Work Text:
It had been some time since Narukami Yu declared that he'd foster the homeless boy Nakano Goro, under the alias of Akechi Goro to avoid suspicion from authorities. Having a friend who knew their way around the laws helped tremendously in fulfilling the necessary paperwork to get him enrolled in a nearby junior high school.
However, as much as of a friend Naoto Shirogane was, she was suspicious as to why he'd been asking for help in the first place. He had been specific in what he was looking for, like finding a social worker that would be willing to take his case, to exploiting loopholes against any legal standings that could affect his eligibility, and even how to bolster a case like his where there had been child abuse from the childcare facility the foster originated from. With Naoto's experience, he was sure he'd get through the process soon enough. In fact, he was counting on the poor management of the foster care system that Japan was known for to let him get away with this, as he's still only seventeen years old and not considered an adult yet. Once he was of age, he'd bring up formal adoption just as assurance that Goro would never fall to the hands of that system again.
Still, Yu didn't like the idea of lying to Naoto. She, like all of his teammates from the Investigation Team, was a dear and trusted friend. This afternoon, he decided to come out and show her who she'd been helping exactly by asking her to meet with him over in LeBlanc, a quaint café he's visited often enough because Goro liked it there.
-
The silver haired teen was standing near the counter by the entrance, awaiting the Detective Prince. Out of the corner of his eye, he's keeping watch of his new charge, Goro. The preteen is sitting in a booth nearby, sipping on his coffee and working quietly on a workbook Yu had bought him, an attempt to help Goro catch up before he officially enrolling. The bell at the entrance chimed and the silver-haired teen spies a familiar face walking in. He waves her down quickly and offers a warm smile.
"Naoto-kun, thanks for coming. I know how busy you tend to be, especially whenever you're around the Tokyo area." Yu greets, shaking her hand before walking her back to the table where Goro had been sitting. The boy looks up from his work and appears somewhat timid at the new person arriving.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, senpai." She states warmly, making him roll his eyes playfully at the familiar title.
"You know you don't have to stay so formal with me Naoto-kun. We're friends after all."
She flushes lightly at the teasing, though she knows he means well. "Very well then, Yu-senpai." she relents, as the other teen weakly chuckles at the secondary title. Force of habit he guesses.
As the two take a seat in the booth, she notices Yu moving to the inner seat of the booth on their side, likely so the child would be able to get in and out of the booth whenever they pleased. Glancing at the child once they're seated, the Detective Prince takes notice of how those two garnet eyes are intently fixated on her and Yu, watching the two of them interact with a peculiar expression on their face. The child in front of her looks to be a cross between starstruck, anxious, and genuinely curious. She clears her throat as she gestures to the child with them.
"You didn't tell me we'd have a guest either Yu-kun. Am I to presume this is the mysterious Akechi Goro you've mentioned in our conversations?"
Yu grins, knowing how quick Naoto is to fill in the blanks. "The very same. Though we both agreed we'd change his original last name because of....circumstances." Yu trails off, looking down at Goro, non-verbally trying to see if he would be okay if Yu told her or if he'd like to do it himself. The silent exchange made her raise an eyebrow at the communication between the two.
The boy looks between the two as he's sipping at his coffee once again. After finishing, he places his cup down and looks at Naoto directly, red staring into blue without fear or hesitation. "I ran away from the orphanage. Yu found me and took care of me when some police officers were going to harass me for squatting." He stated flatly.
"S-Senpai did that?" she stuttered out before blushing and moving a hand to hold her head as she thought it over.
"Well...Then again, it sounds like something he'd do for someone he cares about." Naoto corrects herself in a quiet murmur. After all, from what she heard from Kanji, Yu had no hesitation confronting some accusatory officers back in Inaba when they had tried to pin some rumors of bullying on the underclassman, readily defending him.
