2/22, Mon

Morning - Shujin Gates

"Morning, Haru-Chan."

"Good morning, Akatsuki-Kun!"

"Ah, the daily ritual is fulfilled once more."

Grinning off to the sidelines, a handful of students watched as Akatsuki and Haru bowed and curtsied to one another, respectively, when they met by the gates. It was something they did all the time now, and by God, was it odd to see at first… but as the days dragged on, the Shujin students eventually came to accept it, and soon enough, they lingered about to see if they'd do it again the next day.

In particular, Takamaki and Suzui seemed to be fans of this, with the former stating that it was adorably domestic whilst the latter just felt happy, seeing Okumura act so bubbly to someone else.

"You can't deny it, Shiho! They're adorable!" squealed Ann as they watched Akatsuki and Haru enter Shujin, with them conversing about an issue regarding modelling or whatever. "Say… do you think that they're into each other?"

"Ann… we've discussed this; we won't go assuming that just because two people like each other that they're into each other," scolded Shiho lightly. Ann pouted at this but relented regardless, but still… "... though, they're definitely into each other."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"It's all in the eyes, my dear Ann. It's all in the eyes."

After School - Shujin Rooftop

"I… don't know. I want to model for him… it seems… fun, but… I don't know if I should. Father seems to approve, but I can't shake the feeling that he's trying to use me as a way to get to know Madarame-San more."

Akatsuki's response to this was a simple nod. The duo were atop the roof once more, with them tending to Haru's plants as they spoke to one another. Well, tending was a large word to use, they were actually setting up a larger flowerbed for them to plant their stuff on! See, Haru had commented on how the little styrofoam boxes were filling up faster than she'd like, so her friend suggested they get some larger flowerbeds to plant things in. Okumura had brought the issue up with her teachers and lo and behold… they supplied them with some!

How generous…

"I tried modelling for Shino once, but he ended up painting Yamagi instead. He was sitting on the other side of the room at the time, but he had Ojisan's full attention," stated Akatsuki, with him grinning at that memory as he spoke. Haru let out a light giggle at that.

"He must truly love Gilmerton-San to do such a thing… though I doubt that Kitagawa-San would waste our time in such an endearing manner. He seemed genuinely passionate, and a servant of mine had run an ID check on the invitation he gave us. The address is indeed Madarame-San's Artlier, and his phone number was genuine as well," stated Haru gently.

"Hm… if you're sure about it, and if you really wanted to, you should go, but I'm following you, alright?" grumbled Akatsuki. He didn't sound too keen on this prospect, but still he was willing to go along with it, for Haru's sake. Okumura smiled widely at this, though she did sense some of her friend's apprehension.

"I… if you don't want to-"

"N-No, it's fine, Haru-Chan. It's just… I worry sometimes, you know?"

Akatsuki's genuine nature and kind words hit Haru a lot harder than she had expected, and upon processing his words, the auburn haired girl felt her cheeks heat up lightly as she rubbed at one meekly, only to get dirt on it moments later. Her friend chuckled lightly at this as he raised an arm up and brushed it off.

"What's up?" asked Akatsuki with a tiny smile, to which Haru's blush deepened.

"W-Well… hearing you say that… it reminded me of just how… protective you used to be of me when we were younger," smiled Haru as she pushed some of her bangs behind her ear, and upon hearing this, it was the boy's turn to blush as he looked away and pursed his lips shyly. "You always stood up for others when no one else would, and even when things were dark, you always stood tall and kept moving forwards… like a knight would…"

"A knight, huh? Well, in my eyes, you were always the braver one, even if you didn't know it. Everyone back in elementary school thought you were some kinda princess, but you were always more of a rogue to me. So cool… but also very kind," mused the boy as he went back to refocusing on tending to the soil, and from there on, conversation was sparse, with the two trying to process what they had just heard from the other as they did their best to focus solely on the flowerbed before them.

