5/14

"Yahoooo!" Ryuji screams. Dozens of students turn their heads his way, but the boy is oblivious.

Besides, Akira considers, who doesn't feel relieved? Akira has met with Ryuji on the front steps of Shujin. The exams are over. No more cramming, no more studying, no more late-night panic.

After Takemi had left LeBlanc, the Phantom Thieves had managed to drag their attention back to studying, and Akira and Ann made a decent effort to improve Ryuji's English.

"Done testing final done over," Ryuji says in English.

Oh well.

Akira smiles and slaps his friend on the back good-naturedly. "Now we can talk all you want about those exercise programs."

Ryuji barks out a laugh. "Sure bro, but not today. We gotta celebrate! Where's Ann?"

Akira turns back to the school's entrance. "She's coming, I think." Akira checks the time on his phone. Morgana should be checking in at any moment.

Akira puts his phone back in his pocket, spots Ann's blonde hair, lifts a hand, and waves her over. Ann has her own phone out and smiles when she sees her friends. "Hey guys. Are you as happy as I am?" She asks.

"Happier," Ryuji declares. He throws his arm around Akira's shoulder. "We're going out. You in?"

Ann smiles but shakes her head. "I'd love to, but I told Shiho I'd visit her at the hospital today. I haven't spent much time with her since exams started."

"How's she doing?" Akira asks.

Ann's face kind of crinkles up at the question. "She's... doing okay. She's started physical therapy. So that's good."

Akira nods. He has not forgotten Ann's request to assist with Shiho's recovery, nor has he made any attempt to shirk the responsibility. However, there have been a few things stealing his attention. A grain of guilt starts rubbing against his brain, and Akira resolves to visit Shiho soon.

With Ann, of course.

"Cool, tell Shiho we hope she gets better soon," Ryuji states. "We should all do something tomorrow, then. But," and he tightens his grip on Akira's shoulder. "This means it's dude night tonight!"

"Oh," Ann says, rolling her eyes. "What a shame I'll miss it."

"You're just jealous because we're having dude's night."

"You wish."

Akira clears his throat. "As excited as I am for dude's night, I need to take care of something here first." He pulls out his phone and checks the time. "Where's Morgana?"

"Eh?" Ryuji asks, looking around. "Oh yeah. Where is that guy?"

"Psst," comes a small, feline voice. Akira and the others turn and find Morgana, head popping up over the handrail. He has propped and poked himself up, so he's mostly hidden from view.

"There you are," Akira says. "How'd it go?"

"Mission accomplished," Morgana replies. He shifts around on his paws, trying to get more comfortable. "Makoto's in the Student Council Room, as you expected. She's probably got some work to do since she's been studying for exams these last few days."

Ann sticks out her tongue. "Yeah, or just being creepy and following us."

"That was just that one time," Ryuji points out, then looks at Akira. "Why are you tryin' to find out where the Prez is?"

"Yeah," Morgana says. "Would you mind explaining why it was, as you put it, 'supremely important,' that I follow Makoto around and tell you where she was once exams ended?"

Akira smiles. "You both have excellent questions." He reaches up and adjusts his fake glasses. "And I will answer them... later." Akira spins on his heel and starts marching into Shujin, a set look on his face.

"Hold on!" Ann nearly shouts and snaps out an arm, snagging Akira's uniform sleeve. Akira turns to regard her. "You're not...?" Akira raises his brows. "You are!" Ann lets him go, crosses her arms, and shakes her head. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Exams may be over, but we're going to be very busy with our other activities, you know."

"Thanks for the emphasis," Akira replies. "I wouldn't have known what you were talking about otherwise. I'm aware of what we need to do next." Akira smirks. "But I'm good at multi-tasking." He turns and heads inside Shujin.

"No, you're not," Morgana calls, and others must hear the meow because a few students turn their heads towards the noise, but Morgana has already dropped out of sight.

The nerves settle in once Akira reaches the stairwell. The other students slide out of his way, but Akira ignores them.

Holy shit, he thinks. Am I really doing this?

Yes, Joker snaps. Yes, dammit, we are.

