"Akira-kun? Are you okay?"
Akira was brought out of his train of thought by Miku as he sat up and looked around. The light auburn haired girl was seated to his right, looking at him with a slight amount of concern as she tried to bring him out of his light sleep. The class they had been in was over and his other classmates had already started to leave the lecture hall. He shook his head quickly in an attempt to clear his mind as he looked up at Miku with a smile.
"What'd I miss? I guess class just ended?"
"If I'm right, you missed the entire third part of the professor's lecture. I'm guessing you'll need notes again?"
"Right. Thanks, Miku. I'm sorry, I've just been having a hard time focusing over the past week or so…"
Miku snapped a quick picture of her notes that she took for the class and sent it over to Akira with a wink, although a look of concern soon spread across her face.
"Have you been getting enough sleep? This isn't very like you…"
"Says the one who spent the entirety of last night checking out a new game."
"H-Hey! At least I can still focus in class!"
"Point taken, Miku."
The two of them laughed it off as they packed up their belongings with haste and made their way out of the lecture hall with smiles on their faces. Making their way to the front gate, the two of them waved goodbye as Morgana too jumped out of his bag and meowed a goodbye at Miku. Heading their separate ways, Akira sighed, shaking his head as he started his walk to the station.
"Akira, she has a point, you know…"
"I know, Morgana. I just… for some reason I'm not resting well…"
"Has this ever happened before?"
"Only twice, but that was because of things I found what the problem was, and fixed it. I've done all sorts of things but for some reason-"
"Don't worry too much about it, Akira. I'm sure it'll go away soon. We've just gotta figure out the problem, right?"
"Yeah… I wish it were that easy…"
Take Your Time
"Isn't that Featherman show airing the season finale soon? I seem to remember it being on the 21st, right?" Morgana asked curiously. "Got any plans to see it?"
"Yongen-Jaya. This is Yongen-Jaya."
"I'll probably invite Sumire and Futaba over. I'm sure they'd love to get in on it." Akira replied, stepping out of the train and onto the platform. "What about you? Do you want in?"
"Well, if Futaba's coming over, I don't really have a place to stay, do I?" Morgana scoffed from within Akira's bag. "I guess I'll just hang out with you guys for the night."
"Two days left… I can't wait!"
"Of course you can't…"
"Hey! You can't blame me for loving Featherman! It's one of the best shows I've watched, seriously!"
"That's real high praise coming from you."
"It deserves it."
The two of them entered Cafe Leblanc still bickering with each other as Sojiro looked up from his work at the counter. "Ah, you're back. How was class?"
"Same old same old. Got another assignment but it's a solo one. I'll probably spend the later part of the weekend working on it." Akira answered truthfully as he looked around the cafe. "I would ask how business is but…"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Sojiro huffed with a slight tone of annoyance as Morgana and Akira snickered quietly. "Got any plans for tonight? If not, I'd recommend getting-"
"More rest. I get it, I get it." Akira replied, a hint of an exasperated tone slipping into his voice. "Sorry… I've been trying, it's just-"
"No, I get it. Whatever I've got to say, you've probably already tried it." Sojiro sighed. "I don't wanna start nagging you, I'm just concerned for you, kid."
"Thanks, Sojiro."
"Anytime. I wouldn't have let you come back here if I didn't have a care in the world about you."
"That means more than you think it does."
"Ha, I know. Either way, I'm sure you'll figure out the problem soon."
"I'll keep at it."
Akira gave Sojiro a weak smile as he went upstairs, setting his bag on the usual table by the staircase before collapsing onto his bed, too tired to change into some more comfortable clothing as sighed and took out his phone and opened up the usual group chat. Morgana soon hopped out of Akira's bag and made his way over to the bed where he too curled up alongside his partner, attempting to sneak peeks at his phone.
Phantom Thieves Group Chat
BeneathTheMask: So… I've been meaning to ask, but hasn't it been nearly a week since we've added Zenkichi to the group chat?
BurnMyBread: I still can't believe you guys didn't wait for my agreement too!
Runnin'FromCops: Aww, get over it, Ann. We all know you would've said yes too.
BurnMyBread: That isn't the point!
FistOfThePhantomStar: Calm down, you two. But Akira's right. We haven't heard from Zenkichi-san in a week. We also have no way of knowing whether this is normal, since he's now working as a chief inspector.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: I can check on his phone if you want!
StarvingForArt: Wonderful idea, Futaba.
SumiEvergarden: Are you sure about that? Would Zenkichi-san mind?
RollOfFloof: I'm sure he'll be okay! I'm sure he'll know we were just worried about him!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Gimme five minutes tops! I'll be riiiight back!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent has gone offline
FistOfThePhantomStar: It's like I didn't even get a say in the matter…
BeneathTheMask: Tell me about it…
"Futaba really does march to the beat of her own drum sometimes…" Morgana muttered as Akira sighed in agreement. "I should know, since I've been spending a lot of time with her lately but it still surprises me sometimes…"
"Yeah. It's not entirely a bad thing, though." Akira admitted. "Sometimes going at a different pace allows you to catch things other people might've missed."
"That's a good way to look at it, Akira." Morgana agreed, nodding his head.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Got it! It was almost as easy as beating the tutorial battles in… in… well you know what I mean!
FistOfThePhantomStar: Well, since I'm powerless to stop you now, Futaba, what did you find?
BurnMyBread: Is Gramps okay?
SumiEvergarden: I'm sure Zenkichi-san's fine!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Well… It says here that his phone's been in the same location for the past week. And the last person he talked to was… Akira.
BeneathTheMask: That would be just after our conversation. Zenkichi messaged me to make sure I hadn't changed my contact info or anything.
Runnin'FromCops: Do ya think he might've just forgotten it at home and had to go investigate some case outta town?
