I'm not dead yet, but I do apologize for the long wait. I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what your thoughts are either in private messaging or in review form.
Also for more Akira/Sadayo stories, Mizutanitony has Started his new part "Growing Pains" dealing with Akira moving in with Sadayo, so why not take a look.
These characters don't belong to me, but to Atlus
Chapter 5
As the bell rings, another day at school has ended. Sadayo was on her way out of the faculty staff when she got stopped.
"Excuse me, Ms. Kawakami?"
She turned to see Makoto Nijima walking towards her. "Oh, Nijima-san, what is it?"
"Sorry to bother you, but Akira Kurusu is in your homeroom, right? Could you tell him to come meet me at the student council room?"
Sadayo raised her brow at the sudden request. "Kurusu-kun? Is he in some trouble?"
Makoto shook her head in response. "I just need to go through some procedures with him, since a lost item claim hadn't been made."
"Lost item?" Sadayo looked a bit confused, but figured that if Akira was looking for something of his, it was best to let him know that Makoto might have found it. "Okay, I'll check if he' still in the classroom, if he is I'll let him know." With a polite bow she went to her homeroom quickly so she could head to her afternoon job. When she arrived she found Akira getting his stuff ready. "Oh good, you haven't left yet."
Akira turned to face her, wondering why she was calling for his attention.
"Nijima-san wants you to meet her at the student council room. She said that since a lost item claim wasn't made, she needs you to feel out some paperwork."
Akira looked at Sadayo with a baffled expression "Lost item claim…?"
"Didn't you ask her about a lost item?" Sadayo expressed as she joined in the confusion of the discussion.
Akira simply shrugged as he shook his head. "Not that I'm aware."
Sadayo was reminded once again about the discussion in the last faculty meeting. The talk of students being extorted and how the rest of the teacher felt like the principal was having Makoto look into it. 'If She wanted to talk to Kurusu-kun, does that mean that…' She signaled for Akira to come closer as she made sure that none of the other students were paying attention.
"Is everything okay? You're not in any trouble are you?"
"Why? You not worried about me, are you Sensei? I thought you didn't get involved with your students?" Akira couldn't help but tease her a bit, which caused his teacher's face to turn red.
"I-Its not like that. If anything happens I'd have to deal with it. I told you already, didn't I?" Sadayo looked away from her inquiring student as her hand covers the side of her face in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "Why do have to make things so difficult for me? Jeez..."
Akira did his best to hold back his chuckle at his teacher's reaction. "Sorry, I'll be more considerate. I wouldn't worry though."
While her words where the same as when he first arrived in Shujin, her attitude towards him had clearly changed since then. It made Akira happy to hear her voice concern for him and teasing her was all he could do to disguise the smile he had in his face, not that there weren't other reasons to do so. He enjoyed how flustered she would become from it, even though he had to hold back at school.
"I'm sure it's just her wanting to keep tabs on me on the principal's order, I do have a bit of a reputation following me."
"That's true..." Sadayo looked down, remembering how she saw him when he first arrived to the school. As she realized that she was being used to contact Akira though, she couldn't help but get annoyed. "Still, if that is the reason, it's really frustrating. Why do I have to run errands for a student? Even if the principal seems to favor her."
"That may be true, but… I wonder how she is feeling about all of this." Akira commented as he toyed with one of his unruly locks.
"What do you mean?"
Akira was reminded of his first meeting with Makoto on the school's roof. It seemed that she had been tasked to investigate the situation with Kamoshida, and, not surprisingly, he and Ryuji were at the top of the list. She was determined to figure out what was the cause for Kamoshida's confession, though it seemed more like it was forced on her than out of interest, and ever since then he'd noticed her following him every once in a while.
"Just feels like she has way more responsibilities than someone of her position should have." Akira shrugged, still not sure why the student president was calling him like this as opposed to just coming to him directly like she's done in the past. "Either way I shouldn't keep her waiting."
Sadayo just scratched her head, unsure at what Akira was talking about. "If you say so..." Sadayo looked down at her watch and was struck with panic as she saw what time it was. "Shit, I'm going to be late! I need to head out, make it home safely Kurusu-kun!" She turned and waved as she took her leave, but as she was passing the corner she halted and looked back to see Akira walk up the stairs to the student council room with a worried look on her face. Once he he was out of her sights she let out a sigh as she went on her way in a hurry to her next job, hoping to make it in time.
