AN:

Stop.

Reader beware, this is not edited.

Also. wow. I reached 20 chapters but still no where near the ideal shoreline... \(*A*)/

Continue.

May 21 20XX

Early Morning

"-It was only by chance that secretary of the minister of finance had suffered a psychotic breakdown in the middle of the investigation. Had it not been the case, none of his crimes would've been put to light-"

Mira had her earbuds on as she rode on the train, listening in for the 24-hour news radio.

"-Isn't that her?"

"-yeah, the girl caught on the photo with Akechi-"

If she had her SGI uniform, she'd have pulled her hood over her head right then and there. But alas, it was a Saturday morning, and there were classes to attend to. Mira would be lying if she said those words didn't faze her. If it was six months ago, it wouldn't.

But things were different now. And the more time she spent at school whenever Akechi was in class, the more she found herself drawn by his presence. To define what they have between them was, no doubt, becoming more and more difficult, fearing that words might devalue that connection.

Letting herself go before him became so much more liberating than what she had anticipated. But there was the fear that creeped at the back of her mind that told her not to give herself away completely.

I made the right choice, right?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the train carriage stutters in the middle of the tracks. Passengers, including Mira lost their footing; causing her to fall forward onto the person sitting in front.

"Ack! Sorr-"

She blinked. Right in front of her was Akira Kurusu with an open book in hand. Much to her relief, the Shujin student seemed to be pre-occupied with the contents of the pages.

Sh-shoot.

Mira quickly straightened herself up; turned her head around, hoping he didn't go so far as to take a glimpse of her profile.

Please don't see me. Please don't see me!

"Aoyama itchome, Aoymama itchome-"

Closing the book shut, he tucked it into his bag. In the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw a paw sticking out from his bag's opening.

…Cat?

"Excuse me," he said. As far as she could tell, he hadn't noticed her, much to her relief.

Passengers within the train shuffle about within the jigsaw spaces to let him and a couple of Shujin uniformed students leave the carriage. Mira made a mental note not to take this train line again if she were to avoid any possible ties to Shujin Academy; knowing there were alternative routes. The only reason she took that specific train line that day was merely out a whim.

"Eh? Saito…san?"

She perked her head up and turned around to see Tsukino entering the carriage.

"What a coincidence," her classmate said. "I didn't know you take this line, Saito-san."

"Tsukino-san," Mira then made a small nod. "Good Morning."

Just as the train closed its doors, a painful, impenetrable silence fell between them.

Since the incident with Tsukino getting cornered by thugs, Mira was reluctant to ask how she had been. If Mira played the role of Ayame, it would've been easy to break the ice. But alas, Mira knew it'd be bad if she had broken out of the persona she had imposed before others.

"-Um-" "-Uh-" The two girls spoke at the same time.

"Oh, you go first," Mira quickly said.

"No, you go," Tsukino insisted.

Why did things suddenly get awkward? Mira seethed.

"…H-how are things… Tsukino-san?"

"Alright, I guess," her classmate replied, not looking at Mira in the eye.

"Oh, that's good to hear."

"…"

"…"

Why is small talk so hard?!

As far as she could remember, never had any girl of her age ever tried to associate themselves to her. The last time she's ever talked with someone at a comfortable pace was really Goro; but with that, as she had found out over time, he wasn't like other 'normal' boys of her age. Things would've been easier if she had 'played a role', but the circumstances weren't the same as it was since their last conversation.

The train made the announcement of its arrival of their designated stop. Just as the Higure passengers began to prepare themselves to leave the carriage, Tsukino grabbed the corner of Mira's sleeve.

"Um," her classmate began. "I just wanted to say thanks, for saving me back then. I know I was acting like a stuck-up before, so sorry about that."

The line caught Mira off-guard.

Stuck-up?

She never thought Tsukino came off like that. Confident, yes.

But stuck-up?

"But you weren't though?" she replied, puzzled by her statement. "'Stuck-up', I mean."

"Eh?"

