaze, Sadayo was relieved that the tension was mostly gone from his expression. Still hurt, but for now he was focusing on her, and it seemed to be helping.

"That's cheating, you know?" Akira chuckled, amazed. Just a few words from her and he already felt better. "Using what I said to motivate me."

"You're the last person I want to hear about playing fair," Sadayo teased while poking his nose, which got another chuckle out of her boyfriend. "Just promise me you'll meet her halfway. For me?"

"I didn't expect you to ask me to rekindle my friendship with a rival," Akira smirked, disbelief mixing with amazement.

"She's still a person, and she clearly means a lot to you. So if you're able to mend things with her, I think you should." Sadayo gave him a playful pout, probably made all the sillier in her maid outfit. But she truly meant what she said.

"And that's what I love about you," Akira admitted, reaching for both of her hands. Keeping eye-contact, he held them together and kissed the area where her fingers tangled. "My mistress..."

"Again with the 'mistress'…" Sadayo continued her pout, but she couldn't help but blush.

"You love it when I do it," Akira raised his head and winked.

"Troublemaker," Sadayo finally looked away, doing her best to hide the smile spreading on her face.

Rueful smile in place, Akira picked up his cooling coffee, swirling the cup. After a few moments, he began drinking again, taking his time to gather his thoughts. Finally, he set the nearly-empty cup down and said, "Anyway, I'm sorry that all of that happened tonight." He sighed, disappointed. "I'll understand if you're not in the mood for a movie. You seem tired after all."

"Actually..." Sadayo thoughtfully said. "I'd still be up for that movie, if you are?"

"Are you sure?" Akira raised a brow in surprise. "We might be cutting it close."

"I don't mind. Like I said, I don't live too far so I should be fine." With a coy yet cheerful smile, Sadayo did her best to spur her boyfriend, placing her hands behind her. She leaned towards Akira. "Why don't you pick? You look like you could use some cheering up."

It seemed to do the trick. Akira perked, blushing slightly at her angle. But his eyes returned to hers and he smiled back. A gentle expression that was only for her, filled with so much affection that it made her want to hold him close.

"If you're okay with that..." Akira gave her a loving peck on the cheek before standing up.

Hand on her kissed cheek, Sadayo watched him grab the basket of snacks and his coffee, but before he could step on the stairs, a thought occurred to her. "Akira, wait."

"Yes?" Akira curiously turned back to her.

"Do you ever wonder? About my past relationships I mean." Sadayo looked away, hand still on cheek. "I mean, I can imagine that you probably have some questions and I ended up assuming you had been in one without thinking. So I don't think it's fair that I—"

"I'm not worried about it," Akira cut in.

"S-seriously? Why not?" Sadayo was wide-eyed. "I mean what if—"

"It's not that I don't care. I admit, a part of me does wonder about it, so if you ever want to tell me about it I'll be happy to hear you out. And I trust that you will tell me if there was anything important that happened in the past." Akira then set his burden back on the countertop, trying to make her understand that he understood, but… "If I'm honest with you?"

It would be later when she was in her bed, that Sadayo would swear that his eyes flashed gold. Maybe it was because of the darkness of the cafe, but at the next moment, her caring boyfriend transformed from soft and understanding, to something... else. More.

Bewitched, Sadayo felt her body turn towards him, afraid — or excited? — to show her back to this confident, sharp-eyed man. With a beckoning yet hungry grin, Akira stalked like a predator towards her, driving Sadayo against the countertop. The edge of the wood dug into her back as he placed an arm on the countertop to anchor himself, hovering over her dangerously. Yet the other hand that caressed her face was still gentle.

Sadayo can only gulp at his possessive gaze. "A-akira…?"

With a deep murmur that still carried into the night, Akira intoned, "The way I see it? It doesn't matter who you were with in the past. All that matters is that you're with me now, and I have no intention of losing you to anyone."

Quivering in anticipation, Sadayo released a moan as his lips descended on hers. Her fingers clung to his shirt as goosebumps pricked her skin, making her hyperaware of the cool night and the heat rising inside her. The small voice of the teacher in her told her that she should stop any escalation, yet her heart thrummed in her chest, rushing blood throughout her body that demanded for him to show her what he meant.

Thankfully, Akira suddenly pulled back. Dazed, Sadayo can only watch as her boyfriend reverted to his former persona.

"I'll set up the movie while you grab the coffee pot. I'll see you upstairs." Akira promptly pecked her forehead and fled upstairs with his coffee and basket.

Blinking, Sadayo sank back to her seat. The world slowly started making sense again, as well as her body's dissatisfaction. "Not fair,'' she whimpered.

"He doesn't play fair at all..."

With a father as a teacher, Sadayo had been quickly dispelled about the myth of schools being empty during summer. Even with that though, she always figured that without many of the students around, summer would be a slow period for teachers.

Yet here she was, mentally drained on her desk after dealing with all sorts of paperwork. From the school curriculum, the confirmation of classroom material, future planned events, and so much more. Then again, their school's situation was more strained than most, and hands were already stretched thin as it were. 'I definitely picked a hell of a time to get back into the swing of things.'

Having finally gotten some downtime, Sadayo took out her phone, hoping to regain some mental fortitude from her favorite supporter.

[S]: Akira, you awake?

[A]: yeah, just in the middle of waking up

[S]: Sleeping in, I see.

[A]: What can I say, if I have a chance of sleeping in, then why not take it.

[A]: Though falling asleep on the lap of a beautiful maid certainly made it more enjoyable.

Sadayo's cheeks warmed. Last night, Akira had decided to go for the corny action movie which wasn't the surprising thing, but how into it she was, much to her boyfriend's amusement. Once they were done, Sadayo had offered her lap, which he happily took. She had brushed her hand against his unruly mane, talking happily and asking a few more questions about Phantom Thievery until Akira began to yawn. Sleepily, he had pulled her closer for one more kiss for the night and told her to get home safely.

[S]: You're so lucky.

[S]: I miss summer vacation being a thing.

[A]: You do know we're on summer vacation now, right?

[S]: Not when you become part of the workforce. Seriously, make sure to enjoy it while you can.

[A]: I'll be sure to make the most of it for both of us.

Sadayo pouted, jealous of her boyfriend's freedom. If she only had plenty of cash and no responsibilities… which reminded her...

[S]: I'll be honest. I'm nervous about my plan working. What if it only makes things more awkward?

[A]: I can't say that it won't. After all, those girls may just see it as another reason to dislike you.

[A]: But this is what you decided to do, right?

[A]: Someone once told me that one of the most important things to win someone over is conviction.

[A]: So just do your best.

[A]: In the end, you never know 'til you try.

"He sure is a good motivational speaker," Sadayo giggled, feeling a little bit better.

[A]: Anyway, gonna get ready. Will be helping Boss at the shop for today.

[A]: But don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything.

Sadayo giggled at how quickly Akira texted his offer, but as much as she loved being with him, she shouldn't horde him all to herself. No matter how much she wanted to.

[S]: Thank you, but don't worry about me. Didn't you say you'll enjoy your summer for both of us?

[A]: I would enjoy it even better if I have you with me.

[S]: Flirt.

[S]: Anyway, I should get back to work. I'll text you once I'm done.

[S]: Take care...

Blushing, Sadayo hesitated for a second, before typing one more word.

[S]: Master~!

It took a lot for Sadayo to contain her whimsy. She had called and texted him as such before, heart emojis and all. But the fact that she did it now while at work, and especially after their talk last night...

'Seriously, while I'm at school?' Sadayo reprimanded herself as she palmed her face, but her contorted grin was unable to hide her joy.

"Ms. Kawakami?"

"Yes!" Sadayo immediately straightened, making sure to flip her phone's screen down on the table. A fortunate thing as the phone buzzed soon after, signaling Akira had texted her. She sheepishly smiled, "Sorry, guess I was dozing off there."

"I see," Mr. Inui responded, standing by her desk. He seemed to take her by face value, much to her relief. Then he presented her with the folders that he was holding. "Sorry to bother you. Here are the records you wanted on the specific students in my homeroom."

"Ah, thanks!" Sadayo quickly took the documents, excitedly leafing through them — records, bios, and teacher comments on the volleyball team girls. "Thanks for these, they should hopefully help."

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you need those reports?"

Leafing through the next folder, Sadayo felt melancholic. "I realized that I still know so little about those girls, despite the fact that we've been going to the same school for years. So I'm trying to get a better grasp on who they are as people. If I do that, maybe I can reach out to them better."

"That's some dedication," Mr. Inui replied, rubbing his chin. "I heard that you were even joining the girls with their training."

"It isn't that impressive," Sadayo shook her head, reaching towards the volleyball training books on her desk. "All I've been doing is trying to catch up to them. I still don't really know enough to be able to coach them properly, and I still know so little about them so it's hard to start up a conversation that won't devolve into what they had to go through or the school. I'm hoping that with this, I can bridge the gap between us, at least a little." She turned to Mr. Inui, giving him an honest, though awkward smile while scratching her cheek. "Though maybe they'll just find me creepy and avoid me even more. It's kind of scary, dealing with those girls."

"You've changed a lot," Mr. Inui said in amazement. "You're really something."

"I'm really not," Sadayo waved him off, still smiling, but unwilling to take the compliment. "The only reason it looks like I'm doing a lot now is because I was so behind on everything."

"Behind or not, we need all the help we can get," Ms. Chouno walked into the office, handing out her own folders to Sadayo. "Here, I only have Ryoko Aonuma in my homeroom, but these should help."

"It does," Sadayo nodded. "I'll probably be reading them until lunch."

"Well if you need anything else, let me know. I'm the one who asked you to take my place, so I know how hard it is."

"Same here," Mr. Inui nodded. "I don't have any clubs that I'm supervising, so I'm free if you need some help."

"I appreciate that, but I don't think the girls will like a male teacher helping around. Sorry," Sadayo informed Mr. Inui apologetically. "Still, thank you both."

"You have a point there," Mr. Inui replied with a sigh.

"Anyway, I need to get the remaining girls' info and start reading up. Wish me luck." Sadayo cleared her desk and took her stuff. After a cordial bow to her coworkers she left the room. Once she felt alone, she looked at her phone.

[A]: Same goes to you.

[A]: Show them what the great teacher Sadayo is capable of.

[A]: I know you can do it, Sensei.

So silly, but just reading them filled her with drive. Smiling, Sadayo went into the hall with an extra pep to her step. Newly determined, she'd prove to the world that what her Akira saw in her wasn't wrong.

Akira lingered on his bed for some time, smiling after sending Sadayo some words of encouragement. He could easily imagine Sadayo getting flustered from calling him 'Master' by the text, and he would be lying if he said that it didn't make him blush. Oddly, he was actually starting to wish summer was over so he could go back to school, just to see more of her, especially now that her passion for teaching had been rekindled, finally allowing her to shine.

"Oh really?" someone laughed, interrupting his thoughts.

Rising from his bed, Akira looked at the direction of the stairwell. Leblanc was already open by this point, but it sounded a bit more energetic than normal. Leaving the still-sleeping Morgana to his dreams of "Lady Ann", Akira picked up some of his things and headed downstairs. Once he arrived, he understood why the laughing voice was familiar.

"He looked like what?" Hana giggled, sitting in front of the counter.

"Like a sad, wet puppy," Sojiro explained. "It was hard not to feel bad for the guy. What with the fireworks festival getting ruined and all."

'I hope he didn't tell her why I was moping,' Akira thought, alarmed.

When Sojiro nodded at his direction, Hana finally noticed Akira. Her eyes widened and she tried to cover her smile in vain. Still, she gave him a friendly wave.

It took Akira a second too long to decide whether to return it, and by the time he made a decision, it had already passed.

"Good morning, Akira-kun," Hana smiled sadly. Of course, they had always waved at each other, hadn't they? She tilted her head. "Or is it good afternoon?" Her sunglasses gleamed on top of her head, and with her position by the counter, the whole picture reminded him of Ohya, sans the constant drunkenness.

"It is past noon now," Akira sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, but I need some time to freshen up."

"Oh, sure thing. Don't mind me. I'll just be here. The food here is really amazing," Hana smiled at her coffee and curry.

"I'm glad you like it, Miss. Feel free to let me know if you need anything else," the Boss responded with his usual friendliness reserved for the ladies. Then he reverted to a hardass towards Akira, "Make sure not to take too long."

Taking it in stride, Akira smiled and nodded, heading for the bathroom. Once inside, his mask dropped.

Of course, Hana would come back. Though he wasn't expecting for her to come this early — or late? It was afternoon — he knew that Hana could be persistent, and she seemed pretty determined last night. She hadn't even changed her outfit from last night — a tunic-styled shirt with an assortment of flowers over slender light blue jeans. With a pair of shades resting on her now-short, diagonally-cut hair, Hana was definitely fashionable, to the point that even Ann would be impressed. It was a far cry from her old self, who preferred simple shirts and shorts, her long ponytail flowing behind her. The only remnant of that past was the hair clip he had gifted her.

Akira washed and toweled his face before donning his glasses. It may seem... trite, to think about appearances, but just like his Thief costume, Hana's clothes hinted of her inner self, a new self that developed from their time apart. A new self that Akira wasn't sure about.

Finishing his morning rituals, Akira kneaded his eyes with his palms. Right. Deep breaths. 'I can do this.'

'Sadayo believes I can do this.'

Instantly renewed, Akira grasped the door knob and opened it, a man on a mission. He left the bathroom and went straight behind the counter, donning the apron like a master chef. He put on his game face, he proceeded to serve the customers in the shop.

Always in his periphery, Hana ate her meal. Akira expected her to constantly badger him the whole way, but much to his surprise she simply sat and waited while she enjoyed her order. On occasion she would chatter with the Boss about the place, ask about the curry recipe like so many others, and sadly, spill some embarrassing stories that Akira wished she had forgotten. Eventually though the customers dwindled and he was left with the opportunity to sit around.

"Why don't you both go upstairs?" Sojiro suddenly brought up.

Trying to play it off as smoothly as he can, Akira shook his head. "It's fine, I don't mind helping out at the shop."

Unfortunately, Sojiro called out his bluff. "Kid, the shop is mostly empty and you probably want some time to catch up. It's not like I never handle the shop on my own."

