October 4th, 2024: Friday
Akira drummed his fingers along the bar of Leblanc, staring at the stack of unwashed dishes.
Time had done him wonders since he was a Phantom Thief. He was no longer some lanky, gangly, and awkward teenager. He'd grown taller, and it was harder to hide how much he kept his shape under his clothing. Unlike Ryuji, he hadn't packed on too much muscle, but his shirts hugged him nicely now.
He reached up and rubbed at his beard, an addition he added after moving back to his hometown of Meguro. He liked the way it looked on him, so he made sure to keep it nice and trimmed. The hair atop his head, though still curly, was cut shorter than it was during high school. Sometime during his attempt at college, it had gotten so long it was beginning to get in the way and he hated how ponytails felt, so he opted to just keep it shorter.
The first time the group saw it, Ann commented that she was surprised he even had a forehead. It made the small scar above his right eye all the more prominent.
The glasses were long gone, no longer needed to hide his default glare. The coffee he made is what put people at ease instead. Today, he was dressed in a simple gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and a beige apron, his leather jacket hanging on the coat rack up in the attic. He no longer felt self-conscious about hiding the scars along his body. The worse ones were for only one person to see at any rate. Her opinion was all that mattered to him.
From one of the booths, Futaba Sakura looked up from her laptop and gave him a look out of the corner of her eyes. In terms of visual appearance, she hadn't changed much since high school. She added an apron to her ensemble and her orange hair was tied up into a bun, but she still wore a pair of headphones around her neck at nearly all time, though she's upgraded since.
She leaned back and peered at him over her glasses. "You know, those dishes aren't going to clean themselves, right?"
The corner of Akira's lip ticked upwards. "You sound like Sojiro."
"What can I say? Great minds think alike. Now chop chop."
"But unlike Sojiro, you are not my boss. We're co-owners."
Futaba blew a raspberry at him.
Sojiro had chosen to step down from running the café full time last year due to his health. It was a tough decision for the old codger, but he saw how apt Akira and Futaba were at running things in his increasing absences and found the time was right.
He was still around for guidance and even chipped in for the behind the scenes stuff, but he had become comfortable not running the place day in and day out.
"Seriously though, you've been out of it all day. What's the deal?"
Akira shrugged. "Just an off day, I guess."
"Well, that's a load of baloney. Your stats are spec'd so that you don't have off days."
"Well, this is one of them," he stated, reaching up and rubbing at his eyes.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Depends. What's—"
The door chime opened, interrupting Akira, but he found he didn't so much mind. Not only because, as much as he loved her, Futaba wasn't the best person to discuss things of that nature with, but the face that just walked in brought a smile to his face.
Tae Takemi had always been a beautiful woman. Age had only refined her. Her smile lines were more prominent, the beginnings of crows feet began to touch at the corners of her eyes, and her eyes shone brighter than ever. In opposition to Akira, she had grown her hair out in the intervening years, tied right now into a loose ponytail.
She was dressed casually today, sporting her standard leather jacket, a Gas Chamber T-shirt from a concert they went to a few years ago and a pair of ripped up jeans. She stopped at the bar, took a seat on one of the stools, and leaned over it to give Akira a kiss on his cheek. He had to lean down so she could reach.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said, reaching into her purse, "but I've got about ten minutes before my next patient comes in and I need a pick-me-up."
"Busy day?" he asked.
"Like you wouldn't believe." She placed some cash on the counter and leaned her head down.
"It's not flu season, is it?"
Tae waved her hand, dismissing that notion. "It's not the patients, they were easy. I had a supplier issue. Some of my painkillers were running low and the idiot on the phone was giving me the run around."
Akira slid a cup of coffee in front of her before lowering his head to be only inches from her. "You got it figured out though right?"
They shared a quick kiss before Tae sat back up and grabbed her coffee. "Eventually. It took a lot of yelling and swearing, but I got everything sorted. I doubt that idiot will be giving me a headache in the future."
Akira walked over to the skin and grabbed one of the dirty plates. As he began to wash it, he asked, "When do you think you'll be done tonight?"
Tae shrugged. "If there's no emergencies, about seven. After that, I'm all yours, guinea pig."
From her booth, Futaba stuck out her tongue and gagged. "Gross. Get a room, you two."
"Lovely to see you too, Futaba," Tae called back. "How's Mona?"
