"Alright chefs, present your dish." Sojiro's arms were crossed and he wore a stern expression. He was in the kitchen, evaluating their curry.
"Yes chef." Shigeru responded. He stood ramrod straight, his apron full of toddler snot and curry splotches.
"Yesh Gwandpa Bosh Jeff." Kyoji and Rin echoed, their mouths stuffed with curry. Shigeru frowned at their lack of professionalism.
Cooking mattered a lot to Shigeru. One of his earliest memories involved helping his mother and father make lobster. Another was when his mother finally learned how to make his grandfather's signature curry. Everybody said Uncle Ren's was better, but Shigeru disagreed. He could never figure out what made his mother's curry better, but he especially noticed it was better when he ate it with her. He treasured the memories he had of the kitchen. It was one of the few places his parents never argued.
Shigeru brought forward a bowl of their curry and placed it in Sojiro's hands, along with a spoon. Sojiro closely examined the spoon, flipping it over several times and running his fingers over its surface.
"The key to a good taste test is a clean spoon. I see you've taken that to heart, kiddo."
Shigeru beamed. Sojiro had high expectations in the kitchen, but that made it all the sweeter when he met them.
Sojiro inspected the dish in front of him. He carefully scooped the perfect ratio of sauce, rice and meat and brought it to his mouth. He slowly chewed, letting the flavors blossom on his tongue.
He took another scoop, focusing on how the texture of the rice and meat contrasted with curry sauce.
"Hmm." Sojiro put the bowl down on the bar to his right. He looked at Shigeru and shook his head.
"Shigeru, how many times have I said you need to let the meat simmer for longer? Chuck roast needs extra time cooking in order to break down the connective tissues. That's how you get it so tender it falls apart. The sauce is also too watery, probably because you turned down the heat too soon."
The boy frowned and looked down. Kyoji went up to Shigeru and tugged on his arm. "Don't be sad, Shigeru. Rin and I love the curry. We'll eat it and meanie Grandpa Boss won't get any."
Shigeru smiled weakly at the blond. "Grandpa is never mean. He's right, it's not good enough."
"I didn't say that. Your spice ratio was perfect and I liked the idea you had about using an espresso of the Black Ivory to add complexity. It really brings out the subtle flavors in the coffee. You're getting it, kiddo."
"That was Mom's idea. I didn't do anything." Shigeru's voice was a small murmur.
Sojiro regarded his grandson for a moment. He spoke his next words softly. "You know why I'm so hard on you, right?"
Shigeru nodded, his head still downcast. "Mhmm."
"Can you remind your foolish old grandfather why? My memory is getting worse with age."
Shigeru knew his grandfather was lying, but he decided to play along. "Because you think I have potential."
"Exactly. One day, you'll put me out of a job, and I'll be the proudest grandpa in all of Japan when that happens." Sojiro came up to his grandson and hugged him.
"Come on," he motioned his head over to the others. "Let's serve them your curry."
"Yes chef!" The boy's smile came back.
"When's the last time we all got together like this?" Ann said. She was sitting with the other female members of the Phantom Thieves at a booth.
Makoto brushed her hair behind her ear. "I think it was Hana's birthday party."
Ann's eyes widened. "Wasn't that like, six months ago?"
"I believe so," Haru interjected. "I remember having her try out our new babyccino before we rolled it out at Cafe Noir."
"Wow. Do you girls ever feel like time is moving too fast?" Ann said. Her gaze drifted towards her twins walking with Shigeru and Sojiro.
"All the time, Ann. Everyday I see how much Shigeru is growing. Soon he'll be as old as we were when we became Phantom Thieves. Then one day…poof! He'll be outta here, leaving his old mom behind." Futaba's eyes followed her son.
The other women looked at Futaba with sadness in their eyes, partly out of compassion and partly out of fear of the same thing happening to them. Haru spoke first. "Or maybe he'll be just like his mother, staying to help a dear parent."
