The Thief of Light, The Maid of Shadows

by Lonely Support

Sadayo Kawakami wanted nothing to do with Akira Kurusu, her new transfer student. He was a problem child with a criminal record and she simply wished he was taken off her hands. She had no idea how much her life would change after a accidental encounter with him during her night job, or how important a person he would become in her life, just like she would his.

24. Chapter 23

I'm truly sorry for having taken so long to bring you this next chapter. I never intended for it take more tha a year to finish up this chapter. But I got a combination of real life, and a nasty writer's block hit me hard.

I truly want to give my thanks to everyeon that has enjoyed my story since I started, and all of those that found my story during that huge gap and expressed their desire for this story to contiue. It always made me happy to see people wishing for this story to continue and I hope this chapter is worth wait.

---

Chapter 23

"It's been a long time since I wore this. I'm relieved to know that it still fits."

Sadayo sighed as she looked at the mirror. Albeit with the signs of age, it was like staring at a past version of herself. Clad in a freshly pressed business shirt with pencil skirt, this had been her usual outfit when she had been teaching at Maketa Academy.. Combing her hair and gathering it into a ponytail, Sadayo mused nostalgically about the last time she had worn something professional.

Eager to tackle Maketa Academy and finally done with her training, her mother had taken the time out of her busy schedule to celebrate with her, shopping in Aoyama for a formal business attire for Sadayo's first day on the job. That day was one of Sadayo's cherished memories, and it finished with a mother-daughter karaoke and drinking contest. To Sadayo's eternal embarrassment, she had ended up telling her mother too many details about her then-love life.

Stifling her smile, Sadayo reached for her makeup and carefully applied the foundation. At the time, she had wanted to give a good impression to both her students and her peers. A professional and competent teacher that, despite her newbie status, was someone who was ready to do her best. She had been nervous, optimistic.

But then, the events with Taiki-kun happened. She had tried to maintain her resolve to avoid that from ever happening again, but the repeated interactions with his guardians and her quiet dismissal soon after eventually left her apathetic. Now that she thought about it, it was a miracle she landed a job at Shujin, especially since she had stopped bothering to appear professional, just going with what was comfortable. After all, what was the point?

They were painful memories, but at least, Sadayo could now look back at them and laugh.

"I didn't really pay attention, but I wonder what the other teachers must've thought when the new hire started to come to school in baggy shirts. They must've felt like they had been tricked into hiring me," Sadayo exhaled, finishing the last of her makeup. "Still, I think by this point I prefer the relaxed route. Akira did say that it made me more approachable to the students. Though I do wonder what he would think if he saw me dressed like this." Giggling, she jutted her hip and formed a gun with her hand, winking at the mirror.

Today was a special case — the meeting with the Sakamotos. Approachable or not, she was going there as a representative of the school, and she wanted to put her best foot forward.

Suddenly, the irritated looks of the volleyball team popped in her head. Maybe she wouldn't make progress with the Sakamotos like she had with those girls. Maybe she'll fail those girls and fail Sakamoto-kun, and Akira would despise her for failing his best friend, and maybe—

Sadayo groaned. "Come on, stay focused! Today isn't about them!"

Yesterday, she'd mustered up a brave face for her boyfriend, but truthfully, she was afraid of facing the Sakamotos. She had been willfully indifferent with the way many of the teachers scorned them with Kamoshida at the helm, but now, Sadayo could feel her stomach turn in disgust at herself at the reminder that she used to respect that monster as a peer.

She shook her head. "Focus! Think of the meeting! Though… facing Sakamoto-kun and his mother makes me more scared than whatever it is that MEDJED is planning." A moment of silence passed as her reflection stared at her with utter bafflement. "Actually that's a lie; I really don't want to know what will happen to Japan if MEDJED wins.''

Imagining the collapse of Japan's economy was frightening, but something about Akira's words yesterday made her feel like he would handle it, no biggie. With an amused huff, Sadayo straightened her back. She can trust Akira to take care of them, to keep everyone safe, so in turn she would do her best to take care of his best friend.

"As his teacher of course," Sadayo quickly proclaimed, but deep inside, she wondered how unbiased she truly was. She stared determinedly at the woman in the mirror, who took a deep breath. "It'll be fine. You can do this!"

Her cell phone suddenly rang. A smile formed on her face as soon as she saw the caller ID.

"Hey Akira," Sadayo answered happily. "I'm just about ready to—"

"Futaba woke up," Akira interrupted.

"Wait, really?! That's great!" Sadayo replied excitedly. Akira's relief was obvious to her. "How is she? Is she okay? I mean, do you think she can help with MEDJED?"

"She's working on it as we speak," Akira spoke with no hint of concern, which greatly alleviated her worry. "You should really see her go at it."

"I-I don't think I would really understand what was going on to really appreciate it," Sadayo awkwardly chuckled. Part of her was nervous with the certainty of meeting Futaba, especially after learning of Chihaya's power. "Still, I'm glad to hear that. Guess you'll be joining us a little later then."

"About that..." there was a stark change in Akira's voice. "I want to keep an eye on things. We don't know how long this can take so I want to be ready if anything comes up."

"Oh… So I guess that means that..."

"I won't be able to make it to the meeting," Akira confirmed.

"I see… Well that's fine," Sadayo smiled. "I told you already, didn't I? This is official school business, so I think that's for the best."

"I know that, but—"

"No buts, mister," Sadayo took initiative, recalling her boyfriend's tendency to shoulder even the most miniscule burden. "You're the leader of the Phantom Thieves, aren't you? Then it's your responsibility to make sure everything goes well. And it's my job as a teacher to help my students whenever I can. You just make sure to teach that MEDJED a lesson, so leave the Sakamotos to me, okay?"

It might've been a bit too harsh, but her boyfriend simply chuckled from the other end of the line.

"Understood, Sensei. I'll let Ryuji know. And Sadayo?"

"Hmm, yes?"

"Thank you."

Warmth bloomed in her chest. "Of course. After all, I promised you, didn't I? No matter what, we would figure things out together."

"Yeah, though it makes me wish I could call a certain maid over."

"A-Akira!" Sadayo blurted in a fluster. "Now is not the time for—"

"The place is a huge mess, it'll probably take me all day just to clean it."

"Oh..." Sadayo's face grew redder. Her boyfriend's chuckle told her he knew exactly what he was doing.

"So Becky… any advice?"

---

The journey to the Sakamoto residence felt very on edge. Personal concerns and nervousness notwithstanding, it seemed that all everyone and their dog could talk about was the incoming attack from the hacker group. Some were scared, some were in disbelief, and some were upset, cursing the police, government, the Phantom Thieves, or all three.

Sadayo disliked those anti-Phantom Thieves comments in particular. She understood that they were frightened, but it angered her to hear them verbally insulting not just her boyfriend, but all his friends that had done their best to help others, especially when it was MEDJED that started this whole thing. Still, she put those thoughts behind her. Akira and Sakura-chan are already taking care of that, so she needed to focus on her job.

LEO Castle Katanodai, Sadayo absentmindedly read the building signage, before realizing that she had arrived at her destination. It looked just like she remembered from all those months ago. Sadayo double-checked her phone to make sure she had the right address and proceeded to climb up the stairs. Arriving at the second floor, a particular door made her pause. It appeared to be occupied now, but the last time she had opened that door, it had led to a mostly empty room with three troublemaking students and a future she didn't know she would reclaim.

Amused at her bout of melodrama, Sadayo had to admit, it was oddly nostalgic, considering all that just happened three months ago. Add the recent crazy things happening around her, and this honestly was blessedly normal by comparison. With a slight giggle, she continued her walk. Finally she reached Unit 2F, the Sakamotos' apartment. However as soon as her hand was an inch from the doorbell, she hesitated.

'What… exactly am I supposed to do? I don't want Akira to be worried so he could focus on MEDJED, and I told Sakamoto-kun that I would talk with his mother, but what exactly am I supposed to tell her? That her son's grades are still low? That the track team is back, yet Sakamoto-kun never rejoined? But he's a good kid who beats bad guys in a supernatural world so it's all good? And what about me? I'm not even his homeroom teacher, yet I couldn't help always being on his case. Like his hair! Why is he still blond?! Standing out doesn't make things easy for him—'

"Is that you, Teach?"

Sadayo jumped. She will never admit this to Akira, but she was thankful that his regular sneak attacks trained her not to scream. Turning slowly, she found a bewildered Sakamoto-kun, holding a bag of groceries.

"Uhhhhh, you okay there?

"I'm fine," Sadayo cleared her throat. "Just had something on my mind."

"Ooookay…" Sakamoto-kun blatantly eyed her from head to toe. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Excuse me?" Sadayo glared indignantly, crossing her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"N-nothing, nothing! I-I just didn't think you were the kind to dress up formally like that," Ryuji Sakamoto rapidly backpedaled. "A-anyway, you're already here! Greaaat! Why don't we just come in?" He avoided eye-contact as he grabbed his keys to unlock the door. In record time, he was zooming into the apartment and into another door. "HeymomI'mhomeandlookwho'shere!It' !"

"What?!"

Sadayo winced at the crash that followed. Retracting her anger for now, Sadayo hoped that she came across as reassuring. "I'm coming in."

Unwilling to leave the genkan for propriety's sake, Sadayo contented herself with observing the small apartment. The tatami-floored home was decorated by a small table and some cushions at the center of what would probably be considered the living room. A TV in the right corner by the balcony window could be seen playing news coverage about MEDJED's supposed attacks. Various pictures of Sakamoto-kun in his younger years dotted the farthest wall, and beside it was the door that her student disappeared into.

Promptly, it opened; Sakamoto-kun exited with a tray of tea things as a slender, nervous-looking woman wearing a clean but worn apron rushed past him. She stopped before Sadayo and bowed, her long, straight, black hair nearly touching the floor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were waiting outside. I must have not heard you knocking."

"No, it's fine, I hadn't actually knocked yet. I only just arrived," Sadayo put on her professional smile, hoping to put the mother at ease; the poor woman still had soapy hands in her rush. Sadayo returned the excessively courteous bow to her host, Takara Sakamoto. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami, your son's Japanese Language teacher. I'm not sure if you remember me but—"

"You were one of the teachers in the room when I was called to the school concerning Ryuji," Sakamoto-san responded with a regretful smile.

Despite the lack of accusation, Sadayo slightly flinched. "I-I see. Well, thank you for having me over. Do you mind if I step in?"

"Y-yes of course! Please, come in and have a seat." Sakamoto-san gestured to the table, clearly embarrassed. "Well, we don't actually have any seats, but I'll go make us some— Ryuji-kun, that's the old tea, we need a fresh brew!"

"No, that's... unnecessary..." Sadayo trailed off as the woman quickly disappeared, teapot in hand.

Sakamoto-kun awkwardly placed the snacks and cups on the table. "Don't mind her, Teach. Please, uh, come in?" Still unable to meet her eyes, he plopped on one of the cushions and faced the TV.

Left with no real choice, Sadayo left her shoes on the genkan, walked the to the cushions, and sat. The situation was going as she expected. Unfortunately, the sparse room has little to talk about save the pictures on the wall. But peering into the earlier lives of the Sakamotos seemed too intrusive and may make the mother more uncomfortable, so Sadayo refrained from standing. Instead, she faced the other end of the table, but Sakamoto-kun now looked genuinely absorbed in the news. No surprise there, considering the topic.

"Are you okay? I mean, it must be stressful with MEDJED and everyone talking," Sadayo leaned in and whispered to avoid his mother from overhearing. At his gobsmacked shock, she quickly interjected to pre-empt any commotion, "Did you forget that you told me that you guys knew?"

"Ah… right," Sakamoto-kun slumped with a huge sigh of relief. "It's fine. Akira called me and said he's got it."

Akira had told her he put his full trust in his friends and while she was happy to see them take his word for it, there was still a part of her that was hesitant. She wanted to believe that his friends felt the same way about him, but when she thought back to all her interactions with them, she was scared that they'll turn on him if they discover her involvement.

Sadayo silently swallowed the lump in her throat. She wanted to know more of what his friends thought of him. "Are you sure? Aren't you worried?"

"Well, yeah. I'm scared shitless."

Sadayo raised an eyebrow at the crass language.

Sakamoto-kun remembered he was talking with his teacher and immediately backpedaled. "I-I mean, yeah, I'm worried. But I know Akira is working on it. And if he needs me, he'll let me know. Until then, the best I can do is just wait."

"Wait for what?"

Startled, the two straightened from their conspiring huddle and faced the bemused Sakamoto-san, who held a new tray.

"N-Nothing," Sadayo quickly answered. "We were talking about Kurusu-kun! Your son was telling me that they planned to meet afterwards."

"Well be sure to tell him hi for me, Ryuji," Sakamoto-san smiled as she set down the tray on the table and offered a cup to Sadayo. "And that he's always welcome to visit whenever he wants."

"Sure thing Mom," her son smiled back.

