Chapter Text
"Futaba?” Akira asked, confused. He felt a rush of emotions. Surprise, joy, nervousness, and a desperate desire to remember if he brushed his teeth in his rush this morning.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?”
“Yeah, I did. But there was no way I was going to miss my boyfriend's graduation. Sojiro also wanted to come see you, so we booked some train tickets because it was cheaper than gas money. Plus, I wanted to work on my fear of crowds some more,” she explained. “The train ride was pretty rough, but I’m getting used to it! Slowly but surely!”
This made Akira smile. Gone were the days of her not leaving her room and refusing to interact with people. Over the course of his time in Tokyo, he got to witness her extraordinary strength of will as she slowly overcame her social anxiety and her fear of crowds. She credited this all to him, her “Key Item,” but Akira often reminded her that she was the one who put in the most effort into her progress.
“Wait, Sojiro is here too?” Akira asked.
“Yeah, but he thought that Ren guy was you so he went to go talk to him. I thought it was funny, so I left him be. He’ll realize his mistake eventually,” said a snickering Futaba. She had met Ren last May during the infamous Ren Amamiya incident, but had immediately been able to tell the two apart. Her keen intellect aside, she was the one who knew Akira the best, so telling the two apart was child’s play for her.
“Who said I was fooled by him?” a familiar voice asked.
Akira turned around to see his old mentor, Sojiro Sakura, standing behind him. As always, he was dressed in his white blazer over a pink button-up top and a white fedora. In one hand, he held a picnic basket and in the other he was holding a backpack that was undoubtedly Futaba’s.
“Wow, you realized sooner than I expected. Impressive.” Futaba then turned to Akira. “Hey, guess what? We’re having a picnic after the graduation ceremony!” exclaimed Futaba.
“Really? That’s great!” said Akira, who was already famished from a lack of breakfast.
“May I have your attention please?” The school’s principal said over the intercom. “All graduating students must file into the gymnasium at this time. I repeat, all graduating students must file into the gymnasium at this time”
“I’ll find me and Sojiro a good place to wait for you. See you after the ceremony!” said Futaba.
As she skipped away, Sojiro grabbed Akira’s arm.
“No offence kid, but it was actually Futaba’s behavior that tipped me off about that Ren guy. She’s usually so cheery and playful with you, but once I started talking to him, she gave a mischievous smile and slipped away. Sorry about that,” Sojiro muttered.
Akira gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to being confused with him.”
Sojiro gave an apologetic smile. “And don’t tell Futaba about that. She doesn’t need one more thing to tease me about.”
“Gotcha. I’m going to head in now”, said Akira.
“Have fun kid,” Sojiro called out.
The ceremony was excruciatingly long. The last one Akira had been to was his cousin’s when he was younger. He remembered that it had been just as long, though back then he had to wait outside for his cousin to leave the ceremony. At least, being ten at the time, he had a DS to fight his boredom. All he could do was pretend to be listening to the guest speakers and student representatives give their farewell speeches as his eyes glazed over as he fantasized about eating lunch with Futaba and Sojiro outside.
“Man, how much longer is this thing?” asked an understandably impatient Morgana.
Akira, who was unable to reply without sounding insane, simply gave him a quick empathetic look.
Finally, they finished singing the school song and were dismissed from the ceremony.
“Man, that lasted forever! I hope the Chief brought sushi for me,” Morgana complained.
“Someone is feeling entitled,” Akira muttered to the cat.
“Well, keeping an eye on you is quite a taxing endeavor. I shudder to think what mischief you would get into without me to guide you on the path of righteousness,” Morgana declared, causing Akira to snort loudly..
“Hey, Akira! Over here! We found a spot under some cherry blossoms!” Futaba called out to him, her orange locks like a beacon in the sea of dark haired students.
Akira smiled as he headed over to them. “Coming!”
As he sat down on the simple mint green picnic blanket, Morgana hopped out of his bag and started stretching with a huge yawn.“Hey Chief, long time no see. Did you bring me some sushi?” he asked.
