That day, in the middle of summer vacation, Akira had to return home early from summer school. He attended night classes since he worked part-time at his family's shop. The feeling of his large, blue-and-white baseball tee with the numbers '1797' in the front swaying with each step he took, the heat his black sweats contained, and the tickling sensation of the rocky road passing through his black sandals to his feet all still lingered; as if it were only yesterday. He remembered the dread he felt with each absent step he took, wishing he could have stayed in class just a little bit longer. He didn't like attending class, but it was better than being at home where his father awaited him. Then, clear as day, he heard the voice of a man.

"Just get in the car!" the voice barked, a familiar grumpiness about it startling Akira. Looking up from the ground, he stopped. Up ahead, still a little ways from where he was standing, he could see two shadows moving back and forth. Akira could hear the sound of resistant and building frustration coming from two different people, but it didn't sound too alarming.

Just before Akira could brush aside the voice he heard, claiming it to be just his imagination, he heard a woman cry out, "Stop it!"

Akira started to make his way up the hill, the voices becoming clearer and louder with each step. The shadows soon formed into a tall, bald man and a rather busty woman wrestling with one another. Akira's eyes widened, recognizing the situation immediately as a drunk man forcing himself onto a woman.

"No…!" the woman whimpered.

"Don't give me that shit..." the man growled.

"Ow! P-Please, stop…!"

That woman's in danger…! Akira thought to himself, anger building within himself. Stepping close to the two, his anger soon blocked out all the noise, his surroundings turning black. It was a case of his classic tunnel vision. Akira stopped right behind the man, the shine on the bald man's head reflecting Akira's piercing, dark eyes. Feeling soft, hot wind puffing occasionally on his neck, the bald man turned around. Due to their close distance, Akira could see the man had a small, black goatee with a pair of orange-tinted square glasses covering his eyes.

"...What're you looking at? Get outta my face! This ain't a show. Get lost, kid" the man growled, the smell of sake seeping out with each word. He turned to the woman and raised his hand. "See? This is all because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!"

The man turning back to shove the woman into the car, she looked dead into Akira eyes and cried out, "H-Help me!"

That did it.

Akira's hands tightened, rolling up into tight fists. Without thinking, he grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled the man off the woman. Startled and drunk, the man stumbled back and smashed his face into the railing of the sidewalk, causing blood to squirt. Akira blinked, his vision returning to normal. Realizing what he had done, he looked down at his hands in surprise. The woman behind him whimpered, covering her chest that was starting to show as a result from the earlier struggle, as the bald man sat up. Covering his face with his hand, the man glared at Akira with such intensity it caused him to shiver.

"Damn brat, I'll sue!" the man barked, staggering back up to his feet. Shocked to hear such a thing, Akira's mind went blank. Soon, the police arrived. After some exchanges between the man, the woman, and the officers; the policemen grabbed Akira's arms. He remembered staring in shock at the woman, thoughts going through his head.

Akira's eyes snapped open, anger giving him new energy. The anger quickly subsided however as he let out a sigh, massaging his face. It had been a long day—a long trip—so the last thing he needed was to get worked up what happened in the past. It sucked, sure, and the events that occurred when he returned home was horrible...But it's a waste of time. Akira suddenly heard beeping coming from his phone. Sitting up, he pulled it off the charger and unlocked it. Much to his surprise, it was that strange app from before. It returned.

I thought I had deleted it… Akira wondered, raising a brow. Without a second thought, he dragged the icon to the trash once again. Connecting his phone back to the charger, he plopped back down on his back. His eyelids didn't stand a chance, quickly closing as his conscious faded.

Click clack. Click clack. Click clack.

Akira's eyes snapped open, the sound of rattling chains waking him. He groaned as he sat up, his back aching for some reason. He wasn't in Sojiro's attic. It was too dark and he DEFINITELY didn't give him a cot to sleep on. Grabbing his head, he blinked slowly to focus his vision. But as he did so, he noticed shackles around his wrists which clanked noisily. Looking down at his body, he realized that he was wearing a black and white striped uniform befitting that of a prisoner. Swallowing, he nervously began to fumble about, when he suddenly stopped- the sound of footsteps catching his attention. Looking to his left, he saw a cell door with crossing chains keeping him in his "cell", two similar looking girls—twins possibly—standing on the ends of the door. They had platinum blonde hair—one styled in twin buns, the other in some braided ponytail—and rather menacing yellow eyes and ghastly sick pale skin. The twins both wore black eye patches with the letter "V" over one of their eyes and a blue prison guard outfit with a brassard on their left arm, matching black ties.