Sadayo couldn't help but smile as well. Akira had told her that he had been here before, and it made Sadayo happy to know that there was another place where he was welcomed with open arms. But as much as she wanted to inquire more about Sakamoto-san's thoughts on Akira, that wasn't her priority.

Preparing herself, Sadayo waited for all of their cups to be filled before taking a sip of her tea. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was still quite nice.

"Thank you once again for taking the time so we could meet." Sadayo gave a professional bow once more, shifting into full teacher mode. "If it's alright with you, I would like to discuss Sakamoto-kun's future prospects. Now, before we begin, is there anything that you would like to ask me about?"

Awkwardness promptly returned to the room. Sakamoto-san shot a look of concern to her son, who was studiously focused on his cup. Eventually, she took a deep breath and faced her guest. "Please be honest with me, Ms. Kawakami. Is Ryuji at risk of being expelled?"

The shame on her student's face was not overlooked by Sadayo, though it was expected. After all, part of why she was here was to help him discuss such things with his mother.

Sadayo straightened herself. "Frankly, Sakamoto-san, your son's latest midterm scores are worrisome, considering he failed all his subjects. Thankfully he was able to complete the extra courses at the beginning of summer, but if things don't change I can't guarantee his enrollment next year."

Sakamoto-san's expression was very telling — pained, yet unsurprised. She let out an exasperated sigh which made her son wince. "I know that it's no excuse, but I hope you can understand. It hasn't been easy with just the two of us since his father left us—"

Her son's eye twitched slightly as he clenched his fist on the table.

"—and I've been so busy with work just to make ends meet. We've managed so far, but I feel that I haven't been able to be there for him as much as I wish. I feel I've been neglecting him, and because of it, it's affecting his motivation, but I promise you he's a good kid. Once he's set his mind on something he's very hardworking. I'm sure if he puts his mind into it, he'll do fine."

"This isn't about me not trying," Sakamoto-kun strongly disagreed. "I'm just not smart."

"Ryuji! You really shouldn't put yourself down like that," his mother quickly argued back, causing her son to flinch.

Sadayo frowned at the mirrored expressions of pain as the two looked away from each other.

"I'm sorry, Ryuji, this is all my fault. I wasn't good enough to raise you on my own." Sakamoto-san sighed. "If I had been better, maybe Juro wouldn't have—"

"Screw him!" Sakamoto-kun suddenly slammed his fist on the table, causing both women across him to recoil. His anger was immediately drowned by horror.

Years ago, during the meeting about Sakamoto-kun, the matter of his father had been brought up, used as evidence of the apple not falling far from the tree. As much as it shamed her, Sadayo had taken those accusations at face value, and at the time just took the outbursts as lashing out. Later when she realized the truth, she had thought that it was his justified anger at being treated like the bad guy when no one listened to him about Kamoshida's abuse. But now...

Sakamoto-kun shifted away from his mother, hands over his face. "We don't need that asshole here. We're better off without him."

"Ryuji…"

It seemed like a common argument. Sadayo cleared her throat. "Sakamoto-san, I know that your family history was never meant to spread in the school, and I do apologize for that." Sadayo gave another bow to the woman before softening her tone. "But, from what we learned of your situation, your son is right."

"I'm just not good on my own," Sakamoto-san disagreed, shaking her head dejectedly. "After Juro left us, I tried to do my best to raise Ryuji on my own. But I didn't make good choices nor was I able to get a good paying job, so I had to work long hours. And because of that, we scraped by just to survive, and I neglected my son. Overall, it all led to me."

She looked at her son, guilt apparent — the same expression that was so familiar to Sadayo whenever she looked into the mirror.

"I wasn't able to support us, Ryuji-kun, so you worked so hard to get that scholarship, but because of it, you were forced to deal with that coach. If I had been a more capable parent you could have quit, but instead you tried to tolerate it, even when you got your injury or when you were ostracized from the school. And now, it's putting you at risk."

"What do you mean?" Sadayo asked.

"I-it's nothing," Sakamoto-kun interjected, immediately concerned, "my mom's just worrying for no reason!"

Sakamoto-san seemed contemplative, looking between her nervous son and his teacher for a few moments. Then, she took a fortifying breath before turning back to Sadayo.

"For the past months now, Ryuji has been coming home with a large amount of money."

'So him too, huh?' Sadayo inwardly winced as she put two and two together. Knowing how much Akira had spent on maid services almost nightly, it was no surprise that Sakamoto-kun's source of funds would raise flags.

"Like I keep saying, it's nothing you have to worry about." Sakamoto-kun shot a wide-eyed look of desperation towards Sadayo, clearly torn between lying and soothing his mother. "I know we've been strapped for cash and I didn't want you to push yourself so hard anymore, so I wanted to help and make things easier for us."

"But how did you get so much money?" his mother pleaded. "Every time I ask you, you always avoid the subject, and it makes me worried. Everyone in the neighborhood has heard the rumors, about how gangs drag kids into doing terrible things for some quick buck. I know things haven't been easy, but you shouldn't put yourself in danger like that."

"It's not surprising you heard that," Sadayo jumped into the conversation. "Please keep what I'm going to tell you to this home, but a number of students at Shujin did become targets of said schemes. It was being discussed everyone, so when the stories changed about the extortions ending around the same time that that criminal was arrested in Shibuya, it's not hard to connect the two. So I can assure you that if Sakamoto-kun is still getting paid now, it's not from them."

"...Is that so?" The mother blinked, surprised. Her shoulders slumped as she buried her face in her hands. "That's a relief."

"I understand your concerns for what your son has been doing, but I can assure you that he simply wants to handle things on his own," Sadayo continued, hiding her amusement of the Sakamotos' synchronized sighs of relief. "Honestly, a lot of our students have begun to pick up part-time jobs. In fact, I've had a few students who've been coming to me to brush up their résumés," Sadayo spoke with a sense of pride. She then nodded meaningfully at her student. "It's very possible that Sakamoto-kun has simply found something he's quite good at..."

Unfortunately, another wide-eyed expression was on Sakamoto-kun. "Uhh… I mean… I… I've been helping Ann with, um, training and exercise ever since she's gotten serious about modeling work?"

"So you're working as Takamaki-chan's personal trainer? No wonder you're getting paid so well," Sadayo smiled in relief.

"You're working for Ann-chan!?" his mother exclaimed with more joy than Sadayo expected.

"What? No, Ann isn't p—"

Sadayo shot Sakamoto-kun the harshest teacher-glare she could muster to stop him from ruining their potential alibi; luckily, his mother didn't notice. "You don't have to be so shy about it," Sadayo chuckled as she turned to his mother, believing this to be their best excuse thanks to Sakamoto-san's excitement. "Though I guess that would explain why he was hesitant to tell you about it. You know how boys can be at his age after all."

"I guess he is at that age," his mother chuckled as well. "Ann-chan was always a sweet girl. You know, you're always welcome to invite her over anytime."

"I-it's not like that! We're just…" Sakamoto-kun sputtered, before looking away, bright red. "S-sure, I'll let her know."

"So you know Takamaki-chan?" Sadayo enquired, feeling merciful to her student and curious about his history.

"Oh yes, Ryuji on occasion would hang out with her and Shiho-chan back in middle school." Sakamoto-san turned to her son, "I remember how excited you were when you all managed to get into Shujin. But then as soon as school started, you all just stopped talking to one another."

"I guess it couldn't be helped. Ann was starting to get known in her modeling, and both Shiho and I put our focus into our teams." Sakamoto-kun looked down; Sadayo could guess what he was thinking. "And then… well… you know what happened."

Closing her eyes, Sadayo let out a shuddering breath. She felt like she needed to lower her head and beg their forgiveness for her hand in their suffering. But doing so would feel hollow. She had spent years only apologizing to the detriment of everything else. And she was done.

What's happened in the past can't be changed; what mattered now is that she set things right. Steeling herself, she opened her eyes.

"During that meeting years ago, our staff not only accused your son, but also your role as his mother, yet after observing your son during this past year, I have to disagree with their previous statements. While your son does need to focus more on his studies," Sadayo chided gently, "he has started to show qualities that show how well you have raised him. When Kurusu-kun arrived at our school, no one wanted to associate themselves with him, but your son was the only one who wasn't afraid of becoming his friend. He was one of the few to speak out against Kamoshida, even when the whole school was against him. And even when the track team pushed him away and wanted nothing to do with him, your son still went out of his way to help them and make sure they were in good hands."

Sakamoto-kun spluttered, "Wait, how do you—"

"Your arguments were very loud in the courtyard; it was hard not to overhear what was going on… although I should have probably intervened… sorry," Sadayo grimaced at another meaningless apology right after her vow not to do so. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the loyalty and care he's displayed shows how well you've instilled those values into his life. Having even only one person be there for you, and show that they care can mean the world to someone. I... I know that because I've been there myself, and I'm ever grateful that someone was there for me when I needed it most." She took a sip of her tea as she struggled to control her emotions. "I know that you're worried that Sakamoto-kun is pushing himself because you're failing him, but it's actually the opposite. He's actually very kind, and has been doing even better at making friends, and those friends are..." she paused, trying to find the right way to put it, "...very supportive. So you're not forcing him to do anything. He's grown enough to make his own decisions after all. Isn't that right, Sakamoto-kun?"

Tears of joy welled up in Sakamoto-san's eyes. As she was wiping her face, Sadayo turned to her student, who was bright red again, openly gaping at her in disbelief. Sadayo just nodded at him with an encouraging smile. He needed to speak his mind; after all, the subject is his future, and it should be something he must feel strongly about.

Taking a deep breath, Sakamoto-kun finally spoke up. "I admit, part of me wants to get that track and field scholarship back because I want to make things easier on you, Mom. You always work so hard to make sure we're able to manage, so I wanted to lighten that load. But… I let Kamoshida get to me, and for the longest time I felt like the worst son ever. I felt like I lost my leg, but also any chance of doing anything with my life. All your sacrifice, Mom, went to waste on someone like me."

'Sakamoto-kun…' Sadayo smiled sympathetically at her student.

"But everything started to change when I met Akira. Training with him reminded me that I actually enjoyed running. I'm still not as good as I was back then, but I am getting better. In fact, helping Ann helped me realize I'm pretty good when it comes to exercise regimens. And I ran into my senpai some time ago, and he told me that despite Kamoshida ruining his chances of going to the team he wanted, he's still happy where he's now. Then the track team — it's now back to how it was. Even though I didn't rejoin, I still haven't given up on running either. Though maybe right now all I can do is something like training or being a friend's personal trainer." Sakamoto-kun hesitated, but continued on, eyes glued to his mother's face. "I know I'm not the smartest person. I get upset a lot and act without thinking sometimes, but I just know that it's too early for me to give up. And hopefully… hopefully I can grow up to be a son you're proud of—"

Sakamoto-san lunged and pulled her son close, fresh tears falling down her face. "You already are. You were never a terrible son, and I never regretted having you and raising you. I was just so worried that I was the one that had failed you."

Sakamoto-kun didn't reply, but returned his mother's embrace.

Averting her eyes to give the two a semblance of privacy, Sadayo took a sip of her lukewarm tea. Warmth and satisfaction filled her, and the wonderful reconciliation reminded her of her promise to her own mother.

'I should call mom later…'

---

"That's not how I imagined this meeting to go," Sadayo said as soon as the door closed behind them.

"You're telling me," Ryuji joined in. With a deep breath of the outside air, the two started walking.

Though it ended up lasting longer than expected, the rest of the meeting had gone smoothly. Sadayo had brought up suggestions to help Sakamoto-kun with his courses, and though it was obvious that he wished he was doing just about anything else but talk about his grades, she could appreciate his attempts at paying attention. At the very least, his mother was in a better mood for the rest of the conversation and thanked Sadayo profusely for talking to them. She even asked her son to escort his teacher to the train station; and while Sadayo didn't think it was needed, she appreciated the gesture. Plus, it gave her to talk to him privately.

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet, mister." Sadayo spoke up as they were descending the stairs. "You should get in contact with Takamaki-chan so that you can be on the same page."

"Uh, sure thing, Teach. I was surprised when you came up with that so quickly."

"Let's just say that someone helped me out in a similar way." Sadayo focused on her steps, hoping that her face wasn't giving anything away. "What's important is confidence and conviction."

"I think I get what you mean," Sakamoto-kun grinned, probably having a good idea of who she was talking about. Though his smile didn't last long. "Guess I'm gonna be lying more to Mom."

"Well, it's either that or you tell her about how you're fighting weird creatures every week like the Feathermen" Sadayo spoke sternly as they reached the first floor.

"Hey, we're cooler than Feathermen! But yeah..." He scratched his chin then looked at Sadayo inquisitively. "So… how much do you know?"

"A bit. I've been asking Kurusu-kun about it so I could get a gist of the situation."

"For real?" Ryuji raised his brows in surprise, then tilted his head. "He did mention that you can help us with alibis and stuff. Now I can see why."