'Did she win him over?' Akira grumbled internally as he turned to Hana. She seemed to be holding back her eager hope, which only made it harder for Akira to argue again. 'Oh well, I did promise Sadayo I'd try...'

"I guess you have a point. Let's go upstairs Hana," Akira sighed as he climbed up to his room. He arrived at an awakened Morgana, who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Are you done helping out the Chief? I think we should take the time to—"

"Oh my God, you have a cat?!"

"Huh? What the—" Morgana barely caught up as Hana lunged at the unsuspecting feline.

"He is so cute!" Hana squealed, embracing the cat energetically..

'At least some things never change,' Akira huffed with a bit more amusement than he realized. "His name is Morgana. Honestly, the Boss is a bit of a cat lover, but he said that he let me keep the cat since he thinks Morgana will motivate me to stay on good behavior."

"Pfft, like you need an incentive, Mr. Goody Two-Shoes," Hana chuckled as she snuggled the embarrassed Morgana.

Akira almost let a sarcastic chuckle slip. The old him would probably be appalled at the amount of law-breaking he did on a daily basis.

"Joker, who is this person?! And I'm not a cat!" Morgana grumbled as Hana played with his paws to wave at Akira.

"He's very well-mannered!" Hana laughed as she made Morgana do a slow version of the macarena. Then she paused, staring at Akira with a familiar curious expression that said something caught her eye.

"...What?" Akira finally asked when the stare stretched.

"So… I see you're wearing glasses now? Did your vision get worse?"

"No, these are vanity glasses, just for show." Akira blinked, suddenly aware that he hadn't been wearing them last night when she visited him.

"I see..." Hana pondered, continuing to stare, which only made him feel embarrassed. "You look kind of cute in them."

"Thanks? But yeah..." Akira cleared his throat, wanting a change in subject. Hands in his pockets, he remained near his post on the workbench, some distance away from his guest. "This is my home for the moment. It's not much, but I've grown to like it."

"It's definitely spacious. Bigger than your old room." Hana stated, looking around. "Much cleaner, too."

Scuffing his shoe, Akira became acutely mindful that his old crush was complimenting his room — that his girlfriend had always helped him clean — while sitting on his bed — where he and his girlfriend just spent last night cuddling and kissing. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh while curling in a corner from the hilariously awkward thought.

"Oh, what are these?" Hana placed a relieved Morgana back on the bed before going towards the shelf of souvenirs. "Why do you have a model of a swan boat here?"

"I got it from a friend." Akira waited for Hana to look away before he turned to Morgana, signaling that he would like some time alone. While annoyed, Morgana gratefully understood and left through the window. Leaving Akira alone with his old friend.

Hesitating slightly, Akira braved the short walk to stand next to Hana. "All of these have been from people I've hung out with since I got here."

"I'm glad..." Hana let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the display, she suddenly perked and darted a hand to the ramen bowl. "Wait, you actually went to one of these?!" She pulled out the very picture that Sadayo had seen the night before.

"More like dragged into one," Akira messed with his hair. 'I definitely need a better hiding place before more people can see it…'

"Oh, I wish I was there to see the look on your face!" Hana laughed. "So how was it? Is it true that they call you 'Master' and they put a spell on your food?"

"Yes, they do all of that." Akira sighed at the fact that he had to recollect the events of that day for two days straight. "I don't recommend going into one unless you really want to experience that stuff."

"Not into maids then?" Hana smirked, watching him carefully. "You look oh-so happy here."

"Zero interest in them," Akira blatantly lied with a poker face. "I was mainly there to hang out with my friends."

"And here I was, hoping I could drag you into one of them myself," Hana snickered, probably imagining him acting nervous in the maid cafe. As her laughter dwindled, her smile softened as she pointed at the goofy Mishima and Ryuji. "Honestly though, they look like good friends."

"More than you think."

Silence fell once more. Hana placed the photo back and continued perusing the rest of his room, obviously trying to piece signs of his new life in Tokyo. When her eyes fell on the workbench, Akira thanked his lucky stars that Sadayo's gift was an inconspicuous pennant, something touristy and not flashy.

Though something flashy would've been a good ice-breaker. Still, Hana didn't seem too interested in talking about the chocolate fountain or the skytree lamp. Akira shifted, kicking off some dust from the floor. All the charm he had accrued in the past months shrivelled in a few minutes.

"So…" Hana cleared her throat, "have things been going well for you?"

"It's had ups and downs," Akira happily latched on her lead for the new topic. "Adjusting wasn't easy, and sadly my record got leaked to the school on my first day."

"You're kidding," Hana gaped. She let out a disappointed sigh when he shook his head. "You really have the worst luck, don't you?"

"It definitely made school life a whole lot harsher, but I made the best of it. It forced me to expand my world from just highschool, and it let me meet people who I can trust."

"I see..." Hana said quietly, her head lowered.

"I'm sorry," Akira ran his hand down his face after realizing what he had just inadvertently insinuated. "I didn't mean to imply that—"

"No, you're right. I'm glad that you've made better friends." Hana returned to sit on the bed. Her wilted expression made it clear that she was near tears, which only made things more awkward to Akira. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to do the same. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened that day. And being away from the town really made me realize how bad I messed up. I wish I knew back then the things I know now."

He was worried about this. Even if he had forgiven her, it was hard not to compare the person he had known for years and the people he had become close for only a few months. It was admittedly frustrating; he has every right to be angry and resentful because of what she did. But seeing her in this state, all he could think of was how many others had been placed in a similar position, and how much Sadayo beat herself up over her own past mistake. He truly did mean all the things he had told Sadayo about never being too late, or not being her fault. So if he couldn't forgive Hana, then those words that meant so much to Sadayo would become hollow.

Not to mention, he would've failed her as well.

"Let's just agree... that we both messed up. I wasn't the greatest friend either." Akira grabbed the back of his neck, looking away.

Hana raised her head towards him, revealing her watery, wide eyes. "Y-you're not just messing with me, right? Where is this coming from? Why are you apologizing? You were dealing with so much terrible stuff."

"You're not the only one that's changed. You could say I've learned the importance of others' perspectives," Akira sighed, crouching down to be at Hana's level, careful to keep his distance. "I should have realized that you were targeted as well because of our association, and considering how your parents began to distance themselves from us, you probably got it from even them. I always bragged to you about being more responsible or mature than you, but when it truly mattered, all I did was snap at you."

"Akira-kun, that's not fair to you," Hana shook her head. "You were arrested and sent to court. By comparison, my problems were insignificant."

"Yeah, but they were your problems." Akira watched the blush that bloomed on her face. "I'll be honest with you; for a long time, I felt betrayed for what happened, and a part of me still feels that way."

Hana slumped as her hair fanned out to cover her face. The short cut of her stylish bob didn't hide her expression effectively like her older style, but Akira didn't let her sadness deter him.

"And I did mean what I said to Uncle Tetsu, that we can't go back to how things were," Akira continued. "We both regret our decisions, and what happened did happen. But..."

He stood up. "You and I aren't the same as those kids, so... why don't we try from the beginning?" Akira extended a hand towards Hana, showing a welcoming smile that hopefully conveyed that hard feelings no longer ruled him. "Let's start again. I'm Akira Kurusu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

A moment passed. Then Hana began to comprehend, her tearing expression contorting between disbelief and joy. She lunged from the bed towards him. "Kira-kun!"

Akira winced at the tight hug. He appreciated the gesture and was glad that she was happy, but it felt... inappropriate for him to return the embrace or use her old nickname. But he didn't want to ruin things, so he simply patted her back while his other hand hung awkwardly at the side.

Eventually she pulled away, still streaming tears but now showing a big grin. "Sorry, sorry for that outburst," Hana laughed. "It's just, I was expecting for you to hate me that you'd want nothing to do with me, so I'm very glad." She rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Oh god, I must look like a mess right now."

"You should probably use the bathroom to clean up," Akira stepped back and gestured towards the stairs.

"Thanks, I'll do just that," Hana nodded and headed down.

Once she was out of sight, Akira quickly turned to his bed and collapsed. Face smooshed, his groan permeated his mattress.

Hana was the first person he had a crush on. Akira may have put on a face of a rational person wanting to start fresh, but he honestly wasn't sure where to start. He never had problems when talking to Ann, Makoto, or the other ladies despite being with Sadayo, but with Hana there was history. In other words, figuring out the balance between 'close friends' and 'just friends' was tiring, especially since he had already confessed his feelings to her back then.

"I wish I could tell her that I found someone else, so we wouldn't have to worry about that blunder. But I don't want to risk it." Akira moaned as he closed his eyes. "Dating in secret sure is complicated."

At the thought of who he is dating, a smile inevitably bloomed.

'But it's definitely worth it...'

As if summoned, his phone began to buzz. Akira sat up from his position, his smile fully forming when he saw who it was.

[S]: Hey, just about done for today.

[S]: No practice today, but had a lot of stuff to look into.

[S]: Good thing I'm a fast reader.

[A]: So I'm guessing your plan is working?

[S]: Well, I only did the information-gathering.

[S]: But I won't know until I try, right?

Akira couldn't help but chuckle at his girlfriend's enthusiasm. Hard to imagine that the same teacher who was more interested in napping was now willing to put the extra mile, just for the chance of helping others.

[A]: Hey, Sadayo.

[S]: Hmm?

[A]: I love you.

The dots of the typing indicator vanished for a few seconds.

[S]: Seriously, what is wrong with you?

[S]: Geez.

[S]: Now I have the students staring at me.

Akira couldn't contain his laughter. He definitely wished to have seen her reaction. The phone was silent for another few seconds, but soon enough it buzzed once more.

[S]: I love you too, you troublemaker.

[S]: Can I see you later today?

[A]: The doors are always open to you, Becky.

[A]: I'll be waiting.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Akira belatedly realized that Hana hadn't returned, so he went downstairs. With no other customers, he at once, noticed her sitting in one of the enclosed seats. Her face was still red, probably from the crying.

"Oh, sorry that I didn't come up. I kind of got distracted a bit," Hana said when she noticed him. She was smiling, but for some reason, it felt a bit more forced than it had a few minutes ago. "Anyway, I need to head out."

"Already?" Akira blinked, confused by the sudden change in attitude.

"Yeah, I forgot that I promised some friends I'd get them a souvenir and I don't want to wait until the last day and not find them." Hana picked her stuff and gave a bow to Sojiro on the way to the door.

A part of Akira was admittedly relieved that she was heading out now, but something was nagging at him. The contrast from minutes ago to the present was so out of place. "Hey, how long are you going to be in Tokyo?"

"Oh?" Hana turned back to Akira, before looking away. She played with her hairclip in thought. "I'll be here 'til next Sunday. Why do you ask?"

"Let me know if you need help. I don't mind showing you around."

"That would be nice," Hana smiled more genuinely this time. Waving a goodbye, she took her leave.

After she disappeared from sight, Akira quickly took a seat by the counter, resting his arms on the wood as they propped his head.

"Everything okay between you two?" the Boss spoke as he worked on the siphon.

"Still not sure. Things are mending," Akira sighed, "but I still don't know what I'm doing."

"You never really do," the Boss answered wisely as he finished pouring a cup, sliding it to Akira. "Here, I figured you could use this."

"More than you think," Akira smirked as he graciously took the offer. After a minute of contemplation, he asked, "Have you ever tried keeping in touch with old flames?"

"Kid, you have no idea," the Boss gave a confident smile. "I've dated so many that it's harder not to keep in touch."

Akira chuckled as he raised his cup to salute his guardian's bravado. "Well, I have some time. I wouldn't mind hearing some stories."

He had only exited from the Harajuku Station a couple of times since his arrival to Tokyo, but whenever he did, Akira always took the time to look upwards, taking the time to admire its unique European style. Still, he had plans today, and after some walking he reached the colorful gates that heralded the famous Takeshita Street. Before entering, he moved to the side and took out his phone, rereading the message that he had received earlier.

[S]: Good luck today with Hana!
[S]: Let me know how it goes, okay?

Akira took a deep breath, relaxing in the thought of his girlfriend cheering him on. After putting away his phone, he entered through the gateway.

The street was just as colorful and lively as it was the last time he had come here with Ann. Stores full of mixtures of all sorts of fashion styles, from baggy, striped, and colorful with everything in between and even more. He swam through the crowds until he reached his destination, a small takoyaki stand by one of the street corners. Ann and Ryuji were already seated, chowing food, and Akira took no time to approach.

"I thought I was supposed to treat you guys as thanks for coming along?" Akira said as a way of greeting.

"It's fine. It's not like we can't pay for ourselves," Ryuji grinned as he popped one whole ball of takoyaki into his mouth... only for his eyes to bulge out a second later. "Hot, hot!"

Morgana emerged from Akira's bag. "Greetings, Lady Ann!"

"Hi Morgana. Ryuji, don't just shove them in your mouth like that," Ann said in one breath, turning to Akira in the next. "By the way, have you ever had any of these back in your hometown? Apparently, the ones around Osaka are done differently, but I haven't tried those myself."

Akira gratefully smiled at her offered tray of food. Taking a seat and picking one of the balls, he slowly blew on his food before popping it into his mouth. "It's not bad, but it feels kind of empty without the octopus chunks." He set one takoyaki ball on a napkin for Morgana.

Across them, Ryuji was gulping his water bottle. After a while, he resurfaced, now fanning his mouth. "Sho whaz uph? You shounded kinda nervoush when you calth."

"Yeah. You seem fine, but is everything okay?" Ann asked, wrinkling her nose at Ryuji's… Ryuji-ness.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious," Akira waved them off. "I just like to have some company."

"Sho what, want shome second opinion on a new outfit or something?" Ryuji finally recovered, and promptly went for a second takoyaki without hesitation.

"Less me, and more a... friend," Akira looked away as he grabbed the back of his neck. "An old friend came to visit and wanted to hang out and get some souvenirs."

"Wait, a friend from your hometown, for real?" Ann asked. Her shock quickly mellowed. "Are you going to be okay?"

"It's fine," Akira massaged the back of his neck. "But we did end things kinda awkwardly. Honestly, I don't know how to act around her right now, so I figured having you guys around could help." He can feel Morgana's observant gaze, even as the cat was preoccupied on eating.

