This characters don't belong to me, but to Atlus.
Chapter 10
Sadayo woke up to the headache inducing alarm coming from her phone. She let out a groan of frustration as she hid her head under her pillow. She had grown to detest the sound, the worst she had found, but kept it anyway as it made sure that she wouldn't sleep through it. Her hand searched around blindly as it tried to find the blasted phone to turn it off. Once that task was done, she peered out from under the pillow to check the time and sighed as she remembered how early she had set it up. It was still dark outside, as she had set the alarm to go off before dawn, too early for even her, and as she buried her face deeper into her pillow Sadayo slowly began to regret the new job that she had found out of desperation.
Sadayo didn't use to have a problem waking up. In fact in a time long ago she would have considered herself a morning person, but the many years of non-stop work with little rest had slowly taken their toll on her. What time she could manage to get for herself never felt enough, and she always woke up tired and exhausted. Sadly the same could be said about her drinking habits. While she had enjoyed a good drink here and there, she had always been careful about how much she drank. But now the drinking that she had previously done every once in a while to either relax or socialize had become somewhat of a necessity to dull the never-ending stress that she was always dealing with, causing her to drink much more often. If there ever were a silver lining to her financial problems, it would be that it thankfully limited how much alcohol she could afford.
"Ugh… I really don't want to get up." She turned over as she kicked the blanket off her and faced the ceiling with her forearm over her eyes. She wore a white tank and orange shorts, the tank in particular was quite loose, easily showing her midriff while one of the straps slipped down her arm. Her hair was an even more frizzled mess than usual and her body took most of the bed as she twisted and turn in her sleep. Sadayo seriously contemplated calling the day off and just spending the rest of her day in bed, before shaking her head in defeat. "No, I can't afford a sick day, especially since I just got hired."
Sadayo's placed her hand over her head in an attempt to subdue the headache that she was getting. "My head hurts, I feel dizzy, and my body aches all over..." Why did I think drinking that much was a good idea? I'm just glad it was just beer and not saké. I don't know what I would had done if Kurusu-kun had… seen...me..." Sadayo's words trailed of into silence, only for her to bolt up from the bed, her face bright red as the memory of last night started returning.
"Wait. Last night, didn't I-?"
Sadayo memory flashed like a slideshow of impulsive decisions. Her flirtations jabs at Akira when they ran into each other, acting way more familiar with him than she should have. How risky it was for them to wandered the street of Shinjuku together. Her outburst at Akira when he was just showing concern for her. How in a moment of weakness she had thrown all her frustrations at him and even accused him of using her when she should had known better by that point...
And how could she she forget… How she placed her hand on his cheek, her eyes staring towards those kind eyes of his. The warmth that lingered into her hand as she pulled away and held it close to her chest...
She buried her head into her pillow and yelled, her body shaking as she squeezed it tight in an attempt to muffle said cries of embarrassment. "What is wrong with me!? Acting like that with one of my students!" She toppled down to the bed after throwing the pillow, curled up to her side as she pulled her hair back in frustration. "Arrgh, why did I have to run into him when I did? If only I had texted him to request me instead like I had planned..."
By this point Sadayo knew that Akira wasn't like any other person that she'd met before. She, against her better judgment, had grown attached to the trouble student that she called her master as Becky. She did worry about how much him trying to help her would cause him problems, those feeling were genuine and she meant what she asked of him. The problem of the matter was that there had been a barrier that she had always tried to maintain, one that she had set up early on when she had started working at Victoria, but had became especially important once Akira came to the scene, and that was the divide of Sadayo Kawakami the Teacher and Becky the Maid.
Sadayo was a no-good teacher and a coward. Someone who had to keep her distance from her students for fear of causing more harm than good, and this was especially true for Akira. It's not to say that she didn't worry about him, from the very beginning she had seen how the rumors about him only got worse as time went on, how the students continued to isolate him, and how the counselors and some of the other teachers continued to question him at times, just like she used to do before. But despite knowing better now, despite having learned about how loyal and protective he is to those he cares about, about how smart and hard working he is, and how much it pained him to be ostracized by the whole school for a wrong he did not commit, she was too afraid to stand up and defend him for fear of backing down and betraying him when it mattered most, like she had the last time.
Becky on the other hand, was cheerful, energetic and worked hard for many masters. Even if she wasn't the best at her job, even when said masters complained about her looks, her age, or her work. Even if they insulted her, or asked her to do things she wished she didn't have to do… Becky always kept her smile and worked hard to make sure to please her master, but out of all of them there was one that she had grown very fond of. He was so kind to her and understanding of her situation, he was forgiving of her mistakes and always supportive of her in his own weird way. He could be a bit mischievous at times, but considering how easy it was at times to tease him about things, she figured that was him doing the same with her. The more they continued to meet, the more she began to genuinely look forward to his request and eventually she realized that she had begun to care deeply for him. Still, she worried about how much of a strain him requesting her might be to him, and while she was happy that he did, a part of her always felt bad about him having to pay for her. She made sure to remind him every time that he didn't have to do so, but had to admit that it made her a happy to hear him reject the idea of doing so every time.
It was flimsy a barrier that was full of holes, but it was a safety net from which she could justify it as Becky the Maid and not Sadayo the Teacher being the one who had developed such feelings of affection for the young boy. Even that one instance where they had accidentally met near the park she could make a stretch and justify it as him running into Becky outside of her maid job. After last night though, that divide could no longer be argued. Sadayo was the one that teased him by calling him cute and let him know that he was constantly on her mind... Sadayo was the one who entered Leblanc with him a night, complaining about her shitty life, her shitty job as a teacher and argued with him out of frustration. It was her who felt hurt at the thought of Akira not being the person she thought he was... It was Sadayo Kawakami who gently held her hand towards him and with an ache in her chest, made him promise to let go of her if she became too much of a problem for him.
Sadayo looked at her hand, slowly closing it as she remember what she felt at the end of that evening. She had started to worry for some time now. Worry about the ideas that had started to form in her head, the image that came to mind at times, feelings that she never thought she's experience again, the occasional dreams that she plans to take to her grave out of embarrassment.
As the thought of one such dream started to form, Sadayo shook her head. "What is wrong with me. Why can't I get him out of my mind? I'm making too big a deal about this. He's just a good kid, that's all!" In the end though, she convinced herself that's all they were. Thoughts and delusions of a lonely woman who was beyond her prime and tried to alleviate said loneliness by burying herself in too many romance stories, which had started to cloud her perspective on reality. It was just her desperately clinging to the rare acts of kindness that had been given to her by her stubborn and hard working student, her kind and caring master, who simply wanted to help. Nothing more... nothing less...
"I really don't have time for this, I need to get ready for work." Sadayo got out of bed, making sure to not trip over the piles of clothing that cluttered the floor, and headed towards the bathroom to freshen up before work.
