April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
"Akira-san?" A voice called out.
He turned to find Haru walking towards him. She was wearing her outfit with a pink cardigan, the same as yesterday.
"Hey, what's up?" He responded.
They hadn't left each other on a good note yesterday.
"Oh, nothing. Just saying hi. And that I'm doing fine after… you know. Nothing's wrong or anything, I'm not in any trouble or danger. But, please don't tell anyone about it either."
She shuffled her feet nervously.
There was nothing he could do, so he nodded, even if he wanted to do something.
A bright smile grew on her face and they began making small talk about life in Tokyo.
She didn't seem to care much about what people would think of her talking to him.
He imagined she was one of the more popular girls in school. He could easily see an attractive, nice, funny girl like herself being well liked within the school.
Which made it weird that she was talking to him.
"Akira-kun?" A new girl's voice called out.
He turned his head towards it. It came from a girl he had never talked to.
She was attractive, probably one of the more attractive girls in school. Beautiful even. She had long silky black hair, wide eyes, and a cute smile. She was small, smaller than Haru, and thus he towered over her.
Who was she, he had never met her before.
He looked at her expectantly.
Was he supposed to say something?
She wasn't fazed by the silence, "You can call me Mitsuko, how's it going?"
Mitsuko, he knew that name. She was one of the popular girls in school. He regularly heard her name came up in conversations she wasn't a part of.
But he wasn't alone in his confusion, Haru's face mirrored his.
"Good." He answered slowly.
"That's great!" She responded swiftly while smiling brightly, "I was just wondering, are you free this Sunday?"
That caught him off guard.
He looked confusedly at Haru, who looked back just as bewildered.
It took a moment to catch himself, "Why?"
She continued to smile at him, she had a very nice smile, "I was just wondering if you would go with me to a party at the Downtown Tokyo Yacht Club? Actually, Haru, you'll be there too right?"
Haru?
He looked at her and they met eyes. She broke the contact and looked back towards Mitsuko before hesitantly nodding.
The new girl continued, "Great! She hasn't asked you to come already, has she?"
He shook his head no.
"So, you're free then? I can have a driver pick you up? What's your address?"
"Wait. Why are you asking me?"
This was all very confusing and seemingly out of nowhere.
Her smile intensified, but her eyes shot towards the ground. She shyly made circles in the ground with her feet. "I've actually thought you were pretty cute since you first arrived, but I didn't have the guts to say anything. I thought Haru-Chan was going to ask you out, so I stepped in. Sorry if you were Haru-chan." She finished and flashed a weak smile at the girl.
The meekness didn't seem to fit her well. It seemed a bit like an act.
"I wasn't, don't worry." Haru said.
"So then you're free Akira-kun?"
They were both looking at him expectantly.
"Uh, yeah. I guess I'm free Sunday."
She clapped her hands together in excitement, "Great! Here! Let's trade numbers and I'll get the details from you! Do you have a suit?"
He shook his head no.
"I'll have my driver get you one. He'll take you to a tailor and get a rental, and I'll even have them make you one for you!"
This girl was doing a lot to get this date. She seemed extremely giddy.
He had no idea why, but a free meal, a free suit, and a trip to the famed Downtown Tokyo Yacht Club? That place was supposed to be extremely ritzy.
His interest pushed him into accepting.
They traded contact information and she seemed to skip away.
It looked like he had a date for Sunday.
Something he never thought would happen.
He looked towards Haru, "Can you tell me about this party?"
Haru let out a sigh, "It's a big formal gathering. Mitsuko's from a very rich family and so they get invited to these a lot. For me, it's just another one of the things that my dad makes me go to."
She didn't supply any more information about her father, so he assumed she didn't want to talk about it.
He wouldn't push, but this meant Haru was very rich.
She continued, "You should have fun. Mitsuko is a… nice girl."
Haru seemed like she had something she really wanted to say, but couldn't bring herself to.
He wasn't one to pry however. It was probably about her father.
He would accept the free meal and suit and then move on with his life.
He checked his phone. He would be meeting with Ann and Ryuji soon to get lunch and go over metaverse things.
He had to cancel on Makoto again. It didn't matter if he finished his homework on time if he was expelled.
On that note, he saw Makoto walking down the hall and around a corner. She seemed to not notice him, so he ignored her.
He needed to get going. He gave a quick goodbye to Haru, telling her he was excited to see her Sunday, and walked away.
April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
She rounded the corner.
What was Akira doing with the two richest girls in school? What was he getting himself into?
Two weeks in and he was definitely more popular than her.
Haru was nice. She stuck to herself, the two of them had never interacted, but no one ever said anything bad about her.
Some people around school even loved her, especially the faculty. She was incredibly kind and polite. If she was more outgoing, she would be the most popular girl in school.
But she stuck to herself instead. Makoto understood, doing so herself. Sometimes people preferred to be alone.
But Mitsuko was much different. She was the among the most popular girls in school, if not the most popular, and that was all she cared about. Image was the most important thing in the world to her.
So why was she talking to Akira? He couldn't help make her more popular. Or could he? She didn't understand how popularity worked sometimes.
Makoto didn't know, but she didn't like it. She had read enough student complaints to know the girl was bad news. She hid behind her beauty, money, and charm, but the girl could get real nasty, real quick. She could be a bully.
Akira should stay away from her, but he probably didn't know that. Maybe she'd tell him later. Maybe. He might not want to hear that, or he already knew. She didn't want to offend him.
That was a matter for later however. Right now was something more important.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She knocked on the door and heard a male voice call out for her to come in.
She entered the office.
There were a handful of coaches and students in there. Around five or six. But the most important one was in the corner.
Kamoshida sat there reading through a notebook. He sat hunched over and barely noticed her as she moved towards him, only turning towards her at the last moment.
He looked a lot more tired than usual. There were deep bags under his eyes.
"Niijima-san? To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, smiling weakly.
He swiveled his chair towards her and sat up straight. Their eyes were equal, even with him sitting.
He was really tall.
She cleared her throat, "I needed to talk to you about something important. I think it might be better somewhere more private. Could we go to the student government room?"
He frowned, "I can't. I'm heading to an away game in a few minutes. I can drive you to a subway station though, we can talk on the ride."
She was really hoping to talk to him on school grounds. She wasn't fully comfortable being in the man's car, even if she didn't fully believe the rumors.
"Um, can we talk about this at school?" She asked.
Her feet shuffled uncomfortably. She tried to stop herself from fidgeting, but couldn't.
He spoke up and stood, "I'm really sorry but I gotta go. If this is quick then we can just chat on the way. I'll drop you at the station down the street? It'll take five minutes."
Well, five minutes wasn't bad. It was just a drive to the subway station.
She wasn't entirely comfortable, but the man had never actually been reported for anything and this was important, so she nodded.
He smiled brightly, "Alright follow me!"
April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
"-So then this chick is asking me what school I go to and-"
"Ryuji." Ann interrupted, "You swear this happened."
She looked at Ryuji skeptically, something Akira was doing too. He didn't think his friend was so lame or awful that a girl wouldn't be interested in him, but he also knew Ryuji wasn't good with girls.
"I swear. Scout's honor. So we traded numbers and I forwarded her like 2000 yen yesterday for a taxi and we're meeting up today!" He smiled brightly.
And there it was.
All three of them, him, Morgana, and Ann, all looked at each other. Which one was going to burst his bubble and ruin his day.
He felt bad for Ryuji. It was going to be hard to live this down.
It looked like Morgana was about to, as expected, when Akira's attention was pulled away.
Was that Makoto? Walking with… Kamoshida!? What the hell!?
He walked towards them, trying to get a better look.
It was them! But why were they together?
Ryuji spoke up, "Why's the prez going to the faculty parking lot with that asshole?"
Akira looked towards his friends. They were just as puzzled as him.
That was something he needed to investigate. Him and Makoto weren't good friends, he would describe them as colleagues, but he wouldn't wish Kamoshida on almost anyone.
April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
The car started up.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kamoshida asked and adjusted his mirror.
Makoto sat awkwardly in his passenger seat.
She was beginning to regret getting in the car, but she had come this far. "I just, I wanted to talk to you about the rumors of Akira being expelled. I just wanted to know if they're true."
She watched him closely. His grip noticeably tightened on the steering wheel. Anger flashed in his eyes.
This was a bad idea.
"On second thought-" She said as she reached for the door, but they started to move. "Um, Mr.-"
"He put you up to this?" He asked gruffly.
She had never heard him talk so curtly.
She reached for the door again, but they were still moving.
"Uh, no sir, just wondering. I wanted to say that I think Akira is an excellent-"
"Yeah," He cut her off, "Yeah, I understand. I hear you loud and clear. If he's threatening you I will be sure to add it to the pile of complaints we've gotten about him."
She was taken aback, "No, see I just wanted to talk about-"
"We've gotten," He interrupted again, "Hundreds of complaints. Daily. About him. It's ruining my life, and the lives of the other teachers too."
That sounded a little far fetched. She spoke up again, "Well, sir, it's just I was going to talk about his positive traits and- Could you slow down a bit sir?" She jiggled the door handle, but it was child locked.