Rain poured heavily outside of Leblanc as Akira finished up getting the necessary ingredients for tonight's lesson. While it was a Wednesday night, Sadayo was free since she tended to not get much request while it was raining, and after a small chat they had decided that tonight would be good time for her to take him up on his offer to teach her how to make curry. As he finished up he heard a loud yawn, and turned to his feline companion who was resting on top of the fridge with an annoyed look.
"You know, if you're bored, you're welcome to go wander outside."
"And miss out on the results of this experiment? I'll pass on going out in the rain." Morgana replied with what Akira figured was a smirk. "If your first attempt is anything to go by, I'm sure this will be fun to watch."
"I thank you for your show of confidence. That only went bad cause I tried making it on my own from what little I got from Boss before we got interrupted, it shouldn't go that bad." Akira huffed as he went and sat on the stool next to Mona, waiting for his student for the night to arrive.
"Reeeeaaaaally? Cuz the fact that you went out of your way to get your own ingredients so we don't use Boss' stuff says otherwise." He snickered confidently, which earned him an annoyed groan from Akira.
As the bell by the door rang both Akira and Morgana turned their eyes the maid who had just arrived. Even with the umbrella which she was shaking dry, she wasn't able to make it completely unscathed as she groaned in frustration.
"Why is it raining so heavily tonight? I'm soaking wet..."
Akira did his best to keep straight face as he went and picked up a towel. "Glad you could make it, I was beginning to worry."
Sadayo smiled as she posed, her hands together while leaning forward and batting her eyelashes. "Where you worried about me...? Becky is lucky to have such a caring master." She said cheerfully, giggling at Akira rolling his eyes.
"Getting me back for what I said last Monday at school I see. Still, I am glad to see you made it." as he hands her the towel.
"Thanks… Seriously though, sorry to keep you waiting, the rain made it much harder to move around the crowds, not to mention having to avoid getting splashed by passing vehicles."
"Come take a seat then..." Akira turned, signaling her to follow, "I'll make you the usual to help warm you up.""
"That would be lovely..." Sadayo said happily as she proceeds to take a seat, noticing the extra company close by.
"Hello, Ms. Kawakami." Morgana greeted, though all Sadayo heard was the meowing of a cat.
"Hey little guy… I haven't seen you in a while." Sadayo smiled as she took a seat and attempted to stroke the cat's head.
"Nrrg, don't treat me like some house cat" Morgana complained, as he pawed her hand away from his head.
"He's very talkative. Did I do something to upset him?" Sadayo had a look at disappointment as the cat refused her hand. "Oh! Speaking of which," she was reminded as she turned to Akira. "I forgot to ask last time, but does he have a name?"
"It's Morgana," Akira responded as he maintained his focus on his work, though turned to give Sadayo a reassuring smile. "and don't worry about him, he's touchy about how people treat him." Just then Akira had an idea. He set the pot down for a bit and proceeded to signal Sadayo to come closer.
While at first she was confused, she leaned over the counter as her student did the same. It was quite and odd feeling to have a student so close to her as he whispered instructions, and she could feel her cheeks going pink as his voice rang in her ear. Nonetheless she listen to his suggestion, and when the cat looked away she gently pet his head the way Akira had instructed her.
"WHAT THE-" Morgana protested to the sudden touch but was quickly subdued as he laid down on the chair happily meowing to the petting.
"Wow, it really did work. Look, Master!" Sadayo said with glee as she continued to pet with a look of satisfaction.
"Meeeooww... no fair… That's cheating...? Morgana complain as Sadayo happily continued petting his head.
Akira did his best to keep himself from laughing at both how cheerful Sadayo was as she played with Morgana, as well as Mona's failed protest. As he finished brewing the coffee he figured that Morgana have had enough, as he poured a cup and proceeds to change the subject.
"If you don't mind me going back to our conversation... you mentioned having to move around the crowds. Do you tend to sneak around often?" Akira inquired as he imagined his teacher sneaking around in her maid outfits, much like he and his friends have done many times while in the Metaverse in their thieves' gear.
"Thank you…" Sadayo picked up the cup and let the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee fill her senses before taking a sip.
In the small amount of time since they started meeting like this, she'd come to find a sense comfort in this little routine of theirs. Sadayo would talk about her day and her frustrations, as Akira would offer her a fresh cup of coffee and listen to her attentively. While these moment usually didn't last long, she welcomed these small periods of respite in her otherwise stressful life. As she took her sip she could feel herself relaxing as the drink warming her body and she let out a contented sigh.
"Is the coffee to your liking?" Akira asked with a look of confidence, but still wanting to hear her opinion.