FistOfThePhantomStar: You… actually might be onto something, Ryuji.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Knowing Gramps, he might not be wrong. That's a good deduction, especially from you, Ryuji.
Runnin'FromCops: See? I know I can-, hey wait, what do you mean 'especially from me?'
Zenkichi Hasegawa: What's all this ruckus? I swear I leave my phone behind for one case and I come back to this mess?
BeneathTheMask: Oh… uh…
SumiEvergarden: Sorry Zenkichi-san!
StarvingForArt: Well… this is awkward…
RollOfFloof: We didn't mean to inconvenience you, Zenkichi-san!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: I swear we were just worried about you, Gramps!
BurnMyBread: Yeah, what everyone else is saying! We were worried about you, Gramps!
Zenkichi Hasegawa: I assume this was something you did, Kurusu?
BeneathTheMask: Well… we all unanimously agreed to add you to our group chat last week, and we were a little worried when we heard nothing from you.
Zenkichi Hasegawa: Right. Sorry for worrying you all. Commissioner wanted me out of town on a case, and apparently I wasn't allowed to bring my phone, since they had an office issued one ready to go. Now I'm back in Tokyo, I just landed a couple of hours ago, actually.
Zenkichi Hasegawa: So, first off, this is the Phantom Thief group chat, right? Who's who? I'm sorry, I need to get used to all the nicknames. Kurusu told me something last week but I still don't know who anyone else is.
FistOfThePhantomStar: The nicknames are in the group description, in case anyone ever forgot them. They should help quite a bit until you get used to them.
Zenkichi Hasegawa: Ah. I see. Thank you. I can see that you guys haven't changed a bit.
Zenkichi Hasegawa: So, how've you kids been doing? It's been a long while since I've talked to a lot of you. How's university?
SumiEvergarden: Futaba and I are still in Shujin, though!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Yeap! Sumire's gonna go through her entrance exams soon!
Runnin'FromCops: Most of us are in university and… that's about it.
Zenkichi Hasegawa: Well that's all good and dandy. If you don't mind though, I'd rather not feel left out, so…
Zenkichi Hasegawa has changed his nickname to: PapaWolf
Runnin'FromCops: Seriously? PapaWolf?
PapaWolf: Speak for yourself, Runnin'FromCops.
Runnin'FromCops: H-Hey!
RollOfFloof: I think it fits Zenkichi-san perfectly!
BurnMyBread: Same here!
BeneathTheMask: Morgana and I agree.
PapaWolf: That settles it.
Runnin'FromCops: Hey! I never said it was a bad nickname!
FistOfThePhantomStar: In any case, we're glad to have you back with us, Zenkichi-san, although as I'm sure you already know, we'd like to set some ground rules for you in this group chat.
PapaWolf: Sure. Go ahead. If you're worried about me getting on your asses for skipping class or all that jazz, don't worry. I ain't that type of guy.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Glad to hear it, Gramps!
As Futaba went through the list of rules that Akira assumed she had probably made up on the fly, he heaved a sigh of relief as he and Morgana turned to each other with a smile on their faces, quietly giggling at the way Zenkichi seemed to take note of each one seriously.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: And that's everything!
PapaWolf: I'll make sure to keep these in mind. I should probably get to bed soon, though. I'm exhausted after that hell of a flight. I'll be turning in.
Runnin'FromCops: G'night Gramps!
StarvingForArt: Sleep well, Gramps!
RollOfFloof: Goodnight Gramps-san!
BurnMyBread: See ya, Gramps!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Say hi to Akane for us Gramps!
PapaWolf: I swear, you damn kids… One of these days. You'd better watch out.
FistOfThePhantomStar: Goodnight, Zenkichi-san!
SumiEvergarden: Get a good rest Zenkichi-san!
BeneathTheMask: Morgana says goodnight too!
PapaWolf: Right. Don't stay up too late.
PapaWolf has gone offline
BeneathTheMask: On that note, I'll be heading to rest too. Goodnight guys!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: We're all too lazy to say goodnight again, so I'll just send you off with one collective goodnight! See ya, Akira!
BeneathTheMask has gone offline
Morgana snickered. "Talk about the group chat coming alive tonight…"
Akira chuckled. "I definitely get you there, although we are still missing one more Thief…"
"Oh, that's right. Sophia's still with Ichinose, isn't she?" Morgana sighed, remembering their short time together. "I wonder how she's doing… We haven't heard from her in a while…"
"I'm sure she's doing okay. Ichinose's there with her. They'll be fine." Akira assured his friend as he laid back onto his pillow. "I do miss her, though…"
"Yeah, same here…"
The last email he had gotten from Sophia was from a while back, having lost contact with her a short while after they had said goodbye. The team missed her dearly, but they knew Sophia was doing what she felt like she had to do, and they respected her decision greatly. It didn't stop them from missing her from time to time, though.
"Hey, Akira?"
"What is it, Morgana?"
"Do you think we'll see Sophia some time soon?"
"I'm sure she'll be back. We did make that promise, after all."
"Maybe you could try sending her an email?"
"We've gone through this before, Mona."
"Sorry…"
"No, don't apologise. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot."
Akira took the better part of an hour with Morgana to compose an email to send off to Sophia's last known email address before they sent it off with a smile, hoping to receive a reply in the near future.
"Well, that's that. Should we get some sleep?"
"Yeah. You probably need it."
"H-Hey! I don't need you nagging me too!"
"Heh. Goodnight Akira."
"Night Morgana."
Attempting to get an early night's rest, Akira soon shut his eyes, Morgana following soon after as the two of them drifted into a dreamless slumber.
Well, dreamless for one of them, at least…
Take Your Time
The sound of rattling chains stirred Akira from his once dreamless slumber as his eyes shot open in shock. A familiar sight greeted his eyes as he quickly scanned his surroundings in an attempt to process the situation he was in before a calming and soothing voice giggled and spoke out to him.
