"You almost went too far, boss." Hanekoma said as he pulled up a chair. Joshua was schedualed for release in four days, but the barista wanted to visit anyway.

"Do not lecture me about risk, Sanae! I knew exactly what I was doing. My actions did not jeopardize my standing, and they kept Raimu safe."

"It jeopardized your existence, Josh!"

The Composer snorted,

"Honestly, you worry too much. The front had to hold. My true abilities would have sustained me."

Sanae sighed "Really? Then explain why your vitals actually hit the red on MY scanner. J, if you pull a stunt like this again I guarantee you will regret it, and so will I. More importantly, Shibuya will as well. Please...please tell me you won't do anything like that again?"

Joshua let the facade drop, as he subtly turned off all cameras in the room. The times where he could truly talk with his Producer had gotten way too few and far between over his stint as Composer, and he was rather beginning to regret his choice to distance himself from the man he truly considered a father in ways Daichi never could hope to be. He supposed that now was as good a time as any to let his guard down and allow Sanae Hanekoma see exactly what the man already knew him to be.

"I was scared too."

His complete earnestness made Sanae sit up and observe. Gone were the airs of power and snootiness, and forward were the vulnerabilities of this...for lack of a better term...child in front of him, looking as worn as he'd ever let anyone see.

"I was frightened Sanae. I truly thought I had overstepped...had bitten off too much. My powers couldn't reach me." he whispered "I had no access to them. I do not know why. But you were right. I jeapardised my existence. But you know what else?" his purple eyes flashed "I don't regret the results."

Just like that, the mask was back in place. The barista sighed and tried one last tactic to reach the teen on a personal level, to get him to open up like he had in his life before ascending.

"I kinda figured...Yoshiya."

The body on the bed tensed, the ashblond head falling back onto the pillow as silence bound the sarcastic vocal cords for a second.

"You haven't called me that to my face since I was alive." the voice was calm, surprised but peacefully smooth, unwavering. He then sighed heavily and smacked his hand on his face in a cupped position, seemingly drained of the will to keep up any type of front.

"What am I even doing, Sanae? This is proving more difficult than anything I've ever attempted before, and the worst part of it is...I have no idea what I'm looking for! I just...know that I have to find something desperately but I can't grasp what it is! Raimu is the key, I know it but...but how? How? I feel close but far at the same time, and every moment I'm with her...feels like death. I'm DYING, Sanae...and I'm enjoying it!"

The man let out a heartfelt, warm chuckle, leaning his head back slightly as he put a hand on his chin.

"So basicly, you admit to being like every other boy going through their early years trying to understand girls. Congratulations!"

"Not funny, Sanae! I'm really in a cunundrum here. I might not ever be able to truly understand what I truly am looking for. I'm not some hormone-struck teenager, I just have something missing….and I need to get it back!"

"Look, J, you want my advice?" Hanekoma asked, leaning back again and closing his eyes.

"Actually yes. That is why I opened up to you, is it not?"

The barista chuckled. "Very well, here's my words of wisdom. Stop...trying...so….hard. Stop looking. Take a deep breath...and just live in the moment. Look at Phones. You think that kid knows exactly what to do and how to feel when the young lady is in his space? He doesn't think, he just acts. No planning, no scheming, and I can guarentee he has no idea how or why he feels what he feels. But it doesn't matter, because he's in the moment. Let things flow, J. You'll get more answers than you realise you needed."