"Hoo boy." Futaba dropped her voice into a passable imitation of her father.
"You've got to put more emphasis on the first syllable. It'sHooboy." Sojiro said, walking up to their table with two plates of curry in his hand. Shigeru was off to his right holding two more plates.
"Yeah, yeah. How about you try to imitate my voice? I'd love to see you hit those high notes, Sojiro."
"Anyway, brunch is served. Courtesy of our star sous chef, Shigeru Sakura. Our classic curry with a twist." Sojiro gave the curry to Haru and Futaba.
"Thank you all for the opportunity to serve you." Shigeru gave the curry to Makoto and Ann, then bowed deeply.
Makoto smiled. "Thank you Shigeru-kun. I'm sure this meal will be wonderful."
Futaba took a spoonful and put it in her mouth. She grinned. "Shiggy! You did the thing!"
Her son blushed. "I told Grandpa it was your idea."
"Yeah, but you did it better than I could. You leveled up with this dish!"
Shigeru had no comment as his face reddened further.
Haru wasted no time digging into her curry. She was silent outside of a few satisfied murmurs. By the time she finished, the others were only about halfway through their meal.
"So Haru, how did you like it?" Sojiro asked.
She flashed a quick smile to Sojiro before turning to Futaba. "Futaba-chan, I'm going to need a moment of your time."
Futaba sidled out of the booth first and then Sojiro and she helped Haru get up. She waddled towards the booth with the boys and tapped her husband's shoulder. "Darling Yusuke-kun, I require your presence."
"Of course my love, I am your humble servant." Yusuke followed the two women out of the cafe.
Ann and Makoto watched all three walk out of the cafe.
"One time after a fight, I told Ryuji we aren't allowed to get a divorce because I am not dealing with what Futaba has to deal with." Ann shook her head and scooped some sugar into her coffee.
Makoto smirked. "I've told Ren similar things. I have to hand it to her, she handles it very well. Haru too."
"Yeah, Haru too. Hey Makoto, are you doing ok?"
"I'm well." Makoto said a little too fast. Her eyes darted away from Ann's straight to her plate. She pushed the beef and rice around with her spoon.
Ann pursed her lips and looked skeptically at her friend.
"Makoto," Ann paused, trying to choose her words carefully. "…it wasn't easy for me to see Haru pregnant and Ryuji and I are done having kids. I can't imagine what it's like for you. Or Ren."
Makoto sighed deeply. Part of her wanted to talk to Ann about this. Ann was there for her when the miscarriages happened. But another part of Makoto wanted to find her daughter and husband and run out the door.
So she settled for playing with her food and remaining silent.
To Ann's credit, she picked up on the internal war raging in her friend's heart. She knew that battlefield all too well. She reached out and grabbed Makoto's hand.
"Let's have a girl's night, like we used to." Ann said, eyes flashing mischievously. "We can go to that lounge with those Tequila Sunrises you like so much."
Makoto's eyes welled up. The dam keeping her emotions at bay was sturdy, if stressed. But this little bit of kindness from Ann added a large crack across its foundation.
She spoke softly, knowing that if she spoke any louder the emotions would burst through, flooding everything.
"I'd really like that."
She lifted her gaze and met Ann's eyes. Deep crimson met breezy blue. Makoto squeezed her friend's hand tightly and Ann squeezed back too.
Ann motioned to leave the booth. "You want to go tell our husbands they actually have to do bedtime with the kids?"
Makoto laughed and wiped her eyes. "Ren tries so hard with Hana, but she only wants me to put her in the crib."
The two women walked over to where their husbands sat in the booth next to theirs. Ryuji was playing a game of Daddy Eats. The game consisted of Ryuji taking a bite out of the twins' food, then the twins taking a bite, then repeat. It wasn't really a game, but Kyoji and Rin loved it. It was the only way they ate their vegetables.
"Daddy eats!" Ryuji opened his mouth and bit off half a carrot chunk on a spoon. The twins giggled.
