I own nothing. Monika does.

It had been a few weeks since Kamoshida confessed. Sayori was riding high with the knowledge that she would no longer have to be afraid of him. She had gotten past her malaise as the boredom of school life evaporated once Kamoshida left. It was as if the school had gained new life. Students came out of the woodwork and started talking to each other, telling tales of their encounters with Kamoshida, and their distrust of the faculty. Sayori was happy to see everyone change for the better.

On the other side of Tokyo, Goro was finding himself frustrated. Work had become quite difficult since Sayori's arrival. Even after a month, there was still nothing. No one had come forth looking for their daughter, no one said a word about a missing pink-haired girl from some town in the country. To him, his reputation as Ace Detective was failing. Furthermore, his other job wasn't working out either. Complications had arisen that made his whole life even more difficult. He decided that he needed a break.

While Goro waited for the morning's breakfast to cook, he started to peruse the morning newspaper.

"Ichiryusai Madarame is holding an exhibit, huh… Hey, Sayori!" Goro called into the other room of his apartment. Sayori was still getting dressed.

"What is it, Goro?" Sayori adjusted her bow as she spoke.

"Would you like to go to this art exhibit after school? It seems pretty interesting. A famous artist is going to be there too!"

Sayori smiled at the suggestion. "Sure! Sounds like a lot of fun!"

Sayori finished getting dressed and walked out to the kitchen.

"You ready for breakfast?" Akechi was wearing a chef's apron as he cooked.

"Always."

She breathed in the smell of the kitchen. "Hmm… eggs and bacon today?"

"Yep. I can cook things other than pancakes, y'know."

"Yeah, I remember. Like the time you burned our sausages."

"Hey now, that's a real low blow!" Akechi chuckled.

Sayori grabbed a plate and eagerly awaited her food. She came close to salivating as she heard the eggs sizzling on the pan.

"And… done!" Akechi picked up a spatula as he brought the pan towards the table. "Watch your hands!" He dropped a few slices on bacon on her plate alongside some scrambled eggs. "Alright, chow down. Then we'll get you to school."

After a few minutes of eating, Sayori spoke up. "Think we'll get to meet this famous artist at the show?"

"Now, who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to meet the famous Ace Detective? Of course we'll get to meet him." Goro beamed with pride.

Sayori tousled his hair in response to the comment. Goro's occasional pride always made her smile.

Goro chuckled as he waved her arm away. "Hey, I spent hours on that hair!"

The exhibit was filled to the brim with art fans. Whether they were taking photos with their phones or crowding around a popular piece, Sayori had trouble navigating around them. Goro was off somewhere else in the room, probably with a few fangirls following behind. Sayori wished he stayed a bit closer, but she also appreciated the opportunity to be independent.

As she wandered the exhibition, one painting in particular caught her eye. It depicted a red-clothed woman, staring down at a foggy expanse with the moon behind her. She was entranced by the painting. Sayori wasn't alone in her fascination. This particular painting had attracted a massive congregation of fans. Sayori wanted to get closer to the painting so she could examine the details, but the crowd wouldn't budge.

"What do you think of the painting?"

Sayori was broken out of her trance by the voice of a young man. He had dark blue hair and was wearing a white shirt.

"Um, y-yes. I think it's really pretty. I don't know what it's about though."

The man smiled. "It is indeed beautiful. However, I cannot say I understand it either. Sensei painted the Sayuri many years ago, and in all of that time I have never been able to understand it."

"This painting is called Sayuri? My name is Sayori!" Sayori started to giggle.

The man looked confused. "I don't understand. What are you laughing at?"

Sayori's laughter faltered a bit. "Well, y'know, Sayuri sounds like Sayori. What a coincidence, right?"

The man looked as if a hamster was running on a wheel in his brain. "Oh, I understand. It rhymes." He finally started to chuckle. "That is quite humorous, Sayori!"

The two caught the attention of some visitors in the exhibit with their strange laughter. One of those people was Goro, who decided to investigate the situation.

"What are you two up to? Sayori, who is this?"

"This is, um… Who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, excuse me. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I am a student of Madarame. Are you Sayori's boyfriend?"

Sayori choked on her own breath at the comment. Goro was confused. "Um, no, I am not. I am merely her guardian at the moment. My name is Goro Akechi. You might have seen me on TV."

"No, I regret to say that I do not own a television."

Goro was disappointed. "Oh. Regardless, would you happen to know where Madarame-san may be? I wish to speak to him, if possible."

"I'm sorry. Madarame-sensei is not seeing visitors right now. He is having a business meeting currently."

Goro grew even more disappointed. "Oh well. Sorry, Sayori. I know you wanted to meet him."

Sayori looked confused at Goro's apology. "It's okay, Goro. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Besides, we got to see some nice paintings, right?"

Goro smiled at her optimism. As they were preparing to go home, Sayori heard yet another voice.

"Yo, Matsu-chan!"

It was Ryuji Sakamoto, who had come with Akira Kurusu and Ann Takamaki in tow.

"Hey, Sakamoto-chan! I didn't expect to see you here!"

Yusuke grumbled at the sight of Sakamoto barging in. "You really came."

"What'd you expect when you left us those tickets!?"

Sayori was overjoyed at this revelation. "Kitagawa-kun, you know Sakamoto-chan too!? That's awesome!"

"Yes, I certainly know him." Yusuke coldly looked over at Ryuji. "Make sure you don't get in the way of the other visitors." He looked toward Ann and smiled once more. "Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too." Finally, he looked towards Sayori. "It was nice meeting you. I must be off."

"Bye, Kitagawa-kun!"

"Those are your friends from school, right?" Goro asked.

"Yup. Two of them are even in my same class!"

Goro had a contemplative expression on his face. "I'm glad. I'm glad you've met so many new people. I wish I got to speak with them."

"If we see them again, I'll make sure you get a word in."

"Good."

"Ooh, look over there! It's a souvenir stand! Let's go check it out!"

Goro groaned. Visions of his empty wallet entered his brain yet again. Sayori was always a handful. However, he could never a deny a request from her.

Well that was fun. Also, did anybody get the reference to Sayori's last name? I wasn't sure if it was obvious or not. Please read and review and see you next week!