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Akira didn’t know how he could mess up.
Actually, he did. He was never a schedule-marking kind of guy, and he had always managed to remember with no issue--be those tests and exams, hangouts with friends and part-time jobs commitments, but that was before he became the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Considering how busy he was getting as of late, he should have known it was only a matter of time that he got the dates mixed up and this happened.
So he had promised to go shopping with Ann in Shibuya and help her choose something for Shiho as a get-well-soon gift. The only problem being, he was supposed to hang out with Ryuji before they met up with Mishima later for Operation Maid Watch. Well, at least the mix-up involved his two best friends instead of recently bonded Confidants. Or worse, Sojiro, who would never let him hear the end of it if he ever ditched his LeBlanc duties.
Still, that didn’t mean the issue was resolved without a hitch. After meeting up with both blondes and apologized for his screw-up, neither of them was mad at him or willing to give in the spot as their leader’s companion for the day. They had been arguing on the street for the past ten minutes.
“Didn’t you just drag Akira to your home yesterday to play video games all day?” Ann said, crossing her arms. “It’s my turn and it’s an emergency.”
“Haha emergency my ass,” Ryuji retorted. “I know you’re just buyin’ lipsticks ‘n’ stuff ‘n’ ya got like tons of them already.”
The girl stomped on her foot. “I’m buying for Shiho too! And don’t make it sound like you got better things to do, Ryuji. Knowing you you’ll just waste away the afternoon reading manga and playing games again.”
“Hey it ain’t just me today! We have big plans with Mishima!”
“What, Mishima!? What’re you--"
Sighing, Akira turned to Morgana who was chilling on his shoulder, “Why didn’t you remind me I’m double-booked?”
“Joker, I’m not your personal assistant.”
He lifted his shoulder in a shrug, bobbing up the non-cat. “Might as well be. You’re already monitoring my sleep schedule.”
Morgana hummed. “Change my canned cat food into fatty tuna and I’ll consider it.”
Akira gave him the stink eye. Looked like it was time to start making use of his phone’s schedule app. But first thing first.
“Guys, how about we all go together?” Seeing both of his friends wasn’t going to relent, he offered. “Ryuji could help picking out your cosmetics, Ann. Then the three of us can kill some time at the arcade before you go visit Shiho while we meet up with Mishima.”
“Uh-uh, no way,” Ann shook her head dramatically, her pigtails swinging with motion. “Last time Ryuji came along the staff kept giving us dirty look because he wouldn’t stop yelling!”
“I didn’t yell!” The accused blonde shot back loudly. “I was speakin’ in my normal volume!”
“That’s exactly the problem—you’re physically incapable of keeping your voice down!”
“Hey, that ain’t true; I can talk in a low voice just fine!”
Morgana butted in, “Yeah? Try to whisper ‘I’m an idiot’ then.”
Ryuji started in a hushed tone, “’M an idi…NO I’M NOT AN IDIOT YOU ARE AN IDIOT!”
The non-cat snickered. “See? Lady Ann’s right. Quietness isn’t your strong suit.”
“I--You…! Dude!” The blonde turned to the leader, much like a sulking child bullied by his siblings looking to his parent for help.
“It’s alright, Ryuji, I still consider you my best friend regardless of your speaking volume.”
That brought a beaming grin on Ryuji’s face and a neck-breaking headlock to himself, “Oh Akira ya my best bro too!” He found himself returning his friend’s enthusiasm with a hearty smile.
“Aww you guys are so sweet…” Ann cooed. Akira had always known she had a weak spot for public display of sappy male affection. “…Okay Ryuji, if you buy me a crepe I guess you can come with us this time.”
Ryuji gave her an eye roll. “Fiiiine. Ain’t like I got better things to do if you steal away my bro, ‘n’ I still owe you 500 yen from middle school anyway.” With that, the trio and the cat called truce.
“So what’re you two and Mishima up to anyway?” Ann asked.
“N-none of your business, girl!” Ryuji blurted, a bit too frantic to be telling the truth. Akira averted his gaze when Ann looked his way for explanation.
“Wait, what aren’t you guys telling me…?” Suspicious of their reactions, she pressed further. When she got no response from either, she reached out to pinch Ryuji’s arm, eliciting an “OW!” from the boy. “What are you dragging Akira into this time!? Stop corrupting his innocent soul with your shenanigans!”
“First of all, this dude’s the farthest thing from innocent,” Ryuji pointed at Akira, who had to keep his head turned to the side to hide his snicker. “Second, why am I automatically the one at fault!?”
“You are the culprit, Ryuji, in this case at least. You’re the one who came to me with the idea,” Akira said.
“But you ‘n’ Mishima agreed to it just as eagerly…!”
“Mishima’s behind it too? Oh god this can’t be good…” Ann face-palmed, shaking her head ruefully.
