- Twenty Four Hours -

Mild Spoilers about the 4th palace. Takes place during the 4th palace after Akira reaches rank 10 with Sadayo Kawakami.

- 5:00 PM -

"WAAAGHH"

Several teenagers fell through a dimensional rift and together tumbled to the floor of a certain cafe attic, causing quite a ruckus. They landed in a dog pile with a small cat at the bottom squirming to escape the weight atop of it.

"Holy shit…" a blonde boy gasped as he rolled off the pile and stumbled to the floor.

"Let's… let's never do that again…" a young girl with twin tails whimpered. Picking herself up, but collapsing under her own weight. Her body was noticeably scratched and bruised.

"We… we clearly miscalculated their capabilities…" A short haired brunette grunted as she grabbed a nearby chair to pull herself to her feet.

"Indeed… bit off quite a bit more than we could bare to chew…" A young blue hair man moaned as he leaned against the wall and brushed himself off.

Still lying on the floor was a young man with messy black hair, messier than usual. Like his comrades, he was beaten and bruised, but couldn't bring himself to move.

"A-Akira? Are you alive?" The twin tailed girl asked, shuffling towards him and gently shaking his shoulder.

"Oh shit! Akira?" The blonde boy also reached towards his friend.

The sudden contact brought life to Akira, as if struck by a bolt of lightning he jumped with a start, an act he immediately regretted. Pain shot through every muscle in his body. He gasped for breath and rolled onto his back. His side was especially hurt. His friends watched him closely, afraid to touch him again.

"I'm… I'm alright…" He gasped, waving his hand in the air. "I just… I just need a nap." As he held his side, he could feel a warm, sticky wetness through the fabric of his clothes.

They had made the mistake is going up against a particularly powerful shadow in a particular pyramid palace. It was easy to see early on that they stood no chance against it but escaping it's wrath was a battle in and of itself. It took every last bit of their health and stamina to escape it's clutches.

The room was quiet for several moments, as the group reflected on how they almost lost their lives. "Ann, you and Ryuji-," The brunette spoke up. "-Perhaps we should go get some medicine for Akira and-"

"I'm alright, Makoto, really," Akira was quick to interrupt her. His raspy breath told her otherwise. "Nothing a goodnight sleep can't handle."

Makoto clenched her fist close to her heart. "Are you sure?" She asked. "You took a lot of damage trying to distract it while we escaped."

Akira tried to stand but fell to one knee. he considered himself lucky that his dark outfit made the bloodstain forming in the fabric hard to notice "Really, I'm alright."

His friends all looked at each other. "Akira-" Ann began.

"I'm really fine!" He almost shouted. It hurt to shout. There was a hint of agitation laced in his voice. "I just need some rest."

Makoto got the message. Akira clearly wanted to be left alone for the time being. "We could all use some rest," she said, now able to stand again. "We should all go home, it's been a long day."

"But-" Ryuji began but stopped short as his heart skipped a beat from Makoto's sharp glare. He looked at the defeated Akira and sighed. "Fine, whatever." He grumbled and turned to leave. "We'll kick it's ass next time," he said as he headed down the stairs.

After watching Ryuji leave, Ann glanced over at Akira for several seconds before turning to the cat. "Take care of him, Morgana," she whispered in the cat's ear.

"Anything for you, Lady Ann," the cat responded. And with that, each of Akira's friends slogged down the stairs and out of the cafe.

Their footsteps could be heard as they left, Akira silently waited for their movement to fade into the distance before he re-collapsed onto the floor. "Akira!" Morgana exclaimed as he scurried over to him. The boy's eyes were closed but he was still breathing. Morgana could tell he was worse than he was letting on. He could smell blood in the air.

"Stupid…" Akira clenched his fists. "Stupid stupid stupid!" He slammed his fist into the floor, causing pain to shoot through his body again. "Almost got us killed… almost got us killed…"

"We should go to Takemi and make sure you're okay," Morgana said worriedly, biting his friend's jacket and trying to pull him. The small cat wasn't able to do much good though. Takemi wouldn't be in her clinic at this hour. "Come on Akira… I can't let you lay here and die. Takemi, Boss, Ms. Kawakami I don't care who, you have to call someone to take care of you."

Akira gritted his teeth. He felt so weak and pathetic having to call for help like this. Takemi and Sojiro didn't know about Akira's life as a Phantom Thief and they would certainly figure it out if they found him in such a state. Kawakami however…

"Look, Ms. Kawakami knows that you're a Phantom Thief, Akira," Morgana said as he pawed his friend. "You need someone to take care of you." He worriedly eyed the blood that dripped to the floor.

Akira felt like shit and he probably looked like shit. Based on the concern in Morgana's tone, he wasn't looking very healthy. In that moment, he wanted to die. He was a failure who had gotten his friends in danger and almost had them killed. But as his mind drifted from his darker thoughts to Kawakami, he realized Morgana was right. He needed to be looked at, and Kawakami was the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

- 5:10 PM -

It was a good night to curl up with a book. Sadayo Kawakami had just finished taking a hot bath and collapsed onto her couch wearing what could only be described as her lazy clothes. She had one arm draped over her eyes and the other hanging lazily off the couch as she quietly contemplated if she wanted to read or take a nap. The quiet pitter patter of a light rain against her apartment window made her feel drowsy. Ever since she had left her job as a maid, she found herself with more time on her hands than she really knew what to do with, especially now that it was summer time and there was no homework to grade. The idea that she even had time to nap was foreign to her.

Moving her arm from over her eyes, she reached for her cell phone, turning it on to check the day. It was Saturday. Usually Friday or Saturday was the day Akira would call her. A habit that had formed during her time as a maid that carried over to their relationship.

She opened her contacts, typing a quick text to see if he was there but hesitated. He was probably busy doing Phantom Thief business. They had been all over the news as of late so she could only imagine he had his hands full. She felt dumb and childish, laying around contemplating if she should send a text to a boy. She was his teacher after all, maybe she could ask if he needed help with studying or something. That wouldn't make much sense though considering they were on summer break. Sadayo would have though having time to take off during summer would feel fantastic, and while it was relaxing, she found herself missing being able to go to school to see Akira almost every day.

