Yu had made his way to Cafe Leblanc. It was a far nicer day, and that meant more customers. When he entered, he saw Sojiro glare at the teenager, but handed him his apron so that he could get to work. Yu noticed out the corner of his eye that Wakaba was here this time as he put his apron on, and got to work. It took a few hours, but one by one, the customers left as the rush died down, each one offering thanks for the coffee, congratulating Sojiro for finally finding decent help, and complementing how well Yu was able to brew their respective drinks. When only about one or two were remaining, Sojiro turned to his worker, and Yu noticed Wakaba divert her attention to the pair.

"Alright. I said I'd teach you how to make curry last time, so listen closely and let me explain." Sojiro started.

The gruff coffee shop owner went on to explain the various intricacies of curry making, from how to sweeten it with honey, to the various spices used to enrich the flavor, to how long the pot is supposed to cook. Once he was done, he looked into the kitchen and turned to Yu.

"Alright kid, I gotta go to the store to pick up ingredients. You stay here and take care of any customers. Wakaba, please make sure he doesn't burn the place down, or steal any cash."

"Sure thing Soji. I'll watch this felon like a hawk! If he tries anything, he'll know the wrath of my killer wheels." Wakaba said in a lighthearted tone. Sojiro simply nodded as he left, and Wakaba rolled up to him, grinning. Now that he was with her, Yu decided to give her an evaluation. She had straight, jet-black hair, was wearing a leather business skirt, a black, sleeveless turtleneck and half-rimmed glasses. She smirked.

"Alright youngin', yer in my house now! Yer either gonna learn to play by my rules, or yer gonna learn to play dead." She said, putting up an obnoxious southern accent. Yu chuckled at her act.

"What's so funny scum? Yer in the Sakura Dog House! We're known fer our coffee an' curry across the country and real high standards. We have a reputation of firing help if they so much as make one bad cup 'o joe."

Wakaba coughed up a storm after finishing that last sentence. After clearing her throat, she turned back to Yu.

"Alright, that's enough of the accent. Really hurts the throat after awhile." She explained.

"What was that all about?"

"I can imagine Soji gave you a really hard time yesterday, so I took it upon myself to make you feel more welcome. We were never properly introduced, were we? I'm Wakaba Sakura." Wakaba introduced, holding out her hand, which, Yu noted, had a ring on it.

"Yu Narukami. And thanks. Most people wouldn't do that around a convicted criminal."

"You said you were innocent, right?"

"Yea, but I didn't expect you to believe it. Hardly anyone does."

"Well, even if you were guilty, I'd still put on a show."

"Why?"

"Because you're trying to change. Most felons, once they're out, will either try to go back to what they were doing before, or try to reform. Sadly, because most people treat them like Soji treats you; with distrust and contempt, they'll eventually go back to their old life, simply because they don't want to put up with people's crap, and because they have no other option."

"And then they get put back in jail, and the cycle starts all over again." Yu finished.

"Exactly. Whether or not you're guilty doesn't matter. What does matter is how people treat you. Soji may think that it's only a matter of time before hiring you bites him in the ass, but you've got me in your corner."

"I appreciate it but… would you mind telling me why?"

"Honestly? If Futaba vouched for you, then you must be pretty close to her."

"So, you're doing it for her?"

"That, and well… let's just say that we've all done something in the past that we're paying for today." She added, patting her immobile legs with her hand.

Now she had Yu's curiosity.

"If you're comfortable about it, I'd like to hear it." He said.

Wakaba looked around and noticed that the last customer had left, she leaned in and gave a hushed whisper.

"Serve me a plate of curry that'll blow my mind, and I'll tell you the secrets of the universe."

Yu smiled, and turned his attention to the bubbling cauldron that was the curry cooking pot. He dipped a tasting spoon into the stew and tasted it, giving a grimace as he did. It was far too sweet, he would need to spice it up. He smiled as he looked into the fridge, finding more than enough ways to do just that.

A few customers had come and gone, and Yu managed to satisfy them all, using them as guinea pigs for his curry preparation. Some of them complained that it was too mild, some too spicy. By the time Sojiro returned, Yu believed that he had it nailed down. As Sojiro went in the back to put the fresh supplies away, Yu made one last plate of curry and handed it to Wakaba, to tasted it, making loud, obnoxious chewing noises as she did so. She swallowed, then looked up at the ceiling, then looked back at Yu.

"This is pretty good. Almost exactly like Soji's. The kind I've had a thousand times."

"So… I failed?"

"To blow my mind? Yup. But look on the bright side, at least you know how to make the best curry this side of Shibuya."

"Yea, that would help keep me in the job."

"Well, regardless, I believe that no good deed should go unrewarded. Let me tell you something." Wakaba started.

