Chapter Text
The next morning after breakfast with Akira and Sojiro, Futaba was hard at work for hours with a screwdriver and screwing in the last bits of the little device she made. Engineering at the academy was a huge plus next to the programming classes she had to take. She had to stick half of her body out to get the whole thing installed correctly. Unfortunately, physical education was not high up in the curriculum and her abs were now paying for it. Below on the ground floor was Akira, who had just come by to get her for lunch at Leblanc.
"Futaba! Sojiro has food ready! And..." he trailed off when he saw her sweating and bending her body out uncomfortably.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously, staring at her.
She grinned, straightening up and wiping her forehead. "I'm glad you're here, basement-dweller! Level up to second floor and get up here! I need you to test something for me!"
He dutifully walked into the house and headed upstairs to her room. Walking in, he seemed wary of her eager grin as she gestured to her window. He took a minute to survey her room. She was hard at work on something and the mass of tools and metal were to show for it. Her window was ordinary looking except for a fine black frame with a bulky dark green handle that looked like a normal window handle from far away. Looking closely, the window seemed like it was a pattern of criss-crosses like a spiderweb. She grabbed his hand and stuck it out the window, laying it on the spiderweb patterning the outside. The green handle beeped onto life and little lights were going off, that's when he noticed a little speaker on it that announced a prerecorded message to him.
"INITIATING ELECTRIC SHOCK IN 3...2..." it counted down. He yanked his hand out of her hold and retreated back into the safety of the room. Futaba shoved her arms down and stomped her foot.
"Hey! Put your hand on it so I can test to see if it works!" she demanded. He shook his head wildly.
"Hell no! What is this for?!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her window.
She scoffed like she was insulted. "Uh, security? Obviously. I found out how easy it is to break into a window. And this is the best defense."
His brain almost short-circuited like it would have if he stayed on the window. "Your plan is to electrocute someone going through the window? You could really kill someone!"
She shrugged, blankly regarding what he said. "Well if they weren't doing what they weren't supposed to be doing, then they wouldn't get electrocuted! Honestly, do you think I'm really going to be sympathizing with my potential home invaders?" she pointed out plainly.
Unfortunately, she had a point. "Probably not. How bad is the electric shock, by the way?" he asked, for a friend, of course.
She shrugged again. She didn't quite think that part through. "Dunno. I just installed it. Hopefully they won't die. But at least Sojiro and I will be okay. I keyed it to our DNA and voice recognition."
She sounded so proud, but Akira was way more confused.
"You keyed it to your DNA...? How...?" he asked, trying to process her process.
She mimed a zipping motion over her lips. "If I tell you the trade secrets of Toshibaya Tech Academy, they might send a bunch of stamina-deficient nerds to try and kill you. You'll probably live, but you're better off not having to deal with that."
Oddly enough, the stamina-deficient nerds might be out of breath by the time they reach him. But that's not what he was concerned about.
"What kind of school did Sojiro send you to?" he asked, wondering if the existence of the school was detrimental to humanity.
She grinned. "Mwehehehe, I asked myself that every day I was there. Let's go eat!"
She sprung out, leaving him in shock for several seconds before he followed suit, carefully moving without touching anything. Who knew what else kind of booby traps she had in her room.
At lunch, Futaba was revealing her security plan to Sojiro while happily chowing down on a sandwich. Akira silently watched the older man's reaction over his coffee mug as he drank to avoid feeling awkward.
Sojiro looked like he was over life. "Futaba, uninstall it when we get back." Even his voice was over it.
She quirked a brow. "I sense ungratefulness."
"And I sense incoming lawsuits," Sojiro countered, pinching the bridge of his nose as a migraine swirled in his head.
"It's called home defense," she chastised, miffed by his reaction.
Sojiro massaged the back of his neck. "Then install normal security where the police is automatically called when there's a break-in and have those automatic walls that slide up like you did with Leblanc's security."
That would be easy, like walking a cake. But man, where was the fun in that? And hers was a way better system. Who was going to try and break through an electric fence for a house out in a plain place like theirs?
"Yeah, but that's boring...electric shock defense would prevent possibilities of future break-ins."
Sojiro shook his head. "I'm not denying that, but seriously, electric shock? You'd get a stray cat climbing your window than a human."
