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Lira sipped at her drink, gripping the cup lightly between the tips of her fingers. There was a stirring in her breast that she hadn't felt in a while, but she couldn't place it. It occurred to her she hadn't been outside in quite some time, at least not with friends, but when Haru-Miji approached her and insisted they hang out she'd relented...but only when Haruto had passed by, and Miji convinced him to put in his two cents. Even now the nervousness that came with bitter memories didn't dissipate, but she knew that the feeling of losing former comrades would only fade if she strove to make new ones. At least, that's what Saitou always said. Speaking of, he and Haruto were currently fighting over the last slice of pizza in what had essentially become a game of 'Balance the spoon on your nose, while whacking at the other guy's face with chopsticks'. "Stupid." A sigh escaped her lips.

"INSULTS ARE FORBIDDEN! I don't know what bug crawled up your-" Knuckles smashed into Ishimaru's nose, while Lira slowly slid a hand across the table and swiped the last piece of pizza. 'The early bird gets the worm. Or, early to rise, early to brains.' Lira's mind rattled off the tag line from the cheesy Zombie movie she'd seen last night, and she found herself blushing slightly as she recalled the unusually high number of...intimate scenes. "Thinking of something naughty?" Her thoughts were interrupted when Haru-Miji slid across the table with a sly grin, causing Lira to frown and raise a hand...only for Noelle's fist to come smashing down on top of his head. "Can't you guys at least act serious in public for five seconds? You're scaring kids." Lira chewed on the piece of pizza and glanced around at their surroundings. She wasn't sure why, but they'd ended up eating at a local pizzeria, complete with a Chuck E. Cheese style mascot and stage...and the audience was of the age range you'd typically expect.

"Where is Eido, anyways?" Lira shot a glare towards Haru-Miji, since it seemed like most of this was his idea, but the green haired trickster instantly averted his gaze and began muttering something about not seeing him. 'H-huh...?' That was strange. Why didn't he just answer her directly...? The others seemed to take notice of Haru-Miji's response too though, and exchanged glances. Apparently she wasn't the only who thought the cloud cuckoolander was being odd.

"Speaking of, Eido's really started to come into his own, huh? As a Persona User, I mean." Noelle chipped in suddenly, changing the topic. "I admit I had my doubts before, but he's really giving it his all, right?" Noelle glanced over to Haruto and jabbed an elbow into her neighbor's ribs, a trick Lira didn't miss. "Owwwchies...yeah. He definitely seems like a hard worker though. He really gives off a good vibe." Haruto took a sip after saying that and glanced over at Saitou, who calmly took a drink himself and refused to meet his eyes. "He's not the type to change his tune easily. I trust him to have my back...for what it's worth." The way Saitou relayed his comment made Lira think back on the others who'd once guarded their back, but before she could feel the weight settle on her heart again Haruto retorted, a bit more annoyed than before. "Hey Saitou, I already used the music metaphor! Nobody asked for a cover!" That joke was aaaaaa bit of a stretch, but it was enough to get the two arguing again. "Well...what about you Lira? What do you think about Eido?"

"Hoooooooooooold it! I'll have you know that student member Eido has already broken a record three hundred and sixty four rules since-" "CAN IT." Lira brought a hand down in a karate chop into the forehead of Ishimaru, and the loudmouth went crumbling to his seat again while she grabbed her drink and put the straw between her lips with a huff. The question wasn't one she normally thought about, but Ishimaru had a point that he was always causing problems. "...underwear thieves should just die." Of course she knew he wasn't solely responsible, something made clear by Haru-Miji's suddenly pale experience, but calling him blameless was a mistake too. "Eido might look honest on the surface, but...something that rotten doesn't deserve to live. My Grimm will enjoy taking his soul. Ufufufufu..." Lira suddenly materialized her scythe and stroked the back edge of the blade slowly, letting out a slow and maddening laugh.