Akira blinked in surprise, sweat starting to sweat down his jaw. Standing up, he tried to approach them when he heard the shaking of chains. Looking down at his feet, he noticed that he had shackles attached to his ankles as well, the chain connected to a large, steel ball. Akira faced the twins in a panic, cautiously approaching the door.

"H-Hey, where am…?!" Akira began, his voice shaking. The twin girls took two steps to the side, standing side by side. For some reason, this caused Akira to shiver and slowly look up. There, he noticed it wasn't just himself and the twins. There was a man with an absurdly long nose—grinning an inhuman smile—sitting down at a desk in the center of the room. Past the man, he could see a similar cell like his, but it seemed as if it was filled with presents wrapped in pink wrapping paper.

"Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room" the man welcome, stretching out a hand, his voice low and growly. Akira snapped his attention to the man, his eyes widening. Swallowing, he grabbed hold of the cell bars. Feeling nothing but a hard substance caused Akira to shiver and shake the bars violently.

"So you've come to, Inmate," one of the twins sneered, causing him to halt.

"The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream," the other twin explained calmly. Akira blinked in surprise, gradually calming down. It would explain why the shackles around his wrists and ankles didn't really weigh him down. And the fact that the cell bars weren't cold. The angry twin glared him down.

"You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!" she barked. Akira quickly straightened himself in obedience. He never knew children could be so frightening. It seemed their "master" was the strange man in the center of the room.

"Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance" the strange man greeted, a chill running down his spine. Perhaps if he didn't look so creepy that welcome would be more reassuring. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room only those who are bound by a contract may enter." Akira raised a brow, not recalling signing any sort of contract…

"I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well" the man continued, ignoring the confusion etched on Akira's face. "I summoned you here to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well." Akira flinched and glared at Igor, becoming rather defensive.

"Let me out!" he demanded, banging angrily on the bars. The angry twin quickly slammed her nightstick against the bars, barely missing Akira's fingers. Akira took a step back with a yelp, nearly tripping over his feet.

"Know your place, inmate! Who do you think you're talking to!?" she barked. Akira grabbed hold of his hands, making a mental note to start calming down- else this small girl may chop off his limbs.

"Still, this is a surprise..." Igor mused, looking around the prison. "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. I am most curious about that room as well..." Akira looked up, noticing that Igor was staring at the cell behind him- the one with the presents.

After a moment, Igor turned around and smirked at him, humming "You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate." Akira calmly took a deep breath and cautiously grab hold of the bars once again. "In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."

"Ruin...?" Akira asked in a calm, yet still trembling, voice. It pleased Igor that Akira had managed to calm himself.

"Haha, worry not. There is a means to oppose such a fate," Igor chuckled. "You must be rehabilitated. Rehabilitated toward freedom…That is your only means to avoid ruin... Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

Akira blinked in surprise, interest peaking him. "'Distortion of the world,' huh...? He would be lying if he were to say he wasn't. Humans to him are such disgusting creatures… Looking down, he nodded. If anything, he wanted to avoid ruin. Igor rested his chin on the palm of his hands, his smile widening.

"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation," Igor mused, sounding almost a tad...excited. The twins nodded at each other and stepped out of their stationary positions, standing before Akira. They seemed to be waiting for something.

"Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others," Igor began, dropping his left hand to the desk, tapping his fingers. "To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here." Caroline, the one with the twin buns, sneered at Akira once more.

"Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like," she snapped.

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators" Justine added. "...That is, if you remain obedient." Akira nodded slowly, wanting to be on the girl's good side.

"I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion" Igor said, cutting in. The girls looked at each other before turning around to face Igor. "Now then, it seems the night is almost waning...It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually..."

With a flick of the wrist from Igor, a bell suddenly began to ring, echoing within the empty prison. Akira took a step back, looking around in surprise.

"Time's up," Caroline huffed, turning around to face Akira. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep." Akira grabbed the bars, still having some questions to ask. But he suddenly began to feel his legs giving out from under him, his eyelids quickly shutting. Without even a chance to fight, Akira lost conscious once again, the world fading black.

April, 10th. Sunday.

Akira sat on his bed, dazed, his clothes twisted which told him he had been turning in his sleep. It was rather early in the morning, his phone reading 4:45 am.

