I'm sure you've all waited long enough. Enjoy...

Characters don't belong to me, but to Persona 5 of Atlus.


Chapter 19

'A date… as in, the both of us going outside... together...'

A subtle sound was on the edges of her perception, but Sadayo was too preoccupied, lost in her thoughts.

'What is he thinking?! If we did that, then someone could recognize us! A student, or worse, another teacher!'

The noise was nearer, impatient sounding, yet it flew over her head.

'We could get caught, I could lose my job, we could be arrested, he could be gone and it's all because of my stupid decision and—'

Suddenly, a loud meow blasted her ears and concentration. Sadayo startled, reeled back to Earth.

She was at Leblanc, preoccupied with folding laundry. The constant source of the noises was Morgana. Looking down, Sadayo realized how tightly she was gripping the… shirt? Probably the reason why Morgana was trying to get her attention. She quickly loosened her grip, relieved to see that she hadn't damaged it before she folded it and placed it to the side.

Morgana meowed a few more times before going to the work bench and grabbing the pen. Sadayo quickly figured out what he wanted and dug a notepad from her bag and placed it by Mona.

[Is something the matter Ms. Kawakami?]

Sadayo smiled at the messy — but improving — penmanship, shaking her head. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind." She went back to folding.

After the number of times that she had done the laundry for Akira, she had become used to the weird assortment of clothing. Ever since Sadayo discovered that studded top in the laundromat, she had prepared herself for the worst. But to her surprise — aside from the occasional baffling undies with the flag of Japan on the crotch to gaudy gold shirts that Akira informed her were 'armor' — they weren't all that bad. This load in particular; while it still had its silly selections like the red jacket with a design of a pyramid on its back and a vest with skull patterns, it also had a very traditional-looking blue royal haori. It actually reminded her of the kind that she would see in historical exhibitions back at home, though she couldn't recognize the family crest on it. But the thing that caught her eye the most was the yellow shawl.

It seemed crocheted with a pyramid-like pattern. Sadayo found it very pretty, and didn't realize that she had been running her hands over it for several minutes until a light meow struck her attention again.

Mona tapped the notepad. [If you want it, I'm sure Joker would be more than willing to give it to you.]

"N-no no, it's fine! I could always just go buy one if I wanted. And besides, I'm sure it wouldn't look good on me." Sadayo swiftly folded the pretty shawl and shoved it under a pile. Her eyes focused momentarily to the word Joker. It was the name Akira apparently went by when he did his thieving, and she admitted that seeing him being referred to as such by his talking cat added an extra layer of surrealness.

[It's fine. We sell them most of the time anyway. And the person we sell it to doesn't give us much for it, so I'm sure it won't be missed.] At her open doubt, Mona added, [Plus, we're still good on our finances, so it's not a big deal.]

"What do you mean you're good financially?" Sadayo asked with interest, remembering how Akira was always able to throw money just to request her.

[We are thieves. We have ways of making money.]

"Please don't tell me that you're actually stealing from people," Sadayo slumped with a worried sigh at the surprisingly cocky cat. She recalled the commonly-held assumption that pets and their owners tend to end up alike in some form.

[Don't worry, technically we aren't stealing. We just]

Mona then stopped, obviously pondering something. He continued on a new area of the page.

[Actually, I think you should ask Joker. I'd probably end up using the whole notepad otherwise.]

Sadayo was concerned at Morgana's statement considering there was still more than half of the notepad left unused. She began to understand why Akira had placed a limitation to her questions.

"Where is Akira anyway?" she asked instead. "Actually, if you don't mind, what does he usually do at night?"

Morgana began writing once more. [Many things. But right now, playing shogi.]

"Huh, shogi? Didn't realize he was the type, especially when you consider his personality and the etiquette involved with it," Sadayo remarked in shock, only for something to hit her. "Wait, is he actually playing, or is this some sort of Phantom Thief thing?"

[Both.]

"How...?" Sadayo raised her brow in disbelief. The concept of a board game helping her boyfriend in his thieving was a bit ridiculous, but so was communicating with a talking magical cat.

[Let's just say that... the person he plays with can be very intense and vivid. It's good combat simulation training to help him coordinate things.] Mona made one of those snicker-like sounds, shoulders shaking. [Though he always loses.]

"Let me guess. He's a sore loser and he hates to surrender," Sadayo giggled. "It's why I was surprised to hear about him playing."

[It's also why I'm sitting this one out. He says I'm either an unfair advantage at best, and an unnecessary distraction at worst. Can you believe that?] Mona huffed.

"And yet he still takes you to school with him," Sadayo was quick to point out.

[That's different! It's more convenient if the group meets up after school. And besides, Lady Ann is there!]

"'Lady Ann?' Do you mean Takamaki-chan?" Sadayo blinked, confused. Especially since Mona made an effort to write 'Lady Ann' neatly.

Purring and meowing happily, it was obvious that it was Mona's turn to daydream. Whatever those are, she probably wasn't going to find out today. But there was something else on her mind, and she was willing to keep her thoughts busy rather than go back to worrying about the date.

"Anyway, going back to what you mentioned about him doing shogi because it helps with your Phantom Thief stuff? Are those other jobs — hey, Mona!"

Morgana quickly snapped out of his haze, turning to Sadayo with a clear question on his furry face.

Sadayo just sighed and continued, "Like the stuff with that politician, Yoshida-san, then Takemi's clinic, and the flower shop. Are all those related to the Phantom Thieves?" Sadayo crossed her arms pensively, doing her best to remember all the other weird jobs she remembered Akira mentioning; she should sit him down and ask him to show her a complete list of his suspicious employers. "I can guess that Iwai's stuff is also related. It would explain the model guns and the other props. I'm guessing you use them to scare off people? They do look real after all."

[The flower shop doesn't have anything to do with our job as Phantom Thieves. Originally he went there to get some extra cash, but at this point he says he finds it relaxing. One time he worked at a convenience store because he wanted to do something that reminded him of his home. He used to work at a beef bowl shop, but we haven't gone over there in a while. Then of course there's job with the Chief.]

"The chief?"

[Sojiro Sakura]

"Oh, you mean his work downstairs," Sadayo cheerfully responded, fetching a pair of recognizable plaid pants from the pile. "He seems to have really taken a shine to it."

Mona nodded. [He and the Chief have been getting along quite well lately. Aside from Joker's help in the cafe, I think that not having to hide Futaba anymore has helped them bond.]

"Does he know about what you guys do? I mean you went to help his daughter after all."

[He doesn't. If he knew, it would mean he's willingly harboring a fugitive. Joker would rather avoid causing any trouble for the Chief if he can avoid it. Besides, even with good intentions, we stole his daughter's heart. Joker's worried about how the Chief would take it if he ever found out.]

"He really cares about how Sakura-san thinks of him, doesn't he?" Sadayo thought back to one of their nights together, and how pleased Akira was when one of his created brews was finally added by Sakura-san on the menu, even if it was temporary.

[They may push each other's buttons at times, but Joker is more than grateful to the Chief for taking him in. He was the most determined to help Futaba when we found out what was going on.]

"A meddler 'til the end," Sadayo smiled. Her admiration for Akira's desire to help others grew even fonder... even if it gets him into trouble sometimes.

[But back to the question at hand. Joker usually meets up with people that help us with our phantom thieving, though a few of them don't know it.]

Sadayo thought back to the number of individuals she found to be connected to Akira, wondering how many and which are aware of his double life. Though without direct confirmation, it was useless to guess. Besides, she was done with the laundry; time for a break. She pushed the neat piles of clothes further into the bed and turned towards Morgana with a slight bow. "Anyway, thank you for taking the effort to explain all of that for me. I know Akira can handle himself, but sometimes I worry."

[You're welcome!] Morgana meowed happily. [Speaking of worried. How are you holding up?]

"Holding… up?"

[You and Joker are going on a date tomorrow aren't you?]

"H-he told you about that?" Sadayo flinched back nervously.

[Not so much told me as I overheard him.]

Sadayo sighed, turning her eyes away from Morgana. "I honestly don't know. We've talked to each other outside, but it's minor stuff like walking along the streets or running into him. We've never done anything that could be considered more intimate in public."

Dread swelled once more, like a wave threatening to crash over her. She gripped the ribbon on her chest. "What if we screw up? If we get caught, how would we—"

Loud taps and meows interrupted her spiral, prompting Sadayo to look back at her conversation partner. Catching her gaze with unnatural blue eyes, Mona only began to write when her entire attention was on him.

[Trust me, you're not the only one. The reason why I overheard Joker was because he's been looking into things. He may not show it, but he's putting a lot of thought into this — way too much thought if you ask me. Had a hard time getting his attention at times.]

Sadayo had to admit that hearing Akira was just as cautious did put her a bit at ease. It helped to know that she wasn't the only one putting a lot of thought into this. Though it didn't fully quell her worries about their date or their relationship.

[Remember, he was the idiot that decided to confess to you. He is fully aware of how serious things are.]

Mona then dropped the pen, moving his jaw like he was moving… stretching it?

'Having to write all of that must have been very tiring for him.' Sadayo thought, deciding to place her hands under his chin. He hesitated at first, but after a few scratches and squeezes he was more than happy to comply as he began to purr.

Sadayo giggled at the glazed cat, happy that he was enjoying the massage. She was grateful to him for keeping her company, cooperating to answer her questions, and attempting to cheer her. It had taken her a bit of adjusting after finding out that he can talk, but in the end, she was a cat person, and Mona still acted like a cat despite his intelligence. If he complained, she'd stop, but for now, Sadayo let her desire to treat him overwrite her awkwardness of knowing the truth about him.

'He may talk big, but when all is said, I just can't help but look at him like a special cat.'

"Thank you Mona."

She chuckled at the responding meow, figuring it was a simple "you're welcome". The cat slumped on the mattress, bonelessly pleased.

Sadayo took the pad, staring at the jagged scribbles. She was both amused and grateful for his last message and knew that he meant well, but…

Her fingers went to the leather jacket on top of the nearest pile, reminding her of Takemi and what the doctor had asked her. Yes, Akira was the one that confessed and stubbornly went after her...

"But in the end, I'm the crazy one that accepted his feelings..."


"Come forth my golden phoenix! Decimate my enemies into ashes and show the error of their folly!"

With a triumphant shout, fingers swiftly slammed a wooden piece on the battlefield. The deathknell echoed and rang through the heavens, an end to an arduous struggle.

"...And check! Thank you so much for playing."

Akira merely blinked, inwardly marvelling again at the transformation of Her Imperial Resplendent Majesty Queen Togo back to polite high schooler; she'd probably make a good Phantom Thief with her dual personality. But he didn't say that and instead numbly stared back at his side of the board.

Zero pieces left. Another loss to the current tally of zero-to-ten. Maybe Hifumi's habit has grown on him, but he could easily imagine a giant burnt crater where his forces last stood.

"Umm… If I may ask, is everything alright?" the previously-ferocious opponent asked, now concerned for her former enemy.

Akira chuckled dishearteningly. "I'm fine. Honestly, I just can't keep up with you tonight."

"I'll say. I've never seen you play so sloppily," Hifumi placed a hand on her chin, halfway back to being an imposing queen. "You constantly misplayed and lost unnecessary pieces. You left yourself wide open on several occasions, and we ended up having several short games when usually we do two decent ones. There were times where I purposely did risky maneuvers and you never capitalized on those instances. I would say you play like a novice, but honestly I feel you played worse than our first match."

"Kick a man while he's down, will ya?" Akira scratched the back of his head, still reeling from the rapid heavy blows to his ego.

"O-oh! I'm sorry," Hifumi said, wide-eyed.

"It's fine…" Akira shrugged. "It's probably for the best that you're honest with me. I won't learn otherwise."

"I just meant to say that your plays are more different than normal," Hifumi clarified, furrowing her brows in displeasure. "Though your habit of playing until the end continues to be a problem."

