Third person pov

Literal TNT:
How do you think you did on the fucking written portion of the exams?

Freckled Aizawa:
Oh, I probably failed

Freckled Aizawa:
You win some, you lose some. Huzzah!

Literal TNT:
If you don't come to the fucking summer camp, I'll kill you

Freckled Aizawa: 
Sounds counter productive. 

Literal TNT:
You don't know shit

Literal TNT:
You really moving in with Mr. Aizawa this weekend?

Freckled Aizawa:
Yeah! I'm pretty nervous, but excited too. Mr. Aizawa seems really excited.

Literal TNT:
Need help?

Freckled Aizawa:
I don't think so. Chad said he's going to bring Vlad. Mr. Aizawa probably won't like that all that much, but I'm sure it'll be fine!

Literal TNT:
Take pictures if he tries to kill the thing

Literal TNT:
Why the fuck aren't you asleep?

Freckled Aizawa:
Well, why aren't you?

Literal TNT:
Because I'm hungry as shit and have homework to finish

Freckled Aizawa:
Don't move

Freckled Aizawa:
I'll bring you some of our pizza.

Literal TNT:
What the fuck

Literal TNT:
Freckles, what the fuck do you mean you'll bring me some???

Literal TNT:
It's three in the fucking morning

Literal TNT:
Answer me, dammit!

Bakugo tried, and failed, to suppress his grin as he fell back onto his bed. He let his phone fall to his side and simply stared at the ceiling instead. It had been about a week since Lillian came over and ate dinner, and he was honestly pretty fucking content. Sure, she hadn't come over since then, despite his parent's constant questions, but that was fine. They hadn't even talked at school, instead reverting back to their texting and phone calls. He was fine with that. He was fine with it all.

Things seemed... brighter somehow. Like shit was going well or something. Sure, it had been fine before, but it seemed good now. Better, he guessed he should say. He was in the hero course, and he supposed he had some real friends now, and talking to Lillian made his heart feel light and less shitty. He was making good grades in all his classes and felt less and less angry day by day. That constant heat that seemed to simmer within him had cooled into something far more pleasant. Even his parents had taken notice of the change in his attitude, as had his classmates and teachers.

He was excited for the summer camp, in all honesty. Bettering his quirk plus spending a week with Lillian? That being said, her damn friends were going to be there as well. Turnip, undead fucker, and Icyhot would be stuck to her like glue just like they always were. He wasn't sure how he'd approach her then. He severely doubted she'd actually failed the written portion like she assumed, and with her quirk, there was no fucking way she was flunking the practical. It just wasn't going to happen.

Katsuki felt his cheeks warm slightly. Should he google this? He had a sinking feeling he already knew what this was. He watched TV and wasn't a fucking idiot, so it was sort of obvious. He'd never actually had a full-blown crush before, but he had a feeling this was exactly what one felt like. Giddiness when around Lillian? Bakugo Katsuki didn't feel giddiness period. He'd been blushing a lot lately too, and his heart beat so fast that it was clear he either had some sort of adrenal tumor, or he'd somehow caught feelings for Lillian. He had a sneaking suspicion it was the latter.

His ears pricked at the sound of a car pulling out outside his house, jolting into a sitting position. He stared at his window for a moment. She wasn't actually being serious about bringing him pizza, right? He had been so caught up finishing his Trig that he'd told his mother to fuck off when she came and told him dinner was ready, which thus resulted in his mother angrily shoving the leftovers into the fridge and telling him to heat it up when he was 'done being a little bitch'. Whatever. Hag didn't know shit, and microwaved rice was disgusting. He'd just planned to suffer in silence and eat breakfast in the morning when the time came.

He heard the faint sound of talking and scooted to the edge of his bed. Straining his ears, he held his breath, part of him hoping she'd gone to bed, and another hoping she was actually here. He was kind of hungry. If Lillian had really brought him pizza, he'd be eternally grateful. Shit was greasy as all hell and far from healthy, but it felt like exactly what he needed right now.

The faint thrum of music faintly bled through the walls, and his red eyes widened slightly. Holy fuck.

