Makoto is confident.

"Representing the Chariot, George of Lydda was a soldier in the Roman army. He was a Cappadocian Greek who became a member of the Praetorian Guard for emperor Diocletian, but was sentenced to death for not relinquishing his Christian faith. One of Saint George's most famous legends is that he slayed a dragon who was terrorizing a village in demand of tributes."

[8 Years Ago]

Makoto had decided she was done waiting. She wouldn't throw away her chance of being happy for a man that only led her on time and time again.

It was time to take control of her life. She remembers telling Eiko she would never use someone else to forget Ren, but turns out, she had to eat her own words now because her police partner, Tomoe Shiraki had asked her out a few months back.

And she had said yes.

Sure, it was a little controversial to date your coworker, but they always kept it out of the job.

Correction. Makoto kept it out of the job, but Tomo-kun would often sneak in a few kisses or do some cute gestures, when nobody was looking.

Despite his really boisterous attitude and joking streak sometimes getting on her nerves, he was fun, caring and attentive.

It was a pretty different contrast from Ren. Well, not that she and Ren had ever been in a relationship, other than her being his post breakup therapist and emotional affair, but she had nothing else she could compare to.

It's fine, she is over it now. She had to look forward.

Tomoe's little twin brothers, Yuji and Satoru, were really cute too. Yuji was shy and sweet, and Satoru looked up to his big brother, emulating his jokester nature.

Their mother, Kana, was a kind, great woman who always treated Makoto like a daughter.

She felt a little happy for the first time in years. Even if sometimes, a little sadness sneaked in when she accidentally thought of Ren.

She took Tomo-kun to meet sis, Takkun and Yukino. Yunchan seemed to really dislike him though, but that was because she kept asking for 'unca Wen'.

That was probably Makoto's own fault for proudly carrying her snowball around Ren so much, which meant both aunt and niece were attached to him.

Tomo-kun just laughed it off, saying to let kids be kids.

But overall, Makoto was feeling things were looking up for her. Futaba's birthday was fast approaching and the gang was going to have a nice get together on Leblanc.

She decided to bring him along.

She parked her motorcycle on Leblanc. Tomo-kun got off her bike first, a huge grin on his face, since he was as much of a speed junkie as she was.

She grinned back at him and took his hand on hers.

Entering Leblanc and greeting her friends, she let go of his hand and swiftly picked up a running Futaba, who goofily jumped on her arms, a gremlin smile plastered on her face.

"The cops have arrived! Now the party has legally started!" The redhead joked while Makoto gave the tiny woman a bear hug.

Everyone laughed at Futaba's antics, Tomo-kun included.

"Happy birthday, Futaba-chan!" She said merrily to her friend.

Her friends actually hit it off pretty well with Tomo-kun, even Morgana, who was caught stealing by her unit a couple of years back.

The only person who detested Tomoe was Ren.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he predictably glared at her boyfriend, who was greeting her friends with a huge smile on his face.

"Yo Shiraki-kun, you better have a cool gift for me!" Futaba whined playfully.

He laughed in response. "Mako-chan and I had this idea together. Here, I hope you like it, Sakura-chan!"

It was a full box set of Call of Cthulhu tabletop game, a collector's edition item. Makoto was instantly reminded of Necronomicon and thought of Futaba.

Futaba's eyes sort of bulged. "What? But this version is pretty rare!"

Makoto chuckled. "It's a joint gift, Tomo-kun and I pitched in together. I know how much you like playing tabletop with your online group."

Futaba hugged her friend. "You're seriously the best, Queen!"

Tomo-kun looked puzzled at the nickname, but Makoto just shrugged it off.

The party went well, and Makoto felt happy and relaxed around her friends. Sumire looked a little out of place but would cheer up whenever Futaba included her in the conversation.

Ren was off to the side, seething in silence, as he barely talked to anyone. Makoto pretended to not see it, even if a part of her, deep down, was rejoicing at his misery.

Serves him right for all the hurt he has caused, for ditching her after that kiss.

She started to mix a couple of cocktails for the group, and bantered with Sojiro as he kept telling her to not turn his café into a bar. In response, she just grinned.