"Ugh, get a hold of yourself," she muttered to nobody. Biting her bottom lip, she stared at the single worded text just waiting to be sent. A simple "Hey" was but a tap away from sending. She worried about bothering him. "Well whatever, I'm his girlfriend, right?" she told herself, trying to sound confident. "Girlfriends have complete texting privileges… I can text him whenever I want." She still wasn't use to seeing herself as a girlfriend, much less saying it aloud. "Just suck it up, Sadayo. You're a big girl. We love each other. Surely he'd be happy to get a text from you."

…

"Uuuuuggghhh," She groaned and rolled on her side as her fear of coming across as clingy overtook her. What if he's hanging out with his friends and they see I'm texting him? Would they jump to conclusions? Doesn't he hang around Makoto now? Oh god if Makoto found out she would tell Principal Kobyakawa.

She set her phone down and stared at it for a minute before picking it back up again and staring at her text. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her thumb slowly drew closer to the touch screen.

Just as she was about to tap the phone, it began to ring and vibrate in her hand as the screen lit up with a call notification. "H-He's calling me…" She murmured, a fit of glee washing over her. She quickly accepted the call and put her phone up to her ear. "Hey, I was just about the text you," she greeted.

"Help…"

There was a thud on the other side of the call accompanied by was sounded like desperate meowing. "A-Akira!?" She exclaimed, quickly jumping to her feet. "Akira!"

- 5:20 PM -

A groan escaped Akira's lungs as he laid on the floor in the middle of he cafe, the yellow telephone dangled from it's wire as Sadayo's voice could be heard on the other end. "Akira!?" he heard her shout. Though her voice was drowned out by Morgana's.

"Hang in there Akira!" He exclaimed, continually pawing him. "Just stay awake!" Morgana's pawing was annoying but it was the only thing that was keeping him conscious. Morgana looked at the phone to hear Sadayo's worried voice in the background. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my-" Accompanied by a thunk that sounded like a door slamming shut.

"Sadayo…" Akira groaned.

"She's coming," Morgana insisted, pawing Akira's face. "You have to stay conscious!"

The trek down the stairs really knocked out what was left of Akira's energy. Stupid mistake, why didn't he just call her on his cell? He felt bad for causing her trouble, not that now was not the time to be thinking about curtesy. As he laid on the floor, he could feel the bleeding getting worse. It was no longer just a little bleeding. He must of acquired the wound during the battle and his tumble to the floor opened the wound further.

"Morgana… bandages…" he said. The cat nodded and scurried off. He knew Morgana wasn't going to be of much help applying the bandages but at least they'd be ready when Sadayo showed up.

He desperately hung to consciousness as he heard Morgana's ruckus. The cat pushed the first aid kit down the stairs and dragged it over to him.

The door burst open so suddenly that both Akira and Morgana jumped with a start. Sadayo stood in the door way with a dripping umbrella over her head and wearing a loose tank top and pajama shorts. She had gotten there surprisingly fast. "Oooooh my god oh my god oh my god," she tossed the umbrella to the side and knelt down next to the bleed Akira, her eye caught the first aid kit.

"I'm sorry," Akira murmured, as he watched her eye welling with tears. It clearly pained her greatly to see him in such a broken state.

Sadayo wiped her eyes and grabbed the first aid kit. "Stupid, I'm never letting you do something like this again," she opened up the kit and set it down as she grabbed his shirt and ripped it open, the front buttons popping off and scattering in every direction. She gasped audibly and covered her mouth as she saw a deep, bleeding gash on his side.

"I need to clean this," she hand a hand on his chest. She looked around desperately. "Alcohol, I need alcohol." She jumped up and hurried behind the counter as she scrambled to find some. After making coffee at the cafe several times she was quite familiar with where everything was.

Akira was now desperately trying to stay awake, but a sense of relief washed over him. Somehow he knew he was going to be okay. His vision began to flicker and his eyelids felt like they weighed several extra pounds. He could hear Sadayo's voice in the distance but that only made him sleepier.

He could feel himself falling out of consciousness but now he knew he'd be okay, and with that he slipped out of reality and into dreams.

- ?:? AM -

Akira's eyes fluttered open but he couldn't see. A soft groan escaped his lungs as he blinked profusely. As he remembered the recent events his first thought was that he had gone blind, but as the smudges of black began to take shape he realized he was simply in the dark. He recognized the familiar softness of the bed he laid in, being the one in his room.

"Kawa-" He began to say as he started to pick himself up but a sudden pain in his side caused him to gasp in pain and lay back down. How did Sadayo get him up the stairs to his room?

A feminine groan sounded just above him. With his vision adjusting to the dark room, Akira could see the shape of a woman towering over him. He realized his head was resting in Sadayo's lap as she dozed in his bed, propped up against the corner of the wall and a small pillow tucked in the crook of her neck. She must of awoken to Akira's sudden movement as her eyes slowly opened with a groggy glaze over them.

It was hard to tell what was happening with it being so dark, but Akira could feel Sadayo shift a little as his head rested in her lap. She was definitely awake now. "Are you awake?" he could hear the fainted whisper from the woman, who was likely worried about waking him up if she had just been imagining things.

Akira let out a soft hum in response. He could feel a warm hand on his cheek. "I was so afraid," Sadayo said, her voice soft and gentle.

Reaching up, Akira put his hand over hers. "I'm sorry," he replied.

A chuckle came from Sadayo. "You better be," she murmured as leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You really are a troublemaker." Akira could tell from her tone while she was trying to mask it with sweetness, there was worry and melancholy in her voice.

"I don't..." Akira was trying to find the right words to say. "I don't know what I would of done without you."

HIs words warmed her heart, but the gravity of the situation made her not dwell on them for too long. "I thought you were dying on the floor when I got here," she told him. "But it was really just that wound you have on your side. Stopping the bleeding and getting some rest was all you really needed, I would recommend you getting stitches for that gash though so it can heal properly."

Now Akira reached up with one of his hands and placed it on Sadayo's cheek. "You're the best..." he said softly. He could feel her cheeks warming up under his palm.

Another yawn came from Sadayo. "I would scold you for your recklessness but it's been an exhausting night for both of us," she said as she ran her fingers through Akira's hair. "And I just don't have the energy for that right now."