Mr. Boombastic,

What you want is some boombastic romantic,

Katsuki hopped off his bed and rushed to his window, throwing it open. The music was a whole lot louder than he thought, filling the room as he leaned out and looked down. Chad's car, now blue, was parked haphazardly on the curb. He could see the shadow of the man leaning against in, as well as Vlad's silhouette as the beast perched itself atop the roof of the vehicle. Lillian was in the middle of his lawn standing next to a boombox, dressed in pajamas and holding a pizza box over her head like it was a prize. He felt himself grin widely.

Lillian was odd, and maybe that's why he liked her so much. It was weird to think about him liking someone. She'd just grown on him in a way nobody ever had before. Thinking about it too much made him flustered and heavily frustrated. New feelings were a bitch, and these were certainly something he'd never experienced before. Not on this level, anyway.

She call me Mr. Boombastic,

Say me fantastic touch me on the back,

"This your way of flirting with me, Freckles?!" Bakugo called down to her, glad it was dark enough that they couldn't see the way his cheeks went red. He was grinning so widely he felt as though his face was going to split in two. He watched Lillian jump slightly, dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, wearing no shoes, just socks. Her hair was a mess that proved she'd really just come here as a spur of the moment sort of thing. It only made his inner joy leap to attention all the more. Why was he like this? Lillian was doing shit to him and it was fucking him over in the best way.

"Maybe it is!" Lillian responded. "It's spicy pepperoni!" 

Bakugo opened his mouth to blurt out how amazing she was and all that shit when the sound of the window next to his slamming open cut him off. A not-so-happy Mitsuki Bakugo stuck her head out, eyes furious and searching for the source. Katsuki and Lillian both winced, though Lillian continued to hold the pizza over her head, almost as though using it as a shield. He watched her blue eyes flash with alarm as the woman seethed.

"Go to bed, hag!" Katsuki barked. Mitsuki opened her mouth to tiredly ask what the fuck was happening, but then she finally spotted Lillian. AKA the girl far too good for her son, and the only one who would ever be able to tolerate him. She hesitated, wondering why she was here at this ungodly hour, wearing pajamas and holding a pizza while Mr. Boombastic blasted from the boombox next to her. The woman squinted. It brought no answers.

"S-Sorry, Mrs. Bakugo!" Lillian called up. "I-I was romancing y-your son, I think?" 

Bakugo flushed and gaped slightly while Mitsuki simply nodded understandingly.

"No problem, kid. Keep up the good work." Mitsuki gave the girl and thumbs up, and that was that. She went back in and closed the window. Bakugo turned to look at Lillian. Her eyes were equally as wide and confused, and she offered a helpless shrug. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or keep staring. Did he bring up the romancing part? Was it a joke? Of course it was, they were just friends. He was the best friend she'd ever have in... ever, so fuck that. Yeah. Fuck. Lillian didn't like his sorry ass. He was too angry and too much of an asshole for that.

"...Th-That worked out!" Lillian lowered the pizza, peering up at him with a hesitant smile. "V-Vlad, take this pizza to Bakugo?"

The blonde barely had time to stumble back before Vlad was trying to jam himself through his window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Y-You didn't have to buy all this, d- Mr. Aizawa!" Lillian sputtered, eyes wide. The bedroom she was begin given was nice. Way, way too nice. Lillian didn't even want to know how much money had been spent on it. It made her head hurt just thinking about it. Hitoshi had admitted to helping out. Apparently they'd gotten this all back when the internships had happened. Before Lillian even knew Aizawa was her father, they'd been preparing this. It made her want to cry in a touched sort of way.

She was still nervous about moving out. Mihoko hadn't wanted to let her go due to the fact that it meant it would just be her and Rei in a house full of men. Three teenage boys weren't easy to wrangle. That, and Izuku had started to come over a lot more ever since the bathroom incident, which meant there was a forth. Was well-behaved as Izuku was, Neito, Hitoshi, and Shoto all combined made one terrifying influence. While Lillian was relatively immune to it and acted as the voice of reason, Izuku was too much of a pushover to say no to much of anything. Or hey, maybe he was secretly batshit crazy too.

Yeet was tucked away in his new tank, exploring it with fervor. Mr. Aizawa's face when she'd shoved a pack of frozen mice into the freezer next to his ice cream packets had been nothing short of completely disdainful. He was not a fan of her pet snake, nor of the dead mice said snake had to eat. Despite this, he said nothing about it. He stayed tight-lipped about the entire thing, and Lillian was glad. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he'd told her she couldn't have Yeet.

