Disclaimer: Don't own Persona 5, nor any of it's characters.

Rating: T

As stated in the disclaimer, this story takes place after Twin Kingdoms, but in the vein of Ryuji and Hifumi becoming more than friends- the start of a seeming-unlikely pairing. Enjoy :P


Shibuya

Near Kanda Line

Ryuji leaned against a wall, currently watching his phone - some time ago, Hifumi had sent him a brief text that she's been 'waylaid' by the press, so she might be late. Honestly, he knew she could handle them, but hoped it wouldn't take too long... after all, while he'd told his mom that he'd met Hifumi's parents and told her all those details, he hadn't said 'exactly' when he's bringing her over.

Honestly, he thought it'd be a good surprise that way.

Another minute passed... then a second one...

He heard the oncoming train before he saw it, which got him hoping she's on this one- if she weren't, he'll have to assume something else happened. Not like, 'real bad', but just that she got involved in whatever's keeping her away so long... he weren't sure what that could be, since it's just the press, but not like he had experience with that or nothin'.

Anyway, people got off and other people got on, but thus far he wasn't seeing her... man, he really hoped that-

-wait, there she is!

"Yo, Hifumi, over here!" he called, waving a hand and just plain relieved - if he weren't focused on her, he might've noticed that other people gave him looks. But he wouldn't have cared, just waiting here while she stepped through the crowd, slowing to a stop beside him; this time she was wearing that casual 'checkered-pattern' dress he'd seen her wear, with the long sleeves and stockings and all.

He'd definitely found that odd the first time, as it weren't his idea of fashion, but he saw that she liked it well enough. And while he might not like/dislike the style, he'd accepted that much by now.

"Sorry that I'm late" Hifumi breathed, glancing down. "I know I said I would be, but still."

Ryuji put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you're here now. That's good" he said easily, giving a little grin. "You 'bout ready?"

After a moment, she nodded with a little smile. "Yes, I believe I am" she answered, before working into her bag, even as he took his hand down. "I even brought something for your mother... I hope that despite it's state, she appreciates the thought."

Then he was a bit confused; it's 'state'?

Did that mean she tried to make something, but it didn't turn out perfect?

After a glance at what she brought out - a wrapped package of sorts, not offering hints of what it is yet - he then chuckled. "Did ya make it yourself?" he asked, a little teasing; Hifumi's cheeks turned a bit pink, but she nodded. "Then mom'll like it; I know you're always considerate, and I told her that before. No matter how good or bad it is, that stuff's true."

"I hope you are right."

"I am" Ryuji said easily, before gesturing. "Come on, let's get going."

Just as they started walking: "What is your mother like?"

A little grin. "I'll mostly keep ya in suspense, waitin' till we get there" he teased a little, just ahead of her. "But I can tell you one thing. My mom, she- she likes to put on a confident face."

Hifumi caught to him a little, her lip quirked. "I'm sure you meant a 'brave' face, Ryuji."

"Yeah that" he added, slightly sheepish but smiling. "I mean, she's not faking or nothin', but she tends to hide how hard things might be for her. I can see right through it, duh, but maybe it isn't obvious to others; I dunno."

"Mmh, I will keep that in mind."


On the way, Hifumi was still thinking over their chance encounter with Akira.

As they had plans, it had mostly been a quick friendly chat, but for her it'd also been a touch bizarre to finally be introduced to Morgana. He looked like an ordinary cat, and sounded like one to her... yet both Akira and Ryuji seemed to understand him, and this wasn't considered abnormal. From what she gathered, Morgana was (still) confused on why someone like her would be dating Ryuji, and if it's really true that she didn't care if he was rude, or loud. Feeling strange to be talking to a cat, she nonetheless said that she finds his honesty, openness, and drive refreshing, and found that she doesn't particularly mind when he's loud or rude, at least in most situations.

Evidently Morgana found that strange, if his 'silence' was anything to go by.

Also obvious, Morgana and Ryuji were... the 'headbutting' type of friends at best, for Ryuji seemed to enjoy 'rubbing it in his face' that he was right, which had physically bristled Morgana's fur.