"My dear beloved Trickster. Welcome to the Velvet Room."
Akira stood up in disbelief as the ever familiar room he had seen many times over the past two years brought back memories that he had nearly forgotten. A girl in blue that was visible from the outside of his jail cell patted her right dress pocket, prompting Akira to do the same. Finding a key that he had become familiar with, he slotted it into the keyhole within the locked door, unlocking it as it disappeared into a sparkle, allowing him free access into the main room. With another smile and a bow, the girl in blue addressed him again.
"You haven't forgotten me yet, have you, Trickster?"
"Lavenza…?" Akira managed to get out in spite of his disbelief as he continued to reminisce of all the times he was summoned into this very cell. "I…"
"There is no need to worry. You have not been summoned here yet again because of a malevolent will." Lavenza reassured him with a smile before leaning into a hug. "I have simply been attempting to reestablish a connection to you in the real world. It would seem that I have finally succeeded. I'm glad."
"I see. So my minor headaches and lack of sleep were…"
"Those may have been caused by my attempts to contact you in your sleep. My sincere apologies."
"I… don't understand though… How can the Velvet Room still exist? Didn't the Metaverse disappear after we defeated the Demiurge?" Akira asked, still in a slight disbelief as Lavenza shook her head.
"The Velvet Room is a place that lies between dream and reality, mind and matter. This very room has no bound to the Metaverse, nor the real world." Lavenza explained. "Both may share many similarities, but the Velvet Room exists forevermore."
"Right. It's nice to see you again, Lavenza." Akira nodded, embracing her hug. "It really has been a while."
"That it has, Trickster. It would seem my attempts to reach you by cellular phone were unsuccessful, therefore I used most of my energy in an attempt to reestablish a connection to you." Lavenza let go of her hug and regripped her book tightly, a slight tinge of pink visible on her cheeks.
Akira looked around the room he had been used to before his eyes finally settled on the desk of Lavenza's master. "Where's Igor? He wasn't here the last time we spoke, either. Is he busy?"
"My master is a busy man. Even I do not know where he may be at this time. His presence continues to elude me." Lavenza sighed, turning towards her master's empty chair.
"That's too bad. I would've liked to say hello." Akira shrugged, continuing to look around. The fusion equipment he had grown accustomed to was now nowhere to be seen and the room looked much more spacious. "I see the fusion equipment's no longer here, either. It looks much better like this."
"I'll keep that in mind, Trickster." Lavenza smiled. "How is Morgana? I trust you've been taking care of him?"
"Of course. He's been taking care of me too, believe it or not." Akira admitted, letting out a chuckle. "One thing he isn't that happy about, though, is that he's now a full time cat."
Lavenza giggled. "Ah, yes... That does sound like Morgana."
Take Your Time
A loud alarm sounded across the Velvet Room, signalling that their time together was up as Lavenza let out a sigh of disappointment. "The time has come, my dear Trickster. We shall meet again. Although, until then, pleasant dreams."
"Right. It was nice seeing you again, Lavenza. Until next time." Akira waved goodbye as he was soon transported out of the room in blue he had come to know and remember. Before long, he was awake in the real world, coming to with a loud yawn and a stretch as he opened his eyes, his partner waking up not long after. "Hey Morgana. Did you sleep well?"
"That's a question for you, Akira." Morgana yawned as he stretched his legs. "Although to answer, I slept just fine."
"I slept really well, actually!" Akira jumped up, full of energy as he made his way towards the stairs. "Come downstairs. I'll tell you what happened over my cup of coffee."
As the two partners made their way downstairs into the empty and quiet cafe, Akira started to prepare his coffee as Morgana took a seat at the counter, eagerly pressing Akira for information.
"C'mon, don't keep me waiting, Akira! Tell me, tell me!"
"Well…" Akira continued to monitor the roast, keeping an eye on it as he diverted his attention to his partner for the time being. "I reconnected with someone special last night."
"Who? And how come I didn't know about it?" Morgana asked excitedly.
"Well, I was the one bound by a contract, so naturally I'm the only person that can be summoned to the Velvet Room. Of course you didn't know about it."
…
…
"WHAT?!" Morgana yelped in surprise as Akira chuckled. "Master summoned you? And not me?"
"It wasn't exactly Long Nose, per se. It was Lavenza who summoned me, just like last summer."
"You talked with Lady Lavenza? How was she? I'm sure she's doing well!"
"She's doing great, although she had to expend a considerable amount of power to reach me again." Akira recalled, remembering Lavenza's words from the dream before. "Thankfully the world doesn't need saving again, though. I would've been real upset if that was the reason I was summoned again."
"Twice and counting, eh Joker? The world just can't get enough of the Phantom Thieves!" Morgana snickered before sniffing the air and changing the topic. "That coffee smells really good!"
"Naturally." Akira smirked as he set his cup on the counter and continued to brew the coffee. "Anyways, Lavenza said that my bouts of sleepless nights should come to an end, along with my midday aches, since she wouldn't need to reestablish another connection, or at least that's what I got from her. She can be a little vague at times."
"Yeah. She probably picked that up from Master." Morgana nodded in agreement. "That's good to hear though! Now you can focus in class and end the day without borrowing notes from Miku!"
"Shut it, you."
Not long after Akira poured himself his cup of coffee, Sojiro walked into the cafe with a smile as he flipped the sign to open on his way in.
"Morning, Akira. Morgana."
"Morning Chief!"
"Good morning, Boss."
"Manage to sleep well?"
"I've figured out my problem. I slept like a log last night."
"Did you, now? That's good."
"Thanks. Do you need any help today?"
"Kid, have you seen many customers at all?"
"Point taken. I'll get out of your hair for today."
