Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“I’m starting to regret this, Akira,” Shiho whined. “I regret falling asleep last night and making plans to come out here during the worst heatwave of my whole life.”

Akira nodded. Well, nodded as best as he could while resting his head on his arms.

Judging by the crowd of employees hanging around the food court window, there must have been something going on. Akira was telling himself to stand up and at least see what was going on, but his legs refused to cooperate, too comfortable in the shade of the covered sitting area.

“What do you think is going on over there?” Shiho asked, looking over Akira’s shoulder. “They said they were experiencing ‘technical difficulties’ when I put in our shaved ice order.”

“Ice machine is probably broken,” Akira surmised. “That’s just my guess.”

He sat up and glanced over at the black and white lump that laid next to him.

“Hey Mona, you still breathing?” he asked.

“Barely,” Morgana mewed. “If I ever see Lady Lavenza again, I’m going to ask her why she thought black fur was a good idea.”

“Poor guy’s probably really cooking,” Shiho mused.

Akira pushed himself up from the table before he could convince himself not to.

“I’m gonna go see what’s going on, and if it’s a lost cause, we can go dunk ourselves in the Samegawa,” Akira said.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Shiho muttered. “I’ll keep an eye on Mona. Not like he looks like he’s too eager to run off…”

Akira stepped over the bench seat and walked towards the food court window. Hanamura was standing over Satonaka as she stuck her head inside the ice machine, performing a little percussive maintenance.

“Hey, you two. Working hard or hardly working?” Akira said.

“Huh? Oh, hey, Kurusu-kun,” Hanamura said. “Technically I’m supposed to be off, so I'm hardly working?”

“So am I, and I’m the one actually working down here,” Satonaka muttered, voice echoing from inside the machine. “Dammit, Yosuke. I’m a blacksmith, not a mechanic.”

"You're a lot of things, Chie. It wouldn't surprise me if you actually were a mechanic, too."

“What happened?” Akira asked. “Did it just quit working?”

Hanamura shrugged in response.

Satonaka stood up and brushed the water off her knees.

“I think there’s a leak somewhere. The floor is covered in water,” Satonaka pointed out. “I’m getting too old for this.”

Hanamura rolled his eyes.

“You turn 23 in a week and suddenly you’re too old!?” Hanamura exclaimed. “How do you think I feel? We’re only a month apart!”

“If you’re too old, then that makes me a toddler,” Akira sighed. “Want me to have a look at it?”

“I probably shouldn’t let a customer behind the counter…” Hanamura trailed off. “But I wanna leave. And I know you. So yeah, have at it, I guess? I called the number on the side but they're probably not gonna be out here til tomorrow.”

Akira climbed through the window and dropped down onto the wet floor with a splash.

“All I know is that if this thing doesn’t start working soon, I’m gonna have to jump in the river,” Akira said. “So here’s hoping, right?”

Akira gave the ice machine a once-over. The red light on the front was still on, so it at least had power.

Wet floor. Ice machine’s got power. It doesn’t smell like a motor is burnt. I'm not sure if all those hours of making tools is a good substitute for an actual technician, but looking's free and it's hot. Desperation makes me do weird things, I swear.

Akira sidled between the ice machine and the fridge next to it and peeked behind. There was a water hose trickling water on the floor. It was caught on one of the legs of the fridge, so he yanked it free and slipped it over the fitting on the back.

“Tada,” he said, bemused.

Akira flicked the big red switch on the front to turn it back on and the pump hummed to life.

“No fuss, no muss, no bufu,” he muttered to himself.

And no Third Eye, for that matter. I'm glad I didn't risk a migraine for a loose hose.

“See, that’s what I was gonna try next,” Satonaka said, attempting to save face. “But hey, good shit. Now we can leave.”

“Damn, you want a job?” Hanamura said, leading the trio out from behind the counter, letting the attendant take back over, who had just returned with huge bags of ice under each arm. “No, seriously. Do you want a job?”

“Sorry, Amagi asked me first,” Akira replied.

“Get owned. Score one for the lesbians,” Satonaka stage-whispered to Hanamura.

“I should also point out that I said no. For now, at least,” Akira said.

Hanamura rubbed two fingers together as the world's smallest violin and Satonaka elbowed him in the ribs in reply. Hard.

“A-Anyway. It’d just be truck duty. I wouldn’t make you work the floor or anything,” Hanamura explained, rubbing his side.

“Truck duty?” Akira said.

“Just unloading the truck, basically. It’s pretty physically demanding work, but you seem plenty athletic,” Hanamura explained. “We get trucks every day, but the ones I usually call Chie in for are usually near the end of the week.”

“Chie really does everything around here, doesn’t she?” Akira mused. He knew that’d go straight to her ego, but she probably deserved it.

“Yeah, she certainly does. Between working at Daidara’s, running deliveries, and helping me, I dunno where she gets all the energy,” Hanamura replied. “Oh, and the personal trainer training. Trainer training? Whatever it’s called. I dunno how she does that, either.”

“It’s called being multi-disciplined, noodle arms,” Satonaka said.

Hanamura rolled his eyes.

“Anyway… I’ll get some shaved ice going for you, on the house. You deserve it for fixing up the ice machine for me,” Hanamura said, turning to Satonaka. “You can go ahead, if you want. I’m not gonna hold you up.”

Satonaka “meh’d” in response with a shrug.

“I don’t mind hanging around for you to finish up, Assistant Manager,” she snarked. “‘Sides, shouldn’t you be getting one for me as well? I helped.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hanamura muttered as he walked off towards the food court window again.

“Soo…” Satonaka trailed off.

“Yes, you can pet Morgana. We’re over here,” Akira led the way.

“Hell yeah!” Satonaka exclaimed.

The way she excitedly rubbed her hands together spelled certain doom for her currently not-cat-hair-covered clothing, but he had a feeling she didn’t even care. Morgana would probably be fine with getting rid of the loose fur, so it was a win-win situation all around.

Shaved ice and exams celebrated about as well as they could for one afternoon, Akira and Shiho walked back to Shiho’s house for the evening. The sun dipped further down towards the horizon, not that Akira could tell. It was still as hot as it had been all day. Akira hoped Shiho’s house had air conditioning.

“And once again, Akira Kurusu saves the day. In more ways than one,” Shiho said, practically beaming.

“Yeah, well, I try,” Akira replied.

“That lady was covered in more of Mona’s fur than Mona himself. All with a smile,” Shiho said. “I’m sure Mona at least appreciates it.”