"Whoa, whoa! Your friend's a chick? Is she cute?" Ryuji leaned in with increased interest.

"Seriously, that's what you focused on?" Ann huffed disappointedly.

Akira chuckled. "Honestly, I'm having a bit of a difficult time answering that."

"Really? Well I guess we'll be meeting her soon," Ryuji shrugged before diving back to his food.

"Are Makoto and Yusuke meeting us as well?" Ann asked.

Akira shook his head. "Makoto apologized, but said that she couldn't come because of some stuff at school. And Yusuke rambled about a spark of inspiration and went off on his own."

"I don't mind," Ryuji leaned back, causing his chair to precariously balance on its two hind legs. He grinned with his usual energy. "It's been a while since only the three of us hung out."

"You mean four of us," Morgana interjected. "There is no way I'm going to ignore a chance to spend time with Lady Ann."

"It really is like old times," Ann smiled, seemingly ignoring Morgana's comment. "It's kind of amazing how much has happened."

"Feels like only a month ago that it was just the four of us, deciding to make our name known to the world," Ryuji added wistfully.

"Not to mention, we went to that amazing buffet!" Ann cheered.

"Still, who would have thought we'd have something like MEDJED target us?" Ryuji leaned forward, causing his chair to finally stand properly. "Any word from the Boss on Futaba?"

"Still a zombie," Akira sighed.

"From what the Chief said, she still responds to him occasionally so she's probably mentally fine," Morgana added. "Still, we hadn't had time to really talk to her about her end of the deal."

"How much sleep does someone need?" Ryuji stabbed a takoyaki in frustration.

"I guess it shows just how tired she was," Ann, on the other hand, was more concerned. "From the sound of it, she might have even lost sleep because of those visions. The stuff that we saw and heard in her Palace was really horrible."

"I guess you're right. It was all kinds of messed up," Ryuji deflated. "Still, if she doesn't wake up soon we're gonna have some serious problems."

"Problems with what? Waking up?"

Akira quickly turned to look over his shoulder. Hana, looking rather confused, was behind him.

"I—ah, I mean—" Ryuji stammered.

"—François! We were talking about my cat François!" Ann blurted out.

"Again with the François," Morgana sighed in annoyance.

"She's been terribly ill, and I just worry because… because... she's been sleeping a lot lately!"

Akira stood up before the two dug themselves deeper. Luckily, Hana paid attention to him, not the conspicuous bickering in the background. "Ann's cat is having kittens so she's worried about how often low on energy François is," Akira smoothly picked up the cat. Ignoring the confused meows, Akira held Morgana to Hana. "We're not exactly sure if it will work, but we thought maybe having the father visit could help."

"Why am I the father?!" Morgana growled. "And for the last time, I'm humaaafff—"

"Morgana!" Hana glomped the cat. "I can't believe you brought him with you."

"Gah, let me go!" Morgana wheezed, finally getting a chance to breathe when Hana gentled her hug. Thankfully, either from self-control or pride, Morgana didn't flail around. "Arrrgh! Akira Kurusu, you traitor..."

'Sorry, but this is for bailing out on me last night. Your sacrifice will be remembered.' Akira mockingly did a prayer gesture as Ann and Ryuji snickered.

The sound alerted Hana back to his other friends. "Oh sorry! I guess I got distracted easily." Hana was sporting that cheerfully embarrassed smile whenever she realized that she went off on her own flow. She gave a polite bow as she played with Morgana's paws to have him wave at Ryuji and Ann. "I'm Hana Izumi, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of Akira."

"Lady Ann. I swear this means nothing to me! You got to believe me!" Morgana pleaded.

"I'm Ann Takamaki, and honestly, Akira has been helping us a lot," Ann smiled, shoulders shaking from amusement.

Ryuji, on the other hand, didn't bother to hold back his snickers. He gave a jaunty salute. "Yo, I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. Any friend of Akira is a friend of ours."

"Oh! You're the guy who went with him to the maid cafe!"

"Maid cafe?" Ann gave the boys a suspicious glare.

"T-that's not true!" Ryuji stuttered nervously.

"Really? I know I saw you in that photo with Akira," Hana pondered. "And wasn't there another guy in there?"

"Do you mean Mishim— I mean, we did no such thing!"

Feeling Ann's stare, Akira turned away and raised a brow at the snickering Morgana. Maybe getting manhandled by Hana wasn't enough to get even, Akira thought. If Ann didn't forget, the maid thing would probably be explained to her later... which meant that it could spread to their other friends. Resigned to his fate as a secret-spiller while also plotting some more cat-vengeance, Akira simply speared another takoyaki.

Luckily, Hana moved the conversation on. "Wow, so why dye your hair blonde?" She leaned closer to Ryuji. "What style are you going for? I would say a punk, but your face seems too innocent for that."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Ryuji blurted as a blush streaked across his face at Hana's proximity.

"Or maybe it's like a matching set?" Hana teased, gesturing to Ann.

"N-no!"

"Though yeah, now that I think about it, I'm surprised you haven't gone back to your natural color," Ann remarked, unruffled. To Akira's relief, she seemed to have moved on from the maid issue.

"What can I say, it kinda grew on me. Think it fits this troublemaker just fine," Ryuji's trademark punk grin was ruined by his red face.

"Heh, I agree with Izumi-san though. You look too cute for a punk!" Ann pointed at his cheeks, openly laughing.

"Cute?!" the affronted Ryuji and dismayed Morgana both squawked.

Akira chuckled to himself as they continued to squabble. He took a deep breath, doing his best to maintain calm yet friendly, and addressed Hana. "You mentioned you were still looking for some gifts and clothes, so I figured they could help us."

"Thank you so much! That would help a lot!" Cheerfully, Hana shifted by Akira's side and slipped an arm around his, just like she'd always do before. "Well then, lead the way!"

He was pretty sure his cool mask cracked a bit when he glanced at the others watching him. "Ummm, Hana, sorry, but this is kind of…"

"Oh, sorry," Hana slid away, like she just realized what she did. She cradled Morgana like a girl seeking her doll for comfort. "I guess that was a bit…"

"It's fine," Akira maintained his kind smile. To forestall more awkwardness, he faced the others. "Why don't we head to that store we went to last time, Ann?"

"So Akira. Mind if I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind, Ryuji?"

"I can guess why you wanted Ann to come here."

"Ann's the fashionista, so her expertise is helpful. But I really had hoped Makoto and Yusuke would have come as well."

"Yeah, but… why do we have to stand here like idiots?"

"Because," Akira sighed, trying to be nonchalant even as waves of suspicion came from a number of store staff and patrons, "Ann and Hana want our opinions."

There are many situations that would make most guys want to turn tail and flee. Usually, those things are related to female friends or significant others — like, meeting your girlfriend's father, buying menstrual products, or being asked to wait in a vibrant women's clothing store while the females try the wares.

Akira felt a glare burning the right side of his face. This was particularly nasty, so he pasted an apologetic smile to appease whoever it was. He turned to the direction and saw a granny, seething at him between racks of sequin and silk more than ten feet away. Feeling no need to yell and grab attention, Akira resumed his former position and whispered, "Why are the changing rooms so near to the lingerie section?"

Ryuji scratched his head, glancing again at the lacey contraptions, particularly the risqué ones that Akira had been purposely ignoring. "Dunno man. Wait, the hell's this murderous intent?" He looked past Akira, towards the scary granny. "Shit, you got any smoke bombs so we can haul ass?"

"No, we're staying!" Morgana heatedly whispered, back in Akira's bag. "There is no way that I'm gonna miss seeing what Lady Ann decided to wear because you two are too chicken to stay inside the store!"

"Easy for you to say when you're hiding!" Ryuji yelled back, causing Akira to wince at the additional eyes towards them.

"I'm only here because of this form. Otherwise I would be fine, because I have something called class. Unlike a certain monkey."

"I'll show you class!"

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Ann's voice cut through the impending squabble.

'Thank you...' Akira let out a sigh of relief.

Soon enough, both girls emerged from the changing rooms. Happily sporting their new attires, Ann wore an interesting ensemble; a red, cutoff sweater that showcased her midriff, a brown skirt with fishnet stockings underneath, fingerless gloves with a combination of hoops and a spiked leather strap on her wrist — all topped off with a black cap, a golden V embroidered on it.

In contrast, Hana's ensemble was simpler, but nonetheless eye-catching. A black-and-white, horizontal-striped, high neck crop top with light blue hem at the bottom that also exposed her midriff. Red baggy pants with a light blue waistline and star patterns on each leg. An assortment of different color hoops at each wrist. Finally, a red headband tied at the crown of her hair to form some sort of bow.

"So, what do you think? Izumi-san — er, Hana —" Ann corrected herself, "said she was looking for something to pick up guys in the club. I figured this would work nicely for that." She struck a pose, prompting Hana to do the same. "Now, don't we look like a couple of girls ready to get dancing under the starlight?"

"Amazing Lady Ann! You look absolutely meow-velous!" Morgana popped out of the bag, starry-eyed.

"Dancing in clubs? Man, college girls are a level beyond us," Ryuji elbowed Akira.

Resisting the urge to smirk since he was dating someone beyond that, Akira gently shoved Morgana back into his bag. "In you go. You're too conspicuous inside this store."

"Wait, Akira you brought your cat in here?" Hana dropped her pose and approached him, surprised. "Not that he can go anywhere else at the moment, but that seems unlike you."

The smirk was uncontrollable this time. He felt a certain amusement at the disbelief — and maybe even guilt — in her eyes. It was petty, but he wasn't perfect. "I guess I've changed since we last met."

Even Ryuji was quiet in the palpable silence. Inwardly kicking himself — yet he didn't do anything wrong — Akira reigned in his expression and asked, "So, you've been going to clubs?"

"Yeah, well, you know? Life was kind of dull back home, so I've been trying new things."

"I can't blame ya, it's been the same for me," Akira shrugged. "Just be careful okay?"

"Y-yeah, of course. Who do you think you're talking to?" Hana smiled, though she seemed conflicted.

"Hey, you still haven't told me what you think!" Ann jumped in, playfully posing again. "So, let me have it."

"What, are we having another one of those insult training sessions?" Akira teased, thankful that she didn't let the awkwardness stretch.

"No way, you cheat on those," Ann pouted, a slight rose tint in her cheeks.

"Okay, okay," Akira chuckled before he straightened, humming as he playfully rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Beside him, Ryuji joined in the fun and mirrored him.

"Are you two done yet?" Ann huffed.

"Just give us a few more minutes," Ryuji joked.

Ann's glared, still in her pose. To Akira's amusement, it honestly reminded him of the contrast of cuteness and defiance from Becky, her eyebrows cocked and her hands on her waist while in her maid outfit.

"Sorry," Akira once again chuckled. "Honestly? I think what Hana has suits her. Very energetic," he nodded. He tried not to linger at Hana's blush and turned to Ann. "As for yours, the combination itself looks fine, but I think the skirt doesn't fit."

"I think so too. Good eye," Ann smiled as she straightened.

"Your photoshoots rub off on me, I guess." Akira chuckled.

"Photoshoots?" Hana turned to Ann with renewed vigor and interest.

"Yeah, Ann here has modeled in a number of photoshoots. Her home actually isn't far from here since her parents are designers."

"I still have a lot to learn, though. But I've been talking to some instructors and with my parents on occasion about wardrobe. Honestly, it's been nice being able to understand more of what they talk about."

Akira couldn't help but smile at Ann's enthusiasm. She had already made a lot of progress since her promise to Shiho, and now, those changes seemed to have butterfly effects, improving her relationship with her parents.

"So then, Ms. Fashion Model," Akira behaved like an interviewer, "what do you think would work instead of the black skirt? Would red work?"

"No, it would blend too much with the rest of the outfit, though I do think some red could work. Oh, maybe the Shujin skirt could fit?"

"I don't think the school would like it if you did that," Akira smirked mischievously.

"Eh, what the school doesn't know won't hurt us," Ryuji grinned.

"Anyway, Hana-san, if you like these we should probably change back and buy them," Ann smiled, a clear sign of excitement shining in her eyes. "I'm starving and I'm in the mood for stuffed crepes! Akira's treat!"

"Hey, I found us a table here!" Ryuji waved. Akira swiftly followed, and they placed down the bags that they were carrying. Ryuji plopped down in one of the chairs with an audible exhale of relief while Akira remained standing, flexing his fingers.

"Thanks again for your help carrying things," Ann cheered as she and Hana joined, the latter carrying Morgana in her arms again.

"Might as well be good for something," Ryuji sighed. "But seriously, how much are you two planning to get?"

"I'm sorry," Hana lightly clapped a resigned Morgana's paws together in apology as she bowed. "I just have a lot of people both at college and at home. So my list is kind of long."

Akira twitched slightly at the mention of their hometown. Part of him felt the need to comment about how he was glad she still had people who stayed in contact with her. But he bit his tongue, knowing it would come out snide or passive aggressive than he would like.

Instead, he turned to the nearby food stand, the long line to it signaling its popularity. "Looks like I should probably go wait in line now. What does everyone want? My treat."

"I'll have one with strawberries and cream please!" Ann smiled excitedly.

"Chocolate with bananas for me," Hana added.

"Matcha," Ryuji grinned in thanks.

"Got it. I'll be back soon," Akira nodded and headed off. He needed a minute away.

"Wait, I'll come with you!"

Akira looked over his shoulder, watching Ann skip to his pace. "It's fine, you can take a seat if you want. We might be waiting for a while after all," Akira suggested with a raised brow, confused by his friend's decision, but not against it.

"No way. You might be nimble, but I'm not trusting you to bring back four crepes, especially when one of them is mine." Ann sticked out her tongue playfully.

"If you say so," Akira shrugged as they reached the end of the line. It was long, but luckily moving at a decent pace. "So how are things going with Ryuji coaching you? Everything okay?"

"'Exhausting' would be the word," Ann sighed. "But I'm not ending up sore as I used to. He's surprisingly really good when it comes to planning exercise routines and stuff."

"Now if only he would take his own advice and stop pushing himself badly when we run," Akira nodded. "Still, I'm surprised he isn't teasing you about having so many sweets today."

