|| 5/28 Saturday ||
|| Early Morning ||

Morgana was the first to wake up. He hopped onto the bed and poked Akira's cheek repeatedly. "Wake up," he whispered. It took a few minutes, but the feline managed to wake the boy up.

Blinking the sleepy haze from his eyes, Akira woke up. He exhaled, running a hand through his frizzy hair. The sound of soft breathing caught his attention and he looked down. Mikono slept peacefully with her head on his chest. A light blush tinted his cheeks as he looked away from her.

Morgana smirked, his ears twitching slightly. "No need to be embarrassed. Lady Mikono's your girlfriend now. It's normal for couples to sleep with each other."

Akira carefully scooted out of bed without disturbing Mikono. He placed the pillow under her head before pulling the sheet back over her body.

The feline was confused as to why the boy didn't wake her. "Aren't you going to wake her up?"

"No," he responded, grabbing his glasses and putting them on. "After what happened to her yesterday, I think she should stay here and rest. Besides, she doesn't have her school uniform."

"Are you going to take her to her house after school?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe you should have Lady Ann go instead to pick up Lady Mikono's things," Morgana advised. "What if she has flashbacks of what happened yesterday?"

"I'll ask Mikono after school if she's able to go. If not, then I'll contact Ann." Akira changed into his school uniform and grabbed his bag. He held it open for Morgana, allowing him to jump inside. Before descending the stairs, he glanced at Mikono one last time.

As Akira headed to the front door, he told Sojiro what happened last night. Just like him, the man agreed to letting Mikono stay and rest instead of going to school. "I'll keep an eye on her for you," he reassured the boy.

"Thanks, Boss," Akira said before leaving Leblanc.

|| 5/28 Saturday ||
|| Morning ||

It was 10:00 when Mikono woke up. When she realized what time it was, she gasped and flew out of bed. "I'm late for school!" She went to run downstairs, but stopped when she remembered what she was missing. "I don't have my school uniform..." She descended the stairwell and saw Sojiro tending to one of the very few customers inside the café. She sat down at the counter and grabbed her medicine. As she took out a single pill, a glass of water was placed in front of her. Looking up, she saw Sojiro's smiling face. She smiled in return. "Thank you, Sakura-san."

"How're you feeling, Tsutsui-san?" He asked after she swallowed the pill.

"The pain's fading, but everything still aches, especially my face," she answered. "My feet feel much better after taking a bath last night, though."

"That's good to hear." Sojiro began preparing a cup of coffee for another customer. "Are you planning to rest more?"

She shook her head. "No. There's something I have to do in Shibuya. I promised someone I would visit them when I had time."

"Are you sure you should be walking about in your state?"

"I'll be fine as long as I don't overdo it. I don't have my phone, but if Akira comes back before I do, tell him to meet me at my house. I've a few things to pick up."

"All right. Stay safe and watch out for attendance officers."

"Thank you, Sakura-san. I'll see you soon." Mikono drank the remainder of her water before leaving Leblanc and taking the train to Shibuya. Fortunately, she had enough money in her pocket to buy a ticket.

Once in Shibuya, she headed to Central Street and down the alleyway leading to the airsoft shop. She saw Theodore standing by the ornate door, but he didn't notice her presence until she was halfway down the alley. When he did, his golden eyes widen in bewilderment. He briskly walked over, meeting her halfway. His gloved hand reaches out toward the cheek that had the less amount of scratches and bruises. "Who did this to you?"

"Don't worry, Theo. The man who did this is in police custody," she smiled. "Now then, what is it you wanted to ask?"

Theodore lowered his hand. He continued to analyze her battered face and bandaged feet before recalling her previous visit to the Velvet Room. "I was hoping you would escort me around your world. It is quite fascinating."

"And do what?" She asked.

"Show me the various places. I am rather enthralled with this "museum" you work at the most."

"You...want me to show you around Shibuya?"