"Hmm. This is only a small measure of his personality, but I'm not certain how to regard Morgana" Hifumi thought to herself. "If they do indeed insult each other on a regular basis, I suppose my opinion will depend on how exactly they go about it."

"All right, we're here."

Drawn out of it, she stopped, finding Ryuji pointing at an apartment building - it was one of several on the block, almost indistinguishable from the others. Although she's now aware of his situation, it was an odd-yet-familiar sensation to see that this is where he lived; it was similar to the 'eye-opening' sensation of learning that mother had rigged most of her matches, if nowhere near as intense.

Ryuji turned toward her, giving a little smile. "I told my mom I'd be bringing you over, but I never said when" he said, sincere. "So this'll be a surprise. You gotta be real quiet until then, alright?"

Hifumi slowly nodded, giving him a smile. "I will" she assured, though inwardly she found the situation quite ironic. "You don't need to worry, Ryuji."

He nodded, starting to walk toward the apartment building. "I ain't, least not seriously. Still, come on; mom's expecting me."

In what seemed like no time, they were in front of the door- the front desk of the building seemed empty at this time, but Ryuji barely payed attention, heading straight toward the elevator. Once inside, it took another minute to reach the 4th floor - evidently the level they lived on - and then she was led down a bare hallway filled with identical doors, each with numbers tacked on. Then at first, Ryuji had her stand on the door's side so that in case his mother was standing in sight of the doorway, it wouldn't ruin the surprise- all done with excited motions, and a consistently-hushed tone. It was so blindly obvious that this was important to Ryuji, and the sight made Hifumi smile, thinking he cared greatly for his mother; she could relate quite easily in regards to her father.

Now that they were standing close, she could hear faint, undefined sounds. Perhaps his mother was cooking in preparation for dinner?

He soon opened the door with his key. "Mom, I'm home" he called like his normal self.

From further inside: "You're a little late, Ryuji. What kept you?"

Ryuji chuckled a little. "I took a detour on my way here, as part of my run. Guess I just took a bit too long."

"Well, you're still just in time. I'm making ramen for both of us."

"Alright, yes!"

From where she stood, Hifumi stirred out of her surprise - she hadn't expected his mother to be soft-spoken, because of Ryuji's disposition. In addition, she looked at her package of homemade-if-imperfect monjayaki, unsure now; dinner was already being prepared, so perhaps her gift won't be as thoughtful.

Still, Ryuji had assured her that it would be appreciated nonetheless; she will trust him on that, and hope it is so.

Particularly since she did not seem to be all that gifted at cooking...

Just then, he turned toward her and mouthed "Mom's in the kitchen, let's go" with a smile, before going inside- Hifumi made sure to follow quickly, if silently. Part of her was still focused on the irony of Ryuji being silent, as well as telling her to be silent, but it was an interesting change... and admittedly, the rest of her was quickly taking note of the apartment itself. Space-wise it seemed modest enough, if smaller than she's used to seeing, with them first going through a narrow-ish hallway, a space for coats/shoes/etc immediately upfront. Ryuji was already taking his shoes off, using nothing more than his feet - via 'holding' the back of one shoe with the tip/toes of the other foot - and hanging his jacket on a hook without looking.

"Just make sure you're cooking the noodles nice and soft, mom" he called, if a bit teasing. "You know how it is."

A bit of laughter. "Don't need to tell me twice; I know how picky you are about ramen."

Hifumi smiled as she carefully laid her footwear down herself, making sure to stay silent- once done, she saw Ryuji standing just ahead, where the sounds of cooking were evident now. Quickly-if-silently, she made sure to follow behind Ryuji as he stepped past the hallway, into a combined kitchen/dining area, and the smell of cooked ramen was indeed appetizing.

But her attention was focused on the figure preparing dinner.