"No promises, Boss!"

For Futaba, the party girl, she made a turquoise green mint cocktail with very little alcohol in it since her friend didn't like drinking.

For the others and herself, she did some classic daiquiri mixes.

"Cheers!" She said with a grin and the others followed suit.

Drinking was fun.

The group eventually started some silly party games. Futaba, who was merrily enjoying her birthday, grinned at Makoto mischievously.

"Makoto! Truth or dare?"

Makoto, who was already a little too tipsy, looked back at her friend with a smirk. "Dare!"

"I dare you to kiss your police boy over there!"

Normally, Makoto would be too self conscious of doing anything like that in front of anyone, much less a large audience that included all her friends and family.

But all her inhibitions had already gone to hell on the second drink, so she grabbed her boyfriend by the collar, and gave him a very obscene kiss.

That was bold, even for her, but she didn't care.

After they parted ways, she saw Sae facepalming, likely in embarrassment at her sister's brazen displays, and her friends cheering and whistling. Even Sumire had a small smile on her face.

Her eyes met Ren's and time seemed to freeze. She raised an eyebrow at his intense look, but then smirked.

Ren left the room.

She waited until everyone was distracted to step out a little.

She found him leaning against the wall of Leblanc, his face stern and his posture closed. She sat down on the sidewalk, next to him.

"You don't have to be such a sore loser, you know?" She joked.

He looked at her seriously. "I don't think this guy is good enough for you. There is something about him that feels off."

She scoffed. "What gives you the right to say that?"

Ren stayed quiet for a time, then sighed. "I'm not telling you what to do with your life, that is none of my business. I'm just giving you a heads up because you are my friend, and I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Care about me, huh? I don't think so. If you did, you wouldn't have fled like a coward. You made your choice, learn to live with it!"

He was about to retort when the door of Leblanc opened, and out came Sumire.

She stared between both of them, her face a little neutral.

"Is everything alright?" She questioned.

"Yes Sumi, we're just having a friendly chat." He lied.

Makoto snorted. He was so cynical.

"Are you okay, senpai?" Sumire asked Makoto after her reaction.

"Yes, don't worry. And you don't have to be so formal, Sumi-chan. Just call me Makoto." She said, trying to sound kinder.

The other woman nodded, with a small strained smile.

Makoto stared at Sumire and noticed the bag under her eyes, and her timid posture. She looked stressed out.

It was then that Makoto realized something. Sumire was never the real problem here. She was never really an obstacle, an impediment. She was just a girl that looked lost, trying her best to make things better for herself after the whole debacle she went through.

She felt, for the first time, a deep empathy and pity for her.

Not long after, Tomoe came out.

"Oi, Mako-chan!"

Her mouth curled in a genuine smile. She likes her Tomo-kun very much.

"Yes, darling?" She said in endearment, making sure to rile Ren up by sounding overly affectionate.

Tomoe smiled sheepishly. "I gotta go, or I'm going to miss the train."

She frowned. Right, they drank, so she couldn't drive him back.

"Are you sure? I can ask sis to drive us both back."

He waved her away. "Nah, I don't want to bother your family. But thanks."

She sighed and got up "Okay. Be careful on your way back."

They shared a kiss. It was very nice and a part of Makoto was smug, hoping that Ren was watching it.

He left and she watched him go with a little goofy smile. Maybe, things could change for her.

She could learn to love Tomoe.

She could forget Ren.

[The Present Day]

The gang gathered in Leblanc again for Futaba's birthday. His sister's grin was a little lackluster, but she tried to appear cheery for her friends.

Haru and Yusuke managed to lift up her spirits, especially since she and the artist started to bicker like siblings.

Something had come to his attention, though: His sister seemed annoyed when he and Sumire arrived hand in hand, in a more united front than usual.

He had a hunch she was like this in solidarity for that woman. It irked Ren because his sister promised and insisted she wasn't picking sides, but then she proceeded to act a little hostile whenever he and Sumire were being more lovey dovey in public.

The woman didn't even come for his sister's birthday. When asked about it, Futaba was a pure gremlin.

"Don't worry, I'll take my wife and our little son out to dinner later." She said cheekily.

