"Everyone be careful on your way home!" Ms. Kawakami said to conclude her class at the end of the day. This had become her usual routine, ever since that business with the Takases had concluded a few months prior. It brought a smile to Ren's face every time she said it, knowing that he and his friends had been the ones to help her out of that dire situation. Seeing her look so much more energetic and happy every day helped to bolster Ren's determination whenever things got tough for the Phantom Thieves - a constant reminder of the positive impact their group could have on the lives of others.

Ren put his books away in his bag slowly, waiting for the herd to thin out. His teacher glanced his way and took note of his pace. She knew he was a busy man, between Phantom Thievery and hanging out with his ever-growing list of friends and confidants. As such, she knew he only moved this slowly when he wanted to see her for something, and slowed her own pace to match.

"So, Ren," Ann asked as she finished packing her own books into her bag, "what have you got planned for today? Anything interesting?"

"No really," he shrugged. In truth, his plans were the most important thing he could currently think of. But what he had planned would need to be kept secret from his blonde friend for now. "Yourself?"

"Just another modelling gig. This one's for an up-and-coming fashion company looking to branch out into the overseas market."

"And a natural blonde would be the perfect fit for it, huh?"

"Yep! Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Ren." She waved and made her way to the door.

"Yeah. See you."

Once the room was clear, Ren stood up and made his way to the teacher's desk.

"You need something, Amamiya-kun?" she asked in a casually friendly manner. It was a far cry from how she would have asked this question when he'd first transferred to Shujin, that was for sure.

"I was hoping I could ask you for some advice, Sensei," he said, letting his nervousness slip out a little.

"I'm sorry, Amamiya-kun, but I've got a lot of papers to grade tonight, and a staff meeting in about five minutes."

"Oh. Okay then. Maybe another time." As Ren turned to leave in disappointment, his teacher put a hand on his arm to stop him.

She pulled him closer and said in a low voice, "But maybe you should call and request your friend Becky tonight. I'm sure she'd be happy to help her favourite client." There was almost a knowing wink in her voice that Ren was sure she was holding back, just in case anyone saw them.

Ren couldn't help but grin at this. "I will. Thanks, Sensei. See you later."

"See you tomorrow," she replied with just enough emphasis to correct him in case anyone overheard and pieced things together.

He gave her a wave and nod before heading off.

He stopped by Takemi's clinic for something to settle his stomach before returning to Leblanc. With the topic he had in mind to discuss with Ms. Kawakami, he doubted he'd be able to give anyone else the attention they deserved, so he played some video games with Futaba to pass the time. Once Sojiro had closed up and taken Futaba home for the night, he called his teacher, Morgana slipping out the window to give the two some privacy.

Ms. Kawakami arrived not long after. She still tended to wear her maid disguise whenever he called her over, even long after she quit her second job at Victoria. Even if she was only coming over to give him advice right now, it would still look incredibly suspicious at this hour if anyone recognised her. The last thing they needed was for someone to think the two of them were in some sort of illicit relationship.

"Here I am, Master," she said with a well-practiced curtsey as she entered the café. Her tone was much brighter than it had been before she'd quit, and her smile was that much more genuine to match. Ren wondered if he could have fallen for her instead if he hadn't already fallen for someone else.

"It's been a while, Becky," he greeted, smiling almost nostalgically.

"It has. Shall we go upstairs then? I believe you wanted to chat with me?"

"I do. But let me fix you some coffee first."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"You've been working really hard at your other job lately. I wanted to reward you."

The maid gave a wide smile, scratching at her blushing cheek as she did. "That's... very thoughtful, Master. Okay. Just this once."

Ren nodded and got the coffee machine ready while Becky took a seat on one of the barstools.

"It's unusual for you to ask me for advice, Ren-kun," she said, dropping the higher tone of her Becky persona for a more natural one. "Historically, I've been the one taking advice from you. I have to admit, it makes me happy knowing you feel like you can rely on me after all this time. Especially after how rough things were between us at the start..."

"Yeah. But you've changed a lot since then. Or, I suppose, you've changed back."

"All thanks to you and your friends, Mr. Phantom Thief."

"That's kinda what I wanted your advice on, actually."

"...Phantom Thieving?"

"N-No. No. My friends. Or, one of them, specifically."

"Oh? Is my wise master having girl trouble?" she teased.

"Kinda."

"Wait. For real?" she asked, stunned.

"For real," he confirmed.

"Wow. Okay, well... Are you sure you want to be asking me for advice here? Surely, Takamaki-san would be the ideal... Oh. OH! You mean-"

Ren nodded, his face red and his glasses foggy.

"Okay. Well- Wow. That's... surprising. But also very sweet. I think you and she would make a very cute couple."

"Y-You... think so?"

"I do. I hope you don't mind my saying this, but you and she are both kinda... How do I put this?"

"Outcasts?"

"Not the word I was hoping for, but in the absence of an alternative, yes. It's very sweet to think that two people like that could find such a deep camaraderie that it blossoms into love. Sounds like something out of one of my romance novels."

"You're enjoying this way too much, Sensei."

"Mmm, maybe. But that's only because you, and I assume Takamaki-san as well, helped me to enjoy life again."

Ren said nothing, confirming her suspicions. He didn't want to reveal any of his compatriots' identities without their express permission, but he also didn't feel right lying about the people his teacher felt grateful towards for helping her turn her life around.