"Very much so!" Sadayo confirmed with a big grin on her face, taking her time with the drink. "You're getting better at this."
"I appreciate your words of praise, but according to Boss I still have a long way to go." Akira said as she shook his head, though smiling as he did.
"Well you've got my approval at least."
"Thanks, You still haven't answered me by the way." Akira leaned on the counter, resting his head on his palm.
"You're the one that changed the subject." Sadayo smirked at her student as he waited curiously for her response, a brow raised in confusion towards his interest in the subject. "It's nothing elaborate, I just avoid crowded areas on my way to work as a maid. Don't want anyone recognizing me on the way after all."
"I don't think you have to worry too much about that. I mean, I was right in front of you and even then it took me a good while, as well as some hints to figure out who you where." Akira said as he shrugged, remembering how confused he was when he first saw her. If she hadn't started questioning him, he probably wouldn't have realized he was looking at his own homeroom teacher.
"It's the pigtails, right?!" Sadayo responded excitedly, as if she was answering a questions in a quiz show. "When I first tried getting them my hair was all over the place, but because the latchkey kid who lives next door is always asking me to tie up her hair I've become an expert with these pigtails now." Sadayo looked quite proud as she continue to boast about her talent while showcasing her craft.
"It's that why you put your hair up like that? I had just figured that they where part of the uniform." Akira had just finished cleaning up the brewing equipment and proceeded to take a seat next to her, curious about the topic at hand.
"Well no, there are girls with short hair so you couldn't do stuff like that unless you had extensions and those aren't required. I just did it because I thought that maybe..." Sadayo thoughts trailed for a bit as she spun the cup around before looking back at Akira with a pout. "By the way, I've been talking to my boss about me picking up more shifts… But he told me that he much rather prioritizes 'younger' women!"
"Well that seems kind of rude." Akira commented, a bit confused by the sudden change of topic, but not wanting to interrupt her.
"Seriously… and he said it right to my face too." Sadayo leaned forward, proceeded to rest her head on the palm of her hand as she continue to vent. "I mean… what does age have to do with cleaning a room! And I think I look damn good for my age, if I do say so myself. The girls in my neighborhood always tell me I'm pretty as well. So I'm doing quite well for-" As Sadayo faced looked shocked as realized her argument boiled down to being called pretty by the little girls in her apartment complex, "… Wait, am I the only one that really thinks this way?...Kurusu-kuuun?" The tone of her voice switching to that of her Becky persona as she makes puppy dog eyes to Akira. "You think that I look good as a maid, don't you? Please tell me your honest opinion, Master."
Akira could only look away awkwardly while scratching his cheek at the sudden question that had been asked of him by his teacher. He did think she look quite good in her maid outfit, but it was more than just that.
When they first were introduced, he hadn't paid her much attention, simply wanting to avoid trouble, But ever since that night where they had their second meeting, he had started to notice her more and more. While for most of the day she always looked tired out or annoyed, he couldn't refuse that he found her to be a very attractive woman both in her maid outfit and just in general. This was especially true when she smiled. The first time he saw a genuine smile from her was when he first offered her a cup of coffee, during their small chat he saw a glimpse of someone who wasn't always complaining about her students, exhausted from all the work she was doing, or filled with dread at what ever deadline she had to pay up. All he saw was was a very beautiful woman. Not that he'd say this to her out loud though, as something told him that doing so would probably make her feel awkward about hearing something like that from a student of hers.
"I'm honored that you'd think so highly of my opinion, but I think it's much important for you to love yourself, don't you think?." Akira asked, trying to avoid giving a straight answer as he heard Morgana snickering right behind Sadayo.
"Huh? Well..." Sadayo looked quiet surprised at his response, as her finger circled the rim of the nearly emptied coffee cup as she tried to think of something, but she shook her head with a shrug as he turned to Akira with a smile. "I just don't feel like I'm worth being loved." She turned back the remainder of her drink, her eyes seeming to look into her rippling reflection. "But… I guess you're right. I can't expect people to like me if I can't find anything worth liking about myself, can I?
Akira was speechless at what he had just heard, he tried to think of a response, but in the end nothing would come out as his mouth as Sadayo finished the coffee and stood up, giving a long stretch and acting like she hadn't said anything unusual.
"I feel much better now, so let's see how good this curry of your really is, Master!"
She continued to smile as Akira got brought back from his thoughts and simply gave her a nod. He wanted to inquire at the reason for why she felt like that, but from the look of it, she was ready to move to another topic, so he did his best to act like nothing had changed as he gave her a confident smile.