#

There's a knock on the door.

Makoto looks up. She stands from the table in the center of the Student Council room and moves to the door. She peeks out into the hallway, sees who it is, unlocks the door, and opens it.

"Mako-chan," cries Haru as she slumps inside. "We're done!" Haru spreads her arms wide and slides past her friend, collapsing almost bodily onto the table.

Makoto smiles and laughs. "Was the last exam that difficult?"

Haru shakes her head, still facedown on the table. "Not really," she mumbles against the wood. "I'm just being dramatic. Our study sessions helped. But you're supposed to be relieved too." She pushes herself up and stares at Makoto, frowning. "Why do I not sense enough relief from you?"

Makoto shakes her head. "I'm relieved enough. I have no issues with tests, but they require significant prep time. So now, I can get back to pursuing other endeavors."

Haru smirks. "Like following Akira?"

Makoto reddens. "I was thinking towards college prep work."

"Uh-huh," Haru says, her smirk splitting into an ear-to-ear grin. "Sure."

"Do you have to tease me about this?" Makoto asks, succumbing to a groan.

"Yes," Haru replies. She drops her bag on the table and claps her hands. "But come on, there's no time to wait. We have work to do, don't we? What's the next step? I relayed all the information Akira gave me at Rafflesia, but I think it might be time to move beyond recon." She punches the air. "It's time for action, no?"

Makoto folds her arms. "I suppose we have been spending a lot of time in the intelligence-gathering phase. Moving onto plan execution would be... what?" She asks, when Haru starts laughing.

"You sound like a military commander," Haru teases.

Makoto frowns. "You're the one throwing fists around and calling for action!"

"Well yeah, but oh, you should try that, Mako-chan. Throwing fists can be fun!"

"I'm aware," Makoto replies.

Haru's eyebrows rocket up at that, but Makoto decides not to get into her extracurriculars with her.

Makoto could still watch Akira with the exams over, but her cover had already been blown once. There was little else she felt she could do at this stage. There may not be any concrete evidence of Akira's involvement with the Phantom Thieves, but-

There's a knock on the door.

Haru lowers her arms to her side. "More Student Council members?" She asks.

Makoto shakes her head, as she moves toward the door. "There's no meeting scheduled for today," she replies. She peeks out into the hallway, sees who it is, and immediately wrenches herself out of sight and collapses her back against the wall.

Haru's eyes widen, as if expecting an attack.

"It's Akira," Makoto shout-whispers.

"Akira," Haru whisper-shouts back at her. Haru looks around, snatches her bag from the table, bounds into the corner closet, and slams the door behind her.

"Haru, what-" Makoto starts, but from behind the door, Haru calls, "Good luck, Mako-chan!"

Good luck with what? Makoto's mind demands. Another part of her brain scolds her for ignoring reality. There can only be so many reasons for Akira's visit.

Makoto steels herself, or at least pretends. But, really, she's an absolute cargo container of nerves. Makoto goes to answer the door.

She opens the door and is about to belt out "GREETINGS" but manages to stop herself. Makoto forces herself to meet Akira's gaze and says, "Good afternoon, Akira."

"Hi," Akira replies, with a small smile. He glances around the hall. "Could I, uh, come in?"

"Certainly," Makoto replies, backing away from the door. Her eyes flicker to the closet, but Haru remains silent.

Akira steps inside, and Makoto shuts the door until it's only open a fraction. She doesn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable, after all. "So," he says as he turns back to her. "Exams are done."

"They are," Makoto says and nods. "For now. I hope you will not neglect your new study habits."

"No way," Akira says. "You grilled those into me."

And don't you forget it, Makoto's brain says, but her mouth doesn't cooperate.

"What can I do for you, Akira?" She asks.

"Well," Akira begins. "I wanted to thank you, first. For all the help you gave me in prepping for the exams. I know I've thanked you before, but now that they're finished, I just wanted to let you know that your help was invaluable. I think I did well."

Makoto inclines her head. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure."

"Uh-huh," Akira says and starts glancing around the room. "Yeah. Okay. So. That was the first thing."