...I had a strange dream, Akira thought. Ruin… Rehabilitation...What does it mean?

Akira sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Grabbing his glasses, he put them on and stood up with a yawn. Opening up his box, he quickly pulled out a plastic-wrapped uniform. It was his new one for Shujin Academy. He never wore a blazer uniform before… At his old high school and middle school, he was given the usual, stiff gakuran. It was going to feel strange to be so...free with his uniform. But he was rather looking forward to it. Without delay, Akira went downstairs and searched for a bathroom. Within minutes, he found one at the back and did his business.

Once dressed—his face washed, and his teeth brushed—Akira stared at himself in the mirror. The uniform consisted of a red-buttoned black blazer with Shujin's emblem on the pocket, a white turtleneck shirt with black hearts to which his mother had sewn, and red plaid trousers. The uniform was overall stylish and neat.

Now the question is...what to do with his hair. Akira began to comb his hair, the strands kindly going with the flow instead of fighting. Now neatly combed, he looked much neater than earlier. However...he looked like an emo depicted in manga, his bangs fairly covering his eyes. Akira made a face, the tidiness of his hair reminding him of his family's shop. Frustrated, Akira ruffled his hair wildly, returning it to its unkempt appearance. Akira smirked, finding this much better. It was wild enough to make him appear almost attractive but tamed enough to make him seem like an ordinary boy. The perfect combination for him. Akira walked back upstairs and grabbed his wallet and his cell phone, thinking that it would be all that he needed for today.

"Looks like you're up," a familiar voice pointed out. Shoving his things into his pockets, he looked over his shoulder, Sojiro dressed up in a pale pink dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, pale khakis held up with a white leather belt, and white loafers. He was also wearing white trilby with a red-white-and-blue striped hat band that really completed the outfit. Although, it didn't necessarily mean to look good on him.

"Good morning," Akira greeted politely. Sojiro nodded in reply, placing a hand on his hip.

"Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer," Sojiro began. "The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district. It'll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I'll drive you for today only. You'll take the train starting tomorrow." Akira nodded and the two began to make their way downstairs. He heard Sojiro grumble about how he didn't usually allow men to sit in his passenger seat, causing him to look down at his feet. When they entered the car, Akira mainly fiddled with his handkerchief in his pocket. It made the ride much shorter, and before he knew it, they had arrived.

Stepping out of the car, Akira felt rather… disappointed at how plain looking the school was. He wasn't expecting much to begin with, but a part of him wished that his school- being that an "academy"- looked at least half as good as the academy's in anime and manga. But sadly, it was just your typical school.

"Do yourself a favor and behave yourself, all right?" Sojiro began as the two walked towards the entrance. "Don't get me wrong—I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any troubles." Akira nodded, letting out a sigh. He didn't want to cause any trouble for himself either. He had to return home at the end of the year… He promised.

Entering the building, they were immediately greeted by a teacher to whom guided the two to the principal's office on the second floor. On their way there, Akira looked around, the disappointment in his gut growing. Even the inside of the academy was the same as any normal school. City schools look almost the same as countryside schools—minus the subways. Akira sighed quietly and stuffed his hands into his pockets, wanting to go home. The three of them entered a room to which the teacher knocked on the door, a voice granting them permission to enter. The teacher opened the door for him, revealing a very overweight and bald man wearing a tight, beige suit, a white undershirt, and a red bow tie. Beside him was a young, slender woman with dark, unkempt hair and brown, tired eyes. She looked as if she didn't want to be there.

"You must be Akira Kurusu," the large man began, waving him and Sojiro closer to his desk, to which they obliged. "I am the principal of Shujin Academy. You may call me Principal Kobayakawa." Akira bowed to him, mumbling a word of thanks for allowing him there. Sojiro then introduced himself and the two men began exchanging words. Akira didn't pay them any mind, looking around the office. His eyes quickly met with the woman standing next to Kobayakawa, a hint of pity present in her dark brown orbs. He shrugged subtly at her as a way to say that he was fine and he accepts full responsibilities of his actions. The woman averted her eyes, causing Akira to blink, feeling somewhat hurt. He glanced down and rubbed the back of his head. Now he really wanted to go home.

"To reiterate, just so we're clear," Kobayakawa began, catching Akira's attention. Sojiro was signing some paperwork as Akira and Kobayakawa locked eyes. "You will be immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side..." Akira nodded in understanding. Noticing the paperworks, he recognized the basic information sheet he filled out himself.

