Tuesday, May 25th

Makoto Niijima, for all intents and purposes, didn't fully understand why she was going to the Madarame Jazz festival. If Haru Okumura didn't have commitments for the rest of the day, she would've definitely stayed on Shujin's roof for the rest of the day.

Gardening, surprisingly, was rather refreshing and relaxing–despite the fact she only partook in it for information.

Information that I didn't…get too much of.

As awkward as it was…besides the information, Makoto could see herself going back to the rooftop garden.

Even if it did violate the school's rules and regulations in seventeen different ways.

Though the issue of her reasoning behind the festival kept nagging at her.

I'm going because of Kitagawa-kun, right?

Be that as it may, I don't have a reason, do I?

For his painting and song?

Well…sure, but I don't need to go to the festival for that.

I don't even like most of the artists there…

Makoto grasped the handle of her front door, a thought popping in her head.

Am I going because of Kurusu-kun?

…No.

He's just a troublemaker who's deluded himself into thinking Madarame's some monster.

But…come on Makoto, even you have to admit some of Madarame's mannerisms are…something else.

But it's the same with Yusuke, he's just eccentric. Being raised by the man, I wouldn't expect anything less.

Makoto let a sigh slip from her lips.

I'm only going as a way to get to know Kitagawa-kun better and to perhaps get some tips on saxophone playing.

That's all.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Suddenly, Makoto's door swung open to release Sae Niijima—the first time she had been home since their last conversation.

"Oh, Sis! I wasn't expecting you to come home today!"

Sae sighed, bypassing her sister as she went straight for her room, "Me neither. I got invited to this stupid thing tonight, so…" Opening her door, she paused before entering, gazing at her sister's form, "What's up with the outfit?"

Makoto paused, looking down at her white dress as she hung around her sister's door, "Oh, I'm just going to the Madarame festival."

After a few moments, Sae returned with a bag in hand, "You too? How the hell did you secure a way in?"

"You remember Kitagawa-kun?"

A frown formed on Sae's face, "Oh…yeah, he gave you a pass?"

"Yup."

Sae walked past her, leading to the door, "Well, at least he's better than a delinquent."

I…should hope Kurusu-kun doesn't appear tonight…

"What about you, sis? How'd you get a pass? I thought you didn't care for these sort of things?"

"Akechi. He's in the car."

Mirroring her sister, Makoto's face scrunched up into a frown, "Oh."

Sae snickered, "I hope that isn't a deal breaker for me taking you to the festival, is it?"

Makoto followed after her sister, locking the door behind them, "Almost."

From one headache to another.

With a walk that was basked in silence, Makoto Niijima entered her sister's backseat, greeted by an extremely sincere smile from Goro Akechi.

"Niijima-san! It's so good to see you!"

Makoto returned his smile as she comfortably adjusted herself in her seat, "Likewise, Akechi-san. How was the tour?"

As Sae pulled off from the apartment, Akechi sought an answer as he dove into his brain, placing an inquisitive hand on his chin, "Well…it was tiring, as one may expect. Risette was a blast to perform and brainstorm with. Just a joy to be around."

Sae snickered, "She gave you a chance to meet Naoto?"

"Unfortunately…no. Naoto-san and her husband had commitments during the tour in Europe it seems."

"Ah, that's such a shame. I know how much you've wanted to learn from her…"

Akechi shrugged off her apology, turning around in his seat to meet Makoto's gaze, "Let's not talk about me, Niijima-san, how have you been?"

Makoto, at least in the deep pits of her head, gave a groan that vocalized her frustrations with the seemingly endless conversation, "I've been…fine. Been trying to focus on what's important and what's needed. Nothing more and nothing less." She could feel her sister's gaze burrowing into her skull from the back mirror.

It was insufferable.

"Ah…you still go to Shujin Academy, right?"

"Yes–"

Akechi sucked his teeth as he turned his eyes to Sae, who was focused solely on the road now, "You should take her away from that god-forsaken school…maybe—"

"I should send her to Kyoto with you?" Sae's face turned into a sneer, "Yeah, I think she'll be fine where she's at."

"But Shujin Academy…it's—"

"It's what? It produced me and you seem to hold me in high regard. Are you implying that something's wrong with me then if Makoto shouldn't stay?"

Akechi's calm composure dissipated underneath Sae's faint pressure, "N-No, that's not what I'm saying but—"

"Sure, Shujin has gone through some things…but it produces fine musicians and people in general. Even if it has a few…undesirables. Nevertheless, that tradition will perspire no matter what."

Gee, sis, can you make it any more obvious you're still on my case about Kurusu-kun?

I don't talk to him anymore…not if I don't have to…not tracking him anymore either…more do you want?

To get on my knees and apologize to you?

Makoto cleared her throat, "Really? Even with Sojiro Sakura at the helm?"

Sae came to a stop as she lifted her eyes to the back mirror, "Sojiro Sakura…?"

Makoto couldn't help but inquisitively raise an eyebrow, "Yes? He's the new band director they hired after Kamoshida got arrested. You know him?"

I wouldn't be surprised if she did…based on his file…

Sae cleared her throat with a quickness that didn't hide its purpose to cut Makoto off if she had any additional questions, "No, no it's just that I haven't heard that name in a very…very long time."
Akechi, unsurprisingly, couldn't help but provide another question on a potentially sore topic for Sae, "A long time? He used to be someone?"

Sae focused her gaze back on the road, seemingly annoyed by the two inquisitive kids, "He wasn't anyone special. Just…just used to be a part of an act. That's all."

Eternal Sunshine.

Right…

There wasn't much time for Makoto to dive deeper into the possibility of Sae knowing more about Sojiro as the drive finally came to an end. However, this was only a relief for Makoto on another hand as she could get away from Akechi.

As Sae searched around for a valet to hand her keys to, the younger Niijima sister couldn't help but marvel at the Tokyo Dome. Of course, it wasn't her first time seeing the dome—their father took them once during one of his tours—but she was so tiny…the memory kept fading as the years went on and on, leaving her with a very warped and inaccurate vision of it.

Of course, the dome was massive with its oval-shaped construction, its bright dot-like lights and neon signs spilled all across the skyline of Tokyo. It just screamed for respect while radiating grandeur.

Only makes sense that Madarame would have his jazz festival here.

Makoto gazed around, looking for Yusuke when her eyes finally connected with his slicked blue hair, he was surrounded by a crowd of reporters—though paparazzi would be more accurate—and it seemed as if he was getting overwhelmed.

Aw, poor Kitagawa-kun…

I wish I could help…

A sigh slipped from her lips as she steeled her mind, prepared to force herself through the reporters to meet Yusuke but a hand grasped hers. One that, annoyingly, belonged to Akechi. Another one of his annoying smiles seared itself into her brain, "Niijima-san? Where are you going?"

She nervously chuckled, "I'm just trying to get to Kitagawa-kun over there…He's the whole reason why I'm here, to be frank…"

Akechi's energy seemed to drain once hearing her reasoning, "Ah, seems as if he's preoccupied, no?"

She threw her eyes back in Yusuke's direction, "Yes…and he hates it, it seems."

Unbeknownst to Makoto, Akechi's eyes were lingering on her, seemingly taking her appearance in as a heavy sigh slipped from his lips.

A passerby slid by Akechi, causing the jazz prince to lurch forward, "Hey! Mind doing me a favor?"

The man–despite his unkempt brownish hair that hung in his eyes–seemed confused, "Huh?"

"I don't know if you know me, but I'm…Goro Akechi. The Jazz Prince?"

He chuckled a bit, almost as if his mind were revisiting memories long since passed, "Second Jazz Prince. Anyway, yeah, I know you. What does it matter? My fiancé's kinda waitin'-"

Akechi's eye twitched with a murderous intention, but he suppressed it, "Look, I'll pay you. It's for my friend over here." He pointed at a very confused Makoto, "Just yell my name and Sae Niijima's, okay?"