Ultimately, the duo came to an agreement right before they were about to leave through the gates of Shujin; they would meet up with Yusuke at the Artlier on February 27th, a Saturday. Haru had messaged him about this, and on the day, they would meet up after school and head to Madarame's Artelier then.

As for today, they just needed to get home and try to forget about their initial conversation.

2/27, Sat

After School - Madarame's Artlier

The week had come and gone rather quickly, with Akatsuki and Haru going about it at their usual pace. After agreeing to model for Yusuke a few days prior, the latter had made the call to the boy, and to say that he was ecstatic would be an understatement.

"I promise both you and Mixta-San that art piece shall be nothing short of breathtaking, Okumura-San!"

The guy had spoken so passionately, and with such volume, that Ryuji, who had been leaving the roof at the time when he saw the two Second, soon to be Third, Years walk in, actually heard him, though Akatsuki waved him off, assuring him that it was fine. Sakamoto thought it better to not go butting into other people's business before buggering off.

Either way, the rest of the week was spent studying on occasion whilst also goofing off from time to time. Haru herself had gotten to speaking to Shiho and Ann on one noteworthy occasion whilst they were in the library, having conveniently bumped into the duo whilst studying, and Akatsuki, whilst with her, had gotten some help from one Niijima Makoto in getting a book off the top shelf, something difficult for him thanks to his abysmally short height.

Hopefully Makoto would not use this information to blackmail him!

Potential blackmail aside, now, both Akatsuki and Haru, after being chaperoned by Sasha, who was pretty happy to see the former once more, stood in front of an admittedly dingy looking Artlier. Akatsuki himself huffed when he saw this, with Haru politely refraining from voicing out her thoughts on how it looked, though as for Sasha…

"Jeez, one stray gust of wind and this entire place'll probably come tumbling down!" chuckled Sasha as he propped his glasses up higher onto his face. Haru, for her part, seemed distraught that her chauffeur would say such a thing, though Akatsuki couldn't help but stifle a chuckle as he shook his head.

"Hopefully not while we're inside. Thanks for chaperoning us, Javor-San," hummed Akatsuki, to which Sasha chuckled.

"Don't mention it. Just call when you're about to leave, alright? I'll be around Shinjuku, so try and call, say… thirty minutes ahead of time. Till then, peace," mused Sasha, with him throwing up a peace sign before he drove off, leaving his charges to their own devices all the while. The duo watched as the vehicle drove out of view, with Akatsuki glancing down at Haru all the while.

"What business does he have in Shinjuku anyways?" asked Akatsuki curiously, and to this, the girl scratched her cheek.

"I… I think he has a friend in Shinjuku, someone called… Ohya? I don't know the details, but I believe they're quite close to one another," mused Haru, though the two didn't linger too much on that as they moved towards the artlier's door. Glancing at the doorbell, Akatsuki offered Haru the honour of ringing them in, and without much hesitation, she did just that, and moments later, the door slid open, revealing an elderly man rather than Kitagawa Yusuke.

Said man was very much familiar to both Akatsuki and Haru, what with him being one of the most popular artists in recent memory. With his long grey hair swept back and tied into a ponytail alongside his more traditional, if a little low class, attire, there was no mistaking this individual for anyone but Madarame Ichiryusai, the ever famous artist and apparent mentor to Kitagawa Yusuke.

Upon opening the door to his visitors, Madarame found himself surprised at first, but before long, he seemed to recognise the kids for who they were, prompting him to flash a small smile as he nodded in greeting.

"Ah, you two must be the models that my apprentice spoke of, no?" mused Madarame, with him smiling lightly as he hid both his hands in either one of his long sleeves, and upon hearing this, both Shujin students nodded.

