So remember how I said that We'd be reach the end of the confidant if everything goes right? Well...
Almost all of these character don't belong to me, but to Atlus.
Chapter 14
As soon as Sadayo rushed inside her apartment she shut the door behind her. Wide-eyed from shock, she laid her back against the door while she attempted to catch her breath. Her hands clutched her chest tight, feeling her heart pound underneath.
"Holy shit… Holy shit..."
Her hair was a mess, looking less like pigtails and more like low-tie twintails. Out of breath, her face was flustered and red as a year's worth of sweat poured from her body. She wasn't sure if it was because of what transpired at Leblanc or because of how quickly she ran away from it.
"Drink! I need a drink!"
Sadayo nearly tripped on the way to her fridge and opened it, hoping to have something to numb her mind for a bit. Belatedly, she was reminded that her food stock was practically empty. Closing her empty fridge, Sadayo leaned against the door and slid down as her legs finally gave up. The giant emotional roller coaster of a day finally made her release a frustrated whimper.
"He's kidding, right…? Was he really going to—"
"After all, all I see in front of me is Sadayo Kawakami, a beautiful woman..."
Sadayo's mind flashed to those words that Akira spoke, his grey eyes that beckoned her closer. Her fingertips pressed against her lips, still in disbelief about what had just happened — what had almost occurred.
"And I'm just Akira Kurusu, a man that fell in lov—"
"Was he seriously about to—? Was he going to say what I think he was?" Sadayo ran her hand through her hair, absentmindedly freeing the remainder of the frizzled mess. She grabbed the sides of her head tightly, attempting to squeeze out the memories of what had transpired from her mind, but to no avail.
Akira had consumed all her senses when he drew nearer, like a cloud slowly drifting over the ocean. The familiar scent of curry and coffee wafted from him, alongside an undercurrent of slight perspiration that pulled her in, the same smell that she recognized as he held her close at the hospital. She had let out his name in anticipation, closing her eyes she felt his breath on her quivering lips, and despite her constant rejection of such a possibility, the fact that she was hearing those words come from him, and directed at her and her alone, made her feel—
"NOPE! Nopenopenopenope! Need some fresh air, clear my mind! I do not NEED to think about THAT!" Sadayo yelled and quickly stripped off her maid outfit. She threw it, uncaring where it fell and grabbed the most acceptable set of clothing she could find in one of the clothing piles. She didn't even bother to remove her makeup as she grabbed her small backpack and went out running once more into the night.
Sadayo was still in a rush when she arrived to the convenience store. She beelined to the drink section and was about to begin the process of calculating how much she could afford to take when she remembered that she didn't need to do it anymore. The money that she has was hers and hers alone.
"That's right — that happened today as well. A lot of stuff happened today. A lot of stuff aside from—"
Two gray eyes staring intently at her —
Sadayo slapped her cheeks and shook her head to go back to her previous train of thoughts. The money was hers alone... she was in a convenience store… because she didn't have food….
She forcefully repeated this like a mantra, and eventually, it sunk in. She no longer needed to be stingy on her food budget like before. In fact, she had a decent amount that she managed to save in her desperation, money to actually spend on herself.
This was a good opportunity as any, so she grabbed a basket and began to fill it up. Assortments of pre-mades, a six pack, instant food, a small bag of rice, and, after some hesitation, some indulgent sweets. She probably has to get better food at a later point, but this should last her a few meals for now. Satisfied, Sadayo made her way to the cashier, then paused when something caught her eye.
A section with an assortment of curry paste.
Despite the summer heat, the night came with a surprising pleasant breeze. Enough that Sadayo wished she had brought a small coat. The lights on the street illuminated the way as Sadayo walked back home. Hands heavy with bulging plastic bags, mind heavy with thoughts, but thankfully calm — for now.
"I can't remember when was the last time I had shopped for a large amount of food. It kind of feels like I went a bit overboard," Sadayo remarked, lifting the bags in astonishment. The weight assured her it wasn't a dream, though it didn't take long until her arms began to tire. "Actually, I'm sure I went too overboard. I need a rest."
She had run on less energy before, so it was no problem to power through to the nearest bench. Her bountiful bag rested beside her on the wooden bench as Sadayo rubbed her shoulder and arm. Slightly pressing on the sore grooves on her palms that the bags' handles dug through, Sadayo once more looked at her loot. Still processing the amount that she got, a box of curry paste shifted into view from one of the bags.
Sadayo groaned at the spontaneous purchase. Resting her head on the palm of her hand, "Why did I even buy that? It's not like I'm any good at cooking."
Unbidden, her mind went to the night that Akira had tried to teach her. She was a failure and she made a mess of everything, but Akira was understanding and concerned, prioritizing to take care of her hand before anything else. Then weeks later, he had finally treated her to the dish that he had learned from Sakura-san, and yesterday he had also prepared a bento lunch. Despite it not being fresh, it still tasted better than anything she had eaten in a long while, and it made a terrible day just a little easier.
"Just let me know if you need anything, I can always make you some lunches if you like."
She was reminded of how he so kindly offered her help in an attempt to make things easier for her, and how she had finally been able to offer some help in return.
"I mean, I know I'm not the best at cooking, but I should have more time now so I mean..." the offer had slipped out of her, before she entirely knew what she was saying, though she didn't regret her words at all.
Sadayo wiped the smile that had crept once more on her face and shook her head again. Nope, nope, nope — no need to think about what happened later, earlier, whatever. Doing something was effective in driving away memories, so Sadayo swiftly grabbed her bags and power walked back home. With her rush it didn't take her long to get back to the apartment complex, but it still tired her out. Luckily, there was an elevator, and by the time she reached her floor she already got her wind back.
Out of the metal doors, around the corner, and Sadayo's breath was caught once more, though this time for the wrong reason.
"Open this door right now, young lady! I swear, if you don't open up this time I'm calling the landlord!"
Sadayo could feel her stomach twisting and turning at the sound of that voice. An older but refined woman, wearing what she knew to be a flight attendant uniform with a wheeled suitcase beside her was banging at her door.
"Sadayo! Sadayo! I know you're in there and I don't care how busy you say you are. I'm not taking no for an answer!"
Sadayo paled as her flight instincts kicked in once more. She tried to retreat, but with the uneven amount of bags in her hand, her sudden shift caused her to lose balance. She fell to the ground with a clumsy yelp.
Sadayo lifted herself up from the ground, wincing in pain while eyeing the spread out purchases in dismay. She tried to pick them up quickly when suddenly,
"Sadayo?"
She swallowed the hard lump on her throat as she raised her face towards the looming figure over her. Isako Kawakami, her mother.
"Hey, mom!" Sadayo awkwardly smiled after a moment of staring. "I'm surprised to see you so soo—"
"Are you okay?! Are you still not feeling well?! Do we need to get you back at the hospital?!" Isako nearly dived to her daughter, checking for any injuries in a manic rush.
"Mom?!" Sadayo protested, as she was shifted around by the surprisingly spry and strong older woman. "I'm okay, I just tripped, it's not a big dea—" Sadayo's protests were halted when her mother started to tear up. She couldn't protest when her mother proceeded to hold her close. "Mom…?"