Now's the time to ask, I guess, Akira thought. Shyly raising his hand, he took a step forward.

"Principal Kobayakawa, if I may..." he began, earning raised brows and confused looks from the adults. "On the informational sheet, I had written down that-"

Akira suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as his mouth closed shut. Kobayakawa had began to tap his left pinky against the desk in a steady and rhythmic matter. Glancing up at Kobayakawa's face, Akira saw a rather menacing look in the porky principal's eyes, despite his rather relaxed face. Shivering, Akira looked down and took two steps back. Sojiro couldn't help but shoot a glance over at him, curiosity brewing.

"...Nevermind," Akira mumbled. Kobayakawa shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing. He wasn't too pleased to be so passively interrupted. Men like Akira, "Sōshoku(kei) danshi" or "Herbivores" as the internet called them, truly agitated him.

"As I was saying… You might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here," Kobayakawa continued. "If you are thrown out of our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind." Akira nodded slowly, his head still low. Paying the lad no mind, Kobayakawa looked over at the young woman to his left, who had been staring at Akira in confusion.

"This is the teacher in charge of your class," Kobayakawa introduced, causing the woman to blink.

"I'm Sadayo Kawakami," she introduced, causing Akira to glance up at her. Kawakami couldn't help but feel a slight pluck in her heart, the boy's rather frightened eyes earning pity points. Shaking it aside though, she placed down a small blue notebook and plastic card that had Akira's basic information on it. A picture, name, ID number, gender, and school year. This caught Akira's attention, drawing his eyes hesitantly back down to Kobayakawa's desk.

"Here's your student I.D and the student handbook," she said simply, sliding the items across the table. Akira picked them up, finding the simple design of the card rather charming, before promptly putting it in his pocket. "Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all...That is your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"He is responsible for all his actions," Kobayakawa agreed with a nod. Akira also nodded, although no one except for Sojiro noticed, so it was mostly for himself. The two teachers started to whisper to one another, Akira (and Sojiro) sadly being able to hear bit and pieces of their conversation. To summarize, Kawakami got the short end of the stick due to his sudden transfer to which she complained about. Akira rubbed the back of his head and turned around, not wanting to hear the conversation. Sojiro frowned as he glanced at Akira. Sure the lad had a criminal record and assaulted someone, but he clearly didn't seem to be violent. It was clear to Sojiro, and should have been clear to the others, that he was much politer and awkward than normal rebellious teenagers in this day and age. It pissed and drained Sojiro that the school wasn't giving Akira the time of day. This was a school for crying out loud— their whole mojo is to educate and discipline young people to have them be contributing members of society!

"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to," Sojiro said impatiently. Part of him also wanted to leave so that the poor kid could get out of there.

"Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him," Principal Kobayakawa replied in a serious manner. "Don't let him cause any trouble outside..."

"Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he's in," Sakura said absentmindedly, finding the idea to be too much of a hassle. Akira looked at Sojiro then turned back around, bowing politely to Kawakami.

"...Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom," Kawakami instructed with a sigh. Akira nodded, he and Sojiro walking out of the room. As soon as they escaped the school, Sojiro heaved out a large sigh while scratching the back of his neck.

"They're treating you like some kinda nuisance…" he grumbled.

"Yeah...sorry," Akira mumbled, dejectedly.

"I guess that's what it means to have a criminal record," Sojiro continued. Looking over at Akira, he noticed how small the poor thing looked. Yesterday, Akira looked like your average boy with an average teenager build. But now, the poor kid looked so small, his head low and his shoulders slumped. "...Turns out your past follows you wherever your go."

Akira nodded, understanding that. His teachers probably already know about his criminal record. One of them opens their mouth that even suggests it and the whole school will have some new, juicy gossip to talk about. The thought of that happening saddened Akira; the thought of being isolated causing him to shiver. Noticing this, Sojiro decided to keep his mouth shut. He was going to give him the usual spiel about how if he caused any problems, he wouldn't hesitate to toss him out. But with how small and frail he currently looked, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Come on, we're going home," Sojiro huffed, smacking Akira hard on the back. Akira coughed in surprise, looking up at Sojiro. Sojiro motioned Akira to follow him, walking towards the car. Akira blinked several times in confusion, unconsciously following closely behind.

