As I promised myself, here we are with another installment in the lives of our favorite Phantom Thief and teacher-maid. After much tap-dancing and hints, here it is, the dreaded meet the folks segment of their relationship! I'd have liked to have posted it sometime in the fall, but life has a way of throwing you off track. Then you have to get yourself back on track and go from there. Enjoy!

I do not own anything.

Chapter 1-Moving on Up

"And what exactly are you doing?"

Morgana barely batted an eye as he heard his friend's voice. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd caught him doing something he "wasn't supposed" to be doing. Rarely had any serious punishments come from him doing so; it was clear the feline was expecting this time to be no different. He was half-right as Akira, upon watching the feline fumble around with his phone, quietly gave up on stopping him and laid back down, the impact rustling the mattress beneath him. Trying to reclaim a few more hours of sleep seemed like a good idea, or rather minutes once he got a look at the clock. If he tried, he could steal in maybe another twenty minutes before he had to get up.

But what did he have to look forward in his dreams? If he were lucky, simple emptiness; of course, then there was the possibility he'd lose himself in the abyss and end up oversleeping. He actually found something enjoyable in doing so, albeit if he carried through on that path, there was a chance he'd worry his parents.

Lying still in bed, he quieted his thoughts and listened. One didn't go through all he'd gone through and not come out of the experience with some…peculiar abilities, such as near superhuman hearing and a near psychic-sense of awareness. At times it was a gift, and other times a curse. Personally, Akira liked to see it as a gift most of the time. It certainly came in handy at school, especially when his boredom got the best of him and he was looking for something interesting to do. Listening in on his classmates and teachers certainly made for a good past time.

His father was the one cooking, and doing so somewhat frantically. That meant that his mother was more than likely going to leave early. A yawn stifled his ability to focus as he tried to remember the discussion held last night at the dinner table. Akira liked to think he'd been paying attention to what was happening around him instead of on matters that were far off in the distance.

"Someone's back to doing their sulking I see."

Only his eyes moved as he shifted his gaze to his right to find Morgana lying beside him against the pillow. "I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"…Fine, I am. There, we're both sulking, how's that?" Finally admitted the human crossing his arms. His defiant frown crumbled in minutes as he let the contained maelstrom of thoughts eating away at him burst forth. There came an odd sense of relaxation with it as well. "I mean, if she's busy with work…then isn't that a good thing?"

"Hey, you're the one who's learned more about the Japanese educate system than me." Chirped the feline. "Or rather, you know how dedicated she is, how she's willing to push herself to make up for her mistakes." Morgana added realizing his first statement was lacking in the encouragement department. His second one seemed to have a greater impact as a small smile graced the teenager's face. "If you want, you can try giving her a call this time. Maybe you'll wake her up."

"If that's the case, I'm better off letting her catch a few more minutes of sleep. Something tells me that she could use them. If anything, I should probably call Ryuji." Akira responded causing Morgana to roll his eyes.

"Hundreds of miles away and you're still serving as his alarm clock." Muttered the cat. "While you're at it, why not give Lady Ann a call."

"Didn't you ready try that?" Grinned the black-haired human.

"Yeah, well, maybe this time you'll get it right." Replied the cat running across his chest to fetch his smartphone. Akira told hold of it and ran through his message count. Nothing new, or rather, nothing interesting. On some level it meant that he could go to school with a clear head. Exhaling, he fired off a few messages, first to Ryuji, then to Ann, followed by Yusuke and then finally his girlfriend. Akira wasn't betting on getting a response from any of them as like him, they were likely waking up and getting ready to start the new day.

Just before he sent the last message, he threw off the covers and made the short trip over to his window, his free arm pulling aside the curtains. A few rays of morning sunlight fluttered through the windows. So far, it had been a surprisingly fair fall, some days in late September even feeling summer-like. Akira had enjoyed those days, but like everything, they had to come an end eventually. The consolation had been that from then on, the autumn had been fairly pleasant, falling more on the warm side than the cold. Or that's how it had been for the town of Meguro, Akira wondered how things were in Tokyo.

Akira was willing to admit there were times when he missed the sprawling landscape of the urban metropolis. The first time he'd set foot in Tokyo it was quite a shock. Sure, he had some memories of visits to Sumaru City, but there was just something about Tokyo that was different. Maybe because a part of him was expecting his stay in the city to be marked by something absurd like an alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, supernatural explosions and war, or of all things, boredom. Of those listed assumptions, one had come true-the supernatural had found its way to him. And then some.

He'd survived it all and was now back home, safe and sound living a relatively mundane life.

For the moment. Chided a voice he recognized to be his own. At times, he could swear he could still hear Arsene; Akira was quite happy he could as he'd grown quite attached to his original Persona. He was a part of him, an eternal aspect of his mind that he felt he could always call upon, be it physically or mentally. Still, some of this darker ore more grandiose thoughts weren't the words of his winged inner self, they were his own-his deepest thoughts and desires given form. At heart, he knew after all he'd been through, life could never be normal. Somewhere inside he knew the supernatural, the out of the ordinary, would find him again.