“Chill out Ann, ya got nothin’ to worry about--it’s just some guy-bondin’ activity,” Ryuji said, too giddy for the girl’s liking.
“That’s way too vague and suspicious!” She turned to the leader, who gave her a mysterious smirk and a shrug, and then to Morgana. “Do you know anything about this, Mona?”
The addressed non-cat, still perching lazily on his shoulder, replied listlessly. “Sorry, Lady Ann. All Joker would tell me is it’s ‘an experiment intended to ramp up his social stats’, whatever the heck that means.”
“Yeah, that. Well said, dude.” Ryuji raised his fist approvingly, to which Akira answered by bumping the knuckles with his own, smirking.
“You two are hopeless…” Ann let out a sigh. “Fine, I won’t ask any more questions. Let’s just…buy me my crepe and go shopping.”
With that, Akira was sandwiched between two blondes—Ryuji’s arm draped over his shoulders and Ann’s hooked around his arm on the other side—with Morgana’s head sticking out of his bag. On the way to her favorite crepe store on the Central Street of Shibuya, his three friends kept on bickering. Akira’s ears hurt a little but he wouldn’t complain it out loud. Never. Words couldn’t describe how grateful he was to have friends fighting over him, a startling contrast to the dismal days not that long ago when basically everyone avoided him like a plague back in his hometown.
His thought was brought back to the moment when they walked past the book store at the head of the Central Street and something on the shelf caught his attention. If he remembered correctly, it was the latest release of the manga Ryuji was rambling about the other day. Akira could image Ryuji’s thrilled expression if it happened to land in his lap.
“Hey, you guys go ahead and grab the crepes. I wanna check out the book store first.”
“Which flavor do you want, Akira? The usual?” Ann asked.
He nodded with a smile. “The usual.”
“Hey, let me go with Lady Ann!” Without waiting for his reply, Morgana had already wiggled out of his bag and hopped onto the girl’s shoulder.
“Don’t take too long, dude!”
“Sure, be there in a few minutes.”
For a few moments he just watched them excitedly walking away, before bringing his attention back to the manga he was looking for.
“Kurusu? Is that you?”
Akira froze. He recognized that voice. Needn’t to see its owner to conjure up the face. Dreading, he turned around slowly. Of all the past acquaintances he knew, he had to run into Kaito, the upperclassman who had given him a hard time ever since he stood up for one of his fellow classmates in his old school. Ironically, said classmate had joined the bullies after his arrest. Well, that was one way to survive high school, Akira supposed.
“It’s really you, Kurusu! Ah, what a coincidence!” Kaito grinned, a little too wide and friendly for his taste.
“…Kaito.”
“So how long’s it been? Four months?”
Akira gave a curt nod.
“Hey, why are ya bein’ so distant? Is that how you treat your old friend?” Kaito drew himself near, draping his arm over his shoulders. The seemingly friendly gesture was one Ryuji always did, but right now Akira felt none of the warmth it usually brought.
“…We’re never friends to begin with.”
“Ouch, that’s cold, man…” He put a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. “Is that ‘cause you found yourself some new buddies? The two blondes I just saw?”
Damn it. He saw Ann and Ryuji with him.
“So is she your girlfriend? Man I can’t believe you scored yourself such a hottie! How’d ya manage that, huh? Did ya threaten her or what?”
Kaito was trying to get a rise out of him. He had done that a lot back then. And Akira had and would never give him that satisfaction.
“They’re my friends,” he said with a carefully composed face.
“Ha! Friends!” Kaito snorted. “As if anyone would be willin’ to hang out with a criminal. Ya know, your old schoolmates and teachers still talk ‘bout ya like a pest even these days. Bet ya miss being the center of their attention, don’t ya?”
We are so disappointed in your behavior. You are no longer welcome in our school.
Don’t make eye contact with him! You never know when he’ll snap and hit you!
You are a disgrace to our family, Akira.
He had been told he was a disappointment, a burden, a stain. Maybe he really was one since nobody wanted to be associated with him anymore. Not his friends, definitely not the teachers and neighbors. Not even his own parents.
The arm over his shoulders suddenly felt like lead, weighing his whole body down and pulling him into this cold, dark space he used to be confined in, not unlike a prison--
“Get away from him now.”
And then someone yanked him away, before enveloping him with a pool of familiar warmth and homeliness. Akira blinked, and it took him another moment to realize it was Ann holding his arm while glaring daggers at Kaito. Ryuji, standing in front of him in a protective poise, was bristled with hostility against the upperclassman as well.
“Who the hell are ya? Ya havin’ a problem with Akira?”
Kaito tsked in annoyance. “That’s none of your business.”
“’Course it’s my business--he's my bro!”
“Your bro has got an assault record, in case ya don’t know. He’s a total creep.”