Ryuji's mother was facing toward the sink, so Hifumi couldn't see her face yet, but several details remained evident. Her build was only a few inches shorter than her son, yet was more solid, somewhat contrasting Ryuji's muscular-yet-lanky frame. Her hair was a pleasant brown, medium-length and tied into a ponytail with a red bandana, yet was clearly 'wavy' in overall style. At present, she had a white apron and oven gloves on, working both a saucepan full of ramen and a bowl of chicken broth, from which the delicious smells were coming. Not a few seconds later, a small timer went off and the woman turned it (and the heat settings) off, beginning to work on the final phase of preparation.

Beside her, Ryuji chose then to talk again, seemingly familiar with the preparation. "Smells great, mom" he said easily. "Mind if we set the table while you're finishing up?"

"Oh sure, if you wouldn't mi- did you say 'we'?"

"Yup" Ryuji said, as quickly/easily as you could imagine - Hifumi had to admit, she quite enjoyed how he said it.

Her final preparations having paused, his mother turned around, only to become surprised at her appearance.

Now able to see her face, several other details stood out, just as before:

Matching her hair, his mother had brown eyes not unlike Ryuji's, if a considerably-lighter shade - they even had similar eyebrows, as hers were missing a part of the 'outside', if only a quarter as opposed to Ryuji's half (and were somewhat thicker). Yet overall, his mother's look and demeanor were not intense, or even charged with energy like her son- if anything, she seemed more reserved, demure even, or so was her first impression.

Good thing she's prepared for if this is not so.

"Good evening, Mrs. Sakamoto" Hifumi greeted, graciously giving a little bow. "I'm Hifumi Togo. I hope you will pardon my unannounced visit."

A moment passed, then Ryuji's mother looked at her son with a knowing, playful smirk. "So Ryuji, this is why you didn't say when your girlfriend would be coming over."

"Surprised ya though, didn't it" Ryuji said teasingly - he easily (and unconsciously) put his arm around her shoulder, which Hifumi didn't mind at all. "That was the whole point, mom."

In response, his mother gave a closed-eyes grin while chuckling-

-which was not dissimilar to Ryuji's version, if much briefer and smaller.

"Point taken" she said with ease, giving a soft smile now. "And surprises aside, I'm glad I finally get to meet my son's special lady."

"Mom! Don't phrase it so weirdly!"

Hifumi struggled not to giggle at Ryuji's near-yelled embarrassment, yet while her smile couldn't be helped, she did understand his reaction - notably, his mother had barely batted an eye, nor had her smile changed much.

"As for my name, it's Hakuryu" she continued, before seeming a bit sheepish - it was easily reflected in her smile/bearing. "Please dear, just call me Haku."

At first that surprised her, until Hifumi remembered the similar statement Ryuji had said, back when they first met- her smile grew softer at the memory. Already she was seeing the similarities between Hakuryu and Ryuji, such as how they outwardly expressed their emotions (if to different levels), and the kind people they were deep down, even to the point of being casual with strangers. Whatever worries she had earlier, about having to make a good impression or perhaps prove herself a worthy girlfriend, started to evaporate like so much mist after a rainy day. Right now, she felt as if the blue sky dragon had blessed her in secret, having judged her worthy before she had even set out on the quest.

It felt wonderful, believing that they'll get along great from the start.

"Very well, um, Haku" Hifumi said, with only a brief hesitation - she presented her package then. "Here. I know you are making dinner, but I- I made this myself for today's visit. I hope you and Ryuji can enjoy it together... or at least, try to."

Hakuryu gave her son a curious look, and when Ryuji just shrugged (if also smiling), she appeared to understand. Her soft smile came back in an instant, and soon she stepped closer, easily taking the package from her hands.

"Homemade? How considerate, dear Hifumi; as if I needed more reason to like you."

So Hakuryu had said in a soft, teasing manner- for some reason, it still made her face heat up, pleasantly embarrassed.

...

A bit later

This whole time, he weren't nervous that his mom would like Hifumi; honestly, that reaction was pretty obvious! What he is nervous 'bout though (sorta), is the inevitable embarrassment that mom's gonna heap on him, because it's her 'job' or whatever, and no amount of complaining's gonna change that... *sigh*

But, mom's definitely happy; he could see it in her eyes.