"I tried to fly back as soon as I could from work, but I wasn't able to get a flight booked for some time, and then I rushed to the hospital, scared that I was going to lose you like I lost Masaru, but you never tell me anything and when I got there they said you had already asked to be discharged. So I came rushing here, frustrated and you never answer so all I couldn't tell if you were home, and all I could do is knock and wait, hoping you'd respond or get back and..."
Through the tight embrace, Sadayo could feel her mother's body tremble from the fear of losing her again. She hugged back, hugged her mother and spoke to her for the first time in years as she started to tear up as well, getting caught up in the moment. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I worried you so much, but I'm okay now."
The words rang strongly in Sadayo's ear, and as the realization hit her for the first time in years, she smiled joyfully, finally able to honestly say such words to the family that she had pushed away for so long.
"I'm... finally okay now."
Arms full of groceries, Sadayo leaned against the apartment door to keep it open for her mother. Despite Sadayo's wishes, Isako had insisted to carry her own luggage with the rest of the groceries in, scolding her daughter about exerting herself when she had just came back recently from the hospital. Sadayo wanted to argue, but they had already made enough of a ruckus outside so it was better to continue the discussion inside.
"I can see why you've been hesitant to have me visit you," Isako's disapproving survey of the apartment made Sadayo shrink as she closed the door. "I know work must have you busy, but that's no reason to be so disheveled." The older woman's motherly instincts were in full gear as her gaze turned to the neglected kitchen. Her pursed lips indicated annoyance and resignation.. "I'm actually quite surprised, considering how organized you used to be when you were younger."
"Yeah, a lot of stuff has happened since then and I've been really busy for some time." Sadayo placed her groceries at the kitchen table. "But things have started to settle down so I finally have some time now."
"I can only imagine. I was horrified when I heard about the stuff that had happened at your school with that P.E. teacher. Especially with what had happen with—" Isako stopped herself from finishing that sentence.
"Mom, it's fine." Sadayo had the beginnings of another smile, still enjoying the fact that she was finally able to say it so freely.
"I tried to reach you when I found out about it, you know?" Her mother sighed, "But as always, you never responded."
Sadayo remembered that period well. Soon after the news on Kamoshida began to spread, calls and messages from her relatives flooded her phone. Luckily for her, many of them stopped asking with a simple "We're not allowed to talk about it" message. But her mother wasn't satisfied, and for the next week Sadayo was constantly cluttered with text and voice messages. Each attempt made her guilt worse as she felt herself growing more and more distant from her mother.
"I'm sorry for not reaching to you back then. It's been a rough time on everyone. And sadly, it's not going to be getting any better any time soon." Sadayo knelt by a pile of clothing in an effort to stave off some of her mother's disapproval of the mess. As she started to pick up the mess, she was reminded of what Ms. Chouno had told her. "It's why I have to work harder than ever, for Takase-kun and all the other students that I wasn't able to help back then."
"I'm sure you will, you're Masaru's daughter after all," Isako happily stated as she placed the food Sadayo had purchased into the fridge.
"Yeah..." another smile crept on Sadayo as she continued to pick off clothes... only for it to drain when she turned towards the couch. Smack dab in the middle was her discarded maid dress, proudly in display.
Sadayo spared her mother a quick glance; the woman was looking at a box with surprise. That was enough of a distraction, so she lunged to the couch and swiftly hid the dress among one of the piles, though the haste of her action caught her mother's attention. "Sorry, I just forgot I left some delicates in the open. I wasn't expecting any company after all..." she awkwardly smiled, feeling too much like a kid again caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
"I see…" her mother gave her a curious look, obviously wondering what type of delicates her daughter would have that she'd hide it. Isako then proceeded to present the box she held — the box of curry paste borne from impulse buying. "So when did you start showing an interest in cooking again?"
"I-I just felt like I needed a change of pace. Try new things."
"I see..."
Sadayo wasn't comfortable with the knowing smile her mother was giving her. She scratched her pants' leg, feeling another layer of fabric underneath. Belatedly, she remembered that she was still wearing the maid stockings under her sweats.
"Well, you seem to be missing some ingredients, and I'm going to be staying around in a hotel for a week," Isako said. "So let me know when you're prepared. We can make a nice family dinner."
"Uh… sure, that would be nice. Though I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing," Sadayo embarrassingly admitted, causing her mother to chuckle.
"Well, we can prepare it together then," her mother commented as she put the final item in the fridge. Noticing the time on her watch, she sighed. "It's already that late, I see. I know I just got here, but I have to head out soon. I came rushing to the hospital from the airport and haven't even gone to my hotel to check in." She turned to Sadayo; while not upset, she looked pleading. "Please, don't be a stranger anymore. I know you're busy with your work as a teacher, but please, let me know when you're available."
Sadayo's honest smile returned as she gave her mother a nod. "I will, It's been so long since we've talked. You must tell me about your travels. I'm sure you've gone to a lot of interesting places and tried all sorts of things."
"I have, and I'm sure you have your own stories to tell," Isako turned quizzical at Sadayo's look of concern, but thankfully, she didn't press. "Anyway, mind if I use the bathroom before I go?"
"Sure. Though again, I apologize for the mess."
"Yes, yes, but I swear you better have tidied it up by the time I get back, or at the very least do a better job of hiding it."
At the resulting glare, Sadayo hastily picked up her pace, feeling slightly ashamed yet somehow, young again. After all those years and separation, her mother never lost that authority to make Sadayo do her chores. Objectively, it was amusing, but it also galled her as an adult.
By the time she heard the bathroom door open, two piles have already been sorted. After checking that the maid costume was safely out of sight, Sadayo looked up from her work and saw her mother, staring inside her room curiously. "Mom?"
From Isako's expression, it looked like a lightbulb lit up above her head. Sadayo racked her brain for anything incriminating in the room, but couldn't think of anything.
"I'll be going now, dear," her mother made her way around the other piles of clothing. Sadayo rose up to meet her. They hugged, happy and warm amidst the mess. "I love you."
Sadayo kissed her cheek. "I love you too."
It's strange how one can miss the thing they dreaded and hated the moment it's no longer available to them. For the longest time, Sadayo had wished she didn't have to work as much as she did, that she could afford more time to herself and just relax. But now she found herself sitting on her bed during the late hours of the night, just wishing for a job to distract her of her thoughts, lest they start trailing back to that moment.
While unexpected, her mother's visit had allowed her something to focus on and distract herself; she didn't even need the beer that she had bought. Though the smile her mother had given her as they parted made Sadayo worried. It was a smile that she recognized even after all these years, one that was usually followed with many questions about her social life. It was frankly puzzling and worrying how her mother went from fussy to smug.
Regardless, once she was gone, Sadayo figured she could use the rest. It had been a while since she could sleep early, and tomorrow was the start of the tests so she didn't have any pending work that needed grading, so why not spend her first free night in relaxation? Sadly, she found herself restless, unable to sleep from her conflicting emotions.