"Don't let them get to you. Keep your head up like a real man," Sojiro muttered, not facing Akira. Akira blinked in surprise, not expecting words of… encouragement to escape Sojiro's lips. Smiling bashfully, he rubbed the back of his head and walked straight, just like yesterday. The two got inside the car and drove their way back to Leblanc in silence. During the ride back, Akira once again fiddled with his mother's handkerchief while reading the student handbook. As expected of an academy, there was quite a lot of rules; 25 pages worth in fact! It didn't help Akira relax to see over half of the rules with such heavy punishments. But, on a positive note, it meant that the school was well-disciplined to say the least...maybe.

"Traffic's not moving at all..." Sojiro suddenly growled, causing Akira to jolt and look up. Much to his surprise, the sun was almost setting and the car had stopped completely due to the massive amount of traffic in front of them. Akira couldn't help but mutter in awe, never seeing so many cars lined up before. It was rather cute and childish coming from a teenage boy, but it really made it obvious that he was a country boy.

"You're taking the train, starting tomorrow!" Sojiro barked, slamming the horn in frustration.

"Y-Yeas, sir!" Akira replied instantly, jolting once again, his voice suddenly getting an accent. Sojiro groaned in reply, smacking his wheel like an impatient child. Akira couldn't help but crack a grin, finding it funny how both he and Sojiro tend to smack—or in Akira's case, poke—things rapidly in frustration. But that smile soon vanished as Akira looked down at his hands, fiddling with his handkerchief once more.

"…Sorry for inconveniencing you further like this..." he muttered, apologetically. Sojiro clicked his tongue in reply, starting to find the kid annoying. Mainly because Sojiro knew that he was acting childish and Akira was being so mature.

"...So how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can manage?" Sojiro asked, calming himself as he decided to talk with the kid to pass the time. Akira glanced at the student handbook then over at Sojiro.

"Uh...Well, it'll be tough, but I'm sure I'll be fine," he replied awkwardly but reassuringly. Sojiro tapped his pointer finger rhythmically against the steering reel, sighing in frustration. It was really hard to think that such a polite and awkward kid somehow managed to assault someone and get it on their record.

"Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one" Sojiro sighed, not wanting Akira's awkwardness to stop conversation. "It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you." Akira nodded knowingly in reply. Sojiro glanced over at him before sighing once again, mumbling something to himself. All Akira heard was: "What a troublesome kid I've taken in..."

Curious, Akira closed his student handbook and looked at him. "...Why did you take me in?" Sojiro's finger's stopped.

"I was asked to do it, and I just...happened to agree to do it," he began. "I've already been paid for it too, after all."

"I see..." Akira replied, sounding a little bit depressed. The car went silent, the engine purring softly as they continued to wait in the non-moving traffic. Having nothing to say, Sojiro turned on the radio, not caring about the station.

"Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya Station, greatly affecting the timetable across the-" the radio began, shortly being cut off by Sojiro lowering the volume significantly.

"...Another accident?" Sojiro mumbled, looking up at the traffic. "So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately."

Akira remained quiet for a moment, causing Sojiro to become irritated, when he heard a soft whisper: "...what a pain."

"Hm?" Sojiro hummed. Akira readjusted his glasses, looking panicked as he faced Sojiro.

"N-nothing…! I-I was just-" Akira began, his words abruptly stopping. No one has ever heard Akira mutter that before… So for Sojiro to have heard him meant to him that an adult figure was interested in what he had to say. Looking down shyly, Akira decided to continue. "...I just think it's a pain. Accidents, I mean."

"People get hurt in them, you know," Sojiro pointed out. Akira rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah," Akira replied back with a somewhat snarky tone, causing Sojiro to blink in surprise. That was the first time since yesterday did Akira actually sound like a genuine guy. A respectable one at the very least. "...But it makes you realize how small and...disgusting people are as individuals. It's only until a number of victims are involved that others start paying attention." Akira recalled how no one helped that elderly woman get on the train, the thought of what could have happened to her if he didn't help flooding his mind… The list of scenarios could go on and on, the worst one being that of death and child trauma.

"That's surprising, coming from a kid," Sojiro admitted, rather pleased to have heard Akira say more than one sentence. He then blinked, realizing something, and then cautiously looked over. "Don't tell me you're into philosophy..."

"Uh...not really," Akira replied, his awkward demeanor slowly returning. "I've read...a lot of poems back home when I was younger. Lots of American ones translated to Japanese."

"Oh, so you're more an arts kid?" Sojiro asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

"I guess..." Akira replied simply, opening his student handbook again, promptly ending the conversation. Sojiro stared in hidden awe before looking up at the traffic. It was slowly starting to move again, thankfully.