Just as the train doors opened with the passengers flowing out of the carriage, Mira didn't want to linger there any longer. She forced a smile on her face and gave a small nod before she headed over towards the doors.

The agent didn't miss the small glances she received from the passing Higure students and instinctively curved her back.

"Akechi-sempai's girlfriend," one whispered.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, someone saw those two together in the nurse's office-"

"Ha~ah!" Tsukino suddenly said aloud, redirecting all the attention towards her. "People must be reeally bored, talking about booring stuff like that. Seriously."

Mira looked over her shoulder to see her classmate walk past her and headed over to the escalators.

"What's with that girl?"

"So rude-"

"Oi, didn't you hear? That's Lily Tsukino. I heard she's the daughter of one of Nimo co.'s board members."

"Huh? Seriously?!"

The agent lifted her head, staring at her classmate's back that prostrated in a confident, proud manner.

"-make this incident as your father's warning: there's a debt to be settled for what he did."

The words from her memory echoed in Mira's mind.

Not wanting to dwell in the thought too much, she straightened her back as she headed over to the escalators.

Midday

The inconveniences of having to live with fame were the restrictions placed onto him by either his fans or the tv staff and directors.

Classes should be ending right now, he thought as sat there by tv station set. I wonder if she ever gets lonely if I'm not around.

Goro chuckled at the thought.

"Ah, Akechi-kun. Good work for the day," the tv director Shinichi Yoshizawa walked over to him. "As always, it's a pleasure to have you as our regular guest."

"Director Yoshizawa," the boy lifted his head and greeted. "Thank you for the invite."

"Did something good happen today?"

"Hmm?"

"You were smiling just a few moments ago."

"Oh, not really," he brushed his words politely. "I just thought today was a good day, that's all."

One crew member then steadily approached the two and said to Director Yoshizawa; "Sir, your daughter's here from her practice."

"Oh," said the director's expression softened. "Goodness, I told her that there was no need to send an errand… Well, if she's here, might as well bring her in the studio."

"Okay," the crew member nodded before he turned his heel towards the door.

The director turned his head back towards Goro, wearing an apologetic smile. "Well, I hope to work with you again, Akechi-kun. Until then."

The detective bowed at the director, "Thanks for the hard work."

As he watched the director make his exit, he witnessed the man greet a Shujin student who seemed to be carrying a wrapped bundle. The student had a deep red hair tied back into a ribbon, who's bodily proportions was slimmer but slightly taller than Mira's.

Bearing witness to the interaction between the director and his daughter made him think a little of the business-minded relationship between him and Shido. He couldn't say he was envious, but the stark differences between his relationship with Shido and other 'normal' filial relationships was as stark as night and day.

As soon as he entered the car, he received a message.

SHIDO: Good work for today.

Goro frowned, as another text followed;

SHIDO: Meet me in my office at lunch.

Goro looked up to find his driver stare at him; as if the driver anticipated the change of plans. Without another word, he nodded to his driver, to which the man nodded back as he started the car.

Another 'errand' I take it.

He scoffed at the irony of his situation. Despite how deep Shido's web was, he never showed signs he wasn't aware of their blood relations. An opportunist till the very end.

That'll be his biggest mistake.

It took him this long to finally arrange frequent meetings with the man. Years of toil and hardship finally paved the way to where he was now. But the detective knew, he still wasn't close enough.

Upon his arrival at Shido's office, Goro knocked at the wood of the door.

"It's Akechi," he declared.

"Enter."

Goro entered the room to see the blinds of Shido's office half open to dampen the glaring sun. Small decorative shelves that cover books of past precedents and laws of their government. The man himself who aimed to become prime minister had his eyes on his screen, resting his elbow on his desk with a finger tapping on his bald forehead.

"It's unusual to call me here in broad daylight," the detective began.

"There's been some trouble among one of my sponsors," Shido went straight to the point. "It's become apparent that one of their endeavours made quite the ruckus. Enough to warrant a few investigators to look into their case."

"Wouldn't it be best that you'd hand this over to the 'cleaner'?"