And that's worth any embarrassment, so he's just gotta keep telling himself that.

For now though: "Aw yeah, here we go!" Ryuji cheered, pulling up several strands. "This here's the good stuff, Hifumi."

"I believe you, Ryuji" she said, looking as mom served her portion - for now, he were seated on one side, Hifumi next to him, and mom at the right-angle corner next to her. "In fact, I see now that ramen is your comfort food. Just like katsu curry is with me."

"Pretty much" he said easily, starting to eat his noodles. "It's simple-yet-delicious, ya know? Perfeck stuf o ust njoy, ight?"

Okay, ate a little too much, because even that sounded like mouth-full words to him- in any other situation, it would've been damn hilarious. Still, when he looked at Hifumi, her lip was curled real big - but not 'struggling' - shaking her head slightly as she began to eat too.

Not answering, but not annoyed; not too bad hehe.

Mom of course weren't fazed. "So you've seen him eat before, as I'm guessing" she said to Hifumi, who looked over. "You don't look like you're bothered, dear."

"Oh, no ma- Haku" Hifumi breathed, giving a smile. "Many of the traits Ryuji displays are unusual, even frowned upon by society as a whole, but I find them refreshing and earnest. Perhaps certain ones aren't entirely a 'like', but I do not dislike them either."

Ryuji swallowed his portion, then took his girlfriend's hand - she jumped slightly in surprise, cheeks turning pink. "That's for damn sure" he said, a little teasing. "If anything, Hifumi just ignores them a lot, not even annoyed or nothin'. She's way more okay with a lot of stuff than you'd guess."

"Reeally?" mom asked-

-oh man, her tone: the motherly kind of itching to hear more details!

Hifumi seemed to have the same reaction, even as he was close to 'freaking'. "He- he means in general" she said quickly, flustered but okay. "I- I still tend to have a narrow comfort zone, outside of shogi I mean, but I wish to try new things at my own pace. Ryuji is far more driven, but he u-understands this and does his best to support me without... without being pushy."

"...y-yeah. What she said."

Later, he'd be kicking himself for not saying more, though honestly, he was kinda put on the spot and shit.

Mom had a little twinkle in her eyes, but the way she ate was the same; content, easy-going. "I'm glad to hear it" she said between bites, definitely softer. "It hasn't been easy for Ryuji these past years. Mmh, but I suspect he won't let me talk about that, for fear that it'll bring down the mood."

Hifumi looked at him after a moment, before giving a little (sorta-flustered) smile. "That does sound like something you would say" she admitted.

"Well yeah" Ryuji said, if slightly sheepish- it showed in his smile. "I mean, this is the first time you're meeting my mom, and it's going well. I don't wanna bring down the mood if I got a choice."

To that, she only gave a small giggle, grasping his hand a bit tighter.

Mom glanced at this for two seconds, giving a smile. "Just as I thought" she said then, a little teasing. "Perhaps instead, Ryuji, I'll ask if Hifumi knows about what you and your friends have done last year."

And now mom's bringing that up... he's half-sure this is related to her motherly earful, teasing him over worrying her. Really though, while he got the worry and that she's entitled to it as his mom, from anyone else ('sides maybe his friends, and Hifumi) it would've been a pain-in-the-ass to deal with, because he would've let it go by now.

Hifumi glanced at him for a bit, before looking at mom. "You mean the Phantom Thieves, correct?" she asked, a little slowly and intent. "How did you discover it?"

Mom leaned back in her chair then, taking a sip. "Let's just say that I had a growing suspicion, confirmed the moment I saw the Phantom Thieves broadcast their calling card against Shido" she said, if gentle. "When something that big begins with 'Yo, what is up everybody?', and that same voice continues to speak like my son does... well, it wasn't hard to put together."

Ryuji gave off a sigh. "Yup, and then after the whole Christmas fight, mom finally called me out" he said, half-sheepish. "Gave me the riot act for worrying her, and then dropped it to say other sappy stuff. Right?"

