67 Confidant: Priestess and Judgemen (1/2)

As light poured in Axel's room, he thanked whoever said that there was no school on weekends. After walking Ann home, he ended up getting back pretty late, forgoing a shower as he collapsed onto his bed.

Last night was rather interesting, to say the least. When the doctor finally showed up at LeBlanc, she was surprised to find that Axel really did reserve a plate for her.

Axel accepted her thanks with a smile as he attended to Ann, feeding her curry while she relaxed in his lap.

However, the doctor easily caught his attention when she started eating as he pushed the loose strands of hair behind her ears, revealing the earrings and studs she wore.

Akira collapsed to the ground with blood dripping down his nose while Ryuji complimented her on her style.

Chuckling to himself, Axel shook his head as he put on some clothes and headed into the lounge.

Feeling a bit peckish, Axel turned the TV on as he quickly got to work in the kitchen. He wasn't expecting anyone as Akira was finalizing the plan with Morgana while Ryuji was creating the letter to materialise the treasure.

While absent-mindedly whipping up breakfast, Axel's phone beeped as the screen lit, showing he recieved a message. Turning off the stove, Axel opened the message and froze as he read what the message said.

\”Hey... Do you mind if my sister and I come over for a bit? Today's a special day for us and… we don't really want to be alone right now. Please text me back when you get this.\”

It only took a few seconds for Axel to come to a decision as he quickly pulled up Makoto's number. After the first beep, the call connected as a slightly hoarse voice came through the speaker, \”…Hello?\”

From her voice alone, Axel could tell that she seemed to be sad as he spoke in a gentle tone, \”Hey Makoto, I got your text. You and your sister are absolutely welcome to come over.\”

Makoto was silent for a few seconds before she muttered in a slightly happier tone, \”…Thanks Axel. I'll tell sis that you said yes. I hope you don't mind but we'll be over in a few.\”

Axel and Makoto spent a few more minutes just talking to each other about anything. He tried his hardest to raise Makoto's mood but every attempt seemed to barely do anything.

With Sae's voice calling for Makoto to get off the phone and get in the car, Axel couldn't help but say, \”Uh, Makoto? If you dont mind me asking, why is today a special day?\”

Makoto's voice fell silent once more. Once the silence became slightly unbearable for Axel, Makoto's sigh was heard over the phone as she said, \”It's the anniversary of my father's death.\”

Stunned, Axel didn't even realise that Makoto had hung up. While lost in thought, Axel sniffed the air and panicked as he quickly took his breakfast off the stove.

Sadly, it was too late as the bacon and eggs he was cooking ended up burnt.

Sighing, Axel put the food aside for Stella as he quickly started on a much larger portion of food, \”Might as well make alot since Makoto and Sae are coming over…\”

---

After a few minutes, Axel just finished plating up a large helping of breakfast when the doorbell rang throughout the house. Axel quickly removed his apron as he yelled, \”Coming!\”

Opening the door, Axel saw the two niijima sisters. Makoto greeted him with a small smile while Sae seemed oddly quiet. She simply greeted him with a nod before thanking him for allowing them to visit.

As she quietly made her way past Axel, Makoto tug at his sleeve and whispered, \”Dad's death hit her the hardest. Every year, she gets like this so please forgive my sister for her behavior.\”

Axel quickly waved away her worries as he smiled, \”What type of insensitive bastard do you take me for? Don't worry Makoto, I won't blame her OR you for anything today.\”

Without warning, Axel gave the future Phantom theif a strong hug as he whispered into her ear, \”So if you need me for anything, all you have to do is ask.\”

If he was to be honest, Axel had no clue on what he should actually be doing to comfort Makoto and her sister. Having never comforted someone about this type of thing, the best Axel thought he could do was to be there for her.

Makoto took a deep breath as she pulled Axel closer. The warmth she felt from Axel was slightly addicting as she stayed silent for a few seconds, just enjoying his embrace.

Once she finished hugging him, Axel grabbed her hand and said, \”Are you hungry, Makoto? I just finished making breakfas-\”

Before he could finish saying the word 'Breakfast', Makoto suddenly sprinted passed him, leaving him alone in the hallway with his hand awkwardly raised.