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An exhausted groan left Ren's mouth as he pulled his shirt back on over his head.
He had finally finished his shift at the beef bowl shop and wow, he was drained. Why on earth was he the only wait staff on duty during the dinner rush? Why did the manager always seem to 'have urgent business to attend to' during the really busy hours at the restaurant?
All of the cooks sent him sympathetic glances from their stations in the kitchen as they watched him rushing around in a panic. Apparently this was a normal occurrence here.
Ren really, really didn't want to work here but he needed a little extra cash right now, thanks to the thieves running out of healing items after an unfortunate run in with the Reaper in Mementos.
The sound of the office door opening behind him startled Ren as he slipped his blazer back on. Grabbing his glasses and pushing them up the bridge of his nose, Ren turned around to find the manager, miraculously free from his 'urgent business' the moment the dinner rush was over…
"Good work tonight. Here's your pay." He bluntly announced as he handed a small stack of yen bills to the teenager.
Ren counted the money. The minimum wage… as usual… even after rushing around doing three people's worth of work.
The manager noticed the trace of a discontented scowl on Ren's face. "Is something the matter?"
Ren panicked. Despite hating the job, he couldn't afford to lose it. He hurriedly came up with an excuse. "Uh, I was just wondering what to do with my uniform. It was pretty hot and I was really busy so it's covered in sweat."
The manager nodded thoughtfully. "In the back room there-" he pointed to a door leading off from the office. "There's a washing machine for the chef's uniforms, just throw it in there and they'll clean it with their laundry at the end of their shift."
Ren hid his annoyance behind his usual poker face. "Understood, thank you, sir."
"Keep up the good work." Was all the manager said before exiting again.
With one last exhausted and irritated huff, Ren shoved his pay into his wallet before slinging his bag over his shoulder and taking his leave.
"Cheer up, Ren… I know you're tired but at least you're heading home now." Morgana murmured as Ren left the beef bowl shop in an attempt to cheer him up.
"Nah, I'm really, really hungry so I'm probably gonna get something to eat before heading back to Leblanc…" Ren muttered back, stretching his aching back.
"Really? But it's getting pretty late."
"Mmm… Ryuji told me there's a really good food truck near the Scramble so I think I'll finally check it out. Then I just get some food and eat it on the way home." Decided Ren, not in the mood to wait around for any longer than he had to.
"Ohhh, yeah, that place he said had really good takoyaki?" Morgana recalled with a thoughtful swish of his tail.
"That's the one. It should be around this corner." Ren replied as he squeezed his way through the late night Shibuya crowds.
Despite having difficulty adapting to the hustle and bustle of the city when he first moved to Tokyo, he had grown accustomed to it by now. If anything, it was probably going to feel strange when he went home and would only pass a small handful of people on his way to school.
As he made his way across the large crossroads, a delicious smell let him know that he was going the right way. After scanning the area, Ren finally spotted a truck emitting a soft orange glow with a small group of people huddled around it.
"Ooh, that smells so good! Get me some too, okay?!" Morgana cheered excitedly as they approached.
"Alright, alright… Let me see what they have and whatever I get, I'll get a large portion." Ren rolled his eyes with an exasperated smirk as he got in line.
He scrolled his eyes down the menu. Everything sounded so delicious… but he finally decided that he was in the mood for some takoyaki. Might as well get a drink too while he was here.
"Next, please."
"Hi, could I get a large portion of your original takoyaki and a uh… Strawberry and lime smoothie, please?" Ren requested politely.
"Coming right up, if you could wait over there so people could walk past, please." The owner stated, pointing to a small area next to a small window in the truck.
"Sure thing."
Ren waited patiently for his food, glancing up at the countless adverts playing in the surrounding area to keep himself amused.
A shiver ran down his spine and his shoulders hunched as a particularly chilly wind blew past. Well, it was early October after all… Now that he thought about it, he would have to start digging out his warmer clothing from his huge box of stuff soon. He couldn't remember if he had remembered to pack everything like hats and scarves and such, but then again… There was a very big chance that his grandmother probably shoved them in while he wasn't looking.
"Thank you for waiting. That'll be ¥1600 please." The middle aged cook called him over to the collection area, carefully placing a box of piping hot takoyaki and the iced drink onto the ledge.
Ren rummaged around in his wallet and pulled out the required money before dropping into the cook's outstretched palm.
"Much obliged."
"Thank you very much, have a nice evening." Ren politely thanked the man for his meal, holding back the drool that threatened to drip down his chin thanks to the delicious smells wafting underneath his nose.
"Thank you, hope you enjoy. Next, please." The cook replied with a content smile before turning his attention to the next customer in line.
Ren's stomach grumbled as he walked away towards the train station. He took a quick sip of his smoothie. The mixture of sweet and sour was a refreshing taste.
"Mmmm~!" The raven haired boy hummed in delight.
"Oh, they look good too! Remember to share!" Morgana reminded Ren, staring wistfully at the octopus balls.
"I know, I know. I'll save you a couple and you can eat them when we get back to Leblanc." Ren chuckled, rolling his eyes until something caught his attention. "Hm?"
"What is it?" Asked Morgana as he followed Ren's gaze.
It was Maruki. He was exiting a fancy restaurant.
Morgana noticed a confused frown on Ren's face. "Does he usually eat in places like that?"
Ren slowly shook his head as he stared intently at his father, taking in every single detail. "No… He only goes to places like that for special occasions… And he's already wearing his coat, why's he holding a second one?"
Morgana looked back at Maruki and realised Ren was right. The chestnut haired man was wearing his usual coat… but he had another coat folded over his arm.
Just as Morgana was about to ponder out loud again, a second person exited the restaurant and took the coat from Maruki.
It was Kawakami.
Ren's frown grew bigger along with his confusion. "The hell…?"
The boy and his cat watched as Maruki put Kawakami's coat on for her and chatted a little bit.
Ren was too far away to hear anything they were saying. Kawakami checked her phone and pointed in another direction. Maruki replied with a bashful smile.
Something about that smile didn't sit right with Ren. The only times he ever saw that smile in particular was when his father was talking to Rumi, his mother.
Then Maruki reached out his hand and took Kawakami's hand. The two intertwined their fingers as they began to walk away.
Ren's mouth fell open in disbelief as he witnessed his father giving Kawakami a kiss on the cheek.
… What the hell?
Turning around and continuing on his way, Ren walked to his required platform in a daze.
Seriously, what the hell?
"Uh, Ren? You okay?" Morgana cautiously asked. Ren didn't respond.
Ren had no idea how to feel. A weird, confusing mixture of emotions was swirling around in his chest.
He was shocked.
He was bemused.
He was angry.
He was upset.
He was hurt.
He was… He didn't know…
Not even the delicious taste of his dinner was enough to soothe the emotional whirlwind that was stirring around inside of him.
"Ren, it's been an hour, can you please say something?" Morgana huffed, flicking his tail in irritation.
The two of them had returned home, said a quick hello to Sojiro and gave him some of their takoyaki before making their way upstairs and enjoying their meal. But even after all that, Ren barely said a word.