"I just don't like the concept of giving up without a fight," Akira responded, careful not to direct his frustration to her; she didn't know he was projecting life-and-death battles to their games, after all. "I'd rather die standing up than lie down and take it."

"While that's an admirable stance, things are different here." Hifumi pointed to the pieces in her possession. "Many of your soldiers died because of your inability to accept defeat. While I understand that sort of drive when you are able to retaliate and grasp victory, there are times where the forces against you are too big to face off. In those instances, you as the ruler must make the choice to reduce the casualty of your followers. Please consider that the next time we play a match."

"I guess that's only fair," Akira sighed, begrudgingly accepting his shogi master's advice. He placed his hands on his knees and bowed from his seat. "I apologize for my failure to provide an appropriate challenge tonight."

"That's fine," Hifumi nodded, accepting his antics of formality. Despite her critique, she seemed surprisingly pleased. "And… I feel like I really got to play a match against the real you."

"The real me?" Akira blinked.

"How do I say this..." Hifumi pondered. "When we first played, your behavior was polite, but your plays were rigid and full of uncertainties. Now, you're more… crude? Not to mention all the mistakes you made."

"Yes, yes. I get it, I sucked today," Akira slumped.

Hifumi giggled, then continued. "But despite those mistakes, you had little hesitation in your actions. Not to mention, your plays are quite unorthodox; if you fully thought things through, you could've capitalized on their unpredictability." She studied the board, most likely inspired by new ideas for plays and maneuvers. "In other words, if you were more focused, I think it would had gone differently."

"That's kind of you to say, but I don't think I'm close to beating you," Akira chuckled. "My thoughts have just been preoccupied with something I've been planning for recently. When you messaged me for a game I had hoped that it'll let me clear my thoughts a bit, but it seems I've only let my men suffer. Sorry about that."

Hifumi smiled. "Don't be. I myself go to shogi whenever I feel lost or confused, so I can't blame you for trying that." She then clapped her hands in excitement. "I know! There is this old secondhand bookstore that I go to. Maybe playing can't help, but I remembered that there are books about shogi that might work as distractions, plus they can assist and add more finesse to your moves."

"Sure, but we shouldn't stay too long."

"Oh, are you not permitted to stay up late?" Hifumi asked, curious.

"Nothing like that. I just have a busy day tomorrow." Akira placed his hand in his pockets, feeling the slips of paper that he had recently acquired.

'And someone who's waiting for me back home.'


"Shoot, I'm late! I'm so late! Why did it have to rain so badly today?!" Sadayo cursed her luck as she ran from the crowded Ueno station through the pouring rain, umbrella in hand, wondering if Akira was still waiting for her.

When Akira had come back to Leblanc the night before, he brought up the idea of going to a museum for their first date and handed her a ticket for a light exhibit that can only be seen at night. During that time, the lights were supposed to be dimmed, so they wouldn't have to worry so much about the crowds.

Akira was so certain and carefree that Sadayo had started to doubt Morgana's claims. If Akira was indeed worried, he was darn good at hiding it, which admittedly frustrated her. But he did seem to have a plan, so she decided to go along with it.

Sadly, things already had begun rocky as she arrived thirty minutes late. Not because of the pouring rain, though it didn't help, but because... she was stuck debating what she wanted to wear.

Sadayo had stood in front of the wardrobe after her shower. As she examined her options, a word kept humming over and over in her head. Date...

This was their first date, her first proper date in years. A part of her was excited at the prospect, curious about what Akira had planned for them. But most of her was filled with panic and doubt. Having the same repeated thoughts looping in her mind.

'What if he finds the stress of getting caught is too annoying for him and he decides to dump me tonight? What if—'

"Come on Sadayo, get it together!" she had slapped herself. "Akira wouldn't do that — you know he wouldn't! Things will be fine! It's not like you've never dated before, probably way more than he had… right? I mean, he's still young, he probably doesn't have that many girls to compare you to… Other than Takamaki-chan, Niijima-san, Takemi..."

Doing her best to stop her thoughts from digging herself deeper, Sadayo tried hard to recollect on her past experiences to remember what she used to do when she was younger. Mixers had been her hope of meeting someone, where she tried dressing up to catch guys' attention but ended fumbling it on many occasions. Searching in her wardrobe, she saw the blue cocktail dress she used to wear and pulled it out. Paired with jewelry that she had unfortunately sold off, it had been her instant attention-grabber, but now she was embarrassed at how body-conscious it was, especially with the risky slit on the side.

"I can't believe I used to wear something like this. I was definitely bold back then," Sadayo had sighed, lifting the dress in front of her and looked at the mirror. "Would it even fit me now?" A warm streak suddenly bloomed on her cheeks before she jerked the dress away. "N-not that I was thinking of wearing this for tonight. It's probably too much for me to wear something like this in a museum, and if Akira saw me…"

Her mind had gone to her boyfriend while her arm slowly brought the dress back in front of her. "Knowing him, he'd probably compliment me with that ever-confident and sure smile of his. Even if I refused and disagreed, he'd more than likely try to do something to show he wasn't joking. Something like… something like…" Her face turned full red as she swallowed her words. "Yeah… way too soon for this."

Sadayo had hastily put the dress back into the wardrobe. After hemming and hawing, she ended up wearing her usual yellow shirt and denim jeans with her blazer being the only real change, and even that wasn't all that different from what she wore at school.

By the time she finally reached the station she had made a mad dash, worrying about how long Akira must've been waiting outside in this weather. But at the entrance of the museum, she saw no signs of her boyfriend anywhere. In that moment, her phone began to vibrate.

[A]: I'm already inside because of the rain
[A]: Go on in, we'll meet there. When you see me, act like you weren't expecting me.

Sadayo could just hear the cockiness from his message. She sighed, both from relief and disbelief at how calm he was about the whole thing. Putting her phone away, Sadayo squared her sight to the museum entrance, butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

'What in the world could he be thinking?' Sadayo questioned. With a deep breath, she went inside the Ueno Metropolitan Art Museum.

The main room of the museum was an open area from where she could see many branching floors housing all sorts of exhibit. She had come here a couple of times before, but the museum always rotated exhibits every few months, so she didn't recognize any of the current artworks. It was all very pretty, but Sadayo's interest was for something else.

'Now that I think about it, he didn't specify where exactly we were supposed to meet—'

"Sensei? Is that you?"

Sadayo flinched before turning back, certain of who it was. Considering all the times he'd snuck up on her, she was starting to get used to it, though she wasn't ready to see that as a good thing.

And sure enough, there was Akira. His wardrobe was thankfully just as casual as hers, wearing the same set up he'd worn during their fishing encounter and his hospital visit. Sadayo expected him to sport his standard confident smile, but instead it was the same expression he had when he saved her from Ms. Chouno all those months ago. A small hint of a smirk did slipped out from Akira when he noticed her pout. "I didn't expect to see you outside of school, sensei. What brings you here?"

'So that was what he had In mind.' Sadayo realized with a raised brow. 'Seems a bit elaborate, but he is the guy who's avoided the police so far.' She waved the ticket still in her hand, marked at the entrance. Unless someone studied it, no one would know that her ticket number has a one-number difference from Akira's and was purchased at the same time as his. "There is this light exhibit that they're doing here and can only be seen at night. It sounded interesting and I found myself with some free time, so I decided to take a look."

"Same here. A friend of mine told me that it's actually quite breathtaking." Akira revealed his own ticket, acting like this wasn't planned. "Though the show isn't for another couple of hours."

"Is that so? Guess I'll see you at the exhibit. Enjoy your visit," Sadayo replied with an impish smile before walking away.

"W-wait!"

Doing her best not to break out into chuckles at Akira's fumbling cockiness, Sadayo turned back to him with an unsure expression. "Is there something you need, Kurusu-kun?"

"Well, you see… the thing is..."

While Akira tried to come up with a reason for them to spend time together, Sadayo could finally see the nervousness underneath his shattered veneer of confidence. 'I guess what Mona said was true after all,' she thought to herself, relieved than she should be about this.

Suddenly, Akira lit up. "Well, I heard that they have a special exhibit tonight concerning history and stories. You said you had some free time, so if it's okay with you, I would like to hear your thoughts on them."

"I'm surprised you're interested in hearing what someone like me would think."

"I really am. The way you view the story of the bamboo cutter was really eye-opening. It really caught my attention," Akira frankly said.

"R-really?" The surprised words tumbled from Sadayo's lips. She could tell that her boyfriend was genuinely speaking as an interested student, and she tried her best not to blush, though unsuccessful. "I'm really not that good."

She could have easily taken his offer after he asked her to accompany her, but after all the stress she had been dealing with the school and volleyball teams and now getting stuck in this little roleplay session, Sadayo couldn't help but fish for compliments.

"I disagree," Akira shook his head. "I really enjoy your classes. You do a really good job of teaching the subject in a relatable manner. It makes class more interesting." Something about his smile was different to the one he had earlier; it felt gentler, warmer, more genuine.

"Flatterer," Sadayo mumbled to herself.

Akira snickered without losing his warmth.

Sadayo rolled her eyes, sighing despite her smile. "Fine, I guess it's very admirable that you wish to continue learning even during summer. So who am I as your teacher to impede that drive?" She straightened, clearing her throat as if to get into her role. It was a strange feeling; for many years she had gotten used to play the role of Becky the maid, but for tonight, she had to play the role of Sadayo the teacher. "Okay, consider this an extracurricular lesson to enhance your education. You are my responsibility after all."

"I look forward to it," Akira nodded before walking beside her. His voice lowered to a whisper, "But really... did you have to string me along like that?"

"Hey, it had to be believable after all," Sadayo remarked airily, doing her best not to laugh.

Akira snorted before he sobered. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm... actually feeling okay right now." Silly roleplaying aside, it and Akira's compliments surprisingly had done the job. She turned to Akira with a beam. "Lead the way!"

For a while, they wandered the first floor of the museum. Akira made sure to use his Third Eye to check for recognizable individuals — something he prepared for by memorizing the student yearbook. There was a small dilemma about collecting info on the first years and the faculty that wouldn't show on the yearbook, but he figured it out with the help of Makoto.

Not surprising from the daughter of a detective, she had seemed suspicious about why he was looking for those info. Thankfully he was able to rationalize it as "just in case any Mementos request involving Shujin occurs during the summer".

It was hard work and a lot of late night reviewing and quadruple checking that Mona had teased him that he put more effort in this than exams, but right here, right now, it was all worth it. Akira smiled at his girlfriend, having some difficulty to peel his eyes from her to check their surroundings.

Sadayo was so full of life, bouncing from topic to topic. At first, he only asked her simple questions at her behest, but as they progressed deeper into the museum, the light in Sadayo's eyes become brighter and brighter.

Akira was relieved to see Sadayo enjoying herself, especially with how scared she was when they talked about the app. Tonight, slowly confidence graced her, and with each new subject, her lessons became more lively, more filled with little factoids as she lost herself into the topic. For his part, Akira watched and listened, injecting teasing between reflective comments, generally content to let Sadayo swirl with enthusiastic energy.

He could definitely say that the role of a teacher suited her perfectly.

It was something that he had noticed about her for some time now. Especially during those nights he'd request her simply to let her relax when she was still officially working as a maid. Sometimes he'd be doing some homework involving a particular story while she worked on folding the laundry. She had originally told him that he can't ask her any questions, but one time, he had been thinking out loud to himself and Sadayo perked with interest. Soon enough she was talking about her thoughts on the story and how she was really caught up in the character's struggles and how they represented certain stages of youth. Of course like clockwork, as soon as she realized what she had done, she'd self-deprecate herself for how old she was and how she messed up again by discussing things with him.

It was sporadic, but it was another side of Sadayo he enjoying seeing, and one of the reasons why he'd picked the museum. But there was one more reason, and if he wanted them to enjoy their time before the light exhibit, he needed to act now.