"I want to keep seeing you. Not just in the classroom, but like this — just the two of us."
"I felt so relieved when he said that he wanted us to continue meeting. But to think that he meant it in… that way..." Sadayo once again began blushing. "Seriously, what was he thinking? Off all people, why me?" She was still having a hard time believing. The person that she had become the closest to, the person who she began to care for immensely… had feelings for her. Her hand rose of its own volition to touch her cheek, feeling another smile creep in.
A wave of panic washed on Sadayo immediately."Wait, this isn't normal! He's one my students! I-I have to refuse him. I mean, I'm sure this is just of those crushes that teenagers tend to have. I mean, I remember when I had a crush on that one actor when I was still in school. As a student. A student in school, not as a teacher. And he's a student, and I'm a teacher. That's why I have to be the adult here, I need to be responsible and let him down..."
The thought was enough to slow her babble. Again, it made her heart ache, especially when it lingered. "W-wait, tomorrow, tests are starting up, right? I mean even if it's just a misunderstood crush, getting rejected during exams would probably make it hard for him to focus, right? I should wait until they are done." Sadayo found herself pensive at this train of thought, crossing her arms. "Then again, not telling him my answer might make him nervous during the wait. If I had just refused him back then, it would've been all over and done with..."
Sadayo's head dropped in defeat, realizing the position she had put herself and Ak — her student — in, before firing herself up. "No, this is a very delicate situation, and I need to make sure that I handle this carefully. These kinds of things are very important for a kid his age, and as his teacher I must be sure to not hinder his chances. Especially him of all people."
Even as she made her claims, she didn't fully believe it herself. Was that truly the only reason she was doing this? Or was there more to it?
Feeling herself begin to question her own logic and reasoning, she got out of bed, spiraling back to her wish of distracting work. Luckily for her, her years of disrepair and neglect had provided her with a number of things to put focus on. Starting from her bedroom and slowly proceeding to the rest of the rooms, Sadayo began to earnestly clean her home; she gathered all the clothes into a basket to take to the wash at a later time, she washed, dried and stored her dishes and utensils, she swept and wiped the floors and furniture. The following hours was a blur as she distracted herself in her housecleaning, something she didn't expect to get back in so soon after resigning from her work as a maid.
By the time that her body couldn't do anything more after the accumulated fatigue of the day, her apartment was starting to look halfway decent. Sadayo collapsed on her bed, finding a surprising amount of solace in the tired state that she was at, and let her heavy eyelids drift her to a dreamless sleep.
Sadayo thought that she had long since passed the age of being nervous about coming to school. Even with the rumors cropping up in her previous school, as well as her views of herself as a teacher, Sadayo never had a problem coming to school to do her job. After all, that's what it was… her job.
Today though, despite the boost of confidence and the freedom to finally start striving towards her goal as a teacher, Sadayo found herself standing just outside the school gates, leaning her back against . It wasn't because she felt awkward around the other faculty members, or feared the students' judgment of her. No, the cause of her hesitation was a simple — one singular student.
Sadayo tried to focus on her mental preparations and ignore the students that gave her perplexed glances on their way in. Why would she be watching the gate when a P.E. teacher would be more suited for it? But because of the situation with Kamoshida, the substitute P.E. teacher had been avoiding doing anything that could to not make the other student uncomfortable.
The bell rang, and despite her hesitation, Sadayo understood that she had to go in. Yesterday's disastrous attempt notwithstanding, today was her first day towards the path to becoming a better teacher, and she wasn't going to let a little awkwardness stop her. If she did, Akira would laugh at her…
"Nonsense, I've never met anyone as hardworking as you. And now that you can focus on your teaching, I'm sure that you'll be great."
"Now is not the time!" Sadayo snapped, attempting to psych herself up. The surprise of the tardy students passing by made her internalize her pep talk. 'Focus on your work! You won't even see him that much today and he'll be focused on his exams. Just get it together!'
With one last breath, she began heading towards the school, towards her homeroom. As she got closer, she noticed a bit of commotion coming from her class, making her wonder if anything new had happened with the Phantom Thieves. Her curiosity wasn't enough to strengthen her nerves at the door. One last mental preparation; Sadayo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, clutching her notebook, she opened the door.
"Quiet down everyone," Sadayo yelled out as she walked to her desk. She inwardly cheered that her teacher-voice came out firmer than what she really felt. "Exams are about to start so you all better have gotten yourselves ready." Despite her better judgment, Sadayo's gaze went to the corner of the room, just as she had done so many times by now, but was surprised when there was no sign of the familiar black locks and the reflecting glasses, only an empty chair.
"That's strange. We seem to be missing Kurusu-kun." The awkwardness that she felt started to change to concern. Other than that first day, he'd always made sure to be on time; considering the situation he was in, he couldn't afford any sort of misconduct, especially today. 'He wouldn't be stupid to not show up after what happened last night, would he? I swear if he's trying to avoid me that much I'll go over there and drag him to school.'
"Actually, he was called in a while ago by one of the teachers," a concerned Ann spoke up. "But they didn't say why."
"What?!"
"Probably 'cause of all the trouble he caused yesterday," one student complained.
"Maybe they're finally getting rid of him? I'm honestly surprised it took them this long."
"Of all the times to — Why didn't they tell me?!" Sadayo groaned with gritted teeth. "Who's the class representative today?"
Mishima stood up nervously at the surprising amount of energy coming from Sadayo. "T-that would be me."
"Make sure no one leaves this room. The rest of you better get ready. As soon as I get back we are getting straight into exams."
"Ye-yes ma'am!" Mishima stuttered.
Sadayo stormed out of the class, notebook still in hand.
"But from now on, I'm going to protect you too. As your teacher, I will never betray you."
"Dammit," she muttered.
"Any violation will get you sent straight to the guidance counselor. And if by ANY chance you cause ANY problems, I won't be able to protect you at all."
"'Dammit."
"That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"
"'Dammit!"
Sadayo was still kicking herself as she marched towards the guidance counselor room. She knew why they did this without consulting her; until recently, she wasn't willing to take her responsibilities as his teacher seriously, because of the agreement she had so selfishly made when he first joined the school.
There was no hesitation this time when she opened the door to the Guidance Counselor's room. The loud bang. startled the assortment of two teachers, the counselor, and Akira.
"Ms. Kawakami?!" Ms. Chouno spoke up in shock.
"I'm surprised to see you here. Aren't you supposed to be dealing with your class?" Mr. Urashima spoke with annoyance.
Sadayo glared at Mr. Urashima. "I will, once I have all my students in class." She then turned her gaze toward Akira, noticing his surprise at her arrival. Though the expression was short-lived as he lowered his head and turned toward the counselor in front of him.
"Whether he continues to be your student is still to be determined, Ms. Kawakami," the guidance counselor spoke with a tired and cold tone.
"I think we know the answer to that already," Mr. Urashima boldly stated. "He was given plenty of warnings already when he was permitted to our school. Yet despite that he feels it necessary to cause problems to the school that had given him another chance."
"While it's true that he seemed to cause a bit of a panic, I still think expulsion is too rash a decision," Ms. Chouno protested, though looking quite annoyed herself.