“I do!” Morgana chimed in.

“Well, I hope you’re both hungry,” Shiho said. “I’m sure Mona probably is, huh?” she looked right at him when she said that.

“I am!”

“Ah, sorry. I’m so full of shaved ice. I don’t think I could eat any more,” Akira said, patting his stomach.

“Yeah, sure,” Shiho snarked, pushing the gate open and holding it so Akira could walk through.

Akira realized that as many times as he had been over, walking Shiho home from school, this was the first time he had ever been inside. It was kind of a strange feeling, but he tried not to think about it too much. He couldn’t even remember how long it took for him to actually visit Ryuji at his apartment.

Akira followed Shiho’s lead, shutting the door behind him and slipping his house shoes out of his bag and tossing them on the floor to step in from the genkan.

“Your parents are fine with me being here, right?” Akira questioned as he sat his bags on the floor by the couch. “And Morgana?”

“Oh yeah, I cleared it with them. My parents love cats,” Shiho explained. “Make yourself at home!”

Akira sat at the counter while Shiho prepared the rest of dinner. They chatted idly as they waited for the fish to finish cooking, the kitchen fragrant with both miso soup and grilled fish. Other than the shaved ice, Akira hadn’t eaten today, so his mouth was watering.

“Alright, let me just call down the parental units and then we can sit down for dinner,” Shiho said. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

“Coming!” A masculine voice from upstairs called.

As Akira waited for Shiho’s parents to come downstairs, he wondered if that since Morgana wasn’t technically a cat, if people who are allergic to cats would be affected. He could have sworn that Shiho mentioned that her dad was allergic to cats at one point or another.

“Don’t worry, my parents will love you,” Shiho said, spotting Akira’s thoughtful expression.

Akira scoffed and barked out a laugh. Shiho followed suit.

“Oh, our guest is here!” Shiho’s father said, arriving at the bottom step.

He looked sufficiently comfortable in his plaid lounge pants and faded Casiopea t-shirt. Akira liked this guy already.

“Akira Kurusu. It’s nice to meet you, Suzui-san,” Akira said, politely bowing.

“And it’s nice to put a face to a name. Shiho talks about you pretty often. It’s always ‘Akira told me’ this, and ‘Akira helped me with’ that.” he said, pointedly not looking in Shiho’s direction, missing the exaggerated eye rolling going on. “The missus is finishing up a call in her office, but she’ll be down in a moment.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” Shiho’s mother said, coming down the stairs behind her husband. She poked him in his side and he flinched, stumbling to the side. “Sorry, I had a meeting run late.”

“Thank you for allowing me into your home,” Akira said, bowing deeply. “I hope I’m not disrupting your evening.”

“Nonsense, anything for one of Shiho’s friends,” she said with a nonchalant wave of dismissal.

Shiho’s mom was looking just as comfortable as her husband in her matching plaid lounge pants and music festival shirt. She was the spitting image of Shiho herself. Save for having shorter hair and looking ever so slightly older.

These two make quite an interesting pair.

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, let’s eat!” Shiho said, gesturing for everyone to move into the dining room. “I made ramen, I hope that’s okay with you, Akira.”

She flashed a knowing smirk in his general direction.

“I’ll eat anything you make,” Akira replied, making his tone sickly sweet.

Her parents looked at each other knowingly as Shiho smirked along.

So we’re doing this? Alright, then. Two can play at this game.

“Yeah, you’d better,” she replied.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. The conversation was light, mostly focused on how Akira and Shiho knew each other and their mutual friends in Tokyo. As much as he tried to ignore it, there was a pang of jealousy in Akira’s heart. Was this how normal families spent their dinners? Having pleasant conversation and not throwing guilt around and exerting control over their child and not-so-subtly claiming that they owned their child for daring to be born?

No. Come on, brain. Don’t ruin this for me.

“Ah, Takamaki-san and Sakamoto-kun. Did those two end up together?” Shiho’s mother asked. “They always fought like married couples. Poor Shiho had to play couples counselor like her mother.”

Akira glanced at Shiho for whether he could answer it honestly. Shiho was laughing when he caught her glance.

“No, mom. Ann’s got a girlfriend,” Shiho said. “They’re still friends, though.”

“Oh? Well, good for her,” Shiho’s mom replied. “She’s a sweet girl.”

“Ryuji-kun’s a good kid, too. I was worried about Sakamoto-san when her husband walked out. But it sounds like they’re doing well,” Shiho’s father added.

“It helps that Ryuji is such a mama’s boy. There’s no way he wouldn’t help her out,” Shiho said.

“I’m telling him you said that,” Akira said.

“Good,” Shiho replied. “Has he had any luck with you-know-who?”

Akira shrugged and shook his head.

“Well, we’d better put his feet to the fire. Girl like Haru ain’t gonna wait around,” Shiho said.

She got up and started collecting the dishes from the table.

“Oh no, I’m pretty sure that’s all she’s doing. She’s probably just patiently waiting for him to finally make a move,” Akira said. “But um, don’t tell either of them I said that.”

Shiho only grinned devilishly in response as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

“P-Please?” Akira pleaded.

“Fine…” Shiho relented, sitting back down. “That boy needs to get his butt in gear and just confess already.”

“Try watching it happen in real time…” Akira muttered, taking a sip of his after-dinner coffee.

“Well, I’m gonna go throw the dishes in the dishwasher real quick,” Shiho said, standing up from the table.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Akira said, preparing to follow.

“Ah, Kurusu-kun. One moment, please?” Shiho’s mother said, holding her hand up.

Akira nodded in her direction.

“We’d like to thank you for taking such good care of Shiho. Our daughter means the world to us, and after… well, after last year, we became very worried for her. Seeing her come home from school happy and talking about her new friend just brought us so much comfort,” she said.

“What she said,” Shiho’s father added. “Life’s a lot easier with good people at your side. I’m glad she was able to find those kinds of people here.”

Akira smiled.

“No, thank you for being good parents. There are some people out there who don’t have the support you give her,” Akira said. He cast his eyes down at the table. “Shiho’s a very good friend, and I’m glad she gets the support she needs at home too.”

Shiho’s parents looked at each other.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Akira said, moving towards the kitchen.

“Ah, my favorite helper,” Shiho said, placing a handful of utensils in the dishwasher. “Mind putting away the food while I take care of the stuff that can go in the dishwasher?”

“‘Course,” Akira whipped a towel over his shoulder. “Anything for the team captain.”

