Chapter Text
The new apartment was nice, which was expected since she’d helped pay for it instead of going with the original plan of renting, even if mom had needed some convincing. So the new bedroom was nice. The pastel purples were a bit much but they looked cute, and the floorboards were white so that made the whole place look brighter.
Mitsuko sat on the floor of her new room, curling her knees up to her chin as she leant against the inside of her closet; her bags of clothes half-rammed into it, keeping the doors wide open.
The entire room was a mess since she hadn’t unpacked and it was already getting late.
“Hey?” Gakushuu peered around the door, struggling to open it with the amount of boxes in the way. “Are you even going to tidy up?!”
She shrugged. “I’m having a break.”
Her brother looked around the messy room. “Oh, yes, clearly it was well earned.” He sighed and stepped more into the room, moving some bags and boxes out of the way. “I’ve already unpacked.”
“That’s because you’re a control freak.”
“No. You’re just lazy.”
The corner of her lip curved up. “Exactly what a control freak would say.”
He sighed loudly, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t deal with you…”
She chuckled. “That’s because I’m right.”
He fixed her with a look. “If I bury you in here they’ll never find you.”
“Go ahead.” Mitsuko shrugged. “If I suffocate I’ll just haunt you for the rest of your days.”
Gakushuu groaned in frustration, sitting down next to her. “Just…shut up.”
Her smile grew. “Just making conversation.” She leant against the wall. “So do you like your new room?”
He shrugged. “A room’s a room.”
She hummed as they fell into silence for a while.
Gakushuu glanced at her before reaching into his pocket. “Here.”
Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar green plastic knife. “How did—”
“Mom said you had to give your weapons back to the government.” He replied, handing her it. “I found it in your room a few months back.”
She held the knife tightly, holding it close to her chest. “Thanks…”
“It’s fine.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “…Mom says she wants us to continue our sessions with Dr Yokoyama.”
“Will he even take us back?” Mitsuko questioned.
“Well…not dad but mom says he’s willing to take the three of us as clients again.”
“Oh.” She gripped the knife tight. “That could be nice then.”
“Yeah.” Her brother tapped his finger hesitantly on his knee. “This all still feels…”
“Weird?” She suggested, smiling feebly. “Still wrapping my head around how this is gonna be our new normal.”
Gakushuu hummed, looking around the room. “It is strange.” He frowned. “I still expect him to come upstairs, or start asking us about our homework.” He fidgeted. “I should be studying but…I’m not.”
“Yeah…it’s weird.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Like a whole new routine.”
Her brother hummed, staying quiet for a while longer. “True…”
“I tried calling him but he was busy,” Mitsuko said, shrugging. “He was dealing with another press conference and there was a meeting I think…”
“…He’ll probably call later,” he brother said. “Then we’ll be complaining that he’s being overbearing again.”
She smiled slightly. “Yeah, probably.”
“Mom says we can have a later curfew though,” Gakushuu said, frowning. “And she said we can have a housewarming party if we want without supervision…”
“That could be fun.” Mitsuko’s smile grew. “Maybe she’ll let Rio sleepover too!”
Her brother scowled. “Not on your life!”
She smirked. “Just try to stop me and see how well that works out for you.”
“I already have to put up with Karma coming over,” he muttered.
Mitsuko’s brow rose. “Oh, so it’s Karma now!”
He flicked her cheek. “Shut up.”
“Ow!” She scowled and rubbed her cheek. “You’re so mean.”
“Only because you’re annoying.”
She smiled in amusement and leant against him. “You still love me though.”
“Unfortunately.”
She scoffed, staring at the knife. “Thanks for keeping this—though I do want to know why you were snooping around my room?”
“It was literally laying on the floor,” he replied dryly. “It’s not my fault you’re a disorganised mess.”
“Ow. That’s just low.” Mitsuko sighed loudly. “And I’m actually very organised. I’m just not a clean freak like you.” She fiddled with the Anti-sensei knife. “You know, I really did suck at the assassination thing at first.”