"I'm sad." Neito frowned as Vlad hauled in Lillian's last box. She really didn't have much, but Aizawa's building only had stairs and no elevator, so having him carry it was easiest. Aizawa stared at the hulking beast with blank eyes the entire time, watching it with furrowed brows. Sometimes he'd glance at Lillian to see how she was faring, but she seemed fine. Or good enough all things considered. 

"You're my daughter." Aizawa responded as though that was an excuse. She stared at him flatly, raising a single brow. He raised one right back.

"This is so sad!" Neito draped himself over Lillian, causing her to lean forward. Hitoshi ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. Seeing Lillian go was extremely saddening, but it's not like she was gone-gone. She could visit whenever she wanted. If Chad couldn't come get her, then they'd send Vlad instead, simple as that! Plus, this would be good for both her and Mr. Aizawa. They needed each other, and bonding was important. "We should have a sleepover to help you get settled in!"

"I don't think Mr. Aizawa would appreciate that." Hitoshi pointed out. Shoto nodded in agreement, absentmindedly shoving his popsicle into his mouth, flash melting it, and then pulling out the stick and gulping down the liquid. It was one of the most disturbing things they'd ever seen him do. Other times he'd sip something and then open his mouth and let it fall out in a frozen chunk for no discernible reason. They suspected it was a form of intimidation, but nobody could really tell. They were too afraid to ask outright.

"She probably wants alone time." Shoto said, looking at the two other males with a merciless smile. "After all, she's has been living with you two this whole time."

"Cold." Hitoshi whispered. Neito shook his head sadly.

"I-I really l-liked living with you all! I... It'll be weird t-to be alone all of a sudden..." Lillian trailed off sheepishly, flushing at her sudden outburst. Aizawa felt himself smile a bit. Lillian had called him at three in the morning in the middle of his patrol proclaiming she'd love to move in with him. When he'd asked what made her decide, she'd gone dead silent before whispering something about the ceiling catching on fire again. It probably had something to do with Todoroki. The shrieking in the background had attributed to her case and vague reasoning. 

"Call us anytime you need us. Remember, we were your fathers first." Neito pulled Hitoshi to his side with a wide grin, suddenly glad he couldn't blush. He'd be red as a cherry tomato! Death had perks. Well, the being cold and waking up screaming in phantom pain anytime he dared to drift off sort of countered it, but it was fine. And the sheer emptiness that came with lacking a heartbeat was certainly something to adjust to, but he was making it work. The PTSD could stand to lighten up, but it was fine. Totally cool.

"What are they talking about?" Aizawa's eyes narrowed, and he looked incredibly suspicious and maybe a bordering on enraged. "Sex?"

"I'm gay." Neito scoffed bluntly. Everyone froze, Lillian, Hitoshi, and Shoto's gazes all snapping to him. Neito opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, opened it, and then snapped it right back shut once more. No words. He'd just come out of the closet. I mean, they all saw it coming, but really? Right now? Of course everyone knew Neito was gay. He wasn't subtle about it. He'd just never really said it before, even when Lillian and Hitoshi tried to tailored what was happening in an attempt to get him to admit it.

"...Gay means you like males, right?" Shoto's eyes flickered between his friends. Lillian gave a nod, flustered and a bit stunned. "I'm gay too."

"Bi." Hitoshi raised his hand. Neito stiffened next to him.

"P-Pan." Lillian shrugged. They turned towards Mr. Aizawa. He raised an eyebrow back at them. Were they really expecting him to respond? This was there moment. He guessed. But damn, Lillian's eyes were practically begging him to join in, and the blonde brat hadn't moved in the past thirty seconds. Poor kid. First he died and then fell out of the closet. Aizawa sighed heavily. This was not something he should be discussing with his students.

"Demi-gay." Aizawa grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. Neito muttered something about Mic.  "Why're we having this conversation?"

"Moral support?" Lillian tried. Shoto and Hitoshi shared a look before seeming to nod in agreement. This time, they were all pretty sure Neito's cheeks went at least a little pink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took Lillian around a week or so before she settled in, but when she did, it felt as though she'd always been there. Sure, Aizawa had woken up several times to this odd scratching noise. Knocking on Lillian's door, it had creaked open to reveal her, Hitoshi, Neito, and Shoto all playing Uno with the wanted Pro-hero, Chad, and that one Nomu. He'd stared for a moment before simply telling her to go to bed soon and closing the door. Lillian was a good kid, so if she wanted to have her friends over at twelve o'clock in the morning, then he wasn't about to tell her no. Especially not when she was trying to hard to keep it all quiet so he wasn't disturbed.