He let out a short, harsh, laugh.
They were parked at a stop sign. She fumbled with the child lock, but right when she got it he sharply swerved left, sliding her closer to him. She hadn't worn her seatbelt and so she bounced of his side.
Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to move away, but his arm came around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
She sat frozen, barely able to breathe.
"You know, ever since he showed up my life's gone to shit." Anger burned in his eyes and she could see his teeth grinding together, "Volleyball team's been losing, Principal's been on my ass, and some cops even came to my apartment the other day!? Mine!? They came fucking twice too!"
He laughed again. His eyes were wild. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was strong.
"Please, Sir, can you-"
He slammed on the breaks, sending her flying forward and stopping her from struggling.
She couldn't breath. Her head was an inch away from the dashboard.
"Good thing I had a hold of you, your head almost hit the dash. Imagine what could happen if I wasn't."
Every self defense lesson she knew fled her mind.
Her breathing restarted in short deep gasps.
She tried to wiggle away again, but he wrapped his arm around her tighter and farther, nearly touching her breast.
She looked at him, wide eyed, terrified.
"You know, we should be enjoying life. How about we enjoy life, together? For a bit. Then, maybe, we can talk about this whole Akira thing. Maybe we can come to an agreement about his future. I don't think I'm asking for much."
He smiled at her, but his smile was hungry. Predatory.
His eyes were wild, evil. They were looking up and down her body intently.
She felt disgusted. She felt terrified.
She felt tears start to flow down her face. This was exactly what Sae had warned her about growing up. But she was too fucking stupid.
Never get in a stranger's cars. Sae had told her that repeatedly, but Makoto didn't think her teacher was a stranger.
She should have trusted the rumors.
She tried to push away, her hands tugged at his arm, but he was strong.
He was starting to get angrier.
He began squeezing on her arm tighter.
She let out a pained gasp "Please- My shoulder-"
A crack and a crunch reverberated through the vehicle.
Kamoshida let go and slammed on his breaks.
She barely caught herself with the meat of her forearms before her head could hit the dashboard. His windshield was deeply cracked.
She didn't question the miracle. The child lock was undone. She grabbed her bag and threw herself from the car, scraping her hands and knees as she hit the rough ground.
She could hear Kamoshida cursing loudly behind her.
She was free.
She scrambled to her feet and looked around. There were a few Shujin students down the street, and a few others nearby.
"Makoto!" An unfamiliar voice called out, "Are you alright?"
It was Takamaki. She looked back and saw Kamoshida leaving his vehicle. Takamaki was looking at her with concern in her eyes.
"Are you alright?" She repeated.
Makoto didn't say anything as she let the girl guide her away.
They quickly made their way down the street and into a subway station.
April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
"Fuuuck." He groaned, clutching his ribs.
His body curled on the ground, head and knees propping his stomach into the air so none of his chest was touching the group.
That was the stupidest fucking thing he had ever done.
Why didn't he just throw a trash can, or a rock, or anything.
But, like a moron, he threw his body instead.
He was one stupid fuck.
Arms grabbed him and hauled him up
"Dude," Ryuji quickly whispered, "You actually did it!? What the hell dude!? I thought- God damn dude you're badass as hell."
His vision blurred, and he nearly collapsed. He didn't feel badass. Ryuji threw himself underneath Akira, barely catching him before he hit the ground.
He looked up. Ann and Makoto were quickly retreating away.
Makoto moved without purpose, nearly stumbling along as she followed Ann.
A small smirk of satisfaction grew on his lips. His plan worked, no matter how stupid it was.
"FUCKING- YOU FUCKING- DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS IS GOING TO COST!" Kamoshida raged in the background, hands pounding the hood of his car.
The giant of a man spotted them and stalked towards them. He stopped when he realized who had thrown themselves in front of his car.
He stood still for a moment, mouth wide open.
Akira wanted to punch his slack jaw.
Kamoshida regained himself in a moment and the fury reignited, stronger than ever. He was angrier than Akira had ever seen him.
He took a step towards them, murder in his eyes.
"Woah! What the hell is going on over there!" A few students shout out. He watched as they begin running in their direction.
Kamoshida noticed too. He glared death at Akira, promising pain. He only had eyes for Akira. He didn't care about Ryuji or Morgana, just Akira.
Akira met his gaze with a rage of his own.
The man broke eye contact and stomped back to his car, too angry to put on his caring, friendly facade for the approaching students. He drove off before any students caught up and saw what had happened.
Ryuji tried to push him up, to get some of Akira's weight off himself. Akira pulled his arm off Ryuji and tried to take a few ginger steps on his own.
His knees wobbled, but he was okay. Adrenaline, and the rage, flowed through him right now. He would be okay until one of them ran out.
Step two of their plan. Makoto and Ann would already be heading towards Sojiro's.
He would reroute them to Tae's. He had been injured more than he thought he would.
Which was stupid in retrospect. What did he expect from jumping in front of a car?
He was strong. Not invincible.
Ryuji stood near him, ready to catch him if he fell, but Akira waived him off.
He would be okay for now.
They walked towards the train station, Ryuji following his orders to redirect Ann and Makoto. Then were soon on their way.
April 22
After School
Friday
Cloudy
"Yeah, these are definitely fractured. They aren't large, but you have two clear breaks here and here," Tae said, pointing at his x-ray. "You got lucky. They're pretty clean so you should be good in, I'd say, about three weeks?"
Three weeks!?
She noticed his shocked look and smirked, "Maybe you should be more careful when you cross the street next time?"
He blushed, making her laugh.
His friends had left at his insistence. He didn't like their attempts to comfort him. He especially didn't like the thanks and weird looks Makoto kept giving him.
Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana went to go get something to eat at LeBlanc, while Makoto went home.
He spoke up, "So, how much will this cost?"
She sat back in her chair and leaned towards a cabinet. She opened it with an outstretched hand and casually lifted out a vial of blue mixture.
He sighed, expecting this.
She smirked at him. "Don't look so glum. Its blueberry flavored this time." She handed him the vial, which he reluctantly accepted.
He sniffed it. It smelled aggressively of blueberries, disgustingly so.
He nearly gagged.
"If you can't," She continued, ignoring his disgust, "I'll have to charge you one hundred thousand yen. The guinea pig discount only applies to guinea pigs."
One hundred thousand!? He had maybe a small fraction of that.
Guinea pig discount. He scoffed in his mind, he was being taken advantage of.
But free health care was better than no health care.
He lifted the cup to his mouth and downed it.
It tasted like what he expected bleach to taste like. It burned like liquid fire. He couldn't taste the blueberries.
He nearly vomited, but forced himself to keep the liquid down. He didn't want to do that again.
Tae only nodded, a content smile on her face.
Her face wasn't distorting this time. A small victory.
He didn't feel anything yet. Tae seemed just as surprised as him.
"Guess I did a good job this time, huh?" She said with a light smile.
He got up. If everything was working, he could leave.
Then his stomach felt like it was going to collapse in on itself.
Nearly overwhelming nausea overcame him. He collapsed back onto the bed and covered his mouth with both hands to stop for vomiting.
The world began to swim.
Colors blend together. The room's furniture warped and bent to awkward shapes and impossible angles.
He looked to Tae for help.
She looked at him like nothing was happening. She wore an extremely teasing smile that seemed out of place.
Was she mocking him? The thought infuriated him. He wanted to yell at her, but could only clutch his stomach as a new wave of nausea overcame him.
Her face turned from teasing to flirtatious in a few seconds. She slid to her feet with a dancer's grace and strode towards him in short, meaningful, steps. Her hips swayed with each motion.
His face burned as he watched her slowly slide her jacket off.
He barely noticed that the world around her had turned black. She was the only thing in existence.
This all made sense for some reason. Everything happening was perfectly natural.
She finished her slow walk towards him, shaking her hips more and more as she got near him. Her white jacket didn't make a noise as fell from her into a black void.
He couldn't look away. He didn't want to look away. Tae's normal outfit did little to hide her impressive figure, and with even less clothes that figure was promoted to stunning.
He sat up, the pain alleviating as his brain focused on other things.
She slid on top of him, shapely thighs straddling him. Her smooth thighs rested tightly against his hips.
His eyes were locked onto her face. She bit her lower lip as her eyes trailed up and down him hungrily. Her hands rubbed circles on his chest, occasionally moving to his biceps to squeeze them.
The straps on her tiny black dress began sliding down her shoulders, seemingly without any help.
He ran his hands along her revealed thighs. They were smooth, very smooth, soft, and firm. They felt a lot different than what he expected. There was some give when he squeezed, but they weren't as squishy as he thought they would be.
His eyes peered down from her face to said thighs. He gave them another squeeze, appreciating the feeling and sight.
He felt her lips touching the top of his head, softly laying little kisses.
His eyes slowly climbed her body, admiring everything. Her arms massaged his back and chest, running over his whole upper body.
His eyes continued up, stopping at her chest for a moment to admire her nearly completely revealed breasts.
He kept looking up, past her neck and to her face.
Carmen stared back at him.
While he was surprised, she looked at him with her usual hunger. Like she expected this.