“Oh.” He tensed a bit, looking over. “I…honestly would have guessed differently.”
She shrugged, smiling faintly. “I got worked up a lot since it seemed like all my friends were getting the hang of it easier than me, but Koro-sensei said I needed to take more chances and initiative,” she said quietly. “He had a really good perception on getting everyone to reach their potential even if they didn’t see it yet.”
“…Yes, Ms Jelavic mentioned something similar,” Gakushuu replied apprehensively. “Along with several remarks on his perverted character and junk food addiction.”
Mitsuko chuckled softly. “Yeah, he was a mess.” She smiled fondly. “But he was a good teacher, and we’ll never have anyone like him.”
Her brother stayed silent and held her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, cradling the plastic knife against her chest.
“Wait…” Araki stared at the newspaper in alarm while they were in homeroom. “You guys…you actually sued your dad?”
Mitsuko shared a smirk while they sat together at their desks at the front of the classroom. “Well, duh.” Her smirk stretched into a grin. “We gotta get all the money we can get!”
Ren, Seo, Koyama, and Araki shared looks of concern as they were huddled around their desks, the rest of A-Class trying not to seem obvious as they listened.
“And lawyers are expensive,” her brother commented, placing his books on his desk.
Karma scoffed, walking in with his black tie low and navy blue blazer flung over his shoulder. “You barely got enough compensation.” He casually sat on Gakushuu’s desk; earning a glare. “They only sued him for 2 Million yen.”
“ONLY?!!” Koyama nearly choked.
Gakushuu tried stabbed Karma with a pencil. “Get off my desk!”
Karma barely flinched and rolled his eyes. “Okay, drama queen.” He whacked him with his blazer. “Don’t need to be a prick.”
Mitsuko laughed while her brother growled at Karma who had sat down in his desk next to Gakushuu’s. “We only asked for 2 Million because we were being nice.” She shrugged. “We could have gotten more but…” She shrugged. “Koro-sensei said it isn’t good to kick a man when he’s already down.”
A tiny flicker of grief flashed across Karma’s face for a second before it was hidden with a smirk. “I feel he would have made an exception.”
“Uh, didn’t you say he always kissed the Principal’s ass though?” Seo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mitsuko smiled faintly. “Yeah, he did…” There was a pause. “Anyway. Our dad’s already trying to avoid more lawsuits from parents and people he pissed off.” She shrugged. “So he’s sold off the rest of those prison schools he built with the government bribes.”
Gakushuu sighed. “It is a huge financial loss for him. He’s had to invest more with the stocks, so he’s only got 1 million yen in the main account and fifteen million yen in one of the hedge funds overseas.”
“More specifically it’s ten million yen in the hedge fund and fifteen million scattered in other offshore accounts,” Mitsuko corrected. “He transferred some of the bribery money in there before Christmas.”
“Uh…” Their friends’ concern turned to annoyance.
“Wow…I’m so sorry for your loss.” Araki didn’t sound sorry when he said it.
Karma nearly snorting up his strawberry milk while he sipped it through the straw. “Yeah, sounds like a real struggle, guys.”
Her brother rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, either way, we have the money we want so I’m satisfied.” He shrugged. “It means things are more…settled between us.”
Ren smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “That’s good then.”
“…You still sure you don’t want me to shove spices up his nose?” Karma asked, frowning.
Gakushuu sighed loudly. “For the last time, no!”
Karma looked disappointed. “Why not?”
The six of them all shared exasperated looks.
Mitsuko shifted awkwardly in her seat, glancing at the table next to them where their social worker, Mrs Ichiko, was keeping an eye on her and Gakushuu while they were sat having coffee with their father.
Mrs Ichiko was nice, practical and very serious, while also never being condescending. She was around the same age as their parents and she always dressed in loose comfy clothes which looked soft. Sometimes she gave them mints after driving them home from visiting their dad somewhere in public.