"Strange as it may seem, stories about interspecies marriage are actually quite common in our past," Sadayo was saying, "but unlike similar stories in the west, where the creature that was originally human or vice versa tend to be turned back by the start of the relationship, ours tend to have the two get married and be together for a long time. The creature would be transformed or disguising themselves into a human, usually a female, and sometimes even have kids." Sadayo crossed her arms, deep in her speculations. "When you think about it, it's no wonder we have stuff like girls with cat or fox ears. Many of those stories end with the lovers separating when the nonhuman's identity is found out, but in the modern era, I can see many of those stories ending differently."

'She's talking about romance again,' Akira thought to himself with a chuckle.

Another thing that he'd begun to notice is how much she enjoyed talking about romance. Whenever a topic strayed towards romance, her eyes would light up while her voice would become slightly dreamy — a hopeless romantic, most likely. Not that he wasn't any different himself. Part of him was tempted to ask if she had read any books by Airi Himura, but he decided to leave that topic for another time.

"Sensei," Akira spoke up when Sadayo began muttering under her breath.

Sadayo paused, realizing that she had been rambling, nearly discussing the gender differences of marriage proposals to a highschooler. Her cheeks reddened. "O-oh, sorry, I guess I kind of went a little overboard there. I'm sure you're not really interested in hearing about stuff like that."

"It's nothing like that. You're very cute when you get all caught up like that." Akira knew he didn't have to drop the cute line there, but he couldn't help but enjoy her flustered. Unfortunately he needed to cut her entertaining stutters and protests short. "There is one exhibit I want to hear your thoughts on. If you don't mind following me?"

With Sadayo's curious nod, Akira led the way. To get to the elevator, they had to cut through the amateur section, where the works of talented beginners, mostly students, were displayed. The highlight of the museum was in the 4th floor, but Akira's goal was on the 3rd floor.

"Oh, wow… look at that one."

Akira turned just in time to see Sadayo dart to a corner of the room. While he wanted to get to the other exhibit, he was curious at what had drawn Sadayo's attention. When he saw it, he couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend's amazement.

"This one is really crazy, like the colors are exploding and pops out to you. It's kind of... scary, but also beautiful." Sadayo went to the painting's plaque for information. "Desire and Hope… by Yusuke Kitagawa?" She whipped towards Akira, shocked. "Wait, isn't that—"

Akira chuckled at the expression on his girlfriend's face. "Yep. Recently he won a contest. He refused the reward, but he was more than willing to have his work get displayed. I actually forgot it was going to be here."

"Wait," Sadayo realized, "if his painting is here, doesn't that mean he would also—"

"It's fine," Akira cut off her impending panic, "I talked to him a few days back and he said he was going to the park to search for some inspiration. Knowing him, we should be safe."

"If you say so…" Sadayo exhaled, still a bit nervous, but willing to take Akira's word for it. "But then why would he refuse the offer? Was the deal not good? Was something sketchy about it?" she asked in worry and disbelief. The years of having to penny-pinch to make ends meet made her incredulous at the prospect of refusing money for no reason.

"Nothing like that," Akira replied, amused. "While the one in charge of the contest had us going for a while, he was genuine enough." Akira turned towards the painting, reflecting on what he, Yusuke, and Mr. Kawanabe had talked about a week ago. "Yusuke didn't want himself to be tainted by desire. He said he didn't need that because he has his hope."

"What do you mean…?"

"This piece is Yusuke's interpretation of humanity." Akira sighed. Solemn, he clenched a fist. "It's hard to explain, but we constantly see the worst of people when we go to the Metaverse. Individuals who have forsaken others for their own selfish gains, the willingness to trample the weak for their petty reasons. How little they care for people's well-being. All tainted visages of one's desire..."

The dark expression on his face reminded Sadayo of how Ryuji looked like when he talked to her and oh-so easily confirmed to her that he was also a Phantom Thief. But unlike Ryuji's serious expression, Akira's was much more intense, rage-filled. Whatever it was that her students had gotten involved in, she figured that it was taxing in more ways than one. Something that she still didn't fully grasp, and part of her feared she never truly would, no matter how much Akira told her.

Sadayo's hand began to reach out to him, yet easily retracted as she began to worry about someone seeing them. But her boyfriend was staring hard at the painting, brows furrowed in frustration and pain, and she was reminded of how despite everything, he always reached out to her, even when she pushed him back.

Remembering the promise she had made to him, she pushed those fears as she placed her hands over his.

Akira startled, then looked down. Though her smile betrayed how nervous she was, her touch was warm on his fist.

She gave him a firm but gentle squeeze. "Hey, it's okay."

It wasn't safe, but Akira let her open his hand, her comfort melting his frustration away. Still, he checked the room with his Third Eye, just to be sure. His hand squeezed back, thumbing her hand gently.

"Be that as it may," he continued, "one of the things that we have to remember is that desire itself isn't inherently bad. After all, desire is what allows us to find the motivation to continue on living. Eat, sleep… falling in love."

Heart skipping, Sadayo could feel warmth envelop her whole self at the gentle look he sent her way.

"When Yusuke is talking about hope, he's talking about those close to us. We know that no matter what, we have each other's backs. If one of us ever falls, we will help them get back on their feet. As he put it himself, 'If I stray away they will scold me and help me get back on track. I know I can do my best because I know I'm not alone.' And that includes you as well."

Sadayo was left speechless.

"You're my hope," Akira smiled, holding her hand tightly. "Knowing that I have you to come home to motivates me even more to make sure that I make it back. You've already been there for me when I needed someone to stand up for me and you've helped me realize things that I hadn't before. So I want to be your hope as well."

"Kurusu-kun..." Sadayo could feel her cheeks burn bright red and pulled her hand away, unable to look at him directly anymore. But she did shuffle closer, hoping to hide her colored cheeks from the crowd. 'Where did he learn to talk like that. Be my hope… doesn't he know he already is?

She didn't have to turn to Akira to know that he was sporting that darn smile of his. She wasn't as bold as he is, so all she did was nod. `You're more than just my hope…'

Akira hid his hands in his pockets, happy to see his girlfriend happy. He'd do more than words if it wasn't for the venue. He took one last glance at his friend's painting before inclining his head towards their original destination. "Come on. We still have a lot to see before the light display."

"Sure..." Sadayo replied, doing her best to regain her composure as she followed Akira.

The elevator was more stressful than it should have been. Crammed between other museum visitors, to be so close in a tiny space made the couple more self-conscious than ever. As they exited at the 3rd floor with red faces, they both agreed to take the stairs for the rest of the night. Akira seemed determined to show her something, which had Sadayo a bit suspicious, regretting at not looking at the itinerary in advance.

Then they reached a pathway with arching fake cherry blossom trees, a green carpet beginning from underneath it. Akira turned towards her and nudged his head to the entrance.

"We're here."

Sadayo raised her brows at the title on the stand banner. "Love Stories of Old Japan...?"

"Your eyes always light up when you talk about stories involving love and romance, so I figured you'd appreciate this exhibit. I know you probably know most of these, and I've read a few myself, but with all that you've been dealing with I figured you'd like something a bit more uplifting."

Knowing Akira, Sadayo was certain that he was expecting her to be surprised and moved by his gesture. And to his credit she was. One of her talks with her mother was about her daughter's love for such things, citing them to be a bit childish and how Sadayo's previous relationships would rather do something else than join her in one of her viewings or discussions.

And yet here was Akira, putting the effort to share her interest. With her crappy week of coaching the volleyball team and her worries about their relationship, she was grateful for the lengths he went to cheer her up. Still, knowing what she knew, Sadayo could only stare at her boyfriend.

"Is everything okay?" Akira blinked in confusion.

"Yeah, everything's fine, but..." Sadayo hesitated, wondering what was the best way to break the news before letting out a sigh. "Kurusu-kun, which stories have you read exactly...?"

"Well, I read a few compilations that my mother had on her for—"

"No, I mean like, modern or classic renditions?" Sadayo interjected.

Akira just stood there blinking, unsure how to answer. "Is… there a difference?"

"Oh geez…" Sadayo exhaled, signaling Akira to follow her in. "It's probably best that I show you."


Halfway through the surprisingly long exhibit, Akira and Sadayo found themselves taking a breather on one of the benches. Drained and confused, Akira sagged on the metal seat, perplexed and somewhat irked by his girlfriend's amusement.

"Well…" Akira exhaled, staring at the floor, still trying to process the impromptu awakening, "that was..."

"Depressing? Dark? Morbid?" Sadayo finished, doing her best not to laugh.

"I mean, monstrous wives, tragic partings, painful deaths… Are you sure these are love stories?"

Sadayo gave in to her impulse; her laughter rang in the half-empty room, turning some heads, but it felt too good as a stress-release. Eventually she managed to say, "Despite the topic at hand, tragedy was the most common method of telling a story back then. Whether it was to teach people a lesson, warn them about danger, or to just touch their hearts, pain and suffering tend to be the easiest way to reach people, and that goes for even love stories back then. It was only until later on that happy endings began to become more popular."

Perplexed, Akira raised his head towards her. "You're enjoying this more than I thought you would, especially after finding out what the exhibit was actually about." His raised brows furrowed. "Please don't tell me you're a tragedy nut."

"Hey!" Sadayo blushed and huffed, not really offended. "I'll have you know that I thoroughly enjoy and prefer the modern, happier iterations of these stories, thank you very much." She leaned back on her seat, stretching her legs. "I know all too well how life can feel very bleak and lonely. It's a bit childish and silly, but I really like it when things turn out well for the characters, because when I was on my own, those happy endings kept me going when things felt so impossible. They made me hope that maybe… maybe I'd find someone. Even if it was just wishful thinking" Sadayo turned to Akira before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have brought that up and—"

"Trust me, I don't think it's silly at all," Akira interjected, lacking any hint of teasing or sarcasm, placing his hand on top of hers.

Sadayo smiled, relieved that Akira didn't think her odd. "Oh, but as much as I prefer the happier stories, I still really enjoy reading their original iterations. It's kind of interesting to see how things were written back then. Though I admit I was just as shocked as you when I first found out about it."

Embarrassed, Sadayo scratched her cheek, before turning to observe the surrounding artworks. Many items of the exhibit where in mixed media, combining paintings and sculptures in different ways to show various interpretations per story; some tales even have multiple entries from the same artist.

"But as time moves forward and people change," she continued, "so does our language and stories. Words change meaning, and characters change to fit with the current viewpoint of the public. But I think it's important to never forget where we started, I like how those stories originated, because it allows us to see how they changed with society. And how we grew to be as we are today."

"Is that why you decided to be a Japanese teacher?" Akira asked, sitting up from his slump. "The way you sounded right now… you kind of feel like a history teacher."

"I will admit History was an option," Sadayo nodded. "I grew up in Kochi which has its fair share of historical locations. Particularly Kochi Castle, which I used to visit as a kid a lot. Not to mention, my dad was a history teacher."

"You said he got into debates," Akira recalled their talk from the hospital.

Sadayo smiled, pleased that he remembered that little tidbit. "Yep, about how the morals before compared to today. Part of me wanted to follow in his footsteps, but in the end, I was just too interested in our literature, especially when it comes with discussing things with students. I remember how things were during my first year in teaching… before the rumors started with Takase-kun.

Akira surreptitiously squeezed her hand on the bench.

Drawing strength, Sadayo continued, "Being able to discuss the themes of the story with my students, finding how to help them engage with it and be able to relate to the characters... I really missed that part of being a teacher." She smiled at Akira, soft but full of joy. "And it's because of you that I was finally able to make up my mind up and continue on despite the stuff I went through. You helped remind me in so many ways why I love teaching… and I'll always be grateful to you for that."

This time, it was Akira's turn to blush, speechless.

Sadayo chuckled; she always found it cute when he lost his cool and acted bashful. It ignited a small mischievous spark in her that made her want to tease him back, but she held off, still uncomfortable doing something like that in public. She stood up with a long, invigorating stretch before turning to Akira in full spirits. "Well then, are you ready to continue with the lesson?"

