[A/N] Dedicated to cherry-cheescake . She suggested the scenario that takes up roughly 2/5ths of this chapter's plot. Also, guys, next chapter will be the finale!!! I really hope you guys have enjoyed so far. Get ready for some good old-fashioned cheesy fluff.

Byakuya and I haven't spent too much time alone with each other. There have been occasions where we hang out at each other's houses, but those are few and far between. It's even more uncommon that we spend time alone together out in the world. As in, this would be our first. And it wasn't even on purpose.

As typical, it was Hina and Komaru's idea. It's autumn now, and its brisk coolness and toasty colors breathe a sort of quiet and yet majestic elegance into life. Like at any moment during this hazy, sunlit apple-picking trip, he might kiss me in a place where the leaves part...

Except that won't happen, cause this isn't a date! Calm yourself, Eiko!

Anyways, yes, this was originally Hina and Komaru's plan. They wanted to go fruit picking to celebrate the new season. We were thinking we could even make a pie. The plans were in place, everything was perfectly laid-out, and we were getting enthusiastic. But of course, life's favorite hobby is to dash plans. One of Hina's swim meets got postponed to today, Hiro got a last-minute opportunity for a live exhibit at his museum, and Kyoko got sprung with an extremely profitable (yet urgent) case that we can't know anything about.

And while the Naegi sibs did swear that they're coming, Makoto has a quick administrative meeting to run and they only have one car. So. It's just the two of us right now. We almost postponed, but Makoto pointed out that, if we wouldn't mind being alone for an hour, we could pick even more. Why would we pass up a chance to maybe even make two pies? Just cause I'm a nervous wreck who can't function like a normal human being? No. I can absolutely handle a platonic apple-picking session whilst we wait for our friends!

Shit, his smile is so cute. He's not looking at me, really, he's just kind of thinking to himself as he picks. It's a contented, satisfied expression, and, honestly, if you had asked me a few years ago, I would've sworn that Byakuya could never be satisfied with anything. "You know, I never understood the appeal of apple-picking, since my servants were always the ones to do it, but I think I get it now. It's... quaint. Charming."

"And isn't that e-exactly what autumn's about?"

"It reminds me of you."

"Wh-What?" I gasp, somewhat taken aback.

"As a former heir, I did know a certain amount about style and aesthetics. Popping, crackling bonfires. Leaves all nice and neat in piles. Warm cider settling in the pit of your stomach.. I don't know. They just remind me of you much more than Hina, Komaru, and Kyoko."

I soak in this information, suddenly aware of the fibers of my brown plaid sweater and the fur in my ankle boots. That's a platonic thing to say, isn't it? Like, girls say that sort of thing to each other all the time. What's to stop him from saying it to me? "I guess you're right."

"What season do I remind you of?"

Agh, he asked me back! "U-Um, winter. Cold, quiet nights where you can s-see your breath frost. Wine in the middle of a blizzard. Hot baths f-followed by several crossword puzzles while wearing a designer bathro— Y-You know... the luxurious side of winter," I cut myself off, worried that my comparisons might seem weird. Also because of our class reunion.

"You make a solid point," he remarks simply, seeming not to notice my fluster.

"H-Hey, we haven't had a g-good old-fashioned competition in a while! L-Let's see who can pick the most apples in a minute!" I challenge, trying to soothe myself and ease out of this stupor.

"Alright. That sounds perfect. But be warned; I am GOING to emerge victorious this time," he declares, smirking confidently in that radiant way that makes me— STOP.

"I'll set the timer on my phone... okay, it's ready. On your mark... get set... Go!" And off we go, yanking apples off their branches with the intensity of a— Alright, I'm not gonna let my perverse instincts take over right now— of a boss converting to his final form. The trees shake violently. And our laughter rings out like a joyful chorus. Like lingering echoes of song wisping through woodlands. I really need to work on my novel today. My thoughts, despite being totally wrong for a platonic outing with my favorite people, are perfect for work.

All too soon, the minute is up, and we take turns grabbing an apple and counting it aloud. He ultimately does come out on top this time, but I teasingly chalk it up to his hands being larger. Even if that's not the reason he's won, I can't let my pride be damaged, of course. He would deem it due to something similarly shallow if I had won. "Drat. My honor has been trampled upon."

"Your honor? I wasn't aware that existed," he jests.

"Oh, shut up," I smile, giving him a light shove.

