Chapter Text
Shibuya Central Street - Sunday/Evening - Clear
After exploring the various facilities and stores Central Street has to offer once their conversation with Mishima had ended, Akira and Futaba walk out of the video rental store.
"So, are there any movies that caught your eye, babe?" Futaba asks, looking up at Akira.
Akira gives a slight nod. "Yeah, surprisingly. The last DVD we saw... 'Guy McVer' was it called? That one looked pretty good."
"Oh, the one where the protagonist can make tools out of anything?" Futaba asks. "If you liked the preview for it, why didn't you rent it?"
The boy lets out a playful pout. "I don't have a DVD player for it, much less a TV."
"Blegh, yeah, you really don't have those things." Futaba takes a few seconds to think before voicing an idea. "Ya know, I have a few spare monitors in my room. Do you want one?"
"Oh, my! How gracious of you." Akira chuckles lightly. "In all seriousness, while I do appreciate the gesture I don't want to take something you may use in the future."
"Heh, dude, they're spares for a reason! I'm giving you one whether you like it or not." Futaba responds.
"Hmm... What if I say no?" Akira challenges, with a smirk.
With a smile Futaba wraps an arm around Akira's own. "Aww, you'd really say no to your adorable girlfriend?"
Akira purses his lips in response. "That's not fair at all..."
The bespectacled girl gives a smirk of her own. "Good boy. You can come pick..." Her gaze moves from Akira to a certain individual standing in front of the diner. "Wait, isn't that..."
Akira raises an eyebrow. "Honey? Are you okay?"
Futaba points to the individual. "It's him. The weird dude we saw yesterday."
With a slow nod, the boy redirects his stare to the direction Futaba is pointing towards. "Huh, it's actually him. What's he doing out so late?"
"Oh! Oh! Maybe he's one of those gigolos I read about." Futaba smiles. "Shinjuku's apparently a hotspot for them so it wouldn't be too surprising if they roamed around here."
"Shinjuku?" Akira asks.
Futaba nods. "Yeup, it's an area not too far from here. Lots of shady stuff goes on around there from what I've read."
THUD!
After Futaba explains the area of Shinjuku to Akira, the 'weird dude' falls to his knees.
"Ooooh, seems like he's low on HP." Futaba voices. "What should we do, darling?"
Akira shrugs nonchalantly. "Let's go talk to him. I want to make sure he's okay, at least."
"Right-o!" Futaba cheers.
STEP! STEP!
Akira and Futaba walk towards the weird dude, analyzing him in the process. He dons a white gakuran-style shirt, fitted black pants, and black loafers. He also has dark blue hair in parted bangs, slightly covering left eye and grey eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?" Akira questions, bending down a bit.
The weird dude shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. Hunger is striking me with no remorse, my wallet crying the tears of Venus."
Akira blinks several times as he assumes his regular standing position. He then glances at Futaba, the girl shrugging her shoulders in response.
"Okay, I don't know what you just said but I'm guessing you're hungry, right?" The raven-haired boy asks.
Yes, that is correct." The grey-eyed boy responds. "The smell emanating from this diner is simply divine and I wish to try the delicacies this establishment has to offer. He stands from the ground and sighs. "But alas, this world has forsaken me."
Futaba groans. "That's so much dialogue just to say you're hungry and don't have any money..."
"So much dialogue?" The sapphire-haired boy scoffs. "It is not my fault my vocabulary is far more expansive than yours."
Futaba's left eye twitches in annoyance. "... I'm starting to think we should've left him behind."
Akira smiles at the scene. "Tell you what. I know a certain cafe that would be happy to serve you some food."
"Are you certain of that!?" The boy questions instantaneously, a grimace shows on his face afterwards. "B-But, my wallet is as void as a bottomless lake..."
Don't worry, this cafe is super special." Futaba smirks. "Do you accept or..." She clears her throat. "Will you stand there in the everlasting darkness, staring into the unknown as you ponder what could've been a piercing light to your blighted soul?"