"I'm not saying you have to go out, but-"
"I got it, Sojiro. Don't worry. I'll figure something out with Morgana."
Akira quickly finished his coffee and brought Morgana back upstairs as the two of them pondered on things Akira could do on his free day. Morgana leapt into his usual spot as Akira laid down on his bed, attempting to think of something to do.
"The Featherman thing is tomorrow, isn't it? Maybe you could do some homework?"
"Nah. I have time after our DND session on Sunday. This assignment won't take me too long anyways."
"Hmm… is anyone willing to hang out with you?"
"I doubt it. I'm the only one who has Fridays off. If I want to hang out with someone, 'Mire included, I'll have to wait until they finish classes for the day."
"Aw man…"
They continued to brainstorm for the better part of an hour as they continued to cycle through idea after idea until they were nearly burnt out, until…
"Wait. What about Akechi?"
…
Akira took a second to think about Morgana's suggestion. He did make a good point, and he had nothing better to do today besides his homework, which he couldn't be bothered with at the moment.
"That… isn't a bad idea, actually."
"You've only talked to him once since last year, so I'm sure you guys have some unfinished business. You still have his number, right?"
"Yeah. Or at least I think so."
"Give him a call, then! I'm sure he'd be willing to hang out with you on a dime!"
"I'll see if Akechi's available, then."
"Now that's the spirit, Akira!"
Holding his phone against his ear, he allowed it to ring.
Once.
Twice.
…
'Did Akechi change his phone number?' Akira thought to himself as he continued to listen to ring after ring. 'I would've thought-'
His thought was interrupted by a noticeable click and a short amount of silence before a voice came over the line. A voice that he had heard only a few weeks earlier, yet it still sent an indescribable feeling of mixed emotions whenever Akira heard him speak.
"Akira?" A voice rang out from the other side of the line, seemingly a little confused yet interested in holding a conversation. "This is quite the surprise. Did you want something? It isn't often that I receive calls at all. Getting one from you was quite the shock."
Akira decided to cut straight to the chase. It wouldn't do him any good to keep Akechi waiting. "I… actually wanted to ask if you were busy at all today."
"Not in particular, although it has been a while since we've had some time to catch up on things. I assume that's what you called me for, right?"
"Right. I have the day off, so I was wondering-"
"If I'd like to indulge in some drinks and pool." Akechi finished his sentence for him. Akira could tell that he was smiling in his usual way on the other side of the phone. "Also, if I might ask, will any of your friends be coming along?"
"Not unless you want them to."
"Good. Shall we meet in Kichijoji at… 3:30?"
"3:30 it is."
"I'll see you then, Akira."
Another click ran through the phone as the line dropped dead silent. Akira sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket as he sat back down onto the bed with Morgana eagerly walking over to him to find out how the call went.
"So? Did Akechi say yes?" Morgana snickered as Akira just placed his hand over his pet cat's face, muffling his words. "Mpph-! Hey!"
"Not right now, Morgana." Akira leaned back as he relaxed back into his pillow. "If you really must know, we're meeting in Kichijoji later for some billiards."
"Told you so!"
"I swear, cat. One day. One day."
Take Your Time
"Kichijoji. This is Kichijoji."
Akira awaited patiently as the train door opened, allowing the majority of the crowd to fill out before he stepped out himself. Making a straight beeline towards the exit, he eagerly swiped his card before stepping out onto the ever so familiar street that he had come to many times before.
"It's still a little early…" Akira muttered to himself quietly as he made his way further into Kichijoji, passing by the bakery that he and girlfriend would meet at during their times at Shujin. "I wonder if Akechi's already here…"
Passing by a few more familiar shops, he finally arrived in front of Penguin Sniper. Looking around, he didn't immediately notice Akechi in his usual spot. Taking that as a sign that he still had a while to go before the ex-detective prince showed up, he pulled out his phone and took the place of his former teammate. The minutes continued to tick by, with Akira growing more and more concerned. Akechi hadn't… tricked him, had he?
"I'm surprised that you'd think I would still be out to get you, given that we'd already buried the hatchet between us."
A voice called out to him, one that was etched into a part of Akira's mind and memory. Turning around to greet the owner of the voice, Akira gave a smile as he shook his head in response.
"You can never be too careful."
"Well spoken. It seems like you haven't changed one bit."
"Shall we?"
"Right. We needn't be so hasty, though. We have all the time in the world…"
The two of them made their way into Penguin Sniper subtle as Akira gave the host the regular fee of 800 yen as they took their place at the empty pool table. Much to their surprise, the lounge was mostly empty, save for a couple of people crowded around the dart board to which they paid no mind to. Akira soon set up their first game with Akechi's help and within minutes they were well into their first game of many.
"Still using your off hand?" Akira raised his eyebrow as he lined up his shot. "You're that confident? I can say with confidence that I'm better than when you last played me, Goro."
Akechi smirked as Akira landed yet another striped ball into a pocket. "If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
"We'll see about that." Akira proudly proclaimed before narrowly missing a shot.
"Tough luck, Akira." Akechi chuckled as he readied his own pool cue. "You've certainly improved, though. I'm impressed. It seems your skills haven't wavered one bit."
"Neither have yours."
"Valid point."
The game went back and forth between the two, a tense air of suspense flowing around the table. Both of them harbored an intense flare and passion to win, wanting to prove one's skill over the other before at last, all the other balls were sunk neatly into their pockets, leaving only one on the table, the infamous 8-ball. And it was Akira's turn.
Taking his time to line up his shot, he effortlessly sank the ball into the pocket, leaving his rival impressed, yet unsurprised.
"Well played, Akira." Akechi complimented him as he started pulling the balls out of the main hole and placing them back onto the main table. "It would seem my off-hand isn't enough to best you this time around."
"Once more?" Akira asked casually as he pulled out the triangular rack. "It'll be just like the old times."