"What am I supposed to say?" Ren muttered as he swiped through social media on his phone.
"I dunno… Maybe just talk about how you feel?"
A sigh left Ren's mouth as he sat up and looked at Morgana.
"I don't know, okay?! I just saw my dad on a date with my homeroom teacher, how the hell am I supposed to feel?!" He snapped. Morgana flinched back in surprise.
Ren never had outbursts like that. He must have been really shaken up by their discovery.
"Look, I know it's weird from your point of view but let's think rationally about this, okay? He looked really, really happy…" Morgana tried to get Ren to see reason.
"No matter how you look at it, it's weird! I mean, he was happily married and said he'd always be in love with mum! And now all of a sudden he's got a girlfriend?!" Ren whined, expressing a strange mix of anger, annoyance and sadness.
Morgana raised an eyebrow. He had never seen Ren act so… childishly. It was like he was throwing a tantrum.
"Yeah, I get that but c'mon Ren… Your mum died years ago, it's only natural that he'd move on eventually."
"No."
"Yes."
"No, that's so selfish of him, why the hell does he get to forget about her?"
"Ren, you're the one being selfish… Seriously, you're usually way more composed than this."
Ren clicked his tongue and flopped back onto his side. "Whatever…"
"Seriously? Now you're sulking?"
"I'm not sulking, I'm just pissed." Ren shot back as he buried his face into his pillow. "Why now of all times…?"
"Alright, everyone, settle down. I've got a few announcements to make so let's get this roll call over with as quickly as possible." Kawakami pleaded as she entered the classroom.
The entire classroom fell silent and looked at her. Everyone except one student. Ren was staring out of the window. Kawakami noted the large bags under his eyes.
"Thank you. Okay then…"
Kawakami opened up the register, picking up her nearby pen and readying it above the page.
"Hibiki Akabane?"
"Here."
"Nagisa Akiyama?"
"Here."
"Ren Amamiya?"
"Here."
Kawakami couldn't help but glance over at him as he responded. He had a strange tone of his voice… She wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Akiko Eguchi?"
"Here."
As the teacher continued down the list, ticking off each student as they answered her, she noticed Ren's mouth moving. Was he talking to himself? Why was he looking down at his desk?
"Yuuki Mishima?"
"Here."
She glanced back over at Amamiya to find his blonde friend checking up on him.
"Ann Takamaki?"
"H-Here!"
The pigtailed girl awkwardly flinched and faced back to the front after realising that she'd been caught talking. The rest of the class started giggling.
"Settle down! Atsushi Tomokawa?"
"Here."
The chorus of names being called and bored voices replying with 'here' continued until Kawakami finally reached the last student. After receiving a response, a content puff left her mouth.
"Full attendance. Perfect." She placed the attendance folder onto her desk before turning back to her class and beginning her announcements.
"First of all, I know you're sick of hearing it, but the police are back in the school to continue their investigation so stay out of their way, watch what you say, etcetera, etcetera, you know what I mean."
Groans of annoyance and disgust echoed throughout the classroom. They found the drama of the whole situation exciting at first, but now all of the students were sick of the constant questions and scrutiny. Besides, it's not like any of them were really grieving the principal; he was one of the main people who made their lives a misery after all.
"Second of all, some clubs have been cancelled this week, thanks to the investigation so be sure to check the list outside the faculty office to see if yours is still running. And lastly, the school shopkeepers have been complaining of students fighting over the limited number snacks. Just don't do that please… You're all young adults now, don't fight over a yakisoba pan…"
Small pockets of the students started giggling at that announcement. Kawakami let out a tired sigh. The things she had to remind her students to do…
"Anyway… With those announcements out of the way, let's get on with the lesson. First, we're going to continue our reading of No Longer Human before moving on to your questions, so I hope you remembered to bring your copies."
As all of the students began rummaging around in their bags, some looking a little nervous as they searched, Kawakami glanced back over at Ren. He was always a little quiet but there was something different about him today… He seemed… sad?
An awkward voice distracted her from those thoughts as a hand raised from the opposite side of the room. "U-Um… Sensei?"
Kawakami pinched the bridge of her nose. "Saihara-san, you didn't forget your copy again, did you?"
"U-Uh, maybe?" The girl chuckled quietly.
"Alright… Kageyama-kun, could you share your copy with her for this session please? But, Saihara-san, if you forget one more time, I will have to give you a lunchtime detention."
"Yes, Sensei…" the girl mumbled as the boy sat to her left, slid his book across his desk so she could read it.
"Alright, now if you remember, last week we read the section where-"
The chimes of the lunchtime bell sounded out throughout the school.
Takuto leaned back in his chair with a tired grunt as he lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes, listening to the hustle and bustle of students racing to get food through the hallways.
Today had been another busy day with the police prowling around the campus. Takuto couldn't help but be anxious, after all he knew his son and his friends were the phantom thieves these officers were searching for…
When questioned, he only gave vague responses which wasn't all that difficult given that Takuto didn't really know a whole lot about the principal. The only thing he found hard was hiding his distaste for the man who covered up the crimes of his abusive, predatory employee.
The thing that concerned him though, was that they apparently found a calling card in the principal's office… It clearly wasn't sent from Ren or the rest of his group; they had no reason to target Kobayakawa. There wasn't any point in targeting him. That man as good as lost all of his power in the school when Kamoshida confessed to his crimes. After all, who would respect a man who turned a blind eye to such atrocities?
But… if the phantom thieves didn't send that calling card, that meant someone within the police force was framing them… and that thought terrified Takuto.
He still remembered the phone call from his mother, telling him that Ren had been arrested. He felt sick that he couldn't do anything to help, after all his job at the time required him to live in Tokyo while he didn't want to disrupt Ren's studies by forcing him to move… Fat lot of good that decision did after all was said and done…
He remembered how his mother told him that Ren had just kind of shut down during the whole experience and how the stories from the people who lived on that street were different to the one the police told.
A stressed huff escaped Takuto's lips as he tried to think of a way to help. He didn't want to tell Ren that he knew; that would probably just make the boy worry… If he tried to sway the investigation, he'd just draw suspicions to himself and that wouldn't help anybody… Hmm…
A quiet but sturdy knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in!"
The door was gently pulled open and then closed again as Kawakami entered holding a cup of tea.
"Hey, I figured you could use a drink." She offered the cup to the bearded man. Takuto took the hot drink with a grateful smile.
"Thank you, that's lovely."
Kawakami sat herself on the sofa next to Takuto. "You doing okay?"
Takuto chuckled tiredly. "It's certainly been… a day."
"It sure has." Kawakami scoffed back with a glance towards the door. "I'm really sick and tired of these constant interrogations…"
"Everyone is…" Takuto sighed as he took a sip of his drink. "Mmm, lovely tea. Where was I? Oh right, everyone's sick of it, you can feel it in the building's atmosphere; everyone's either drained of energy or on high alert… It's fatiguing."
Kawakami nodded in understanding. She knew exactly what he meant. The amount of students she had to help work through their anxiety surrounding the situation was ridiculous. It was honestly rather upsetting as well.