The bespectacled boy laughs in response. "What she said."
The sapphire-haired boy nods eagerly. "I accept. But first, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. It's a pleasure meeting the two of you."
"The pleasure is all yours." Akira voices, with a smile. "Name's Akira Kurusu, and the girl next to me is my girlfriend, Futaba Sakura."
"Yo!" Futaba says, adding a light wave.
"Ah, so you two are in a relationship." Yusuke grins. "Perhaps after you bring me to this 'special cafe' I'd be able to draw a portrait for you."
"Woah, you know how to draw?" Futaba asks, a look of surprise on her face.
Yusuke nods in melancholy fashion. "I would like to say so, yes, however I find myself at a standstill in my chase to artistic mastery."
"Hmm, I see. Well, we'll talk about that afterwards." Akira pulls out his phone and checks the time. "Yeah, it's getting a little late so we should hurry on over to the cafe."
"Of course. Onwards to the land of delicacies!" Yusuke happily shouts.
Futaba raises an eyebrow. "Wasn't Venus crying a few minutes ago...?"
...
Leblanc - Sunday/Evening - Clear
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The bell on the Leblanc door jingles, signifying an entering in the cafe.
"And here we are." Akira says, entering first. He holds the door for Futaba and Yusuke to enter, closing it afterwards.
As Yusuke takes in the scenery of the cafe and all its intricacies, he takes a deep breath. "Good heavens, what a marvelous smell."
Futaba cackles, a confident smirk on her face. "That's the smell of our world famous coffee!"
Akira nods in response. "We're trying to conquer the world, one stomach at a time."
"I see. So, you two are the owners of this cafe?" Yusuke questions.
"No, not exactly." Akira walks and goes behind the counter, Futaba and Yusuke sit on their respective stool. "Our dad is the owner. We just help him out."
An extremely happy smile blossoms on Futaba's lips in response, softly slamming the bottom of her fist twice on the counter. "G-Geez, hehehe..."
"Your father must be quite the culinary expert. I wish to meet him." Yusuke requests.
Futaba clears her throat as she composes herself. "I-It's really late so I think he went home already."
"And I hope he doesn't kill me for keeping his daughter out late..." The bespectacled boy voices internally, rubbing his neck.
"Ah, how unfortunate." Yusuke sighs. "I would've love to hear his perspective on the world of culinary arts."
Akira chuckles. "I'll try to relay that to him but that's not what you're here for." He walks to the kitchen and removes the lid off of the big pot used for curry, finding a sizeable amount in it, warm and ready to serve. "Always one step ahead." He thinks, with a grin.
CLACK!
Grabbing an empty plate nearby, Akira pours a larger than usual amount of curry on it, closing the lid once he's done. The boy walks and sets the plate of curry and a spoon in front of Yusuke. "We normally serve it with rice but we ran out."
Futaba knowingly laughs. "We can't help that it's famous." She brings her gaze down to the counter. "I don't want to open the fridge and heat the rice either..." The girl thought, with eyes wide open.
A gasp escapes Yusuke as he stares at the plate bestowed in front of him. :"My word! The smell is absolutely spectacular! The various spices are assaulting my nose as we speak!"
Squinting his eyes, Akira stares at Yusuke. "T-That's because.... they're... spic..." He closes his eyes and smiles, opening them a second later. "Anyways, go ahead and eat."
With a fervent nod, Yusuke picks up his spoon and takes a bite, dropping the spoon as he takes in the explosion of flavor. "Will tonight be the night I ascend to heaven...?"
"Heh, that's what happens whenever someone tries our curry the first time." Futaba smirks, Yusuke picking up his spoon, taking bite after bite in rapid fashion.
With a chuckle, Akira walks to the fridge and opens it slightly, obtaining a bottle of water before closing it quickly. "We're known for our coffee as well but it's late and I don't want to hop you up on caffeine." He explains as he walks back and sets the bottle of water on the counter in front of Yusuke.
Not paying any attention whatsoever, Yusuke continues devouring his curry.