From the attic, a small black cat began to patter down the stairs. "Why don't you just ask the genuine article, Takemi-san?"
Morgana leapt onto the counter and allowed Tae to scratch him behind the ear. To most people the noise he made would have sounded like a purr, but to Akira and Futaba, he was saying, "Ohhh, right there, that's the good spot…"
"What's he saying?" Tae asked.
"He's doing fine," Akira said, scrubbing away at the dishes. A few years ago, the decision was made for Morgana to move in with Futaba for a variety of reasons, but the most surprising one was that he simply missed the atmosphere of living in the attic of Leblanc.
When she turned 18, Futaba quickly took the attic for herself, completely renovating it to serve as a living space much more than even when Akira was there. She kept a few things, such as his shelf of knick knacks and the Phantom Thieves banner, the color slightly faded with age, but otherwise she got a new bed, changed out the old TV for a new HD model, set up her computers, and put a fridge up there.
Well, she told Akira and Ryuji to put it up there for her. There was no way she was going to be doing it herself.
Akira wouldn't lie and say there were times he missed living with Morgana, but constantly seeing each other at Leblanc mitigated the feeling.
Tae set her finished cup down and wiped her mouth. "Alright, I have to get back. Don't get up to too much trouble, guinea pig."
Akira snorted. "I never look for the trouble, it just always seems to find me."
They shared another kiss before Tae grabbed her bag and hurried out the door. He must have been staring afterwards for too long as Morgana coughed to get his attention. He blinked and turned to his friend. "What's up?"
"Do you want to talk about what's been going on with you lately?" Morgana asked.
Akira frowned. "Who says anything's been going on?"
"You over roasted a few cups of coffee yesterday," Futaba pointed out, not taking her eyes off her computer. "You never do that."
Akira argued, "Every one has-"
"You don't have off days, Akira," Morgana interrupted him, echoing Futaba's sentiment.
She gestured to Morgana in a wordless, "I told you so."
Akira rolled his eyes and placed the plate he had finished cleaning into the drying rack. "You guys really want to know what's been bothering me?"
"We're your friends," Morgana pointed out.
Akira chewed on the thought for a moment. Morgana was right, of course. Friends were there to take the load when it became too unbearable. The conundrum weighing on him hadn't quite gotten to that point yet, but it was best not to let it get that far.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small black case, and placed it gently on the counter. He flicked it open, revealing the diamond ring inside.
Futaba's eyes widened. "Oh."
"Is that what I think it is?" Morgana asked.
"Yeah." Akira closed the case and slid it back into his pocket. "I got it a couple of days ago."
September 30th, 2024: Monday
Daisuke Kurusu placed two cups of coffee down on the table and gestured for Akira to sit opposite him. "I'm no Sojiro, but I like to think I've learned a thing or two."
Akira gave his cup a cursory sniff. His father was right, it wasn't anything close to what Sojiro was capable of conjuring, or even himself, but it had a decent aroma. He brought it to his lips and gave it a taste test.
Slightly overtoasted and the beans weren't fresh, but again, it was decent. More than serviceable for someone who just wants a quick cup at home.
"So what's up, Dad? Not like you to just call me back to Meguro for no reason."
Daisuke raised a brow. "Is wanting to see my son not a good enough reason?"
"Usually you plan those things," Akira pointed out. "It sounded urgent over the phone."
Daisuke nodded. He brought his mug to his lips and took a sip. Based on his expression, he wasn't pleased with it himself. "How long have you and Tae been together?"
Akira blinked. The question had caught him off guard.
"It's been about six years, right? Seven?"
"Eight," Akira said quickly, still unsure where this was going.
Daisuke whistled, reaching over to grab the sugar cubes he kept on the table. He picked one up and dropped it into the coffee. "That's a long time. You guys are comfortable together, right?"
Akira furrowed his brow. "Some bumps along the way, but yeah. We're comfortable."
Silently, as he dropped another sugar cube into his coffee, Daisuke reached into a pocket and placed a small black box onto the table. "I want you to have this. And I want you to use it."
Akira felt his jaw drop. "Is that-?"
Daisuke flicked it open. A diamond ring sat gently in the middle, shining brightly.
"Mom's ring," he breathed. Akira moved his gaze from the ring to his father. "You're giving it to me?"
