Chapter Two: Re-introduction

The train ride back to Yongen-Jaya had, mercifully, been a very quiet one. With few people to see them, Ren was able to relax a little as he ushered her to a corner seat. He had stood as sentry next to her while Sadayo stewed in her thoughts.

This was not at all how this day was supposed to go.

Sadayo sat next to the window once more, this time watching the evening Tokyo cityscape flash by in neon streaks of color. The gentle swaying of the train car, which during a past life would've been enough to lapse her into sleep, did nothing to soothe her nerves. She fiddled nervously with the zipper that was situated on her chest, covering enough of her to hopefully keep her current persona under wraps. The silly "tiara" was quietly tucked away, out of sight and hopefully out of mind. Her eyes flitted over to the shadowy form of Amamiya-kun, standing tall despite the empty seat next to her.

Why had he done all that?

She was tired - it'd been another long week of long hours and bratty and too energetic teenagers - and she'd not been looking forward to the appointment. She'd figured that, based on the requester's voice, it was some college kid (or kids, she'd reminded herself) who had wanted a quick thrill. At most, there'd be a few catcalls or suggestive requests that she'd decline (Oh, Master! Becky isn't allowed to do that!), she'd suffer through and call it a night. But to show up and find that there was a bona fide party, that it certainly seemed like the requester was both drunk and had the wrong idea, and that her old student would be there to save the day…? Well, Sadayo wasn't sure if she had incredible luck or that she was just tempting the shit out of Fate, and this was perhaps her last warning.

Once they exited the station, it was a quiet walk, with both of them keeping what each hoped was a respectable distance. For Ren, he tried to straddle the line between "protective" and "uncomfortable". He would flick his eyes to her on occasion as they walked, noticing how her lips moved in what he thought were quiet mutterings. Occasionally she would tug at her fingers nervously. He wanted to say something to assuage her nerves after all that had happened, but found either his courage or vocabulary lacking. Probably both.

When they arrived, Ren was relieved to find that Boss had left the kitchen lights on while dimming the front entrance lights. Once inside, he flipped on the rest of them and hung up Kawakami-sensei's coat and ushered her into a booth after she rushed to the restroom. When she had come back out, the pigtails and makeup were both gone, leaving her looking a little frazzled. She sat quietly while he prepared a cup of coffee and got started on reheating a batch of curry.

"So, you work here, Amamiya-kun?"

Her question filled the room like an errant firework.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Also, I live upstairs. Boss - I mean Sojiro, he just likes 'Boss' - showed me the ropes when I stayed here. Says my coffee is good, but my curry is still shit." He coughed, a blush on his face. "Oh, uh, sorry. I kinda lose my filter once I'm home."

She smiled softly. "It's all right, Amamiya-kun. Your old teacher has been known to drop an f-bomb or two in her day."

"Oh, heheh, right." He turned back to the counter. "So, anything in your coffee? Cream, sugar?"

"Hmm? Just two sugars. Otherwise, I take it black."

"As the lady wishes," he proclaimed with a light smile and slight bow. A few moments later, he set the mug down in front of her and smiled gently before returning to the curry. "Let me know if you need anything else, sensei."

She took a tentative sip of her coffee and immediately exclaimed. "Amamiya-kun!"

He rushed over to her, eyes concerned. "Hey! Yeah, everything okay? Was it too hot? Too bitter? I mean, I haven't made a mistake like that in -"

"No, no, just…this is amazing coffee!" She watched him relax, shoulders slackening and a smirk on his lips. "I'm used to the instant shit at school. It tastes remarkably like bored sand."

He blinked. "Bored…sand? That's a hell of a metaphor, sensei."

"Simile."

"What?"

"It's a 'simile', Amamiya-kun. I used 'like' in the comparison, making it a simile. Also, there was a bit of personification I tossed in there for laughs."

"For laughs"? Who is this woman, because this is not the Kawakami I knew.

It was something at which he did laugh, and it was one of the most unexpected laughs he could remember. "Kawakami-sensei…you know what?"

"What, Amamiya-kun?"

"You're all right," he declared sagely. With that and a comforting smile, he returned to the curry, which was now ready to be served. After placing the bowl in front of her, Ren again reminded her to let him know if she needed anything. He started cleaning up while she ate.