"Damn, this is something straight out of a manga..." Futaba voices, staring at the spectacle.
"... Safe to say Sojiro's cooking might end up becoming an addiction." Akira thinks to himself, waving off the imaginary cloud on top of his head.
CLACK!
Placing the spoon down on the plate after eating, Yusuke smiles, his soul rejuvenated. "Your father... He may truly be a culinary god amongst men." He grabs the bottle of water and drinks a few sips.
The orange-haired girl giggles. "He knows secrets others don't."
Taking a few seconds to think, Yusuke stands up from the stool and details an idea. "Do you recall the portrait I mentioned previously? I wish to make due of my word."
Akira assumes a thinking pose. "A portrait, huh? Well, what would you like to draw?"
"I wish to draw the both of you considering your relationship." Yusuke smiles, staring at Akira. "I believe it would come out marvelously."
"Ooooh, that sounds cool! What pose do you want us to be in?" Futaba asks, excitedly.
A sheepish smile forms on Yusuke's face. "I'll leave that choice to you two. It can even be the act of fornication."
...
...
...
Yusuke clears his throat, thinking no one heard him. "Maybe I need to repeat myself. I said I'll leave that choice to you two. It can even be the act of fornication."
...
...
...
"Hmm, did I say something wrong?" Yusuke tilts his head innocently.
...
...
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Futaba quickly wraps her arms on the counter and buries her head in her makeshift wall. "F-F-F-F-Fornication...!? I-Isn't that a f-fancy way of saying s-s-s-sex!?" She whispers to herself, her legs swinging back and forth below the stool.
Yusuke brings his glance to Futaba in bewilderment, moving it back to Akira after a few seconds. "Akira? Is something wrong?"
His face completely void of any facial emotion, Akira takes a full minute more before rebooting. "D-Dude, you can't say that..."He says, in tired fashion.
Yusuke raises an eyebrow curiously. "Why not? It's perfectly normal for couples to engage in passionate lovemaking."
THUD! THUD!
Futaba slams the bottom of her fist twice on the counter with a bit more force. She brings her gaze from her wall of defense to Akira, staring at him with sakura-colored cheeks.
"She's getting ideas..." Akira thinks, shaking his head rapidly. "A-A-Anyways, you just can't!"
Yusuke nods. "My apologies." He assumes a thinking pose, wanting to give the duo something that would make up for the portrait. "Ah, I believe this will suffice instead." He places a hand in one of his pockets and pulls out two tickets, setting them on the counter. "My master is holding an art exhibition on the 15th... I do hope you two would be able to come by, and perhaps we can talk about an appropriate portrait at that time."
Futaba picks up both of the tickets and reads them, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Woah, you're associated with Madarame!?"
"Madarame?" Akira asks in wonder, Futaba setting the tickets back on the counter.
The bespectacled girl nods. "Madarame is this big shot artist. He's well-known all over the world because of his Japanese-style artworks."
Akira smirks teasingly. "Wooow, who knew Yusuke here was kind of a big deal?"
Yusuke waves with a smile. "Hardly. I'm but a speck of soil compared to my master's everlasting tree." He bows slightly. "Again, I truly hope you two would be able to attend. I wish to see you there."
"We'll see if we can go but only if couples aren't banned." Futaba grins playfully.
After letting out a chuckle, Yusuke responds. "I'm elated to tell you that couples are not banned." He walks to the cafe door. "Now, forgive me but I must take my leave as it is extremely late. I'll come by again if I have the chance."
Akira waves at Yusuke. "No problem, man. Come over whenever you want."
Futaba nods happily. "Yeup! We'll always be here... Well, most of the time anyways."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Grabbing the door handle, Yusuke opens the door and exits the cafe, gently closing the door behind him. He walks away from the cafe, leaving the two to themselves.
"Hey, cute boy..." Futaba says, tapping the pair of tickets with her index finger. "What do you want to do?"