The apartment that she lived on wasn't the most extravagant, but it was by no means shabby. It had all the essentials of a bathroom, a separate room as her bed room, and a main room that worked as both a living room and her kitchen. It didn't have a place for laundry machines, but there was a laundromat right next to her apartment complex. It was simple and minimalist, but it was important for her. It was the place that she and her parents had decided on after much searching when she had decided to moved in to Tokyo so that she could finally start her path to becoming a teacher, and they had put a lot of effort to make it her own. From the small blue couch with small end table to the side where a night lamp stood, a kotatsu table where she could spend her time preparing her student's assignment and grading their works as well as bundle under it during the cold winters. To her TV and a shelf filled with all sort of VHS, DVD's and books and of course a number of kitchen essentials, though admittedly most of them hadn't been used in a long time... Her bed in particular had been a housewarming gift from them.
As she finished up in the bathroom she came to her living room and could only lower her head of the state that it was, the small end table by the couch had an assortment of bottles, and wet nap with a trash can near by. the kotatsu was littered with homework assignments, tests and handouts that she had been putting off, smaller piles of clothing were also spread by the couch and even a pillow and blanket lay by the couch as there were times where she was too tired to even reach her bed. The kitchen had fared much worse as dishes were piled up on the sink and the floor was cluttered by trash bags filled with empty beer cans and an assortment of pre-made or instant meals from the nearby conbini. As Sadayo looked sadly inside, she was reminded that didn't even have leftovers and would had to stop at somewhere to eat. With that in mind she quickly changed to a pair of jeans, the uniform for her later job and a windbreaker jacket and proceeded to head out for the morning, reminding herself to get some energy bottles on the way home for the long night that awaited her when she got home.
As Sadayo made a her first stop, she felt thankful that her mother had pestered her into getting her license when she was young. She always told her that it would never hurts to have one, and she had to admit that she was right. Because of it she had managed to get a last minute job transporting newspapers before stores opened up. While it meant that she had less time to sleep, and that she'd had to rush to schools on weekdays, it was also a daily job.
She went and open up the trunk and pulled up the first pile as she brought it to the store. Once she reached the rack she cut the cord and grabbed the first one. It seemed that the Phantom Thieves where on the front cover of the article yet again, as it talked about the supposed connections between their targets.
"More and more people are talking about them, like I don't hear about it enough at school." Sadayo could only roll her eyes as she tried to ignore it, but as she looked to the other publications, a low groan came out.
Almost every front page story was talking about the Phantom Thieves. From praising them as new heroes, to people describing them as dangerous vigilante based on the information the "Prince Detective" Goro Akeshi had stated previously. Everyone wanted a piece of the action and each had their own theories on who the mysterious group was. Even magazines were talking about them with the only exception being an interview of Boy M, a student in Shujin, and the abuse he suffered at the hands of Kamoshida.
Sadayo hated the fact that Discussion of the Phantom Thieves had continued to spread as time went on, since the topic of Shujin and the scandal about Kamoshida would always be brought up. It was a constant reminder of her failure as a teacher to realize the kind of suffering her students were dealing with. How blind she was to the kind of person Kamoshida was. She felt disgusted at herself for the fact that at one point she thought him an admirable teacher and actually respected him. It's no wonder her students would start to show disdain for her after her attempts to explain her side of things. No matter how much she tried to explain it, for the students that had felt betrayed and hurt, it was nothing more than hollow words and excuses.
Sadayo had thought that even if it would be tiring having to wake up even earlier than normal, it would at least be an easy job. But as she saw the repeated mention of the Phantoms, a part of her wondered if this one another one of life's sick jokes, as she realized that their reminder would now be a daily occurrence both in and out of school.
As she let out a tired sigh, she went back to the van and drove to her next stop. She wanted to finish her delivery so she could make her next job on time, continuing the grinding work pace of what had once been her day off.
It wasn't till late at night that Sadayo finished up with all her jobs for the day. It was jumping from one job to another, with the only break when she finished her day jobs and was heading home to change into her maid outfit. She made sure to pick up a box lunch which she ate on the way home and the energy drinks. She had managed to get a few requests, but it left her body a mess. Her shoulder were sore, her back ache, and her feet were screaming with every step. As soon as she reached her couch she let gravity do the rest as she let herself fall into the cushions. She could feel the weight of her body, wanting nothing more but to take the pillow she had there and sleep the pain away, but as she looked at the paper cluttered table, she was immediately reminded that she still had her work as a teacher to finish up.
She let out a long sigh, letting her body sink into the couch for a bit while looking down. "Why should I even bother, I'm sure most of them are just copied from somewhere else. What's the point of even trying to act like a teacher."
She wanted sleep, she had worked almost non stop today and her body was at its limit. She stared at the pile of paper and part of her wanted nothing more than to just get rid of them and act like they never existed, but as much as she wished for it to disappear, a small cry reminded her that she wasn't a delivery person, or a clerk, or a dog walker, or a maid. She was a teacher, a mediocre good for nothing teacher who had failed her students many times by now and was probably resented by them, but a teacher nonetheless.
Sadayo grunted as she pushed herself up from the couch and reached out to a half empty water bottle, a bottle of aspirin, and a container with muscle cream. Luckily for her, having been working for a while at Victoria meant she had been taught how to give good massages, and a she loosened her maid dress so that her shoulders would be exposed, began to work on her body.
"If it wasn't so expensive, I'd be tempted to call one of the other girls just so I could get a massage myself.' She said, pressing down by her collarbone as she heard a pop, causing her to hiss in pain. "Arrhg, no fair, I work just as hard as any of my customers, if not more so. Why do I have to be the one relaxing them?" Not wanting to go deeper into that rabbit hole of frustration Sadayo tried her best not to stress herself out at the unfairness of it all, instead deciding to focus more on her massage.
She closed her eyes, as she focused on the motion of her hands as they pressed and kneaded her stiff body. As she began to relax, the thought of having someone pampering her continued to echo in her head, and as she focused as her muscles began to relax, she decided to have a bit of fun and began to imagine it being someone else who was massaging her. It took her awhile, what with the position of her arm making it difficult to imagine, but eventually he was able to let go. She let her hand slipped under her clothes, her finger pressing on the knots between her shoulder blades, as a slight moan came from her. While a bit odd, she found herself lost in her daydream, enjoying the image of someone tending to her needs, instead of the other way around. The concept of having someone to come home to was one that she wished she could had experienced in her life, but was probably too late to achieve. Still, no reason that she couldn't daydream of a happier life. As she finished working on on her shoulders her head couldn't help but look towards where her imaginary person would be, as her mind proceeded to conjure the image of of a familiar gray eyed student, giving her his signature smirk.