"We made an agreement. He doesn't make any comment outside of our coaching, and I'll forgive him for staring during that whole time when we entered Futaba's Palace."

"Wasn't that quite a while back?"

"You know what they say about a woman's scorn," Ann wagged a finger in front of his face.

"Am I also in trouble?" Akira smiled nervously.

"You did say it was accidental, but the jury is still undecided."

"Will the jury be swayed if I got her an extra topping on her crepe?"

"The jury will accept your offer."

"You are too kind." Akira formally bowed. Across him, Ann kept her snooty expression before they both erupted in small laughter.

Some time passed quietly afterwards, and eventually, Akira found himself looking back towards the waiting party. Ryuji and Hana were talking, the latter using Morgana's paws to gesture at the former. Akira couldn't understand what she was saying, but thanks to Ryuji's nature, it wasn't hard to guess that she, indeed, was teasing him.

'They make quite a picture,' Akira thought. Despite their proximity, he wasn't worried, but it did make him recall some embarassing moments where he'd do or say something stupid. Hana wasn't the most popular kid, but her outgoing nature attracted guys of all ages, which somewhat had annoyed him as his crush grew. But now, with different circumstances, seeing Hana interact with a guy was somewhat… weirdly peaceful. Reminiscence might've colored his lens, but Akira couldn't help but be reminded of those carefree days where they would spend time together.

"How about you? How are you holding up?"

Akira snapped back to the present as he turned to Ann. He let out a sigh, though it ended with a smile. "I'm managing. It's a bit awkward, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Though I do think I owe that to both of you being here."

"Sooo... if it's okay for me to ask, what happened between the two of you?" Ann glanced at their friends. "From the way she sounded while we were in the changing room, she seems to care about you."

"Really?" Akira's brow raised with curiosity. "What did she ask you about?"

"Just about how we met, how you've been handling your new school, if you have any friends, if anyone was bullying you, if you've been happy," Ann counted with her fingers. "Mainly, she asked about how you've been holding up here."

"Kind of like what you're doing now?" Akira inwardly debated with himself, but decided to plunge through anyway. "This might be a bit... uncomfortable, but... mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure?" Ann blinked in confusion.

"When you found out what Shiho was going through because of Kamoshida," Akira gentled his tone when his friend tensed. "When you found out that she was keeping it all a secret to protect you... how did it make you feel?"

Akira watched Ann's expression fall. Unlike her happy skipping earlier, her feet trudged as they moved with the line.

"...It was horrible," Ann finally answered. "I was just so filled with anger at everyone around me — the school, the team, even Mishima. I was angry at all of them for sacrificing her like that and not saying anything. And even myself. I could tell that something was wrong, but instead of sitting down with her and getting an answer, I was dumb enough to trust that scumbag to keep his word while he tried to get me to be with him." Ann gritted her teeth. Her voice was a bit shaken as she brushed the tears that welled in her eyes. "But the worst of it all? I was so angry at her. Angry that she let him use her like that, angry that all that I went through was for nothing. I started to blame both of us for what happened. We were idiots."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Akira placed one arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze before pulling back. A small attempt at comfort to his friend. "It was sort of the same with me and her. When everyone started attacking me after my arrest, she was hit in the crossfire as well. Like Shiho, she never told me of that. I didn't know until it was too late. By that point, she had already pushed me away because it became too much to bear."

"People can sure be assholes," Ann let out a small laugh as she wiped the remainder of the forming tears.

"That's not all," Akira interrupted. "At that time I… liked her."

"...Oh," Ann dropped her hand, wide-eyed. "Then... you no longer feel that way?"

"I don't."

"Do you hate her then?"

"No, I still care about her. It's why I want to fix things. But I feel like she's trying too hard to go back to how things were, but it's too late for that. I'm a different person than I was back then, and from the sound of it, so is she. I never saw her as someone to go clubbing after all."

"But at least she's trying, right?"

"Yeah, though honestly, that makes this harder," Akira let out a reluctant smile. "So what do you think of her?"

"I'm not very happy to hear that she left you behind," Ann gazed at their friends again. "But… I can sort of imagine what she was going through. I don't know how I would have handled all the rumors and lies if I didn't have Shiho with me. So I think... you should give her a second chance. You don't have to do the same thing that she wants… but maybe meet her halfway?"

"I can try, but it won't be easy, and it might take time."

"That's okay, I'm sure she'll understand. After all, I would," Ann gave him a reassuring smile.

"Okay, what will you be having?" the man behind the counter asked as the two reached the end of the line.

"I'll have one matcha, chocolate and banana, chocolate and strawberries," Akira then turned to Ann, who was super focused on the display of all the crepe models. "And two orders of strawberries and cream, both with extra strawberries, please."

"Wait Akira," Ann quickly turned to him. "Why are you—?"

"I know it's not a fair trade, but let's just call it a thanks for hearing me out," Akira smiled as he took out his wallet. "And... sorry for making you remember that. After all, you did say today was a free day."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Ann frowned. "All of that has been taken care of because of you, and moping about it now won't change much. Besides, I'm just glad I was able to help."

"Then I guess I should cancel that order."

"I-I mean, it would also be rude to refuse a gift, wouldn't it?"

With an amused smirk, Akira placed the money on the tray, and soon enough they were presented with their orders. Ann grabbed both of hers, leaving Akira to carry the other three. Not that it was hard, but he was glad that his months of toolmaking made him proficient to keep the desserts upright as they walked towards their table.

"Akira?"

He stopped and looked at Ann by his side.

"Thanks for telling me. You know you can always talk to us — especially Ryuji and I. We can kind of tell when something is bothering you."

Akira chuckled. "You guys know me too well. Makes it hard to keep things secret."

"That's what best friends are for, right?" Ann smiled. "Honestly, Ryuji wanted to talk to you first, but we needed someone to keep Hana company. Unfortunately for him I beat him at rock-paper-scissors." Ann then strode victoriously towards their waiting table.

Shaking his head at the sneakiness of his friends, Akira followed. They soon reached the others, and at the moment, it looked like Ryuji was denying something.

"Nah, it's not like that," Ryuji waved his hand in refusal. He then noticed the two of them, clicking his tongue at Ann's double dessert. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry for the delay. Here you go," Akira offered the desserts before taking a seat. "So what are you two talking about?"

"I was just asking him if the two of you are dating," Hana bluntly said.

"What?" Akira and Ann responded in unison. They exchanged curious glances before casually responding, "Nope."

"Wait, really?" Hana responded with a rather flabbergasted expression.

"I mean, Akira is a great guy, and he's one of my closest friends," Ann for a moment seemed to ponder it, but eventually shook her head. "But I'm honestly not looking for a boyfriend at the moment. God knows how difficult it would be to explain things."

"Because of your modeling job?" Hana asked.

"Yeaaaah, that's why," Ann awkwardly laughed.

'It can be done, but it certainly takes some work.' Akira kept to himself, feeling a bit awkward — since he himself went after a relationship despite his busyness — yet with a sense of pride and accomplishment. His time-management skills have never been great before, but now he was juggling a lot of things while leaving time for friends and romance.

Hana seemed confused, glancing between him and Ann. For a moment, he caught her mumbling along the lines of "I was so certain he…" but he couldn't hear it all.

They enjoyed their crepes as they continued talking; their hometown, Hana's experiences in college, Ann's modeling career, Ryuji's gym routine, Morgana's nonexistent kittens, and plans for the rest of the summer. Since Hana was busy doting on Morgana, Akira was able to relish his chocolate and strawberry crepe in peace, letting the chatter wash over him.

Eventually they finished up. Ryuji decided to take care of throwing the trash while the girls freshened up. With Morgana back in his bag, sleeping off his food coma, Akira had some time to himself, so he took out his phone and began to type.

[A]: Hey, we're about to finish up. Ann and Ryuji are with me.

[A]: It was a little awkward, but it turned out better than expected. Guess you were right.

[S]: Told you. It helps to be around people you know.

[A]: I bow to your experience.

[S]: It's nothing that amazing.

[S]: Just always remembered being a lot more comfortable during mixers when I knew most of the people.

[S]: Speaking of which, today has been the worst.

[S]: Thinking about going out to drink. Is that okay with you?

[A]: It's fine, I'm sure I can keep myself busy.

[A]: Why not ask Tae to join you? You two seem to be hitting it off.

[S]: It has been a while since I had someone to hang out with, but I'm not sure.

[A]: Won't know 'til you try it, right?

[S]: Fine, I'll see if she's interested.

Even without her touch, Akira could feel himself relaxing. Then a thought suddenly occurred.

[A]: Hey, did you ever go dancing in clubs?

[S]: Why the sudden question?

[A]: Just something that came up. Was curious.

[S]: Never did clubs. Just wasn't my thing. Though I like dancing.

[S]: Are you asking because you'd like to go to one, Master~?

Sadayo… dancing? The image of his girlfriend wearing something similar to Ann and Hana's dancing outfits popped in his mind. While the two of them are quite attractive, the thought of Sadayo wearing something like that… stirred a warm flame in his belly.

"What ya looking at?"

Akira quickly hid his phone and turned towards a curious Ryuji.

"Were you looking at some pervy stuff?" Ryuji grinned as he swung an arm around Akira.

"Nothing like that, was just thinking about how Ann and Hana looked in those clothes," Akira deflected.

"Can't blame you for that," Ryuji chuckled. Then he sobered. "So did Ann help you out?"

"Yes, yes. We talked things over," Akira snorted in amusement at his friend's lack of subtlety. "It's sadly not something that can be solved easily, but thanks. Sorry I caused the two of you to worry."

"Hey, the way I see it, I still owe you a lot for all you've done for me," Ryuji released him, jamming his hands in his pockets. "Speaking of, I wanna ask you a favor. Mind if we talk after?"

"Sure," Akira blinked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just nervous about this upcoming meeting. Anyway, the girls are coming back, so let's grab our stuff." Ryuji jerked his head towards the chatting girls and moved around the table to grab most of the bags. Akira shouldered his own bag and followed Ryuji, pausing when his friend playfully nudged him.

"Just know that I'm here. You always help me out, so I'll be sure to be there if you need me."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Akira smiled. With their hands occupied, they knocked elbows in bromanship before Ryuji walked off. Taking his sweet time, Akira took out his phone, reading the messages that he couldn't read in Ryuji's presence.

[S]: Akira? You there?

[S]: Is everything okay?

[A]: Sorry, Ryuji came in so I had to hide the phone.

[A]: Anyway heading out again. Be careful tonight, okay?

[S]: I will.

[S]: I love you.

[A]: I love you too.

Akira couldn't help but smile as he read those three words again, though it was accompanied by a slight sting of guilt.

'I really wish that I didn't have to lie to you guys.'

"Thanks again for agreeing to come with me, Takemi. It's been a while since I had someone to drink with," Sadayo spoke to her recent acquaintance as they exited the station to the lively streets of Shinjuku.

"Well you did offer to treat me, so I don't see anything wrong with going out," the punk doctor commented with an amused smirk on her face. "Though isn't this the kind of thing that you should do with your co-workers?"

"I still don't feel too comfortable about talking to them outside the school," Sadayo scratched her head. "Besides, there are certain things that I can't really discuss with them."

"Of course," Takemi chuckled. "Very well, why don't we find a place and you can tell me all about what's been going on? I will warn you, my consolation doesn't come cheap."

"As long as it's not the same fee that Akira paid," Sadayo shuddered, before realizing that Takemi had already moved ahead. "Hey! Wait up!"

The streets were crowded, as always, filled with all sorts of solicitors and businessmen cutting loose after a day's work. As the women searched around for a quiet establishment, Sadayo couldn't help but wonder about the people around them. She was certain that among the crowd, she would find some of her students if she just looked closely. But she has no intention to hunt and report them. As long as they were safe, what they did in their free time was none of her business. Though she'd probably asked them why they were here of all places if she bumped into them.

"Huh," Sadayo verbalized as a realization hit her.

"Something the matter?" Takemi asked, her brow raised curiously.

"Oh, sorry," Sadayo awkwardly smiled. "I just recalled that I actually ran into Akira one time while I was here… literally." Sadayo blushed as she specifically remembered stumbling against Akira while drunk — not her finest moment.

"Really now? I wonder why he'd be here of all places," Takemi mischievously smirked, leaving Sadayo wondering if she was genuinely curious or if she knew something and was messing with her, which caused Sadayo to blush.

Something she had learnt very quickly (and that Akira had warned her about) was that Takemi enjoyed teasing people. This was especially true if it was someone she liked; apparently, Takemi made a habit of messing with 'her guinea pig' by needling him about his escape from the clinic. Sadayo was honestly glad that someone that Akira trusted had taken a liking to her, but it certainly took some time to get used to the doctor's brand of friendship. Then again, Sadayo never thought that someone as bland as her would become friends with someone as wild as Takemi.

"I got distracted with other things, so I never really got to ask him," Sadayo sidestepped any mention of her state at the time. "Anyway, maybe we can go to that place that I had gone to that time. Now where was it...?" She circled around the intersection, trying to recall the bar that she had come out of. A finger placed on her lips, Sadayo chose a path and walked past the corner. "I think it was araaah!"

"Gyaaah!"

That scream was not from Sadayo, but from the person who bumped into her, falling to the ground as well.

"Ow..." Sadayo groaned, half-expecting to run into Akira after the many coincidences of him getting summoned by her thoughts. 'Still, that didn't sound like Akira.'

Sitting up, Sadayo reoriented herself, but then a card floated down in front of her, landing softly on her lap. Picking up the card, she turned it curiously, only to gasp.

It was a stylized image of her, wearing halves of two different attires. The left side was in her maid attire while the right side was her usual attire, the very same yellow shirt and jean skirt she was wearing now. The image was pouring a cup of coffee with a raised leg, lifted skirts, and a surprised expression, like she was caught unawares. Above the frame that contained the image was the text 'XIV' while down at the bottom was the word 'Temperance'.

"Need a hand?"

Sadayo startled out of her trance. She quickly turned to Takemi, who was leaning towards her while extending a hand. "Uh…"

Takemi turned curious. "Is everything okay?"