"Just remember there's only so much I can do. We're lucky that you're genuinely helping out Takamaki-chan. I was worried we would have to make up some kind of job. It's really hard keeping stuff like that a secret. There are only a few jobs that you can do without leaving much of a trail."

"You… really do know a lot about this don't you?"

"Just be careful okay?" Sadayo cut the conversation short, realizing she let out a bit more than she should have. The two continued down the street, passing by the other neighboring apartments. Feeling a gaze on the side of her face, she turned just in time to see Sakamoto-kun quickly turning away. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, just…" Sakamoto-kun paused for a moment. "Ms. Kawakami, thanks for saying what you did to my mom. It made her feel a lot better."

Saddened but empathetic to his obvious uncertainty and regret, Sadayo sighed. "I know that I helped you make up an alibi, but I wasn't lying just to make your mother feel better. I truly meant what I said. You slack on your school work, you can be quite vulgar at times. And it wouldn't kill you to follow the school's uniform regulations, you know."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Sakamoto-kun rolled his eyes like he always did when she lectured him, but for some reason, instead of frustration, Sadayo couldn't help but giggle at his response.

"But in the end, you're a good kid. We all make mistakes in our life, but despite how harsh life has treated not only you, but Kurusu-kun and Takamaki-chan, you all still did your best to help others. I think that's something really admirable."

"It's only because of Akira," Sakamoto-kun sulked as he looked away. "Before he came, all I was doing was yelling and being pissed off. No matter what I did or said, I only seemed to make things worse and there was nothing I could do. It was thanks to him that I was able to get better. He prevented me from repeating more dumb mistakes."

A warm smile formed on Sadayo's face; he might put himself down, but her boyfriend saw this person as his best friend. "Sakamoto-kun," she called to catch his attention, "thank you for sticking up for Kurusu-kun. And for being his friend."

"Uuuuhh, s-sur-sure..." Sakamoto-kun stammered. His red face made the teacher chuckle.

They paused when Sakamoto-kun's phone pinged. After reading his notification, a big grin spread on his face. "Hell yeah!"

"What is it?" Sadayo asked, feeling her silent phone vibrate in her pocket. She ignored it for the time being, fearing that Sakamoto-kun might get suspicious at the timing. Besides, she had the hunch what the message was about.

"Looks like Akira was really able to take care of things." Sakamoto-kun confirmed her suspicions, a pep in his step.

Sadayo played up her surprise as they continued walking. "Really? Oh thank goodness."

They reached the crowded section of Shibuya. With the street buzzing with the talk of MEDJED and the Phantom Thieves around them, it was a strange feeling for Sadayo to be one of the few people in the loop of what was going on behind the scenes. Sadayo wondered if this is what it was like being a member of a secret organization, though the notion that she was a part of it seemed a bit too presumptuous. Still... she could live without hearing the naysayers complain when they don't know how much the Phantom Thieves have done for others — a sentiment that her student echoed.

"Selfish assholes," Sakamoto-kun mumbled under his breath, which earned him a small tap on his arm.

"Hey, it will be fine," Sadayo gave him an understanding smile. "Soon enough they'll be eating their words, right?"

"Yeah!" Sakamoto-kun cheered as they turned at an intersection. Then he paused. "Ann?"

"Ryuji? And..."

A knot formed in Sadayo's stomach. Not only Takamaki-chan was there, but Izumi-chan as well, carrying a small bag and luggage. As Sadayo expected, Takamaki-chan didn't seem very happy to see her.

"Why are you with Ms. Kawakami?" Takamaki-chan asked suspiciously.

"She came by to talk to me and Mom about school, and Mom asked me to walk her to the station afterwards. What are you two up to? I thought you were leaving today, Hana?"

"I was, but because people are worried about this whole MEDJED stuff the train out of Tokyo has been delayed 'til further notice," Izumi-chan rolled her eyes. "I mean, I don't even get the big deal with these Phantom Thieves everyone is talking about. If this so-called MEDJED has a problem with them, why take it out on other people?"

Both Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-chan seemed amused by Izumi-chan's statement. After what most of the crowd has been saying, it was probably nice to see someone blame MEDJED instead.

"Anyway, Kira-kun had originally told me he was busy, and I didn't want to bother him,

so I asked Ann-chan if we could hang out. But he just texted me that he was done and asked if we could meet up at Big Bang Burger."

"We should probably head over so we don't miss him," Takamaki-chan interjected curtly. With a bare, polite nod at Sadayo's direction, she strode off.

"Wait a minute, Ann-chan!" Izumi-chan called out, then turned towards Sadayo. "I'm sorry, but you seem to know Ryu-kun and Ann-chan, so I should introduce myself. I'm Hana Izumi, a freshman in college. Who might you be?"

"I-it's a pleasure to meet you," Sadayo managed to put up a polite smile. Akira had told her that his friend tended to be aggressively curious. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami, a teacher at Shujin Academy."

"Oh, you're their teacher?" Curiosity shone from Izumi-chan's eyes, apparent despite her shades. "Does that mean you teach Akira Kurusu?"

"Yes, I'm actually his homeroom teacher." With a nervous smile, Sadayo gestured toward the one person that obviously didn't want her to be there. "Him and Takamaki-chan."

"Yeah, we're in the same class," Takamaki-chan blew off an errant hair exasperatedly. Hand on her waist, she impatiently asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to get there early? We should go."

"Oh yeah, you're probably right," Izumi-chan replied. Then promptly asked, "Ms. Kawakami, Ryu-kun — would you like to join us?"

---

"You're not getting anything to eat, Ms. Kawakami?" Sakamoto-kun asked before diving into his burger.

"I'm fine. I'm not really that hungry…" Sadayo avoided eye-contact as she just stared outside the window. Part of it was that she still couldn't stomach the food at Big Bang Burger after her one and only challenge attempt to save up money on food. But the major reason was Takamaki-chan's air of irritation across the other side of the table.

Sitting in the farthest corner booth, Sadayo is once again trapped between a warm body and a cold wall, like when she first met Chihaya and Ohya. Sakamoto-kun sat between Sadayo and freedom, glancing between his teacher and the silent Takamaki-chan between bites. Izumi-chan was still by the counter, waiting on her food.

'How did I end up in three awkward meetings in one week?!' Sadayo wailed inwardly as she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for intruding."

"It's fine," Takamaki-chan muttered, glaring at her fries, "Hana was the one that invited you."

Sadayo merely maintained her smile before lowering her head, not knowing what to do to salvage the awkward silence.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Sakamoto-kun suddenly piped up, "Ann, sorry to bring this up out of nowhere, but if my mom ever asks you, you've been paying me for the exercise coaching."

"For real? Why? What's going on?" Takamaki-chan asked, turning her glare to Sakamoto-kun.

"Sakamoto-kun's mother wanted an explanation about where he was getting his money," Sadayo jumped in, feeling oddly guilty. "I helped him make an alibi, and he mentioned helping you out, and it sort of turned out that he's working for you."

"Wait, how do you— oh right, Akira told us you knew." Takamaki-chan twitched in a myriad of expressions for a few seconds, staring. Sadayo almost wished that Takamaki-chan would return to glaring at her food, as the prolonged gaze was now making her nervous.

"Please Ann, I want to help Mom, but I don't want her worrying about me." Sakamoto-kun pressed his palms together.

Thankfully, Sakamoto-kun's begging took Takamaki-chan's attention, her annoyance slowly crumbling. She groaned, "All right, I get it, I'll help out." A smile crept on her face, the first one Sadayo saw tonight. "You really can't say no to your mom, can you? I guess I can act like I recommended you to the modeling company to train me."

"But your acting sucks," Sakamoto-kun commented without missing a beat.

Takamaki-chan's smile was now chilling. "Do you want my help or not?"

"YesI'msorrypleasehelpme?"

As the two began to argue, Sadayo did her best to hold back from snickering. It reminded her of the silly arguments she would get with friends during her time in highschool. Although... now that she thought about it, where were they now? Were they happy or sad in their life right now? Was she really wrapped up in her misery that she simply forgot about them?

Sadayo leaned back on her seat, watching her two students fondly. Unlike her, these youngsters strove forward despite their hardships. And after all that stuff, seeing them acting like normal students made Sadayo happy. She knew that part of it was due to Akira, but…

"You two are really amazing."

"Huh?" Both students whipped towards her in unison. Albeit confused, Sakamoto-kun returned her smile with a grin while Takamaki-chan pursed her lips.

"Sorry for the wait, took me a while to decide what I wanted," Izumi-chan suddenly announced with her tray of food as she sat down. Pushing her shades to the top of her head, she quirked an eyebrow at Takamaki-chan. "You okay?"

"Fine," Takamaki-chan deflated, going back to her food.

"So Izumi-chan," Sadayo said, half-curious and half-wanting to get it over already, "you mentioned Kurusu-kun specifically. Do you happen to know him?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I just brought that up," Izumi-chan nodded as she opened her burger. "I actually know him from way back. We both come from the same neighborhood."

"I'm surprised to hear that someone from his hometown was in the area." Which, technically, wasn't a lie; Sadayo just neglected to mention when she learned of it. "Did you move to Tokyo at some point?"

"No, I'm actually attending college in Sendai. I just came to visit since we hadn't talked to one another in some time."

"I see," Sadayo answered, trying to be casual. When the other girl just continued eating, Sadayo followed up with, "If it's alright to ask, was there any reason why you wanted me to join you? Did you have any questions?"

"Honestly, I just felt like chatting. I wanted to ask you a bit about Aki-kun while we waited on him," Izumi-chan replied after finishing a bite of her burger.

The girl's carefree attitude nearly made Sadayo facepalm; she noticed Takamaki-chan twitch as Sakamato-kun blinked incredulously. "What kind of things? You know I can't disclose any information concerning his academics nor the stuff going on at school."

"Oh, nothing like that," Izumi-chan waved her hand airily. "I was just wondering how he has been doing."

"I think that would be a question probably better answered by Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-chan here. After all, they spend more time with him."

"I have, and they've talked to me about some stuff, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on him. After all, you are his homeroom teacher."

"Actually, I would like to know that too."

Dread pooled in Sadayo's belly as she turned towards the other side of the table.

Takamaki-chan evenly returned her gaze. "You always complained about how you were 'stuck' with him. Hell, even before he arrived, it's not like you ever bothered to help out or cared."

Keeping her hands tightly clasped on her lap, Sadayo resolutely kept her gaze on her student.

"But now you're standing up for him? Doing house visits to students that aren't even in your homeroom?" Takamaki-chan continued, frustration apparent, but doing an admirable job of keeping a level tone while in public. "So what? Are we supposed to act like everything's fine now? Do you consider him worth giving a damn now? Or are you just playing nice so that you'll look good?"

"Dude..." Sakamoto-kun slowly started, eyes wide, "Ann, isn't that a bit—"

"Sakamoto-kun, it's fine," Sadayo interrupted. Her chest hammered rapidly, but if she truly wanted to be accepted by her boyfriend's friends, excuses wouldn't cut it.

"I don't blame you for thinking ill of me — in fact, you have every right to be upset with me considering what you went through." Sadayo's drew in a deep breath. "But I promise you that I would never use Kurusu-kun in that way. I know it doesn't make up for the way I treated him before, but I truly want to do everything I can to protect him. And that goes for the both of you as well. Even if you don't believe or trust me, if any of you needs help, I promise I will be there to help you in any way I can."

Sadayo did not spare a glance to the others, only keeping Takamaki-chan in view, though her student's blonde head was bowed, preventing Sadayo from reading her expression. Sadayo was about to speak when Takamaki-chan stood up, her chair screeching against the floor.

"I… need to go somewhere." In contrast to her fiery expression just a minute ago, Takamaki-chan now looked exhausted. She bowed briefly and politely towards the table. "Sorry for the trouble. And... thanks, for helping out Akira back then." She grabbed her bag and marched to the exit.

"Ann, wait!" Sakamoto-kun called out. He looked between the ladies at the table and at the moving Takamaki-chan. "Sorry."

Blinking at the whirlwind of movement, Sadayo suddenly realized that she was left alone with her boyfriend's childhood friend.

"...What was that all about?" Izumi-chan finally said, perplexed.

"It's exactly as you heard." Sadayo sighed, massaging her forehead. "You probably heard of— you know what, never mind. All that matters is that for the longest time, I wasn't the best teacher. Almost everything she said about me was true, especially about how I treated Kurusu-kun. Yet, even when I wanted to keep my distance, life just had this funny sense of humor of making us interact. I got to know him. He's very cocky, and could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he'd always treat me with respect and he'd take the time to listen to me. When I finally apologized to him for treating him horribly, he easily forgave me."

"I know what you mean," Izumi-chan giggled.

Sadayo smiled back. "You want my personal thoughts on Kurusu-kun, yeah? I think he's a bit too nosy for his own good, and he just can't help himself from getting into trouble, but he's also one of the smartest and kindest people I've ever met, and I really want to do what I can to help him."