"Yes, we are, Madarame-San! I'm Okumura Haru, and this is my friend, Mixta Akatsuki. It is an honour to meet you in person, truly!" introduced Haru, with her professionalism shining through all the while. Her father had taught her to be direct when speaking to other individuals; and Haru, thanks to having her friend by her side, felt courageous enough to do just that, with her pumping out her chest and speaking clearly all the while. Akatsuki, for his part, felt prideful towards his pal's sudden jolt in confidence, though he said nothing of it as Madarame chuckled and nodded.

"Welcome, welcome. Please, come-"

"You came!"

Madarame's words were quickly interrupted when Yusuke Kitagawa, who burst onto the scene with the subtlety of an avalanche. The boy was dressed in a Kosei Highschool uniform, or at least in its white innerwear and long pants, with the emblem printed by his left breast, and looked incredibly happy to see both Haru and Akatsuki present, but still, when he saw that his sensei was with them, he quickly recomposed himself and cleared his throat.

Akatsuki himself raised a brow when he saw how Madarame's gaze sharpened drastically at Yusuke's unbecoming demeanor, though he spoke nothing of it as the boy cleared his throat and rephrased himself in a more respectable manner.

"Ah… uhm… aphem… you two actually came…!"

Still though, his passion seemed to be just barely hidden by his calm(er) demeanor, as he bounced up and down on the spot whilst observing the duo with stars in his eyes.

"Calm down now, Yusuke. You wouldn't want to scare away your models now, would you?" chuckled Madarame as he allowed the two in. For his part, Yusuke appeared mildly sheepish as he nodded apologetically, though his initially dampened mood was reinvigorated when he led the duo into his personal art studio, and once inside, he motioned for both Akatsuki and Haru to take a seat on a worryingly small chair made to look like a tree stump. Considering how small it was… Augus ended up letting Okumura sit on it whilst he stood idly by the sidelines.

"I apologise for my inability to greet the both of you properly, Okumura-San, Mixta-San, but I had been readying my paints for the entirety of the morning!" apologised Yusuke as he readied his pastels and got his brushes. He already had a canvas propped up and ready to be painted on, and for all it was worth, both of the other teens present could commend him for his preparedness.

"It's quite alright, Kitagawa-San! I must say, it is quite an honour to meet the famed Madarame-San in person!" smiled Haru as she fidgeted a little, and at that, Yusuke paused briefly before smiling lightly.

"Indeed… and likewise, I am honoured to meet the daughter of Okumura Kunikazu," responded Yusuke, smiling kindly all the while. Haru flinched a little at this, with her not liking how Kitagawa seemingly was seeing her as her father's daughter and nothing more, but even so, she didn't let that show as she simply nodded.

"I hope that me being his daughter will not affect anything, Kitagawa-San," said Haru with an awkward smile, with Akatsuki almost scowling as he heard this, though to this, their junior chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Worry not, it shall not dampen my goal of capturing the beauty you share alongside Mixta-San, Okumura-San. I shall see you as who you are, nothing less," assured Yusuke as he set down a few brushes, to which Haru sighed in relief whilst Akatsuki loosened up a little.

"Oh… I'm glad. People tend to alienate themselves from me because of my father… the rumors surrounding his business, alongside other things make me seem unapproachable," muttered Haru, to which Yusuke nodded sympathetically.

"I can understand. As Madarame Ichiryusai's student, many hold me to a higher standing than I deserve because of that alone," stated Yusuke kindly. "Likewise, Madarame-Sensei's presence on all broadcasts do very little to showcase who he truly is as a person. Many believe him to be faking, when he proclaims himself to be but a humble man who longs for nothing more than true beauty to be preserved on a canvas, and so few understand that he makes no lies when he says such a thing."

"I don't blame them. People tend to wear masks when in the presence of others. They want to look good to the public, but it doesn't seem as though Madarame-San is like them," mused Akatsuki, with him shrugging as he finished. He personally had no real experience with the artist prior to now, but still… the boy was aware of the old man's mannerisms. Shino had told him about him a few times before he had moved to Tokyo, what with him being an artist as well, and in all his accounts Ichiryusai was an incredibly humble and kind old man.