"I just happened to be there at the right time and place." Yu answers modestly before he moves a hand over to Goro and ruffles his chestnut head of hair. "Meanwhile, this one over here is really stubborn about getting help from others." He lightly teases, ignoring the younger boy's protests and hand swatting away from his hair. Eventually he lets Goro return to his work after a few more moments of teasing. His little ward returns his playful affections by sticking his tongue out childishly and looking at Naoto again directly, his expression much more docile seeing as Yu can trust this person.
"You're the Detective Prince right?" Goro asks, tilting his head a bit to look over her, then smiled warmly. "I enjoyed reading mystery novels and detective stories back when I was at the orphanage, and had wanted to be one, even if I was an orphan without anything to my name. Then I saw you on TV one day and realized if someone as cool as her could be a high-school detective, then maybe there's a chance for me after all." he admitted before hopping out of his seat and bowing to her, his cheeks flushed.
"Thank you for giving me hope during a bad time in my life!" He says with gratitude as he then hops back into his side of the booth with Yu, trying to hide his red face into the older boy's jacket. Yu just chuckles to himself quietly and pats his shoulder before looking at Naoto with a soft smile on his face.
"I think he's looking forward to officially being recognized as Akechi Goro soon enough." the older of the two states with a warm expression on his face.
The detective recognizes its similarities to one she'd see whenever he was with Nanako back in Inaba. "He never changes, does he?" she thinks to herself before smirking at the mention of the boy's new name. "Akechi Goro... It does sound rather fitting if you do admire detectives like myself. I assume you also enjoy reading mystery novels by Edogawa Ranpo?" she asks with a wink.
Goro nodded profusely, his cheeks a light dusting of red. Yu was the only one left wondering about the odd question, but he just let them enjoy their inside joke. The two mystery enthusiasts stayed entertained throughout their visit as they discussed some of their favorite novels or mystery story lines. Naoto even told the boy of some cases she personally assisted with, but eventually came the case of the Inaba serial murders. She stayed on that topic briefly, Yu even helping to diverge the conversation away from that, despite Goro's genuine curiosity over the case.
"So it was a detective behind it all?"
"A deputy detective, but yes. Three people were charged in relation to the case, but Namatame was the only one not charged with murder. The town itself has started to change for the better since it was solved." Naoto states with a soft smile before something occurs to her. "That reminds me. Have you made plans for Golden Week yet, Yu-senpai?"
"Golden Week? That's right! It's getting closer to that time again, isn't it..." Yu asks, just a bit startled with the sudden topic change aimed towards him. "I was planning to head down to Inaba to see everyone again. Though I should probably call my uncle and ask if it would be alright for us to stay with him first." He muses, the longing for the place he called home evident with how bright he looked at the mention of the sleepy countryside town.
A cheeky grin overtakes his smile before he looks down at Goro, chuckling to himself over something. "I just realized, I haven't even told anyone other than you about Goro-kun. Think we should surprise everyone when I come down?" he asks ambiguously. Said child follows along with his guardian and returns a mischievous grin, thinking it would be fun. The detective hides any concerns over potential consequences and sighs at her upperclassman's antics. She'll humor him this time at least.
"If you don't tell anyone, you could at least surprise Nanako with another big brother as a gift from Tokyo." Naoto whispers to him as a joke. With how pleased her friend looks after hearing that, she feels she may have made a mistake.
"I didn't think of that! Naoto, you're as brilliant as ever." He says warmly as he starts to discuss with Goro about somethings he'd need to know about his friends and family back in Inaba if they'd be going there to for Golden Week.
The Detective Prince shakes her head with a sigh, but she wasn't as upset as she acted. If anything, she was amused at how quickly the two took to the idea and started planning. No doubt, these two were going to be just fine after the foster papers went through. She could see how they had become so necessary to each other now that their paths were so intertwined. When it came time for Goro's formal introduction to her and the rest of the Investigation Team during Yu's next visit, she'd be there to welcome the newest addition with open arms.