“So…” Dad spoke after a long silence, smiling at Mitsuko. “I assume you’re enjoying your winnings from the government.”
She nodded. “Yeah…I bought us an apartment…”
Dad’s smile tightened. “That’s your mother’s job not yours.”
Mitsuko shrugged, stirring her latter. “It’s fine. I wanted to.”
Her brother grimaced, sipping his coffee. “It’s a nice apartment.”
Dad’s smile wavered more, but he didn’t comment further and drank his coffee.
“I put the rest away for college and for some future investments,” she said, smiling. “Me and Gakushuu are monitoring the current bond values.”
Her brother nodded. “I’ve been studying the financial patterns that lead to each global recession and think I’ve worked out a formula which would be 65% accurate.”
Their social worker stopped writing and smiled slightly as she shook her head.
Mrs Ichiko was used to these kinds of talks now, she'd even managed to rope her into a conversation on how Ritsu was going to take over the world with AI. The woman had seemed a little scared at first but eventually she'd found it funny.
Mitsuko flashed her a grin before turning back to their dad. “We would still appreciate some pointers and feedback on the proposed formula—we have notes.”
Dad smiled faintly. “Of course, I’d love to.”
Gakushuu’s smile was crooked. “We might even use the compensation money we won to start investing.”
Their dad sighed. “You do realise I’m taking that out of your inheritance, correct?”
Her brother’s smile grew. “Then we’ll just have to sue you for more.” He looked over at their social worker. “How much more do you think we can get out of him, Mrs Ichiko?”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “No comment.”
Mitsuko laughed while their dad looked annoyed. “That means we probably could get more.”
Dad sighed in exasperation. “You two are…” He shook his head and drank his coffee. “How is your mother?”
She shrugged again. “She’s fine.”
“Good…” Dad tapped his mug. “I’m glad.”
Mitsuko chewed on her tongue, glancing at her brother hesitantly. “So…have you fed my fish?”
“Yes,” he replied impatiently.
She frowned. “And checked he PH levels and Nitrate—”
“Yes, Mitsuko, they are fine,” dad replied in exasperation. “Everything is fine. The housekeeper has made it her personal duty to make sure they are well kept.”
“Oh…” Mitsuko smiled in relief. “Well, good.”
Dad shook his head. “If you were that worried you should have brought them with you.”
“It would have stressed them out!” Mitsuko replied, scowling. “Plus the tank might have gotten cracked in the move so it’s just easier leaving them in my room.” She sighed. “Plus they only have a max two years left until they die so I’m trying to keep them alive as long as possible.”
He discreetly rolled his eyes. “Well, they are fine. I check on them daily.” His brow furrowed. “I’m sure it won’t be long until you’re allowed to stay over and look after them more.”
Mitsuko and Gakushuu both shared an unsure look.
The court has said their dad had to attend ten weeks of therapy at a minimum and it had only been five weeks.
“We still need to wait for the review next week,” Mrs Ichiko said evenly, looking at him pointedly like he wasn’t meant to get their hopes up.
“…Of course.” Dad’s voice was clipped, giving a cold look to the woman. “I’m aware.”
Mitsuko shifted in her seat again, growing uncomfortable again. She could understand he was frustrated at not being able to see them whenever he wanted; she gathered as much from the constant calls and texting. But, Mrs Ichiko was just doing her job, and he was lucky they were even getting any contact at all after what Dr Yokoyama had told child services.
“So…” Mitsuko forced a smile. “How have you been?”
“Quite well,” dad replied evenly. “I’ve been catching up with my old students. I have a lot more spare time now so I’ve been using it productively.”
“So you’re setting your sights on world domination next?” She asked dryly.
Mrs Ichiko looked up in alarm while their dad chuckled.
“Nothing so dramatic.” Dad smiled. “I might consider opening another school—”
Mrs Ichiko scribbled something quickly on her notebook; partly horrified.
