"You really called..." Becky—Kawakami said nervously.
She looked around the loft. It wasn't dirty. Or even messy. Just dusty. Some cobwebs here and there. Really, there was no need to clean. She was wondering why he had actually called her...
"Hello, Sensei. I called because I was a bit worried about you. I know these jobs aren't... clean."
Kawakami blushed momentarily before clearing her throat. "I'm not the youngest or the prettiest. I don't have to do such things. Or at least, no one has asked..."
She looked off to the side. She didn't want to tell him that she had been nervous he might ask that of her.
"I see... You're plenty young and pretty to me," he said nonchalantly before leaning back in his chair.
"Don't tease your teacher."
"Sorry. Do you think you could help me clean up the room?" Ren asked awkwardly.
Kawakami looked at him blankly. There was no need to do anything but dust. What was his angle?
Sighing, Ren continued despite the awkward atmosphere.
"I know what it looks like to overwork yourself. I mainly called to check in on you and offer you some time to rest here. I can even make you some coffee if you need it."
Kawakami blinked in shock. That wasn't what she had been expecting at all! Ren was a good kid, a good student, but he was still a teenage boy!
"Uh. You called me over to rest?" Kawakami stuttered.
"Well... to dust as well. Maybe mop the shop," Ren awkwardly said. This was really weird for him!
Kawakami looked at Ren briefly before letting out a sigh and sitting down.
"Sorry. This wasn't what I was expecting," she said softly.
'What was she expecting, then?' Ren asked himself.
Luckily, Morgana called out right before Ren got lost in thought.
"REN! You lied! It was her!!"
Morgana was pouting and berating his best friend for lying.
Kawakami just smiled. It looked like the cat she occasionally saw in his bag at school was really smart.
She walked over and scratched under Morgana's chin.
"Well, aren't you just the cutest?"
Morgana stood up tall and proud.
"Yeah, a real ladies' man," Ren laughed.
---
Kawakami dusted the loft quickly and efficiently before sitting down once more. The atmosphere was peaceful. She felt safe. Ren was fiddling with some kind of scraps, trying to build something, maybe? She wasn't sure, and she was tired.
"Looks like she fell asleep, Ren," Morgana said softly.
Ren frowned for a moment. "Let's call her more. She needs more rest. I remember the first day I met her, she looked absolutely drained."
"There must be a reason she's doing this..." Morgana mumbled.
"Let's wake her up around 1 a.m. and then go to bed ourselves," he continued.
"The cat decides my bedtime now," Ren muttered.
Luckily, Morgana didn't hear him.
---
Kawakami was extremely embarrassed the next day.
'I can't believe I fell asleep! I'm lucky that the cat was the one who woke me and not him!'
Meanwhile, Ren was talking with his friends. He mentioned Sojiro's daughter and that she had been listening in on them through the mics on their phones. The team was extremely uncomfortable, but ultimately decided that if Ren trusted her, they would too. Not only that, she was Sojiro's daughter. She was worth trusting.
Ren also brought up the information that Futaba had provided them on Madarame.
The team was... not happy to read it.
"This bastard has Yusuke living in that shithole when he has a beach house his mistress lives in?!" Ryuji snapped.
"Not only that. These crimes..." Orihime said with a pale face.
"They aren't confirmed to be true, but it's considered an open secret in the world of the rich..." Ren muttered.
"Disgusting," Ann spat.
"We need to show Yusuke," Shiho said seriously. "I don't want him to see this, but—"
"He has to know," Ren and Morgana said.
---
"Kawakami looks a lot more relaxed than usual. I wonder what happened?" Ann whispered to Orihime.
"I'm glad. She always looked so tired," Orihime whispered back.
The rest of the class was chatting about the same thing quietly. Kawakami heard them but was too embarrassed to stop them. She would never admit she slept better than usual in her student's room!
'He needs a better bed, though. I'll tell him to buy one instead of spending his money hiring maids,' she mentally snorted.
---
---
CHAT LOG
[arT]
The painting will be done soon.
[Hime]
Yusuke! Take a break and come hang out with us!
[Dove]
Yeah!
[Skull]
Tell me about what you think about the art from JoJo's.
[Dove]
YEAH!
---
Ann, Orihime, and Ren glanced at Shiho.
"What? It's really good! Araki is a genius!"
Ren looked at her a moment longer, and Shiho nearly blushed before Ren asked,
"But how does King Crimson work?"
---