"But still, my point stands: why are you asking me for advice on this? Niijima-san or Okumura-san would be a better choice, given that they're closer to your age."

"They are, but... God, this is gonna sound so weird."

"Do they not have much experience in that area?"

"I'd rather not say."

"No then."

"But that's not the reason. It's that... I guess most people my age would ask their parents for advice, right?"

"Oh. I see where this is going."

"Yeah. I've barely spoken to my parents since coming here. I get a message asking how I am every now and then, but it always feels like an obligation, not that they're genuinely interested."

"That's awful! People like that don't deserve the title of parent! ...Uh, sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, no. I agree. If they don't support you when you need them, they aren't family. Boss has become like family to me over the last few months. Him and Futaba. And, as weird as this might sound, the way you've been looking out for me since we dealt with the Takases has really meant a lot to me."

"Wait, are you saying-"

"I think it started when you chastised me over my diet and the state of my room a while back. I felt like I was being scolded by my mom. Well, not my mom. A mom. It was actually kinda nice."

"You were right, this is weird."

"But that doesn't make it any less true."

"No. No, I suppose it doesn't. Honestly, I can kinda see where you're coming from. Even if I didn't do much to bring you to this point, I'm still so incredibly proud of what a fine young man you are. And as proud as I am of my other students, none of them even come close to eliciting the same feelings as you do. Maybe spending so much time cleaning up after you and preparing food for you awoke something in me. A kind of maternal instinct, y'know? It's strange to view someone so close to me in age as being almost like a son, especially one as wise beyond your years as you are, but... there it is."

"And that's why I came to you for advice," Ren said, fidgeting uncontrollably. "I really like Ann. Like, a lot."

"It's okay to use the L-word, you know," she mused. "I won't judge."

"I l... I l-love her. I love Ann. But I don't know if she feels the same. So what am I supposed to do? I've never done this before."

Becky giggled. "You're so cute when you're flustered. Honestly, I would've expected you to have more experience with relationships than me, being the smooth-talker you are."

"That's only a recent thing. The way I act in class is actually a lot closer to who I was back when I first moved here. Being a Phantom Thief has really helped me come out of my shell. But this romance stuff is still pretty new to me."

"Yeah, I've been there. But I didn't have the dashing good looks or the super charming personality you have. Nor the ability to know exactly what to say at all times."

"I'd say you've got all of those things covered. You're very pretty, you're very kind and charming once you're given a chance to show it, and you've helped me find the conviction to say what I need to. Thank you, Sensei."

"You're welcome, Ren-kun. And good luck with your confession. Make sure it's just right for her and I'm sure she'll say 'Yes'."

"I will. I won't let you down... Mom."

"Don't push it."

"How did it go?" Ms. Kawakami asked on the other end of the phone.

"I told her how I felt right after Suzui left."

"Suzui-san was with you?"

"Yeah. She wanted to see the school one last time."

"And you confessed right after that? Are you an idiot?"

"I couldn't help it. Ann just watched her best friend leave the school for the final time and she was crying and saying that she was all alone and I just... I wanted her to know that she's still loved, so I... I told her I loved her and I hugged her."

"That's quite forward!"

"You haven't seen her cry like that. The first time she opened up to me was before we dealt with Kamoshida. She was so scared, she didn't know what to do and she felt like no one cared enough to help her. Seeing her crying like that again and hearing her saying the same kind of thing, I..."

"I understand. I can see how your brain would crap out on you in that situation. How did she take it, if you don't mind my asking?"

"She said she loves me."

"Oh, that's-"

"But she didn't seem to realise she'd said it at first."

"Oh?"

"But then she told me that she really meant it."

"That's terrific. So, are you two dating now, or did she ask for some time to process it?"

"We're dating."

"She's got more conviction than I do then. I would've needed some time to think about it if someone confessed to me."

"I'm sure you won't. When the time comes and you meet the right guy, I'm sure you'll say 'Yes'."

"You think I'm that desperate, do you?"

"Not a all. I think you know what you want and that you now have the strength of will to take it."

"Save those smooth lines for your girlfriend, smartass. May I offer you some advice?"

"Always."

"From how often you requested me, I think it's safe to assume you're making a pretty good wage? Take her somewhere nice for you first date. You never forget your first, as they say. For someone of her age and interests, I think Harajuku would be a good choice, given her interest in fashion trends. Maybe end with the ferris wheel Daikanransha. Somewhere of interest to her and somewhere romantic to cap things off. Of course, you know her better, so-"

"Actually... I think that sounds perfect."

"It does?"

"Yeah. You really have been getting to know your students, huh?"

"Well, I... Takamaki-san was one of the students I feel I failed the most. She's in my homeroom and my Japanese class. I should have seen that she was going through a rough time and intervened. It doesn't make up for my failure, but if I can help make even one day more special for her, I will."

"Heh. We're lucky to have a teacher like you looking out for us... Mom."

"You cut that out!"

#KawakaMay continues the fourth prompt: "Family/Motherhood" to celebrate Mother's Day in the U.S. Writing this different dynamic was interesting when compared to how I usually write their interactions. While I adore the Joker/Kawakami relationship, I also find her mothering him in the platonic route just as endearing. This is the true Kawamommy.

You can find the KawakaMay Twitter moment here: /i/events/1390267684001132544