Mic had showed up on a few occasions. Lillian was always happy when he did, and Aizawa didn't mind all too much. He was pretty used to having the blonde voice hero burst in. He dragged Lillian off for a broadcast, sending Lillian's fans into a fresh frenzy. Lillian got to talk to the suspicious 'Dabi' figure Aizawa had heard on the air a few times. He was keeping an eye on that one. While the only thing between them seemed to be a mutual love for memes and hatred for Endeavor, Dabi had called Lillian 'great' and 'the best kid' plenty of times. He wasn't wrong or anything-- Aizawa just didn't like him in particular saying that.

"M-Mr. Aizawa!" Lillian crashed into the living room, hair a mess and an ecstatic look in her eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "I did a thing."

"Not again." Aizawa breathed, already standing up. Lillian shook her head.

"N-No, Vlad didn't break the window again, I-I promise! Watch!" Lillian said before her nose scrunched and her brows furrowed. Again, Aizawa hesitated. Was she constipated? Bleeding out? Was her period starting? In the parenting books he'd gotten pertaining to teenagers, periods had been mentioned widely. He'd already gone and bought painkillers and excessive amounts of chocolate at the store. The cashier had given him a look of understanding sympathy that sent a shiver down his spine.

Before he could ask if she'd stained the sheets or something, her hair flew up in the same way his did, her eyes flickering to glowing red despite the lack of rage. He stared at her for a moment as she brought her hands up to finger some of the strands, as though making sure it was really happening. When she realized it was, she gave him a bright grin that looked a lot like his when he was extremely tired or trying to scare people. He blinked at her.

"You... can do it without being angry." Aizawa grinned. Lillian's hair dropped, and she blinked at the dryness in her eyes with a smile of her own. "That's amazing, kid."

"Now I'm just like you!" Lillian proclaimed proudly. Aizawa couldn't withhold a chuckle.

He was going to have his own hair fly up, as though to show the resemblance, but the doorbell rang before he could. This was an immediate sign that it wasn't Mic or any of Lillian's friends. It didn't matter what he did or said; the Shinso household, along with Vlad and Chad, always used Lillian's window. He didn't know why. He didn't mind them coming over, and he didn't mind them using the front door. They just always scaled the side of the building anyway.

"I'll get it." Aizawa squeezed her shoulder briefly. Having Lillian around was nice. It made him want to puff up with pride. Just knowing she was in the apartment made him feel less lonely and more like... well, like a dad, he supposed. It was nice. He and Lillian watched TV together, and in the morning they'd drag themselves from their bedrooms and grumble at each other. Aizawa made the coffee, and Lillian would scrape together something that could vaguely pass as an 'acceptable meal.'

Aizawa sighed as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. He expected a package or something of that sort. Maybe something he ordered Lillian that hadn't arrived just yet. He'd gotten her a gaming console and headset, and so far she'd taken to playing online games and crushing the competition. Chad immediately got her a headset. Shota'd had no idea she was so good with comebacks. She was bolder over the microphone, that was for sure. He enjoyed it. It was heavily amusing, and he'd almost spit out his coffee a few times as he did paperwork and listened to her insult the competition. She'd chosen the username "SnakeBat". He thought it was cute, and it oddly suited her.

Aizawa paled as his dark eyes met a pair of matching ones. His father beamed at him, his mother standing happily by his side. His mind flashed back to when he'd mentally made a note to tell them he had a daughter. Taking note of things was good. A truly great way to keep up with things. Unless you lost or forgot about the note, in which case it was an issue. Fuck! Especially considering his parents were here, and they had no idea they were grandparents. 

"Shota! You look great!" His father, Saito, boomed. "Sorry we didn't tell you about our visit! It was pretty last minute. We're just passing through, really."

"We wanted to surprise you." His mother, Michiko, smiled a much smaller and calmer smile. While Aizawa took more after his father in the appearance department, he definitely following in his mother's footsteps when it came to demeanor. His mother had become a bit more expressive over the years, showing more emotion and such, but they'd always been a lot alike. At least in comparison to his father's boisterous and exuberant behavior. 