All he could hope for was that when it did, his loved ones weren't in harm's way. Akira hoped that would be the case…but a part of him knew that's not how things would likely turn out. If it came to that, then there was only the question of rather or not he'd be strong enough to protect them.

"Heh…"

"Someone's thinking about the old days, aren't they?" Asked the blue-eyed feline that had helped change his life.

"Has it really been that long that we can start calling them that?" Softly mused the gray-eyed teenager. In truth, it'd barely been ten months since he returned from Tokyo, yet he couldn't deny that Morgana had been right in a way. That time had felt very much like a lifetime to him and those around him. "Anyways, yeah, a little bit. Think I can find some way to sneak out to Tokyo come November or December?"

"That all depends, from what I can see, you might have to bring your folks along with you, they seem pretty concerned about you. Or at least they have from what I've seen."

Shamefully, Akira admitted that was one topic he'd been trying hard to not think about, if only because he wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. Exhaling through his lips, he realized the first step to dealing with it might have been at least going downstairs and saying good morning to them. And perhaps keeping his dad from potentially burning down the kitchen. With a chuckle, the made for the door, his trained nose already catching a short whiff of the breakfast being prepared just down the stairs.

According to him, it'd taken his dad precisely tthree months to learn how to properly cook. Apparently, while he had great talent with pen, paper, graphical and structural design, achievements of the kitchen were somewhat elusive for him. That's one of the ways that he and his mom had bonded, her teaching him. Akira couldn't help but find something…interesting in the parallels between his parents and his own romance. Cooking had certainly been something that brought him and Sadayo together, and arguably kept them together.

His footsteps were heard loud and clear. "You didn't smell smoke, did you?" Half-joked Kunihiro Kurusu turning to see his son entering the kitchen.

"Nope, just a gut feeling that if you want to make this special for mom, I should help out. Hope that's alright."

A warm smile grew along the older Kurusu's face. "By all means, in fact, I think she'd appreciate it."

At first glance, it was incredibly easy to see the blood relation between the two men, a trait that both father and son had joked about from time to time showing their acknowledgement of the resemblance. Both fell on what could be called the tall and lean side, or at least Akira could have first glance. They both stood noticeably taller than the average man, something that had attracted them their fair amount of attention; in Kunihiro's case, it had been a constant source of unease until he grew comfortably enough in his own skin to not worry about it. Thankfully, Akira had just skipped right over that phase. Kunihiro and his wife hoped that his height would bring him more fortune than misfortune.

When it came to their hair though, it was a hit and a miss. As a point of fact, the older Kurusu tried to keep his hair as neatly comped as possible, especially since he worked in a job that called for him to look as professional as possible. With Akira, it was the near opposite as he took pride in his wild and unruly pitch-black locks. Kunihiro had long-since given up on getting his son to style it into anything resembling a proper style, his wife had claimed the unruliness was their son's style. Over time, Kunihiro had seen his wife's point as no longer could he picture his son with anything but his ebony curls; he even wondered if he'd been complimented on them while he was in Tokyo.

One thing he could say for certain was that his time in the big city had done great wonders for his culinary talents. The first time he'd cooked for them, Kunihiro and Azumi had utterly blown away when they were presented with what might as well have been a five-star meal coming straight out of the kitchen of some upscale restaurant. While it wasn't the first indicator that something in their son had changed, it was without a doubt a massive step towards realizing that. Neither of them really complained, especially when taken into account that he more than readily offered himself to help out with cooking at most given chances.

For his part, Kunihiro relished the opportunity to spend more time with his son in the kitchen, it brought back incredibly fond memories. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great," Akira replied. "Though I did have some dreams of running rooftop to rooftop, think I might visit the gym after I finish at the library."

"Is there a chance anyone will be…joining you?" Questioned the older Kurusu trying to hide his building interest in his son's activities. It wasn't like he was being nosy, or at least he hoped he wasn't. Kunihiro simply wanted to know if his son was still using his time so…productively. Or more accurately, he wasn't doing anything that was going to hurt himself. "You could go join your mother at the gym."

"Aaand…you're hoping I'll bring someone along with me?" Coyly asked the teenager, giving his father a sly smile that he brushed off with a laugh.

"It's just a thought, I'm just saying there isn't anything wrong with…trying to get out there. Eh, forget I said any of that, and pass me the knife, please."

"I've been getting out there, it's just…well, I've got a lot on my mind. I've got a lot to think about." Responded the younger Kurusu. It wasn't like he and his father argued a lot, or at least he liked to think they didn't in spite of what seemed to be vastly different personalities. He was adventurous yet quiet and at times indirect while his father was more restrained and very forward with the people he spoke to. Truthfully, the former Persona-user was actually proud of that fact, and wondered if such traits could ever bleed into himself. "I can talk to Tomiko, see if she's open."

"Just give it some thought. I don't want you hanging out all alone with no one but Morgana for company."