Akira let out a sigh, though he was off the hook for now, he could sense a verbal lashing in the near future. Maybe Morgana could help him out of it. Where is Morgana? he thought to himself.

"Are you comfortable? Or should I move?" Sadayo's question broke his train of thought.

Akira shifted his position a little bit but his head remained firmly in her lap. "This is perfect," he assured her. He could feel Sadayo's muscles relax as he said that, her body ready to submit itself to a peaceful rest.

"Mmm good…" Sadayo moaned as she slowly began to doze off again. "… love you."

A blush tinted Akira's cheeks, not that anybody could see it. But he shook it off and closed his eyes. "Love you too."

- 9:00 AM -

A aroma of coffee meeting Akira's nose was enough to stir him from his sleep. With just enough light slipping through the slats of his window to see, Akira assumed it was early morning. He checked his side to find the bandage Sadayo had applied still held firmly. He was surprised she knew how to apply the bandage so well, though she did seem like something of a jack of all trades.

Looking around the room, Akira couldn't help but notice Morgana was still nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had decided to sleep downstairs, although that was rather out of character for him. Sadayo, however, hadn't moved from where she was since he had fallen back asleep, although now she was slouching against the wall awkwardly, her pillow had fallen from it's place nuzzled in her neck. Her hair was messier than usual and a strap of her tank top precariously slipped from her shoulder and had slid a bit down her arm.

Regardless of the seemingly uncomfortable position, she slept soundly. Though the twitch of her brow and a soft murmuring hinted at a dream.

Her eyes shot open, a fearful aura emanating from her gaze. "H-Homework!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I have homework to grade!"

…

"A-ah…" She grunted. "My neck feels… really stiff." Likely from the rather unusual position she had been sleeping in the previous night. As her jumbled thoughts came together, she remembered where she was and what she had been doing. She looked down at Akira who was looking up at her. He watched as her face slowly got redder.

"We could switch places," Akira offered.

"Ha, very funny. Good morning to you too," Sadayo mumbled as she yawned and stretched. An audible *pop* could be heard from her neck. "The coffee smells so good, I could really go for a cup."

Both of them stiffened as Kawakami finished her thought. The smell of coffee meant Sojiro was downstairs working the cafe. Sadayo was dressed in a loose tank top and pajama shorts and Akira was still very clearly banged up from the night before. If Sojiro saw them coming downstairs, especially together, they were dead.

"Oh my god," Sadayo covered her mouth with her hands. They were trapped. There was no way out of Akira's room other than through the cafe.

"We can escape through the window," Akira said, taking Sadayo's hand to calm her down. She was already becoming very visibly stressed.

"What? No!" She said in a hushed voice. "You're in no condition to be climbing out a second story window. And it's broad daylight, We'd be seen immediately!"

She wasn't wrong. But with the window being a no go, Akira was straight out of ideas. Their only chance was if Sojiro were to leave, but that was very unlikely during open hours. "I think we're stuck."

Sadayo's hand grasped Akira's tighter. "Oh my god," she murmured. "Does he come up here?"

Akira shook his head. "Never, as far as I'm aware," he assured her. "As long as we don't make too much ruckus." Sadayo relaxed a little at his words, but she was clearly still feeling tense.

Her hand began to fidget nervously as she rubbed her thumb against his palm. "When does he usually close the cafe?" she asked Akira.

The boy was quiet for a moment as he thought. "Mmm, usually when he feels like it. Today is Sunday so likely around five in the evening."

Sadayo reached over and grabbed her phone to check the time. It was just passed nine in the morning. "Oh boy…" she murmured.

"Well, we have been saying we wanted to spend more time with each other," Akira said a bit jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

Sadayo sighed. "That's true but I was hoping for something a little more romantic than being holed up in your attic in fear of your guardian finding us…" But truth be told, her heart was a bit aflutter with excitement. Her time with Akira was indeed limited and in their current situation, prying eye always kept them at bay. If she was going to be trapped somewhere for several hours, she was glad it at least would be with Akira.

- 9:30 AM -

"Let me check your bandages," Sadayo offered, she now stood in the middle of Akira's room massaging her stiff neck. Akira sat upright in his bed, his eyes seemed to be scanning the room for something.

Kneeling in front of him, Sadayo leaned close to inspect the bandages and make sure they weren't coming loose. Akira could feel her warm breathing against his bare skin, causing his hair to stand on end. "Hm," she hummed, "I don't think it would be wise to apply fresh ones just yet." She still sounded worried. "Do you have somewhere you can go for stitches?"

Akira nodded. "Dr. Takemi just down the road might be able to," he said. "She uh… owes me a few favors…"

Sadayo looked up at him, her eyes squinting in suspicion. "What?" she asked, her voice ringing with a stern tone. She rose back to her feet, towering over Akira. "Doctor, huh? Are you looking into other, older age women, darling?" The cute pet name at the end was more of a threat than anything.

"W-what?" Akira asked. Putting his hands up defensively. "No way! I am not- there's nothing between us."

"Is she cuter than me?" Sadayo crossed her arms, her glare never faltering.

"N-no! Never! Not my type!" Akira waved his arms about.

A snicker escaped Sadayo's throat. Akira's expression fell flat as he realized she was toying with him. "Not funny…" he grumbled.

Sadayo stifled a laugh. "It was kind of funny," she snickered. "You tease me all the time, I got to get a few licks in."

"I'm injured, and vulnerable," Akira said, faking a hurt tone. "And here I am being played by my girlfriend."

"Aw, poor baby," Sadayo responded, she gently took both of Akira's shoulders and pushed him into a laying down position as she climbed into the bed just above him. "Does someone need a little more affection?" Leaning down, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

…

"That is a little more my speed."

Kawakami smiled and brushed a few loose strands of hair from her face before she kissed him again. "God you are so unromantic."

"Sorry, I'm trying my best," Akira said. He hadn't managed to build up much charm.

"Now…" Sadayo said, tracing her index finger down Akira's chest. The boy held his breath. "… you've have to tell me just how you earned those 'favors' from that doctor."

Akira stiffened a little, and Sadayo could tell. "No. Jokes. This time," she warned him. While it wasn't cheating she was worried about, she had seen the clinic several times as she had come into the area and it looked rather sketchy.

"I um…" Akira bit his bottom lip. He didn't want to lie to her. "I'm her guinea pig for untested drugs."

