The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled light across the quiet sidewalk as Shun and Kawakami walked side by side. The hum of traffic and chirping birds filled the air, a soft contrast to the occasional crunch of gravel underfoot.
Kawakami clutched the bento box Shun had given her a little more tightly than she intended. It was neatly wrapped, warm in her hands—not just from the heat of the food inside, but from the strange fluttering in her chest that hadn't gone away since breakfast.
"I still can't believe you made a full meal this early," she muttered, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"Most guys your age barely roll out of bed in time."
Shun smirked.
"I don't like rushing. Plus, mornings are nice—quiet, calm, focused. Kinda like you when you're teaching."
Kawakami shot him a sharp side glance, then looked away, lips twitching in a smile.
"Careful. Flattery will get you nowhere."
"I don't need it to get somewhere," he replied smoothly.
"I'm already walking beside you, aren't I?"
That did it. Her steps faltered slightly, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing—or blushing again.
"You're relentless," she muttered, shaking her head.
"Just honest."
They crossed a small bridge, the morning wind playing lightly with their hair. Kawakami exhaled, slowly letting herself relax. She didn't know why her heart felt like it was doing somersaults just from walking next to him, or why it felt so natural to have him by her side.
"You know," she began, keeping her tone casual.
"People might get the wrong idea. Us walking together like this."
"Then let them," Shun said without missing a beat.
"I don't mind rumors. Do you?"
Kawakami looked at him—those calm eyes, that quiet confidence—and for a moment, forgot what to say.
"…Tch. You're impossible."
He gave a low laugh. "You like it though."
She turned away, lips pressed tightly to hide her smile.
"Shut up and keep walking."
But she didn't stop him from walking beside her. In fact, with every step, she found herself wishing the school gates would take just a little longer to appear.
Once Shun entered the classroom, he was immediately greeted in Russian.
"Доброе утро, Шун." Masha smiled warmly at him. ("Good morning, Shun.")
Shun smiled back, effortlessly replying in kind, "Доброе утро, Маша. Спала хорошо?" ("Good morning, Masha. Did you sleep well?")
Masha nodded cheerfully. "Da. You?"
"Like a baby," Shun replied before making his way to his seat.
He offered a calm, polite nod to Komi and Miku as he sat down. "Morning."
They both returned the gesture—Komi with a slight bow and Miku with a soft smile.
Not long after, Marin and Lilysa came over, energy buzzing between them. Marin, especially, had a sparkle in her eyes as she cradled something like treasure.
"Shun!!" Marin beamed. "Look what I brought you!"
She dramatically presented two game cases, their covers featuring heavily stylized, scantily-clad anime girls in exaggerated poses. The titles: Saint ♡ Slippery's Academy for Girls, parts 1 and 2.
Shun blinked, then smiled as he took the cases from her hands. "Wow. That's… quite the cover art."
Marin leaned in, eyes gleaming. "These are emotional rollercoasters. Especially the second one—it gets real heavy."
Shun studied her bright expression, her bubbling passion impossible to ignore. He let out a light chuckle, his gaze softening. "You're really into this, huh? That's… honestly kind of adorable."
Marin lit up even more.
"Oh, awesome! Just a heads-up, though—there's, uh… stuff like sex slaves and humiliation. But it's not just for shock! There's meaning behind it, really!"
He raised an eyebrow but kept smiling, not at all disturbed.
"Sounds wild, but you talking about it like this… makes me actually want to see what it's about."
"Right?! Okay, okay, so like… in *Slippery Girls 2*, it's mostly about being sex slaves for love, so it's totally okay."
"Haha… 'totally okay,' huh?" he said with a smirk, teasingly amused.
"Sure, I'll take your word for it."
"And then near the end," Marin went on, eyes practically glittering.
"The main guy joins the Humiliation Club 'cause the principal tells him to. Eventually, he even becomes the club president's sex slave!"
Shun laughed under his breath. "That's one hell of a twist."
"But that moment was this powerful act of non-con turning into love! I literally cried. I was like, 'Huh?! This is too good!'" Marin clutched the discs to her chest, her voice growing soft.
"It really makes the club president seem like a real, vulnerable girl, y'know?"
Shun watched her closely, amused and a little impressed. He smiled to himself.
'This girl's enthusiasm is something else. Kind of cute, honestly.'
Lilysa had been watching Marin's excitement with bright eyes and a giggle, clearly enjoying the energy. Then, as if inspired, she pulled something from her bag and skipped over to Shun.
"Ooh! I wanna give you something too!" she said cheerfully, handing him a colorful DVD case. "This one's called *Liliel: Starlight Temptation*! It's super cute—and kinda spicy—but it has heart!"
[A/N: I'm not sure if the series ever mention Liliel came from so I made it up for this fic ]
Shun took the case, glancing at the glittery cover art featuring a magical girl mid-transformation with plenty of "fanservice."
"A magical girl anime, huh?" he said, amused.
"You and Marin have a theme going."
Lilysa nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! But Liliel's story is really sweet once you get past the bouncy stuff! It's about fighting for love and sparkly justice!"
Shun smiled, unable to hide how entertained he was. "Well, I'll add it to the list. Can't say no to sparkly justice."
