December 1st.

There was a lot for Haru to think about as the battle against Shido loomed over the horizon. It really didn't Futaba long to prepare the special 'Futaba Cannon' she mentioned the other day. Now it was simply a matter of waiting until the right time to strike, so Shido wouldn't be able to counter them. Everything was in place…at least in terms of the operation. But Haru had some things she needed to take care of. After school was over, she was on the Shujin roof, tending to her garden. There was strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It twisted at the thought of Akechi being alive. Even though he reluctantly agreed to her terms, it got her thinking about Okumura Foods. What was she going to do about this company? She had some ideas, but…

"I'm here." Hifumi's quiet voice snapped Haru out of her thoughts. Having already been to Shujin a few times, the Kosei High student knew how to sneak into the building. Not like there were too many people paying attention anyway.

"Oh, Hifumi!" Haru turned her head, flashing a smile to her friend. She stood up from her crouched position and rubbed her hands free of the dirt and soil. "I'm sorry if I pulled you away from anything important. Um…How's your mother been?" The question came off a bit awkwardly, but it was something she was curious about.

"She's still recovering…" Hifumi rubbed her arm. "But she's coherent and everything. I guess some changes of heart take longer than others. I appreciate the concern, but I know you didn't call me here to ask about my mother."

"Ahah…well, I had to ask." Haru said with a sheepish giggle. Before the conversation could carry too far, the roof door opened once again. It was Ren. He had to sneak into Shujin with his hood up, but again, nobody noticed. There was simply too much going on for them care about anything other than themselves. "Ren-kun?"

"W-Why are you here?" Hifumi was a bit nervous. It really wasn't wise for Ren to be walking around in public.

"I got a little restless sitting in the store doing nothing." Ren admitted. "Plus I had to take Morgana out, too. It's fine, nobody even glances our way."

"Not a single person looked his way on the way here." Morgana reassured.

"It's good you're here, though." Haru gave Ren a slight smile. Ren and Hifumi were the two that she told about her troubles of Okumura Foods, and they helped her deal with Sugimura when he decided to show up. Efforts she appreciated. "I've been feeling a little stuck lately. With Okumura Foods, I mean."

"How so?" Hifui decided to pull up a seat and sit down.

"Letting Akechi-san work with us again had me thinking about Okumura Foods. I can't stop thinking about my father's death, or the current state of the company right now. My father doesn't have a future anymore, but the company still does. Right now, it all still falls to me what happens."

"Don't you still want to open your coffee shop?" Hifumi asked.

"You haven't given up on that, have you?" Ren also inquired.

"That's not entirely it." Haru shook her head, staring at her plants. "I've been giving it some thought, and I can't say I'm entirely opposed to Takakura-san's idea. If it's what management decides to do, I won't get in their way. That said, I won't support them if their main goal is to deceive. People already don't think highly of Okumura Foods, and I don't want to risk tarnishing what little faith people have in the company."

"Haru…" Hifumi said quietly.

"I'm just worried they'll try and use this new chain to sneak under the radar, rather than rebuild our image. I know how difficult it can be to remove yourself from a negative label, but if they want to fool people with low quality product instead of regaining their trust…I will proudly oppose them." Haru said with a slight smile.

"That's the spirit." Ren had a smile of his own.

"If you need my power, it's yours." Hifumi nodded firmly. "If he tries to deceive you, I'll know."

Hifumi's offer to help made Haru giggle. Haru came from a world where people used pretty words and tones to try and befriend her. At this point, she was good at picking up lies from people. That said, when it came to a matter like this, where trust was a delicate matter, she welcomed Hifumi's abilities greatly. "That would be a great help. That's actually what I wanted to talk with you about too, both of you, actually. You're the only two I've shared any of this with, and I plan to talk with Takakura-san soon. I would really like for you two to be there with me."

"You don't even need to ask." Hifumi grinned.

"Same here." Ren replied.

This made Haru smile gently. The fate of Okumura Foods was weighing on her mind heavily recently, and she was happy to finally do something about it. "I'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow. I'll make it worth your time, I promise." She then glanced over to her plants. "…Over the last few months, I think I've gotten better with my words. With the plants I've grown here, too, I think I'll be able to convey to Takakura-san how I feel."

.

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December 2nd.

Haru, Hifumi, and Ren were at Haru's house. She invited Takakura to talk with him, while setting out cups of her own coffee on the table. Takakura stared at the cup of coffee before taking a sip, indulging the taste. "Hm…this flavor…" He mumbled. It was a bit clumsy, but it wasn't terrible at all. In fact, there was a nostalgic sensation to it. "Interesting." He set the cup down and looked to Haru. "Anyway, what is it you wanted to discuss with me? Does it concern the company?"