"The cleaner will take care of the investigators. I want you to 'fix' someone to make an example out of them."

Goro knew what it entailed.

"How soon do you want it done?"

"At most, by the end of next month."

"Understood," Goro nodded.

Shido turned his screen monitor around to show him their next target. The detective thought nothing of it at first, but he blinked at the sight of the target's last name.

He then remembered where he heard the name from.

"Is something wrong?" Shido asked.

"Not all," he said, "I just thought the name rang a bell."

Afternoon

Playing the role of a mediocre student had its own short comings. Since she was on cleaning duty with a couple of other classmates, Mira had no intention of making it look like she was self-imposing onto others as much as possible.

As a consequence, the classmates who were supposedly on cleaning duty ditched right before she could even pick up the broom.

It's been a while since this happened.

Whether it be a prank or the effect of someone's indifference, it didn't really change anything for Mira. It was just another eventless day right before her nightlife takes over.

She pushed the tables and chairs to one side, grabbed the broom in hand and began to sweep. Solitude was a company she hadn't have in a long while. With Akechi- Goro's frequent absences seemed more scheduled than before, it came to no surprise that there'd be Saturdays where he wouldn't be in school.

Taking a break from all the cleaning, she set the broom aside and sat on one of the tables by the window to watch the world do its own thing. Unlike before, it seemed less lonely, but nonetheless troubling.

Chamomile-san hasn't shown up yet. The code red mission on hold. I wonder what's going to happen now.

She sighed.

Despite having an uncertain amount of free time, she couldn't shake the anxiety she was feeling.

"I knew it."

Mira turned her head towards the door, surprised to find Tsukino and her friend Hanabi Iba standing by the entrance.

"They left all the cleaning to you, huh," her classmate pointed.

"Tsukino-san and… Iba-san," Mira stood up from her seat and gave a brief nod. "Did you forget something?"

"Yeah," her classmate scoffed before she headed over to grab a broom from the dust cupboard. "No doubt. Hana-chan, get the bucket there and fill it. We gotta mop this place."

"Eeh?! Why do I have to fill the bucket?"

"Would you rather inhale dust instead?"

It didn't take long for Mira to realise what her classmate was doing.

"Lily-chan you meanie!" Iba whined as she stomped over to grab the bucket. "Ordering me around."

"If you don't wanna, then don't," Tsukino shrugged. "It'll be easier to clean with someone who doesn't whine while they're at it."

"…I didn't say I wouldn't do it."

Mira pursed her lips, wanting to say something but didn't know what. She didn't want to cause any more friction, even more so with a girl who's been pining for Goro much longer than her current relationship with him.

Instinct almost had her apologising, until Goro's words reminded her; 'Don't apologise for something you clearly had no fault over.'

"…Thank you," she muttered under her breath before she resumed to cleaning the blackboard.

…How did I end up here?

Mira stiffened at her current predicament. There she was, in the last place she'd ever find herself in; the arcade, along with Tsukino and Iba.

"A-are you sure you'd want me here?" she said nervously.

"Why not?" Tsukino casually cocked her head over her shoulder. "After being subjugated to cleaning up a week's worth of mess? Sometimes, you just gotta let go of everything."

"…" Iba said nothing as the girl concentrated on the claw.

"I-I'm not intruding on you guys, am I?"

"Shush, I'm trying to concentrate," Iba chided, steering the claw with the joystick.

Tsukino chortled. "Hehe, if you go for the jackfrost, the meal's on me."

"Deal."

Iba immediately slapped the down button, dropping the claw right above the jackfrost plush. At the behest of her friend, Iba successfully caught it with ease.

That's the first time I've ever seen someone do that.

"Surprised?" Tsukino asked.

"Y-yeah," Mira nodded. "I've always assumed the games are rigged so no one could win them."

"Ha," Iba said smugly, grabbing the plush doll from prize door. "Only sore losers would think like that. You'd might as well take your chances on those gacha games."