“He was framed,” the blonde boy gritted out slowly. “And he’s no creep. He’s like the best guy I’ve ever known in my life. I’m proud to be his friend!” Ryuji puffed up his chest. Akira felt his own swelled with emotions.
Seeing his accusation failed to make an impact, Kaito turned to Ann instead. “Hey blondie, ya don’t wanna hang around with losers like them. Why don’t ya give me your number? We can have some fun later.”
To Akira’s surprise, Ann didn’t outright tell him off. Letting go of his arm, she walked up to Kaito and fished her phone from her schoolbag. The leader’s brain panicked for one second that she might actually take up on the offer before it dawned on him what she was going to do.
“Sure, my number is--Ooops!” Yup, she all but shoved her crepe topped with chocolate ice cream into Kaito.
“Shit! M-My jacket--you--AHHHH!”
“Oooh how clumsy of me! I’m sooooo sorry!” She took out a napkin and attempted to clean up, which only made the brown stain larger. Her pretentious acting nearly made Akira choke on his spit.
“Wait--s-stop! Ya makin’ it worse--!” The poor guy was frantically trying to get away from her fussing. In a state of chaos, his phone slipped out from his pocket and dropped to the ground. But before he could pick it up, Morgana dashed to the device out of nowhere and started peeing on it.
“NOOOOOO!! My phone! My dad just bought it for me last week!” He tried to shoo the non-cat away but it was already too late. And then that was it. Akira couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore. Obviously his two friends had also given up on the pretense as they were guffawing much louder than he was. A few of the pedestrians were sniggering at the scene too.
“Meh, I guess that will do.” Finally done with his business, Morgana hissed at Kaito once before leaping up to a ledge, away from the mess he’d made on the ground. For a while the guy just crouched there, debating whether to pick up his soiled phone with his bare hand or just leave it. In the end, he opted to remove his jacket and wrapped it around the device, frowning with distaste the whole time.
“Heh, better scram or your phone and jacket might not be the only things that get soaked,” Ryuji scoffed. Much to their surprise, the guy actually did so without another word, only gave Akira one last indignant look before walking away. Seeing that the farce was over, the gathered onlookers moved on.
Akira nudged his friend. “Ryuji, did you just threaten to drown him?”
“Wha--No, I’d never! I was talkin’ ‘bout his bag ‘n’ stuff!”
He let out a light chuckle. “Anyway, thank you for sticking up for me…all of you. That was…that means a lot.” He didn’t want to say it out loud, but meeting his old acquaintance out of the blue had stirred up some dark memory he thought he’d buried deep down in his mind.
Morgana jumped down from the ledge, resettling himself on the usual spot that was Akira’s shoulder and gave his cheek a bump with his fluffy head. The non-cat didn’t have to say a word to convey his thoughts. The leader scratched his head in gratitude.
“Anytime, Akira,” Ann beamed brightly at him. “We know you’d do the same if it happened to any of us.”
He nodded, returning the smile. “Yeah, I would.”
“So don’t sweat it, dude!” Ryuji said. “That’s what we Akira Protection Squad is here for, right?”
“’Akira Protection Squad’?”
“Yup, ya heard it right. I’m the President, by the way!”
“Why do you get to be the president!?” Morgana protested. “It should be me!”
“Uh, ’cause I’m his first friend in Tokyo?”
“But I’m with him all the time, doing most of the work!”
The leader quipped, “To be fair, Morgana, all you do are tell me to go to sleep and eat away our budget.”
“Wha--I do not--!!”
“Sorry Mona, between the three of us, you’re perfect as the mascot.”
“Ugh…if you say so, Lady-Ann…” The non-cat lamented, ears dropping.
“Meanwhile, I’m fine with being the pretty secretary. Just don’t expect me to actually do the paperwork!”
“That’s set then: I’m the President, Ann’s the Sec ‘n’ Monamona’s the Mascot,” Ryuji proudly announced. “Wow guys, we got a club set up!”
Akira tilted his head, amused by the direction the whole thing had gone. “What about me? What do I do in my own fan club…?”
Ann giggled. “Nothing! Just sit back and let us pamper you with love and attention!”
“Yeah, what she said!”
“AHHHH!” She cried out all of a sudden, causing Ryuji to jump.
“What the--? Don’t yell next to my ear, gal!”
“What’s wrong, Lady Ann?”
The girl whined, “I didn’t get to taste my crepe…I paid 300 yen extra to add the ice cream topping!”
“Ya mean I paid 300 yen extra to get ya the ice cream topping. And ya wasted it on the scum.”
“It wasn’t that much of a waste when you thought back to his miserable face, was it?” Morgana said.
Akira laughed airily at the comment, his past and the way other people looked at him becoming the least of his worry. What else could he ask for when he already got friends like them?
“Let’s go grab more crepes, guys. I’m buying this time.”