"Yes."

Mikono was perplexed at his request, but she agreed nonetheless. "All right. I could use a long walk to clear my head, anyway. We'll leave the museum for last, okay?"

Theodore smiled at her. "I shall follow your lead, Mikono."

The inky-haired girl escorted him around Central Street, showing him the numerous of shops. What flabbergasted her the most was how many questions Theodore had. She never knew one person could ask so much in such a short amount of time. Of course, she was more than happy to answer every question he threw her way. Some were strange while others were logical. She couldn't wait to take him to the museum because she was overjoyed to show him how vast her knowledge is and what kinds of questions he would have.

Mikono took Theodore down the remainder of Central Street before heading to the underground mall. She had to tug him away from a few stores when certain items on display grabbed his attention. When he tried to touch things, she promptly intervened and pulled his hand away. While looking around at the crowd, she realized people were staring at her as if she were crazy. She smiled innocently at them, knowing only she could see the Velvet Room attendant.

|| 5/28 Saturday ||
|| Afternoon ||

Mikono and Theodore arrived at the statue of Hachikō. The snowy-haired boy admired the bronze Akita with a glimmer in his golden eyes. "What a fascinating structure. Are there any of these creatures around?"

"You haven't seen a dog before, Theo?" Mikono questioned.

"Of course I've seen one," Theodore remarks. He tried to sound confident, but Mikono knew he was only trying to show off. She grinned in amusement when noticing he was trying to hide his naïveté from her with a false sense of confidence. He was trying to show off, but it wasn't working. Although she was aware of the truth, the girl decided to allow Theodore to continue upholding the façade because of how much fun he was having.

Moving on, Mikono escorted Theodore through the train station before heading to the museum. She was surprised at how many people were at the museum on a Friday afternoon. Thankfully, no one else could see Theodore and she didn't have to pay for a ticket so he could enjoy the exhibits. She had no money on her since all her belongings were still at her house.

Starting at the Assyrian exhibit, Mikono explained the artifacts on display to Theodore. As usual, he had tons of questions and acted like he knew all the answers to appear as a show-off. She couldn't help but giggle, which earned a smile from the attendant.

Once Theodore asked all his questions and received the answers he was seeking, they moved on to the Incan and Mayan exhibits before venturing into ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. Halfway through Mikono's explanation of Socrates and his teachings, she felt her feet beginning to ache. She apologized to Theodore before sitting down on a bench and checking on her bandaged feet. Glancing down, she saw a few speckles of blood on the sides of her feet. She leaned down to take off the sandals Ann lended her but was stopped when Theodore grabbed her hand. She looked up, staring into his golden eyes. "Theo?"

"Allow me, Mikono." Theodore kneeled in front of her. Gingerly, he slid the sandals off her feet and revealed the speckles of blood on the soles. He placed them under the bench before unwinding the bloodied gauze to examine her torn up feet. He frowned melancholically at the sight. "Some of your cuts have reopened all because of my selfishness."

"It's not your fault, Theo," Mikono said. "I wanted to spend time with you. Honestly, I'm really glad we did this. It's helped me clear my head."

He smiled warmly at her. "You are too kind, Mikono." He pushed himself off the floor and looked around. "The least I can do is patch you up. Where can I find more bandages?"

"There's a first-aid kit located at the front desk. You'll find bandages in there."

Theodore left, leaving Mikono to her thoughts. She eyed the pottery in front of the bench, staring at the two warriors painted on the side. They were fighting against the mighty hydra, but it was unclear who was winning or losing the battle. Curious, she activated the Eye of Horus but saw nothing. There was no golden aura radiating from the warriors or the nine-headed monster. Sighing, she deactivated the Eye and slumped forward.

When Theodore returned with a roll of gauze, he immediately got to work and wrapped her feet. He was gentle with her as he tended to her wounds. Once both feet were wrapped, he smiled up at her. "I had fun on our date, Mikono."