"He does claim that he watches out for me."

"And I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that our cat, your cat, can-"

A somewhat aggravated meow echoed through the kitchen alerting both men to the third presence. Spinning on their heels, they smiled at the sight of the absolutely wild-haired matriarch of the Kurusu Family. In her arms glared the blue-eyed cat that Akira had brought home from Tokyo and made the family's unexpected pet. Kunihiro had enough graces to give speak an apology to the cat as he jumped from Azumi Kurusu's arms.

"Hear you, and good morning, boys." Stated the brunette with a lazy smile. Akira scooted over and threw an arm around his mother's waist before she moved on and pecked her husband on the cheek causing him to blush a little. This was the kind of morning that she loved waking up to, especially before heading out to work. She took single whiff of the cooking food, "Ah, crepes, my favorite with a side…" Her eyes lit up like stars spying the plate full of strawberry-topped pancakes that were also passed over to her. "Ah, Kuni! Akira!" First, she went to hug her husband, nearly causing him to lose his balance while his face turned as crimson as the strawberries he'd pulled from the fridge.

"Geez, they've been married for over twenty-five years and your dad still gets flustered like this." Remarked the feline member of the family. While it was nice to see the older Kurusu in such a state, Morgana couldn't deny that he felt happy as well. Since returning to Meguro with Akira he'd carefully watched his parents, the people who'd raised him. Akira had spoken quite highly of his parents, even when mentioning some of their odder or more out of the way quirks.

"Well, you are meeting with a German gymnast, I decided to make the occasion special." Answered the architect, a wink being directed toward his son. It didn't go completely unnoticed as Azumi shot a similar wink towards Akira, who smiled as he sat down and began to eat up. "Akira, think you might want to take some of your friends to meet a German gymnast?"

"It'd certainly get me talked about, but I'm not sure I want that much attention." Briefly there was a humorous laugh.

"Hm, then perhaps it'll make an interesting story when you call one of the friends you made in Tokyo. If you want, we could try to go visit them during Thanksgiving; I would like to see Sojiro and his adopted daughter." Mused Azumi, watching as her son's eyes lit up before he reigned them back in.

Rather than take the bait, Akira focused on the previous topic of discussion, namely why his father had chosen to prepare a German dish for breakfast this morning. "So, you're meeting a college? Is it Ms. Flore?" His lips twitched in amusement as he thought of the golden-haired gymnastic athlete that was one of his mother's closest foreign friends. Ann hadn't been the first foreign blonde he'd met; briefly, he did wonder what would happen if his pig-tailed actress friend met his mother's green-eyed gymnastic friend. "I wouldn't mind saying hi to her."

"And I'm sure she'd love to see that you've learned a thing or two since your last meeting." Azumi laughed. Florentine had looked at her young son, she turned back and told her, "This boy will soar one day, Azu, I am sure of it." As it turned, her dear friend had been right. Albeit, the brunette so dearly wished it hadn't been in the way that involved her son risking his life on a near daily basis. "If you want, she could teach you a few things, plus I'd feel safer in having my eyes on you when you're honing the family craft."

"Yeah, and provided we're lucky, dad will be able to gawk at you while you're working." Said the seventeen-year-old with a snicker that was echoed by his mother. A hot blush spread across his father's face as he gave his son a pointed glare. All Akira did was grin at him then go right about to eating his food.

"Speaking of gawking, any luck in the female department, or have you come to some other revelations about yourself?" Chirped his mother, having watched the playful exchange between her two boys.

"Nope." Akira said, a little too quickly for his liking. He felt his mother's gaze on him, dissecting his words, or word, and his tone. "Seriously, I've got a lot of other things on my mind besides romance. Like what I'm going to study in college, a career, all that."

A single glance was exchanged between the two parents as they looked back to their son. This conversation had been repeated two times before; thankfully, it never turned heated, but each time, Kunihiro and Azumi could feel their son's walls beginning to crumble. He'd built them up the minute he got back from Tokyo. It was a perfectly natural response to all he'd been through…but they knew he couldn't stay behind them forever, nor could they go on not having an idea of what lay beyond them. Or rather, what it was they were trying to hide.

"From what we've seen, you're on track to doing that." What Azumi didn't add was that Akira was perhaps a bit too focused on those goals. He was still young.

"We're just saying there's more to life than just academics and a possible career." It was nothing short of irony that it was Kunihiro saying such words as he'd stressed them to his son as he grew older. Granted, he also knew that taking the time out to have personal hobbies and interests were important too. Secretly, a part of him always looked forward to the day his son would bring home a girlfriend. He'd had crushes which the professional designer had quietly chuckled and even encouraged, but he wondered if one day his son would ever have something…more.

Akira knew where his parents were coming from and respected them for that…and he also silently bit his cheek. It was said that the truth would set you free; that was true, in most cases at least. However, he also knew that sometimes, truth had a time and place for it to reveal itself. Sometimes revealing the truth at the wrong time didn't make things better, they either made things more complicated or worse. It was quite funny considering he'd had to dig to the truth several times, and there surely were moments when he didn't like what he found. Sitting before him were two people who he, by all obligations, should have always been truthfully with…but he wasn't. Not even when he revealed to them his dual-identity as a Phantom Thief of Heart, as the group's leader did he come out with the entire truth.