Akechi started digging into his wallet for yen as Sae rejoined them from her valet adventure, which gave Akechi all the ammunition he needed.

He turned to Sae, giving her a nervous smile, "Sae-san, I promise I'll pay for your dinner and takeouts in Kyoto for the entirety of your tour when it starts."

Confusion pulled at all facets of her face, "Excuse me?"

He quickly whipped his head back to Makoto, "You should probably go to the entrance, Niijima-san." He gave a nod to the man as he graciously accepted his payment, "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it, kid."

"Wha–"

"Holy shit! It's Sae Niijima and Goro Akechi!"

Akechi gave Makoto a gentle nudge as the two of them were swiftly engulfed by legions of harpies disguised as reporters. From the glance she got of Sae, she seemed incredibly pissed. Not only with the reporters and the man, but especially with Akechi.

Sis is going to kill him when she gets the chance…

Or ruin his career, both are enough for her.

Knowing her… probably both for the maximum satisfaction…

While it was incredibly morbid, Makoto couldn't help but laugh at the idea she concocted in her head as she made her way to an incredibly relieved Yusuke Kitagawa.

"Kitagawa-kun? Are you okay?"

Yusuke was in the middle of straightening himself out when he heard Makoto's voice, his face lighting up once recognizing her presence, "Niijima-san! I suppose I owe my freedom to you?"

She gave a faint grin to Yusuke, "Not really to me…Akechi-san and my sister, albeit unwillingly, are your saviors."

"I suppose that's good enough. Remind me to send thank you portraits to the both of them."

"Uh…sure. I think Sis and Akechi will love that."

"Of course, who wouldn't? Now, are you ready to witness my sensei at the height of his powers and get backstage?"

Strange wording but…

She gave a smile, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Did you seriously have to drag me along?" Even though the three of them had been at the festival for a couple of minutes, Morgana still wasn't feeling it.

It only made sense considering he played at the dome five months ago.

Maneuvering through the people, the trio escaped from the halls of the Tokyo Dome only to enter the main floor, though the tightness of the crowd was still ever present as were in the middle of enjoying the hit, Life Will Change.

Akira cleared his throat as he gave Morgana an answer, "I mean, you'd only bitch and complain if we didn't bring you along, to be fair. Plus it's a music festival! Some of the biggest names here! Enjoy it, little brother."

Ryuji chuckled, "I don't think bitchin' and moanin' is the best way to describe Mona. It's like an insufferable little goodie-two-shoes gnawin' at your eardrum every day you do somethin'."

"I'm totally surprised you even know the word gnaw and what an eardrum is, kinda thought you would've jammed a drumstick into it since you can barely ever hear shit."

"What was that you little shit?!" Ryuji tried to turn around to him, though the effort was halted by the stuffed nature of the crowd and the fact that the two of them were separated by a thick group of people.

"Hey! Can we not do this right now? Jesus, it's like you two are an insufferable toxic ass couple! One minute you love each other and another you completely hate each other's guts! Just shut up and look for Sojiro!"

An annoyingly familiar gruff voice came from ahead of Akira, "Why look for me when I've already found you? You three can never just…be quiet huh? Shame…I was enjoying this song too…Lyn is a really good artist. Not too bad on the eyes either–"

Akira met Sojiro's gaze, he was staring off at the stage, "Shut it, old man! We have shit to do, remember?"

Sojiro shuffled through the crowd, meeting with the teenagers as they tried to force their way back to the halls of the Dome, "We?I don't remember coming here just because you're here, kid. I already had a reason to be here. Well…a hunch."

"Sure whatever, but you still said you'd hear me out."

Sojiro sighed as they, with no extra people separating them, reunited in the endlessly sprawling hallways of the Tokyo Dome, "Fine. But let's talk on one of the upper floors. I'm hungry."

Sojiro, surprisingly, was a man who enjoyed the simple delicacy of a hot dog.

While he was scarfing down his hot dog, he couldn't help but notice the boys staring at him from across the table they were able to secure. He pushed his spare hot dog towards them, "You kids want a bite or something? You're staring so damn hard…"

Akira pushed it back, "I'm good…I promise."

"Then what's the problem?" He took another hearty bite of the delicious creation of God.

Ryuji and Morgana snickered, with the former willing to speak up, "Nothin' really…just that our Band Director is a glizzy gladiator."

Sojiro's confusion couldn't be masked at all, "What the hell does that even mean?! I swear you kids are all so strange nowadays."

Ryuji's snickering subsided as he took a sip from his Sprite, while Morgana elected to give his guardian a break, "You see…a glizzy…"

Morgana's words started to drown out as Akira slouched in his chair, his gaze lingering across the pristine view of the dome at large.

He couldn't tell why…but there was something in his chest.

At first, he just attributed it to the mysterious and foreboding fortunes from earlier.

No matter how much he told Ryuji otherwise, be it outside of Crossroads or on the train ride to the Dome, it was an insistent droning in the back of his skull. He couldn't escape it and he hated it.

But he didn't want Ryuji to know that. It wasn't important for the moment. Madarame was his–no…their–only focus at the moment.

But…he was wrong.

Whatever this was…it was old. Ancient.

Something heavy.

Something that was lost…and the Tokyo Dome was forcing it to rear it's forgotten head.

Sojiro, thankfully, brought Akira back to the land of the functioning, "Kid, don't tell me you've gotten hypnotized by this place? It's nothin–"

"Yeah, I know it isn't anything special. I'm not even thinking about this place."

"Jeez, try being a little humble kid."

Akira snorted, "Hard to be humble when I was stunting on a jumbotron here last year."

Ryuji's face surrendered into a grin, "Nice Kanye reference and a nice rhyme too…"

A huff of humor slipped from his lips, "Thanks, I try." Akira turned his head back to Sojiro, "Anyway…if you're done making love to your hot dog, mind hearing us out?"

Taking the final bite of his first hot dog, Sojiro sighed and nodded, "Go head or whatever, but make it quick."

"Gee, how rousing and supportive of you, Sojiro. Truly the finest representation of being a guardian." Sojiro gave Akira a snort of laughter as he started eating his second hot dog, "Anyway…don't be mad." His eyebrows quirked with a sting of both confusion and probable anger, "See…remember what I said about the guy I punched?"

The Kurusu guardian gave a nod, "Uh-huh?"

"Well, you know how Ryuji has a girlfriend?"

"Takamaki, right?"

Ryuji choked on his Sprite, "W-What?! No! Ohya! The girl over the newspaper club!"

"Oh. I could've sworn you two were rubbing and hugging all over each other…I guess that other girl isn't so bad either."

Ryuji tilted his head in confusion, "Is…is that a compliment or an insult...or is that one of those other things…"

"You mean a backhanded compliment?" Mona tapped Ryuji on the shoulder.

"Yeah, one of those things."

Sojiro open his mouth to give clarity but Akira sincerely didn't care, "ANYWAY. Back to the matter at hand, she got lucky and he was at the bar she works at."

His eyebrows rose in confusion, "Isn't she a second-year like you? Isn–"

"I uh…choose to not question it, to be honest. Anyway, after school ended, she called us and said he wanted to meet us, so…"

"You met him, okay, what did he say?" He took another bite of his glizzy.

"His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara and he was one of Madarame's students. Basically winding it all down…"

Ryuji finished his thought, "The old fart is a legit piece of shit who fakes everything around him. He uses his students to create his arrangements and compositions. He's a fraud who sucks 'em dry…then throws them away when he doesn't need them anymore."

Mona decided to pitch in, "And from what they've told me…he's abusive too. Apparently sold one of his students off as well."