“Ugh, it’s team advisor, get it right,” Shiho said in mock annoyance before smiling and turning back to the sink.

While he put the food away Akira made a mental note to call Sojiro when he was done helping out, the action of putting away leftovers bringing back memories of working behind the counter.

Shiho had a decent handle on things, but he moved the dirty dishes closer to the sink for easier access. Shiho wordlessly held out a dripping pot and Akira took it and dried it off. Glancing out into the dining room, he realized that Shiho’s parents had apparently found Morgana, or vice versa, and were giving him the attention he deserved as they spoke quietly at the dinner table. After a while, Shiho’s mother turned around and caught Akira’s look. She smiled warmly in his direction.

The sheer normalcy of everything caught Akira by surprise, yet again.

He smiled a genuine smile back. Yes, this felt right.

Sojiro Sakura
Sojiro: Futaba kinda sorta let me know what was going on. Gimme a call when you see this, okay?

The phone only rang twice before Akira heard the telltale click of an answer.

“Hey, kid,” Sojiro answered.

It was the same gruff tone Akira was used to. He hadn’t realized how long it had been since he heard Sojiro’s voice until just now. It instantly put Akira at ease.

“Hey, yourself,” Akira said, idly shifting on the couch in the living room. “I assume Futaba told you about the plan for tomorrow?”

“Yep. Just figured I’d double check in case there were any last-minute changes on your end. Although if I hadn’t heard from you for too long, I’m sure Futaba would’ve found some way to get your attention,” Sojiro said with a light chuckle.

“Oh, you know her too well,” Akira replied. “Anyway, I’m still coming in tomorrow. I should be there a little after noon.”

“Good. Well, I’ll be here at the shop all day, so just swing on by. Didja wanna stay in the attic again? I don’t mind giving you the guest room while you’re here,” Sojiro asked. Akira could just faintly make out the sound of a TV in the background.

“I want to stay in the attic again, as long as it's okay with you,” Akira said.

“Fine by me. All your stuff is still up there. I haven’t touched any of it, but ah… I can’t say the same for Futaba. She spends a lot of time up there,” Sojiro said. Akira could tell there was more to that statement than he let on, but Akira decided to leave it. “So if anything’s out of place, you’ll have to take it up with her.”

“Duly noted,” Akira replied. “Leave it to the little sister to mess with the big brother’s stuff, right?”

Akira could make out the sound of Sojiro choking on whatever he was drinking, eliciting a familiar laugh from whoever was hanging around in the same room.

“Yeah… well, anyway. I just wanted to check on ya. Let me know if anything comes up, and… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sojiro said.

“Yep, see you tomorrow,” Akira said.

“Alright, have a good night,” Sojiro said. “Don’t stay up too late. You’ll be miserable on the train if you don’t get enough sleep.”

“I know, I know.”

“And double check what you packed. If you forget something important, it’ll suck to be you.”

“Yep, thanks dad, I got it,” Akira said.

Sojiro sputtered into his drink on the other end. Akira was two-for-two on Sojiro reactions for this call.

“Damn kid…” Sojiro muttered. “Good night.”

“Night,” Akira replied. “Love you.”

The call disconnected as soon as the words were done leaving Akira’s lips.

Futaba Sakura
Akira: I know you were listening.
Futaba: lol yeah sorry i was in the kitchen when you called
Futaba: anyway
Futaba: THAT WAS SO CUTE
Futaba: oh my god i love you so much that was adorable
Akira: It’s true.
Futaba: also for the record i do not spend a “ton” of time in your old room
Akira: Uh huh?
Futaba: just a “lot” of time in your old room
Futaba: theres a difference
Akira: Alright, I’ll leave the hair splitting to you.
Akira: I’m gonna check the group chat and then turn in for the night.
Futaba: okie dokie
Futaba: night kira!
Akira: Goodnight Futaba
Akira: And…thank you.
Futaba: of course!
Futaba: you can count on me!
Akira: You know I do.
Futaba: <3
Akira: <3