He reasoned they didn't need to know just how close he'd come to dying, that for a very real moment he'd been erased from existence. That had been the most harrowing experience he'd ever lived through, hell, just the fact that he had lived through it at times froze him where he was. His parents didn't need to know that, hell, they were still struggling to accept the fact that the cat eating at their feet was able to understand every word they said and could indeed talk, albeit only to a handful of people.

As he nodded his head and gave out hopefully convincing reassurances, he wondered how long it would be until he could reveal more of the truth to them. Would they accept it? Would they be able to bear it? Such questions were pushed to the back of his mind as he chose to finish eating the rest of his breakfast.

It would be another day at school, thankfully no exams or major events planned except whispers of plans for the still distant winter. Such things weren't uncommon, especially for teenagers. Akira himself was curious as to how he'd spend the up incoming holiday. Immediately, the image of a fluffy-haired brunette popped into his mind. As did the unseen tears that she shed the last time Christmas came around. He vowed even if he couldn't see her, he'd do better.

Once he finished eating, he began to get dressed and ready for school. Morgana would remain behind, probably not entirely in the house as his feline friend had made a habit of exploring Meguro whenever he wished. Even now, months after their initial arrival, the blue-eyed cat still loved roaming about and discovering all he could about the Wild Card's hometown. Meguro was far smaller than Tokyo, but it had its charms and so forth. All Akira asked was that Morgana simply be mindful whenever down by the harbor, especially if it was abuzz with activity. Specifically, he told him not to get too mesmerized by any lingering smells of fish. His parents had made similar warnings once he told them that the black-furred cat could understand them. For that, he'd gotten a forever engraved image of his mother holding up Morgana and speaking to him as if she were speaking to one of her dance students.

Akira couldn't help but snicker off to the side.

Waving a goodbye to his parents from the doorway, he started down the path to the sidewalk which he began to walk down. In less than half an hour, the sleek silver Nissan Rogue parked in the driveway would be gone, his father behind the wheel and his mother in the passenger's seat. First, he'd drop her off, then he'd drive down to his firm, one of the biggest urban development firms in town. Personally…Akira was quite proud of his father, always have and always would be.

Most of his classmates preferred to see his pride as arrogance and gloating; he didn't care unless they took things a step further. For those that didn't, those that knew him personally…well, it made for an interesting conversation topic from time to time. As he walked down the street, he came upon the view of two people who occasionally broached the topic, especially when the focus came to Akira and his…creativity when it came to the arts and craftsmanship.

"Hey! Is Morgana with you?" Shouted the male half of the duo, his eyes lighting up as he searched the approaching black-haired teenager up and down. Akira gave his friend an apologetic smile as he held up his school bag. "Ah man." Groaned the sky-blue-haired teenager hanging his head low. Laughter greeted his ears, primarily from the gray-eyed teenager to his front and the brunette beside him.

Her dark green eyes flickered over to Akira, who met her gaze with a curious stare. "Morning, you didn't wake up feeling like crap, did you?"

"No, that didn't start until I saw your beautiful face, Tomiko." Responded the black-haired teen causing a clamor of snickering from the other two. Such was the typical kind of greeting between the three. For them, it was an indicator this coming school day wouldn't perhaps be so bad, or dreary. Akira's eyes drifted to the bike that his blue-haired classmate had no doubt ridden over, or guided over. "Chikashi, either you were going to ride to school and leave me in the dust or you have to go to work this afternoon, don't you?"

A shrug was the response given by the blue-haired and blue-eyed teenager. "Right on both accounts. I thought about just riding on to school and letting you two work out some of your…issues."

"Issues?" Repeated the two, their eyes sharp causing the bike-rider to wince and shudder.

"Hey, what else am I supposed to expect? Two days ago, when I brought up your name, Tomiko got this ugly look on her face. What, did you finally shoot her down when she asked you out?" Chikashi tried to defend, hoping that he wouldn't be witness to an eruption. It was such a beautiful day out and he didn't want to start it off by riding for dear life then being force to dodge his two closest friends. Worst case, he had to hide out with his sister and her friends in the drama club.

Akira and Tomiko looked to one another, it was a quite debate over who'd be the one to tell their often lax friend what the sort of the dispute had been. The former passed the buck as he began to march forward, a detached frown on his face.

"We played a game of shogi in front of some of her friends. I beat her, badly."

"Oh, oka-wait! What?!" Screeched the blue-eyed animal-lover, his bike toppling to the ground with a metallic cling. Behind him, Tomiko's cheeks puffed. Without a word, she walked right on by the stunned Chikashi, who stared at the back of the tall boy. "You beat Tomiko?! In shogi?! Does that mean those rumors are true, that you're some sort of latent shogi prodigy or something?!"