"I'm sure it will be to your liking. But for now let's start with the preparation." as he walked by her and went to kitchen. "You said you can do some egg rice correct, can you get the rice started? The bag of rice is at the bottom shelf."
"Sure thing." Sadayo went to picked up the container and added the rice and water. On her way to the cooker though, she notice Akira giving her a puzzled look. "What is it?"
"Aren't you going to rinse out the rice first?"
"Don't you just need to add the rice and water? Isn't that what makes them so useful?"
From the tone of her voice it seemed that she had no idea what Akira was talking about, and with that, Akira started to see why she might have had some trouble with the instant noodles.
"Come, let me show you something." Akira signaled her to come with him to the sink, his hands waiting for her to pass him the pot of rice, which she did with a curious look on her face. "Notice how the water is murky? It means that you should rinse it out until the water is clear."
Akira showed Sadayo how to rinse of the rice, guiding her as she followed his instructions with surprising interest. As they continued with the lesson, he started to feel much more relaxed, and while he was still worried about what she had said a while a go, seeing her genuine enthusiasm had him smiling and deciding to just enjoy the moment. As he proceeded to work on the curry itself, he couldn't help but make sure that she was looking his way as he showed off his skill with the knife. Twirling the knife as he work to slice the ingredients at the cutting board, which was rewarded with both sounds of astonishment and praise from Sadayo, as well as groans and cries of being a show off from his feline friend in the distance.
"You're surprisingly good at this." Sadayo commented as Akira was bringing the stock that would become the curry to a boil, all the while skimming the surface.
Akira couldn't help but chuckle at the maid's compliment, satisfied with with having met her expectation. "I am learning from the best. Thought it's been postponed at the moment, it seems Boss a lot on his mind so I only know the basics." Akira points to the container of curry sauce mix "It's why we are using the instant Curry roux."
"It's still better than I can do, apparently I was even doing rice wrong." Sadayo said, disappointed in herself to learn that she was messing up something as simple as rice.
"I wouldn't feel to bad about it, and honestly it's more of an extra effort, as opposed to actually ruining it. I did the same thing when Boss was teaching me and he threatened to kick me out if I ever did such lazy work again." Akira gave a guilty shrug.
"He seems quite strict," she remarked, a bit of a gentle smirk showing as she imagined Akira being scolded by Sojiro, "but if you've gotten this good, then he must have taught you well."
'You know...If you'd like I can teach you some other things… I mean I can-" Before he could finish his offer his phone started pinging, he ignored it at first but it kept going and figured what was going on. "I'm sorry, I have to deal with this, can you take care of washing the potatoes and putting them in the stock, it shouldn't take long."
"Sure! Leave it to me then." Sadayo pumped her fist confidently while giving a reassured smile. "Should be easy enough."
"Thanks, I'll be right back. Just make sure to lower the heat once you do." he proceeded to head to the other end of the cafe as he looked at what was going on, and as he figured, the group was discussing their plans for tomorrow. The only lead they had gotten at the moment was about the part-time solicitor by Central Street. It seemed that he was connected to the mafia, and if they followed him it would probably lead them to the boss. He caught up to what had been already talked about in the group chat when Yusuke asked a very important question.
[Y]: Indeed, it seems that is where our target waits. But then… who should be the one to go?
Akira was concerned about any of the other members going. If things went wrong they mafia would have a hold on them. Yusuke was bad enough with money as it was, Ryuji has his mother to worry about, and Ann has dealt with enough blackmail and coercion for a life time. Part of him wish they could send Morgana, but sadly while he was quite capable at sneaking around and infiltrating, he is unable to do negotiations with other people.
[A]: Don't worry, just leave it to me.
As he wrote the message, he resolved himself. This mission was unlike the previous ones, a fact that Ryuji was also aware off.
[R]: Well guys, we gotta brace ourselves. We're up against a serious criminal here.
They weren't dealing with a Perverted P.E. teacher, or a plagiarizing artist this time. While both where very dangerous and had a lot of influence, it doesn't compare to the a member of the mafia. If things go wrong, if they screwed up or made a wrong move, it is a very real possibility that their lives would be in danger. And while the risk of death was not a new concept for them as they faced it constantly whenever they went to a Palace or into Mementos, but at least there they have the means of fighting back. If anything where to happen to any of his friends…
Akira was lost in his thoughts, unable to hear the cries of a concern cat as he is trying to warn with no successes about the boiling water, only to be brought back by another voice.