She wasn't about to back down in defense of her genius. "And by the off chance a human tries to go in through the window, the might of Thor knocks them off and flying down to the first floor."
Maybe they'd break their neck. Maybe they shouldn't have tried breaking into someone else's house. Sojiro nearly choked when he drank water.
"You seriously want a dead body in our yard?!" he wheezed out, coughing as Akira wordlessly helped him clear out the water in the wrong pipe.
Futaba wasn't concerned by his near-death experience. "Dead bodies are deterrents, I'm sure. Right, Akira?" she asked, eyes shining for affirmation.
He wasn't about to spite the guy giving him a roof to sleep under while he was here.
"This coffee is delicious, Sojiro."
She frowned and pouted, grumbling over the lack of appreciation of her obvious gift.
Sojiro had gone out for the rest of the day to one of his old friend's for some talk and cigarettes like any old man does, leaving the place to them and ingredients in the fridge for dinner since he wouldn't be home. Akira was cleaning some of the dishes when Futaba skittered over to the coffee counter. She awkwardly shifted, unsure if this was a great idea but knew that she couldn't handle being alone.
"Hey, got a minute?" she called out. He finished the dishes, wringing his hands dry and setting them in his pockets before he turned to her. His quiet look meant he was waiting for her to speak.
She squirmed under his gaze. "I can't go to this place on my own. Can you come with me? It's a cemetery. I know we aren't that close, but I really need someone there..." she muttered.
He smiled patiently at her. "I say we're pretty close, Futaba. At least more than just acquaintances. Here, I'll take off my apron and we can close up shop early."
She smiled gratefully, turning to help lock up for a few hours before leading Akira to the cemetery.
The walk there was quiet, but she needed the quiet. She came every time she got back to Yongen-Jaya, which wasn't very often. Though she still struggled to hold in her tears, she was always glad to come. Just not by herself. She needed someone to fall on or she would stay for hours. She silently bought a bouquet on the way and Akira carried them for her. He hadn't said a word either, respecting her silence as they came around the corner to the cemetery. As he suspected.
"Wakaba's grave," he stated, recognizing the red bricks of the enclosure and metal gates.
She turned to him in shock. "You knew?" she asked. Sojiro even told him?
Akira nodded. "Sojiro would mention her from time to time. Mainly about how amazing she was and how much you're like her. It was on the rare occasions when Sojiro opened up to me back then. He really loved her."
She smiled. "He did."
She lead him through the gate and towards her mother's grave. She was shaking with each step. Losing her mom years ago to illness was painful, but Wakaba said she was happy with her life. Having Futaba, she said, was the greatest accomplishment next to her accolades from her research in cognitive psience. She had left her the books and memories that she kept in her room to treasure her mother's memory.
When she stopped and felt the urge to run, Akira silently nudged her forward with little force. She was grateful for that, moving with a little more confidence until she reached the gravestone.
'In Loving Memory of Isshiki Wakaba. A Mother, Sister, Genius and Friend.' She sighed, memorizing the words since the first time it had been placed. The gravestone had been scrubbed cleanly with fresh offerings, from her family. It was strange. She wasn't close to her mom's side of the family after she died, staying with Sojiro who reconnected with Wakaba a while before. But according to him, her uncle visited regularly now and cleaned if Sojiro wasn't there that day.
She took the flower bouquet and placed it in the vase in front of the grave. She crouched down and smiled.
"Hi, Mom. I'm back. I've been good. The city life is just as horrible as you told me it wasn't. Sojiro's still Sojiro. We've both got all our limbs. And I'm friends with a basement-dweller like you were worried about." She grinned at that, which Akira was silently smiling at as well. Wakaba didn't want her only interaction to be with basement-dwellers and couch surfers. She knew the kind. Wakaba would like her new friends, though. She was glad to formally introduce one today.
"I...I miss you, M-Mom..." She struggled to hold back her tears, crying and sobbing against her will as she tried to wipe her face before she was a disaster. Akira gently knelt down and took her by the shoulders, bowing his head to Wakaba.
"Wakaba-san, we're leaving now. We'll visit again." He had already met her before with Sojiro and the tough older man was forlorn and quiet. Both of the ones she loved still had a hard time living without her. Futaba sniffed.
"B-bye, Mom." She let Akira take her away before she would collapse.
