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Gathered around the train station early in the morning, some of them yawned due to waking up at a time they were not used to. But they didn't mind. The train ride they would be taking would be some nice quiet time to catch up on sleep.

Covering her mouth while exhaling, Makoto noticed something about one of the two blondes of their group. "Ryuji, we're not staying away for only a couple of days now like Hawaii. This time we're going to be away for the entire summer vacation. Is a backpack really going to be enough?"

"Don't worry, I already know. It's why Akira's holding a second suitcase right now." The boy managed to groan out while stretching his arms. While extending such limbs, he was pointing a finger towards the black-haired male who was balancing on his heels while leaning on two suitcases. "The stuff that's in the bag are a few things I'm grabbing for my mom."

"Speaking of things, does everyone have what they need for the trip?" Akira asked, releasing a small groan as he pushed himself up before the two suitcases could roll away and affect his balance. "I prefer for you guys to not have to take a trip back here."

"Nah, I think we're all good." Ann shook her head. "Pretty sure that everyone double checked."

"Double checked what?"

Hearing a new voice, everyone looked over towards a flight of stairs and saw that Sona and the rest of her Peerage walking in their direction. As the group approached though, Akira couldn't help but feel that a glare was being directed towards him. Looking around at Sona's Peerage, he eventually saw Saji sending him a dirty look. But when he began approaching, the Pawn immediately killed his look and turned his head to break eye contact.

Akira raised an eyebrow at the display but still approached, stopping in front of Sona. "So, the entire student council coming over to Tokyo as well?" He asked, noting the group was also carrying their own suitcases.

To his surprise, Sona shook her head. "Even though I gave them the option, all of them made the choice of going back to my family household instead, wanting to get some time ahead in training. Apparently due to me now having a Persona, they all want to get stronger as soon as they can in order to say that they are fit for my Peerage. I really am fortunate to have them." She had a small smile during that last comment. "Plus, they are saying that it would be best for me as well to take some time off and… relax with my… boyfriend…"

Sona must have been speaking a bit faster than her mind could process due to slowing down at the end of her sentence. Realization was growing on her face until she wore a bit of a timid expression at the end. Some members gave thumbs up while nodding their heads.

Akira however remained slightly stoic faced, just staring at Sona as if he suspected she were hiding something.

"Hey, Gremory-san, over here!"

Once again, everyone looked over to see Rias and her Peerage this time walking over with Ravel. "Well, you seem rather high spirited." The red-head noted with a small smile at how Futaba was the one to wave them over.

"That's because you're going to be entering our territory now, Gremory-san." Futaba snickered while adjusting her glasses. She then stretched. "It's going to be good to be back home though. I know Sojiro was here just yesterday, but it will be good to see him in his natural habitat." Looking around, another thing came to mind. "…Where's Gasper-chan?"

Koneko was the one to answer that question. Stepping forward, she unceremoniously dropped a cardboard box she was holding up without any remorse. As soon at the object hit the hard floor, a cry erupted from the item.

"Koneko-chan's mean!" Gasper's wail came from the box as it shifted around. Soon a pair of eyes could be made out from the handle holes.

"…We are so lucky that by some miracle no one is really around to see this." Ryuji stated flatly before looking around. "There aren't any cameras around catching this, are there?"

"Oh, there he is." Futaba said nonchalantly as she bent down. "Oh, Gasper-chan," She sang out.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san, but I can't come out!" Gasper exclaimed. "I know we're trying to work on it, but this is just so sudden. It's sunny outside! I hate it! Not only that, there are so many people outside as well!"

"True… But not to worry, Gasper-chan, for I have a possible solution!" Futaba whipped around an immediately began rummaging around in her suitcase as if she were expecting this. "I had a feeling you would say something like that, so I decided to give you a little hack!" Turning back around, she swiftly opened the box while shoving a few items into the box. "Just put them on and come on out!"