"Yeah… I saw Chouno-sensei giving one of the officers a piece of her mind earlier because they'd cornered a couple of students for questioning."
"Good for her."
"I know, right? She reminded them of the agreement that they only question students at the assigned times in the student council room."
"While she can be a little too pushy at times, you have to admit that she uses her confrontational side to the best of her ability." Takuto remarked, glad to hear that at least some of the teachers were sticking up for their students.
"Yeah, she's a bit too nosey for my liking but she's a damn good teacher." Agreed Kawakami, helping herself to the box of cookies on the table in front of her.
Glancing back over at Takuto, she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, could I ask you something?"
"Hm? Sure, fire away."
"It's about Amamiya-kun."
"Did Ren do something wrong?"
"No, no! It's just… he's been a lot quieter than usual today and he just looks… kinda sad. Is there something going on? I couldn't help but worry a little bit."
Takuto's eyebrows knitted together as he let out a thoughtful hum. Kawakami couldn't help but quietly giggle to herself. The chestnut haired man was quite adorable when lost in thought, especially when he was thinking hard. His nose would always scrunch up as he stared intently at one random space in front of him.
Absent-mindedly checking his phone as he considered any possible causes for Ren's upset, Takuto's eyebrows raised. "Ahh… Yeah, I know why."
Kawakami tilted her head in confusion. "Is everything alright?"
Takuto gestured to the date displayed on his phone's screen. "It's getting close to mine and Rumi's wedding anniversary… Ren always gets this way during early February and mid October… Just give him some time to himself for the next couple of weeks and he'll be fine."
Everything suddenly made a lot more sense to Kawakami. "I see… How many years would you and Rumi have been married this year?"
Takuto subconsciously twirled his wedding ring around his finger as he counted. "About twelve years."
Kawakami silently nodded.
She couldn't really relate to what they were going through. Sure, she'd experienced the death of people around her before… She was constantly reminded of that experience by those two demons… but she'd never lost a family member before, especially such a closely related family member.
Although, there was something on her mind.
"So… I've been wondering something lately…"
"Mm-hm?"
"Am I… similar to Rumi…?" She cautiously asked, hoping not to offend Takuto with her query.
Takuto didn't seem offended in the slightest as he gazed at her with a thoughtful expression. "Mmm… Not really, no. The only things you really have in common with her is your sarcasm and the fact that you scold me for working too much."
Kawakami couldn't help but giggle at that comment. "If you've been scolded for that years ago, why do you still do it?"
Takuto raised his hands in defeat as he didn't really have an argument for that.
His smirk fell into a more serious expression as he looked the fluffy haired woman in the eyes. "Sadayo… I don't see you as a replacement for Rumi… You know that, right?"
Kawakami flinched. "Yeah! Yeah, of course I know! Sorry for such a stupid question, I didn't mean to make things awkward-"
"It's fine, don't worry about it. I mean, it's only natural those thoughts will pop up at some point. I know you didn't mean anything vicious by it."
"Mm." Kawakami awkwardly hummed as she looked down at her lap. Takuto reached over, taking her hand into his and causing her to look back up at him.
"I really mean it, you know. I'm glad I met you, life's been a hell of a lot brighter since we started dating. You're special to me."
The sincerity in his voice and the softness of his eyes made Kawakami's cheeks flush a deep pink. She couldn't help but look away. This man…
"Y-Yeah… I feel the same way about you…" Was all she could bashfully stutter in response. She'd never had a serious relationship before, she didn't know how she was supposed to respond!
Takuto just laughed lovingly before leaning in closer and planting a quick kiss on Sadayo's lips. The brown haired woman quickly gave him a gentle smack on the shoulder.
"Hey! Not at work!" She hurriedly scolded him with a whisper. Takuto laughed again as a small, cheeky smirk spread across his face.
"Sorry, couldn't help myself."
Sadayo shook her head as her cheeks turned from pink to red. This man…
Just as she was about to scold him again, the bell signalling next period rang. Grabbing a small handful of cookies to take with her, Sadayo stood up.
"Well, I should be heading back to class…" She murmured, fanning her heated cheeks as she walked towards the door.
"Hey." Takuto's voice made her stop and glance back at him. "You've got all those assignments you need to grade for tomorrow, don't you? Do you want me to come round yours and help out?"
Sadayo smiled brightly at him. "That would be great, thanks. I could order some takeout for us and I'm sure I've got a couple of beers in the fridge."
"Sounds good, sooo see you at eight?"
An excited smirk appeared on the teacher's face as she opened the door and stepped through.
"Sounds perfect. See you then, sweetheart."
"See you tomorrow, Maruki-sensei!" A small group of first year girls called out to him as they made their way towards the school's front entrance.
"Stay safe on your way home, okay?" He replied with his usual soft smile. The sound of their bashful giggling quietened as they walked away.
Takuto stopped briefly to get a better grip on the stack of folders in his arms before continuing on his way. The flood of students leaving the school was a lot larger than usual, thanks to the cancelled clubs. The bearded man made sure to keep close to the walls so he could stay out of their way.
Luckily all of the investigations had ended for the day, so that was at least something. Takuto decided that it would be best if he stayed a little longer than usual today, just in case any students were unnerved by today's events.
It would be okay, right? Stay until six, get the train home, shower and change clothes, then head to Sadayo's apartment… Yeah, that should work.
Letting out an accomplished huff for planning out his evening, Takuto lifted his head to find Ren walking down the hallway. Wow… Sadayo was right… He really did look down in the dumps. The teenager was staring down at his phone with tired eyes as he sluggishly made his way through the hallways.
Takuto decided to quickly check up on him. "Hey, Ren-Ren, you doing okay? Been so busy, I haven't actually seen you all day!"
Ren flinched, suddenly made aware of his father's presence. His hand lowered to reveal his attention had been preoccupied by a game.
His eyes quickly wandered away from Takuto.
"...'m fine."
"Good, good. Did you get interviewed by the police when they were here?"
"No."
"Okay, that's good. Make sure you keep a low profile, okay? They won't go easy on you because of your record, so-"
"I get it already, you've told me that a thousand times." Ren huffed with an irritated scowl as he carried on walking past his father.
Takuto's eyes widened as a stunned expression overtook his face.
Just what was that about...? Sure, Ren had his moments, most teenagers do, but he was never like this.
"Ren." Takuto called out in The Voice.
Ren froze in his tracks. Even at sixteen, he still dreaded that tone.
"Come back here, young man."
Ren's head turned slightly as he considered his options.
"Now."
Ren conceded defeat, sighing as he turned around and shuffled back over to his father, avoiding eye contact the whole time.
"What?"
Takuto raised his eyebrows as he stared into his son. "What on earth is this attitude about?"
Ren remained silent.
Takuto tilted his head knowingly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Mumbled Ren, ignoring the argumentative fidgeting from Morgana in his school bag.
"There clearly is, otherwise you wouldn't be sulking."
"'m not sulking…"
The chestnut haired man raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh really? What's with the huffing and puffing then?"