Makoto waits, but when Akira’s silence stretches, she asks, "And, um, was there a second?"

"There was," Akira answers, still glancing around.

"Are you going to elaborate?"

"I'm getting to it."

Makoto feels her heart launch itself into low orbit. "Okay. Take your time."

"I'm trying," Akira mumbles. Then, his face tightens, and he turns back to her. "The reason I wanted to see you, here in this room, away from the others, other students, I mean, is that I wanted to ask you something, and I figured it'd probably be best to do it away from others. The other students, I mean. I said that, right?"

"You did," Makoto replies, her heart plotting a course towards the Moon.

"Of course I did," Akira says. "Anyway. You're here. I'm here. We're both here. And I've been thinking that there was something I wanted to say - or ask, I'm just asking after all - since before exams started but figured it'd be better to wait until they ended. The exams."

Makoto nods as her heart tries to figure out how to land on Mars. She briefly wonders if Akira is having some kind of stroke. "A wise decision. No need to complicate things during such an important time."

"Right?" Akira asks. "That's what I thought. So. There was all that. But again, I had the thing I wanted to ask you, and I realize I'm kind of going in circles. I did have something planned, but I'm not sure-"

Makoto's heart says 'Fuck it,' and punches it towards the Oort Cloud. "Oh my god," Makoto snaps. "Just ask the question, Akira! Just ask it!"

"Would you like to go out sometime?" Akira asks.

"Yes."

"Cool. How about tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

"Yes."

A thunk comes inside the closet, but Akira doesn't turn from Makoto (who spares a bit of brain processing power to wonder if Haru is alright).

Akira's face is red, and Makoto imagines that her own must be as well, but there isn't much either of them can do about it.

"Okay then," Akira says, and he grins. It's that grin—the one Makoto really likes.

Makoto smiles back. A voice in the back of her mind is shouting warnings at her, but dammit, at this moment, she doesn't care because the boy she likes has asked her out and screw everything else. This is allowed to feel nice.

"Yes," Makoto replies, and realizes she has not said much else.

"I will text you then," Akira says, and starts to slide back towards the door.

"Alright, that sounds acceptable," Makoto replies.

"So then, tomorrow," Akira says, as he places his hand on the handle. "We will go on a date. The two of us."

"I believe so, yes," Makoto says.

"Good. I'm glad," Akira answers. "I'm really glad."

"Me too," Makoto says.

Akira pulls the door open and steps out into the hall. "Until tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow," Makoto says.

Then, Akira is gone.

Makoto's brain finally catches up in his absence, and about ten billion thoughts start rushing through her head.

Some examples:

- I have no idea what to wear.

- Where are we even going?

- What time? Do I have to review my schedule?

- Did that really just happen? DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?

- Is this a trick?

- What do people wear on dates?

- Am I supposed to bring a gift?

- Does this have anything to do with the Phantom Thieves?

- Do I bring money? I should bring money, right? Is he supposed to pay? Do I make him pay? What if he doesn't pay?

- DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?

- I should check on Haru.

At this last one, Makoto whips around towards the closet and calls, "Haru!"

Another thunk from inside. "Um, I'm fine, Mako-chan. But it appears the door is stuck."

"Yes," Makoto says, walking over. "It does that. One moment."

Makoto seizes the doorknob, brings her shoulder up against the wood, then braces herself and firmly throws her weight against the door.

The door unjams, and Makoto opens it the rest of the way to reveal a grinning Haru.

Haru lifts her hands and starts to punch the air. "Yay," she says, softly, then starts to repeat it, getting louder each time. "Yay, yay, yay!"

"I'm guessing you heard all that," Makoto asks.

"Come on," Haru says, and seizes Makoto's arm. "We've got work to do!"

#

Ann opens the door to Shiho's room and steps inside. The lights are lower than she expects. Before, they had all been on when she'd visited, and the doctors had drawn the curtains. Then, the sun shone. The room is dark and dingy now, and hot.

"Shiho?" Ann asks. Her eyes adjust, and she sees the form of her friend sitting up. "Hey."