He would occasionally steal glances her way, watching her face and hoping to catch a hint that she was starting to relax. At least the trembling had stopped, but she would occasionally close her eyes and shake her head.

When he finished wiping down the last table, he pulled his apron off and sat across from her. The seat squeaked quietly as he slid in. He looked at her expectantly. "So, how was the food?"

With both hands cradling the mug of coffee, she slowly brought the mug back down to the table before giving him a smile. "Hmmm. Very good, Amamiya-kun. Thank you. It's been a long time since I've had a…well, the curry was excellent. Did Sakura-san teach you how to make it?"

"Yeah, part of my 'apprenticeship', I think. Boss started teaching me how to make the coffee, but he was just as diligent with the curry. It's a special recipe and I didn't really want to annoy my guardian."

Her features creased with a flash of something before receding. "You stayed here while you attended Shujin, right?"

"Mmhm. He took me in while I was on probation. You actually met him once." Ren hoped that he'd hidden the swirling mess of emotions that tended to rile up whenever he spoke about his time here.

Sadayo looked away, embarrassed. Thoughts of the year that he'd spent under her watch, with assumption of his guilt and her disdain for having been handed the damn "troublemaker" passed by in her mind. "Amamiya-kun, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For…the way I treated you that year. Even after Kamoshida was exposed, I…" she frowned again, grabbing the handle of the mug then releasing it. "I didn't realize what had happened to you until all that stuff with Shido happened."

"Hmm. Don't worry about it, sensei."

It looked like she had something more to say before sighing. She stared at the table, worry on her face.

"Amamiya-kun, you're not going to…tell Sakura-chan, or anyone else about this, right? I know I wasn't a very good teacher to you, and I didn't really treat Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-chan well either, so you don't really have a reason to -"

It was at that moment when Ren realized a potentially worrisome possibility. She was here as something other than a teacher. They'd been talking here in Leblanc. In the same Leblanc that was bugged. Bugged by her current student, Futaba.

Ren chewed on his bottom lip and cleared his throat.

"Um…Futaba probably already knows."

The color drained from her face and there was sweat forming in her palms.

"You're joking." When his expression didn't shift and he shook his head 'no', her mind went in thirty-three directions at once. Finally, she muttered the only question that was able to be formed. "H-how…?"

Ren sighed again in frustration as he rubbed at his forehead. What the hell was he supposed to tell her? What if she asked more questions? Questions that led back to the Phantom Thieves?

"Well…she kinda has the place bugged."

"Bugged? You mean like a wiretap or something?"

God, his face was hot and sweat was beading on his forehead. "Um…yeah."

"Why on Earth would she do that?" Her voice was nearly a shriek. "Amamiya-kun, if she tells anyone, I'm…" She clenched her fists into tight balls and gave serious consideration to screaming at him before running out of this godforsaken place.

Ren's phone chirped in his pocket.

Oracle: I'm not telling anyone

Oracle: I'm curious but not an asshole

Oracle: I wouldn't mind her taking it easy on me in class tho 😉

Ren looked up, raising a finger to tell sensei to hang on.

Joker: you'd better not

Joker: I feel like she's got it kinda rough

Joker: and that we almost gave her a heart attack

Oracle: you too?

Joker: yes. So Sakura Futaba, promise me

Oracle: holy shit full name and everything

Oracle: u must b serious

Oracle: of course I promise

Joker: You'd better or I'm not taking you to Akihabara anymore

Joker: good luck with that

Oracle: Jeez, I said I'd b good. Didn't have to threaten me

Oracle: dick

Joker: thx love u sis

Oracle: awww how can I say no to that

Oracle: love u 2

After slipping his phone into his pocket, he looked up as Kawakami-sensei sat rigid and pale, biting her bottom lip.

"Hey, sensei, it's fine. She won't tell anyone, and neither will I."

"Are you…sure? You trust her, right?"

"You have no idea how much I trust Futaba. If she says she won't say anything, then she's not going to say anything about this to anyone."

There was quite a large part of her brain that told her that there was no reason to believe him or Sakura-chan. At the same time, she did. Maybe it was the matter-of-fact way that he'd told her, or his earnestness with which he'd helped her and taken care of her tonight. In either case, she trusted him.