“Still carrying that cat around, huh?” Sojiro chuckled. “Hey Futaba, what’s he saying?”
Futaba, who was in the middle of getting out the food they packed for the picnic, looked over with a smirk. “He’s demanding that you offer him a tribute of sushi for gracing his presence.”
“What?” asked a flabbergasted Sojiro.
“I- I did not say that! Stop twisting my words Futaba!” Morgana protested.
Futaba only responded with her signature mischievous grin. Then she pulled out a plate of sushi for the cat. After all, she wasn’t THAT mean.
“You guys do love me!” Morgana cried as he started eating.
“Guess what we brought for us to eat,” Futaba challenged as she unpacked a large thermos.
“Curry and coffee, Leblanc’s specialty,” Akira answered almost automatically.
Sojiro chuckled, “Guess that should be obvious by now.”
As many times as Akira had had the curry, he never got tired of the cafe’s signature dish. He would even go as far as to say it was the best meal he had ever had. He had once told Kawakami when he was still in Tokyo that all he ate was curry, and it was practically the truth back then (His palate missed those days).
As they ate, Sojiro and Futaba marveled at the beauty of the cherry blossoms, while Akira marveled at a sight even more beautiful. It had been four months since he saw Futaba in person during winter break, and her surprise visit had been more than welcome. He started thinking of all the possibilities now that he was out of school. Maybe he could take her out on a date on a weekend, shop in Akihabara before heading to a restaurant and maybe even . . .
“By the way,” Sojiro started, snapping Akira out of his trance. “How is your coffee game? Have you been practicing?”
Between mouthfuls of curry, Akira nodded. The first thing he bought when he got back (aside from a retro game he found for Futaba) was a French Press and a variety of coffee beans. He felt he would let Sojiro down if he neglected practicing the techniques he was taught. Not that his parents protested, as having a fresh cup of coffee every day was a habit they didn’t mind picking up.
“Well, that’s good. Because I was thinking about offering you a job while you go to college. If you’re up for it, of course.”
Of course he was up for it! He had been wanting to go back to Leblanc since the moment he left. Unfortunately, he tried to relay this in the middle of a sip of coffee, causing him to choke.
As he coughed out his lungs (with a distraught Futaba next to him, trying to help but not knowing how), Sojiro chuckled, recalling that he had done something similar when Futaba’s mother, Wakaba, had asked if he wanted to go out to dinner.
“Based on that reaction, I can assume that’s a yes?” Sojiro asked. After all, that was his answer to Wakaba, and Akira reminded Sojiro of himself during his youth.
“Yes, I would love to,” Akira said after recovering.
“Yay!” exclaimed Futaba and tackled her boyfriend in a hug.
Sojiro smiled as he lifted his cup. “To Akira’s graduation and return to Leblanc!”
“Cheers!” Futaba and Akira exclaimed as they clinked their metal cups.
. . . [Hours later] . . .
“It’s good to see you again, Sakura-san,” said Himawari Kurusu. “I hope you are doing well in Tokyo.” After they finished eating, Akira took Futaba and Sojiro to a shopping mall that was in the area. After shopping for a while, he took them to his parent’s house for dinner.
Sojiro smiled, “Well, you know me, just enjoying the peace and quiet in my old cafe.”
“Speaking of, did that old shack collapse on you yet?” Kujo Kurusu asked his old friend with a chuckle.
Sojiro frowned a bit, but decided to return the jab. “Not yet, but if it wasn’t for me and Taishiko, you probably would have ended up single and in your own broken down cafe.” Himawari chuckled at that, remembering the shenanigans the three boys got up to back then, including when Sojiro and Taishiko played wingmen for her future husband. Their attempts to get the two together often ended with mixed results that left her both charmed yet very confused.
“Oh I don’t know,” she replied. “I think it may have taken a bit longer, but I’m sure I would have still fallen in love with you.”
