I don't own these characters, they belong to Atlus.
Chapter 9
"Really wish I could have a beer..." Sadayo looked dejectedly towards her drink and food.
It was becoming the start of the evening as Sadayo sat on one of the benches at the Shibuya station. She was on her way home from her shift at the convenience store she worked at in Jimbocho. Since they didn't have much for her to do they decided to send her off early, despite her protests about wanting to stay longer.
There was a barely-drunk smoothie standing next to her and in her hand was a small half eaten order of karaage from the nearby stall. She wore her hair in a ponytail with a cap, and had a blue, wave patterned windbreaker jacket over her work uniform while placing her bag next to her.
She had tried to stave off her her hunger as much as she could till she got home since she was running low on immediate funds, but sadly her body was not able to keep it up and by the time she had arrived to the Shibuya station her hunger had become unbearable and she had to put something in her stomach for fear of fainting. She really wasn't the biggest fan of the drink options they offered at the smoothie stand, they tended to have such bizarre combinations and frequently weren't that appetizing. But while beer would had been a much more enjoyable choice, she needed the energy. As for the karaage… It wasn't bad, but sadly it was not as good as what she had been used to back home and it tended to leave her a bit homesick. There was the option of paying for the Big Bang Burger Challenge, since considering the portion that she would get that it would be the most cost effective. But she had been permanently put off by it after her last attempt, which ended with her feeling sick to her stomach that she worried she was going to vomit it back out.
'If this keeps up I'm going to have problem just paying rent, and it's only the start of the week.' Sadayo lamented, nibbling on one of the Karaage pieces. 'Kurusu-kun mentioned that he would start teaching me how to work with the props and models guns this week. It's a bit early, but maybe I should see if he's available tonight?'
A smile began to form as Sadayo as her thoughts went to Akira without her realizing it. "It's so strange… I couple of months ago just the very thought of seeing him at school filled me with dread, now I've actually started looking forward to seeing him. It's surprising how much can change in a month." Sadayo's mood improved slightly as she was reminded of that stunt he had pulled earlier today in regards to the rest of the students in her class. Her body relaxing as she exhaled. "It's kinda odd to think that I have a partner-in crime of sorts, but I really owe him a lot. I should really thank him for everything he's done."
The feeling didn't last though as she was then reminded of how he reacted to her attempt to wake him up. 'Still, I hope he went to get looked at. I couldn't get a good look at it, but he seemed a bit hurt.'
As Sadayo watched the crowd pass around her, a familiar individual showed up in her peripheral view, as if magically summoned by her thoughts of him.
"Kurusu-kun? Wait… who is that guy?"
Why was he here? He had said that he was heading out to get his shoulder checked and from the look of it he seemed fine, but Sadayo noticed that he seemed to be trailing someone. He was a tall man, wearing what looked to be a long gray coat and what seemed to be yellow earmuffs over a white cap with black lines. He had an intimidating appearance and what looked like a tattoo peeking from his neck which caused Sadayo to grow concerned about Akira.
The rumors at school made it sound like the recent police raid had put the stop to the problem with students being extorted in Shibuya, but Sadayo couldn't help but worry that he might have gotten caught up in a similar situation. She quickly devoured the rest of her food before looking at her drink with hesitation. She really wasn't a big fan but didn't want to waste what little money she had, so with a deep breath she gulped the remainder of the drink, reeling in disgust at the tasted and suffering a bit of brain freeze when she finished before grabbing her stuff and giving chase.
Sadayo was surprised to see that they had stopped in front of the diner in central street, even more surprising though was the discussion she was hearing when she caught up.
"You sure you're up for this? You look like shit." The large man said humorously.
"I've been better, besides It's not like you could do anything without me." Akira responded in a cocky tone.
"Well aren't you a smart ass?" The man chuckled.
Sadayo was surprised to hear Akira talking to the man so brashly, he could be a bit cocky at times, and he had his moment of snarkiness, but she'd never seen him act this aggressive. Not only that, but even with that attitude that he was giving the man, they seemed to be in friendly terms. It sounded like they knew each other and she couldn't make up her mind on whether that was a good thing or not.
"If you're sure, though this shouldn't be to difficult for you. I need you to escort Kaoru for me while I take care of some business, he should be on his way here."
"You sure you don't want me coming with you?"
"What, you looking down at me? I can take care of this by myself, I'll join you guys once I'm done. Later."
Sadayo saw as the man went into the streets as Akira went in the Diner as she was left to process what she had heard. 'What did he mean by escort? What has Kurusu-kun gotten himself into? It all sounded so suspicious. I might be able to learn more if I go in.'
Sadayo took a few steps forward before stopping.
'What if he sees me though, and why am I even doing this? Should I really get involved? What if I make things worse?'
Sadayo could feel a headache coming as she tried to think about what to do. She stared at the entrance for to the Diner for some time and as she bit her lip she went in. While not completely empty, there only seem a few number of customers at this hours which allowed her to easily find where Akira was sitting. He seemed to be checking his phone as he sat by one of the booths on his own, which meant that this person that he is supposed to meet hadn't arrived yet. Noticing there was an empty table behind him she walked straight towards it, all the while doing her best to avoiding eye contact.
'Pleasedon'tnoticemepleasedon'tnoticemepleasedon'tnoticeme.'
Sadayo sat down and pretended to look at the menu nervously, worried that she might had caught his attention, but much to her luck he didn't seem to pay her any mind. Some time had passed and she wondered what kind of person this Kaoru is, when she heard Akira call out to someone. She turned her eyes slightly over the menu and was surprised to see what looked like a middle schooler heading his way.
'That's Kaoru..?'
She was no more confused than before as the boy stopped by Akira's table
"You're… Kurusu-kun correct?"
"Yep that would be me, you're dad told me to join you here, he said he'll be joining us after he finished with work."
'Wait that guy was his dad?!'
Sadayo wasn't fully sure what she was expecting when she had heard about Akira escorting someone and admittedly she let her imagination run wild with her. Her thought had gone to the image of Akira working as a bodyguard from some dangerous people and putting himself in danger situations. Sadayo wasn't fully sure if she rather have him be involved in something like that over the other option, thought the thought of Akira wearing a nice suit and acting like he was courting her after a long day had her blushing madly.. 'I've been reading too many bodyguard romance stories.'