"Now Kyoji eats!" Kyoji opened his mouth wide and Ryuji placed the spoon in.
"Daddy eats!" Ryuji spooned a few chunks of onion but Rin's face made him stop. "What's wrong, cupcake?"
"That's too little! Kyoji got way more!"
"That's 'cause Daddy loves me more."
"Kyoji." Ryuji's tone was firm. "That's not true and it's not nice. Apologize to your sister."
"Sorry…"
"Look at her when you say it."
Kyoji looked abashedly at his sister. "Sorry, Rin."
She smiled back. "Thanks bro."
Ryuji looked wearily at his daughter. "You still want the carrot?"
"No Daddy, I want the onions now."
"Bonkin'." Ryuji went back to scooping up onions.
Ann walked up and surveyed the scene. "Ryuji, Makoto and I are going to have a girl's night later so you're going to do bedtime."
Ryuji grinned. "Oh yeah, gonna do some real good bedtime."
His wife rolled her eyes. "Please put our children to sleep when I tell you. I don't want to come home to three little goblins eating junk and drinking Monta…again."
"You got it, honey." He then winked to his twins.
Makoto walked up to Ren, who was having some trouble corralling Hana. She was still unhappy from finishing the chocolate bear. Ren tried to ply her with other snacks, but she refused. He tried singing songs, but she wasn't having it. She was in between moaning and actually crying and Makoto had come upon them when she was crying.
"Ren, what's going on with our daughter?"
"She's unhappy about finishing the bear."
"More bear! More bear!" The toddler protested.
"Hana," Her father chided. "We can have a different snack or sing a song. Which one do you want?"
"More bear!" Hana's tears started to flow.
"Let's try another song: The wheels on the bus-" Ren started to sing..
Hana's cries pierced Makoto. They always had, since birth. As soon as Makoto became a mother, Hana was the most important person in her life. Seeing Hana sad or in pain just ate at her and she would do anything she could to make her feel better. To let her know that Mommy was always there for her and would never, ever, ever leave her side.
"Ren, give her to me." Makoto reached her arms out.
"I've got it, Makoto." Ren shifted their daughter to be farther from his wife.
Makoto felt her anger rise. "Ren," she said with more steel in her voice.
Ren ignored her. "The wheels on the bus go round and round…"
Hana's cries didn't change. Her daughter looked at her and reached out with her tiny hands. She was in pain. She needed comfort. She needed to know her mother wouldn't abandon her. She needed to know she wouldn't wake up one day and find out Mommy was gone.
Why did Mommy leave us, Daddy? Why did Daddy leave us, Sis?
"Ren," The steel had sharpened into a sword. "Give me our ."
Ryuji and Ann turned their heads to look at the scene between Ren and Makoto. Even Hana settled a bit and looked between her parents.
Ren was silent. A glare passed between both of them. He wordlessly handed Hana to Makoto, who wordlessly took her and walked out the door of Leblanc.
Just in time for Yusuke, Haru, and Futaba to walk in. They walked over to Shigeru, who was in the kitchen drying cookware after Sojiro washed it and handed it to him.
Haru cleared her throat. Both stopped what they were doing and turned to face her.
Shigeru spoke hesitantly. "I'm sorry you didn't like the curry, Stepmother. Please let me know what I can do to improve."
Yusuke wore an amused expression. "Is that what you inferred from our hasty exit? Nothing of the sort, son. In fact, I believe this may be considered dramatic irony."
"You not only leveled up, you're classing up." Futaba said.
Shigeru knitted his brows together and turned to Haru.
"Shigeru-kun, that curry was exquisite. The creativity of using the Black Ivory-"
"Mom, you told her it was your idea ri-"
"Stop." Haru's voice turned icy and her face turned sharp. It stopped the boy cold. "There is a time and a place for humility. This is not either. Be proud of your achievement."
"As a CEO, I pride myself on evaluating talent but apparently I have a blind spot in my own home." She smiled. The mirth and warmth settled back in.