Sadayo quickly open her eyes wide open in attempt to eject the image out of her head. "Nononono- Bleh" She cried out in embarrassment, as she covered her face and shook her head in defiance, only to stop in disgust at the fact that one of her hand still had ointment in it and ended up getting in her face. She let out a tired sigh as she went to grab a wet napkin and washed her hand and face. It was a bit messy, but it distracted her enough to get that image out of her mind. "What is wrong with me? I'm not what those people said I was, it's not like that." The conflicting thoughts only getting harder as she ruffled her hair while letting out a prolonged groan, causing her pigtails to escape from their hair ties and releasing her hair to its natural state, although a bit straighter than normal. Eventually Sadayo managed to block out those thoughts, as she proceeded to take some aspirin and down it with the water bottle to help lower the aches, as well as the new headache that was forming. She proceeded to turn on the TV so she could have something distracting her, then, without changing, she working on the papers, black and white skirt spread around her.
The show seemed to making a feature on the politician Yoshida Toranosuke. As she worked she heard about the supposed scandals he had gotten himself into, known as "No-good Tora's three strikes". And how it cause his political career to end 20 years ago. Sadayo had never heard of these scandals, considering she didn't live in Tokyo at the time and was still quite young, so when they mention that he still continued to run for office even now, she wasn't sure if to admire his dedication, or feel like he should quit considering what he's reputation was. After all, there's impossible to come back when you fall that hard.
The show eventually cut to a showing of one of his speeches that he did not too long ago, and as he spoke, Sadayo found herself quite surprised that she was becoming intrigued by what he was talking about. Deciding that she couldn't focus on her work at the moment she set her eyes on the TV. Her eyes opened wide as her pen dropped from her loose hand. The man known as Yoshida continued on with his speech, garnering a growing crowd, both those interested to hear about what he had to say and those that came just to heckle him. What little that managed to make through her shock was still interesting, but by this point she didn't care about what he was talking about. Her focus instead went towards the young man holding the sign behind him. Someone who by this point was no way she would mistake for someone else.
"SERIOUSLY!?
"You're surprisingly good at this." Akira took the time and examined the vanish ball that Sadayo had made with a look of surprise, which made the teacher smirk victoriously.
As he promised, Akira had begun teaching Sadayo how to work on the bench, and while she was happy to accept his request once more, a part of her was still nervous. When she got the request call from him that evening, she had ended up spending more time than she would had admitted in front of the mirror in her bathroom. She spent that time preparing herself mentally, reminding herself of her position, who she is as a person and the reality that she is simply reading too much into thing and is simply misunderstanding his views on her. She lightly slapped her cheeks to pump herself up, and as she looked into the mirror she did her best to give a big grin, but had been disrupted by her cough.
"Don't act so surprised. I've had my share of weird jobs in the past, once you explain the process it wasn't so difficult." Sadayo pouted
Akira had to admit that he was quite impressed at how well she managed to pick it up. Considering it was her first attempt, and after noticing her yawning a couple of times, he figured he'd best start with something simple and didn't require soldering. It wasn't perfect and it took her much more time than it would had taken him, but she did surprisingly well for her first attempt.
"So you've done stuff like this before then?" Akira asked, quite curious about the kind of jobs Sadayo must have done in the past.
"Well not this exactly, I've just done a few that required some assembling of parts. Sadly they were either too far, or a bit dangerous for the amount I was getting paid. So I didn't stay for long."
"And yet you still have trouble when it comes to cooking." Akira remarked teasingly, while putting the ball in one of the shelves to avoid past mistakes.
"Those are two separate things!" Sadayo vehemently protested before turning towards the cat by the table. "Though I won't lie, it was a bit difficult to concentrate with your cat meowing angrily the whole time. Is he always like this when you're working? Feels like he was trying to tell me what to do."
"She made so many rookie mistakes Joker! It would had gone so much better if she could listen to me!" Morgana protested
Akira chuckled as Morgana tried to defend his side of the argument. He spent the whole time yelling at Sadayo as she worked, hoping that something would get through, and while it looked like she got the hint on some occasions, most of his advice had gone ignored.
"Don't mind him, he just very curious about what you're doing at the table." Akira gave a shrug as he shook his head, acting as if he couldn't understand the annoyed feline protesting his reasoning. "Luckily I've done it enough times that he doesn't try to get in the way."
"Is that how you treat the person who taught you how to make these in the first plaWAAH!"
Sadayo picked up Morgana from the table as she petted him gently. "Poor guy must be agitated by the noise and smell… there there."
Morgana grumbled at being picked up once more by Sadayo as he noticing Akira having a hard time keep his composure, but decide to play along.
"Seems like Mona has gotten quite used to being handled by you." He remarked as he poked the cat's nose with one of his smirks, letting him know that the comment was more towards him than Sadayo.
"Well as I had said before, I get along quite well with cats so it's only natural." Sadayo remarked with a huge grin on her face.
"Plus she's much nicer than you, I think I'll just get comfortable for now." Morgana proceeded to curl up and lay down on top of the apron from Sadayo's dress before sticking his tongue out at Akira.
"Aww, look master, I really think Morgana has gotten quite attached to me."
"Well anyway we should get work on the next assignment." Akira went to the bench and took some parts and one of his previously ice sprays. "Let's work on the cold spray can and." Akira turned to see a worried Sadayo as she hadn't moved form her spot. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm kind of stuck right now..." Sadayo said as she looked at Morgana. "I didn't expect him to fall asleep so quickly, but if I get up now I'll wake him up. What do I do master?" She looked at Akira with puppy dog eyes.
Morgana snickered at his victory over Akira. All Sadayo heard though was a purr which made it even harder for her to leave.
Akira wanted nothing more than to flick Morgana's ear, but considering how Sadayo was reacting, he was sure that him being hostile would only get him on her bad side. Having to admit defeat Akira made a note to get some payback at another time. "Then let's take a break for now."
"It's fine, I can keep working form over-" Sadayo's word were interrupted as she felt something hit her throat. She covered her mouth and looked and turn to Akira with an uncomfortable smile. "On second thought, I'll take you up on your offer. Is it alright if I ask for you to makes us some coffee to drink? I have another job after this so it would really help." Sadayo looked away awkwardly, blushing slightly as her fingers fidgeting against each other. "Besides, it's been a while since we shared a cup together."
Akira looked at her with a raised brow. "Sure... is there any blend in particular that you'd like?"
Sadayo smiled at him, in an attempt to act normal "Surprise me, I trust your skills when it comes to sort of stuff."
"Very well, I'll be back soon." Akira proceeded to head down stairs, but stopped and turn to her before going down. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, just had a bit of dust hit my nose." Sadayo started with a grin, before taking a look around at the room. "Seriously, no matter how much I clean it, it always stays dusty, it's probably be easier to demolish this and be done with it."
"I rather not lose my place to sleep thank you very much. Anyway I'll be back soon."
Sadayo waved with a smile as he went down. Once she stopped hearing his footsteps, she covered her mouth and began coughing, making sure to muffle herself so wouldn't hear her.