"R-right...but, you don't think he's really a bad guy, do you? I think he's got room for improvement...and he can't really talk to girls...a-and his Persona is scary, in a number of ways...but-"

"Bathroom!" The not-so-stellar description was cut off as Haru-Miji shot up from his seat and announced a little too loudly that he had to go so he could go. Both Haruto and Saitou suddenly twisted to look Miji in the eye, and sparks of understanding bounced between the three. Were they trying to be subtle?

"Miji..."

"...who cares? Guys just go."

A cloud hung over Haru-Miji's head as he realized just how swiftly he'd been denounced by his friends, and made to look like some out of place pervert. It made Noelle laugh a little, and even Lira felt like the mood improved a little with that. Miji waved his hand to signal that he was going anyway, and passed by the other two (who sat at the edge of the booth), turning to go towards the front of the restaurant as soon as he was free. As he passed Saitou, he brushed into the other's shoulder, and Lira would have sworn there was hidden meaning in the action if she hadn't seen him cast off so easily.

"Speaking of, I should probably go call Miwako and see what's keeping her. Move it, Mashiba." Noelle puffed out her cheeks as Haruto motioned for her to slide over his lap and out of the booth, causing him to scratch his cheek and move with a little bit of sweat running down his brow. Lira was almost jealous of the way those two got along, but being that close to others just meant that if you failed them, it would leave an even bigger scar. Even Saitou seemed to be dealing with his demons from before, but for her each time Grimm appeared, it was an unpleasant reminder that not only had she let them down...she'd even grown from it, and that was wrong. It had to be.

"Hey Ishi. Is he alright?" Saitou's snapping fingers in front of Ishimaru's face was the next thing to bring Lira to attention, and she looked away from the stage (which was now no longer in use, but had a 'the show will begin shortly sign' hanging), and glanced over to the two protags trying to shake their Ruel-Fiend friend into consciousness. "Alright, lets get you some air knucklehead. Come on..." Saitou slid an arm under Ishimaru's shoulder and lifted him from the seat, bubbles still foaming in his mouth.

"I'll help. Lira, watch our drinks for us, alright?" Haruto winked towards Lira, and she pretended to hide a blush by taking another sip and averting her gaze. S-stupid birthday cake incident! "Up and at 'em Ishi! If some cute girl spikes my drink while we're gone and takes my youth from me, you'll pay for it!" As Haruto made the embarrassing declaration in his usual cool fashion, Ishimaru barely mumbled something about indecency rules, and the trio wandered towards the door outside. 'It's no more than he deserves...' Lira muttered, looking down at the table full of half-eaten snacks and melting drinks frivolously. Now that she thought about it, even though they were an even odder bunch than their old friends, it somehow felt more like a home...and she almost felt thankful that they didn't have to see each other as enemies any longer. But considering what they'd paid to get here only made her feel more guilty, and a pang filled her chest again. It was then she heard the curtain pulling back on the stage, and looked up with excitement to see what animatronic attraction would be delighting this time! N-not that she had a weakness for that sort of thing.

"More than just a dreeeam~ Oooh oohooh~" T-that wasn't Pizza Mouse. Pizza Mouse wouldn't wear that stupid pink shirt...and wouldn't have machine-like puppets of Persona behind him. 'E-eido! W-w-what the hell!' Lira screamed inwardly, but the voice never reached the outside. "Forty days and forty nights~! I waited for a girl like you to come and save my liiife. I recall the days I waited for you, you know the ones that said, 'I'd never find someone like you.'" If the others were here, she would assume this was a stupid act to ingratiate himself to the group, but they'd all wandered off already. The blood was rushing to her cheeks already, and if the chef emerged right now she got the feeling he'd mistake her for one of the bright red tomatos he'd put in the their specialty sauce. "Iiiiiiiiiidiot!" Although it was out of character, Lira couldn't hold herself back anymore as she shot to her feet, shouting loud enough to fill the room.

"You were out of my league, got my heartbeat racing~. If I die don't wake me, 'cause you are more than just a dream." Despite an obvious flinch, Eido finished his song and pointed towards Lira with a wink, regardless of the audience's amazement...of course they were stunned! They were mostly a bunch of children! As if parroting her embarrassment, the moment Eido finished his cool facade faded and a blush spread from ear to ear, his flimsy exterior of toughness crumbling in an instant.