"Shigeru-kun, I will be giving birth to your baby sister very soon. I will be unable to do much of anything and your father will be assisting me in caring for her while we take an extended leave from work. We will all need to eat during this time. You asked me once what you could do to help us with the baby and I think I have a solution. Would you cook for us?"
Shigeru's eyes widened as big as saucers. Her mouth dropped open completely slack. He was absolutely speechless. His parents wore prideful smiles.
Haru continued. "I spoke with both of your parents to make sure they approved of this arrangement. Of course, since you would be doing work for me, you would need to be compensated appropriately. How does triple your allowance sound?"
"I…I…What? I can't accept that!" Shigeru was trying to wrap his mind around what was happening. His stepmother, one of the richest women in Japan, wanted him to cook for her? For an enormous amount of money? It was insane. His mother told him how she got moody during pregnancy and he thought maybe this was along the same vein.
Haru frowned. "I apologize, was that too low? How about 20,000 yen per meal?"
Sojiro coughed loudly in shock but soon recovered and cleared his throat. "Wow. That's quite generous."
"Shigeru-kun earned it. I know I'm just your stepmother, but I want you to know that as far as I'm concerned, you'realsomy son. I want to support your dreams as much as I can and push you to reach your potential." She turned to Futaba and bowed slightly. "As long as that's ok with you, Futaba."
Futaba smiled wide. "Makes me wish you were my second mom, Haru. Shiggy, it's all you. What do you say?"
"Dad?" Surely his father would bring some sanity to this circus.
Yusuke closed his eyes and appeared to be in thoughtful contemplation. "It is no coincidence that we are in the presence of your grandmother's masterpiece today. An illuminating omen for your emerging genius. Seize your destiny, Shigeru."
Absolute lunacy. This whole family was completely deranged. But Shigeru wasn't that different. He was the son of Yusuke Okumera and Futaba Sakura. Madness and genius ran twice as strong in his blood.
"I'll do it. I'll cook for you, Stepmother." He found himself saying.
Haru clapped her hands. "Thank you Shigeru-kun! Let's swing by the warehouse and get the supplies we need. Also, please let me know if you're feeling overworked. I want to make sure your studies and your happiness come first."
Shigeru nodded. He didn't really hear anything Haru had said.
Makoto stepped outside with Hana nestled in her arms. A cool breeze slipped through the alleyway, kissing her reddened cheeks. She regretted snapping at Ren the moment the words left her mouth. It was happening more often—her patience thinner, her temper quicker to flare. She'd get angry, then it would pass, but Ren was left to bear the brunt of it. He always accepted her apologies with a gentle smile, but she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. It was wearing on him.
A tiny hand patted her cheek, pulling her from her thoughts.
"Mama."
Makoto's expression softened as she pressed a kiss to Hana's forehead. "Hi, sweetheart. Are you having fun?"
Hana beamed up at her, dark curls bouncing as she wiggled in her grasp. She looked so much like Ren—his hair, his mischievous smiles. Their friends had given her all sorts of ridiculous nicknames because of it. Ryuji called her Rendolyn or Renee, but Yusuke's infamous Rennifer had somehow stuck, at least until her first birthday. He had even gone so far as to commission a cake with "Happy Birthday Rennifer Rensdottir!" written in bold, bright red icing. Yusuke stated that this was the naming convention of Iceland, as if that was a reasonable explanation. Makoto had been mortified. Ren had nearly collapsed from laughter.
Even now, Hana still giggled whenever someone called her Rennifer.
Makoto let out a quiet chuckle, warmth blooming in her chest at the memory. She had good friends, an incredible husband, and a beautiful, miraculous child.
So why did living feelharderthan before?
Her thoughts drifted to Zenkichi Hasegawa.