"I wouldn't call myself a prodigy, it's not like I had any natural talent or anything!" Akira shouted back, not bothering to turn around until they reached a street light at which they waited at. "What I do have is experience!" He followed up, spinning on his heel and looking to his friend with a bright smile. "Experience and lessons endowed to me by the best!" Beside him, Tomiko rolled her eyes, though her brow did rise in concern when he began to walk backwards right across the street and waved at him. "By the way, you wanna be late, just let me know! I've got a few hiding places that may work for you since you're still scared shitless of biology."

"Wha-hey, wait! I'm coming! I'm coming!"

The masked thief once known as Joker walked on, a smile brimming on his face while his two classmates, his friends, followed behind him. One close at hand and the other right on his feet, her annoyance having faded away upon seeing his cheery smile. Unlike many those he'd given within his first weeks of being back, this one was honest, it was genuine.

Shujin Academy, Tokyo

12:22 PM…

"Intrusive."

"I-n-t-r-u-s-i-v-e, intrusive."

"Indigenous."

"I-n-d-i-g-e-n-o-u-s, indigenous."

"Indomitable."

"I-n-d-o-m-i-t-a-b-l-e, indomitable."

"Insurmountable."

"I-n-s-u-r-m-o-u-n-t-a-b-l-e, insurmountable."

"Immaculate."

"I-m-m-a-c-u-l-a-t-e, immaculate."

"Immaterial."

"I-m-m-a-t-e-r-i-a-l, immaterial."

"Victorious."

There was a brief chuckle, on that was mirrored by the brunette sitting behind the table before the student replied. "V-i-c-t-o-r-i-u-s, victorious."

Sadayo Kawakami clapped both hands together, a proud smile blooming along her brightened face. "Alright, Seijirō, that's enough for one afternoon, go get something to eat."

The green-haired student grinned at the language teacher. "I can keep going, you know. What you hit me with were just the easy words."

"Those were to keep you sharp, which I can say you are. Still, you've got some friends waiting for you, including a certain someone." Added the brunette with a grin that caused the sixteen-year-old to blush. "Get going, and make sure to enjoy the meal that Kumi cooked up for you, I'm sure she's waiting. It's not nice for a guy to make a lady wait, especially if-"

"I got it, I got it!" Yelled the now thoroughly flustered student who quickly worked to gather his things. Just before leaving, he shot the short-haired teacher a gracious smile. "Thanks for the practice, Kawakami-sensei, and have a good rest of the day!"

"You too, and try to lay off the sweets!"

"You just told me to enjoy the meal Kumi cooked for me!" Joyfully shouted back the young man, already hurrying down the halls back toward the cafeteria.

Sitting alone in the conference room, Sadayo sighed in content bliss. Her dark brown eyes looked to the door frame; she quietly counted down the seconds, her arms crossed and her fingers lightly drumming along her bicep. Eventually, she began to hum to herself.

With a laugh, the part-time student counselor of Shujin emerged, his light brown hair parted to the side as usual, and a juice box held firmly in his hands. There was a second which Sadayo immediately deduced to be for her as the counselor looked to her with a kind twinkle as he took a seat directly across from her.

"How long did you know I was back there?"

"Oh, for a while. I just chose not to say anything because I wanted Seijirō to be able to focus on his spelling." Replied the female brunette. Fortunate smiled upon her in seeing that the fruit box was grape-flavored, her favorite. With almost child-like glee, she pushed down the straw and began to drink.

Her actions were nothing short of amusing to the bespectacled man. "Spoken like a true teacher. With an attitude like that, I'll be the first to say that I'm confident they'll win at the spelling bee."

Sadayo blinked, "Y-You…really think so?"

"I've been watching you, Sadayo-san, and I can say with absolute certainty…you're one of the best teachers here. I've been to quite a few schools-"

"Will I ever get any of those stories out of you?" Sniped the short-haired woman, her previous nervousness having been swept away, if only momentarily. "I mean, if there are any success stories, we could certainly use them now." If she had to give a comparison to their current situation, the status of Shujin Academy, it was this-a ship that had salvaged a damage engine and cruising along the waves. Generally speaking, they were doing well, considering they didn't have a captain, a principal. It was somewhat surprising given that it'd been over a year since Kobayakawa's death. They'd gone an entire year without a principal; Sadayo never thought such a thing would happen, and to a school like Shujin.

What they had gotten was a slew of new staff, such as the admittedly handsome, amicable, but somewhat odd student-counselor who sat across her from. Even now, after getting to know him for two months, he was still a mystery to her and a majority of the staff, not that it stopped them from interacting with him. Practically all the teachers and faculty at the prestigious school knew how bad a state Shujin was in, especially in regards to its student body.

Sadayo liked to think she'd done what she could to help, but her self-confidence was still nowhere near as high as her colleague was implying.

