"…my God… oh, Akira…" Rise's heart grew heavy as she stood in the laundromat and listened to what her cousin had to say. He was upfront and honest about his seizures and, reluctantly, his blackouts. She grabbed Akira and held him tightly. "…I-I don't know what to say. How did your mom take the news? Not too hard, I hope?" She asked the question Akira was dreading. He was conflicted. Does he tell her? Does he keep lying? The conflict was giving him another migraine. Every fiber of his being told him to lie, but there was still a part of him, deep down, that knew telling the truth was the right thing to do, no matter how much it would hurt.
"…no," he quietly muttered.
" 'No' what?" Rise was confused by what he said.
"I… I-I haven't told her…" Akira reluctantly admitted. Rise was now even more confused.
"Wha-why not? This is something serious!" she grew mad.
"I know. I know. The thing is… before I left, she and I got into a fight."
"About what?"
The pain in his head was increasing by the second. "I'd rather not talk-"
"AKIRA!" She cut him off. "About. What!?" She was worried, but sounded furious now, raising her voice. "What was so bad that you stopped talking to her entirely and neglected to tell her-" This time, Akira cut her off.
"NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, RISE!" he shouted. The laundromat went quiet. Rise couldn't even hear the ongoing washing machines. The laundry machine from earlier was still in use. There seemed to have been an extra one added to the mix. Perhaps, someone came in and started another load while Akira was blacking out. Rise was shocked. She'd never seen Akira this angry before, let alone swear. Akira's outburst caused the migraine in his head to pound even further. The pain was becoming unbearable, and Rise could see it in his face. Akira clutched his temple in pain. Rise gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey… hey… it's okay. Here, take a breather." Her voice was calm and soothing. Rise was worried about him. She gently helped him sit down on the floor, back against the wall. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was way out of line." Akira didn't respond audibly. He simply waved her off. "A-Are you okay?" Rise asked in a low voice.
"I-I need… my meds." Rise nodded; her heart was beating rapidly. On her way out of the laundromat, she ran into Sumire, who was carrying a bottle of pills and some bottled water.
"Oh! Sumi-chan! Thank God! Akira's in trouble," Rise panicked. Sumire made her past Rise and went to Akira, still sitting on the floor, hand still on his head.
"It's okay, Akira… It's okay. I'm here for you, don't worry," Sumire calmly said, handing him his medication. Akira took the pills in his mouth and downed whatever water was left in the bottle in one gulp.
"T-Thank you," he managed to get out. "C-Can you give just a minute?" Sumire nodded as Akira began going through the 'count to four' breathing routine.
"Take all the time you need. I'll be outside if you need me," she assured him. He responded with a nod as he continued to try to steady his breathing. Sumire stood up and turned to Rise, who was still in the doorway of the laundromat. The two of them went to the door of the bathhouse, in front of the soda machine.
"I-Is he okay?" Rise asked, still slightly panicking.
"Yes, don't worry. It's just a migraine. I'm just happy he didn't have another seizure."
"It's a good thing you showed up when you did. Did everyone hear us yelling?"
"No, they were rather loud themselves. I just noticed the time and I realized Akira needed to take his medication."
"You're so good to him, thank you," Rise said, taking Sumire's hands into hers.
"Of course, but I feel like I should tell you a bit more about Akira's seizures," Sumire began.
"I-Is it epilepsy?"
"No. We don't know what's causing them." Rise nodded and listened carefully. "We went to a neurologist, Kimura-san, whom you met earlier, and she did a scan of Akira's brain. There was no sign of anything wrong with it. We even took him to the hospital to get an MRI. They found nothing wrong either."
"Well, then what is it?"
"Like I said, we don't know, but what we've been able to deduce is that stress and anxiety seem to trigger migraines in Akira. Those migraines cause his seizures."
"I see." Rise nodded, but then quickly realized. "Oh, God… when I yelled at him. Did I say something to stress him out?"
"What were you two yelling about?"
"I-I… got mad at him because he told me he hadn't told his mother about his seizures. He said the two of them got into a fight before he left Inaba. I tried to get him to tell me what about and got a little too heated. He snapped at me, and I think that's when the migraine started…" Rise sighed, feeling guilty.
"Ah, I see," Sumire said. "I don't know what happened between them, but talking about it seems to be one of his triggers. That's why I haven't tried asking any further questions about it."
"Damn it, why am I saying all the wrong things today?" Rise facepalmed.
"Don't worry; you didn't know. It's not your fault. Makoto-senpai felt equally awful when she did something similar a few weeks ago."
"Have you tried asking Akira's mother what their fight was about?"
"I don't have her contact information. Besides, I don't feel like it's my place to prod into such a personal matter."
"I get it. So, you're all just as in the dark as I am."
"Akira eventually told us all about the fight, so we know not to bring it up, but nothing else beyond that." What Sumire didn't mention was that everyone else, her included, found out about the fight with his mother through the 'Akira' group chat that was set up behind Akira's back. It was still active. Unbeknownst to him, they were messaging about Akira without his knowledge.
"Okay, I'll make sure not to bring it up anymore," Rise said, Sumire looked down and exhaled. "What's wrong, Sumi-chan?"
"I just wish there was more I could do for him…" Sumire felt her eyes begin to tear up. It was clear that Akira's poor health was starting to get to her emotionally. "I hate seeing him like this…" Rise put a reassuring hand on Sumire's shoulder.