"I see… then I'm glad he was sent to your school," Izumi-chan nodded, looking satisfied. Then she lowered her gaze, sullen. "After his arrest, everyone in our hometown washed their hands off him. Guys that he used to play with, the neighbors that would speak highly of him, and especially the teachers at our school. The moment he was found guilty, they made sure to kick him out without a second thought."

"He did tell me that that was a big reason for why his parents had him sent here. So he could get away from all of that."

"Well it was true, and I was no better," Izumi-san smiled — the same melancholic smile that Takara Sakamoto had worn earlier. "Did you know? Kira-kun used to be a very weird kid. He disliked talking with other kids his age, and acted like a big know-it-all. We used to get into fights a lot back in the day."

"He doesn't sound that different from how he is now." Sadayo chuckled, "He can be quick to speak his mind."

"I'm glad to hear that hasn't changed," Izumi-san joined in, exhaling as she leaned back on her seat. "I was worried that he would've changed, but from what Ryuji, Ann and you have told me, he seems to be the same as always."

"Meeting those two helped a lot," Sadayo paused, trying to keep in mind that from an outside perspective, she was less close to Akira compared to his friends. Did she reveal a lot more than she intended already? But what was done was done, so she settled for being concerned as a teacher. "May I ask, did he, or you two, have some other childhood friends...?"

"No, not really?" Izumi-chan grimaced, reaching for the shades on top of her head; she fiddled with the metal frame. "We shared some friends, but Kira-kun didn't really have many friends back then, not that he still had them after what happened. I always felt bad for him. He was a good kid and I wanted to be someone dependable. I saw him as a little brother, and I wanted him to see me as his older sister. The way he would start looking up to me was so cute!" she gushed momentarily, before turning glum again. "I thought I could take care of him, but when the arrest happened, I wasn't strong enough."

Sadayo looked away. She knew the feeling of being earnest to help, but ultimately failing when trouble came.

"I tried to stand up for him at first, reminding them that this was Akira we were talking about," Izumi-chan continued, "But in the end, I was too afraid of getting pushed away just like him. My friends were starting to avoid me, my parents told me not to visit the Kurusus, and even my teacher who was writing me a recommendation threatened to drop it."

Sadayo wrung her hands in silence.

"It was bad enough that I abandoned him like everyone else, but when he tried asking me not to leave him, when he—" Izumi-chan shook her head.

'Confessed and you ran off?' Sadayo finished in her head. The girl across from her was on the verge of tears, so Sadayo offered her one of the napkins, but was refused.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sadayo finally responded when the girl didn't continue. "I imagine it must have been rough for both of you. But despite all of that you still seem to be in touch. After all, you came to visit him, and he's coming over to see you now."

"Honestly, I'm surprised that he forgave me," Izumi-chan admitted, "but I still hurt him, and things aren't the same between us."

"I see…" Sadayo replied. A part of her wanted to help console the girl, but hesitated at the risk of revealing too much. "Still, if you don't mind me asking, why tell me this?"

"Because I want to help him in any way I can." Protective fire lit from Izumi-chan's red-rimmed eyes. "I'm glad that Kira-kun has found some really great friends here, and his guardian seems to like him. But I really want to make sure that he wouldn't go through the same crap he did back home."

Taken aback by the sudden flip of attitude, Sadayo blinked as the young woman continued to stare her down.

"You told Ann-chan that you want to protect him, and I want to believe that promise of yours," the young woman declared. "I know this may look like I'm pressuring you, but I told you my story because I want you to understand how much he suffered. So as someone who hurt him in the past, if you truly meant what you said, don't abandon him."

Swallowing the lump stuck in her throat, Sadayo fought to respond. "I—"

"Hey Hana, and... Ms. Kawakami? I didn't expect to see the two of you together."

Sadayo whirled in her chair, finding a slightly sweaty Akira. He must have been running.

"Wasn't Ann with you?" he asked, wiping his forehead.

"Sorry, we ran into your teacher and I invited Ms. Kawakami to chat, but I don't think Ann-chan was very happy with that," Izumi-chan replied apologetically.

"Hello Kurusu-kun. You're here, so I should probably head out," Sadayo stood from her seat, not meeting Akira's gaze. Giving a polite bow to Izumi-chan, she quietly said, "I will take what you said to heart."

"Thank you," Izumi-chan smiled.

Exiting the restaurant, Sadayo dared to breathe. She wasn't sure what to feel after that confrontation. She had managed to give a response, but for some reason, it felt like she was running away. Akira had already told her about his hardships, but for some reason, hearing it from Hana Izumi hit differently.

Walking at a fast pace, her phone vibrated. On the screen was Akira, calling her. Curious, she clicked the icon.

"Wait up! Stay where you are!" was his immediate response before the call ended.

She could hear rapid footsteps behind her, so Sadayo turned, and indeed, it was Akira.

"Why are you following me? Isn't Izumi-chan leaving today?" Sadayo couldn't reel in the sharpness in her voice.

"Don't worry, I just told her I had a question to ask you about our summer assignments." Akira didn't seem phased, only concerned. "Is everything okay? Why did you leave so suddenly?"

"Sorry," Sadayo deflated, looking away, "it just didn't feel right to stay there anymore."

"Did something happen between you two?" Akira leaned in, nearly crossing the polite distance between intimate and public.

"She and I just talked, though it kind of got intense." Try as she might, her eyes drifted toward him, unable to ignore his smile. "She really does care about you. But don't worry, she didn't threaten me or anything."

"That's good. I know Hana can be a bit intense at times, so sorry about that."

"It's fine," Sadayo sighed as she finally gave up and fully turned towards her boyfriend. His soft expression made her feel self-conscious. "Anyway, you should really go back now. You don't want to look suspicious. And oh, did you bring the gift?"

"Of course," Akira smiled, producing a small trinket wrapped in a birthday-themed wrapper. Then he looked around, closing his eyes.

By this point, Sadayo had seen him do it enough times that she could guess he was scanning the area with his Eye. She looked around as well, hoping to help find what he was looking for when she realized that they were in a secluded spot. Shibuya was still busy but huge placards propped side-by-side conveniently hid them. "Is everything okay?"

"Just making sure the coast was clear."

Before Sadayo could respond, Akira's lips were on hers. Blood immediately rushed to her head at the realization that they were kissing in public and why wasn't she pushing him away—?!

Brain fried, Sadayo was still somewhat aware when her boyfriend withdrew from her lips and leaned to her ear.

"Sorry, but you just looked so sexy in that suit," Akira whispered before pulling away with an innocent smile. "Get back home safely, okay?"

With a jaunty salute, Akira ran away.

Sadayo stared until he disappeared, beet red. But her short-circuiting brain did come to one conclusion: she should never ever wear this getup again...

Until, of course, he graduated.

---

"I swear if the train gets canceled until tomorrow, I'm gonna be so pissed," Hana fumed as she glared at one of the announcement boards, waiting for updates.

Akira hummed beside her, still too pleased with his little stunt on his girlfriend to commiserate. "There had been some incidents a couple of months ago with a runaway train, so it's not surprising they are taking precautions. One actually happened right after I arrived here."

"Wait, really? Talk about scary," Hana turned to him in shock, her annoyance shifting to worry. "Maybe it's better if I leave another day. I don't want to be caught up in any of that stuff."

Akira chuckled at Hana's shift in attitude. "Don't worry. I'm sure it will be fine."

"You seem awfully confident," Hana quirked a brow, but quickly dropped her curiosity. She transferred her bag to her other arm and rolled her free shoulder. "Whatever, at least the delay meant that you could see me off, so I'll let it slide."

"Sorry about that. Life has just been really hectic ever since I got here."

"Sure sounds like it, but it seems you really found your place here. When I heard you'd been sent to Tokyo, I was worried that you would have isolated yourself."

"Honestly, you're weren't wrong. When I first arrived here, I intended to do just that. But life apparently had other plans for me."

"Oh, going all deep on me?" Hana grinned, clearly teasing. "Do you feel like you were destined for greatness?"

"Nothing like that," Akira rolled his eyes, smiling. Chihaya's constant warnings of fate could be set aside for tonight. "I just managed to find some good people."

"Yeah, it feels like you've thrived here. It's hard to think you were the same person from back home."

This is an announcement! All trains will resume operations within the hour. If you had a reserved ticket and it was delayed, please approach the front desk for assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience.

"Looks like you'll be able to leave soon," Akira commented.

"Oh yeah, I guess so," Hana mumbled. She seemed contemplative for a moment before eyeing Akira again. "Hey, once all this probation and stuff is over with, are you planning on going back home?"

Akira was a bit surprised by the sudden question. "I mean, yeah? I guess that was always the plan?"

"Right, sorry, I didn't mean to drop that on you. It's just that, you seem happier here, and there isn't much waiting for you there."

"You're not wrong," Akira muttered.

Even when the probation finished, he knew that it wouldn't change his hometown's perception of him. Meanwhile, here he has plenty of friends who know his criminal record yet don't believe it and are willing to defend him. And of course, there was Sadayo...

If he remained in Tokyo, he would be able to continue to see Sadayo. To listen to her lectures with enthusiasm by day and to be her sounding board by night. To witness how she'd slowly but surely win the other students over and how her dexterity and finesse in toolmaking progressed. To prove to others that by giving the criminal-student a chance, that she was a great teacher, and later when they'd officially come out as dating, that she was an awesome girlfriend.

"Hey, Kira-kun," Hana said slowly, taking him out of his reverie. She was staring at him. Do you… have a girlfriend?"

"Wha-what?!" Akira flinched, eyes wide. "W-where did that come from?!"

"It's just… a feeling I have. Call it a woman's intuition," Hana cheerfully grinned. "You just seem much more mature somehow."

"Are you sure that's not just the probation and Boss' advice?" Akira tried to deflect, but knew it was futile.

"Maaaybe, but those wouldn't explain the smile you just had on your face," Hana pointed at him, snickering. "You were thinking about her, weren't you?"

Akira gave in to the urge to facepalm, feeling heat growing in his cheeks. Hana was the one person in the world — aside from his family and the rapidly learning Sadayo — who could read almost everything on his face.

"Arghhh! This is so frustrating! Why didn't you introduce me to her?!" Hana put her hands on her waist as she glared. "I'd given her a good talking to. Set the record straight, you know?"

Face still hidden, Akira merely laughed nervously at the sheer irony.

"It's not funny! I'm not gonna scare her away!"

"Like Chiyoko?" Akira smirked at the memory of Hana wielding a plastic Featherman sword to chase away some mean girl… who secretly had a crush on him.

"She should've had the balls to admit that she liked you, not that tsundere crap," Hana sniffed unapologetically. She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. "Is that why you hid your girlfriend from me? Is she making you keep your relationship a secret because of your record? If so, I won't accept her."

"It's nothing like that I assure you," Akira shook his head as he smiled at Hana's protectiveness. "Things are just… complicated."

"But you like her?" Hana pouted.

"I love her."

"And does she love you back?"

"I know she does."

His friend stared, a hand drifting at her hair clip. Akira simply watched her fiddle with it, noting the faded color. It was amazing that she'd kept it for years.

"Fine," Hana finally groaned, "but you better introduce her to me next time."

"That depends on when next time is," Akira gave her a playful smile.

"Don't be a smartass, Kira-kun," Hana gave him a dry smirk. "I need to judge her with my own eyes. After all, I'm your big sis. I can't leave you with someone unless I'm sure they'll treat you like you deserve."

"And how exactly is that?" Akira smirked back.

"Like a nosy, little, know-it-all," Hana stuck her tongue out.

Laughter between them erupted, a carefree sound that Akira can admit he missed sharing with Hana. As they both calmed down, Hana stepped towards him and gave him a tight hug. Akira lightly patted her back as he took the opportunity to slip his belated birthday gift into her shoulder bag, a new hair clip that would go with her new fashion sense.

"It was good seeing you again, Kira-kun."

"You too, Hana...sempai," Akira added jokingly. "Back then it was nee-chan and then nee-san. What's next?"

"Maybe shishou or sensei," Hana grinned as she stepped back. "Make it back safely, okay?" With a flick of her wrist, she snapped her shades back to her face.

Akira couldn't deny that he learned most of his cool mannerisms from her.

Hair fluttering in the breeze and dressed in the trendiest clothes he'd ever seen her in, Hana winked. "You better introduce me next time, Kira-kun. Or I promise I'll hunt her down myself."

---

Earlier that day, on the 29th of August, the Phantom Thieves had gone to the beach. As their last hurrah for the summer, the trip was both a celebration of their success against MEDJED and an excursion to help Futaba socialize around actual people. Everything was going smoothly... until Ryuji and the girls got into a discussion about his (lack of) ability to pick up girls.

To be honest, Akira didn't mind at all, even when he was inadvertently dragged into the argument. He already felt lucky to have Sadayo in his life, and has very little interest in attracting other ladies. Honestly, he was content to watch their beach spot — and secretly daydream of frolicking on the water with Sadayo in a bikini — while the girls went for a ride on the banana boat, but Ryuji had other ideas. Despite the extenuating circumstances, Akira felt slightly guilty for being unable to come to the Sakamoto parent-teacher meeting, so he let himself get dragged to Ryuji's self-appointed mission to prove the other girls wrong.