Her face turned from aroused to ravenous in a second. Her head snapped towards him faster than he could react. Her teeth sunk into his throat. He felt them sink into his flesh, ripping and tearing.
He could see his blood fly as her head whipped back. A large chunk of his flesh rested between her teeth, dripping blood onto her nearly completely revealed breasts. They were still Tae's breasts.
She came back, attacking the other side of his throat. She shoved him down onto the bed as she mauled him.
It wasn't just her mouth. Her hands punched holes into his chest, shredding skin and muscle like it was nothing. His bones broke, offering no resistance as they snapped and cracked.
Blood poured down his face, getting into his eyes. They stung as he became blind to the world.
He felt everything as he died.
He woke up.
He roared and flung himself to his feet. Rage flowed through him, nearly as much as he had ever felt. He immediately slipped on smooth ground and nearly fell headfirst to the floor.
He caught himself on the table in front of the bed, sending several vials crashing to the floor and nearly sending his elbow through her x-ray display.
He pushed himself up, stumbling and moving towards the exit. His legs wobbled, unable to properly move.
His ribs hurt more than he could believe. He had banged them on the table on his way down.
His knees gave out and he had to support himself with the table.
"HEY BE CAREFUL!" Someone shout from the other room.
Where was he? His fight or flight instincts had taken over.
He was ready to fight the second someone came through that door. One on his hands fell to the ground to grab a broken vial.
He took quick deep breaths and staggered to his feet, one hand clutching his throat, the other the broken glass.
The woman from his dream ran into the room, "Come on, look what you did. That's going to take hours to clean up, not to mention replacing all those trials. That was runs 1, 2-"
She let out an aggravated sigh, obviously flustered at the broken glass and spilled liquids.
She ran a hand through her hair, "I should have expected this," She mumbled to herself, "This is what I get for not locking you to the bed."
This was, Tae. Yes. Tae.
He had almost killed her. A burst of pain in his ribs had saved her. Otherwise he would have taken her to the ground right there.
His hand fell from his throat, but his breathing stayed heavy. He placed the glass on the table and maneuvered back to the bed, falling face first onto it.
"You okay kid?" She asked, seeming to notice his plight.
He rolled onto his back, uncaring of how it looked, and took a deep breath. It was just a nightmare. He sat up straight and brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
She didn't seem to believe it. "Any visions this time?"
He felt his face redden and coughed into his hand.
"The same as last time." He lied.
She sighed and turned around frustrated. She wrote some notes in a small notebook. "A pretty severe reaction. Maybe it was just as bad last time, but the restraints stopped it. Hmm, do I restrain him next time or do I need more open conditions-" She mumbled to herself, quieter and quieter until he couldn't hear her.
He waited a moment. He needed to ask, "Why me?"
He rubbed his throat unconsciously.
She didn't look from her notes, "Because you're big, bigger than anyone else I could find, and you were able to take that first dosage. This medicine is for a little girl, if I gave her this medicine right now she would die. But, you're a tough guy, so you can handle it." She said the last part mockingly.
He wasn't sure if he was comfortable taking a drug that could kill someone smaller than him.
"On top of that," She continued, ignoring the dying comment, "You have a very normal body. No allergies, no serious prior illnesses, a few surgeries, but nothing life changing. I couldn't ask for a better guinea pig."
She finished her statement by wheeling over to him and pinching his cheek.
He accepted the teasing without any complaints, too worn out to do anything. It prompted her to let out a small chuckle.
She finished chuckling and pulled a small white bottle from her jacket pocket.
"So, back to the original topic, you need to take two of these a day, one every twelve hours. They'll help a lot with the pain and should speed up the healing a bit. I made them myself, so they aren't approved by any federal organizations, but don't worry about that."
He uncapped the bottle and took one of the medium sized white pills. The pain in his ribs calmed from an intense ache to a small, dull, pain. That was incredibly fast acting.
He stared at the bottle amazed.
He could get used to that.
She spoke up, "You're actually the first person to try those out, other than myself. I'm giving you my best stuff. There's benefits to being my guinea pig."
He stood up, flexing and rotating his shoulder. It made his ribs ache, so he stopped.
She continued, "Just because they help get rid of the pain doesn't mean they fix the cracked bones, you still need to be careful with any movements. You don't want to re-injure them and slow down your healing."
He nodded and grabbed his jacket from the corner of the room. After getting it on he went to leave.
"Last thing. A few warnings." She started. "Only take one every twelve hours. Do not take any more than one every twelve hours. I don't know what would happen if you did, but it wouldn't be good. You understand? On top of that they can be a little addictive, like all painkillers, so you don't want to overuse them. Once you're no longer in any pain, return the rest to me."
He nodded.
"Do you drink?" She asked.
When he nodded, she continued, "Not much I hope, but I won't judge, don't take a pill within two hours of drinking. I found that out the hard way." She grimaced and crossed her legs.
"I only occasionally do. For dinners."
She nodded, but didn't look like she believed him.
Whatever. Not his problem.
He felt exhausted, his body hurt, and he didn't want to talk anymore.
He checked his phone. Sae had said it was okay to come back to her apartment.
He sighed and left, ignoring Tae's questions about when he would come back. He wasn't feeling like coming back very much.
The vision was worse than last time. He wasn't sure he could do that again.
He needed to never get hurt again so he could avoid her. Or get some money so he could go to a different doctor.
Both unlikely to impossible.
Morgana came dashing along, catching up to him. He muttered that he was heading back to Sae's and ignored the cat's recount of lunch events.
He was too tired to do any more. When he got to Sae's apartment he sped to his room and immediately went to sleep.
April 23
After School
Saturday
Clear
"So you just take the integral here…" Makoto said, rambling on an explanation for the complicated problem.
Akira scratched the back of his head with a pencil, slightly confused. He nodded along like he understood what she was saying.
She gave him a small smile as she finished the explanation and went back to her work.
This was the first time they had spent time together since Wednesday morning, when they went to the gym. If he didn't count yesterday's car crash.
He wanted to sigh, and went to check his phone.
Surprisingly, there were some texts from Hanae, Shinya's mother.
He really didn't expect them their last interaction.
There were also a few from Ann and Ryuji, asking how he was doing. They would be taking a short metaverse break today while his ribs healed.
They couldn't wait long, they only had about a week. He wanted to go in today, but the other 3 wanted to wait at least a day. They needed to play it safe as he couldn't fight to his full capacity.
He pulled up Hanae's texts.
Hanae: Hello Akira-san.
Hanae: I'm really sorry to bother you, but could you possibly do me a favor?
Hanae: I need to stay late at my job today, Mr. Okumura is really busy with some upcoming party and he needs me to stay late today.
Hanae: But I normally pick up Shinya from school.
Hanae: I'm extremely sorry to ask, but is there anyway you can pick him up?
Hanae: I'll pay you back for subway fare and more.
Hanae: I don't like him walking home alone if I can help it.
Hanae: He's an independent kid, but he's in grade school. He's never taken the subway home by himself either, I pick him up everyday.
Hanae: He's in an afterschool program until 5:30, could you get him then?
5:30? That was in less than an hour.
He probably shouldn't, he needed to focus on his schoolwork.
But he also remembered how nice the family was to him. And the time he spent with Hanae on the balcony.
Akira: Yeah, it's no problem.
Hanae responded immediately.
Hanae: Thank you so much!
Hanae: I'll send you the address!
Hanae: I'll cook you dinner again sometime too!
He received the address. The school was pretty close to him, around half an hour away.
He would need to leave soon to make it.
He had almost no motivation to study today anyways.
Makoto looking at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention and then lightly smiling wasn't helping either. They hadn't talked about yesterday's events, and he didn't want to either.
The admiration in her eyes made him uncomfortable. It was such a stark contrast to the distrust and fear that marked her face when they met over a week ago.
She seemed happy to help him with questions, not frustrated.
He didn't like it. He wanted their relationship to go back to the original work-based relationship, not this quasi-friendship. It made things much too complicated.
He closed his books and started packing up.
"Are you leaving?" She asked warmly.
He nodded.
"Alright, there's still a lot more to do but we can finish it tomorrow."
He nodded again and continued packing. His ribs ached dully as he moved around.
Makoto was biting her lip pretty harshly, clearly holding something back. She anxiously twiddled her thumbs.
He really hoped she wasn't going to ask about yesterday. As he got up to leave, she did too and walked in front of him out of the room.
God damnit.
She pulled to a stop in a quiet, studentless, spot. Her fingers still twiddled and her eyes stared holes into her shoes.
He waited, wanting to leave but unable to do so.
She took a deep breath.
"Um, before you go, I was just wondering, if you're not too busy, and I understand if you are, would you like to come to dinner tonight?"
That caught him off guard.
She continued, noticing his surprise, "Today's, uh, my birthday. Me and Sis always go to this sushi place nearby and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. You know, living with us and all." She finished with a weak smile.
It was nice but, he couldn't. That would break all of Sae's rules.
He was already pushing it with that one workout session and these study groups. He wouldn't push farther.
Before he could reject her offer she spoke up, "I'll talk to Sis!" She quickly amended.