"Just for that young man, I'll wait extra long to make this stuff again" she answered, trying not to have a little grin- 'trying'.

"Mom! Don't joke 'bout ramen!" he instinctively exclaimed.

Too late; she chuckled quite a lot, even when still eating, leaving him to slump in his seat. Either as payback for that situation or motherly-embarrassing him in front of Hifumi (or both), mom's still intent on teasing him... but least she weren't serious about what she said.

Hifumi had a hand over her mouth (trying to hold back laughter), but her smile was soft. "I will assume he is right, since you have not denied it ma'am" she said, gentle.

"I would've put it differently, but yes" mom said, before gaining a half-sheepish edge. "And please, Hifumi, 'ma'am' is too formal."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's not that big of a deal, dear; I'm just saying."

She took a moment, probably deciding what to say; from his spot, he squeezed her hand to show that she's got this, and Hifumi briefly dipped her head. "Anyway, yes, I know about the Phantom Thieves, and that Ryuji was part of them" she said, "I too was involved in their business, indirectly, though I did not know Ryuji was of their ranks at the time. I don't wish to go into details of my involvement at this time, but it worked out for the best."

Mom paused, looking at Hifumi straight-on for a few seconds, her eyes flickering... Ryuji saw right away that mom knew what Hifumi weren't saying: that someone she cared about - as he knew, her mom - had been a jerk, and needed their heart changed.

She's good at telling stuff like that, a talent he didn't really have.

He could guess, sure, but not figure it out so easily.

Then the moment passed, and mom got her smile back like nothing happened. "That's good" she said, giving him a little appreciative look - Ryuji returned the smile, nodding. "Still, Hifumi, I have to thank you: apparently your strategies really helped out the Phantom Thieves, including my son."

Hifumi toyed a bit with her noodles. "I'm glad too" she said, beginning to eat again-

-speaking of which, he'd already downed at least a third of this stuff already. Delicious!

/

"Here we go, Level 3!" Ryuji cheered, yet serious and intense. "Today's the day I'm finally gonna beat ya!"

From her seat, Hifumi silently rooted for him, still a bit in awe that he'd dealt with Level 1 and 2 with ease, whereas she had failed abysmally... if only because she had not figured out the game's trick yet. Still, the game(s) itself did intrigue her, as they were the 'retro' kind and quite old; each one was fairly simple in design, gameplay, and execution elements, and yet while she'd cleared several, the others (such as this one) were not remotely as easy.

Input commands: down, down-right, right, X.

Ryuji cleared that in an instant.

Input commands: left, left-down, down, X.

This time, she watched his thumb: instead of pressing each button individually, or all-at-once, he literally slid over them in a blur.

Input commands: right, right-down, down, left-down, left, right, X.

Fifteen seconds, and a dozen-or-so attempts later, it was not cleared-

-"GAH! Damn it!" Ryuji cursed, before sighing heavily and putting it down. "Every time."

Mmh- Hifumi gently touched his arm. "You were close most of those attempts, Ryuji" she assured, "I'm certain you will overcome this in due time."

He eased a bit, still looking grumpy and overall pout-y for a moment, before giving her a little smile. "That's the plan, Hifumi" he admitted, stretching out his fingers then. "Still, at times I think it's almost impossible to win... until I remember that it ain't, because it's been beaten."

"Hmm?" she wondered.

He grinned a little then, motioning with a finger behind them, where Hakuryu sat idly munching on her homemade gift (just watching them play at present). "My mom, she played these games when she was younger" he said, pretty mild. "She pretty much owed them, and I don't mean that as property stuff."

Mmh, no she didn't think so- still, that did make sense about Hakuryu owning the games, since this was her home as well as Ryuji's. Hifumi looked at his mother as well, wondering if she still had her skills at these retro games... and also, what was her opinion of her homemade monjayaki, as well as how big was her appetite since this was after dinner? The middle bit in particular still weighed on her mind, almost on an edge - slightly, if that's possible - and she had an inordinate desire to analyze every single expression and reaction, however miniscule. Still, one thing was clear: she didn't seem to dislike her homemade gift, for she had not visibly expressed any signs of disgust or disappointment, and even now continued to eat it piece-by-piece.