Outside the cemetery with a bottle of water in hand, Futaba crouched down on the seat of the wooden bench he had walked her to. He took a seat next to her with the packet of tissues he thought to take with them. She sniffed with a handful of tissues in her fist.
"I've never cried like that before. I have always handled it a little better, but today was just-" she struggled to come up with an explanation, but Akira shook his head.
"You don't have to explain. Everyone has those days." His smile was kind.
She smiled, glad that he wasn't the type to press. She bounced up and jumped off the bench, ignoring the stinging in her legs.
"Let's head back! Have to clean out my little security system before Sojiro gets back."
He obliged and got up, walking alongside her as she had a little more bounce in her step.
She hummed in thought. She couldn't just get rid of it. It took her a hot minute to get that baby running and she wanted it to see more life before it gets taken apart or dunked into the trash. "Maybe I'll install it in my apartment."
She lived in the city. The city gets rough at night. It'd be a cinch to move it to the window.
Akira raised a brow. "Would your landlord allow it?" he asked, already knowing she couldn't.
She clicked her tongue. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Until he touches your window," he added.
"It'll warn him, right?" she asked innocently. She put a countdown in for mercy.
He rolled her eyes. "You'll get kicked out of your place."
She didn't feel threatened and Akira wondered why, but he was sure it was another secret of the weird academy Sojiro sent her to.
They had gone home the next day and Futaba was missing her video games. Sojiro of course forced her to promise to take care of herself and she countered that she was doing a good job of not being dead. But whatever.
Her beautiful security system was dismantled and placed into the car. She still liked it. She'd use it as defense for herself. Sojiro had the chance and squandered it.
She had fallen asleep in Akira's car on the drive back and managed to drag herself into her apartment by the time they got back. She smiled tiredly at him before thanking him again for not only taking her to Yongen-Jaya, but also to her mom.
A few days later on her next day off and after a breakfast of stale cereal, she booted up the otome game she had been playing with all the intentions to give her character a happy ending.
...then the next hour happened.
Futaba's hand trembled, clicking nervously to advance the text on the screen. Her fucking character was about to get yandere'd. She decided to answer sensibly and shifted to rejecting the yandere when he was getting too creepy on her. He did not like that apparently and was chaining her down in a basement modified to be a sex dungeon. Her character accidentally came upon it and he cornered her in a jump scare that had her falling off her chair. It did not help that he looked like Akira if his hair wasn't frizzy. If he ever had that creepy smile on his face, she'd take the bat to his jaw. She dragged herself up to the keyboard and hit the keys to continue the obvious Bad Ending.
'It's okay, love. I'll never hurt you. You say you hate me? It's alright. I have plenty of time to make you love me. And if you try to reject me again, I'm sure your mother won't mind a visit from her future son-in-law. But don't worry. I'll never hurt you. There's everyone else who will hurt for you. Starting with that friend of yours.' Futaba shivered as she read, throwing off the headphones when a creepy, seductive laugh vibrated in her ears suddenly. Her screen went black and she got an image of her character being tied up by the yandere. She heaved in deep breaths and nearly screamed when her phone rang innocently. Akira.
She heavily debated answering him. What if he was a godforsaken yandere? A nice guy to your face but had a secret dungeon? Of course, he couldn't possible be a basement-dweller, he was using it for his personal sex dungeon!
But she could whoop his ass, she thought confidently. She had a baseball bat and mastered the art of psycho-bitch-who-can-claw-your-eyes-out. Akira was her friend, but she would do anything to guarantee survival. Sojiro taught her well. Alright, she was going to answer him!
"Whatcha want this time, Akira?" she asked suspiciously when she answered. Akira whistled on the other line.
"Oh, I did not like that tone. What have I done in your mind this time, Futaba?" he teased.
She twitched. "I'm onto you and your sex dungeon," she warned, pointing into the receiver. She flinched when she heard a sharp intake of breath.
"Shit." Fuck, he actually sounded uncomfortable. But he suddenly switched back to normal and laughed easily.
"I was joking," he replied. She didn't feel like he was.
"I'm hanging up and reporting you," she stated, already searching for complaints she could file.
"O-okay!" he stuttered, not wanting to test her. "I'm sorry. Seriously though, lay off the otome games. Some of them are actually horror games with pretty characters."