She took a deep breath then continued, "Just, don't say no yet. I'll talk to Sis and make sure it's okay, I'll text you about it later. You can say no then, if you want, or no now if you already know you can't. I'm rambling, but if she says you can come I'd love for you to be there."
She finished with an unsure smile. Her eyes still looked at her feet.
He held back a sigh, "Sure. Just text me later and I'll let you know. I'm running a favor and I don't know how long it will take. Don't count on me being able to make it."
She nodded, a bright smile on her face, "Alright, I hope you can come by. We're paying so you don't have to worry about that. I'll send you the address later."
He nodded, and she scurried back into the library, clearly embarrassed.
Even more drama. Sae would definitely say no however. There was no reason to worry about going.
Morgana jumped onto his backpack as he left, somehow knowing that Akira was leaving.
The cat was a lot smarter than Akira gave him credit for.
The two of them walked to Shinya's school.
April 23
After School
Saturday
Clear
He felt like a massive creep standing outside Shinya's school.
He had already gotten a few stares, but they must have assumed he was someone's older brother and left it at that.
Or they had called the police and they hadn't arrived yet.
Maybe he should leave.
But he had already told Hanae he was here.
The front door opened, relieving a grinning Shinya. "Akira!"
Shinya jogged towards him, and past the few boys and a teacher standing in the doorway.
"How's it going?" Akira asked.
Before Shinya could answer the teacher spoke up, "Are you Akira Kurusu?"
He nodded and responded positively.
She accepted, asking no more questions or asking for any identification. She shuffled the other students back into the building. They looked awed for some reason.
It was curious. He really didn't know why.
He spoke up, "Is it normal for teachers to let people pick up their students that easily?"
Shinya looked at him with a bright smile, "No, but Mom put up a huge fight about it. I could overhear her and Ms. Nakamura arguing like crazy. Ms. Nakamura even went to the principal's office about it."
Huh, he had no idea Hanae was so strong willed. She probably pissed the teacher off enough that she didn't care who was picking up Shinya.
Shinya spent their walk prattling off everything about his day and about the newest video game he was playing.
Akira slightly toned him out, nodding along to whatever he was saying. He felt bad, but he also didn't care about the newest Super Sentai game. He tried to pay attention, but the various details and strategies the boy went on and on about weren't easy to follow along with.
"-will end the game. You're coming to dinner again soon right? We can play Gun About! Mom had a really good time to, she talks about you sometimes and how she had fun and-" He continued on as Akira nodded.
Wait. He rewound the conversation in his mind.
Hanae talked about him? And the fun she had?
He blushed lightly. Shinya was too absorbed in his chatter to notice though.
Well, he had fun too. He thought she was embarrassed by what had happened. Apparently not.
Maybe he had seen the situation wrong the whole time. Maybe she had enjoyed their time too. He thought it was a drunken mistake.
His blush deepened as he thought about it more.
He needed to think of something else before Shinya saw.
He spent the rest of the walk listening to Shinya talk about his day. Midway through Morgana left, telling Akira he was so bored he couldn't stand it.
He didn't blame the cat. He wished he could to.
They finally made it back to the apartment and he dropped Shinya off.
Hanae hadn't come home yet, so he didn't follow the boy up. He would like a reunion, but he also wanted more time to prepare.
He said bye to the boy, who made him promise to come back again soon. He would show Akira all his new games.
He watched the boy enter his apartment and then left. He checked his phone as he walked down the street.
He told Hanae he had dropped the boy off, who immediately sent back a few texts of thanks. He quickly responded, saying it was no problem. She also made him say he would come over for dinner again soon.
There were also some messages from Makoto.
Makoto: Hey Akira.
Makoto: So, actually Sae actually can't make it to dinner.
Makoto: But, I'm already here.
Makoto: Would you like to come? I'll still pay.
Makoto: There's a 0% chance Sae can come.
They were only sent a few minutes ago. It was already 6:30.
She would see that he read her texts, so he couldn't ignore her.
Could he reject her on her birthday?
April 23
Late Afternoon
Saturday
Clear
Makoto looked nervously at her phone. Her foot tapped rhythmically under the table. Akira had seen her messages, so he should respond soon.
Or he could ignore her. He had no reason to answer. Maybe she had over thought their relationship, why would he want to be friends with her? He obviously had other options.
She went back to Sae's messages to distract herself.
Sis: I am so sorry Makoto.
Sis: I got a massive break in this case I'm working and I need to be here.
Sis: The lead could be gone tomorrow.
Sis: I'm really really sorry, let me take you out tomorrow, we can go anywhere.
Sis: We can go to that Health food place you love so much.
Sis: Respond when you can, I have to get back to work. I'll see you at home later.
Makoto had never responded.
She probably should have expected this. Sae was so busy recently. She had thrown herself into her work harder than ever after being passed over for promotion so many times.
Sae didn't really do celebrations either. Not like they had many things to celebrate.
Sae expected the best grades. Being the top of her class was just supposed to happen. Why celebrate things like that?
Makoto didn't have any sports accomplishments to celebrate either. She was good at Aikido, she had even reached the second Kyu, the second highest rank a beginner could reach. She did it in an amazingly short time span, according to her sensei at least. If she passed the next two rank tests she would become first Dan, a first-degree black belt.
She was extremely proud of that, more so than anything else. Good grades were great, they would let her do whatever she wanted in life, but Aikido was her passion more than anything. It had taken years of hard work and dedication to reach this rank, and it was something she did by herself for herself.
Good grades were helpful for a future she didn't know what she wanted to do with yet. Go to the University of Tokyo, then what?
With Aikido, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to be third Dan, the highest rank in Aikido. It would take years and years of dedicated practice, but it was the one thing she new she wanted in life.
Aikido was hers. It wasn't Sae's, no one told her to take it this far. Yes, Sae did sign her up, but that was just for a few self-defense courses. She was the one who pushed the limits. She was the one who drove herself to success.
She was losing herself in her thoughts. She checked her phone.
Akira had messaged her back!
Akira: Yeah.
Akira: I'll head there now.
Akira: I'll be there in twenty minutes.
Her whole day brightened. She really thought he was going to say no.
Maybe they were friends? No, she shouldn't think too much into it.
But maybe. It wasn't unreasonable.
What had happened to her life?
A small chuckle slipped out.
A week and a half ago she hated him a bit. He was someone she didn't want to spend time with or help in any way.
He was the terrifying ex-con living in her home.
He could still be scary, but she knew he had a soft side too.
He got run over by Kamoshida for her. She could count on one hand, on two fingers, the number of people who would do that for her.
Thinking back to it, she could never thank Ann enough either. She barely knew the girl, but her comforting words had helped Makoto more than anything else could.
Makoto didn't like to think of what her mental state would be like if Ann hadn't been there to talk about it and sympathize. The girl had been a shoulder to cry on when she needed it most. She wanted to see the girl more now, but she didn't know if the girl wanted to see her.
How had Akira gotten such good friends in a week?
She wanted to be friends with him too, badly, but there was one thing that wouldn't stop nagging her. She needed to know why he went to Juvie.
"Um, mam, are you waiting for someone? Or would you like to order?"
Makoto looked towards the waitress.
"Oh, yes, my friend is coming. It's my birthday, he's on his way."
A strained smile grew on the waitress' face. Makoto had been there for over ten minutes without ordering. "Happy birthday! Could I get you something to drink to pass the time?"
Makoto shook her head no and the woman begrudgingly accepted and left.
She was a little embarrassed. The waitress was getting annoyed.
Maybe she would get a soda for the twenty minutes and sip on it.
She wished Sae was there. She understood her sister was busy, but it was her birthday. Akira could come, and he barely knew her.
She really hoped she wouldn't be too awkward. She was just so bad at making small talk. Her lack of friends was really starting to limit her social abilities.
Time passed quickly as she thought about the last time she had tried to make friends. It was her first year of middle school and some girls had invited her over for a sleepover.
Sae didn't let her sleepover, but she did let her visit with them. Only after a long argument, which consisted of her pushing her point and Sae stubbornly saying no. She remembered getting so frustrated she cried and Sae finally relented. She could go over, but only for a few hours.
It was fun, but she missed out on a lot after she left. The other girls became close friends after that night, bonding during the sleepover. She was never able to get into the friend group after that.
Sae didn't help with the problem either. Makoto didn't like arguing with her sister, so she never pushed Sae to let her go out more. Eventually, it just became normal to not have any real friends. She was too busy now, and too far behind socially, to start.
She had no idea where even to begin-
"Makoto?" A familiar deep voice called out.
Startled, she whipped her head to the side to find Akira standing there.
She took a deep breath and lowered her hand from her chest. "Oh, Akira-san. It's good to see you."
He nodded and sat opposite her in the booth.
They sat in the back of the restaurant, in the booth that Sae had reserved.
It was an upscale sushi place. Too fancy to eat at regularly, but Sae loved it so Makoto chose it for her. Not that it mattered anymore.
It was mildly busy today, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to supply a constant hum of noise.
Akira was wearing his normal Shujin outfit. She doubted he owned another nice outfit. It looked good on him though, if a little snug.
His hair was still a mop, but it looked like he at least tried to style it. He wore his glasses, they really did change his image a lot.