The girl's eyes widen in shock. "D-Date...?" She stared down at him as he placed the sandals back on her feet. "Th-This was a date?"

"Of course. What else would it be?"

"A...never mind." Mikono couldn't tell him it wasn't date after seeing his joyful smile.

Theodore held out his hand. Mikono placed her hand in his gloved one, his slender fingers wrapping around her hand snuggly as he helped her to her feet. She meekly squeaked out a "thank you" before walking out of the museum and back to Central Street.

Arriving back at the entrance to the Velvet Room, Theodore continued to hold Mikono's hand. All of a sudden, he yanked on her arm and pulled her close. She squeaked in response when she felt his other arm wrap around her waist. Looking up, she saw how close their faces were and her cheeks turned a light crimson. She could feel the warmth of his breath brush against her lips.

"Do take care of yourself, Mikono," Theodore said. "I hope to see you again very soon."

"I-I will, Theo."

Theodore released the girl. He watched with a satisfied smile as she left the alleyway with her hands over her pounding heart.

|| 5/28 Saturday ||
|| After School ||

After departing ways with Theodore, Mikono headed to her house when she saw the time. She knew Akira would be returning to Leblanc and would receive her message any second now.

Standing in front of the large house, she stared at it for what felt like hours. She could feel Takahashi's hands yanking her hair, choking her, and touching her bare body as if he was standing right in front of her. The wounds on her face throbbed as she felt the pain from his punches. She fought against the bad memories and took a step toward the front door. Unfortunately, she couldn't build up the courage to enter her own home and took a few steps back.

Suddenly, she heard someone calling out to her. Turning her head, she saw Akira running toward her. She smiled at him as he slowed his pace when reaching her side. "Thanks for coming, Akira."

Akira couldn't help but smile back. "How could I not? I couldn't let you go by yourself after what happened to you yesterday."

"I really do appreciate this." She turned to look at the house and sighed. "Now then, let's get this over with."

Akira and Mikono walked up to the front door and used the spare key to get inside. The boy walked inside but stopped when he noticed his girlfriend didn't follow. He turned around and saw her frozen on the doorstep. He could see the distant look in her eyes and knew exactly where her mind was. To snap her out of her petrified state, he reached out toward her and took her hand in his. When she snapped out of the trance, she locked eyes with him.

Seeing this, Akira gingerly tugged her inside the house. "It's okay, Mikono. I'm right here with you. You don't have to be scared."

She glanced down at their adjoined hands before nodding. "Y-Yeah." She interlaced her fingers with his and allowed him to escort her up to her room.

Arriving in Mikono's room, Akira released her hand so she could pack up her things. Morgana, who hadn't made his appearance until now, placed his paws on the boy's shoulder as he pushed half his body out of the bag. "So what's it like?"

"What're you talking about?" Akira asked, peering over his shoulder at the feline.

"Being in a girl's room!" He inhaled deeply and smiled jubilantly. "It smells like coconuts and strawberries in here! And look at how neat it is! This is definitely better than the attic!"

"This is my first time in a girl's room," Akira confesses. "Like you said, it's neat and smells good. It's...really nice."

"You know I can hear you both," Mikono grumbled as she emerged from her closet. "Is being in my room really that life changing?"

Akira and Morgana exchanged glances before speaking in sync. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Boys..." Mikono grabbed her school uniform and placed it in her duffle bag before zipping it up. "Okay. Let me go to the bathroom to grab my toothbrush and then we can go." She grabbed her school bag before walking past the two. The cat and boy nodded, watching her leave the room. They glanced around the neatly organized and nicely decorated bedroom before leaving to follow the girl.

With her toothbrush now in the front pocket of her duffle bag, Mikono stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The trio left the house and headed to the station. Halfway to their destination, Mikono had to stop because of her feet. Even though Theodore rewrapped her feet, the open wounds were still causing her pain. She sat down, staring at her feet. "My feet are killing me..."