She frowned. On her computer was a newly downloaded game called 'Deredere Royal Love!' Which was apparently a sexy otome game, but some of the smiles were a little...off? But could an introvert like her read people all that well? Absolutely not.
"I have one more game to try though!" she whined, remembering how long the download took.
He rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure. Ryuji and Yusuke are both home. They wanna play Mario Party. You game to team up?"
She gasped. The ultimate game of betrayal and teamwork. She put her computer to sleep and shouted her confirmation before she ordered a cab to his place.
The next few weeks were ordinary. She worked and didn't hear much from the grapevine about the Phantom Thieves. When she joined Detective Conan and his girlfriend Sumire for a fancy brunch, the two girls were subjected to his prophecy that they were waiting to strike. Only his girlfriend wasn't rolling her eyes.
She grew closer to Akira's group as they continued to spend time together. It felt like it had been such a long time since she had friends. Her childhood consisted of her being bullied until she snapped and used all of her weight to yank a girl around by her ponytail, so friendship was out the window with kids who thought she was a freak and were scared to let her know. The academy was full of oddballs and she didn't trust any of them, especially during coding because no bitch was stealing her codes. Sumire and her sister Kasumi were good friends she met in middle school, but the two sisters weren't able to see her when Futaba had to move for a bit to the academy.
She found herself laughing more and even hugging the other girls in Akira's friend group. She joked with Ryuji and ate sweets with Ann. Arguing with Yusuke both infuriated and amused her. Helping Haru garden was calming. Analyzing movies and people's behavior with Makoto helped her understand people a little. But her most meaningful relationship was with Akira.
She thought things would be more awkward between them since visiting her mom, but no. Instead, things were normal.
Until one day after she came over to help Ryuji build a new PC. Akira had made them all lunch and Ryuji disappeared into his room to play Dark Souls. Futaba was finishing the dishes when Akira approached her, holding a key. She didn't think much of it, wiping her hands and moving towards the living room, but he stopped her in her tracks.
He held out the little gold key. "Here."
She didn't reach out to take it, keeping her arms at her sides. "No."
He curiously tilted his head. "You're not going to ask what it's for?"
What did he think she was, an uneducated swine? She held her arms behind her back. "I know what a key's for. Unlocking things."
He smiled. "It's for the place."
Whoa. She did a double take. From her otome games, she learned that a character giving you a key for their place meant commitment. She never gave the keys to her character's place to anyone because she was afraid of the yandere. "W-why are you giving it to me?" she asked, trying her best not to stumble over her words.
He was grinning now. He finally caught her off-guard. "So you can come over without me having to get the door for you all the time. It's a lot of work to walk twenty steps, you know," he added sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm laughing, I promise. But why me?" Did anyone else have a key?
"You come over at least once a week," he pointed out. His other friends hung out at his place sometimes, but they tended to hang out in public places.
She raised a brow. "Is that really grounds to give someone a key to your place? Sojiro wouldn't give a key to his regulars and they come to Leblanc every morning."
"That would be an awful idea. They'd clear out all of his coffee beans in a minute." Especially the older couple. You can't turn their back on them. But that was another point.
He smiled, his face reddening a shade. "I like having you around, Futaba. The guys do too. I asked them if this was cool and Ryuji was into it. Yusuke...well, majority rules," he chuckled, remembering his pained expression.
She smiled nervously. She did like coming around and the house was cozier than her apartment sometimes. She put her hands on her hips.
"Well, if you insist. I guess I have no other choice then to accept it."
He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, no more otome games. Tsunderes only work in anime and games."
She pouted and swiped the key out of his hand. "I have one more I need to play!"
At that moment, Ryuji let out a scream so loud that the windows practically shook.
She winced. "He's only playing Dark Souls, why is he screaming like he saw a mouse?" she asked, sneaking a peak up the stairs.
Akira sighed, used to the screaming. "He's not playing Dark Souls. He's playing Deredere Royal Love with the female version."
She paled. What the hell kind of game did she download this time? She shook her head, putting the game on the back of her mind. She held the key close and smiled softly before following Akira to watch him play Breath of the Wild. She felt a little flutter in her chest when she sat next to him, feeling small brushes of his body heat against her.