The problem was that while Ryuji was full gung-ho, Akira had zero interest in participating and, for some reason, Yusuke was just tagging along. This led to one awkward interaction after the other as the conflicting interests led to Akira purposefully failing while Ryuji would enthusiastically but inevitably crash and burn. Yusuke tried joining in at first, but it made it feel like they were ganging up on the poor girls, and he eventually left, distracted by other things. Left alone with his bro in the dwindling afternoon, Akira had asked Ryuji multiple times if he was satisfied, silently praying that he'd answer "YES", but it was to no avail. Unfortunately — or fortunately — they encountered some… colorful folks, which neatly killed all of Ryuji's fervor to score babes.

As a loyal boyfriend, Akira is now dutifully retelling this story to his ladylove.

"Say that again?" Sadayo leaned forward, hands clasped.

Akira sighed; his girlfriend's eager expression while donning a maid costume was too cute at times. "Can you turn around so I can get a good look at your angel wings?"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Sadayo fell on the couch, laughing in abandon. "What kind of pick-up line is that?!"

"Come on, it's not that funny," Akira bemoaned, sitting next to her with a pout. "You have no idea how painful it was to act unappealing without making it obvious. I swear I was worried one of them was going to throw something at us at any moment."

"Sorry, sorry," Sadayo sat up, a few snickers escaping as she attempted to calm herself. She wiped away a stray tear, but her shoulders still shook.

"That's what you get for leaving me behind," Mona haughtily scoffed on the table.

"You know full well that wasn't my idea." Akira rolled his eyes, then fixed his giggling maid a dry gaze. "You know, most girls would be appreciative of their boyfriend not trying to woo other girls."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Sadayo repeated, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Knowing how effective Akira can be when actually putting effort into flirting, learning his awkward attempts to do it badly was entertaining. But she was glad that he attempted it in the first place to stay true to her, and while she would never admit to him out loud, she was also incredibly relieved to hear that none of the Phantom Thief girls seemed interested in dating him. Still, she didn't want him to be upset with her.

She stood up and promptly sat on his lap. Keeping eye-contact, she placed his arms on her hips before resting hers over his shoulders. With a playful tone, she said, "Becky is very grateful that she has a loyal and considerate master~! He should be rewarded!" With a grin, she pecked him on the cheek.

"I-I think you can do a little better than that," Akira smirked, though his bright blush failed to cover his surprise.

Considering how proactive Akira was in their relationship, Sadayo had always found it cute whenever she managed to catch him off-guard. She wanted to take the lead for once, especially since she was older and much more experienced… in things that went beyond mere kissing and flirting. For a moment, Sadayo froze, warring with the possibilities even when the responsible part of her screamed to stop such thoughts.

Like the thief he was, Akira decided to take advantage of his girlfriend's lapse in thought. Gently lifting her chin, he tenderly pressed his lips against hers, pleased that she snapped back to reality to return the kiss.

"Geez, get a room… or maybe I should move out… but I need to chaperone…" someone drifted off, muttering.

As their lips parted Sadayo pulled him closer, resting her forehead against his in a poor attempt to hide her own blush. "You're incorrigible."

"What can I say? I just can't help myself with you," Akira continued, giving her eskimo kisses. He was idly aware of someone leaping off the table and going downstairs.

"Well, you better learn mister." Sadayo pulled back, a coy smirk in place. She was joking… partially. "Remember, school is starting soon and we have to keep things professional."

"Yes, yes. I promise to behave," Akira hummed.

Sadayo raised a brow at the casual tone, and sighed, "You better." Playfully pouting, she was about to continue her act when she noticed something.

While Akira can be an outrageous flirt, occasionally he would seem distracted despite never taking eyes off her. Probably, in hopes of distracting her by making her flustered, his teasing would escalate. Sadayo determinedly did not follow the line of thought of how he could escalate it further.

Instead, Sadayo tilted her head to the side, knowing that the motion was cute and taking full advantage of it. It was sweet that her boyfriend didn't want her to worry, but she wasn't going to let him get away with it anymore. "Hey, what's the matter? Did something else happen today?"

"Nothing really," Akira glanced at the ramen bowl on his shelf. "It's just… I felt bad for Ryuji going through all of that."

"It probably wasn't the best experience, and I do feel sorry that you got dragged into it, but that's just how dating can be when you're young. Sometimes you try to find someone and all you get are rejections."

"Did that happen to you during highschool?" Akira teased.

"No changing the subject, mister." Sadayo poked her boyfriend's nose. "This isn't about me."

"If you say so," Akira chuckled, before his expression became pensive. "But no, it's not just that. Remember what I told you about that time Ryuji and Mishima took me to the maid cafe to cheer me up?"

"Yeah." A smile crept on Sadayo's face as she rested her head against his shoulder as her hand rested on his chest. "It's a bit mean, but hearing that you were so worried about my rejection made me a bit happy."

Akira took her hand, kissing her fingers, and placed their entwined hands back on his chest. "I feel like part of the reason he wanted to do that hook-up thing was also to help me move past my rejection, so having the girls act unimpressed probably had him annoyed for my sake as well. He can be easily riled up, and yeah, he quickly got caught up in his babehunt, but I know he's always ready to help me and the rest of the guys, and I hate thinking that, in the end, his efforts are wasted. Like I'm breaking his trust and tricking him into pitying me."

"Akira, you're not keeping things from him to trick or force him to do anything. Nor are you giving him some sort of sob story about a sick sister."

"Sadayo—"

"Let me finish," Sadayo gently placed her index finger on his lips. She didn't want him to misunderstand her nor compare their situations. "When you told them about your rejection at the maid cafe, that was how you honestly felt. And it wasn't like you could tell him when we got together. I know you're in a rough position, but you're not doing anything out of selfishness. In fact, when I talked to him during our meeting, I could see how much he cares and trusts you. He told me about how grateful he is that you were there for him when he needed it, and I know how he feels." Sadayo moved her finger away from his lips to caress his cheek, smiling when Akira leaned on her palm. "Even if we've never ended up together, I'm still so grateful to have you in my life, and it wouldn't have stopped me from doing my best to protect and support you in any way I could. And I know the same goes with Tae, Ohya, Chihaya and your friends."

"I know." Akira's expression softened as he placed his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "I'm grateful to all of you for being there for me, but... it's different with Ryuji. I owe him so much."

"Because he got you to request me?" Sadayo teased as she poked Akira's cheek, trying to lighten up the mood. Much to her relief, his smile grew a bit.

"There is that, yes, but it's more than that." Akira paused for a moment, contemplating. He wanted her to understand, so he forged ahead. "You remember about the first day at school?

Sadayo perked up, pulling herself from her comfortable position to match him, eye to eye. "How could I forget?"

"That got your attention," Akira chuckled.

"I can't help it,'' Sadayo pouted. "You never really gave me a straight answer, and the way you came to school wasn't normal. I mean, now I can guess it had something to do with the whole Metaverse thingy, but I admit a part of me is still curious about what went down."

"It's a bit of a story."

"I got time." Sadayo smilled, patting her lap. "If it's okay for you to tell me."

At her welcoming smile, Akira found it impossible to refuse. He rested his head on his girlfriend's lap, letting his body relax as her hand began stroking his hair. She definitely knew how to get him to open up.

"So what happened?"

"I said before that I got lost in the subway, and it was true; it was my first time in the city, after all. And since I wasn't used to Tokyo traffic, I left for school early, but in turn I got caught in the rain. Looking for cover, I ran into Ann. It was kinda awkward, but we really didn't have time to socialize as Kamoshida drove by in his car. He offered Ann a ride, heck, he offered one to me as well, which is weird in retrospect."

"Yeah, but I'm surprised you didn't take his offer."

"Because it looked like trouble…" Akira replied, narrowing his far-off gaze. "He looked polite and Ann seemed grateful, yet something felt off. But it was too much to bother."

"Huh?" Sadayo paused at stroking his hair. "But that doesn't sound like you. I mean, I'd understand if you didn't feel something was off, but I just can't imagine you doing nothing."

Akira closed his eyes, sighing, "I was honestly done with everything. If helping people was going to end up hurting not just me, but also those I care about, why bother? All that mattered was finishing the year. I had no interest in sticking my nose into trouble again. But you don't have to worry. I'm fine now." Akira reached out and caressed her cheek. "I admit, a part of me always goes back to that moment, wondering what could've happened if I had taken the offer, but in the end I'm glad I didn't. Soon after he drove off, Ryuji came running out, calling him a perv. He looked like he was trying to catch him."

"He never was one to hide his animosity, though in hindsight I can't blame him. But why was he chasing Kamoshida?"

"He never really told me why, though I think he wanted to stop Ann from getting in the car. Not being able to make it on time probably stung extra hard considering his broken leg, but he was quick to try to scare me into not snitching that he insulted Kamoshida." Akira chuckled when his girlfriend pouted. "To be fair, he quickly dropped it when he realized I was new and had no idea what he was talking about. I think he was relieved to find someone who hadn't yet bought into Kamoshida's act. But then," Akira took out his phone, showing but not clicking the icon for the Metanav. "This thing here had turned itself on while I was hiding from the rain. It picked up our conversation and sent us into the Metaverse."

"Wait, it can do that?" Sadayo asked worryingly.

"It hasn't done so since then, but it does have a habit of popping up on people's phones, especially if they had gone in before." Akira quickly turned off his screen, watching with a grim eye for any sign that it would turn on just to spite him. "I always worry about you getting dragged into it. The Metaverse can look just as legitimate as the real world, which makes it almost impossible to tell the difference unless you're close to a distorted area. You can't call anyone by phone while in there, and you're completely defenseless against Shadows unless you gain a Persona."

Sadayo stroked her boyfriend's hand. Her own Persona? Intriguing and exciting, but knowing Akira's injured and tired state after a heist, she knew that he was deadly serious.

"And that was exactly what happened to me and Ryuji. We made our way to the school, only to see a castle, and as soon as we got in we got beat up by guards and thrown in a prison cell. We could hear people screaming outside our cell, and eventually we were confronted by Shadow Kamoshida."

"What did he look like?" Sadayo furrowed her brows. Akira had told her before how Shadows can look and act similar yet different to mirror their real counterparts.

"He was wearing a gaudy crown and cape. But the briefs and hairy legs were the worse," Akira grimaced in disgust. "And if you think the real Kamoshida is a piece of work, his Shadow had every intention of beating the shit out of us for fun before killing us."

Sadayo gasped in horror.

Akira quickly continued; his girlfriend wasn't used to violence. "I was so confused, trying to rationalize what was going on. But while I just stood there, Ryuji tried to save me. He tackled one of the guards to try and give me an out. Shadow Kamoshida tried to guilt trip me for leaving him behind, but Ryuji tried distancing himself just so it wouldn't get to me."

Lifting his free hand to his eyesight, Akira studied the lines and calluses on it, reflecting on that terrifying moment. "I remember thinking, 'How stupid is he for sacrificing himself for someone he didn't know?' And he got rewarded by getting beat up while I was held against the wall so I wouldn't escape. But I also thought, 'Why should he suffer like that for wanting to help someone?'. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair, and yet he never hesitated to help someone he didn't know."

He placed his hand over the right side of his face; between the slit of his fingers, his girlfriend's wide-eyed expression hovered. Tempering his tone, he continued, even when the memory curdled anger anew in his stomach.

"I kept telling myself that if I stayed quiet then the scary pervert might just ignore me, but in the end, I couldn't stand it anymore. I hated being like that. Then I felt my whole body burn in a blaze, desperate to do something. Well apparently someone heard my cry, as that was when I had awakened to my Persona powers."

Pulling himself to a sitting position, Akira smiled reassuringly to his girlfriend. "After that we ran into Mona and the rest is history."

"That… actually sounds more horrifying than I imagined." Sadayo lowered her head, ashamed. "And there I was, complaining about having to do a report."

"You didn't know, and honestly I was still having a hard time processing all of that after the adrenaline wore off," Akira shrugged. "But I know one thing: I owe Ryuji a lot. More than he thinks he does. I was more than willing to drop what had happened there as a fluke and go back to avoiding people, but Ryuji wanted to go back because he thought students had gotten trapped and were being tortured. He didn't have a Persona yet nor the best grasp of the situation, but it was never complicated for him. People needed help, so go help them. And thanks to being dragged around by his impulsive decisions I slowly regained a part of myself that I thought I lost. It's what allowed me to talk to Ann when I saw her in trouble, to try and actually get to know Boss instead of just ignoring his comments and thinking he's a cruel guardian."

Akira paused, remembering the moment he'd seen Sadayo getting cornered. "And it's what allowed me to intervene when you looked like you needed help. Both Ann and Ryuji are very important to the group. It's thanks to them that we didn't stop with just Kamoshida, but it was Ryuji's selflessness that reminded me why it was important to step in to help others."