"I mean, it doesn't hurt to go." Akira thinks aloud, staring at Futaba. "This makes me think back to what we talked about back at our little celebration though."
"You're talking about us going after high-ranking people, right? CEO's and stuff?" Futaba questions.
Akira nods in response. "Yeah. I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt but you can never be too sure about people these days."
An eerily grin sprouts on Futaba's face. "Want your loving girlfriend to work her magic? I'll have the deets tomorrow."
"Mm... No, it's fine. It's way too late and I don't want you to pull an all-nighter for me." A yawn breaks free from Akira. "That's the signal to hit the hay. Do you want to sleep with me, hun?"
At the mention of sleeping with her boyfriend, Futaba clasps her hands between her legs, her stockings making a distinct sound as she rubs her legs together. "S-S-S-So..." Her cheeks turn a scarlet color. "A-A-A-Are we.... you know.... s-s-s-sex...?"
A blank expression permeates Akira's being for about 15 seconds before responding. "Futaba. You have no idea how happy that makes me, but not yet. It's still a bit early into our relationship."
Futaba nods, giggling sheepishly. "Y-Yeah, agreed. We... still have our whole lives ahead of us together."
With a chuckle, Akira extends a hand to Futaba, Futaba happily holding hands with him. They then walk up the staircase to Akira's room, ending their night.
"... I need to be ready for Sojiro to probably kill me when we do the deed though..." Akira thinks, a slight sigh escapes afterwards.
...
5/9
Leblanc - Monday/Morning - Torrential Rain
Bzzt! Bzzt! - You have received 1 new message.
RUSTLE!
Bzzt! Bzzt! - You have received 2 new messages.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
"Mmm..." Futaba slowly stirs awake, yawning afterwards. She sits up on the bed and stretches, taking a glance out the attic window. "Man, it's coming down hard..." She mutters softly, taking in the sight of heavy rain.
SWIPE!
Obtaining her phone on the bed, she accesses her messages app. "Not from the group chat which means someone messaged my darling." Working her magic, she accesses Akira's messages from her phone, her lips pursing after finding out who messaged him. "Mishima..."
TAP!
Mishima: "Good morning! Are you awake?"
Mishima: "I have new info from the Phan-Site for you!"
With a sigh, Futaba responds.
Akira: "Yo, this is Futaba, his girlfriend."
Akira: "He's sleeping right now so make it quick."
Mishima: "Ah, okay! Will do!"
Mishima: "So, the post says there's a guy in our school who's bullying has gone too far."
Mishima: "It's impossible for me to help but I'm sure the Phantom Thieves can do something about it!"
"Bullying, huh?" Futaba thought, before responding.
Akira: "Name and location."
Mishima: "His name is Daisuke Takanashi. He's always standing out front of the school entrance."
Akira: "Got it. I'll let him know when he wakes up."
Mishima: "Thanks! You guys are the best!" Text END.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
"Trouble in paradise?" A familiar voice asks, silently.
Futaba nods. "Mishima got a request for us, Mona. Some guy is bullying people over at Shujin."
"We'll be heading to Mementos soon enough then." Mona points a paw to Akira. "Might want to wake him up to tell him that."
The orange-girl groans in slight annoyance. "I really want to let him sleep a bit more but..."
POKE! POKE!
Futaba gently pokes Akira's cheek his a finger. "Babe, babe, rise and shine~" She hums soothingly.
Slowly stirring from his sleep, Akira opens his eyes, Futaba looking down at him with a loving look on her face. "Good meowning, did ya sleep well?"
Akira smiles as he brings his hand up to Futaba's face, cupping her cheek. "I slept wonderfully with you here."
A blissful smile sprouts on Futaba's face. "I'm glad." She moves slightly, allowing Akira to sit up on the bed. "I have something I need to show you." Futaba shows the messages to Akira on her phone.
Akira chuckles. "First off, I'm sorry he woke you up." He brings his finger to scroll down the chat. "Daisuke Takanashi. We got a name."
Mona clears his throat to gain the attention of the couple. "That's all we need. We can head to Mementos whenever we're ready."
