One Last Night with the Clowns
"Alright, I think that's where we'll call it."
"Already, huh? Went by faster than I thought."
A puff of smoke flows out of the woman's mouth as she speaks, drifting up and vanishing into the air. She leans forward in her seat and rubs the lit end of her cigarette into the ash tray sitting on her coffee table. The typically dark and filthy apartment is uncharacteristically lit up and clean. Well, not clean clean. There are still multiple stains on most of the furniture and the carpet as well as a scent of ash and cigarette smoke that would need an ordained priest to exorcise it out. However, the heaps of trash that normally litter the entire place are gone, and the windows have their curtains opened to let in natural light. If one didn't know any better, they'd assume it was simply the home of a slob rather than a depressed disaster.
"Funny, you used to complain about how long these lasted."
Sitting across from the owner of this small apartment was her therapist, the gaunt Karuga Ito. He wrote down a few more lines into his notebook before placing it onto the table and standing from his seat. These were all of the notes he had taken during his time with her, and he always kept them close to his chest. Him placing it there instead of tucking it into his coat would be out of character if it weren't for one thing.
"I can trust you not to look in here, right?"
"What do you take me for?"
"You don't want me to answer that."
"Still quick on the sass, doc. Yeah, fine. I promise it'll go right to my next therapist. No peeking."
Akagi lightly picked up the notebook, the collection of paper feeling much heavier than any notebook should. She lets out a small sigh before she stands up from her seat. Her knees and back pop satisfyingly, making her let out a small groan.
"Thank you for all of your help, doc. You were much more lenient than I would have expected from a therapist. Heck, I might even miss you."
"Sorry for having to run off on you, but like I mentioned, I have to step away from work for personal issues. Besides, I don't think I'm qualified to work with such a high profile client anymore."
His dry humor didn't earn any laughs, but the fact that he was making them at all was a stark difference from how they had interacted back when they had started. Akagi just rolled her eyes and smacked him in the chest with the notebook.
"Oh, don't give me that bullhonky. You of all people know that I haven't changed a bit. And don't worry about Anzu, I won't let her bug you about this. You paid your dues and did your job."
"I appreciate that. Now, if only you could get that vice-principal off my back. Have a good day, Sanpatchi. I hope you handle your new rank well going forward."
He turns and takes steps towards the door, aiming to leave. Fresh air awaits him on the other side, and he can be free from the sinful temptation of cigarettes once and for all. As the passage to escape is in front of him, Akagi's voice sounds out, keeping him there for a few more agonizing moments.
"Thank you again, doc. Ito. Like, really. It was nice to be able to talk about this stuff. I know I've been a real pain in the tuchus over the past year, and I appreciate you putting up with it."
He looks back over his shoulder into the smoke den again, his eyes reflecting a couple emotions that disappear as quick as they formed. It was caught by Akagi, but she couldn't quite place what she had seen before he responded.
"Sanpatchi, you've changed more than you think. You wouldn't have said something like that a year ago. Take care, and congrats on making it through the worst of it."
The door closes before she can form a response, leaving the apartment silent.
"Oh God, there's the spicy spray to the eyes!"
"Plaque Attack is falling off the flying ghost pepper ship! He's crashed into the tables!"
"And with nobody in the way, the Captain is pinning Smooth Jam! One! Two! THREE! And Captain Saicin pulls out victory from the jaws of defeat!"
The cheering of the audience is cut as the TV is shut off. Akagi lets out another sigh and looks down to the ground, her left heel bouncing off the carpet steadily.
It's been about five hours since Ito left, and she's been dealing with a feeling of anxiousness and impatience ever since. Even the wrestling she normally enjoys hasn't been helping her calm down. She feels good for Captain Saicin, though. She's been following him for a while and it's nice to see him on top again. Ever since he switched brands, he's been getting a lot better matches that really show-
No, that's not what we're talking about. The feeling Akagi's been wrestling with isn't new to her. It's something she's been dealing with more and more as time goes on. She used to be able to just lay around and the day would go by in a flash, but now... It's like she's not able to keep still. Her therapist had suggested that it's momentum; her having done so much in the recent months has made her less able to spend her time doing nothing. She isn't sure how much she believes that, but she doesn't have someone to argue about it with anymore.