"D-do you think this is funny?" A thousand thoughts passed through Lira's mind as she tried to rationalize it. He'd done stupid pranks before, but t-to just embarrass himself like that...she couldn't understand why. "I'm leaving, you stupid...stupid IDIOT!!" Lira sputtered, turning and marching towards the exit. She felt speechless after that display.

"W-wait! Lira, I'm sorry! P-p-please...PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!" Lira stopped dead in her tracks at the declaration. She didn't need to turn around to know what was probably happening, Eido standing there with an overly exaggerated pose, face squished tight in embarrassment, fists balled at his side...she refused to turn around and have her vision confirmed, refused to admit this was anything close to reality. She could already feel tears at the edge of her eyes. T-this wasn't a joke...idiot! "I...I asked the guys to help get you here today. I can't...normally speak to g-girls well, but ever since I met you, I've f-felt...like I'd been missing something. I know I can't...put it i-into words well, so I thought it m-might work if I had a chance to sing. Haruto...and the others...they all supported me. So please..." Silence followed, as Eido clearly waited for some indication from Lira. 'I...I'm not going to turn around for something like that. Stupid.' Lira began to take a step forward, but suddenly the hum of a guitar string followed, and she turned to see Eido standing there with an unabashedly happy smile, and unquenchably watery eyes both adorning his face. It struck her then how hard this was for him...a-and yet, if he got up there just for some stupid prank-!



The song seemed like a blur to Lira as it passed by, and her body felt light, as if she were a thousand light-years away. When Eido finished Lira didn't know what to do, and the performer stood in equal silence...until the girl marched up to the stage, grabbed him by the ear, and drug the stupid boy from it with nary a care for the cord wrapped around his leg or anything else. As the two emerged from the front door Lira noticed a crowd standing outside, including Haruto and all the others who'd made up excuses before. 'You lying son of a-a...!!!" As her gaze passed over them most diverted their eyes, although Mashiba gave a cheesy smile and Saitou seemed especially condemned. And damn right he was, selling out his teammate like that!

"W-w-w-hat was all that about!? You stupid pervert, just coming out on stage and a-a-acting like some sort of hot shot, singing that sort of...gah!" Lira must have looked like a silly anime character waving her arms around as she shouted, and she was more aware than anyone she was acting out of character. But no one could receive that sort of full-fledged confession like something out of a d-different era, and still...! Bah!

"You shouldn't make noises like that Lira. It's not very lady like~" Haruto joked, putting an arm around Eido as the others suddenly felt the invisible barrier collapse. Gosh, what sort of pack mentality were these bastards...! "And I tried to teach him, but there's no way he could duplicate my majestic voice~"

"I'm sorry your Majesty, but which one of actually stayed up all night with him practicing? It's not easy teaching someone who rattles like a maraca to play a guitar, either; even if it was just memorizing a few cords..." Saitou seemed to be taking this as coolly as the others. 'D-don't tell me that this is really a...a-a...!!'

"Hey Eido, be honest! You're just a stupid perv, taking your stupid pervert joke too far, aren't you y-you-!!"

"Aaah geesh, I can't stand this anymore! Of course he was being serious, Lira! You don't think we'd really help him out without making sure ourselves, do you? And besides, we've all seen the way he acts around you. Not nearly as mature as me. Right Eido?" Lira jumped to the side as Haru-Miji hang over backwards from a flagpole, seemingly popping up (down?) right beside her suddenly. She wanted to unleash Grimm so bad on him right now...-! As she glanced over towards Eido though, her face suddenly went white at the sight of the kid collapsed backwards into Ishimaru's arms. On further inspection, it was clear his nerves had finally caught up with him...but geez, couldn't he act at least a little more manly.

The whole thing still had Lira spinning. She'd always thought of Eido as a helpful teammate, but he was also a pervert and a scoundrel. Sometimes she felt like she couldn't put up with his antics at all, but at the same time...