For a few beats, silence consumed the table as Sojiro finished his hot dog, taking a sip from his cup of… adult-oriented juice, "Okay…that's…that's a lot. I can't even lie to you. Did you at least verify it?"

"Nah, but I guess that's the good thing behind you doing that meeting today, we have a chance to ask Kitagawa-san about it. Nakanohara told us to do this for Yusuke so…"

Ryuji yawned, "Actually, if you don't mind me asking, why did you even set up the meetin'?"

Sojiro sighed as he readjusted in his seat, "Ah…my friend didn't call me back in time so…thought about setting the meeting up from there. Would give me a chance to gauge Madarame myself and see if anything changed over the years. Plus," He tapped his pass, "gave us a benefit after all."

Ryuji chuckled, "Talk about being impatient, that was what…a day or so?"

Sojiro couldn't suppress his snicker, "With her, an ignored phone call is an answer within itself. But.." Sojiro gazed out to the venue at large, "I think this replaces her with ease. More personal. More straightforward with no ambiguity." The sound of effort slipped from his lips as he forced himself up, "I guess I should say you kids did a good job. Now it's just a matter of piecing everything together and…doing the right thing, right?"

Akira did the same, meeting Sojiro's eyes, "Yeah, just do the right thing."

Sojiro placed a yen note on the counter as he turned back to the trio, waving them off, "Right…I guess this old man should stop holding you kids up, right?"

While he hated it, Akira had to surrender a smile, "Correct. Enjoy your night and…your hunch, or whatever, Sojiro."

The two, for once, had a rare moment of unity as the elder man went off to deal with his own business.

Huh, Akira Kurusu and Sojiro Sakura leaving a conversation on a good note. That's rare…

Akira turned to his friends, "Alrighty, time to pressure a potentially abused teenaged prodigy into telling us whether or not his father figure is a piece of shit. Seems fun, right?"

Morgana shrugged, "Funnier than hanging out with Shinya and Kasumi…"

"You have got to let that go, dude." Ryuji chucked his can into the trash, oblivious to Morgana's frustration.

"Oh kiss my ass! You got to see Ohya before we came here–"

"If it makes you feel better, I–"

"Shut the hell up Akira! You get no fucking bitches man!"

Morgana's outburst admittedly caused him to shut up for a few moments, spurring Ryuji to speak up, "Yeesh, you didn't have to go that far. I mean, yeah sure it's the truth but still."

Yeah, no that's enough.

I'm not getting dunked on by both of these assholes!

"Okay, okay that's it! We have a job to do! Focus this energy on trying to figure out where the hell Yusuke would be instead of–"

"And now! The moment you've all been waiting for! Ichiryusai Madarame will be taking the stage to perform his classic and most famous hit! Sayuri!"

The three of them whipped around, instantly lurching to the railing, "Woah–"

Ryuji didn't share the disbelief of Akira however, "Shit, that means it's only gonna get hella crowded in here…and still no sign of Kitagawa…I thought Madarame would've at least done this later in the night!?"

Mona groaned, "I'm not surprised…from everything Nakanohara told you guys, he's done all of this fraud shit to maintain people's love of him. The bastard loves the concept of vanity, so why wouldn't he get on stage as fast as possible?"

"Ew…you're right. And I'm gonna pretend I know what vanity means."

Ignoring him, Mona went on to his next point, "Now…about Yusuke…if he truly sees Madarame as everything Nakanohara said…"

Akira drew his eyes to the stage, seeing Madarame stroll from the deep neverending darkness the curtains of the stage provided. He was waving at the entire crowd, his smile almost infectious.

No one could imagine the monster that slept beneath it.

It frustrated Akira to no end. The sight just…forced another set of abandoned emotions to the forefront, "He'd be near him. No matter what." Akira made his way down the stairs.

"You know you didn't pay for that sprite, right?"

"Shuddup, Morgana."

Makoto hated crowds.

Well, that wasn't exactly the truth.

Makoto had grown…accustomed to crowds throughout her lifetime. Be it presentations in front of boards or something similar due to her Student Council duties, or the press due to her mother, father, or Sae.

With all that being said, she just wasn't accustomed to concerts.

Even as a child, when her father used to take Sae and her along for his tours, she always hated it.

That detail of disdain was a reason why Sae never did bring her along for any of hers.

Everyone was so…insufferable. Constant screaming, yelling, food being thrown, hands that definitely didn't belong to her reaching around, and–by far the worse part in her mind–the stretch was unbearable.

Which, once again, begs the question, why was she there?

While Yusuke, very poorly, attempted to maneuver through the crowd to get closer and closer to backstage, her mind wouldn't dare let her contemplate another topic without surrendering an answer.

A satisfactory one.

It was annoying, especially considering she couldn't…produce one. It felt as if she was stuck at a standstill.

It was slowly starting to manifest itself as the one thing Makoto hated the most.

An unknown.

Her mind kept bouncing around with possible reasonings, but…it didn't help.

It was just running around and around.

Yusuke?

I mean…he's right here, and I'm still pondering the same question.

That's not a satisfactory answer, Makoto.

Okay…well, maybe since Sis is here, you can use this as a way to spend time with her? Isn't that technically a satisfactory one?

Ha.

Funny, I almost believed that for a split second.

She shook the pessimistic thought from her brain. It was a slippery slope she didn't wish to revisit at the current moment.

Instead electing to visit another pessimistic thought dug into her brain.

Perhaps… I desire to figure out if there's something truly wrong with Madarame…?

Then…that just means…

A groan slipped from her lips as they somehow made it backstage, freed from the surplus of musty and grating fans.

The timing was awful though as Madarame was called to the stage, playing his most famous song.

Makoto and Yusuke were right behind the curtains, peeking their heads out ever so subtly at Madarame.

After a few waves and a bare-bones conversation with the crowd to gauge their excitement, with bated breath, Madarame leaped into what they were waiting for.

Sayuri was a beautiful song. Truly a masterful composition that centered focus on Madarame's most powerful asset, slow and methodical playing that emulated the human voice a haunting T.

Of course, there was an ensemble behind him that complimented him perfectly, but the focus and draw was Madarame. That much was obvious.

There was such…longing in his playing. As if the song was portraying a deep sorrow that couldn't be articulated by just…playing. She wasn't even sure if it could be articulated with singing as well.

Makoto heard the song multiple times when she was a kid…but never grasped how…beautiful it was.

There wasn't just sorrow behind the haunting melody. There was love.

There was passion.

There was joy.

Worry

Excitement...

It was deep. The chord progression was veering perfectly on the edge of being complicated yet simple.

Makoto's eyes wandered to Yusuke beside her. His face had such emotion on it. It was a mishmash of different ones, but she could tell they were all good.

"Kitagawa-kun? Are you okay?"

He wiped a stray tear from his eye, "Forgive me, this display of emotion doesn't happen regularly, I am just overwhelmed once again by the exquisite beauty of Sayuri."

"Again?

"Sayuri…is the reason why I'm an artist in both fields. Hearing it for the first time when I could barely conjure words…I wouldn't be who I am today. It's…it's another reason why I owe sensei my life."

Yusuke's attention was raptured again by the last note of the song, a wailing high note from Madarame's soprano saxophone.

Owe him your life?

"Kitagawa-kun, what do you mean by that?"

Yusuke kept his eyes trained on Madarame as he strolls around the stage, goading yelling and screaming from the crowd, prolonging their attention as much as possible before he continued to his premiere of one of his new songs, "Well…my mother…she overdosed when I was a few months old. My father…I'm not sure what happened to him."

"Oh…I'm so sorry…"

"What do you have to apologize for? It's not as if you forced a corrupting intoxicant onto her." He paused for a second as he turned his gaze to her, "Simply, some people aren't strong enough to do what they need..or to endure this grand inconsistent thing we know as life without using something to make things better. My mother was one. That was her choice and hers alone, so the responsibility falls on her, solely.."