“—but it would be smaller.” He half-shrugged, drinking the rest of his coffee. “Something less…”
“Fascist?”
Gakushuu arched a brow. “Corrupt?”
“A personification of your grief and personal prejudice?” Mitsuko commented.
Dad sighed, ignoring them. “Less conglomerate. I want to cater to each students’ strengths and weaknesses.” He looked at them both. “You two have made me realise one teaching method can’t be applied to all students and reel the same result.”
“I’m still surprised they’re letting you teach?” her brother commented.
Mitsuko frowned. “How the hell did you manage to keep your licence?”
Dad smiled politely, tapping his nose. “Well, it helps to have friends in high places, even if some of them have turned tail and run.”
“I’m still pegging it on blackmail,” she said, sighing. “Just promise you won’t treat your next batch of students as Guinee pigs for your educational philosophy.”
Dad chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t.”
Both she and Gakushuu couldn’t fully bring themselves to believe that.
“So, try to think of it in basic terms,” Mitsuko advised Juba while she helped him study during their break in-between classes while they were in homeroom. “I compartmentalise it first and then break down each number to it’s simplest component, makes it way easier.”
“Thanks.” Juba smiled at her, going through the sum. “I get the majority of it, I just keep second-guessing.”
She smiled warmly. “Don’t worry, I know how that feels.” She patted him on the back. “You’ll do fine at midterms, maths is your best subject.”
“Wow, this makes middle school look easy, right?” Anaya joked, smiling. “The grade barrier really is high, huh?”
65% of Class A all stopped and looked at the girl who had attended a different middle school to them
“…I’m sorry, what?” Mitsuko stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Their lessons were normal paced, they had ten-minute bathroom breaks, and their test questions weren’t even college level.
It was paradise!
Anaya frowned, adjusting her glasses and looking around when the majority of the class was staring. “Well…I mean this work is really hard, considering we’re only in the first year of high school.” She smiled sheepishly. “Makes me miss middle school!”
There was a long pause.
“You think….this…is hard?” Seo said slowly.
Araki snapped his pencil.
“Uh…” Anaya’s eyes widened, looking at her friend who looked scared. “…Yes?”
A majority of the class exploded.
“YOU THINK THIS IS HARD!?”
Mitsuko yelped as her classmates unloaded.
“—You think THIS is hard?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!—”
“Let me tell you—”
“—My skin was fucking Purple—”
“I didn’t shower for two weeks—”
“—I still have nightmares—”
“—I WAS SO EXHAUSTED I LOOKED LIKE A ZOMBIE!!—"
They looked like they were having war flashbacks, while the minority of Class A was staring at them in shock and confusion.
“Guy’s stop!” Mitsuko rushed over to stand in-between them and the girl. “SHE DOESN’T KNOW!”
Anaya shook in horror. “What the hell?!”
Gakushuu sighed and tried to focus on studying.
Karma sipped his strawberry milkshake as he watched the chaos ensue.
Mitsuko stumbled a bit when she climbed through her girlfriend’s window, frowning when she saw how easy it was to open.
“You really should lock this.”
Rio turned around from her wardrobe and jumped. “Mitsuko!”
She smiled innocently. “What?”
Her girlfriend looked exasperated. “Just use the door!”
Mitsuko shrugged and stepped in the room. “I thought you wanted things to be more spontaneous?”
Rio buried her face in her palm. “For the love of…”
She grinned and kissed her cheek before plopping down on the bed. “I wanted to surprise you!”
“Wow, thanks.” Rio sighed, sitting down next to her on the bed. “I’m gonna start locking that window since you think being a creep is romantic.”
Mitsuko blushed. “It’s not creepy!”
Rio threw a pillow at her. “Yes, it is.”
“Whatever.” She whacked her with the pillow.
“Isn’t your mom gonna wonder where you are? It’s like ten.” Rio looked at the time and frowned.