"Now, as loser, you need to do something for me."

"What?! Th-That was definitely not something we discussed beforehand!" I object.

"Come, now. Do you really expect that I, the great and powerful Byakuya Togami, would make an unreasonable request of one as low as you?" he continues to play as he inspects various apples.

"Fine. What do you even w-want me to do?" I ask.

"Taste test!" he exclaims suddenly, shoving one in front of my face for me to bite. I consider taking the apple from him, but he looks to be gripping it pretty tight, like that's not what he's trying to have me do. So instead, I nervously set my hand on his wrist and bite into the apple with a satisfying crunch. The refreshingly sweet, ever-so-slightly tart juice squirts into my mouth and I have to stop it from dribbling down my chin. I close my eyes, sighing in pleasure. This doesn't have to be a date. Komaru would absolutely do something like this.

"Mama, are they married?" a little girl asks, pointing at us. The genuine curiosity in her eyes makes me feel like internally screaming.

"W-We're not— I-I mean—!" I stutter, terrified.

"We're best friends," Byakuya chimes in steadily, holding me around the shoulder to calm me down.

"A guy and girl best friend? Okay!" she cheers.

"I'm so sorry!" the mother mouths as she drags her child off.

I can't even help but cackle at the situation that's unfolded before me. I have to take a minute to regain my composure and slow my maddening heart rate. Poor heart. It doesn't deserve all this needless stress. It's just a friendly outing, even if we do like each other. Not everything needs to be about flirting. It's not a date!

"Hey, guys!" Makoto calls out cheerfully.

"You're here!" I exclaim, jumping up to hug the siblings. I give Big Mac a hearty squeeze and then go on to hug Komaru, closing my eyes affectionately.

"Soooo, how did your date go?" she inquires. My eyes fly wide open.

"Remarkably well, actually. I think it was time well—" And then he seems to notice what just happened. "Oh."

"O-Oh," I respond back. His eyes are frazzled and perplexed, and he holds up a finger as if to say something and then puts it down. "Was that a—?" I ask.

"I—Was it?"

"It doesn't really matter. You both had fun, and that's what counts," Big Mac insists, glaring at and flicking his little sister. She giggles peskily, pulling at his ear. "Ow! Stop!"

I lean up against and hug Makoto a second time. "I'm so glad you're here. You're the only reason I h-have any sanity left," I murmur quietly. He laughs in that brotherly sort of way as he rubs my back to pacify me.

"So, let's have even more fun before the sun sets and we get ready to bake a pie!" he leads stridently. And, as is common with Makoto, we fall in line. We pick apples for about another hour. We get to make fun of how short Big Mac is once again until he essentially forces Byakuya to give him a piggyback ride. Komaru spends much of the time teasing us for our maybe-date whilst also excitedly chattering about the progress of her manga. At one point, I try and fail to juggle three apples, and the boys make epic saves and stop them from hitting the ground.

My eyes wander about and I stumble upon a group of men. They're laughing jovially and lightheartedly making fun of the gangliest of them. My fingers twitch and I start to tremble a little. But then I take a breath, rub my temples, and turn to look at my three favorite people, two of which are guys. It's all okay. Everyone in this situation is secure. And just... knowing that and understanding that fills my soul with elation. Cause, even if I can still sometimes feel the weight of her scissors when I look at "adorable men," I know that the fight is over. I'm okay. I, Eiko Fukawa, am home safe.

We make our way back to the Naegi sibs' house. Komaru had taken up the responsibility of making the crust last night, which is kind of disappointing, because I kind of really super duper wanted to get in a flour fight with her, but at least this saves us some time. The two of us instead work on making the filling, and the scent of brown sugar and cinnamon fills the comfortably small kitchen. I keep having to steal the whipped cream away from Komaru because she continually insists on spritzing it into her mouth.

She still looks surprisingly similar to how she did when we met, and it's kind of wild. Like she tethers me to my past, but in a good way. She's the link to the time in my life where I felt the most empowered; because of her, I finally had a friend. Because of her, I learned that I don't have to choose. I can fight for anything I need in life. I can demand it and claim it as my own.

"Eiki? Are you daydreaming or something? You're looking at me awfully funny," she grins, sticking her tongue out and booping my nose.

"You're stuck with me forever. You know that, right?"

Her eyes widen. "If you ever even think of ditching us, my brother and I will literally drag you back home! You have no other choice! We know where you live!" she insists, wrapping her arms around me.