"What, when you and I would meet up here and play?" Akechi scoffed. "You act as if those times were a lot longer ago than they are."
"You can't deny that it's been a while." Akira shrugged, chalking up his pool cue.
"I guess it has. But why let the past stop you?" Akechi smiled as he arranged the balls and removed the triangle rack before lining up his break shot at the other end of the table. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all."
It was going to be a fun afternoon.
Take Your Time
The score was tied at 4-4 in a heated last match between the two rivals. Having agreed on a best of 9 set, this would be the game that decided it all.
"Your turn to break, Akira."
Akira simply nodded before lining up his pool cue and effortlessly breaking the balls out of their regular triangle formation. Most of the balls scattered around the table randomly and yet, luckily for Akira, one of the stripes fell into a hole, allowing Akira to decide between stripes or solids. Obviously, he picked-
"Stripes."
Akechi nodded and laid back, allowing Akira to take the stage for a little while as he chalked up the end of his pool cue. Taking this as a sign to continue, Akira continued to pocket another two balls before barely missing a shot into a corner pocket.
"Right then. My turn."
Akechi sank two solids with ease before the cue ball landed in what seemed like an inescapable area, leaving Akira with a smile on his face as Akechi's turned into one of annoyance.
"Seems like you aren't going anywhere."
"I thought the same when I'd locked myself in back at Shido's palace. You'd be surprised at the things I can pull off."
Akechi lined up his shot with precision before executing a near perfect masse shot, curving the cue ball through his predicament and managing to hit his second to last solid, avoiding a foul.
Akira only raised an eyebrow in surprise before stepping up to the table himself and pocketing another stripe. They were now neck and neck, one ball left each, excluding the 8-ball. Flawlessly sinking his last stripe into the nearby corner pocket, Akira took aim at the black ball before-
"Tough luck, Akira. You put up a good fight, although it seems I have you beat." Akechi smirked as he lined up his own cue, effortlessly pocketing his last solid before easily pocketing the 8-ball alongside it.
"Well played, Akechi. I can't believe I choked on my last shot…" Akira shook his head. "I'll have to ask you for a rematch soon. This was a lot of fun."
"That it was."
The two of them quietly made their way out of the lounge after waving goodbye to the friendly host, slowly but surely making their way towards the Jazz Jin. As it happened, they were in for a small stroke of luck as they arrived outside the small yet well decorated doorway.
"How fortunate. The singer will be making her appearance later on stage." Akechi smiled, turning to enter the building with Akira following suit. "I'm quite looking forward to it. It's been quite a while since I've heard her sing."
"I'm assuming you haven't been here since-"
"Since January of last year. You'd be correct with that assumption."
Akira nodded. "Let's get a table and order some drinks, then. I'm sure there's much for us to talk about."
"Right."
Take Your Time
"So, what have you been up to while I've been in solitary confinement?" Akechi asked as he took a sip of his drink. "I've heard about the 'Change of Heart Epidemic', or so the public seems to remember it, but I've yet to hear it from the people in the know."
"It's a bit of a long story…" Akira quietly chuckled, taking a sip from his own drink before setting it down onto the coaster on the table. "Given that it involves the Metaverse, I'm sure you'd love to hear about it, wouldn't you?"
"Well, it was in my forte of use back when I used to work under Shido, so one could argue that I'm intrigued." Akechi raised his eyebrow as he affixed his gaze onto Akira. "I did hear a couple of things from Sae-san, although they do sound a little far fetched."
With a nod from Akira, he recounted the tale that he had told only a few weeks ago to his rival, occasionally taking sips from his drink as he stopped to answer Akechi's questions along the way. The ex-detective prince followed along extremely well, par with Akira's expectations as he finally came to the end of his journey over the summer.
"I must say that wasn't quite what I was expecting to hear…" Akechi mused thoughtfully as he gulped down the rest of his drink before setting it on the table. "Jails and Monarchs? They seem quite similar to Palaces and Palace Rulers, although from what you've told me, they are also rather different…"
"We thought so at first too. I still can't really believe that the cause of it all was an AI." Akira shook his head. "It just goes to show how far technology has come, I guess."
"Ah, that reminds me…" Akechi cut in as he waved down the barkeep before pointing at both of their drinks. "You mentioned another AI, didn't you? The one you found in the Shibuya Jail… Sophia, was it?"
"Yeah. Sophia was developed by Kuon Ichinose, but was then subsequently wiped and forgotten about until we discovered her in Alice's Jail." Akira reminisced as he thought back to the summer of the previous year and the short time they had gotten to know Sophia over. "She's currently exploring the world with Ichinose, learning about the human heart, although I haven't heard from either of them for a long time."
"I see…" Akechi trailed off, muttering a quiet thank you as the waiter brought them a new set of drinks. "I assume Sophia wanted to travel with Ichinose of her own free will, correct?"
"Of course." Akira agreed. "She asked me if I was okay with it, and I agreed. She made a choice. I had to respect it."
"You've always been that kind of person." Akechi affirmed with a genuine smile, or so Akira thought at the very least. "Choosing a path... I wonder…"
Akira tilted his head with a raised eyebrow. "Something on your mind, Akechi?"
Akechi shook his head. "It's nothing. Just a passing thought."
Squinting his eyebrow for a brief moment, Akira decided to drop the subject, not wanting to push Akechi any further. As he took another sip of his drink, Akechi spoke up again, attempting to change the subject.
"Ah, the singer will be performing soon." Akechi noted as he took a large sip of his drink while the singer in question set up her microphone. "This does take me back... I do wonder if she's put out any more hits as of late."
"It shouldn't be too hard to find out." Akira pointed out as his rival let out a polite chuckle. "Let's hear her song before we take our leave."
"Right."