"…I suppose."

"Hm? Do you not agree? But wasn't your father Sadauji Niijima? Did he not suffer a similar fate as well? Considering how young you were don't—"

She quickly cut him off, "I don't think we should talk about my father, Kitagawa-kun."

Yusuke's face expressed a form of confusion, but it quickly morphed into regret, "My…my apologies. I'm sorry."

The silence between them was genuinely uncomfortable until she spoke up again, "But…how did Madarame find you?"

"Ah, right. Sensei and my mother used to perform together in the 90s. He used to always look out for her, seeing her as a little sister, he said. So, naturally when her passing was discovered…"

"He took you in."

He gave a nod with a faint smile on his face, "Truly, I'm infinitely indebted to him."

Kurusu-kun has to be wrong.

He has to be.

Though, within seconds the smile dissipated as he heard the first chord struck in Madarame's new song.

There was a strong sense of…disdain from Yusuke that even Makoto felt.

That wasn't the only thing she felt as well, a strong jarring sense of whiplash struck her. Madarame's new song…whatever it was…felt like the furthest thing from his usual motif.

Or, at least the motif he had been sticking to with his recent singles.

This song was…erratic. Fast. Loose. It felt as if it was composed with hatred only in mind, a chaotic DNA laced itself throughout its lightning-paced melody, reminding Makoto of an old American rapper Sae used to listen to.

I think his name was…ah, it's escaping me. Something that involves Ye?

"Wow…this is…something different from Madarame. Very different. Almost…unrecognizable. It's…experimental." She glanced at Yusuke, his face partially obscured by the darkness from backstage, "I can tell he must've gone…somewhere deep for this."

Yusuke's face was flat when a flash of light illuminated his face. "Indeed."

He sighed as he focused once more on her, "Never mind that, Niijima-san?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't just come here to share my sensei's wondrous display of skill. I wanted to continue my inquiries about our painting sessions?"

Makoto faintly blushed, "Oh! Kitagawa-kun, I–"

"WE would love to, Yusuke!"

Akira strolled up, wrapping his arms around the both of them. He had a very…very toothy grin plastered all across his face.

Makoto's face very clearly displayed her disdain towards the elder Kurusu–which was only worsened when seeing Ryuji and Morgana stroll behind him.

Oh no.

Morgana waved a hand while Ryuji spoke, "Yo! What's bonkin' Kitagawa?"

Akira's grin lessened as he heard Ryuji release those cursed words from his mouth, but Yusuke on the other hand was sheer confusion, "What…exactly is bonking?"

Makoto, as always held her straightforward attitude, "What are you threedoing here?"

Akira looked down at her with his signature stormy grey eyes, humor tugging at his eyes, "Madarame-senpai gave all of us these passes remember? We didn't want to waste a night, and then we remembered you guys mentioned something about coming here tonight. So…we wanted to hang out with some friends. That's all."

Friends.

Funny.

Akira picked up on his humor's failure and instead elected to pick another topic, "How about this, I'll buy you guys some food! Who's gonna reject some free food?"

Yusuke meekishly rubbed his stomach, "You do raise a logical point, Kurusu-san. Though," He lifted Akira's hand from over his shoulder, "I think you should unhand me and Niijima-san."

Akira chuckled, "Right, yeah. Sorry."

Makoto couldn't help but give Akira one of her signature Niijima Death-Stare, although he just ignored it. Somehow.

What do you have planned…?

That question was the only thing she had on her mind as she, regretfully, followed Akira.

Although it missed her ears, Morgana chuckled. "One minute they hate each other…another minute they can stand each other. Worse than us, huh?"

"Eh. What are we supposed to do now?"

He shrugged, "Akira said he got it. I think it's better than the three of him grilling him at the same time…let's be real…"

A sigh slipped from Sojiro's lips as he took another puff of his cigarette. Grimly, he kept staring at his phone. It was a nagging thought at the back of his head that eventually his phone would be flooded with messages and calls from Futaba. He couldn't think of the last time he was out this long ever since he adopted her.

Hell, he was sure he never left her during the night.

During the day? It was anxiety-inducing, something that was rare for Sojiro Sakura, but at the very least…he had a semblance of faith in her ability to get through the day.

The night? The same time when Futaba became tortured? When she would have flare-ups? Her memories would weaponize themselves against her and her blood-curdling screams would rip Sojiro from his bed? Forcing him to speed to her door, desperately trying to open it? Having to bathe in his futility–knowing that all he could do is try to let her listen to his voice while her trauma and visions of Wakaba would debilitate her where she could only scream and cry since she couldn't move?

Yeah, the night wasn't the best for Sojiro. And that was just when he was there.

The idea of being away from Futaba during the night danced across his synapsis a few times, but that's all they were–ideas. They weren't worth entertaining…another source of unneeded anxiety.

Separating himself from his daughter during her greatest time of need wasn't something he ever imagined himself doing and yet…here he was.

At Ichiryusai Madarame's pathetic festival on the off-chance he would see Sae Niijima and on the pleas of Akira Kurusuof all people.

It was already hard enough for Futaba to get somewhat used to her new room here in Tokyo…

Hell, not only the room…the house…all its little imperfections and tweaks. The schedules of the neighbors…the details of the neighborhood. All those little things that Futaba likes to get down to soothe her anxiety…

Shit.

Sojiro had imagined multiple times that if an event ever did arise where he'd leave Futaba by herself, it would be a matter of life and death.

Yet…it was on the possible delusions of a rejected apprentice.

Why don't I just…mind my damn business…?

Sojiro took another glance at his phone, his eyes unwillingly being dragged to his forearm, displaying his leather watch with a shining sun on the wristband.

He had his reason.

Another puff singed the final embers of his cigarette as he threw it to the ground, crushing it beneath his sole as he pocketed his phone.

Considering I heard someone say something about Sae Niijima being outside somewhere…

If I was a saxophonist with a disgustingly large ego, where would I be?

His eyes treasured the discovery of the massive circle a few ways off from him, near one Korakuen Hall.

Bingo.

A few steps took Sojiro into the circle, rudely pushing through the droves of reporters until he surfaced by Sae and Akechi, where the latter was seemingly shitting his pants, "Never fully pegged you as the type to enjoy the crowd, Sae."

There was a confusing mesh of emotions that formed on Sae's face once she heard his voice, something that gave Sojiro an odd sense of pleasure.

A sigh came from her lips as she cleared her throat, addressing the reporters, "Ahem, if any of you have something to say to me or Akechi-san, I would advise waiting until the end of Madarame's show. He's the reason why you all are here, after all." There was a coldness in Sae's voice that only strengthened the idea that this wasn't a suggestion of hers.

It was a warning that was helped by her…less than friendly stare.

After a few seconds, the droves of reporters started to crumble away, soon leaving the three of them alone.

"Sakura-san…what are you doing here? This really isn't your sort of thing, is it?"

Akechi tried to speak up, "Sakura-san…? Aren't you the one who–"

"Akechi, I'd suggest popping in to say hi to Madarame-san.

"Sae–"

"Find Makoto for me, too." There wasn't any wiggle room for her words. Once again, it was just a set of orders.

Akechi went off as Sojiro gave her a smile, "I could arguably say the same for you, Sae."

She groaned as she rubbed her temple, "It's for publicity, and I don't have time for this, Sakura-san."

Sojiro chuckled as he ruffled his hair, "To be fair, this could've been avoided if you picked up my phone call."

Sae scoffed, electing to walk past him, "Oh yeah? Bye then, Sakura-san."

"Okay, okay wait," He positioned himself in front of her, "Sae, this is serious. You know I wouldn't have called if it wasn't. Just…just hear me out."