"Hold on a moment!" Sadayo interjected. "What exactly did he do?"
"Nothing, it's just a bunch of people baying for blood and pointing at any inconveniences to them." Ms. Chouno complained with both hands on her hips.
"I wouldn't call it nothing when a large number of parents sent in complaints," Mr. Ushimaru clarified with his arm crossed.
"Complaints about what?" Sadayo asked, trying to get the picture.
"They all said they felt threatened by his presence, that they didn't feel safe and he looked like he would strike them at any moment."
"So what, don't we always get a number of students complaining about him still being in school? Why would those matter now? I mean, we're about to finish this semester."
"Exactly, we can't just jump the gun so quickly," Ms. Chouno added to Sadayo's statement. "We need to make a proper investigation to determine such claims.".
"It's not just the students, we even got faculty involved as well. I think we have plenty of proof already," Mr. Ushimaru growled as he looked at Akira. "It's clear that this punk is a lost cause and has no intention on becoming a respectable human being. He shows no respect to his elders or those around him, threatening others to get what he wants. We even had a student saying that he tried to blackmail him!"
"And I told you already that I was only trying to help out with getting information on the scams. You know, the one that your principal pushed on to another student to take care of?" Akira growled back at Mr. Ushimaru, though he was doing his best to not sound too hostile.
"Then tell me who it was that asked for your help — I would like them to collaborate with your response," Mr. Ushimura asked with a raised brow.
"I'd rather not drag them into this little conversation of ours. This is about me after all, not them," Akira scowled at older man.
"Kurusu-kun, I know you are only protecting your friend, but without their collaboration we can't just take your word on it," Ms. Chouno pleaded with him, sounding much more calmer than her opposite. "I want to help, but I can't do that if you just keep quiet."
"I'm sorry, but that stays with me."
Sadayo was quite surprised at Akira's firm statement. 'The principal had another student…?'
"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."
She was reminded of that afternoon where Akira was called by Makoto for some lost item. 'Was that really the real reason she called for him that day?'
"Just feels like she has way more responsibilities than someone of her position should have."
She knew he was being honest. Knowing him, that sounded like the kind of thing he would do. But what exactly happened with the other students and faculty that they found him so frightening?
Suddenly, she the way he acted in the hospital when the Takases showed up. He was around when they showed up at school yesterday, and even though she never really turned to look at him, couldn't face him, she knew he was upset. But If he was that upset like in the hospital, she could only imagine how he looked after she pushed him away. 'Was it because of me that he's here?'
"Akira Kurusu," the counselor spoke up, his tone very tired but harsh. "Understand that our school is in a very precarious situation right now. The morale of the students are at an all-time low because of the countless scandals that we found ourselves dragged into. Your addition into our school was something many could overlook since we held such a high reputation that the PTA had confidence in our ability. But now, many question the school for having such a dangerous criminal around their children. Many demand a guarantee that we can secure their children's safety, so your actions yesterday have made it difficult for us. How do you intend to take responsibility?"
Without faltering, Sadayo stepped forward by Akira side, still holding her notebook in hand. "If it's a guarantee they want then let me provide it." The whole room looked utterly flabbergasted at Sadayo's offer. "I'm his homeroom teacher after all, so I'll take full responsibility. Just direct any and all complaints to me."
"Ms. Kawakami?" Ms. Chouno was at a complete loss for words. After all, not once since she worked at Shujin had she seen Sadayo stand up for another student, more so for the infamous problem student.
On the other hand, Mr. Ushimura look more annoyed than shocked. "Ms. Kawakami, that won't be necessary. This is between the school and him, you need not get involved. After all, that was your condition to take him in your class, was it not?"
Sadayo gave him a glare; the remark was a nasty reminder of how neglectful she had become these past years. "As the counselor said, things have changed now. He's in my class so if there's someone their eyes are going to be looking at, it's me. So I'm sorry but no, I do have to get involved."
Mr. Ushimaru shook his head in disappointment. "You don't have to put up an act, Ms. Kawakami. We all understand that the Principal clearly made a mistake in putting him in your class."
"W-what do you mean?" The look on Sadayo's face was full of dread and concern.
"You said it yourself didn't you? A male teacher would had been much better tasked to deal with a threat like him." Mr. Ushimaru let out a tired sigh, actually looking disgruntled. "It all became obvious yesterday."
"You mentioned going to meet with Kurusu-kun yesterday, but when you came back you just excused yourself and left. Then we got news of the other student feeling threatened," Ms. Chouno explained to the lost Sadayo, though not happy about it herself.
"It's obvious that this little shit threatened her, if not worse!" Mr. Ushimaru angrily pointed at the dejected Akira. "Considering how much trouble Kamoshida caused him, he probably thought himself justified to get back at one of his teachers! I mean look at him, he can't even look at her!"
Akira's uneasy but placid gaze quickly darted to dark and angry towards Mr. Ushimaru, who glared back.
"What, you want to deny it? We already know that you're capable of such actions. I'm sure it was really easy for you once you had an excuse."
"That is going too far!" Ms. Chouno protested. "We can't just jump into conclusions without any evidence!"
"He did no such thing!" Sadayo joined in, her anger palpable. "He's never threatened me or acted with intent to harm me!"
"If he didn't, then why are you protecting him now?" Mr. Ushimura postured, still not convinced. "You've been very vocal about your dislike of having been put responsible for him, but now you're thinking of taking the blow for him? I don't buy it! He must have forced you to take the fall for him! Unless you've gone soft on the boy?"
"I'm telling you that you have no basis for—"
"Would you you cut it out already? Not everything is about you."
The room all turned to the once-again calm Akira. Sadayo was the most shocked at his statement. "W-what?"
Akira let out an exasperated sigh, letting everyone know his frustration. "What, may I ask, would I benefit to threatening someone like Ms. Kawakami? Considering how lazy she is, anything I ask her to do would just be pushed to the side. Not only that, she doesn't even care about what happens to her students, so if I was going to go for someone it would be one that I could easily guilt trip, not an uncaring adult like her." Akira shook his head, looking quite disappointed. "I mean, it's not like she's someone the other students look up to, so I couldn't even use her to get rid of those rumors for me. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to pin such a failed idea like that on me. And gone soft on me?" he scoffed. "You're kidding right? She's constantly hounding me about my grades and behavior at class, so I figured if I played the role of a good student she'd let up on me, but now I'm just stuck with her high expectations. It's really annoying."
'W—what is going on here?' Sadayo was at a loss about what she was hearing. This sounded nothing like the Akira that she knew. The memories of what he'd told her and what he was now saying caused a rift in her heart. 'Why is he being so cold all of the sudden? Acting so indignant, even lying to me? I thought he said that he didn't—'
At that moment she was reminded of what he had told her. He was distancing himself from her, acting cold in front of the teachers. Probably trying to push her away because of his confession last night, nervous about them implying anything between them and pushing too hard in the other direction. But most of all, much to Sadayo's ire, he was throwing himself into danger again, danger that he could easily avoid but still leaped in to protect those he cared about.