"Hey kid. Your shift's over." Sojiro informed, placing a small pile of cash on the counter.

"Now take your money and get out."

"Yes sir." Yu replied numbly, taking his apron off, then leaving with his money in hand. Wakaba shot a glare at Sojiro before wheeling after Yu. Catching up to him, she grabbed his arm, and spoke softly when he turned around.

"I'm so sorry about that."

"It's not your fault. He said the same thing yesterday." Yu replied, sounding distant with every word.

"That doesn't make it right."

"Nowadays, I'm used to being judged prematurely by people around me."

"It's a terrible thing when a person becomes used to abuse."

"It happens."

Wakaba simply sighed. It broke her heart seeing someone being mistreated because of circumstance beyond their control, especially for someone so young. It hit way too close to home for her.

"If that's everything, I should start going home." Yu pointed out, turning away.

"Wait. I still didn't give you your reward."

"You mean what you were planning on telling me?"

"Yes. What I wanted to say was… thank you."

"You're welcome. Sojiro-san would fire me if he found out I served his wife a terrible plate of curry."

"No, it's not for the curry. It's for being nice to Futaba, even after what she did to you."

Yu opened his mouth, but Wakaba silenced any argument by simply holding up a hand.

"Futaba told me about what she did. Leaking your record, helping Kobayakawa blackmail fellow students. Most people would be justified in trying to find revenge and beat her to a pulp, but you decided to forgive her. Not only that, but you gave her a chance to redeem herself. Most people would treat her like trash if they were in your position, but you showed her kindness and forgave her. That's what I'm thanking you for."

"It was nothing."

"Not to me. Now-"

Wakaba cleared her throat.

"-Go on an' scram youngin'!" She ordered with the obnoxious southern accent.

Yu smiled, and obeyed, walking to the train station, feeling his phone buzz, and upon seeing who it was from, his mood darkened again.

I am thou. Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new vow

It shall become the wings of freedom that will lead thee to the truth

With the birth of the Hermit Arcana,

Thou hast obtained the blessing that will grant thee new power

Underneath a railway track bridge, Kaneshiro was waiting outside for a special someone. Someone who could help him with his problem. But it was getting late, and it was well past the meeting time. He turned to leave, but then he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw a certain silver-haired teenager. Who was none too happy to see the cop.

"I got your text Kaneshiro. This had better not be something illegal." Yu stated, crossing his arms.

"Oh relax kid. If I wanted something illegal done, I wouldn't ask the son of the great Dojima to do it."

"And what do you want done?"

"Follow me. With luck, we can still arrive ahead of them."

The two boarded a train that made way to Shibuya. Kaneshiro turned to Yu to explain what he was doing.

"Alright, here's the deal. There's a woman who's currently in that diner, and she's waiting to meet a man with a scar across his nose. You're going to eavesdrop on that woman, and makes sure your phone's on so I-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Yu interrupted, putting up his hands.

"What?"

"I'm not doing this without some more info. Who are these people?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Because if they're criminals, and catch me eavesdropping, things will get ugly."

"Better make sure you don't get caught then."

The train ride didn't really take that long. Shortly afterwords, the train came to a halt, and the duo made their way out of the station and onto the street in a matter of minutes. Once they were outside, Kaneshiro noticed the man with the scar walking into the diner. He turned to Yu.

"Listen here Narukami. This is the best shot I've got at closing a long, complicated, and frankly unhappy chapter of my life. You do as I say, and I promise I'll tell you everything your little heart desires. Got it?"

"Fine. But you'd better-"

"Yea yea, just get in there. And remember, keep the phone on speaker." Kaneshiro said, waving his hand.

With that, Yu walked into the diner. Thankfully, there weren't all that many people there, so he didn't have to wait long to get seated. Making sure the waitress led him over to a table near the man he saw enter, he put his phone on speaker and made it look like he was texting. He was sitting across from a woman who had her eyes obscured by sunglasses and was wearing a bandana that covered her hair. Yu wished that Kaneshiro didn't ask for his phone to be on, otherwise he could've just sent Izanagi to eavesdrop on them. After he ordered some fruit tea, he heard the woman begin to talk.

"So, what made you want to come back?" The man asked.

"It took a lot of work to get the old gangs back under control. Even more to make them follow me."

"So that means we're back in business?"

"Not quite. In fact, there are a few… stubborn individuals that don't see me the same way after… you know."

"How could I forget. What about Kaneshiro? You can bet he's keeping an eye out and an ear to the ground for anything related to you."

"Let me handle him. I've heard that he's stuck at a desk job in some nowhere station. It'll take awhile to convince him, but I got him once. I can get him again."

"You sure about that boss? You burned him real good last time."

"Trust me. You just worry about what I told you to do. Speaking of which. How's it looking?"

