Blues on the Canvas

2.11

May 20th of 2016

Hanae sat still on the mattress as Yusuke slept soundly on her shoulders. After hearing about his words about Madarame's true self, she couldn't help but be frustrated at the elder. She gently placed her coat over Yusuke and put on her red headphones, closing her eyes to the slow tempo of the music.

In the morning, Yusuke was up earlier than Hanae. He delicately carried her to a more comfortable position on the bed and took out a new piece of uniform, though he was already wearing his normal white shirt, he had wore it for days as he was tight on budget to wash it. 

Before heading to the toilet to change, he glanced at the girl as he stood by the doorframe. He admired how peaceful she dreamed. He admired her cocoa hair in contrast to her red headphones. He admired her outfit's aesthetic and how it worked on her. With a soft smile he turned away and left to the washroom.

He returned and he saw Hanae's eyes slowly fluttering open. She rubbed her eyes and stretched as the faint sunrise's light seeped in. 

"Morning Yusuke! The word Yusuke does roll off the tongue quite nicely...anyway, lets get breakfast! Assembly starts at 9 anyway and its 7 am, don't worry, its on me!" she chimed, taking his wrists and dragging him out of the house. "Oh right, your key-ring..." She unclipped it from her bag and gave it to him with a smile. 

"Come on, lets get going! The waffles aren't going to wait for anyone-"

Yusuke could only laugh as the girl dashed ahead of him and towards the cafe, his worries fading into thin air.

The two arrived at the cafe and sat on the balcony, the view of the Shibuya streets slowly being illuminated by the Sun. Yusuke watched as Hanae ate her waffles with fruits, making finger-frames to capture the glimmer in her eyes with each bite she took. He himself got red bean pancakes, though he was poking a little at it, he became full just by looking at the pianist's smile when she reached the best part of the dish, the ice cream. He took a sip of his hot coffee and stared out into the view, resting his head on his palm, thinking of what transpired yesterday.

"Yusuke? You're not eating? Oh am I eating too fast?" she asked, giggling as she wiped her face and taking a sip of her vanilla latte. "Or are you just lost in thought today?"

"Yes Hanae, I am feeling a bit burdened by Madarame...but you have my thanks for listening to me last night. Sorry to have kept you so late in the night." he replied with a small smile, drinking his coffee. He glanced at the silver bangle, now adorned with an extra red string. Chuckling softly he faced Hanae and smiled wider than before, knowing now that he could deal with Madarame with the Phantom Thieves and have a confidant to talk to whenever he wanted.

"No worries, I'd be happy to come over again...that is if Madarame isn't here of course. I hope he gets caught...it's unfair for you to be treated like that." she stated with a small frown, poking at the banana and swirling it around the plate to get the melted ice cream. 

"Oh and, can I borrow your Kosei High jacket for now? I can't really wear this to school can I? People would think I ditched it..." she pouted at him, Yusuke gave a playful sigh and stood up, gently placing the jacket on her shoulders. She smiled and walked out of the cafe, slightly skipping in her steps with his jacket on. Yusuke, who stood behind her, made another finger-frame for future reference.

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"Man, to think we got a new member joining our operation now, that's amazin!" Ryuji beamed, leaning by the railings of their hideout spot, poking at Morgana who purred with frustration at his actions. 

"Cut it out Ryuji!"

"Oh yeah? Wanna fight cat?"

"I'm not a cat!"

Ann sighed and gently punched Ryuji, telling him to cut it out as Yusuke approached with an awkward little wave. 

"And he arrives, are you ready Yusuke?" Akira greeted him, with Ryuji cheerfully gesturing him to come closer. Yusuke, trying to hold back his anxiety, nodded and followed the bunch into the metaverse to change Madarame's heart.

With the red beans and Hanae's support, he was sure he could change Madarame's heart, no matter how impossible it sounded.