Akagi's mind has been a complete jumble these last few months, and she has barely had any time to recover from it. Ever since she met those kids, her kids, it's like life has been put into high gear. Now it feels like things are in a place she isn't comfortable with. She's in a high ranking position she wouldn't have dreamed of a year ago and is not even slightly prepared to deal with it.
Today is Sunday, and it's one of the few days she doesn't have anything crazy planned. No autograph sessions, no commercials, no interviews, no nothing. It's supposed to be a day for her to relax and laze about, and now she can't even do that! Well, she's not going to let this ruin her one day to relieve stress. She'll take things into her own hands this time, and make it something good! If she can't do nothing, then she'll... Well, there's something that she's been meaning to do, and no better time than now.
Akagi digs her hand into the back crack of the couch, worming through some leftover crumbs and various sticky substances that she is willfully ignoring until she reaches her phone. She pulls it out and blows on it, getting the dust, debris, and ash off of the screen. After a few flicks and taps of her thumb, she brings it up to her ear, waiting for the ringing sound to end and the call to connect.
"Hey, lazy bum. Are you busy?"
The sun finishes its descent under the skyline, depriving the grassy hill of its main light source and left with just the moon, the stars, and the distant glow of Kyoto and Osaka to keep it lit. The air out here is crisp and fresh, almost night and day from the usual air quality of Kyoto. Well, at least it would be if it weren't for one small intrusion into this otherwise clean environment. A line of cigarette smoke rises up as Akagi lets out her breath. Her right thumb fiddles with the top of the unopened bottle in her hand, resisting the urge to pop it open right then and there. A soft breeze hits the back of her head, making her pull up her hoodie slightly to protect the back of her neck. In the process, she accidentally clinks the bottle against her skull, but she ignores it in favor of pretending it didn't happen. Between her legs, on top of a pair of cheap convenience store bentos lies two sets of chopsticks, one opened and the other in its paper sleeve, as well as her phone, which she has been checking every couple minutes. Not to see if there are any alerts of emergencies like a responsible hero, but to keep track of the time.
He's late.
Just as she was thinking that, she hears a distant voice call out from her left side further down the hill. There he was. She can feel her mood shift immediately as she watches Ryusei slowly clamber up the hill with a cigarette of his own already lit. Dressed to the nines in a goofy looking Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and complete with socks and sandals. Akagi can't complain, since she's not dressed much better in her lazy hoodie, tank top, and pajama pants. She looks like she's ready for bed rather than being out with a friend. She takes another drag of her own cigarette, holding it in until he's reached the top of the hill beside her.
"Just had to pick the furthest place you could think of to meet up, huh?"
His words lack any actual frustration, only amusement. It wasn't really like Akagi to want to come so far outside of the city just to hang out, but it wasn't strange enough to take him off guard either. The location itself is familiar, so it's not like it was picked at random.
Akagi's eloquent response to his greeting is blowing smoke at him, accompanied by a loud belch. His face curls into a grimace, waving a hand into the air in an attempt to block out the stench. He was much too used to smoke to care about that, but her burp wasn't something he wanted to deal with right out of the gate.
"Hey, what was that?"
"Your dinner," she replies with a small smirk.
"Oh, gee, thanks."
He gives her a light kick to her leg, making the bentos rattle. His eyes are drawn to the two plastic containers, and immediately notes how the one on top already has the sticker paper seal torn.
"Wait, did you eat my dinner?"
His almost offended look gets a giggle out of Akagi, the short woman laying down the bottle in her hand to put her chopsticks into her mouth and to take the lid off of the bento. Her phone slips onto the grass face down with the other set of chopsticks landing on top of it.
"Only half of it. You were late."
Ryusei immediately reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. His eyes flick from the screen to her, incredulous.
"By three minutes?"
"Still late. You know how long that is in clown years?"