"What am I going to do…? I can't afford to get sick." Sadayo said with a worried look on her face. Suddenly she felt some ruffling and noticed that Morgana was looking her way. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry…" Sadayo hand proceed to pet Mona, and much to her surprise he seemed much more willing to let her than normal. "What's this? You usually a bit feisty about me petting you. Are you trying to comfort me?" Sadayo remarked as she continued petting the cat on her lap. "We'll just keep this our little secret, okay? I'm sure if our master found out he'd be worried sick."
Sadayo could start to hearing the coffee siphon being put to work, The aroma starting to make it's way upstairs. It was quite a pleasant one and Sadayo was looking forward to seeing what he had decided to make this time. It had only been a couple of weeks since the last time since he had made her some coffee, but she really did miss those moments and was glad that he accepted her selfish request. A weak smile began to form, realizing how happy she was about a such a trivial thing as drinking a cup of coffee with one of her student. A small chuckle coming at how desperate she must be, before coughing some more.
"It's strange, this isn't at all how I'd imagine things would go, especially not with… him." She picked up Mona as she looked at him in they eyes. "Your owner is so weird, did you know that, kitty? Even after all the things I said to him, the way I treated him, he's still wishes to help someone like me, he's just too stubborn for his own good." She giggled happily as she thought of her master, a genuine smile ever growing as she went on, even ending with a playful pout with her last statement.
But as she realized what was happening she shook her head to stop herself, her smile slowly turning sullen as she put the cat down on the floor. "But that's just the kind of guy he is. He's just trying to help me out of kindness. So I have to make sure that he doesn't push himself too hard. I can't continue to rely on him, it's not fair to him…"
Sadayo was surprised at how attentive the Morgana was being, he almost looked sad to her. Sadayo just smiled back at her furry audience as she rubbed her right eye before leaning down and giving it some scratches behind the ear. "Thanks for listening, you're almost as good as Kurusu-kun. I guess it's true what they say about owners and their pets." Sadayo proceeded to clear her throat, hoping to withhold any more coughs, followed by her lightly smacked her cheeks to prepare herself, makings sure to get back in character. As she stood up she gave a big smile. "Why don't we go and keep Kurusu-kun some company. After all as his maid, I should be by my master's side." Sadayo proceeded to head downstairs as Morgana stood there for a bit and shook his head.
"Those two just keep trying to dance around their own feelings. Though can' say that I blame them... It's not an easy predicament after all."
Sadayo arrived to see that Akira had just finished the brewing and was about to pour a cup when he noticed her coming downstairs and gave her a smile. "I thought you said you were stuck and couldn't move from your chair."
"Looks like he got bored and decided to wander off, so I might as well come join you." Sadayo remarked, trying to sound disappointed.
"I'm honored to hear that Mona was kind enough gave you permission to come see me then." Akira joked as he glanced at Morgana, but noticed that his feline companion didn't seem to be in the same mood.
"So why did you name your cat Morgana, when you keep calling him Mona?" Sadayo asked as she took a seat. "Why not just name him Mona?"
"You can blame Ryuji for that, He kept calling him Monamona until he eventually settled with Mona. After that it just kind of stuck." Akira said with a shrug.
"Why am I not surprised..." Sadayo groaned as rubbed her brow. She could easily see Ryuji having difficulty pronouncing Morgana's name and making up simpler nickname. "Though I guess that means they've come to visit you. They must have been surprised when they saw the place. I know I was."
"Well Ann commented that it was cleaner than she imagined." Akira remarked with a cocky smile as he leaned forward, resting his head on his palm. "Not surprising considering who I've been requesting often."
Sadayo started blushing at Akira's implication. She cleared her throat as she tried her best to remain composed. "Yes, well… I do the best that I can after all. Anyway! I was just reminded of something. I saw you on TV yesterday, It looked to me like you were working for that Yoshida Toranosuke guy. So is that another one of your part-time jobs or something?"
"More like volunteer work." Akira confirmed without hesitation, handing Sadayo a cup of the coffee he had just finished brewing before pouring some for himself. "I kept running into him on my way to work and I liked what he was saying, but no one seemed to pay him any mind. So after having a talk with him I decided to help him out, which he welcomed.
"Never saw you as one interested in politics." Sadayo replied as she waited for the coffee to cool a bit, enjoying the nutty aroma it provided before taking a sip. "By why even bother trying to help him out? From what I heard on TV it's not surprising that nobody wants to listen to him, considering what he's done in the past and all." She looked at her reflection on the black beverage. "Something like that… tends to follows you till the very end." Sadayo turned to the small chuckles of her student. "What's so funny?" she remarked, a bit miffed by his amused reaction, but more curious than annoyed..
"Nothing, I honestly kind of agree." Akira said as she scratched at his cheek with a sigh. "No matter what I do or how things turn out, I'll probably never get rid of the stigma of having a criminal record. The fact that people still see me as a delinquent in school even now is proof of that."
A look of regret was immediately present on Sadayo's face. "Oh no, Kurusu-kun I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Akira added, not bothered by said implications. "I may never be rid of that stigma, but I also can't let it stop me from moving forward and trying. Like I said, I don't regret helping that woman, and if I had the choice I'd do it again, cause I don't want to be the kind of person that just stands there when others are in need of help. In Tora's case, he knows he screwed up all those years ago, but he wishes to continue forward and learn from those mistakes. So if I can help him move just a little bit further, then I think my decision to help him was worth the time."
"Kurusu-kun…" 'Yeah… cause that's the kind of person you are.' Sadayo was once again surprised by the level of maturity that Akira would have at times. She looked at Akira, eyes once again filled with admiration as he spoke up of his belief. She could feel her heart began to flutter, causing her to turn hide her smile behind the coffee cup after he finished up. "It's weird hearing refer a politician in such friendly terms. You've clearly spent too much time with him, you even sounded like you were making some sort of speech just now."
"Well he can't pay me for helping him out, so he's been giving me some public speaking lessons." Akira scratched the back of his head, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I guess a bit of him has rubbed off on me."
Sadayo couldn't help but giggle in amusement at seeing Akira acting embarrassed. With a coy look on her face she leaned forward and rested her head on her palm. "You're a high schooler with a criminal record, but you behave in class and do very highly on your test. You live in the attic of a coffee shop and help out on the shop at times. You apparently buy dirty used cloth to either sell or keep, you work in a model gun shop with some scary looking stuff, and you volunteer to helping out a very controversial politician." A smirk showed in her face, as she leisurely waved her index finger. "And lest we forget that even with all of that, you make sure to find time to request and spend evenings in the company of a maid. You really are a strange kid."