Sadayo turned back to the card. The image... was a winged-lady pouring water from one vase to another, though the 'XIV' and 'Temperance' remained.

"...I think I might be a bit dizzy," Sadayo finally answered, gratefully taking Takemi's hand.

Once Sadayo was pulled up, Takemi began to examine her eyes and hands. "You don't seem disoriented and there are no scrapes nor wounds on your hands, just a bit of redness. You should be fine," Takemi gave an assured smirk. She then glanced at the weird card that Sadayo still held in her thumb and forefinger.

"Goodness gracious, where are they?"

At the sudden cry, both Sadayo and Takemi looked behind them. A woman was kneeling on the ground, searching for something. On her hand was a deck of cards; the blue patterned back design, from what Sadayo can see, was the same as the one she'd picked up.

"Oh look, here's another one," Takemi suddenly said, picking a card near her heels. Sadayo joined her as Takemi straightened and turned the card to look at its face. "Death?"

"What?" Sadayo asked, peering into the card. Except for the 'XIII' at the top, there was no 'Death' word to her.

"Nothing," Takemi's lips twitched, though instead of turning into a smirk, surprise and sadness flitted into her expression.

Brows furrowed, Sadayo studied the card; another stylized image, this time it was a robed skeleton, a scythe grasped by one of its bony hands and a severed head in the other. 'What is up with these cards?'

"Why don't we return these?" Takemi asked, grabbing Sadayo's attention again. The doctor has her usual smile again.

Somewhat confused and unsure, Sadayo nodded. They walked towards the blonde woman in purple. "Hey, are these what you're looking for?"

The woman looked up, noticing the offered cards. She smiled in relief. "Oh! Yes, thank you for your help. I'd be in trouble if I lost these." She extended her hands to grab both cards, but as their hands brushed, her expression sharpened, like she was looking something beyond.

"Hello...?" Sadayo asked, not really sure what to make of it. That feeling only grew when the blonde stranger's smile brightened like fireworks.

"YA'LL HIS TEMPERANCE AND DEATH!"

"HIS WHAT?!" both Sadayo and Takemi blurted out.

For a second, the strange woman beamed at them, only to shift drastically. "Oh, NO! I don't mean his literal death. I just," she fidgeted a moment, "I'm talking about tarot cards." She smiled again as she held up her cards. "See? The sign of Temperance and Death."

"...Riiiight," Sadayo said, eyeing the curious onlookers who were attracted by their outburst. Beside her, Takemi was just as suspicious — or was she curious? Still, Sadayo re-extended her hand to the weird blonde. "Here."

"Thank you kindly," the woman accepted the offer to pull herself up.

"It's fine, it's my fault for bumping into you," Sadayo gave an apologetic bow, hastily tugging Takemi's elbow, "Anyway, we really should be heading out sinc—"

"No wait!" the blonde cried as she dusted her dress. Her panic was more than what Sadayo expected, making her flinch. The woman didn't notice and eagerly approached. "I've been wanting to meet both of you," she turned to Sadayo specifically, "especially you, Temperance."

"W-why would you want to meet me?" Sadayo stuttered. She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying hard not to give anything away.

"Yes, I'm curious as well," Takemi cooly responded, a direct opposite of Sadayo's nerves. "Do you know us from somewhere?"

"Sorry, I should've introduced myself. I'm Chihaya Mifune," the woman gave a polite bow.

While Takemi seemed pensive, yet interested, Sadayo stiffened. Even if Akira had only mentioned them once, Sadayo remembered the names of the women that her boyfriend hung around. Despite her efforts to be mature and understanding, the beast of jealousy was hard to tame, after all.

"I'm a friend of Akira," Chihaya sunnily said, confirming Sadayo's thoughts, "and I need your help to save him!"

"Thank you so much for coming with me! There are so many things I want to ask the both of you!" The supposed fortune-teller cheerily guided Sadayo and Takemi to a nearby bar. "I'm sure you have questions for me too, but we can discuss all of that once we get a seat. Lala-chan is very understanding so we should be able to talk without too much trouble."

In contrast to her excitement, the other women followed quietly. Sadayo looked around, trying to retrace her steps just in case something horrible happened, following a strange woman.

"I must admit, I'm surprised you agreed to this," Takemi suddenly said beside her.

"Can you blame me?" Sadayo lowered her voice. "I'm worried about what she means about saving Akira. And besides, you didn't have to come either."

"And leave you with all the fun?" Takemi smirked, before sobering. "But how can you be so sure that we can trust her word?"

"I trusted you, didn't I?" Sadayo retorted with a coy smile of her own.

"Touché," Takemi chuckled.

Sadayo joined her. "Honestly, this reminds me of when you and I had our talk. Including scaring me half to death."

The two continued laughing at their familiar grounds when Mifune-san announced their arrival. Sadayo looked up to the neon sign, reading 'Crossroads'.

'I feel like I've heard that name before. I'm sure Akira mentioned it alongside the names of those women. But what's the reason again?' Sadayo pensively stood with her arms crossed, only coming back to the present when Takemi tapped her on the shoulder and nudged her towards the waiting fortune-teller.

"Sorry, kind of got distracted," Sadayo awkwardly smiled as they entered.

The bar was dimly lit, illuminated mainly by a few lights and the neon sign at the back of the counter. Bottles arrayed the shelves, filtering the pink light from the neon heart with the words 'WELCOME LOVE'. Plush furniture lined the walls while polished stools stood by the bar. Soft piano jazz in the background, which lent a classy ambience, though Sadayo wasn't sure she'd be able to hear it if the bar was crowded — which, thankfully, wasn't the case now. In fact, only one person was in the bar.

Who became excited upon seeing Mifune.

"Hey Chihaya, done with work? Why don't you join me for some rounds?"

The woman waved, sitting by the counter. With her cheerful demeanor, short hair and shades on top, Sadayo was inadvertently reminded of Akira's childhood friend, sans the alcohol.

"Ohya-san! I had a feeling you'd be here," Mifune-san waved back as she approached.

"What, did you read it in those cards of yours?" slurred the new woman, obviously already well ahead in the drinking department. But that was the last thing in Sadayo's mind; the moment she heard the name 'Ohya', it all came back to her.

'This is the person that dragged Akira into pretending to date her.' Sadayo glared at the cheerful drunk.

"Welcome again, deary. I see you brought some company." An intimidating figure materialized from the shadows, behind the counter. Dressed in a very elegant Kimono while cleaning a mug, the probable bar owner asked, "Are these friends of yours?"

"Actually, I just met them on my way to set up shop. I figured I'll talk to them here, if that's okay with you Lala-chan."

"Sure thing dear, you can have one of the benches."

"You should join us, Ohya-san," Mifune-san informed the blinking woman. "This involves you as well."

"Me?" the drunk pointed at herself in confusion.

"Wait, her as well?" Sadayo asked with dread. Her reaction seemed unexpectedly severe since everyone stared at her. "I mean, we are talking about you and him, after all."

Mifune-san was confused at first, but quickly realized what Sadayo was insinuating. "Oooh, you don't need to worry about that Temperance." Sadayo cringed at the name. "Ohya-san here is actually very familiar with Kurusu-san. As is Lala-chan?"

'That's my problem.' Sadayo studied the drunken woman by the counter once more. But there was no reason to let her problem with the woman be known at the moment. "I see."

"Oh, so this is about Akira? Then sure, I'm in," the drunk took a swig of her drink before sliding it to the owner. "Just top me off, Lala-chan."

"Just don't drag the new guests down with you," Lala-chan poured her a new glass with an exasperated sigh.

"No promises," she grinned without hesitation before leaping from her chair.

The bar owner gave Sadayo and Takemi a more welcoming smile. "So, what will it be?"

"Uh, I'll just have a beer, thanks," Sadayo tried to return the smile.

"A dirty martini for me," Takemi smoothly answered.

"And I'm guessing you want the usual, Chiha-chan?"

"Yes please!" Mifune-san happily nodded and joined her friend at one of the booths behind the bead curtains. Sadayo nearly followed, when a silent tap on her shoulder halted her.

An inquisitive Takemi leaned in, quietly saying, "You're making that angry-protective face, you know?"

Sadayo pursed her lips. It must be the face she had when she learned Takemi used Akira for drug-testing. Still, now was not the best time to bring it up. She dismissed, "Don't worry too much. Come on."

The elongated table they arrived at was clearly meant for bigger groups, which made it impossible for them to sit at opposite ends while they had their discussion. The drunk — Ohya-san, Sadayo had to remind herself — seemed more than comfortable taking the majority of the left portion as if she owned the table, with Mifune-san sitting perpendicular to her. It was a bit awkward sitting at the corner where a plush heart sat, close to the fortune-teller with the journalist looming behind. At the very least, Sadayo knew Takemi was on her side, so she didn't feel like she was being ganged up.

"So," Ohya-san began without preamble, "you two know Akira then?" She pointed at both Sadayo and Takemi. Strangely, the drunken slur was gone, even if her glass is now empty.

Sadayo was badly caught off-guard by the sudden assault and change in demeanor. "Y-yes, well..."

"I'm the woman whose boyfriend you dragged into acting like he was dating you."

'Like I could say something like that,' Sadayo quickly shut down the idea. 'Victoria is also out of the question, but is even mentioning the school safe?' She took a quick glance at her new acquaintances, particularly the journalist. 'No, I can't do that either. She's looked into Shujin, and if she finds out I'm a teacher there she might start asking me questions. Come on, Sadayo think...'

"We do," Takemi confidently spoke up, much to Sadayo's relief. Her finger pointed at Mifune-san without taking her eyes off Ohya-san. "Your friend over there said that she wanted to save Akira, so she piqued our curiosity."

"Here you go," Lala-chan suddenly appeared, startling Sadayo, carrying their drinks.

A tall glass of beer was placed in front of Sadayo; by comparison, a small martini glass

was presented to the doctor next to her. Seeing the difference between the two made Sadayo feel a bit self-conscious about her drinking habit. Meanwhile, the fortune-teller went for a fruity-style daiquiri, which she happily sipped without hesitation. Finally, Ohya-san was given another glass of whiskey on the rocks.

"Thank you Lala-chan!" Ohya-san cheerfully grinned as the bartender retrieved the empty glass with a huff. After Sadayo and the others finished their thanks and the bartender was walking away, she turned to Takemi. "I guess you're talking about that 'fate to ruin' thingy Chiha-chan keeps talking about." Ohya-san emphasized the fate part with a spooky tone and wagging fingers.

"That's right. The one who falls under the mantle of the Trickster seems destined to fall into ruin," Mifune recited, like she had been saying this for a long time. "Oh, I forgot to say, but the Trickster would be Kurusu-san himself, though I'm sure you both understand why that is?"

"We could gather a guess, yes," Takemi nodded. "But do you? You are the one that brought us here. Shouldn't we be clear with the information? We don't want a misunderstanding, after all."

"I see what you mean," Mifune's brows furrowed, glancing furtively at the owner of the establishment. She then leaned in, prompting the others to follow. "I'm talking about him being a Phantom Thief, of course."

Sadayo and Takemi exchanged looks. Both didn't say anything but they could figure out what the other was thinking. Mifune-san and possibly Ohya-san might know about Akira's secret life, but that in itself didn't automatically mean that they were trustworthy. But Akira had recently talked to Sadayo about both women as friends. That alone was enough for her to hear them out. She gave Takemi a nod.

Takemi nodded at Mifune-san. "Yes, we both know. I'm honestly surprised you both know as well."

"Honestly, I only found out two days ago," Ohya-san slumped with embarrassment. "Can't say my pride didn't take a hit from learning I wasn't the first."

"Let me guess," Takemi smirked, leaning on the table to rest her head on her hand. "You found yourself against the wall with nowhere to turn to. In that moment, Kurusu sweeps in and asks you for a name. Soon enough, someone goes through a miraculous change of heart."

"Was it the same for the two of you?" Mifune-san placed her hands together in eager curiosity.

Sadayo nodded, huffing as she covered her face with her hand. 'Seriously, Akira? Try thinking a bit before jumping in like that.'

Her boyfriend was obviously smarter than the average person, but when it came to his desire to help others, he was without a doubt more reckless than even Sakamoto-kun. Despite this though, a small smile began to grow on her lips as she gazed down on her drink. 'Still, that's just how he is…'

"He's certainly strange, but I think that's what makes him so special," Mifune-san continued happily. "He always has a habit of—"

"Meddling too much into other people's problems," Sadayo and Takemi chorused. They looked at each other before bursting into giggles.

"I was going to say, 'being there when you need someone'. But I guess that description fits him too." Mifune-san looked bemused.

Ohya-san, on the other hand, was snickering. "I think it fits him perfectly. And he can be a bit of a softy."

"But also stubborn as an ox," Takemi sighed. "Lacking common sense."

"He can also be a bit mean at times," Mifune-san pouted. "Like, he would keep teasing me about my fortune reading and not take my advice seriously for the longest time."

"To be fair, you did kind of scam him out of a hundred-thousand yen," Ohya-san added in amusement.

"A HUNDRED-THOUSAND YEN?!" Sadayo nearly spit out her beer.

"I-I didn't mean to, I honestly thought I was helping him! And I did pay him back!" Mifune-san nervously defended.

"I'm surprised," Takemi commented, a brow raised in amusement towards Sadayo. "You seem less upset about that, compared to back then, when we talked about what I did."

"T-that's—" Sadayo ran a hand through her hair before turning away. "That's because I was worried about Akira's health. Besides, he may have… spent much more than that because of me." She mumbled the last part under her breath in embarrassment.

"Sounds like the two of you are already well-acquainted. Is there some sort of Phantom Thief Appreciation Member's Club?" Ohya-san grinned.

"That's because they represent Temperance and Death in Akira's fate," Mifune-san factually explained like it made sense.

"I still don't get what you mean by those names, but other than the Phansite, I don't think there's an official club for them," Sadayo shook her head, amused yet still confused, before pointing at herself and the doctor. "Takemi and I got to know one another thanks to Akira."

"Ooh, same with me and Ohya-san!"

"Actually, from the look he was giving, I think he hoped we hadn't," Ohya-san laughed.