Akira's confident smile returned as he stood up as well. "Lead the way, sensei."

"Of course, leave it to me!" Sadayo pumped her first. She led the way, turning a corner. Then she halted.

"Hey, what's up?" Akira asked from behind.

Stunned, Sadayo's eyes focused on the photo of a familiar bridge, one she had walked past many times in her childhood. 'Right… I guess that would be here as well."

"Huh, that's quite a small bridge." Akira walked past her, perplexed at the simple photo's profound effect on his girlfriend. He read out loud the informational plate below the picture. "'The Harimaya bridge is a 20-meter-long bridge and is known to be one of Kochi's most popular sightseeing spots.' Huh, so this is from your hometown then, sensei?"

Sadayo didn't say a word as Akira continued to read.

"'It came to symbolize love because of an ill-fated affair involving a monk named Jushin and a tinker's daughter named Ouma. Despite the fact that they loved each other, their relationship was considered to be—"

"Indecent," Sadayo finished quietly. "Monks of his sect were forbidden to fall in love, but despite that, Junshin let his emotions overcome his vows of a solitary life. They tried to hide it, but eventually, rumors started to spread after witnesses saw him buying a hairpin at a shop nearby."

"Sensei…?"

Sadayo gripped her arms as she continued on, not even reading the plate. "Eventually, their relationship was found out, leading both to be banished from the village."

"Kawaka—"

"W-we should be heading out!" Sadayo burst, "The light exhibit should be starting soon."

Akira came closer, clearly worried about her, but as his hand reached out Sadayo pulled away.

"I-I'll go on ahead. I guess I'll see you there." Sadayo dashed out of there, willfully ignoring the way Akira's expression fell.

She needed to get away from him.

Sadayo ran up the stairs to the fourth floor, cursing herself the whole way for her cowardice.

'How could I have been so dumb? Some teacher I am...'

She said it herself, many of these stories were done to warn others, and this one in particular was close to her heart. She was reminded of it every time that she walked on the bridge. Every year when she had lived in Kochi, she would dance to the songs based on it during the Yosakoi festival, which would actually be going on right about now, now that she thought about it.

The songs and dances celebrate the banishing — which she always found odd — of Jushin and Ouma because they loved one another. The bridge itself appears in a lot of romance movies, prompting a sense of patriotic pride because a part of her hometown was on the screen. Back in highschool she even gushed and wondered if she would ever manage to someday show up during one of those film shoots.

But now, it had brought her crashing back to cold reality.

No matter how hard they try to hide their relationship, all it would take was one rumor, one overheard or noticed moment and it would spread like wildfire. It would bring questions, possible investigations, and it would probably end with both of them being taken away.

She knew this, experienced first hand how easy it was for rumors to spread with so little information, how much damage they could do in so little time. This was especially true at Shujin. While she never even thought about that kind of relationship with Takase-kun, it was different with Akira. There would be evidence; the teachers are all being carefully watched, he has a criminal record which has the whole school gossiping.

One small rumor was all it took to find out that they are together.

Many stories change over time, but the story of the Harimaya Bridge never did. They always fell in love, they always tried to hide it, they always get caught… and they always get punished. Sadayo clutched the lapel of her blazer close to her chest, pained at the familiar feeling she had felt not too long ago, no thanks to her troublesome student. It was the pain she had felt at the realization that she might just have to give him up.

Sadayo reached the entrance to the light exhibit and promptly handed her ticket. She quickly dove inside, trying to hide among the existing visitors and dimmed lights. Unobtrusively, she made her way to the far back of the room. A disappointed sigh escaped her as she leaned against the wall, tempted to just slump down to the floor, but decided against it.

"Hey."

Sadayo startled. From the direction she had come from, Akira was slowly walking towards her, stopping a polite distance away. He probably followed her when she bolted out, or at least, headed straight to the exhibit and found her using that "super sense" of his. Of course he'd have followed her, with the way she fled there was no way he wouldn't be worried. The warmth that swelled at this realization simultaneously pleased and sickened her, especially with the fact that he was still keeping his distance to give her some space.

"Is everything okay?"

"No, it's not okay." Sadayo lowered her head in shame, "I shouldn't have run off like that, but being reminded of that story kind of brought back a lot of fears. I'm really—"

Akira gently grabbed her hand.

'He's really good at this,' a part of Sadayo thought when she belatedly realized how close Akira had managed to get to her without any warning. The rest of her was focused on the warmth of his hand. Firm, but not tight; Sadayo felt that if she actually pulled away, he would let her.

The reassurance and freedom to withdraw made her hand shift into his. With the dim lights, she felt more than saw his palm opening as their fingers pressed against each other. His hands were bigger than hers, but just as rough, dotted with small nicks and callouses that can only be learned by mapping them thoroughly. These hands had power, capable of combat and stealing hearts, but they always treated her with gentle acceptance. His fingers let hers move slightly to the side, allowing them to interweave with his.

Sadayo knew she shouldn't be doing this. Even if the room was dimmed, someone could spot them, but as much as she could rationalize why she should break things off, she just couldn't bear to lose him.

"I'm sorry…" Akira spoke, his guilt quietly obvious. "We were probably not ready to go outside, and yet I pushed for us to do this. I should have been more considerate. I even messed up with that exhibit."

Sadayo hated to see him feel so bad, especially when it wasn't his fault. "Please don't be. You did nothing wrong. You went and put so much effort into making sure things went well, and it was. We were having a good time, but then I just panicked and second-guessed things again and ran away." She closed her eyes, tired. "I act like I want to change and make a difference, but the moment there's even a hint of things going down, I back off and run away. It's no wonder those girls don't respect me. I can't even stand up to them."

"That's not true," Akira disagreed. "You're a lot stronger than you think you are. I mean, you didn't back away when I was in trouble." His hand give hers a squeeze, gently caressing it. "And I know you can do it for others. You just need to believe that you can."

Holding her was a small gesture, yet Sadayo appreciated it. But the adult in her reminded her of how many times life had been so cruel to her, despite hoping for the best. "Sadly, sometimes believing isn't enough to make things real."

"Then we'll make sure they do, together. Remember, you're not alone. You have me."

His confident smile was a beacon in the dim room, and that was all it took for her. For some reason, whenever he said stuff like that with that smile of his, Sadayo felt like he was right. Despite how harsh reality can be, despite how difficult things would be for them, she felt that if Akira Kurusu said it was possible, then it was.

He really did have a grip on her, in more ways than one.

The lights then switched off and a voice announced the beginning of the exhibit. Music rose from speakers as special projectors lit the ceiling and walls to form pretty shapes and effects, swirling and shifting as they travelled through the whole room. Aptly, Sadayo couldn't help but be reminded of that night that they'd become a couple. The fireworks had been beautiful in the night sky from Leblanc's window, and now a different set of rainbow colors washed over them.

Doubt still swirled about why he would want someone like her and she still felt nervous, but at least for now, she could forget about those things.

"Hey, Kurusu-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"...Do you really think I could be a good teacher?"

"I think you can be a great teacher," Akira answered without hesitation. The light reflected off his glasses, showing her that, even if she couldn't see his eyes, he was looking directly at her. "We just have to show the rest of the world how great you are."

Sadayo chuckled. By this point she wasn't fishing for compliments — she was begging for them. But despite her selfishness, hearing him say those words so confidently and with a straight face made her… happy.

Music swelled. The crowd oohed and ahhed. Under the cover of darkness and swirling lights, Sadayo shuffled closer, feeling her heartbeat thump contentedly as she leaned towards him, her head resting on his arm as she continued to hold on to his hand until the end of the show.

"Thank you."


Akira woke up to the smell of curry and coffee as sunlight lasered his retinas. With a groan, he hid his head under the pillow, a fruitless attempt to doze a bit longer.

The stuff with Medjed was on hold while Futaba was still out of commission. No one had contacted him to hang out or work. And lastly, it was still in the middle of summer vacation so school wasn't a concern. In short, he has plenty of time to do whatever he wanted.

But truth be told, all he wanted to do was just sleep and forget about how badly he messed up last night's date. He had hoped that getting Sadayo out of Leblanc and showing something she'd enjoy would help put her uncertainties at ease; instead she ended up fleeing from him and getting more worried.

'How was I supposed to know that the exhibit would be so counterproductive?'

Akira shook his head, trying to bury his head into the mattress. "You'd think with all the stuff I read I would've known about it. Guess mom has a preference."

Giving up on sleep but unwilling to leave the bed, his head stayed burrowed as his hand fumbled for his phone. Groaning his victory, Akira blearily peaked at the screen, thumbing the MetaNav. Why didn't he just put her name and show her? It would have solved everything. Instead, he complicated things and put Sadayo in an uncomfortable position.

But he knew why he didn't. He was scared as well.

He's certain that what they have is nothing wrong — nothing at all like what Kamoshida had tried to do to Ann — that their relationship was something genuine and mutual. But because Sadayo herself was doubtful, he couldn't help but falter.

Could those doubts become twisted? Would it affect Sadayo? Akira wasn't sure. A part of him was worried about what Sadayo would do if he clicked on it and there she was; he didn't want to lose her just because of some dumb app. And that fear, no matter how unlikely it was, had been enough for him to hesitate.

He got out of bed and prepared for the rest of the day. Downstairs, he went straight to the bathroom to freshen up, ignoring the cooking Sojiro and the eating Mona. Akira could swear that Sojiro spoiled the cat when no one's around, and part of him worried that Sadayo would be no different and cause Mona's already inflated ego to expand. Akira could only hope that finding out the truth about Mona's intelligence would quell her fondness a bit.

Once out of the bathroom, he took a seat at one of the stools and laid down his head directly on the counter. He tilted his head from the surface so his mouth can tiredly exhale, "Hey…."

From his angle, he could still see Sojiro raising an eyebrow before going back to his curry. "Date didn't go as you planned?"

Akira sprung from the counter, straight-backed and shocked like a deer in front of headlights.. "I-I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Sojiro let out an amused chuckle. "Come on kid, you can't hide it from me. I recognize that look anywhere. I've seen more guys than I can count come into my shop with that same expression. And it usually involves problems with the ladies." The infamous ladies' man of Yongen-Jaya prepared Leblanc's staples and placed them in front of Akira. "Here, eat up. It will make you feel better."

Akira sank back on his seat, chuckling in self-depreciation. "Why do I feel like I'm drowning my sorrows in curry and coffee?"

"You know what they say. A filled stomach is good for... something-something." Sojiro scratched his jaw. "Anyway, at least it won't get you in trouble."

Akira shrugged, refraining from commenting about the many things he is already doing that will get him in trouble. He took a bite of the freshly made curry, and a sip of the wonderfully-brewed coffee. With how often he ate this combination he'd think that he'd get tired of it, but nowadays he looked forward to his guardian's staple breakfast. It was also a good reminder that even with all his practice and experimenting, Sojiro was still the master.

"So, wanna talk about it?"

Akira took his time in chewing, honestly contemplating Sojiro's offer. He didn't want to risk giving any hints of Sadayo, but after last night's attempt, maybe asking someone with actual experience would help.

"I think we should be fine as long as we avoid anything that could identify Ms. Kawakami." Mona suddenly spoke from the floor, figuring out what he was thinking of.

Taking one more bite and sip to give himself more time and a bit more courage, Akira finally sighed. "I wanted to impress her. I put a lot of effort into planning things and made extra sure that it would work out." Memorizing the faces of the entire student AND teaching body of Shujin in particular was HARD. "But it all ended up falling on its face and made things awkward for her."

"Wow, you screwed up that bad?" Morgana responded with a mix of disappointment and awe.

Akira took his phone out, typing out a message from under the counter. Waiting until Sojiro has his back to him, Akira directed his screen to the cat without looking.

[Hush you]

"I think I see what the problem is," Sojiro thoughtfully said, unaware of Morgana's huff. "You planned the whole thing out, but things obviously didn't go how you wanted them to."