After that, they stayed at the cafe until the later hours of the day, chatting with each other and enjoying the company in a pleasant location. When Sojiro alerted them that it was near closing time, they apologized for staying so long and went their separate ways. As the Detective Prince walked away from her upperclassman and his new ward, she smiled to herself as she idly watched them interacting, getting a gist of the conversation as she waited for her ride.
Yu-senpai was listening intently to Akechi-kun going on about some concerns he had about attending a new school at this time since the first few weeks had passed, fearing that since he would be behind at the start, that he might not catch up. With some reassurances and kind words of comfort, Narukami had worked his magic and eased the child's concerns, but had more importantly emphasized that while school was his priority, he should open himself up to the idea of making some friends of his own. Judging by that look of determination Akechi-kun had after their conversation, she was sure he had warmed up to that idea.
Naoto had no doubts that Yu and Goro would certainly be able to take whatever life throws at them as long, as they had each other...
-
Beep!!....Beep!!....Beep!!
Stirring from his slumber, the chestnut haired boy awoke first and glared at the alarm on Yu's bedside table. Maybe if he stared at it hard enough, it would stop.
Beep!!....Beep!!....Beep!!
“Well that was pointless.” he thought to himself as he heard the older boy start to wake up on the bed beside his futon set-up. Looks like Yu was up, but Goro wasn't sure if he was ready for this...
Yes, he knows how much work went into getting him official paperwork to even attend school but it was too nerve-racking to imagine going to school now that he wasn't just an orphan anymore. He had a new identity, yet he could feel the butterflies fluttering in his stomach!
Beep!!....Beep!!....Beep!!
“It's just junior high-school, calm down!” he yelled at himself internally, but continued to stay put on the bed, and pulled the covers over his head.
Beep!!....Be--!!
A yawn broke through the irritating scream of the alarm clock as the silver-haired young man sat up from his bed and gave a quick stretch. As he moved to the edge of his bed to stand up, he surveyed the room and noticed the younger wasn't up yet. It made him quietly chuckle, he could remember his own first day nerves before growing numb to it from all the school transfers his parents had done with him.
“Nervous? It's okay to be, you're the new transfer student after all. Everyone's going to be curious.” he starts before walking to the door and moving to head downstairs. “If it makes you feel any better, Naoto and I made sure this school was far away from your old one. You won't be known by anyone. It'll be a fresh start.” Yu starts as a final reassurance before making his way down.
“I'll start on breakfast, so go on and get ready for the day.” he calls from the hallway, leaving Goro in the room by himself. Great, he had to get up now if Yu would be waiting for him downstairs.
“Read through me like a book... Why is he so damn understanding about this and so much more?” The boy mutters quietly as he rolls out of the futon to sit up. He spies his new winter uniform in the corner of the room, waiting for him. He couldn't hold out forever, he'd need to go. Sighing as he sits up, Goro walks over to grab it, then closes the door to change in some sort of privacy.
Akechi Goro would be attending Shinri Academy, though he really shouldn't have made it in, he was really lucky. Thanks to the efforts of Miss Shirogane, the Detective Prince, vouching for him and Yu's prior attendance to the school before he'd been transferred off again, he was allowed into the school late for a trial semester. The deal was that if he kept his grades up and higher than the average students despite the late start, they'd offer him full-time scholarship to the academy and possibly honor student status. It's not every day the Detective Prince and a former high-ranking student come in to vouch for a foster child, but it was a welcome case nonetheless.
His blazer was ivory with dark gray trims and golden buttons. With the standard undershirt for it being a white button up, he took it as being able to wear whatever he wanted under it. To play it safe, Akechi chose to put on a lighter gray sweater vest with the white button up under it all, leaving the blazer open for all to see. The slacks were the same dark gray as the blazer trim, but the ivory twin stripes at the end of the pants looked decent enough. He'd been adjusting a striped white and black tie around his collar when Yu came back upstairs to let him know breakfast was ready, but stayed longer to stare at him, making Goro pout.
“I-I must look ridiculous, right?” he asks quietly in embarrassment, wondering if he should just get rid of the tie and sweater vest fully to blend in with the other students before he hears a response.