At first, silence. It was quiet between them all for so long they wondered if Gasper had fainted suddenly. But finally, there was some shifting around. Slowly, but surely, the box began to open. Standing up shakily was Gasper with his entire face hidden behind a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a surgical mask.

"You're worried about looking at people or them at you, right?" Futaba asked. "Well, not to worry! With all of that on, you'll appear to be nothing but a tourist!"

"…Is that how it works?" Yusuke asked as Futaba handed Gasper a bag of chips as a reward for stepping out into the open. "He looks pretty suspicious."

"I don't think so, but I think it's better not to spoil the moment." Makoto whispered to the artist.

"I'm worried for Gasper-chan though." Haru said warily looking at the boy as the half-vampire and ginger interacted with one another while the white-haired girl blandly watched with interest. "We are heading back to Tokyo where there are a lot of people…"

"Oh yeah, that's right! Tokyo! The place where…" Issei piped up loudly, but then realized that he was speaking with a high volume and then lowered his voice as people were beginning to approach. "The place where the Phantom Thieves started! This is going to be so cool!"

"And like that, Issei's already been able to show more self-control than Ryuji." Morgana quipped from his usual spot in Akira's bag.

"I can throw you down into the train tracks right now, cat!" Ryuji replied with a small glare.

"Please don't." Akira said. "This bag was expensive."

"Plus… threatening to throw Morgana-san. Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?" Ravel asked with a small frown.

To that, much to her surprise, both the cat and blonde turned their heads over to stare at the Devil. "Not really." Both said at the same time after a couple of seconds.

"Yeah, we throw a couple of verbal jabs at each other a few times a day." Morgana stated.

Ryuji shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't mean we really mean it."

Leaning back, Ravel couldn't help but give an incredulous look. "How does that even work?" She asked.

The Phenex never got her answer though. Hearing metal grinding against each other, everyone looked over to see a train approaching the platform that they all were standing on. "Our train is here." Haru observed.

Nodding her head, Sona turned around and began addressing her Peerage. Meanwhile, everyone else began boarding the train as the doors had opened. Before they could do that though, they quickly backed off to let other passengers off the train first.

But while everyone began to shuffle inside, Rias took one look at Akira standing behind Sona and was unable to see his face just before following the others inside.

TakeABreak

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tokyo."

After a small struggle to get off the train in the middle of an orderly stampede, all the teenagers manage to group up at a single spot on the platform. Out of the way of those that were trying to reach their own destinations, Akira was the one to spread his arms out in a lazy presenting manner.

There was a bit of sarcasm to his tone as well but mainly because they were in a train station. Now, all that could be seen were stairs, train tracks, train route maps and electronic signs that presented train schedules. If they were out in the open, he would have used a bit more flair in his presentation.

"…I'm going to be honest." Issei started off, looking around with a bit of a blank look on his face. "I have no idea why, but I thought the train stations here would look a bit fancier. But they don't look any more different than the ones back at home."

The hacker of the Phantom Thieves then shrugged her shoulders. "Probably because you thought of Tokyo being such a fancy place because of you know what." Futaba snapped her fingers. "News flash, I-cchi, this is just another place in Japan."

"I'm sure your mood will lighten up once you begin to actually explore other places, Issei-kun." Rias commented with a smile. She then turned over towards Ann. "Once again though, I have to thank you for your offer… Although I am concerned that we may end up being a nuisance."

"Oh, don't worry. It's no problem at all." Ann waved her hand with a small smile. "There's hardly people home anyways so it's empty most of the time."

Of course, those that weren't Phantom Thieves (with perhaps the exception of Yusuke) didn't have a place to stay in Tokyo. At first, Rias and Sona suggested hotels. Money wasn't much of an issue for them and they would be paying for each of their appropriate Peerages (decided before asking who wanted to come along). Rather than pay money even if it wasn't an issue, Ann asked if they all wanted to stay at her place instead since there was plenty of room. Sure, pretty much all of them had to share a room. But it would have been fun to do so, kind of like a sleepover.

