I've already made rather blatant Yakuza references in some of my stories. I'm not gonna stop, though.
The sixth one is out in Japan, so this can make sense.
...Ain't the Internet grand?
To: Your Girlfriend
I have a surprise for you~.
I don't like the sound of that…
Well, it's more like I need a favor. I have some...contraband I need you to hold on to for me.
...That doesn't sound much better.
That might have been on purpose. Anyway, can we meet? Or you can come to Leblanc, I can make you some coffee…
I'll see you there.
"Here you go."
Akira carefully placed a steaming cup in front of Makoto, picking up a small rag and heading back to the coffee machines to wipe some that had spilled. Makoto quietly blew some of the steam off the top and took a sip, smiling slightly as the depths of the drink as she murmured, "Blue Mountain, huh."
"You're getting better. Or are you just using Boss's old cheat sheets?"
"Mm. I just cover all my bases."
She took another appreciative sip of coffee as Akira smiled and reached for his bag. "So you have a PQ4 at your place, right?"
"The game system? Yes, I bought one for...to better understand what our students are interested in nowadays. Why?"
Akira shrugged, willfully letting the poor excuse go as he reached into his bag. "This is for you, then."
Akira pulled out a blue disc case, handing it over to Makoto without another word. "Even for you, Akira, this is strange. I understand that you have an old game system at home, but-"
He smiled as she froze, staring at the front of the case as she turned it over in her hand. "You were saying?"
"I, um...w-was simply stating that you have a game system of your own, but this is clearly made for a next-generation console."
"Oh? I wonder why I would do that."
Makoto stared at the front of the game case for a moment more before looking up at Akira. "This is for me?"
"Maybe. Depends, do you like it?"
She bit her lip hard to suppress a smile; her excitement was bubbling in her stomach at the prospect of going home and starting as soon as possible. She blushed softly and glanced up at Akira, still watching her intently for any kind of reaction. The ghost of a smile on his face told her he knew already, however. "I...appreciate it. Very much so."
"Uh-huh. It was either this or the special edition of Trial of the Dragon."
Makoto's ears perked slightly at the mention of the legendary movie, narrowing her eyes at the game case as if she was torn between which one she wanted more. Akira deduced that the game won out in the end, because she delicately set it down on the counter and skirted around it to pull Akira into a hug. "Thank you. Now I have to find some way to match this."
"Nah."
Akira smiled and brushed her hair, briefly toying with her headband until she blindly reached up and batted his hand away. He chuckled and patted her head before adding, "You could finish your coffee, though. Boss would kill me if he finds out I wasted some of his quality beans."
She laughed and pulled away, playfully pushing his shoulder as she sat down in her previous seat and picked up her coffee.
The next day.
From: Your Girlfriend
You terrible, wonderful person - you are spoiling me.
Should I be flattered…?
You can be whatever you want.
I'm going to be a bit...busy today. If you would like to visit, however, you're welcome to. Sis isn't home today, so…
Busy with your new game, huh?
…
Makoto?
Sorry. And no.
That doesn't sound very convincing.
…
I'll just go ahead and visit in a bit.
Call me when you arrive. I'll unlock the door.
She lives!
…
I'll bring lunch.
Akira's thumb hovered over the dial button for a split-second before he pressed it, his other hand affirming the grip he had on the plastic bag filled with food from the Shibuya diner. The door's lock was audibly undone a moment later, swinging open as if a gust of wind had blown into it. He raised an eyebrow at that, ending the call despite neither end saying anything. Stepping inside, he beheld quite the curious sight. Makoto was...gaming.
He set the bag of food down in the kitchen after taking his shoes off, doubling back to shut and lock the door. "Makoto?"
The game case he had given her the day before was lying open on the floor near her TV, the sounds of telltale street violence echoing gently throughout the room. Akira winced slightly when he saw who he assumed to be the protagonist launch into a flurry of wild punches, culminating in a very detailed view of his fist caving in a helpless goon's face. He leaned over to see the tight grip Makoto had on the controller, deftly pressing the right buttons to keep the nonlethal carnage going. It made for quite the change from the bumbling, hapless girl he had coached on playing Gun About. "Take that!"
Akira gaped as the protagonist suplexed another enemy hard enough to bounce him off the pavement. He quietly sat down next to Makoto and carefully nudged her shoulder. "Painting the town red, eh."
The battle finished along with his sentence, allowing Makoto to pause and put her controller down with a satisfied smile. "It's pretty cathartic. And I've definitely learned some new moves."
"Huh, nice. Hungry for lunch?"
Makoto took a look at the screen and nodded, just then noticing that she had been neglecting her stomach for a few hours already. Akira stood and offered a hand, leading her to the dining table before heading into the kitchen. "Where are the plates?"
Hours later.
"Makoto? I'm home."
"Welcome back, Sis!"
"Hmm, something smells good. Did you - oh….Well, this is unexpected."
Sae's eyes widened in pleasant surprise at the still-steaming plate of curry waiting for her on the table. "I didn't know you had a recipe for curry…"
"Oh, right. About that. I think we'll need to take out some spare blankets."
"What? For who-"
Sae set her bag down and walked around the couch, revealing Akira sleeping quietly on Makoto's lap. His glasses were resting next to the TV, so it was somewhat easy to assume he had been there for a while. As for Makoto, she was still playing the gifted game, enraptured by the sights and sounds of the fictional town. "I don't know what I was expecting."
"Oh, don't say that. Akira-kun practices making curry a lot. It's the Leblanc special, too."
Akira's eyes cracked slightly at the mention of Leblanc, muttering in a voice slurred by sleep, "I got it, Boss, I'll use the medium-fine grind…"
Makoto smiled fondly and brushed his hair, bringing a little bit of life into him as he blinked at the TV. "...Did you get to the part where they rip their clothes off with one pull…?"
"Not quite. I'll be sure to let you know."
"Mm." Akira snuggled into Makoto's lap and closed his eyes again, presumably heading right back to sleep. "Counting on you."
Sae sighed and looked at the obviously content couple, hiding a smile by nodding curtly and wandering over to the table. "I suppose I'll have to thank him later. Do you remember where the spare sheets are?"
"I do."
"Alright. I'm going to head to bed after I try this."
Sae looked over at Makoto again, then to the TV. She tried to move past the fact that the guy on screen was singing a rather happy-sounding song, complete with ukulele and head-bobbing crowd. "I, um...just don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay, Sis."
"Do I hear a curfew…?"
"No, Akira-kun. Go back to sleep."
"'Kay."
PQ4, get it? 'Cause, 'cause PQ...eheh...ehehe. Oh, it's lame.
On a rather unrelated note, been playing Nier again. Turns out Makoto and one of the playable characters share a voice actor.
As always, hope you enjoyed. Till next chapter.