…

Akira realized he should of at least tried to sugar coat it. "You what!?" Sadayo exclaimed. Akira panicked and quickly covered her mouth. The teacher remembered she was still hiding out in a boy's room and needed to be quiet. "Sorry," her voice was muffled as she spoke through Akira's hand. Both of them were watching the stairway up. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though anyone heard them, or at least cared to come up and investigate.

After a minute or so, the two breathed a sigh of relief and Akira removed his hand from Kawakami's mouth. She fell on her back on the bed beside them as they both relaxed again. "It's only been 30 minutes and we're already getting loud," Akira said. "We're so dead."

- 10:00 AM -

"That sounds really dangerous and I don't approve," Kawakami said. She sat at Akira's desk as she listened to his explanation of his involvement with the sketchy doctor. She had one leg crossed over the other and her fingers drummed against the wood of the desk. "Trying untested drugs could end up being a fatal."

"I trust her," Akira tried to assure her. The scenario certainly sounded better in his head, telling it verbally did sound a bit ludicrous. "She's friendly. She would never give me something she thought might hurt me."

From what she had heard, this doctor did sounds like a good person. The whole idea of Akira trying "untested" drugs was still just a bit much. "Okay but I'm coming with you next time," she said.

"W-what?" Akira said with surprised.

"Yeah, of course," Kawakami crossed her arms. "As your girlfriend, I have to make sure you don't do anything stupid. As your teacher, you're lucky I'm letting you off the hook that easily."

Thinking about it, if the school heard anything about this, he was done for. That stacked with his criminal record and he'd never find a school that would accept him ever again. If anything, Sadayo was making him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Ugh, I need a shower." Sadayo's complaining interrupted his thoughts. She was messing with her hair. The usually brown mess was even messier than usual. The bed head look suited her well though. Akira couldn't help but notice how despite the tangly mess, she somehow looked less stressed now than she normally did at school. He watched as she checked her phone. "It's still only ten in the morning… What do you suggest we do?"

- 10:45 AM -

"Ha! In your face!" Kawakami exclaimed, though she was careful to keep her voice in a hushed tone. Akira lied down on the floor and let the gaming controller in his hand drop beside him. They both were positioned on the floor in from of Akira's old TV, which was booted up and showing a "Victory!" screen.

Akira's homeroom teacher was surprisingly good at video games. Or maybe he was just surprisingly bad at them. Kawakami was also much more competitive than Akira expected. When she started off with the game poorly she whined and complained, but as she got a handle of the controls and began winning she had a complete change of heart.

"Let's go again," Akira said, determination in his eyes. "Best out of five. Loser treats the winner to a dinner."

Sadayo looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure? I've won seven times in a row now."

Akira's eyes were practically glowing with a fiery passion. He had to prove his worth in the game. What he needed was a goal and prize in his sights to really motivate him. Kawakami could tell he was serious, she couldn't help but wonder where the sudden sense of determination magically appeared from. "Okay… if you say so…" She gripped her controller tightly. "But no where too expensive…"

Akira nodded, but his eyes remained fixated on the screen. He was ready to go. Kawakami gulped as his new found vigor was bit intimidating. She hoped he was actually listening to her rules.

- 11:00 AM -

"Oh! I win! Oh my god I won!" Sadayo gleefully clasped her hands together. Akira had returned to his defeated position laying down on the floor. He had certainly put up a better fight than he had before, and yet he lay defeated once again.

Akira looked away as Kawakami mischievously looked over in his direction. "Oh I wonder where I want to go…" Sadayo said, crawling over to Akira. "Sushi certainly sounds nice." It was no wonder Morgana was fond of Sadayo. The boy gulped as he could feel her fingers trace his skin. "Maybe we should dress up just for the occasion."

An audible groan came from Akira, in hindsight, his bet wasn't really his greatest idea. But he was so caught up in the moment that he hadn't put much thought into it. That being said, spending a nice dinner with Sadayo sounded nice. But he continued to lay there, quietly avoiding eye contact as Sadayo ran her hand across his bandages.

…

"Hey…" Sadayo began. She shifted uncomfortably. "How did… how did that all happen…?" Even without the gash in his side, Akira was pretty beat up. His torso was dotted with bruises and marks. Sadayo had been dying to know what did this to him. Hell she had been dying to know what being a Phantom Thief entailed. She really had no ideas or details on it other than the assumption that the job itself sounded dangerous.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Akira murmured quietly. "It's something even I haven't fully wrapped my head around." He was caught a little off guard as he felt Kawakami lay down beside him and spoon him.

"I'll believe every last word you say," she promised. Somehow, Akira was inclined to believe her.

"Okay but um… maybe we shouldn't do this on the floor," he said. "The bed would be more comfortable."

- 12:00 PM -

Sadayo wasn't sure what she had expected when Akira said she wouldn't believe him but she certainly was expecting to hear something a bit more realistic than something like jumping into a meta verse fighting demons of all shapes and sizes. "Well… that's… um… that's something," was all she could say.

"You don't believe me," Akira said knowingly.

He could feel Sadayo sigh into his neck. They had moved their spooning to the bed. "I want to believe you," She said. Akira certainly had no reason to lie to her. "Are you sure that doctor's drugs aren't just getting to your head?"

Akira huffed in amusement. "I went into the metaverse before I started doing that," he assured her. "Just ask Ryuji."

The whole idea of being able to change someone's heart seemed so bizarrely impossible as it was. A person's darkest side manifesting into a palace in a different dimension was pushing it for Sadayo. But it was also just a bit too crazy to be something Akira would come up with on his own. He was a clever student, if he was really going to lie to her about it, he would have thought of something more believable.

"Can you take me there?" she asked. He had explained how the phone app worked and it sounded like it was capable of dragging anybody close by into the metaverse.

"Absolutely not," there was no hesitation in Akira's answer. "It's way too dangerous."

"But-"

"No. Don't you get it? How do you think I ended up like this?" Akira said, his finger tips traced across his bandage wounds.

Kawakami tell from his muscles tensing that he was getting stirred up. "Akira, calm down," she said gently.