"Besides, it's a lot better than staying in a bunch of small hotel rooms." Ann added in.

"Right, we'll leave you all to unpack your things then." Akira gave a small nod of his head while pointing at the model and Devils with finger guns. "Meanwhile, we," He gestured to himself, Morgana, Ryuji, Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, and Haru. "Will head back to our respective resting establishments and unpack. We'll meet you all at the Shinjuku station. Just keep an eye on your phones for each of our arrivals. It should probably be around lunchtime by the time we gather together."

"In that case, why not simply head to Leblanc for lunch then?" Haru suggested. "It is one of our main meeting places. Plus, it would be good to help drum up some business for Boss."

"That's a good idea." Rias piped up while folding her arms. "I've been hearing tons of things about Sakura-san's father making better curry and coffee than Akira-kun. That is saying something, and I wish to see if that is indeed true."

"It is better." Koneko nodded her head once, believing her statement to be true.

Akira shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, she's not wrong." He supported. "Although I'm not sure if Boss would really like all of the extra work he would have to do to accommodate us…" After thinking, he waved his hand dismissively. "Bah, I'll just have to help him out then. Alright then, it's Leblanc then. Scratch that Shinjuku plan."

"Great, we'll meet you there!" Ann smiled and waved with the Devils as they began to walk out of the station.

Making their way up the stairs and out of the station, all Devils looking up to see buildings squished together to almost make the area looking like one giant structure. Yet despite how tall they were, they could see the top with the summer sun shining down onto them. So many people bustling around the streets all with their own destinations and plans in mind.

"Whoa…" Issei breathed, taking it all in. His dropped jaw hung for a moment before growing a large grin. "Now this is what I'm talking about! This is what I had in mind when coming to Tokyo!" Spreading his arms out with enthusiasm, he accidentally knocked over his suitcase.

"I know." Asia nodded eagerly as well. "It's so majestic and clean here yet busy at the same time." Constantly whipping her head around, she soon found herself getting a bit dizzy due to so many interesting things to look at.

"He-hey, come on." Ann tried to calm them both down. "I know this is a big thing for you guys, but does it really require this much excitement?" Seeing someone jittering out of the corner of her eye, she looked over. "Is everything alright, Gasper-kun?" She questioned with concern.

"P-p-p-people… So many… Scary." Gasper managed to whimper out, keeping eye contact with the floor. While people didn't really look at him, that didn't stop a few doing double takes while passing by.

At that moment, a hand grabbed the back of his collar. "Don't worry, Buchou," Koneko reassured the red-head. "I'll make sure we don't lose Gasper-kun."

"…You didn't really have to do that, Koneko-chan. But still, thank you for doing so." Rias shook her head before bending down to eye level with the half-vampire. "Now Gasper-kun, I know this is tough for you. But as Futaba-san has already said, you're making excellent progress just by being outside right now. I'm sorry, but let's try to keep it up and help you get stronger, okay?" She offered a reassuring smile.

Despite all his shaking, Gasper managed to get a single nod after a couple of moments being frozen.

"Sorry to break this moment up, but we should get moving." Ann motioned with her hands. "Although it takes time to make the food, I really don't want to hold up Akira and Boss up on having to wait for us to all gather up."

Beginning to walk, Ann led all the Devils towards her home. It honestly wasn't that far of a walk which Ann was thankful for. A short trip to the station meant less travel time when going to and from home during her years in Tokyo.

While they moved though, Rias noticed that Sona was looking at her phone. More specifically, the notepad app that appeared to be filled with a long list. "What do you have there, Sona?" Rias asked, leaning in a bit close to get a better look at the letters to see what they would spell out.

