Akira had developed Futaba Syndrome some days after the funeral. In his free time after school he went to the only destination he deemed as his safe zone: his room. He had felt guilt for actions that could or could not have led to the hatred spread between his family members. He couldn't tell what was real and what was fake. The only certainty he felt within himself was that his constant bad mood would cause a crest of negative reactions from the people closest to him. It was best if he kept things to himself, as per usual.

Morgana – bless that cat – showed obvious signs of concern towards Akira. How couldn't he? He went everywhere with his human companion. From time to time he'd try to assure that Akira was feeling okay, to which Akira had to dodge answering these types of questions. Soon enough, Morgana understood that it was best not to pry him.

His friends were catching on as well, though Akira suspected that Morgana was to blame for this. During the weekend he's had to dodge several invites from his fellow Phantom Thieves. Akira loved the idea of spending time with his closest friends, but his heart wasn't in it. There was always that doubt and fear at the back of his mind itching him to believe that they'd just turn out like his family, though he knew how ridiculous that idea was. Still, as much has he tried to convince himself that he wasn't a burden, it didn't work. Throughout his whole life, all proof led to the same conclusion. Akira was dead weight, an anchor that had its use but now only works to drag everything around it down.

It was sad to him the amount of times he's had to make excuses just to avoid being around people. He hated himself even more whenever he ignored such requests.

Idle actions and the attic ceiling were eating his life away and that Saturday after school was no different. He barely spoke to Ann and Ryuji on his way out, having the urge to rush back home as soon as possible. Whether the two were suspicious of Akira, he had no intention on dwelling on the subject.

Morgana was sitting on the wooden floor, his tail flicking impatiently back and forth. Though Akira's eyes were glued to the ceiling, he could feel the cat's glare on him. Akira made no intention of acknowledging him. He felt bad for dragging Morgana down, but he had hoped to make it clear to him that he's free to do as he pleases while Akira spends his free time hating himself.

Besides drowning himself with his thoughts and staring at the dull wooden attic, his most interesting activities included ignoring texts messages and reading through the group chat. He was incredibly disgusted with himself when he willingly chose not to respond to the people who weren't explicitly Phantom Thieves. Hifumi had asked to see him when he had the time, Takemi wanted to give him the latest on Miwa's condition, even Shinya had asked to hang out with him. There was no surprise that Iwai, Toronosuke, Ohya,, Ohya, and Chihaya hadn't contacted him because they probably had no means of knowing about his return. Akira thought that this was for the best. What would they think of him after seeing him like this? He could already imagine the disappointment they'd bestow upon him.

Sometime during the week even Kawakami had cornered him. How she could read him despite how distant he tries to act, he had no idea. It was probably what most educators called "Teacher's Instinct," at least Akira imagined that's the excuse Kawakami would use.

Their conversation was awkward, which was new between their relationship considering how much Akira had known about the teacher's past job and the way the two would talk about that subject. It just goes to show how useless he was whenever the roles were reversed. Kawakami, as blunt as she usually was, was respectful and there was an obvious concern in her voice.

"I just wanted to make sure how you're feeling." It was no surprise that she knew about his parents. Not that the information was spreading among the student body like when his criminal record was leaked, Akira just assumed that the school staff had to know certain details about their students. "As your teacher it's my job to not only guide you in your studies but to also make you feel comfortable within the school. Given the current situation, I can understand how difficult it must be for you right now."

Akira remained quiet, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he knew that nothing he said would be worth it. Kawakami had a look that she was thinking hard how to convey her thoughts in a way for him to understand her point. There was no "I'm sorry". There was no pity. He greatly appreciated this. No one had anything to say sorry for anything and he knew that didn't deserve any sympathy.

"I just want you to know," she was beginning to fumble and stutter a bit, Akira noticed, "if you ever need someone at school that you can vent to, it's me. I owe you as much after everything you've helped me with."

All Akira could do was force a smile and thank her, but he knew that Kawakami wasn't convinced by that response. To be fair, who would? It's not like he gave her the most reassuring and trusting answer and it definitely wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.

He didn't notice that Morgana had fallen asleep on the attic floor until he heard knocks on the door. He sat up from the bed and began walking towards it until Sojiro began to speak. "I'm locking up for tonight, so see you tomorrow. Listen, I might need help tomorrow since you're free," Sojiro was obviously aware of Akira's current hobby of sulking in his room. A very wise attempt to get him out of it, considering Sojiro wasn't going to take no for an answer.

There was a slight pause afterwards, leaving Akira to wonder if he had already left. "I left some curry in the kitchen for you, since you didn't have much of a dinner today. You just got to heat it up. And kid?" Another five second pause. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Akira's heart sank. He could only imagine how Sojiro must feel to have another kid in his custody act like another shut in. He wanted to say more to Akira. Akira was sure of it, but Sojiro being Sojiro couldn't find the right words for it. The thought that Akira was making the only person willing to take care of him go through that much worry yet again didn't help Akira feel any better about himself.