"Looking pretty good. Some of the tips and tricks you got from your ex are really helping us out. The only trouble we've had is with Iwai's clan."

"Good to know. Thanks Mac."

"Sure thing. You need something else, let me know."

With that, the two of them finished their drinks and left a few yen to cover the bill. Yu put his phone off speaker and put his phone up to his ear as his drink arrived.

"Please tell me you got that."

"Every last syllable. So, that bitch thinks she can make a fool out of me twice. Thanks for the help kid."

Yu took a sip of his drink.

"And you remember what you need to do, right?"

"Yea yea. Meet me at the station kid."

Yu had arrived, where he saw Kaneshiro looking through some papers. Most likely reports on whoever it was they eavesdropped on. Once he saw the teenager, Kaneshiro put the papers down and took a seat.

"Alright kid, you wanted my life story, so it's my life story you're gonna get. You may want to sit down."

"I can stand. And I don't want your life story. Just the relevant bits."

"You sure kid? It might get a little… heavy for someone your age."

"Considering what I've been through, yea, I'm sure I can."

"Alright tough guy. Once upon a time, I was an undercover agent, infiltrating the Mafia, which had been on the rise since a man by the name of Ozi Arisa had taken over. Now, the Mafia had gotten real good at sniffing out rats, with some of our best agents winding up dead, and our normal informants were either too spooked or just not willing to talk. This wound up leaving the department desperate, so they went to me. The reason they didn't before was because I had a personal connection with the boss' daughter, and now, that would probably be the only thing that could keep me alive. Once the two of us 'reconnected', I gave her a few complaints about my fake life as a ramen chef, and she took pity on me."

"And offered you a much better job."

"Correctamundo. I had to prove myself, had to let a few of them beat on me so that they would think I was just a harmless chef. After that, they 'trained' me and set me loose so I could show them what I could do. I dealt drugs, murdered some street vendors, even did some human trafficking. I was so good at it, I got a promotion in the force."

As Kaneshiro explained his story, he smiled widely with crooked teeth, like a wolf that found a juicy piece of meat. It disgusted Yu how much pride the cop had in his exploits undercover.

"After that, the boss' daughter and I got a little cozy, if you catch my drift, and eventually, I was able to make it to the inner circle of the big man himself. After that, I discovered that there was a traitor on our end, one who had been feeding the Mob info on who our undercover guys were. His name was Mac Maul, he was the dude with the scar on his nose. He also has one across his chest."

"How do you know that?"

"I gave him both." Kaneshiro answered, smiling proudly at the memory before continuing.

"Anyway, the only person who knew I was undercover was the Superintendent, so not even Mac knew I was a rat. So any, lots of stuff happened, and eventually, it all came to a head when I finally gave the police what they needed to put Ozi away for good. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows." Kaneshiro continued, his once toothy grin starting to be replaced with a fierce snarl.

"Once the cops were done taking down the big guns and removing Mac, I told them I was undercover, so imagine my surprise when they snapped cuffs on me. I found out the Superintendent had been murdered, and the evidence pointed to me."

"And yet, here you are. Something must have happened, because there's no way that someone with your physique could've survived a prison with a bunch of other people you betrayed."

"I'll have you know, that there was a time when I was super ripped kid. Anyway, before they could throw me in the slammer, we found out the Superintendent and Ozi's girl had worked out a deal. Apparently, she wanted to take over her daddy's operation, and the Superintendent sent me to help her do that, since he knew that I would do my damndest to not take her down with her old man. He also knew that Mac was a traitor but didn't do anything about it so that the higher-ups would have no choice but to send in me. Once I did my job, the Superintendent got a promotion, and his partner got her empire. Unfortunately, she didn't like loose ends, so she killed the Superintendent, and tried to pin the blame on me. I would most likely be dead in prison if it wasn't for the actions of a mutual acquaintance of ours."

"Mutual acquaintance?"

"Goro Akechi is the one and only reason I'm still alive. He found evidence that I was set up, and was on the police's side the whole time. But, thanks to the whole fiasco, the higher ups didn't trust me, so I was stuck working the desk job."

".… I see."

"I see? That's all you got kid?"

"What'd you expect?"

"I don't know. Maybe a little sympathy for someone who put his life on the line for society, only to be almost damned by that same society for a crime he didn't commit."

Yu opened his mouth to retort, but quickly shut it. He was expecting an excuse, maybe Kaneshiro stroking his ego. He certainly didn't expect that. He looked at the cop and gave nod of understanding.

"So what happens now?"

"Now? You get to go home kid. I'll tell you when, or if I need you. But you've been a big help. You get a five percent discount on all guns from here on out."

"Thanks Kaneshiro."

"Don't mention it."

With that, Yu went home, mentally preparing himself for working for his guardian for the first time. Coincidentally, he felt a shiver up his spine.