"Good. Cause I'm never going back to who I was before I met all of you. You especially. If life wants to try and push me in that direction, I'll shred it into a million little scraps!!!" I announce, mimicking scissor-slices with my fingers.

"Okay, Slicey-McDicey, can you start cutting strips in this rolled-out piece of dough? We're gonna use them for the lattice top," she giggles, giving me an affectionate flick of the shoulder.

"Gladly! I swear, I'm gonna need to cut my hair again soon, cause I've been craving that sharp-object action!"

"You're concerning," she pouts in suspicion.

"Look, none of my tendencies are violent! I just like slicking and snipping! It's seamless. Efficient. And a perfect cut is just satisfying. Like a parting without pain, a clean release."

"Only you could describe it like that, Little Miss Author. Okay, thank you! I think I can handle the next couple steps if you wanna go check on the boys!"

"Thanks! Love you!"

"I love you bunches, Eiki!"

I wander into the dining area, where Makoto and Byakuya are playing Chō-Han and talking about how our class is doing. Makoto seems to be winning a good amount of money off of it; his unpredictable luck seems to be serving him rather well, at least for now. Byakuya seems mildly annoyed as he guesses wrong once again. But I settle down across from the two of them, and his shoulders seem to ease.

"And Tozen? He's doing alright?"

"Tozen? He's doing quite well. Why do you ask? He's one of the least problematic," Byakuya raises an eyebrow.

"Well, sure, but all of these kids have been through a lot. That haven't all TOLD me what they've been through, but, well, even if some of them act well-adjusted, they did all grow up during the Tragedy," Makoto points out.

"Tozen is d-doing very well. He, Azumi, and H-Haruto are as close as ever, and he's surprisingly tight with Joanie, too," I update with a smile, propping my chin up on my hand.

"That's great!" Makoto beams. His smile lights up the room, filling it with energy. He really is an adorable man.

"Excuse me," Byakuya asks, rising from his seat. I immediately steal it to get closer to Big Mac.

"Hiya."

He chuckles a little. "Hi, Eiko."

"Tell me stuff!" I bounce up and down a little in my chair. He laughs even harder.

"Well, Kyoko and I are still doing great. She's been working her butt off, but she's been able to spare a vacation day here and there. And thanks to you two taking the kids, it's been much easier for me to get away, too. You don't mind if I get a little deep with you, right?"

"Of c-course not, you're p-practically my brother."

He sighs a bit, trying to get his thoughts in a row. Or wrack up courage or something. "Well... um. Y'know how I've always been like, super average? Like one of the most cookie-cutter, normal people ever? Well, because of that, people didn't really... expect much from me, I guess. And then being the one to sort of defeat Junko... suddenly it felt like everyone in the world was watching. The pressure has been pretty unreal ever since... So I honestly really appreciate you and Byakuya taking the class for me. I care about them, but I need to care about myself, too, for once. Some time to relax is such a luxury."

"Big Mac, there's n-not a lot of things I w-wouldn't do for you. You honestly mean the w-world to me, and the fact that I can even express sentiments like that so easily is partly due to you. Y'know... part of why Jill acted the way she did is because we kind of grew up associating affection with pain. We were treated so p-poorly that mistreatment became a way of showing affection in our warped mind. So... with Jill's emotions being so heightened all the time, that e-escalated to... well... killing adorable men. You all showed me what love REALLY is. You did it back when we were at Hope's Peak and then you d-did it all over again, because you, an adorable man, refused to give up on me for whatever stupid reason. You guys are the reason I can love... o-other people. And now, in return, I'll be right by you and your sister's side f-forever," I vow with conviction.

Makoto embraces me, tears in his eyes. He's always been a softie. "Love you, Eiko."

"I h-hope you know that you three are my favorites," I express breathlessly, trying not to cry.

"Favorite what?"

"Just my favorites." He giggles, hiccuping from the tears.

"Are we now? Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that. I've become rather... fond of you all, myself," Byakuya interjects. I feel my face heating up, and Makoto opens his arms wide for Byakuya to join. He raises his arms in surprise first, seeming not to know what to do. But then he hesitantly joins in.

"Hey, guys, just so you know, the pie's in the o— GROUP HUG!" Komaru squeals as she enters the room, sprinting and throwing herself on top of us at breakneck speeds.

Yeah. I could get used to a life like this.