"Do you have your pain pills with you?" Akira inquired.

She shook her head. "No. I left them at Leblanc. I didn't realize how much walking I did today until the cuts on my feet reopened."

Akira's brows knitted together in bewilderment. "What were you doing today?"

"Remember Theodore?"

"He's the Velvet Room attendant, right?"

"Yeah. Well..." Mikono looked down, clasping her hands together and fiddling her thumbs. "I showed him around Shibuya. I promised him I would and decided today was the perfect day. I needed to clear my head and it worked. Unfortunately, all that walking around reopened the cuts on my feet."

"You spent most of the day with him?" The boy asked.

"Yeah. He said it was a date, b-but I swear it wasn't! I-I know we haven't even been together for a day, but I swear I would never cheat on you!"

"Hey," Akira interjected before she could ramble any further. "You didn't cheat on me. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, I'm taking you on a real date tomorrow."

"Ooh, where are we going?" Mikono pried, smiling like a child in a candy shop.

"I...haven't figured that out yet."

"Hey!" Morgana shouted. "We should really get you back to Leblanc, Lady Mikono. Your bandages need to be changed and the cuts should be disinfected."

Mikono sighed, glancing in the direction of the train station. "This is gonna be a long walk."

"Not necessarily," Akira smirked as he stood up. He took his bag off his shoulder and placed it on the bench. He turned his back to Mikono and kneeled down. "Hop on."

"Huh?" Mikono's eyes widen as they focus on his back.

"I'll carry you. You shouldn't be walking on your feet."

She looked over at Morgana, who was smirking at her. "O-Okay." Pushing herself off the bench, she climbed onto Akira's back and wrapped her arms around his neck loosely. When he placed his hands under her knees, he leant forward and pushed himself off the ground. He adjusted his grip on her before glancing toward their bags on the bench.

"I can carry them," Mikono said. "My hands are free."

Akira bent down to allow the girl to pick up their school bags and her duffle bag. Morgana hopped onto the girl's shoulder as Akira carried them to the train station. He had received peculiar glances from many strangers as he carried Mikono onto the train and placed her down on one of the benches. He sat down beside her while Morgana hid behind the three bags.

Mikono pulled out her phone and saw the numerous of text messages and missed calls from her parents. She even had a few from Goro. Reading her parents's messages, she winced. Chief Goto must've managed to get ahold of them and tell them what happened to her yesterday. She was not looking forward to that conversation. Moving on to the detective, she read his messages and realized he was worried about her. She promptly texted him back to tell him she was fine and thanked him for helping with the case. She received a response a few minutes later and smiled as she read it.

Hesitantly, Mikono texted her parents and told them the same thing she did to Goro. When she realized they were calling after reading her message, she forced a smile and picked up. Her mother's booming voice caused her to flinch. She wasn't mad but stricken with worry and guilt. Ichika bursted into tears and Isaac was forced to take the remainder of the call. He was calmer than her mother, but his worry didn't go unnoticed by her. After reassuring him she was fine and in the care of Akira, he was relieved. He wished her a farewell before ending the call to tend to his crying wife.

When the conversation ended, Mikono placed her phone back in her bag and realized they arrived at Yongen-Jaya Station. Like before, Akira carried her on his back while she held their bags. Morgana returned to the girl's shoulder once they were off the train.

A couple minutes later, the trio arrived at Leblanc. Sojiro greeted them, but his voice trailed off when he saw Akira carrying Mikono on his back. The girl offered him an innocent smile with red cheeks as she was transported to the attic.

Akira placed Mikono on the bed before heading back downstairs to get hydrogen peroxide, a rag, and some bandages from Sojiro. He headed back upstairs just in time to see his girlfriend removing the bloody gauze from her feet. He walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. The moment she tried to take the supplies from him, he pulled them out of her reach. "I'll do it. You just sit there and look pretty as you always do."