Sae bounced the idea around in her head for a moment, gazing into his eyes when a disgusted sound left her throat, "Fine. But not here."

"Sweet."

Their waiter poured them glasses of wine, with Sae taking the first sip. Admittedly, Sojiro was a little surprised Sae's idea of a better place to talk was a restaurant around the Dome, but was he enjoying it? Hell yes.

"I see you've taken a liking to drinking."

Sae finished her sip, "You have your cancer sticks, and I have my wine. We all have our vices, let's not judge, okay?"

Sojiro brought his hands up in defense, "Okay, okay. Easy there, I wasn't saying anything bad. I just…don't remember you being like this in the past."

"People change, Sakura-san."

Sojiro bit his lip, leaning forward a little, "Sae…you don't have to call me Sakura-san, anymore you know. What happened to just plain old Sojiro? Or even Soji? It was cute…real nice ring to it." A brief chuckle came from his lips, "...Didn't leave me feeling so old, either."

Sae rolled her eyes and took another sip, "You're thirty-seven, Sakura-san, I don't think that qualifies as you being old. Unless it's the…band director job that's getting to you."

He winced.

Shit.

"Ah…so you know?"

She couldn't help but smile, knowing she caught Sojiro with his pants down, "As much as it annoys me, my little sister's prattling can be useful."

"You know she reminds me of you, a lot." He shuffled a little in his seat, seemingly getting comfortable, "Granted I've only met her once, and that was today, but I can definitely see the family resemblance."

She chuckled at the idea, "Every once in a while, I see it too. I just…" Her eyes were downcast, "hope she does more."

"Sae–"

She shook her head, instead pulling back to the question that was at hand, "How in the world did you get a job at Shujin Academy? Don't you have enough on your plate with one child anyway?"

"I still have no idea. It was a suggestion from someone, I just…got lucky, I guess?" Sojiro shrugged as he took his first swig from his glass.

"You know you don't have to lie to me, Sakura-san."

"I'm not. And you don't have to keep calling me Sakura-san. What happened…to, you know, keeping things the same?"

A bitter laugh slipped from her lips, "Oh really? Hard to do that when someone never called."

"Oh don't try to pull that blame game shit with me Sae, you were the one who ended things. You were the one who always hid away in your shows, concerts, and studio. What difference would it have made if I did try to call? Be real."

She gritted her teeth, "Whatever. What do you want, Sakura-san."

He sighed, "I'll just stop beating that dead horse. I called because I wanted to know since you're still active in the music world, have you heard anything strange lately? About Madarame?"

Her face scrunched up, "Madarame…? As in–"

"Let's not do this bit, please. Yes, him."

Sae bounced her head around for a minute, eventually sighing as she laid her head on her hand and stared at the view of the Tokyo Dome from the window,, "Madarame…well, I remember my manager mentioned this funny little rumor a few years back."

Sojiro rolled his eyes, "The balding one that's an asshole?"

"Funny, you're almost similar with the exception of balding."

"Ha. Your wit knows no bounds, Sae."

She continued, "Apparently, some guy tried to say something about him being a fraud."

Shit. Nothing I don't already know from the kid.

Sojiro feigned interest, "Really? Any proof?"

"Not officially, but I did a little poking around after I heard, and…some of his demos sounded really similar to Madarame."

"Really?"

Her eyes met with Sojiro's as she nodded, "I tried to get in contact with the guy, but…he pretended as if he didn't say any of that. Honestly, I stopped caring about it then. If didn't care, what should I, you know?"

Paid off.

Bribery, yet another charge.

All of this…and these kids want to deal with this…

Sojiro snapped himself from his thoughts, "Yeah, don't worry I get it. Thanks though."

"Don't think you're getting out of this easy, why'd you ask?"

He waved away her concerns, "It's nothing serious, I just heard something similar from a student, I wanted to ask. That's all."

Sae put an inquisitive face on, "Huh…and Makoto is with Madarame's pupil, right now…odd."

He shrugged as he went for another drink, "I doubt it's anything serious, Sae."

"Huh, you not taking something seriously, that's a first."

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Been a welcomed change I've been trying to add these past few months.

"Perhaps you should keep it."

Finishing his glass of wine, he fought off her dry wit, "Right. Right. In any case, thank you for the help but," Sojiro lifted himself up and threw a few yen notes on the table, "I think you'd have more fun here without me, though." He gave her a bow, "Have a goodnight, Sae."

Despite the slight jealousy Akira felt towards Yusuke with Makoto, he was oddly a cool guy.

It's just that you'd have to ignore the weird shit he'd say or do. Akira was having a hard time deciding if that was just him as a person or just…weird quirks he developed from Madarame's hand.

As they were waiting for their orders to finish, Yusuke was droning on the two Shujinites about one of his favorite American rappers, "And you see, if you were to replay the album backward, you'll be blessed with an inverted storyline, detailing his fall to greed and weakness until the end where he tries to atone, but it's functionally futile and he's doomed to an unremarkable death. Similarly, if you were to reverse the fifth track of the album from the third minute to the first fifty-four sec–"

Okay, I take back what I said about Yusuke being a cool guy, now I won't feel as bad interrogating him.

Akira silently removed himself from the conversation and took a seat at a table, much like the one from earlier, that was set up near the railings to provide a view of the concert below. Akira took a few of the free mints provided on the table as he gazed. Madarame had finished his newest song and left the crowd with the tease of another song coming later in the night.

Yeah, he's a narcissistic asshole for sure.

Hey, at least I get to listen to some real good music now! Faye Wong?! Dude that's fucking awesome!

For a moment, as Akira was giddily getting excited, he forgot about Makoto and Yusuke. The former walked up to him without him knowing, right next to his ear, "Mind telling me what you're doing, friend?"

I…

I am a weakling, aren't I.

A few coughs came from Akira, "You can't just get in my ear like that–you have to pay first."

Makoto took the seat closest to the railing, "A fee? What?"

"You see, when running an OnlyFans account such as mine, you have a lot of…eager fans who want a piece of the pie. So…why not make a little extra bank?"

"What's…what's an OnlyFans account?"

"Oh you sweet child you, you have much to lea–"

"I believe it's an account that's synonymous with pornography. OnlyFans had a spike in popularity last year. The owner will have a monthly subscription system in place for their fans to watch their pornography for a fee. It's a very lucrative business, I applaud you for having the confidence to bare it all, Kurusu-san." Yusuke had his food in tow as he slid into a seat.

Makoto's face went pink, "W-Wow, I can't imagine you…wait–"

Akira cleared his throat, "Anyway, haha yeah you should subscribe, it's called BACAki."

"I will be sure to subscribe, Kurusu-san."

Should I make it clear this is a joke or uh…?

Nah, let's let it soak.

Akira couldn't help but notice there was a guy peering at the three of them. Well, not them as people…but their seats instead.

Even Yusuke noticed Akira's gaze, "Kurusu-san, are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah. Yeah, I'm good. But, back to the BACAki brand, you see all the videos have a 35 to 45-minute duration on average, I'll usually start the video out by taking my sweet time polishing my balls—"

Makoto wasn't sure if she could even doubt Akira's claims of having an account, much less deduce if it was pornographic in nature or just him polishing actual balls.

Instead of giving herself a headache, she decided to revisit her previous point, "W-What are you doing?"

Akira scratched his cheek, "As of right now? Just detailing my love of polishing balls. I do it so much on the account, sometimes they catch on fire!"

Akira could tell his avoidance of her question annoyed her, which was good in his book. That's kinda what he wanted.

Yusuke seemed…oddly invested though.

Turning his eye from her and to the stage, he realized Faye Wong was strolling out, a surge of screams and yells following suit.

A giddy grin formed on his face as he kept wondering what song she would sing.

He had a couple in mind, but his favorite?