Mitsuko smiled excitedly. “I know! I snuck out.” She jumped up and down on the bed. “It’s so easy to sneak out now from the new apartment!”
Rio sighed, shaking her head. “Well, as much as I love your dance on the wild side, I still need to get up for school tomorrow.”
“I know! Don’t worry I won’t stay long,” Mitsuko promised, still smiling excitedly. “I just thought it’d be fun.”
Rio started to look amused, resting against the headboard. “Well, it is cute.”
Mitsuko cuddled up next to her. “It’s still kind of weird, but it’s nice not having dad watching my every move all the time.” She glanced at her phone which was turned off. “He still stalks me a lot with the parenting app but it’s not so bad. It’s nice having…space.”
“Good.” Rio smiled faintly, burying her face in her neck. “And…I am happy you visited,” she murmured. “It’s kind of weird not seeing you every day at school.”
Mitsuko hummed, closing her eyes as she nestled her face in her soft hair. “I miss you a lot too.” She smiled softly. “I tell people about you at school…and show them pictures.”
“Really?” Rio looked faintly surprised.
“Of course!” she replied held her close. “Plus it’s nice making the boys jealous at how hot my girlfriend is.”
Rio rolled her eyes but was still smiling. “My friend’s think you’re cute—though I did have to dunk one asshole’s head down the toilet when he said something.”
Mitsuko frowned. “What did he say?”
“Just something stupid and homophobic—not worth repeating.” Rio nuzzled her cheek before kissing her. “Had to set an example.”
“Well it’s better than pepper spray,” Mitsuko replied, shrugging. “I haven’t had any real issues…” She frowned. “Though there was one student who mysteriously disappeared after gave me a dirty look after I said I had a girlfriend.”
“Karma or your brother probably killed him,” Rio said seriously.
Mitsuko hummed, rubbing her chin. “I do have concerns…”
Rio smirked. “No seriously, you should probably set your story straight before the police catch on,” she warned. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ritsu helped them form a plan to hide the body.”
She laughed. “Probably!”
Her girlfriend yawned and nestled close to her as Mitsuko started to stroke her hair. “Or he might have transferred schools. Honestly, it’s 50/50 with those two.”
Mitsuko chuckled. “True…” She smiled as she watched her relax. “It’s nice though. I’m lucky I have a lot of people looking out for me.”
“Yeah,” Rio murmured, closing her eyes. “It’s nice.”
She leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. “…Love you.”
Rio’s eyes eased open, looking up as a small smile crept onto her face. “I love you too.”
Mitsuko kept shifting excitedly in the back seat, her backpack on her lap while she sat next to her brother. Mom pulled up near their dad’s house…well technically it was still heir house but…
She sighed and decided not to think much of it.
Mom took a deep breath when she pulled up near the driveway. “So…” She fidgeted and looked over her shoulder. “You remember what the social worker—”
“Yes!” Both Gakushuu and Mitsuko interrupted impatiently.
“We’re not five, mom, we can remember simple guidelines,” he replied curtly.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine!” Mitsuko rolled her eyes. “This is our first 48 hours with dad, he’s not going to ruin it by trying to poison us or locking us in a closet.”
“He’s not a complete idiot,” Gakushuu commented dryly.
Mom scowled. “I just want to make sure!” She huffed. “If at any point you want to leave just call me or the social worker, okay? Promise me.”
“Yes!” The two of them replied in exasperation, already undoing their seatbelts.
“Well do you have everything you need?” Mom asked quickly as they were trying to leave. “Did you remember your toothbrush?”
“Yes, mom.” Gakushuu grabbed his bag.
Mom was still frowning. “Well, okay then….”
“Make sure you have a good weekend, okay,” Mitsuko said.
Mom blushed slightly. “O-oh, yes, I will. I’m just going to meet a friend so that will be nice.”
Mitsuko and her brother raised an eyebrow.