"That's because you have a habit of dragging people to your level," Lala-chan suddenly retorted from the bar. "You'd have gotten the boy drinking by now if I wasn't here."

Sadayo nearly got whiplashed from looking between the cringing Ohya-san and the glaring Lala-chan. 'She tried what?!'

"Come on, I was only kidding," Ohya-san waved the accusation, though she faltered when Lala-chan kept glaring. "Sheesh, why does it feel worse than usual?"

Sadayo felt a slight nudge from Takemi, whose knowing gaze made Sadayo realize she was probably also giving the drunk a stink-eye. Huffing, Sadayo crossed her arms and her fingers began tapping against them.

"If you don't mind me asking," Mifune-san caught their attention by raising her hand, "did you two meet on the 27th of last month?"

"Uh, maybe? I'm not sure," Sadayo felt her ire slightly abate, amused at having the young lady raise her hand like one of her students.

"I believe it was," Takemi spoke up. "If you remember, Kawakami, that was the day that we had a meeting for your follow-up."

"I knew it!" Mifune-san cheered as she turned to Ohya-san. "It was the same night that we met as well. It's like fate is guiding us to this very meeting."

"Okay, okay, what is this, some ancient prophecy or something?" Ohya-san huffed, though she didn't seem annoyed. She cheerfully called out, "Lala-chan, can we have some refills?"

"That's not necessary," Sadayo refused.

"Come on, no need to be stingy! It's just us girls after all." Ohya-san smiled, dipping to the side. Her changing behavior and the dim lighting made it honestly hard to tell if she really was drunk. "And you seem like you could use one more."

Sadayo looked down. Huh, she had practically finished her drink without realizing it.

"I'll have another daiquiri as well! But add peaches, please!" Mifune-san joined in.

"I'm good on mine, thanks," Takemi shrugged, still nursing her drink despite the fact that it was smaller than the others.

"You don't have to listen to her if you don't want to," Lala-chan commented to Sadayo.

Sadayo looked around at the other girls, noting the atmosphere. Recalling that Akira had vouched for them, she exhaled, willing her body to relax. 'Maybe I'm worrying too much. I should probably loosen up a bit.' She then put on a smile to Lala-chan. "Actually, I think I'll have a refill as well."

"Now we're talking!" Ohya-san cheered. "By the way, we should probably introduce ourselves properly. I'm Ichiko Ohya. Akira is sort of my partner-in-crime at the moment. I guess you can say we're each other's informant."

"You already know me, but I'm Chihaya Mifune, a fortune-teller who helps guide the fate of others. Kurusu-san comes to me at times for some advice," Mifune-san joined in cheerfully.

"Tae Takemi, I'm a doctor at a clinic near where Kurusu lives. I treat him, and he's my little guinea pig," Takemi smiled, obviously pleased with herself as shock came from the other two.

It was Sadayo's turn now. If she refused or tried to hide anything it would be suspicious. Luckily, she had enough time to think of a story. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami. I've… done a variety of jobs, and some of them led me to meet Kurusu-kun."

It was technically true. She had worked her fair share of jobs that led to meeting her troublemaker — from teaching, the maid service, even the dog-walking. Sadayo pondered the fact that dating her student had caused her views on telling truths or lies to... slightly shift. It wasn't the worst thing, but it was better than the alternative.

"Woohoo! Round two!" Ohya-san cheered at the approaching Lala-chan.

"Weren't you already drinking before we came?" Sadayo couldn't help but ask.

"Round two with you!"

"Just use her as an example of what not to do," Lala-chan clicked her tongue as she served the drinks, accepting their thanks.

"That's so mean, Lala-chan! I keep your business afloat!" Ohya-san pouted, but she bounced back as she raised her new glass. "Cheers to the Akira Kurusu Appreciation Club!"

"Not the Phantom Thieves?" Mifune-san asked.

"I'll thank them if I know them, but I don't! So cheers!"

Sadayo couldn't help her laugh amidst Mifune-san's answering cheer and Takemi's amused huff. Even Lala-chan was chuckling as she walked away. Different-shaped glasses clinked with each other, and the ladies drank their beverages.

Wonderful malt flowed down her throat. A satisfying breath exhaled from her mouth. Just a month ago, when she had been torn about refusing Akira's confession, she was watching the crowds in Shibuya station, melancholy about the friends she had lost over the years. Then weeks later, she ended up hanging out with Akira and Mishima in a cafe. And now, here she was. The 'Akira Kurusu Appreciation Club' was a silly name, but a warmth that may not just be alcohol permeated through Sadayo — the thought that she has somewhere to belong.

...Still, as nice as this was, Sadayo needed to confirm something.

"Before we really get going though, I want to go back a bit, sorry." Sadayo put her drink down and turned to the flushed fortune-teller next to her. "I would like to understand what you meant about Kurusu-kun's fate. If there is anything I can do to help, I would like to know."

"Goodness gracious, that's right!" Mifune-san hastily placed her drink down and began shuffling in her bag. Taking out her deck of cards, she took a deep breath, her expression slowly mellowing as she began to place the cards face down in an array. Her focus was infectious; the others went silent, taking sips of their drinks as they watched. Even Lala-chan at the counter took a glance here and there.

Twenty-one cards in total. One card was placed in the center while the other twenty circled it. Mifune-san then proceeded to flip them over, one by one, starting on the nearest card from her, in a clockwise direction. The texts on the cards were mostly in French, but Sadayo knew enough English to ascertain that Mifune-san's translations were accurate; different languages routinely borrowed from one another, after all.

"The Magician, the Priestess," her hand skipped the next card without hesitation, "the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Chariot, Justice...''

Her hand hovered over the next card for a moment, before Mifune-san continued. Sadayo began to wonder about the significance of the order.

Mifune-san smiled when she revealed the next card. "...Fortune, Strength, the Hanged Man, Death..."

At the corner of her eye, Takemi sat a little straighter. Sadayo did the same with the next card.

"...Temperance, the Devil—"

Ohya-san snickered.

"—the Star, the Moon, the Sun. And finally..." Mifune-san also skipped the last card, going instead for the card in the center, revealing, "the Fool."

Sadayo stared at the formation of cards; it was an interesting thing to see, for sure. She wondered if Mifune-san arranged the deck beforehand when no one was looking; it was the only explanation why she was able to tell the names a second before she flipped a card. Despite teaching Japanese culture, she was never one for superstition and had no inclination nor experience at seeing a card-reading up close. Part of her still had doubts, but those were easily dashed when she thought back on her current love life.

Mifune-san was unfazed by their scrutiny, which wasn't surprising considering this was how she supposedly made a living. "The Fool represents the Trickster, and all of the signs of the Arcana represent people that have formed a close connection to him." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

When she opened them, the slight glassiness was gone, like she had returned back from whatever state she was in. "Usually, a person has a few strong bonds in their life. Yet Kurusu-san here," Mifune-san tapped the central card, "seems to have so many people entwined in his life. Ever since he started accompanying me on my readings, I began to notice a pattern: the closer the bond Kurusu-san develops with someone, the chance to defy their fate rises. Even Ohya-san and I are included." Then her brows furrowed in frustration. "But despite his ability to help change others' fates, he's still heading towards ruin."

"If you don't mind me asking," Takemi interjected, "how can you be so certain about all of this? Nothing against you or your tarot cards, but these all seem like vague speculations."

For a moment, Mifune-san was saddened and resigned by her comment, but it passed. "I understand that you may find this hard to believe, but I have a special power. It allows me to predict certain things."

"It's true," Ohya-san suddenly commented, her drunken whimsy gone again.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I'd hear you believing in 'mumbo jumbo'," Lala-chan chuckled, joined by Mifune-san.

"Can't argue with what I saw with my own eyes," Ohya-san shrugged before leaning in to face Takemi. "But I can verify with you that she seems very much to be the real deal." She took a contemplative swig of her drink. "I was dealing with some stuff and I was honestly second-guessing myself. But then I ran into Chihaya here and we talked since Akira always hung out by her table. Made me curious." She waved her hand at Mifune-san, who seemed more than content to let her continue. "I can't fully understand how it works, but Akira trusts her. She's definitely someone worth hearing out, at least." Ohya-san scratched her head awkwardly.

"Thank you, I'm very glad to hear that. But in all honesty, the only reason I was able to help you is because he helped me first."

Mifune-san picked up the card in the middle — the one with 'Le Mat' on the cover, which she had called 'the Fool'. The image on it showed what seemed to be a traveling jester in pain from an attacking dog. It was bizarre how it could represent Akira, but Mifune-san placed a caressing finger on it. "He helped me understand that one's fate isn't predetermined. Ever since I was a child, my power has always let me see people's futures, so for the longest time, I always felt that they could not be changed. But thanks to his persistence, I now know that it is possible to change for the better. So maybe if I figure something out, then I can help save him." She raised her head with a sheepish smile. "I know this sounds so crazy, but—"

"I… I believe you," Sadayo spoke before she realized it..

"Do you now?" Takemi asked, not with surprise or confusion, but amusement.

"I mean, let's be honest Takemi. Those strange mental shutdowns, sudden thieves that can change people's hearts..." Sadayo slowly nodded to herself, persuaded by her reasoning. "At this point, it's not too crazy to think someone is able to do this, right?"

Takemi chuckled at her explanation. "I guess you have a point there. Hard to argue that such things are impossible when everything's so strange lately."

It wasn't just that though. More than all the other things that Akira had revealed to her about Phantom Thievery, Sadayo could see that Mifune-san genuinely cared for Akira. It may have made an unreasonable ping of jealousy flare when Mifune-san affectionately picked up the card that was supposed to represent her boyfriend, but Sadayo was more than grateful to her.

"Very well then," Takemi shrugged as she turned to Mifune-san, who was finishing her second glass. "Considering you want to talk to us, I imagine you have some plan to help Kurusu?"

"Actually I do!" Mifune-san perked from her seat, more animated than before. "I believe the answer lies in his bonds. If he's able to help those he's connected to, especially the… terrible ones..."

For a moment, Sadayo could swear that Mifune-san's gaze drifted her way for a second.

"...then maybe it can work in reverse," the fortune-teller finished.

"How? You just mentioned that he has a larger circle of bonds than most people, yet his fate hasn't changed." Takemi narrowed her gaze. "Is it possible that it might not work?"

"It will, 'coz fate can'b changed!" Mifune-san slammed her hand on the table. "If'n 'is fate is yet to change, then may'b that means it's really bad. May'b it's a sign that 'e needs all the 'elp 'e can git."

"...What?"

"Oh sorry! Slipped back to my accent there," Mifune-san shook her head. "But as I was saying, the fact that he has a lot of people might be a sign that he needs all the help he can get." She reached for the cards that had remained face down on the table, and flipped them over. "There are varying potentials for these bonds. For example, the Hermit is on the cusp of making a bond with him, while he and Judgment only have some passing contact. And sadly, there's no progress with the Tower."

"Can't you tell who they are?" Sadayo asked.

Mifune-san shook her head. "I can't tell who's who until I interact with them physically. But that's why I have another plan."

She began collecting some of the cards back to her deck. In the end, only the Magician, Chariot, Death, Temperance, Devil and Fortune cards still circled the Fool. "If Akira can't find the other bonds, then why not strengthen those he already has? If we have a common ground, we have a common link, and Kurusu-san is our main connection. So maybe, meeting those other people that he's connected to could strengthen our ties."

"So an information network of sorts. Guess that means we should all be best friends now," Takemi blithely commented.

Mifune-san beamed. "You think so? I'm glad to hear—" She glared. "Ya'r playing with me, arn't yah?"

"Oooh, she catches on quick. I like her," Takemi chuckled as the pouty fortune-teller fumed.

"Now, now, Takemi, don't be mean," Sadayo mitigated between the two, though admittedly she was amused at how upset Mifune-san was. "But in a way, she does have a point. We just… meet other people?"

Suddenly, a person popped into her head. From what she'd gleaned, Iwai-san fit the category of someone whose ruinous fate was averted, but the thought of meeting Akira's ex-yakuza boss scared Sadayo. "H-how are connections supposed to happen? Is it a quick recognition thing? Maybe just eye-contact? Do we have to talk?"

"Truth be told, I don't know the requirements myself," Mifune-san eyed her, probably confused at her fright. "For example, this is my link of similarity to Kurusu-san." She gestured to the cards. "All of you are represented here. Then there's this one." She tapped the Chariot. "I believe he's that blond-haired guy that looked like a punk. I remember him because I did his reading when I first met Kurusu-san."

'Sakamoto-kun, huh?' Sadayo took a swig of her beer. She was suspicious why he and Akira were in Shinjuku in the first place; hearing their exploits about maids didn't paint a flattering picture for the troublemakers, even if Sakamoto-kun and Mishima-kun were the masterminds.

"Meanwhile, the Magician is represented by Kurusu-san's cat for some reason. Still not sure why," Mifune-san pondered as she tapped her finger against her cheek.

Sadayo coughed to hide the small fit of laughter at the mention of Morgana.

"Now, let's compare Ohya-san's links." Mifune-san placed two more cards — the Lovers and the Moon. "Ohya-san is the Devil."

"Yep," Ohya-san mischievously grinned in a way that was befitting of the card. "I remember having seen a punk boy and a girl with pigtails hanging with Akira by Madarame's place one time. Then Akira set me up with an interview with a friend of his. When I mentioned this to Chihaya, she said that he was connected to the Moon. Fun fact: they're all from Shujin Academy. "

'So Takamaki-chan, and of course, the only other guy aside from Sakamoto-kun who hangs out willingly with Akira, Mishima-kun.' Sadayo stared at her drink, somewhat irritated, but resigned. Mishima was Boy M.

"Basically, from the looks of it, it doesn't need to be much," Mifune-san took over, "but at the same time, just knowing who the person is may not be enough. You might need to interact with the individual, and also, I think that the closer they are to Akira, the easier it is to establish the link. That's why Ohya-san and I were able to establish a bond in a short time."

"In other words, we're close friends with Kurusu, and naturally that makes us curious about his other close friends, so we, his close friends, are able to be friends with each other," Takemi summed up.

Mifune-san blinked, gaping. "U-umm… yes?"

