Yu had managed to get through school without much harassment from the people there. Oh sure, there were plenty of rumors being flown about what he, Ann, Haru and Makoto were doing on the roof, ranging from Makoto doing a lecture to having a straight up porn shoot. The last bit caused a great deal of glares to be sent Yu's way, but over the weeks, Yu has managed to get much better at blocking out the noise as he went about his day. He was so good in fact, that when he was texting the details of their date to Shiho, he didn't hear his name get called on by a teacher in class, and had to report to Ushimaru for 'discipline'. As he walked out of the principal's office with a chalk mark on his forehead, he got a text from none other than Shiho Suzui herself.

Shiho: So? What's the plan?

Yu: I was thinking we could start small. Do you know Big Echo?

Shiho: Do I know it?! Buddy, I was the queen of that place before highschool.

Yu: Great. I was thinking about 6. Should give us enough time to do homework and prepare.

Shiho: So, we're gonna meet at Big Echo at about 6. Is that right?

Yu: Yup. Hope to see you there!

Shiho: Hope to have a good time. See you there!

Yu felt himself smile, grateful that waking up early to research karaoke clubs paid off. As Yu was getting his shoes from his shoe locker, he saw an envelope called 'From: Ryuji. Here's hoping you use it.' Upon opening it, Yu had to roll his eyes and facepalm when he saw the condom roll out. And it was extra small too.

Well, at least it's the thought that counts.

He could've at least gotten the size right.

Despite what he's been through, Yu was looking forward to this. He got breath fresheners, he got his best suit cleaned, and, he had help from Shiho's best friend. Now, all he had to do was put that knowledge to good use, and make sure he didn't screw up. Making his way home, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that there wasn't a single female around. The hours ticked by as he did his homework, studied, and even made a few lockpicks. His alarm went off, signaling that it was 5:15. Time to get ready.

Yu stepped out of the shower, the hot steam still radiating off his skin, and he had to admit, he felt good. He smiled as he put on cologne, and the finishing touches of his outfit, but that smile vanished as he put on his belt and heard a voice.

"Narukami? Are you still here?"

It's Sae! Run boy! RUUUUUN!

Yu could find no reason to argue, he had already done all the preparations. Grabbing his key and running out the door that led to the hall, he prepared to bolt as fast as his legs could carry him.

"NOT SO FAST!"

He grimaced, but was careful to hide this fact as he turned around to a very unhappy Sae, who had her arms crossed.

"And just where do you think you're going young man?"

"To my date?"

"Have you done homework?"

"Yes," He answered.

"Have you studied?"

"Yes."

Sae pulled out a brush.

"You forgot to brush your hair."

Yu reached out to grab it, but Sae kept it out of reach.

"Lead the way. I'll make sure to fix your hair on the train."

"I can fix it myse-"

"No backtalk young man."

We are running out of time Narukami. Just say yes, and get it over with.

Yu let a groan and motioned for Sae to follow him, which she did up to the train station. After they boarded, the prosecutor went to work, making sure any loose strands were taken care of and Yu couldn't help but notice some people on the train giggling at him, no doubt taking pictures to show their friends. Finally, the train stopped and Yu led his guardian to the street the club was on. And there, he saw Shiho waiting for him at the entrance.

She was wearing a beautiful wrap dress that reached down to just past her knees. The dress itself was red with a white bow around her waist, while decorated with orange flowers. Upon spotting him, she gave an enthusiastic wave, and Yu gave a meek one in reply, still fearful of Sae's reaction. The silver-haired woman turned him towards her, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright. Remember what Makoto and I taught you, and you should be fine. And remember, if she tries to pressure you to do something you don't want to do, or something you know isn't right, it's perfectly ok to say no."

Why yes Sae, I wasn't born yesterday, thanks for asking.

"Also, if you absolutely have to stay the night with her, I fully expect you to be responsible, understood?"

Niijima? More like Niijimom, amiright?

"Yes Sae-san. Can I please go now?"

