Time really got away from me, eesh. DMC5, though! I wanna do SSS combos!

I'll stop before I get carried away. Enjoy the chapter!

"Niijima-senpai?"

Akira pushed the door to the school rooftop open, stepping around the brick that was no doubt a temporary doorstop and replacing it. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"More than zero."

Makoto was sitting in a bean bag he vaguely remembered seeing in a corner of the library, a small pocketbook in hand, a binder in her lap, and a thermos of what he could only assume was coffee sitting next to her leg. She drew her legs a little bit closer to her chest and squirmed a bit; she knew by now that he had a bad habit of staring when he was observing something, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, kinda. I'll be honest, though. I didn't think you'd ever come up here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Akira sighed, his next statement flowing out as listlessly as his breath. "I remember when the student council president lectured me about this place being off-limits…"

Makoto masked the red on her face by lifting the notebook higher despite its diminutive size, something Akira found amusing. "S-so how did you find out I was up here?"

"I beat up some smart looking students."

"What?"

"I asked the first student council member I saw."

The student council president sighed and sifted through the most logical target Akira would have chosen. "...You're going with me to apologize later."

"Sure."

"As much as I enjoy these chats, I'm curious. Did you need something?"

"Yeah. I was going to call you later about this, but Haru pulled me aside earlier today."

"This sounds quite important, then."

"It is."

Akira picked up a folding chair and took a seat a short distance away from Makoto's work nest. Rather than beat around the bush, he simply fixed her with a mild stare and asked, "When was the last time you slept properly?"

Makoto froze, thermos cup halfway to her lips. "Um…"

Akira felt a growing pang of exasperation tug at his brain when Makoto couldn't provide an answer right away. "Hm…"

"Makoto…"

"Two days ago. If we're not counting naps."

"You sound way too proud of that."

He couldn't help but smile as she innocently passed him the thermos so he could have some coffee for himself. "I'm happy you're more relaxed, but that's no excuse to double down on staying up."

"I just can't win against you, can I?"

"Sure you can! Just not as easily as you'd like."

"I'll be sure to kick your butt next time we spar."

"Right, right. Anyway, I don't want to bother you too much so I'll lecture you after school. Look forward to that."

"What if I go home early?"

Akira chuckled as if she had told one of the funnier jokes he heard that day. "Then I'll be mildly upset. Call me when you're free, okay?"

"I will."

Akira nodded and ducked down to scoop up Makoto's thermos and replace the cap. The president looked at him quizzically and reached for it, only for him to raise it a little higher. "I'm confiscating this."

"I'm the one who's supposed to do that."

"Yeah."

"Fine. I'll be expecting that back when I see you again."

"Mhm."

Akira stared down at Makoto. Makoto stared up at Akira. Finally, after the ensuing silence dragged on a little too long, Akira seemed to realize something. "Oh, right, you're working here."

Same old Akira. "Were you thinking I was going to leave with your eyes on my back? This isn't a movie."

"You got me there. Alright, I'll see you later."

Akira bobbed his head and backed towards the door, opening it, stepping out, and shutting it in an impressively fluid move. Makoto gazed at the portal for a scant moment before smiling to herself and returning her focus to her duties.

[- After School -]

"Akira Kurusu, please report to the student council room."

The voice was unmistakably Makoto. The Joker in the back of Akira's mind applauded her for completely forgoing the phone in favor of the comparatively bombastic intercom. "Guess that's my cue."

"Good luck."

"See you then, Akira-kun."

He smiled at Ryuji and Ann respectively and strode out of the room, ignoring, as always, the accusing stares of the students that didn't know him any better. It didn't take long to reach the student council room, though he did stop to observe Morgana planting a whiteboard eraser above the teachers' lounge doorway. Classy.

Makoto was sitting in her usual spot at the table when Akira walked in. Before he could greet her, she beat him to it. "Let's talk. I'm ready to hear your so-called observations."

Straight to business. "I'm loving this confidence I'm hearing. Are you sure? I don't want you to punch me."

"I won't punch you."

"Are you sure? You've hit me for less."

"Akira, please."

"Okay...where should I start?"

"Wherever."

"If you say so…"

[- Akira: Haru said she saw you napping during class.

Makoto: D-did she?

Akira: Yeah. You were sleeptalking.

Makoto: Ah, um...she didn't tell you anything about that, right?

Akira: No. She didn't tell me a thing...dear.

Makoto: ... -]

"Oh, and during lunch, you - whoop."