As if reading her mind, he smiled at her. She could never tell precisely what it was, but something about Takuto Maruki's smile was comforting, he was comforting. Sadayo never lost herself in the strange aura as she already had someone in her heart, but when around her fellow brunette, she felt herself relaxing. Perhaps it was because while he had made it a point to get to know the students, he'd always made efforts to get to know the Shujin faculty as well. Naturally, they'd bumped into one another and spent some time talking, even befriending one another, such as what they were doing now.

"If I recall, you were the one who rallied the faculty to stand up for that young man falsely accused of a crime. Matter of fact, before that you were one of the first to pull yourself together and begin taking your teaching job seriously." Began the glasses-wearing man leaning back in his seat. "The transformation was quite noticeable, almost miraculous from what I understand. Almost like you were reborn."

"M-Maurki-san, y-you don't believe everything you hear." Shy responded the language teacher, sinking back into her seat with a blush starting to creep across her cheeks. She was almost sure that Seijirō was laughing to himself, not knowing why. "I just…well, let's just say that I rediscovered my drive for teaching and we can leave it at that."

He nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. Whatever it was, I'm quite happy it happened to you as some of the students I talked to cited you as a reason why they've got an extra spring in their step. In particular, Makoto Niijima said something about how you've been a major help in getting the school back into working order."

"She did most of the work." Sadayo tried to downplay.

"Hm, she said you did equal parts, volunteering where you could even in some areas you had absolutely no expertise in, such as coaching and assistant coaching the tennis team, in fact, you were so good that they wanted you to stay on."

Placing her juice box down, the language arts teacher looked out to the window. They'd been blessed with a relatively warm, rather surprisingly warm, fall. It was so warm that as she walked down the streets, she found quite a few people dressing like it was still summer. Sadayo had been one of them, feeling a sense of liberation and youthfully vigor that shockingly carried over even when she got to work. "My mother used to play tennis in high school, she…well, that was one of the best pastimes for us. I suppose seeing them all trying their hardest just resonated with me."

"Did you have any chances to go pro?" Gently inquired the coat-wearing man. That was another little thing about him, no matter the weather, Sadayo often found him wearing that white lab coat over his shoulders. Sometimes he took it off, other times he didn't.

A heartfelt laugh slipped past her lips. "I was third best on my high school team, everyone told me if I wanted to, I could make an effort. In fact, there was a real good chance for me to get a sportsman scholarship…but I'd already decided teaching was what I wanted to do. Not to say that I didn't like tennis, and I'm proud of the time I spent on the team. As it turns out, one of my teammates did go pro."

"Hm…let me see now…"

"Hey, hey, no need for that! I want to keep some things private! Besides, it's not like we're close anymore! She probably barely remembers me!" Exclaimed the female brunette.

"Shame, I was thinking you could arrange something like having a professional tennis player stop by to give the girls some lessons." Takuto replied in a sing-song tone. Sadayo groaned. "You also gave them some pointers, if I recall. I talked to some of them and they said you've still got it."

"Regardless, that path's closed to me, I've got my own interests and hobbies. Besides…" A sad smile adorned Sadayo's face as she looked back at her colleague. "Fuyumi and the others deserve a professional, someone who-"

"They have someone better than a professional, someone that cares…someone like you." Softly cut off. He looked her in the eye, a sense of warmth fell over the female brunette as evident in the smile that slowly spread across her face. "Besides, at the very least you can keep on substituting. A majority of the students I've talked to, even ones who aren't exactly fond of you, want you to stay on as you're one of the only physical instructors that seems worth a damn. Honestly, it surprises me how horrible this school is when it comes to gym instructors."

A very unlady-like snort flew from the language teacher. "We do seem cursed in that area, don't we?" There were times when Sadayo thought back to when Kamoshida was first hired at the school. Everything had seemed so bright and optimistic back then, or at least it seemed that way around the school. Even she'd thought a little in regards to what the former Olympic star could bring to Shujin. He wasn't the first of his ilk to be brought in as Shujin had built its reputation off of drawing in the best people who could educate the student-body. Of course, reality had a way of turning out radically different than one expected.

And just because a person was good at a particular sport of activity didn't mean they were certified to teach. Especially around adolescent children.

"Maruki-san, thanks for coming by and talking with me." She finally said, shaking away the negative thoughts.

"Oh, it's no problem. I actually quite like talking with you when I get the chance to." Answered back the tie-wearing man. "Eh, by the way, sorry if I ate up a bit of your lunch time."

"Hey, I've learned to sustain myself on little things like this." Replied the female brunette holding up the nearly empty juice box. "Besides, my next class won't mind if I take a minute or two off to myself to finish eating up."

"That's good to hear. Well, I have some engagements I must attend to so I'll be off." He proclaimed rising from his seat and heading towards the door only to stop. Turning about, he faced her with a smile, "Good luck with the spelling bee, like the rest of the school I'll be rooting for you."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything." Sadayo remarked with a playfully roll of her eyes. As she was finally alone, she reached into her pocket for her phone. Immediately, she felt a ping of shame in seeing the unread messages sent from her boyfriend, from her Akira. A quick look at the clock told her she wouldn't have time for a full-blown conversation, not even here in the conference room which was empty save for her. If she started talking to her black-haired, underaged boyfriends he wouldn't be able to stop. What she could do was text him back, then hopefully give him a call once school ended. She was interested in how his day was going.