"I must admit, I was actually kind of surprised to see you working at his shop when I came to visit last week. He must see something in you" Kaoru commented as Sadayo was brought back to reality.
"I'm sure he just wanted someone to boss around and do things for him." Akira joked as brushed away the compliment.
"No I think he has a lot of trust in you, even if he won't admit it. I mean it's rare for him to invite people out like this."
They continued on with their discussing as Sadayo listened on curious about what Akira's connection was with these people. She also took the time to press the call button and place an order for a drink so as to not arouse suspicion, though she wasn't the happiest about having to spend any more money. Apparently Munehisa Iwai, the father, was actually the owner of the gun shop that Akira had mentioned to her just recently. Though Akira didn't mentioned how exactly he first came in contact with the shop he mentioned how it took him a while to go upfront to Iwai and ask for a job, and she could see why.
'Will I even be able to make it through the interview." Sadayo whispered to herself as she took a sip of her coffee. She still felt uneasy about the guy and was worried that she would either be to nervous to speak up, or crack easily to him questioning her. Still, this was her best chance of getting another job. 'Maybe I can find a bit more about it him… '
She became more attentive of their discussion. From the looks of things it sounded like Akira was in no real danger, something that Sadayo was relieved to find. But now she was interested in the store owner. She figured that if she knew more about him, she might not be so frightened of the man."
"Still, I thought he'd also be here, I mean he is the one that told us to meet." Kaoru remarked, sounding a bit worried.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he is done. You know how it is with him and work." Akira said in a confidant tone.
"Actually, I don't. He doesn't talk to me much about his work."
The discussion had gone quiet. Sadayo wondered if something had gone on without her realizing it, but was worried that looking back would be a bit suspicious when Kaoru spoke up once more.
"Hey… has he ever told you anything. About me… weighing him down?" Kaoru's voice sounded uncertain, almost scared to find out the answer.
"No, not even close."
Sadayo was surprised at the turn the discussion had suddenly taken, but just as much so to hear Akira refute it so quickly. He sounded shocked that he was even been ask such a question.
"Well… To be honest, he's been acting super weird recently. He seemed more stressed out than ever, and I've heard him mention me by name on the phone a few times now. But every time I've asked him about he, all he does is tell me that there's nothing to worry about." Sadayo heard him sigh, along with taping of glass on wood. "I guess seeing that is just making me feel anxious. I mean we're family aren't we… or maybe I'm the only one that sees it that way."
Kaoru was silent for a bit before speaking up once more. "I'm not sure if you know this, but we're not even blood related. Apparently he was a good friend of my parents, and when they died in a car crash he decided to take me in. Honestly I was so young that I don't remember a thing about them… but I wonder if he regrets taking me in, if he even sees me as family.
"I'm sure he sees you as family." Akira finally spoke up. "He worries about you a lot, more than you realize. He's just not very good about showing it, He rather take action. Let me give you a bit of advice. If there is something that I've learned from working with your dad is that you won't get through to him easily unless your straight with him.
"Yeah… I think you have a point about that." Kaoru sounded bit more relaxed, if not a bit embarrassed. "Now that I think about it, that reminds me of his tattoo." Kaoru sounding much more upbeat now. "You've seen it, right? The Gecko on his neck?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Akira respond in curious tone.
Sadayo listened intently as well, curious about the supposed significance of said tattoo. She learned that Kaoru had a scar in a similar spot to where Iwai's tattoo is. He apparently got it in that car crash he's parents had died at. Sadayo had not realized that Kaoru himself had been involved in the car accident and was surprised to hear that he came out of it with only a scar.
'His parents must have done their best to protect him.' Sadayo thought to herself as she felt a slight hint of sadness of having the boy lose both his parents so suddenly.
Because of it, he had been bullied and picked on a lot when he was a young kid and Iwai would come home him crying. So in response he gave himself a tattoo in that very same spot, and proclaimed it their family crest. Sadayo was shocked at finding out Iwai's solution. It sounded outlandish and childish, not to mention what people would had thought of him if they saw it. But the way Kaoru talked with a hint of pride about how it symbolized protecting one's home and family, she couldn't deny that it was probably the kind of things a boy that young needed at that time.
Akira and Kaoru continued their chat in the background, Kaoru discussing how things has been with school, while Akira talked about how things were going on in the shop and his interaction with his dad. Something Kaoru seemed quite interested in since he kept asking questions.
'Why am I even here?' Sadayo thought to herself. She had stopped listening to the two by this point, reflecting more on her actions, as a feeling of regret started to build. She had unfairly suspected someone, she secretly followed them, and then proceeded to eavesdrop on both Akira and his son's conversation. 'Why did I even decide to follow them, it's not like I could had done something. This wasn't how I planned to spend my evening. And yet here I am, spying on one my students. And for what…?' Sadayo hid her head in shame over her arms and leaned down on the table. She could hear Akira who seem to be having a good time with Kaoru and could feel a tight sensation in her chest. 'I-I need to get out of here. He can't find out that I was here.''
Sadayo was ready to get out from her booth when the large individual arrived.
"Sorry for the hold up, things took a bit longer than expected."
Iwai sounded much more approachable and in a better mood, than he had at the diner's entrance earlier. Sadayo had thought that she could have sneaked by while the two were focus on their conversation, but now she was stuck in her booth, her face buried in her arms as she pretended to be asleep so as to not draw attention of the person who had just arrived.
"Well you two look like you're having fun. What've you been talkin' about?
"Girls." Akira responded immediately
"Huh?!"
"Well aren't you two a little pair of ladykillers? Iwai said as he laughed. "Not that I'm complaining, there are worse things you could be talkin' about though. Wait a minute, does that mean you have a girlfriend Kaoru? When will I meet the lucky lady?"
"I-I don't! I-I mean that's not even what we were talking about!" Kaoru refuted in a panic as both Akira and Iwai simply laughed it off. Sadayo despite her worried demeanor, couldn't help but snorted quietly at Akira's comment.
"Sadly I can't stay for to long, have a couple of errands that still need checking up on. Figured that I still stop by for a bit though instead of just calling on the phone."