"So, basically..." Akira begins, standing up from his bed. "We go to Mementos, beat his Shadow and the job's done, correct?"
"Correct." Mona confirms. "There's no Palace we need to traverse so it's a get in, get out kind of job."
"That's good to hear." The bespectacled boy responds. Noticing Akira reaching for his school uniform, Futaba moves her stare to the window, allowing Akira to change while being in the same room. "We gotta tell the rest of the guys about it though." She says, twirling a lock of her hair.
"Yeah. We can actually go ourselves without them but that's a bad idea." Mona voices, licking his paw.
"Eh, I'll tell them during lunchtime. I don't want them to place their focus on that when they're in class." Akira finishes changing into his school uniform. "You can look now, honey."
With a smile, Futaba stands from the bed. She walks over to the couch and grabs her stockings, sitting down on the couch afterwards. "I'll walk with you and head home after we're outside." She extends her left leg and begins to put her one of her stockings back on.
Akira smiles, staring at Futaba. "God I love this sight."
Futaba giggles happily. "Stare all you want, babe." She finishes putting her stocking back on, redirecting her stare to Akira with a seductive grin. "Want to put the other one on for me?"
An audible gulp is heard from Akira. "Gladly." He walks and kneels in front of Futaba. She hands him her second stocking, extending her right leg. "Cool, calm, and collected, Akira." He thought. Bringing her stocking below her foot, Akira gently inserts her foot into the stocking and pulls it up, Futaba letting out a soft moan. After fully putting it back on at her thigh, he lets go and stands back up. "How was that?" He questions, with a seductive grin of his own.
"You need to do that more often." Futaba says, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Ahem, you guys know I'm still here, right?" Mona asks, his smirk blatantly noticeable.
The raven-haired boy laughs. "Sorry, Mona. We got lost in each other."
Futaba responds as she puts her boots back on. "Ditto."
"I'm used to it." Mona stretches. "Even though I'm teaching Joker how to be a gentleman I'm learning from him as well."
Futaba stands from the couch and puts her jacket back on. "Ooooh, look at you, learning from the true lady-killer."
Akira waves off that comment. "The only lady I need is you." He picks up his schoolbag from the floor. "Come on, Mona. We need to get going."
"Right!" Mona jumps from the bed and inserts himself into Akira's schoolbag.
STEP! STEP!
"Oh, good morning, you two." Sojiro voices, after they walk down the attic staircase and reach the bottom level of the cafe.
"Good meowning, Sojiro!" Futaba cheers.
"Morning, Sojiro." Akira smiles, rubbing his neck. "I, uh, hope you don't mind Futaba staying over last night."
Sojiro shakes his head. "It's fine, kid. I knew she was here anyways. Oh, and..." He pulls out the two tickets to the art exhibition from his pocket and places them on the counter. "I think you left these here."
"Ah, right. Forgot about them." Akira says, obtaining the tickets and placing them into his pocket. "Thanks."
"No problem." Sojiro assumes a thinking pose. "An art exhibition, huh? I didn't think you'd be interested in the fine arts."
"Well, it's more to support a friend of ours if anything." Akira replies. "May I take Futaba with me?"
Sojiro redirects his gaze to Futaba. "Do you want to go?"
Futaba nods excitedly. "Yeah, I actually want to go."
Sojiro lets out a soft chuckle. "As long as you keep her safe then it's fine. Take her to as many places as possible... It's good for her."
"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep her safe." Akira and Futaba walk to the cafe door. "I'll leave Futaba home and head to school." He retrieves two umbrellas a few inches away from the door for himself and Futaba. "See you later!"
"Later, Sojiro!" Futaba adds, happily.
Sojiro nods. "Take care and call me if you need anything."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Akira opens the cafe door for Futaba, exiting after her and closing the door. He then opens his umbrella, Futaba joyfully joining him under it. After leaving her home and giving a hug goodbye, Akira proceeds to walk to the subway station, making his way to school.
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