Ren glared playfully at her.

Boss, who found her joke incredibly weird too, chuckled with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Futaba tossed Ren an impish look that he hasn't seen in years. "Recently it has come to my attention that Makoto and I act like a pair of platonic gay moms, so now I'm not denying the allegations."

Haru snorted and Yusuke sent her a look of 'only you, Futaba'. The others seemed to catch on the joke too, judging by the several small chuckles exploding across the room.

Ren was unamused, and Sumire also had a strange look on her face complimented by her plastic smile.

He then sighed. There was nothing to be done.

The party continued without any problems.

Something did come to his mind though. Whatever happened to that stupid boyfriend of hers? Tomoaki or some shit.

No, actually he had a pretty ridiculously effeminate name. Ah, right, Tomoe. He hasn't heard a word about that guy in years.

He wondered if he was Akio's father. It would make sense, but it would also be extremely fucking disappointing because he hated that guy's guts.

He was always trying too hard to be the fun, loving jokester, full of quips and laughs. Sojiro and Futaba had liked that guy.

Hell, even Sae, who is judgmental as fuck, liked that guy.

But something about him irked him. The way she laughed whenever he made a really unfunny, unoriginal joke made him want to rip his hair out.

He didn't even look that attractive. Ren was the most heterosexual male on earth, but he could recognize when a man looked good. Take Yusuke, for example, he was beautiful.

That Tomoe guy had those disgustingly caterpillar-like eyebrows, manic grin and dumb jock energy. He was probably the kind of dipshit that would play rugby or American football.

Needless to say, if that Tomoe bastard was Akio's father, Ren would look for that guy on the ends of the earth and take his chances beating him up, because Akio didn't deserve to be abandoned like that.

Nor did she.

He turned his attention back to the party, and decided to ask Futaba that question when they were alone downstairs in the café. The attic had been converted into a den for Futaba and Ren to host any friendly hangouts without doing anything to bother Sojiro in the café downstairs.

"Hey, I was thinking, sis… Do you remember that weirdo from a couple of years ago?"

Futaba removed her head from inside the fridge and looked at him like he was the weirdo in question. "You gotta be more specific, Renren."

"That Tomoe guy. For some reason, I remembered him."

Futaba went eerily quiet at that, as she froze and bit her lip.

Ren's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Futaba?"

His sister sighed.

"He is dead." She said quietly.

Ren's eyes widened in shock.

What the fuck?

"Wait, what? How?"

Futaba shook her head. "I'm not saying more. I already said too much."

"Futaba…" Ren pleaded.

She tossed him a serious look, unusual for his sister. "Listen, it's way too fucking tragic. It's my birthday, I deserve to not think about dark things on my goddamn birthday."

He stared at her, trying to puzzle out her reactions, but then resigned.

"Alright. Sorry for prying."

"It's okay." She whispered.

In silence, both siblings worked on getting the beers and the food upstairs. Ren started to feel a little remorseful for ruining the mood.

What the fuck was his problem?

Makoto walked hand in hand with her precious baby, who skipped happily as he spoke excitedly about going to see the featherman movie.

"Uncle! Do you think Black Condor is going to reappear in this movie!?"

Akechi, who was just beside her, smiled mischievously at Akio.

"Of course. They cannot take him down forever, he is the best Featherman."

Akio nodded furiously. She should curse Goro Akechi for turning her little son into a Featherman fanatic.

She sighed. "You two really love this thing, huh? I really don't see the appeal that much, to be honest."

Akechi snorted. "Of course you wouldn't. You prefer that trash panda of yours."

Makoto narrowed her eyes.

"Be careful of the kind language you use around my son, Akechi." She hissed.

He rolled his eyes. Akio giggled.

She didn't want her precious son to develop Akechi's odious habits of bad mouthing everything with abrasive language like that.

Well, it wasn't like she didn't swear like stupid these days either, but still, Makoto had to make sure Akio had a good education and didn't follow on either of their misguided paths.

She would do her best to provide her son with a bright future.

They were approaching Shibuya central street when they crossed paths with two teenagers in Shujin Academy uniforms.