Hearing this and seeing the red-haired Devil move closer, the Leviathan-wielder quick hid the device. "It's nothing." Sona stated while readjusting her glasses due to her body's sharp movement. Seeing that Rias was making an unconvinced face, she sighed and caved into her friend's curiosity. "It's a list of places and or activities Akira-kun believes I may find interesting mainly due to his affiliations to them as Joker." A small giggle escaped her lips. "He did suggest other places that are suitable for dates, but I said that I would be more interested in important locations related to his work. His reaction was certainly something to behold"

Hearing this, Rias' face turned into a small frown. "…Sona… Do-"

"And here we are."

Being cut off by Ann's voice, both Sona and Rias looked forward to see Ann's house. The sight of the building was a bit of a surprise to them though. Though to the other Devils, it was a bit of a shocking display that Ann basically announced that this was where she lived. They must have been staring for a few seconds as Ann had to snap them out of it.

"What are you guys going?" The blonde Phantom Thief asked as she opened the front gate. "Let's get inside already. It's hot out."

"O-okay!" Issei reacted, still staring up towards the building. "Thanks for having us…"

TakeABreak

"Akira-senpai… do you know what Ann-senpai's house is like?"

After setting down their belongings, Ann led the Devils straight towards Café Leblanc for their lunch. They were around the first ones to arrive with Akira being able to greet them at the door. Luckily, there weren't any people at the moment so they had the building to themselves

Taking in the interior, the location looked… sophisticated. A few booths lined up only one wall while bar stools took their spots in front of a counter. Such counter was the platform for several containers containing either spices or coffee beans. Such an array could also be seen on a shelf right behind it.

Seated down in front of the counter, Issei had his arms right on the surface with a nearly tired expression on his face. While everyone else was spaced out in the café, Akira was in the kitchen area while stirring a pot of curry that Sojiro had already made.

Looking over, Akira raised an eyebrow at the amount of energy the male brunette was expressing despite the enthusiasm he had earlier. "Nope, never have." Akira answered curtly. "I am quite curious though. What is it like in there?"

"You realize you could just ask me, right?" Ann questioned from the side.

The leader of the humans shrugged his shoulders. "It never came to mind until now. Plus, I want to hear this from Issei's perspective."

Issei groaned. "Sorry. I don't really have any details to talk about. Or rather… her house was so big; I honestly can't remember anything else."

"…Huh?"

"L-like, in the living room?" He continued, not hearing both humans. "There was this humongous flat-screen TV on the wall… on the second floor… and the third floor… There were just so many rooms, and the entrance to the house was so fancy… and she had four computers…"

"…" Akira stared at Issei before looking over towards Rias who was watching her Pawn still try to comprehend Ann's house. "Is he going to be okay?" He pointed at the boy.

"I'm sure he will be fine." Rias reassured him. "Issei-kun acted the same way when he first saw the Gremory household but managed to get over it in about an hour. Just give it time."

With a small bell ringing in their ears, everyone turned over to see Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto and Haru showed up through the door. "Hey guys." Ryuji waved his hand before putting them back into his pockets. "You all just get here as well?"

"No, we've been here for quite a few minutes actually." Ravel answered for them all while Akira went back to cooking.

"Are Boss and Futaba at home?" Makoto asked, noticing the lack of two important people.

"Yeah, apparently Futaba wanted to clean a few things in her room since she specified that Boss never to go in there under any circumstances." Akira nodded his head, taking a few experimental sniffs of the concoction inside of the pot before giving a satisfied hum. "Boss already had a fresh batch of curry ready for the day luckily. Go ahead and find a place to sit. Just waiting on the rice to finish which should be finished soon."

"Wow, never seen this place so packed before. Let alone with a bunch of teenagers only."

Just as the Phantom Thieves had moved to their chosen spots, another voice made them look over towards the door. The owner of this voice had just walked through the door and had on what each one of them would basically summarize as a punk outfit. She had dark blue hair in a messy bob-cut with blunt bangs and brown eyes. Nail polish on her fingernails and toenails were colored red yet almost blended in with her skin color. Wearing a spiked choker and bracelets, torn stockings, a blue dress with a white pattern on it resembling a spider web, she covered rest of her body with a small leather jacket.