The prosecutor gave a gentle smile.

"Yes. Have fun."

Yu didn't have to be told twice. Running to Shiho, he looked back one last time to see his guardian board the train and finally leave him alone. He approached the volleyball player, who smirked.

"Mommy trouble?" She teased.

"More like jail warden. Ready?"

"Of course. You look really nice by the way, love the brushed hair. Let's-a-go!" Yu's now girlfriend declared enthusiastically.

With that, the two students entered Big Echo club, seeing a ton of other people in the place as well. The club itself was about two stories high, and wide enough to have an aquarium, with a dance floor that many of the patrons were currently on. As they looked around and Yu admired the sights, Shiho heard her name from somewhere in the crowd.

"Oh my God. Is Shiho really going on a date with him?"

"She does know that he tried to do a porn shoot with her friend, right?"

Oh great. Shujin students. Pricks seemed to be everywhere.

"She could do better than that bastard."

"Wonder if he's carrying any STDs?"

"Think he's gonna give them to her as payback for what she did during volleyball?"

She shot them a glare and was prepared to march over and slap them, but stopped herself. She was on a date. She was supposed to relax, to have fun. She shouldn't let a few untrue rumors ruin it.

"Ah, there it is." Yu said, pointing away from their peers.

They saw a sign that said "Karaoke upstairs.", so they went up there, and found an open door, signifying an unused room. Stepping inside and making sure to lock the door behind them. Switching on the machine, they saw a wide plethora of various songs to choose from.

"Which should we play first?" Shiho asked.

"Let's see what we have to work with."

Yu began to scroll through various genres. There was rock, there was jazz, there was electronic, and more.

"You know, not that I don't appreciate it Yu, but I have to wonder, why Karaoke? Why not a movie, or dinner, or something of the sort?"

"Well, I figured that it would be better if we did something active, and I don't really have all that much money for fancy dinners."

"Gotcha. But I'm glad you chose karaoke regardless. You know, they used to call me 'Songbird Shiho' back in middle school."

"In that case, I look forward to seeing, or in this case, hearing, how you got that. No way. They actually have this? What?"

"What is it?" Shiho asked, curious.

"It's a song from a videogame called 'Qwark's Opera'. Here, take a seat. This is gonna be good, I promise."

"Alright! Just let me get comfortable."

Shiho sat down on a nearby couch while Yu grabbed a mic. The words began to show up on screen, the music started to play, and Yu took in a deep breath.

"Let me tell you how it all went down. I was hired to save this little town! They were needing someone of great might! So for a fee, I put up a big fight!"

As the music played, Yu put his hands in front of his face, as if he was a boxer.

"Here's the first verse of how I saved everyone, from being food, for the Clam dudes. Theeeeeeeeey were trying to sink the cityyyyyyy; I jumped in to save the daaaaay. I swam right under it, and plugged the leak. With just my left butt cheek."

Yu spanked himself for emphasis, and Shiho giggled.

"I turned the tables on the giant clams, cracking their heads, with fists of lead! Theeeeeeeeey were no match for my rugged brawn, and my wit as sharp as steeeeeeel! And now the townsfolk know, oysters taste nice! With just a-little-spice!"

The instrumentals came on, and Yu began acting like he was the conductor, waving his arms wildly. Then the next set of lyrics came on. Sucking in a deep breath, Yu continued his singing.

"Long, long ago, some Sea Lemurs had been, flushed down the loo. Along with poo. Theeeeeeeeey made the sewers of the town their home, plotting revenge on the cityyyyy. They felt the time was ripe, to stage their coup. But I knew what to do!"

Yu lifted his finger up, and put a "EUREKA" look on face.

"Using my wit, I thought of a great plan; get them all jobs! Like average slobs! Theeeeeeeeey were not too keen on my idea, so they pulled tridents on meeeeeeeee. I pulled out my giant gun. And mowed them down. That's how I saved the town!"