Phantom Thieves No More (Summer Break Edition!)
Makoto renamed Phantom Thieves No More (If You’re Reading This I Love You <3 Edition) to Phantom Thieves No More (Summer Break Edition!)
Makoto: I figured I ought to change the group chat name for the occasion.
Ann: LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Ryuji: hell yeah!!
Yusuke: Huzzah! Summer vacation is upon us!
Haru: I’m very excited for our summer plans. I’ve been getting more and more excited as we drew closer to the day.
Haru: Now that it’s tomorrow, it feels like today has been multiple days long. ^_^;
Sumire: I know what you mean!
Ann: mako was so cute today
Ann: she was like “oh what should i wear when we go and see him for the first time?”
Makoto: Ann.
Ann: nope it's not gonna work this time
Ann: you were being cute and im exposing your cuteness to the others
Futaba: “and she was wearing glasses to show that time had passed…”
Ann: LOL yeah she’d look great in glasses!
Ann: damn thats such a good idea
Makoto: I don’t need glasses, though.
Ryuji: just get fake ones like akira
Akira: My glasses are real…
Ryuji: FOR REAL???
Akira: Yes, for real.
Ann: how did you already forget??
Ryuji: dude i dunno
Futaba: i told you they were fake cuz its funny
Ryuji: aw come on man
Ann: anyway im busting out the good stuff for our vacation
Ann: im going full on instagram influencer with all this stuff i got from work
Ann: gonna get all dolled up cuz i know we’re gonna take a shitload of pictures
Yusuke: Ah, truly this will be such an inspirational experience!
Yusuke: I will have to hone my speed to capture this vacation in all its glory!
Futaba: inari we all have phones, we can just take pictures
Yusuke: But there is little a photo can do to capture the emotion of a scene!
Yusuke: It would take an artist’s touch to display the feelings of such a momentous occasion.
Futaba: well just dont spend so long drawing it that you miss out on it, ok?
Futaba: it's your vacation too, you need to enjoy it
Yusuke: Thank you for your concern. I will try to balance capturing and experiencing to the best of my abilities.
Futaba: well as long as you try
Akira: I appreciate the thought, @Makoto, but you don’t have to worry about that. You don’t need to dress up for my sake.
Futaba: so you’re not rollin up in a suit then?
Akira: Um, no.
Akira: I will have to write that down, though. For next time.
Makoto: When even the office workers around Tokyo forgo the full suit at this time of year, maybe take that as a sign that it’s not very practical?
Akira: Style over comfort.
Ann: i think i agree with makoto on this one
Futaba: you would, wouldn’t you?
Ann: :/
Akira: Well I don’t actually have a lot of clothes. I packed what I still fit into, so…
Akira: Hope it looks nice?
Ann: we can always go shopping when you get here
Akira: Yeah, but then I’d have to pack it all back with me.
Futaba: nah you could leave some of it here
Futaba: yk just in case?
Akira: Fair point.
Akira: Maybe I will.
Ann: i never got a chance to give you the takamaki touch
Futaba: yeah you only gave it to makoto
Ann: FUTABA
Futaba: what?
Futaba: you like, helped her pick out a whole new wardrobe and stuff?
Ann: oh
Futaba: what did you think i meant?
Ann: uh nothin
Futaba: get your mind out of the gutter
Akira: Like you’re one to talk.
Ann: ANYWAY
Ann: nuh uh, i helped you with yours too
Futaba: oh yeah true
Futaba: i had most of the shirts and pants and stuff, i just needed help picking out that badass duster
Futaba: ima be a cowboy baby
Ann: yes and it’ll be light enough for summer since i know you burn easily
Ann: and you had all those hats but didnt wear them?
Futaba: hey they look nice and i dont want them to get lost or dirty!
Ryuji: the terry hat was cool
Futaba: yeah i dont wanna wear that one until i can get a spare
Ryuji: cuz you’re gonna do the win pose where you throw the hat, right?
Futaba: all the time
Haru: I admit, it’s a little hard to create outfits these days. I wore a uniform to and from school for years, and now that I don’t have to wear one, it took some getting used to.
Makoto: I agree.
Haru: But Ann has been a big help!
Akira: I should probably leverage that as much as I can.
Akira: I don’t have much of a fashion sense…
Ann: but your casual outfits are so good!
Akira: Eh, it's pretty simple stuff. Solid colors, mostly.
Ann: yes but now we know those colors look good on you!
Ann: and besides, even solid colors can look good if you break it up with different textures
Ann: (and you were serving in your heavy winter outfit btw)
Ann: we’ll find you something, i promise
Akira: Ok, well, I think I packed this black polo shirt with white accents? (What the heck does “serving” mean?)
Ann: a polo shirt…
Ann: ok uh, i guess we’ll see how it looks? (i’ll tell you later)
Makoto: Wouldn’t a nearly all black shirt get a little warm?
Akira: Yeah but it's a heatwave and it doesn’t show the sweat as much
Ryuji: oh yeah i take credit for that revelation
Ryuji: yeah you look like a dork running in all black but you always look good
Ryuji: kinda…
Makoto: Maybe you should’ve consulted Ann beforehand?
Akira: Fair point. But consider:
Akira: I forgot.
Makoto: Well, I suppose there’s not much to be done about that. If it’s truly horrendous, I’m sure Ann will set you straight.
Ann: mako honey phrasing
Makoto: ?
Akira: I’d better hop off for tonight. Gotta get up at early o’ clock tomorrow to catch the morning assembly and get going right after.
Sumire: Ah, not yet! Sorry, I was at dinner with the rest of my class.
Akira: Heya, Sumi.
Sumire: Hello Aki!
Akira: Aki?
Sumire: Oh, sorry. I'm trying something out.
Sumire: No good?
Akira: It definitely feels weird to be called something other than Akira.
Akira: It took me a while to get used to Kira from Taba. There's not much you can do with my name as far as nicknames go.
Sumire: Oh…
Sumire: How about Kiki?
Akira: I don't mind it, I guess.
Ryuji: oh oh what about akiaki?
Akira: Eh, not for me.
Ryuji: damn i was kinda proud of that one
Sumire: Hmm…
Ann: maybe give it some thought and come back to it?
Ann: but yeah, kiki is right, he should probably get to sleep
Akira: …
Ann: >:D
Sumire: Oh dear…
Sumire: Sorry, Akira.
Akira: It's fine. I suppose you don't actually pick your own nickname. It's just something that comes up naturally.
Sumire: Perhaps we should call a vote?
Akira: Futaba would find a way to rig it, I bet.
Futaba: i would yeah
Futaba: dont test me, kiki
Ann: yeah kiki dont test her
Akira: I try my best not to.

Makoto Niijima
Makoto: I almost forgot. I created a playlist earlier today with some new music. There was a lot coming out at the same time, so I added everything that I thought you and I would enjoy.
Makoto: It’s all very “summer-y” I think.
Akira: I’ll give it a listen on my way over. It’ll be good to associate some new music with some new memories.
Makoto: Exactly!
Makoto: There are also some arrangements of older tracks coming out soon, so I’ll add those when they get released.
Makoto: I think they come out on the 25th?
Makoto: Anyway, that’s all.
Akira: I’ll probably listen to some of the old stuff when I get back. Gotta refresh my memory. I’ve mostly just been listening to the stuff you added when I got here.
Akira: I’m sure most if not all of it will migrate its way over into the normal playlist.
Makoto: More than likely, but I wanted to keep it separate for now. Just for ease of use.
Akira: I wonder if I should move the stuff I’ve been listening to in Inaba into a separate playlist…
Makoto: You could if you wanted to, I have no objections.
Akira: I could probably do it when I get there tomorrow before I go to sleep. It’ll be easier to do on my laptop than on my phone.
Akira: Anyway, thank you for doing this.
Makoto: It’s no problem. We have similar tastes and I like being able to trade recommendations back and forth.
Akira: Agreed.
Makoto: It’s getting late and I’d better let you get to sleep. One last day of school and then you’ll be traveling. You’ll need to be well-rested.
Akira: If all else fails, I’ll just sleep on the train.
Makoto: If you think that would help. Just don’t miss your stop.
Akira: Yeah, I'd never live it down.
Makoto: Futaba would make sure of that.
Akira: In any case, goodnight, Makoto. See you tomorrow. (It feels good to be able to say that again.)
Makoto: Good night. See you tomorrow, as well. (I agree.)

Akira could feel Morgana’s paws pressing at his face, but that didn’t mean he was ready to get up. If he could just power through this and fall back asleep, Morgana would probably relent his assault on Akira’s cheeks and he could get a few more minutes of sleep.

Akira inwardly cringed at that sentence and screwed up his nose in response.

Dammit, internal monologue. Please work on your phrasing.

Or maybe he was just spending too much time talking to Futaba. Either-or.