They were so dorky it distracted from his intense eyes.
He looked good.
They sat there for a few seconds, neither saying anything. An awkward silence was developing.
"So," She started, trying to avoid the awkwardness, "How was your day? How was that errand?"
"Good, a little boring if anything."
Silence overcame the conversation again.
"What was it?" She tried asking.
He looked a little taken aback. Did she ask too much?
"Oh, uh, nothing really. Just grabbing something for a friend."
Well. That was vague. She wanted to press more, but she doubted he would like that.
The waitress approached them again, distracting from the already dead conversation. "Are you ready to order?" The waitresses asked.
Wait, what did she want? She looked at Akira, who was looking at her expectantly.
Her cheeks reddened, she hadn't looked at the menu yet. She opened it quickly, "Uh, I'll uh, take a Volcano Roll."
She picked the first one she saw that she had eaten before. She forgot to ask Akira if he was ready to order.
Her blush deepened.
"I'll have the Green Dragon roll."
"Alright, and two waters?"
They both nodded, and the waitress left.
They sat quietly, unsure of what to talk about.
"So," Akira began, "This is a fancy restaurant."
She nodded, "Yeah. It's the best sushi place nearby."
He nodded.
God this conversation was dry.
"So," He began again, "Who's your least favorite teacher?"
What? That caught her by surprise. But she had an answer.
"Oh, Ms. Usami easily. She's the only teacher to not give me the highest grade in a class, I still got an A. But, more than once she took points off my problem for not 'Showing enough work', even though my math was right, I just do some of the easier math in my head sometimes."
"A little arrogant to assume you deserved the highest grade."
She blushed brightly and looked away, anxiety filling her. Had he taken that wrong? She hadn't meant to sound so arrogant!
She looked towards him, extremely embarrassed.
He gave her a teasing smirk.
He was only joking.
Relief flooded through her.
"Well," She began, "I'm just saying. I get the highest grade in everything else, why not her class?" She tried teasing back.
Her face felt so hot.
"Fair enough, but what if you did the problem wrong?"
She scoffed unconsciously, "I didn't do the problem wrong. Zero percent chance."
Now that was arrogant. She knew that she must have looked like a tomato right now.
But Akira laughed. It was just a small chuckle, but it was a laugh.
A faint smile grew on her face. She was feeling much better.
They continued talking about school, discussing favorite and least favorite teachers.
The conversation was flowing a lot better than ever before. She had no idea why, but she wasn't going to complain.
The waitress came back with their waters.
"Wait," Akira said before the waitress could leave, "Could you get me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc? On a separate tab. I'm twenty, don't worry."
That was a lie, but the waitress nodded. He could pass for twenty if he wasn't wearing his glasses, a young twenty.
But, Akira drank alcohol?
That shouldn't be so surprising.
This was technically illegal, but no one ever followed the drinking age laws.
The waitress looked at her questioningly.
Was she expecting her to order a drink?
Akira spoke up. "Don't feel pressured Makoto. I just like a glass of wine with dinner sometimes."
The waitress nodded and was about to leave, taking her silence as a no.
"No, I'll get a drink too." She said and pulled out the drink menu from the end of the table, "I'll take, hmm, the Sakura Martini. What's in that?"
This was illegal. She was breaking the law. But she didn't want someone a year younger than her to be drinking alcohol when she wouldn't.
She didn't want to look like a loser.
"Oh!" The waitress said, clapping her hands together, "That's my favorite! It's a cherry blossom infused sake, with fresh lemon and grapefruit juices, and some other great things. It's so good!"
"Then I'll take that."
The waitress nodded and left. She slide the drink menu back to the end of the table.
She had only ever had sips of Sae's wine. She didn't like the taste much. She had never tried a martini before.
It was kind of exciting. High class women in movies ordered Martinis.
It was something an adult would do. And Sae had never told her she couldn't order her own drink. So she wasn't really breaking any of Sae's rules.
But Sae had never told her it was okay to order her own drink either.
"You didn't have to order a drink, I probably shouldn't have ordered one in the first place." Akira said.
"Don't worry, I only turn 18 once. Might as well celebrate." She replied with a smile.
They continued talking about school after that. It was one of the few things they had in common.
April 23
Night
Saturday
Clear
Akira sipped his glass of wine, it had just arrived.
He watched Makoto nervously sip her bright pink drink. She looked really good tonight.
She was wearing a tight black dress with a dark green jacket over her shoulders. The only skin showing was her collarbone, but the dress was tight enough to show off her well-developed curves. She wore a gold necklace and a pair of gold earnings. A light amount of makeup was on her face.
She looked like she belonged in this high-class establishment.
He forgot how good looking she was most of the time. Normally she was just the girl whose sister was going to kill him.
He felt a little bad about accidently peer pressuring her into buying a drink. But, what's done is done.
Maybe a drink in her would help conversation too.
Akira had gotten a drink before he came to dinner for that exact reason. It was outside his two-hour window for the medicine, so he had a quick mixed drink before coming over.
He wasn't proud of it. It was the action of an alcoholic. But it would also save him from an awkward night with Makoto, and improve her birthday. So, he actually did a good thing.
He didn't want to ruin her birthday with his inability to make small talk and he was much more comfortable a little drunk, just buzzed in this case.
But his buzz was starting to fade, so he ordered another drink to keep it going. He didn't mean for her to order a drink too.
But, she looked to be enjoying it. Now she was taking confidant, proud, sips of the girly pink drink.
This was good. When they had spent time together working out or studying there were problems or exercises to distract them. At dinner, those weren't there.
"How do you like it?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"Really sweet." She replied, "I like sweet things, so it's pretty good. Do you wanna try it?"
She blushed immediately after offering. He blushed a bit too.
But she pushed the drink towards him. It was a bright pink liquid in a tall cocktail glass.
He brought the drink to his lips, near where she had drunken from.
Makoto had a scarlet blush from the near indirect kiss. He hoped he wasn't too, it really wasn't that intimate or anything.
"It's really sweet." He pushed the drink back to her, "Want to try mine?"
She hesitated, but nodded. He pushed his glass towards her and it spinned slightly on it's way there. She picked it up took a small sip, from near the same spot he had drunken from, seemingly on purpose.
"Bleh," She nearly spat out, "That's bitter."
He let out a little laugh as she pushed the drink back towards him. She was blushing fiercely, but he imagined he was too.
"Have you ever drinken before?" He asked.
She sipped her drink, "Just small bits of Sae's wine when she would let me. Never much. How about you?"
"Just a bit, same as you but with my parent's. I don't drink often, but I've grown to appreciate a drink with food sometimes."
That wouldn't hold up if she questioned him. He had been in Juvie up until a week ago, did he drink wine with dinner when he was 14?
It was possible, but improbable.
But she didn't question it, she only nodded and kept sipping.
"So," He started, "This is your first full drink."
She nodded, "Yup. It's kind of exciting."
She kept sipping her drink and they fell into a comfortable silence.
"Um, Akira." She started while swishing her drink around nervously, "I just, I don't mean to pry, but I really need to know, what did you go to Juvie for?" She finished and immediately looked away.
He sat for a second, surprised, then let out a sigh.
He was surprised this hadn't happened sooner.
"You probably do deserve to know." He said and told her his story.
He stopped at his arrest. He didn't talk about the next week of panic, of being locked away without the money for bail, the horrible trial, or the hell that was Juvie.
But he explained how he didn't do anything. How society had worked against him.
Makoto looked shocked. Whether she believed him, or was just pretending, he didn't know.
"That's… that's horrible. How could someone do that? How could that happen?"
She sounded genuine, but he couldn't fully trust her.
"I don't know."
She took another sip from her drink, stunned into silence.
It took a moment before she spoke up again. "Um, how was Juvie? Awful I imagine, but did you have a roommate or anything?"
He sipped his wine the spoke, "It wasn't that bad. And, yeah but he wasn't like, dangerous or anything."
He took a big drink from his glass.
That was a massive lie.
Juvie was hell and his roommates were incredibly dangerous.
His first roommate was okay. A bit of a psycho, but he helped Akira a lot before he… before he… died.
It was hard to think about.
His second roommate was one of the most monstrous people Akira had ever met. If true evil existed, if the devil was real, he might be him.
His second cellmate had been sentenced to Juvie for multiple homicides. In a loophole in the law, he was too young to go to jail and could only legally be sent to Juvie until he was an adult.
He was out by now, which terrified Akira.
His roommate had broken into an older couple's home and murdered the husband while the wife slept. He did… awful things to the wife before murdering her too.
The police were called when a neighbor heard the wife scream, but they arrived too late to save either one.
The reason he gave at his trial? He wanted to see someone die.
A pure psychopath. He should never see the light of day again.
However, he was a charming person and even managed to get a few people to speak kindly about him at trial.
His fondness for extreme violence and his charming personality had made him popular in Juvie, with both the other inmates and the guards. He had been recruited quickly into a big up and coming Yakuza clan.
Kameshino? Kamino? No, Kaneshiro.
He remembered that guy who tried to mug Kawakami the other day had shout his name.
He learned in Juvie that Kaneshiro wanted to keep his name quiet, but it was hard to do that when he recruited over a quarter of the inmates into his Yakuza clan.