Take Your Time
The jazz club was filled to the brim with the sounds of polite applause from the audience as the singer bowed and took her leave, stepping off of the stage for the time being, taking a short rest before having to perform again in the next hour. Akira looked towards his rival before they both nodded, standing up to leave the jazz jin, having already paid the bartender earlier. The two of them quickly made their way out of the establishment before coming to a stop outside Kichijoji station.
"Well, I must say I quite enjoyed this evening out, Akira." Akechi said with a smile. "It somewhat reminds me of the times we used to spend together, back when I was the up and coming detective prince, and you, the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah." Akira nodded. "Talking with you is always a fruitful endeavor."
"Ah, good. I'm glad to hear that the feeling's mutual." Akechi chuckled. "Would you be willing to join me again some time soon?"
"You have my contact info. Just let me know. I'll let you know whenever I'm available."
"I'm happy to hear it. Shall we call it a day?"
"Right."
Take Your Time
"Morgana? I'm home!"
The chime atop the entrance to Leblanc echoed throughout the seemingly empty cafe, Sojiro having seemed to have closed up for the night. Akira sighed as he noticed the light turned on upstairs, indicating that Morgana had probably been taken care of by his guardian as he heaved a light sigh of relief and quickly made his way to the staircase, heading up into his room in the attic.
Immediately noticing a distinct lack of presence in his room, Akira slowly looked around for his companion before coming to the realisation that Futaba had probably taken him back to her room and they had forgotten to turn off the lights after relaxing in the attic.
"Well… today's been… something." Akira muttered to no one in particular, taking a seat on his bed for a moment before pulling out his phone. "Lavenza… I should talk more about it with Morgana later."
Opening his IM app out of instinct, he made his way straight to the group chat. Surprisingly enough, there was a brief conversation that he happened to catch. Setting his phone on his bed for the moment, he changed into his sleeping clothes before picking his phone back up to join in on the usual antics with his group of friends. This time, including their favorite old man. Or, well, second favorite at the very least.
Phantom Thieves Group Chat
Runnin'FromCops: C'mon, Gramps! You really should support Akane more!
StarvingForArt: Ryuji's quite right, Zenkichi. Akane-chan's doing a fantastic job.
BurnMyBread: Yeah! She just wrapped up her live stream. I don't know if anyone else was watching, but she killed it!
PapaWolf: I don't wanna lead her on! What if she finds out that I'm a part of the Phantom Thieves, huh? Didja ever think of that?
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Well, Zenkichi… You do know that she'll find out eventually, right?
BeneathTheMask: She has a point, Hasegawa.
PapaWolf: Shut it, Kurusu. When did you get here?
BeneathTheMask: Only a few moments ago. Did I miss much?
RollOfFloof: You missed us telling Zenkichi-san that he should spend more time with Akane-chan and… that's about it, really…
FistOfThePhantomStar: So in other words, nothing new.
PapaWolf: H-Hey! I've been spending more time with Akane now!
Runnin'FromCops: Movin' on, where've you been, Akira? We haven't heard from ya for nearly the whole day!
BeneathTheMask: I was in Kichijoji, practicing my billiards. I caught the singer at the jazz club earlier, so I was kind of lost in my own thoughts.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: I can confirm!
SumiEvergarden: Futaba! What did I say about snooping on my boyfriend's phone without his knowledge or permission?
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Ah! You're here too, Sumire? Abort mission!
RollOfFloof: Well… it's not like Futaba-chan did any damage, right?
BeneathTheMask: You're on thin ice, Futaba. Thin ice. Do I make myself clear?
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Eep! Got it!
BeneathTheMask: Anyways, I wanted to extend an invite to whoever's interested in joining Sumire, myself and Futaba tomorrow at Leblanc. We're watching the Season Finale of Featherman Ranger Season 3.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: WATCH PARTY!
SumiEvergarden: Join us, you guys! \o/
BurnMyBread: I have to pass, unfortunately. I've got an assignment due the day after. Sorry guys!
FistOfThePhantomStar: Sorry, guys! Haru and I have already made plans for tomorrow, so we'll pass too.
RollOfFloof: Enjoy your watch party guys!
StarvingForArt: I too will have to pass, unfortunately. My deadline draws ever closer and I mustn't let any time I have extra go to waste.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: We get it, Inari. You'd better make sure that painting is an absolute masterpiece!
StarvingForArt: Duly noted, Futaba.
PapaWolf: I… have no idea what it is you guys are watching, so I'll stay out of this one. I might take Akane out for dinner tomorrow.
Runnin'FromCops: If you guys don't mind, I'll join ya. I ain't got nothing better to do tomorrow anyways and I just spent the past 3 nights binging the series.
SumiEvergarden: That makes four!
BeneathTheMask: So I guess you guys are gonna swing by Leblanc after school tomorrow then?
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Yep! I'll bring Sumire after we finish classes!
Runnin'FromCops: Do ya mind if I swing by a little earlier, Akira? I actually finish early on Saturdays and my mom's headed out tomorrow.
BeneathTheMask: Sure, Ryuji. We could hang. It's been a while.
Runnin'FromCops: Hell yeah!
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Then tomorrow we shall all come together to enjoy the masterpiece which is the Phoenix Featherman Ranger Season 3 Finale!
BeneathTheMask: With that, I'll bid you guys goodnight. Make sure you take care of Morgana for me, Futaba.
FeatherCyanIsInnocent: Copy!
BeneathTheMask has gone offline
Akira laid his head onto his pillow, staring up into the ceiling of the Leblanc attic for a moment before sleep quickly overtook his mind and he drifted off into what he considered to be the best sleep he had had in a long time.
Take Your Time
"Hey, kid? You've got a friend over to see you!"