It was all a bitter reminder of his failure. It was as if all his bottled up frustrations and emotions from the previous night were bubbling up and ready to explode as he was reminded of the near death experience he had put his closest friends through. He had been able to distract himself from it while in the comfort of his girlfriends presence but he knew the guilt would resurface.

"I almost-" he bit his bottom lip. "I almost got my friends killed, how could I promise to keep you safe?"

"Okay, alright," Kawakami said gently, she tightened her hold around his waist. "We won't go." If this metaverse was really as Akira had described, it was a place she would desperately want to see for herself. But right now, in this moment, she knew better than to push him. As they laid there quietly, she contemplated what she should do. She was afraid to probe Akira further, lest he become more upset. But perhaps putting the whole thing out there would relieve him. Keeping everything bottled up was unhealthy after all. "Akira…" she began. "What happened in there?"

…

"The most recent palace… Futaba's…" He began. "I made a poor judgment call. We tried to sneak past an enemy we knew was too strong. Got a little too careless and that resulted in an ambush. We barely escaped by the skin of our teeth."

Sadayo wasn't sure who Futaba was, but that detail wasn't important to her at that moment. "But everyone made it out okay?"

"Barely."

"Barely is better than being dead," Sadayo told him. "You're blaming yourself but you're their leader. They agreed they would put their trust in you and at the end of the day… you got them home. Sure, they may be a little banged up, but you made the right call and got everyone out alive."

"Makoto would have done better."

Sadayo shook her head. "Makoto's leadership abilities are very different from yours. She's calculative, but not quick on her feet. She can find the best way out of a problem but it takes time." She assured him. "You may not have that same ability but you react quickly, and easily adapt to the situation."

Though her words didn't erase the sting of defeat and guilt, they helped ease them. "How would you know that? You've never seen us fight." The question came out ruder than he meant it to be, but Sadayo didn't seem to mind.

"I've been your homeroom teacher for how many months now? Not to mention I've been your maid," was her answer. "I'd say I've picked up on a few things about you along the way."

Akira rolled over to face Sadayo, much to her surprise. She blushed for a moment at the sudden realization of their closeness. She shivered as he placed a hand on her cheek. "You're really good at this consoling thing."

"Well now you're just ruining the moment," Sadayo said with a pout. "But thank you, I am a high school teacher after all. I better be good at consoling."

Akira smiled. "Sorry, I'll make it up to you," he said.

Kawakami raised a brow. "Hm? What do you mean?"

- 12:30 PM -

"Mmm mmm! More…"

The bed squeaked quietly beneath the couple as Akira aggressively kissed Sadayo. He was on top of her and had her pinned to the bed. They both grabbed each other's hair to pull themselves closer. The bite marks Kawakami left on Akira blended in with his other scratches and bruises from his latest endeavor. The hickies on Kawakami's neck were much more conspicuous.

Kawakami had smacked Akira's hand away the first few times he had placed a hand on her breast, but eventually gave into the moment and let him have his way. She bit his bottom lip and tugged for a moment before they broke part, though her hands were placed firmly on either side of his head. "God I love you…" she huffed hotly. They had kissed before but somehow they found themselves lost in the moment this time. Perhaps the danger made it hotter. Kawakami worried she would let them take things too far.

"Sorry I keep grabbing your boob," Akira apologized. "It's not on purpose it just feels natural."

Sadayo smirked. "Yeah right," she said. "You just want to feel me up."

She was caught by surprise by a sudden squeeze from Akira, causing her to squirm beneath him. "I mean I won't deny that it feels great," he assured her. "I'm just like… I don't know what I'm trying to say is-"

"Akira…" Sadayo stoped him. "You are so bad about ruining the moment. This so unromantic."

"What am I doing wrong?"

Sadayo sighed. "Okay well first don't say 'boob' during moments of intimacy. Also don't apologize for trying to be intimate." A pout returned to her face. "You know, for a student who always seems so calm and collected, you really don't know how to just go with the flow sometimes."

"Go with the flow and don't say boobs. Got it," he said with a confident nod.

"Okay but there's more to it than that I-mmmph!" Her sentence was interrupted as Akira pressed his lips against her's again. She didn't hesitate to return his kiss and soon she was pulling on his hair again. Akira was surprised by how aggressive Kawakami was, but he certainly didn't mind.

They didn't hear a curious Sojiro step over to the foot of the staircase leading to the attic. At first he thought he had just missed Akira leave the cafe, which seemed unusual, but as time went on he thought he had heard noise coming from up stairs. But from the noise of the TV and equipment and the chatter of customers he wasn't really sure if he was hearing anything.

"Oh Akira…!"

It wasn't a voice that Sojiro recognized but he got the gist of what was going on up there. His mouth curled into a smirk as he walked back down the hall and returned to his usual place behind the counter. He cranked the volume on the television up a little to make sure the noise would be masked from the customers.

"A-alright!" Sadayo said, covering her mouth and blush with one hand and pushed Akira off her with the other. "W-we need to stop."

Akira wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Sadayo looked very flustered underneath him. The strap from her tank top hung off her shoulder just low enough to see her bra underneath.

"We need to stop this before we let this get to far," Sadayo spoke as she pulled her tank top up and combed her fingers through the tangled mess of hair on her head. "If we keep going I'll…" Her face got redder as her voice trailed off.

An exhausted sigh escaped Akira as he laid down next to Sadayo, his arm hung off the edge of the bed. "Did I do better the second time?"

Sadayo had her head turned away from him and facing the wall. She was too embarrassed to look at him. "Y-yes… you did better."

- 1:00 PM -

A low rumble came from Sadayo's stomach. She grimaced at the noise as she picked up her phone to check on the time. "Ugh…" she groaned, sprawled out lazily across the couch. She was wearing Akira's glasses in jest, though the boy found that the glasses suited her quite nicely. "I'm getting hungry but the cafe is nowhere close to closing…"

Unfortunately Akira didn't keep any food up in his room. Any snacks he ever did have were quickly eaten by his friends when they would come over for a visit or a meeting. Though he was hungry as well, a smile crept onto his face. It was unusual to see Sadayo in such a state and to hear her whine about it.

"When this is all over, you're taking me somewhere to get a filling and healthy dinner," Kawakami pointed to Akira, who hadn't moved from the bed. Her head hung upside down off the side of the couch and her hair draped just above the floor. She noticed that his gaze seemed to be set elsewhere in the room. "What are you looking for?" She asked, it was something he had been doing from time to time since they had woken up.