"What about you?" Akira replied with a laugh, before giving a cocky smirk of his own. "You're a teacher who despite her many complaints about not showing any interest, is far more perceptive than she lets on.. You've jumped multiple part time jobs, with one of your more recent ones being moonlighting as a maid." It felt like Akira was going to say something, but stopped himself as he continued on. "You're surprisingly resourceful and you know your way around the streets of Tokyo in ways I haven't see anyone else do and know a lot of things that I never expected a teacher to know. You're a master fisherman, seem to know how to sneak around and avoid crowds, are quite good at assembling parts, but seem to have difficulty with cooking. And to of course we can't forget the fact that one of your frequently customer as a maid is one of your student."
"Yeah... We really are strange pair aren't we?" Sadayo smiled. A bit flustered, but not surprised to see Akira turn her teasing back towards her. Still, she noticed as Akira seemed a bit hesitant for a moment. He usually doesn't skip a chance to mess with her, so the fact that he had stopped himself was very odd. "Hey Kurusu-kun, is there something on your mind?"
"What do you mean?." Akira was sounding a bit more reserved than usual, avoiding Sadayo's gaze as he did so.
"Well it sounded like you were going to say something in the middle of that but you caught yourself.' Sadayo tilted her head slightly. "Was there something in your mind."
"It's nothing, just me being dumb about things and I rather not say it out loud."
Sadayo was blinked as she looked at Akira in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Akira seemed hesitant, but after some glances from Sadayo he took a deep breath and spoke up. "I'm talking about the things that you've been made to do, and if your okay?"
"Well I've done my fair share of weird jobs, but I haven't gotten seriously hurt."
"That's not what I'm talking about…" Akira continued to look away from Sadayo as he tried to find a good way to explain. "Do you remember what you told me, that first time we ran into each other in your maid job?"
"Do you mean when I told you that I don't requested often?"
"No… I mean the one before that…" Akira's cheek were bright red at this point as he continued one. "About those Special services?"
If Akira's cheeks was bright red, then Sadayo's entire face was as red as tomato as she was reminded of her choice of word that evening. "OH GOD NO! No, it's nothing like that! That is are just for more intimate options, but the most we are permitted to do is stuff like letting customers rest their heads on the our lap, or provide them with a massages to help relax their bodies, but it doesn't go any further than that." Sadayo was frantically explaining to Akira the limitation that her job entails, wanting to clear out any misconception that her job entailed.
Akira looked a quite relieved to hear this, though still seemed just as embarrassed as he was a moment ago. "I'm sorry, I knew this would be awkward, I should had probably not said anything."
"NO, it's fine. It's not surprising that you'd think that, considering the way I phrased it after all. So I'm glad we could clear that out" Sadayo was having a hard time being able to look at him at this moment, just as he was her. A part of her was a bit happy to hear him showing concern for her, but then that meant that he must've had thoughts of that nature involving her at some point, which had her being much more self conscious of her maid outfit than she had been in a while, causing her to instinctively place her hands over her chest. Then there was the fact that even if she hadn't done anything too drastic, that didn't mean that there weren't things that she felt ashamed of doing, and as much as it she felt disgusted by it, there had been very moments where she had considered such options, if it meant her getting the money she needed.
She didn't want to say any of this to him though, she didn't want him to feel disgusted by her and wanted a change of topic, fast. In desperation Sadayo let out the first thing that came to her mind.
"He-hey, have you noticed how popular the Phantom Thieves have gotten as of late? It's kind of shocking considering they started in Shujin..."
Sadayo immediately cursed herself out internally. She both hated talking about the group, and equally hated how they increasingly became the topic of conversation. But sadly that all everyone had been talking about, for the past months, which made it hard for her to avoid.
"On second thought… let's not. I'm sure you hear about them enough as it is, you're probably sick and tired of hearing about it."
"Actually I wouldn't mind talking about them! I've been meaning to talk to you about it, but unsure on how to bring it up." Akira interjected with much vigor an excitement, not wanting to let this opportunity slip by.
Sadayo was caught off guard by the enthusiasm of Akira's response, causing her to dread what was coming next. 'You too huh?' With a deep breath, she brace herself for the incoming discussion as her she glared at him. "Did you now?"
"Well yeah..." Akira responded nervously, noticing the hint of hostility in Sadayo's voice. "I mean, I know you've mentioned them being talked about at schools, but you've never really told me about what your thoughts were on them."
Sadayo just sat there looking at him with a raised brow. "Why does that matter? The student clearly won't stop talking about them between their complaints of us, every media outlet is talking about them, even the other teachers keep bringing them up since said articles and news cast keep bringing up Shujin." Sadayo hands gripped on her dress tightly as she could feel her frustration rising. "No matter where I am I can't turn and look without them being brought up and I hate it! Every time I hear about them I all I can think of is…" Sadayo suddenly stopped herself, realizing how defensive she was getting over him just asking her a question. She noticed her hands shaking as she let go of her dress as her body slouched forward. "Sorry… This probably isn't what you wanted to talk about..."
"It's fine." Akira responded, maintaining his calm composure as he poured Sadayo another cup.
Akira had already expected that Sadayo wouldn't be very pleased with him bringing up the Phantom Thieves. She had on multiple occasions complained about how much they get brought up at school, and no doubt their drastic jump in popularity would only make her more agitated. He had to admit though that he wasn't expecting her to be as hostile as she had been, nor how shaken she was looking before she stopped herself. He actually felt bad that their group's success where causing her this much trouble. Still, if his plan to get Sadayo to ask The Phantoms for help was to work, then her cognition of the group would have to change.
As he poured a cup of his own he went and took a seat next to Sadayo and turned to her. "I understand that it's frustrating. But you must admit that the phantom thieves have been helping a lot of people who felt alone."
"I know.. trust me I know." Sadayo maintain focus no her coffee, still upset at herself for snapping like she did at Akira. "I've heard Mishima-kun talk to you excitedly about them. How it's because of them that you guys didn't get expelled by Kamoshida. How they punish terrible people who've caused pain to others because of their selfishness. But if that is true then..." Sadayo's held her arms instinctively, a gesture that Akira had learned to recognize.
From the way Sadayo was acting Akira figured that Sadayo was still blaming herself for doing nothing when Kamoshida was going to expel Ryuji Mishima and himself. Something that he never gave a second thought about so didn't want her feeling bad over it. "It's fine. I don't blame yo for letting those expulsion orders go unquestioned. I mean you didn't know what was happening, plus me and Ryuji didn't have the best reputation."
"I'm glad you feel that way," A bit of a smile managed to show, but it looked like Akira's words hadn't fully reached her, as her tone still remained sullen, maybe even scared. "But in the end it doesn't matter what you or I think. In the end it all depends on how they see things." Sadayo finished up her second cup, standing up and clapped her hands before turning to Akira with a forced smile. "I should get back to working, maybe I'll try cleaning up your room a bit more. After all, the room has enough dust as it is, so we can't let it build up too much." Sadayo turned and began heading upstairs, leaving Akira to clean the dishes.
"Looks like things are going to be harder than we thought." Morgana commented as he leaped next to Akira.