More than his grades, she hoped he was in good mental health.

As one of the very few privy to exactly what had happened almost a year ago, Sadayo knew that Akira's demons ran far deeper than most, perhaps even his parents realized. Last she'd talked to him about the matter, he'd told her he'd skipped out on some details regarding his activities as a Phantom Thief. In the long run, it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do…but she could certainly understand why he'd done it. Sadayo could still remember the fear she'd felt when he explained the concepts of the Metaverse to her…and then there was the final battle with what had apparently been the embodiment of the human desire for control, even tyrannically control. Explaining Morgana would have been complicated enough, and he was just the "gateway" into all the paranormal activity that went on around the black-haired teenager who'd stolen her heart.

At the thought of the blue-eyed feline, Sadayo hoped he was doing well for himself, and that he was staying out of trouble. According to…Morgana himself, he was the one who kept Akira out of trouble, but something in her gut told her that things likely cut both ways. Once she learned more of their secrets, she couldn't help but find their interactions come off as almost…brotherly.

Laughter rung from the brunette at the realization that her boyfriend had a closer than average relationship with his pet cat, which insisted it wasn't really a cat. Life was indeed strange, not that Sadayo was complaining though. Sometimes it was the unexpected things in life that turned out to be blessings in disguise.

Yongen-Jaya, 6:48 PM…

She could have stayed out and enjoyed the nightlife, which was in full swing by the time she walked through the front gates of Shujin Academy. While Sadayo did indeed feel the temptation, the desire to return home, kick her feet up, and relax was stronger.

That, and she wanted some privacy so she could make an actual attempt at calling her secret boyfriend.

She hurried home like an excited school girl, like one of her students. Akira had texted her twice, once when she was in the middle of glass and again when the school day came to a formal end. Even though miles away, she knew his school's start and end time ran similar to those of Tokyo's. As luck would have it, both of them had after school activities they had to attend to. Sadayo felt a very teacher-like smile bloom on her face as she got the second message. After school activities meant he was socializing, it meant that her Akira was talking and conversing with other people. She didn't pride him on exactly what activities he was getting into, that could wait until later. In turn, he'd merely told her good luck, and not to push herself too hard with the same affection in his voice that always put her at ease.

Those words had seemingly recharged her, just as surely as a hug from him would have, or a kiss, or just his physical presence altogether.

That's what you're always doing for everyone, especially for me. Thought the brunette instructor as she finalized the plans for the academic plans for the rest of the week, including the short class trip that would feature her taking a group of students to the Minato Ward for a spelling bee. Shujin Academy had won one in three years, no thanks to her slouching behavior so this was just a big an opportunity for her as it was for her students. And thanks to her boyfriend, she had the confidence needed to couch her students through it all.

Finally, her day had well and truly come to an end as she turned the lock on her new apartment and stepped in. Throwing her bags onto the table, kicking off the shoes, and then lastly laying herself flat on the couch.

The number was dialed into her phone then held up to her ear. Sadayo could swear she could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears with every second as the phone rang.

Her silent wish was answered when her master's voice came through on the other end, sounding just as lively as ever. "So, how was your day?"

Giggling, she made herself comfortable as she replied. "I can say that things at Shujin are getting better. Everyone's doing well. Would you believe me if I told you they're still searching for a principal?"

"Seriously? How hard is it to replace a fat turd like Kobayakawa?"

There was another giggle on her end. The noble thing to do would have been to stick up for her former superior…but given some of the things that had come to light regarding him and exactly what he'd allowed to happen, Sadayo found it hard to even try to work herself up in an effort to defend the bald-headed man. "Well, the school's had a multitude of other issues to worry about. Besides, Vince Principal Asama has done a pretty good enough job of holding everything together."

"It honestly surprises me that he hasn't been made principal yet. I mean, he's next in the line of succession or something, right?"

"He is…but he's been refusing to take the official title, thus the school board's been scrambling to find a replacement. They're still looking because, well, Kamoshida really opened the floodgates, as I'm sure you know."

There was a long-drawn out sigh on the other end. Of course, Akira knew better, he'd been a student at Shujin, one who came in at the bottom of the barrel and had to steadily fight and claw his way back. And even then, he hadn't made it to the top, his time at Shujin, the "People's School" had been cut short and that was the end of it. His time at the school though had been in his words, "a ride", and that was excluding his evolving relationship with his homeroom teacher.

Sadayo sat up, a shadow briefly falling over her face. Oddly fitting, she'd seen that dark underbelly just as her boyfriend had. She'd taken it upon herself in attempting to clean it out, a task that had been meant with success and failure and a mixture of both. For all the bluster that the school presented to the general public, it had its fair share of problems; such problems had only been dealt with almost two months after Kamoshida's arrest, when a storm of media attention assailed the school. It'd really forced the school, students and teachers alike, to come to grips with the seedier aspects of their school. Sadayo herself had been a part of that reckoning; of course, it had been painful, but necessary. In little ways, the reckoning continued after that.