"What do you want?" Ren tutted, annoyed by the childish treatment.
Takuto took a deep breath to soothe the irritation he felt from his son's current rude and abrasive nature.
"What I want is for you to calmly and maturely tell me what is wrong? I know you're not usually like this, so obviously something is bothering you. C'mon, talk to me."
Ren's scowl grew as his eyes wandered down from the wall to the floor. Why was he refusing to look at Takuto? He clearly had no intention to talk.
"... Fine. I get it. Just remember that if you change your mind and do want to talk about what's bothering you, I'm right here." The father eventually gave up. Ren could be surprisingly stubborn at times.
"Hm."
"U-Um…" A third voice distracted the father and son. The two turned to find Haru awkwardly stood behind them. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, not at all! Can I help you with something, Okumura-san?" Takuto greeted her with a cheery smile.
The fluffy haired girl shook her hands gently. "No, I was actually looking for Ren-kun."
"What's up?" Asked Ren.
Takuto noted the boy's softened expression. Huh…
"I was just wondering if you could help me with my garden. Some new soil got delivered and I'm having some trouble carrying it up to the roof…" Haru explained with an apologetic smile.
"Sure thing, I haven't got anything else going." Ren almost immediately agreed, rolling up his sleeves as he walked over to Haru.
"Thanks so much! Ryuji's helping me too! The three of us could tend to the garden together!" Exclaimed Haru excitedly.
A small smile spread across Ren's face as the two of them walked towards the front of the school to collect the soil.
"Sounds great. If you want, you two could come back to Leblanc with me when we're done; I'll make you both some curry." Ren offered with his usual friendly demeanor.
"Ooh! That sounds lovely! Would I be able to ask Boss some questions about coffee blends as well? I've been wanting to learn about the more acidic blends and how they-"
Haru's enthusiastic voice blended into the chatter of the rest of the students as the two rounded the corner and disappeared from Takuto's view.
The chestnut haired man's brow furrowed as he pondered that conversation.
Ren was perfectly normal when talking to Haru, Sadayo said he'd been quieter than usual and just plain sad throughout the day, but when speaking with him, Ren was downright pissed off.
"Have I done something to upset him…?" He muttered to himself as he continued on his way to the nurse's office.
When considering those circumstances, the only conclusion Takuto could come to was that Ren was angry with him, but… Why? Takuto couldn't think of anything that he had done that would upset Ren… And he was perfectly fine yesterday afternoon… If he had done something to annoy Ren, it would have had to happen either yesterday evening or this morning… But he hadn't seen Ren at all during that time…
Shaking his head, Takuto decided to focus on his job for the time being and headed back to where students knew to find him.
"-I just keep wracking my brain and nothing comes to mind! I don't know what I did but he is clearly pissed at me!" Takuto vented to his girlfriend as they sat on her sofa, a large pile of papers between them.
Sadayo flashed a sympathetic smile as she placed another sheet onto the 'Marked' pile and grabbed the next from the 'Unmarked' pile.
"I had a feeling something was wrong but I didn't realise it was to this extent. I just thought he seemed quieter than usual… and considering how quiet he usually is, it was a little unnerving."
A sigh flooded from Takuto's mouth as he grabbed his beer can and took a careful sip. "I know what you mean… He's always been like that."
Takuto continued his marking of the students' tests, referring to the marking guide whenever he was unsure and trying to be as generous as the guide would allow.
Tapping her pen against her chin, Sadayo glanced at Takuto with a curious expression.
"So have you and Am-... Ren-kun never had an argument, then?"
The chestnut haired man immediately looked back with an incredulous look. "Oh god no, we've had plenty of arguments throughout the years, all families do. Ren may seem mature but he's not above sulking occasionally; he is a teenager after all."
Takuto paused as he finished his marking and grabbed a new sheet. "It's just all the previous times, I've had an idea of what was upsetting him and was able to find a way to resolve the issue… But this time, I just don't know… And it doesn't help that this is such a sensitive time of the year for him too…"
Sadayo nodded understandingly, writing some notes to help a student fix their mistakes as she pondered the situation.
"Maybe he's just having one of those phases where he's just really irritable for no reason? I had those all the time growing up. Maybe bumping into you when he was trying to go home was just the last little thing that pushed him over the edge?"
Takuto raised an eyebrow and frowned as he considered those options. That reaction to seeing him was too targeted to just be general irritation… After all, he was perfectly fine when talking to Okumura.
Another thought hit the teacher as she took a quick mouthful of her beer. "Maybe it's just stress? Everyone's been on edge lately and I can't imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to have police constantly around and interviewing everyone when you're on probation…"
Takuto nodded gently with a conflicted expression. That did sound plausible and Ren did snap at him when he was reminding him to be cautious of the police… But… He just couldn't shake the feeling that there was a different reason… He just needed to figure it out.
The counsellor was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his stomach growling. Sadayo couldn't help but glance over in surprise at how loud it was.
The bespectacled man awkwardly chuckled. "You ordered a pizza, right? Any idea of when it will get here?"
Placing down her pen, Sadayo grabbed her phone and checked the time as she unlocked it. "I ordered it half an hour ago and it's coming from that place in Shibuya so it should be here soon…" She trailed off as she checked their order's status on the app she ordered from. "Yeah, it says here that it's on the way, so hopefully it gets here soon and doesn't get stolen by a hungry driver again…"
Takuto's eyes widened. "Has that actually happened to you?!"
Sadayo breathed out a short laugh as she placed her phone back onto the table. "Yeah! And he had the balls to eat it outside! I got the message saying that I had refused delivery and looked outside to check, y'know just in case I didn't hear them knock or something, and this guy's sat in his car, still in uniform and just going to town on my pizza!"
Takuto laughed in disbelief. "Wow… Did you get a refund?"
"Yeah. I mean, I don't really like to call and complain about stuff but I felt like I had to after something like that…"
"Understandably."
"Yeah… I got an apology from the manager, a replacement pizza, a free drink and I think the guy got fired…"
"Well, if he was going around stealing the pizzas that he was hired to deliver, I'm not really surprised."
"True, true… You ever have anything like that happen to you?"
Leaning back into the sofa, Takuto wracked his brain to remember. "I never had anyone steal or sneak a bite of my food or anything, but I had a guy drop our food on our driveway before."
"Deliberately or accidentally?"
"It was an accident. We ordered… I think it was also pizza actually and uh… Our neighbour had a really excitable dog. You know the type: really friendly but they get a bit overzealous and need to calm down a bit."
Sadayo nodded in confirmation as Takuto continued.
"Yeah, um, the dog saw the guy walking up our driveway and got really excited about the new person so they ran to the fence and barked at him. The poor guy didn't see the dog and got spooked by the barking and ended up dropping the pizza. He had to go back to the store and get a replacement."
"Oh, that sucks…"
"Yeah, and the manager at that place was well-known for taking any excuse to cut his workers' wages so I made sure to tip the delivery guy really well for all the trouble."
"That was nice of you, babe."
"Anyone would have done the same."