"Sumi-chan, the way I see it, you're already taking really great care of him, and for that, I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Rise gave her a small smile.
"Thank you, Rise-san. That means a lot." Rise nodded, removing her hand from Sumire's shoulder.
"You're doing what you can. I know what it's like to take care of someone," Rise sighed. "My grandmother recently got really sick, and I've had to start taking care of her. She can still do things herself, but I still feel bad about not being there for her. She was actually the one who told me to go to Tokyo and get away for a bit. I think she was just sick of me being at her house every day for the past few months," Rise chuckled for the first time in a while. "Thankfully, she's going to pull through."
"O-Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm happy that she's going to be okay. Is she Akira's grandmother as well?"
"Oh, no, this is my grandmother on my dad's side. She owns a tofu shop in Inaba, but Akira doesn't know her very well. We share a maternal grandmother. Akira's never actually met her, though."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sumire asked, confused.
"Well…" Rise rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's just say things are kinda complicated on that side of the family. Obviously, I shouldn't really talk about it since it's not really any of my business, but all I'm gonna say is that, even though they're my grandparents, they're kinda jerks. They were gonna come to the wedding, but dropped out when I told them that Obasan would be there as well."
"Oh my…"
"Yeah… to put it lightly, they don't get along well." But that was a bit of an understatement.
"That's a shame."
"Yeah, but what are you gonna do?" Rise shrugged. "Anyway, we should probably head back inside," she suggested.
"I think that'd be best," Sumire agreed. They went to fetch Akira, who was still sitting on the floor. "Are you feeling better?" Sumire asked him. There was no response.
"We're going back inside, are you coming, kiddo?" Rise added, still no response. Akira was sitting against the wall like before; only something seemed off about him. He had a blank, expressionless face and seemed to be staring off into the distance. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging slightly open. "Is he okay?" Rise worriedly asked.
"I-I think this might be a micro seizure," Sumire quietly answered. She went to kneel next to him and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Akira...?"
"AHHHHH!" Akira shouted. His head jerked towards Sumire, and he violently flinched. This sudden reaction startled both Sumire and Rise. He was breathing heavily. He quickly caught his breath and calmed down, however. He looked at Sumire and Rise and saw that he had startled them. "Oh, uh, sorry about that. Did you say something?" he casually asked.
"Uh-um… W-We said we were going back inside," Sumire said after a pause.
"Oh. Okay, then." Akira got up, acting like he hadn't just wailed in terror.
"Did you have another micro seizure?" Sumire asked.
"No, or… I don't know. Maybe?" Micro seizure? Blackout? Daydream? Akira wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it wasn't pretty.
"Why did you scream?" Rise asked. He didn't say, but the thought was haunting him.
"I think I was just caught off guard. Sorry about that," Akira said. "Hey, Rise? Sorry I yelled at you earlier."
"Don't sweat it; I'm sorry, too. Sumi-chan gave me the rundown of your situation," Rise said. Before they all walked out of the laundromat, Rise had one more question for him. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"You don't have to talk about what happened between you and your mom, but… would you be okay with me calling her and asking her about it?" Akira didn't even have to think about his answer.
"No, I'd rather you didn't. It's a personal matter that stays between her and me," he stated. Rise wasn't pleased with his answer but decided against arguing further.
"Okay, I won't do it, then."
"Thank you," Akira sighed once more. "I'm sorry, I feel like I ruined your trip," he said, looking down.
"Oh, stop, you didn't ruin anything. Hey, chin up, look at me." Akira looked up at Rise. "I've known you since you were born, kiddo. I know how hard it is for you to open to others. You keep all your feelings bottled up. I just hope you know that you can tell us anything. I'm talking about me, Sumi-chan, your friends. You have plenty of people who are willing to hear you out."
Akira heard what she was saying. It was stuff he'd heard from everyone. He didn't care. While he was making an effort to open up more, there were things he preferred to keep to himself; consequences be dammed, but there was a part of him who was telling him to cut the bullshit and let it all out. These two sides of him had been at odds with each other for a long time, and it seemed like now it was all coming to a head.
"I hear you, Rise. I've actually been going to a therapist for the past few weeks or so. I'm going again on Saturday."
"I'm glad to hear that. Take it from me, there's nothing wrong with going to therapy."
"Life on the road can be tough, huh?"
"Sometimes…" Rise admitted. "Is your therapist helping you out?"
"Yeah, Doctor Maruki's really great."
"Good, good," Rise sighed; she was exhausted. The past ten minutes or so had been a real rollercoaster of emotions for her, Akira, and Sumire. "Now, what say we all forget about this and enjoy the rest of the evening," she suggested.
"I'd like that," Sumire smiled.
"Me too," Akira added.
He and Rise finished making up and hugged one more time before finally exiting the laundromat. They agreed not to mention anything to the others, at least for now. They simply didn't want to ruin the night. The trio made their way back to Leblanc, where they found everyone yucking it up. Yu was clearly a big hit with the other Phantom Thieves.
"Hey! Look who finally showed up!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Where ya been, big guy?" he asked Akira.
"Oh, just catching up with my favorite cousin," Akira said, playfully wrapping an arm around Rise, who smiled profusely.