"Mhm…" Haru nodded slowly. As determined as she was coming into this, she did grow a little nervous at the moment of truth. If she were on her own, she doubted she could do this with as much confidence. "I'm sorry for calling you at such a busy time…"

"It's quite alright." Takakura nodded.

Haru took a deep breath and looked to Hifumi, who gave her a reassuring smile. "The truth is, after my father's passing, I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone at Okumura Foods."

"I see..." Takakura nodded slowly. Haru's position was understandable.

"…That includes you, Takakura-san." Haru added.

"…That's quite cruel." Takakura said. Considering his position in the company, he was honestly expecting Haru had a little trust in him. But perhaps that was karma for his actions in the past; he doubted Kunikazu's involvement with numerous scandals…and now, years later, his daughter doubted him.

"My apologies." Haru said curtly. "But what I wanted to discuss was…um…"

"It's okay, Haru." Hifumi said with a slight smile. "You can do it."

"Yeah, you got this." Ren added his moral support.

That absolutely helped. Haru felt her confidence return and she looked to Takakura. "Takakura-san, what did you think of the coffee? I grew the beans in my own garden, and even handled the preparation."

Takakura blinked slowly. "What…?"

"I honestly don't believe it's the best cup of coffee out there, but I put my heart into making it. That's why I called you here today." Haru said.

Takakura took another sip of coffee. "Hm…"

"I'm not suggesting we need to put this level of effort into the Okumura Foods coffee chain." Haru quickly said. "However, I won't let my company serve low-quality food to our customers." Even if she did plan to hand over the management to Takakura, she was making it clear that the company was still her responsibility and she was treating it as such.

"You know, this is very similar to the coffee your grandfather used to make." Takakura said. That remark caught Haru by surprise. "I used to be a regular at his café. That's actually how I ended up joining the company to begin with. To be honest, I strongly opposed closing the café, but I didn't have the power to make that decision at the time. I was planning on naming the café after his. I'm going to create a business that is loved by customers and employees alike, just as his café was. A place where people can come to drink in the subtle joys of life."

Haru was taken aback by his words. "Is…that so…?"

"Haru-chan, you have every right to distrust us. After all, things would have turned out differently if only someone had chosen to stand up to your father." Takakura said. "Perhaps if I took his side back then, things wouldn't be this way." That was a regret he would carry with him for the rest of his life. "Be that as it may, I can truly sense the passion you put into this coffee. It seems you really are like your grandfather."

This wasn't what Haru expected to hear. She felt extremely awkward about it all now. "I'm sorry for being so rude…"

"I must apologize as well, for encouraging you to abandon your shares." Takakura shook his head. "I thought they would be a burden to you, but I was wrong. So, if you'd like…why don't you take part in the next company meeting?"

Hifumi tilted her head slightly. Takakura was being honest and earnest. "…"

"Me?" Haru blinked.

"The truth is, the rumors of my being pleased at your father's passing were troubling, to say the least." Takakura explained. "I understand not everyone agrees with the vision I have for the company, but I've spent a great effort struggling against our board of directors to push Okumura Foods back on the right path. I need to communicate that to them the same way you did with this coffee. Do you think you could assist me in accomplishing that? I want to rebuild this company from the ground up."

This was going in a better direction than Haru expected. Even if some of this was a little sudden. "Wow, I, um…!"

"Go on, Haru. You can do it!" Hifumi gave Haru a supportive smile.

Haru gave Hifumi a smile in return, then stood up and nodded. "I'll gladly help you, then!"

Takakura was able to smile now. "Thank you, Haru-chan. And also…the coffee was superb."

That just made Haru blush slightly. She was embarrassed after saying it wasn't all that great. "T-Thank you…!"

"And it seems I've made another misunderstanding as well." Takakura continued. "I was under the impression that you were elated with your arrangement with Sugimura-san…"

"Which isn't true at all." Hifumi interjected. She would take any chance she could to make that clear.

"He's not a good person for her." Ren added. There was a lot more the two of them could say, but they were trying to be respectful here.

"…Mhm." Haru nodded in agreement with Ren and Hifumi's words. "I have no interest in him at all. He's made numerous efforts to try and control my life, but the only person who is allowed to do that is me and nobody else."

"And…he claims that there's some sort of contract he made with Haru's father." Hifumi said. "That if she were to break off the engagement, he would obtain everything she owns. I'm fairly certain it's just a scare tactic, but you would know if that's true, wouldn't you, Takakura-san?"