"OH NO! The pot is is overflowing!"
As he turned around he saw a panicking Sadayo as the stock in the pot was bubbling and spilling all over.
"What happened!? What do I do!?" Sadayo went and grabbed some towels as sh tried to move the pot from the hot stove hoping that it cause it to stop spilling over.
"Wait don't-"
But before Akira could warn her the stock in the pot swayed as she moved the pot, splashing on her right hand.
"OW!" She moved away from the pot, gripping her hand.
"Sadayo!" He ran to the other side he quickly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the faucet which he turned on and led her hand to it. Once he made sure the water stayed in a relatively cool temperature he grabbed a pot and let the water running to fill it up. "keep your hand submerged, Okay? Also, make sure to remove the cuff, just in case it got hit by the stock."
"O-okay.. sure." Her face still looked pain, but seemed more surprise at Akira taking charge like he had.
Akira nodded as he went to see the damage. The stove was soaked with the stock, and while it had stopped bubbling now, a lot the broth had been lost. As he looked at the dial, he noticed that it was still on high. He turned it off and took the soaked towels, considering himself lucky that non of them landed on the hot top.
"I'm sorry... I really messed up, didn't I?" the guilt in her voice clearly showing her regret.
Akira sighed at the mess that would need to be cleaned, but he quickly turned to Sadayo. "There's no point in crying over spilled stock."
"Was that supposed to be a joke..?" Even though she still sounded annoyed, a chuckle escaped her lips.
"A bad one, but got a reaction didn't I?" Akira responded as he went to get the first aid Kit and a dry towel. "The curry doesn't matter right now, the most important thing is to check that you didn't get seriously hurt." As he walked back with the kit and towel he grabbed one of the chairs and placed it by Sadayo. "Take a seat, I need to examine how bad the burn is."
"S-sure thing..."
As Sadayo took a seat Akira took her hand from the water filled pot and kneel down so that she didn't have to keep it raised. He took his time examining it and eventually let out a sigh of relief as he gave her a reassuring smile. "Well the good news is that it seems very minor, so we shouldn't need to go to the hospital." He proceeded to carefully pat the skin dry towel, He got the occasional whinges from Sadayo and would apologize, but once dried grabbed some gauze and dressing and started to loosely wrap the area.
"You seem to know what you're doing." Sadayo ask, once again surprised how capable her student was.
"I learned some first aid from the doctor I had told you about. She wanted to make sure that I knew how to properly treat injuries, in case anything would happen during my… extracurricular activities."
"Extracurricular activities? Didn't think you where in any clubs." A curious look showed in Sadayo's face. "Would these activities be related to how you're able to request me so often?
Akira responded with a slight shrug as he continued working.
"Still keeping that a secret, huh?" Sadayo huffed, gently poking him as he simply brushed her question to the side as he carefully worked on her hand. Even now Akira continues to mystify and surprise her, he seemed so laid back, most of the time it feet like he didn't have a care in the world, but seeing him show concern for her and react so quickly caught her off guard, especially since he…
"Uhmmm, Kurusu-kun… About what you said back then. You know... calling out my name?"
Akira froze, his face looking a bit shocked as he seemed to just now realized what he had done.
"Oh! I'm not upset or anything, it's fine, I was in a panic myself so I understand that it wasn't intentional..." In all honesty, while she wasn't happy with the sore hand and ruined curry, she couldn't deny that the scene that followed made her heart race. The way Akira called out her name in concern for her safety, the way he took charge of the situation and made sure she was okay and didn't dwell too much on what had happened, but seemed simply worried for her sake. It felt like a scene from the many romance movies and books that shes read in the past, and she had to admit that hearing her name called out in particular made her heart skip to the point that she had completely forgotten about the pain in her hand for a while. Considering who the person that caused her to feel like this was though, she was having some very conflicting feelings about this.
'Jeez… get it together, why are you getting so flustered by one of your students.' Sadayo noticed that Akira was waiting quietly for her to finish her statement, his eyes focused on her, which made her all the more more conscious about it. She looked away as she cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure. "Still.. you should be more mindful about calling someone by their name. What if they get the wrong impression?"
"Very well, I'll keep that in mind." Akira chuckled as he finished up with the dressing and stood up. "There... that should be it, it will be sore for a while, but it should recover on it's own."