"Yeah, and I'm worried about what she said just now." Akira finished up cleaning the equipment and had Morgana climb on his shoulder. "Hopefully we should have enough time to convince her. It should go quick enough once we've gotten their names."
"We may have less time than we would like." Morgana interjected causing Akira to give him a worried look as he climbed upstairs.
They reached the top to find a coughing Sadayo, who quickly turned to see them and started making excuses about it being too dusty, none which Akira seemed to be believe as he became more concerned.
Morgana gave Akira a worried look as he could see the way he looked at Sadayo "I think she's getting sick."
"Is everything alright Ms. Kawakami?"
"Huuuh? What do you mean?" Sadayo slowly raised her head from her desk at the teacher's lounge, looking at what seem to be a surprisingly worried looking Ms. Chouno.
"Well, I apologize if I'm prying a bit much, but you don't seem to well. Honestly, you look half dead."
"Sorry, I've just been having to deal with a lot recently." Sadayo slowly stood up, her body aching as she did but doing her best to hide it She gathered her stuff and turned to a smile not too different to the one that she would give as Becky. "If it's alright with you, I think I'll be heading home now."
"That's… probably for the best. Make sure to get some rest." Ms. Chouno's concern was very obvious by her response, to the point that she didn't even argue with her leaving so suddenly.
Sadayo could only chuckle internally at the fact that even Ms. Chouno was feeling worried for her state of health as she walked the school hall, her work assignments close in hand.. This past week had been much rougher than Sadayo had anticipated. Almost every hour of her day was spent working, whether it be delivering papers, working at Shujin, walking her neighbor's dogs, doing inventory in the back room or working as a maid, Sadayo had little time for anything else. This included having any real time to eat, as she had been forced to rely on energy drinks and small packaged foods to hold off any hunger. Obviously sleep had also been compromised as she begged her manager at Victoria to give her more hours, and while she had actually managed to convince him to do so, it meant that her sleep time was reduced even more.
By this point she was a wreck. She looked very pale, which only made the dark rings over her eyes even more noticeable. She constantly suffered from migraines that made it hard for her to focus and at times she found her vision would begin to blur, causing her to have to hold on to something and just wait it out as her balance was affected by it. The last few classes had been incredibly difficult for her to even finish as her hand would shake when writing on the board, and she could hear some students commenting on how out of it she had been, making note at how dead she looked at times. Still she powered on through it all. She had managed to just barely make it till Friday, but in truth it was only cause of Akira...
True to his word, Akira made sure to request her every day for a couple of hours. He would simply request her for things such as watching the laundry, making some simple prop, and cleaning up a bit. He even told her that she was free to take a nap once she was done before he would go off and do whatever it was that he did at night. While Sadayo was grateful for this and had admittedly taken the opportunity to do just that, she was always quick to ask if there was anything more that she could do to help, but he would simply refuse saying that he had things taken cared off and just needed a hand with maintaining things organized.
Sadayo would at times wonder where her master would run off to at night. And as his request became more frequent the more she began to noticed some of his habits. Whenever he would head out at night he would always come back either tired or worried, He seemed to have just a bad a habit as her when it came to his food choices, despite his better knowledge in the kitchen, and for some reason he would frequently carry Morgana around in his Shujin bag when he went out at night which she actually found quite endearing at how close they seemed to be. Still, he would always stay and chat with her whenever he came back till she would have to go for her other request. He would admittedly try to bring up the Phantom Thieves every once in a while, much to her frustration, but he was considerate enough at least to end the topic when she asked him to.
Wednesday night in particular was very memorable to her. Akira had actually stayed in Leblanc as he worked on his school work and she had asked if she could try her hand at making him some coffee to help him out. She figured that after watching him make it so many times she would have a good grasp of it, so when he said that it was fine she excitedly went to work. Everything seemed to work out fine, grind some beans, boil the water and then pour the water on the ground up coffee bean slowly till it was finished. Once done she poured a cup and offered it to Akira with a big smile filled with anticipation and nervousness. It wasn't the first time that she had served someone something, but Akira wasn't just anyone, and she didn't want to let him down. Sadly as soon as he took his first sip it was obvious that she had failed in her attempt by the way he his body cringed in reaction to the drink. He tried hide and told her that it was definitely a "unique" flavor, but a quick sip from her own cup let her know just how bitter it had turned out. But just as she was going to sulk in her failure Akira simply complimented on her on being able to use the equipment without any problem and said that she simply needed to learn how to work the different coffee beans. He then closed his book and proceeded to teach her what he had learned from Sojiro for the rest of their time together, which much to her surprise, she ended up enjoying quite a bit.
Sadayo couldn't help but let out a small giggle as she remembered the enthusiasm of which Akira talked about all the types of blend and how they could work together. It seemed that he had taken the lessons that Sojiro had taught him to heart and had even started making his own blends. Sadly her happy memories were suddenly interrupted as she heard a group of student laughing in the back of an empty classroom.
"I mean if the phantom thieves targeted someone as dangerous as that Kaneshiro guy, there's no reason they wouldn't target someone like that Kurusu guy." Remarked one of the male students.
"Fo' real, I mean, at the school principal allowed him to come to our school, but after what happen can he really be trusted?" One girl mockingly remarked.
"I mean They should be working extra hard to make sure that we feel safe after all, and I'm not sure I'm feeling it with that criminal in the same building as us."
"No kidding! It would be a lot easier for all of us if people like him got his heart stolen, just imagine how he'd look all groveling and crying for being a piece of trash."
As the students continue to laugh, Sadayo felt herself becoming more and more irritated. Her body was tensing up as she held the paper tightly, her teeth gritting as she continued to listen to them insult and look down at Akira.
'He didn't do anything wrong, he's not like that. All he wanted was to help someone in need. Why does everyone have to keep looking down on him when they know nothing about him?' Akira's gentle smile flashed in Sadayo's mind as the student continued to incriminate him.
"I mean have you heard what kind of things he did in has old school? Blackmail, sending people to hospitals. All you need to do is add sexual harassment and we just have ourselves another Kamoshida.."
Hearing them compare Akira to that man was the last straw. Sadayo slammed the door open, startling the students, as all eyes were turned to her.
"Stop being so loud in here, school is already over for the day." Her voice sounded agitated, but she had managed to keep her anger in check that it sounded more of a frustrated tone than an angered one "If you're going to be talking this loudly about people that you don't know and make those type of accusations, then you better know about what you're talking about. Otherwise don't say such unnecessary things and take your talk elsewhere, you're bothering the students who are actually studying for their midterms."
Sadayo then closed the door and proceeded to head out, but before she got to far…
'What's up with her, acting all high and mighty."
"She's just annoyed because she has to deal with that Kurusu in her class."
"I heard that she's telling people to stop talking about him."
"Probably cause she doesn't want to deal with him and act like he's not there."
"That's so irresponsible! She clearly doesn't care about what he will do to any of her students.."