“The opposite actually. You look great. If I had to say it, you look confident and ready to show everyone that you're different, that you're the Akechi Goro.” Yu hums warmly, a nostalgic look on his face. “Don't change anything. You deserve to be seen.” he finishes before reminding him about breakfast downstairs and moving to grab his own uniform to change.
Before Yu disappears off into the hallway again, Goro grabs at his sleeve and looks up at him seriously. “Did you just choose to blend in before?” he asks quietly as his guardian takes a moment to think it over before answering with a small but sad smile.
“I did. Nothing in my life ever really stayed with me up until last year. I chose to go with the flow and not express myself in any way. I told myself: what would be the point if I never stayed..?” he trails off, his gray eyes looking distant for a moment before looking back at Goro, reminding himself of the present, his home in Inaba, his friends and family, with Goro included in that now too.
“Turns out, I just needed to embrace who I am to be accepted and make lasting connections, and I needed a place I considered home to find the confidence to be myself.” Yu finishes before moving to readjust the boy's tie and slip it under the sweater vest. “There, that should do it.”
Goro turns to look over himself in the uniform, prompted to do a turnaround by his guardian, and fusses over a photo Yu took of him to commemorate the day. Eventually, he did smile and laugh along like Yu was, believing that maybe today would be okay. “You're rather sentimental over something small like this, aren't you. Why is that?” he asks non-nonchalantly as he prepares his school bag.
Yu stands in place, uniform slugged over his shoulder as he takes a moment to think before answering. “Well, let's just say another friend of mine taught me that while memories can be fleeting at the moment, they'll always be with you, and will remind you how much you changed overtime.”
Goro takes a final overview of his appearance before letting out a small smile of approval. He really has changed, hasn't he? “I'll have to take your word for it then.” he mutters to himself before taking his bag and starting to leave the room.
“Change here, I'll go finish getting ready in the bathroom. Meet you downstairs to eat?” he states as a demand as he leaves the room, hearing a warm response back.
“Wouldn't have it any other way, Goro-kun.”
-
Yu had made a quick breakfast that morning, sunny-side up eggs with toast and coffee. Goro tried not to pout when it didn't taste the same as the one in LeBlanc, but Yu just snorted at his displeasure. The morning went over smoothly after that, the two leaving the Narukami residence this time instead of just the one high school student.
They stayed on the train until they reached the Aoyama-Itchome station. Yu had walked him over to his new school, Shinri Academy, and stopped at the gates of it. It was early enough that only a few students were loitering around, but it didn't stop them from staring at the duo. Goro had gripped tighter at the older boy's hand when he noticed, but Yu just ignored them and moved forward, his attention on his ward and trying to find his way around. Once in the building, the two made it over to the faculty office. There, Goro was introduced to his new homeroom teacher, Ms. Hirawa, while Yu was handed more paperwork to fill out. It was time for them to part. With the paperwork left at his side, the silver-haired high schooler gave the boy a brief hug, his smile reassuring Goro that he'd be fine.
“I have Kendo Club today, but I'll get out as early as I can. Try to see if there's anything interesting around the school grounds that can help pass the time til I get here.” he states as the older boy turns back to return to the paperwork calling his name, muttering something under his breath about the unnecessary large size of it all. As the brunette is being led out of the room by his new teacher for a short tour before classes started, he catches his guardian give him a salute for luck, and returns it back eagerly.
The tour around Shinri Academy was decent enough and the hallways became more populated the longer it went on. Then came the moment of truth as the first bell of the day echoed out in the hall as they approached a classroom.
“And this will be your homeroom, class 1-B. Please wait out here for a moment Akechi-kun. I'll take attendance, then I'll call you in.” He hears Miss Hirawa state as she enters the class and begins her morning lecture, her sudden appearance quietening down the class inside.
[“Take your seats class. We'll begin with homeroom now, starting with attendance.”]