"Hm?" Akira hummed. Though he hadn't really noticed it himself, his attention was slowly drifting elsewhere as a worried thought tugged at his mind. "Morgana… my cat. I haven't seen him all day."

Kawakami sat up on the couch. Likewise, she hadn't seen the feline since she was woken up. "He was here last night," she said. "He refused to leave your side until I got you up stairs and we fell asleep."

Turning to look at her curiously, Akira tilted his head as he asked. "How did you get me up here?"

"What, why? Is feminine, physical strength not attractive?" She teased. The idea of Kawakami carrying him up the stairs bridal style put a smile on Akira's face. Though the smile went away as he realized that was probably what happened to him. He could practically feel his masculinity being sapped from his soul.

"Does Morgana wander off often?" Kawakami asked, breaking Akira's train of thought.

"Not really, but he can take care of himself when he does," Akira responded. "I just hope he's not getting himself into any trouble."

- 1:05 PM -

"No! Ms. Doctor Lady! you have to listen to me!" Morgana explained. He was being held by Dr. Takemi in the clinic. "Akira is hurt! He needs your medical expertise!"

"My you're a noisy one," Takemi said with a silly grin as she tapped Morgana on the nose with her index finger. She couldn't help but have a silly grin on her face. "You should come visit me more often."

Morgana had never taken Takemi to be such a cat person. That overlooked detail was costing him precious time as she seemed to have no intention from letting him escape his clutches. He could only hope she wasn't holding onto him so she could turn him into another one of her guinea pigs.

That being said, the way she gently scratched just behind his ears felt wonderful. Morgana couldn't help but purr with glee. "Ahhh, a little to the left and-" he shook his head. "No! Wait! I need your help!" The doctor, of course, couldn't understand Morgana and could only hear his purrs and meows.

Takemi laughed in delight. "Oh you like that don't you," she said as she rolled him over and and stroked his stomach. She acted so tough and cold when other's were around, but when she was by herself, Takemi was practically a different person.

"Akira… I failed you…" Morgana murmured in defeat as he submitted himself to his belly rub. Maybe he would come here more often.

- 2:00 PM -

Akira's phone buzzed, causing it to wiggle it's way towards the ledge of his desk. Kawakami picked it up for him and turned it on. "It's Makoto," she said, handing him the phone. Akira took it and opened his messages to see the group chat was active. He let out a sigh of relief as everyone reported that they were okay, though they were still feeling a bit sore from the night before. He was surprised to find Makoto had messaged him privately.

"I know you're hurt more than you let on last night. Do you need me to come over?"

Akira looked up at Kawakami. "Can Makoto come over?" He asked. He watched as the color left the skin on Sadayo's face. "Kidding, kidding." His phone made frantic tapping noises as he texted Makoto back.

"No need to worry."

He was used to keeping things brief in texts. He tossed his phone on the bed and turned to Sadayo, who was stretching and letting out a long, quiet yawn. "Maybe we could just nap through the rest of the day," she murmured with tired, watery eyes.

"Seems little too risky to let our guards down like that," Akira replied. Sadayo knew that napping was more wishful thinking than anything. His phone buzzed again.

"Somehow that response makes me worry more. Are you sure you're okay?" It was another text from Makoto.

Sadayo looked over Akira's shoulder to look at his phone. "That's classic Makoto, always looking out for her classmates," she commented. "Although based on your condition last night, it's not hard to see why she was worrying.

The phone buzzed again. "I'm in the area, I can stop by."

Akira's thumbs began to quickly fly about the screen. "No I'm really alright. I just need some rest." The last thing he needed was Makoto coming to his room to find the homeroom teacher with him in her pajamas. Makoto was persistent though. Both Akira and Sadayo feared she would insist on coming up anyways. Kawakami was already scanning the room for somewhere to hide.

"Okay. But please tell me if you need something." Makoto responded. As Sadayo's stomach growled again, Akira had half a mind to ask Makoto to deliver food but he new there wasn't going to be any good way of going about that without getting caught.

"Thanks," was all he responded with, a sigh of relief escaped his lungs.

"Who does she think she is, your girlfriend?" Sadayo teased.

Akira shivered a little at the thought. Makoto was a great girl but he could only imagine what being in a relationship with the student president would be like. That being said he was dating his teacher. He figured it would be hypocritical to judge that based on her position.

- 3:00 PM -

"This is certainly one way to lose my appetite," Sadayo said as she tossed Akira's bloody bandages on the floor. She had decided now was the time to replace them with fresh ones. The ones she had done the previous night were applied a bit sloppily due to the urgency of the situation rushing her. Now she could reapply them more carefully and so that they would last longer. The previous bandages had gotten loose due to their previous physical activities.

Akira remained silent as she worked. He felt like a child who was dangerously on the verge of getting in trouble. Kawakami had always been strangely supportive of his work as a Phantom Thief, but he could tell the reality of the situation had set in for her when she saw him helplessly bleeding on the floor the night before. It wouldn't be unreasonable for her to tell him not to do it anymore. Demanding that he stayed safe was only a sign of how much she cared for him.

Watching as Sadayo bit her lower lip as she worked, Akira let out a soft sigh. He could feel that her hands were shaking as she worked.

"It hurts…"

Akira tilted his head as he heard Sadayo murmur those words. A chill ran down his spine as she spoke. "It hurts to see you like this…" She said. Akira closed his eyes, the talk he had been dreading had inevitably arrived. "I didn't… I didn't know it was this dangerous." She ran her finger tips across the newly applied bandage.

"I didn't want you to worry," Akira said quietly. He took Sadayo's quivering hands into his.

"I know… but…" Sadayo had a hard time finding the right words to say. Her emotions were bubbling up uncontrollably. She wasn't angry. She didn't blame him for not telling her how dangerous it was. Though the question had always danced in Kawakami's mind, now she wanted nothing more than to forget. The memory of finding Akira on the floor about to pass out was burned into her skull, and while the antics of the day and the worry of being caught had been enough to distract her, reapplying the bandages only brought the painful memories flooding back.

She couldn't stop her hands from trembling, even in his warm grasp. "I want to tell you that your stupid and reckless and to never go back there again," she said. "I want to tell you to stop being a Phantom Thief. But I know you can't just end this."