He nodded, dropping a couple more cubes into his mug. "I don't need it anymore. Sadayo and I have a nice thing going on, but… No. I'm in no rush to remarry. And I wouldn't use this ring even if I was. This is Hikari's—This is your mother's ring."
Akira ran a hand through his hair. "I… I can't accept this. It should stay with you."
"Son. If your mother knew how head over heels you were for this girl, she'd have given the ring to you herself." He took a sip of his sugar drink with a hint of coffee and was finally satisfied. "But she's not here. So I'm giving it to you."
He slid the little box across the table. It stopped just shy of Akira's fingertips. He flinched away from it, leaning back in his chair. "I can't take this, I don't… I'm not even sure I—"
"After eight years, Akira, you better know whether or not you want to marry her," Daisuke interrupted. He raised a brow. "Do you?"
"One day, I just…" Akira rubbed at the back of his neck. "I don't know. What if she says no?"
Daisuke let out a scoff. "With the way she looks at you? She won't."
Akira reached out to grab the case, turning it over in his fingers. "When the time is right…"
He placed it in his jacket pocket.
Daisuke clapped his hands together. "Great!"
He got to his feet and began to slip on his own jacket. "Alright, let's go get some real coffee."
Akira blinked and looked between his father and the cup in front of him. "Is… is this not real coffee?"
"I meant some made by professionals," Daisuke reiterated. He shrugged. "Besides, Javier and María would kill me if they knew you stopped in town without saying hello."
"So now I have a ring that I have no idea how to use," Akira finished, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Well…" Futaba shrugged. "Can't you just ask her?"
"Obviously it needs to be something special," Morgana chided her. "You can't just pop the question over some ramen on a normal Tuesday, it has to be magical! You two should go to Paris, that'd be the way to pop the question."
"But that would mean he would have to go to France." Futaba stuck out her tongue. "No thanks."
Akira said, "No one's taking any trips to Paris. I've had my fill of travel, believe me. I'll figure it out, you guys just… just don't worry about it, okay?"
"You could always get Ryuji's advice," Futaba suggested. "Far as I know, he's the only one of our group that's actually popped the question."
Akira rubbed his beard. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to call him up. It's been a minute since they've spoken anyway. "I'll shoot a text when I get the chance. Oh, I need you to make a grocery run."
Futaba threw her head back and groaned. "Ugh, but I'm working on something!"
"That something wouldn't be involve the word 'hacking', would it?"
"No." He had to give her credit, she was quick and had no hesitation. But he knew her well enough to know she was lying through her teeth. "But fine. I'll pause my very important work to get the groceries."
"Thank you," Akira said. He held out the list.
Futaba swiped it and grabbed her bag from behind the counter. "You coming, Mona?"
Morgana yawned and stretched his paws. "I have nothing better to do."
As the two left, Akira leaned on the counter and let out a deep sigh. He pulled out the case and gave it a hard look. Maybe if he stared at it long enough, it would tell him what to do.
Right. And maybe Masayoshi Shido would regrow his hair.
Later that night, as Akira was staring at the food he was preparing, thoughts of the perfect proposal ran through his head.
The firework festivals in Yokohama could work. It would be picturesque, as he knelt to one knee with a firework going off behind them. No, too much. Tae wasn't shy about showing how much she loved him in public, but so rarely did she like making herself the center of attention to that degree.
Paris was the classical romantic option, but he's heard stories of how Paris is actually like. He was perfectly fine staying in Japan for the proposal. Plus, although Leblanc made a steady amount of money, same with Tae's clinic, the funds from their days as Phantom Thieves was beginning to dwindle, even with the boost that came a few years ago from another "incident". Best to not blow that on a trip like that.
They could go to Hakone and spend a weekend there, culminating in the proposal. It was the best idea he had so far. Even though he wasn't keen to go halfway across the world, a trip away from Tokyo wasn't inherently awful.
Ryuji told him he had done it during a road trip. He asked Makoto to pull over on the side of the road and popped the question next to her motorcycle. He also gave Akira the advice to not think so hard about it.
While he was having this internal debate, he felt a sudden and instantaneous cold shoot up his back. He wiggled away at the sudden sensation, eyes wide and immediately scanning for danger, only for them to fall on Tae, grinning behind her hand.
"I'm sorry," she say between giggles. "You were so zoned out, I couldn't resist."