As he was tucking it into his bag, he suddenly felt a stare.
Turning his head, he caught Miku looking at him with a flat expression.
"Something wrong?" he asked casually.
Miku sighed, arms crossed. "Pervert."
Unbothered, Shun just shrugged. "Yes, yes I am."
Miku's face turned red. "S-Shameless…"
Shun chuckled, amused by her reaction. "That's not the first someone's called me that."
Miku looked away, flustered, but after a pause, she reached into her bag.
"…Here," she muttered, handing him a neatly-kept DVD case.
"It's… a historical drama. Sengoku period. One of my favorites."
Shun accepted it gently, inspecting the cover.
"Thanks. I do love old movies. I'll make sure to watch it."
Miku blinked. "You will?"
He nodded. "You sharing something you care about makes it special."
Lilysa clapped her hands together. "Aw, that's sweet! See, Miku? Sharing stuff is fun, right?"
Miku fidgeted with her fingers but gave a small nod, hiding her smile behind her bangs.
Meanwhile, Shun glanced over to Komi, who had been listening silently. She nearly jumped when their eyes met, quickly turning her gaze to her notebook, cheeks tinted pink.
Shun smiled softly to himself.
'Even when she's quiet, she says a lot.'
Shun glanced over at Ako, who was quietly murmuring something about finally meeting her "husband." He could tell from the soft smile on her lips and the dreamy look in her eyes that she was looking forward to Saturday. Shun held back a chuckle, inwardly amused by the fact that she still hadn't realized he was the husband she'd been playing with online all this time.
Not long after, the classroom door slid open and Kawakami stepped in, dressed in her usual professional attire. Though he knew she taught Japanese language in Persona 5, here, she was their Mathematics teacher. She set her things down at the desk and addressed the class with a sharp but calm tone.
"Alright, settle down. Before we begin today's lesson, we need to decide on the class representatives for this semester."
A short pause followed as murmurs rippled through the room. Then, Marin—ever energetic—raised her hand enthusiastically.
"How about Shun?" she said with a grin.
"He seems super capable and dependable!"
A few heads turned toward him, and Kawakami looked his way with a thoughtful nod.
"Shun, are you willing to volunteer?"
He met her gaze and gave a calm nod.
"Sure, I don't mind."
Kawakami smiled faintly and wrote his name on the board under the role of Class President.
"Next, we'll need a Vice President and a Secretary."
Masha raised her hand with a soft smile. "I'll be Vice President."
"Noted," Kawakami said, adding her name.
Then Lilysa raised her hand with a cheerful wave.
"I can be Secretary!"
Kawakami added her name as well, nodding with approval.
"Alright, that settles it. Let's all do our best this semester." Shun leaned back in his seat slightly, casually glancing at his new team. The class went smoothly and Shun hardly found any problem in them.
Lunch break arrived, and Masha leaned over to Shun's desk with a wide, eager grin.
"So, did you keep your promise about the lunchboxes?" she asked in her usual upbeat tone.
Shun chuckled, reaching into his bag. "Of course. I wouldn't break a promise to you girls."
Masha practically beamed with excitement. "Yes! I've been looking forward to this all morning—let's head to the cafeteria!"
As the group began to gather, Shun's eyes briefly landed on Sumire, who was quietly packing up her things. On a whim, he walked over to her.
"Hey,Yoshizawa-san. Want to join us for lunch?"
Sumire froze slightly, as if pulled from her thoughts. Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and after a moment of recognition, she murmured,
"Satsujin-san…"
He smiled gently. "That's right. We've got plenty of food—and good company."
Before she could answer, Lilysa chimed in cheerfully.
"It's the perfect time to get to know everyone! Come on, it'll be fun!"
Sumire hesitated, then gave a small nod.
"Alright… I'll join you."
As they began to head out, Miku adjusted her bag and gave them a quick wave. "I'll pass for today. I promised to meet up with my sisters during lunch."
"No problem," Shun said with a nod then made his way over to Ako.
"Hey, Ako—want to join us for lunch?"
Ako blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting the invitation.
"O-Oh… me?" she murmured, glancing away for a moment. After a pause, she nodded.
"Alright… I'll come."
As she followed the group, she whispered to herself, 'if I'm going to meet my husband this weekend, I need to be more confident…'
Next, Shun approached Yanagi Uzaki. "You're welcome to join too, if you're up for it."
Yanagi smirked playfully, arms crossed.
"You sure? Looks like you're already surrounded by girls." Her tone dripped with mischief.
"What are you, some kind of harem protagonist?"
The other girls flushed lightly, glancing at one another, while Shun gave a relaxed shrug.
"Don't go making it awkward, Uzaki."
She laughed. "Fair enough. Alright, I'm in."
With the group assembled, they headed to the cafeteria—Shun walking alongside Masha, Komi, Marin, Lilysa, Ako, and Yanagi. Miku gave them a small wave before splitting off.
"I'll catch up later," she said. "My sisters are waiting."
Shun returned the wave with a smile. "Take care."
As they walked together, the air was filled with casual chatter, the group slowly but surely growing more comfortable with one another.