"Hi," Shiho replies.

Ann lets out a long sigh and drops down into the chair next to the bed. "Well, exams are over. Finally. Overall, I think I did pretty well."

"Uh-huh."

"Ryuji wants to have a party or something, but I'm pretty worn out. Besides, I've got that painting gig coming up. I'll need some rest if we're going to start trying to take down Madarame and-"

"I don't care," Shiho whispers.

Ann turns to look at her. She really looks at her friend for the first time since entering this room. Shiho's hair is matted and pressed against her scalp. Dark circles ring her puffy eyes. Ann notices the girl's hands are clenched, tight in her lap. Her lips are thin, and her breath is starting to become ragged.

"Shiho, what's-"

"I don't want to hear about your adventures today, okay? I don't want to talk about Akira or Ryuji or the talking cat or your crime-fighting or whatever it is you do. I don't want to hear about it!" Her words rise in volume but don't become shouts.

Ann swallows. "Shiho, did something happen? Today, in therapy? Did you..." she trails off, trying to find a delicate way of putting the word 'fall.'

"No," Shiho replies. "It all went great. I'm making progress. Moving my foot a few centimeters. Being able to stand for three seconds instead of two, all on my own. It's progress, Ann."

Ann wets her lips and tries to be careful with her words. "I know it’ll be hard, Shiho. But you'll get there. You're okay and-"

"Don't," Shiho snaps. "Don't say that. I am not okay. I am not okay. I don't get to play hero or travel to Palaces or whatever, Ann. All I see every day is this stupid room and stupid doctors who tell me the same things over and over. And Mom can't stop crying, and Dad won't even look at me when he's actually here. And I can't move my stupid legs to go somewhere - anywhere - else because HE put me here.

"And yeah, HE'S going to go to jail, but I can't even be happy about it because they still talk about HIM. They talk about HIM and the things HE did and what HIS punishment will be, and how HIS behavior reflects larger societal issues or whatever. But they don't ever talk about ME, and I don't even want them to talk about ME, but it's like I don't exist. I don't exist except as an extension of what HE did, and I'm HIS victim, and it's all about HIM and HIM and HIM."

Shiho tilts forward and starts to cry. Ann stands up, moves to the bed, and wraps an arm around her. "I'm sorry, Shiho. I'm sorry."

Shiho shakes her head, then turns her face into Ann's shoulder. "He was on the news. I turned on the TV before therapy, and his face was just there. I wish you had broken his brain. I wish he'd died."

"I'm sorry, Shiho," Ann says, and rubs her best friend's back. "I'm so sorry."

And really, what else can she say?

Ann stays there for a long time.

#

Ryuji's grin nearly breaks his face. "Dude."

"You can stop smiling now," Akira says.

"But dude," Ryuji counters.

"You're happier about this than Akira is," Morgana says, propped on Akira's shoulder.

"Why aren't you guys psyched? This is a huge deal."

"I am psyched," Akira replies and finds himself adopting his own smile. "I think I'm just exhausted."

"You're exhausted from asking a girl out?" Ryuji asks.

"It was stressful, man!" Akira says. "I was stumbling over my words and spouting nonsense. My brain wasn't working right. By the time I finally got around to it, I was ready for a nap."

"Should've brought me along," Morgana replies.

"I'll remember that for next time," Akira says.

"Oh, and by the way, I don't appreciate you using my talents to stake out locations your crush will be," Morgana says.

Akira reaches up and pats his head. "But you did so well."

"Maybe don't tell Niijima that you felt like taking a nap after you asked her out," Ryuji points out.

"I wasn't planning on it."

They reach LeBlanc and push the door open. Sojiro stands behind the counter, bent over one of the coffeemakers, squinting and picking at it with a fingernail, attacking - in his way - a bit of detritus clinging to the material. He glances up as the trio enter. "Hey- oh," he says when he sees Ryuji. Sojiro sets the coffeemaker down. "You must be one of Akira's new friends."

"Ryuji Sakamoto, nice to meet you, and thanks for having me," Ryuji replies, with a light bow.