Akira jumped out of his bed at the sound of his guardian's voice, having just taken a short nap during his free time. Running downstairs to find an empty cafe, save for his blonde haired friend and his guardian, alongside his feline partner who appeared to be napping in a booth. Akira jumped his best friend for a hug, taking him by surprise as Ryuji took a step back.
"Woah, woah! What's this all about, man?" Ryuji exclaimed, a little taken aback by Akira's eagerness. "You're acting as if we haven't seen each other in years!"
"I've missed you, Ryuji." Akira chuckled, letting go of his friend as he slung an arm around his shoulder. "Also, we're watching Featherman tonight!"
"Hell yeah, dude!" Ryuji smiled happily as he walked over to the counter, giving a wave to Sojiro. "Hey, Boss! Sorry for intrudin'. I'll just be upstairs with Akira, if you don't mind."
"Have a ball. It's not like there's anyone in the cafe anyways." Sojiro shrugged as he continued his work behind the counter. "You have Sumire and Futaba coming over later, yeah?"
"Yeap. We're having a watch party later." Akira replied. "You know, you're free to join us, Sojiro. There's always room for one more~."
"Ha. Save it, kid." Sojiro snorted, pouring out a cup of coffee onto the counter. "You guys enjoy your show. I'll be relaxing at home with some peace and quiet for once."
The two of them chuckled before politely excusing themselves upstairs as Ryuji took a seat on the floor before laying down, gazing at the ceiling. Morgana soon followed suit, having been awoken and shooed out of the cafe as a customer walked in. Kneeling down to pick up his feline friend, he walked Morgana over to the bed before setting him down comfortably before turning his attention back to his blonde friend on the floor.
"So, Ryuji…" Akira started as he tilted his head a little. "Do you wanna do something?"
Ryuji noticeably tensed up a little. "Well… uh…"
Morgana snickered. "Let me guess. You didn't plan to do anything, did you?"
"H-Hey! We only made this plan last night, okay?!" Ryuji shot back indignantly as Akira could only chuckle a little, watching his two friends bicker back and forth. "C'mon, Akira, you've gotta have something to do here, right? It's gotta be better than my house for sure!"
"Well… I could borrow Futaba's Switch for the time being, if I can get her permission." Akira suggested thoughtfully as Ryuji's eyes lit up. "I assume you're down with that?"
"Let's do it!"
"Right then. I'll ask for Futaba's permission and we'll go grab her Switch. You down for some Mario Kart?"
"Bring it on, dude!"
Take Your Time
With Futaba giving them the go-ahead after a brief message back and forth, the two of them wasted their afternoon away in various different competitive games on Futaba's Nintendo Switch, with Morgana even joining in for some of the games which didn't require too many mechanical inputs. Akira proved his place as he beat Ryuji in Mario Kart while Ryuji stood his ground when Akira challenged him to a bout of Pokken Tournament DX.
The current scoreline was 2-1 in a best of 5, and Akira had the lead at the moment against Ryuji on one of his signature picks.
"Dude, how are you this good?!" Ryuji asked, in slight distress as his Lucario was almost knocked out with a fearsome attack from Akira's Empoleon. "You've gotta have been practicing with Futaba, right?"
"I will neither confirm nor deny these allegations." Akira smirked as he caught Ryuji off guard with another Surf, bringing his Lucario to 0 hit points, ending the series with a 3-1. "You did well, though, taking a game off of my Gardevoir. I could've never seen that coming from a mile away."
"Y'know what, I'll take it." Ryuji offered a shake with a smile as his friend took it and shook it with grace. "You're pretty good, dude. I've gotta step up my game for next time."
Akira withdrew his hand. "I look forward to it."
With the two of them having played for multiple consecutive hours, they both decided it would be best to take a break, with Ryuji heading downstairs to grab a soda from the fridge. Akira decided to check the time on his phone in the meantime as he heard idle chatter coming from downstairs between his guardian and his best friend. Noting that it was nearly time for Futaba and Sumire to finish classes for the day, Akira too headed downstairs with Morgana soon in tow to wait for their orange haired friend to arrive back at home.
Take Your Time
"Ryuji! We need some lettuce!"
"Futaba! I need some grilled patties asap!"
"Akira! We need clean plates over here!"
Sumire walked into Leblanc late in the evening as she carefully closed the door behind her, hearing a few shouts and screams from the attic above. Looking to Sojiro, to whom she gave a polite nod, she turned her gaze towards the stairs before looking back at her boyfriend's guardian, who only gave her his usual smile and shrugged before going back to his paper. Slowly making her way upstairs, she found the three rascals sitting on the floor close to Akira's TV with Morgana in tow, watching them closely.
"Um… Did I interrupt something?" Sumire asked curiously as she set her bag down, full of sleeping clothes and nightly necessities up on Akira's table near the staircase before peeking at the TV screen, interested in what the three of them were doing with such ferocity.
"Nah, we're just playing some Overcooked." Futaba replied nonchalantly as she proceeded to make the burger with frightening accuracy and speed. "Wanna join in? We've got room for one more!"
A bell rang throughout the attic, signalling the end of the level as both of the boys sighed loudly while Futaba proudly wore a smile as she looked towards the screen. "We did it, guys! High score? Broken! I would've never gotten this far by myself!"
Sumire looked towards the two boys as they both shook their heads. "Well, I'm glad you guys had fun while waiting for me! I'm sorry I took so long! Dad wanted to make sure I came fully prepared."
"Prepared?" Akira tilted his head, turning off the Switch in the meantime as Futaba let out an audible 'Aww' in the background. "Prepared for what? We're just watching Featherman together."
"I can't wait!" Ryuji piped up as he gave his controller back to Futaba. "I spent the entirety of the last week binging the season up till the previous episode. I wonder if Feather Cyan will actually manage to overcome the Rangers!"
"I keep telling you, man! Feather Cyan is innocent!" Futaba insisted. "Watch, Feather Grey's the true bad guy! He's been acting suspicious all season!"
