A new week, a new chapter! Sorry for the wait, I just want to have extras prepared for when school attempts to overwhelm me with work.


Chapter 3: Kanda


Rewind. Scratch frame. Play memory.

An air of respect and peace was apparent at Kanda, Tokyo. The couple walked through the surprisingly quiet streets and arrived at the cathedral.

"Why did you take me here?" Futaba whispered. Akira simply responded with what he had for the entire trip: a finger to his lips, a shush, a smirk, and a wink. He entered the building with Futaba trailing behind him.

Futaba looked around the cathedral. While it wasn't her first time being here, it brought back a lot of memories. Her grimace didn't go unnoticed, however, as Akira had wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

The two headed towards the end of the hall, towards the memorial for Wakaba Ishiki. Akira muttered a quick prayer under his breath before nodding at Futaba to do the same. She nearly choked up, trying to think of what to say, but the comforting arm compelled her to speak.

"Mom..." she began, hesitating. She looked towards Akira for guidance.

"Go on," he said.

Futaba swallowed before resuming. "Mom… I know that I wasn't the best child, but I've come to terms with that. It wasn't long ago that I… we put down the killer and avenged you. Thank you for giving me a reason to live on, and showing me that while the world might be filled with rotten adults, these rotten adults can sometimes bring the best out of people."

The two had a moment of silence before turning to leave. They had just passed the great doors to see two familiar people mid-conversation. A girl, about the same age as Akira, was sporting a small, red rope in her long, black hair. She was speaking to a woman with a camera hanging loosely by her side, sunglasses on her forehead, and a coconut shaped hairstyle. The long-haired girl was speaking.

"I told you already, I'm not answering any questions today!" The coconut-haired woman said something the couple couldn't quite make out and making the long-haired girl almost reel back in surprise. "What? No! This is just where I practice in my spare time. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

As she walked away from the reporter, the two saw Akira and Futaba standing by the door.

"Oh! Akira! What a pleasant surprise!" the reporter said. "I was just asking Ms. Togo here a few questions about her career in shogi. Did you know? I hear she's making a comeback!"

Hifumi shot a glare at the reporter, then back at Akira. "You know this lady? She's been bugging me this entire day for information." The shogi player sighed. "Seems like the paparazzi follow me wherever I go..."

"Yeah, I know Ohya," Akira responded. "I'll get her off your tail for the day. Not like I have anything important this afternoon. Also, good luck on your next tournament!"

"Thanks!" Hifumi said, wearing a smile that reminded Futaba a little too much of a certain other someone. "See you around!"

As the shogi player entered the cathedral doors, Ohya sighed. "So you two know each other?" she inquired. "Platonically or-"

"It's platonic," Futaba answered quickly. Ohya looked pleasantly surprised, as though she had only then noticed Futaba was there. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. And you are…?"

Akira sighed at Ohya's lack of tact. It was a wonder how she was such a successful reporter. "Futaba, meet Ohya. She's the one who helped me with finding out about Kaneshiro. Ohya, meet Futaba. She's..." Akira took a moment to gather the right words. "She's a close friend of mind."

"Oh, Futaba! Nice to meet you!" she held out her hand, which Futaba reluctantly shook. "I'm Ichiko Ohya, the lead writer and reporter for the Maiasa Newspaper. And don't worry, I haven't told anyone about your big brother's Phantom Thief shenanigans. Not that I would ever, though it would make for a good story..." Ohya took a moment to gather her thoughts, missing the fact that Futaba's eye was twitching. "Oh! I must be keeping you two up. Hurry up and go about your day! I'll just find someone else to interview. Oh! Is that..."

Futaba had barely opened her mouth before Ohya had sprinted towards an oddly familiar figure. Akira was about to follow her when Futaba had pulled his arm. "Ice cream. Hunger. Now," she demanded. Akira gave a quick chuckle before patting her head. The two walked back to the station, taking the train heading towards Station Square.

The two had been lucky enough to grab a seat on the subway. Futaba had barely started to drift to sleep on Akira's shoulder when the train stopped.

"Shibuya. This is Shibuya."

In her drowsy state, Futaba had expected that Akira would try and wake her up. To her surprise, however, Joker had simply put her on his back and exited the train. It wasn't until he arrived at a bench by the Hachiko statue when he set her down.

"I wasn't sleeping, y'know," Futaba said, trying to pout. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to put that expression on her semi-sleepy face.

"I know," Akira said as a smile played on his lips. He planted a quick kiss on her forehead and sat down next to her, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders. "So, do you want to stay here a bit before going back to Leblanc?"

Futaba leaned in a little. A second later, she replied. "Whatever you want."

The two sat there quietly for a few minutes, in a blissful peace as a slight breeze blew in their faces. It would've lasted a lot longer if Akira hadn't broken the silence. "So, I surprised you with something pretty sad," he pointed out. "How about we get some crepes at the central street? My treat."

Akira didn't even need to look as he felt Futaba's face light up with a childish joy. It was this childish joy that he had grown to love- no, that he had immediately loved at first sight. Before Futaba could even respond, Akira sat up and held a hand out to her. A year ago, that action would have been unfamiliar to her, threatening even. But now, she had matured. She didn't need to think twice when she reached out to take his hand.

"His," she thought, as the two pushed past the bustling ground. "I never thought I would think that about someone."


Chapter 4 is already written and ready to publish next week, so just hang back and sit tight! These two will definitely make a reappearance but now is not the time.