“What?!” Mom’s cheeks heated up. “What’s that look for! It’s just a friend!”
“Of course.” Mitsuko kissed her mom on the cheek. “Have a good weekend. Love you.”
Mom’s smile grew. “Love you!”
Gakushuu looked embarrassed and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Love you too…”
Mom pinched his cheek before he could escape. “Oh, sweetie!”
“Stop!” He scowled and whacked her hand away, quickly following Mitsuko out of the car.
Mitsuko yawned, nearly falling asleep against her dad while Gakushuu took his turn looking through the telescope.
“Seriously, why so early!?” she complained.
Dad smiled and patted her on the head. “It’s not that early.”
“It’s 4am!”
He chuckled and passed her the flask. “Have some coffee then.”
She grumbled, taking the flask and having a large gulp of coffee. “Thanks.” The caffeine did give her a pleasant boost of energy.
Dad hummed, resting a hand on her head while she yawned again and nestled close to his side. “So how is school for you both?”
Gakushuu hummed, looking over his shoulder. “Well, I am coming close to murdering Akabane.”
Dad chuckled. “Ah, I see.”
Mitsuko rolled her eyes. “Karma’s barely even done anything recently.”
“He spiked my coffee with chilis!” her brother complained.
She shrugged. “He was experimenting with the flavour.”
Gakushuu glared at her. “He’s so annoying!”
“Yeah, I know.” She wandered over to the telescope. “But he’s also kind of hilarious.”
Her brother groaned in frustration and moved to the side while she looked up at the stars. “If he keeps testing me, I will maim him. I’m not afraid to stab a man.”
“Gakushuu…” Their dad cautioned.
“…It’s not like I’d be stupid enough to get caught.”
Dad sighed but didn’t comment further.
Mitsuko rolled her eyes, looking up. “No offence, Dad, but you have no right to judge.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “We all know you’ve probably hidden a dead body once.”
“What?!” Dad nearly spat out his coffee. “No, I haven’t.”
Gakushuu scoffed. “We highly doubt that.”
She grinned, straightening up. “Yeah, you’re way too sketchy, and you’re always told us growing up not to get caught if we attack our classmates.”
Dad sighed. “That’s just common sense.” He frowned when they both shot him a look. “…In retrospect it also probably wasn’t the wisest of advice.” He looked annoyed. “And while I may possess some theory on the removal of a decomposing body—”
“Really not helping your case here,” she quipped.
“I’ve never taken part in the practical act aside from burying a cat,” dad replied irritably.
Gakushuu frowned. “You used to have a cat?”
Their dad tensed, causing them both to grow more curious. “…Yes, I did. When I was a child.”
“Oh.” Mitsuko tried to imagine her dad being friends with a cat. “You never told us that.”
Dad hummed, frowning faintly. “Yes, well…it was a stray that I just looked after. It wasn’t actually my pet.”
“What was it called?” her brother asked.
“Felis,” dad’s tone was stiff. “It was a nice cat.”
“I like the name…” She took the flask and sipped some more coffee while she and her brother stayed quiet and listened.
“Yes.” Their dad shifted on the spot, fiddling with the telescope. “…My mother worked a lot so I wasn’t allowed a real pet.”
Mitsuko chewed on her tongue hesitantly. “…Where did she work?”
“She was a nurse…she enjoyed it, well I assumed she did at least,” dad replied. “She tended to work nights.”
“…And what did your father do?” Gakushuu asked after a moment.
Dad stayed silent for a while making her start to worry. “I’m not sure…he left when I was young.”
“Oh.” Mitsuko’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…You never told us that,” Her brother said quietly.
“Yes, well he died twenty years ago so I hardly thought it mattered,” dad replied curtly, looking through the telescope. “Oh, look the moon is changing.”
“What?” she looked confused, stepping closer. “What do you mean?”
“The gravitational pull is reshaping it.” He nudged her towards the telescope.