Akatsuki had no reason to distrust his uncle, and as such, Norba's thoughts were his own, and they seemed to ring through even now, as Madarame showed himself to be just as he had told him just moments prior.

"Indeed. Though… Madarame-Sensei has had to deal with many an individual talking down to him thanks to his fame. I am glad to know that neither of you think that way," smiled Yusuke, with him speaking genuinely from the heart as he nodded at them in appreciation. Haru smiled at this.

"I myself prefer to see past the rumors and see others for who they really are, Kitagawa-San," admitted Haru gently, with Akatsuki nodding firmly behind her. Yusuke seemed to like that notion, as evident by his appreciative nod, but still, he said nothing more on the topic as he framed the duo within his fingers, humming to himself thoughtfully all the while.

Yusuke did this for a few moments, with him doing his best to capture the utmost perfect ratio for his painting. He 'zoomed' in and 'zoomed' out on a few occasions, with him adjusting his canvas forwards and back in proportion to how close or far away he was to his models, much to their amusement, whilst, at one point, turning the canvas from portrait to landscape and then back to portrait once more. Haru herself sweatdropped at this, with her finding the blue haired teen's attempt at getting everything perfect to be rather… overkill, though Akatsuki himself thought nothing of it as he whipped his phone out and thumbed through it whilst Kitagawa captured the perfect ratio for them.

"Hm… yes, this ratio will work splendidly. Hm, now then… Mixta-San, may you shift a bit to your left, more towards Okumura-San, please?" insisted Yusuke, and at that, Akatsuki shifted. "Hm… a bit more…"

And shifted.

"A tiny bit more…"

And shifted.

"A little more… HOLD! A little in the opposite direction!"

He shifted back a lit-

"HOLD! PERFECT! Now, if you may, please put your hand atop Okumura-San's shoulder!"

Akatsuki tensed up at this, though he reluctantly complied regardless, and he shuddered when he felt Haru tense up alongside him when his hand rested atop the fabric of her cardigan.

"Brilliant! Okumura-San, if you may, I would like you to sit up a little straighter, please! Yes, perfect!"

… Haru hadn't even done anything yet, but then again, she wasn't about to complain, especially as she watched just how pumped up Yusuke seemed to be.

"Now then, let us begin!"

And for the next couple of hours, Yusuke was silent, with him mixing paints and dancing his brush against his canvas as the seconds went by. Akatsuki and Haru had to give him some credit; the boy was a dedicated one. His eyes reflected no small amount of focus as they darted between the canvas, his paints, his models and back to his canvas. It was as though his brain was working on overdrive, which served to contrast just how patient and deliberate every brushstroke onto his canvas was.

The guy was really pouring his heart and soul into this painting… and it really showed.

Of course, the painting process was lengthy, and he would likely be unable to finish it in a single sitting, and before long, Akatsuki had to take a short sit down, which Yusuke was fine with. Thereafter, he returned, and then Haru had to stretch her legs, which the guy was also fine with.

"Such is the advantage of having two models, I suppose. Although to rush art would be to ultimately lessen the beauty of the end product, an artist would usually prefer to cover as much of the canvas as possible in a single go," stated Yusuke as Haru stood up to stretch her legs. "To have a single model would mean that an artist would have to stop and take breaks alongside them, but to have two allows me to continue, even whilst they do so."

"You seem adverse to taking breaks, Kitagawa-San. You've been painting for much longer than we have been modelling without them," hummed Haru as she stood to the side. She wished to have a look at his canvas, but Yusuke had suggested otherwise; best to see it when done so as to not spoil the surprise, he reckoned! Okumura reluctantly agreed.