"Yeah," Sojiro says. "Good to meet you. Coffee?"

"Uh..." Ryuji says, trailing off. "Thanks, but I'm good."

"I'll have some," Akira says. He sets his bag down on the counter and settles onto a stool. Morgana hops off his shoulder and lands on the countertop. Sojiro rubs the cat's head before turning to see to Akira's request.

"All done with exams, then?" Sojiro asks.

"That's right," Akira says.

"Finally," Ryuji mutters, then he beams. "So we thought we'd celebrate!"

Sojiro cracks a grin. "Celebrate, eh? And you came here? That's kind of sad."

"Well," Ryuji says, as Sojiro sets a full coffee cup in front of Akira. "We've got some planning to do."

"Oh?" Sojiro asks. "What kind of planning? Not making any trouble, I hope?"

"Nothin' like that," Ryuji says and throws his arm around Akira's shoulder, jostling him a bit. "This guy's got a date!"

Sojiro freezes, hands stuck in mid-air, grasping nothing. Then, the older man says, "You?" Akira nods. "You have a date?"

"Uh, yeah," Akira says.

"How'd you pull that off?"

"Um, I asked her."

Sojiro sighs and shakes his head. "Alright. Give me the details."

Akira explains the situation. Makoto was his tutor who became his friend. After a few weeks of spinning his wheels, Akira finally sucked it up and asked her out.

Sojiro seems satisfied by this. "You get credit for summoning the nerve to ask, but next time, just man up and ask her at the beginning."

"That's what I told him," Ryuji says.

"You did not," both Akira and Morgana say.

"Where are you taking her?" Sojiro asks.

Akira looks up at him over the rim of his coffee cup. "Huh? Oh. I haven't decided yet. I'm going to text her tomorrow and-"

Sojiro slams a hand down on the table. Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana all jump. "Are you kidding me?" Sojiro demands. He turns to Morgana and says, "Sorry, Prince," strokes the cat head once more and says, "Good kitty," and then turns back to Akira. "You don't even know where you're taking her?" Sojiro reaches up, removes the glasses from his face, and rubs his eyes. He suddenly appears very, very tired. "Kid, that's something you're supposed to set up before the date. You get everything prepared in advance. You don't wing that part after you get the okay!"

Akira blinks. "O-oh. Well, I mean, I guess I can figure something out and-"

"Yeah, you damn well better figure something out," Sojiro scolds. "The date's supposed to be tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah," Akira says. He begins to feel the fluttering of panic in his chest. Akira’s preoccupation with asking Makoto out resulted in no thought to what they’d do.

Why didn't I think of that ahead of time? Akira wonders.

Don't ask me, Joker replies. I just fight Shadows and take down bad guys.

Not much time left, comes an oily voice from the recesses of his mind. But I bet I could scrape something together. Akira shuts that voice down and refocuses on what Sojiro is saying.

"...gonna have to make some calls. Maybe I can get a last-minute reservation. Someplace nice. What were you planning on wearing?"

"Uh..." Akira starts.

Sojiro just waves his hand through the air. "Yeah, never mind. Stupid question. You've got no idea." Sojiro turns to Ryuji and starts to say, "You should help him..." then he takes in Ryuiji's haphazard uniform and blonde hair. "On second thought, you probably shouldn't help him."

"Hey," Ryuji retorts. "I got some sick fashion sense."

"I don't think 'sick fashion sense' will impress Makoto," Morgana points out. "You don't have the best track record when it comes to women."

"H-how do you know?" Ryuji snaps.

Akira eyes him. "Seriously?" He asks. "Ryuji, come on. You know what he's talking about."

"No, I don't know what he's talking about."

"What a surprise," Morgana mumbles, then glances at Akira. "What am I talking about?"

"Ann," Akira says, and looks back and forth between the shocked faces of his friends. "What?"

"L-Lady Ann has nothing to do with this," Morgana snaps.

"What about Ann?" Ryuji asks, face reddening. "What's she got to do with anything?"

Akira furrows his brow. "Oh. My bad. I didn't realize we were pretending that isn't a thing. Never mind."