He fiddles with a lock of his hair from his front hair parting, the rest of his hair tied back into a small ponytail with a thin black ribbon holding it back. Goro still felt every bit as nervous as he had in the morning, but recalling Yu's words of assurance and reminding himself how much work Shirogane and his guardian put in to get him there rouses him above the nerves.
[“Now, with that settled. I have an announcement. This morning, I'll be introducing you to the transfer student. From today forth, they'll be joining our class.”]
Giving his cheeks a gentle hit to attempt and prepare himself and checking over his uniform. He wouldn't accept anything but perfection for the first day of his new school life.
[“Please come in now.”]
He hears his cue.
The stage is set and it's time for Akechi Goro to take the spotlight.
Goro takes a deep breath and opens the door, striding inside with resounding confidence and a slight grin on his face. All his fears and worries of the day were now tucked away to discuss later in the privacy of his home with Yu. Right now, he had to show his worth to the audience watching over his performance.
He can hear their gawking and awing at him as he enters from the doorway, but Goro ignores it all. “Time for the show to start.” he thinks to himself briefly before positioning himself at the front and center of the classroom, all the attention on him. With his throat clear and his charm at the ready, he began his introduction.
“My name is Akechi Goro. It's a pleasure to meet you all. ” He stated with a hint of warmth behind his pleasantries.
[“A boy!”
“He's dreamy...”
“Look at him go~”
“Isn't it late for transfer students to get in?”
“Finally! Something interesting happens here.”
“So cool and confident.”
“He sure knows how to show off...”
“Woah, he's handsome..”
“Those gorgeous red eyes, that warm smile, he's perfect..”
“He's so polite and cute!”]
Goro holds back a large grin of satisfaction. He'd wait until he's at his seat to relish in the reactions he got for his appearance. This really was his second chance. He wasn't glared at for a shabby attire, nor unkempt hair, or called names like a freak, worthless, or bastard child for just being an orphan. Here, he was just another student, albeit the sudden transfer student of Class 1-B.
Everyone's eyes are now on Ms. Hirawa, the teacher clapping her hands to get her students attention. “Settle down everyone!” she states in an orderly manner as the class quiets down once again, whispers echoing around about the transfer student. “Akechi-kun, please take a seat behind Miki-kun. Have him guide you through things for today.” she requests of him as she gestures in the direction of the empty seat. It was around the left side of the classroom near the window, just three rows into the lines of seats occupied by other classmates.
“Yes mam.”
As he takes his seat and moves to store away his schoolbag at his side, he glances at the boy in front of him. He has dark gray-ish black hair, but what surprises him are his dark violet colored eyes when the other boy turns back to talk to him. Goro hopes he wasn't caught staring, and attempts to break the ice with Miki before he questions him about it.
“Looks like we'll be neighbors, Miki-san.” he starts with as a greeting as he gives a small but friendly smile to the other.
“Guess so.”
Goro sighs in relief, letting the mask of confidence slide off now that his introduction was over and he was officially part of the class, resting in his seat. His sigh didn't go unnoticed as his desk mate chuckled quietly at it.
“Introductions are the worst, right?” he asks jokingly as Goro's eyes light up at the interaction, surprised that he was initiating this time.
“The absolute worst. So stressful to try and make a good impression...” The brunette returns in a similar manner as he closes his eyes and sits his head on his hands, class going on in the background as the look on Miki's face softens.
“Name's Saito, Miki Saito.”
“I'm Goro, Akechi Goro.”
“Nice to meet you then, transfer student.”
The slight jab of a nickname makes Goro pout at Miki as the other snorts at his overreaction. They were going to get along just fine.
-
Once classes were over, a majority of students crowded at his desk, all asking about him and if he'd like to join them for the day. He tried to be vague with answers about himself and wasn't promising anything, wanting to avoid any direct commitments. They all wanted to hang out with the mysterious and cool looking transfer student, especially if it would improve their own reputation and get them in the boy's graces. Luckily, his desk mate was willing to have mercy on the overwhelmed transfer student, as Miki glanced over at and crowd then back at Goro before speaking.