Ohya-san burst out laughing. "All that mumbo jumbo, down the drain!"

Sadayo hid her snort behind her beer. She admired Mifune-san's earnesty, but she was so darn easy for Takemi.

"Ohya!" Mifune-san whirled to the reporter, cheeks red. "Yer supposed ta be in mah corner!" When her friend just kept laughing, Mifune-san slapped the table. "Dagnabbit! Lala-chan, gimme another!"

"Yeah, gimme a bottle of saké!" Ohya-san waved her hand.

"Okay, okay, settle down," Sadayo raised her hands to pacify the table, feeling like she was scolding rowdy students. "Mifune-san, please be patient. I know Takemi's sarcasm is pretty… prickly."

"Can you blame me?" Takemi crossed her arms. "You're basically saying that we should use the Power of Friendship."

"Didn't you say that you believe in my powers?" Mifune-san frowned. "And your bond with Kurusu-san did help you."

"It's true that he helped me by being there for me when I needed someone, but he also removed the obstacle that made trouble for me in the first place."

"...I don't follow."

Takemi leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. Her eyeliner made her narrowed gaze more striking, more fitting for someone designated as 'Death'. "How much do you know about stealing hearts?"

Sadayo bit her lip. The other women exchanged looks.

"Not much, just that they'll send a calling card and then do something to make the target not an asshole anymore. Apparently by taking whatever it was that made them twisted." Ohya-san frowned. "What's that got to do with this?"

Takemi stared her down, which Ohya-san returned steadily, before turning to Mifune-san. Before it became awkward, Takemi said, "As a doctor, I treat the health of my patients seriously. Especially Kurusu," she glanced at Sadayo, "and Kawakami."

"Thanks?" Sadayo blinked. "Where are you going with this?"

"These two seem really eager to help him, that's why I'm going to divulge a little doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Takemi!" Sadayo hissed as the other ladies straightened.

"Don't worry, Kawakami. I won't say anything descriptive," the doctor assured, "but I think I can provide a unique perspective. You two," she jabbed a finger towards the others, "have only seen Kurusu at his best; charming, helpful, and snarky. Which means… you've never seen him injured, right?"

"Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with—" Ohya-san gasped. She leaned in, lowering her voice, "Are you saying that stealing hearts cause injuries?"

"I'm saying that it's dangerous," Takemi affirmed. "Whatever he and his merry band do, it always ends with him exhausted, or worse, injured. That's why I want to be clear. Friendship and emotional support are nice and dandy, but this ruinous fate you're talking about reeks of the supernatural."

"It can be something mundane, like getting arrested again…"

"With everything that's happening, do you really wanna bet on that?"

Watching the women comprehend Takemi's case, it struck Sadayo how privileged — for lack of a better word — she was to know this information already. On the flipside, it was also a burden, having the fear that Akira may not come alive one day and only she, outside of the Phantom Thieves, will understand. Which made Sadayo somewhat glad that she now wasn't alone.

"I know he goes into danger almost every week," Mifune-san finally broke the somber silence, "but when you, a doctor, confirmed it? It…"

"...Makes it real," Ohya-san finished.

Takemi picked up the olive garnish from her martini. "I didn't mean to discourage you. I simply want… a reliable process to help him. I mean, I'm content with helping from the sides, but what if that isn't enough? What if we need to do something supernatural? Can we even do something like that and replicate it? How precise can it be?"

"That's a thorough way of thinking," Ohya-san whistled an approval. "Kinda scientific."

"I develop my own medicine, so in a way, I am a scientist," Takemi smiled with a hint of pride. "You understand, don't you? As a reporter, you need facts."

"Yep. That's the only reason why I let you speak that way to Chiha-chan. She needed to hear something like that," Ohya-san smirked with a glint in her eye, which Takemi returned. They clinked glasses with each other.

Sadayo felt a prickle of cold sweat run down her spine. 'I'm surrounded by dangerous women.'

Except for the morose Mifune-san. To cheer her up, Sadayo nudged her with an elbow. "Hey, don't be so down. You've done so much for Akira already, and I'm sure he's grateful."

"Thank you," Mifune-san sadly smiled. "I really want to help him after everything. It's just that, this is all new to me too. I'm sort of forming things as I go."

"Your idea of an information network of sorts is a good start," Sadayo encouraged.

"The main idea is to make the bonds work as some sort of support, like a rope to pull him up. Or maybe turn them into a net, or a web," Mifune-san pointed at the spiderweb design on Takemi's clothes.

Meanwhile, Sadayo looked down at the cards, which were in slight disarray after Mifune-san's fit, giving special focus to the card that strangely represented her. "May I ask you something? You seemed particularly interested in meeting us, especially me for some reason."

"That's true, you were pretty bummed out when Akira left without telling you about it. Kept muttering about the 'darn Temperance' until closing time," Ohya-san placed her fingers on her chin in thought.

"That's because," Mifune-san turned to Sadayo with an embarrassed yet confident smile, "you're very special to Kurusu-san."

"W-what do you mean by that?" Sadayo nervously smiled. If Mifune-san was interested even back then...

Instead of answering, the fortune-teller picked the Temperance card and placed it alongside the Fool in the middle. Then she withdrew more cards from the main deck and placed them to complete the circle. "The Hanged Man, Hierophant, Emperor, and High Priestess."

Ohya-san whistled. "So you and Akira have eleven people in common, huh?"

"Thirteen, if we're counting the Hermit and the Empress," Mifune-san held up the cards in question. "I think you've contacted the Hermit, but not really spent time with each other? Though the potential to do that in the future is high. As for the Empress, you already have an established bond with this person, but Kurusu-san still hasn't."

Scratching her head, Sadayo wracked her brain on who could fit those categories, but it was impossible to narrow it down. Her job required her to talk to many people, after all.

"I admit, I was honestly surprised," Mifune-san continued. "When I first did a reading of you, your bond with him looked so fragile. It showed that your heart was in conflict and was having doubts. I was worried that a broken bond would occur, so I talked to Akira about it. He'd always tease me about my readings, but when I mentioned yours he suddenly became very interested. I admit, it got me curious."

Sadayo was reminded once more of that time she had bumped into Akira in Shinjuku, and how concerned he was even when she'd been antagonistic. 'So even then...'

It was silly how just the thought of him could alleviate her concerns, but she didn't mind. Sadayo smiled, "I can gander a guess of what was going on when you did. So, you looked into my future, didn't you?"

"I-I... yes," Mifune-san bowed apologetically. "I admit that I only did it at the time because I was curious about Akira's fate, but what I saw there was… not pleasant."

"Yeah… honestly, I wasn't in the best state of mind at that point. I was so lost and just trying to make it through." Sadayo couldn't help the sadness that seeped into her tone.

"Well, I'm glad you're past that. And I'm glad you're here," Mifune-san regained her cheerful energy, beaming. "I can see now why Kurusu-san likes you."

"I-I'm not sure I get what you mean. I mean, yeah, we are good friends but…" To stop herself from saying anything incriminating, Sadayo decided to keep her lips occupied; she gulped her beer desperately.

"Friends? Aren't you lovers?"

Sadayo spat her drink, entering a coughing fit. Beside her, Takemi stiffened. From the bar, the sound of breaking glass echoed.

"Oh my god, the looks on your faces are priceless!" Ohya-san laughed.

"W-why would you say something like that?!" Sadayo managed to force out between coughs.

"Isn't it true?" Mifune-san tilted her head inquisitively.

"No!" Sadayo immediately blurted out. "I mean we — he wouldn't — we don't—" Sadayo was unable to stop the heat from rushing to her cheeks.

The fortune-teller responsible for all of this sipped her drink, innocent of the chaos she'd inadvertently created. When her friend's cackling increased, Mifune-san momentarily frowned before determination replaced it. Probably because she wanted to prove herself after getting a thorough scrutiny earlier. She implored, "Takemi-san, they're together, right?"

"What makes you think I know something like that?" Takemi answered effortlessly, a direct contrast to Sadayo's increasing discomfort.

"You're both their friend. You should know."

The room was getting hotter. Sadayo should've taken the seat by the edge so she could bolt whenever. Maybe she can vault over Takemi? But that would only raise more questions. Maybe she could play it cool?

Ohya's laughter slowly winded down. Wiping her eyes, she looked at Sadayo, but she must've seen something because her expression slackened in disbelief. "You were joking… right?"

"Yes, of course she's joking!" Sadayo desperately cut off Mifune-san's opening mouth. Forcing a smile to look like she was in on the joke, she drew back all her acting experience from Victoria. " I mean, why would Kurusu-kun be interested in some old hag like me?"

"I'm not joking," Mifune-san pouted. "I've done love readings, from singles to couples. Trust me, I can recognize the bond that forms when two individuals are joined together."

"But how can you be so certain? I mean, what if —what if I-I was just the one who liked him?"

"I'm very certain he reciprocates," the fortune-teller insisted. "I know how the fates of couples appear. The bond you and Kurusu-san share is definitely different to the likes—"

"But you're wrong!" Sadayo stood up from her seat, nearly toppling their drinks. "You clearly made a mistake! There is no possible way he and I would be dating! I-I-I mean, why would he want someone like me? I'm not anything amazing. I can't help him gather information, treat his wounds, nor have special powers to protect him. I'm just a bore."

The two ladies — and even Lala-chan — stared at her with wide eyes, but to Sadayo's horror, they didn't look convinced. In fact, it was the direct opposite!

"I lied, tricked and manipulated him so that I could get money, and then I pushed him away when it became too complicated. He was so kind to me, and I rewarded that kindness by taking advantage of it for my own gains."

Except for the jazzy tunes in the background, the room was silent. Sadayo clutched her shirt so tightly that it probably began to tear.

"He wouldn't… I'm not…"

"Kawakami."

A hand fell on her shoulder. From her clouded view, Sadayo could see Takemi standing beside her with a stern expression. "I think you should stop this."

Sadayo closed her eyes, afraid to even look at the other people in the bar. She followed Takemi's tug on her elbow to sit down.

"...Oh my," she heard Lala-chan gasp.

"Sorry," Sadayo buried her head on the table.

"...I don't exactly know what that was about, but what the hell?" Ohya-san demanded.

"I just want t-to—"

"I think it's best if you come clean," Takemi interjected.

"Don't you dare say anything more!" Sadayo snapped, feeling betrayed by her supposed friend's suggestion. "Are you trying to ruin me!?"

"All you're doing is making yourself feel worse while putting out a series of bad cases," Takemi remained stern. Her eyes were sharp and serious, like the time she had questioned Sadayo during her hospital stay. "I know you're scared, but at this point it's best to step back and hear them out."

"How, do you know?! Do you have any idea what would happen if we get—"

"Um… excuse me?"

"What?!" Sadayo shouted towards the direction of the voice, causing Mifune-san to flinch. Seeing her reaction did temper some of Sadayo's anger, replacing it with regret at snapping at the person who, just a few minutes ago, was admiring and thanking her for their mutual desire to help Akira. Pushing the area between her eyes, Sadayo took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"I-it's okay…" Mifune-san was clearly nervous, yet she tried her best, which only made Sadayo feel worse. "I don't exactly know what is going on, but did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"You could say that, yes," Takemi affirmed.

"Takemi!" Sadayo hissed.

"Though I must admit, I'm quite intrigued," Takemi continued. "Even though this is the first time you two have met, you don't seem very surprised to find out about this. How long have you known about this?"

"Well, it was sometime before I had met Ohya-san," Mifune-san started to blush. "I figured out that he had started a relationship with the Temperance around the start of summer, and when Ohya-san approached me, I got, um, drunk, and then I kind of asked Kurusu-san if he liked older women." She played with her straw, unable to meet their eyes.

"What?!" Sadayo's eyes widened in utter shock. "So wait, you already knew that even back then?"

"Wow," Ohya-san's eyes were also wide, "I thought you were asking him because you liked him too."

Mifune-san's blush intensified, pouting as if she got caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

"You can't be serious," Sadayo stared at the guilty woman in disbelief. Then she realized something, whirling to the reporter. "Wait a minute, 'liked him too'?!"

Ohya-san quickly turned away, nonchalantly taking a swig of her glass. The deep blush that wasn't like her drunken redness betrayed her.

Whatever remained of Sadayo's anger was snuffed out by pure disbelief of what she was hearing. Her head moved back and forth to the ladies around her, from the flustered Mifune-san, the suddenly-quiet Ohya-san, to the calm Takemi. At the approaching footsteps, Sadayo listlessly asked, "Lala-chan, did… do... you…?"

"Don't worry, he's too young for my tastes," Lala-chan assured as she placed down Mifune-san's third order, then paused. "Though I won't deny he's easy on the eyes."

Sadayo slowly slumped back onto her seat. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Akira Kurusu Appreciation Club indeed," Takemi giggled in amusement, swirling her drink.

"Please don't misunderstand, Kawakami-san," Mifune-san finally piped up with a mournful gaze, cradling her new drink. "I did sort of ask him that, but it's not like I intended to steal him away. I've seen enough mistresses and affairs to know how badly those turn out. Usually with stabbings or thrown objects."

"The fact that you said it like it was normal is quite surprising," Takemi blinked.

"She ain't wrong though," Ohya-san added, still avoiding to look at Sadayo directly.

"I mean yes, Kurusu-san is very charming and smart and polite and WHY AM I STILL TALKING?!" Mifune-san smothered her face into the table.

'I just want to crawl in a corner and hide now.' Sadayo mirrored her out of sheer embarrassment. Not only was she being outed as Akira's girlfriend, but she had just openly admitted all her flaws and terrible mistakes to a bar filled with women who all have feelings for him.

'Seriously, why me…?'

"Okay, okay. I think things have gotten kinda crazy in here."

The sudden thud on the table made Sadayo raise her head. A large saké bottle in the middle of the table was held by Ohya-san in one hand, jostling the cards. Mifune-san scrambled to collect the fluttering cards while Ohya-san took the last of the items from Lala-chan's tray. "This is getting a bit stuffy, so why don't we go about this differently, ladies?" She grinned, placing one saké cup in front of each lady.

Sadayo's brow rose at the sudden proposal and attitude-change. "If you're trying to get me drunk to get information, it won't work."