"Takemi-san." Akira greeted her, getting looks from everyone else in the establishment.

Looking around at the sound of Akira's voice, her eyes widened a bit with surprise at the sight of the boy behind the counter. "I did not expect you to be back here so soon." She commented, a small smile forming on her lips as she spoke. "Any reason why you didn't say that you were back? Also, how long are you staying?"

"That's because I literally just got back moments ago. You were one of the first people I was going to visit right after eating actually." Akira said, peeking over towards the rice and nodding his head in satisfaction at the results. "To answer your second question, just for today and a bit of tomorrow."

Eyeing the woman up and down, Sona had to ask. "Akira-kun, you know her?"

"Yeah, I do." Akira confirmed. "Everyone, meet Tae Takemi, owner of Takemi Medical Clinic and arguably one of the best doctors in Tokyo."

"Oh please," Takemi shook her head with a roll of her eyes. "You're exaggerating." When she looked back down though, she saw that everyone just looking at her with admiration. "…You can't all be seriously believing him now, are you?" She questioned with a bit of disbelief.

"Despite his exaggerations, almost all of Akira-kun's statements have been true." Sona was the one to answer. She then remembered something. "Wait, Takemi Medical Clinic…" Taking out her phone, she tapped a couple of icons before turning towards Akira. "This is the owner of one of the places I wanted you to take me!"

Blinking, Takemi stared at Sona. "…Sorry, but I don't really know your name."

"Sona… Sona Sitri."

Meeting eyes with Akira, the doctor pointed at the girl she was addressing. "Is she sick or something?" She asked with a small frown of disapproval. "If that's the case, she should actually be at home or actually visiting a hospital. Not out and about."

"No, that's not it at all." Akira denied, shaking his own head in response. "Sona-chan was actually curious about what my life was like in Tokyo last year. She wants to see all the places that I closely associated with myself and your clinic was one of them. Which reminds me, do you want your usual order?"

"…Sona-chan, hmm?" The lips on the adult quirked up into a small smirk as if she knew something. "Yes, the usual is perfect. But could you make it for to go? I don't want to interrupt the little party that's going on in here."

"You got it."

As Akira got to work, Takemi sat down on a stool that was near the door. Feeling eyes on her, she looked to see that everyone else in the café was still staring at her. "…Can I help any of you?" She asked warily due to the scene being rather strange.

"I'm simply curious how Akira-kun managed to associate himself with you." Haru spoke up. "I don't mean to be rude. He does know interesting people. I am just curious how you two met and seem to have built up enough of a relationship to be rather casual with one another."

"…Well…"

"It's okay, Takemi-san, they know about what kind of activities I partook in outside of school." Akira gave a small wink before returning to the doctor's order. "Go ahead and give them the details as well. I'm positive they can stomach it."

"…" Sighing, she shook her head. "How did this many people find out?" She asked this but never received an answer from the boy. "This boy tended to get himself injured a lot during his activities and needed my help." A small smirk grew on her face as everyone knew what she was going on about despite her playing along with Akira's mysterious answer. "I provided him all kinds of first aid equipment and medicine to help him get through it. In exchange, I had him be a little guinea pig of mine with having to test out some… experimental drugs to help out a patient of mine."

"…Guinea… pig?" Issei swallowed, slowly getting off his chair and shuffling away since he was the closest to her.

"Oh, you don't need to worry." Takemi waved her hand. "It wasn't anything harmful. The worst that happened was him blackening out for a couple of hours. There was no change to his health otherwise."

"I can vouch for her." Akira then handed her a cup with a lid on the top. "Here you go, the usual. Just what the doctor ordered."

Shaking her head once again at the small joke, she took the drink and stood up. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Although I'm sorry to say that I must disappoint your companion there." Takemi gestured towards Sona. "I'm afraid that thanks to your help that that little problem last year, I've become rather busy as of late."