Makoto paled. It was Yuji and Satoru, Tomoe's brothers, now both third year high schoolers.

Yuji looked uncomfortable with spotting her, but Satoru's look was pure hatred.

"Tch. It seems like Shibuya stinks of bitch now. I could smell it rotten for a mile." He said with venom.

"Toru…" His brother whispered, clearly mortified of the boy's aggressive, disrespectful attitude, even if he too looked a little angry at seeing Makoto.

Akechi instantly became incensed, but stayed put as she sent him a look to restrain him. She held Akio's hand tightly in hers.

Without her lack of response, the two teenagers continued on their way, but not without Satoru aggressively trying to knock her off balance with his shoulders as he went past them.

Akio, who was holding on to her, stumbled and fell down.

"Akio!" She said as she crouched to check on her son.

That was enough to make Goro snap. He advanced on Satoru and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

"Picking on a woman and a child now, huh? You must think you're clever, don't you, little shit?" He growled menacingly.

"Fuck you!" The boy spat on his face.

Akechi looked ready to strangle the boy. Makoto had to stop him.

"Goro! Drop it!" She said in alarm, holding on to a terrified Akio.

"Why should I? This little prick deserves a lesson." He hissed.

"You're scaring my son." She pleaded with him.

That made Akechi relent. He let go of the boy, but his face was still filled with disdain and disgust.

"Get the fuck out of my sight before I change my mind. Both of you." He spat out.

Both teenagers scrambled away, with Yuji dragging a still pissed off Satoru.

Makoto resisted the urge to cry. She could feel her breaths starting to get uneven, but she closed her eyes and started some breathing exercises.

She felt Goro helping her get grounded. Her friend was gentle with her, even if he looked ready to murder someone else.

"Are you okay now?" He asked afterwards.

Makoto nodded. She noticed her baby was wide eyed and on the verge of crying.

"Don't worry Aki-kun. Mama is okay now."

He sniffed. Makoto felt like a failure for making her son feel sad on a day that was supposed to be exciting for him.

Goro touched Akio's head. "It's alright, buddy. Nobody will hurt your mama so long as you and I are both around. We're the feather heroes, remember?"

Akio nodded fiercely. "That's right! I'm Red Hawk and you're Black Condor!"

Makoto smiled, even if a part of her felt like a scar had been painfully ripped open anew.

"Now, let's get going, we want to get the best seats." Akechi ordered them both.

She sent him a grateful look.

The party proceeded as usual, with the whole gang enjoying themselves. Ren soon forgot the exchange with his sister and decided to just enjoy the day without thinking too hard.

That was, until Ann and Ryuji took the center stage.

Ryuji, who stopped bleaching his hair a long time ago and sported a chin beard, cleared his throat. "I'm sure you guys noticed Ann stuffing her face with sweets, but that's nothing new."

Ann glared at him and hit his arm lightly. "Ryuji!"

He snickered. Then shared a loving smile with his blonde wife.

"But, the most important thing is… No alcohol for my sweetheart today. We have to think of little baby Sakamoto, after all." He said smugly.

The room froze with hushed silence.

"Baby Sakamoto?" Maruki echoed curiously.

The couple nodded, huge smiles on their faces.

"Yes! We're pregnant!" Ann proclaimed happily.

Futaba cackled loudly and Haru squealed. The rest of the room soon erupted into cheers and congratulations.

Ren tried really, really, REALLY hard to appear like he was happy for his friends.

He was happy for them. He was.

He had to be.

Arriving home after a whole day of partying left Ren drained. Sumire looked quiet and subdued, likely from the day's events too.

Even though they had a wonderful Valentine's day around five days ago, Sumire was starting to distance herself again.

"I'm going to bed earlier. I'm tired and I have to get up earlier than usual tomorrow. We're coaching for a competition." She whispered, her voice coming off a little cold.

He frowned, but didn't say anything as he let his wife go to bed in peace.

A few minutes later, though, Ren could not resist and swiftly dialed The Confessional.

"Thanks for reaching out to the Confessional. My name is Hanna, and I will be your personal priestess today." She said in a friendly tone.