He sighs, knowing there's no point in trying to fight about this. He places his cigarette back between his lips and takes a seat besides her on the grass. She copies him, putting her cigarette in her mouth to free up her hands. She removes the lids from both bentos and places the boxes on top of each other, open ends facing. She shakes them up, which earns her a raised eyebrow and an unasked question from Ryusei. Akagi doesn't even need to look at him to know what he's waiting for. It's hard to understand her with chopsticks and a cigarette between her lips, but she still manages to get her words across.
"If you're gonna whine about it, we can just share. Sanshoku is better mixed together anyway."
She pulls away the top box, leaving the rest of the food piled up on the bottom one. Some rice spills off of the sides and onto her lap and the grass. The latter is ignored while the former is swiftly taken by Akagi's now free hand. Ryusei snatches the sleeved set of chopsticks from the ground, and he almost pouts as he looks at the food left that they're supposed to share.
"You already ate most of my favorite part."
"Yeah, the egg is the best part. You know why chickens don't lay half eggs, right?"
She grabs onto her chopsticks and uses them to reach for more of the egg in the overflowing bento. Ryusei doesn't let that slide, his own chopsticks coming in to clash with hers. The eating utensils go back and forth, fighting over claims to the food like the two of their wielders were still in elementary school. But Akagi manages to slip in a tricky move by feinting a grab only to come in with a second pair of chopsticks that look like candy canes piloted by her ring and pinky fingers. He looks up at her, scandalized, and she meets him with a smug smile as she puts the food into her mouth.
"Becaushe they come out of their butt whole."
"Is this why you brought me all the way out here? To steal my food and tell jokes?"
"That'sh jusht a bonush. That and..."
Her candy cane chopsticks vanish into a pink puff of smoke. She swallows and pushes the bento forward, making Ryusei take it while she grabs the bottle by her side. She lifts it up, showing off the label of the wine she had brought with her.
"To partake in the good stuff. Wanna talk about some stuff, vent things, get stuff off my chest. I just wanted to get drunk and talk with you again."
Ryusei digs into the bento, making up for lost time. His eyes remain on the bottle, a mix of curiosity and surprise flashing on them.
"From your shecret shtash? I figured you'd have drank it by now."
"So did I, honestly. Found it while we were flushing out the closet- Wait, you know about my secret stash? Since when?"
Their eyes meet, and it's another silent clash of wills. Akagi's gaze prods at him, but he's as slippery as the smoke from his cigarette. She leans forward, and he leans back, a half smirk slipping through. Her eyes widen with realization. He must have known for a long time if he was able to immediately identify the bottle of wine she was holding. Her eyes narrow and she slumps back, tossing her chopsticks into the empty bento in annoyance.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything."
"Shut up anyway. Son of a brisket. Whatever, at least I can finally open this thing."
Akagi tears away the cork foil and pushes the cork into the bottle with her thumb. Removing the cigarette from her mouth, she lifts the bottle up and takes a big swig of it. To her side, Ryusei takes a drag of his cigarette and lets out an inaudible chuckle.
"Didn't even bring any fancy glasses?"
She lowers the bottle and breathes, bringing the bottle over to him so they can trade.
"Why? Afraid of my cooties? Come on, don't be a baby. This is kind of a celebration for both of us."
They swap food for drink, Ryusei taking a much more shallow sip of the wine than Akagi's. She's not nearly as restrained, grabbing her chopsticks again and gulping down more of the food with lightning speed. Ryusei can't help but gawk, staring at her like she was a wild animal.
"Fuck, where do you even put all that? You're tiny."
After choking down one last gulp of the rice, Akagi smiles before taking in a deep breath. She closes her mouth and grunts with a bit of exertion. She uses her quirk to force her head to grow like a balloon, her cranium expanding until she looks like a cheap movie alien.
"It's all brain food."
Ryusei sputters on some of the wine, choking back a laugh so that it doesn't start coming out of his nose. The smoke around them shudders with each cough. Akagi lets out her breath, letting her head return to normal. She gives him a few smacks on the back and gives him a bit of time to recover.