"I haven't heard anything of a contract." Even Takakura's tone suggested this was the first time he was hearing of this. "And neither your father nor our lawyers mentioned it to me. It appears as though he was lying, with some help of particular people within the company."

"I knew it." Hifumi wore a satisfied smile on her lips. She knew from the beginning that Sugimua was the type to lie and do whatever he could to keep Haru under his thumb. She wasn't going to let that happen.

"Man, that guy sucks." Ren leaned back.

"You see, those who don't agree with my vision brought him into meetings with the hope tha the would eventually take over." Takakura said. "However, we don't need a politician in our midst, particularly considering the humble roots of our cooperation. I'll handle the marriage cancellation. It will take some time, but it will be done. I promise." He then smiled towards Haru. "You truly have grown up. I'm certain your father would be proud."

"Thank you." Haru gave a respectful bow. Soon enough, Takakura finished his coffee and left. Once he did, Haru let out a huge sigh of relief and sat back down. "Wow…it all worked out."

"I had a feeling things would work out." Hifumi said with a smile.

"We hardly had to do anything at all." Ren gave a slight laugh. "You took care of that on our own, for the most part."

Haru shook her head. "My confidence didn't waver because I had you two here with me. I'm still glad I asked both of you to help me."

"It wasn't a problem." Ren said while standing up. "I'm glad we were able to help. I hope things turn out okay from this point on."

"I'm going to make sure it does." Haru gave Ren a firm nod. "You should probably head back before it gets too late, Ren-kun," Although, there was a part of her that wanted him to stay…agh, no too awkward. She decided this was for the best.

"Yeah…it is getting to be around that time." Ren rubbed the back of his neck. It was risky for him to even walk outside, but it was one he would gladly take for his friends. "I'll see you guys later." For now, he was going to continue lying low. So he made his exit.

Now it was just Hifumi and Haru in the living room. Hifumi was about to stand up so she could leave as well. "I should probably get going myself."

"Wait, before you do." Haru's voice stopped Hifumi from moving. "I wanted to thank you first, Hifumi."

"Thank me?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"Yes. For everything you've done for me." Haru's tone was soft, as was her smile. "You were the first person in a very long time who stuck up for me when I needed it. I wasn't a very trusting person back then, but it meant a lot to me at the time. You're really good at extending a hand to someone who needs it."

"A-Ah…well, I had a little help…" Hifumi gave a sheepish smile. She couldn't take all the credit there.

"Still, you were the one who stepped up first, and you kept doing that. I really appreciate that." Haru kept going. "So, thank you very much. I don't think I would've gotten this far so fast if you didn't stick up for me back then. I'm sorry if it was troublesome at times…"

"It wasn't at all." Hifumi shook her head. "And it won't be in the future, I promise. I'll be there for you whenever I can, Haru."

"And I you, Hifumi. It's the least I can do for what you've done for me." Haru felt her cheeks go red for a second. "So if you need my help, don't be afraid to ask. Whenever I get around to opening my own shop, I want you to be the first customer."

Sometimes it still blew Hifumi away how far one act of kindness could go. But she was happy to hear this from Haru. Earlier in the year she never imagined herself having any friends at all, so to look back on that from this moment? It felt really nice. "Thank you, Haru…that means so much to me. And I'll gladly be the first person to step into your new shop. Hehe…I can't wait for that day to come, actually."

.

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December 3rd.

Takakura brought Haru into the meeting room within the Okumura Foods building. The moment she was spotted, some of the board members narrowed their eyes, but waited for Takakura to explain. Perhaps this was something that would go their way, they wondered. Little did they know that it was going to be the opposite. "Everyone, as I'm sure you're aware. This is Haru-chan. She is the late president's daughter and current owner of the company."

"Yes, we are aware." A man in a suit said, staring at Takakura and then Haru. "Is there a reason you've brought her here today? She's been quite absent from all the other meetings."

"We hardly have the time to deal with this child." Another man said, scoffing.

Haru narrowed her eyes. She can't say she didn't expect this. She was far removed from the inner workings of the company while her father was in charge, but that changed today. She kept a respectful tone as she spoke. "Hello, everyone. There is something I would like to discuss with you today, considering the future of Okumura Foods."

"I guess we're doing this anyway." Someone said. The general atmosphere in the meeting room was very Anti-Haru at the moment. Everything would be so much easier if she just handed everything over, then they wouldn't have to stagnant or deal with this.