It wouldn't have mattered either way, she supposed.

"Okay, fine. I trust you and Sakura-chan, but please, if anyone at school finds out…" Again she started playing with her fingers. "They're giving me a hard enough time as it is."

"We get it. You'll be fine, I promise. Though, I have to ask: why on Earth are you moonlighting as a…a maid, of all things?"

Immediately her countenance fell, her tired brown eyes fell with it and mostly failed to look up from her coffee. He felt badly and nearly retracted the question, but curiosity and concern stayed his hand. He had to know why she was doing this.

"It's something of a long story, Amamiya-kun. But it's nothing you need to be concerned with," she added a little too quickly to go unnoticed. "Let's just say I needed the extra money, and nothing that I could get after school hours paid nearly as well." She turned, apparently finding the Sayuri rather interesting.

He let his eyes linger on the half-finished plate of curry before clearing his throat. "All finished? Feeling any better?"

"Oh yes, thank you. It was excellent." She stood up from the table. "But, if you'll excuse me, I should probably get back home now."

"Oh, of course. But I have two requests before you go." She tensed up, like she knew that this just had to be the catch to all of his kindness. "We exchange numbers so you can let me know that you get home safely, and please just call me 'Ren', okay?"

She smiled softly again. "I think I can do that, Ren-kun. And I suppose after all that's happened tonight, 'Sadayo' is fine."

He chuckled lightly. "I don't know about that, you were my teacher, after all."

"Yes, but I'm not even sure that it matters after…well, after tonight. Besides, should you not respect your elder's wishes," she asked with a small smile.

He laughed again, trying to ignore that slight flutter in his chest at the sight of that smile. In any case, he was relieved to see that she was relieved. "Oh, come on, you're not that much of an elder, Sadayo-san."

"Maybe not, but it still counts, mister. But, Ren-kun?" He saw in her face a certain sad appreciation, he thought. "Thank you. Thank you for…well, everything tonight. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."

To be honest, he didn't want to think about that either. He nodded and struggled against the sudden inclination to put a hand on her shoulder. He settled for a slight bow instead. "You're welcome, Sadayo-san." He cleared his throat. "And if you ever want to stop by for coffee and curry, you know where I'm at."

She gave him another soft smile. "Yes, I do. Maybe I'll take you up on that sometime."

Ren cleared his throat. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home? It's no trouble. I mean you're not that far and -"

Sadayo tucked a bit of messy hair behind her ear. "Ren-kun, thanks, but I'll be fine. I'll let you know when I'm home."

He held his hands up. "All right, sorry. I just worry."

"Okay, mom. I'll text you soon. Thanks again."

After they exchanged numbers, he waited impatiently for her "I'm home safe" message while he finished cleaning up after his guest. While he waited, he considered the events of the evening; after all, it had definitely gone sideways and in an unexpected direction.

Well, this day turned out to be really weird.

Weird as it may have been, he was grateful and relieved that he had decided to go to that stupid party, despite how much he'd despised actually being there. If it meant that his former teacher had been spared from what he imagined would have been a very bad situation, his fleeting discomfort didn't even qualify as an annoyance. It had been worth it. Of course, the whole situation left him with more questions than answers, chief among them was "Why the hell is Kawakami-sensei - Futaba's teacher! - moonlighting as a maid?" The number of possible explanations were too varied for him to even consider, let alone -

"Long night, Joker?"

The sound of Morgana's voice interrupted his thoughts. He watched the not-cat jump onto the counter behind him. "Something like that, Morgana. You all right, buddy? You hungry?"

He licked at his paws. "Nah, Oracle got me some decent sushi earlier, so I'm still full." The not-cat looked at him pointedly. "You know, you could take a few cues from her. She actually gets me the good stuff."

Ren barked out a laugh. "I hate to burst your bubble there, partner, but if you think Taba does any food shopping of her own that isn't pre-packaged ramen delivered directly to her door, than you've lost more of your edge than you think."

He sputtered a reply. "That's - that's crap, Joker! I'd know if…"

Ren cocked an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

"Damn it! It's Boss isn't it?"

Ren put the last of the dishes away. "Got it in one. Well, 'two' I suppose, but still. Not bad."