Mitsuko looked through the lens, getting a clearer view of tiny chunks of the moon starting to fray away as the shape twisted a little. “Oh, you’re right.”
“It looks like it’s breaking apart again,” dad explained. “Which means it might turn back to its regular shape, albeit smaller.”
“Let me see.” Gakushuu looked while she moved to the side. “Huh. It does look like it’s curving inwards.”
Mitsuko stomach twisted a little when she imagined the crescent moon going back to normal. “That’s…that’s good, I guess.”
“So…” Her brother looked back at their dad curiously. “If your mom was working, what did you do?”
“Oh, I just kept busy,” dad replied a little too quickly. “I studied a lot, kept the house nice. There were plenty of things to do.”
Mitsuko hummed, sharing a look with her brother. “Sounds busy…”
“I suppose so.” Dad shrugged. “I don’t really think about it much.”
She smiled gently and patted him on the back. “Well, it’s nice that you’re sharing.”
He stared at the two of them for a moment before smiling and pulling them both into a hug.
She and her brother both looked confused by the sudden burst of affection. “Uh…”
“Yes, this is nice.” Dad held them tight. “I missed this.”
Gakushuu raised an eyebrow, while Mitsuko looked concerned.
“…Uh, we…we missed this too, dad,” she reassured warmly, patting his arm. “And if you keep doing well in therapy, social services says we’ll be able to hang out more.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry.”
Her brother gently squeezed his hand. “It’ll be fine.”
Their dad sighed, keeping hold of them a while longer. “Of course, you’re right.”
“Obviously,” Gakushuu replied, smiling faintly. “We already keep telling you that.”
Mitsuko chuckled, pulling her dad’s arm closer around her.
Mitsuko tapped her foot against the rail of the bridge as people passed by around her.
In retrospect, it did look like a really deep drop…
“Hey!” Ritsu popped up on her phone and grinned. “Guess what I did!”
She smirked and leant against the railing. “Does it involve world domination and revenge?”
“Not quite, but close.” Ritsu smiled wickedly and pulled up a video of scientists panicking in a lab as everything was malfunctioning. “I hacked into my old Masters’ servers.”
Mitsuko burst out laughing, earning some looks from stranger’s passers-by. “Oh, shit, you actually did it!”
Ritsu laughed. “I even played all the rude songs they made me sing when they were drunk!” Her laugh was diabolical. “They were quite terrified of what was happening.”
“Beautiful.” Mitsuko blew her a kiss. “Post the recording on the chat, the others need to see this.”
“Will do!” She winked, jumping up and down excitedly. “I even got the sponsor arrested for peddling pension funds from the company!” She grinned. “And it’s only been 24 hrs!”
Mitsuko looked amused. “Try to check if any of them are dealing with countries that break government regulations—that’s always a kicker.”
Ritsu gave a thumbs up. “Good idea!”
She smiled back, looking up when she heard a voice in the distance call her name. “Oh, got to go, Ritsu. Talk later?”
“Sure.” The AI’s smile grew. “Have fun.”
Mitsuko smiled faintly and put her phone away when she saw Sugaya wave and walk over; dressed in his new green and black high school uniform with a sketchbook under his arm.
“Hey,” she greeted, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. “You ready to hit the museum?”
He grinned. “Yep, I brought extra pencils.” He flashed her pink pen. “And my lucky pen.”
She smirked and started walking along the bridge. “I’ll sell you another for 10,000 yen.”
“Stop raising the price!”
“I told you, it’s extra because it has supernatural abilities.” She chuckled. “And that pen got you through midterms and finals. If that isn’t world-altering then I don’t know what more proof you need.”
Sugaya sighed, shaking his head. “Whatever, dude. I’m still not paying that much.”
She linked arms with him. “Fair enough, I’ll just wait until you’re desperate and raise the price.”
He rolled his eyes and kept his comments to himself.
Mitsuko smiled, feeling light on her feet as they walked into the city and left the bridge behind.
***