With her bare hands too, even if it's from her plate - that aside though, she smiled, glad that it was truly appreciated regardless.

Hakuryu herself gave a little smile, swallowing her current portion. "Technically, I still own them" she said with ease. "True, I don't play as much anymore, but every now and then we have game nights. Used to be more often too, where nowadays Ryuji hangs out with his friends more than at home."

"You know you're proud of me, mom" Ryuji responded, chuckling-

-"How can I not be?"

Hifumi nearly giggled, but looked at his mother. "Can you demonstrate, Haku?" she asked, with a slight effort - still instinctively trying to formally refer to her, she noted. "I would like to see this game beaten myself, even if I can just watch."

A bit of surprise, before Hakuryu chuckled and stood up, bringing her plate over - within a moment, she'd given it to her and Ryuji handed his mother the controller. "I don't see why not" she merely said, moving her thumb across the controller's d-pad several times; seemingly preparing her muscle memory. "Here we go."

Thirty seconds later, Level's 1 and 2 were cleared on two tries each, and Level 3 on the fifth try.

"Haha" Hakuryu stated, subdued but still a touch pleased. "Still got it."

"You sure do mom! Hot damn!" Ryuji exclaimed, impressed- he began laughing a bit. "Can't wait till I can do that too!"

Hifumi certainly agreed, even as she's stunned the game was beaten that easily- given her experience with it, beating Level 3 looked like an insurmountable mountain at this point, which perhaps even the blue sky dragon couldn't fly over, at least for her. Yet as much as she would enjoy the challenge, she pushed that to the side for the moment and observed their little interactions, giving a smile as his mother said that Ryuji would one day, knowing his drive.

"That was splendid, ma'am" she said then, intent on showing her appreciation. "I could perhaps play for years and never have that level of reflexes."

"Haku" his mother said then, with a slight quirk to her smile. "And thank you, Hifumi."

Oh dear- even now she occasionally slips up there, perhaps as a result of her upbringing. She wondered why she could instantly refer to Ryuji (or Akira, or others near her age) casually, and yet with adults she had some small difficulty doing the same... nothing major, yet even still.

"You don't gotta keep correcting her, mom" Ryuji cut in, to their little surprise- he glanced at her (Hifumi), giving a smile. "I mean, I ain't sure why she's having a little trouble right now, but it's happening" he continued with ease. "Let her adjust on her own."

Hakuryu became a little sheepish, but remained sincere. "I've only corrected her a few times, Ryuji" she pointed out, gently.

"I know that. That's why I'm saying don't keep it up, mom."

"Well, I'll do my best."

Hifumi definitely felt warmer, glad that Ryuji had noticed her little trouble, deciding to get his mother to ease up on correcting her. Sure, it wasn't a big deal, but the thought wasn't lost on her at all; he wanted to make sure that she handled this on her own, and no doubt help if she asked.

She certainly appreciates it.


Outside; nighttime

"Good, it's not too chilly" Ryuji said, silently thanking the weather before closing the door behind him. "So... whaddya you think?"

Beside him, Hifumi held her hands together, glancing down with a little smile. "I think I quite enjoyed myself, Ryuji" she assured, leaving him relieved; he'd thought that mom would like her, and vice-versa, but outright hearing it made it go away. "Your mother is a very kind and patient woman, and I can see the similarities between you, as well as what isn't similar. Tell me, is that how you felt seeing my father?"

"Uh..." he breathed, caught off-guard and trying to remember - he had thought 'bout that stuff, but what had he- oh yeah. "Just a little" he quickly added, a bit sheepish with his smile. "I mean, your dad is cool, and I can see why you look up to him, but I didn't think much more than that, 'less you count the appearance stuff. Still, hope he gets better soon."