"Oh, that's no problem at all." Sona reassured from her spot in the café. "While I was curious about the clinic, that has fully been satisfied by meeting you, Takemi-san."

That got a chuckle out of the doctor. "Quite the peculiar girl isn't she, my little guinea pig?"

"Without a doubt." Akira answered with a smile, knowing that the question was referring to him.

Just as Takemi stepped out of the door, both Sojiro and Futaba entered. Looking over his shoulder, the older man looked back. "Takemi-san came here for her usual?" That earned him a nod from the black-haired boy in question. "Well, I at least trust you enough that you didn't screw up her order too bad."

"Oh please Sojiro, Akira's cooking skills are second to you." Futaba vouched for the boy, slipping past her father-figure before immediately gravitating to two people sitting in the corner of the café. "Koneko-chan! Gasper-chan!"

"Everything's ready by the way." Akira stated, already pulling out several plates. "You can join us if you like, Boss."

"Err, thanks but that's fine." Sojiro shook his head. "I don't want to intrude on you kids and your fun. I'll just take this opportunity to run some errands I had planned out for later days." He then pointed. "But by the time I get back and you guys aren't here, this place better be clean and locked."

"Without question."

Nodding in satisfaction, Sojiro turned around and walked out of the door.

"So, what do you all have in mind now that you're here?" Ryuji asked towards the Devils as Akira began passing around plates of curry and rice. "There's no way you guys have figured out what you wanted to do in a couple of days."

Rias was the one to initiate. "Futaba-san had offered to go around Akihabara with Akeno and I. There are quite a few stores I would like to check out today. I believe Koneko-chan and Gasper-kun want to tag along with us." The red-head informed as everyone nodded their heads in confirmation.

Though Gasper was extremely reluctant as Koneko made sure to grab his sleeve.

"Yusuke-kun has offered to show us some museums as well as a few places that he took inspiration from. It sounds rather interesting if you ask me." Kiba gestured to Xenovia and himself. "I am rather interested in these areas that he says brought inspiration to his painting therefore his swordplay as well. I'm curious if it will affect me as well."

"…Are you saying that that your swordsmanship had improved over the months due to your arts?" Haru asked curiously, looking at the blue-haired boy.

"At least it appeared so to me." Yusuke answered, raising a spoon to shine in the light bulbs in the building provided. "With every brush and stroke, the blade is a brush being directed along the canvas which is the battlefield. I use my weapon to create a picture, a scene before my eyes. It was… an invigorating experience whenever I thought of it."

Ryuji looked over. "Is this considered being poetic?" He asked everyone in the café before raising his hands. "You know what, on second though, never mind. No one answer that."

"Asia-chan and I are actually being shown around Shibuya as Ann-senpai offered to be a tour guide of sorts." Issei stated, already shoving a spoonful of curry into his mouth as soon as he got his plate. "Mmm, this is really good! Futaba-san is right, this is better than your curry Akira-senpai!"

"Shinjuku you say, huh?" Akira asked, already have given everyone their plates as he headed back towards the counter to grab his own portion. He didn't respond to Issei's other comment though as he already knew this statement was true. "I think I know a place you might find interesting there, Issei. It just so happens to be another location Sona-chan wanted me to take her."

"What about you, Ravel-chan?" Futaba asked, digging into her meal. "Do you have anywhere specific in mind?"

"…Not really." Ravel admitted, looking away from the group in embarrassment. "I did not truly expect myself to actually be deciding to come along with everyone in the end."

"I say to just stick with Ann and the others around Shibuya then." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders. "It's a pretty popular area to be at. Plus, it's a pretty nice place to be at to travel to other areas with the subway if any catch your interest." He got a look from Ravel. "What? Shibuya's one of my old stomping grounds. Did you forget I've lived in Tokyo since I was a kid?"

"…" Ravel still stared, narrowing her eyes a bit.