"I guess?" Akira scratched his cheek in embarrassment as his other hand pocketed his phone.

"You can't plan for everything kid," Sojiro sagely said as he finished his next batch, turning back to the counter. "That's why it's best to just enjoy the time together and let things play out as they will." Sojiro looked pensive, stroking the small ruff of hair on his chin."Not that it's bad to have some things figured out ahead of time, but do too much of it and it's bound to fail."

Akira took heart in what was said. After all, it's how he preferred to do his Phantom Thief heists; having a plan, while being flexible to the Palace's strangeness. Maybe he had let his fear of ruining things with Sadayo get the best of him, becoming too rigid for his own good. Still… considering what would happen to either of them if they were caught, he figured he had some right to over-preparing.

"I'll think it over," Akira finally replied as he finished his breakfast. "Thanks for the advice."

"It's fine. After all, I'm still your guardian."

Akira smiled, though it quickly melted at his next question."How's Futaba doing?"

It was Sojiro's turn to deflate. "Still mostly sleeping. She's managed to wake up a bit to go to the bathroom, but she's more zombie than human. She doesn't even respond when I call out to her. Then again that's happened before whenever she pulls an all-nighter."

'At least it's not an outright coma,' Akira thought as his head drooped, concerned and in disbelief that a human can sleep for so long. While the group had tried to do everything like their previous heists, none of them expected Futaba to enter her own Palace and the consequences afterwards.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Morgana spoke up again, able to guess the expression on his face. "I mean, from what we know about our two initial targets, those whose Treasures have been removed exhibit similar behaviors. It may be a bit more worrisome this time around, but all we can do for now is wait."

Akira knew that Morgana was probably trying to humor him, but he was right. There was no reason to stress out so much. All they can really do right now is wait. Shoulders loosening, he said to Sojiro,"Hey, do you need a hand for today?"

"If you're offering, then clean up and grab an apron. The morning customers should be coming soon."

Akira nodded and grabbed the empty plate and cup and walked around the counter.

"Hey."

Pausing, Akira turned back towards Sojiro's contemplative tone.

"About your date. Even when things didn't go exactly as you intended, it wasn't a complete mess, right?"

Placing the cup and plate on the sink, Akira thought back to last night. While he regretted how it led her to be even more self-conscious, he couldn't deny that there were moments he was quite happy about. How excited and full of life Sadayo had been when she talked about the exhibits and her reasons for teaching. How she had reached out to him when he felt his anger get the best of him. How she had leaned close to him and held hands during the light display. It may not have been perfect, but it was his first real date. The fact that it was shared with Sadayo made it irreplaceable, and those memories are something he'll always cherish.

Putting on his apron, Akira smiled.

"Yeah… it was fun."


"It was horrible! I can't believe I screwed up so badly!" Sadayo cried out. "And after all that Kurusu-kun did to make sure we could actually go out! I know he did it because he was worried about me, but in the end I just flaked out on him."

"Okay… While I'm sorry to hear that, I was looking more of a medical answer when I asked you about how you were doing?" Takemi slowly replied, stunned at the out-of-nowhere infodump.

"I-I'm sorry…" Sadayo apologized, pressing her index fingers against each other. "It's just that I keep thinking about it, but I can't really talk about it with anyone else." She had a feeling that the doctor herself had feelings for Akira, so telling her about the failed date was only asking for trouble. But as much as Sadayo hated to admit it, Takemi had been true to her word from the very beginning. "In the end, since you already know about our situation, you're the only one I can talk to when it comes to Kurusu-kun and me."

Takemi seemed surprised by her reasoning, sighing, "You do have a point there, but wasn't the reason for you to be here was to learn first-aid lessons?"

"Oh, right!" Sadayo dove back to the dummy's arm and went back to bandaging it.

After the way their date had ended, Sadayo had felt like the worst. She was so embarrassed that she ended up avoided visit Akira the night after. As she left from school she had originally planned to go for some drinks, but just as she was going to enter the station she got a text from Takemi. The doctor had let her know that she had a rare clear schedule for the rest of the day and had asked if she was still interested in those lessons. Without other important plans, Sadayo figured that the least she could do is spend time productively.

While Sadayo had known some of the basics, Takemi wanted to start with bandaging. At least, that was the intended purpose, but the moment Takemi had asked her how she was doing, the floodgates had opened.

"There, done!" Sadayo declared victoriously. Hands on her hips, she turned towards Takemi. "So, what do you think? Much better this time around?"

Takemi rolled her chair closer to the examination bed, then pulled at the bandages. "Well, at least you didn't forget the dressing this time, but it's too loose." With a minimum amount of force, her lacquered nails pried the strips open, revealing the dummy's wooden skin underneath.

Sadayo groaned in frustration. "But you told me earlier that it was too tight!"

"Yes, because with the way you did it, you might as well cut off the patient's circulation. This, on the other hand, will probably fall off before the patient gets home. You need to make sure that it's tight enough to hold the dressing on the wound but loose enough that it doesn't cause discomfort." Takemi leaned closer, showing a devilish smile as she rested her head on her forehand. "If you want, let's ask Kurusu. He's quite good at tying knots to keep things in place. I'm sure he'd love to give you a demonstration..."

Sadayo's red face turned away. Akira had warned her that Takemi has a habit of messing with people, and Sadayo could guess that the doctor was talking medically. But still… why did she have to make it sound so… suggestive?

Clearing her throat, Sadayo finally replied, "I'll… think about it."

The doctor giggled, undoing the rest of the bandages. "So, what will you do now?"

"Huh?"

"Have you talked to Kurusu about this last night?" Tae nonchalantly asked as she moved the dummy back to the corner.

"W-well we talked on the phone about some other things and—"

"But you didn't go to see him?" Takemi turned her gaze towards Sadayo, her brow raised in confusion.

"I-I..." Sadayo faltered at the piercing gaze. She turned away in shame. "No."

"Why not?"

Sadayo fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She really didn't have any reason why she couldn't go see him. He had even invited her, but she ended up making an excuse about having to deal with some school work.

"Are you having second thoughts about being with him?"

"No, of course not!" Sadayo declared with full force. "It's just that I'm not sure if..."

She inwardly cringed at the weak whisper. She does want to be with him — she knows that for certain. But does she deserve to be with him? Is it okay? Won't he just get hurt? Those doubts had begun to form the day she started working with the volleyball team, solidifying when Akira had explained to her about twisted desires, and became undeniable when she had been reminded last night.

Was she really worth all of this?

"If I remember correctly, I asked you if this was a good idea." Takemi returned to her chair, smirking slyly. "Wasn't your answer along the lines that being with him was worth the risk?"

"I-I guess…" Sadayo meekly responded.

"If you two want to keep going at this then I won't stop you. But a word of advice: if you truly think he's worth it, then I suggest that you stop second-guessing yourself and make a move."

Takemi leaned closer, never losing that smirk that made her so hard to read. "After all, you never know when someone else might come along and steal him away."

Once again, Sadayo was left blushing and speechless by the doctor. Hoping that the words were truly meant as advice, and not something else.


With a turn of the key, Sadayo entered her apartment. "Huzzah" she halfheartedly cheered to herself, "she survives another week."

Today was especially tiring. Despite her best efforts, she had made zero progress with the girls' volleyball team. Every time she tried to initiate something, the group would just give her the cold shoulder and do their own thing. Sadayo was honestly starting to wonder if it really was a good idea to accept Ms. Chouno's request.

To add more crap to her day, the school staff had to stay overtime, even though the principal himself was only there for a brief moment. Apparently, a lot of staff members have been handing in their resignation, which meant greater strain on the remaining employees. There were a lot of empty positions now, but hopefully new staff should appear by the beginning of the next quarter... but Sadayo doubted it. New faces could allow for a fresh start for the school, but Shujin's reputation is at an all-time low.

Ms. Chouno has problems of her own as well. One of the teachers that had left the school was the one that had been helping Ms. Chouno with the school trip plans, leaving her stranded with a lot of unfinished work. She was also having difficulty getting information from the principal, who's continued lack of appearance was starting to grate on all the teachers, regarding their budgeting for the trip. This made solidifying any plans next to impossible. Hearing this, Sadayo had been tempted to offer her help; she already knew a number of possible locations from watching travel guides and from stories her mother had talked to her about. In all honesty, Sadayo would rather be doing that than the coaching, but she ended not bringing up the subject with Ms. Chouno.

Sadayo dropped her bag and keys on the kitchen table, taking her phone and plopping on her couch. She wanted to relax for a bit, let out some steam, and as she looked for Akira in her message app, she hoped he wasn't too busy.

[S]: Hey…

[A]: Hey.

[A]: I'm guessing things didn't go well today either?

Her lips slowly shifted to a smile at his message, glad that he replied so quickly. The topic of the volleyball team was one that Sadayo had been recently talking to him about often. She was thankful when he did this back when she had worked as a maid, and even more so now as she struggles to make progress as a teacher.

[S]: Yeah

[S]: And that's not the only thing that we have to deal with.

She started to type out her frustration, but soon realized how much it would take.

[S]: Hey, are you able to call?

Sadayo eagerly clasped her phone in both hands, watching the blinking dots on the screen.

[A]: Sorry, but Boss is still in the shop. I can try using the public phone but I'd worry he'd be curious.

Slumping in defeat on the couch, Sadayo groaned. She wanted to see him, hear him, visit him and have him close. But it was still too early. Maybe meet up somewhere else, but wasn't that too risky? Should she really push for that, when things went so badly last time?

Her thoughts went back to what Takemi had told her.

Sadayo wanted to be with Akira. She didn't want to be ashamed of being with him. She hated her actions in the museum and wanted to change.

[S]: Hey, do you…

Sadayo swallowed the lump in her throat. Steeling herself, she typed.

[S]: Do you want to try going out on a date another shot?

As if the phone would combust from her suggestion, Sadayo closed her eyes and put it down on the couch.. It was quiet for a while and Sadayo was beginning to feel like she made a mistake, but soon enough…

[A]: Are you sure?

[A]: I mean sure

[A]: But…

[S]: I know

[S]: But, I don't want to just give up.

[S]: So please

[S]: Can we give it one more shot?

….

[A]: Of course.


Sadayo entered the Venus Fort Shopping center in Palette Town. A mixture of terror and excitement mixed through her mind as she took out her phone and double checked where Akira had told her to meet. It was his idea to go all the way to Odaiba, partially because there was something he wanted to check out, but also because it was very far off.

Entering the Verona Cafe, Sadayo couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her boyfriend sitting in one of the enclosed booths in the back, particularly one that was slightly obstructed from the entrance. He was wearing a different ensemble of his usual attire; a blue V-neck with a black overshirt and jeans — all topped with a bolo tie.

"We can't meet at a cafe, so we're meeting at another cafe?" Sadayo wryly greeted him, curious about Akira's reasons for coming here.

"Trying something different today. Figured we'd try baby steps, start with our comfort zone," Akira smiled confidently before going back at his menu.

"I'm pretty sure this is nothing like how we meet in Leblanc," Sadayo replied with a smirk as she took a seat across him.

Akira gave a playful shrug. "Sadly, I don't think this cafe has an attic we could borrow, so this will have to do."

Sadayo giggled, taking the menu in front of her. Admiring the art and the cafe logo, she shared her insight. "I'm not an expert with Western stories, but Verona? It's the family name of that woman from another romance tragedy, right…?" she trailed off, noticing his stare. Self-conscious, Sadayo brushed her hair behind her ear, feeling the simple pearl earring jostle. "I-is there a problem?"

"You look beautiful," Akira simply answered.

He wasn't the only one that had gone for something different yet similar. Sadayo herself was wearing a yellow blouse, but with no lines and with wavy short sleeves. Her denim skirt was darker, longer and more flowy than her usual. And her shoes are open-toed and have slightly higher heels, giving her a few extra inches closer to his height.