Mikono's cheeks ignited a deep crimson. She couldn't believe how easy it was for him to say that with a straight face. Usually, he would abruptly cut himself off or change the subject because he lacked the guts to say such romantic things. Now, he had no issues speaking his mind. Her eyes narrowed but her red cheeks remained. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Akira?"

Akira looked up at her with a smirk. "I'm the real Akira. The only difference is my confidence." He poured some hydrogen peroxide onto the rag before tending to her injured feet. Before he could dab the cuts, he met her gaze. "I'm not going to lie—this is going to sting."

"I know. Don't hold back on my account. I'd rather keep my feet and not lose them to a severe infection all because I was a child and couldn't handle—ow!" Mikono shrieked in pain when Akira places the soaked rag against the bottom of her left foot. She weakly glared down at him and noticed he was smiling as if he was an innocent angel. "Give me a warning before you do that!"

"Sorry," Akira apologized before proceeding to tend to her reopened wounds. He carefully dabbed the cuts, cleaning them and purging any germs that could cause an infection. Once he finished with both of her feet, he took the gauze and wrapped it around her left foot then her right. "There."

"Thank you," Mikono said. Suddenly, the girl's stomach growled. She placed a hand over her abdomen, embarrassed at the obnoxious noise. She smiled meekly with red cheeks when Akira looked up at her in shock. "S-Sorry. I haven't eaten today..."

He chortled. "How about some curry?"

"Yes, please."

|| 5/28 Saturday ||
|| Evening ||

As Akira and Mikono ate dinner, he told her about the new rumors at school surrounding her and the incident yesterday. She was shocked to hear none of the rumors were bad and all of them were just speculations on who Banri Takahashi really was and why he targeted her. She was appalled when he said many of the students at Shujin were concerned about her health.

After dinner, the couple headed to the bathhouse before heading back to Leblanc and calling it a night. Back in the attic of the café, Mikono crawled onto the bed in her nightgown and matching robe. What she didn't notice was the two sets of eyes watching her every moment. After a minute, she did start to feel eyes on her. When she turned her head toward the only other two beings in the attic, Akira and Morgana immediately looked in the opposite direction so she couldn't tell they were admiring her in her silken nightgown. She grinned, knowing they were trying to hide their staring. This was the perfect opportunity and she was going to take it.

Mikono climbed off the bed and stalked toward Akira. He was sitting on the couch with his body turned toward the staircase. She could see a portion of his left cheek and noticed it was red, meaning he was blushing. Once reaching the sofa, she climbed on top and wrapped her arms around his neck loosely. She pressed her body against his back and rested her chin on his left shoulder. She heard a shaky gasp come from Akira and she knew she accomplished her goal, but she wanted to take it a step further. "I know you and Morgana were staring at me. Did you see something you like?"

"M-Mikono," Akira muttered. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his mind unable to form a comprehensive thought. His cheeks were burning bright red and his heart threatened to burst from his chest at how fast it was beating.

She giggled, poking his right cheek. "I'm just teasing you. Consider this payback." She was tempted to kiss him on the lips, but she didn't have the confidence to do such a thing just yet nor did Akira. She eagerly awaits for the moment they would share their first kiss. Instead, she placed her lips against his red cheek and kissed him before peeling her body off of his. "Goodnight, Akira," she whispered. "I'm really excited for our date tomorrow."

Akira wasn't able to mutter a single syllable due to his current state of mind from his girlfriend's actions. He simply nodded, watching her walk over to the bed and climb under the sheets. He laid down on the sofa, tugging at the blanket and pulling it over his body. He stared up at the ceiling, touching his left cheek where Mikono kissed him. A smile appeared on his face as he remembered the feeling of her soft lips against his skin before he fell asleep.

*****
Confidant: Mikono Tsutsui
Arcana: The Puppeteer
Rank: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*****