A little motion. "Me too" she breathed, before tilting her head. "One question though: why does your mother wears a bandana, if as part of her ponytail?"

Kinda a weird detail to bring up this late, but whatever.

"It's nothin' real important, just something she likes a lot" Ryuji said easily, briefly gesturing inside even as Hifumi became interested. "During her teenage years, unlike most kids, mom wanted to stand out a little - not a whole lot; just a little. Anyway, she bought that bandana and started using it in a few ways, and eventually she discovered that it was part of her look, and she's kept it ever since."

Hifumi lightly fingered the red strand in her hair. "I can understand that" she said, quite soft. "I too feel that way, as this was given to me by my parents when I was younger."

Oh, so that's why she wore it; no wonder.

With ease, he touched her shoulder with one hand, smiling. "That's real cool" he admitted, before getting a little teasing. "But good thing we both have something else to share" he continued, taking out his phone and showing the dragon charm.

Her smile quickly became fond, lingering over her for a moment, her free hand brushing over her bag. "Yes, indeed" she agreed, gentle now before pausing... then she stepped closer, slowly slipping her arms around him (he quickly did the same). "Still, I- I should probably be getting home."

"Yeah" Ryuji admitted, much as he didn't want her to. "*sigh* This sucks though. I didn't get to walk you home on the first date, or meeting your parents, and probably not tonight either."

She stirred in place. "Um... if it's really that important to you, Ryuji, you can" Hifumi breathed, seeming a bit flustered. "Still, I wouldn't wish it to be a regular thing, for the reasons I stated before."

"Really?" he asked, a bit excited as he put some space between them, enough to look at her. "You're sure?"

"Um, yes."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji cheered quickly, if 'quiet' and briefly pumping his fist. "Then I'm gonna do it tonight. Least this one time."

Her cheeks were pink, but she did have a smile. "Honestly, I wondered if you might keep insisting" she admitted, if staying close. "When you believe something, or want to do something, you tend to take it seriously."

"Hehe. That's just how I am."

A little motion, then she became more shy, but slowly began to lean forward- once he got it, he quickly leaned forward too, returning the kiss. It lasted a bit longer than the previous ones, if still the simple yet oh-so-good-stuff... part of him wanted to do it again, but he didn't have time since he's walking her home.

"Shall we then?" he asked, resting his arm against her back, even as she nodded.

They just started back-

-then the building door opened in an instant.

"Not without your jacket, Ryuji."

Both of them froze, then instantly turned... there was mom, holding his jacket and acting like everything's normal, little smile included. Seconds passed as this registered, before he and Hifumi both turned red in the face, with her probably exploding on the inside.

His wasn't 'inside': "Mom!" he yelled, feeling distinctly hot. "How long were you standing there!?"

Mom glanced up for a little, then shrugged. "The entire time" she said with ease, still like everything's cool - she tossed him his jacket, which despite himself, he caught. "How often do I get to embarrass my son to the people he cares about?"

"You- you did that all today, in the little stuff!" he tried to argue, before grunting; even he could tell his words had no bite. He just couldn't stay mad at her, 'cause he knew at worst, she's playful and nothing more. "'Sides, it ain't that cold out. I don't really need my jacket."

She chuckled, but didn't answer that- instead she looked at Hifumi, who was half-covering her face from embarrassment. "Just make sure he doesn't stay out too late, Hifumi" she said, gentle. "I look forward to when you can next come over. If you want some cooking tips, perhaps I can teach you a few things I've picked up."

"..." was Hifumi's only response; she didn't seem able to speak at the moment.

Ryuji still wanted to say something 'bout mom eavesdropping, but he made a sound and steered Hifumi away, to her jolt. "I won't be late, mom" he said, getting them to start walking - thankfully Hifumi seemed to agree with that, because he soon didn't need to really push her. "Jeez."

Unnoticed by him, mom watched them go until they were well out-of-sight... after that, her smile turned more sad, and she quickly wiped at her eyes.