"Well, now that you're here, you want to make the curry for your cousin and her fiancé?" Sojiro asked.
"Didn't realize I was on dinner duty tonight, haha," Akira chuckled. "Sure, I'm on it."
"Ooh, are you gonna make us dinner~?" Rise nudged him.
"Well, I did say I would make it for you, didn't I? Curry time!" he exclaimed, earning cheers from everyone. Rise sat down next to Yu in one of the booths.
"You guys are gonna FREAK when you try it! And you gotta have coffee with it. Them's the rules!" Futaba excitedly said.
"Can't wait!" Rise exclaimed. They all talked as they watched Akira expertly prepare the curry and Sojiro handle the coffee. The aromas of both were floating through Leblanc. Everyone got really excited. Eventually, it was ready. Akira served everyone a plate, while Sojiro served everyone coffee. Once Yu and Rise had their plate of curry and a cup of coffee, they found everyone intensely staring at them.
"Uh… what is it?" Yu asked.
"We want to see you two's first reaction to Akira's masterpiece combo!" Ann exclaimed.
*Ahem!* Sojiro cleared his throat. "Excuse me? It's MY recipe."
"Quiet, Sojiro! Let Akira have this one!" Futaba yelled; Sojiro sighed and chuckled.
"I gotta admit, it smells pretty delish~," Rise smiled.
"Ooh! Let's get their reaction on video!" Ryuji suggested.
"Oh my God! Yes!" Ann exclaimed.
"Oh, for the love of…" Akira facepalmed. He shook his in embarrassment as Ryuji, Ann, and Futaba pulled out their phones and started filming Yu and Rise. He was glad Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Sumire were kind enough not to follow suit, resorting instead to laughing at his embarrassed state. "I'm so sorry about my friends, guys…"
"Haha, don't worry about it, Akira," Yu assured him. "Well, here goes…" He and Rise took a bite of curry and then immediately took a sip of coffee. The reaction was priceless.
"…O-Oh…OH MY GOD!" Rise couldn't believe it. "This is delicious! And here I thought it couldn't get better than just the coffee!"
"Wow… this is absolutely incredible!" Yu was equally shocked at how good it was.
"Yukiko and Chie would melt if they tried this," Rise joked.
"Tell me about it. They wish they could make something this good, haha," Yu laughed.
The Phantom Thieves all laughed as they put their phones away and began enjoying their meal. Comments and compliments from Yu and Rise kept coming. As soon as they were done, they asked for seconds. They couldn't get enough. As everyone enjoyed their meal and talked, Akira noticed someone was absent, Morgana. He leaned over to Futaba, sitting next to him at the counter, and whispered in her ear.
"Did Morgana not come?" Futaba shook her head.
"He decided to hang back, thinking it'd be awkward if they saw us talking with a cat. Sorry," she whispered back.
"No worries, I get it." Akira understood, but his heart grew heavy. He missed seeing his best friend and partner. At one point, Yu's phone rang. He stopped eating and pulled it out of his jacket pocket.
"Who is it?" Rise asked.
"It's Chie. I better take this. Hey, Akira, is there somewhere I can go?" He asked.
"Yeah, you can go upstairs to my room." Akira pointed to the stairs in the back.
"Thanks, be right back." He got up out of the booth and began making his way upstairs. "Hey, what's going on…?" They heard his voice trail off. Everyone continued to eat.
"Probably work-related," Rise shrugged, still savoring her plate of curry.
"What does Yu-san do, Rise-san?" Haru asked.
"He's a police officer. Chie's his partner."
"Really?" Makoto's attention was piqued.
"Yep. He's working his way up to become a detective like his uncle."
"How interesting. I have a dream of becoming a police commissioner myself."
"Really? That's wonderful, Makoto-chan!"
"Oh, yeah! Makoto here is our Fist of the Ph-" Ryuji began before Makoto shot him a death glare, stopping his speech dead in its tracks.
"Finish that sentence and I will cut your tongue out!"
"…yes, ma'am…" Ryuji whimpered. There were some chuckles from Rise, but not much from the others, as they knew Ryuji just came close to possibly revealing their identities as the Phantom Thieves…again.
"How's everyone else doing?" Akira asked Rise, referring to the other members of the Investigation Team.
"Good, they send their love and can't wait to see you this summer."
"How's Dojima-san?" He asked before sipping his coffee.
"He's doing well. Busy mostly. He keeps Yu out late sometimes, but meh, I get it. Nanako-chan also sends her love. I did what you said and told her you'd call her in ten years, heehee," Rise giggled. Akira choked on his coffee and spilled some of it on the counter.
"You're cleaning that up, hehe," Sojiro chuckled.
"Rise! You did not just say that!" Akira practically yelled out as he coughed and coughed. Sojiro patted him on the back as he looked at Sumire, who gave him the side-eye, shaking her head and smirking as she sat with her arms crossed. Rise kept on giggling.
"Don't worry, Sumi-chan. Nanako-chan's only thirteen. It's just an innocent teen crush; you know how it is," Rise smiled. Sumire took it well and laughed, as did everyone else. Akira, however, was red like a tomato.
"So, why did you say you would call this girl in ten years?" Sumire asked her boyfriend, still crossing her arms.
"It was a joke, damn it!" Akira said, still flustered.
"You don't expect to be with Sumire any more by then?" Ryuji smirked.