It didn't take long for the girls to find out about the key. The rapid responses flooded her phone so much that she kept it on to let the messages flow. Ann mentioned something about getting a drawer next, but who knew what that meant. Either way, Haru wanted them over for a garden party soon to 'discuss' things further. Futaba shrugged as she read the texts. What an odd group this was, but it wasn't unpleasant.
What was unpleasant was this disaster of a dating game. She was having a fun time with seemingly normal guys and cutesy shit until one day, her character found a dead body of an NPC in the royal kitchen! When did this become a horror game?! Her scream rattled the sound barrier when a jumpscare happened from the character's best friend. She sent a quick text to Ryuji that she understood his pain before turning off the game to get some water. A text from Akechi caught her eye during her first sip, which was asking her for a consultation over a security job she took for a small business in Shibuya. Something about if her security had capabilities to catch activity from the large bank next door. She'll get back to him eventually. It was after hours.
She sighed as she drank, looking at her security system on the window by her kitchen. She had successfully convinced her landlord about the wonders of her security system and he was initially wary, but allowed her to keep it just for a trial run to see if it deterred any intruders. Luckily, the area was relatively safe. Though it wasn't uncommon to get a wayward drunk from the city to the apartment place.
Intruders...a certain Tailcoat came to mind. Strange, he hadn't messaged her in a while. Maybe he was done messing with her. How mildly disappointing, but not like she made a move to keep him around. Persistent people were exhausting.
She finished her drink and set her cup in the sink, debating on the next approach to her game to start saving her character from a lunatic murderer. Trust no one.
Akechi invited her out for coffee in the morning and Futaba struggled to be enthusiastic. While she liked the recent changes to hang out with others, it was still exhausting. She just wanted to go to the arcade and tear Akira's highest score asunder. But she was here for business.
Akechi was finishing his current sip of coffee as he leaned onto the table, a still from the security camera printed in full. "Futaba-kun, your security system for the ramen shop seemed like it was pointing towards the bank as well when taking in the radius of the store's surroundings along with how long it was there. I just want to know the extent of how far. The owner said she wasn't exactly sure and mentioned your name for the one who created the system.
She poked at her small morning cake with a dainty fork before nearly taking his eye out with it when she jabbed it towards him, but he moved in time. "I need to know why, Conan. The only reason why I was hired for the job was because the owner was fed up with drunks thinking her kitchen window was the entryway when the shop was closed. The camera isn't looking at the bank because there's motives for it."
He nodded patiently. "I understand. You see, this bank is owned by Kurogiri Izuo. He admittedly doesn't have the cleanest history with nepotism and paying off schools for his children to attend with little effort. There are also allegations of extortion and bribery. However, I feel that the Phantom Thieves are aiming for a family heirloom of his family."
She smirked at the name. "Haven't given up on them yet?"
He exhaled in annoyance. "You'd understand if you were flipped onto a pile of garbage. But this isn't personal. Their crimes have gone unchecked for months."
She shrugged. "But don't they only target corrupt assholes?"
He nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Yes, but vigilantism isn't always a good thing. Vigilantism can be based on objective points, but bleeds into subjective depending on the emotions involved. And the support they have garnered may be positive, but what if there is a call for the blood of others who are not as corrupt but still not fully clean? Anyone who mildly veers off the moral compass based on society's reaction may point fingers when there is just a hint of the person not being perfectly moral. It essentially becomes the modern day Salem Witch Trials."
Well, he had a point there. But no one had been marked for crimes that were less than what was targeted. There was a fear that they'd move on from one level to a lower level with lesser crimes. The Phan-site made for them were full of odd requests more than real crimes. Calls to expose a parent's affair after their teenager was stopped from sneaking out or outing a store owner's debts when someone had been caught stealing. In the end, people were selfish and asked for things to better themselves than to help others.
"The camera is set between the ramen shop and the bank," she explained. "It can be controlled remotely, but all you'll really get are these windows here."
She pointed at the windows of the bank. "These angles won't allow you to see activity going on inside, but only if someone goes from the outside of this wall to the inside of the bank."
He nodded along, jotting down notes as she spoke.
She sighed. "Ya know, I doubt the owners would be dumb enough to keep their heirloom in the bank."