Yu used his hands to imitate shooting a machine gun, a maniacal smile on his face as he did it until the next set of lyrics showed up on screen.

"Next thing you know, some aliens attack! Little green guys, filling the skies. Ciiiiiiiitizens got scared and ran away, but I told them not to feeeeeear! I'll use my laser eyes, to shoot them down! And save your little town! It wasn't long until they all were DEAD! Alien meat, littered the street. Aaaaaaaaaactually it was quite a mess. Innards everywhere you loooooooooked! I guess in retrospect, I probably, should refund half my fee!"

The instrumentals came on again, and Yu this time made it look like he was making it rain money. The boy walked up to his date and kept going, with Shiho playing along, pretending that she was bathing in the 'money' he unleashed. Then the next set of lyrics came on.

"Perhaps you've heard of the Chaos Theory? Butterfly things, flapping their wings. Caaaaaaause a typoon halfway around the world. That just makes no sense to meeeeeee. I squashed that butterfly, and nothing changed! Do you think that is strange?"

Yu gave an overdramatic shrug.

"Unless you count GIANT MAMA BUTTERFLY, showed up annoyed, bent to destroy! Iiiiiiiiiit was really not that hard to kill. I just ripped apart its wiiiiiings."

Shiho gave a gasp and tried to hide her smile at that sentence.

"You next time you should think, before you act. That's not theory, it's fact!"

The instrumental came back on, and Shiho could help but giggle.

"How long is this song?"

"We've got two more verses left to go, including this one!" Yu answered as the next set of lyrics came on.

"Up from the depths came an ocean god! Horrific beast, wanting a feast. Iiiiiiiit wanted a virgin sacrifice, but I just could not obliiiiiiige! I am not one to boast, but lets just say, I kissed a girl that day!"

Shiho narrowed her eyes and smirked.

"So I decided to turn on the charm! Flirt with the god, flexing my bod. Theeeeeeen, as it came close for a kiss, it closed all eight of its eyyyyyyyyes! I thrust my giant sword, into its head!"

Yu then did a pelvic thrust. Shiho facepalmed at the action, but still laughed at it.

"And now the god is DEAD!"

This time, Yu flexed his muscles as the instruments played, and Shiho made sure to take full advantage of the fact, ogling him from head to toe. The song continued, and Yu took a deep breath.

"When it was time for my hero parade, a nasty brute, wearing a suit, whoooooooooo was representing those I'd slain, served a civil suit to meeeee! He said I had to pay, attorney's fees, for all their families. Having no recourse but to rectify, the legal case, and save some face, IIIIIIIIII decided there was just one way, I could save myself some griiiiiiief. As I pretended to, sign the fat check, I snapped his scrawny neck!"

Shiho started laugh and shake her head. The next verse would be the last one.

"When. It. Was. Done. The town was not to thrilled. With the big mess and my giant bill. They said I should stay and mop the floor. But I told them my contract staaaaaaaates: Caveat Emptor!"

And just like that, the song of Qwark's Opera was over, and Yu gave a bow to his fellow trickster.

"All hail Yu Narukami! Slayer of clams, lemurs, aliens, butterflies, sea goddesses, and lawyers!" Shiho cheered.

"Thank you, oh thank you!"

Shiho stood up and made her way to the karaoke machine, and Yu took her place, his lungs and chest burning from his efforts. Shiho gave a smirk as she selected the song.

"Alright Yu. Ready to hear me sing?"

"If you're half as good at singing as you are at volleyball, I'm sure I'm in for a treat."

Music: Butterfly- Swingrowers.

Shiho got ready to speak the lyrics, she eyed Yu, giving a coy smile and started to tap her feet in sync with the beats of the music. Finally, the lyrics came onto the screen, and the girl began her performance, her pitch was smooth and rich, like chocolate, a beautiful crescendo of words merging with the music, which was lively.