He coughs a few more times, getting the alcoholic liquid out of his windpipe and then reswallowing it down correctly. A wave of nostalgia hits him as he looks down at the view from the hill the two are sitting from. He remembers around fifteen years ago being up here as a high schooler, brooding. Back then, he was miserable and so angry at the world. Especially angry at himself, feeling worthless being unable to help his guardian who was rotting away in a hospital bed. But despite wanting to be alone and away from everyone, there was an annoying gnat buzzing around him that wouldn't leave him be.
As much as he tried to get rid of her, she was a sheer unrelenting force of comedy and optimism. He started off by holding back smiles, then biting his tongue not to laugh. But he eventually started hysterically laughing at her jokes. She had done her best to drag him out of his shell kicking and screaming, and they had been friends ever since. It was heartbreaking when she had stopped smiling.
He looks over at that gnat once again, just in time to see her cough up a loogie and spit it out off to the side.
...Well, she wasn't the same as when they were young, but she was definitely a lot better than she was before. If she had invited him here of all places, then she must have something in mind.
After getting his breathing in check, Ryusei sets the bottle on the grass between them, trying to get it settled in a way that will prevent it from falling over on the slanted grass. He ends up needing to use his knee at an awkward angle to prop it up.
"As much as I appreciate you busting out your special stuff, I'll leave the rest of it to you. Can't be getting a hangover when there's class tomorrow morning."
Akagi grabs the bottle from its precarious position and brings it to her lips, somehow muttering a "Wimp" between the wine, the food, and the cigarette all taking up different parts of her mouth. A real stunning display of health, this one. It almost makes Ryusei forget what he was about to say, but he is able to pull his eyes away from the sheer gluttony by his side.
"Anyway... I get how this is a celebration for you, but me too? Why?"
She whips her chopsticks over towards him, pointing them at his face accusingly and spilling a bit of wine and food in the sudden motion.
"Exactly that! Because of your new job! Yeah, I heard you're a teacher at Shiketsu now!? Why didn't you tell me!?"
Ryusei's eyes look down at the fun sized hero with confusion before realization dawns on him. He sighs and pushes back her hand to get the dangerous weapons out of his face.
"I did tell you, dummy. You were drunk."
"Well, why didn't you tell sober Akagi!?"
"Because sober Akagi isn't around very often."
Akagi opens her mouth to rebut him, but the words die on her lips. She looks forward again towards the view and lets out a small sigh of her own.
"Yeah... Yeah, she ain't, huh?"
Sensing that this line of conversation would only make the mood worse, Ryusei changes the subject.
"You think you'd want to try out getting a school job too? I doubt Anzu would disagree with having another top hero there."
Akagi scoffs, going into a chuckle. She shakes her head and looks back over towards him, her mood salvaged.
"No. No way, man. I ain't no teacher. I'm pretty sure half my kids were left off worse than when they started interning with me. Like that one kid. Uhh..."
She trails off, snapping her fingers trying to get herself to remember.
"The boy with the short hair? Combat... Commando?"
"Fight Man."
"Yeah, him! Poor guy had a bright future, now he has 'Clown Sidekick' on his resume. Whenever I mess this whole thing up, it's gonna look bad for all of them."
Ryusei leans his knee over, bumping it into Akagi's.
"I thought we were celebrating. You gonna start badmouthing your career already?"
Akagi rolls her eyes, bumping his knee right back.
"You saying you don't got anything to complain about with your new job, Sexy-sensei?"
Ryusei reels back as if he was just punched. He brings a hand up to his face and groans into it, feeling a bit of embarrassment wash over him.
"Please don't call me that. I already asked all my students to address me by name just to avoid it. I don't need you giving me shit about it."
Akagi bursts into a fit of giggles, smacking Ryusei on the back again.
"Oh, there's no WAY I'm letting that one go. Sexy-sensei is TOO good. You're gonna be hearing that one at your retirement party! I'm having it played on the speakers at my funeral to the tune of Pineapple Rag!"