By the time the two gentlemen reached the cafe, it was already dark, much to Akira's surprise. During the ride over, Akira managed to finish the student handbook, to which he decided to take a little nap. He was far too tired than he gave himself credit for, falling asleep almost immediately after his head touched the window. Shaken—rather violently—awake by Sojiro, the two hopped out and entered Leblanc. It was surprising for Akira to notice that it was already late into the evening. The traffic must have been hectic.

"Damn, to think there'd be that much traffic…What a waste of time," Sojiro complained. "I wasn't able to open the cafe today." Akira pinched and twisted the ends of his bangs, muttering an apology. If it weren't for him, Sojiro wouldn't have to waste an entire day just driving to a school, witness two other adults demean and threaten a child, only to drive back home into horrible traffic. This day was just exhausting for the two of them…

"...Whatever" Sojiro replied, feeling annoyed once again. Pulling out a black notebook, he tossed it over to Akira, hitting him on the head. Startled, Akira quickly scrambled to grab it, somehow managing to grab it with both hands waist down.

"It's a diary. Make sure to write in it," Sojiro explained before Akira could even ask.

"Diary…?" Akira repeated, his eyes sparkling for some reason despite his confused expression. "Wouldn't it be called a journal…?"

"It's a whatever—something you just have to write in" Sojiro replied, uninterested in having such a meaningless conversation. "You may be under probation, but there's no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides following the law, that is." Sojiro paused, staring at Akira who was staring fixedly at the notebook. With a smack across the head, a yelp from Akira, he continued. "However, I'm obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities."

Akira nodded, coming to the conclusion that a special officer asked him to do this. Staring back down again at his notebook, Akira failed to notice Sojiro answering a phone call from his cell. Akira was just excited to have such a small notebook in his hands again… When he was younger, he loved to write in his mother's spare notebook pad. From his favorite word to any compliments he received.

"Well, I'm off," Sojiro suddenly announced, snapping Akira out of his thoughts. "I'll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night… Oh, but don't mess up my store. If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops." Akira nodded obediently in reply, causing Sojiro to relax a little bit.

Walking towards the door while waving goodbye, Sojiro added in "You got school tomorrow… You better head off to bed, all right?"

"Yes, sir…!" Akira replied, bowing a little. As Sojiro opened the door to head out, Akira quickly added in "Good night, Sakura-san." Sojiro glanced over to the kid and smiled before walking out, locking the door from the other side, flipped the door sign over to "CLOSED", and walked off. Akira stared at the door for a moment, a part of him hoping that Sojiro would come back. When he didn't, Akira let out a sigh and fumbled with his new diary. Journal. Whatever thing he just had to write on. Smiling, Akira turned around and headed straight upstairs to rest for the day.

After dressing into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth, Akira sighed the moment he sat on the bed, exhaustion filling him. He was a big fan of school, having a joy for learning. But this time, he really wasn't looking forward to his first day. Especially if the rumors about his record got around. Scratching the top of his head, he pulled out his diary—journal—thing and a pencil form his bag and began to write. Nothing all that exciting happened today, so he just mostly wrote about trivial matters and his fears. Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Blinking in surprise, Akira pulled it out with a raised brow.

It's that strange app again… Akira hummed in surprise. Clicking his tongue, he dragged down the icon once more and deleted it. Come on now, stay deleted this time. Don't make me unprogram you, got it? It'll just cause both of us problems!

With a huff of frustration, he rebooted his phone just in case before plugging it back to his charger. Pulling the sheet covers over his legs, Akira closed his eyes and prayed for a normal school year with at least one person becoming his friend…

Diary Entry 1:

The weather was rather gloomy today. Lots of clouds, not enough sun.

I wonder if folks back home got any sun today?

My guardian for my probation is a little strict, but I think he's a nice guy. Maybe?

Well, whatever he is, I'll be sure to show my thanks by not being any more of a nuisance to him.

School starts tomorrow. What a pain. I better get my act together, though. Of course, it's not like I was a bad kid in the first place. That assault charge is complete bs- literal shit on a piece of paper. But, what's done is done, so I can't get upset about it. Nanay is waiting for me back home. And I promised to return to her, no matter what.

May the holy father watch over me during this time and guide me to the right path. As long as my faith is strong, I know that I will choose the right decision and continue to help all of my religious and non-religious brothers and sisters. Amen.