"D-dude," Ryuji says. "What did you mean?"

Akira holds ups his hands. "No way, man. I'm not getting involved. You heard Sakura-san, right? You gotta man up."

"Who's Ann?" Sojiro asks, as he scrolls through his phone. Then, he shakes his head. "Forget it. Don’t care." He holds his phone up to his ear. "Yeah, hello? I need a reservation for two. Tomorrow. Afternoon. Anytime, I suppose."

Akira turns back to his friends. "Well, look, now everyone's got me freaked out. What am I supposed to do tomorrow? I've barely been in Tokyo for a month. I don't know all the cool spots." He shakes his head when Ryuji starts to open his mouth. "And no offense man, but I'm not sure you'd know the best places to go that would impress a girl like Makoto."

Ryuji looks as if he's deciding whether not to take offense, and ultimately shrugs. "That’s fair."

"Why not bring her here?" Morgana asks.

"Here?" Akira asks, looking around. "I don't know. That's a little personal for a date, right? I mean, I sleep upstairs. I don't even have a door. If you want to get technical, this is kind of my room. I don't want to freak her out."

"Bringing a chick to your room on the first date is an alpha move," Ryuji says.

"What the hell does that mean?" Akira asks.

"I don't know. I read it online," Ryuji admits.

"Okay, forget about the destination for now," Morgana says. "What about your clothes?"

"I've got some pretty casual stuff upstairs," Akira replies. "Haven't worn them much since I got here, but I suppose it's better than nothing. I don't have any fancy stuff. I didn't go on a lot of dates back in my hometown." Akira flips through his mental catalog of clothes. He's not sure how to match things, but he's got a pretty good idea. He's no slob. Akira may not have the hippest threads, but he's not... well, Ryuji.

"Okay," Sojiro says, rejoining the Thieves. "I've got you a reservation."

Akira blinks. "Seriously?"

"Nothing fancy, but it's decently swanky. A new lunch joint that opened a few months ago. Shibuya, so it's not too far, and it's got an open patio so you can sit outside. The food's supposed to be good. So’s the music. You're lucky. While I was on the phone, they had a sudden cancellation for tomorrow, so I jumped on it."

"Uh, wow," Akira says. "Thanks."

"I'll send you the details. Make sure you keep a hard copy written down in your pocket in case your phone dies. You don't want to be left standing in the middle of Shibuya with a dead phone and no idea where the restaurant is."

"Sounds like a young people kind of place. How did you hear about it?" Ryuji asks.

Sojiro stares at him and says, very calmly. "I'll give you a minute to soak in just how bad of an idea it was to ask that question."

Ryuji reddens and gulps.

"Now," Sojiro says. "Can I leave the outfit up to you? I'm assuming you've got something casual but nice. If you don't, there's nothing I can do to help you, and you're screwed."

"O-okay," Akira says. "I think I can handle that." He nods, reaffirming it to himself. "I've got the clothes part down. I'll figure it out."

"Good." Sojiro holds up a hand. "Last thing." He moves towards the kitchen and returns a few minutes later, holding a shut laptop. "Here."

"Huh?" Akira asks, staring at it.

"This is for you," Sojiro replies, holding it out to him. "Remember? Our conversation from a few days ago? Turns out, w- I didn't need this one anymore. So, as it's available, you can use it for school."

"Thanks," Akira says, happily, taking the computer.

"Hey," Morgana says. "Maybe we can finally get on those spooky sites. Look into the Igor and the Velvet Room?"

Akira nods. "I really appreciate this, Sakura-san," he says. "Seriously. This will be a huge help."

"Yeah, don't mention it. Just don't use it for porn or whatever."

Ryuji makes a face, as does Akira, but he clams up a second later and nods.

First things first, Akira thinks. I'll need to check with Mishima to see if I can use this. But Morgana's right. If it checks out, we can finally start doing some digging on our own.

A few minutes later, Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana head up to Akira's room, both to boot up the new computer and to ensure Akira has an actionable wardrobe for his date.

Akira can't help but smile as they climb the steps. It finally feels like things are coming together.