Mira never took her for an avid gamer, much less a claw machine master. Contrary to her fangirl attitude, Iba had a smug-like disposition the moment they entered the vicinity. Despite everything that she thought she knew; it still took her by surprise.

"If only you wouldn't take that attitude towards your love life," Tsukino jabbed at her friend.

Iba pouted, "Lily-chan, why're you so mean to me today?"

"Um..." Mira said nervously. "I appreciate you inviting me here, but if there's nothing else you want me to do, I could just go-"

"Na-ah, we're going to a family restaurant after this and you're not going to refuse," Tsukino insisted.

"Eh?"

It became apparent to her that she couldn't handle imposing personalities like Tsukino. Mira didn't realise it before, but the one lesson she learned from this was how soft-nosed she was. It didn't take long for the three Higure students to enter a family restaurant, with Tsukino and Iba sitting the opposite seats to Mira.

As soon as the waitress set them glasses of water and left, Tsukino was the first to start the conversation;

"Neh, Mira-chan."

First-name basis already?

"You don't mind, do you?" her classmate asked.

"Uh, well… I don't?"

"Alright, Mira-chan it is, then," the girl nodded before she proceeded. "I hear you started going out with Akechi-kun."

Iba glowered at her friend. "Lily-chan why're you suddenly-"

"I'm asking Mira-chan a question. So, are you or are you not going out with Akechi?"

The imposing question had the agent flustered, enough for Mira to cover her face with the back of her hand.

Why so suddenly?

The two girls stared at her; their eyes widened at her reaction.

"No way," Iba whispered.

"…Yeah," the agent made a timid nod.

The fangirl was just about to make a run until Tsukino grabbed Iba's shoulder. "Nah-ah, Hana-chan. It'll be faster if you just accept the new reality."

"Nooo, I refuse to accept any of this!" Iba pouted, causing a stir among the fellow customers.

Mira felt herself sweating bullets at the prospect of being stared at by other people.

"Ah… please keep it down, you two, please?" she begged in a hissed whisper. "You're making a scene."

"Why is a plain-looking girl the one who got lucky?" the fangirl continued to whine. "It's not fair. I liked him the longest!"

"Uh… sorry." Mira bowed her head.

"Apologies aren't good enough-"

"Hana-chan, it's not like you did anything except stare at him so longingly," Tsukino chided. "Maybe if you weren't putting him on a pedestal, you would've had a chance."

"But- but!"

The alienation sank in deeper as she watched their interaction. Once again, she felt an impenetrable wall between the bond of two friends.

Mira didn't want to be there.

Not when she'd only be someone who would only serve as a witness to their closeness.

Must be nice, to have a friend like that.

"You two seem close," she remarked at the two.

Tsukino pointed her thumb at Iba. "We've been friends since middle-school. So, I basically know all there is to know about Hana-chan here."

"Liar, it's only thanks to your dad we end up being friends," the fangirl corrected.

"Same thing," Tsukino rolled her eyes. "But hey, things work out in the end, right?"

"More like drag me around to be your playmate."

"What was that?" her classmate then pinched her friend's cheek.

Before she knew it, the two girls started bantering about their strange circumstantial friendship that led up to the present.

"Ha~! My mom can be so old-fashioned," Iba complained. "Literally, she wants me to go out with a boy with high specs, thinking it'll be a guaranteed life of happiness."

"At least your mom doesn't buy friends so you'd have someone to sit with during lunchtime," Tsukino scoffed. "One peep out of someone upsetting me then suddenly, he wants that person gone for good."

Hearing their complaints about their parents made her remember how Higure Academy was a high-end prep school that cater to families from well-established backgrounds.

"Seriously, if I hadn't said a word, I would've ended up in Shujin," her classmate shuddered. "Good thing we dodged the bullet in the end. You've heard of the recent scandal, right, Mira-chan?"

Mira nodded.

"I heard that teacher pulled some strings just to make it so that the volleyball team would be the sole focus. When my dad heard about the scandal, he seriously said 'good thing I made the right decision.' Like, c'mon. just admit I was right all along."