"What kind of errands are these? Or is it something you can't tell?" Kaoru sounded much more serious in his attempts to ask his dad, sadly he still ended up sounding more worried than aggressive.
Still, Sadayo raised her head at what Kaoru had asked. While she figured that he was trying to sound serious due to Akira's advice, he couldn't shake the feeling that it felt much more… ominous.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Iwai sounded unfazed by his son's question. "It's just work stuff. Ain't that right kid?"
"I think you should pay for our meal. I mean you wanted us here but arrived late and are leaving early." Akira remarked, strangely avoiding the topic. Considering that he was the one that advice Kaoru about being more direct with his dad, Sadayo found it very bizarre that he'd disregard his question and act like it was no big deal. Something was off, and it caused all those worries she had at the beginning of this to start slowly surfacing again.
"You know, that's not a bad idea. Order anything you want, it's on me."
Kaoru let out a sigh as he got up. "One moment, I have to go to the bathroom."
As Kaoru left, she could hear the ruffling as Iwai probably took a seat where Kaoru had been previously.
"I still think you should tell him the truth." Akira interject, sounding strangely serious, and confusing Sadayo even more on where he stands between the two.
"And like I said, there is no need of telling him such things." Iwai's in turn was much more harsher and aggressive.
The atmosphere between the two had suddenly shifted, and those concerns that Sadayo had came back in full force. The way they talked now though was miles different from how things were before, almost professional, and for a while she had forgotten that one of the individuals talking was her student.
She could feel a piercing glare hitting her way from the back and nervously stayed "asleep", hoping that either of them had noticed anything. While the sensation didn't last long, she was too afraid to raise her head and all she could do is continue to listen.
"He has a bright future ahead of him, and he doesn't need that baggage about his mother to weight him down, and he definitely doesn't need to know that his no-good dad was part of the Yakuza… So don't you go tellin him anything, got it?" His words were almost threatening.
'Did, did he say Yakuza...?' Sadayo felt as if a huge weight had dropped down on to her. 'He's kidding right? There is no way that Kurusu-kun would get involved with stuff like that. Would he..?'
"I have no intention of telling him." Akira said with an exasperated sigh. "This is between you and him so it's not my place to tell him, that's on you.' His voice was just as aggressive, but much more tempered.
"Damn right it's none of your business." Sadayo flinched as she heard a slam from the table, probably coming from Iwai's hand hitting the table. "Kaoru is better off not knowing, he doesn't need people looking down on him because of his shitty parents." Iwai let out a frustrated sigh, as he cracked his neck.
Sadayo had found herself unable to comprehend what she was hearing. Just a while ago she heard him comforting Kaoru as she learned about the loss of his parents by an accident, and the actions his adopted father took to for a bond with him. Now it feels like those stories where just lies. Not only that, but it turns out that he might have connections to the Yakuza and Akira was involved somehow. 'He-he must have been dragged into it. That must be it. Maybe he was forced to working with him, or maybe he saw something that he shouldn't have and was now being forced to keep quiet.' Sadayo tried desperately to try and rationalize what she had heard. She couldn't believe that Akira would willingly got involved himself in something like this, but sadly those were quickly dashed.
"By the way, I'm almost done figuring' out what happened with that deal we were talking' about."
"So that info was good then"
'Huh!?' Sadayo didn't like the direction the conversation was going, and as she swallowed the lump on her throat she continued to listen.
"Yep, I'm actually going to be meeting up with the guy that set it all up. I'll let ya in on the details later." Iwai let out satisfied chuckle. "I must admit, it's nice having a reliable part-timer like you around. Makes it a lot easier for me to gather this stuff."
"Does that mean I'll get paid extra?" Akira asked sarcastically.
"Don't push it kid." Iwai retorted before they both laughed it up.
Sadayo on the other hand was at a complete loss by this point. After hearing Akira and Kaoru talk she had convinced herself that it was all in her head. That there was nothing suspicious going on and that was just how they talked to each other. Now though… She couldn't deny what she had overheard, and what she had witness from Akira. She had seen him play up a role when he had helped her out with Ms. Chouno, or when he drew the class' attention away from her, and she had figured that his bravado with Iwai at the beginning was just him once again playing out the role as he seemed his kind understanding self around Kaoru.
She thought that the person she had grown to trust was the real him. The Akira that while messed with her on occasion, always cared for her well being. The Akira that had been wrongfully been accused of committing a crime and hated how everyone saw him as a criminal... The Akira that had learned about her ugly past, and yet still accepted her with a smile... The Akira that made her come here out of concern for his safety…
'What do I do? It all sounded so sketchy, but I already made that mistake once already, I want to be wrong, but still? Was that the real you Kurusu-kun? Am I just another person to put an act for…?'
She could feel her chest tightening with insecurity. Akira was right behind her. He was so close, close enough that she could reach out to him, but at this moment felt so far away, and it hurt.
'I really need a drink...'
"Huh, that's strange..." Remarked the usually cheerful fortune teller.
"What do you mean?" Akira asked, perplexed. He was sitting in front of her as she did her fortune, thought not sure at what she was looking into.
The fortune teller in front of him, Chihaya Mifune, had previously scammed him by selling him some salt rock saying it was a holy stone that would help his fate. When Akira went to complain to her about the salt he decided to get back at her by helping out one of her customers out of her abusive relationship and showing that fate could be changed. This caused her to be at a loss for words and had become quite interested in his ability to change fate. Since then he'd been asked to come and spectate and on occasion comment on some of her readings. Tonight in particular he had managed to overturn her original fortune with a business woman who wished to make her own business but seem to be fated to fail. It seemed that all she needed was some encouragement to help clear her doubts and her fortune had changed to that of great success.
"Well every once in a while I take a look in your fortune to see if there had been any changes. It's so strange, for someone who seems capable of changing others fates, your path towards a terrible ruin continues to stay it's course." Chihaya tilted her head in contemplation.
"Yeah, funny how buying that holy stone of yours didn't do me any good." Akira said sarcastically, causing him to receive an annoyed glare from Chihaya. "So what, did it finally change?