But it was too late, Akira was waking up. He groaned in response and fumbled for his phone, aware of Morgana’s voice in his ears and the hint of sunlight coming in from his bedroom window. Even if said window was in the wrong spot, for some reason.

Oh wait. I’m not in my bedroom.

“No, you’re not. Come on, get up,” Morgana replied to Akira’s not-very-internal thought. “Lady Shiho is making you breakfast.”

“She is? That sounds nice…” Akira mumbled, settling into the couch.

“Come on! Don’t be a rude guest!” Morgana shouted, jumping up and down on Akira’s chest.

Akira reached up and patted Morgana on his head a couple times.

“Why isn’t the snooze button working?” Akira muttered, trying to keep the smirk on his face from forming. It didn’t really work. He was already pretty much awake, but it was funny to his still asleep brain to give Morgana a hard time.

“I’m not an alarm clock!” Morgana yowled.

Akira could hear footsteps from the kitchen and he righted himself, causing Morgana to flop over into his lap. He didn’t know why, but he hated other people seeing him asleep.

“Mona really has it out for you this morning, doesn’t he?” Shiho said. She was idly spinning the loop of a spatula on her finger as she leant against the wall.

“That he does,” Akira conceded. “What would I do without him?”

“You’d still be in Kamoshida’s palace, for starters…” Morgana mumbled, trying to right himself after being unceremoniously knocked over by the surface he was standing on suddenly rising to 90 degrees.

“Nuh uh,” Akira threw off the covers and swung his feet out over the edge of the couch…

THWACK.

…and right into the edge of the coffee table.

“Yuh huh,” Morgana mocked.

Akira tried to nonchalantly shrug it off as he stood, limping a little as his pinkie toe screamed in agony. Only the smoothest of moves from Akira Kurusu: (Former) Phantom Thief.

“You alright?” Shiho asked, looking sufficiently unamused by Akira’s show of incoordination.

“Yep,” Akira croaked. “Never better.”

“You’re a mess, Akira…” Morgana mused, shaking his head.

“Hey, I just woke up. What do you want from me?” Akira said, turning to him.

“Yeah, and you’re talking to your cat, too,” Shiho giggled. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get some coffee and food in you before you hurt yourself even more.”

Akira nodded dumbly as he followed behind Shiho towards the kitchen, a pleasant smell filling his nose. There was a sense of peace in Shiho’s home. There was no stress of the peace being disturbed by Akira’s parents waking up for the day and putting an end to the quiet.

“I made pancakes. Hope you like ‘em,” Shiho said, handing a plate to Akira before tending to the unfinished ones still on the pan. A cup of coffee followed a moment later as Shiho made it in their family’s single-serve machine. Akira would normally go on his typical ramble about how bad they were for both coffee and the environment, but he was too tired and too polite to even do so as a joke. Maybe some other time.

“Thanks, Shiho. I love pancakes,” Akira said.

As long as I ignore the memories forever associated with pancakes.

“I thought you just loved everything I made,” Shiho joked, throwing a wry look over her shoulder.

“I didn’t think those were mutually exclusive,” Akira replied with a shrug.

He couldn’t see Shiho’s face, but he could feel the eye-roll from where he was sitting.

The pancakes were great. It had been a while since Akira had actual breakfast. When he was in Tokyo, he would accept curry from Sojiro, and while it was weird to have curry for breakfast (let alone breakfast in general), it was nice. Since returning to Inaba, he just didn’t have the energy or desire to want to make something in the morning. Maybe this is what he was missing out on?

“Thank you, by the way,” Akira said, finishing a bite of pancake.

“No problem. I’m pretty good at making pancakes,” Shiho said. She flipped the one currently in the pan.

“No, I mean…” Akira trailed off. “I mean, in general. Thank you. For everything.”

Shiho turned around, flashing Akira a big smile. Well, probably as big of a smile as she could muster at an hour where the sun was only just rising.

“You’re welcome,” She turned back to keep an eye on the pan. “It’s not entirely selfless, though. I enjoy having you around, and I can’t help but want to make sure my friends are happy. I guess it’s how I try to feel like I’m useful.”

Well, didn’t that ring true for Akira? He knew what Shiho would say in response, but…

“You don’t need to be useful, Shiho. You just need to be you. That’s why we’re friends,” Akira said. “For the record, I like having you around, too.”

“You know I’m going to tell you the same thing, right?” Shiho asked. She slid the spatula underneath the pancake and checked the bottom to see if it was done as she spoke.

“Yeah, I know. I figured you would say that,” Akira said. “I kind of set myself up for that one.”

Shiho hummed in agreement. She checked the bottom of the pancake in the pan, decided it was done, and put it on a plate. The stove clicked as she turned the knob and turned it off. Once that was done, she pulled a couple sections of paper towel off the roll beside the stove and wiped the leftover oil out of the pan and tossed it in the bin by the fridge.

“This is kinda nice, ya know?” Shiho said. She hopped onto the counter, sitting next to the stove with a plate of her own. “Maybe you should come over more often.”

“Maybe… If you don’t mind giving your parents ideas,” Akira said. Morgana had made his way over to the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter next to Akira, leading Akira to tear off small sections of his food for him.

“Probably, yeah. I don’t mind it, though,” Shiho replied. There wasn’t any hint of Shiho’s typical smugness in that statement.

Akira didn’t know what to make of that. But to her credit, it was pretty fun to mess with people.

Ok, yeah, I’ve definitely spent too much time talking to Futaba.

Shiho’s father came down a few minutes later, breaking the silence that had formed between the two. He strode over to the single-serve coffee maker, ruffling Shiho’s hair as he walked between them, not even commenting that Shiho was sitting on the counter.

“Mornin’ dad,” Shiho said, mouth full of pancake.

“Morning, kiddos,” he greeted. “Sleep alright out there, Kurusu-kun?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,” Akira replied.

“Bah, please don’t call me ‘sir’. Makes me feel old,” he turned back, joining Akira in leaning against the counter. “And that’s good. I’ve fallen asleep on that couch more times than I can count.”

“That’s because you are old, dad,” Shiho said.

“Wait until you’re my age, dear. You’ll realize that being old isn’t a number, but a feeling,” he explained. “When does your train leave, Kurusu-kun?”

“After school lets out for today.” Akira replied. “It’s only homeroom and an assembly for today. My ticket says eleven, so here’s hoping we get out on time.”

Shiho’s father hummed in affirmation as he sipped on his coffee.