"My mom on the other hand was dead-set on me going to Higure," Iba rested her elbows on the table. "The only good thing in this school are the hot guys. But even they've got shit-personalities…"

"Haha, then where does that put Akechi-kun?" Tsukino jabbed again.

"Hey! Akechi's different. He's cooler and more mature than all the other guys in that school."

If only you knew, Mira thought.

The conversation turned over to a topic she could barely relate to. On one hand, Mira admired their bravery to rant about their gripes with parents without a care, but on the other hand, a part of her felt that they ought to be a bit more grateful. As problematic as their upbringing might've been, at least, based on her impressions, their parents still care about their future.

'For as long as you are Koharu, you are not my child.'

"Regardless of what your parents impose on you, at least they care enough about your future," the words tumbled out of Mira. "At the end of the day, we can't choose our parents. We just gotta live with that fact."

"…Wasn't that super deep just now," Tsukino said. "I never figured you'd be that type of person, Mira-chan."

"W-what kind of person?" Mira asked.

"Nah, it's nothing," she smirked.

Before she knew it, the conversation continued on over their ordered fries, with Mira listening in. As soon as Iba excused herself to head out for a moment, Tsukino eyed her for a moment before she sculled her drink.

"Ne, Mira-chan," Tsukino's intonation simmered down into a sober one. "Are you and Akechi-kun serious about your relationship?"

The sudden shift of the conversation felt awfully suspicious.

"I…"

How should I approach this?

"…I don't really know," she said, eyes not focusing on her classmate.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know?'"

"It's complicated," Mira said. "I… I had a lot in plate at that moment. And there came a point we came to some kind of compromise and ended up hanging out more often… I… never really had friends of my age, so I asked him if we were friends. It was only then he asked me out."

"Seriously?"

"Y-yeah," she nodded. "I told him I'd make a terrible girlfriend, or that there are other girls better than me-"

"And yet, he chose you," Tsukino deadpanned. "What? So, does he like you in that way, then? I know so many guys who'd date just to get it on with any kind of girl."

"I… I don't know," her head hung low. "I can't tell what he's thinking sometimes. But…" -she then recalled the times when Goro kept prying her open to speak her mind- "I feel like I'm always the one on the receiving end. He too, has a lot in his hands, moonlighting as a detective, so, I'm trying to see if I could help him too. Even if it's not a lot."

Her classmate inhaled sharply, shaking her head.

"Sounds to me that you guys are actually serious," she remarked. "If it turns out that you were going out with him for shallow reasons, I would've told you to dump him right then and there."

"H-huh?"

"To be honest," Tsukino began. "I was rooting for Hana-chan to get with Akechi-kun since the very beginning. Hana-chan is obsessed with him and wouldn't stop talking about him nonstop for two years. So, I gave her every opportunity to get close to him, but every time, he doesn't show it, but I saw how he easily manoeuvres every girl away from him. Honestly, he almost seemed like a jerk, had it not been for his humble disposition."

"T-then, if you thought of him that way, then why?"

"Wouldn't you want to see your friend happy, regardless of your own opinions?" her classmate said in a matter-of-fact manner. "Despite what she did to you, Hana-chan's not as bad of a person as you might imagine. She's an honest girl to a fault. To a point where she can get a little too emotional at times. The least I can give to a friend is an opportunity for her to be happy with a guy she chose and not her mother's. Honestly? It would've been so much easier if I found out you turned out to be a real bitch."

Her words caught Mira off-guard.

"That way," she continued. "It would've been easier to justify what Iba did to you. But after you saved me from those guys a few weeks back… I… It just didn't feel right to assume you were what any fangirl would've hoped for you to be. So, for that. I'm sorry."

Did I really earn these words?

As much as Mira wanted to believe in her classmate's words, another part of her gnawed at her; telling her it wasn't true. After all, for most of the time, she had been apathetic to the emotional outbursts from people of her age. Thoughts like 'compared to the missions' or 'this is nothing unlike the problems I faced' merely served as a means to belittle the inner struggles of other people.