'Why does he always do this? Why does he always jump to sacrifice himself for others without hesitation?!' Sadayo could feel her eyes tearing up, her hand gripping her notebook tightly in frustration. 'And why does it hurt to hear him say that, even though I know he's only acting?'
The unexpected smack of a notebook against head halted all noise in the room.
"Ms. Kawakami!?" the other staff members shouted in unison at the sudden strike from the usually lifeless teacher.
"WOULD YOU STOP ACTING LIKE A BRAT?!" Sadayo yelled out in anger at the stunned student. "Don't you get that you could be expelled?! If that happened than you'd get sent to a correctional facility! Stop and think about how your friends will feel if you were taken away like that! SO JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME HELP YOU!"
She can hear her heaving breaths echoing in the room over the pounding of her heart. In front of her, Akira wordlessly gaped; he ended up lowering his head in tangible shame.
"Sorry, what is going on?" the counselor finally asked, still at a loss alongside the other teachers looking at each other in confusion.
Sadayo made sure to calm herself, rubbing her eyes before proceeding to straighten herself up once more. "I apologize for the outburst, but please disregard his behavior that he showed just now."
"What?! Why should we?!" Mr. Urashima yelled in protest.
"I've talked to Kurusu-kun a couple of times already, as Ms. Chouno can attest," Sadayo nodded to the mentioned teacher's direction. "What you just saw is him lashing out because he was nervous and didn't know what to do. After all, right off the bat he was labeled someone to be either feared or looked down on thanks to those leaks of his information."
Both hands clasped firmly around her notebook, Sadayo stared straight at the counselor. "He may act or look threatening, but I can assure you he's harmless and would never hurt another person if he could avoid it. I mean, think about it; he's been at this school for months now and despite all the rumors and talks about him, he's barely caused any problems. I'm also sure you've all seen how capable he is at his school work, both in classes and during tests. He's a very diligent student and a hard worker and I feel it would be a disservice to the school and to Kurusu-kun if we don't give him an honest chance." She turned at Mr. Ushimaru, smugly placing a hand on her hip. "In fact, I'm certain that he'll do well on the exams. Feel free to keep an eye on him; that way you can be certain if he cheated or not."
Mr. Ushimaru huffed in annoyance. "That still doesn't explain what had happen on yesterday."
"That would be my fault," Sadayo bluntly answered, catching all adults off-guard. "Like I mentioned, I had gone to talk to him to see how he had been handling all the rumors, but during my talk with him I was visited by the guardians of an old student of mine." Sadayo frowned. "We don't exactly get along well, but they never showed up at school before. We got into a heated argument and Kurusu-kun got caught in the middle of it."
Gently, she placed her hand on her student's head, his hair soft and warm between her fingers, and pushed slightly down to gesture him to bow; he followed easily without complaint. Sadayo bowed in turn. "It was wrong of Kurusu-kun to scare the students and faculty, but it was wrong of me to ignore the unrest of one of my students in front of me and disregard my responsibility as a teacher to leave like that. I promise it won't happen again and I'm willing to sit down to explain and apologize to everyone that sent in a complaint. I just ask that you forgive us both for our transgressions from yesterday."
The counselor seemed unsure. "Well I appreciate you explaining the situation, but we're still in a precarious situation."
"I say we let her take care of it," Ms. Chouno suggested confidently. "As you said, we are at an all-time low. So won't having one of our teachers get involved in the reformation of a probation student help with that? It would definitely show how dedicated we are to the cause of helping our students."
"You do have a point," the counselor tiredly sighed again. "But understand, Ms. Kawakami — if we do let him go for this, it will be on your suggestion as his homeroom teacher. If he were to do anything else to harm the school or students' safety, you will be held accountable."
Sadayo nodded. "Understood. I have confidence that he will do well if we just give him a chance, so I will take responsibility."
"Very well then. He's your responsibility from now on."
Mr. Urashima clicked his tongue in annoyance, but it the choice has been made. He directed a stern look at Akira, who seemed much more docile than earlier. "I'm still keeping my eyes on you. If you truly intend to become a respectable human being, then I better not catch you doing anything that will ruin this opportunity given to you."
He proceeded to storm off the room, leaving the other party to sigh in relief. Sadayo exited the room with Akira and her co-teacher
Ms. Chouno let out a satisfied stretch."Well, that was one way to start the exams." She turned to Sadayo, who was massaging the bridge of her nose with an audible groan. "I have to say, I don't fully know what had you change so drastically, but I like it! Magnifico!"
Sadayo awkwardly smiled, trying not to glance at the student that was standing between the two of them. "Uhh… thanks, and thank you for backing my suggestion back there." She let out a tired sigh as her head and arms slumped. "I honestly had no idea what I was doing."
"Por supuesto. I'm looking forward to see this new change of yours."
Sadayo bowed gratefully along with Akira as she walked off. Once the coast was clear, Sadayo sighed in relief. "You definitely don't make things easy for me," Sadayo directed her smile at her student. "Still, I'm glad that I was able to help."
"Yeah, thanks for your help."
While Akira's voice sounded concerned, it felt distant even now. Sadayo figured he was only acting like that in front of the other teachers, so why was he still keeping up the act? "Kurusu-kun?"
"Sorry for causing you so much trouble. I'll head over to class," Akira quickly bowed and walked off, as if trying to get rid of her. On his way he was stopped by a worried pair of Takamaki-chan and Nijima-san. Sadayo distinctly remembered telling Mishima not to let anyone out of their class, but considering that both of them were probably worried about Akira, she figured she would let them off a little easy this time.
From what Sadayo could hear, Ann apparently went to look for Makoto and told her what had happened. Makoto was actually going to head to the Guidance Counselor and make a case for Akira as the school president, so both were surprised that he was already out, though still worried until he told him that she had helped him out.
Despite his distant attitude just now, Akira seemed to be all smiles and reassuring to the other girls. At that moment, Sadayo felt so far away from her student, so far from the boy that had caused her heart to race. This is how it should be...
'...So why do I feel so alone?'
Sadayo took a moment to take in the sights of Yongen-jaya. Despite the countless times that she has left this station, it was still odd to be here during the day. Unsurprisingly, the street was quite busy, though nowhere near the amount of crowds one would see in the likes of Shibuya. She tried to walk in confidence — she was wearing her casual outfit, not the attention-grabbing maid costume — but the bustling life still made her nervous. There had been a few people who had seen her as Becky, after all.
Trying to focus on her agenda, Sadayo bit her lip. Today was the day that she would meet up with the doctor that took care of her in the hospital, requested by the one person who seemed to have helped her in almost all aspects of her life — Akira Kurusu.
Sadayo sighed as her thoughts once again went to her student. After the incident that had occurred this morning, she hadn't seen him. The counselor already had her talking with a number of teachers and students, and by the time she was done, most of the classes were already finished with their tests for the day. Many showed little confidence to her words, but as frustrating as it was, it was to be expected. Her actions until recently did not bring much confidence in her capabilities, so of course, they'd be suspicious. But if she ever hoped to gain the trust of those around her, she has to start from the bottom.