"No, that's still goes unchanged." Chihaya sighed, before showing him her reading. "What's strange is something much more recent. It seems like your fate is intertwined with other that are are represented by the arcana, which I find quite intriguing." She proceeds to direct Akira towards the Temperance card. "Very recently though, it seemed like The Temperance card has been showing as reversed to me."
Akira didn't fully grasp what Chihaya was talking about, but he figured that the connections she was referring to was of those "bonds" that he had formed with many individuals, her included. There were a select number of people, for which a voice in his head, one very similar to the one he heard right before he awaken to his persona, seemed connected to one of the tarot cards, something he didn't know till meeting Chihaya and learning a bit more about what they symbolized.
'Which one was Temperance, again?.' Akira pondered to himself as he pressed his finger against his head. 'Morgana is the magician, Ryuji was the chariot, Ann was the lovers, Yusuke is the Emperor and Makoto is the priestess. Guess it's not any of them' Akira was relieved that it wasn't any of his teammates, thought that left the others. 'Boss is the Hierophant, Tae was death…' Akira chuckled to himself internally. 'That was a bit of a scare the first time I heard it, glad that these aren't literal. Iwai is hanged man, Sadayo is...?' As his thoughts went to Sadayo, he remembered that she had been designated as the temperance and a look of concern began to show as he looked at the cards.
"This reversal thing." Akira asked as he looked toward Chihaya with deep interest. "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that something has happened to cause your connection to this person to falter and halt." Chihaya looked sad, yet her tone seemed distant, as if her mind was thinking of something else. "Eventually you will grow distant and it will be lost." She let out a sight before looking at Akira inquisitively. "You have altered the fates of others so without much regard for it, could this be a sort of backlash for your transgression? Maybe it's divine wrath for looking down at the power of the holy stone?"
"I'm sure fate has done a number on me already." Akira responded, while rolling his eyes at Chihaya's reasoning, but took what she had read to heart. Akira had no faith in the holy stone that she tended to peddle, but her ability to do readings were the real deal and thus he'd come to take any warning she gave him with utmost seriousness, though he still wasn't sure what to make of the M-E-D-J-E one. "Anyway I'm going to head out, I'll talk to you later Mifune-san."
Chihaya nodded, "Very well, I'll let you know when I'm available to do our next verification."
"Sure thing." Akira waved at her and went into the crowd.
The Shinjuku nightlife was lively as usual. While the majority were adults in business suits, gathering together after a hard days work, he could still see what seem like the occasional teenager and probable students wandering around. Since he'd almost been caught once during his first time with Ryuji so he'd made it a habit to keep an eye for any police officers, as well as any shady individuals, at least that was what he would normally be doing. Instead Akira's thoughs were focused on Chihaya's reading, and while he was able dodge and weave through the crowded streets out of habit or instict, he paid little attention to the world around him as he wracked his brain trying to figure out the fortune teller's warning.
He had noticed that Sadayo had been acting a bit differently this past week. She looked more down than usual at class, which was something considering it was her. He had also noted that she had started avoiding looking his way and when he tried to contact her she would quickly refuse, saying she had something else to do. As much as this had bothered him, there was no reason for him to expect her to look his way, and it could had been possible that she had just managed to get a whole lot of hours so she wasn't available. Still, they had made plans for him to start teaching her how to craft stuff at at the workbench and she seemed very motivated back then. Now though, she hasn't even mentioned it and while part of him was hoping that this meant not having to think up a plan to discourage her, it did cause him some concern. The reading only made him worry even more that something might have happened.
"Did I do something to upset her?" Akira whispered to himself quietly in the crowd. "I mean there was that one time that she ran off, but I thought we had gotten over that. Could she still be upset about last week's incident? She seemed fine the next day, but maybe she's still nervous about me having something like that around."
"What are you mumbling about." Morgana tried to catch his attention from his bag with no avail. "Did what Chihaya say get to you or some-?"
Morgana felt the bag shifted a bit as Akira bumped against someone, causing them to trip. "Woah, What's going on?"
"Oww. What the 'ell!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Akira had been snapped from his train of thought as he turned towards the person that he had knocked over but his words fell silent as he saw Sadayo sitting on the floor. "Ms. Kawakami? He said, trying to keep his voice down to not draw attention.
"Kurusu-kun?" Sadayo looked up, her eye squinting as if to get a better view before letting out a big grin. "It IS you!" She remarked as she giggled to herself, her tone of voice was much more cheerful and giddy than he'd ever seen her even when she acted as Becky. Her expression quickly turned sour though, but not without a hint of playfulness. "You're not followin' me are you…? I mean a student like you shouldn't be out this late at a place like this? Don't tell me you're doing one of those 'Jobs'?"
"No, of course not! I'm just.. wait, what do you mean by jobs?" Akira floundered his words, completely lost to how to react to this situation, or what exactly she was implying.
Sadayo's accusing stare quickly broke as she snorted and began giggling once more. "You're so cute when you're all flustered and confused, you know that."
"What…?" Akira's embarrassment was quickly washed away as he gazed at the smiling woman, still sitting on the ground. He took a deep breath in attempt to calm himself and regain some composure "Ms. Kawakami… Are you okay? What are you doing here?" He responded as he offered his hand to help her up.
Sadayo refused his hand as she got up on her own before placing her finger over her lips. "Don't tell anyone, but I might have had a liiiittle too much to drink..."
"Wait, are you drunk?"
"How rude, I'm not drunk," Sadayo pouted as she looked away "I just needed some de-stressing, that's all." she began to sway as a look of contemplation came over her face. "Though I might have drank a biiit more than usual..."
"De-stressing? Is everything okay?"
"It's nothing, you don't' need to pretend to act like you care." her voice sounded annoyed but sad as she did her best to show a big smile. "I'm sure master is busy dealing with other people."
"What are you talking about?" Akira had no idea what she was talking about and was confused by the hostility of her tone. Part of him wanted to delegate it to her being drunk, but after hearing Chihaya reading, he couldn't help but feel that there was something more to it.
He was going to delve deeper in what she was talking about, but stopped as he began to worry about them causing a scene. A drunk teacher and a student in Shinjuku, if they got found out now it would cause no end of problems for Sadayo, but he didn't want to leave her alone, especially not in this state. He needed to find a place where they could talk in peace, but where?