"Fly fly butterfly, butterfly-fly go-go. Go go butterfly, butterfly-fly go-go. Fly fly butterfly, butterfly-fly go-go"

Her body swayed side-to-side, refusing to stay still as she gave her performance. Yu could listen and watch her forever, and he felt infinite shame in the fact that the best he could do was a song from one of his favorite videogames that somehow made its way here. Finally, the eloquent performance had ended, and Yu gave as thunderous applause as one person could give. The volleyball girl gave a deep, but exaggerated bow.

"Thank you. Thank you. Oh, you are too kind." She said, enjoying the fact that she was being doted on.

"I can see how you got your nickname, Songbird."

"Please, keep calling me Shiho. But yea, it was nice to sing that again. But my parents want me back soon. And I'm sure your not-mom will get worried too." The girl teased.

"One more song. I have to at least try to match you." He replied.

"Alright. Make it good."

Hifumi was sitting with her father. Right now, she had just gotten back from the church, and she still hadn't made a decision, despite thinking about it for well over a day. On one hand, she knew who her mother truly was, and that she had to be stopped, that she had to pay for what she's done. But on the other, making her confess, and the sheer explosion of rage directed at her and her father… it could cause his health to deteriorate to fatal levels. And now, it was the moment of truth.

"How's my favorite child doing?"

"I must confess to being conflicted father."

"How so?"

"There's… someone in my life, someone for whom my admiration is second only to you."

"And you found out some unsavory details about them." He guessed.

"Yes."

"Hifumi, one of the many unfortunate lessons life will teach you is that no one is perfect. Everyone, myself included, have flaws that will weigh us down, and maybe even repulse others. The key is-"

"I'm not talking about that, father. I'm talking about… breaking the law levels of unsavory."

There was a moment of silence as Kaito contemplated his daughter's words.

"Oh." Was all he could say.

"And now, I am torn. If what this person has done is made public… it could negatively impact our family for generations. And if they are not brought to justice, then they will not stop. They will keep hurting people, and they will keep getting away with it."

"I don't think I'm the best one to talk to about this, sweetheart. It is your mother who has all of the connections and resources to eliminate this threat. You should talk to her."

"I… I can't, father."

"Why not? She has the means to fight any opponent. It shouldn't matter, even if it's the Prime Minister, she should be able to handle it. Unless…"

Kaito Togo looked at his daughter, and in his eyes, she saw an iron will that hadn't made itself known since he was teaching her how to play Shogi for the first time.

"Hifumi, I need you to be honest with me. Is the person you're talking about your mother? Don't think about my health, don't think about your love for her, just answer yes or no."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Y-yes."

Hifumi found herself crying now. Kaito embraced his daughter into a tight hug, patting her on the back, and held her there until she could control herself, which she did after a number of minutes. Pulling herself back with puffy red eyes, her father spoke.

"What crimes has she committed?" He asked, his tone akin to that of a general interrogating a prisoner.

"She- she killed Aunt Ami."

"Ami? As in Ami Ito?"

"The one who gave me my first Shogi board."

Absolutely mortified would not do what Kaito was feeling justice. His whole life, he had known two women who were practically inseparable. One had looks, ambition, and brains, while the other had kindness, maturity, and wisdom. They were utterly inseparable, and once they befriended him, unstoppable. Both seemed more than willing to walk through hell to save the other, and now? Now he knew one caused the death of the other, and now that he thought about it, Ami was always the most responsible of the three, she would no better than to go drinking and get rowdy with someone, especially so close to their wedding. Unless someone wanted it to happen. It would explain everything, how she would drink more than she could handle, how he saw the deed just as it was about to finish. How Mitsuyo was able to come in and save him from drowning himself into an abyss just in the nick of time. How could he have not seen it sooner? Was he that desperate for comfort? Absolutely mortified would not do what he was feeling justice at all.

"I-I know it's a lot to take in. It was for me too, but-"

Hifumi quickly stopped when she noticed something.

Her father wasn't breathing, and when she pressed her fingers against his neck, she felt no pulse.

In a frantic panic, she pulled out her phone and dialed 1-1-9.