Akira felt himself being yanked forward by the lapel of his Shujin jacket until he was face-to-face with a blushing Makoto. If this were an anime, he mused, there would probably be steam coming out of her ears. "Are you trying to get me to hit you?"

"How hard are we talking?"

"Hard enough to get you to stop talking like that!"

"Talking like what?"

"You are so embarrassing…"

"When I want to be."

"Which is all the time!"

"Well, to be honest...I may have exaggerated a little bit."

"'May have'?"

"Yeah. Guess you weren't ready for that."

"...I suppose I wasn't…"

Makoto sighed and sat down, looking up to see Akira was still standing. Interestingly, his hands seemed tense, hidden away as they were in his pockets. "Are you...mad at me?"

Akira scratched his cheek and tried, albeit lamely, to deny this. "...No."

"You are."

"I'm concerned."

"I can't help it. Akira, it's fine-"

"It's not fine."

Akira's tone was uncharacteristically sharp; this alone was enough for Makoto to stop and regard him fully. He took off his glasses and stowed them away before taking a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. Let me, uh...let me explain. Remember when my knife broke when we were going through Mementos two weeks ago?"

"Yes. I kept telling you to maintain it properly but you waved it off - oh."

Recognition dawned on Makoto as she jumped out of her chair in a sudden bout of excitement. "Ohh! That's where you're going with this!"

"Yeah. You can't put this kind of thing on the backburner. I don't…"

Akira stopped himself, taking a moment to reset. After a moment, he stepped close, took her hands and brought them up to chest level. "I want to help out. I guess that's the simple way to go about it."

Makoto looked at their joined hands and blinked slowly. "You are so strange."

"I guess so."

"...Being the student council president is difficult."

"I can imagine."

"You found me on the roof because I was trying my best to make work a little less grueling."

"That's progress, then."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right on almost all counts. Lack of sleep was really starting to get to me, so I thought if I fell asleep while I was up there, then it couldn't be helped."

Akira drew small circles on her skin with his thumb, choosing to forego interjecting to let Makoto vent as much as she needed. "It must be disappointing to hear all that, huh?"

"Not really."

"I know, I'm sorry...wait, what?"

Akira shook his head and shrugged lamely, as if having to elaborate was something out of his comfort zone. "I've seen plenty of others sides to you, y'know."

Makoto could be counted on to jump to the oddest conclusion when the conversation was just between her and Akira. Today was no exception; she blushed brilliantly and managed to squeak out a, "...What?"

"Yeah!"

Akira nodded judiciously and explained further. "You're a total dork for Buchimaru-kun."

"...Oh."

"And yakuza movies, Jack Frost, bikes...I know a lot more about you than when we first met. I could go on."

"...I see."

Akira detected a faint hint of relief in her voice as she muttered that. Makoto, in a sudden move, moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you."

He smiled and pressed his cheek to her hair, warmly returning the embrace. "I've learned more about you, too."

"I'm sure."

"You act all cool and detached, but you're actually really sensitive."

"Yeah."

"You like playing pranks, but you never see them coming."

"Well...okay, yeah."

"When I'm mad, you listen to pretty much anything I say."

"Okay, Makoto."

She giggled against his chest and lazily drew a hand up and down his back. Finally, after a chaste minute of simple, quiet hugging, Makoto spoke again. "...Okay."

Akira breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slowly. At least she was willing to listen-

"We'll make a deal, then!"

...At least she was willing to compromise. Akira could accept that. "Sure, whatever I can do to help."

"Great."

He let her go and watched quietly as she bustled about, on the verge of zoning out when she entered his view again and handed him something. "Put these posters up around the school grounds."

Akira took the stack of posters with little fanfare, a few quiet moments passing before he glanced and Makoto. "Eh?"

"You said you wanted to help me, right? These need to be posted on the billboards for each floor."

"Y-yeah, but I was thinking help as in a 'take a break' sort of way…"

Makoto picked up her own pile of paperwork and moved quickly, gracefully stepping around his still-outstretched arm to plant a kiss on his cheek. She beamed when he remained stuck in love-struck silence. "Semantics. I'll be counting on you, Akira-kun."

The sincerity in her expression told him that she understood his intentions and was accepting them. "...Right."

"When you're done, we can walk to the station together. I'll go a step further and not bring any work home with me. Is that okay with you?"

Akira chuckled and shuffled the posters in his grip. He shucked his school bag off his shoulder and onto one of the chairs sitting nearby and nodded firmly - ready to go. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it was a very good start. "Deal."

...You know, writing this made me wonder how Makoto's Confidant would have been if you helped with student council work and learned more about her that way. Hmm.