"I'll be sure to die first then."
"Good luck with that."
She takes a big swig of the wine bottle in a dark kind of humor, noting with disappointment how the bottle is already getting low. She decides to take pity on this poor unfortunate soul and stop teasing him so much... for now.
"Okay, my new favorite nickname aside, how's the job? You given anyone cancer from second-hand smoke yet?"
Ryusei gladly accepts the change of topic, clearly not wanting to dwell on his new most dreaded name.
"Being a teacher is... a lot of paperwork. I didn't really think about it at the time, but a lot of time is spent looking over the students' answers. No cancer, though. Pretty much every kid either said no to me taking smoke breaks or tried to convince me to quit smoking."
"Yeah, kids these days are so spoiled! I remember when we went to Shiketsu, the combat teacher used to blow smoke in our faces!"
"That was the janitor. And he only did that because you kept trying to do a standup routine for him during his break."
"...Oh, yeah. Ungrateful son of a gun. Anyway! My turn to complain!"
"Eager, I see."
"Look, man. I was already a few drinks in before I got here. I wanna complain! I got things I wanna talk about and tell you and I'm officially out a therapist for a while, so you just gotta sit there and take it. We'll get to good fun stuff again right after."
Ryusei sighs, taking a bit to get as comfortable as he can sitting on the hard ground.
"Alright, alright. Better you talking about it than bottling it up again. Go ahead, tell me why being the number 6 hero in Japan sucks eggs. And while you're at it, hand over the sanshoku."
The bento is shoved into his chest, bits of rice and greens spattering off onto his lap. Ryusei doesn't bother cleaning those up yet, wanting to eat his share before Akagi decides to hog it again. As for her, she leans back to lay down on the grass, wine bottle resting on her chest as she gets ready to bring the mood down.
"Okay, so... Where do I start? I've been out of the public eye for so long... Feels so... strange to be thrown into the shark tank like this all of a sudden. We're doing commercials and interviews and business deals and- God, it's... I don't feel like I'm ready for this. It's like there's this giant glass mold of myself that's who everyone thinks I should be, but I can't even fill up a single jingly bell on the hat. One slip, one mistake, and that glass is gonna shatter and everything comes crashing down again. Every day, I feel like I'm gonna do something to make a fool of myself- In a bad way. Everyone's gonna see that the amazing Popsy is some washed up middle aged woman with addiction problems, and not everyone is going to be nearly as tolerant as the kids were."
She pauses, and Ryusei takes the opportunity to try to offer a solution.
"If you don't want to do it, then you probably shouldn't. You could go underground like me and wouldn't have to worry about the cameras and paparazzi anymore."
Akagi shakes her head, flicking her used up cigarette into the empty bento box without looking at it. A skill born from years of practice.
"No, I don't wanna do that. If I just give up now, it's wasting the efforts of everyone who helped me get here in the first place. Imagine all the children across Japan seeing that Popsy gave up because she got anxious."
"Sure, but they wouldn't want you to suffer doing this either. I definitely don't. You should do what you want to do, not what they want you to do."
Akagi takes a while to respond, staring up at the stars. It might be the alcohol talking, but in this moment, it feels like her head is clear for once.
"Thanks, Ryusei. I really appreciate that, but that's the thing. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and talking through stuff with Ito and... I think I do know what I want now. Like, really want in life."
She sits up again, back already a little sore from the ground.
"I do want to help people. I want to make people smile and laugh and feel safe. I want be a hero. I want to fill up that giant glass mold until I really am that person. I want to be a responsible adult, and a reliable friend, and I want..."
She looks over towards Ryusei, and the words she was going to say quickly fall short on her tongue.
"And if being in the Top 10 lets me make everyone around feel safe and smile and laugh, then I'm willing to put up with some flipping cameras."
Seeing the real determination in Akagi's eyes, Ryusei can't get himself to argue against her. For a moment, he can see that annoying gnat from high school overlapping onto Akagi, and it brings a genuine smile to his face.