Warmth and relief spreading from her chest, Sadayo gazed into Akira's dark silver pupils, feeling accepted and safe. Caressing each other's hand, they fell silent, basking in the silence.

Sakamoto-kun and Akira always did seem to be inseparable, but the reason for that bond was deeper than Sadayo had imagined. So...

"Akira, let's tell Sakamoto-kun about us."

"WHAT?!"

The two jumped. Turning to the source, they found Mona on top of the stairs, hairs raised.

"You can't be seriously thinking about telling that blonde monkey?! He doesn't know when to shut his mouth and I swear, Tokyo will know all about you before the day's end! And— argh, you can't understand me don't you?!" Mona ranted before streaking to Akira's bag.

"...I had a feeling you or Mona wouldn't be so sure about the idea, but he seems really upset by it," Sadayo watched, bewildered, as the cat wrestled with the bag.

"Let me get it," Akira sighed as he stood up; at least Mona was of sound mind not to destroy his bag. Rummaging through it, he explained, "Mona and Ryuji tend to get on each other's case a lot. He believes Ryuji will just spill the beans without thinking and get us exposed."

"I'm right and you know it!" Mona declared, jumping to the couch, ready to write.

Clearing her throat, Sadayo took the opportunity to speak her piece while her boyfriend took his sweet time to look for a pad of paper. "Mona, I understand your concern. I admit a part of me is still nervous about voluntarily telling anyone else. But," she took a fortifying breath, "I think that it's not fair for Akira to keep so many secrets and be unable to talk with his friends about it, while I can. Besides, as frustrating as it is, so many people have already found out about us."

Akira then placed the pad and pen on the couch, sitting quietly on the arm rest.

[Chihaya was out of our control. We failed to calculate her use of her power with her curiosity. Same with Futaba bugging Leblanc. This is avoidable though, and it's way too risky.]

"Our entire relationship is risky. Your Phantom Thievery is risky. Everything here is risky." Sadayo then smiled. "But it's worth it, isn't it?" She gazed at her boyfriend. "Akira is incredibly mature for his age, and that makes being with him so much easier for me. But at the end of the day, he's not an adult yet. As fun as it was to have him around when I was drinking with the girls, it's not fair to him to be dragged by a bunch of older women. I think it's important to be able to open up to someone that is at his age, someone he trusts."

"You know I don't really mind being dragged along, right?" Akira smiled back, feeling incredibly lucky to have an understanding girlfriend. "It was nice to see you having fun like that. Just make sure to drink responsibly from then on."

"That's sweet of you," Sadayo rolled her eyes in good humor at his teasing tone. "I'm sure the girls very much intend to drag you again in the future, but my reasoning still stands."

[But what about me?] Mona wrote, tail drooping. He meowed sadly. [Don't I count?]

"Oh, Mona..." Sadayo sighed, sympathetic. Gently, she picked him up and gave him a hug, making sure to find the right places to make him relaxed. "Of course you count. Even before I knew about you, you were always there for both Akira and I while we were still figuring stuff out. You even went out of your way to help me with the curry dish, and I always enjoyed our chats." She placed him back down, petting his head. "But you have to admit that it's not fair that I get to have friends that I can talk to, while Akira doesn't. Tae and the other girls may also be his friends, but you know that he's closer to your group."

Mona, at this point, looked disheartened. Sadayo waited as he listlessly picked up the pen again.

[But why Ryuji, and not the whole group? Why not Makoto, or Lady Ann? She deserves to know. Heck, even Yusuke!]

"You're right. Takamaki-chan deserves to know, same with the rest of your group." Sadayo nodded, though regretfully, she refuted with, "But as much as I hate to admit it, I'm scared. I'm too scared of having them all in here and what they would think of me. I don't know Kitagawa-kun enough that I feel comfortable opening up to him, and I worry that Niijima-chan will think less of me as a teacher. She always worked hard for the school."

Clasping her hand, she bowed her head. "But the one I'm most afraid of is Takamaki-chan. I know she doesn't like me very much, and she has every right to hate me. I failed her not only as a teacher, but as an adult as well. I don't think I'm ready to make up for those failures yet, let alone tell her about our relationship."

A familiar hand wiped away the tears starting to swell. Sadayo did her best to give a genuine smile as she turned to Akira. "I know it's unfair that you still have to leave most of your friends in the dark."

"It's fine, you don't have to push yourself so hard." Akira slowly lowered himself to her side as Mona left the couch. He planted a gentle kiss when she leaned onto his hand. "We can take it one step at a time. Do you want me to call him?"

"NO WAY!" Sadayo suddenly jumped from the couch. "I'm not fully ready yet! J-just give me 'til tomorrow to mentally prepare. Besides, I can't let him see me like this!" She gestured at her maid outfit.

"I didn't mean to call him here now. I meant to call him so that we can make plans."

"Oh… I guess that's okay." Sadayo sat back down, cheeks red from embarrassment. Her boyfriend, at least, had the decency to muffle his laughter to soft snickers, even when she had laughed out loud at him earlier.

Seeing her pout, Akira straightened. "Sadayo…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I don't know how someone like me lucked out so much and managed to be with someone as amazing as you."

"I should be the one saying that." Sadayo leaned in to kiss Akira once more. "I love you too, my wonderful master."

Forgotten, the cat walked away, tail nearly touching the floor, having fully admitted defeat.

---

The next night, Sadayo once again found herself in front of the mirror. The face she'd become accustomed to for all these years, she was clad in a copy of her long-sleeved shirt and a denim skirt. Fingering an orange stripe, she thought back to how she first ended up with this getup; a bargain sale in a secondhand shop. She had needed new clothes back then, and the secondhand stuff was in good quality, so why not? The cheerful yellow had seemed like a good but silly idea to lift her dreary mood at the time, and since she'd had so little funds and equally little care for her appearance, she'd bought all the yellow-striped shirts in bulk alongside some jean skirts.

Ms. Kawakami the Professional had been a good break from the usual yellow, reminding her of days long past. Besides, her boyfriend found her sexy in that, so that was an unexpected win.

Steering her mind away from dangerous waters, Sadayo eyed the maid outfit hanging on her closet door. In the past it was a constant reminder of how low she had fallen in her life, but now it reminded her of the person she loved the most, a sign of their nightly — but safe — rendezvous.

But for tonight, Becky will be taking a break. Casual Ms. Kawakami was simple, minimalistic, and while some would say bland, it was comfortable and she liked the stripes on her shirt.

Sadayo picked up her foundation, wondering if she should apply more makeup.

A big part of her was nervous at revealing their relationship to Akira's closest friend, but the other part was worried about being spotted. While a maid would stand out in the residential area of Yongen-jaya, it was still less likely for someone to recognize her at a quick glance. The few residents who loitered at night actually don't bat an eye these days, which allowed her some comfort when walking towards the supposedly closed cafe or waiting at the laundromat. But tonight, someone else would be waiting at Leblanc alongside Akira, and the last thing she wanted was to give him weird thoughts.

"Okay, Sadayo. You were the one that pushed for this to happen. No use getting cold feet." Despite her words of confidence, the mirror clutched the container of her foundation tightly. "It will be okay, won't it?"

Just then, the phone on her bed buzzed. Placing her makeup back to her vanity, Sadayo rushed to her phone, wiping her sweaty hands on her skirt. She knew what the message would say, but read it anyway.

[A]: Ryuji just arrived. Come on over when you're ready.

Sadayo took a deep breath. This was it. But of course, failed scenarios and disastrous results still crept back in mind, making her start to regret her decision. But then her phone buzzed again.

[A]: And you don't need to rush. Just take your time.

[A]: I can give him an explanation if you need it.

With those words, Sadayo's decision was reaffirmed. She smiled, "Why do you always know what to say?"

She was grateful that he was so understanding, and when Sadayo thought it through, he would probably be okay if she suddenly decided to change her mind. But she wasn't doing this to make herself comfortable. She was doing this because she wanted to show to Akira that he could rely on her as well, to lighten the load that he had been carrying for both their sakes.

Straightening, she looked at the mirror again. Same old Sadayo, still worried, but now with a confident smile.

"No point delaying the inevitable." Grabbing her blazer and bag, she exited her apartment.

"It's showtime!"

---

"Everything alright, dude?"

"Yep, just thinking," Akira replied as he finished preparing the coffee. Placing a pot and two cups on a tray with food, he, for the umpteenth time, reflected on the situation.

It was just him and Ryuji in Leblanc. Mona was staying with Futaba to avoid the inevitable cat-versus-punk fireworks, which was prudent since Mona was still upset about the decision. "Thanks again for coming over."

"Hey, it's no problem. Sure beats working on summer assignments."

'Sadayo isn't going to like that,' Akira shook his head in exasperation, chuckling, though it quickly subsided. "Before anything else, I want to apologize again for not being able to come to the meeting."

"Dude, that was like, weeks ago. You're still worried about that?" Ryuji let out a carefree grin. "Come on, we both know dealing with MEDJED was more important. Besides, we somehow managed to make it through."

"So it turned out okay?"

"Hell yeah, it turned out more than okay!" Ryuji nearly bounced in his seat, but thankfully he toned down his energy. He grabbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed but pleased. "Mom has been looking less stressed lately, and we've actually been able to talk about what we want to do. She also finally started accepting the money I offered her from our runs, though she said she planned to take half of it and save it for a college fund."

"You, planning ahead?" Akira raised a curious brow, walking to the booth where his friend sat. "I think Makoto would have dropped her jaw if she heard that."

"Shut up!" Ryuji grinned, despite his words. He accepted the plate of sandwiches and can of fruit juice that Akira held out. "There isn't a spot for me in the Shujin track team, but that doesn't mean I've given up on that. Just like my senpai said, there are many colleges that have track teams. I may still be a ways off from before, but our exercise sessions have been helping out."

"That still leaves the fact that you have to find a college that will accept you."

"Don't remind me, I'm so dead," Ryuji flopped down at the table.

Akira simply clucked his tongue, used to the extreme ups and downs of Ryuji Sakamoto.

"Oh man, I don't know how I'm gonna to do this! Just when Mom's looking better!" Ryuji groaned. Suddenly, he perked up, a thoughtful look on his face. "That reminds me, you didn't see her, but Ms. Kawakami was so cool! She was the reason Mom missed that corny thief and maid show that night. She was too damn happy!"

Akira smiled. Proud that his girlfriend aced the meeting, happy for Mrs. Sakamoto and her son. "Actually, I caught her still talking to Hana. Though she left immediately."

"Oh yeah, because Ann was… uh, nevermind. Anyway!" Ryuji leaned in, a big grin on his face. "Did you see what she was wearing?"

That tone and grin… were dangerously familiar. Akira tried to give his bro the benefit of the doubt, but considering he heard this tone all throughout Operation Babehunt… "What do you mean?"

"Ms. Kawakami! She was wearing a suit! I've never seen her wear a suit! She's always wearing baggy shirts and stuff, so we never knew her curves! So cool! And hot!"

"Ryuji…"

"Now I know what Mishima was talking about. He said he saw her back in Odaiba a month ago, I think? If he wasn't talking about the Phantom Thieves he was rambling about Ms. Kawakami's 'undiscovered beauty' or something. I think he wanted to start another fan club."

"..."

Suddenly, both their phones pinged. Ryuji brought out his phone, then promptly exclaimed, "The hell, Futaba?!"

Akira raised an eyebrow at the message on his own phone.

[F]: Don't kill him. We still need him.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ryuji continued. "And wait, why are you listening in on us?!"

"I thought we had agreed that you wouldn't be listening in anymore," Akira leaned on the table, exasperated.

[F]: I still need to keep an eye on Sojiro.
[F]: But don't worry, I always turn it off during your little rendezvous.
[F]: :P

[F]: Besides, no way I'm going to miss hearing Ryuji's reaction.

[F]: Especially with his comments. Mwehehehe.

"Dude, what is she talking about? What's a 'randabus'?"

Akira sighed, pressing the bridge of his nose. Not too dissimilar to what his girlfriend would do when she was annoyed, amusingly enough. In a way, that small thought allowed him to calm himself, and he took a deep breath. "It's related to why I had you come over. I have something I wanted to talk to you about. But before that, I need you to understand — this is very important."

Unwavering in eye-contact, Akira didn't miss the growing nervousness on his friend's face. "Ryuji," he gravely said, "I need you to promise me that whatever you learn tonight stays between us. No one in the group or anyone else. Must. Know." Akira tapped the table with his knuckles for emphasis.

"This is kinda sudden? Is everything okay?"

"Just promise me that you won't talk about it with anyone," Akira repeated, wanting to get confirmation before Sadayo arrived.

"Sure? I don't know what this is about, but you have my word. I told you already, if you need me I got your back. Still, why can't the rest of the group find out?"

"It's… kind of complicated," Akira exhaled as he sagged on the table, taking care not to spill the pot of coffee. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out the best way to break the news.