"Thanks..."Sadayo looked at her bandaged hand as she noticed that Akira was already begun working on cleaning the mess that she had made because of her mistake with no complaints, seeing this pained her as her body sunk down, her uninjured hand covering over her eyes. "I'm sorry… You go out of you're way to request me and try to help, and all I do is vent, complain, and make a mess of things. As a maid, I'm supposed to help my master relax… but instead I'm the one being helped and just make things worse..." All she could do is laugh at herself for how pathetic she must look to him at this moment. "Sorry I'm such a terrible maid."
"Don't beat yourself to much about it," he continue to clean, showing just as much regret as Sadayo was. "I was supposed to teach you, but I went and left you in the middle of it and barely explained anything, that was my failure so don't worry about it, okay?"
Sadayo removed her hand from her face as she looked at her master with a confused look. She's supposed to be the adult of the two, but once again, Akira seemed to the much more reliable and responsible one. When she first heard of him, she expected him to be the definition of a trouble student, based on she had been told about him. Even as he quietly went through the school days, she just figured that he would eventually snap at any moment. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized she knew nothing about him.
He was definitely a trouble maker, that was certain. He has no problem messing with her and getting her all flustered, not to mention a stubborn brat considering how many time she warned him that he shouldn't be requesting her, only for him to do so anyway with that cocky attitude of his. But he was also a smart kid who worked hard on his school work. He was patient and understanding, he gave her someone to talk to, and allowing her to be herself and unwind, without complaint. And most importantly, he was kind, so very kind and caring of those he is close to. As time went on a question in her mind kept growing more and more, her confusion growing as she continued to talk to the person in front of her.
"Hey, Kurusu-kun… What exactly happened to you... Why do you have a criminal record on you?"
Akira stop midway as he looked at her with a surprised look. "Don't you know about it already? I mean figured they'd talk about it when you where told of my transfer, not to mention all the rumors about me once it got leaked at the school." He looked away as he grabbed the back of his neck. "And like I said… It's not like it matters now..."
"They really didn't tell us much details, we just knew that you expelled from your school cause of your situation and that the principal thought it would increase the school's reputation by 'giving this troubled youth a second chance to turn his life around.' I'm pretty sure that he only did it because of those circumstances he mentioned during our meeting. As for the rumors… I'm not a biggest fan of rumors, so I try to ignore them for the most part." For a second she had a solemn look on her face, as if remembering something that had occurred, but she turned to face Akira nonetheless. "It just doesn't make sense, the student that we where told about, and the person in front of me seem world apart."
"Are you sure about that?" Akira chuckled as he scratched his cheek. "Maybe this is all part of my scheme. How can you be so sur-?"
"Because I trust you." Sadayo didn't hesitate in responding Akira, surprising both him and herself, as she looked downward with her finger near her lips. 'I… trust him…?'
This went unnoticed by Akira who had been left stunned as he turned his face to the side and once again hid the clear sign of a smile with his hand. "When you put it that way… it makes it kind of hard to argue back."
Akira took a deep breath, leaning on the kitchen counter as his hand went over his hair. "It's not that long a story really. I was waking one night when I heard someone yelling for help. I went over to it and found some drunkard trying to force a woman into his car, She cried for help but no one was coming to help or even noticing what was going on, it was a quiet night so there weren't that many people outside. It looked liked I was the only one that had found them as the guy told me to scram, but the look of that woman's face, how terrified she was… I just couldn't just stand stand there and do anything…" he placed his hands in his pocket "I wasn't planning anything violent, I just wanted to get between the two of them, but as as soon as I touched him he stumbled down and landed face first into the concrete. The guy cried out that he would sue me and if by perfect chance the police finally showed up, the guy told them that I had attacked him and before I knew it I was getting arrested." he proceeded to tap his forehead, with a grin on his face. "The nice bleeding wound that he had probably help sell his story."
"Wait, that was it?!" Sadayo was honestly shock at how insignificant the reason was. "I mean, I didn't think you actually assaulted someone, but you didn't even argue with the guy? He just falls over and you end up with a criminal record?" All she could do is ask question, it was just to hard to believe. "And what about the woman, didn't she speak up, I mean-"
"She actually collaborated the man's story about me assaulting him."
Sadayo's face sunk at the revelation. "B-but why? You where only trying to help her."
"It looked like he had some connection to the police as he was able to avoid having his name revealed, if she had retaliated he would had told the cops about some shady stuff that she was apparently involved in, under his order apparently, but by the way she acted I'm guessing that would had been easy for him to hide that little bit of knowledge."
"So she abandoned you.. to save herself." Sadayo felt as if something was gripping her heart. "Because of that you're in this situation..."