"Oh Ryuji" Hakuryu breathed to herself, voice thicker with emotion. "You're growing up so fast. Friends who were part of the Phantom Thieves, a girlfriend- please, don't ever let them go, no matter what."

...

Shibuya

Kanda Line

Even after they'd arrived here, Hifumi still had trouble keeping her body's reactions in check; never before had she been so... caught off-guard.

She didn't even know how to feel at the moment, besides embarrassed.

From beside her came a sigh, Ryuji stopping them just-midway toward the stop itself. "I wanna say mom's not gonna try that again, but I dunno" he said, before turning toward her. "...Hey, you okay?"

Slowly, she nodded, managing to keep a only-slightly-faster breathing rate. "I believe so" she said, rather slow but sincere. "I- I probably will require time, to figure out how exactly I feel about this. But nothing has changed."

He looked at her for few seconds, blinking once before his expression cleared. "So you still like me and my mom, and all that stuff" Ryuji said, giving a little smile. "That's a relief."

Hifumi turned toward him. "Did you honestly think I would change my opinion so easily?"

"No, nothin' like that" he breathed, pretty easily if half-sheepish. "Just that, I worried you were so embarrassed that... uh, that you... s-stuff?"

She barely suppressed the urge to giggle, but it didn't stop her smile. "So you weren't even sure of my reaction. Just that it might be bad" she managed to tease, which made him rub his head, grinning to try and 'save himself' there. "Well, it isn't."

Ryuji gave a sheepish chuckle, still embarrassed but not lingering on that aspect. "I'm glad it ain't, f'real."

"Yes" Hifumi breathed, glancing down. "I believe that- that was my first experience with parental embarrassment. Or at least, a serious measure of such."

"You never got embarrassed before?" he asked, surprised- then he chuckled again, sincerely this time. "Guess you're special that way, Hifumi" he said with complete ease, even a little grin. "Most kids hafta deal with that, one way or the other."

As much as she agreed, the embarrassed warmth at his statement 'interfered'; he'd said it so casually, and so sincerely too, even if the context was something mundane. However, any attempt to respond became distracted at the the incoming train, which drew both their attentions away- soon she'd have to get on, to go home.

"We can talk more about this later" she said, to which Ryuji gave an offhand nod. "Come on, Ryuji."

"'Kay."

Just like that, both of them had crossed the ticket lines and gotten on-board the train, though they did have to shoulder past a few people. Taking their place beside a window, if with their backs to it, they were prepared for when the train got underway-

-but until it did, Ryuji seemed to jolt. ""Wait, what 'bout your schedule?" Ryuji asked, quicker. "Just shogi next time, or should it be a serious date?"

While confused about his distinction of 'serious date', she decided it could wait for a more appropriate time. "I should be free two days from now, I believe" she answered, giving a little smile. "I will better know the specifics by tomorrow."

"Alright, so I'll wait for yer call tomorrow. Or text" he said then, a little more teasing. "Either's cool."

While feeling a bit warmer in the cheeks, she did nod, keeping the smile even as the train doors closed, with the train soon getting underway. From then on they were both silent, as per unspoken public train behavior, but it wasn't long before Ryuji slipped his hand into hers- she shyly welcomed it, squeezing back after a moment. Still, her thoughts were about her parents, knowing she would be expected soon; mother in particular wanted to know Ryuji's family situation, his home environment, so as to understand him better. She suspected mother's reasons weren't entirely good, but at least she is being reasonable, and today she can now add his insistence on walking her home to his list of good behavior.

In a way, she had Ryuji to thank for both aspects.


Honestly, when I thought about the character type for Ryuji's mom, I decided being a lot like him (if less angry) was just too easy hehe. That and, I think, many people would have expected it in some form - so instead, I went for a more nuanced and unique approach, also keeping in mind Ryuji's statements about her reaction to being blamed for his 'attacking' Kamoshida.

All-in-all, I think it works quite well, even if this four-shot is now concluded :) As for the name, Ryuji's means 'two dragon's, so I went with a dragon theme for her first name too, Hakuryu meaning 'white imperial dragon'.