"Maybe Kurusu isn't the only one that should get a change of heart."
Sadayo bit her lip as she gripped the papers tightly with both her hands, causing it to wrinkle up. Going back and yelling at them wouldn't help anything, doing so previously only made it worse. Sadayo walked away in defeat, her eyes stinging and strained. "Why did I even try…"
As she left, Ann came out from hiding behind the stair, looking rather confused at what she had heard on her way out. "That was odd. Was Ms. Kawakami… defending Akira?"
"Are you okay, Becky?" Akira asked from the workbench. He turned his head towards the maid as Sadayo began coughing again..
"Of course, don't mind me, after all I'm bound to get a bit of dust in me as I clean up the room." Sadayo responded in a much more tired tone than she had probably intended..
Akira was a bit worried, as looked back at the message that she had sent him today.
[S]: Please request me tonight if you can, master.
[S]: Whatever it is that you need, I'll be sure to do them.
[S]: So please, don't hesitate to call.
He had planned to doing just that, so that wasn't a problem. What worried him is how desperate it sounded, and her constant coughing both at school today and soon after she had arrived wasn't helping in the matter.
"Are you sure? you don't' sound very good."
"Well I haven't been getting much sleep. Working has been keeping me much more busy than normal these and the Takases continue to increase the payment every week."
Akira fully turned to Sadayo, giving his full attention as his face became more concern.
"Please don't push yourself okay, if you need to rest then you can sit down."
Sadayo quickly forced herself to act more energetic at hearing Akira offering her to rest. She didn't want to rest, she wanted to help him out in anyway that she could. She wanted to make up for her failures as a teacher and do something, anything, to return the kindness that he had given her. And she didn't want him worrying about her.
"Oops, sorry, force of habit there." Sadayo said with the biggest grin that she could muster, as she playfully bopped her head. "I was just lying so that I could be lazy and get out of work, guess I don't' have to though since you know the truth. Anyway... I should go back to cleaning-"
As she quickly turned around, another dizzy spell had hit her and she felt herself toppling down. Just as she thought she would hit the ground she found herself being held up by her arm as Akira had managed to grab hold of her.
"Sorry, must have tripped." Sadayo tried to explain, before a loud growling in her stomach destroyed the last defense in her act.
"When was the last time you ate?" Akira questioned, sounding both concerned and upset. as he helped her straighten up.
"It-it's fine, I'm just being careful about what I eat that's all." Sadayo pushed him away and looked away as she felt her chest tighten, though whether it was because of how close Akira was, or a cough coming soon she wasn't fully sure till said cough came forcing itself out not to long after. As she turned to see an upset Akira, and she couldn't help but feel like she failed him once more.
"That's it, we're heading downstairs." Akira walked past her towards the stairs and waited for her, his hand held up as if waiting for hers. "Come on, I don't want to risk you tripping while on the stairs.
Sadayo was surprised and stammered as she stepped back. "It-It's fine, you don't have to go this far for-."
"I'm your master right now aren't I?" He smiled as he said it, being much more playful and mischievous. "I just want to make sure no harm falls on you while in my care."
"That's cheating." Sadayo grumbled to herself as she huffed, but only after the second growl from her stomach did she conceded and took his hand. "Fine…" She complained as their hands met.
Akira's hands were strong, but she could feel how gentle he was being as they climb down stairs. He directed her to one of the booths and asked her to rest while he got ready and went to the kitchen. She lay her head down on her arms as she saw him looking at the fringe before he turned to Sadayo.
"Now that I think about it, you never did get to try my curry. Seems like I have enough ingredients here to make some, so I think this will do.
Sadayo looked away as she was reminded of that evening. How she learned the truth about his record and how she had fled for fear of being hated by him after she admitted to him that she had been lying to him the whole time. The fact that after all of that, she was still able to enjoy his company was a bit of a blessing as she gave Akira a soft smile. "Sure, with how confident you were, I'm expecting something good."
Akira simply nodded and went to work. He was very careful about how did things, and constantly keeping an eye on the pot as the water boiled. Sadayo figured that he was being extra careful so that it didn't turn into another incident. It took a while which meant her stomach kept interjecting with it low growls. The aroma certainly wasn't helping, as it started to make her salivate a bit.
"Mmmmmr…. It smells really good…" Sadayo complimented sleepily as she let out a loud yawn."
It had been a long time since she had a nice freshly made, home cooked meal, and despite her hesitation, a part of her was excited for this opportunity.
"I'm happy to hear." Akira said victoriously as he skimmed the water. "And I'll be looking forward to hear you thoughts on the meal itself once I'm done. Normally I would be serving this with coffee, but with your condition, I'd worry that it'd do more harm than good, but I do have a large number of drinks from vending machines, just let me know of anything non-alcoholic and I'll see if I have it."
"Coffee and Curry huh? That's an interesting combination." Sadayo looked at him suspiciously as he continued to let her know what's available. "Seriously though, it feels more like I'm the one who requesting you." She complained with a pout, a bit jealous at how well he seemed to play the role without effort.
Akira gave a small laugh as he lowered the heat and let it simmer for a while. "I don't know. I think I'd look quite good in a butler outfit, don't you think?" He placed his hand on his chin in contemplation. "If I had to pick a butler name, I think Sebastian suits me quite well, don't you think?."
Sadayo could easily imagine Akira dressed in a butler outfit, holding up a tray with some coffee and sweets in them, as he bowed and asked her what she would wish for him to do for his mistress. Her cheeks growing warm as she hid her face. "How should I know?"
"Either way, sorry it's taking so long. If I knew how to make something faster I would've, but this is the only thing I know how to do well."
"I remember you mentioning that some time ago, what do you do for food then?" Sadayo asked, turning her raising her head a bit as she turned back to face Akira.
"Mostly ramen, stopping at the big bang burger and a prepackaged stuff from the convenience store." Akira checked on the pot to make sure there weren't any problems before checking on the rice cooker. "As you've probably noticed I tend to be very busy so I tend to grab stuff on the go. The ramen is usually for when me and Ryuji hang out together. Though I guess I also tend to get a crepe as well whenever I'm with Ann." Akira looked upwards in contemplation as he began counting up with his hand. "Makoto and I tend to stop at big bang burger or the diner when we study, and Yusuke…" Akira gives a small sigh as his head slouched downward and scratched his head. "It's hard to tell what we'll be doing next with Yusuke."
'So similar to what I do.' Sadayo thought to herself, but as she listen to what he mention she took note of someone she hadn't met before. "Yusuke, is he another friend of yours?" She asked after hearing a name she hadn't heard him mention before.
"OH, umm yeah. he was the one that had to stay over at my place that one time, you wouldn't have heard of him."
"Are you sure?" Sadayo stared at him with a raised brow. "I'm sure I've heard that name before…. Yusuke, Yusuke, Yusuke…" Sadayo continue to repeat the name as she tried to look back, but her concentration was disrupted by a bad cough. "Oww...That hurt my throat a bit."