Her mind was so busy that it took her until she saw Leblanc's sign in the distance to realize she had defaulted towards it.
"It really has become a habit to come here, hasn't it?" Sadayo sighed. She wondered if her Mas — student — was home; Sakura-san was more than likely still be there, but maybe, she could drop by, say that she had come on behalf of the school and—
"Nope! I'm here for other reasons!" Sadayo slapped her cheeks and she turned away from the beckoning aroma of coffee. Resolute, she followed the directions written on the note given to her until she arrived at a shady looking building. A clinic in the back alleys didn't seem like a safe or professional place, but Dr. Takemi seemed revered — or feared, which didn't help matters — in the hospital. And Akira trusted her, so—
Sadayo lightly smacked herself again. "I really need to stop thinking about him. Anyway, let's get this over with."
Inside the clinic was a small waiting room. There were shelves with all sorts of pamphlets and medical information and, for some reason, a chain divider by the end of the room. At her left, what she could guess was the registration window was empty, but she could hear someone talking from behind the adjacent door nearby.
Nobody was in the waiting room with her and she didn't have anything to do, so she took a seat. She was still a bit nervous about her visit and she actually contemplated not coming at all, but this was all a part of changing her life around. She couldn't risk getting hospitalized again, especially not so soon.
Before Sadayo's imagination could run wild with the surefire disapproval about her lack of progress with her health, the door with the voices opened. Dr. Takemi came out with an elderly woman.
"Just make sure to take your medication as I instructed you, and let me know if any abnormality or disconnection occurs."
"Of course, deary. I'll be sure to contact you if anything happens." The older lady bowed in goodbye then noticed Sadayo, and gave her a courteous bow. She ambled towards the door to leave, though she turned suddenly to the doctor once more. "And don't forget to keep the flans that I gave you refrigerated. I put a lot of effort into making them and it would be a waste for them to go uneaten."
Takemi scratched her head out of embarrassment as the old lady left with a chuckle. "I swear, she treats me like I was her own granddaughter sometimes." Though she sounded annoyed, Sadayo could see the hints of a smile coming from the doctor. But the satisfied, barely-there smirk she turned to Sadayo was worrying. "Oh, so you did come."
Sadayo stood up and gave a bow. "Y-yes, I'll be in your care."
Takemi gave a small chuckle at the display in front of her. "No need for such formalities over here. Come, let's go to the back."
Sadayo followed the doctor through the door to the exam room. At Dr. Takemi's direction, she took a seat at the chair before Takemi's personal chair as the doctor went and looked at her files. Her hands wrung each other nervously.
"So from our last meeting, you were suffering from overwork and malnourishment" Dr. Takemi flipped through the notes before directing Sadayo a serious expression. "I know it's only been a couple of days, but have you been able to find a way to manage all those jobs you said you're doing?"
"Actually, ever since Monday I've been quitting a number of them. And by today, I've already stopped working on a good number of them. I still have a few jobs after this, but I'm hoping that by the end of the week I'll just have my teaching job to focus on." Sadayo, although proud of her progress, awkwardly smiled, a bit embarrassed to tell her doctor about this after her resistance in the hospital. Something that was confirmed by the look of surprise on the doctor's face.
"Well, that is certainly a change in the positive. But why the sudden shift?"
"Things... just changed. It permitted me to not have to focus so much on those secondary jobs, so I no longer need them."
"Did they now?" Takemi asked with a smug look on her face, not at all surprised by Sadayo's explanation. "Someone must have been very motivated?" she muttered.
Sadayo couldn't quite get what the doctor just mumbled. Besides, she still wasn't sure how to describe the events that had occurred herself. When she had been asked about leaving any of those jobs, Sadayo truly felt like such a thing was not an option for her, but then a few days later the Takases went from threatening her with blackmail, to begging for forgiveness, all in the course of hours. It was like they had been given a—
'Wait a minute.' Sadayo had been so excited and relieved to be free of the Takases' grasp that she never really questioned what had happened. She was just so happy to get it over with and wanted to move on. Then the thing with Akir — her student, dammit — happened and her thoughts had been, much like right now, constantly going back to him. But when she thought back to their apology, the way they begged and apologized, how they were willing to risk their lives to make amends... it was like Kamoshida again. 'Could they have been...?'
"Hey Doc, you in there!?"
For a moment Sadayo thought that her mind was messing with her. It was bad enough that she constantly found herself thinking of him, but now she was hearing him as well. But as she turned to the doctor it seemed that she also heard the voice.
"Oh, speak of the devil… excuse me, this won't take long." The smile Takemi has was a mischievous one.
Sadayo nervously watched as the doctor stood up and walked outside the door, proceeding to talk to what she imagined was Akira. She could hear them in the middle of conversation, and admittedly, a part of her wanted to press her head against the door and listen in on what they were saying, but despite those desires, she didn't stand. After all, how could she know that it was him? Akira had been in her mind this whole time, so maybe she was simply projecting this on the person that had just walked in.
'I mean, running into the person so suddenly after thinking of him? That's the kind of thing you see in cheesy movies and shows.'
She wasn't sure if this was a step up after hallucinating meows and other cat sounds, but Sadayo managed to convince herself that she was just hearing things. The door handle turned and Sadayo straightened, trying not to feel guilty that she wanted to eavesdrop —
Only to meet Akira.
Takemi popped from behind the frozen statue. "I figured that since you know each other, he can help me out by taking notes before I treat him," she casually said, the only one not flustered and red in the room. "It's not hard; I'm just doing some simple questioning and," she studied her notes, leaving the room in suspense before, "vitals checking."
That seemed to be the catalyst to bring Akira back to life. "I-I'll come back later," he quickly turned around and ran.
"Wha— Kurusu-kun?!" Sadayo hand's stretched out to him instinctively as she saw him flee. The knot in her heart tightened.
Takemi looked surprised herself. She awkwardly scratched her cheek with her finger. "Huh… I'm not going to lie; I was expecting some sort of reaction, but I didn't think he'd run away like that. He sure runs fast for someone who's injured."
"He's injured?!" Sadayo began to panic at the doctor's revelation. "Is it serious?! Shouldn't we drag him back?!"
"Nothing serious, just a nasty bruise on his side… Though thinking about it, I probably shouldn't be telling you that," the doctor gave a simple shrug with a smile that made Sadayo wonder if this was intentional. "Oh well. Shall we continue?"
Trying not to show her suspicions, Sadayo nodded as the doctor began to ask her a few questions. Questions involving any other changes; has she been eating better and how has her sleep been? Sadayo did her best to be truthful with her answers while leaving some details — that she has been trying to eat better but she still relies a lot on instant stuff and that she has been having problems sleeping, but she didn't mention that it was because of her circling thoughts... Which, of course, made her think back on the subject of said thoughts.
Sadayo absentmindedly nodded at Dr. Takemi's statement that she'll now check her heartbeat. The stethoscope was cold on Sadayo's heart, but she paid no mind as thought back to what the doctor had said.
'Thinking back then, wasn't he grabbing his side in pain, back after he tried to...?'