Ultimately, the brunette liked to think that was more a positive than a negative as change brought opportunities with it, opportunities to do better than one had done.

"Sadayo?"

She smiled at the concern in his voice. "I'm still here, sorry about the silent treatment, I was just…thinking."

"…I'm asking are you okay. How are you doing?"

Leaning back into her seat, the brunette sighed in content bliss. It felt almost like her teenage boyfriend was there in person, wrapping an arm around her to comfort her. Knowing Akira, he probably wished he was there to physically comfort her. "I'm fine, Akira. It's just…some days, I really have to just stop and look around and realize how much things have changed, all thanks to you and your friends."

There was a laugh on the other end. "You're flattering me again."

"Well, this time I'll admit you deserve it." Both ends of the phone were lit with laughter as the couple embraced the light-hearted mood. "Apparently, there are some who want me to stay on with the tennis team."

"You said yes, right?"

"Akira, we've been through this. My calling is the teaching of the Japanese language; besides, you know how lazy I can be." Casually defended the older woman.

Not one to be outdone, especially when such a challenge was laid before him, the Enigmatic Joker struck back. "Right of course you are." The teacher could practically hear the smile in her boyfriend's voice. "Except when it comes to cleaning, cooking, playing video games, fine-tuning bombs and lockpicks, writing soap scripts, teaching, giving pep talks, tutoring failing students like Ryuji, fishing, giving massages, cuddling, and-"

"Akira!" Shouted the red-faced Japanese Language teacher. If her neighbors didn't hear her then it would be a miracle.

From the other end came some very childish snickering. "You did leave the bait out there lying for me."

Times like this she wished she could threaten him with the fear of extra homework, or schoolwork, or any kind of work. She couldn't use any threats involving holding herself back because when she saw him in front of her eyes for real she'd probably throw her arms around him and sprinkle kisses along his face. And he knew that! He knew that and used it to his advantage!

Granted, the same could be said for him as Sadayo knew whenever they were reunited after varying periods of separation, her boyfriend sunk in some physical affection. Even when they were at school and tried to keep displays of affection to a minimum.

"Um, Sadayo, you actually called at a good time because there's…something I need to tell you." For the first time since their conversation began, his voice sounded shaky and unsure.

Normally, if this were a soap opera, Sadayo felt she'd be flying into hysterics. Thankfully, it wasn't, nor was she that untrusting of her gray-eyed lover. "What is it?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's…well…I…do you think…look, this up incoming weekend, I'll be in Tokyo. Do you think we could try to see each other? In person?" Akira declared.

"What? You'll be in town! Akira, that's great! Of course! Definitely!" Excitement bubbled within her, forcing its way to the surface as she pictured seeing her former student, her savior, her boyfriend, again after months of separation. The reality knocked at her door. "W-Wit, this coming week? Akira, I…I'm going to be coaching for a spelling bee."

He sounded more surprised than disappointed. "Do we have a chance of winning?"

Somewhat smugly, the brunette held her head high and answered, "Yours truly will be coaching them so-"

"You all will be coming home with a trophy." Affirmed the gray-eyed youth with a laugh. "If the spelling bee is this Friday or Saturday, that'll be fine."

"Are you…implying what I think you're implying?" She could feel her heart racing, beating against her chest funneling heat into her cheeks as she held tight to the phone. "Akira-"

"It's not like it'll be the first time we've had to sneak around a little. Just give me the details and I can work it out from there."

"We can work it out from there." Corrected the language arts teacher with a laugh. If you told her almost two years ago, she'd be having a conversation like this with one of her former students, she'd have either laughed or hit you in the face. Sadayo herself could hardly believe it, the casual joy and excitement that raced through her as her mind raced with how this secret meeting would go.

Some of her lover's adventurous nature had rubbed off on her, and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing as she'd once believed. After all, without a little excitement life could get dull, and she'd had enough of a dull and unhappy life.

I decided to start things off with a peak at Akira and Sadayo's lives post-game, namely in how they've moved up and moved on, but are still thinking about each other. One of the things I wanted to stress was that Shujin Academy is still trying to get itself together given that it had its star gym teacher arrested (fallout that continues for a good long while, even after Kamoshida's behind bars, and likely awaiting trial), its principal dead (read: assassinated) one of its replacement track adviser getting caught up in a slow-growing scandal. Basically, everything you'd expect from your average high school in an anime/video game.

Now, I'll get this out of the way and kindly ask that anyone who has spoilers for the Royal, especially those involving a certain someone please keep them to yourselves.

Anyways, next chapter should be posted some time next week and yes, it will feature the end results of Akira and Sadayo's attempted secret meeting. I don't think any of you need any hinting as to what'll end up happening. Until then!