"Uh," Ryuji shifted in the awkward silence, glancing at his phone, "should I ask Futaba?"

"No," Akira replied immediately. Sighing — he definitely picked this habit from his girlfriend — again, Akira decided to view the situation like approaching random chests in the Metaverse; you never know if there's a treasure or trap inside, so advance cautiously, but optimistically.

"So... remember when I talked about that someone that I confessed to?"

He waited for Ryuji's nod.

"And I thought I had zero chance when she ran away?"

Another bewildered nod.

"Turns out the chances weren't exactly…" Akira shrugged, trying to appear casual despite his blatant stalling, "zero."

"What? Wait, wait, wait, you don't mean..." Ryuji paused, brows furrowing in thought. Then, a big smile lightened his face as realization dawned. "Are you for real?! You mean—?"

"Yep, she actually talked to me again," Akira couldn't help but smile. "She originally came to reject me but it turned out she felt the same. So we decided to give it a shot."

"So you actually got a girlfriend?" Ryuji asked excitedly.

"I actually got a girlfriend."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji threw a high-five, which Akira accepted. "See? Told ya there was still a chance!"

"Yep, can't deny you were right," Akira chuckled even as he shook the pain from his hand. "Sometimes I'm still shocked that it happened."

"And here you had me worrying that some serious shit was going on," Ryuji grinned, leaning back and putting his elbows on the top of the seat. "Sooo... why are you keeping this a secret from the group? With how the girls treated us back at the beach I'm sure they'll lose their shit once they find out."

Pings went off from both their phones.

[F]: Actually I already knew.

[F]: That's why I didn't say anything at the beach.

"Futaba…" Akira groaned.

[F]: Fine, fine, no more comments from the audience.

[F]: I'll just get the popcorn ready.

"Man, she can be scary sometimes," Ryuji commented, dropping his phone back on the table. "But wait, if she knew, doesn't that mean that your girlfriend…"

"Has been here at Leblanc before? Yes."

"Does Boss know?"

"He doesn't," Akira replied, shifting back to seriousness. "The only ones from our group that know are Mona, Futaba, and now you."

"So who is it?" Ryuji leaned forward. "C'mon man, you've been keeping me in suspense!"

"About that…"

Just then, the bell by the front door of Leblanc rang. The two teenagers swivelled to the nervous yet familiar woman under the door frame.

"Uh, hi Ms. Kawakami?" Ryuji looked between his best bud and teacher. "Do you have a meeting or something?"

"Or something," Akira awkwardly smiled at his approaching girlfriend. Undeniably, he was still worried about Sadayo, but he wanted to put his faith in her… even if she couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

Sadayo stopped before their table, head bowed. "Sakamoto-kun, good evening. I asked Akira to call you so we could talk to you." The urge to run was strong, but she mustn't run away. Mustn't run away!

"We? What did you guys want to talk to me about?" Ryuji turned to Akira. "I thought we were going to talk about your girl—"

'Oh what the heck,' Sadayo thought, marching to Akira's side. She knew that her face was burning madly as she plopped on the seat and reached for her boyfriend's shirt, clinging desperately.

"—friend."

The small gesture wasn't the most intimate thing Sadayo had done, but Akira still blushed. With bated breath, he watched as the comet of comprehension hit his bro.

Ryuji's eyes grew bigger and bigger, almost popping out of his head. His finger pointed at the two, swinging between the amused Akira and the blushing Sadayo. No sound came from his gaping mouth, until, . "Nooooooooooo! Are you for real?! You and Teach?!"

"Would you keep it down?!" Sadayo hushed.

"How can I?!" Ryuji kept turning between the two. "I mean, this is insane! You and Kawakami? When, how, why?!"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Sadayo retorted in annoyance.

"I-I'm not saying like why wouldn't he? I'm sure you're quite lovely and sweet, and ohshitcrappleasedon'tflunkmeonmynexttestI'msorry?"

"Ryuji, please calm down," Akira tried to mediate, his lips twitching. He knew that Ryuji was now regretting his earlier comments.

"I would never do something like that," Sadayo huffed.

"It's okay Sadayo, we know you wouldn't. He's just a bit confused," Akira reassured his girlfriend, patting her back. It seemed to work as her annoyance lowered to a cute pout.

"It's not like I can flunk you more than you already manage to flunk yourself," Sadayo mumbled.

Patiently waiting for Ryuji to move the conversation, Akira reached for the coffee. At the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ryuji finally realized that there were two cups. Casually, Akira leaned back on his seat, one hand holding his cup, the other still rubbing his girlfriend's back.

He took a sip.

"...So you guys really aren't pulling my leg, are ya?" Ryuji finally asked. His expression was still stuck in a mixture of bewilderment, nervousness, and — strangely — awe. "And you're okay with this?"

"Yep, and before you ask, no she's not forcing me or tricking me into doing anything." Akira decided to take the plunge, fully wrapping an arm around his girlfriend in full view of his best friend. "Now that you understand our circumstances..."

"But you still ended up getting together?"

"I know it's hard to believe," Sadayo spoke up, drawing comfort from Akira's confidence despite her discomfort, "but as we got to know one another I really grew to care about Akira. And then, without realizing it, I… well, you know." Finding it embarrassing to claim her love for him in front of his friend, Sadayo buried her face into her boyfriend's shoulder.

"I can see why you want to keep it a secret." Ryuji leaned back against his seat as he scratched his head. "But daaamn, that means that Ann and Makoto were right about something going on between you two?"

"Yeah, I was really worried about how much they noticed," Akira stirred some cream into his cup. "Thankfully I was able to find a justification, even if it was flimsy."

"Well, she did help me with the whole alibi thing, so can't say you were wrong."

"About that Sakamoto-kun," Sadayo pulled away from her shield. For the first time that night, she met his eyes; thankfully, he didn't seem angry nor disgusted. "I just want you to know that I didn't do any of that just to win you over. I can't deny that I'm completely unbiased, but when I offered to meet with your mother, I truly meant it as your teacher."

"She's telling the truth," Akira affirmed. "When I told her that I was possibly coming to the meeting as well, she first thought I was coming for her, and she told me that I shouldn't."

"Don't worry, I believe you. Not like we all have our own reasons for doing shit — uh, crap," Ryuji corrected himself, but he was smiling. "Besides, it really helped me and Mom. So thanks."

"I'm glad," Sadayo exhaled, collapsing back to her boyfriend's shoulder.

"What about the rest though?" Ryuji fiddled with his empty can of juice. "I mean, half our group knows. Feels kinda unfair that the others don't."

"We are planning to," Akira sighed. "Just... one step at a time."

"And what about Ann?" Ryuji asked, more concerned than before. "She deserves to know the most."

"She will be the next one we tell. I promise," Sadayo spoke up, surprising not only Ryuji, but also Akira. "But… I need more time. Out of all of you, Takamaki-chan is the one that scares me the most." She gripped her skirt with white knuckles. "I don't want to put Akira in a position where he has to decide between me and his friends, so I feel that I have to come clean with her soon."

Underneath the table, Akira caressed the back of her hands. His girlfriend slowly relaxed her death grip and entangled their fingers together. "I know it's unfair to leave Ann out of this, but you know it would be a hard thing for her to accept."

"No kidding. She's going to be majorly pissed at you man." Ryuji looked at the ceiling, frowning. "But you got my word. I promise not to tell anyone. I may not fully understand what is going on between you two, but I ain't going to screw you guys over."

"Thank you," Sadayo smiled in gratitude. Her gaze met his, but she quickly ducked again.

"Is it okay if Akira and me talk?"

"'Akira and I'," Sadayo automatically corrected, then facepalmed in embarrassment when the two guys snorted in amusement. "I'm... not going to apologize for that."

"Of course, Sensei," Akira seriously nodded, lips twitching.

"Anyway, I don't mind if you talk. Though..." Sadayo looked outside meaningfully. She knew she wouldn't be able to resist eavesdropping if she just went upstairs but standing outside in her current appearance worried her.

"You can have coffee upstairs. I also made sandwiches from the leftover curry if you want." Akira gestured to the tray on the table. "Ryuji and I can go out for a bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Sounds okay with you, Ryuji?"

"Yeah."

Tray on hand, Akira walked Sadayo upstairs. As soon as he placed the tray on his work desk, Akira kissed her, a gesture that Sadayo happily welcomed after being so stressed. Sensing that someone was trying to creep up the stairs for a peek, Akira pulled away with a grin. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be waiting then," Sadayo happily replied.

---

With a clang, the baseball soared high. Unfortunately it hit the fence, mere inches from homerun.

"Damn dude, you were really close," Ryuji whistled, a metal bat on his shoulder.

"It's a lot harder than it looks." Akira prepared himself for another swing. Unashamedly using his Eye for the perfect moment, he waited for another ball to be launched. Another clang echoed. Decent score, but still no homerun. "Besides, 'really close' doesn't cut it when you already scored one."

"What can I say? Baseball may not be my thing, but I know how to swing a bat." Ryuji was now in a ready position. A ball flew, and his bat connected, launching it all the way to the target. "HELL YEAH!"

"I feel like I'm in a losing battle here." Akira let out a playful sigh. "You know, you have some good aim with that. I think you should consider incorporating that into your attacks in some way."

"What, like trying to do a homerun with a Shadow or some lighting and shit?"

"Just something to think about." Akira swung at another ball, managing to finally hit the target. "Got one!"

"Nice, but you have to be better than that to beat me!" Ryuji grinned.

For a while, only the sounds of batting rang in the evening. Akira can sense that Ryuji was gathering his thoughts about earlier. Whatever others may think, his admittedly academically-challenged friend has brains, after all.

"Hey, about you and Kawakami," Ryuji finally said, but still focusing on his swings. "Are you really sure you're okay with this?"

"I'm sure," Akira answered without hesitation, equally focused on his own lane. "It hasn't been easy for us. And we definitely had our bumps and scares. But being with her makes it all worth it."

"So… are the two of you serious?" Another clang of the metal bat was followed by a homerun announcement.

"Sure am," Akira replied as he swung at another flying baseball. "I love her Ryuji, I fell in love with our teacher. And just when I thought life had screwed me over again by making me fall for someone that I couldn't be with, she returned my feelings."

"For real? You guys that serious? You actually told her you love her?"

"And she said she loved me back."

"Holy shit dude."

The two went silent again, the clanging sound of the bats going uninterrupted for a time.

"Sure."

"When did you realize... you know. That you love her and shit."

"I guess... when I got the news about her collapse and being rushed to the hospital. Before that, I slowly grew used to spending time with her. I started looking forward to seeing her and I enjoyed talking with her. I wanted to help her, to see her happy and I started to think of her often and wondered what she must be thinking sometimes. But when I found out about her hospitalization, my legs just moved on their own. Nothing else mattered. I just wanted to see her. To know that she was okay. I was so afraid of her being gone."

"Huh."

A few more balls were hit, and eventually the match was over. Ryuji was the victor by a good margin. Exiting the batting cages, Akira went to the nearest vending machine and got a soda, throwing the can at his friend.

"Thanks dude," Ryuji opened the can and took a swig. "So… what's it like dating someone like her? Does she like, go easy on you on grades and stuff?"

"Actually she's even more strict on me than normal," Akira chuckled, leaning down to get himself a can. "Though to be fair I'm also strict on myself. Sadayo is worried that if we're discovered, they'll accuse her of favoritism and that all my achievements are only because of her. So she made me promise that I would do my best to pass so there wouldn't be a shadow of a doubt that I earned those grades."

"So that's why your grades are so good," Ryuji marvelled, eyes wide.

"You do remember that my grades were good even before I got to know her, right?"

"I bet she gives you some real good motivation though, right?" Ryuji jabbed him with his elbow. The goofy grin on his face more than made it clear what he was suggesting.

"Trust me, things aren't exactly like you hear about," Akira replied drily.

"So nothing, you know, has happened between you two?" Ryuji looked genuinely surprised, if not a bit disappointed.

"We've kissed and held each other close. But most of the time we just talk. Sometimes we make dinner together or one of us prepares food for the other. We watch some movies and relax. Sometimes she offers to help out. You would be surprised how good she is with her hands." Akira quickly added, "And not in that way."

"Sounds… I dunno, domesticated. Kinda nice." Ryuji placed the cool can on his head, taking care not to spill it. "But be honest with me, just between us dudes. Do you ever think about stuff like that? With her?"

"You have noooo idea. Quite a few times," Akira admitted, a clear blush in his cheeks. "I mean, I know most guys don't see it, but with your comments earlier—"

"That I'm very very very sorry for," Ryuji placed his hands together, sheepish. "Don't tell Teach?"

"No promises," Akira snorted. "Anyway, you know Sadayo can be sexy at times." He opened his can, savoring his boyfriend privileges even as his friend was visibly restraining himself from inappropriate comments. "And I would be lying if I didn't admit that there were times where I wanted to take that next step with her." Akira drank his soda for a moment to compose himself, willing his blush to fade. "But I know Sadayo is worried about stuff like that. Especially with the stuff with Kamoshida still looming over the school."