Speechless at the brazen compliment, Sadayo hid her scarlet face behind the menu. Hearing a small chuckle from her boyfriend at the other end, Sadayo focused on the menu, then looked around. Warm lights and wooden panelings, the place felt tasteful, but even though the menu was not expensive, the items were still high-priced compared to what she was used to.

"Don't worry, it's on me," Akira quickly interjected. "Feel free to let me know what you like."

"I-I don't know," Sadayo bit her lip; surely, she wasn't that cheap? She already gets free coffee from Leblanc, after all. "I can pay on my own and I shouldn't—"

"It's fine. This is supposed to be a date, right? So it's only fair that I treat my date." Akira winked at her teasingly.

"That's kind of old-fashioned these days," Sadayo tried to sound disapproving even as her cheeks warmed. She knew that he was doing it on purpose to get to her, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the special treatment.

"What can I say? I'm an old-fashioned guy when it comes to certain things," Akira shrugged nonchalantly.

"I guess I'll allow it this time." Sadayo gave in with little effort and returned to the menu. "But are you sure we'll be okay here? Won't it be bad if someone comes in and—"

"Sadayo it's fine," Akira calmly and quietly interjected. "No one knows us here, and I don't think that people will first think of us as a couple, let alone teacher and student." He grinned. "At most, they might think of us as relatives."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Sadayo bemoaned. While yes, she would prefer if people didn't assume who they are dating for obvious reasons, a part of her didn't know what she'd do if someone came to the conclusion that she was his aunt or mother.

"Either way, don't think about it too much. One of the most important things you can do to blend in is to be confident. People are less likely to find you suspicious if you just act like nothing's wrong."

"So we're bluffing," Sadayo raised her brow.

"That's one way of looking at it," Akira chuckled. "It's more about changing one's cognition of the situation and making them project what you want them to project.

"Again with the whole cognition thing," Sadayo sighed, not quite sold on Akira's reasoning. "I just don't see how well that can work."

"If you want an example, how about my situation in Shujin? No matter how well-behaved I am, people still think of me as a criminal." Akira airily waved a hand.

Sadayo frowned, feeling slightly peeved that she was more worried than him for his alienation at school. She pursed her lips, conceding his point about cognition. "But that still doesn't help me with confidence."

"You'll get the hang of it. I know you can. After all, you're a very capable woman."

Sadayo buried her face into the menu once more.

They both soon decided what they wanted and Akira left the table to make the orders. Keeping what he said in mind, Sadayo watched him, noting his confident swagger — and trying not to linger on his backside — that was normally muted in school. She was always surprised at how Akira could keep his cool and play it off without problems. While she kept darting looks to the door for potential problems, Akira was chill as you please, able to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. Soon enough, he got their drinks and returned.

"For the lady," Akira smiled, placing her drink and scones first on the table.

"Thanks," Sadayo blushed. She grabbed one of the guilt-free scones, feeling a bit peckish.

"Sooo…" Akira settled on his seat with little ceremony, "guessing things are rough right now at Shujin."

Sadayo just sighed as she picked her cup. "When it comes to the volleyball team nothing has really changed. Sad as it is... I'm starting to get used to it."

"You shouldn't," Akira replied, stern but worried. He took out a pen and his probation diary. "Though I can understand why they would be apprehensive about you. Still, that just makes it more important for you not to give up on them."

Running a finger around the rim of her cup, Sadayo let out a soft, defeated chuckle. "I know… It's just… I don't know how I can reach out to them if they won't let me. I don't want to force them. But with the way things are, those girls will end up leaving the school resentful of us." She stared into her coffee. "Then again… they have every right to be. And that's not the only thing."

Deciding to eat instead of just poking her food, she took one of her scones and began to gingerly nibble on it. She leaned back in her seat, hoping it would subside the feeling of guilt. "We just found out that a lot of the staff are leaving the school. Because of this, those that are staying have to deal with a lot of pressure. Honestly, with all that happened and the fact that the principal is practically nonexistent, our school reputation is scraping the bottom of the barrel by this point."

Her boyfriend's head was bowed. Recognizing his expression, Sadayo leaned close, aiming her partially eaten scone at him. "Don't you dare apologize for this."

"I don't plan to," Akira replied flatly, truly no hint of regret in his response. "At least not for my actions, but I do feel bad that this has made things all the more difficult for you."

"Maybe it's what I deserve." Sadayo let out a sad smile. "I mean I ignored them for the longest time; I don't think I'm the right person to reach out for them."

"I think you are," Akira interjected once more. "You know what it's like to feel like nothing you do matters, to feel like you're all alone and no one will hear you." He placed his elbows on the table and clasped his pen between hands, leaning his chin on them. "The circumstances may have been different, but that feeling was still something you dealt with. I just think you need to find a way to show them this, in your own way."

"My own way, huh..." Not sure exactly what to make of this, Sadayo took a sip of her drink. "Huh, this is—" Sadayo froze, eyeing her boyfriend. "I mean it's—"

"It's fine, you don't have to hide it," Akira chuckled. "This blend is quite good, better than I can make." He took another sip, contemplatively writing in his notebook. "They definitely do a good job at keeping the bean's profile."

"Is this why you wanted to come here?" Sadayo pondered, having just now noticed the notes that Akira was taking.

"I was curious since I've been hearing people talk of this place. The coffee they served at the diner is instant stuff, so it makes for bad comparison to Leblanc." He sipped his coffee again. "I will say though, it has nothing on Boss' brew."

"That much of a high praise huh? I might just have to risk it and try it for myself one day." Sadayo smiled, happy to see him so enthusiastic. "But for now, I look forward to your next batch. Who knows? Maybe someday you'll have your own cafe."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Why not?" Sadayo asked, both surprised and worried at the solemn tone her boyfriend took. "Actually, now that I think about it, Takemi had told me something about—"

Her words died at the sudden seriousness on Akira's face, his gaze directed to somewhere behind her. "Kurusu-kun?"

Akira sighed, swiftly hiding his pen and notebook. "Don't worry, just remember what I told you and act confident. Do you have a book with you in hand?"

"Um, yeah. Why?"

"Just take it out and have a read. I'll be back soon." With those final words he gave her a confident smile before vanishing under the table, taking his cup and saucer with him.

"Huh!? W-wait a minute," Sadayo stuttered in a hushed tone. She peeked under the table, half-awed at the lack of troublemakers nor any spillage of hot coffee. After a few seconds of debating what to do, Sadayo returned to the surface and decided to focus on Akira's instructions. While her book was open for reading, her eyes admittedly darted around, trying to get a glimpse at what had him alarmed. Belatedly, she remembered that he'd have a clear view of the entrance...

"Ms. Kawakami?"

The yelp halted all noise in Verona Cafe. Embarrassed, Sadayo meekly straightened herself. Clearing her throat, she waited for the noise to trickle back before facing the familiar person beside her. "Ye-yes? Mi-Mishima-kun?"

"So it is you, Ms. Kawakami?" Mishima Yuuki blinked. Looking around, probably at some of the curious customers, he leaned forward, voice nearly a whisper. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. Didn't know you were into these kind of things."

"Um, yeah, just felt like looking around the shops and decided to stop here for a bit. The atmosphere is quite nice," Sadayo awkwardly smiled, not sure how to handle him.

Like Suzui-chan, Mishima-kun clearly took a lot of Kamoshida's abuse. Sadayo felt bad, especially since he sat close to the front row everyday, his injuries were easy to spot. But to her confusion, once things were over he seemed more than content to just move on, unlike the other victims. The only thing that was noteworthy is how much he loved talking about the Phantom Thieves, though it wasn't surprising considering he was among the people they'd saved.

In the end, Sadayo wasn't sure if she should be relieved that he didn't hold any animosity towards her or worried that he was just keeping quiet like before.

"So, Mishima-kun," Sadayo began, thinking of ways to escape while trying to be helpful, "What brings you all the way here? Are you also interested in a place like this?"

"W-well sort of..." Mishima-kun admitted with a bit more embarrassment than Sadayo expected. It was short-lived as he looked again at his surroundings before turning back to Sadayo. "Actually, I'm here because of Kurusu."

"Really?" Sadayo stared at him with wide eyes, half-surprised and half-dismayed. "He sent you here?"

"Well, technically no. But when we talked he seemed really interested in this place. So I figured I'd gather some information on it."

"I see..." Sadayo Simply replied, dumbfounded at their terrible luck. Honestly, if it wasn't for their current predicament, she would've found Mishima-kun's desire to help Akira as a very admirable gesture.

Suddenly her phone pinged. Sadayo shifted to make sure that Mishima-kun couldn't see the screen. "Sorry."

[A]: Sorry, I didn't expect him to show up just because of that.

[A]: For now tell him you're meeting with an old friend you haven't seen in a while, but they were not able to make it.

[A]: That should give you a good excuse to take your leave.

"Really now?" Sadayo couldn't help but sigh at Akira's response.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, I'm just talking to a friend. We were supposed to meet up and spend some time together, but apparently plans have changed." Sadayo's disappointment was quite believable, mainly because it wasn't an act. After all the effort it took her to muster the courage to ask Akira out, things were just going to be ruined again. "Anyway, if it's alright with you, I think I'll take my leave."

"Oh, su-sure," Mishima-kun stuttered, maybe picking up on her frustration.

Sadayo picked her cup, blowing on the warm coffee, aware of her student's fidgeting at the corner of her vision. He seemed to have a hard time looking her way, as his eyes kept averting away from her when he felt her gaze on him. Probably wasn't comfortable interacting with any of the teachers after what happened to him. She felt a bit sorry for him, and didn't want to blame him per se, but she still couldn't control the 'go away' or 'let me leave' vibes from her mood. She began to sip her coffee; it still tasted fantastic, but it wasn't as enjoyable as before.

"Actually, if you don't mind, there is something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Huh?" Sadayo blinked, stunned at Mishima-kun's sudden request and determination. She placed her cup back on the saucer, biting her lip. If she leaves now, she can still salvage her date, but right now, a student she failed was asking something of her... "I-I don't know."

"Please, it will only take a minute." Mishima-kun formally bowed.

"Okay, okay, just sit down already. Geez..." Sadayo quickly waved him to Akira's former seat, worried about making another scene.

"Thank you," Mishima-kun nodded.

When he didn't say anything after a few moments of settling, opting to instead awkwardly stare at her, Sadayo just sighed, once again cursing her luck. "Okay, so what is it? Do you have any questions? Is there something you need help with? I'll try to do what I can, but I can't promise you I'll be able to help."

"No no, nothing like that." Mishima-kun finally broke from his staring by vigorously shaking his head, like trying to wake up from a dream. He bowed his head, cheeks slightly pink. "I… just want to say, thank you."

"Wait, what?" Sadayo was surprised, nearly yelping again. She tried to process her student's reasoning, but it only lead to listing out more reasons to hate her. "I honestly don't think I deserve any thanks from you. After all I was your homeroom teacher and yet I did nothing when you were… abused." Unable to look at him, she peered into her now lukewarm coffee. "If anything you should hate me."

Mishima-kun fell quiet. The silence was heavy despite the chatter and bustle of the cafe, stretching long enough that Sadayo managed to drain half of her drink and finish one of her scones – anything to keep herself busy.

"Honestly," Mishima-kun finally spoke, looking back at her, "I don't feel like I have the right to be angry."

"What do you mean?" Sadayo asked, curious and concerned.

"It wasn't just the school that ignored what Kamoshida was doing. There were always rumors flying around, so some of the students and staff would've known or at least get curious about something, but no one did anything. No one bothered to listen. And it was the same with the parents as well." Mishima-kun clasped his hands on his lap, fiddling with the hem of his shirt with sadness and disappointment. "My own parents knew about how beat up I was when I came home. I told them that I wasn't cut out for sports and that, maybe, I should quit. But they told me that I couldn't. That being in the team was a surefire way to get a scholarship to any university since Shujin is so famous. So I put up with it, even if I didn't want to."