After a few seconds, Ryuji made a realization. "Ah, right, you never asked and I never told you." He rubbed his head while looking away.

"Well if you claim you know so much, then show me around." Ravel challenged, folding her arms. Silence was met between them. "Unless you really were just bragging?"

Ryuji stared at her with surprise before he looked around for help. Akira was going to be with Sona so that was a big no. Morgana couldn't do anything. Ravel didn't know Ann too well plus the Phantom Thief was helping Issei and Asia. Yusuke didn't seem too suitable for the blonde Devil. He knew that Futaba was a bit too hyper for her either. That left…

"Hey Makoto, Haru, a little help here?" He voiced out.

Makoto looked over. "Why me? You sort of asked for it." She stated. "Plus, there is my summer homework that I wanted to go over since there is that event we will be watching. So unfortunately, I won't be able to do much for our time here."

"Sorry Ryuji-kun, but there are a few things at the company that I need to look over." Haru apologized.

Slowly, Ryuji turned back to Ravel who was glaring daggers at him. In response, he held his hands up. "Okay, okay!" He gave in. "I'll be your own tour guide!"

"…Hmph, you would have spared yourself the humiliation if you had just said yes in the beginning." Ravel huffed as she ate.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." Ryuji mumbled, eating his own food while not noticing all the stares he was receiving from everyone in the café. Feeling as if tons of eyes were on him, the blonde looked up. But by the time he did, the other Devils and humans had returned their gazes to their meals.

As everyone continued to eat, it then occurred to Sona. "How exactly are we going to be able to visit all of these places anyways within the time that we have?" She asked, causing Akira to look over as he had a feeling she was addressing him. "From what I see, these locations are decently far from one another with frequent trains to take."

"…" He was silent for a couple of seconds before answering. "Trust me, I'm pretty efficient when it comes to this stuff." Akira stated. "For example, one afternoon after school I went to Shibuya to pawn off a few things. After that, I went shopping around the area. Then I took the subway to a bookstore and bought a couple of things. Going to Kanda Church, I changed my mind and decided to go Akihabara to play arcade games with a kid and it was like no time had passed at all."

"…Yeah," Morgana confirmed for the boy but still made it sound like Akira was missing something. "But there was that one time you sat down at your desk to craft only one lockpick and it took you all afternoon."

"Yes, but that was at the beginning." Akira waved off. "I have improved on my arts and crafts skills since then."

"This happened when infiltrating Shido's palace!"

TakeABreak

"Wow, Ravel-san, that looks really good on you!"

Blushing a bit at Ann's praise, Ravel looked around to see the reactions of the other spectators. Asia was clapping her hands with a smile on her face. Ryuji and Issei meanwhile were nodding their heads but still had their attention completely on the Phenex.

Ryuji decided that despite knowing a lot about Shibuya, he admitted that he did not know what Ravel would really like. He wouldn't say what girls like specifically since everyone had their own tastes. The very group they were a part of was the perfect example for that statement.

So, he asked Ann for help.

He didn't know why Ann gave him such a flat look. Ryuji explained though that despite hanging around with everyone, Ravel only interacted with him, Futaba and Koneko. It may be a good idea to expand her zone of friends.

After hearing this, Ann said yes in the end. Although Ryuji was still confused (and a bit irritated) when she called him an idiot.

Though he should have expected that one of the things Ann would do is clothes shopping.

"Yeah, I can agree with that." Ryuji said aloud, turning his head to look at Issei. "You say the same, man?"

Issei still nodded his head. "Ditto, Ryuji-senpai, ditto."

Ravel's face turned a bit red not only due to the praise she was receiving, but also due to being a bit of a dress-up doll for Ann. "Err, Takamaki-san… while I do appreciate the effort you are making for me, are there any other places in Shibuya with other things to see?"

Blinking, Ann paused and put a finger to her chin in thought. A smile then grew on her face. "Yeah, there certainly are. But I promised these two," She gestured to Asia and Issei who were looking at clothes themselves. "That I would be the one to show them around. Plus, Ryuji said that he would be the one to show you around, remember?"

