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Everyone assumed Morgana loved fatty tuna because he always nagged Akira for sashimi or sushi takeout whenever given the chance.
Well, he did like it. But that wasn’t the only reason behind his constant request for the food. You see, Morgana wasn’t really a cat, but a human being stuck inside a feline body. Even if he was, cats, contradictory to popular belief, did know how to appreciate dishes other than gnawing at tasty raw fish.
Anyway, he didn’t ask for fatty tuna only for himself; he did it for both himself and Akira. The truth was, Akira loved the costly delicacies as much as Morgana did. Even though the leader had never said it out loud, Morgana could see for himself – the clues were hard to miss with him constantly perching on the teenager’s shoulder: it was the way Akira swallowed hard at the sight of the cuisine, the way his eyes lingered a few seconds longer whenever they walked past a sushi restaurant, even if it was just one of those affordable conveyor belt places.
Morgana was surprised Ryuji and the others never noticed the leader’s telltale signs (and Ryuji dared to call himself Akira’s best friend!?), but then again, Akira had always been good at hiding his thoughts and preferences.
Nothing could escape Morgana’s observation, though. Not how Akira’s face lit up during those few times when they went to that high-end sushi restaurant in Ginza, one as a celebration after the Phantom Thieves changed Kaneshiro’s heart, another as Boss’s treat to Akira and Futaba on the last day of summer holiday. With a giddy glint in his eyes visible even through the glasses, Akira was like a cat who found and caught its prey. And as Morgana watched Akira took the whole piece of fatty tuna sushi in a single bite with his eyes closed and chewed on it intently to savor every taste in his mouth, his expression blissful the whole time, the non-feline knew for sure Akira was as addicted to the food as Morgana was, if not more so.
Needless to say, Morgana fully approved of Akira’s taste. Because really, who wouldn’t love some fresh, juicy fish? Morgana could never wrap his head around Ryuji’s liking for ramen, Yusuke’s reliance on bean sprouts, Futaba’s relish of curry and cup noodles, and worst of all, Lady Ann’s fondness for sugary desserts. Not when there are heavenly delicious raw fish out there.
Seriously, have these kids never heard of the importance of a balanced diet? Fish were full of nutrition, with plenty of protein, little fat and relatively few calories. They were the perfect food for a growing teenager and a dynamic Phantom Thief. If Morgana was in charge of the their diet, he would make sure to incorporate fish into the daily regime of every member of the team.
The problem was, Morgana wasn’t the team’s nutritionist, and Akira had never got himself sushi unless Morgana asked for it. The leader’s go-to food, much to the non-cat’s dismay, usually meant curry rice for breakfast, fried noodle bread for lunch at school, and ramen or beef bowl or burger for dinner.
“Why don’t we grab sushi more often?” He had asked Akira one day.
“They aren't cheap, Morgana. Not something a high-school student can afford,” Akira, taking a bite of his melon bun as a quick dinner before his shift at the convenience store started, had replied in a tone as if the answer was obvious.
Except Akira wasn’t a typical high school student; he was the leader of the celebrated Phantom Thieves. He might be low on budget during his first two months in Tokyo, but after half a year of Mementos and Palace runs plus working several part-time jobs at least a couple of times a week, Morgana knew for sure he had more than enough money to spare for occasional treats to fancy food.
Akira wasn’t a big spender, though when it came to expenditure related to Metaverse or his friends, he could be rather lavish. The teenager wouldn’t bat an eye when procuring newly released gears and expensive medicines, getting extravagant gifts for his friends, or even treating Yusuke to a decent restaurant.
Meanwhile, the biggest meal he treated himself to was Big Bang Burger’s Cosmo Tower Burger, which wasn’t even fancy food, and the coupons he earned from winning the prize he had given to Yusuke. He’d hardly got himself any new clothes and stuff, just some books and second-hand video games every now and then. The largest sum of money he had spent on himself were the refurbished TV, DVD player and retro game console in his attic, and even those were bought from the thrift shop near LeBlanc at affordable prices.
So naturally, it was up to Morgana to take the matter into his own hands (or paws). He knew it would be nearly impossible to convince Akira to change his spending and eating habits. The easiest way to make the guy grab some food he deserved was by pretending Morgana was the one who wanted it.
And from then on, he made sure to request sushi or sashimi (preferably with fatty tuna) on a regular basis.
Which was what he was doing today. Valentine’s Day. The day after Akira was released from the juvenile hall after ten days of solitary confinement. Ten days without Morgana monitoring his eating pattern.
Ryuji and Yusuke had stopped by LeBlanc in the evening, obviously having no one to spend time with on the day. Boss had taken pity on them and offered to treat the boys to yakiniku for dinner. No one noticed it, but Morgana caught the brief second of disappointment behind his grateful smile when Akira learned they weren’t going to a sushi place.
Morgana followed Akira upstairs to change into his outdoor attire. A glimpse at the teenager’s bare torso was enough to tell the non-feline he had lost some weight, and he knew instantly what needed to be done.
“Hey, everyone got chocolate, what about me?” Morgana asked, leaping into the duffel bag.
“You know chocolate isn’t good for you,” Akira said as he put the bag (and Morgana) on his shoulder.
“Then I’ll gladly take fatty tuna as substitute!”
“We’re going to have yakiniku right now, though.”
“Yakiniku is dinner, fatty tuna is midnight snack!” Morgana yowled.
Akira chuckled, descending the stairs to the café. “Fine. We’ll grab it on our way back, alright?”
As always, Akira made good on his promise, but instead of the usual economic sushi bundle, this time Morgana succeeded in persuading him to buy the pricier sashimi set with plenty of fatty tuna.
“You ate not even half of these,” Akira pointed with his chopsticks when they shared the food in his room later that night.
“Meh, I’m stuffed already,” Morgana licked his paws meticulously. The truth was, he was only about eighty percent full, and he could never grow tired of fatty tuna. But today was about making sure Akira got what he deserved.
“You sure?” Akira asked, his eyebrows raised at his furry friend’s sudden shift in appetite. “There are still plenty of fatty tuna left.”
“Mmhmm,” Morgana made sure to not bat an eye over the offer.
“We shouldn’t waste food, and do you know how much this cost?”
“It wouldn’t go to waste if you finish it for me.”
Akira gave the non-feline a sigh while shaking his head, his expression a mixture of exasperation and fondness. No more words were spoken though. Morgana peeked through the corner of his eyes and saw Akira popped two pieces of fatty tuna sashimi into his mouth, satisfied to see his friend enjoying the food with relish. That cat-like gleam of delight behind his glasses was back once again.
Hah, another mission accomplished.