"I find breaks to be wholly unnecessary. I had conceded on a few occasions, but whenever I returned from them, I found it difficult to refocus on my work. I find it best to paint whilst my mind is focused. I believe the analogy would be for a blacksmith to strike whilst the iron is hot, no?" chuckled Yusuke as he held a paintbrush up to Akatsuki. After about four hours of constant work, the teen had completed a basic outline for his artwork, and now, he was about to add in the rudimentary colours; things such as shading and details could come later.

"Striking while the iron is hot is a good analogy, but sometimes, you might strike it a little more than necessary," commented Akatsuki as Yusuke held the paintbrush up to his face, with him humming victoriously as he found the colour of the paint to match his skin tone. Thereafter, he got to work on painting the first layer onto the canvas.

"Perhaps, but alas, I am not a blacksmith, so I do not know what you mean by that," mused Yusuke, eliciting a deadpanned look from Akatsuki whilst Haru shifted uncomfortably.

"What Akatsuki-Kun means is that you seem to be pushing yourself too far past your limits. You… you're eating well, yes? The way you talk about your work gives me the impression that you're more focused on your work than your wellbeing, Kitagawa-San," said Haru, with her sounding genuinely worried as she spoke. Kitagawa's stickman body type didn't really gel all that well with Okumura, and in response to this, Yusuke simply smiled.

"Worry not, Okumura-San. I have been keeping myself well fed," assured Yusuke. At first, his words brought some comfort to the duo… only for said comfort to fade into nothing when Kitagawa pointed towards a shelf with three packs of Jagariko. "I find that a single pack of Jagariko keeps me well fed, enough to allow me to continue painting."

"... what the fuck," was Akatsuki's honest to God reaction to that info, and upon saying that, Haru's cheeks reddened. She didn't agree with his wording, but she did agree with why he said that.

"K-Kitagawa-San… if you don't mind me asking… when was the last time you ate a proper meal?" asked Haru carefully, to which Yusuke paused in his painting. Lowering his brush, the boy thought about that carefully, and moments later, he shrugged and went back to work.

"I believe it was on… Tuesday? I was busy with an art piece requested by one of my senseis at Kosei, and I had not the time to eat anything whilst finishing it. When you had messaged me, approving of the modelling, I had absconded from any and all forms of food outside of light snacks in order to complete it before your scheduled arrival."

"..."

"..."

"... your silence seems unnatural. Is something-"

Yusuke didn't even get a chance to finish that statement before Akatsuki lightly seized his wrist, with him not using even a fraction of his full force out of fear of breaking his wrist on accident. Kitagawa's eyes widened at this, though he didn't get a word in as Haru stood up and approached him.

"We apologise, Kitagawa-San, but this is not healthy!" protested Haru, her eyes burning with righteous anger, more so for the painter's stomach, as she stomped a foot. Akatsuki nodded firmly in agreement.

"But, the Jarariko!" protested Yusuke, only for Akatsuki to shake his head.

"You're cracked in the head if you think you can live off that," muttered Akatsuki, with him removing Yusuke's paintbrush from his hand before turning to the sole clock in the room. It was well into the evening now, though it wasn't the dinner-rush just yet. "Come on, Kitagawa-San. We're going for dinner."

"B-But I haven't any money for that!" lamented Yusuke, with him slouching a little as he spoke. To his shame, he had spent his weekly allowance on paints that would come close to matching Akatsuki and Haru's features, leaving him with barely enough to scrape by for the week's remainder. Both of his models were appalled to hear this, though they were quick to nod at one another before turning back to the teen.

"Worry not, we shall pay!"

"WAIT! WAIT I SAY-"

But alas, they did not wait, with Akatsuki dragging Yusuke off to the closest diner whilst Haru readied her wallet.

Evening - Ore No Beko

To Yusuke's shame… he had leeched off Okumura's dime in order to get three whole bowls of beef bowl, much to the sole employee's shock as he watched him scarf down all three bowls in rapid succession.