"Don't… apologise," the agent said slowly. "I don't really think I'm good enough of a person worthy of that apology… I'm always detached from how others feel. And I believe you have every right to feel that way towards me, since I… took away the very person she's been pining for. But-"

'Thank you. Mira.'

Mira knew Goro not like any other fangirls. Compared to his princely disposition that earned him euphoric shrieks, Mira knew him for his dry mischief that forced her to spill her guts out. She knew him for his sharp observation and his less than ideal approaches that often challenges her to think outside of her box. Since the time she's met him, her desolate days where she had no one but herself to comfort now felt like a distant dream.

Something like that, I can't just let that all go to waste.

"I won't give him up so easily," Mira concluded. "Until the day comes when he'll get sick of me, I can't just hand him over to anyone else so easily."

She bid her byes to both Tsukino and Iba, thanking them for the company as she left. While she walked along the streets, there came a need in wanting to see him.

MIRA: Are you busy?

She sent him a message, feeling her chest full at the realisation of her own feelings.

GORO: Is there something wrong?

Mira didn't know why, but something in her made her more daring than she did before.

MIRA: I want to see you.

GORO: …Where are you now?

She unconsciously raised the two corners of her mouth.

MIRA: We can meet up at Akihabara station?

GORO: I'll see you there.

Sunset

Goro suspected something was wrong the very moment he received her text. His vermilion eyes lingered on the text message on the screen as the car drew closer to their appointed destination.

After he thanked his chauffeur for the ride, he closed the door behind him as he approached the station entrance. Staring out into the expanse of the station, he scanned his eyes to seek for a familiar face.

Just as he spotted Mira, he saw her face wearing a crest-fallen frown directed at someone he hadn't seen before. The individual wore one those SGI black-hooded jackets, his hood pulled back to reveal a man well into his late forties at most. The man wore a pair of thick-framed glasses, his hair tinted with streaks of grey. Mira's gaze then fell towards Goro's direction and grew stiff.

The apparent SGI agent followed her gaze and turned towards the detective, wearing a businessman smile as he beckoned him to come closer.

This doesn't look right.

The detective made his strides closer until he reached Mira's side, inquiring her what was wrong with his eyes. She lowered her head; hands clenched into nervous fists.

"So, you must be Goro Akechi," the older man smiled. "My, my, your reputation proceeds you."

Goro was in no mood for pleasant smiles the very moment he saw the obvious discomfort his girlfriend was feeling.

"And who do I owe the pleasure of meeting?" the boy asked.

"Homura," the man replied. "Just Homura. Isn't that right, Hotaru-chan."

"Y-yes," Mira stuttered.

"Hard to believe you were that same small girl who almost sabotaged one of our operatives," he said. "You've grown soft over the years it seems, which is a relief; better that than to see your parents' influence on you."

"…H-how are… the Shimons?" the girl asked timidly.

The man's smile never faltered as he shook his head. "Hotaru-chan, you and I both know the answer to that question."

Her brown eyes widened a little before she cast her gaze to the floor. "I see."

"Tell your superior that your grandfather is still waiting for an answer to reconsider his proposal," Homura said as he turned his heel towards the crowded entrance of the station. "I look forward to working with you within the next few days."

The man then turned to Goro then nodded, "It seems that things have taken an interesting turn of events. Don't you agree, Akechi-kun?"

"I can't say I'd agree if I don't know what you're talking about," Goro said, narrowing his eyes.

"If you keep things as it is, at this rate, you'll be seeing more of me in the future," Homura said with a nod. "Until next time."

The senior agent made his exit, blending in with the crowd as he did. As soon as he disappeared from his view, Goro turned over to Mira, who now wore a familiar look of dismay.

He reached for her clenched hand and pried it open with his fingers.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I didn't call you here to see that."

"No, it's okay," he then tangled his fingers with hers. "It's a good thing I came by when I did."