'The Crossroad is close by, and I'm sure Lala-chan wouldn't ask too many questions. I can't say the same for Ohya though. If she's around I'm sure she'll start asking questions, or worse yet, drag her along as a drinking buddy and make things worse. I could help her back to her place, but the last thing I need is her getting upset with me when she sobers up for entering her home… not to mention I don't exactly know her apartment number, which makes it more likely for a neighbor of her to see us on the way.' Akira let out a defeated sigh as he ran out of options. "If it's okay with you, can we talk about this at Leblanc. It's probably not the best to keep talking in the open like this."
Sadayo looked quite surprised at Akira's suggestion, and bit of hesitation could be seen in her face as it grew redder. After a moment of thinking it over she tilted her head and a blatantly false smile spread across her face. "If that's what master wishes, then I'll be happy to oblige." She tried to play out her Becky persona but was unable to keep a straight as she snorted out the rest of the line before going into a giggling fit.
Akira nodded and started to walk back home, he ran his his hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. "This Is going to be a long night…."
It took them much longer to arrive at Leblanc than he had anticipated since he didn't want to take his usual route. After the news of the Kaneshiro's arrest spread, a lot of the students in Shujin felt much more at ease in being able to hang out at Shibuya, and while he was glad that he and his friends' efforts were allowing others to feel safer, he felt a bit annoyed that it was causing him such an inconvenience at this moment. Fortunately for him Sadayo wasn't fully out of it and just so happened know of a couple of different routes.
Akira wasn't sure what to make of Sadayo's behavior at this moment, though in all honesty he had little experience dealing with someone who was drunk, expecially one who seemed as lively as she was. She seemed very relaxed and even giddy at times as she led him around the narrow streets of shinjuku. Akira worried that in her state she would lead them around the city and getting them lost, but much to his surprise, Sadayo proceeded to show him just how much she'd learn from all her years having to walk alone at night. She was able to point out path and show him around the city as they went around the busy crowds and avoided being noticed. While it took him a while to keep up with Sadayo's twist and turns, Akira was quickly able get into the swing of it and soon enough he felt like he was sneaking around with his friends, though the fact that he was following around his teacher around was all the amusing.
It was quite strange to be the one following along this time around. He was used to being the one in the lead and directing the other as they moved forward, even with Morgana as their guide. Though that hadn't changed all that much here, as he had asked Morgana to keep an eye on things from above. It helps to have someone that can communicate with you in the voice of a cat's meow as it allowed Mona to warn him if a path was too risky. It made for some very close saves as Akira was able to draw Sadayo's attention away from some individuals that looked like bad news were heading their way. Still it was clear that she knew what she was doing for the most part and that garnered a certain level of admiration from the leader of the Phantom Thieves, he may be more skilled at the actual sneaking than she was, but she definitely had the home turf advantage.
Things didn't any easier once they reached the train station as it brought its own stresses. Getting Mona back in the bag without Sadayo realizing it wasn't too difficult, but the actual train rides were a different matter. He wanted to maintain his distance from Sadayo for worry of someone seeing them together, but he was also worried that someone might try something while she was in this state. In the end, he stood close by, keeping a close eye on both her, and those in the train with his third eye. He would occasionally look toward Sadayo as she would turn to him and in one instance he'd see her looking his way with an intense gaze which caused him to blush as he turned away. Her cheek were still flushed, but she seemed slightly more sober as she gazed out the window, watching as the lights of Tokyo passed by.
Eventually, after a few train transfers, they managed to make their way to Yongen-yaya. Akira had never been more grateful for how quiet its nightlife tended to be as he was this moment, as the number of people that could be see walking along was almost not existent, probably why Sadayo never seemed to have a big problem coming in and out of the cafe in her maid outfit. They walked down the streets, him taking the lead while Sadayo walked a bit behind. She was being much more quiet than she had been in Shinjuku, though he noticed her humming a little tune as they continued on forward..
"Where is that from, it sounds kinda familiar?" Akira asked, feeling a little bit more relaxed as they made the home stretch.
"Oh! Sorry, I hadn't realized I was doing it. It's a jingle from an ad for one of those big shopping centers." Sadayo remarked, moving a bit of her hair behind her ear as she enjoyed the cool breeze coming from the empty streets. "There aren't any of them nearby, but it's a bit of an ear worm honestly and it's just pops in my head sometimes."
"Then I'm blaming you if it ends up stuck in my head." Akira stopped as they finally reach Leblanc.
He opened the door, and after making sure that no one would see them coming in, signaled Sadayo that the coast was clear and let her enter before entering the store himself. As he closed the door he exhaled in relief as he let his back rest against the door. As he looked up, he noticed that Sadayo didn't take her usual seat by the bench, but at the farthest booth and with her back facing him as she rested her head on the table.
"I think I'll leave this to you two. I have no idea what she'll do if she gets a hold of me in this state and I rather safe than sorry" Morgan whispered as he got out of the bag and left through the window upstairs.
Akira appreciated the privacy, though he was dreading what sort of comments would await him from his furry companion once he got back. He went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water which he placed it on the table next to Sadayo.
"Here. It's not much, but it should help out at least." Akira went to the back and grabbed one of the seats that was being kept there and took a seat by the bench, slouching forward as he rested over the back of the chair. "So… what's been bothering you?"
.
"Are you asking cause you actually care, or are you just acting like you do?" Her tone was sharp, frustrated even as she moved only to take a sip of water, still avoiding eye contact with Akira.
"What are you talking about? Of course I care." Akira's brow was raised, hoping for an explanation for the constant comments she been making about him all night. "Is everything alright?"
"Is everything alright…?" A sarcastic chuckle followed as she put the glass down, before turning to Akira with a forced grin. "Of course it is, everything is just fiiiiine and peachy. It's not like my coworkers are starting to resent me, or that even my students can see just how terrible I am, or the fact that I got fired from one of my other job cause they had too many hires and had to let people go. Suuuuure was great having to frantically search for a bunch of smaller less paying jobs to make up for it." Her act was crumbling as her grievances were spilling out one after the other. As if she had been bottling these up inside and Akira's mere presence caused it to pop. Her agitation was obvious as her hands gripped her hair in frustration as she curled up. "And the payment keeps getting higher, so I'm actually having to take from my living expenses. I was barely able to make rent today and if I don't find a better paying job I'm going to get evicted from my apartment. It was just too much and I needed to do something, so I went to drink tonight since there is no school tomorrow."