His detention hall served as a recruiting ground for big Yakuza clans. If you wanted soldiers, soldiers who didn't have any moral quandaries with violent, deadly, crimes, his detention hall was the best place to go.
Dangerous people filled the cells. The worst of the worst Japan had to offer. If the prisoner was known to be extremely dangerous, they were sent to North Tokyo.
It was a miracle he was still alive. There were many times when he should have been killed, but one thing or another had gotten in the way and he survived.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if there was a god out there who kept him alive for some higher purpose. But why would a god torture him by putting him in Juvie in the first place?
Religion was a difficult subject for Akira. He didn't know what to think. Staying on the subject too long made him uncomfortable.
He didn't make any friends in Juvie. He never allied himself with any Yakuza clans, the most he would do was stay out of their way and they would stay out of his.
Any inmates that messed with him however would be responded to with equal or greater force. He had been given solitary many times for that.
Solitary was actually a godsend. A day or two where no one would try to fight or kill him? It was great.
Other than the time he had gotten solitary for nearly a week. He thought he might go insane being locked up with no human contact for so long.
He didn't fight for awhile after that.
But, eventually someone set his temper off.
He sipped his drink more, nearly finishing the glass.
"How are you and Sae?"
He needed to change the subject.
She let out a sigh and relaxed into her chair.
"I don't know." She swished her half-drunken glass, "I thought we were doing good, but you never know with her."
He nodded, not knowing what to add. He never had siblings, or a close relationship with his parents.
She took another sip from her drink before continuing, "Sae's just, she's difficult. She's the best. At everything. I feel like she doesn't understand people who aren't born being the best. She thinks working harder will fix every problem or anything is possible if you work harder, because that's always worked for her. She's never had a problem she couldn't solve by working harder."
He nodded and sipped the last bits of his wine.
"But," Her arms slipped in between her legs, shrinking into herself, "I can't just work harder. I'm not as smart or talented or anything. I can't just… work harder. Along with- nevermind. This isn't a fun conversation. How about we talk about something else?"
She gave a small weak smile, sadness in her eyes.
If she didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't push.
He didn't want to talk about it either.
"So why don't you tell me more about Shujin teachers? Any good gossip?"
Her smile grew happier, "Well, I don't like to gossip, but…"
They spent the next hour making small talk about school and some about sports. Dinner arrived at one point, two plates of extremely fancy sushi.
He could count on one hand the number of times he had eaten food this fancy.
It was good too, and so was the conversation. Makoto didn't lie either, she paid for their dinner. Half card, half cash.
She told him that she thought ahead incase he came. Sae could see all her purchases and would ask why she got two dinners. Better to just pay for one dinner with cash to hide it.
Very smart.
He paid for their two drinks with his own, very limited, money. He shrugged her off, claiming her drink was a birthday gift.
She gave a very cute smile at that.
He used some of Morgana's money to pay for it.
He was bringing his leftovers back for the cat. So Morgana wouldn't be too mad.
They got up and left.
They stood outside the restaurant. The street was quiet and lit only by streetlights, giving it a comfortable atmosphere.
They stood there quietly for a moment. He wasn't sure what to say.
"I had a really good time." Makoto spoke up first, "We should do this again sometime."
"Yeah, I did too."
She smiled lightly and brushed her hair back with one hand.
She was really cute.
"I'm happy Kawakami asked me to tutor you. I didn't think we would become friends, but now, here we are."
She looked nervous, like she had said something controversial.
He needed to be careful with what he said.
"Me too, it's been awhile since I've had a friend."
A little mushy, mushier than he was comfortable with, but her expression made it worth it. Her smile beamed, happier and brighter than he had ever seen her.
She blushed, and her feet shuffled, "Same."
They stood quietly for a moment.
"Well, I'll head home first. If Sae is there, I'll tell her I had a good dinner. You can come back a bit later and no one will know."
He nodded, he was planning something similar.
"Alright, well, see you at school tomorrow." She said.
She stepped towards him hesitantly and went to give him a hug. It was unexpected and extremely awkward at first.
He quickly responded by wrapping his arms around her lower back. She was tall enough in her heels.
He could feel the curves of her hips and waist. He blushed thinking about it. Even with Ann's 'friendliness', he still wasn't used to this.
They stood for a second before releasing. He could see the blush on her face. She turned the other way, waived, and left.
He let out a breath and went to go find something to do for an hour.
April 23
Late Night
Saturday
Clear
The door clicked open.
She took a confident step in.
Her night had been amazing, she was sitting on cloud nine.
She had a friend for the first time in forever.
"So," A startling voice called out from the dark, her hand shot to her chest, "How was your night? Was Kabuto's good?"
It was just sigh, she let out a breath, "Don't scare me like that Sis. Kabuto's was good as always, I got the volcano roll. When did you get back and why are you sitting in the dark?"
She flipped the light switch. Sae was sitting at the end of the dining table, arms crossed and looking right at her.
"That's a really nice outfit to wear to eat out by yourself."
Her pulse quickened, did Sae know? No way.
"Well, I thought you were coming." She said without stuttering somehow.
"You don't normally wear something that nice even when we go out. You did your makeup, wore jewelry, and is that one of my pairs of heels?"
Her pulse quickened more and she had to keep from swallowing. Sae didn't know anything, she couldn't.
"Well- I wanted to dress up. It's my 18th birthday, that doesn't happen often." She tried joking.
"Hmm, so, how were the green dragon rolls? I've never tried them before."
Her heart stopped. Her whole body stopped working. Sweat poured down her back.
"I had the volcano rolls- what are you-"
"Makoto." Sae seemed to tower over her, even while sitting, "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"What, Sis-"
"I said. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Sae arched an eyebrow expectantly, like Makoto could answer that somehow.
"No, why-"
"Why did you get dinner with Akira?"
She couldn't stop tears from brimming at the edges of her eyes, "I didn't-"
"So you do think I'm stupid. You know I have a tracker in that cell phone I gave him, and we have an app that tells me where you are at all times."
Oh. Fuck.
"Sis, you have to-" She started desperately.
"I don't have to do anything!" Sae stood up, furious. "Who do you think you are telling me what I have to do!"
Makoto took a protective step back, "I didn't mean it like-"
"How old are you Makoto? Are you a child? Do I have to hold your hand and punish you like a child!? I thought I could trust you."
Sae began striding towards her, fury on her face.
Makoto had never seen Sae this angry.
"You can Sis, I didn't do-"
A tear fell from her eye. She never cried, but fear forced them from her eyes.
"But you did. I gave Akira a very specific set of instructions, and I gave you some too. I trusted you, I would see you both at the same place in school, but I trusted you. Makoto's a good girl, I told myself, she would never betray your trust. They're just both in the library at the same time. I was stupid." She finished with a sneer.
Sae stood over her, naturally taller, and with them both in heels Makoto had to look up to make eye contact.
"Did he touch you?"
Her brain stopped for a second, not comprehending the question.
"What? No, we just got dinner!" She shout, taken aback.
Sae's eyes were intense. "Makoto, he's not someone you should be getting dinner with. He's not safe! I warn you and warn you, but you don't listen. Are you sure he didn't touch you, you can tell me, I swear I won't be mad."
She tried to sound comforting, but the anger in her eyes was ruining it.
"No! Akira would never do that! Why would you even ask that!?" She defended.
She took another step back and her backside hit the wall. Sae took a step forward to match her.
"You don't even know the half of what he would do given the chance. I tried to keep it from you Makoto, but I guess I shouldn't have. Makoto, he didn't just go to Juvenile hall for assault."
"What?" She mumbled, shocked. He had just explained why he went to Juvie.
"He went to Juvie for first degree Assault and Battery and attempted murder. He's a psychopath who snapped one day and beat an innocent man nearly to death. There are witnesses and police reports to confirm it. He was so violent they couldn't even share the man's name in court for fear Akira would seek him out and finish the job."
Her mind stopped.
Her body stopped.
Her heart stopped.
What.
"What?"
Tears began flowing freely from her eyes. She couldn't believe it.
"Makoto, he's dangerous. No matter what he tells you, no matter who he pretends to be, he will always be the man who could snap and do that again. Makoto, he's scary. I'm scared for both of us. I keep my gun on me every time he's here."
He didn't mention any of this.
What was going on? What was real?
"It's okay." Sae said and began stroking her hair, "I knew this was a mistake. I'm sending him back to Juvie tonight. I don't care anymore."
That restarted her brain.
"Wait, Sis you can't! What about his grandfather!"
Sae walked back to the table to grab her phone, "He was a great man, one of the best men I've ever met, but he was wrong. Akira is dangerous. We paid our debt and I won't let him stay with us anymore. He'll go back to Juvie for a year and then be a free citizen to do what he wants. It won't be our problem anymore Makoto."
She tried to stand taller, "You can't! I was the one who invited him to dinner! I was the one who invited him to study! I'm the one you need to punish! Not him!"
Her emotions were running wild. Adrenaline flowed through her. She had never been this defiant.
Sae met her gaze until Makoto dropped her eyes to the floor.