He smiled against his will. All the tension, negativity and the weight he had been carrying all day bled from his body just at the sound of her voice.

"Hello Hanna."

"Hi, Mr. Red." She said sweetly. "How can I help you today, dearest confessor?"

He sighed almost sadly. "I have a confession to make."

"I'm here for your troubles." She responded with compassion.

"My friends are going to have a child. They announced it today at my sister's birthday party. It was a wholesome moment, honestly, and I'm really happy for them, but…"

He stopped, closing his eyes. What he wanted to say was awful and unreasonable of him.

"But I feel incredibly jealous of them. Not just the fact that they're going to have a child, but of their relationship too."

"Is that so? What exactly makes you feel that way, my esteemed confessor?"

"Let's see…For context, my friends are long time sweethearts. During our school days, they would bicker all the time. It was the classic 'pulling on her pigtails' ritual for them, until my best bro just matured and asked my other friend out. Since then, they have been incredibly sweet to each other, even considering the fact my bro sort of puts his foot in his mouth all the time."

Hanna let out a low chuckle, a musical one that echoed pleasantly on his ears. "They honestly sound like an adorable couple, Mr. Red."

He smiled. "They are. But that sort of ties in on my problem… I feel a little jealous of what they have. Their relationship isn't easy, but at least they make it work by loving each other unconditionally."

Hanna hummed to herself. "I see. And how do you feel in that regard with your own wife, my dear confessor?"

Ren contemplated her question. "That is the problem, Hanna. I am not entirely sure. There are days that I feel like we love each other a lot…But then, some days, it's almost as if we're both living a lie."

"I understand. I am sorry you feel that way, Mr. Red."

"Don't be. I guess that's just life. I did try to make some gestures for her, and it did work but… I don't know, Hanna. I still feel a little empty inside."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there any way I can help you further, Mr. Red?"

"Just hearing your voice helps." He said sincerely.

"I'm glad." She whispered.

The air felt strangely charged, despite the fact that he had no idea what Hanna looked like.

This level of chemistry only reminded him of a certain someone.

"You know… You remind me of somebody I used to know." He confessed.

"Oh?" She prompted, her tone curious and a little strange.

He frowned. "My former friend… Let's call her Miss Blue. She and I were great friends. It's kinda silly because she was my senpai, but it never felt like I was anything other than an equal to her."

"That sounds very interesting my dear confessor…" She trailed off, sounding slightly unsure. "Won't you tell me more?"

"Of course. I guess you remind me of her because she was a great listener too. Back in the days, I used to be the one to listen to everyone's troubles, but it often felt like I had nobody to turn to with my own problems. That is, other than her."

"So you confided a lot in this person?"

"Yes. I felt safe with Miss Blu. Just like how I feel safe with you. Is that a strange thing to say?"

"...Not at all Mr. Red. I'm glad that I remind you of a past friend."

He sighed. "Sadly, I was a stupid asshole that pushed her away. Things got ugly, messy and complicated between us. I don't think we can be friends ever again. It would ruin my marriage."

"I-I see Mr. Red. It's a shame that you no longer have that friend, but perhaps it is for the best. You are a married man after all." She told him, her voice a little more serious than usual.

Something in Hanna's tone actually made him think of her even more.

He needs to go now, before he says something stupid, like admitting the fact that he wanted so badly to have that woman on his bed again.

"My dear confessor?" Hanna questioned when he stayed quiet.

"Sorry, Hanna. Just got a lot in my mind.

"Do you wish to unburden yourself of your thoughts?"

"Maybe some other time. I need to go now since it's pretty late… But thank you so much for listening."

"No need to thank me, my esteemed confessor. The Confessional exists for you to unburden yourself. Please, reach out if you have more confessions to make."

"Will do, Hanna. Good night."

"Good night and sweet dreams, Mr. Red."

He hung up the call, but stared at his phone with a pensive face for a time.

"Ren." A voice suddenly called out to him, from behind the couch.

He startled, then turned around. It was Sumire, with her arms crossed in front of her, her gaze full of suspicion.

She narrowed her eyes further.

"Who were you talking to just now?" She demanded calmly.

To be continued…