"I guess that's one way of putting it." Akira scratched his head, confused at what Sadayo was hinting at. She was biting her lip and she had curled as she grabbed her right arm tightly, there was something on her mind, and it was eating at her. "Kawakami? Is something the matter?"
Sadayo shook her head, "It's nothing, it's just that..." She hesitated at first, unable to look him in the eyes. "Kurusu-kun… Do you… resent her? I mean... do you blame her for what happen to you?"
"Honestly, at the time I have to meet I did partially blame her just as much as the guy for my situation..." He noticed how Sadayo's body tensed up as he mentioned this. "But in the end I can't really blame her."
"But why?!" Sadayo responded with much more aggression that she intended, unable to understand her student's thought process. "It's because of her that you're at risk of loosing everything. If she'd just stood up for what she felt was right then-"
"Then nothing would had changed." Akira interrupted, strong in his resolve. "No matter how things ended, I don't regret my decision to to step in and help her, I made my peace with that already. I already told you, that guy clearly had connections and could easily silence her if he needed to. It was the same for Kamoshida and Madarame. Their victims felt alone, and unable to fight back. Because of that they felt like the only choice they had was to accept their fate. If there is anything that I can do to give them courage, then-."
"BUT SHE PROMISED TO BE THERE FOR YOU!" Sadayo snapped as she covered her mouth, realizing what she had just said.
Akira just stared with a raised brow at the maid's sudden outburst. He had no idea what would cause such a reaction, and more importantly to say what she did. "What promise? I have no idea what your talking about."
"Pleases, just ignore what I said." She stood up, walking away from Akira. "What the heck am I even saying…?" She tried to compose herself, still unable to face Akira. "I keep ending up doing things or saying things that I never thought I would around someone, especially one of my students." She gestured her hands as if she was a scale, weight two different objects. "My double life as both a teacher and a maid is so exhausting, having to juggle who I am to my student and staff at school, and who I am to my customer during my job. Maybe that's why I let my guard down around you? Because you know both sides of me. The more I come here, the more I feel like I can relax, I don't have to hide or act or pretend, I can just be myself. It's actually been kind of nice." She turned to Akira giving him a very gentle, if not also sad smile, only for it to shift to a more solemn look as she grabbed her arms, feeling a stinging pain in her right hand as she did so. "I have a confession to make… I lied about my reasons for needing to make money. The stuff about having a sick sisters...? That was all a lie, same goes for the fee and charges. You understand now right?" Her voice had become stern and distant. She wanted to get through his head about what she had been doing this whole time.
"About that..." Akira scratched his cheek as his face showed a lack in surprise to her statement. "I kind of already knew that was the case."
'And yet you still requested me without a second thought. Why am I not surprised...' Part of her was relieved that he hadn't been fooled, but still she continued on. "Whether your knew or not about it doesn't excuse my actions. I can't get requested unless I make up those types of stories. Nothing good will come from involving yourself with a terrible person like me. I tried to lie and manipulate you, and prioritize my other jobs over my role as a teacher. I used your situation to keep you quiet about my job, and worst of all I continued to take advantage of your kindness, because even when I knew I shouldn't be doing so, all I cared about was making my payments." Sadayo let out a pained sigh, as she looked at the glass door outside, the rain was still pouring as hard is it was when she arrived. "Let's just put an end to this. You're good kid, and I'm very thankful for all you done for me, but there are just some people that aren't worth helping... It's a good lesson learned"
As Akira saw Sadayo head towards the door he began to follow her "Wait Kawaka-"
"STOP!"
Akira halted as Sadayo shouted from the entrance, her tone just now was much angrier and it showed as she stared down at him talking to him similarly to how she did the first time they met, her voice full of disgust and frustration. "Thank you again fro all you've done. But don't EVER request me again, don't EVER call me again, and don't you DARE follow me. Thank you for using our services, and… goodbye"
As she went on, her previously angered voice slowly becoming much more weaker. She had tried to push him away, but it was to late, she had become very close to him, and it was because of that reason that she was so frightened and desperate to run away. As she said her goodbye Sadayo quickly turned ran out the door, completely ignoring her umbrella as she went out into the rainy night. Akira tried to follow suit, asking her to stop as he gave chase after her, but it was dark, the rain messed with his visibility and he didn't know which direction Sadayo had gone. After a fruitless attempt he came back to Leblanc, where a towel carrying and worried Morgana waited next to the public phone.
"I expected a disaster, but nothing like that." Morgana left the towel by the counter which Akira picked up and began drying himself up. "So what are you going to do? She said not to request her, but..."