"I'm… really sorry to hear that." Sadayo wilted, once again reminded of how little she knew about her students. "I wish I could have done something to help."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Mishima-kun shook his head. "Almost no one was willing to speak up against him, and those that did, and even if they did it was Kamoshida's word against theirs" He raised his head, revealing an expression of dejection and resignation. "I don't mean to be rude, but honestly? I doubt you would've been able to do anything."

"That… might be true..." Sadayo took his reply to heart. As much as she hated to admit it, she did find some comfort in the admission that she wouldn't have changed much. But that was only short-lived as it was quickly replaced with disgust at herself for having such thoughts. "Still, it doesn't matter whether or not I could've changed things. I still should've tried to protect you all. Maybe if they knew that someone would hear them out, then maybe they would've spoken up, and maybe we could have gotten enough people for investigation. I failed you because I didn't act, and for that, I'm sorry."

From her seat, Sadayo bowed. It was becoming a habit for her as of late, something she felt she'd still be doing for some time. Every time she did, she always felt like she hadn't done enough to deserve their forgiveness, but she wanted to do her best to close the gap that she had created due to her negligence. If prostrating herself would do that, then she felt she would.

"Honestly… I wish I had done nothing, compared to what I did."

Sadayo raised her head, perplexed by her student's remark.

"I was the one that called Suzui-san to Kamoshida's office that day before her… jump." Mishima-kun stared hard at the table. "I could tell he was more upset than normal. If I had warned her, or maybe not said anything at all, she could've just gone home without anything happening to her."

Mishima-kun tensed, his arms traveling to cling to his knees as he continued to look downward. "But I wasn't strong enough, I was too afraid. So I just did as I was told, not even thinking about what I was doing to others."

The obvious guilt was something he had been holding on for some time. Sadayo knew because she could recognize herself in him. She shuffled closer, words of encouragement on the tip of her tongue—

"It wasn't just Suzui-san either," Mishima-kun interrupted her thoughts, "I hurt Kurusu as well."

Sadayo almost flinched. "W-what do you mean?"

Mishima-kun took a deep breath, as if preparing himself mentally. "Remember the rumors about him that spread at the very beginning of the school year?"

"Do I ever..." Sadayo remarked with annoyance. Something niggled at the back of her head about the new topic "They've only gotten worse and worse as time went on."

"Um… I was the one that leaked his record."

It was only the mindfulness that they were in public that held back her tone, but Sadayo still responded with more snappy anger than she had intended. "What?!"

Mishima flinched.

He looked like a man before a firing squad. The teacher in Sadayo wanted to be more understanding, but considering how much suffering Akira had to endure… considering the fact that he was her boyfriend, the woman in her was clamoring for execution. "Explain. Now."

"Ka-kamoshida made me do it! He told me about Kurusu's record and had me leak it to the students!" Mishima shrank in his seat, voice only a nervous whisper. "He probably wanted to get rid of him right off the bat, so he planned to make his life miserable until Kurusu snapped and attacked someone, considering his record. N-not that I believe Kurusu would do that!"

Sadayo didn't know the face she was making, but Mishima gulped in terror.

But he ultimately continued, lowering his head once more, "Still… Kamoshida may have been the one who ordered it, but in the end, I was the one who actually did it. It's my fault."

When he fell quiet, Sadayo became aware of the rhythmic tapping on the table. It went on for a few more moments, before Sadayo leaned back to her seat, letting out a disheartened sigh. She pressed the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She looked at her student through her fingers, absorbing the rest of his explanation. "Still, just when you thought that the guy couldn't go any lower. Guessing that's why he was going to expel you as well."

She recalled the talk she had with Kamoshida when Akira had first arrived; how she bemoaned having the troublemaker in her class and wishing that he wouldn't show. While she was nowhere near as bad as Kamoshida, she couldn't deny that she had hoped for the criminal student to be kicked out of school.

But that was then.

"You know, I'm sure he doesn't blame you for that," the words tumbled out, more of a self-reflection than a response. Then Sadayo realized the insinuation. "I-I mean he doesn't seem to be the kind of person to think like that. Besides, it's never too late to change..." Sadayo couldn't help but smile a bit; she was saying the same encouraging words that Akira would say to her. "We all have things we regret doing, and we've all probably hurt someone that we cared about. But the important thing is to learn from it and make sure it never happens again. If we can do that, then maybe… then maybe having to go through that pain won't be in vain."

Eyes drifting sightlessly, Sadayo took the time to take in her own words, surprised that they came out of her mouth. A relieved chuckle returned her attention to her student.

"That sounds like something Kurusu would say," Mishima-kun sighed with a sad smile that felt all-too-familiar. "When he found out what I've done, he was shocked, but he never got angry or blamed me." It was his turn to smile. "Sure, he can be a bit harsh at times, but he's always willing to hear me out and even hang out despite of what I did to him."

He didn't seem to be afraid anymore when he raised his head to meet Sadayo. "You've been working to quell down those rumors, haven't you? People have talked about it at school. You even stood up for him when he was about to be expelled a second time. Back then, Takamaki rushed out to try to help, but I just stayed in the classroom." Mishima-kun bowed to Sadayo from his seat. "So thank you. Thank you for helping him through the wrongdoing that I did."

"It's really not worth thanking me over," Sadayo flailed her hands in embarrassment. "I mean, I originally didn't question things when you were about to be expelled, and I only started to stop the rumors because they were causing me too much trouble. I'm just selfish."

"You think so?" Mishima-kun looked at her with confusion. "Kurusu seems to think differently."

"W-what do you mean?" Sadayo awkwardly asked with blushing cheeks, always curious at what Akira had told others about her.

"Yeah, whatever could I mean?"

Luckily, none of the two made any loud yelps like she did earlier. Jumping farther into their seats didn't turn heads too, considering the ghost — who was most definitely not there a second ago — standing behind them.

"Ku-kurusu?! What are you doing here?!" Mishima asked with an almost-shrill tone, still shaken.

"What do you mean? I'm the one that asked you about this place." Akira told Mishima-kun with an odd flatness. This changed when he turned to Sadayo, showing a hint of a smirk. "I will say, I didn't expect to run into you again, Sensei."

"Is it so strange for me to be here?" Sadayo tried, but failed to hide her smile from their inside joke of coincidental meetings.

"I guess not," Akira shrugged before turning back to Mishima-kun… and frowned.

Sadayo looked to find out why, only to find him staring at her. Was there something on her face?

Akira cleared his throat. "So, Mishima, what are you doing here? I'm curious why you're here; when I asked you about this place, you told me you'd never been here before."

There was something strange about the way he said that. Sadayo tried to put a finger on it as she watched Akira sigh before approaching the seat Mishima-kun was sitting at with a look of annoyance, causing Mishima-kun to scurry further into the booth. Akira promptly sat on the open space, like a king reclaiming his land.

Which was an odd comparison, since he didn't look that intimidating with his geeky glasses. Sadayo blinked; Akira's eyewear had been absent earlier.

"W-well," Mishima-kun was back to awkwardness, for some reason, "considering your interest, I figured I'd try getting some info on the place." He seemed to be an eager mix of trying to appease and please. "I mean, you wouldn't stop talking your coffee preference when we took you to the Maiphhhhh—"

"Oookay, what is this about?" Sadayo asked with raised brow. This was the second time that Akira had covered someone's mouth in front of her, after all.

"I-It's nothing," Akira said with a straight face, right after furiously whispering something to Mishima-kun.

Sadayo noted Mishima-kun's bright red face. Now she really wanted to know what he was about to say, but decided not to pry. At least for now. "Fine. Whatever you guys do on your free time is not my problem."

Her suspicious boyfriend jumped to the opportunity and introduced another topic. The evening deepened as they chatted. Akira got another round of drinks and snacks — he was going for the 'I just arrived here' feeling, Sadayo guessed — and proved to be a good conversationalist to mitigate the awkwardness between the other two. When the talk drifted towards the Phantom Thieves and Medjed, Mishima-kun became animated, too excited like a fanboy. Although Akira seemed tired of it, he played along while Sadayo tried her best to sound indifferent, as a proper teacher should.

When she had finished her second cup of coffee, Sadayo suddenly realized that she was... relaxed. Probably because the setting felt like that one time when she had ended up fishing with Ryuuji and Akira. Just a coincidental encounter. It wasn't what she had planned for a date with Akira, but it was at least something. It was... nice, Sadayo decided, to be able to chat amiably with people in public again, even if it was with guys younger than her.

Eventually, they decided to part ways. Akira was the first to go, though he made sure to give Sadayo a secret wink. Clearly, he was plotting something.

Mishima-kun gave a slight bow. "Thank you again for listening to me, Sensei. Kurusu was right about you."

"In what way? You mentioned something similar a while back," Sadayo asked, figuring this time they wouldn't be interrupted.

"A while back, he told me that he really admired you. When I asked him why, he told me it was because despite how it may look on the outside, you were actually concerned for him. He was grateful to you for giving him a chance, and standing up for him. So he wants to make sure that people realize how great you are by proving you right."

"I… I see," Sadayo swallowed. Even as she did her best to not show any sign of being affected, warmth bloomed from her chest and tingled her toes. While she trusted Akira when he had said similar words in the museum, finding out that he had told others the same made it all the more certain that he truly believed it.

"He also told me that if I ever needed someone to talk to, that I should come to you. He probably knew that I still feel bad about what I had done to him, but I couldn't really talk about it for risk of being expelled. But he said that you were trustworthy, and I can see why now." Mishima-kun rubbed the back of his head, looking away awkwardly, which made Sadayo giggle.

At the sound, a strange look passed his face, the same one he had all throughout the evening that Sadayo momentarily thought he'd stare again, but he quickly shook his head.

He shyly smiled. "Anyway, I should head out as well. See you, Ms. Kawakami.

Sadayo waved at him goodbye. "Get home safely, Mishima-kun."

And with that, she was on her own. It was not the kind of date she hoped for, but she still felt a wonderful sense of gratifying accomplishment. Maybe someday, she and Akira will be able to truly have a memorable date, but for now, she was satisfied.

But as she figured, Akira wasn't.

Her phone pinged.

[A]: Meet me by the seaside.

Sadayo wryly smiled, amused at how determined he was, but it was that determination that made her fall for him. Exiting the cafe, she notified him that she was on her way and began walking towards the location, only for her eyes to drift at a small little stand of souvenirs.


When she had first arrived in Tokyo all those years ago, Sadayo had always marvelled the city lights and sights of the metro. Odaiba stood out from her memory, in particular because of the Rainbow Bridge, now fully lit up in its spectacular glory. It had been a long time since she saw this sight, but it was the first time that she was here alone with a boyfriend. Sadayo walked close to the rail, admiring the reflection of the lights in the shimmering waters, when she saw him.

Leaning against the rail, he was nearly a silhouette amidst the twinkling lights behind him. A cool breeze swept past when he turned towards her; except for the front bangs held by his glasses on top of his head, his hair ruffled enticingly.

Akira smiled. "I'm glad you came. I felt kind of bad with how things ended up… again."

Sadayo giggled as she joined him by the rails, holding her bag close at her chest, cradling the newly purchased item. Waiting for a good time to present it to him. "We just can't catch a break, can we?"

"True, but it just makes me want to keep trying harder." Akira's smile morphed into a cocky smirk. "Still, it wasn't too bad, all things considered. But..."

"I wouldn't count it as a date per se," Sadayo finished, keeping a hand in her hair to hold it against the breeze. She gazed at the illuminated bridge, keeping the urge to touch her boyfriend's hair in check. Even with that restriction and how things went, a contented calm blanketed her. Part of her wondered if it would be okay to ask for a picture of them together, but she refrained. "I guess we'll have to take a raincheck on that date then."

"Why?" Akira replied, confused. He grinned at her puzzled expression. "The night's not over yet. There is one more place I would like to take you."


"It's beautiful…"

Kneeling on her seat as she peered out the window, Sadayo gazed at the sprawling Tokyo lights from up the ferris wheel. Her energy and excitement was more like a highschool girl than a teacher as she oohed and ahhed happily.