"Huh, that's odd," Dr. Takemi commented with a frown. "Have you had any chest pains?"
"Huh? No, nothing like that," Sadayo responded, her mind still elsewhere. 'But thinking about it, wasn't he hurt that time at school as well? He had mentioned going to his doctor...' Sadayo refocused towards the doctor that was writing notes with a smile. 'She's probably the doctor that he goes to for such injures… Maybe she knows about those 'extracurricular activities' of his.'
Kururu-kun's appearance notwithstanding, everything has been perfectly normal. Dr. Takemi was a professional and simply asked health-related questions and checked her vitals. Despite the occasional suspicious smiles directed at her, Sadayo was starting to feel more relaxed.
She shouldn't have been surprised when someone shady-looking with a title of 'The Plague' decided to pounce.
"So is there any reason for Kurusu to flee from you like that?"
"W-what do you mean? Why would I know?" Sadayo was like a deer in front of headlights.
"Well, I'm sure he visited you on Saturday, so he had no problem seeing you then. He looked worried then, but now…" Dr. Takemi tapped her arm. "I've never seen him run away so fast before. I'm quite curious."
"I-I'm sure he just got nervous about seeing me out of the blue." Sadayo could feel her face turning red, unable to look at the doctor directly.
Dr. Takemi simply chuckled. "I don't think so. Considering the things I have him do, I can't imagine him running like that over a simple surprise."
'What does she mean by that?' Sadayo's embarrassment fled as she gave the doctor a suspicious glare. "Actually if I may ask, you know about the injuries that Akira seems to get at times, yes?"
"I am his doctor so he would come to me for such things, yes." Takemi responded with a curious tilt of her head.
"He mentioned that the doctor he goes to taught him some first aid, so he could take care of himself."
"Yes, that would be me. He also helps out here at times, so it was important for him to at least understand the basics. What exactly are you asking about all of this?"
The cold stare that frosted over the doctor's demeanor made Sadayo hesitate for a bit, but this was the closest she has gotten to finding out any info on those activities. Perhaps the closest she would be, so despite the frightening look of the doctor Sadayo forced the words out of her mouth. "Can you tell me the reason for why he keeps getting those injuries?"
"Are you asking me as his teacher, or because of another reason?" She looked a bit surprised at her question, but it only seemed to pique her curiosity.
Sadayo scrunched her eyebrows, thinking hard. It's true that as his teacher, it would be obvious for her to show concern for her student, but her reasons were much more personal than that. She hated seeing him injured; each time she saw him in that state reminded her about when he arrived at school late. How beat up he was and how she simply ignored it because she didn't want to bother.
There was a visceral, deeper reason there, something she knew but didn't want to focus on. Sadayo got the feeling that any lie would be seen through easily by the doctor, but admitting about her messy thoughts was more terrifying than the Plague's stare.
She turned back to the doctor, nervousness and concern obvious. "Can't it be both?"
"I guess it can," Dr. Takemi chuckled as her frost shattered. "But as a doctor I can't discuss my patient's situation with others. Though I did kind of mess up with that one mention."
"I see… Sorry for asking then." Sadayo was disheartened. Another dead end to the mystery.
"Anyway, things are still not that great, but they aren't worse so there's always that," Takemi flipped back to her notes, back to being a professional doctor. "We can do another follow-up in around a week to see how much changes once you're no longer working on those jobs. I'll see you until then."
"Thank you," Sadayo stood from seat and bowed to the doctor. She was about to walk out the door when—
"Still, I do wonder..."
Sadayo stopped as she turned to the doctor.
"He said he got injured yesterday. I wonder what happened to cause that...?" Dr. Takemi then turned towards the confused Sadayo. "Oh, you're still here? Don't mind me. I'm just thinking out loud."
Sadayo felt like the doctor was giving her a bone, but what did she mean by her question? Doubts and mysteries in mind, Sadayo left the clinic. Once more, her eyes turned towards the path that lead to Leblanc.
With a sigh, she headed to work.
"There, that should do it," Sadayo smiled victoriously, immensely satisfied at how much brighter and cleaner her apartment looked now compared to just a few days ago.
After the chaos and the constant curve balls that life has been throwing Sadayo's way for the past two few days, Thursday was a much appreciated change of pace. Other than her momentary glance at Akira's direction during homeroom, Sadayo had been kept busy by watching the students in a different class during their exams. It was for the most part uneventful, but she had to give an exasperated though expected sigh when she noticed Sakamoto panicking in the back. Afterwards, she stayed after school to continue explaining what had occurred, attempting to qualm the students' fears.
It wasn't easy — it seemed that the number of people that had complained was much larger than she had anticipated, so she needed to continue tomorrow or possibly, the next week. Many gave her similar looks of disbelief as the faculty did when she stated to claim full responsibility for Akira. It hurt, but many were still not sold on her reasoning and desire to change.
Sadayo took one of the beer cans from her fridge. She let out a sad sigh after taking a drink. "I knew I had screwed up badly, but seeing everyone's looks really brought it home. But still, that's why I have to work even harder to make it up to them!" Sadayo pumped her fist with a fire in her eyes. Her proclamation was then halted when the doorbell rang. "Oh, mom's already here." She promptly finished the can of beer and disposed of it before heading to the door to let her in. "I know I said that I was free this afternoon, but I didn't expect you to come so quickly."
"What do you expect? It's been so long since the two of us ate together. I wouldn't miss it even if I was halfway around the world."
Her mother was beaming with joy as she entered Sadayo's apartment, bulging bag in each hand though they didn't seem to hinder her from hugging her daughter. She headed towards the kitchen. "I noticed that you were missing some ingredients, so I took the liberty of picking some up on the way here. I hope you don't mind?"
Closing the door, Sadayo smiled as she shook her head. "Not at all. As I said, I honestly don't know what I'm doing, so I really appreciate you helping me."
"Leave it to me!" Isako spoke excitedly, pumping her fist just like her daughter did. "I'll get everything ready here, so could you please start the rice, Sadayo?"
"Sure thing," Sadayo nodded as she tied her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed the small bag of rice she had bought on Tuesday and proceeded to rinse it, just like Akira had taught her on that rainy night. It was a silly little thing, but thinking back on it started to put a smile on Sadayo's face. After washing the rice at Akira's standard that she tried to emulate, she turned to notice a curious smile coming from her mother. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Sadayo asked nervously.
"Don't mind me. I'm just an old lady reminiscing on the past." Isako said with a chuckle. "Why don't you set the rice cooker to start and come over here? I'll show you what to do.
Sadayo did just that, and shortly after, her mother began explaining the process to her. As Sadayo listened, she was able to recognize many of the things to what Akira had shown her before, though it seems that there were some differences and her mother wasn't as flashy as Akira was about the whole thing. Soon enough, they have curry cooking in a pot. Sadayo's hand twitched when the pot bubbled a bit, but her mother was keeping an eye on it, so there were no complications.
"I noticed you have a couple of beer cans in the fridge. Why don't you grab us a pair to enjoy? This should be almost ready."