Eyes on Me.

Please…please, please Eyes on Me.

I just finished Last Reverie 8 a few months ago…

Contrary to what people say, I argue it's actually one of the best games in the franchise and wasn't a disappointment after 7.

That's just me though.

I think Morgana would castrate me for that take though…

Soon enough, Akira heard the beautiful lull of the string section, followed by the keys of a piano.

Aw hell yes.

AW HELL YEAH!

PEAK MUSIC BABY.

THIS IS THE ZENITH OF THE MEDIUM!

ELITE CREAM!

After a few moments, Faye started singing, "My last night here for you…same old songs, just once more."

A faint smile formed on his face as always. Eyes on Me was a song that…oddly made Akira feel good.

Who would've thought he would've gotten lucky enough to find it through the black sheep of the Last Reverie franchise.

Though…his eyes started to wonder…

"How you shyly placed your eyes on me…"

"Oh, did you ever know? That I had mine on you?"

For…some reason, his eyes kept…sliding to Makoto.

Maybe it was because it had been the first time he could…just…look at her.

No bullshit.

No angry angst.

While it was very…very faint brought up by Yusuke's presence, it was another pseudo form of peace where he could just…gaze at her…he had to admit, he was getting rather lucky for the second time in a day.

The way her eyes would take on this soft edge when something caught her attention…the way Makoto would finally loosen up when something enjoyable was in front of her.

How a soft smile would form on her face when she wasn't consumed by stress or work. How her smile would brighten her features.

It reminded him of their…date at the park.

Goddamn it…Ryuji unleashed that memory from the depths of my mind…

Did I just call it a date…?

I…I mean, I did enjoy it.

And…she did too.

I mean, outside of the general puking.

Hell, if she didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be remembering her little quirks, wouldn't I?

As Akira was locked deep inside of his mind, Faye continued on with the song.

"Darling, so there you are,"

"With that look on your face,"

"As if you're never hurt,"

"As if you're never down,"

"Shall I be the one for you,"

"Who pinches you softly, but sure,"

ALRIGHT, NOPE WE'RE NOT DOING THIS AGAIN, I'M STILL MAD AT HER REMEMBER?

SHE STILL HATES MY GUTS REMEMBER?!

SHE FOLLOWED MY BROTHER! STALKED ME!

MURDEROUS SISTER, AKIRA!

PRETENDS YOU DONT EXIST AKIRA!

SHE'S LITERALLY DOING IT RIGHT NOW DUDE!

TOXIC COUPLE AKIRA!

TOXIC.

FUCKING.

COUPLE.

WHO CARES IF SHE'S REALLY, REALLY PRETTY AND CAN PARALYZE ME WITH A GLANCE EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF ME EARLIER TO IGNORE HER NIIJIMA DEATH STARE

HARU'S RIGHT THERE!

LAVENZA!

EVEN SAYA!

FUCK IT WE BALL MAN!

DONT MAKE SHIT HARDER FOR US BY GOING AFTER THE WOMAN WHO CALLED US KAMOSHIDA!

YOU'RE A CRUEL BASTARD GOD.

Akira gave a deep cough and pretended to clear his throat, "S-So, uh…Kitagawa-san, mind if…if I ask a few questions?"

Yusuke poked his head up from nibbling on his cotton candy, "Yes? What is it you desire, Kurusu-san?"

Makoto snapped her head back to the two, opening her mouth to voice an objection when Akira simply cut her off, "Madarame. You've known him since you were a child, right?"

"Mhm. An infant, to be correct."

Akira pushed on, it seemed as if things were going in the right direction, "Now…that's about sixteen years?" Yusuke gave a nod, "During that time…I assume Madarame has had more apprentices other than you in the shack, right?"

Yusuke adjusted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes narrowing on Akira, "You can cease with the dancing around, Kurusu-kun. What is it that you wish to ask me?"

"Simple. Junko and Nakanohara."

Makoto's confusion was clear as day, "Who—"

It was getting clearer and clearer Yusuke was getting rattled, he was becoming paler than usual, "W-Why are you bringing up the two cowards who ran away from sensei's teachings?"

"Cowards? The two people who protected you when he laid his hands on you? Only because you wanted to go outside?"

A nervous chuckle came from Yusuke, "Sensei? Put his hands on me? How preposterous."

"Was it preposterous when an old man wouldn't let you go outside? A child?" The hot seat was starting to sear Yusuke, but Akira kept pushing despite his uncomfortable mood, "Is it preposterous when an old man exploits his students and steals their—"

"ENOUGH." Yusuke launched from his chair, anger—for the first time—slithering deep inside of him as he jabbed a finger in Akira's direction, "You—You will stop these baseless and vile lies on my Sensei! How dare you come in here with these poisonous lies after he graciously gave you and your little hoodlum friends passes?!"

O-Okay, holy shit I wasn't expecting this?!

WHY IS THIS REMINDING ME OF ANN?! AM I ABOUT TO GET SLAPPED AGAIN?!

Yusuke stomped in front of Akira, viciously ripping off his pass from his neck, destroying the lanyard, and walking off.

Full of relief, Akira released a sigh as he slouched over on the table.

Whew…that went better than last month.

Wait, isn't Makoto still here?

Akira lifted his head to see her, still apparently in shock, "Oh, you're still here. I told you Madarame wasn—"

Makoto gritted her teeth as flashes of their skirmish from earlier replayed, giving her bodily autonomy again, "Oh, don't try to rub this in my face."

He chuckled, "You just don't want to admit the delinquent was right. That I—"

"That a delinquent decided to berate and spit out allegations against someone's father figure in a public place, a place dedicated to their father figure's hard work." She stood up, disgust in her face, "You didn't even think about how this would make him feel, did you? You just…wanted your proof and to one-up me." She scoffed as she walked off, "Disgusting."

Admittedly…Akira kinda didn't think about how Kitagawa would feel and how he'd react.

Y-Yeah but this was the only place we could talk to him freely!

But…I could've pulled him to the side somewhere and explained it a bit more…calmly.

Akira, defeatedly, flopped his head on the table.

It's the same shit I did with Ann…

…and Nakanohara…

…and Kamoshida…

…and—OH COME ON!

Damn it!

This brashness of mine…doesn't work all the time…I thought I was doing better man…

There's a problem when Ryuji's more level-headed than me…

A few footsteps placed themselves by Akira, causing him to lift his head up, seeing the balding middle-aged man from before, "Are you uh…you gonna lay there man?"

"Uh…yeah? Until I stop feeling like shit?"

"Oh, cool…cool. Just uh…let me know when you're gonna leave."

Perplexion took a hold of his face, "…why…? There're other tables around here, man."

He started twitching, "Just…let me know."

Admittedly, Akira was getting a little frustrated, "Why?! There's other—"

The man slammed his hands on the table, scaring Akira as a freakishly joyful face manifested on him, "I SNIFF SEATS AND LICK TABLES MAN. LET ME SNIFF YOUR HONKIN' LOIN ESSENCE OR ELSE."

Wha—

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Akira jerked from his seat, startled and eyes wide.

AM I IN ANOTHER HALLUCINATION?!

IS THIS THE ASS GRIPPER FROM THE NEWS?!

NAH I GOTTA…GOTTA GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE.

Per the request of the possible serial ass gripper that might've come from Kyoto, Akira panicked and ran down the stairs. Trying his hardest to not think of what fate laid in store for his seat.

Eyes on Me was a song that Morgana begrudgingly loved. Akira had played it an ungodly amount on loop for days, causing it to forcibly grate itself into his ears and become a guilty pleasure for him.

While he wasn't outright singing it—which only made sense since Morgana would rather die than have Ryuji weaponize this against him—he was tapping his foot to the tempo.

Madarame must've noticed as he walked beside the young boy, "It's a good song, is it not?"

