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It's a peaceful day at Leblanc. Sojiro has a couple customers in his shop, both sipping coffee, one eating a curry. Mellow music is playing, the lighting is cozy, and the coffee is as good as ever.
He nods a greeting as Akira enters the shop on her way home from school.
Akira ducks her head at Ryuji's kiss and a genuine smile comes to her lips. "Thank you." she murmurs.
She hugs Shiho back as well. "And thank you as well. It really was a wonderful date."
Akira looks at Ann. "I'm going to try and keep us still on for Wednesday, but, well, we'll see. It's a mess right now, lots to sort out."
Ann comes up and gives Akira a hug as well. "You deserve rest," she says. "Please try not to bury yourself so deep in Phantom Thievery you forget who you are."
Akira takes a deep, shuddery breath at that, and nods firmly. She squeezes Ann softly.
"Yeah. I'll do my best."
Shiho shakes her head, snickers, and then says, "This is my notice that I'm going to be organizing a one-day strike from Phantom Thievery on Wednesday, unless some kind of enormous crisis happens to make it urgent. No infiltrations on Wednesday."
Ann looks over at Shiho and grins. "Yeah, it's all of us or none of us." Then she turns back to Akira. "See you wednesday, then."
"Alright. If I have to." Akira can't quite surpress her smile.
She gives the group one last look over, then raises a hand in a small wave goodbye. "I'd love to keep talking, but... Yeah, I need rest. When I feel a little better I might text. Till then, see you all, okay?"
"See you, Akira." Shiho kisses Akira's cheek and then heads toward the door, grabbing Ann's hand as she goes.
"I am having entirely too many days I say 'what a day' to," Akira mutters, pulling the sheets over herself.
Part of her wants to stay up and text with her beloveds. Her phone is right there next to her head on the bedsheets, but she can't summon the will to check it.
She falls asleep without really intending to.
The night was a morass of confusing dreams. Nothing stable, nothing solid. Julie's face and Shiho's and Ryuji's, Sojiro with lines etched onto his face, and more and worse.
Akira remembers little of it, and what from little she recalls she's glad to have forgotten the rest.
In the middle of changing uniforms, Akira realizes she's forgotten to do laundry. That'll have to happen after school today...
She tries to remember her list of appointments for the week but it's a blurry mess. Mishima, Ann, Takemi, laundry... she is absolutely missing something... Futaba... There were supposed to be more dates with the rest of the group...
It is not a very good morning today either.
She puts on her least-rumpled Shujin uniform and heads downstairs for her daily curry breakfast.
Sojiro nods as she comes down, slides her a plate and a mug, and gestures at a stack of books on the bar. "Brought a few books from the house."
The selection includes Eighteen Years in Prison, by Kyuichi Tokuda and Yoshio Shiga; The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi; a biography of Winston Churchill; and a book on the Manhattan Project.
"Thanks, boss." She takes A Book Of Five Rings and the biography of Winston Churchhill and settles them in her pack, then picks up her fork and eats.
When she's done her food, she takes the remaining books upstairs and puts them away on her desk. Then it's time to head back to school for her.
It's a pleasant way to pass half an hour. The transfer is easy enough, and she manages to get a seat again on the train to Aoyama-Itchome. Another half hour with her book, and then she's out and heading toward campus.
She puts her book away, and heads for class. Maybe she'll run into someone on the way.
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