After the EMMA incident, she had stayed in touch with him, often turning to him for career advice. The more she learned in college about police work, the more she realized that Public Security was where she wanted to be. The combination of hardscrabble police work with high stakes national security threats was a perfect synthesis of her time as a Phantom Thief and her dream of following in her father's footsteps. Zenkichi had become her mentor, guiding her through the demands of the job. Zenkichi had gently encouraged Makoto to prioritize her family and not make the same mistakes he made.
She thought he was just doing his due diligence as a senior. She had the time of her life using her skills to unravel cases that threatened the heart of Japan. Zenkichi knew she had aspirations to climb high, but warned her that the path to promotion was littered with unhappy families.
At the time, she hadn't fully understood what he meant. She and Ren were both busy—him with medical training, her with cases—and they accepted their limited time together as a necessary sacrifice. It wasn't until they started trying for a child that Makoto felt the weight of her choices.
She had been working an exhausting case during her first pregnancy—long hours, little sleep, constant stress. A part of her knew, deep down, that it had played a role in what happened. When they went in for her 12-week appointment and there was no heartbeat, she had forced herself to accept it. But watching Ren grieve, watching him blame himself for not being there more, had been unbearable.
She swore she'd do better the second time. She took lower-profile cases, made sure to rest, prioritized her health.
And yet, that day at work, she had gone to the bathroom and seen red.
Her breath hitched. The memory rose unbidden—the sharp contrast of crimson against white, the slow realization creeping up her spine. She had read all the statistics, reassured herself as each week passed, convinced herself they were safe.
But they weren't.
She had stared at the mess of blood and tissue, her mind racing at the speed of light.
That's our child.
Our beautiful child.
One we'll never hold.
One we'll never hear call us Mommy or Daddy.
One we'll never get to hope for.
Makoto's training at Public Security had taught her how to compartmentalize, how to shove emotions down when necessary. She had never been more grateful for that skill than in that moment.
She had cleaned up. Asked the secretary for spare underwear. Lied about forgetting her own and blamed it on "pregnancy brain." Then she had told her boss she wasn't feeling well and left early.
She needed to make it home in one piece. She couldn't call Ren until then. She had driven home in silence, changing the station whenever she heard anything about babies or families, until even music felt unbearable. Only once she stepped through the door did she finally break.
She had called Ren and collapsed, sobbing into the phone, wailing like a banshee. She cursed herself, cursed her job, cursed everything. Ren had whispered reassurances in her ear as he rushed home, his voice steady despite the pain she knew he was holding back. He had been so kind, so patient, so understanding—everything she needed.
And when she called Zenkichi, her voice raw from crying, she finally told him: I understand now.
A small voice pulled her back to the present.
"Mama? Down please?"
Makoto blinked, the weight of memory still heavy in her chest. Hana squirmed in her arms, her wide red eyes—the one thing she had inherited from her mother—peering up at her.
"Sorry, sweetie," Makoto murmured, forcing a small smile. "Mommy was just thinking about silly things." She gently set her daughter down.
Hana stared at her for a moment before lifting her arms.
"Want Mama hug."
Makoto's breath caught in her throat. She knelt down, gathering Hana into her arms, holding her close.
"You can have all the Mama hugs you want."
Because you are my miracle. And I will move heaven and earth to stay by your side.
A/N:This was an incredibly heavy chapter and I debated writing about it for a while. It's not an easy subject and I tried very hard to write about it with the sensitivity and care it deserves. One of the things I loved about The Confessional was how it addressed the ugly parts of life head-on and that is something I also want to do with Paradigm Shift.
About 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. It happened to friends of mine and it happened to my wife and me. I think anytime you're dealing with people trying to conceive and have babies, you're going to run into a miscarriage. Everyone handles it differently and I hope that the way Makoto handles it here makes sense to everyone who reads this. Ren is also trying to handle this his own way.
I'd love to hear from you all in the comments, but if not I'm happy to have kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions, and constructive criticism.
Thank you to Saesmakoto for being an incredible beta reader.
Thank you all for reading!