Mona was…admittedly a little caught off-guard, "Y-Yeah. It's somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. My brother loves it though."

"I can see your brother adoring a song such as this. He seems like a romantic…despite his…boorishness."

It's 2021. There's so way this man just said—

Ryuji accurately summed up his thought, "Boorish? Dude, it's 2021…"

Madarame's expression lessened once he remembered Ryuji was there, deciding to move away from the boys and closer to the curtains, "Right…I forgot your generation…"

The two teenagers gazed at each other as Madarame went on a generational rant. A signifier of any man's age.

Blond Monkee: You gotta be shittin me.

Mona: Don't all old people love to do this?

Blond Monkee: I do NOT give a shit.

Mona: You know, since he has his back to us…we could just.

Mona: I dunno.

Mona: Leave?

Blond Monkee: Oh, right.

Blond Monkee: Good point.

Mona: Oh, what would you do without me.

Blond Monkee: Get some bitches.

Blond Monkee: WAIT

Blond Monkee: You're not Akira man damn it…

Mona: I don't know what's sadder, the fact that this implies you talk to Akira all the time, despite the fact you're in a relationship

Mona: Or the fact that this is your pre-programmed response to him and it will work everytime…

Mona: Jesus, my brother needs to do better. Even I'm starting to feel pity.

Mona: Anyway…let's go Ryuji.

Without alerting Madarame, the two left from backstage, deciding to make their way to one of the upper levels to find Akira.

At least, that was the plan until Morgana got a phone call from Kasumi.

He paused at the stairs, "Oh shit, Ryuji, I'll catch up with you, okay?"

Ryuji gave a thumbs-up as Morgana left through the entrance, getting some sort of peace and quiet as he answered the phone.

"Hey! How's everything going?"

"Pretty fine. Just really tired, to be fair."

"I can imagine. Must be pretty fun!"

A little snicker formed on Morgana's face, "Sure, terrorizing my brother is the best thing in the world, I can't lie."

"Mhm. I can't lie, Morgana, I'm a little jealous you've been having these entertaining events lately…."

"Pfftt, these are side missions, you're the main quest."

Wait.

Did…did I say that?!

OH GOD, I'VE BEEN AROUND RYUJI AND AKIRA TOO LONG.

A fit of laughter came from Kasumi, "I don't exactly know what that means, but…I'll take it as a compliment?"

Oh, thank God.

"Don't worry, it's just some stupid lingo I picked up from my brother and his friends."

"That…makes sense. But that reminds me, speaking of games, Shinya wanted all three of us to hangout soon? Something…about a cafe he said?"

Mona paused, "Did…did he say where…?"

"Mhm…no, not really. I think it might just be the one in Shibuya."

"Oh. That's fine, I'll text him about it when I get home—"

There was a loud clang and thud that came from the speaker, followed up with, "OUCH!"

"Kasumi?! Are you okay?"

He could hear a groan, it belonged to her of course, before she replied, "I'm okay…just that I tripped over my dad's umbrella…dropped my phone…aw man…it has some more cracks in it…I'm so stupid…"

Jesus Christ her phone is already on its last legs…

"Yeesh…Kasumi, you're not stupid! You're one of the smartest people I know! And…I think you should get it fixed or something. I'd really hate for you to not have a phone. Would really suck, you know, not having a way to contact you or anything."

Wait.

"I-I mean strictly for school things! If you ever have a day when you're out or maybe you're behind on the material! Maybe we might have a group project again in the future besides this fair one!"

"How thoughtful…but it's fine, I should be able to use one of my sis's old phones. She left a few here when she decided to stay with mom. So, no worr—"

Morgana jolted in fear as the constant sound of Kasumi saying worries jaggedly replayed in his ear over and over again until he pulled the phone from his ear, revealing that the call had dropped.

"Aw man…she forgot to charge her phone again, didn't she?"

A dejected sigh came from Mona as he slouched.

"You okay, kid? They won't let you in or something?"

"Oh, no I'm fine, I have a p—"

It was Sae Niijima.

A bottomless pit of anger inside of his stomach.

Ryuji strolled up beside Akira, another Sprite and—surprisingly—a hot dog in hand, "Wanna bite? I was able to grab some more free food."

"Y-You stole. You stole from the same place?"

"Yesn't."

"That's not even a fucking answer…either you're a goddamn genius to finesse that guy again, or he's an idiot that can't remember the loudest thing in the universe next to weed."

Ryuji squinted his eyes, "You fumbled, didn't you? You and Miss Prez got at each other's throats again? Didn't give you a chance to talk to Yusuke?"

Akira sighed, "Nope, it was the opposite. I got my chance to speak with Yusuke. Basically, Nakanohara-no surprise here-was telling the truth."

Eh…yeah let's…let's just not become vulnerable about my insecurities right now,

Maybe later.

"I'm just tired. You know how cranky I can get when it comes to my sleep."

Ryuji nodded, "Right, fair point." Ryuji took a hearty bite of his hot dog, "But seriously, you don't want anything? All you gotta do is go up to the guy and say–"

Akira instantly shot the idea down, "I uh…I'm good." Akira was going to join the crowd at large but he stopped himself, "Was…was there a guy…"

"Sniffing seats up there? Yeah, he was uh…sniffin' and lickin' the hell outta this one seat. Like, full-on moanin' and groanin'. I thought he was goin' to start nuttin' everywhere."

Oh.

Oh god…

I think I should omit this from my journal…for the sake of my sanity.

Before Akira would venture deeper into the disgusting mental image of a grown man convulsing over his ass fumes, someone bumped into him by accident.

"Oh–my apologies."

There was a slither of Akira's psyche that wanted to go a tangent, but he sighed, instead electing to make sure the man was okay, "You alright man?"

Huh. This guy kinda looks familiar.

The shaggy-haired boy, who–upon first glance–seemed to be the same age as Akira, shook his head, "Worrying about me when I'm the one who bumped into you?"

"Just trying to be kind. You okay though, seriously?"

"Course…although…I can't help but wonder…have I seen you before?"

Akira shrugged, "Funny, I've been wondering the same thing as well…"

Ryuji finished his hot dog, "Geez, your memory seriously sucks dude. That's Goro Akechi, the dude we saw on TV that one time?"

Oh…right, the guy that Igor doesn't like or whatever.

Didn't Ryuji also talk shit about him as well…?

"Oh, right. My memory is awful sometimes, Akechi-san."

He chuckled a bit, "I suppose that solves one side of the intrigue…but that doesn't solve where I know you from…" Akechi hung onto his last word.

"Akira. Just call me Akira."

Akechi mulled in his head for a moment, trying his hardest to piece together Akira's name and his appearance…but nothing came afruit. A sigh slipped from his lips as he brandished a cheeky smile, "Well, I have to go meet Madarame-san. Interesting meeting you two."

And with that, Akechi turned around, soon disappearing into the chaotic grasp of the crowd.

Ryuji nudged Akira in the side, "Seems like you got a fan."

"Shut up…I still don't know where he could've seen me from…weird."

Ryuji shrugged, "I dunno, don't ask me man."

Unbeknownst to the two, a group of security guards appeared behind them, one of which tightly clasping Akira's ripped VIP pass, "Yusuke Kitagawa explicitly asked us to remove 'The twink with the messy hair and terrible posture.'"

"T-Twink?!"

"The 'effs a twink?!

Morgana spat out a reply as he stuffed his phone in his pocket, "N-No, I have a pass, I can get in at any time."

Sae couldn't help but look a little confused, "Then why do you look down? You alright?"

"Yeah. Say…you're Sae Niijima, right?"

Sae rolled her eyes, "If an autograph is what you want, I'm sorry to tell you but–"

A coldness came over Morgana as he continued gazing at the Tokyo Dome, turning over the fiery anger he felt in his gut, "No…no, I could care less about that."