Haru didn't appreciate their dismissive attitude, but she went ahead regardless. "Okumura Foods is very important to me. It was my father's company, but he's gone now. At first, I thought that meant everything would fall solely to me. I know how upset that made a lot of you, but…you'll just have to understand where I'm coming from. I do not want this company to fall into hands that would seek to tarnish its already fragile reputation. Even though my father made wrong turns when building up this company, that doesn't mean we can't turn it back around. And that's precisely what I plan to do as well. If you have a problem with the way I want to run things, then you're free to tell me. But that won't stop me from turning this company into something promising. So if you want to talk about it, let's talk…respectfully, of course." For a moment, Haru's voice dipped into the Noir tone. But she was very serious about this. The board of directors were a stubborn group, but they were about to find out just how stubborn she could be as well.

.

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December 4th.

With no school, Haru decided to meet with Ren in Leblanc. She asked Sojiro for a cup of coffee and like always, she enjoyed the taste. "My, this has such a profoundly bold flavor…" It was well beyond what she was capable of making currently, but there was no shame in admitting that. Volunteering at Leblanc was a strong reason why she was so determined.

"I heard you've been getting into the roasting scene, little lady." Sojiro said with a grin.

"Yes, and I often have the urge to come here and have a cup of coffee." Haru smiled at Sojiro. "I really want to thank you for letting me work here during the summer. It really was an eye opening experience."

"I should be the one thanking you." Sojiro said. "You're the one who put your all into something you didn't even want to get paid for. But hearing all that damn near brings a tear to my eye." He then turned to Ren. "I'm gonna head home. Close up shop for me, will you?"

"Sure thing. Tell Futaba we said hey." Ren said. It was easier to lie low in Leblanc than go outside. Sojiro made his exit, leaving Ren and Haru alone. "So, how did things go?"

"They went really well." Haru had a beaming smile on her face. "I was able to tell everyone my thoughts at the board meeting…they were upset at first, but I think I convinced them to listen to me. After talking with them, I've decided to let them handle Okumura Foods. It's not something I would be able to supervise on my own. And after their sincere acceptance of the public's criticism, I felt it was okay to trust them."

"I guess everything worked out in the end, huh?" Ren smiled. He was glad that Haru was able to make things right with Okumura Foods and help set them on the right path. "What about you then?"

"I'm still interested in opening a small private café." Haru said. "Everything will be home grown, from the coffee to the salad. It'll be a shop that people love, like my grandfather's…and like this place. What do you think?"

"I'm sure you'll succeed. I have no doubt." Ren nodded. With determination like that, he couldn't see Haru failing.

Haru let out a sheepish laugh. "It's a pretty boring dream, huh? But when you say that, I feel like it will actually happen. Truth be told, I don't plan to open the shop until after I graduate. I think I can come back to apprenticing at Leblanc in the meantime!" That thought excited Haru; she really enjoyed working in the café and it taught her a lot.

"I'm sure Sojiro wouldn't mind that at all." Ren replied. "I know he enjoyed it when you worked here. Some of the regulars ask about you, too."

"Then I'll gladly do that." Haru nodded slowly. "And not just with Sakura-san either. "I want to be able to help you too. You took the time to listen to me and helped when you could, so I want to do the same thing in the future. I have the strength to help you now, I can sense it. So please, rely on me if you need the help."

With a statement like that, how could Ren even think about saying no? He just gave a soft smile and gave Haru a nod of affirmation. "You got it, Haru."

After Ren said this, Haru felt something within her heart, literally and metaphorically. There was a faint blue light coming off of her body. Her newfound resolve increased the strength of her heart, and as a result, Milady transformed into Astarte. "Oh, wow…I felt something new within me…!"

"Looks like your resolve made you just a bit stronger." It wasn't the first time Ren had seen it happen. It was proof that his friends were growing stronger and were prepared to walk their own paths in life when the time came.

"I knew it." Haru was pretty happy about this. "When I open my coffee shop, I'll make sure you're one of the first customers. I already promised Hifumi she would be the first. I hope you're okay with."

"I'm not going to turn down an invitation like that." Ren replied, before taking a sip of his own coffee. He was happy to see that things were finally looking up for Haru. He was worried about her these last two months. "I look forward to it, actually."

"Good. I'm really happy to hear that." Haru had a bright smile while taking another sip of her coffee. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She was still going to keep an eye over Okumura Food's activity, but for now, she felt like the company was in a good place and would only go up from here. Now, she could focus on the coming task ahead. Their confrontation with Shido was getting closer, and she would get revenge for her father, against the man that ordered him dead to begin with.