"I see." Aizawa sighed, bringing up a hand to massage his temples. How did he explain this to them? And to Lillian? She was still adjusting to her new life here as his daughter. Did he really want to spring it on her that her grandparents, neither of which actually knew she existed, were here? This was going to go great. 

"Is it a bad time?" His mother's brow creased.

"We can come back later!" His father chirped. "If you're busy. We asked Hizashi about your schedule, and he said it was fine. He did laugh a lot. Not sure why. Maybe I'm just that funny?"

"I'm sure that wasn't it." Michiko assured. Saito pouted like a child. Shota stared, the life slowly draining from his eyes. How did he survive his childhood? He was lucky his he didn't grow up to be like his father. He was sure Mic would have loved it if he'd turned out a bit more lively, but it seemed irrational to be so happy all the time. That being said, Shota did love his father nonetheless. He was just better in... small doses.

"M-Mr. Aizawa?" Lillian's head poked around the corner. Shota saw the exact moment his parents zeroed in on her and knew there was no going back. "I-Is everything a-alright?"

"Yeah, it's alright, kid." He stepped aside over-dramatically to allow his parents in. They both stepped past the threshold without a word, still scanning Lillian with their eyes as she hesitantly shuffled into view. She gave a hesitant smile and small bow, shuffling in place. Shota couldn't blame her. She was in fuzzy socks, shorts, and a T-shirt that had Kermit the frog on it. Not something he was sure he'd ever see her wear out in public, or at least in front of strangers when she had no friends around for support.

"Who's this?" His father asked curiously, peering down at Lillian as Shota closed and locked the door. Lillian blinked up at him, cocking her head slightly as her cheeks flushed. Her eyes darted to her father as his parents gazed at her with slight awe. Shota looked heavily irritated, arms crossed over his chest in the way they did when he was feeling defensive. Lillian shrunk back slightly, wringing her hands together behind her back.

"H-Hi. I'm Lillian." The freckled girl swallowed her nerves and stuck out her hand. The man grinned.

"Saito Aizawa! This is my wife, Michiko. We're Shota's parents." The man took her hand in a firm grip and gave it a few shakes. Lillian's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping as she froze. She looked between the couple in a slight panic, looking to her father. He looked just as lost as to what to do as well.

"O-Oh." Lillian squeaked. "M-Mr. Aizawa didn't... m-mention anyone v-visiting this e-evening!"

"Oh, we wanted to surprise him, that's all. He's always so uptight!" Michiko waved a hand, not seeming to take notice of Lillian's unease. "Out of curiosity... what are you doing here, dear? Not to be rude, of course! We're just..."

"Curious." Saito provided. Michiko nodded with a smile. Lillian stood stock still.

"She lives here." Shota slid past them, putting a hand on Lillian's shoulder. His parents looked mildly alarmed and all the more confused. Maybe slightly concerned. Lillian offered a forced smile, wondering if it would be plausible to say her tampon fell out and flee to the bathroom before climbing out the window. She could call Chad and he'd send Vlad to rescue her, but then they risked breaking another window if he suddenly decided he wanted to come in. The creature didn't quite understand the opening part of any entrance yet. Just the going through.

"H-Hi." Lillian wave a nervous wave. "U-Uh... I go t-to UA... M-Mr. Aizawa is my homeroom teacher?"

"I thought I recognized you from the Sports Festival!" Saito snapped his fingers, grinning.

"Oh!" Michiko blinked out of her stupor. She gave a polite smile. "I see! And why do you live with him dear?"

Shota and Lillian remained silently, Lillian looking up at her dad nervously. These were her grandparents. Her real, actual grandparents. It was weird to think about. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Did she tell them? She didn't want to if Mr. Aizawa didn't want to, and he didn't seem sure what to do. That made her unsure as well. The tampon-falling-out idea was becoming more and more appealing by the second. 

"Uh." Shota muttered unintelligibly. "Do you remember my second year graduation when I came home drunk and you grounded me for three weeks?"

"Yes, of course." Michiko's smile was a bit too pleasant. Shota sighed and looked at Lillian again. Lillian raised an eyebrow at him. What did he want her to do? They were his family first. She was a teenager. An innocent, unassuming teenager who hadn't been warned that her apparent grandparents were coming to visit! Speaking of grandparents, what was the rest of her not-family up to? Did they know what had happened, or were they unassuming? It scared her to think that maybe they knew of the kidnapping the whole time.