Sadayo scrunched her face up in disagreement. "Mm… I've seen many people who would prove you wrong about that one…"
"... Anyone decent would have done the same."
"There you go." Sadayo giggled, shooting Takuto a little finger gun.
The couple carried on with their small talk as they graded the papers. The late evening crowds who decided to eat out for dinner tonight were making their way to their restaurants of choice, chattering away as they wandered down the street. The streetlights were glowing softly down onto the dark roads while the cars drove past at a steady pace.
It was a calming ambience within the small apartment and the company of her boyfriend seemed to be making Sadayo's workflow go at a much smoother pace.
Until Takuto came across a paper that just stumped him.
"Uh… Sadayo?"
"Yeah?"
Sadayo glanced over at Takuto as he displayed the essay that had left him clueless. It was written by a problem child in Class 2-B. An essay titled "The Use Of Minimalism in Literature and Poetry"
… Aside from the title, the whole page was blank.
Huffing out an unimpressed sigh and rolling her eyes, Sadayo snatched the paper from Takuto and proceeded to label it with a large F.
"They think they're soooo clever… Seriously, it's funny the first time you see it but then you realise that every year there's a handful of smartasses that don't seem to realise that in order to get a mark on an essay, you need to actually write an essay…"
"Yeah… I had a few people like that in my class at school…" Chuckled Takuto as he watched Sadayo scribble down her notes for the student.
"Honestly, I don't mind the students that own up to it and accept the grade they're given, it's the ones who argue that they deserve a higher grade that annoy me…"
"Do they expect to get an A by writing absolutely nothing…?"
"That's exactly my point! Drives me insane…" Sadayo sighed as she went to take another sip of her drink, only to discover the can was empty.
"Do you want another beer?" She asked, standing up from the sofa.
Takuto shook his can to find out that his drink was also empty. He reached up and handed it to Sadayo. "Oh, yes please."
"Oka- Wait, you didn't drive here, did you?" Sadayo hurriedly enquired as the thought hit her.
She personally wouldn't mind letting him stay the night but they weren't exactly public with their relationship yet. She didn't want to risk any rumours going around.
Takuto smiled. "No, I used the subway. And besides, I was only planning on drinking a can or two, I'm fine."
Sadayo smiled back in relief. "Alright, good to know, I was just making sure."
"Well, thank you for caring about my safety." Takuto chuckled softly as he continued working on the slowly decreasing tower of essays in need of marking.
Sadayo couldn't help but giggle to herself as she placed the empty cans in the recycling bin and grabbed two more from the fridge. It was funny… At the beginning of the year, she couldn't even imagine being in a relationship and yet she was now.
Hopefully that meant her parents would stop pressuring her into 'Marriage interviews'... Actually that reminded her, she hadn't told her parents about Takuto yet. They had planned on keeping their relationship a secret until they had decided on whether they were serious or not.
It felt pretty serious to her.
She felt her cheeks flush a bright red as she thought that and quickly stuck her head closer to the fridge to cool her face down.
Takuto glanced over at her in confusion.
"You okay, Sadayo?"
"Yep!"
What the hell was that?! She was like a lovestruck preteen girl! She tightened her grip on the beers and cleared her throat as she tried to get ahold of herself.
Gently slamming the fridge door shut, another thought entered her mind. It wasn't just her parents they hadn't told about the relationship yet.
"By the way, I've been wondering about something…" She announced as she handed the second beercan to Takuto.
The chestnut haired man watched her sit down as he cautiously opened his drink. "Thank you… So what's up?"
"I'm thinking of maybe telling my parents about us… If you'd be okay with that, of course. But, I was just wondering, have you thought about telling Ren-kun about us yet?"
Takuto's brow furrowed into a thoughtful frown as he took a long slurp of his drink.
Sadayo clenched onto her can anxiously as she waited for him to swallow and answer.
A quiet sigh left Takuto's mouth as he finally replied. "I've been thinking about it… I don't really know if now would be the best time."
"Oh! No, no! I didn't mean like right now, that wouldn't be fair, I meant more along the lines of 'has the thought crossed your mind?' type of deal, y'know?!" Sadayo awkwardly tried to explain her reasoning.
"No, yeah, I know what you meant!" Takuto hurriedly reassured her before explaining himself. "I have been thinking about it for a month now and I do want to tell him soon, after all I think he deserves to know about something like this. But now isn't a good time, what with… you know… Plus I don't really know how to tell him, I mean, I can't even imagine how weird that must be to hear that your dad is dating your teacher…"
The brunette nodded in agreement. The idea of that made her cringe even as an adult, for a teenager it must be even worse.
"I think maybe December would be a good time… It's a couple of months away from any reminders of the past and hopefully we'll be able to talk about this over Winter break." Takuto suggested as he absent-mindedly twirled his pen around his fingers.
"Wow, you really planned this out." Gasped Sadayo in surprise.
"It's been on my mind for a while…" Takuto replied with a shy chuckle. He fell silent before sharing a concern of his own. "... Are you sure your parents would like me?"
Sadayo couldn't help but laugh at how adorable Takuto was right now.
"Of course, they would! Trust me, Takuto, they'd love you. My mum's been pressuring me to find someone for the last couple of years and my dad will just be thrilled to know that I managed to find a decent guy." She assured him as she gently patted his shoulder.
Takuto smiled back at her bashfully. "Thanks, sweetheart…"
"You've met your partner's parents before, surely it won't be as scary now that you're older?"
All Takuto could do was raise his eyebrows and shoot Sadayo a look.
"That scary?"
"Terrifying, the entire time you worry about what they think about every little thing you do, say and wear… And then the thoughts of 'What if they don't think I'm good enough for their daughter?' start to pop up… It's not a fun experience…"
Sadayo just smiled awkwardly as she listened to that description. "But, what did Rumi's parents think of you?"
"We got along really well, her dad said that I was considered part of the family before we were even engaged."
"And there you go, you've already got proof that there's nothing to be scared of when meeting the parents." Smirked Sadayo.
Takuto's eyes widened as he realised what she had done.
"... Well played."
"I know."
As Takuto prepared to fire back, the doorbell rang.
"Ooh, that should be the pizza!" Sadayo remarked.
"I'll get it." Announced Takuto as he stood up and walked towards the front door.
"I already paid for it on the app!" Sadayo informed him as he disappeared around the corner.
"Good to know!"
Sadayo turned her attention back to the papers that she had somewhat forgotten about during that serious conversation. She continued working on her task, trying her best to suppress the giddy grin that was spreading across her face.
It was just such a huge relief - and honestly flattering - that Takuto felt the same way about their relationship that she did. Was she even allowed to be this happy? Seriously, the way she felt right now made her understand the expression 'Over the moon' perfectly.
Those thoughts were quickly put to an end when Takuto peeked back out round the corner, pizza box in hand.
"You hungry?" He asked with a smirk.
Sadayo smiled back.
"Starving!"
The subtle sound of a pen scraping against paper could be only just heard in the attic of Leblanc as Ren wrote the final few paragraphs of his homework, music softly emanating from his phone to help him stay focused.