"I will. Don't worry, I will. But, not before I punish him. He knew the rules. He can't live with us anymore."
"Please Sae! He didn't do anything wrong! He's not a bad guy!"
"Not a bad guy? Did you not hear what I just said? I'm sending him back tonight."
Sae's hands went back to her phone. She was going to call the police.
Makoto did the only thing she thought she could. She dropped to her knees, hands locked together begging, "Please, Sis, please don't. Please. It was me. Please don't ruin his life."
She didn't even know how she felt about Akira anymore, but she owed him her life.
"Get up. You're making a fool of yourself."
Her hands slid to the floor and her head fell with them. Her forehead hit the ground with a thud, but her body didn't even register the pain. "Please Sis-"
"Get. Up. You're ruining your dress."
"Please." She mumbled into the ground.
She could hear Sae's foot tapping impatiently.
"Get up. This isn't proper."
"Please."
She sunk further into the ground.
She was ashamed of herself. All the self-respect she had gained for herself was gone.
Sae would never look at her the same again.
That hurt more than anything.
She tried to choke back a sob, but it broke through.
Sae would never see her as an adult after this.
Sae would never forget her sobbing on the floor.
She was mortified and humiliated.
She would never recover from this.
"Okay, okay, just, just get up."
She peered up and Sae had slid her phone back into her pocket. She looked deeply uncomfortable.
"You promise?"
Sae sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Yes. Just, go to your room. I'll talk to Akira when he comes in."
"But you promise-"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Sae looked at her. Makoto wanted to curl up and die.
Sae looked down at her with a light amount of disgust in her eyes.
Sae would never do this. She never begged. She barely even bowed to people.
Something inside of her hurt. It hurt so much she wanted to vomit.
She wanted to die. If something killed her right now, she would thank it.
Makoto stood up slowly, wobbling as she caught her balance.
Makoto quickly scurried away to her room, hurriedly wiping the tears from her eyes.
When she got inside she immediately locked her door and fell into her bed, sobbing.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Sae would never respect her. She could spend the rest of her life working towards it, but Sae never would.
She had lost her friend.
Her ex-friend was a violent psychopath who lied to her face.
She lived with the deranged maniac she always feared.
Or did she?
Akira never seemed like the person Sae said he was. He even said the man he 'nearly killed' had made it everything up.
What did he have to gain jumping in front of a car to save her from Kamoshida? Why would he do that? To get closer to her?
She couldn't trust anyone.
Sae told her one thing, Akira another. Who was right? Who could she trust?
Her emotions swirled wildly in her mind.
Who could she trust anymore?
April 23
Night
Saturday
Clear
The door clicked shut.
Sae was sitting at the table. She stared at him expectantly.
She knew.
His heart stopped.
He needed to leave.
"You okay Akira?" Morgana asked from behind, happily chewing Akira's leftovers.
"Akira. Why did you break my rules?"
She knew.
No point in lying.
"Makoto told me it was her birthday and asked me to come to dinner."
"But I told you to never look at her. So why'd you do it Akira? Or better yet, Ren?"
What?
His brain stopped.
He took a step back, ready to bolt.
No one had called him that since-
"Ren Amamiya. Born in Sumaru city to Touma and Aiko Amamiya. Father's whereabouts, unknown, presumed deceased. Mother, in and out of rehab. Currently eight months 'sober', but who knows with her. Whereabouts, presumed Tokyo."
He hated talking about his birth parents. Nobody was supposed to know.
A cold fire surged within him.
"What does this-"
"Abandoned at nine." Sae continued, "Bounced around orphanages for a year until you were adopted by Okawa and Kimura Kurusu, who changed your name to Akira Kurusu. A very old couple living on disability and a government stipend. Your adoption was a surprise, in the adoption paperwork barely anyone had even a mildly kind thing to say about them. Shut-ins, grouchy, unfriendly, words used to describe them often. But, they passed the background check and you were adopted."
The fire grew, along with something else.
He hated this feeling. His stomach hurt. It hurt more than it should. It wasn't his ribs either.
He wiped at his eyes. He could feel the hot, angry, tears starting to form. But he never cried.
He looked around, was Makoto here to see this?
There was a small crack at the door to Sae and Makoto's rooms. But he couldn't see inside.
"Why-"
"I bring this up." She cut him off, "To bring validity to the theory that you 'snapped'. I researched this intensely when before I took you in. An orphan from a broken home, passed around from orphanage to orphanage, finally adopted by an older couple who didn't have anything positive going for them? All these could easily lead to someone with severe emotional problems, someone who is prone to 'snapping'."
"I didn't-"
"That's not even getting into your history of violence in Juvenile hall. You spent a month being normal, being how your teachers described you. You were in one fight, but apparently you were normal for the first month. Quiet, nice, peaceful. Then, you snapped again and started fighting every chance you got. You were among the more violent inmates, someone who even the guards knew to watch out for."
He felt one of the tears stream down his face. He hated people bringing up his past. He hated anyone even mentioning it.
He didn't want anyone knowing about his painful past.
He hated confronting it.
"That's not fair, the-"
She slammed one hand on the table.
Akira saw something in her other hand.
A gun.
A gun was in her hand.
He had good vision, better than ever after going into the metaverse, he could see every detail.
The safety was off.
If he moved she would actually kill him.
It wasn't just a what-if anymore.
And no one would ever punish her for it.
Fear. Genuine fear, the most he had felt in a very long time, overtook him.
He nearly took a step back, but stopped himself. He was afraid any move could be seen as a threat. He had to keep himself from gulping.
"I'm being as fair as I can be. I take you into my home, I give you a few simple rules, I try to be kind, and this is how you repay me?"
"I'm sorry."
He didn't mean it, and he thought she could tell.
"I don't give warnings. I should send you back to Juvenile hall right now."
His heart stopped. His stomach tightened even more.
Bile rose in his throat, he had to swallow it down to keep from vomiting.
"But," She continued, "I won't. However, there are new rules. You will never be in the same room as Makoto. At school, you won't even walk in the same hallway. I see every move you make thanks to that phone, and don't even think about getting rid of it. If I even think, for a second, that you don't have it on you, or that you let it die, I will put you in the ground."
He nodded. Fear still ran through him.
She wasn't kidding. He doubted she had ever killed someone, but she seemed the kind of person that would if necessary.
Angry tears still slipped from his eyes. He didn't wipe them, for fear that the motion would be seen as aggressive.
His eyes were locked onto her gun.
He had to stand still.
He was in hell.
"Good. You will start coming in after nine. Don't stay in the living room for any longer than a few seconds. You won't cook anymore, anything you want to eat has to be microwavable."
He nodded again.
"Now that we understand each other, get out of my sight. I'll have your things sent to Sojiro's. Don't sleep here tonight."
He nodded.
He went to leave.
"I know everything about you. I know every one of your secrets, and I'll find anything you try to hide. This won't happen again."
Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He held back a quiet sob.
He left.
He tried to get angry, he tried to fill the void in his heart with anger.
It wasn't working. He just felt cold, alone, scared.
He thought of his father. His birth father. It hurt. He hadn't heard about the man's new status. He couldn't believe it. His father was…
He thought of his mother. Pain flooded through him. He thought she had gotten better.
It hurt so much.
Painful memories flooded into him. Things he had desperately tried to forget. His adopted parents, his real parents, everything.
All his efforts to strengthen himself. To toughen himself to the world. They failed. He was just as weak as ever.
He wasn't the badass he took the persona of. He was pathetic.
He got into the elevator and let out a shuddering sob. He sucked in air, quickly and painfully. It felt like his lungs were about to burst.
He was so uncomfortable in his own skin. He wanted to be anyone else.
He didn't want to be Ren Amamiya. He didn't want to be Akira Kurusu.
Both lives were shit.
He ran, ignoring Morgana's questions. He put the backpack down near a light pole. He needed to be alone.
Morgana ran after him, but the cat couldn't keep up with Akira's desperate sprint.
He knew what he had to do.
He ran with purpose.
April 24
After Midnight
Sunday
Clear
"Subway to Shinjuku Expressway will be arriving at station 3 in twenty minutes." A voice called over the loudspeakers.
That was his line.
He checked his ticket.
He was leaving.
Morgana never caught up. Or he stopped caring and went to find Ann or Ryuji to feed him instead.
He saw no reason anyone should care about him.
The station was nearly empty. It was far from Sae's apartment, he didn't even know where it was. He just ran until his legs quit on him and went to the first subway entrance he could find.
He took a seat near a wall and waited.
Sometimes he wished he had been killed in Juvie.
This was one of those times.
"What's someone as young as you doing here?" A voice asked.
He looked next to him. He was so out of it he hadn't even noticed a man taking a seat next to him.
There were dozens of open seats around them, but the man sat next to him.
Akira didn't care. He got one good look at the man before looking at his ticket once more.
He had long, black, hair, that ran past his shoulder. He had a plain face with a mildly long beard and a jagged scar running across his nose. He wore baggy, nondescript, clothing that showed nearly no skin. His irises were pure black.
The man coughed into his hand, "I said, what's someone like you doing here?'"
"What?" Akira mumbled, only hearing half.