She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as a means to calm herself down. Even within his grip, he felt small tremors from her hand. The sight of her like this was enough to make him want nothing more than to find the means of calming her down. But he knew it'd hurt her incognito status any further if they were to be seen by one of Japan's most populated cities.

"I'm okay," she suddenly said. "I was just a little shaken, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

Mira nodded, then lifted her head up to meet his gaze. She forced a smile on her face, as if she were trying to convince her with her acting again.

"You always seemed to find me at my worst self," she scoffed a little. "I'm starting to wonder if you're doing it on purpose."

Once more, she seemed to determined to keep her issues to herself.

"I don't know, Mira, you tell me," he said before he gave a light tug on her hand to gesture for her to follow him. "Maybe the truth is you just terrible at saving face in front of me. Since we're on the subject, why don't we just head over to somewhere a little more private than here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm worried about you but talking it over in a public place wouldn't really benefit for both of us, wouldn't it?"

"…Hold on a minute," she said before she turned towards her bag and pulled out her black, over-sized jacket and handed it over to him.

"What's this?"

"You can borrow it for a while," she said quickly. "As you said, it'd be bad if someone saw you, right?"

The gesture made him scoff. "As I expected from someone like yourself."

He put her jacket on; much to his surprise, the size also seemed slightly loose on him. As soon as he folded the sleeves a little, she grabbed the two sides of the mouth of the hood to tug it over his head. The sudden closeness between them made both of them freeze up the minute they locked eyes with each other.

Like a magnet of polar opposites, he was drawn at the sight of her brown eyes and dipped his head. Whether it by his instinct as a male, or the flare of his need for the feel of her skin, he pressed his lips onto hers. At first, she withdrew a little, seemingly shocked. But with her fingers still clutching the edge of the hood, she tugged it a down a little more.

With his hands, he held pried her hands away as he drew back a little too quickly at the realisation.

Did I just-

He stared down at Mira, who's face no longer bore any trace of her earlier anxiety. What stood in place were incoherent sounds coming out of her mouth; "W-wha… ah… Akechi wha-!"

Seeing her flustered changed his gears, giving him the opportunity to spin her an excuse on the spot.

"Shock therapy," he grinned.

"You should've warned me!" she said in a half-panic.

Had it not been for her flustered expression, there'd be no way he'd be able to recover from the shock of his own deed himself.

"That would've defeated the element of surprise," he said casually.

"Dammit Akechi," she covered her lips with her hand. "That was terrible for my heart."

"Oh? Why don't we try again and confirm that theory-"

Mira immediately covered his mouth with her two hands. "Spare me please…" she muttered; her cheeks tinted in red as she avoided his gaze. "I'm still… new to all of this."

He then held her wrists to move her hands from him. It took an ounce of his self-control not to thrust her into his arms and hold her like he did before. It was only at the realisation of his impulse was he made aware of how deep he's gotten himself into her.

This is bad.

Releasing his grip on her, he shifted his focus on the jacket she lent him. The scent of it was reminiscent to the smell of the share house he had visited; a foreign sweet scent with a little hint of musk.

"Care to explain who that man was, earlier?" he said as they began to walk towards the main road.

Her face grew solemn at the question, "Oh. That. I'm guessing you might have already guessed it already, he's part of the organisation from a different operative team…and the team responsible for apprehending me from my parents."

AN:

Crying in the inside because of how much I wish I could write this fic better. When I said this fic's got messy subplots, I really mean, its messy in writing. I just hope I'll be able to put these together without failing too much. (I wanna progress this plot faster, but again, it's messy and I can't ruin the pacing).

I've said this before, but never really elaborated it, so this fic technically could work without the P5 element. What I never mentioned however, is that the fic idea was from a concept I've always wanted to try and write, but it never worked out the way I wanted it to. So, the abandoned idea ended up being used here instead, and much to my surprise, it worked out a lot better than I had anticipated. (its still messy though)

Thank you guys so much for putting up with my messy writing and being patient with me. I'll keep doing my best.