Morgana was sat on the windowsill, letting the late evening breeze wash over his fur as he watched Ren.
The two had had a lovely afternoon: helping Haru and Ryuji carry soil up to Haru's garden and tend to all of her plants, many of which were getting close to blooming now. Not to mention harvesting all of the vegetables that were ripe.
Then afterwards, to reward themselves for all their hard work, returning to Leblanc to have a lovely meal of curry and coffee… Or curry and soda in Ryuji's case. They had even brought some of the vegetables with them to give to Sojiro who graciously took them.
And then afterwards, the three teens and the cat went up to Ren's room and played games until it started to get dark so Ryuji and Haru ran off to catch the train. It was a fantastic afternoon.
And that was just the problem.
It was like Ren was just distracting himself from the problem at hand. But having all of the fun in the world won't change the fact that he had a problem he needed to talk to his father about. Hell, putting it off would probably just make it more awkward when it finally came around.
But Ren was seemingly refusing to admit that. The moment Morgana tried to bring it up, Ren simply announced that he had some homework to do and started playing his music… Not very loudly, but still. If he wasn't living in the attic of a café, he probably would have blasted it.
Despite just wanting to help, Morgana accepted that he couldn't force it. Ren would just have to deal with it when the time came. And besides, it's not like he could complain about Ren being a good student and taking care of his schoolwork.
Ren, completely ignoring the stare of his feline friend burning into the back of his head, softly hummed along to his playlist as he referred back to his notes in the textbook for some help with the final paragraph.
The song currently playing happened to be one of his favourites and it was building up to his favourite part. He tapped his fingers against the desk in time with the drums until-
His phone rang.
An extremely irritated huff escaped Ren's mouth. How? How did people always manage to call him when songs were at their best parts? Every damn time?
Grumbling to himself in annoyance, the bespectacled boy picked up his phone to see who had thrown off his groove.
The caller ID read 'Dad'.
Ren let out another huff as he reluctantly picked up. What did he want now? It wasn't gonna be a lecture about this afternoon, was it?
"Hello?"
The only response Ren received was rustling noises.
"Hello?" He answered again, just in case his father didn't hear him.
Morgana came padding over to have a listen too. It sounded like fabrics rubbing against each other. And Ren thought he could hear his dad's muffled voice.
"Maybe it was a buttdial?" Suggested the cat with a curious twitch of his ear.
"Probably…" Sighed Ren, rolling his eyes as he went to hang up the call.
"Are you sure you wanna get the train at this time? You could stay the night, you know?"
Ren's thumb froze just above the button.
That… was Kawakami's voice.
… What the hell was his dad doing at Kawakami's place?
A scowl enveloped his face as he leaned closer to his phone and turned the volume to get a better listen.
Morgana was about to scold him for eavesdropping and invading their privacy, but then an idea hit him. If all parties involved knew that everyone knew… It might speed up the process and let everyone continue with their lives as normal.
Was it the right way to handle it? No. But it was probably a lot easier than trying to persuade Ren to talk to his dad about his feelings.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I appreciate the offer, sweetheart, but it's probably best if I head home. I don't think it would be wise to head to school tomorrow wearing clothes that smell of beer." Takuto's voice echoed out through the phone's speaker.
'Sweetheart'?!
Morgana could see Ren silently seething over the use of a pet name.
"Ahhh, yeah, good call. Are you sure you're gonna be alright to get home though?"
"I'll be fine. I only had two cans of beer. And besides, the beer you buy isn't very strong. I'm just getting a train back and then it's like a five minute walk to my apartment."
"Well, yeah… I just can't help but worry…"
"Do you want me to walk in a straight line, officer?"
"Alright, smartass!"
Ren could hear Kawakami smack Takuto's arm as the two laughed. It had been a while since his dad joked around like that…
"Well, anyway… Thanks again for helping with the grading. Probably would have taken me all night if I did it myself."
"No problem! I was happy to help! Besides, pizza is always a great payment for favours."
"True, true… But really, thank you. I had a really nice night."
"Yeah, I did too…"
Ren squinted suspiciously as it went quiet. What were they doing now? And then he heard it.
They were kissing.
Ren couldn't help but grit his teeth at the sound. His jaw clenched as he listened to his dad and teacher acting like lovesick teenagers.
"Have you got everything you need?" Asked Kawakami.
"I should do." Answered Takuto as the sound of his patting all of his pockets travelled through the phone speaker. "Let's see. Jacket, wallet, keys, pho-... I don't have my phone. Where's my phone?"
"I think you last had it on the sofa." Kawakami suggested.
"Oh great… Knowing me, I probably sat on it and sent it down in between the cushions…" Muttered Takuto.
The muffled noises through the phone grew louder as he began searching through all the cushions. Ren simply stared at his phone with knowing eyes.
"Eh, don't feel bad. I'm always doing that. Ideally I need a new sofa since that one's… y'know old and falling apart. But new sofas are so expensive…"
"Ahhh, yeah, I've been there. If you'd like, I could help you find a new one? There should be some places having sales so you could get one relatively cheap."
"Are you sure? Walking around those huge stores can be a pain."
"Yeah, I'm fine with it. And besides, I- Oh? Aha! Found it!" Takuto announced triumphantly as he pulled out his phone from the plush cavern it was stuck in.
His cheer quickly turned into a nervous silence however.
"... Ren?"
The raven haired boy in question could hear Kawakami gasp in the background.
"Yes?"
"Why are you…?"
"You're the one who called me."
The call went silent as Takuto noticed the call length and pieced together what had happened… and then realised.
And the panic set in.
"L-Look, Ren! It's not that-! I mean, we are-! But I-! That is-! I can explain, okay?!"
His father's frantic scrambling just irritated Ren even more for some reason.
"Don't bother."
Ren hung up.
Turned his phone off.
And then threw himself onto his bed, burying his face into his pillow.
"That was a bit harsh, don't you think, Ren?" Enquired Morgana, worried about how that interaction went.
"Don't even start, Morgana. Not right now." Snapped Ren.
The black cat took the hint.
It was probably better if he let Ren calm down a bit first, let his emotions stop swirling around and figure themselves out, before attempting to talk to him.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, were Takuto and Kawakami, left with the knowledge that they'd been found out. And the question of how they were going to fix this.
The next day at school was… awkward, to say the least.
Ren was clearly in a foul mood. Honestly, if he wasn't on probation and constantly being scrutinized, he probably would have just skipped school. But unfortunately… Ditching would only prove the people who see him as a delinquent right. Not to mention, Sojiro would flip if he heard about it.
Takuto had been cornered by the detectives who were trying to get him to share any details on the students' mental states, despite his frequent reminders that his profession requires confidentiality and it would be wrong for him to do that.
And poor Kawakami had no idea what to do. She wanted to pull Ren aside at break and talk to him… but doing that would just make the other students curious and she didn't want to broadcast his family issues. That wouldn't be fair.