"Wait you got fired?! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I thought you wanted me to help you get a job." Even if he still intended to find a way to avoid he getting hired at Iwai's shop, the fact that she herself didn't talk to him about needing a job and hoping to get thing started confused him. "Wouldn't that had helped your situation in some way? So why didn't you talk to me?"
"You wanna know why I didn't tell you?! Because out of everything else, YOU frustrate me the most right now!" Sadayo was in full anger at this point as she pointed at Akira.
"Me? Why are you frustrated with me? I just want to help!" Akira responded, letting his annoyance show as Sadayo's constant remarks to him were slowly getting on his nerves, but he was trying his best to keep his cool.
"Are you? Or am I just another idiot to string along to gain favor with? Just like how you acted in front of Ms. Chouno, or how you were another person when you where with Iwai-kun, but as soon as you were alone with his father you were a completely different person."
Akira's face quickly became foreboding as he glared back at Sadayo. "Where did you hear about those two." His voice sounded much more aggressive that he intended, his tone lower, as he instinctively went to Joker mode, but it was the only thing he could do from snapping at her.
Sadayo was quite shocked at the change of character, but whether cause of her inebriated state, her determination to find out the truth about him, or perhaps a mixture of the two, she stood her ground and simply stared back at him with annoyed sneer. "So is this the real you? I heard everything you know, including how you been doing jobs for someone from the Yakuza."
"Of all the- You where eavesdropping on me?" Akira ran his hand through his hair as he tried to calm down, with little success.
Sadayo rolled her eyes at her student's indignation. "Don't take that tone on me... I've seen you eavesdropping on others students all the time at school, so don't act like you're any better."
"I already told you that I had to do what I did cause everyone thought the worse of me and would be talking behind my back non stop. I needed to keep up with what people where saying about me to avoid that mine field of a school. So then you tell me. Why would you do something like that?" His voice was rising as he talked as he neared a breaking point.
"BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU, YOU ASS!" Sadayo slammed her hands against the table as she stood up to face Akira, the force causing the glass to spill over to her side. "Oh for crying out loud!"
Akira was left a bit stunned for a second, but then shook his head and started to stand up."Let me get you a towel for and-"
"Don't bother, I'll just dry myself up in the bathroom and be off you're hands." Sadayo walked off the bench almost shoving Akira as she slammed the door shut and locked it. She stood by the door for a moment as she tried to calm herself, but to no avail.
'stupid stupid stupid!' Sadayo lightly hit herself in the head before turning to the sink.
She turned on the faucet and splashed some water on her face in attempt to cool off. She looked at herself in the mirror, part of her hair wet and dropped over her face, water droplets falling to the sink as she moved her wet hair away and angrily looked back at her reflection.
'What was I thinking…? Why did I think this would be a good idea?' Sadayo's hands covered her face. 'This isn't how I wanted things to go... '
Ever since that evening, Sadayo had a hard time facing her trouble student. She couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't telling her something, something big, and that feeling had become a heavy weight on her chest. There were many times during the week that she wanted to see him again, to have that peace of mind that she, against all odds and reason, had managed to find in his company. And there were just as many times in which he gave her the opportunity to do so, as he offered to request her. But doubt had started to settle in, and she was worried that if she was left alone with him, that she'd start asking questions. Questions that she wondered at times if she truly wanted answered, and no matter how many times he reached out to her, the fear of finding out that he wasn't the person she thought he was stopped her every time.
But even with those doubts and fear, she still wanted to see him. She wanted to apologize for following him and listening in on his conversation, she wanted to ask him about what she had heard and allow him to explain himself. Even if her worst theories ended up being true, she just wanted him to be honest with her and explain why he was doing those things, she wanted to understand his reason why… So as she walked away from the bar earlier tonight, in her drunk stupor she felt like she could finally confront him about what she heard. She was contemplating contacting him and asking him request her so they could talk, and when she ended up bumping into him and he asked her to join him in Leblanc, she was happy to jump at the chance to do so. But sadly, just like everything else in her life, it blew up in her face as seeing him act as he usually did around her only cause that sense of doubt and confusion to start bubbling out, and in her explosive rant, ended up accusing him.
'Why am I acting so childish? So what if it ends up that he's been just pretending. It's not like it's the first time that I've had a customers that pretended to act courteous before, and it's not like I haven't been made to work with scary people. I just need to get paid and get my money. He is willing to pay much more than the others. I should just be glad for that and not look a gift horse in the mouth.' Sadayo gripped the sink with her shaky hands as she began to sniffle. "So why… why does the thought of him doing the same so frustrating."
She heard a thud on the door which caused her to jump and as she turned she saw as a silhouette on the glazed window lowering as an audible sigh and the squeaking of wood accompanied it. If she took a guess Akira was right now sitting on the floor with his back against the door.
She rubbed her nose with the cuff of her sleeve as she tried to regain some composure. "What do you want?"
"Sorry just… give me a minute. I just don't know where to start." His voice was a bit muffled from the door between them, but she could tell that he sounded tired. It didn't have the usual cockiness or bravado, instead it sounded much more unsure.
Wanting to hear him better Sadayo walked closer to the door, she hunched over and rested her back on the door as well. "Just be honest with me… Why where you acting so different when you were talking alone with Iwai-san? Are you involved with something dangerous?" Sadayo hesitated as she grabbed at her shirt by her chest tightly. "Is it.. because of me? Are you having money troubles because you keep requesting me?"
"NO, of course not!" Akira was quick to answer as soon as he mentioned that last part. "Though I don't blame you for being concerned about what Iwai said, he does have a way of making everything he does sounding really shady."
"But isn't he part of the Yakuza?"
"Was, actually. When he adopted Kaoru he decided to leave the Yakuza and make an honest living. He may look rough but he's actually cares about him a lot. You should see how worried he gets about people finding out about his past for fear that it might cause Kaoru to be ostracized. It's why I didn't tell you about it, b-but I can tell you that he's not trying to do anything illegal, that's the last thing he wants to do." Akira was quick to add that last statement, which did cause Sadayo to giggle a bit.