"That settles that! The first team's couple is now formed, but I still have a list of rules to guarantee nothing M-Rated happens-"

"Ichi-moron!" An uppercut connected with the rule setter in an instant as Lira huffed again, only this time she was noticeably agitated...and everyone else took a step back in queue, save for Eido. "What's...settled...we haven't even started to talk about this!" Lira raised her eyes to glare at Ishimaru, but the info didn't seem to sink in...at least, in the right way. Ishimaru was nodding, instead.

"Mm, as I thought! No girl would actually go for Eido after all. I theorized a rule breaker like him, who constantly stays out late, and never eats proper diets, while studying an inadequate amount of time would never-"

"T-THAT'S NOT IT!" Lira snapped, causing even Ishimaru to recoil again. "I just...I don't want something like this. It's not just Eido, but you, and Haruto, and the others..." Tears were pricking her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. But they were all trying to force something, when she felt so..."If you ended up disappearing, and I...hic...I don't..." A silence fell, all thanks to Lira, and she only felt the pit in her stomach grow as the fun sapped out of the day.

"It's okay." Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around Lira, and she raised her head to see Eido's smiling face. "It's okay. I don't know what happened, but...we're all tough. And I'm not going anywhere. Even if it killed me, I'd never let something cause you to cry again Lira..."

"S-stupid...what kind of -hic- promise...is that? Y-you....you just..." Somehow, Lira found her arms moving ever so slightly to wrap around the boy in return. It wasn't that she was under any obligation to, but when she thought back on it, Eido had always been there. Not just for the team...but even for her, and even now. Maybe she'd been wrong about him...and the feeling she'd had in her chest earlier began to return.

"I...I don't know if I can, but if you'd like to try going on a date..." Lira raised her eyes to look at Eido, and felt a small smile spread when she saw another enormous blush. "...b-but just one, idiot." Maybe it wasn't so wrong to trust again, and if she could find a way to care for him, then perhaps one day she might even...

"And thus was born the tsunest dare to ever tsun a dere." Saitou muttered, facepalming.

"I honestly never thought he could do it." Haruto slipped Saitou a fifty, an equal look of disbelief.

Just then, a speckle of cold brushed against Lira's shoulder. She glanced to the side, and caught a glimpse of the snowflake just before it vanished. Eyes turned upwards as they all gaped at the first falling snow of the season, and stress seemed to disappear, as if they were all caught in a single, perfect moment in time. Only Eido seemed to not get the memo as a small chuckle began, and Lira looked over to see him grinning, only to find herself beginning to laugh again as well. It'd been so long since she'd felt this sincere, and now she couldn't stop chuckling...

"It's beautiful." Noelle uttered, raising a hand to the sky. Haruto stepped beside her and looked in the same direction, and Haru-Miji hung with mouth agape in his same unusual routine.

"...Merry Christmas everyone." Saitou's words brought back the most important thing they'd been forgetting. The reason for their celebration...this special day, which they were spending together for the first time. And now, it had an entirely new meaning. Lira felt her cheeks heating again, but a tug at her hand reminded her Eido was there too.

"...Just one question. How'd you pay for the restaurant? Or the...robot thingies, with the instruments? Those were custom made."

"Oh, I didn't pay for them. I had my old friend help...he's a professor at Yasogami." In the background, shouting could be heard. Something along the lines of...'What's this? It's out of controoool! Ruuuuun!'

Haruto and Saitou locked eyes suddenly. "I have a bad feeling about this."

The wall behind them exploded, as a large...er, Mara robot, emerged from within the restaurant. Around it's 'neck' was a sign that read out-of-order. "CHEESE IT!" As Haruto shouted, most of the group began sprinting away, and the robot seemed to follow as if driven by the spirit of the original.

"Heeelp meeee!" Shouted a pale skinned adult whose collar seemed caught on the contraption, pulled behind the parade of fleeing victims.

Before anyone returned, and noting Eido's attention focused on the...embarrassing...sight, Lira leaned forward, pressing lips against a surprisingly soft cheek. Eido's eyes shot wide, but before he lowered his head she was already staring away again, a sharp blush worthy of hiding.