But, and she knew this was silly, there was a persistent thought in the back of her mind that Ren would tell Takuto things to persuade his dad not to date her… After all, there were certain things she hadn't told him yet…
It didn't help the adults that Ren had a talent for disappearing at break and lunchtime. People often described him as plain and he used that to his advantage to blend into the crowds and then find a little hiding place.
In the end, the final bell of the day rang… and no one had done anything to clear up the situation. Kawakami sighed as she made her last announcement before letting the students head out.
"Okay, our next topic in the curriculum is the gothic horror genre, focusing on Western literature. So your homework this time is to research any novel of your choice on the listed books in the textbook and write a report on it. For example, the author, year of release, initial audience response, how does it fit into the genre, etc. It'll be due in next week when we really start looking into the genre so don't worry, it doesn't need to be too detailed."
A tired chorus of "Okay" and "Fine" mumbled out in response. Kawakami could see some students sighing in relief at the easy task they were given, which she could completely understand after that essay they had to write last time.
She absent-mindedly glanced back over at Ren's seat.
He was already gone… How on earth was he able to move so quickly?!
Sighing anxiously to herself, Kawakami gathered her books and left the classroom only to find Takuto talking to Ryuji by the staircase.
"Hey Sakamoto-kun, have you happened to see Ren anywhere?"
"Yeah, he left a couple of minutes ago. I asked if he wanted to get some ramen with me but he said he had some errands to do an' left in a hurry." The blond replied as he lazily leaned against the wall.
Takuto let out an annoyed huff at that news. "Alright… Well, thanks for letting me know, Sakamoto. Don't stick around too long, okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it, Doc! I ain't plannin' on it! Just waiting on Mishima." Ryuji shot back with a grin, casually itching the back of his leg with his foot as he spoke.
As Takuto wandered away from the loud teenager, he spotted Kawakami watching the interaction. He raised his eyebrows in a knowing manner.
"Well… A certain someone went home in a hurry today…" He puffed.
Kawakami's shoulders tensed as she worried about the situation more and more. "I just hope he's not taking it too hard… Although, I feel like he probably has a lot of questions…"
"Questions that would get answered if he would just talk to us." Takuto quickly added. Kawakami couldn't help but nod in agreement.
He did have a point… But she'd never Takuto this irritated before.
"Are you doing okay?" She eventually asked.
Takuto glanced at her as he swept his hair up and out of his face. A tired smile spread across his cheeks as he answered. "I'm fine… Just dealing with the joys of having a teenage son… That's all."
The two made their way down to the faculty office where Kawakami arranged her desk and prepared everything she needed for tomorrow.
That's when an idea hit Takuto.
"Do you have anything you need to do today?" He asked.
Sadayo glanced up at him in confusion. "No, I've actually just finished everything I needed to do."
"Then would you be able to come with me? I want to sort this out sooner rather than later."
Sadayo's eyes widened as she realised what he was suggesting. Would that really work? From what she'd seen, Ren wasn't someone who opened up very easily, especially when forced. Although… if anyone knew how… it was probably his counselor father.
"If you think it's the best option, I'll do it."
Tapping his tail impatiently, Morgana watched Ren like a hawk. Considering how he'd been acting, Takuto was going to act soon. He just knew it.
Ren on the other hand was blissfully unaware; rocking back and forth on his chair, reading the manga he'd bought on his way back and drinking the soda he'd got from the nearby vending machine as he watched over his laundry.
The surrounding area was full of noise. The regular hustle and bustle of the Yongen streets, the trains and cars following their usual routes as they carried the people who had finished their work for the day, the splashes and chattering of the people relaxing in the bathhouse, and the loud whirring of the washing machine that Ren was keeping a close eye on.
He didn't mind the noise. If anything he was happy about its presence. It distracted him from everything. The teenager quietly hummed to himself in intrigue as he turned the page of his manga.
Morgana simply kept one eye open as he curled up on the nearby table used to fold up clothes.
How long had they been there?
Morgana lifted his fluffy head to glance up at the clock. 17:46PM. Ahhh… Well then. The show was probably going to start any minute now.
The sound of footsteps grew closer.
They stopped at the laundromat doorway.
"Ren."
The raven haired boy flinched at the sudden call of his name.
Placing a bookmark into his manga, he glanced up to find his father and his teacher staring at him with urgent expressions.
"We need to talk."
Ren's shoulders hunched as he looked away.
"No, we don't." He mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, we do. And the fact that you won't look at me proves that you know that too." Takuto answered as he crossed his arms.
A petty scowl spread across Ren's face. "No, it doesn't…"
The father rolled his eyes. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He pounced forward and grabbed onto Ren's arm.
"C'mon. Come here."
"What? No. Get off!" Ren huffed as he tried to shake him off.
"Not gonna happen. We are talking about this, whether you want to or not." Takuto insisted as he gently yanked Ren up out of his chair, trying his best not to hurt him.
"But my laundry!" Ren argued, trying to think up any excuse to get out of this.
"Your cat's a smart little guy, he'll watch over it." Takuto shot back immediately.
Morgana promptly proved him correct by leaping down from the table and then up onto the washing machine. Ren frowned as he realised that Morgana probably planned this would happen.
"Amamiya-kun, please just hear us out. It'd be a lot healthier than just simmering in it for ages." Requested Kawakami as Takuto dragged Ren across the street into Leblanc.
Ren groaned as he realised there was no escaping this one.
Sojiro looked up from his crossword in surprise as the three barged into the quiet café.
Takuto gestured up to the attic. "Would you mind if we had a moment?"
The barista had no idea what was going on but he could tell it was personal and urgent, so he flashed an understanding smile and replied. "Sure thing. Do you want some coffee too?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." Answered Takuto as he wrangled Ren up the stairs.
Sadayo awkwardly turned to look at Sojiro and the elderly couple sat at one of the booths, flashing an apologetic smile.
"Sorry for the disturbance…" She shyly muttered before disappearing upstairs.
The barista and the customers just shared a baffled glance.
"I wish I still had that much energy!" Chuckled the old woman, her husband nodding in agreement.
Sojiro let out an amused scoff in response as he fetched some coffee beans to brew a fresh pot. "Makes you feel old, don't it?"
"You can hardly call yourself old yet, Sakura-san!" Laughed the elderly man.
"Yeah? Say that to my daughter! I've lost count of the amount of times she's called me an old fart!"
The three continued joking around, completely unaware about the conversation taking place upstairs.
Ren slouched uncomfortably on the chair next to his desk, avoiding eye contact with his father or his teacher who were sat on the nearby sofa.
"Ren, let's talk about this." Announced Takuto.
"There's nothing to talk about…"
"There's a lot to talk about. Let's just get it over with and make this whole thing a lot less awkward." Sighed Takuto. He was usually a very patient man, but this sulking had to stop now.
Ren remained silent, looking at anything other than the two adults staring at him.
Takuto crossed his legs and cleared his throat. "Alright… Guess I'll start. Ren, I am dating Sadayo. We've been dating for about three months now."
That information caught Ren's attention.
"Three?!"