"Does he knows about your record?" Sadayo asked, not really sure what she was hoping to find with this line of questioning.
"He doesn't, but it's not like I'm trying to hide it. I guess that's why I feel comfortable working for him, I feel like if he found out about it, he'd be more understanding of my situation than most people. He knows how hard one's past can stick with you."
"He's not the only one." Sadayo was quick to interject, as she heard a bit of a chuckle coming from behind the door.
"Yeah, I know."
"Then why was it that you seemed to act so different around him?"
"It's not like acting or pretending. It's like I told Kaoru, he's a good guy once you get to know him, but you can't back down when it comes to dealing with him. I don't know if it's because of his past, or if he can tell when people might have a bad impression of him and just refuses to interact with those people unless necessary, but if he can tell that you're nervous around him he won't give you the time of day.. You don't know how many times I tried talking to him before he actually acknowledged me being there."
"Why were you so determined about having him hire you?" Sadayo asked. It was something that she had wondered every since she found out about him working at the gun model shop, and that curiosity only strengthen when he mentioned his multiple attempts at getting hired. "I mean you said the pay might not be that great, yet you seem like you were very determined to get hired anyway?"
"About that..." Akira went silent soon afterwards for quite some time, which only made him more suspicious. Eventually her broke with a sigh. "I guess cause I don't interact with the customers much since I work on inventory."
"Good to know, I can see the benefit of working in the back." As Sadayo commented, she thought she heard what sounded like a slap along with some mumbling though she was wasn't able to understand what it was about from behind the door. "You okay?"
"Yep. it's fine, just thought I felt a mosquito."
"Mosquito? Well, we are reaching summer. The heat is going to be unbearable."
"Says the person that constantly wears long sleeve shirts."
"Hey, you got a problem with what I wear?" Sadayo turned towards the door crouching and knocked where she imagine Akira's head was resting "I'll have you know they quite comfortable."
"No complaints here, I think they suit you quite well."
"What is that supposed to mean," Sadayo remarked amid a bit laughter. "You really are weird sometimes."
"Who's the weird one, the kid who gives you a compliment of the teacher who works as a maid."
"That would be the kid who keeps requesting said maid." Sadayo was quick to snark back.
Both end up laughing at their little exchange as Sadayo began to relax and sat down on her legs. It was silly and childish, but she missed this, and wondered if he felt the same. She missed being able to talk to him about her problems, to have him cheer her up and talk to her. She missed being able to let her guard down around someone and just be herself. She knew that she had gotten used to having him around, but she hadn't realized how much being able to see him made those harsh days bearable. Which made that feeling of doubt all the more frightening.
There was a bit of silence as their laughter slowly dissipated. It was a strange feeling, even with an actual barrier between the two, he feels so much closer to how she felt back In the dinner. she can clearly imagine him sitting on the other side with that cocky smirk plastered on his face as she leaned forward against the door, resting her forehead against it while she place both her hands on the wooden panel.
"So… what about me, Do you also put up a mask when around me..." Sadayo braced herself for which ever answer ended up coming. As she clenched her hands.
"Would you believe me if I told you?" Akira's tone sounded worried, if a bit hurt by her accusation, His words stung Sadayo a bit but she soldier on as she wanted him to be open with her.
"Why don't you give me a try." Her voice was calming, though still had hints of uncertainty. She could hear the long drawn out sigh as and was expecting the worse.
"Honestly, I never had the time do do so. It's not like I had planned for any of this to happen. I mean how the hell was I supposed to react to finding out my homeroom teacher was dressed up as a maid in front of me. Part of me was having a hard time believing that this was actually happening, and the other couldn't take it seriously for how ridiculous the whole situation was. So I just couldn't help myself and decided to have some fun and tease you a bit for the way you had treated me till then..." He gave out a small chuckle as he remembered back to the little show it put for her that evening. "In hindsight I might have jumped the gun on that one, I didn't take the time to think about how you seeing me like that would affect how you might see my behavior at school. It didn't cross my mind till you gave me that look after I helped you out with Ms. Chouno."
Sadayo joined is as she looked back at how she had reacted as well. "I'll say, I was so scared that you would try to blackmail me that I ended up doing something similar to you."
Another laps of silence occurred, and Sadayo raised her head a bit. "Kurusu-kun, I'm so-"
"I'm not as great a person as you think I am." He quickly interjected. His voice sounded regretful, as if he was ashamed in his actions. "You know I almost left you there alone with Ms. Chouno that day… I'm not proud of it, but a part of me was still frustrated with how you saw me and figured that what's the point of helping someone who hated me…"
"I never hated you, I just…" Sadayo had a hard time finding the words as she tapped her head against the door in frustration. "I just figured that having you around would lead to a lot of problems that I didn't want to deal with."
"So you mean I don't cause you problems."
"I never said that." Sadayo giggled as her fingers pressed against each other. "I thinks It's more that I've gotten used to your kind of trouble making." As Sadayo stood up and opened the door, Akira fell with his back on the ground.
"Ow..." Akira rubbed the back of his head, looking upward to see Sadayo's head poking out from behind the door with a contorted smile as she tried her best to not laugh
."Sorry, probably should had warned you." She offered him her hand, which he took and stood up. "And I want you to know that it's okay… I get why you'd be so upset with me." A warm smile formed as she looked at Akira, with that same feeling of admiration that she felt during their walk. "But what matters is that you did come to my aid, and you continue to do so even now." Sadayo smile became a little sadder as she look downwards and gripped her arm.
"Kurusu-kun… Promise you're not getting yourself into anything dangerous because of me, okay?"
'I should ask you the same thing. How many things have you been forced to do that you never wanted cause of these stupid payments.' Akira at times would think about the kinds of things she's said as a maid, things that caused him to worry about what exactly she had been made to do just for some petty cash. He wanted to ask her, to hear from her how bad it was, heck considering how honest she's being tonight she'd probably tell him. But he worried that it would be like he was taking advantage of her in her mental state, so he held his tongue for now.
"I'm fine so you don't' have to-" Akira looked away, but before he could finish his statement he felt as Sadayo placed her hand on his left cheek.