Akira laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. "I wasn't that zoned out, was I?"
"Considering you're burning the food? Yes, I'd say you were."
"I'm what?" He whirled around and shut the stove on in a hurry, and gauged whether or not he could save the meal. His face found his palms and he groaned. "Damn. I really am having an off day."
"I've noticed." Tae cringed her nose as she smelled the burned food. She waved her hand around. "I'll order some food. You feeling pizza?"
Akira nodded, glaring at the burnt food. "Yeah, I'm good with pizza."
They moved dinner out to their balcony, eating under the stars. The pizza was cheesy and greasy and delicious. They would have to work it off tomorrow in the gym, but hell, a good pizza was worth it.
And it was a good pizza. It wasn't amazing. It wasn't the kind you'd die for. You'd have to go to New York or Chicago for that. He'd been to both. He wasn't sure why there was such a big issue between New York style and Chicago style. They both made quality pizza. But this one was fine.
"So," Tae asked in between bites. "Want to talk about what's been bothering you so much lately?"
Akira furrowed his brow, finishing up the crust of his second slice. "Hard to talk about, to be honest…"
"Why's that?"
"It might have a little bit to do with you."
Tae pursed her lips and leaned back. "Well, that isn't ominous or anything."
"I'm probably making it out to be a bigger deal than it is," he admitted. "I guess I'm just… I don't know. I don't know why I'm feeling like this."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm… lost, I guess. There's so many different paths I can take forward, but I can't see where any of them go."
"Oh, is that all?" Tae reached out and cupped his face. "Akira, that's just how people are. No one really knows what path to take, or if it'll be the right one. Even the all-knowing Joker can't be sure of every little decision he makes."
Akira barked out a short laugh. "'All-knowing', huh?"
"Well, maybe a step or two below that." She rested her hand on his. "All you can do is go with the path that's most true to who you are."
Goddamn. He was the luckiest man alive.
Here he was hemming and hawing over whether or not to propose to this woman, and here she was standing by his side yet again. What did he do to deserve someone like this?
Maybe it wasn't about deserving anything. He knew that was a stupid way to think about love. No one deserved to be loved, it just happens. And she was right. The only path forward that mattered was the one that he knew in his heart of hearts that was true to him.
Akira smiled. "Do you want to know something, Tae?"
"What's that?'
"Remember when we first met?"
Tae threw a wry grin at him. "It's hard to forget having some high school punk ask for drugs."
"Well how else are you supposed to get drugs if you're not going to ask?" There was no end to the audacity in Akira's own smile. "But no, I meant before that, at Leblanc."
"We met at Leblanc?" Tae frowned. He could tell she was perturbed that she didn't recall their actual first meeting.
"Kinda. I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were just finishing up your coffee and left right after I got there. Come to think of it, I don't know if we said two words to each other." Akira shrugged. "That was back when Sojiro was keeping me on a tight leash. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight or anything, but I knew then and there that there was definitely something about you."
"I'm happy to know I've been in your thoughts since all the way back then."
"When Sojiro told me your name, I thought it was a nice name. A beautiful name, even." Akira couldn't contain the wobbly grin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the jewelry case.
It wasn't Paris. It wasn't Hakone. It wasn't the fireworks festival. Hell, it probably wasn't even a fancy bowl of ramen.
But right now, he didn't care.
He presented it to her and flicked it open. "But I think maybe Tae Kurusu would sound pretty damn good, too."
Her jaw dropped. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates. It took a few seconds of her mouth working for her to squeak out, "Is… is that…?"
"I had this idea that a proposal had to be perfect. But then I realized that perfection is being with you. It doesn't matter where. I've always thought you were my light at the end of the tunnel," Akira said wistfully.
Tears began to appear in the corners of her eyes. He noticed his vision was beginning to blur as well. "So, Tae… will you marry me?"
She threw her arms around his neck and their lips met and he knew the answer.
As the newly-engaged couple sat on the balcony, eating cold pizza and gazing up at the stars, Akira couldn't help but notice that the brightest star was right beside him, wearing that humble ring on her finger.
So many trials. So many tribulations. There was a time where he thought his life had turned to ash.
But it was all worth it, for moments like this, the diamonds you could create with that ash.
He had gotten to the end of the tunnel. And her light was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