"Don't feed me straight lines, blondie!" Akira playfully said; Everyone laughed.
"I'm willing to wager that everyone in this room has had their own innocent crushes at a certain point," Yusuke said.
"Tell me about it, mine is sittin' right in front of me," Ryuji chuckled.
"Aww, aren't you sweet!" Rise cooed. Ryuji then looked to Ann, who glared at him.
"What?" Ryuji asked. "It's like she said, it's innocent. Who was your teen crush?"
"You were," Ann responded, everyone gasped and let out simultaneous "Ooooh's"
"F-F-For r-real…?" Ryuji was flustered. Ann grinned.
"Nah, I'm just messing with you, haha," she laughed. "Mine was Justin Timberlake, you know, the American pop star?"
"Oh, you were one of them—OW!" Ryuji said before receiving a punch to the arm from Ann.
"Don't diss NSYNC in front of me," she snarled
"I was a more of a Backstreet girl, myself…" Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. "…I probably could've phrased that a little bit better," Rise said, embarrassed. Everyone laughed.
"Mine was Prince Charming," Sumire said.
"Mine too, but that was when I was very little. Obviously, things have changed since then," Haru said before stealing a kiss off of Makoto's cheek. "What about you, Mako-chan, who was your childhood crush?"
"Buchimaru-kun," Makoto said. Everyone shot her a look. "…What?"
"He's a panda," Haru said.
"So?"
"Didn't know you were into that, heehee," Futaba murmured.
"What was that?" Makoto glared.
"Nothing!" Futaba quickly said. "Uh, what about you, Yusuke?"
"I never had any infatuations. Art was my first and, for a time, only love."
"Good thing I came along then. Otherwise, who knows what you would've tried doing with one of your paintings, mweheehee," Futaba giggled.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow. The Thieves glanced at each other and snickered. "Who was yours?"
"Easy, Black Condor from Phoenix Ranger Featherman R. Had the poster and everything."
"Pffft, nerd," Ryuji snickered.
"Shut up! Like you didn't have a Risette poster?"
"I didn't, for your information."
"Right… Why would you when you already had those magazines under your bed, mwehehe…" Futaba giggled; Ryuji was as white as a sheet. Even Rise couldn't help but giggle.
"HOW DID YOU EVEN-!?"
"MOVING ON!" Sumire thankfully yelled out. "What about you, Akira?"
"Uh, hehe… I…didn't really have one," he replied. Rise snickered.
"Yeah, right…" She rolled her eyes. "Tell that to Yukiko, why don't ya?" The café cackled.
"How did you know about that!?" Akira asked, blushing.
"Come on, I know you, Akira. I can read you like a stop sign," Rise chuckled.
"Seems appropriate, considering his face is redder than a stop sign, haha," Ryuji laughed.
"Shut up, Ryuji," Akira responded.
"I'm just sayin,'" Ryuji said, putting his hands up.
"Who's Yukiko?" Sumire asked.
"One of my friends from high school who runs the town's inn. It was totally obvious Akira had a crush on her when he was younger. She even looked after him a few times. He would stay at the inn while she worked."
"Aww, you had a babysitter?" Futaba nudged him.
"So, what if I did?" Akira crossed his arms.
"Not only that, he had a crush on the babysitter, haha," Ann laughed.
"That's adorable," Haru added.
"Would you guys stop it!? You're killing me!" Akira's heart was beating stupidly fast. He knew it was all in good fun, but he was afraid something like this would happen when he introduced Rise to his friends. She always acted more like a big sister to him and loved to tease him ever since he was little.
"Hahaha, you guys are so cute. I can see why you're all such good friends," Rise beamed; Akira, still feeling embarrassed, stayed away from the conversation. It didn't get much better when Yu came downstairs, holding his guitar. Akira sighed and hung his head.
"Oh no…" He thought, knowing what was coming next.
"Hey, Akira, is this yours?" Yu asked, holding the guitar up. Everyone turned around, and the café was filled with "Ooooh's" and "oh's."
"Yep…it's mine. Ryuji got it for me a while back."
"It's quite a beauty," Yu complimented.
"It doesn't quite work right. The electronics are busted," Akira said. Rise turned around and saw what Yu was talking about. Her face lit up when she saw the guitar.
"Oh! You started playing again?" she asked, turning to Akira.
"Sporadically," he simply answered with a shrug.
"Gosh, I can't remember the last time I saw you play. You all should have seen him when he was younger. He could play pretty much any song he heard on the radio, just like that." Rise said, snapping her fingers.
"Ooh, you were a prodigy?" Futaba giggled. Akira still hung his head in embarrassment but found the ability to smile.
"God, no, are you kidding me? I just liked to play, I guess," he said, trying to sound modest. "Do you still play bass, Yu?"
"Every now and then, yeah."
"You're a musician too, Yu-san?" Yusuke asked.
"In a sense. I played trumpet back in high school, and bass guitar since I was a kid. Had I known you played guitar, Akira, we could've had a jam session."
"Maybe in the future," Akira shrugged.
"Sooooo…" Rise began.
"Don't ask me to play, don't ask me to play…" Akira repeated over and over in his mind.
"Would you play us something~?" Everyone cheered.
"Damn it," he thought and sighed.
"Yeah, I've been waiting for another performance from you after the one during the camping trip," Ann grinned in excitement.