Her fist clenched. "How am I suppose to sleep at night?" She asked. "Lying there wondering if you're alive… wondering if you got hurt but you couldn't make it to the phone this time…" She withdrew her hands from his grasp to wipe her eyes.

…

"If I asked you to stop… would you?"

Akira didn't know how to answer that. It wasn't the sort of question he could answer on the spot.

"That's… that's not a fair question," Sadayo sighed, frustratedly running her hand through her hair. She looked away from him, her mind running a mile a minute. "I'm just being selfish," she muttered.

"It's not selfish," Akira corrected her.

"It is!" Sadayo shot back. "You're out there helping people. You're changing things for the better. And all I can think about it myself."

"Sadayo…"

"You and the Phantom Thieves fixed my problem and now I want you to stop. How could that not be selfish?"

"Sadayo-"

"How could I have such a self centered mindset? There are people that count on you. But it still hurts so much to think about you throwing yourself in the middle of danger and I-"

Her ranting was cut short as Akira firmly placed both hands on the side of her hand and turned her to face him. The crystal clear determination in his eyes left Sadayo speechless. "It's not selfish," he spoke. The words echoed in Sadayo's mind. "I couldn't stop being a Phantom Thief, even if you asked."

The words stung, even though Sadayo already knew that to be true, but the tone of Akira's voice told her he hated saying that. He didn't want to choose the Phantom Thieves over her, but he knew that he had to. "I love you, Sadayo. I really, honestly do, more than I've loved anybody. I love you more than I love being a Phantom Thief but…"

If Akira dropped some corny, comic book superhero line she was going to smack him.

"I don't want to see you go. But if this burden is too much to bare, I would never hold it against you for walking out." Sadayo's eyes watered again as he spoke.

"N-No! No I-" Now Sadayo put her hands on either side her his head and drew him closer. "I don't want that I just…" her voice trailed off, she rested her forehead against his. "… I just wish I could forget last night."

They sat there in silence for several moments.

Sadayo bit her bottom lip. "I just want to know that you're okay," she said. "Every night… I want to know that you aren't dead."

She stood up suddenly. "I know what I want," she said. Akira tilted his head in confusion. "Every night I want to hear from you that you're alright. Text me. Call me. Whatever, I don't care, I'll just rest easier knowing you're okay. That would help me sleep at night."

A small smile formed on Akira's face. He gave her a nod of approval. If it helped calm her anxiety, that was all that mattered, and it wasn't like he couldn't take the time to text her at night before going to bed. "That's a great idea," he told her.

Sadayo breathed a sigh of relief to his answer. She wrapped her arms around his head and held him close for a moment, kissing his forehead. "Thank you, it would mean the world to me."

Akira chuckled. "Honestly we should of done that from the start."

A hum came from Sadayo. "Yeah I certainly wouldn't mind hearing from you every night before I go to bed, regardless of whether you were risking your life," she said as she let go of him. "And if you forget, I'm going to have to punish you."

Akira's cheeks turned a shade brighter and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "O-oh that's-"

"Like give you extra homework"

- 4:00 pm -

It was the dawn of the final hour. Akira and Sadayo could be found laying quietly in Akira's bed. Sojiro had turned off the TV downstairs and the cafe was slowly emptying, meaning the two upstairs had to be more quiet than they had before. Akira wasn't sure what would happen from there. He feared Sojiro would come up out of curiosity having not seen Akira all day. It wasn't uncommon for him to come through the cafe once or twice a day.

If Sojiro decided to come up, it was over. There was no little nook or cranny for Sadayo to hide in. All they could hope for was to be left alone.

The quietness and inactivity only reminded the two of how hungry they both were, neither having eaten anything since the day before. Their stomachs were both growling as if it were a competition. The discomfort in hunger was just about the only thing keeping Kawakami awake as she laid in bed. Akira's bed wasn't exactly the comfiest but she hadn't gotten her usual amount of sleep the night before and the day had been exhausting despite never leaving the room. She laid with an arm draped lazily over Akira, acting as something of a big spoon.

Morgana was also on Akira's mind. The cat hadn't shown himself at all that day, for better or for worse. Morgana was certainly more than capable of taking care of himself but Akira still found himself a little worried.

He watched the entrance of his room as Sadayo began to play with his hair, running her hand through it and twirling it around her index finger. Her touch was soft and gentle, almost putting Akira to sleep. But he continued to keep watch of the stairs incase Sojiro decided to come up. There wasn't really anything Akira could do if he did, and he certainly had no plan or idea on how to approach the situation if he came up, but he kept watch all the same.

"Hey…" Kawakami said barely above a whisper. Akira would of never heard her had her lips not been right next to his ear. His gaze shifted to to see a small smile on her face. "I know today wasn't ideal and kind of scary but… I liked it a lot." Under there circumstances, Akira and Sadayo didn't have much time to spend together. Spending almost an entire day together was a treat for Sadayo. It was something she always wanted to do but always seemed out of the question. She worried that it would be even harder to spend time apart.

"Yeah, we should do this more often," Akira said, Kawakami's heart skipped a beat. "Well… I mean… not spend all day hiding in my room but-you know-spending a day together."

Sadayo tried to hide the glee she felt from hearing him say that but the excitement in her eyes betrayed her. "Maybe we could take the train some weekend and spend a day or two away from Tokyo."

Akira nodded in agreement. "That'd be fun," he told her. "Maybe after we steal Futaba's heart, you and I can go on a trip." Before it would of seemed weird to have to deal with sleeping arrangements but after today, the idea of sharing a room with Sadayo just seemed natural. He would just have to come up with some reason to let Sojiro approve of him going on a trip. Granted if Kawakami talked to him about it, Sojiro wouldn't have much reason to turn him down.

"Akira?" came a voice from downstairs.

Speak of the devil.

Akira and Sadayo froze at the sound of Sojiro's voice at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, you up there?"

Akira didn't speak, partly due to not wanting to encourage Sojiro to come up but mostly due to panic and fear.

Of course, Sojiro knew Akira was up there with someone. Curiosity told Sojiro to check on Akira but he didn't really want to deal with whatever trouble might come of him seeing what what he could only imagine was a girl Akira was being intimate with. When no response came he concluded that Akira was going to play the quiet game in hopes of pretending to not be there. Sojiro found he could respect that as a man quite fond of ladies himself.

