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Akira took a lot of afternoon naps, Ann noticed.
The first time Ann saw it happen was the day Akira was transferred to Shujin. To be honest, she didn’t pay him much attention at first. She couldn’t care less about a transfer student with a criminal record sitting behind her when she had to worry about Kamoshida constantly breathing down her neck. So as Ann turned around in her seat to pass out some assignment paper to her new classmate, her mind was busy making up excuses to turn down the pervy teacher’s annoying advances, and the last thing she expected to see was Kurusu nodding off with his head propped up on one elbow on the desk.
Seriously? Dozing off on your first day after coming in late? Annoyed, she had put down the stack of paper on his desk with more force than necessary, startling him out of his daze.
“…Thanks, Takamaki-san,” he had straightened up immediately and murmured to her.
At that time, she figured it was a befitting act for an alleged delinquent.
But as the two of them got to know each other after Ann stumbled into Kamoshida’s Palace and became a part of the Phantom Thieves, she discovered not only was Akira wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he was in fact a sweet, mild-mannered guy, a far cry from all the nasty rumors surrounding him. That was when her initial annoyance at his little napping habit turned into amusement.
Now, she didn’t even need to turn around or sneak a glance at Akira to tell whenever he was dozing off in class; the steady breathing coming from behind was a giveaway. It was a miracle the only teacher who ever called him out was Ushimaru. Ann was quite certain Kawakami had noticed too, but for some reason she would always turn a blind eye on his behavior.
As time went by, Ann noticed Akira’s quick naps were not limited to school time. He would doze off whenever he could, like on a train ride (if he could find a seat), during their group study session at a Shibuya diner, and when the Thieves were hanging out in LeBlanc.
At one point, Ann had started to worry Akira dropping off so often was a direct result of his exhaustion from juggling school work, several part-time jobs, commitments with Confidants and the Phantom Thieves activities. A quick chat with Morgana confirmed her guess was right, but the feline had assured her not to worry too much.
“I always make sure he doesn’t stay up too late. You can count on me, Lady Ann!” Morgana had told her with pride, and Ann had scratched his chin in appreciation.
She couldn’t leave it at that and do nothing though. She’d thought of talking to Akira about easing up on the side jobs and delegating some of the Thieves errands to her or Ryuji, but knowing Akira, she had a feeling he would just insist he was fine and brush off of the subject.
That meant she had to take an indirect approach.
So from then on, whenever she caught Akira dozing off, she’d do everything she could to make sure his well-deserved rest wasn’t disturbed. Like using her body to shield his sleeping frame from the teacher during class. Like jotting down everything the teacher was saying and making sure her writing on the notes wasn’t too messy for Akira to read later. Like fending off anyone who tried to wake him up.
Which was what she was doing right now.
With the last class of the day finally over, Ann turned around to find Akira, as expected, asleep on the desk. She stood up to peek into his drawer and found a napping Morgana there. Smiling fondly, Ann took a moment to look at the cat, then at her raven-haired friend. Facing the windows and snoring lightly, Akira’s expression was mellow and innocent. The late afternoon sunlight was lighting up his features like a warm blanket.
And then it hit her. Akira didn’t take quick naps just because he needed them. He napped because he enjoyed it. Like a cat who loved bathing under the sun.
“Hey, Takamaki, Kurusu…?” A cheerful voice brought Ann out of her thoughts. She whirled around to find Mishima standing there.
“Shhhh, he’s sleeping…!” Ann whispered.
“Err, but I-I need to talk to him about…you know…certain business.”
“Not now, Mishima, I’ll tell him to go find you later,” Ann shooed him off. “Let him sleep for a while longer.” The other pouted but docilely walked away, so she turned her attention back to her sleeping friend.
“Don’t worry, Akira,” she said softly. “I won’t let anyone disturb your catnap.” And she took out her phone to snap a photo of him lounging leisurely in sunshine.