“Akechi-kun, you said you wanted to explore the campus, right? Come on.” he stated apathetically as some of the crowd dispersed hearing that the transfer already had plans, others were persistent.
[“You want a tour? We'll take you Akechi-kun!”
“Let us tag along too Miki-kun!”
“Please Miki-kun, Akechi-kun!”]
Goro feigned a soft chuckle before stepping from his seat and to Miki's side. “Now now, Miki-kun offered me a tour and I accepted before others asked me. I'm sure we could hang out another time.” he starts as the two make their way out of the class. “After all, we're all classmates now, aren't we? I'll see you all another time.” he finishes in a friendly manner as Miki leads them away and the door shuts behind them.
As they're walking along the courtyard of Shinri Academy, Goro decides they're a far enough distance that he can relax again. “Thanks for that..” he says with gratitude, even giving the other boy a quick bow.
“ 'ts not a problem. You looked uncomfortable with that many around you.” Miki comments before noticing something. “Come over here. We can hide out near the soccer field.” he coaxes as Goro moves to follow.
They took a seat against the scoreboard's base on the ground, Goro reaching in his bag for his bento box, forgotten earlier due to a similar ambush at his desk during his first lunch period here. He took out his own chopsticks and silently thanked Yu for the meal and started to eat at it. Then, he notices the other boy glancing at his food whenever he thinks Goro isn't looking, his violet eyes staring intently at his tonkatsu with fried tofu and rice blend.
“Take some, you deserve it for getting me out of a tight situation earlier..”
“...thank you..” Miki whispers quietly as the two of them now start eating away at the homemade bento.
-
When they're finished, Miki thanks him once again for sharing his food with him and asks if he has a phone. Miki's a bit disappointed finding out that Goro doesn't have a personal cellphone, but his mood was remidied quickly when he remembered he could just write his number down for him. Goro searched his bag for anything to write on, and got extremely lucky he found the old torn piece of paper Yu gave him with his number on it, both the house and cell phone numbers. He hands Miki the pen and paper, gets the number, and the two parted ways for the day. It was now time for Goro to play the patience game and await his brother's arrival.
Goro briefly wonders about what he should do while waiting as he wanders the junior high grounds absentmindedly, unaware of a duo of girls running closer to him in the distance, their attention elsewhere. Neither party notices each other until the brunette girl crashes right against him, both Goro and the girl fall onto the ground, left groaning and mumbling in pain as the second watches in distress.
“Kasumi! I told you watch where you're going..” said another girl coming closer to him and the girl on top of him. The one standing in front of them appeared to have medium length red hair and red eyes like himself, hiding behind some glasses, fretting over the two on the ground.
Goro finds himself to be the first one who recovers. He winces in pain briefly as he sits up and glances at the culprit in charge of the accident. She's a brunette unlike the girl in front of him, with a beauty mark under her right eye, her face a bit more angular than the redhead, but both are certainly younger than him. He briefly wonders why such a small girl could have impacted him so much to make it feel as if a truck just hit him. He spots something across from them on the ground and reaches to grab at it. Bringing it closer for examination, he notices that it's a blue ribbon wand.
“That's mine!” whines the red haired one as he holds it out to her, the girl relieved once it was back in her hands. She fidgets with the ribbon end, looking away from Goro's gaze as she speaks once more. “M-My sister was playing keep away with it, all because she has to get tutoring and I don't. I'm sorry you got hurt from our actions..” she apologizes with a bow before another groan of pain alerts her and Goro that the second girl is starting to recover from the collision.
“..s..Sumi?” the girl on top of Goro asks quietly as she opens her eyes, brown meeting garnet. The brunette quickly sits up and scoots off the older boy. “Eeep!” she cries in a flustered whisper as she spots the ribbon wand back with her sister. Her attention returns back to her sister. “No fair, you took advantage of the fact I fell.” she teases, an attempt to calm down before looking back at Goro. “I'm really sorry about running into you like that...” she starts before taking a deep breath and breaks into a playful grin. “I'm Kasumi, Yoshizawa Kasumi!” she greets boldly before gesturing to her sister. “And that's my twin sister, Sumire!”