This caused Kujo to beam with joy at his wife, while Sojiro laughed at how whipped his friend was. Akira and Futaba said nothing as they were holding hands under the table while watching the adults catch up. Morgana, who had been sufficiently stuffed with a second serving of sushi, was upstairs taking a long nap.
“So, Futaba-chan, do you want to stay here for a couple of days while Akira packs up for his trip?” Himawari asked the young girl. She could see Wakaba’s brilliance in the girl, so she took a liking to her immediately, though it did make her miss her childhood friend.
Futaba looked at her in shock, which quickly turned into excitement. “Really, I can?”
“Of course, though you two will have to sleep in separate rooms,” said Himawari sternly. She usually trusted her son, but she was a teenager once and knew all too well how hormones could warp one's judgement. After all, that was the reason Akira was born four months after her wedding.
Futaba nodded, “That sounds fine to me.” she proclaimed. The adults laughed at the joyous look the young couple gave each other. After dinner, Sojiro headed home so he could clean the attic of the cafe for Akira.
“Take care of Futaba for me, alright?” Sojiro asked Akira.
“Yes sir,” Akira responded.
“Oh, and no funny business, you hear me? I don’t want a grandchild for a few more years. I’ve gotta save up some money to spoil them rotten,” Sojiro directed, half joking.
Akira chuckled, “I’ll treat her well, don’t worry.”
After Sojiro left, Himawari took Futaba to the guest room. It was a small, simple bedroom with a twin bed in the corner of the room with a plain beige comforter and a wide window at the far end of the room. “The bathroom is down the hall, second to last door to the left. If you need anything, let me know,” directed Himawari
Actually, I do have a question for you, if you don’t mind,” Futaba replied as she sat on the bed. “Why did you guys send him to Tokyo? Not that I’m complaining, but it always seemed weird. Wouldn’t he have been better off supported by his parents?”
Himawari sighed at the memory of sending her son away and sat down next to Futaba. She remembered having several sleepless nights wondering if her little boy was alright in the big city, despite knowing full well it was for his own good. “There are a few reasons why we sent him there. First, Shujin Academy was the only half-decent school that offered to take him on. The other schools that offered had reputations for being poor quality, and we value his future more than anything.” Futaba nodded understandingly. “The second reason is the reaction from the town. Shortly after bringing him home, we had bricks with death threats tied to them, graffiti on the house telling him to die, and many more awful things.” At this, Futaba covered her mouth in horror, but gestured for her to go on. “The third reason is that Sojiro offered to take him in. I’ll admit, even with the offer from Shujin, me and my husband were hesitant to send him to Tokyo. That is, until an old friend reached out to us, saying that they would take him in and mentor him. We felt like this was the best decision since Sojiro was a lot like him at that age. Loyal, kind, and had a strong sense of justice. We felt he would know how to lead him through this tough time while me and my husband fought the battle of proving his innocence here,” Himawari concluded
Futaba frowned. “That’s awful. What happened after he left?”
Himawari thought back. “Well, firstly, I was kicked out of the PTA after Akira was expelled. This raised some questions with the other members, as they were well acquainted with Akira, and knew he would never do something like that. Also, the noncompliance of the police when we asked to see the evidence led us to hire a number of private investigators. What was strange was whenever they make a certain amount of progress, they would refund us the money and tell us to never contact them about the issue again.”
Futaba nodded with a scowl on her face. “I imagine that they gave up whenever they were pressured to drop the investigation by Shido.”
Himawari nodded. “Knowing that now, it all makes sense why my son was judged so harshly when he was so obviously innocent.” Himawari then took Futaba’s hand. “I know my thanks isn’t much, but thank you for supporting my son through that rough time.”
Futaba blushed and looked down with embarrassment. “It was nothing, he saved me first,” she muttered.
“Be as it may, you still saved him in your own way. He was a lot happier when he came back home.” With that, Himawari got up and stretched. “I’ll let you get some rest. Goodnight Futaba, and thank you again.”