Akatsuki and Haru couldn't really blame him, though. Hunger was definitely getting to him by now, and if he did not eat for any longer, Jarariko did not count, he'd likely start digesting himself! By the time the two had finished their own bowls, Yusuke had ordered his fourth bowl, and in an instant, he inhaled it without pause, much to Haru's worry.

"K-Kitagawa-San, I know that you're hungry, but please, t-take some time to breathe, please!" whisper-yelled Haru as she watched Yusuke inhale his fourth helping, though by the time she said that, the bowl had been stripped clean, much to her and Akatsuki's amazement. Even the employee seemed shocked at this revelation, but still, he said nothing of it as he cleared the bowls and went on with his work, and as he did so, Kitagawa was left to his own devices alongside his two models, who watched as he slouched over in apparent discomfort.

"... you alright?" asked Akatsuki, who was sitting closest to Yusuke, as he rubbed the skinny guy's back to comfort him. Haru's eyes reflected a higher amount of worry as she observed their shared acquaintance from beside her friend, though moments later, the blue haired teen nodded solemnly.

"Yes… I am just… grateful towards the two of you. I apologise for spending as much as I did, Okumura-San. I had invited you and Mixta-San over to be my models, but in the end, I had exploited your kindness and spent an exorbitant amount of Yen just to satiate my hunger…" bemoaned Yusuke apologetically. To this, both Shujin students could only stare at one another, bewildered, before they chuckled lightly, much to the lone Kosei Student's confusion. "... is something humorous to the two of you?"

"Well, n-not particularly, Kitagawa-San. You don't have to worry about all the beef bowls, they won't affect my weekly allowance whatsoever," giggled Haru, with her silently reminding Yusuke of who her dad is as she spoke.

"I… I see. But even so, I shall strive to repay you in any way I can, Okumura-San," stated Yusuke, with him bowing his head lightly as he spoke. Thereafter, he glanced over at Akatsuki before nodding at him as well. "The same goes for you, Mixta-San. Were it not for your manhandling of my person, I doubt that I would even be here in the first place."

"Don't mention it, I guess. Though… you probably shouldn't be thanking people for slinging you over their shoulder and pulling you off to parts unknown," mused Akatsuki as he took a sip from a cup of water. Yusuke's cheeks reddened lightly in embarrassment as he heard this, though he said nothing more on the matter as he nodded a little.

"I must confess, I am puzzled as to why you helped me. In truth, I had been… shall we say, creepy towards you. It was not my intent, of course, but I had stalked the two of you for a few days before brazenly marching up and insisting that you modelled for me. The fact that you had accepted the offer is a surprise to me, even more so that the two of you do not seem to mind my eccentricities have been patient with me," said Yusuke, with him propping his elbows up onto his thighs as he spoke. "And now, the two of you are more than willing to pay for my meal, four times in a row, without asking for repayment. I wish to know; why are you doing this? Surely, you have an ulterior motive, yes?"

"Well… do we really need a reason to be nice to you? Sure, you were a little creepy towards us, but honestly, you weren't trying to actually hurt us in any way, so I guess I can overlook that. Haru-Chan's forgiven you for that days ago, if you're wondering," mused Akatsuki with a shrug, with Haru offering a thumbs up to confirm that she was indeed on good terms with Yusuke, much to his surprise. "And about the food… I'd say you brought that on yourself. Eating Jarariko daily cannot be considered healthy, and though it would've been more convenient to let you starve… I personally would not let that happen, and I doubt Haru-Chan would either."

Haru's swift headshake more or less confirmed that notion.

"I… I see. That is very kind of you, of both of you," smiled Yusuke, though his smile was noticeably quivering. He didn't seem too keen on this, as it did still feel like exploitation in his eyes, but he kept quiet about that as Haru spoke up.