"It's so great to finally to be able to work together!" Haru said cheerfully as they were both brewing coffee. Sojiro's idea of "helping him out" was to leave Haru and Akira run the shop while he had to go run some errands. Granted, it wasn't very busy considering that their only customers were their friends. Akira thought that Haru was great in the business, be it her cooking, brewing, or customer service. She could definitely handle herself in the shop and there was so much dexterity and care to everything she did, even doing the dishes. It was obvious to see that she loved working at Leblanc.

Working in the shop provided a mild distraction, which did help brighten Akira's mood, no matter how temporary. The coffee shop's atmosphere combined with his friends was good therapy. Once in a while he'd regress back to his dark thoughts, but would try to occupy himself with anything he could. Still, there was always a lingering dullness to his speech and actions, and no amount of work could hide his cheerlessness and lack of motivation.

There was constant effort to include Akira in the conversations between his friends, but most of the time he didn't offer much of an opinion. The only topic he felt slightly vocal about was one where he felt that he had no choice but to speak due to the embarrassment. Somehow they had gotten into talking about relationships. Akira wasn't paying much attention at first but it probably started with Morgana teasing Ryuji about how girls can't stand being near him and Ryuji boasting about how girls line up to date him or whatever. It was until Ryuji mentioned one small thing that Akira began paying attention.

"Yo, Akira," Ryuji was smirking and Akira could already hear the chuckle in his voice, "Didn't you and Makoto date or somethin'?"

Akira and Makoto nearly choked on their coffee with Makoto looking at Akira in total shock. Haru giggled at that reaction while Ann just raised her eyebrow but still looked amused.

"Ooooh, this sounds spicy. Spill! Spill the details!" Futaba chimed in cheerfully, which Akira easily ignored.

"Yeah, so what?" Akira answered directly at Ryuji.

"Really now? When was all this happening?" There was a slight edge in Ann's voice that made Akira flinch in guilt. Then again, what reason did he have to feel guilty? It's not like the two of them, Akira and Ann, were together.

"Th-that was only to help my friend Eiko! You're all misunderstanding this." Makoto looked extremely flustered, but Ryuji looked like he was far from done with the topic.

"No, I'm not talkin' about the fake boyfriend thing! You two went on some dates after that shit, right?"

Makoto was now glaring at Akira. "You told him about the fake boyfriend thing?"

"Excuse me," Haru asked amidst giggles, "what's 'the fake boyfriend thing?'"

"Yes, Akira, what's 'the fake boyfriend thing?'" Ann asked while smirking, but there was still the harsh undertone with the way he said his name, which confused Akira. Was she mad at him or was she enjoying putting him the spotlight? Perhaps both?

"I asked Akira to be my fake boyfriend so we can spy on Eiko's boyfriend by pretending to go on double dates!" Makoto's face was as red as Morgana's scarf.

"So considering the circumstance, you went from the fake boyfriend to the real boyfriend, correct?" Yusuke asked, a genuine interest in his eyes.

Akira glanced at Ann who had pursed her lips once Yusuke mentioned this. She looked as confused as he felt, but the look in her eye seemed a little sad. It didn't help that she was avoiding looking at him as well.

"Well, not exactly," Akira began answering Yusuke, "we just thought it was worth a shot and to see where things went from there."

"Helluva controversial couple that would've been, right?" Ryuji once again spoke up, obviously enjoying what he caused. "Miss Student Council Prez dating Shujin's juvenile delinquent. Your sister woulda been pissed!"

"So… did it work? You two dating and all." Ann asked softly and hesitantly, as if the answer would be one she didn't want to hear.

"Obviously not, otherwise they'd be doing all sortsa coupley shit around us by now." This Ryuji a deadly glare from both Ann and Ryuji.

"Akira would make a great boyfriend," Makoto began saying, "but I appreciate him more as a friend."

"We just kind of figured it wouldn't work out anyway, once it was the real deal. Besides, I kind of started having feelings for someone else around that time." Akira felt a bit timid sharing that much information with his friends, but that was enough to rile Ryuji up.

"Wait, you do? What the eff, man! Why haven't you told me anythin' about this crush? Who is she?"

"I'm definitely not telling."

"Awwwww booooring," Futaba started saying. "Even so, it's definitely pretty obvious who it is, to me at least."

Ryuji looked at Futaba and started speaking up but was interrupted by Haru. "She's incredibly lucky to have someone like you have an eye for her! So romantic!"

"I must agree," Yusuke added with a soft smile, "She must truly be an amazing girl if you like her. Whoever it may be, it's rather inspiring to see the fruits of love develop within you. If you ever need help in writing some poems for her, be sure to let me know."