“Kas...” she whines before pointing to the watch on her wrist.
Kasumi jolts upright suddenly at the reminder of the time. “Oh right! Thanks Sumi!” she states warmly before her attention is back on Goro. “Is this the junior high side of Shinri Academy? I'm supposed to meet my tutor around here.” she asks before holding out her hand for the boy. “Here, let me help you up before you answer that one.”
Goro glances at the hand then back to the bold girl in front of him, the shyer one watching them intently. He doesn't see much of a way out of this and takes the hand with a sigh. Looks like he'll play tour guide now. “You're on the right side of campus, but did your tutor at least tell you where they'd meet you?” he asks once he's off the ground, a bit surprised by the small girl's strength being enough to help him up, that or he's just really light from his time before as a wandering orphan... He doesn't dwell on that line of logic for too long, his attention back on the twin sisters in front of him.
Kasumi ponders for a moment before smiling again to answer. “Nope~!”
He tries not to roll his eyes as her twin pouts at Kasumi's answer. “Kasumi! You said you were paying attention to dad when he was telling us where to go this morning after school...” she pointed out before looking to Goro. “Our dad said we'd meet her tutor around the student council room area. They're a part of it, but only a minor role so they'd be able to leave early to meet with us. ” she explains with a sigh.
The student council room wasn't that far. Goro was sure he could handle something as simple as this, probably. “Follow me then. I won't know who they are, but this will at least be a nice test to see if I understand the facility enough to find my way around on my own now.” he states as he starts to walk back into the school, the two sisters stunned they'd get a guide instead of just directions before moving to catch up to him.
“Thank you so much..se...senpai...” Sumire softly states as Kasumi grins brightly.
“Yeah, thank you so much senpai!” she starts before looking at him curiously. “Hey, you didn't tell us your name. Can't exactly thank you seriously without it.”
Goro sighs at the brunette girl's insistence. “I'm Akechi Goro, just your average transfer student who started today. No guarantees we'll make it on time for your tutoring because you chose the new student as your guide, when he's still finding his own way around..” he hums as Kasumi just laughs at his side.
“That's fine Akechi-senpai! This is much more interesting than just studying and getting lectured by some upperclassman.” she jokes as Sumire fumes quietly behind her.
“You know dad said you won't be able to perform unless your grades improve, Kas... I don't want to go to practice alone.”
“You won't for long. I'll get this done, no sweat! Just think of me being gone from gymnastics practice as a chance to get ahead and improve your routine!”
Goro idly listens to the two sisters converse, occasionally chiming in whenever they ask him about an opinion or what he would do in a certain scenario. He learned quite a bit about these twins from their chattering while observing them. Some of what he learned was basic, like that they were gymnasts, that Kasumi preferred pink over Sumire's blue, other bits more personal like how Kasumi was just as bold in her routines as she was with her attitude, while Sumire's quiet nature extended to a much more graceful routine, and that they planned to aim for international competitions together as a duo. He commended them for at least dreaming big, he would just be content being able to be an ounce of a detective sleuth like Shirogane was, and be as great as Narukami, his hero and now legal guardian.
The trio explored the Shinri junior high campus until they reached the student council room. He could still hear voices inside. From what he guessed, it could be they were still in a meeting or deep debate over something inside. It would be unwise to interrupt them by themselves.
“Do you have your tutor's number and your phone?” Goro asks as Kasumi proceeds to pull out her phone while Sumire hands her sister the phone number, written on a sticky note, likely from their parents this morning. “Good. Text them that you're outside and you've been waiting for them for the past half hour.”
“B-But we'd be lying!” Sumire questions, luckily not loud enough that the people inside notice them.