"It felt forced..." Akira took a seat by one of the benches as Morgana went and sat on the table facing him. "And there is no way I'm leaving things as they are, especially after tonight."
Morgana had a look of concern for his caretaker. This was the second time he had seen them together, and both times ended with them arguing with one another. "Talk to me straight Joker, why do you keep requesting her? It's obviously not for her services, it's like she said, it looked more like you were the one serving her, honestly it sometimes it looked like you're one of those guys working at a host club."
"So you think I'm only acting nice to get in her favor?" Akira commented with an amused grin and a raised brow.
"No, it's clearly you have a thing for her." He snickers as Akira gave him a disappointed look.
"That has nothing to do with it. She just looks alone, and is constantly working herself tired, I just want to help out in however way I can."
"Are you sure that's the only reason..." Morgana narrowed his eyes as he moved closer.
"Well… I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy her company. I find her a very interesting person." he points to the abandoned umbrella "She clearly knows what she is doing at time, she left without the umbrella even in this heavy rain because she wanted to loose me and knew that it would be a hindrance. I just don't understand why she think so little of herself."
Morgana shook his head "Man, you really don't see it do you." Morgana shook his head at how oblivious Akira was being, letting out a loud yawn. "Oh well, I'm calling it a night."
"One more thing." Akira interjected as Morgana was going to jump off the table.
"What is it?"
"You were in the kitchen when things went down, can you tell me what happened?"
"Hmmm…." Morgana thought for a while as he looked back and tried to remember what had Occurred. "Well soon after you left she rinsed the potatoes, you should have probably told her that they also needed washed like the rice as well by the way, but after she put them in the pot her phone started going off. She went to check who it was and then just stood there holding it tight. It was kind of odd since she never picked up the call, she even forgot about having to lower the heat."
"She didn't pick it up?" Akira was a bit surprised at that detail, every time her phone went off she was quick to pick it up and answer it. "Could thing had gotten worse for her, or was it someone else?"
"Sorry, couldn't get a good look at the ID of the caller. Anyway, I'm off to bed."
And with that the cat left, leaving the still soaked Akira on the bench. He thought back to what Sadayo had told him…
"I just don't feel like I'm worth being loved."
"Not worth being loved…" Akira chuckled as he looked back to his first days in Tokyo. "I wonder if I would be feeling the same way if I hadn't stumbled into the Metaverse with Ryuji." He stood up, looking outside as the rain continue to pour, with no signs of letting up. "I don't know why, but hearing you say something like that... It makes me want to prove you wrong."
Sadayo closed the door as she entered her home, leaning her back against it as she slid down to the floor. Her body was shivering from the cold as she was completely soaked all over except for her right hand which she had done her best to cover from the rain. She lifted her head, drops of water dripping from her hair, as she looked at her hand with a weak smile.
"It was nice while it lasted… but this is how things should had been from the start."
"I thought you were just a problem student, but you're actually very smart. I think if you're won't juggling so many jobs you'd rank very highly."
"I told myself I wouldn't get attached, and yet it still happened." She curled up, her arms wrapped around her legs.
"It's decided then! If you're not able to make class because of your job, then I'll help you study during your time off."
"I don't deserve his kindness, I knew that, and yet I selfishly clung to it."
"As your teacher, nothing would make me happier than to see my student succeed. I'll go the distance for you, just you wait, I promise!"
"But the moment things go bad, I'll abandon him to save myself."
"But those rumors aren't true, there's nothing like that between us, and he's not like that at all!
"If he knew about what I did, he'd understand how selfish a person I really am.:
I just wanted to give him a chance to prove himself. Doesn't her deserve at least that."
I'll just look away and do nothing, and before I know it, he'll be gone."
"So I have to give up on one of my students or risk loosing my job as a teacher...?"
She raised her head, looking as the rain continued to pour heavily even now. She didn't show signs of sadness, frustration, she simply looked tired as she continue to stare with an absent look at the rain. "Now that I think about it, it rain like this that time too, didn't it…"
"I'm sorry, I can't continue to help you anymore… I know I promised that I would be there for you but… I'm so sorry."
"When I caused Takase-kun's death."
Again, sorry for the wait, and sadly no real excuses other than this chapter was particularly hard for me to write. I had a previous version that had to be completely scrapped so that didn't help in the matters either. Here's hoping I can get the next chapter up quickly and fix this, (Arggh hate making these character feel like shit for any reason, but that's how things are playing out).