Once again, Morgana's frustrations took a hold of him before he could realize it.

On the other hand, Sae found the boy's dismissal of her…intriguing.

He looked faintly familiar, yet she couldn't just place it, "Then, what do you care about…?"

She tried hanging onto her last words, hoping to bait the boy into revealing his name, but Morgana simply sidestepped the issue, "A few weeks ago…one night, probably as uneventual as ever for someone of your stature, a teenager came to your doorstep.

Sae tensed as her eyes narrowed with a bitter venom, "Akira Kurusu…which means…"

Morgana noticed a pretty set of stars in the sky. Mentally he jotted it down, hopeful that he would be able to remember it in the future, "You threatened my brother. You probed into our lives. All because…of Makoto?"

"I…chastised your brother because he doesn't know to leave well enough alone. Seems as if that's something you two share."

Mona chuckled, "Funny, I could say the same for your sister. You know she followed me? Cornered me in the alleyway one night? I gave her a taste of what you did to Akira. Shame she didn't get the message."

"Didn't get–" She paused, "Just what do you–"

"So, maybe I'll just have to send it directly to you." He snapped his contact with the stars, instead electing to push closer to Sae, staring directly into her eyes. It didn't matter if he was younger and shorter than her. His stormy grey orbs were piercing into her.

She shuffled uncomfortably, "You think some…first-year can scare me? That you can threaten me or something? In your dreams. You can't do anything to me, kid."

Another huff of humor slipped from his lips, "Sure, I can't do a single thing to you…butlike you threatened with Akira, I can ruin your sister."

Sae was caught off-guard.

Thathadn't happened in a long, long time.

"Just what are you trying to–"

A wry grin slipped onto his face, "You forget that I go to the same school as your sister. Any and everything she does...good or...unsightly, I can find out more easily."

Sae gritted her teeth as she unwillfully swallowed Morgana's threats.

This…this was embarrassing.

Unbecoming of…someone like her.

Her voice slithered out in a tight and faint whisper, "What do you want?"

While her voice only lessened, Mona kept his normal volume, "I simply want you, your sister, and your cousin to leave my brother and I the hell alone. You can do whatever else you wish and...but if the three of you ever…come around my brother again, I'll make sure I'll find a way to ruin you." He gave a bow to her, "Bye now, Niijima-san."

Walking over to the entrance, Morgana heard a series of commotions–not long after he was swept up by his brother and Ryuji while they were being pursued by a group of security guards.

Picking up the implication that he needed to run as fast as possible, Mona shouted at the top of his lungs, "What the hell are you two doi–"

Akira didn't pay his brother no mind, "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TELLING ME YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL A TWINK WAS?!"

"NO, MAN NO! WHY THE HELL WOULD I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!? THE ONLY TWINK I KNOW IS A TWINKIE!"

"IF YOU KNEW THE MAN WAS TALKING ABOUT ME IN THAT SENSE, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU'D EAT ONE?!"

"Wait, you don't know what a twink is?!"

"OH COME ON! CAN WE NOT DO THIS SHIT NOW?! WE'RE RUNNING FROM 'EFFIN GUARDS!"

"GEE, WHY ARE WE RUNNING FROM GUARDS RYUJI?! WHO ELBOWED A GUARD IN THE FACE AT THE VENUE WE'RE GONNA PLAY AT IN A WEEK?!"

"STOP DICKRIDIN' IT WASN'T INTENTIONAL GODDAMN IT!"

The incessant bickering between Akira and Ryuji—with the partial inclusion of Morgana—continued all the way until they arrived at the subway.

Sae discarded her keys on the countertop as Makoto locked the doors behind them. Every muscle in her drained body was screaming for the much-needed reprieve that came in the form of her bed, but…she had one thought in her head that was overriding her exhaustion.

"Makoto?"

"Hm?"

She turned to face her younger sister, "Why exactly are you around Yusuke Kitagawa?"

As expected, Makoto was confused, "Why do you ask, sis?"

"I asked a question, Makoto."

She paused for a moment, contemplating the best answer, "I…"

"Actually, how did you even meet Kiitagawa? Considering he goes to Kosei…and you never seemed the most…exuberant whenever dad brought us around Madarame…" Sae's face spread with realization as she remembered Morgana's words, "Does…does all of this have something to do with Akira Kurusu? Have you been around–"

"Sis–"

"Just tell me you haven't, Makoto. Tell me that you listened to what I told you." Sae's question was answered with her guilty gaze and her reluctance to meet her in the eye, "Jesus Christ, Makoto!"

"Sis it's not like that, I promise!"

"Then what is it like?! What are you getting yourself involved with these unsightly parties? An insufferable delinquent like Akira Kurusu? Yusuke Kitagawa?!"

Makoto, in the most respectful way possible, bit back, "What's wrong with me being around Kitagawa-kun?! He's–"

"As much as you might think different, I knowyou Makoto. I know you aren't around Yusuke for the hell of it." Sae could tell by Makoto's expression she hit her right where it mattered, "I don't know what you have planned, or what delusions you might have in your head…but don't be an idiot and associate yourself with him or Madarame. I…I don't think that'll be safe for you, Makoto."

For a brief moment, her fists were clinched but they faded. Much with her willingness to be rebellious, "Okay. I hear you, sis."

Sae ruffled her hair, "I know that…was a little rude, but remember…I just want what's best for you. Being around these boys…their friends…they're distracting you and becoming an unhealthy nuisance from what you have to do. There isn't much time left, Makoto. Stay focused and keep your head from matters that don't involve you."

And with that, Sae gently nudged her sister in the direction of her room.

Emerging from his shower and drying his hair with a hand towel on his head, Akira had an idea reform in his head, "Mona?"

Closing the fridge, Morgana gave a non-verbal huh? as he took a sip from a bottle of water.

"Hey, in your homeroom, have they talked about the Shujin Fair?" As he spat those words out, his phone went off in his pocket.

Probably Ryuji…I imagine he just got home.

Instead…Akira was greeted with the disappointing sight of that weird app from last week on his phone again.

What the–

I swear I deleted this bullshit last week! Dude?!

Unlike last week, there was a red notification bubble by the app, alerting Akira to the fact he apparently had one notification.

Clicking on it revealed the black oval from the app's logo with a lock over it's mouth, there was a text bubble that read, See you soon!

What…what the fuck?

"You heard me?" Morgana's voice shackled Akira back to the realm of the living as he quickly deleted the app once again, "What was said?"

"I said I can't join your group if that's what you were gonna ask. I'm in a group with Kasumi, Shinya, and Ryuko."

"Wha–I thought you said you hated that Shinya kid?! And who the fuck is Ryuko?!"

Morgana chuckled, "Okay, okay calm down fuck meister. And when have I ever said I hated Shinya? Sure…he's a little…weird, but I have you as a brother so he's lightwork to be around in comparison."

"That…that was so unneeded."

"And for Ryuko…she's a girl in my class. Real funny. Since this is supposed to be your month of wooing…I can introduce you if you want–"

"Oh, eat a dick."

Mona snickered, "Right, I forgot you like older women. Even though Mika–"

"I'm going to bed man."

Morgana busted into full-on laughter as Akira stomped to his room, "You know you've been getting dunked on all day? Ryuji, me, Sojiro, Ann…this is not a good look for you brother."

As Akira flopped into his bed, Yusuke's…outburst kept playing in his head.

Yeah.

Not a good look for me.

A/N:

Sometimes it surprises me how...dense Marching Phantoms has gotten with plot lines and characterization...

Why am I surprised, I'm the one writing it for god's sake lmao

Chapter 31 should be up next Wednesday, trying my hardest to not burn out just yet while still pushing for a daily word count and having fun.