He smirked a little and rolled his eyes. "My suggestion exactly. But we were subjected to a lecture about their superior security team. I want to do a thorough job in investigating. If something happens, I have on record that we informed them of their poor decision to persist with the plan. I don't have time to play a blame game with willfully ignorant fools."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Right. Shouldn't you be planning on how to propose to Sumire?"
He smiled warmly. "Yeah..."
She rolled her eyes next. He looked like the deredere dope in the games. But, her eyes sharpened, deredere dopes were sneakiest and might actually be a yandere!
"Just don't chain her up in your basement!" she yelled, ready to fight for her friend. Her yell caught the attention of everyone else and their dog at the café. He looked very alarmed and hurried to shush her before the owner would come and ban them.
He sighed as they left the café. He had bought her an additional cupcake for her silence and to placate her. Her glares were vicious and he was sure she would find some sort of embarrassing dirt on him and give it to Sumire.
"Futaba-kun, the amount of video games you play is staggering. But the stories are getting more ridiculous."
She licked the buttercream on her cupcake and grinned. "Just 'cause fun dies with you doesn't mean I'm letting it die on me."
He shook his head in disbelief. Sumire was a saint for having so much patience and a lack of surprise when dealing with her. But Futaba's quick wit kept him on his toes.
"I'll see you later. Maybe when work isn't involved. Safe travels home." He bowed his head to her before disappearing in the crowd. She waved absently and skipped away with her cupcake.
Now that she got her fill of messing with Akechi, time to move on and go play her games. She had pulled out a map to strategize the best route for her to take and not get murdered in game.
At night, she curled in her chair and observed the camera footage in her screen to watch the ramen shop. The bank had nothing interesting going on so far. Maybe the Phantom Thieves weren't going to come tonight.
She looked over at the chat she had with Joker. She might as well make an attempt to ask and see. She was nosy. She turned to type on her keyboard.
'Have plans tonight?' she asked. To her surprise, it didn't take long for a response.
'Have a date tonight. ;)'
She smirked. 'With a bank?'
'Nope. That was another night. Still want your heart btw. How about it?' he asked. She quirked a brow. Bold move after he said he was going on a date.
'Two-timing manwhore. You just said you had a date,' she typed, getting annoyed.
'With you, duh,' he replied.
She scoffed. He didn't know what she looked like! 'How are you gonna achieve that, Tailcoat?'
'I have my ways.'
She smirked. What was he gonna do, hack her firewall and trace her IP? Child's play. She had herself covered. 'Right. Try anything funny and you're gonna get hit with a homer.'
Her beautiful bat was waiting to be used by her bed.
His response was sarcastic as always. 'Literally shaking. You scared I'll see your face?'
She frowned. Of course she was concerned. She could imagine her DMs overflowing from simps sliding in if they saw her face. Even a girl who was fairly average could score legions of desperate guys begging for a morsel of attention. She was not interested in becoming a nerd's fantasy. Even if it was just finding out she was a girl, her DMs would be stacked. She almost missed his response.
'Put on a disguise, maybe? I honestly won't tell anyone who you are. That's your secret to tell. But I'd like to meet you in person.'
She was a master of disguise. The better question was if she even wanted to see him. He knows who she is in real life. What if he connected the dots? It was risky to go, but her curiosity was stronger than her sense of concern.
'Inokashira Park.' If you try something, you're gonna get a bat to the face.'
He sent her a heart before she logged off to get ready.
Dressed in a huge coat, thigh highs, shorts and her face covered by a plague mask, she discreetly rode the cab to the park with her taser gun and pepper spray in her bag. The mask doubled as a weapon she could use to peck him. Her driver looked concerned about her getup, but muttered something about cults and drove without complaint.
Joker was already waiting by the entrance of the park, not a soul around except for a couple who was probably hoping to engage in M-rated behavior. He was dressed in his tailcoat and usual accessories, the dark black blending in with the night. He took at her look when she got out of her cab and bit back a laugh.
"Nice look," he commented, his voice warbled by the changer.
She put a hand on her hip. "If you're sarcastic, I'm going to peck you now." Her voice was also warped with her own changer.
He held up his hands in surrender. "Absolutely not. Come on." He held out a hand and waited for her to take it.
She didn't hesitate with her arsenal at her side. Taking his hand, she let him take her into the park and away from possible attention.