_________._________._________._________._________
The next morning, Akira took Futaba to one of his favorite breakfast joints, where they indulged in some delicious pancakes.
“Man those were so good! I bet Akechi would be jealous of those pancakes.” Futaba declared.
Akira nodded. “Though that coffee had much to be desired. I’ll make us both a cup whenever we get back home, alright?”
“Deal, now let’s check out some of the gaming shops!”
Much to her disappointment, Akira’s hometown didn’t have many gaming shops, and the two it did have were more hit or miss in terms of products.
“I can’t believe it! Their collection of retro games was pitiful! How can you live in a town like this without going insane?” Futaba cried dramatically.
Akira chuckled at her reaction. “With these shops, you have to come in fairly regularly to see if they have any diamonds in the roughage. It’s just part of it’s charm if you ask me.”
Futaba still pouted but saw his point. “Well . . . when you put it like that, then I guess you have a point. Are there any other places that you would recommend to the city girl, Country boy?”
Akira thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up. “I got just the place. Follow me.” He took her hand and led her through the laberynth of streets. As he led her through the winding roads, Futaba pondered where he was taking her, until he brought her to a tall building near the edge of the town. By the time they got there, the sun was already starting to set.
“A-a-a A LOVE HOTEL?!?!” Futaba cried in shock.
Akira chuckled, but he had a very noticeable blush now. “Don’t worry, my cousin runs it. We’re here for something completely different.” He then stuck out his hand. “Do you trust me.”
Futaba thought for a moment then put her hand in his. “You better show me a good time, country boy,” she joked with a bright red face.
“Welco-AKIRA?!?!” the receptionist exclaimed.
“Long time no see Ushira,” Akira said calmly, despite his red face. “We need access to the roof, that’s all.”
Ushira looked at them for a full twenty seconds before she started laughing. “Never thought I’d see the day where you’d bring a girl here. Though if it’s the roof, I can see why.” Grabbing her keys, she led the couple up a few flights of stairs and through a door leading to the roof.
It was a flat open area with fences surrounding the perimeter except on the west side, and in the center, there was a park bench with a glass table on the side, like someone had used it as a relaxation spot. “There’s a bench up here for you two to sit on.” She then turned to Futaba. “Enjoy the view sweety, and if this idiot does anything to upset you, tell me and I’ll clock him in the mouth.” She then left the two equally awkward lovebirds be, chuckling at how bold Akira had gotten over time.
“So, why did you bring me here?” Futaba asked, still in shock over where they were. If Sojiro knew about this, he would kill them.
Akira smiled as he sat down. “Look to the west.”
Still dubious, she turned her head to the side of the roof without a fence, and saw one of the best views of her life. “Oh my . . .” she said breathlessly.
From where she sat, she could see the ocean just a few hundred meters away, it’s waves golden in the setting sun. The sky was a blend of colors so vibrant and majestic, Yusuke would’ve died trying to recreate them on a canvas. She looked towards Akira, amazed. “How did you know about this place?” she asked incredulously.
“Me, Ushira, and a few of my old friends used to come play here during summer break, when this used to be an abandoned building. All of us would finish off those days watching the sun set over the ocean, talking about what we would do tomorrow. Ushira actually bought the place and renovated it when she graduated.”
Futaba nodded understandingly. “Now I can see why you brought me here. The view is beautiful.”
Akira looked at her with a grin. “Forgive me for being cheesy, but it’s not as beautiful as you.” With that, he bent down and kissed her, time seemingly coming to a stop as they were basked in the sunset’s glow.
Whenever they came apart, Futaba flashed him a smile. “Cheesy as that was, that was the best kiss you have given me yet. I guess you’ve passed the test, country boy.”
With that, they stayed there watching the sunset until it started to get dark. As they held hands walking home, the two lovers walked back, thinking how bright the future would be as long as they had each other.