Ryuji stepped back, startled at the realization and glare Ravel sent him and she snapped her neck over in his direction. "Uh, y-yeah, I did…" He confirmed before sighing. "Alright, there are a few other places to look at if you want."

"I would very much appreciate that." Ravel nodded her head before stepping back into the changing room. "Just let me put my clothes back on."

Nodding her head, Ann walked over to Ryuji and leaned in close. "Don't have too much fun." She winked with a grin while mumbling loud enough for only the two blonde Phantom Thieves to hear.

"…" Ryuji couldn't help but he confused once again at what Ann was talking about.

Satisfied with the silence he created, Ann leaned back before waving Issei and Asia over. "Hey you two, come on! There's a food stand that you guys need to try out!"

Just as the trio had left, Ravel had exited the changing room to see Ryuji waiting for her all by himself. But his face made it look like he was thinking about something and it was extremely puzzling. Clearing her throat, Ryuji flinched a bit before seeing her. "…Are you ready, Sakamoto-san?" She simply asked, blinking with curiosity at his reaction.

"Huh?" Ryuji asked, before shaking his head. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Just… there was something on my mind. That's all."

"I could tell." Ravel answered flatly.

Sighing while rubbing his head, Ryuji waved over. "All right, let's get going then." He began walking.

While traveling, he heard the rhythm of footsteps next to him tap at a fast pace despite him moving at his average speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ravel keeping up with him. But despite this, he did notice her breathing. How the speed of her walking affected her air intake as well as her ch-

Ravel soon found herself a couple of steps ahead of Ryuji so suddenly. Slowing herself down, she started to breath better. Walking right next to the boy became easier as well. Sluggishly, Ravel tried to nonchalantly look at Ryuji and saw that he had his eye on her also. As soon as they made eye contact though he quickly looked away as if he were a naughty child who had been caught peeking.

Seeing this and figuring out why her walked had become easier, all Ravel could do was smile to herself. Though she thought she may be over reacting a little bit when she felt her cheeks heat up.

"So, what do you want to check out?" Ryuji asked, as they climbed up a set of stairs. "There's watching the Shibuya Crossing. Walking around Yoyogi Park? Maybe check out Hachiko? Any of those-." Looking back at Ravel, he saw her face and cut himself off. "Hey, Raven-san, you okay?"

"Ryu-kun?"

Ravel watched Ryuji freeze before she could answer his question. Both looked towards the direction of the source of the voice which was right in front of them. A single woman with black hair.

"Oh… hey mom." Ryuji nodded his head.

Hearing this Ravel snapped her head between the blonde and the black-haired woman.

A few things immediately went though her head.

First, Ryuji Sakamoto's mother?

Second, black hair?!

Third, she was taller than Ryuji by 3 inches when the boy reached the same step as her on the staircase!

Gah, I'm making myself look like a huge asshole right now! "The next chapter will be longer" I said. Technically yes, it is! But not the amount that I would have like or would have compensated for that previous short chapter. At first, I wasn't going to include Ryuji's mother, but then I realized it would have been a good way to possibly strengthen the bond between Ravel and Ryuji since it does seem rather obvious of what I'm trying to do with them.

At the same time, I'm even wondering how I should bring these chapters out in the first place. Should I post them like "chapters" of a book? Or should I try to go for "episodes" like a show? The "chapters" way is easier for me and I've been doing since the beginning of this fanfic. But at the same time, "episodes" cover so much more yet I find myself always saying "yeah, this seems like a good place to end off" so early that it becomes a "chapter". So I go with "chapters" despite trying to do "episodes"!

But yeah, here's a new chapter… yay. Bonding time between Ravel and Ryuji incoming. Plus, how will Sona and Akira's "date" go? Find out… who knows when cause I sure as hell don't…

No flames please.