Akira had been bringing his friends to the cafe quite frequently, two of which were both young and attractive girls around his age. Sojiro's guess was he was up there with one of them.

The old man sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He had no reason to bother them, and it wasn't as though Akira was acting out of line by having a girl over. "I'm locking up," he called out as he walked away. If Akira needed to leave he also had a pair of keys. "There's some leftover curry in the fridge. It'll definitely feed two."

Akira and Sadayo glanced at each other. They both could conclude Sojiro definitely knew Akira was up there with someone. But upon hearing his footsteps get fainter and the door into the cafe close, they both let out a sigh of relief, neither had realized they had both been holding their breath.

"Oh my god," Kawakami gasped as she scrambled out of the bed and booked it to the staircase. "I have to pee so bad."

- 5:00 PM -

Akira found himself downstairs, his head resting on the counter and eyes void of any emotion as he gazed off into the distance. He was still recovering from the sudden shock and fear that had overwhelmed him when Sojiro called out to him.

"He knows," repeated in Akira's head over and over.

Kawakami was a little more composed as she was heating up the curry Sojiro had mentioned earlier. The man's words troubled her as well but based how the events had occurred, it didn't seem he wasn't going to give them any trouble for it. She couldn't help but notice Akira fretting over it though. It was understandable considering he was living under the man's roof.

The clatter of a plate being set on the counter snapped Akira back to reality. It was weird to see Sadayo behind the counter without her maid outfit but it the pajamas seemed just as fitting. But, after spending an entire day hungry, Akira had lost his appetite.

Sitting down next to him, Sadayo found she still had her appetite, but felt a hint of guilt as she watched Akira worrying out of the corner of her eye.

"Akira, I don't think he knows it's us," she said. "I think he just knows you've been up here with someone."

"Oh that's why you're so relaxed," Akira grumbled. "Because you aren't a suspect."

"No I am worried, it's just that-" she stopped herself as she realized she was talking with food in her mouth. She was so hungry she hadn't even noticed she had started eating instinctively. "Sojiro never bothered us despite knowing and even took the time to save us food after he left. Whatever he thinks you were up there doing, I think he's okay with it."

Though Akira turned his head away, he knew she was right. Now he was just embarrassed. He thought they were being so sneaky but Sojiro knew he was up there the whole time. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he finally began eating his curry. Kawakami watched quietly.

The young woman jumped with surprise as Akira leaned against her. Usually the roles were reversed. "Thanks for everything again," Akira murmured. A tired yawn escaped his mouth. He couldn't believe that he was so tired so early in the evening but he had been having a long 24 hours. "You're the best."

"After all this I better be," Sadayo said as she ruffled Akira's hair. They finished eating their food. As Sadayo took the plates to wash them, Akira tried to argue that he would clean them but he was very quickly shot down. "You should go back to bed and rest," Sadayo suggested as she was cleaning the dishes.

Despite having spent the entire day with Kawakami, he still didn't want her to leave. Having gotten a taste of sharing a bed with someone he cared about made him want it more. As he watched Sadayo finish her cleaning he knew he couldn't ask her to stay. She had put up with enough for one day and she looked exhausted. She ran her hand through her hair and complained how badly she needed to shower.

Sadayo dried her hands off and turned to Akira, they both just look at each other in silence for several moments. "I hate to say it, but I really need to go home," Sadayo finally sighed, her gaze shifted to the ground.

"I know," Akira said, propping his elbow on the counter and resting his chin in his hand. "All good things must come to an end."

Sadayo smiled. It had been a good day that she would look back fondly on for a long time. "I still want that text tonight that your safe."

Akira snorted in amusement. "Alright."

"And text me in the morning when your awake and let me know how you're feeling."

"Okay,"

"And I want bi-hourly updates on your condition. Actually, maybe we should make that hourly updates… no no bi-hourly is fine I suppose."

"I'll do my best," Akira said as he stood up from his seat.

"And if your bandages get loose, let me know and I'll come over right away."

"Of course," he walked around the counter towards her.

"And if you start feeling strange give me a-" Sadayo was cut off as Akira gently cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so he could kiss her. She melted into his embrace as he pulled her closer.

They parted and he gave Sadayo a soft smile. "I'll let you know if anything goes wrong," Akira spoke gently.

Sadayo's lips curled into a smile. "You better," she whispered.

With that Sadayo gathered her things and took her leave. As she opened the door to leave the cafe she seemed surprised by something and looked back. "Akira, your cat is out here," she told him. As she spoke, Morgana took the opportunity to slip through the open door.

"Oh so that's where he was," Akira responded as he watched Morgana come in. Sadayo blew him a kiss and winked as Akira pretended to catch it. With that, the cafe door closed and Sadayo disappeared from sight.

"Barf," Morgana muttered. "You two couldn't be sappier if you were a pair of oak trees."

"Where have you been all day?" Akira asked, choosing to ignore Morgana's comment. As the cat hopped up on the counter, Akira got a good whiff of him. "You reek of the clinic."

Morgana stopped for a minute to think. "I… I did go to the clinic. There was a lot of petting and stroking going on… and then… I don't remember," Morgana said. "I blacked out for some reason and when I came to I was outside the cafe."

Akira rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what on earth Takemi could of done to Morgana. "I was a little worried but I appreciate you giving us some space."

"Eh," Morgana grunted nonchalantly as he licked himself. "It's because I'm such a great pal. I should be rewarded with sushi."

"You're just like Sadayo…" Akira muttered. Rolling his eyes, Akira smirked at the cat before turning away and heading back upstairs. Sleepiness was hitting him hard. Morgana followed him up the stairs and watched him flop into his bed, which felt much more spacious than it did the night before.

The thought reminded him to pull out his phone, opening up his messages to Kawakami. "Had a great day, going to bed, thanks for everything," he typed out and sent. No sooner had he put his phone down did it buzz from a notification.

"Get some rest, sleep well. I love you."

Akira smiled. He could get used to texting her every night.

"I love you too."

With that, he put his phone away, and fell asleep.

Next Time: 24 Hours 2 - Electric Boogaloo