"Hmmph. Whatever." Morgana laid down on the counter, looking pointedly at the leader of the former Phantom Thieves. "So, Joker…wanna explain why you cooked curry for your old teacher who works as a maid?"

"Why are you asking me? You were with Futaba tonight. You know as much as she does. Which is to say that you know nearly as much as I do, which admittedly, isn't much."

"True." The not-cat walked along the counter, much to Ren's chagrin since they both knew how much Boss hated that.

His phone chirped in his pocket. "Hold that thought." One new message, and it was the one he'd been waiting for.

SK: Got home ok

SK: thanks again

RA: great

RA: ur wlcome

He thought about adding more, felt like he wanted to say something more…but what else was there to say that wasn't going to be creepy after a night like tonight? He reread what he'd typed. "Shit…"

RA: you're welcome*

SK: I was going to let that go

SK: good night

RA: night

He decided to leave it there before he made it anymore awkward. "So, Morgana. You were saying?"

"You were telling me that you didn't know what was going on, Joker."

"Yeah, well…that's just it." Ren shook his head in frustration. "You know what? I'm too tired for this right now. Futaba, come over tomorrow for breakfast. I'll tell you guys what happened, okay?"

Oracle: I mean, I do kinda have an idea already

Oracle: but

Oracle: if ur making me breakfast? Count me in

"Thanks."

"You know, you were always a softie, Joker." Morgana stopped on one of the steps. "But, helping others is why we beat that idiot god in the first place." He seemed to consider something for a moment. "And got you out of jail so quickly."

"Yeah, I know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be up in a bit."

Ren finished cleaning up before heading upstairs and changing into pajamas. He settled into bed, while Morgana had quickly fallen asleep next to him. Ren's thoughts afforded him no such luxury.

They were focused squarely on Sadayo-san.

How had he gone through an entire year at Shujin - as the Phantom Thief and with her as his homeroom and language teacher - without having any idea that she was living a double life?

Maybe it's a recent thing?

Not likely, he countered to himself. He tried to recall how she had been during that year - and not just her appearance, though that was part of it. Her attitude toward both himself and Ryuji had been terrible from the off. Unfortunately, it hadn't improved much, even after Kamoshida was exposed for the sadistic, self-serving sexual predator that he was. Looking back, he'd admit now that there had been a softening of their relationship in class, but it had been gradual, like the movement of a glacier. It'd probably started around the time the mid-term grades had been posted and his name was found placed in the top five. He remembered how she'd asked him to stay after class one day, thankfully there was no Thievery planned and he had a rare day off from his jobs. She'd first said that she was impressed, but to not get too full of himself or let himself slack off. "The world is just waiting for you to slip up and catch you in the act, Amamiya-kun," she had told him, face dour.

And so it had stayed. His grades had stayed excellent, he'd kept out of trouble (relatively speaking), and he'd otherwise been a model student. They'd even gotten to the point of exchanging pleasantries as he left school for the day with her rushing out right behind him. It had been normal, comfortable.

Which is probably why you didn't see it.

He remembered specifically that one time when he'd interrupted Chouno-sensei's pointed interrogation of her. He was just about to head out to Shibuya, he'd wanted to hit the Velvet Room before making a Mementos run, when he stumbled upon Chouno-sensei absolutely grilling Kawakami-sensei about something. He'd gotten a bit closer and heard her question his teacher's dedication, something about why she left the school so early so often.

"Maybe she has a life she wants to get home to," he'd muttered to himself at the time. But when she'd looked at him over Chouno-sensei's shoulder, she'd looked so lost and desperate, like her entire life was about to crumble. He'd made a snap decision and intervened, making up some bullshit story about how she was giving him extra help after class. He'd said that he'd asked her for the help to make sure his grades stayed up as he got used to the new school and curriculum. Chouno-sensei had bought it and had quickly walked away.

"I should've said something then," Ren mumbled, forgetting that Morgana was curled near his pillow, sound asleep. Thankfully, the not-cat seemed undisturbed.

Instead, he'd given her a smirk, a somewhat flippant "you're welcome" and, content with his childish moral victory, had left.

Which brought him back to this evening. Something wasn't adding up, or rather, it certainly added up…to something. He had no idea what it could possibly be, but he didn't like it.

When Ren finally did drift off to sleep, it was a fitful one.