"Uh, sure thing, Yusuke." Akira glanced at Ann who had gone awfully quiet lately, but there was a small smile plastered on her face along with a tint of rosy cheeks. Needless to say, Akira had a better day compared to the last few.

The rest of the week had Akira going back to his routine of staying in his room after school. He knew that the giddy feeling from last Sunday was temporary. He could tell that all the negative emotions would swallow him back. The most pathetic thing about it was that he didn't bother to do anything about it. He forced himself to interact with people when he had to. He unwillingly had to leave his room for simple tasks such as eating and going to the bathroom. He could tell that everyone around him was getting sick of his shit.

The first one to visit his bedroom door was Ryuji, but Akira granted no welcome for him inside his quarters. He knew that the rest of the group was waiting downstairs, expecting results. He knew that eventually it would come to this. They would start taking turns, give him a pep talk, and try to convince him that he should leave his room. How he wished that they'd just prove him wrong. What he wanted to hear most was that he wasn't a burden, but this attitude he was partaking in, this conduct towards the people around him only caused more distance between him and the world. Deep down there was knowledge of his childish behavior and Akira loathed himself for not even trying to stop. Why was it so damn difficult?

He heard Ryuji thump down to sit on the staircase on the other side of the door. He was pretty quiet as he gathered his thoughts and translated them into words. Knowing Ryuji, Akira knew that this would take some time, which he had no problem with. He sat against the doorframe opposite Ryuji, so that he could hear him properly, should he decide to speak.

"Akira, come on man. You gotta get out of there. We can read you like a book, man. Plus, Morgana's been tellin' us what's been goin' on in here." Akira tried to glare at the cat but soon realized that he was probably out there with the rest of the group. "Listen, it ain't your fault. And yeah your family's pretty shitty," Akira took no offense to that, but Ryuji didn't really understand what it felt to be hated by your own blood. "But listen who gives a shit about them, right? What's important is that ya got yourself a different family now. Me and the other guys are always here for you and I just thought you should know that."

Both remained silent for a good few minutes. Ryuji suspected a reply but it seems that he wasn't too upset when he didn't get one. "Right, just hope you think on that." Akira heard him move about as he got up and went back downstairs. There were mumbles, but he couldn't bring out what they were saying.

As he predicted, they consecutively took turns in trying to talk to him, but neither got closer to an answer than the last. He silently wish he could find the right way to apologize to them for the frustration he was causing them.

Makoto offered some insight on good ways of opening up to people, but soon realized that she wasn't very good at the whole advice giving, but she did mention that she was a great listener, which Akira could vouch for. Yusuke was citing proverbs and quotes and went on about sometimes when someone is at their lowest point it means that they're about to achieve great things and that such was the case with a lot of artists. Futaba didn't argue against Akira but she did mention that she understood what it felt to be so afraid of everything that you could barely leave her room and that she would try to save him like he did for her. Haru offered empathy for she knew firsthand what it felt to lose a parent, especially one you felt resentment for.

The only person who didn't go upstairs was Ann. Akira didn't blame her, though. In fact she appreciated Ann's gesture the most. Out of everything, she understood what Akira needed and that was just a little time. She had texted him around the time that everyone was talking saying: When you're ready, please call me, but that doesn't mean that I won't stop trying.

It had been a good two days since he had heard from his friends, and Akira was beginning to worry that they'd already lost interest in him. Perhaps it was best for them to forget about him for the time being. That way they could move on and leave the shallow anchor behind. It still hurt, of course, feeling like dead weight to the only people who tried to help you, but he was to blame, as usual.

He heard footsteps coming up, but Akira assumed it was just Sojiro. There was a soft knock, confirming that it was indeed not Sojiro. The person beyond the door, whomever it may be, kept knocking to no hint of stopping. At this point Akira could already tell that it was either Ryuji or Futaba trying once again to get him out. He chose to ignore it.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock. It was never ending to the point where it was already starting to get annoying. Akira got up from his bed and stomped to the door, but even this didn't cause the knocking to stop.

"I'm sorry you guys, but I just don't know what to say to you." He spoke against the door and finally the knocking stopped.

"How about to me?" Said a familiar yet unfamiliar voice from across the door. Akira couldn't quite place it, but he was sure he'd heard that voice long ago. It was one of his earliest memories from Tokyo, that's for sure. But why couldn't he place a face to it?

Not even bothering to ask who it was, Akira unlocked the door, impatiently opening it only to stare back at the confused look on Shiho Suzui's face.

A/N: Just wanted to say sorry for the lack of updates lately. Since have been pretty hectic with my laptop breaking down and stuff. Needless to say, thank you all so much for the reviews and feedback! I usually try to respond to them via PM. I greatly appreciate any form of feedback you guys can give, positive or negative. It'd help me improve and would help out a lot to know what I'm doing wrong or right.