"Now that you mention it, it would probably feel uncomfortable for her."

Akira ducked his head to place his cool can on the back of his neck. "We both know that she is nothing like him, and what we have is genuine. But she's still afraid of being seen in the same light as that bastard. As long as she's not ready, then I don't mind waiting."

"Look at you being mature and shit," Ryuji smiled. "She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"She does. It's why I want to do everything I can to make things easier for her, even if it means just keeping it between the two of us." Akira let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "But things don't always go according to plan. A chunk of our friends know about us already."

"What do you mean?" Ryuji took a swig of his drink.

"Mona was always around so he figured it out on his own. He actually knew before either of us did." Akira chuckled a bit. "Futaba heard us because of the bug, so nothing we could do about that. Then by accident, my other adult friends found out because of Chihaya's powers."

"Shit, that was real? Wait, what am I saying?" Ryuji shook his head. "We have powers!"

"Yep. I'll explain it to you if you want someday, but my point is, well," Akira smiled at his friend, "you were the first one we were actually able to tell by our own choice."

"Wait, I'm the first one you guys told?"

"Officially, yeah. We both agreed on it. Actually it was Sadayo who suggested we talk to you."

"For real?" Ryuji blinked, clearly shocked.

"You okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just that... finding out that you guys trusted me enough to tell me first… it makes me really happy." Ryuji's grin was positively the most blinding yet. He looked near tears.

Satisfied, Akira gazed out of the fence, enjoying the quiet night of Yongen-jaya.

"Hey," Ryuji eventually said. He sounded like he regained his composure. "I know I've messed up in the past. And I know I can be a bit headstrong. But I promise you can count on me. After all, I already told yah. You have my back, so I have yours. Both of you."

"We know." Akira raised his can. "We already do."

They clinked cans.

---

After Ryuji left, Akira returned to Leblanc. The coffee shop was quiet as usual, but he knew someone was waiting for him upstairs. When he reached his room he was greeted with the sight of his girlfriend leaning by the window of his bed. Shutters opened just enough to see outside, but still providing enough cover to prevent anyone from seeing in.. She seemed lost in thought, but as soon as he approached, Sadayo turned. Worried, but still smiling at his return.

"So, how did it go?" She eagerly asked as she scurried to the edge of the bed.

"We talked. Answered a few questions." Akira sat down on the bed beside her. "He promised that he would keep our secret and that he has our back."

"That's a huge relief," Sadayo exhaled, falling back down on the bed, looking much more relaxed now that the whole thing had passed. "I'm so glad that everything turned out well."

"And yet you were the one that pushed us to do this, not to mention coming here without your disguise. I thought I was supposed to be the reckless one," Akira teased, placing a hand over hers.

Sadayo let out a cute laugh at the silliness. Squeezing his hand, she placed her other arm over her forehead dramatically. "My heart was racing on my way here. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen when Sakamoto-kun found out, or worrying about someone else seeing me come here." She lifted herself up, anchoring herself by her arms as she crossed her legs. "By the time I made it to the door, it just hit me again. Coming here in my normal clothes is pretty dangerous huh?"

"Guess I should expect Becky to return, eh?"

"I bet you're happy to hear that," Sadayo coyly smirked.

"I'm happy just having you either way," Akira responded without missing a beat. "I won't deny that you look really great in your maid outfit, but I love just having you like this as well." Akira gently ran his free hand through her hair.

"I-I see," Sadayo shyly blushed, looking away. "I guess I could try coming over once in a while like this. Thankfully I could always make the excuse that I was just visiting the home of a troublemaker." Sadayo then leaned on her boyfriend, placing her head on his shoulder. Fingers entwined with his, she continued, "I know this sounds awful of me to say, especially after all that you had to go through with Izumi-chan and your hometown. But… I'm glad you came here with those special circumstances. It makes it easy to make up reasons for needing to see you. Still, I guess the old saying 'loving is losing' is so true."

"I don't think that's an expression that I've ever heard," Akira raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"Come on, I'm not that old… am I? Maybe I got the saying wrong," Sadayo laughed.

But her expression reminded him of the forced smiles she used to sport when they first started talking. Despite her attempts to play it off as a joke, something was bothering her. "Sadayo?"

"I'm just worried about what comes next," she admitted. "We've been lucky so far, but eventually that luck is going to run out. Summer is almost over and things will be different for us, harder." Sadayo squeezed his hand tightly, afraid of letting go. "I'm worried about that… in the end, loving me will end up with you losing everything. That in the end, loving me won't be worth it."

Seeing Sadayo's worried expression, Akira gently raised her head to face him. Her expression was replaced with confusion at his gesture. "I may not have heard of it before, but I think it means something different." He smiled, ever the confident trickster. "If loving is losing, then I guess I lost to you too. I lost my heart and it's now yours. If losing meant I would get to love you, then I'd continue to lose to you."

"Huh...?" Sadayo stared, blooming red as an embarrassed smile spread. "Wow, that hit me right in my heart," she began to giggle to herself. "Geez… that's not fair. How do you always manage to do this to me?"

The warmth in her heart grew as her boyfriend gazed lovingly. "S-sorry, sorry," Sadayo continued to giggle, unable to stop herself. "I can't help but smile… it's just… I really do love you. Whenever I start beating myself up for doing this, here you go, reminding me about why I love you so much." Wiping the edges of her eyes, Sadayo managed to compose herself, returning his admiration and love. "You're right, I guess I lost to you as well. But I don't regret anything… thanks to you."

Akira cupped her face and pulled her close, lifting her to his lap. His hand ran through her hair, caressing her scalp.

After a moment, they pulled away for air. Eyes locked to each other, coffee-brown reflected on his gun-grey.

"I'm glad to hear that," Akira whispered, "because I want to be with you forever."

"I feel the same way..." Sadayo smiled, before pouting cutely. "That's why you gotta grow up fast. At the very least, enough so that we don't have to hide our relationship from the public. I want to be able to show off how amazing my boyfriend is."

"That would be something," Akira chuckled. "Sadly there's no real way to make this any quicker."

"I know…" Sadayo placed her head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart as she felt him kiss her head. "Don't worry, I'll wait for you. You are well worth the wait."

"I'm honored," Akira held her close, enjoying her warmth as rare, cool summer air blew in. "And Sadayo?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for convincing me to talk to Ryuji about us. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right — having him know does lift some of the weight on my back. Even if the decision was a bit reckless."

"I blame you for that, mister. Your recklessness is rubbing off on me," Sadayo pouted, though she lifted her head to peck him on the cheek. "Besides, I told you already, you're worth it."

"And are you sure about Ann?"

"I am. I want to be in your life, not just someone you see isolated from everything else. It will take some time, but I want to be accepted by all of your friends. I just... don't know how to do that yet."

"Well, no need to rush. We'll take things slowly, okay?"

"Okay. But for now, I want to enjoy what we can. Summer is ending soon, but this is the happiest summer I've had in a long time…"

The two kissed, wrapping their arms around the other. They wished that she could just fall asleep in his arms, knowing he'd be there the next day. But that wasn't possible, so Akira and Sadayo simply snuggled until it was time for her to go.

---

Sadayo always enjoyed looking through travel guides. Partly because of the stories her mother would tell from her work as a flight attendant, and partly because of her desire to try all sorts of different dishes and drinks. She couldn't deny though, that the wish that she could be whisked away to such locations grew when everything around her was so miserable. Fortunately, this dream was about to come true.

If only she can plan it well within the school budget.

"Hula dance classes could be a fun activity, but pricing could be difficult with the budget cuts. And we have to reserve a location." Sadayo mumbled to herself as she scrolled down the website of one of the proposed Hawaiian resorts, eagerly absorbing all the gorgeous pictures in the gallery. "I wonder what kind of special dishes they have in the area? I heard they have something called luau? Or haupia pie?" She shook her head. "Sadayo, calm down!"

She couldn't help her excitement. It had been a long time since she had the chance to take part on the school trip, let alone travel for vacation. The possibilities were almost endless, and the notepad before her was already filled with ideas and suggestions.

"This isn't a leisurely vacation, Sadayo. You're going there as part of your job," she reminded herself, but she couldn't help but giggle like a highschool girl with a crush.

That reminded her — Akira would be there as well. Thoughts of sneaking with him for a moment alone at the beach filled her smile with anticipation.

Then an urgent thought occurred. "Wait, do I have anything to wear?"

Quickly, Sadayo rushed to her bedroom, opening the drawer where she knew her bathing suit should be. It wasn't something she got rid of, and if her old professional suit could still fit, then her bathing suit should work just as well. But no matter where she looked, she couldn't find it.

"Strange, I know I had at least one, though I don't think it was very impressive." Sadayo turned to the mirror in her room, trying to remember how her old bathing suit looked. Her loose camisole and shorts were not hiding much, which made it easier for her to imagine wearing it. "Still… maybe I should try getting a new one? I wonder what Akira would think...?"

Her cheeks burned at the thought of her boyfriend seeing her in a bikini. Akira always made valiant attempts to meet her eyes in her maid outfit, but she knew his gaze would sometimes dip to her cleavage. Then there was his memorable reaction to her professional suit…

"Geez, what is wrong with me?!" Sadayo cupped her grinning cheeks. "I shouldn't be focusing on this right now! Though... it wouldn't hurt to shop for one."

Suddenly, her phone rang. She went back to her living room to grab her phone from the couch, raising a brow at the caller ID. Wondering if the caller wanted to hang out, Sadayo picked up.

"What's up Ohya? Surprised you're calling at this hour."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I would've called sooner, but it's been kind of a busy weekend."

Much to Sadayo's surprise, Ohya sounded sober, even serious. She may not know much about her, but Akira had said that that wasn't very common. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really," Ohya replied. The phone was silent for a bit before she spoke again. "Hey, be honest with me. How much did you know about the Kamoshida incident?"

Sadayo was taken aback, though Akira had said that Ohya often regretted that she didn't look deeper into things. Maybe this was the journalist's attempt to rectify that. "As much as I hate to admit it, when I look back at what was happening, the signs seem so obvious. But at the time I honestly never suspected him of doing all those horrible things." Sadayo thought that had been clear the last time they had talked, so to have this asked again was odd, but most of all, concerning. "Ohya, why do you ask?"

Ohya sighed at the other end. "A couple of days ago, some information arrived at our office concerning the staff at Shujin Academy and the Kamoshida case. Considering we're now drinking buddies and part of the AKA Club, I figured I'll warn you before the news gets printed tomorrow."

As the words filtered through to her brain, her happy thoughts of the beach were overtaken by a sea of cold dread, fingers tightening on the phone. The school was just about ready to start a new semester, but it looks like the past events weren't done with them.

---

With this, we finalized what I had a long time ago called the second arc of this story, as the summer ends and we start with the second semester.

I have so many things I wanted to talk about this chapter, but I don't want to take too much time, so I'll give a few notes.

-Hana was one of the big reasons that I had difficulty with this chapter. In my original plot, Hana was intended to be a form of conflict for the couple to work out together. Akira was originally intended to still be angry and spiteful for her betrayal, and Sadayo would help heal that wound by helping him forgive her, but at the same time, she was also a bit of a sore spot to Sadayo. As seeing them together would remind Sadayo of how natural Akira would look with someone of his age. That was the plan at least, but by the time I had gotten to her arrival, both Sadayo and Akira had mature much more than I had planned b this point, and thus having behave like that would had felt like a regression. Of course that left me with having figure out what to do with Hana, which took some time figuring out. I honestly much prefer the route we ended up with, but I'll admit it wasn't easy.

Speaking of not easy.

- Takara Sakamoto was the othe reason that I had such a huge difficulty with thic chapter. Characters like the phantom thieves, and the confidants are easy for me to work with, as I've gotten to know all of the well enough that I feel I have a good grasp on. Then Character like Hana whild tricky, I have a lot more leeway as they are ones I created fully with zero information in the game. But Ryuji's mother is a weird case of us barerly getting any information of her, but getting enough that I can't just make her up fully in the fly. I spent many writting sessions trying to figure out how she would react during the meeting, he behavior, emotions and thoughts on matters. I never expected that the hardest moment for me to write, would be a meeting between Sadayo and the Sakamotos.

-Akira was originally planned to be in this meeting, but as I double checked my logs on the date of when the meeting would fall, it just so happened to fall at the very day Futaba woke up in the game. This the reason wh it is very sudden. This wasn't something I planned, and it definetly caused a lot of deviation from the original plan. But on the bright side, it allowed for Sadayo to shine on her own both as a pillar of support for Akira, but also as a teacher for Ryuji, so I'm happy with this coincindence.

I want to give my thanks to SombodyLost as always for stickig with me, and all their amazing help. And once mroe, thank you to everyone for their support, and patiense. We are almost to Hawaii, and I know many of you are looking foward to it. But before that, we have a few things to deal with. Here's hoping the next chapter won't take me another year.