"Don't worry about it." Akira quickly interjected quite hastily for some reason. "Here, The curry is done. I also got you some ice tea with lemon, hopefully it helps with your throat.
"Thanks" Sadayo turned to look at the food. It definitely looked appetizing and as she took the first spoonful into her mouth she couldn't help herself from letting out a moans of delight. "It's really good. Consider me convinced of your skills, master" she said with a youthful smile. maybe it was the fact that she quite starving by this point, but at that moment, this was probably one of the most delicious things that she had the pleasure of eating, and once she was reassured of how good it was she began to dig in.
Akira simply sat on the other side of the booth, a satisfied look on his face as she quickly finished up the plate. "I'm glad to hear, There's still a lot more so feel free to have seconds if you wish Ka-Becky?" Akira quickly straightened up and cleared his throat, as he accidentally let her name slip.
Sadayo turned to the now blushing master with pensive eyes and a spoon partially in her mouth. they remained as such for what seemed like half an hour for Akira in silence which made him all the more nervous, but eventually Sadayo spoke up.
"It's fine." Sadayo said as he looked down at the mostly eaten plate of curry.
"What is?" Akira turned towards Sadayo, completely caught by surprise, but not wanting to assume anything yet.
Sadayo's cheeks went red again at having to say it again, "I said it's fine for you to call me Kawakami, as long as we're not at school.
"Thank you…" Akira said with a big grin as he was positively beaming. which made Sadayo feel a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine, just figured that there was no point in denying it by this point.." Sadayo finally took notice that Akira didn't seem to have a plate of his own. "Aren't you going to have some as well?
"It's fine, I'm not that hungry."
"Oh no you don't, you probably haven't eaten anything either." Sadayo was quick to remark with a glare. "You may not be in the same situation as me, but you should take better care of yourself. You're still developing, so nutrition is important right now." Sadayo scooted farther into the booth as he patted the area next to her. "Bring a plate over here."
Akira was a bit surprised by her suggesting, but did so anyway as he came to join her with a fresh plate of curry. As soon as he did Sadayo proceeded to grab the spoon and get a nice amount of the curry in rice. "Here, let me help.."
Akira was blushing and immediately looked away. "I thought these kind of services cost extra." He protested, though a part of him was kicking himself for trying to refuse her offer.
Sadayo wasn't fairing any better, as her blushing was just as obvious, but was able to keep her composure. "It's fine, think of it as a special 'Fed by Maid' service as a reward for being such a caring master. Besides, this is probably better than me feeding you whatever it is that I make."
Her voice was much softer and caring. Akira could feel it reverberation in his ears as he felt his heart race. Taking a deep breath he close his eyes and nervously waited to accept her offer. It was a weird sensation, with his eyes close, he was painfully aware of how quiet the cafe was as the sound of the metal spoon scraping the plate alone was making him feel anxious. Soon the silence would be broken by Sadayo's voice as she softly asked him to open wide, and for following instruction he was rewarded with a spoonful of the curry rice. It was strange, it wasn't any more different than he had in the past, but for some reason the taste was of a category all of it own. As Akira's face looked shocked, at this new information the sound of her giggling followed.
"See master, that wasn't so bad." Sadayo teased, trying her best to keep composed.
She continue to offer him spoonfuls, her heart beating fast as she imagined how the two must look to other if anybody saw them, but a bit happy that Akira seemed to be enjoying her services. Eventually though she dropped the spoon as she suffered another coughing fit. She tried to clean up while apologizing but as always Akira made sure to that she was alright before cleaning up the mess and giving her her the rest of the bottled tea to see if it helped. Showing more concern over her health than the mess she'd made. She just was so frustrated at how much she keeps messing everything up, but she also felt very lucky. Lucky to have run into someone like him. Lucky that of all the people in her school to have learned of her job and her past, it was the young man by her side.
"Kurusu-kun?" Sadayo called out, her hand fiddling with with the spoon on the empty plate.
"Yes...Kawakami?"
"I'm… really glad that it was you who ended up finding out about my maid job." Though still feeling a bit under the weather, and tired, Sadayo did her best and gave Akira the biggest smile that she could muster. "It's nice having someone that I can confine with. It makes things, just a little bit easier."
Sadayo's honest smile... Akira could never get enough of it. They were rare, but when they did show up she Akira couldn't help but feel his chest swell up with joy. Even with how tired she looked right now, in that moment she was positively radiant.
Akira couldn't stop himself at smiling at the beautiful maid that was by his side. "That's good, I'm glad Mona has been help you open up a bit more." Akira joked, trying to hide his embarrassment behind a nonchalant response."
"I'm talking about you, you brat." Sadayo playfully shoved Akira as she reprimanded him midst her laughter, once again interrupted yet another cough.
[S]: This is Becky, here to send you all my positive energy.
[S]: My grammar might be perfect, but my health isn't.
[S]: That's the state I'm in right now.
[S]: If it's okay with you, would you request me?
Sadayo sent out the text, and hoped that he would get a response from him. Despite Akira's best attempts at helping her last night, Sadayo woke up the next day at a worse state than she had been the day before. This was probably cause of the cold sweats and lack of sleep that had only been accumulated even more. It was so bad that she had to arrive at school with a face mask as her coughing had gotten much worse. Many of the student simply joked of her looking like a Yankee, but she could see the looks of concern from both Ann and in particular Akira. Her class had turned into another study session since she found it too difficult to even teach, she spent most of it asleep on the her desk in class, or at least she tried to. Even the other teachers wondered if she should have stayed home today.
Work in her other jobs were no better as many of them told her to go home since they didn't want to have her working her shift in this state. In the end all she could think is how she wasn't getting the hours she needed, and wasn't going to have enough for this week. Once again she was forced to rely on her student. Sadayo haven't heard anything yet, but figured she would soon so she made haste to arrive at her apartment so she could get changed. The train's swaying was particular bad today as she had to hold tight for fear of falling over, the blur of people around her making it just as hard to maneuver the street, and the shaky ground made it hard to walk.
'I'm sorry Kurusu-kun… I'm sorry that I have to rely on you again. Will you be upset with me… Will you get tired of me… Why's the world spinning…'
Pain surged to her as she hit the ground. Panicked cries rose as a crowed gathered around her. She didn't know what was happening. She was scared, alone, and as everything faded to black one person remained in her mind till the very end...
"A...ki...ra..."
Man these chapter are getting long. Hopefully it makes up for the long wait between chapters.
Not much to say at the moment that that won't spoil some of the stuff I have plan, so just say that the image of Sadayo grading school work while still wearing her maid outfit is very cute.
Thanks again for SombodyLost for their continuous help, and next chapter will be going to the hospital, and encountering some... "lovely" people. Their be some good stuff though, so look forward to it.