"I think it's safe to say we all have," Yusuke added.
"Agreed! We would love to see you play again!" Haru excitedly said.
"I've never even seen you play," Sojiro added. "Come on, give us a show."
"Do I have to…?" Akira playfully whined; he felt a hand on his shoulder from Sumire.
"Come on. It'll be fun," she said, looking deep into his eyes. He couldn't resist her crimson eyes.
"Why must you do this to me?" Akira thought. "Fine, I'll do it," he said before sighing.
"Yay!" She kissed him on the cheek. Yu handed Akira the guitar as Sojiro pulled one of the stools out and placed it near the back, so everyone could see him. Akira removed the pick between the strings and took a seat. He quickly tuned up the guitar before looking around at the ten faces, smiling and eagerly staring back at him. He was feeling anxious, and he felt another migraine coming on.
"No, damn it…" He thought to himself. "Not now. Not tonight." He strummed some random chords and picked some licks to warm up, hoping one of the strings would snap so he could call it early. After warming up, he seemed to calm down, but he still didn't have a song in mind. It felt like he had forgotten every song in existence. Not uncommon for guitar players. "Quick, think of something to play."
The first song that came to mind was "Yesterday" by The Beatles. Not typically his first choice, but people wanted to show, no time to stop and think about it now. Considering the song was normally played in a certain key, a full step down from standard guitar tuning, he had to improvise. He still knew the chords and played the song perfectly. He sang like an angel, entrancing everyone with his performance. Everyone applauded him. It's a shame that the first song was a bit of a sad one, but what can you do?
"That was wonderful, Akira!" Haru applauded.
"God, that song takes me back…" Sojiro reminisced.
"Hehe, that was the first song that came to mind," Akira admitted.
"Can't go wrong with a classic," Makoto smiled.
"Should I keep going?" Akira asked. "Please, say no," he thought.
"YES!" was the answer from everyone. Akira sighed; thankfully, thought of another song to play.
"Okay…" Akira started strumming the chords of a song from the mid-nineties titled, "Live Forever," by the band Oasis. "I doubt you'll recognize this one, but it's one of my favorites," he said before singing the opening verse.
(Maybe I don't really wanna know)
(How your garden grows)
('Cause I just wanna fly)
(Lately, did you ever feel the pain)
(In the morning rain)
(As it soaks you to the bone?)
The chord progression was pretty in a Beatles-y kind of way, and so was the vocal melody. The Phantom Thieves knew Akira was a good singer, but Rise hadn't heard him sing in, no pun intended, forever, and Yu had never heard Akira sing at all, but was impressed. With that said, nobody recognized the song, but Akira didn't mind. Everyone was enjoying the song, but Akira felt like this one was more for himself.
He closed his eyes and sang how he felt.
(Maybe I just wanna fly)
(Wanna live, I don't wanna die)
(Maybe I just wanna breathe)
(Maybe I just don't believe)
(Maybe you're the same as me)
(We see things they'll never see)
(You and I are gonna live forever~)
Akira wowed his audience by hitting a nice falsetto note on the last lyric of the chorus. The second verse was the same as the first.
(Maybe I don't really wanna know)
(How your garden grows)
('Cause I just wanna fly)
(Lately, did you ever feel the pain)
(In the morning rain)
(As it soaks you to the bone?)
While the song was optimistic, Akira was more pessimistic, lately. His head was hurting, and he still didn't know why. He didn't know what he wanted. Like the first chorus, he felt an air of uncertainty. Maybe…
Maybe he did love his friends…
Maybe he did want to be alone…
Maybe he did just want to breathe…
Maybe he just didn't believe…
But then, he opened his eyes and looked right into Sumire's. She smiled at him; suddenly, Akira began to calm down. Then, the second chorus came.
(Maybe I will never be)
(All the things that I wanna be)
(But now is not the time to cry)
(Now's the time to find out why)
(Maybe you're the same as me)
(We see things they'll never see)
(You and I are gonna live forever)
The song originally had a solo after the second chorus, which he knew how to play, but Akira couldn't quite pull that off by himself with just an acoustic guitar. Instead, he went to repeat the verse one more time, hitting higher notes at the end of "fly" and "bone" …
(Maybe I don't really wanna know)
(How your garden grows)
('Cause I just wanna fly~)
(Lately, did you ever feel the pain)
(In the morning rain)
(As it soaks you to the bone~?)
…before repeating the first chorus and going to the outro.
(Maybe I just wanna fly)
(Wanna live, I don't wanna die)
(Maybe I just wanna breathe)
(Maybe I just don't believe)
(Maybe you're the same as me)
(We see things they'll never see)
(You and I are gonna live forever)
(Gonna live forever)
(Gonna live forever)
(We're gonna live forever)
On the original recording, Oasis' lead songwriter/guitarist, Noel Gallagher sang the falsetto parts while brother and lead singer, Liam Gallagher, sang the gruffer, throatier lines. Akira did both. He effortlessly switched from a falsetto to his more natural singing voice. All the while, keeping his eyes on the woman he loved. Sumire really was his rock. With her by his side, he felt like he really could live forever. The question was, considering everything that had happened and the constant migraines that seemed to get worse as time went on with no inclination as to why, did he want to?
