It had been a slow week with heavy rain pouring down every day. Instead of going out for outdoor activities, the group decided to spend the Saturday afternoon in Mementos to clear out a few requests posted on the Phan-site.

They agreed in the group chat the night before to meet at Shibuya Station at noon. Makoto, as always, was the first to arrive. Yusuke showed up a little afterwards, followed by Haru, Ann and Ryuji. Twenty minutes passed the appointed time, yet there was no sign of Futaba, nor their usually very punctual leader and Morgana. It was when Ryuji pulled out his phone to check their group chat that their phones chimed in unison.

Futaba: everyone come to LeBlanc ASAP

Futaba: URGENT!

Ryuji: ?

Makato: Is everything okay, Futaba?

Futaba: NO

Futaba: (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

Ann: aren't we meeting at Shibuya Station?

Haru: Where are you, Futaba-chan?

Yusuke: And may I ask where Akira and Morgana are?

Futaba: just come already!ヾ(`ヘ´)ﾉﾞ

Futaba: hurry up

Futaba: AKIRA NEEDS US!

Futaba: LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION

—

Ryuji was to the first to storm inside LeBlanc. The rest of the group followed closely behind. They weren't surprised to find the first floor unlit and empty – Futaba had mentioned that the café would be closed today as Sojiro was out of town visiting an old friend.

"Futaba! Akira!" Ryuji shouted as he climbed the stairs to the attic in a few strides.

What greeted them was Futaba crouching on the desk chair at the corner, looking small and helpless. Akira was lying motionless on the bed, with an equally worried Morgana sitting by his side.

"Futaba! Somethin' happened to Akira!?" Ryuji called out. The figure on the bed stirred.

"…Huh? Guys…?" Akira murmured, his voice raspy. The gang hurried to his bedside looking over at their disheveled leader, who blinked a few times, confused and disoriented.

"Akira! Y-you're alright?" Ann asked, catching her breath from the rush.

"Futaba said it was urgent and that you needed us." Yusuke was the calmest, but still sounded concerned.

"I'm alright…" Akira struggled to sit up, his hair looking even more unkempt than usual. "Just coming down with a cold or something." Makoto and Haru moved to his side; Makoto supported his weight with both hands on his arm and back, while Haru smoothed the pillow behind his back. "Thank you, Makoto, Haru." Finally settled in a comfortable sitting position, he heaved a relieved yet shaky sigh.

"But you weren't fine, Akira!" Futaba exclaimed. "You were so out of it this morning that you nearly fell down the stairs just going to the bathroom!"

At her words, the group took a closer look at their leader, whose face was slightly flushed and marked by fatigue, probably due to a fever. He was clearly not as sharp and bright as his normal self, but was otherwise very much alive.

"Still, a more thorough explanation would have been appreciated, Futaba." said Yusuke.

"No shit, your message really freaked us out." Ryuji chided.

"We were so worried!" Haru said slightly furrowed. "We thought something bad might've happened to you, Akira-kun."

"I–I didn't know what to do!" Futaba pouted. "Sojiro isn't here, and I'd never taken care of someone sick by myself…"

"And you Morgana? Didn't think to let us know what's really goin' on?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

"I was busy looking after our leader." Morgana leaped onto the window frame. "And it's not like I can type or call you even if I want to – I'm a cat!"

"Oh so now you admit to being a cat?" Ann teased him by scratching his chin, which was rewarded with some satisfying purring.

"Sorry…I was gonna call you guys but must have dosed off. Morgana just didn't want to disturb me…" Akira finished his sentence just in time to cover his mouth with his sleeve to cough violently. Makoto handed him the glass of water on the bedside table, who mumbled a small thanks before gingerly sipping the drink. The others could only looked at their friend with a similarly sympathetic expression.

"So how are you feeling at the moment?" Yusuke moved a chair to the end of the bed and sat down.

"Like my head has been stuffed with dozens of cotton balls and my throat scratched by fish bones." Akira answered with a hoarse voice. He sounded horrible even to himself.