"Yes… We ended up developing quite a friendship in the months after your father started working at Shujin and then just before the Summer vacation started, he asked if I'd like to go out somewhere with him. We just thought we'd see if there was any chemistry between us over the Summer… and there was. So… Yeah." Sadayo awkwardly explained the circumstances.
She glanced up at Ren who had a conflicted expression plastered all over his face. It made his reactions quite hard to read…
"... So you've been lying to me for three months?" He eventually spoke up.
"I wasn't lyin-"
"Lying by omission is still lying."
"Don't be pedantic. We're just trying to explain. Now, we've answered one of your questions, you can answer one of ours: Why have you been so angry about this?"
Ren scowled again. "... I'm not angry, I'm just hurt."
"Hurt? Hurt how?"
"Because you said you'd never love anyone other than mum, but turns out that was a lie!" Ren snapped with an accusatory glare.
Sadayo nervously fidgeted with her fingers. She was worried this is what it was about.
Takuto's expression softened. "Ren, I was convinced that was the case when I said it. But things change. Just because I'm seeing someone new doesn't mean I don't still love Rumi. I will always love Rumi… But I can love someone new, like Sadayo too."
Ren grimaced. He had no clue what to think and ended up blurting out what he said next without thinking.
"So you're just replacing mum, is that it?"
"No."
Ren fell silent at the tone of his father's voice.
He nervously glanced up. A twinge of guilt pulsed through his chest.
He couldn't see his father's eyes through his glasses, but he could tell that he'd upset him.
Sadayo awkwardly hovered her hand over Takuto's shoulder, unsure of how to comfort him right now.
Takuto took a deep breath to compose himself. And continued.
"I would never replace Rumi. You know that. Why do you think I still wear my wedding ring? Sadayo worried about being a replacement, but she's not… Look, just… Listen, Ren. Rumi was something special. I'm someone who was lucky enough to end up happily married and having a child with their highschool sweetheart but then life had other plans. Rumi was one of a kind. You're one of a kind. And Sadayo is one of a kind. You… You can't just replace someone like that. So don't even suggest that, alright?"
Ren hung his head in shame at his outburst.
Now he couldn't even bring himself to look at his father, he was too embarrassed and angry at himself.
Takuto let out another deep sigh.
Sadayo gently tapped his hand. She was just happy he saw her that way. It was the first time someone had thought of her as one of a kind instead of a dime a dozen.
"So… Is there anything else you want to ask?" Takuto continued the conversation.
Ren sat in silence as he thought about it.
"... Why didn't you tell me?"
The two adults glanced at each other with relieved smiles. Finally they were getting somewhere with him!
"Well, at first we were still figuring things out and weren't sure if our relationship was serious or not so we didn't really see the point in telling you. And then I wanted to wait until… around December to tell you because I know how fragile you can get around this time of year. I didn't want to add to your stress." The chestnut haired man explained.
Ren gently nodded. Yeah… Yeah, that made sense… He couldn't help it but his emotions just tended to go all over the place in mid October… and early February…
"I have a question." Sadayo spoke up.
Ren looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.
"Why were you so upset yesterday? You heard us over the phone in the evening…"
"I saw the two of you on a date while I was heading home from work the night before… It made me all confused and everything so I ended up just really pissed off."
"Ohhhhhhhhh, that's why… Yeah, that makes sense now…" Gasped Takuto, relieved that the mystery had finally been solved.
Ren raised an eyebrow at his father's response before looking back down at his lap.
"Ren." Takuto called out.
"Hm?" Was Ren's response, not making eye contact.
"Look, I'm not saying that you have to be happy about my new relationship, but I just hope you can understand my point of view, okay?"
"I never said I wasn't happy about it…"
"To be fair, your actions did."
Ren's shoulders hunched as he gripped on to his trousers and muttered in embarrassment under his breath.
"What was that? I can't hear you when you mumble…"
"... I'm sorry…"
Takuto leaned over and gave Ren a reassuring pat on the back. At least they were finally able to discuss this whole mess and make sense of it.
"So… Are you okay with this being a thing or…?" Kawakami awkwardly chimed in.
Ren's brow furrowed. "It's not that I'm against it or anything, it's just… Like… I… It's weird…"
Takuto chuckled at his son's response. "Yeah, I get that… From your point of view, it's pretty weird…"
"If it helps… Instead of thinking about it as your dad and your homeroom teacher, just think of it as two colleagues dating each other. That happens all the time! Way less weird!" Suggested Kawakami, trying her best to make the whole ordeal less awkward.
It worked… sort of.
Ren started quietly laughing at her attempts to make him feel better. It wasn't exactly working, per se… But she was trying and that was good enough.
"Okay, I'll try." He chuckled out.
The three of them smiled at each other, the atmosphere suddenly feeling a lot lighter than it did earlier.
"That's great to hear, kiddo." Takuto sighed happily as he stood up. "I should probably go and explain what happened to Sakura-san… We did just sort of barge in after all…"
"Okay." The other two replied as they watched him head back downstairs.
Ren took a deep breath as silence fell in the room once again. It was weird… He felt exhausted after that conversation… and yet he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest at the same time.
"Hey…" Kawakami's anxious voice broke through the silence.
Ren looked over at her to find her nervously fiddling with a frayed edge of her shirt.
"Yeah?"
"... Have… Have you told your dad anything about my old night job?" She nervously enquired.
Ren's eyes widened at the question. That's what she was worried about?
"Just because I was irritated doesn't mean I'd tell him about that. That's not my place to say anything." He assured her.
Sadayo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This was the first serious relationship she'd ever had… The last thing she wanted was her past coming back to bite her and ruining everything.
The raven haired boy noticed the look in her eyes as he watched her pull the threads of her shirt even looser.
"My dad wouldn't think any less of you for having worked at a maid service." He stated bluntly.
Sadayo's eyes shot wide open at that statement.
"... Really?"
"Really. He doesn't judge people by their professions… Well… Except landlords."
Sadayo couldn't help but laugh at Ren's blunt honesty. "Are you sure he'd be fine with me having almost gone to… Well… Y'know… That part of the service?"
Ren stared at her blankly and shrugged. "Sometimes you just gotta take the few opportunities to earn money you're given. He wouldn't judge."
The frizzy haired teacher could feel herself tearing up at that news as she let out a shaky sigh. It was just such a relief to hear…!
"I've got the coffee Sakura-san made for us!" Declared Takuto as he re-entered the attic, carrying a tray with three cups of coffee on it.
Sadayo discreetly wiped her eyes as she turned to face him.
"We didn't cause him any trouble, did we?" She asked worriedly as Takuto placed the tray onto the desk.
Takuto simply chuckled. "No, he was actually quite understanding, even though he was pretty confused when we came in."
"Yeah, I bet!" Sadayo giggled in response as Takuto began handing out the cups.
Ren held onto his tightly as he watched his father hand Kawakami's cup to her. He watched the way they shyly blushed as their fingers brushed against each other. He watched the way they brightly smiled at each other.
As he lifted his cup to his lips to take a sip, a smile spread across his own face.
As long as they were happy, who was he to complain?