"I already had one, so I'll just get some water." Sadayo remarked, instantly wary. Her mother's smiles throughout her visits were starting to become suspicious. She got her mother a can and picked up a glass full of water to pre-empt any temptation.
"Come now, it's been years since we had some girl talk," Isako happy opened her can and took a swig.
"Don't remind me..." A blush became very prominent on Sadayo's cheeks. "I still can't believe I told you all that stuff about me and Kazuya..."
"Well, you're always so quiet about your love life. I probably wouldn't had known that you two broke up if it wasn't for us drinking during your graduation celebration. You tend to be more honest when you do." Isako looked pensive if not a bit embarrassed. "Though I did end up learning a bit more than I intended—"
"W-we are not bringing that up again! Can we please change the subject?" Sadayo quickly interjected, going from blush to full-on flustered. This was not helped by her mother's giggling. To regain composure, Sadayo walked to the fridge and refilled her glass.
"Very well," her mother replied, keeping her eyes on the curry.
Sadayo sighed in audible relief before raising her glass to her lips.
"Why don't you tell me about this new guy you've been seeing?" Isako bluntly asked.
Sadayo almost choked on her water as she began coughing after doing a spit-take. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
"You don't have to play innocent around me; you're a grown woman, after all. And I may have been gone for some time, but I'm still your mother." The smug look on Isako's face definitely spoke volumes of her confidence. "I mean, you don't need to explain to me how your delicates ended up discarded out in the living room. I just hope that you cleaned up afterwards."
"That's not — I mean—" Sadayo's was on the fritz, at a loss for words. She wasn't sure what would be worse — explaining her maid job to her mother, or having to admit that she hadn't had that kind of interaction with anyone in years.
"Then there's the fact that you seem to be showing interest in cooking again after so long," Isako continued on. "I remember back when you were in high school and said that you were going to prepare a lunch to that senior classmate of yours and confess to him. I tried to give you some help, but you were so stubborn and determined saying, 'As long as I put my heart into this dish, then I'm sure my feelings will get through him!'" She gave her daughter an expecting smirk. "And how did that turn out?"
"He ended up getting sick from the food and didn't want to talk to me anymore," Sadayo mumbled in disgruntlement as she looked away out of embarrassment.
Isako couldn't help herself from laughing as she remembered the past events. "You were so sure that your life was over and refrained from cooking anything afterwards that wasn't instant stuff."
"I was young and impulsive back then. Of course I'd say something like that." Sadayo pouted. "But now it's different. What if I've actually taken a liking to cooking? I mean, it's been a couple of years after all."
"Sadayo, I looked at your groceries. Although the curry is a pre-made paste, it still needed some considerable preparation," her mother gestured to the remnants of potato skin on the chopping board. "Otherwise, everything other than it was instant."
"I-I've just been really busy, so I tend to rely on things that are quick." Despite the claim of her having a boyfriend was incorrect, Sadayo couldn't look at her mother directly as she continued to stack up the evidence.
"And don't think I didn't notice the flowers in your room. Considering how healthy they look, they must be recent. Let me guess, he got them for you when you were in the hospital." Isako's smile softened as she said this. "He must really know you if he got you dahlias. Not only that, but something tells me that it's because of him that we are talking again."
"Mom..."
Isako's expression went sullen. She set the stove on low, closed the lid of the pot, then went searching for plates in the cabinets. "I know you were devastated after everything that had happened with that student of yours. I tried to help as much as I could but eventually you wouldn't let me in anymore. I wanted to be there for you, but I also wanted to give you your space to mourn and focus on your work. I tried to stay in contact, but I didn't want to push too much and cause you to try and cut off all ties."
Unable to speak, Sadayo tightly grasped her glass. She placed it down on the kitchen tiles for fear of breaking it.
"There were many times that a part of me wanted nothing more than to just say "screw it" to letting you be independent and sit you down just to get you to tell me everything, but I didn't because I was afraid of you reacting badly to it. But when I got the call that you'd been taken to the hospital, I panicked," her mother's voice shook. "I just was so afraid of losing you like Masaru. I prepared myself; I was more than ready to break down the door and get you to explain to me why you ended up in the hospital. But when I finally arrived and got to see you, you actually responded back." Amidst her sad expression a snicker managed to escape Isako's lips. "You still tried to flee the moment you saw me — don't think I didn't see you toppling down on the ground. But you didn't shut me out. Despite how much of a mess your apartment was, and you invited me in, and you let me come back."
Sadayo kept her watery gaze on her empty glass, trying her hardest to not break down and apologize to her mother for everything. She knew her mother would be sad to have her only daughter push her away, but she just couldn't muster the courage to face her again.
"I can understand if you wish to keep your love life private. If you don't want to talk to me about him then that's fine. Or her, that seems to be becoming much more common these days," Isako interjected without much thought before walking towards Sadayo and placing her over her hand over her shoulder. "But I want them to know that I'm truly grateful to them. For being there for you when I wasn't, and for giving me my daughter back."
Misunderstanding or not, Sadayo couldn't disagree with her mother's statement. Ever since Akira had become a part of her life he had always been determined to be there for her. He helped build an alibi to pacify or distract Ms. Chouno. He made her at ease in her detestable job as a maid.. He stood out and took the students' eyes off her despite how much difficult it would be for him with more suspicion his way. He ran to her side as soon as he heard of her admission to the hospital, even asking favors from Dr. Takemi to help her. And of course, there was how he stood up to the Takases to protect her.
Akira never hesitated to be there for her. Even when she would try her darndest to push him away, he would show that stubborn side of his and find a way to help her. He accepted her, despite all her failings as a person.
"Yeah, so am I..."
Despite the misunderstanding that might occur, Sadayo couldn't stop the words that came out of her lips. They were her honest feelings, and no matter what would happen from here on out, she would always be grateful to have met him and have him in her life. At that moment though, a thought came into her mind. 'Stubborn… That's right. He's a stubborn brat that doesn't know when to give up on people, no matter how many times you tell him not to. So why did he leave so easily after the Takases showed up at school. He'd usually argue with me for stopping him...'
"Don't worry about it, okay? I'll make sure that it doesn't become an inconvenience to you."
'Normally he would have argued with me about him wanting to help, but he just stopped and left. That doesn't seem like him unless…' Sadayo was once again reminded about how drastic a change the Takases seemed to suffer. How calm Akira seemed about the whole ordeal when she told him the news…
Almost as if he knew it already.
'Did he… do something about the Takases?'
So yeah, As I was working on on the chapter, and as I was going through it I realized that there were things that I had to resolve and by the time I got most of them done I found myself having made a chapter already. Hopefully this won't upset people and I do hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks again to SomebodyLost for all their help. As their assistance has been allowing me to keep these chapters going at a pace of sorts.
Thanks also goes to Chessicfayth who has been helping me fix up the early chapters. The prologue and both Chapter 1 & 2 have been updated as we speak and the rest will follow as we continue.
One final note and one I should have done much sooner is that I had asked a friend to do a commission of the scene from chapter 9. You can find the art on his deviant account as Holydous.
Thank you for enjoying my story and hope to see you in the next one.