"Alright then, forget about Momentos. The sole mission today is to take good care of our leader." Makoto announced and everyone nodded in agreement.

"No, guys. It's just a cold…will be fine by myself, and I don't want you to catch whatever I have. Just go somewhere else, enjoy your weekend." Akira said weakly with a wave. "Futaba, you too. Ask Ann to take you to Shibuya for crepes, or ask Yusuke to go shopping with you in Akihabara."

"Noooo!" Futaba protested. "I have to look after you! Sojiro's not here, so you are my responsibility."

"You sure? Isn't it the other way round?" Ryuji pointed out.

"Can it, monkey." Futaba gave him a glare. Akira had to control himself not to chuckle, otherwise he would probably be attacked by another coughing fit.

"You can rely on us, you know?" Makoto said softly, a hand placed gently on Akira's back. She could feel the heat radiating from his body even through his shirt. "You have always been a reliable leader and a great friend who helped us with our problems. But we're here for you too when you need us."

"Yup, it's our turn to take care of you." Ann added with a wink.

"We've got your back, man!" Ryuji chimed in.

Caught off guard by their insistence, Akira was at a loss for words. "Listen to your fellow teammates, leader." Morgana jumped onto Akira's lap and nudged his arm with his fuzzy head. At that, Akira replied with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Oh right! There is something I know how to do!" Futaba suddenly jumped out of the chair she had been perching on and sprinted down the stairs. They could hear her rummaging around in a cabinet in the kitchen. A minute later, the geeky teen returned with a fever cooling pad in her hand. She clumsily stuck it to Akira's forehand, which ended up slightly tilted to one side, covering one of his eyebrows.

"There," Hands on her waist, Futaba had a proud expression on her face, as if she had just accomplished something significant. "I met my quota of taking care of Akira for the day!" The other girls couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Akira could only shook his head fondly while adjusting the pad back to its rightful position.

"How useful of you, Futaba." Yusuke commented sternly. It was hard to tell whether he really meant it or was being sarcastic, to which Futaba completely ignored and jumped back onto the desk chair.

"I shall go acquire some pain-killing and fever medicine from Dr. Takemi for you, leader. I won't be long." Yusuke left with a nod.

"Oh! I should get a thermometer to take your temperature." Ann headed downstairs to locate the medicine cabinet.

"Mako-chan," said Haru. "Shall we go cook some soup for Akira to take with the medicine?" Makoto agreed.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head, not sure how he could help. "Uh…Anything else you need, man?"

"Just keep me company?"

"'Kay! I can do that!"

Morgana suddenly rolled onto his back on Akira's lap. "Here. Be my guest."

"Um, Morgana?" Akira was surprised by the unusual posture of his furry friend. "What are you doing?"

"You kids always want to scratch my belly," Morgana grumbled. "Since you're under the weather, I'll give you a one-time-only chance to do so. Be grateful."

—

Akira didn't how long it had passed by the time he woke up to the rich aroma of coffee. He had fallen asleep not long after eating the soup and taking the cold medicine. He was still somewhat groggy at the moment, but his headache had subdued to a dull pain and he could feel his fever had broken. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he looked around the attic.

Futaba was hunched over her laptop as usual, doing whatever a hacker usually did. Ann was standing behind the spectacled girl braiding her hair while humming a song. Sitting on a chair at the far corner of the room was Yusuke. He was drawing on a sketchbook with concentration. Ryuji was snickering while slouching lazily on the sofa, with his favorite manga in hand. Makato, as always, had her attention focused on the books scattered on the table, probably preparing for the upcoming exam. Haru was nowhere to be seen. But judging by the aroma floating in the air, she was possibly making coffee downstairs.

The scene before him was not unfamiliar. The group had been to the attic before doing more or less the same things. But right now, it felt different. It felt…warm.

"Hey, sleepy head. Feeling better?" Akira was brought out of his thought by Morgana's voice. The cat was sharing the pillow with him and diligently licking his paw.

Akira could feel a heartfelt smile forming on his face. "Much better."

Morgana's only reply was abandoning his paw and licking Akira's face instead.