“Thank you for letting me stay here for the night,” Akira said. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Shiho’s dad replied. “Have a good time in Tokyo. Pass along some well wishes from all of us, yeah?”

Akira nodded. Shiho’s father nodded back, then walked back upstairs with a wave.

“Thank you. Oh, hey—” Akira started.

“And I already know what you’re gonna say, Akira,” Shiho interrupted, pointing her fork at him.

“Okay, what was I going to say?” Akira asked.

“You were going to ask if you could help clean up,” Shiho said.

She’s learning.

“I’m just going to throw these dishes in the dishwasher. Go on and get ready to go,” Shiho said, shoving a piece of pancake in her mouth to punctuate her demand.

“She drives a hard bargain, Akira,” Morgana stage-whispered at Akira’s side.

“Yes, I suppose she does,” Akira replied.

“Okay, you must be still half-asleep if you’re talking to Morgana. Again,” Shiho pointed out. “Go on.” She shooed him out with her fork.

One splash of cold water on his face and a change of clothes later, Akira was feeling much more awake.

“You got everything? I don’t wanna have to mail you your underwear or something,” Shiho said.

“Yes, mom. I’ve got everything, much to Morgana’s chagrin,” Akira said. “My bag will be a little lighter now that I can hand in my summer homework early.”

“It’s a little cramped, but I’m tough!” Morgana promised.

Shiho giggled at Morgana’s response, more likely the fact that it seemed like Morgana was actually replying than the reply itself.

Now that Akira wasn’t under a time crunch, he had the opportunity to move some of his things around from his bag to the small (in hindsight, probably too small) suitcase. It was still a tight fit, but it was probably for the best considering the coffee mugs he decided to bring. Better for those to be tightly packed with soft things so they didn’t get broken.

“Alright, great. Let’s get going, then,” Shiho said, motioning towards the door. She carried Akira’s bags for him, much to his chagrin. Shiho claimed that she just wanted the chance to ferry Morgana around for a little while.

It was weird for Akira to be seeing Inaba at this time of day. He didn’t make a habit of leaving for school this early in the morning. The town may have been early to bed, but that just meant it was early to rise. Nakamura-san was in front of Aiya, cleaning the windows while exchanging daily plans with her dad. Tatsumi was sweeping in front of Tatsumi-ya, humming along to the music playing from the headphones around his neck. It was peaceful, maybe even quaint.

Akira wasn’t expecting to see Margaret talking to a familiar looking teacher in front of the gas station as he walked down the street with Shiho. That was certainly odd…

“Hey, sensei!” Shiho called as they walked past, slowing to a stop in front of the pair.

“Oh?” Narukami said, turning around to face the pair of students. “Hello, Suzui-san. Kurusu-kun.”

Margaret met the look Akira gave her with a knowing smile.

Weird…

“Whatcha doin’?” Shiho asked. “Figured you’d be spending your break sleeping in?”

“Nice try,” Narukami smirked. “I’m making my way to school, I promise.”

He still looked pretty exhausted from exams, but such was the life of a teacher.

“It looks more like you’re delaying the inevitable,” Akira mused.

“I suppose I am… I just saw a friend of mine out here and I figured I should say hello,” Narukami explained, gesturing to Margaret. “This is—”

“Margaret. Pleasure to meet you, young man,” she replied, politely bowing.

The plot thickens…

“Hello again, Margaret-san,” Shiho returned.

Wait, what?

“What’s with the suitcase? Hopefully you didn’t bring some insane project to go along with your summer homework,” Narukami asked, probably trying to move the conversation away from his mysterious friend.

“Oh yeah, he definitely went a little overboard with the assigned reading report,” Shiho snarked.

“Is that so? Well, I can’t wait to give it a failing grade for vastly undershooting the word limit,” Narukami replied, a half smirk on his face. “But seriously, in case I don’t catch you after class, I hope you have a great summer break with your friends.”

“May your bonds continue to grow and strengthen both yourself and others,” Margaret added.

Both Narukami and Akira gave her confused looks independently.

“R-Right, thanks… You too,” Akira said.

Absolutely nailed it. Great response, brain.

“It was nice to see you again, Margaret-san. It was also nice to see you, Narukami-sensei,” Shiho said. “But we’d better make our way towards the school. If you don’t show up, then maybe they’ll cancel school for the day. That place would fall apart if it weren’t for you, you know?”

Leave it to Shiho to help Akira out of an awkward situation. Akira decided that she had certainly earned some points with that one.

“Don’t let us keep you, then. Take care, Akira,” Narukami replied, flashing a smile at Akira. “I’ll see you two in class.”

Akira nodded slowly, gaze swapping between Narukami and Margaret. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure he would even like the answer he would receive. Hell, he wasn’t sure if even asking would be suspicious. He figured it would probably be better to save this for when he got back.

“Yeah, see you,” Akira said, nodding his head to both of them.

Shiho and Akira turned to leave, making their way towards school. Akira did his best to put that whole interaction behind him, both literally and figuratively. There were too many questions to worry about at this point. Akira hoped that Narukami would just think that whatever she said was an uncommon turn of phrase rather than referring to something specific.

Maybe they just play mahjong on the weekends or something. I’m probably just overthinking things again.

I hope.

“So, that woman?” Akira started. “You know her?”

“Margaret-san? Yeah, we’ve spoken here and there. Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just… She’s a little odd, isn’t she?”

Please don’t smite me, Margaret. My curiosity is getting the better of me.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk,” Shiho replied. “But, yeah, she’s pretty nice once you get to know her.”

“How did you meet?”

“Uh, I dunno? I just walked up to her and struck up a conversation?” she said. “It felt like I kept seeing her around and I wanted to ask where she got her coat from. She didn’t give me a straight answer, but we chat every once in a while. She’s really into fortune telling or something. She’s always bringing up, like, tarot cards? I didn’t really follow but it sounded interesting.”

Margaret is bringing up the arcana with Shiho? I’m not sure if I should be worried or not.

“What’s with all the questions? Do you know her?”

"Something like that. Like you, we've had our conversations here and there."

Should I bring up that I know her sister? No, that might lead to more questions.

"Huh. Well, maybe you mentioned me at some point since she seems to know we hang out. Or maybe she's seen us out and about," Shiho said. “Small towns are just like that, I guess. Maybe we’d see the same people over and over again if we just paid more attention?”

“Maybe…”

Okay, so I’m probably not overthinking things as much as I thought I was. Still, probably best to keep an eye on that one.