"If that's what you want, then I'll support it, Akagi. I'll be right here with you for it. If that glass breaks, I'm always there to pick up the pieces and help you start again."
Akagi laughs softly and bumps her knee against his again.
"Yeah, I know. You always have been."
He returns the gesture, bumping knees once more.
"And hey, with your new big paycheck, you can finally pay off that tab you owe me."
Akagi's smile freezes and she looks away towards the skyline again.
"Wh... What are you talking about?"
Ryusei laughs under his breath, flicking his own cigarette into the bento box with Agaki's.
"If I remember right, I think I paid for the last... five beer runs and bar nights? Could be six."
Akagi scratches at her neck, an exaggeratedly innocent look on her face as she continues to not meet his eye.
"No, I... I think you're misremembering?"
"I'm definitely not."
"No, you made it up."
"I have the receipts."
"...Nuh uh."
"Yeah huh."
Akagi can't keep up the bit any longer, bursting into a fit of infectious giggles that gets Ryusei laughing too. It lasts for a while, both of them continuing to set off the other until eventually they're both out of breath and laying on the grass again. There's a comfortable moment of silence between them as they just lie there, the world outside the hill they're on forgotten.
Akagi breaks the silence, her voice whiny but clearly not serious.
"Man, you ruined it."
Ryusei turns his head to look over at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Ruined what?"
"I was so ready to complain and vent about how crummy work is. Hyped myself up on the whole train ride here, but then you had to go and... be a nice person and make me feel better. God, that school job has ruined you."
"Oh, sorry. Yeah, no, you shouldn't live out your dreams actually. Life sucks and then you die."
"Thank you!"
Akagi lets out a loud sigh and then sits up again. Any more of this and it'll be considered a workout. And on her day off!? What is the world coming to...?
"We should have done this more."
Ryusei follows her lead and sits up. He can practically feel the grass stains on his Hawaiian shirt.
"Do what?"
"This."
She waves her hand in the air, motioning all around them.
"Like, hang out and just... You know. Sucks that when we had all the time in the world; when I never had work to do and you were some nobody hero, we hardly ever hung out. But now that I barely have free time and you have a real job, I want to do this more than ever."
"You don't appreciate what you got until you don't have it... or whatever the saying is."
"Yeah, we should hang out more. Can we like... make this a regular thing?"
Ryusei glances over at her, hesitating on answering.
"Hold on... you want to plan something?"
Ryusei brings a hand up and holds it onto Akagi's forehead.
"You don't feel sick."
"Hardy har har! Leave the jokes to the professional!"
Akagi swipes his hand away, shooting him a heatless glare. She can tell he's avoiding the question, and she doesn't blame him for it. They're both really busy with their work, so trying to make a regular schedule is just asking for continuous rain checks and last minute cancellations. It's better to just go with the flow, even if she isn't satisfied with it. Ryusei smirks at her pouting, and shakes his head.
"Really, though. Any plans on how you're gonna spend your big paycheck from all those deals?"
Akagi bounces back quickly, settling into the rhythm they had going before.
"Ah... I'm thinking life time supply of whipped cream. Why? You got a suggestion?"
"Maybe improving your lifestyle? You gotta get out of that apartment."
Akagi gasps, bringing a hand up to her chest, looking at him like he just told her to kill her child.
"What's wrong with the apartment? It's been with me through everything! It's great! I even cleaned it up and..."
She trails off, not even believing what she was saying.
"...Okay, yeah, you're probably right. My place is a war zone. Maybe it is time to get a new place to put my head down."
Ryusei smiles and places a hand onto her shoulder, which earns him a side eye, but she doesn't brush it off.
"Attagirl. We can go apartment hunting some time. I'm pretty sure you could afford a penthouse by now."
"Ugh, no thanks. I don't need anything like that. Really not my style. I need somewhere they'd let Janna in. And maybe like... I don't need to look for an apartment. I could get a real house now. Settle into a calm, more permanent place..."
"Maybe... in Osaka?"
She looks back at him, a small smile creeping onto her lips.