(Gonna live forever)
(Gonna live forever)
(Gonna live forever)
He strummed a final A minor chord as the café erupted into applause for him. Akira had to admit, that felt really good.
"Akira, that was incredible!" Ann exclaimed.
"Indeed. I could feel the passion and emotion in your voice," Yusuke added.
"What song was that again?" Makoto asked.
"It's called 'Live Forever,' it's by a nineties British band called 'Oasis,'" Akira replied.
"Oasis? They sound familiar…" Yu thought for a moment.
"You might recognize this one from them." Akira started strumming the chords to the classic song-turned-guitar meme, "Wonderwall." Everyone recognized it and chuckled.
"Oh, so that's where the 'anyway, here's Wonderwall' meme comes from…" Futaba said.
"They were huge in the mid-nineties. One of my favorite bands, personally," Akira said.
"I remember them," Sojiro began. "Their first two albums were pretty popular. They kinda fell off after their third."
Akira thought of another Oasis song he loved, "Cast No Shadow." There was always something about the words of Noel Gallagher that resonated with Akira, especially this song and especially recently. Just like the song, Akira found himself (walking along the open road of love and life, survivin' if he can). Currently, because of everything that was on his mind, he felt (bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say and chained to all the places that he never wished to stay).
"Hey, Akira?" Yu posed an interesting question. "Do you know any of Rise's songs?" Everyone got very curious. Rise especially, whose face lit up.
"Uh…" Akira thought for a moment. "I know the chords to 'True Story.' I'd have to play it slower, but I think I can do that one. What do you say, cuz?" Akira asked, smirking at her.
Everyone cheered for them to perform together. Rise excitedly obliged, Sojiro pulled out another stool, and she sat down next to Akira. He played the opening riff and then the song as Rise sang along, slower than the original recording, giving it the MTV Unplugged treatment. It was a delightful moment between Akira and Rise that helped erase the laundromat from their memories.
"Thanks for that! I should hire you to join my touring band, haha!" Rise laughed.
"Haha, thanks, but I'm good." Afterward, Akira had had enough and announced the show was over and brought the guitar back up to his room. As he set it down, his phone went off. He pulled it out to see that he had received a message from Riku.
RI: Hey man, just letting you know that your ID is done. You want me to swing by tomorrow and drop it off?
AK: I'd rather come by and get it myself.
RI: Sounds good, hmu when you wanna come by. I'm free anytime.
Akira put his phone away and went downstairs to rejoin the others. The rest of the night was spent just talking. Everyone was happy, though Akira wasn't on the same level as everyone else. Despite enjoying his coffee shop open mic night acoustic gig, a lot still weighed on his mind. He didn't have a migraine, but his head still hurt, though he tried not to let it show. Unfortunately, nothing gets past Sumire, and while she didn't say anything in front of everyone, she knew he wasn't quite in his right state of mind. Despite this and the laundromat, it was still a fun night for everyone, Akira included. Eventually, it was getting late. One by one, people began making their way home. Akira accompanied Yu and Rise back to the station, hugging them both goodbye and telling them that they'll see each other tomorrow. Akira made his way back to Leblanc and found that everyone had gone home except for Sumire, who sat in one of the booths, waiting for him to come back.
"You're not going home?" Akira asked.
"I'd like to stay here if that's all right with you. My parents know and are okay with it. Plus, it's been a while since we've had some time alone," Sumire responded. Akira smiled and nodded as he walked over to her and took her in his arms, kissing her.
"I'd love for you to stay," he happily said as they kept kissing.
"You were great, tonight! I really loved the second song you played," she said.
"Thanks, that one was for you and me," Akira smiled. "It was how I felt knowing you were at my side."
"I wish I understood what the lyrics were then, heehee," Sumire giggled.
"I'll tell you later."
"Don't. I like the mystery."
"Haha, as you like." Sumire smiled before pressing her face against his neck. Akira responded in the same way. They pulled back and looked in each other's eyes. "To be honest, as embarrassing as that concert was, it felt good."
"Why was it embarrassing?" she asked.
"Oh, you know, performance anxiety, hehe," he chuckled.
"I didn't expect the leader of the Phantom Thieves to have stage fright, hahaha," Sumire laughed; Akira smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, trust me, I enjoyed it, but performing in front of a crowd scares me more than any shadow we've faced," he quipped.
"Still feeling the adrenaline?" she chuckled.
"Haha, honestly? Yeah. It would be a lame comedown if I spent the night alone after that."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that because I'm not going anywhere," Sumire said, as she ran her hand through his hair.
"Ever? Or just tonight?"
"Both," she smiled.
"Good because I never want you to leave."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They kissed once more; it wasn't big, but it was just as passionate, and served as a taste for what was to come. Akira took Sumire's hand and led her up to the bedroom that would serve as their love nest for the evening. They both slowly undressed each other, laid down on the cool, crisp sheets atop the flimsy but serviceable small single mattress, and proceeded to make passionate, delicate love to each other in the comfort of the café's dusty old attic before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The next few days were fun as well, just a less naughty kind of fun. The next day, after Sumire went home, Akira did as he said and went to Riku's home to get his new fake ID. He invited him inside, but Akira apologized, saying that he had other plans with family. Riku understood and waved him goodbye. Akira looked at his new ID, both the card and the person on it.
He was now both Akira Kurusu and Ren Amamiya.