Homeroom went about as well as expected. It was “self-study” for the whole period, which was Narukami’s code for “you can chat quietly, but don’t make too much noise or I’ll get in trouble” although in not as many words. The assembly that followed was surprisingly brief, and the exam score’s being posted wasn’t followed by much fanfare. Akira glanced on his way out, picking up his suitcase from the staff room where Narukami had allowed him to store it (making a pit stop by the bathroom to change out of his uniform), and spotted his name near the top.

See, kids? If you find yourself in a boring town after becoming a vigilante, studying will seem so interesting that exams will be nothing short of a cinch. Trust me.

Akira and Shiho were almost free when a quiet voice stopped them on their way out.

“Are you leaving us, Akira-kun?” Saeko said. Rin was standing right by her, a similar forlorn look on her face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it. I wouldn’t leave my favorite cooking club members high and dry,” Akira said, turning up the ‘suave’ as high as it would go. Shiho turned away, either hiding a smirk or suppressing a gag reflex if Akira had to guess. “You two’d better practice while I’m gone, okay? You have my number in case you have any questions. Send me pictures, too, yeah?”

“P-Pictures? Oh, Akira-kun, you see… We’re uh, not like that?” Rin replied, face growing more and more red by the second.

“Of the food you cook,” Akira clarified.

“O-Oooh…” Rin trailed off. “Right. We’ll uh, do our best!”

“Good,” Akira replied with a genuine smile. “Take care, you two. I’m rooting for the both of you.”

Akira bowed politely to the pair and turned to catch up to Shiho. She was waiting by the gate, idly tapping her toe against the ground.

“Alright, let’s go,” Akira said.

“Oooooh~ Akira-kuuuun~,” Shiho said. “God, those two are adorable.”

Akira chuckled at her impression.

“What, getting jealous?” Akira snarked.

“Pfft, as if!” Shiho replied. “Let’s get you outta here before you steal any more hearts.”

Akira agreed wholeheartedly, following behind Shiho as they walked to the station.

Stealing hearts. That’s a good one.

The announcement rang out over the speakers after only a few minutes of waiting. The train would be here soon. They’d certainly cut it a little close.

“Welp, I suppose this is it,” Shiho said, handing Akira’s bags over to him.

“You say that like I’m not coming back, Shiho,” Akira replied.

“I mean, never say never, right?” Shiho joked. She was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey, look, I thought I didn’t have anything here. But in the last few months, I realized that there’s actually a lot,” Akira said. “I’ve got you, for starters. Oh, and Narukami-sensei and his weird ‘posse’. But mostly you.”

“That sounds like a love confession, you know?” Shiho said, punching Akira in the arm. He couldn’t decide if it was meant to be playful and she had just underestimated her own strength, or…

“Right…” Akira shook his head with a sigh, but he couldn’t help from smiling.

The train arrived as they were saying their goodbyes. Not surprisingly, only a few people got off the train.

“Let’s get going, Akira,” Morgana said, poking his head out of Akira’s bag. “Time’s a wastin’!”

“I’ll see you later, Shiho,” Akira said. He felt a little awkward. What exactly was he supposed to—

Shiho jumped at him, throwing her arms around his torso.

“Have a great trip. I’ll see you soon,” Shiho said. “Okay?

Akira returned the hug. Now he really was feeling a little awkward, hugging in the middle of a nearly empty train station. But it didn’t matter.

“Okay,” Akira returned.

“Okay,” Shiho repeated.

They both pulled away.

“Bye, Lady Shiho!” Morgana said, beaming a smile at her. Well, beaming as much as he could.

“Bye, Mona!” Shiho said, petting his head.

Akira spotted a flash of mischief on her face.

She moved her hand and patted Akira on his head.

“And goodbye to you, too!”

“I’m never beating the cat allegations, am I?” Akira sighed, accepting his fate.

Shiho simply shook her head.

“Now go on! Git!” Shiho shooed, lightly pushing him onto the train. Akira gave in and let his legs carry him on board the train. He picked out a seat near a window and placed his suitcase at his feet, his bag in the seat beside him.

Shiho was still standing there as the train pulled out of the station. She flashed a quick salute as she disappeared from Akira’s view, the train picking up speed as it traveled to its destination.

Akira got comfortable in his seat, pulling out his phone and slipping his earbuds into his ears. He tapped away, putting on his shared playlist with Makoto, Never More filling his ears. It felt fitting, in some strange way.

His phone vibrated in his hand as he sifted through the playlist to see what was coming up.

Unknown Number: *1 New Message*
Phantom Thieves No…: *1 New Message*
Shiho Suzui: *1 New Message*

Unknown Number?

Akira tapped that one first, figuring it was either spam or a wrong number.

Unknown Number
Unknown: Give my sister my regards when you see her next, please.
Akira: Who is this?
Unknown: This is Margaret.
Akira: How did you get my number?
Unknown: Enjoy your vacation :)

Akira considered that smiley face emoticon the most threatening thing he had ever seen. It seemed a little out of character for her, considering the regal air she put on. But Akira had caught her playing with the foxes at the shrine, so maybe she wasn’t all serious all the time.

Still…

He added the number to his contacts and hoped he wouldn’t have to consider the implications of her messages.