"What are you here for. A late-night rendezvous to see a girlfriend perhaps?"
The man smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, but it didn't faze Akira. He didn't care.
"I'm running away."
The man let out a breath.
"Running away huh? Why?"
There was no humor in the man's surprisingly soft voice. It had a bit of a rasp, but lacked the edge he imagined the man would have.
"I can't be here anymore."
"Trouble at home?"
Akira nodded and went back to looking at his ticket, hoping the man would get the message to leave him alone.
"Well, if I've learned one thing in my life." The man continued, ignoring his attempts to end the conversation "It's that running away never works. You have to confront your problems and beat them down."
Akira looked at him wearily.
"I can't beat my problems."
The man let out a small chuckle, "There's no problem you can't beat. And running away only makes them stronger and harder to beat."
"These aren't problems I can fight anymore."
"But giving up doesn't help anyone."
Akira let out a sigh, "I don't think you understand the scope of my problems."
"I may not." The man admitted, "But I have my own, very large, problems. I tried running from them for a long time, most of my youth, and all I got was pain and misery. I eventually attacked my problems instead and that's the only way I've got anywhere with them."
"I... I can't anymore. I thought I could, but I don't have it in me anymore."
"Would running away help? And what about the people you leave behind? Would it help them?"
He thought about Ryuji. About Ann, Morgana, and Shiho.
Without him, they all might die.
Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana wouldn't give up on Kamoshida. They would enter the metaverse without him and be killed.
If Ann died, Shiho would die too.
His heart hurt.
He just wanted to escape.
He wanted to leave so badly.
"No. It wouldn't."
"Then go attack your problem instead."
He couldn't. He couldn't beat everything society had placed on him.
He couldn't beat his own past.
He also couldn't leave his friends behind. He couldn't doom them all to death.
He couldn't leave with Kamoshida still around.
A hate grew in his heart. If Kamoshida never existed he wouldn't have these problems. A dark, powerful, hate grew within him.
Rage, nearly overwhelming consumed him.
Without Kamoshida he could leave. He could escape this hell.
But he was being dragged back into it kicking and screaming. He couldn't leave until he defeated the man. Even if he had to kill him.
He stood up. His blood pulsed. His fist's clenched.
The hate was working. Rage was overwhelming his depression. He focused on Kamoshida, desperate to keep the anger going to drown out his memories.
He would leave Tokyo. But, not today. He would defeat Kamoshida and never see this hell again.
"You're right. Thank you, Mr.?"
"Miki. Ryo Miki."
"Akira Kurusu."
He nodded to the man who only smiled at him.
Akira blinked. Had the man's eyes flashed a sick gold for a second? No, that wasn't possible. He was stupid and tired. The man's eyes were clearly black.
Akira went to leave. He had been too hasty. He would defeat Kamoshida then leave forever.
He could do this.
He left to go find a Motel.
April 24
Very Early Morning
Sunday
Clear
He left the train station, deeply annoyed.
His target never showed up.
He was incredibly pissed off at the lost opportunity.
Akechi strode back to his nearby motel.
It was a beaten down old place, but it had no cameras or security. All things he required for his job.
It was close enough to the station that he could enter mementos from it too.
He took an elevator up. There was a man in the elevator with him.
He was drunk.
This man was a nobody, a nothing. Akechi could easily see that this man was alone and would be alone until he drank himself to death.
Maybe he could help the man along? Speed up the process? It would do the world a favor.
No.
He needed to stop thinking that way.
He was getting too trigger happy.
But it would be so easy to pull the man into the metaverse. No one would ever find out.
He stopped himself.
When he started this, he promised himself that he would only kill those he needed to. And he had stuck to that promise, more or less.
Rage built inside of him as he thought of his target. He could have killed that man, then killed that Kurusu fellow to clear up any loose ends.
It would be fun too. He'd find Kurusu's home, find his schedule, then he would time it so he could kill him in real life or in the metaverse. So many options, especially if he had a shadow. People like him usually had shadows.
Kurusu would be a fun kill. He looked like a fighter.
He stopped. This was getting dangerous.
He had only recently grown to enjoy killing. He had begun actively seeking out bigger challenges, his old easy targets were too boring now.
His boss might need to get a new assassin for the smaller jobs.
He got back to the subject at hand. The wasted time and effort.
He had planned it out so perfectly. The man would show up, take subway line five, the driver had a shadow, and Akechi would kill the driver and that would kill his target.
He had forced the man to need to take a train at night, he had forced a driver with a shadow to be working that night, everything had to go perfectly. There was only a small window.
And it was a waste.
He would have to do it all over again.
He would need to call in more favors, rearrange schedules, create havoc somewhere to change events. A ton of tiring work.
Or, maybe his boss would just let him kill the man outright. That would be easier.
But his boss wanted it to look accidental.
He let out a sigh as he walked into his bathroom, consumed by thoughts of how to create another opportunity.
He wiped off his makeup, pulled off his fake beard and wig, changed clothes, and took out his contacts. He would destroy them all in the metaverse later.
Such a waste of a costume. That was a good one too, but he had used it once and now it was worthless.
He'd have his boss commission another.
He never used a costume more than once.
He kicked the side of his bed in frustration. He could go kill the man who had been in the elevator. He was probably passed out drunk in his room right now. It would be easy.
But, no. He had to keep his promise to only kill those that were necessary.
Even if he made extra people necessary. He had made Akira Kurusu necessary to kill. There was no reason to talk to him other than to make him necessary to kill.
Wait. Idiot! If he had talked to the man in the elevator, he would have needed to kill him too!
But that would mean Kurusu was necessary. He just had reasoned out that Kurusu wasn't necessary. He was really reaching at this point for a reason to kill.
He growled in frustration.
He plopped down on his bed, head in his hands.
There was something wrong with him. It was getting worse and worse.
That first kill had been so hard. Now, he was getting upset he didn't have more people to kill?
When this was all over he needed to fix himself. He nearly laughed at the thought.
Would this ever be over? He wanted to scream.
Instead, he got ready to go to sleep.
He had another outfit for when he left tomorrow. He had work with Sae and couldn't be spotted leaving a shady motel.
He had everything planned out, he was ready for every contingency.
His bedroom door was locked, not that anyone would come for him.
Who would, the police? The Yakuza? His boss had them both in his pocket.
And no one could ever tie him to his past crimes anyways.
He turned to his side, ready to fall asleep.
Akira Kurusu. He felt that he knew that name, but couldn't put his finger on it.
The boy's face floated in his brain for a bit.
No matter.
If it was important, he would figure it out later.
Maybe he would have to kill him anyways.
No time for that. For now, he needed to rest.
He had a long day of setting up another assassination attempt tomorrow.
A/N
Sorry for the long wait guys! This chapter took about a month to write and edit, but it's a super super important one for backstory and character development.
I actually had my birthday in-between the last update and now too.
These were some of the most important scenes of the arc, so I needed to take my time with them.
I had a few tests and a lot of family stuff these past few weeks, so I've had to just cram in hours of writing whenever I could.
I think it came out good though, I expanded on some important side characters, and set up a lot of backstory/worldbuilding.
I know many of you were looking forward to knowing more about Akira's time in Juvie, so there you go.
So, Akira, Haru, and an OC are going to a fancy party? What can happen there? Who knows.
Makoto was basically the focus for the rest of the chapter. But, it was her birthday. I planned out a lot of this stuff since day 1. Kamoshida is clearly shaken by all the things Akira has been piling on him, making him act irrationally.
I'm sure he's afraid of a lot of things coming to light.
Sae, Makoto, and Akira. Now that was a fun scene to write.
I'll go into my thought process and reasonings for this scene, so skip if you don't want possible spoilers.
I know Sae might come off very aggressively in this, but I also added a lot of reason for her to. We all know Akira, we know how his brain works and we know his personality. He's not a bad guy.
All Sae knows is what she's read, and what she's read hasn't been good. Who wants their little sister hanging out with someone that dangerous / that much baggage? Akira doesn't have a good track record and that caught up to him.
Also, there's no way someone as careful as her wouldn't be watching him. She's smart and bugged his phone.
There may be reasons for his violence, but Sae doesn't care about those reasons. All she knows is that he has a history of snapping and assaulting people.
EDIT: I've gotten a few reviews about the scene now so for clarification, Akira was convicted for Attempted Murder. He has a long history of violence and comes from a broken home. Not someone who you want in your house / hanging out with your sister.
We know Akira is a good person. But Sae knows every detail of his past. She knows things we don't know, things Akira doesn't want anyone to know.
His past doesn't look good. She may be extremely aggressive in this scene, but there is a reasoning behind it. Sorry if it comes off poorly, but I really did try to make it a good scene. There's still a lot of story to go too, don't forget that.
End discussion of that scene.
Akechi showed up too. His first scene and we're already getting a look inside his head. There's gotta be more to his assassinations than the game shows, not everyone has a shadow so he's gotta plan it out very well to get his target on a subway with a conductor with a shadow.
I'll go over more metaverse rules later, when appropriate, to explain more.
But that's it! Hopefully the next chapter comes out quicker! I'll be working on it soon! Until then, please review and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!
See you guys next chapter!