Beside her was Akira, smiling at her open wonder.

Sadayo wasn't sure what Akira had in mind when he said he wanted to take her somewhere, but when they'd stopped in front of the Daikanransha Ferris Wheel, her eyes lit up. Though her excitement quickly tempered down when she realized that they'd have to wait in line for their turn. It would be harder to justify lining together, but Akira just held her hand, gently reminding her about confidence. Thankfully, he didn't push her into doing it until she was ready, which led to him waiting in a corner while she prepared herself mentally.

Once that was done, they lined together and awaited their turn. Luckily it was uneventful, much to her surprise. Most of the people lining up were couples and were more engrossed with each other than their surroundings and Akira made sure to keep the staff member at the entry point focused on him. He sounded so natural that not once did they get asked or gawked at; maybe there is some strong truth to what Akira had told her about confidence.

Soon enough, they were onboard and the door was closed. They were alone together and Ferris wheel spun them high.

"You can see so far into the city!" Sadayo turned to her boyfriend, sporting the biggest grin she had in some time. "Look Mast—"

Akira chuckled when his girlfriend bumped her head against the glass in embarrassment.

Sadayo frustratedly groaned without lifting her head from the window. "Why do I keep slipping up like that?"

At first, she figured it was just a remnant from calling him Master and hoped that it would eventually stop. But it didn't; maybe it was because she was still dressing up as a maid to visit him? Or maybe it was some sort of automatic response during excitement since she previously had to force it? Sadayo lifted her face and turned back towards her boyfriend.

While clearly amused, Akira never pushed things with her in that sort; he even told her at the start that she didn't need to. But with their strange relationship, it strangely felt endearing to call him as that. A silly little reminder, of how things started between them.

"Sorry," Sadayo slid down from kneeling on the seat and properly positioned herself like a mature adult. "I probably shouldn't be acting so excited about this."

"It's fine," Akira chuckled. "I'm really glad you like it. Have you ridden this before?"

"No… this is my first time. I actually have always wanted to do something like this at least once. You know, like one of those scenes you see in romance movies," Sadayo sighed. "But as time went on, I never got the opportunity… I just figured that I had grown too old for those kinds of things." Her hands slowly closed on her lap, gripping some of her skirt. "But here I am, now enjoying this view, going on an actual date, being able to do this… but it's with you of all people."

"Geez, thanks," Akira playfully rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean it like that," Sadayo let out a small laugh. Then she became somber. "I just… I'm still not sure how I feel about all of this. For the longest time, I thought that I had nothing else to look forward to. That all I could do was make it to the next day and make those payments. I'd given up trying to find anyone, to live my life. Thinking back to it now, I honestly felt like I was... dead inside."

His hand traveled to hers. Of course. Grateful, Sadayo opened her palm and intertwined her fingers with his.

Sadayo exhaled. "Yet now, I'd regained my love for teaching, I don't have to worry about making those payments, I was able to reconnect with my mother, I'm starting to get along with my peers," she shook her head, amazed, "and even my health is improving! And on top of all that, I'm with you. A stubborn, snarky, troublemaker of a student. My life has gotten so much better, so much so that sometimes, I get scared that I'll wake up one day and find that all of this was just a dream. That I'll be all alone, just wasting away again… And honestly, I wonder if I even deserve all of this."

The clouds of doubt began to form again. What had she done to deserve so many good things coming her way? What had she done to deserve his affection, when she couldn't even confess her own? Tears welled up in her eyes, but before they fell, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"Huh?" Sadayo looked up to see Akira hovering over her, embracing her from the side.

"Hold on," he said, then suddenly pulled her away from her seat.

"What the—!?" Sadayo yelped as she fell into Akira's lap. The action caused the cart to dangerously sway. "Oh GOD! It's moving! MAKE IT STOP!"

Akira couldn't help but laugh, even as his girlfriend's nails threatened to break his skin, clinging to him with tightly closed eyes. He held her close, never letting go even as the swaying eventually stopped.

Realizing the lack of movement, Sadayo slowly raised her angry glare at his face. She harshly slapped his shoulder. "What was that about?!"

"It got your attention, didn't it?" Akira unapologetically smirked.

'His eyes have specks of black,' Sadayo thought, just as she realized that she was practically sitting on top of his lap. All of the blood rushed to her head and the air was trapped in her chest, especially when his amusement vanished, pinning her with an intense gaze.

"Sadayo… do you... regret falling for me?"

His voice was calm, gentle, and understanding. But the fact that he asked that caused her heart to ache.

"No, not at all. I tried really hard to shut down these feelings, but no matter how much I try, I couldn't deny my feelings for you," Sadayo's grip on his shirt tightened as she looked down, focusing instead on the glasses that hung on his chest. "I want to be with you, I really do. But, it's just that..."

She still felt guilty about being with him. Deciding to face his fear once and for all, Akira rummaged his pocket and took out his phone.

"Wait, what are you—"

"Doing something I should've done from the start." Akira pressed the MetaNav.

In that moment, Sadayo knew what he meant. She bit her lip in anticipation, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

Akira paid no mind to his clothes getting wrinkled by her tight grip. He inhaled.

Sadayo shut her eyes tight.

Akira exhaled. "Sadayo Kawakami who teaches at Shujin Academy."

It was only for a second, but for Sadayo it felt so much longer. Until:

[CANDIDATE NOT FOUND]

Sadayo flinched.

...Then she realized she didn't know what kind of response was that. Was that good? Bad? Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Akira was smiling at her, evidently relieved.

Sadayo stared, comprehension gaining traction as the edges of her mouth steadily crept upward.

"There is nothing twisted or wrong in how you feel," Akira whispered, eyes somewhat glassy. "And the same goes for us, being together." He placed his hand gently on her cheek.

The warmth spread from there to the rest of her face. Sadayo leaned to it, struck speechless.

Akira wasn't. He wanted this woman, this wonderful woman, to understand. "Didn't I tell you before? You're just Sadayo Kawakami, a beautiful woman, and I'm Akira Kurusu, a man that fell in love with you."

A breath in the silent car, lights from the outside streaming inside.

"I love you, Sadayo."

The tears were floodgates. It was four simple words, but to hear him say them? It meant the world to her. She probably looked horrible, but she didn't care, and he didn't care, just continuing to look at her, wordlessly proving his words.

Sadayo held his hand to her wet cheeks, drawing strength from his warmth. She blurted, "So… it's okay?" She sniffled. "It's okay for me... to love you?"

Her head lowered and rested on his as her heart swelled with happiness, relieved that she can finally be honest. "You're a stubborn, cocky kid. You keep meddling into other people's lives and don't know when to give up. But that's what I love about you. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

He became blurry, but she knew that he was still looking at her.

"I love you, so much that it hurts sometimes," Sadayo cried. "I want to be with you. Things may not be perfect, and life may have gotten a whole lot crazier but… I'm happy, and you make me happy."

Calloused hands wiped away her tears, letting her calm down. Her sniffling slowly turned to self-conscious laughter. Sadayo took out a tissue from her pocket to wipe her nose. "Sorry, this is really embarrassing."

"Not at all," Akira smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers once more. "I think it was very cute. I'm glad you feel the same way."

Sadayo couldn't help but giggle happily at his words, even if he'd already said them. Just hearing them filled her heart with joy. "And here I was, saying that I was too old for this kind of stuff. You really are something, Kurusu-kun."

"Sadayo."

"Yeah…?" Sadayo finished wiping, and gazed into Akira's eyes. In them, she saw desire, similar to the night he had confessed to her.

"I want you to call me by my name."

Sadayo could feel her heart racing. His voice was intoxicating; she couldn't help but follow. "Kurusu… kun."

He began to move closer, and this time she met him halfway. She closed her eyes, and soon, all she felt was the soft, warm touch of his lips.

A warmth spread throughout her whole body before they slowly parted ways.

"Try again..." Akira breathed.

Dazed, the words came freely from Sadayo's still-warm lips. "Kurusu..."

Her response is met with another kiss. She felt his hand run through her hair.

"Again..."

Slight hesitation came, her face reddening by the second. "A… Akira."

She was rewarded with a prolonged kiss this time.

They stayed like this for some time, enjoying each other's touch. Her hands ran through his equally unruly hair as they clung to each other. A few moans of delight escaped their lips before eventually parting. Her nose rubbed his as they gazed at each other once more.

Finally, Sadayo laughed. "So much for baby steps."

Akira shared her smile, "Would you believe me if I told you that was my first?" He placed his hand on hers, gently caressing her.

"W-wow, really?" Sadayo stuttered, amazed to hear that in more ways than one. "You're… surprisingly good. I'm… I'm glad I was you're first."

"I'm glad to hear," Akira chuckled. "And so am I, but I admit that I'm at a lost on what to do now..." Akira looked towards Sadayo, wanting to hear what his girlfriend wished to do.

Sadayo pursed her lips, wondering if she should be so forward, even after all that has occurred. She turned her head away, but Akira gently brought her back to face him. His reflective gray eyes looked at her expectantly.

"Please tell me, what is it that you wish to do."

The way he said those words, paired with that smile of his, it was impossible for her to resist.

"Can we stay like this? I want you to look at me." Sadayo raised his hand from her cheek, lifting it to her mouth. She softly kissed his palm, smiling at his resultant blush. "I… I want to continue being with you. I want you to know more about me, and I want to know more about you. I want you to know me more than anyone else has. Is... that okay?"

"Of course," Akira leaned in and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He gently pulled away her hair away from her ear and he whispered, "We'll take our time."

"Yeah," Sadayo giggled, feeling a bit of a tickling sensation from his lips and gentle breath on her ear. She pulled back slightly, taking him in, and whispered back his words, "We'll take our time."

She kissed him again.

Their situation may not be perfect and things may not be easy. But thanks to Akira, her whole world had opened up. It was something crazy and sort of magical — a life full of secret rendezvous and forbidden love. Of new encounters and rekindled contacts. Of maids and thieves. Of potential dangers and talking cats.

It was a life that she thought someone like her, a normal, desperate woman, would never experience, and she wouldn't give it up for anything.

Because he was worth it.


I'm sorry for the long wait once more. I had hope that Summer would be a time where I could pick up the pace, but Sadly this year has turn out to be a very eventful one for me (Both in a good way, and a bad way). Sadly am still dealing with stuff, so I still can't promise that I'll be returning to a more consistent schedule. But do know that I have zero intention to leaving this incomplete, so you won't have to worry on that at the moment. So once again, I thank you all for your patience.

In other news, there has been a lot of Persona 5 Royal stuff being reveal and showing, and from the looks of things some big changes to the story are going to be happening. So I figure I explain how this will be affecting the story. For the most part it will be on a case by case bases. I plan to take some aspects of the Royal changes, but will leave most of it as the original iteration of the game went, as that is how I plotted the story to go (and already have made a number of changes myself). So Don't expect Kasumi to suddenly be retconned, but you might notices somethings being added. (this is especially true if they give us more Sadayo date locations). I would say that I'd keep you all inform of any other changes, but I admit that the uncertainty has added a bit more unpredictability than it had before. So keep an eye out for those.

And finally Some A/N: I had from very early on intended to have Sadayo be from Kochi, but I admit that the Harimaya bridge was something I hadn't planned for and was amazingly surprised at how well it fit. One for the big reasons that this chapter took so long was all the research I had to do on stuff like Romance story in Japan (I was just as surprised as Akira) and Location. One of the difficulty of having the focus of your story be teacher is creating any sort of lesson, I did my best, but if I made an error than I apologize. Finally the cocktail dress that Sadayo took out was based on a fan art done by SpewingMews and the outfit Sadayo and Akira sported on their second date was based on the outfits their Japanese VA had during an interview, from which Goro5626 did a couple of cute sketches of as Akira and Sadayo.

I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.

EDIT: Completely forgot, but as always a great amount of thanks goes to SomebodyLost for all their help. I couldn't had done it without them.