Shiho Suzui
Shiho: Oh crap, you forgot Mona at my house!
Akira: Nice try, he’s right here.
Shiho: Dammit, I figured you’d still be tired enough to believe me for a second.
Shiho: Fission mailed.
Akira: ???
Shiho: Nevermind. It would take too long to explain. Ask Futaba.
Shiho: Enjoy your trip!
Akira: Thanks, you too.
Shiho: Send lots of pictures!
Akira: I’ll do my best.
Shiho: Try to smile in some of them, at least?
Akira: No promises.
Shiho: :P
Shiho: Dork.
Akira: You love it.
Shiho: Yeah, I guess I do.
Phantom Thieves No More (Summer Break Edition!)
Futaba: on the road again~
Akira: On the rails, more like.
Futaba: no fun
Futaba: see you when you get here!
Akira: Everyone else still in class? Or is it just too early to be social?
Futaba: yeah break doesnt technically start til tomorrow so everyone probably has stuff to do
Futaba: they’ll probably be by for dinner at least
Akira: Sounds good.
Futaba: lol i can tell by your responses that you’re nervous
Akira: Nah.
Futaba: yeah suuuure
Futaba: it’s cool, it’s just us, ya know?
Futaba: it’ll be just like old times!
Akira: I’m not nervous.
Futaba: oh yeah im convinced after the second time
Akira: Stop being mean to me ;_;
Sumire: Yeah, stop it!
Futaba: :o
Futaba: well shit now i gotta
Sumire: Sumire to the rescue!
Akira: My hero!
Futaba: gross
Futaba: please tell me you two aren’t gonna be like this in person
Sumire: No, I don’t think I will.
Futaba: dammit
Sumire: Safe travels, Akira!
Akira: I’m just listening to tunes and watching the countryside fly by. It’s kind of relaxing.
Futaba: and then you’ll be here in like…two hours or something
Sumire: I was so excited this morning while I was on my run that you were going to be here! I almost missed the opening meeting and had to sprint to the camp gym so I wouldn’t miss it…
Futaba: ew exercise in the morning
Futaba: no thank you
Akira: So the group runs aren’t going well, are they?
Futaba: meh
Futaba: nobody could bribe me with snacks to get me out of bed before I absolutely have to
Sumire: Join us, Futaba! It’ll be fun!
Futaba: no thank you i think i’ll just sleep
Akira: Well don’t sleep through class. You still need to get your summer homework.
Futaba: uuuuuugh
Futaba: it's not hard but like
Futaba: ugh
Sumire: Yeah…
Akira: Just do what I did.
Akira: Befriend your teacher and have him assign it early so you can stay up late every night to get it done ahead of time.
Futaba: hmmm
Futaba: no
Akira: Understandable. Have a nice morning.
Sumire: I think I’m with her on this one.
Futaba: hah!
Akira: Betrayal…

Sojiro Sakura
Akira: Almost there. ETA ten minutes?
Sojiro: Cafe door is unlocked during business hours, you know.

A handful of transfers later and Akira had arrived in Yongen-Jaya. Taking the transfers when he got into Shibuya felt just as familiar as when he arrived the previous year. Morgana asked him if he was nervous. To tell the truth, he was.

He couldn’t really figure out why, but the butterflies in his stomach only got worse as he neared his destination. Thinking about it as he stood down the road from Leblanc, he had to think about what could have possibly made him so nervous. It wasn’t that he was worried they didn’t want him there. The others wouldn’t have asked him to come if they didn’t, so that wasn’t it.

“What’re we waiting for?” Morgana asked, sticking his head out of Akira’s bag. He perched up on Akira’s shoulder, taking in the sights once again. “Man, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It certainly has,” Akira replied.

He listened to the sounds of summer as he took it all in again. The cicadas chirping away in the distance. The distant crack of a baseball bat from the batting cages. Kids running through the streets, excited to be on summer vacation. Birds chirping on a streetlight. The rumble of cars overhead.

Tokyo summer had a different sound to Inaba summer. He couldn’t really figure out which one he preferred.

Both? Both are good.

Akira pushed the door to Leblanc open, the door ringer signaling his arrival. Strangely, the lights were off.

Maybe Sojiro stepped out for a moment?

The ticking of the wall clock replaced the soundtrack of summer that he was previously enjoying, shut out from the cool interior of the cozy cafe. Akira’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the sights he had desperately missed these last few months. The Sayuri on the wall, a gift from Yusuke following the plundering of Madarame’s palace. The tired old telephone that sat (mostly) disused. The small collection of books that lived on the counter, pages worn and tattered from years of being flipped through.

Akira smiled at the familiarity, but it quickly faded as he and Morgana looked around, confused looks on both of their faces. Where did Sojiro go?

“...two, three!”

POP! POP!

A shower of multicolored confetti rained down on the pair as they stood dumbfounded and blinded by the lights turning on suddenly.

“Welcome home!”

The former Phantom Thieves jumped out from their hiding spots, Ann and Ryuji both holding spent party poppers.

Ryuji slid out from behind the counter and threw an arm around Akira’s shoulder, nearly pulling him over in excitement.

“Surprise! Did we getcha, or what?” he said, looking sufficiently pleased with himself.

Akira remained silent, dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of all of his friends. He still couldn’t keep a dumb smile from forming on his face again, a mix of relief and surprise washing over him.

One-by-one, they all came over and said their greetings. Akira picked up on some of it, but it was all so much all at once. He threw an arm around Ryuji at his side, feeling comfortable with the familiarity of the gesture.

“Whuh…” was all Akira managed to choke out, eyes snapping between all of his friends.

Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru were all smiling happily at the sight of him.

Don’t cry, don’t cry…

“Hey, hey! Don’t crowd the poor guy!” Morgana said, lightly batting at Ryuji’s arm.

“You guys…” Akira started.

He racked his brains for something to say, but there was only one question in the forefront of his mind.

“You guys did this for me?” he said.

It was nearly a whisper.

“Of course!” Futaba exclaimed, sidling between Yusuke and Haru to stand in front. “We missed ya!” She walked up and wrapped Akira in a big hug.

Well, the biggest hug she could manage for being 152 centimeters tall.

“It’s nice to have you back home, bro,” Futaba said. The edge of her glasses poked uncomfortably at his chest, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her. “Come on, guys! Group hug!”

One-by-one, the others joined in their impromptu group hug. Akira realized a couple things as it happened. One, it was starting to get very warm. And two, he missed his friends more than he realized.

“Gaaah, noooo!” Morgana yowled.

He was quickly swayed when Ann joined in and started petting him, purring a little. He would hardly admit to doing so, but Akira decided to let him have this. (Until the claims that Akira was a cat came up again, at least…)

“Well, you’re looking sharp,” Sojiro said, revealing himself from around the corner towards the kitchen area. “Welcome home.”

“Did you even get older?” Akira replied. “You look younger than you did when I left.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Sojiro huffed. “But keep it coming and I might change my tune. It’s not going to get you out of cafe duty, though.”

Akira tried to reply to the barrage of questions and comments coming in from all sides. He could help but notice how different everybody looked. It had only been four months, but everyone looked older, somehow. Maybe it was just their clothes.

Eventually, Sojiro loudly cleared his throat.

“Well, I’ve gotta open up the shop. Go ahead and take it upstairs,” Sojiro said. He adjusted his glasses and looked directly at Akira. “After all, it’s your room. Have a good time.”

Akira nodded dumbly, letting Futaba drag him by the arm up the stairs. Ryuji picked up his suitcase and lugged it over his shoulder out of the corner of Akira’s eye. When Ryuji caught his gaze, he flashed Akira a bright smile and a thumbs up.

Home.

This was home.