Sumire giggled as she looked towards her boyfriend with a smile as their orange and blonde haired friends kept at it. The two of them knew it was going to be a fun night of laughter, tense moments and geeking out alongside their friends.
Take Your Time
The Featherman theme song could be heard playing over the credits of the final episode on the TV. A brief moment of silence enveloped the room before the four of them bursted out into cheers, claps and smiles all around.
"Yooo! That was a perfect note to end on for the season!" Futaba exclaimed with joy as she stuck her tongue out at Ryuji. "I told you so!"
"Dammit… Fine, I did make a bet after all…" Ryuji grumbled as he handed 2000 yen over to Futaba. "How'd you know? I would've hedged all of my bets on Feather Cyan being the true bad guy!"
"Seems like you don't spend enough time doing the research!" Futaba taunted, waving the 2000 yen note in front of Ryuji's face before pocketing it swiftly.
"H-Hey! I only just caught up, y'know? You don't gotta taunt me like that!"
The four of them laughed together as Sumire brought her boyfriend in for a small hug, with him happily embracing his girlfriend's presence as they cuddled together while Ryuji and Futaba continued to discuss the season finale.
"Hey love. How'd you find the finale?" Akira asked as he nuzzled into her hair, holding her close as he gave her a kiss on her head. "I couldn't contain my excitement for a lot of it."
"Me too, Aki." Sumire nodded in agreement as she snuggled into Akira's comforting embrace. "This was definitely worth the wait."
"You're staying over tonight, right?"
"You know you want me to~"
"That wasn't the question, sweetheart."
The two of them giggled, neither of them letting go of the other as they continued to welcome each other's warm snuggle before they were shaken out of their loving cuddle by the buzzing of Akira's phone, which also happened to catch the attention of Futaba and Ryuji, who had been discussing the fight scenes in intrepid detail.
"Who could be calling at this time of night?" Akira wondered as he picked up his phone and answered the call, not checking the name of the caller. "Who is it?"
"Ah, you picked up. Good." A deep voice came from the other end of the phone that Akira could only recognise and attribute to his guardian and father figure. "How'd the show go, Akira? I presume you all had a good time?"
"We had a blast." Akira answered truthfully, not bothering to go into further details, knowing that Sojiro would barely be interested, especially at this time of night. "Want me to walk Futaba home? We just wrapped up things on our end."
"Nah, don't worry about it. She can handle herself." Sojiro chuckled. "I just wanted to make sure that you all were fine. I didn't want to bother Futaba in case your episode was still on-going. She'd never let me hear the end of it…"
"Yeah, I don't doubt you there…" Akira smiled. "How's Morgana? I hope you're not spoiling him too much?"
"Oh, the cat? Yeah he's fine. Just gave him a bath and a promise of a good meal a while ago." Answered Sojiro before an audible purr was heard from Sojiro's end of the line. "I should probably do that before I forget."
"Right then. I'll see you tomorrow, Boss."
"Night, kid."
An overeager Futaba bounced up to him, seemingly hyper from the excitement of the season finale, followed by Ryuji who also seemed to be in a much more chipper mood than he was in earlier.
"Was that Sojiro?" Futaba groaned in dismay. "Well… I guess I've gotta head home before he starts worrying…"
"I should probably go too…" Ryuji spoke aloud, checking his watch. "I did promise my mom I'd get a serving of your curry for dinner though, Akira. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. There's some in the fridge. Help yourself on the way out." Akira shrugged as he sat up, making his way towards the stairs as he motioned for them to follow him. "You know the settings, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I've got it." Ryuji brushed aside as he followed Akira downstairs. "Thanks for having me tonight, guys. It was fun watching Featherman together. We should do it again sometime!"
"I couldn't agree more!" Sumire happily exclaimed as Futaba nodded eagerly alongside her.
"Right then. I guess it's time for me to… oh it's too late for the Futaba special. I'll save it for next time. Skedaddle! Don't forget we have DND tomorrow!" Futaba waved goodbye as Ryuji followed suit, with two servings of curry in hand before the door swung shut behind them.
"I'm tired…" Akira mumbled as he let out a big yawn, causing his girlfriend to yawn too. "Seems like you're tired too."
"You know yawns are contagious, Aki…" Sumire grumbled as she dragged him back upstairs. "I did have a lot of fun tonight though."
"So did I." Admitted Akira. "We should probably get some rest though. We've gotta prepare ourselves for tomorrow."
"Good point. I wonder what Futaba's got in store for us in tomorrow's session…" Sumire pondered as her boyfriend continued to set up their futon. "Guess we'll have to wait and see."
"Love?"
"Yes?"
Akira caught Sumire off guard with a light peck on the cheeks as she flushed a shade of bright red before returning the favor with a kiss on his own.
"I love you."
"Love you too, Aki."
Super sorry for forgetting to update my fic here on , but I kind of just... forgot. The last month's been hectic and I haven't much to show for it other than this chapter. I do hope you enjoyed it though! I did reintroduce Lavenza and I finally got their Featherman watch party over and done with (The full episode could be a one-shot all on it's own, so I left it out as to not have the chapter drag for too long). Other than that, I don't really have too much to say but again I hope you guys enjoyed! If you did, please consider letting me know in the reviews! It barely takes a minute out of your day, and it really does wonders for my motivation (as it does for other authors too).
I wanna give a special thanks to Light, yes, again, (Light1108) for helping me proof (just a little bit), his stuff is great and you should check him out if you haven't already.
PS: I might have a commission on the way soon if you peeps are interested! Keep a lookout on my twitter, as I'll be sure to retweet it/post it whenever it comes around ( monk_kind). Or you could just wait until my next chapter, as I'll definitely be talking about it then. Anyways, that's it for me for now. See you guys after my next update!