"Nope. Just figured to kill all this tension with some hard drinks. You're all welcome to join me, but I'm starting without you."

"Just so you know, you're paying for that whole bottle," Lala-chan sternly reminded her before shuffling away.

"Just put it on my tab, you know I'm good for it," Ohya-san cheered. She poured herself a cup, doing the same for Mifune-san, who was more than eager for a shot even with her unfinished daiquiri, and Takemi, who nodded her acceptance.

"I'll pass," Sadayo let her annoyance known as she crossed her arms.

"Suit yourself," the reporter shrugged, not bothered by the hostility. After placing the bottle down, she then assumed her casual pose like before, a drink in hand.

Sadayo stared at the reporter. This has to be a trap, a trick to make her spill info, but she wasn't going to fall for it. Akira had told her that if she knew the reporter personally, Sadayo would understand why Ohya-san's serious attitude was out of place, but there was no way she could be this lax. Ohya-san was a journalist, but not just any journalist — the one that Akira had relied on for press releases and information. Considering how vital those could be, there was no way he would put his faith on someone who wasn't capable. No matter how much Sadayo couldn't see it.

She already had moments where she had underestimated the people around her. Akira was of course the biggest one, but then she was also surprised to find out that the scary goth punk that she'd ran into the laundromat was actually a very skilled doctor, or that the bubbly blonde woman she'd bumped into earlier was a fortune-teller with legitimate powers. But Ohya-san?

There was a side of her that said she was overestimating the person who was cheerfully pouring herself another cup, an excitable drunk that had dragged Akira around. But Sadayo couldn't deny that those thoughts were more than likely fueled by pettiness.

"Hey, I get it," Ohya-san spoke, disturbing her woolgathering. Leaning in, Ohya-san rested her elbow on the table. "Not everyone is interested in making their daily life a public show. Some just like to keep things private."

"You mean like how you paraded Kurusu-kun like he was your boyfriend?" Sadayo snidely retorted, before she realized what she just said. Despite this, she refused to apologize as she turned her head away in a huff.

"He told you about that, did he?" Ohya-san sighed while scratching the back of her head. "I'm sure he also told you this, but that was just a cover for hiding what I was doing from my boss, so you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"So…" Sadayo slowly moved back to facing her. "What exactly is your relationship with Kurusu-kun now?" She lifted a single finger to point at Takemi. "She and I have already talked about this, but I would like to understand your position. Both of you," she indicated the fortune-teller.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Ohya-san returned with a smug expression.

Sadayo straightened and crossed her arms, tapping her fingers impatiently.

"Geez, you look like a teacher," Ohya-san rolled her eyes.

Sadayo twitched. At the corner of her eye, she was sure Takemi smirked momentarily.

"Look, I don't know how much of that big outburst of yours was true or not, but me and Akira are just partners," Ohya-san swished her cup. "He helps me out by giving me a direct line to what the Phantom Thieves are doing, and I provide him info on any shady dealings. It's the same with Chihaya here."

"It's true," Mifune-san nodded. "I did know about your relationship with Kurusu-san beforehand, and I have to admit that a part of me was curious about the person he had chosen to be with." She looked down, tightly holding her cup of saké. "But it really was because I wanted to help him. I never intended to cause you trouble. I apologize."

Sadayo exhaled, releasing some of the tension after seeing Mifune-san's remorse. "I… I believe you Mifune-san, I don't doubt that you want to help. It's just that..." She narrowed her gaze back towards the reporter.

"Me?" Ohya-san pointed at herself.

"You write exposés, don't you?" Sadayo glared accusingly. "What's to stop you from writing something about us to sell your magazine?"

"I don't know, would it be worth writing about you?" Ohya-san challenged back, before letting out a tired huff as she waved her hand dismissively. "First of all, I'm not just some shitty paparazzi. I'm only interested in stuff that can do some real change. Secondly, I take care of my sources. Akira has been a big help for me and I'm not going to leave him high and dry or stab him in the back for a scoop. Not after all he's done for me." The last part was a small mumble and the drunken hue on her cheeks grew more red again..

"I wouldn't worry about her, deary," Lala-chan appeared, picking up the empty glasses from the table. "She may be a bad influence on the kid, but she does care about him. You should have seen her when he turned her down. Drank the bar dry."

"I don't see how that's relevant!" Ohya-san sneered, taking a swig.

But it seemed to help. Sadayo clamped a hand on her mouth, but she still ended up laughing at the comment. It was a silly image to have, but it did soften her outlook on Ohya-san.

"Feeling calmer now?"

Sadayo turned to her left.

Takemi, saké cup in hand, has a knowing smile. "I think you should give them a chance. After all, Kurusu trusts them, and you gave me a chance."

"That was for something very different." Sadayo took a deep breath. "But, I guess you have a point."

She turned to gaze back at their new acquaintances. They were sipping their drinks, but she knew they were listening to her carefully. In retrospect, she'd gotten a few scares from Takemi as well, but in the end, not only did she find help for her health, but also gained a friend. So…

"You're right, Takemi. I know Akira already puts his trust in them. And before all of this started I honestly was happy at how much they wanted to help him. I guess I let my fears get the best of me." Sadayo then bowed to the other girls from her seat. "I'm sorry for the way I acted."

"It's fine," Ohya-san snickered as she shooed the apology away. "I mean, you were kind of melodramatic for a while, but I can get why you'd be worried about people finding out that you two are dating."

"Really? Why would that be a problem?" Mifune-san asked.

"Uh, because of the whole age-difference?" Ohya-san clarified, flabbergasted.

"Is it really?" Mifune-san blinked, genuinely confused. "I know it's not normal, but there are families in my village who have quite an age gap."

"Yeah, it's not like that here," Ohya-san spoke in a deadpan tone.

"I honestly thought you were plotting something when you said it, snnnnrk," Sadayo palmed her mouth, trying to contain her snort, "but I guess you really didn't — sssnrk — k-know." It was too much. Sadayo laughed, shoulders shaking in abandon. How can such a misunderstanding cause all this? Luckily, instead of being annoyed at her, the other women joined in the laughter as the tension that filled the bar slowly vanished.

"So you really are dating Kurusu-san!" Mifune-san bounced in her seat excitedly. "How did it happen?! Did he confess to you?!"

"Wa-wait a minute," Sadayo held out her hands to slow down the excited fortune-teller. "This is still a lot to process. I'm not used to talking about, well…" she blushed, "us, in a group." Her voice was a whisper at the end as she avoided eye contact. "I'm sorry about asking, but it's really important that this is kept between the five of us?" Sadayo turned to the bar. "If that's okay with you as well?"

"Hon, my lips are sealed," Lala-chan smiled, miming a zipper across her mouth.

"So then, going back to Chihaya's cards," Ohya-san signalled, and Mifune-san obligingly laid out the cards again. "Why do you know so many? Is it because he introduced you to them, or...?"

"No, not really," Sadayo shook her head. "We've been doing our best to keep our relationship just between us, with… mixed results. Honestly, the fact that I know most of these is probably because of coincidence rather than because of Akira. I think Takemi and Morgana are the only ones who he has introduced me to."

"And sorry to ask this." Ohya-san set her sights on Takemi now. "Considering we are all putting our hearts on our sleeves here, I'm guessing you also…"

"Yes, Kurusu is someone very special to me," Takemi confidently declared without losing her smirk. She nudged her head towards Sadayo. "It's because of that that I know how much he cares about our friend here. You should have seen the way he reacted when he showed up while I was giving Kawakami a medical evaluation. He got so flustered that he ran off the clinic."

Sadayo's blush deepened.

"Akira acting flustered? I'd honestly like to see that," Ohya-san chuckled.

As the women began to chatter, Sadayo looked towards the bottle of saké that was left on the table. She picked it up, poured herself a cup, and downed it. Warmth poured down her throat and spread throughout her body. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed the taste; it had been quite some time since she had saké, after all.

Or maybe it was the fact that for the first time and years, she was able to drink and laugh among others. She had been so scared and defensive for a while now that she had forgotten that the original plan was to get back in the swing of things and start socializing. The original plan was to hang out with just Takemi since she was the only female Sadayo could talk to about certain things, but here she was, having a ladies' night out with others who not only knew her boyfriend, but also knew of their relationship.

It had been so long since the last time she'd hung out with others, drinking and talking freely about things.

After downing the remainder of her saké, Sadayo let out a gasp of satisfaction. The glint of amber caught her eye; that's right, she didn't finish her beer. Cheeks warm and colorful, Sadayo grabbed her half-full glass and guzzled it.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Ohya-san cheered. "Let's go for round three! Or was it four? Whatever!"

The rest of the women joined in with another toast, kicking the mood up a notch.

With the lively mood, Sadayo laid back on her seat, fanning her shirt to cool herself a bit. She had forgotten how warm saké made her feel, but with Ohya-san's antics and Mifune-san's gibberish in the background, the warmth encased her in happiness. 'I guess they aren't bad.'

Her eyes turned to the person that was sipping martini, quietly watching the other two in amusement. Once again, Sadayo was reminded of how she'd never would have thought to become friends with someone like her. 'Compared to her I…'

"Listen, Takemi?" Sadayo shuffled nearer to the woman, taking advantage of her calmer nerves and liquid courage. "I'm sorry. I told you that I trusted you, but when I panicked I accused you immediately even though you were trying to help. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It doesn't bother me," Takemi shrugged. "I'm used to rash patients."

"But I'm not just your patient," Sadayo kept eye-contact. "We're friends, right? At least I like to think so. I should have at least heard you out. So thanks, for still being here with me and helping me come to my senses."

"Whatever," Takemi nonchalantly replied, but Sadayo could see a smile threatening to come out.

Sadayo didn't point it out. Instead, she held out her glass towards her. "I guess we met some interesting people."

Takemi blinked. Then her small smile turned into her signature smirk. "So we did." She clinked her own glass against Sadayo's.

"Ah, that's the stuff!" Ohya-san finished her latest glass with a loud sigh. "You know what'll make things better? If Akira comes in tonight!"

Takemi smiled. "I wonder if we can make him make us drinks. Or at least serve us."

"Will Lala-chan approve?" Sadayo asked.

"Yesh!" Mifune-san cheered, swaying on her seat, giggling. "Da Trickshter, her hee comesh…"

Something jingled in the background, the sound of a door opening and closing.

"Speak of the devil," Lala-chan said from the bar. There was a lot of amusement in her tone. "Help out tonight, will you? We have some special customers."

"Sure. I ended up with some free time so I figured I would come in and hel—"

As the new voice registered, Sadayo whipped her head to see who it was. Her relaxed eyes widened as her spine stiffened.

Akira froze when he saw Sadayo. He thought she'd drink with Takemi somewhere in Yongen again, not here in Shinjuku. Even though he had a legitimate alibi, he still wished not to be spotted by her in the red-light district, considering last time. But she'd never mentioned ever coming to this bar. Worst of all, Ohya and Chihaya were with her.

'Did she come here deliberately to check the place out? Is that why Takemi is here as well?' All these thoughts raced in Akira's mind as he tried to figure out the next move.

If it wasn't for the situation, he'd call her panicked face adorable. But for now, he heeded her gesture — a hand crossing her throat, probably to avoid calling her... 'sensei'? Or 'Sadayo'? No, it'll be weird if he was on a first name-basis with an adult woman, so...

Awkwardly, he raised his hand as he waved at her. "Hey… Ms. Kawakami. Please don't tell the school about this."

There was only one other moment when Sadayo had completely paled, and that was when the Takases had come to school. But what was stranger in the situation was that Takemi facepalmed while the rest of the room went dead silent. Except for the glass shattering from the bar.

Akira blinked in confusion, taking in all the eyes that were now on the two of them.

"What?"

So hope you enjoyed this chapter, because this chapter gave me flashback o chapter 5 and 9 where things went completely of the rails to what I had planned.

So first bump in the road was actually with the newly introduce character Hana. While she was always intended to be brought into the story, this wasn't the original plan that I had in mind. I'll leave that for later as we aren't fully done with her yet, but to put it simply, both Akira and Sadayo had developed far beyond the point of the original plan and thus made it jarring.

The other big curve ball that hit him by surprise was the meeting of the ladies at Crossover. One of the things I always wanted to add to this story is Sadayo bonding and becoming friends with the other ladies that Akira interacts with. Considering she's his girlfriend, she'd probably be curious about them and I could easily see them bonding. I figured a fun encounter where they all bond over their shared friendship with Akira, while Sadayo quietly kept the fact that they are dating a secret kind of cute. I wanted to expand Sadayo's social circle, Takemi was the most obvious for me at first, but I also wanted her to become friends with Ohya and Chihaya. So I figured a fun cute little scene of her meeting the two girls and the four forming a group of Friends for Sadayo to spend time with, would be nice.

But, just like her following Akira and Iwai lead to her hearing more than she planned, Having Chihaya int he scene and her powers of reading made me realize things I hadn't originally. stuff like how Chihaya is someone who is very skilled at her powers, that among the types of readings people usually talk about, love ones are probably the one of the most commonly brought up, and all the other stuff that she brought up in this chapter. I immediately realized that if she had looked deeper into it she would had know of Sadayo's special bond with Akira, and considering how blatant she was in asking Akira about his preference, she probably wouldn't had found it that bizarre. which lead to her revealing it out in the open and the following chaos. Man Akira and Sadayo can't catch a break.

Finally there is something I want to bring up. As many of you know, by this point Persona 5 Royal has been released, and are probably wandering how this will affect my story. Well I have played through the entirety of the full game, and I really loved my experienced with ti. I also enjoyed the interaction with the new characters, and when they were revealed I had hoped to integrate some. But after playing though it I have to accept that doing so would cause too many problems to have them show up now, not to mention the events of the third semester being so integral.

SO as the writer, my plan is to continue this story through the events of the Original persona. This means that Maruki and Kasumi wont' be making an appearance in this story. I will probably still integrate some minor stuff from Royal into my story (like some of Sadayo's newer lines later one), but the big ones will remain of the table.

Now that is not to say I don't want to explore how their existence would change things. Once I"m done with this story, I might work on a side story exploring those possible events and how they would meld with this story's events. But that's something much farther in to the future.

For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you in the next one.