Mondo hurried to Chihiro's apartment and practically flew up the stairs. He needed to tell Chihiro about his encounter with the familiar man. But he needed to play it cool. He wasn't going to let him know he was desperate to find out the answer.

Finally arriving, he took a moment to regain his composure before knocking on the door. Chihiro opened it and smiled, letting him in.

Taking a deep breath, Mondo turned to him, ready to tell him about what happened.

"So, Chi, the weirdest thing happened. There was this guy on the subway... It was odd. He was so familiar, I jus' can't remember..."

Chihiro sighed. "Just describe his looks then."

Mondo nodded and thought of the familiar male. "He wore a black suit, carried a briefcase, had a red armband... Bushy eyebrows. Oh, and red eyes. But they ain't cold like Celestia's."

Chihiro's hands stopped typing and just hovered over the keyboard as his eyes trailed up to meet Mondo's.

"... Are... You sure you don't know him? Nothing about him?"

"I told ya, I don' remember."

"Try harder, Mondo."

Mondo's eye twitched as he remembered that was exactly what he told Chihiro when helping him in the gym. Using his own words against him. Smart.

"If I knew 'im, I wouldn' be askin', would I?"

Chihiro sighed and shook his head.

"Maybe... This will jog your memory."

Mondo watched as Chihiro searched for something. Finding it, he turned the laptop towards him. Alter Ego smiled and disappeared to show a picture of him and Kiyotaka. Confused, Mondo looked at the smaller male.

"Eh? What does Kiyo gotta do with this guy?"

"Do you see anything familiar?"

Mondo sighed and looked closer. After seemingly forever, something clicked and he straightened up.

"Th-that guy-!"

"Do you see it now?"

"Fuck, yes! How did I not realize-?!"

Mondo was cut off by Alter Ego, who seemed to want to be a part of the conversation. She appeared on screen once more, covering the picture yet again.

"You were distracted by your work, Oowada-chan. That, and it's been two years since you broke up, and you've been trying to forget."

Mondo stared at her before rubbing the back of his head. None of that was wrong. Ever since the breakup, Mondo stopped visiting everyone but Chihiro. Occasionally, Makoto, Aoi, Leon, Yasuhiro, and Kyoko would visit, but other than them, Chihiro was the only person he truly kept in touch with. He drowned himself in his work, determined to repair more than he broke when he was in The Crazy Diamonds. Shaking his head, Mondo brought himself out of his thoughts and turned to Chihiro.

"I saw 'im on the subway... Where do ya think he's goin'?"

Chihiro put a hand on his chin. "Well, considering his career... I think to the center of town, maybe to give a speech. Elections for Prime Minister are happening soon..." (Idk how politics work bear with me)

Mondo nodded and ran a hand through his hair. Prime Minister, eh? You're one lucky bastard. He thought, looking at the picture that was visible once more.

"... Chihiro, get ready. We're goin' to the center of town."

*???'s POV*

I took a deep breath as I headed towards a stand set up. Today was the day we give one final speech before its revealed who won. I can't afford to mess up now.

Spotting my friends, I sped walked towards them, stopping and bowing when I reached them.

"Thank you for coming to support me! I appreciate your help. Especially yours, Kyoko." (*cough* female in chapter one *cough*)

"It wasn't just me. Makoto helped you understand what the people wanted to hear. Byakuya helped you create a plan to rule." Kyoko said, crossing her arms.

I rubbed the back of my neck. She wasn't wrong. How could I forget they helped the most?! "Right! Of course! My apologies, Makoto and Byakuya!"

Byakuya 'humph'ed while Makoto shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Taka. We were happy to help! Right, Byakuya?"

"I only helped since it would look good for my business."

Makoto laughed nervously. "At least he told the truth..."

I sighed softly and straightened up. I was determined to win this election. People didn't trust me because of my grandfather, I understood that. But I wanted to prove that the Ishimaru name is not bad. To make sure I fix our name. I won't back down now, not when I reached this far. It's too late to back out. And Mondo- Er, Oowada-chan. If he found out who I was, then that would be even better.

Filled with new determination, I made my way up to my place and stood behind the stand. My friends sat in the seats nearby, since they are my campaign supporters.

After a short announcement, I cleared my throat and began the little speech I prepared.

"I usually would talk about what I would do. This time, I have something different. First, I would like to thank the people who helped me get this far: Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Byakuya Togami. I am greatly thankful to them." I gestured to the three.

Makoto waved slightly, clearly startled and flustered. Kyoko gave me a small smile, and Byakuya simply nodded.

I smiled and turned back to the crowd. "I know my grandfather was Prime Minister before, and he did unforgivable things. Yet, I'm not my grandfather. I worked hard, following the rules to a T, making sure I got perfect grades, studied continuously, and made sure others followed the rules as well. After spending time with Class 78 from Hope's Peak Academy, I have learned to relax and enjoy myself a little more. But that doesn't mean rules can be broken. I know I'm not trusted by some simply because of my family name. But I assure you, I will fix that. I will once more make the Ishimaru name a name that has a positive influence on others. I will not promise anything, but I will assure you I will do my best. Not just to prove myself, but to help everyone here. I didn't need friends to tell me that. Helping others has always been a priority of mine. I will make sure it stays that way."

I closed my eyes and bowed. "Thank you for listening."

I opened my eyes again, slightly scared at the silence. Several thoughts sped through my head, fear starting to rise. Did I say something wrong?! I thought, worried.

Suddenly, as if waiting to cause suspense, the crowd erupted into applause. A smile crept onto my face as I bowed once more before returning to my friends. Makoto was grinning from ear to ear, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Taka, that was incredible!"

I smiled. "Thank you, Makoto. I did as you said, I spoke what was on my mind."

"Judging from the noise, I say you won." Kyoko says, smiling softly.

I looked at Byakuya. He closed his eyes, a small smirk on his face.

"I suppose it was good enough. It certainly seemed to win them over easily."

I grinned. The only thing that could make it better was- No. I can't think of him. Not yet. When the time is right, we will meet again. But when... I guess only time will tell.

"No one's POV*

Mondo and Chihiro ran to the center of town. What waited for them there was an empty stand, and trash from a crowd littering the ground, people cleaning up the mess.

Mondo, furious, punched the nearest object, which happened to be a light post. "We missed him!"

Chihiro looked around, shoulders dropping as the adrenaline wore off, the spark of hope fading from his eyes. "We were too late..."

Mondo ran a hand through his hair, brushing it out of his face. "Goddamn it..."

Tears started to fill Chihiro's eyes as he looked away. "I'm sorry... I slowed you down..."

Mondo put a hand on the smaller males shoulder. "It's fine, Chi. Let's head back ta yer place."

Chihiro nodded and the Two slowly made their way back to Chihiro's apartment. Tired and defeated, they dropped on the couch once they arrived.

"... What now?"

"... I... Could do more research... Ask our classmates... It will take time... It might be weeks before you can see him again."

"... It will be worth the wait."

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Dg22: IM NOT DEAD! I'm soooooooooooo sorry this took so long! But it's the last week of school so I'm starting to have more time! Next week is the New York State Regents exams. I have one for Biology/Living Environment, and one for Algebra. But after that, there's no more school! Meaning (hopefully) I'll have the time and inspiration to write more. Until then, enjoy this chapter. Bye for now mes amis!