Sadayo gently guided him to look her way as he looked back at his eyes. She could see they were full of worry as they looked at hers. In return hers were full of guilt as her voice wavered. "Please, Just... promise me. I'm grateful for all that you've been doing for me, but this is my responsibility and you shouldn't suffer or risk your future because of my failure."
Akira's heart ached as he looked at her eyes, he wanted to cup her cheek in his hand, to hold that hand that held his, but all he could do was avert his eyes. "Okay… I promise that I'm not doing anything dangerous or questionable just to help you."
"Thank you.."Sadayo wasn't very confident in his answer. This, as well as his drastic change in attitude when he mentioned the Iwais, more than confirmed that he was hiding something. It may not have been his attitude toward her, or his connections with Iwai, but there was something he wasn't willing to talk about yet. Still she was tired, and though she still had questions, she felt at ease to find out that from the very beginning he had always been honest with her. All she could hope for now is that he would watch over himself and eventually open up the rest of the way to her.
She quickly pulled her hand away as if realizing what she had done. she looked away with an embarrassed expression as she held her wrist close to her chest. "I... should go home.. Luckily it was just water that spilled so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to come with you?" Akira seem determined but was halted when Sadayo raised her hand in front of her while covering half her face with the other.
"I'm fine… It's bad enough that I came here like this." Sadayo scratched her head, with a pout. "We really shouldn't be so careless, what if someone had seen us?." She try to give him a stern look as she wagged her finger at him, but her blush betrayed her. "Not to mention the fact that I found you wandering the streets of Shinjuku so late at night. Still, guess we got lucky, so I'll let it slide this time."
Akira gave her a smile as he closed his eyes. "Thanks, I'm lucky I have such an understanding teacher."
"Just-just don't repeat it again." Sadayo took a bow, trying to pretend like her previous actions hadn't happened which caused both to feel a bit uncomfortable at how formal she was being. "Sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. I'll be heading out now. She began to head out the door, but was stopped by Akira.
"I should probably go outside and make sure the coast is clear." And with that he walked outside and looked around before signaling her to come out.
"I guess I'll see you on Monday then. Stay safe Kurusu-kun."
"Same goes to you." and with a wave and a bow they parted ways. Sadayo's back slowly drifting away as Akira rested against the wall outside of the laundromat, placing his hand over the cheek which Sadayo placed her hand on till she disappeared. Once she was gone he let out a sigh and walked back home but felt just as he open the door he felt a weight land on his shoulder.
"So how did it go? Didn't get into any trouble did you?" Morgana asked as he adjusted his balance on Akira.
"Nothing happened, we just talked for bit." Akira rolled his eye at Morgana's insinuation as he went back in Leblanc.
"So, were you able to figure out what Mifune-san was talking about."
"It looks like things are getting worse for her. She got fired from one of her jobs and is been doing smaller paying jobs to make up the difference. Because of that mad dash to find those other job she didn't' have any free time for me to call her. I talked to her and managed to convince her to let me request her a bit more often to help her balance things out while she find a better option."
Morgana looked at Akira with a look of concern. "Are you going to be okay with that? We can't just keep hiring her? This is only going to work for so long and we can't always be there for her."
"I know that!" Akira responded with a growl, before placing his hand over his face, his eyes peeking from between his fingers with a glare that he had when he was Joker. "It might be time for the phantoms to get involved, but I'll need to find the relative's names."
Akira refrain from telling Morgana about her having overheard his conversation with Iwai. Partially cause it was wound to his ego that he failed to notice her around, but also cause he figured that Morgana's reaction to finding out would be to convince him to stop getting involved for fear of getting caught. Still he had to be careful, he couldn't be as careless as he had been with Tae so he had to think of a new strategy. "Maybe if I can convince her to ask help from "The Phantoms?"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Morgana asked with narrowed eyes.
"Leave that to me. I'll figure it out." Akira answered with a hint of frustration.
"Just, be careful." Morgana's tone sounding much more worried. "I know you want to help, but don't try to bite off more than you can chew."
Akira did not respond to his friend's concern for some time, before his eyes eventually soften. He shook his head and scratched Morgana on the back of his ear, which he protested but didn't try pulling away.
"Yeah… I just hope I'm able to do something."
Chihaya was calling it a night as he packed her things before heading home. As she was about to fold her table, she thought back to Akira's reading as she felt something change. She quickly took her cards again and did a reading.
"This can't be… Already the fate between Kurusu-san and the Temperance have changed." Her face contorted between surprise and regret. "So is it actually possible to change fate? Does that mean that if I had…" Chihaya shook her head. "No, he may had cause some changes, but fate is still absolute." She looks at the temperance card, as well as the cards surrounding it with sadness..
"Even if if he was able to turn the reversal around, the Temperance's tragic fate has till to change. It's only a matter of time..."
So the original premise of the first part of this chapter was based of a comic that I found out thanks to Handsomistic15 involving Sadayo hearing about Akira being found wandering the streets at night and following him around as he meets of with many of the other confidants. I found it very cute, but as I thought about it more, the more I wanted to implement something similar to it in the story. It was originally meant as a short comical scene, but it ended up developing and growing to the full chapter you see before you. (So yeah, I fully blame you for this chapter Handsomistic15).
Oh well, at least it allowed me to find a nice spot to add Chihaya into the story, the tarot cards and a mechanic from the older games into the story. Also I picked Iwai since he one of my favorites of the confidants, tied with Tae and just below Sojiro and Sadayo.
I would like to give special thanks to SombodyLost. Thanks for being a soundboard and sharing your thoughts as I worked on the story.
I would also like to mention to Sadakira stories that I've ran into and have enjoyed. The first one being "24 Hours" by OriginalName2 which showcasing Akira and Sadayo as they pend the following 24 hours together and learn more about one another. The other being "Left Unsaid" by rest-in-beats which is a AU story in which Akira and Sadayo didn't get together after the events of her confidant and the metaverse doesn't exist. It's dividing in two parts as one focuses on how would had changed for Akira if the metaverse wasn't a thing and never became a phantom thief as he tries to make it through his probation, and the second focused on Sadayo in the future as she finds herself reunited with Akira years later.