"Pardon me for asking… but why hasn't Madarame-San done anything about this, about your bad habit with not taking breaks? Surely, as your Sensei, he would worry about your wellbeing," pointed out Haru, and to this, Yusuke flinched lightly. It was not missed by his models, though before they could comment on it…

"I… it was a personal request on my part. In truth, I used to take frequent breaks in between painting at Madarame-Sensei's request, but I eventually found that I could not focus because of this habit. Sensei had been incredibly worried when I had requested to take fewer and fewer breaks to maintain my focus, until I had stopped taking breaks altogether, but he respected my wishes nonetheless," stated Yusuke.

His words would've come across as genuine to anyone else, and in some small way, both Shujin students felt that they were… but still, there was something robotic about his delivery that made them doubt their acquaintance. It was almost as though he had rehearsed those words time and time again in his mind, like he was making up an excuse as to why he kept focusing on his art. Whatever the reasoning was, however… neither thought to comment on it as they simply nodded solemnly at his reasoning, and moments later, Haru reached out to the teen and lightly grabbed at his hand, surprising everyone present, herself included, all the while.

"I understand why you're doing this, Kitagawa-San. You've made it apparent that you strive to capture true beauty in your art pieces, but please understand that your wellbeing comes first and foremost," stated Haru seriously. Yusuke was taken aback by her words, but he said nothing as she continued. "True beauty, encaptured on a canvas, can only be attained via hard work, but you must always pace yourself. Take breaks, remain healthy and remember to not push yourself too hard."

"Yeah… what she said," agreed Akatsuki, with him feeling a small wave of envy wash over him at the sight of Haru's hand over Yusuke's, though he suppressed those thoughts for now as he spoke. "You'll burn yourself out if you focus just on your paintings and nothing else, and things will only get worse if you don't feed yourself properly. Three meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"I… I understand, but in truth, my weekly allowance does not allow me to afford these commodities," lamented Yusuke. This made his modellers blink in surprise. Just how expensive was- "To my shame, whenever I find something that brings about inspiration, I find myself purchasing it on the spot…"

Ah… that was why.

"Well, maybe we should try and curb that bad habit of yours, Kitagawa-San. Or I guess bad habits, huh?" mused Akatsuki as he cracked his neck from left to right, and as he said this, Yusuke took note of his use of the word we, with him inquiring about that moments later. "Hm? Oh, well I'm probably going to keep modelling for you."

"Me too! It was rather fun, Kitagawa-San!" agreed Haru, with her smiling lightly as she spoke. Yusuke was taken aback by their words, with his heart swelling with happiness as he watched them stare at him, and moments later, he closed his eyes and began to chuckle lightly, a melodic sound that made both Shujin students shudder at its almost… royal nature.

It sounded like the chuckle of an emperor, almost…

"I thank you, Mixta-San, Okumura-San. Rest assured, I will do my utmost best to make it so that your painting is nothing short of perfection! It is all I can do to repay your kindness," stated Yusuke, to which Akatsuki rolled his eyes.

"Just eat properly for a change and take some breaks. That'll be enough to satisfy us."

"Indeed."

"Ah… I make no promises there."

And thereafter, the trio departed, with Yusuke bowing at his not-quite-friends whilst the two waved farewell in his direction. There was an odd connection made between the three, now that they had spent some genuine time together, though none of them would consider it a bad one, as they felt no small amount of warmth because of it. Still though… none of them commented on it as they separated and headed their own ways, with Akatsuki sticking by Haru as she rang Sasha up to get her home.

"Kitagawa-San's definitely… interesting, now isn't he?" mused Akatsuki as they waited for Haru's chauffeur to arrive, and to this, the auburn haired girl could only nod lightly.

"Yes… though not in a bad way, I must admit."

And though it was left unsaid, the pink haired boy agreed with her on that front, with the two of them agreeing to the fact that these next few days, or possibly weeks, were going to be very interesting…

Look who it is!

Just here to say that I'm currently writing a new chapter of Tekketsu No Kyojin whilst posting this. So there's that.