Saionji wasn't expecting the call from Juri. He was under the impression that her association with her fellow former Duelists was one of begrudging obligation, and that she never would have sought any of them out of her own accord, himself perhaps least of all.

But call she did.

"So, I heard we're practically neighbors."

"I'm afraid that I don't know what you're referring to."

"Miki told me you're in Shibuya, studying at Kokugakuin. We should catch up sometime."

Saionji had no idea how Miki knew where he was living, and he was hardly excited by the prospect of meeting Juri for drinks some evening, as she proposed. But she was so insistent that eventually, he ran out of polite means of declining the invitation, and ended up agreeing to meet her.

The venue that Juri had chosen was not one where Saionji would have found himself under regular circumstances, for a number of reasons. Perhaps foremost, he didn't really drink. It wasn't a matter of absolute prohibition, just a habit. Secondly, despite living in what was arguably the heart of Japanese fashion, Saionji never concerned himself with style or trendiness, whereas this establishment seemed to be the height of both. And finally, it was rare for Saionji to find himself anywhere besides his apartment, the Academy campus, or the convenience store where he worked. He simply didn't go out.

Juri had insisted on buying him a drink, and when he had tried to refuse, he had failed in the process of refusal to specify exactly what drink he was turning down, so Juri had chosen something he couldn't have possibly identified, which he proceeded to eye warily without so much as touching. The room was noisy with music and the voices of other patrons, and Juri spoke loudly and animatedly, showing no regard for her companion's lack of enthusiasm.

"I was offered a chance to do some work on Ohtori's uniforms, you know. Seems the children of the rich and famous have had enough of the world's most unflattering shade of toothpaste green. We had it lucky, didn't we, with the Student Council uniforms?"

Saionji wasn't inclined to think of anything having to do with the Student Council as having been fortunate.

"I turned it down, though," Juri continued. "I'm not really a designer, more of a manager. I work with LIMI feu." She sipped her drink, a martini.

Saionji didn't know enough about fashion to comment on this. "You've kept in touch with Miki?" He had to repeat himself twice in order to be heard.

"Well, I've tried to, but he's gotten incredibly clandestine all of a sudden. I don't really know what he's been up to, only that he mentioned you in the same breath as some sort of security clearance. Seems you've had a pretty illustrious career."

Saionji scowled. "It's not something I set out to do."

"Speaking of which, what happened with you and Touga after the party? I heard you followed him out of there."

"Nothing happened. You heard wrong."

"Oh, come on!" Juri laughed. "You didn't exactly blend in, dressed like you were. What happened?"

"It doesn't concern you."

"Ah! I thought so. I've thought so for about thirteen years, actually. What now?"

"Nothing."

"Really? That's kind of cold. I thought you two were closer than that."

"What about you and… what's-her-name?"

"Shiori?" Juri shrugged. "We went out for a little while, but then we just drifted apart. I guess that in the end, we wanted completely different things from life."

Saionji doubted that it was really that simple, but unlike Juri, he knew when to drop a topic of conversation.

"I've seen a few people since then, mostly in the fashion industry, but nothing's gotten very serious. What about you?"

"I'm sorry, I've got class in the morning. It's been a pleasure to see you, but I really must be going now."

Juri scowled, looking more like her old self than she had all night. "You're going to be as hard to get a hold of as Miki, aren't you? What, are you afraid of being seen with me?"

"I assure you, it's nothing of the sort." Saionji thought that would have been much more sensible put the other way around: she was the one with a reputation at stake, after all, and he was the one with a mildly infamous history. "I really do have class in the morning."

She made a derisive noise. "Well, have a nice life."

He inclined his head in a gesture of respect. "And to you as well, Miss Juri."