He spent the rest of the day with Yu and Rise, taking them on a tour of his Tokyo stomping grounds, Shujin, Central Street, Akihabara, Kichijoji, and embarrassingly, Shinjuku. Yu and Rise wondered what he did in Tokyo's red-light district. He simply answered that he worked at the Crossroads bar. They decided to stop inside and have a drink, and he greeted the bar's hostess, Lala Escargot. He was surprised to see that Ohya wasn't in, but also partly relieved. He preferred not to have to explain to Yu and Rise what he was doing hanging out with an alcoholic reporter in his free time. They sat down at the bar and ordered their drinks.
"So, kid, do you think I'll see you working behind the bar again sometime soon?" Lala asked, handing a glass of water to Akira, and preparing cocktails for Yu and Rise.
"I'd like to, but I've been busy with college lately," Akira lied. He had more free time than when he was in high school. He just preferred to spend it alone.
"Well, anytime you want your old job back, it's yours."
"Thanks, Lala-chan. I appreciate it."
Lala nodded. "I gotta go to the back for a sec, be right back." As soon as she left, Yu looked surprised.
"She just leaves you alone with all the booze and the register like that?" He asked.
"She trusts me. Besides, do I look like a thief?" Akira said, noting the irony in his statement. They enjoyed their refreshments and talked some more. Rise hinted that she might have a little surprise for Akira and his friends. She said that if all goes well, she'll tell them before she and Yu leave. Akira was intrigued. They finished their drinks, and Akira paid the bill. On their way out, however, they ran into someone.
"Ah! Akira-kun, what a surprise!"
"Doctor Maruki, nice to see you." Akira shook his hand. "Doc, this is my cousin, Rise Kujikawa, and this is her fiancé, Yu Narukami."
"A pleasure to meet you both. I'm Doctor Takuto Maruki. I'm Akira's therapist." Yu and Rise both bowed.
"Nice to meet you," Yu said.
"So, you're Doctor Maruki? I gotta say, you're not what I expected," Rise said.
"Oh? And what did you expect?" Maruki asked.
"I expected someone a lot older, maybe bald."
"Rise!" Both Yu and Akira scolded her.
"Hahaha, it's all right, Akira-kun. I'll probably be there someday," Maruki chuckled, rubbing his head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Rise hastily apologized.
"It's fine, Kujikawa-san. Don't worry." Maruki was always lighthearted, kind, and never took things seriously. Sometimes, though, his easygoing nature was to his detriment, like giving money to an elderly man at the train station who claimed he had "forgotten his wallet."
"Anyway, what brings you in? Done with work for the day?" Akira asked.
"Yes, I'm just coming in to cool off before going home. What about you, Akira-kun?"
"Oh, I'm just showing them where I spent my days during my year in Tokyo. I worked here for a while."
"Ah, I see. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Are we still on for our session on Saturday?"
"Yeah, see you then, Doc."
"Pleasure to meet you both, Narukami-san and Kujikawa-san," Maruki said, bowing once more.
"Likewise, Doctor," Yu replied.
"Have a nice day!" Rise said as they walked out of Crossroads. "He seems really nice!"
"He was the guidance counselor at Shujin while I was there," Akira said.
"Oh, did you have to see for him because of your probation?" Yu asked.
"Something like that. Not because of my probation, though." Yu decided against asking any further questions. Rise caught him up to speed about Akira and his seizure issues after they left Leblanc that night.
"So, where to next? It's still early," Yu pointed out, checking his watch.
"I'm not sure. I've shown you all my main haunts…" Akira started thinking.
"Ooh! I want to get some more of those sweets that Ann-chan gifted us!" Rise excitedly said.
Yu laughed. "She finished the entire box by herself last night," he said to Akira, receiving a bump from Rise.
"Hey! I told you not to tell anyone. It's embarrassing…" Rise said, looking down in embarrassment. Akira laughed, and the trio kept walking around.
Eventually, the evening came. Yu and Rise said goodbye at the subway station. They went back to their hotel in Shibuya and Akira went back to Yongen-Jaya. He had agreed to help Sojiro around Leblanc this evening. He walked up to the door and noticed the sign was flipped to "Closed" and the door was locked. As he unlocked the door and entered Leblanc, he found no sign of Sojiro or anyone else. He did, however, find a note from Sojiro on the counter.
Closed up early. Futaba's not feeling well. Nothing serious, though. Don't worry about helping out tonight.
—Sojiro
Well, there went Akira's plans for the night. When things like this happened, Akira would go around town, go meet up with one of his confidants, or find something to do in his room, like train, read, watch a DVD, play a video game, or something. None of those options sounded appealing to him. He checked his phone and saw no messages from any of his friends. The Phantom Thieves group chat hadn't been active all day. Some of his private texts from his other friends dated back even further. Akira thought about messaging one of them but felt no desire to do so. The lack of Morgana around also really got to him. His absence only made the loneliness louder and the feelings of solitude stronger.
"What's the point?" he wondered, sitting on his bed. Then, the feeling hit him like a point-blank shot straight to the face. Akira wanted a drink. He knew it was wrong. "Screw it," he thought as he got up.