"That's the best dang idea you've had all night. And while we're at it, we should get you out of that old dojo."
He pulls back his hand from her shoulder and waves it in front of his face in refusal.
"Not a chance. That's my dojo, and there's nothing wrong with it."
Akagi nods amicably with quiet "mhm"s, but the devious little smile on her face betrays her intentions.
"Right, right... By the way, winter must have been harsh this year with all those holes in your walls."
It's Ryusei on the back foot this time, having the poor conditions of his own living arrangements brought to light.
"What holes?"
"You know, the ones you cover with posters? I'm honestly surprised that place is still standing. I feel bad for Anko."
"You leave him out of this!"
"He's freezing in there, Ryusei! I haven't checked on him in a while. Is he just a big fluffy ice cube now!?"
"As if! If anything, he's using more of my blankets than I am. I was cold, where's my pity?"
Akagi smiles some more, leaning towards him with mischief in her eyes.
"Sooo...?"
"No."
"Come on, if I'm getting out of my disaster zone, you should too! Besides, it's not like you can't just go back to it when you need to train. You're a teacher at one of the biggest schools in the country, they have to be paying you well enough to get a new place. I'll even help cover if you really need a loan from the Bank of Popsy."
Realizing that she wasn't going to let this go, Ryusei sighs and gets out another cigarette to smoke.
"...I'll think about it."
Taking this as a win, Akagi snickers and shakes his shoulder annoyingly.
"And while we're at it, you should get a place near my new one! Then we wouldn't have to try so hard to hang out some more. And I get to mooch off of you and enjoy your special home cooking again, chef."
"Is that all I'm worth now?"
Akagi continues on, pretending like he didn't say anything.
"The train from Osaka to Kyoto is like nothing, so you wouldn't even have to worry about getting to work on time. And I can watch Anko on my days off, and you can watch Janna on your days off."
"I think they both would have died by now if they couldn't look out for themselves during work hours."
"And I can show you all the best spots in Osaka, like where to get real takoyaki. Your food is great, don't get me wrong, but it wouldn't hurt to learn from the masters. And you could stay over at my place-"
She is cut off by Ryusei grabbing her shoulders and shaking her out of her miniature rant.
"Okay! I'll think about it! We can even go house hunting at some point... But no promises!"
Akagi smiles, feeling satisfied and a bit smug from getting the answer she wanted. She gives him a little salute to get him to let go of her.
"Aye aye, captain!"
Ryusei groans, feeling like he's just agreed to something that is bound to give him a headache in the upcoming future. He pulls out his phone to check the time, seeing that it's getting late.
"Is that everything you wanted to talk about?"
Akagi blinks, taking a half second to think. Now that she thinks about it, there was something else she had forgotten to bring up. Her smile dampens a bit, and her voice gets more subdued.
"Oh, no, actually."
She pauses, knowing that this next topic was important to her. There wasn't a smooth way to bring it up anymore, so she just had to go with a straight ball pitch with it.
"I talked to my mom over the phone on Friday."
Ryusei's whole demeanor shifts, surprise and concern coloring his expression. He lets her go on a bit longer, wanting to get more of a read on Akagi's mood first before saying anything.
"Probably saw me on the news and the Top Ten announcement thing and... Yeah. It's been... years since we last talked."
"...Was she pissed?"
She shakes her head, letting out a heavy breath.
"Not at all. Even though I've been dodging her calls for God knows how long out of shame, she... She only had nice things to say. I even told her I was sorry, but she was- She was just glad I finally picked up."
She blinks, and realizes her eyes are getting wet before she knew it. She brings her palm up to rub at them, but they aren't getting dry that easily. When she speaks again, her voice cracks slightly.
"I've been such a bad daughter... but she doesn't care. She told me how proud of me she was. How proud... how proud dad would have been of me. God, I didn't know how much I missed her."
She sniffs and takes a shaky breath, and a handkerchief is held out in front of her. Her eyes follow the hankie up the arm holding it to Ryusei's face. She nods appreciatively and takes it to wipe at her eyes. Ryusei puts his hand on her shoulder again and speaks softly.