"Uh." Shota said again. Lillian sighed heavily. Shota sighed heavily back.

"What aren't you telling us?" Saito huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes. Shota sighed again. He was too tired for this. He just wanted to spend a relaxing evening with his daughter before the practical exams came up. Maybe listen to her shit talk Endeavor. If Mic was lucky, Shota would invite him too. 

Lilian held her breath and let her hair fly up, her eyes flashing red. Michiko went totally still while Saito let out a loud yelp, jumping back as his eyes went wide with evident surprise. Lillian winced and let her hair drop again, feeling her eyes sting. She probably shouldn't make a habit of doing that. Even her dad looked a bit stunned as she gave half-hearted, awkward jazz hands to her grandparents. "S-Surprise?"

"I didn't use protection." Shota decided on. Lillian sputtered at the bluntness.

"...We're grandparents?" Michiko breathed. Saito let out a joyful shriek and reached towards Lillian with open arms, coal eyes glittering. Lillian immediately felt the color drain for her face. Even Shota cringed. His father was a bulky guy, and his hugs were suffocating. Lillian ducked away at the last moment, skipping back on one foot and sliding to a stop behind her father. Cheeks flushed, she forced another smile.

"T-Tampon emergency!" She excused before sprinting for the hall, already pulling out her phone. Shota sighed. He'd have to let his landlord know they'd be needing another window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rei!" Tsukauchi threw open the door to Mihoko's house. He had a key now and was free to come and go as he so pleased. At first he'd been hesitant, but after quickly befriending the resident teenagers and Rei herself, he'd become a lot more comfortable coming and going. He tended to knock if he knew Hajime was there, unless it were an emergency or late enough that he might he sleeping. "Rei, are you here?!"

"Naomasa?" Rei peered out of the kitchen. The man beamed at her, pulling off his hat as he fought to catch his breath. He held up the paper with shining eyes.

"I got it signed off on." Tsukauchi breathed, cheeks flushed from running. "I have an arrest warrant. A team and I are going to detain him tomorrow."

Rei felt the world slow to a stop, the damp dishrag in her hand slipping from her grasp as she took in the man before her. He radiated absolute joy, no trace of a lie or joke on his face. He was being genuine. A judge had signed off on an arrest warrant for Endeavor. Enji Todoroki was going to be arrested. He was going to go to court, and pay for the things he did to her and her family. The countless nights spent up and recounting everything that had happened from the moment she met Enji to the moment she ended up there right before Tsukauchi were going to pay off. They had paid off.

Rei felt tears well in her eyes, and she raced to the Detective who'd helped her, not hesitating to throw her arms around him. He let out a relieved laugh and returned it, his chest feeling light. He'd done it. He'd actually managed to do it. Putting together a case against the Number Three hero had taken time. The government would be hesitant to take him down, but it wasn't impossible. He'd talked to people effected by Endeavor's carelessness, talked with Fuyumi and gotten pictures of Shoto's training wounds. They'd recounted Touya, and the aftermath. Natsuo even had a few videos he'd secretly managed to take.

"You did it." Rei squeezed the godsend in her arms tighter. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I'm glad I was able to help." Tsukauchi's smile turned softer. "You didn't... you didn't deserve any of that. You're an amazingly strong woman. You put up with so much for your kids, and what happened with Shoto wasn't your fault. I've made sure that you'll retain custody of him after the arrest occurs. The hospital cleared you a long time ago, and you've been fine for years. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to able to start a new life here without Enji hanging over your shoulder.

Rei pulled back, smiling tearfully up at the Detective. He grinned back, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Naomasa," She felt her heart skip a beat as she gazed up at him. "Would you like to go out for coffee with me?"

The man jolted slightly, eyes going comically wise as his cheeks flushed. She smiled a half-smile as she scrambled for a response, clearly not having expected such a question. He and Rei had spent a lot of time together ever since Hosu. Now on a first name basis, they were friends, and Naomasa knew more about her than anyone else in the world. Her story wasn't one she shared so easily, and now Tsukauchi was sort of attached. He cared.

"Yeah... I think I'd like that." Tsukauchi finally answered, sporting a lopsided smile of his own.