Akira wasn't going to steal from Sojiro or Leblanc, so he pulled out his brand-new fake ID that he hid in his back pocket, put on a hoodie, and walked out of Leblanc. He didn't know where to go. He wasn't familiar with any bars in Shibuya or anywhere else. Crossroads was out of the question since Lala knew he wasn't of age, plus he wanted to avoid going too far from home in case something bad happened, or he drank too much again. Then he remembered Sojiro mentioning a bar around the corner from the backstreets. He walked around for a bit, looking for the bar that he couldn't remember the name of or why he remembered Sojiro mentioning it. He stumbled upon a small basement door that had a bright neon sign above it.
World's End
The name came back to him. Sojiro had mentioned it before, though he still couldn't remember why. The migraines made it hard to focus on anything. Akira peeked inside, checking the atmosphere. He removed his fake glasses and made his way inside. It wasn't the liveliest of gin joints. There were only a few patrons and a bartender; a couple of booths and a pool table in the back. He sat down at the bar as the bartender made his way over to him. Akira avoided eye contact and ran his hand through his hair.
"Hey, never seen you in here before. What's your name, stranger?"
"Ren Amamiya," Akira quickly answered, feeling immersed in his new "persona."
"What'll it be, Ren?" Akira debated taking it easy with just a beer, or going hard with whiskey or bourbon. He chose the former.
"Just a beer, please?"
"What kind?"
"Doesn't matter, just nothing light." The bartender raised an eyebrow.
"How old are you, Ren? You look kinda young to be in here."
"I just turned twenty yesterday. I'm just trying to celebrate with a drink," Akira told him.
"Uh-huh. Mind if I see your ID?"
"Sure." Akira pulled his fake ID and handed it to the bartender, playing it Bogart. The bartender looked it over and looked back at Akira. The date of birth was the previous day twenty years ago, so his story matched up. His height and physique combined with his ever-growing facial hair made him look older than he was.
"Hmm…" The bartender pondered. He looked at the stranger sitting at his bar, and the stranger raised his head and looked him in the eyes for the first time. The bartender noted the look of despair. He looked over the ID one more time and handed it back to him. "Sorry, just had to make sure."
"No worries, I get it," Akira calmly said, putting it back in his wallet. He still looked young in the bartender's eyes, but he looked like someone who had been through a lot.
"So, just a beer, then?"
"Please," Akira nodded. The bartender got a bottle and poured it into a pint glass.
"Here you go," The bartender said, sliding the glass over to Akira. "That's a special one. It's from one of the best beer countries in the world."
"Germany?" The bartender shook his head.
"Close. Belgium," he smiled. Akira took a sip. He stopped to think for a bit, taking in the flavor, before nodding in approval. "I had a feeling you'd like that one. Thought it'd make for a good first beer," he smiled.
"Who said it was my first?" Akira said before taking another sip. The bartender quietly sighed. He saw Akira (or Ren to him) as another troubled kid and felt bad for him.
"So… uh-Ren, was it?" he asked.
"Ren Amamiya, yeah." Akira said, still not making eye contact but, rather, looking down.
"You just turned twenty, right? Why aren't you celebrating with your friends?" Whether it was his alter-ego, Ren Amamiya, making up his life or genuine sentiments from his continuously growing feelings of isolation and disconnect from his friends, Akira sighed before answering.
"I prefer being alone…"
The bartender nodded in sympathy and excused himself to another patron who was calling him over. Akira found himself alone with his thoughts. He took another sip of Belgium as he sat and thought about things. School, family, friends, love, seizures, his mind was going a mile a minute, only slowing down once he finished his glass.
Then, he remembered the laundromat.
For Akira Kurusu, the nightmare was always the same. This time, however, it was different. He was awake, but that wasn't the only difference.
"Tetsuya! Tetsuya! Come on!"
"Easy there, Akira. You're supposed to wait for me. I don't want you jumping on your own. Heck, I don't even think we should jump from here, it's too high, and they say the current is strong today."
"But you promised!" Akira threw a tantrum.
"I know I did. I just want to make sure we do this safely. Just hold on. Mom's gonna be pissed if something happens to you." Tetsuya looked out over the edge. It was a hundred-foot drop down to a lake. Akira had wanted to make the jump for so long, but his mother forbade him, saying it was too dangerous for an eleven-year-old. "Look, buddy, I know I promised we'd make this jump, but I just don't think it's safe. Besides, my leg's still not at a hundred percent. Maybe we shouldn't-" Akira didn't listen.
Again, something felt different this time, and Akira knew it.
Typically, in the nightmare, Akira ignored Tetsuya and ran ahead, jumping by himself. This time, however, that wasn't the case. It was unclear what possessed him to do it. Maybe he thought it would be funny? Perhaps he thought Tetsuya was being too cowardly? Whatever it was, he did it.
Akira pushed Tetsuya off the cliff.
He laughed at his gag, but he still heard Tetsuya yell in terror on his way down. Akira heard Tetsuya hit the water. He walked over the edge and took a peek out over it. The laughing stopped when he failed to spot Tetsuya anywhere. He tried calling out to him but got no response.
"TETSUYA!"
It was then that Sumire's touch snapped Akira back to reality and the laundromat. He didn't yell Tetsuya's name this time—He just cried in terror.
"Hey, excuse me?" Akira waved the bartender over.
"Another round?" he asked; Akira shook his head.
"You got anything stronger?"
As he faced the sun, he cast no shadow.