"Do you think your dad would be proud of you?"
Akagi lets out a quiet laugh, nodding without a hint of hesitation.
"Yeah. Knowing him, he would have been proud of me even when I was just rotting away on my couch. He always thought the world of me."
There's a smile on her face as she says this, and she thinks back to old times with her father. A poke to her side breaks her out of her thoughts and she looks over towards the culprit curiously.
"You know, you've been smiling a lot more recently. I like seeing this Akagi, and I'm sure everyone else does too."
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, but she can't deny what he's saying. She looks down at the handkerchief in one hand and the bottle of wine still in the other, mentally making a note to herself.
"Yeah... As crazy hectic and sometimes aggravating it all was, I think looking after my gaggle of brats was good for me. I gotta thank them and... man, so many people. Like Aiko, and Anzu, and Ito, Strong Man, Rika, Seiryu, Nocti..."
Ryusei pokes her again, giving her an over the top pitiful look when she looks at him.
"Hey, where am I on your list of people to thank?"
It catches her off guard, making her snort laugh. She shoves him by the shoulder, then looks at him like he said something dumb.
"Where else? On the top of it, ya dingus. You think I'd be anywhere close to where I am now if you weren't keeping tabs on me, making sure I ate, and dragging me out of the apartment like you did? You were always there for me, and I appreciate that way more than you think. I don't know what I'd do without you."
The straightforward praise and appreciation takes Ryusei by surprise, and it's only the smoke from his cigarette that's keeping the hint of a blush on his face from being obvious.
"I... If it makes you feel like we're even, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you either. I don't know what I'd do without you either."
"Yeah, but I..."
Akagi trails off, looking at Ryusei's face. Her breath hitches, and she shifts her body to fully face him.
"Good golly gosh, I'm really doing this, huh? Hey, lazy bum... let me know if you hate this."
"Hate wha-"
The bottle drops to the side. The bento spills onto the ground. The cigarette is removed from Ryusei's mouth, and his collar is yanked on. The smoke around them stills, and the question is left unfinished.
Akagi makes her way down the sidewalk, sticking to the side that's covered in the shadows of nearby buildings. Her pace is hurried, but at the same time attempting to not catch any attention. Her hoodie hides her face from anyone who might be looking her way, desperately trying to keep anyone from recognizing her. What would people think seeing Popsy, the number 6 hero, going to a place like this? The media would have a heyday pulling every juicy detail out of this, and she really doesn't need that right now. She can only hope that people she's going to meet stay true to their word and keep things anonymous.
She slips inside an inconspicuous building, but still doesn't dare pull down her hood yet. She continues further in, blindly following the directions she was given earlier. Her heart beats inside her head, a throbbing noise enveloping her senses. Hesitation and uncertainty makes every step she takes feel like she carrying huge weights. Each second feels like an hour as she approaches the designated meeting area. Everyone else seems to already be here, which just makes her anxiety spike again. She doesn't recognize any of other people here, which is a small relief. She takes a seat, trying to ignore some of the looks she is getting.
Her eyes are focused on the floor and her sandals. Maybe she shouldn't be here. Maybe this was a mistake. If she leaves now, nobody would even have to know. It isn't until someone raises their voice does she break out of her spiraling thoughts. She looks up, and everyone is looking at her expectantly. She didn't realize it, but she was so in her own head that she didn't hear a single thing that was said. The woman at the back of the room, the one in charge of this group, restates her question.
"Do you want to introduce yourself?"
Every cell in her body is telling her to say no, to leave and go back to her home. Her mouth feels so incredibly dry, she doesn't even know if she can speak. Despite all this, she forces herself to stand up and face them. She isn't sure how long it takes her to finally say something, but with one last ounce of strength, she pushes herself to do it.
"Hello... I'm... I'm Sanpatchi Akagi... and... and I'm an alcoholic."
"We often suffer more in our imagination than in reality. Despite the hardships in life, love abounds, and it can always get better."