“Perhaps you would be, but then the responsibility of your tutoring falls on them. I'm just trying to reduce the damage that your tardiness to a meeting like this would be.” Goro states with a hint of mischievousness in his voice.
“And that would get me out of trouble! You're a genius!” Kasumi cheers as she steps away to take a seat and follow her senpai's instructions. Goro does his best to hide his smug smile, but Kasumi's energy is surely infectious as he just chuckles to himself, his chest puffed up in pride. Sumire sighs, signaling that she's given up as the voice of reason and instead takes a seat by her sister to help the illusion that they'd been waiting there.
“Even if you're suggesting we lie, thank you for at least guiding us here Akechi-senpai.” Sumire starts as Kasumi looks away from her phone, delighted she might get out of trouble, and then looks at the upperclassman as well. “Mhm! Thank you so much!” she adds before she gets a message back that their tutor would be out soon and apologizes for not coming out earlier, making her snort.
“It worked!”
“It did?” Sumire asks in disbelief, eyes narrowing at Kasumi for a bit as she proceeds to scold her. “It's your first meeting, so they'll be lenient this time. Just don't lie or do something like this again Kas!” Then her gaze softens when facing Goro with a ghost of a smile. “Thanks Akechi-senpai for all your help.”
“You'll be seeing more of me around after school, so don't be a stranger, okay Akechi-senpai?” Kasumi requests with a bright smile, the two waving him goodbye as Goro starts to step away and await Yu back in the front courtyard.
“See you two again, kōhai's.” he addresses as he makes his way back to the main hallway to exit the school.
-
It wasn't long until Yu came back from Shujin to pick him up. He was eager to find out how Goro's day had been, but the boy just felt more tired than anything. It had been some time since he last attended classes, but being surrounded by others his age made him feel like he was a normal kid, not like an orphan, who was abandoned and left alone, but a normal kid with some sort of family at home.
Home, that's right. He had a home now, with Yu. He also had a school life now as Akechi Goro too. He didn't feel different, but he knew he and his outlook on life were starting to change.
For the first time since his mother's death, Goro fell asleep, feeling at peace with his life the way it was now. He was happy, and that's all that's supposed to matter now, right?
-Bonus-
“Hello? Uncle Dojima, it's Yu.”
It was Sunday morning, and Goro was working on his homework while the latest episode of Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory played on the living room television but his interest lied on what Yu was doing. After debating with himself for a bit, he decided he was too curious and decided to abandon his work for now to eavesdrop on his guardian, who was on the phone while resting on the kitchen's island counter table.
“Yeah, yeah. I'm doing fine. How's Nanako doing?”
Looks like they were just doing general pleasantries, and here he had thought he'd get to hear something interesting. Guess he should head back to doing his homewo--!!
“That's great to hear! I'm glad everything's going okay over in Inaba. Speaking of that, would you be willing to let me come stay over during Golden Week?”
Goro noticed as Yu's face lit up only moments after asking before he spoke again.
“Yes! Yes of course. Alright. I'll see you then.”
“Ah? You're welcome uncle, but why wouldn't I call ahead to check with you?”
“Oh, right, my mom. Don't worry. I'll call you before I make plans to come back to Inaba anytime soon.”
Yu looked like he was about to hang up before he remembered something.
“Uncle, I'm going to have someone coming with me. I'll explain it when I get there since it's a bit of a long story, but don't tell Nanako. They're kind of a surprise for each other.”
By someone, Goro guesses Yu meant him, but being a surprise is something he's curious about. He could pester Yu about what he meant, but that would not only ruin the surprise for Nanako...whoever they may be, but also admit he had been listening in on his phonecall. Judging by the fondness in Yu's eyes as he's speaking to his relative on the phone, they must be important to him.
Goro would figure out some other time. Right now, Featherman V was on TV right now, and he missed the normalcy of what Neo Featherman meant to him for so long, so he wasn't going to miss its new incarnation now that he was starting anew. Featherman V awaits him!