#01 – Comfort
She used to feel comforted by the fact that she was doing it all to help her sister, but the more time she spends with him the more uncomfortable she feels with her resolve.

#02 – Kiss
They had their first kiss on their second date, and even though by now he’s lost track of how many times they’ve gone out together, he still feels the same rush he felt back then every time their lips meet.

#03 – Soft
His hair is surprisingly soft, she realizes one day, when she finally couldn’t resist anymore and ran a hand through the spikes on the back of his head.

#04 – Pain
It’s amazing how all his problems seemed to lessen or even become nonexistent with her around, including his cuts and bruises; one day, he manages to bump his head and amass quite a swelling on his left temple, and yet seeing her fret over his injury makes him forget what had happened in the first place (though that could be the effects of head trauma-induced memory loss).

#05 – Potatoes
She can’t help but feel sorry for him when she sees the contents of his dorm fridge: sodas, burgers, and various cartons with questionable expiration dates, as well as a mysterious bag of potatoes; she figures that it could be considered charity to make him a home cooked meal, and the excitement in his face when she serves him the potatoes now mashed and piping hot makes it worth the effort.

#06 – Rain
He loves it when it starts to rain unexpectedly when he’s with her; then he gets to huddle with her beneath her parasol while they dash for cover.

#07 – Chocolate
On Valentine’s Day, he gives her a box of chocolates; she’s so touched by his anxious earnestness that she forgets she’s not the biggest fan of sweets and eats the whole box over the course of the next week.

#08 – Happiness
He barely realizes it himself since he’s so caught up in thoughts of her, but all his friends tell him his grins are goofier than ever.

#09 – Telephone
Due to the fact that she'd never received a phone call before (Hazakura Temple had only a single public phone, after all) she got quite a shock the first time he called her--but she soon begins to enjoy hearing the reassuring ring of the phone, and feels happy knowing that she could dial it herself at any time to reach him, no matter how far apart they are.

#10 – Ears
He never noticed all the little details of a girl’s anatomy before they started dating, but now he’s learned to fully appreciate all of the things he’d missed; for example, he likes the squeak she makes when he experiments with nibbling playfully on her earlobe.

#11 – Name
She doesn’t fully understand it herself, but it’s begun to bother her every time he calls her “Dollie”; though she knows she’s playing the part of the lovey-dovey girlfriend and actually thinks “Feenie” is a pretty cute nickname, sometimes she feels it would be nice to hear him call her Iris, just to hear what it would sound like.

#12 – Sensual
Does she even know what she’s doing to me, he wonders silently to himself, after he asks her if she’s cold and her uncharacteristically bold response is to slip her arms inside his coat, her face flaming; it’s all he can do to stop himself from cupping those pink cheeks and kissing her right then.

#13 – Death
She thinks about death sometimes—not necessarily in a suicidal way—and how now that she’s gotten just a tiny taste of the world beyond spirit channeling and temples, she’s realized that death is suddenly ten times worse once you’ve experienced more things.

#14 – Sex
Like any college boy, he has the occasional passing thought about sex—specifically, sex with his uber cute girlfriend—but he gets the feeling that she’s not ready yet, and that’s okay; even if it has to wait a year or ten years or until they get married, he’s just glad to have her by his side—though, of course, that doesn’t stop him from thinking about it.

#15 – Touch
She hates the way even the lightest of his caresses raises goose bumps across her arms, tattooing her unease so obviously on her skin, but since she can’t seem to get her body to behave itself, she tries to avoid contact with him when she can without raising suspicion, even if it means repressing urges to touch him herself.

#16 – Weakness
She is his favorite weakness, hands down; there’s nothing better than seeing her after a long day of studying and feeling his heart turn to mush and his lungs collapse when she puts a hand to the side of his face and asks him in that sweet voice of hers how his day was.

#17 – Tears
“You’d better get that damn necklace back soon, if you know what’s good for—oh Christ, Iris, stop crying,” her sister snaps, scowling angrily, but she can’t help it; the tears came on their own, and she doesn’t know why (or at least, doesn’t want to know).

#18 – Speed
Some of his friends ask him if things are moving too quickly with her, but he doesn’t see any problem with it since they’re both so in love, after all—though sometimes even he thinks of how he fell for her so swiftly, and how it feels as though he’s still falling at the same rate, and it’s then when he hopes dearly that the landing won’t be too hard.

#19 – Wind
She likes that whenever they’re outside walking together, he’s tall enough to keep the gusts of wind from hitting her, though he probably doesn’t do it on purpose or even notice.

#20 – Freedom
He’s always heard that he shouldn’t be tied down to one girl when he’s in college and instead enjoy the freedom of adulthood, but truthfully he couldn’t care less if he’s been “imprisoned,” because if seeing his Dollie every day is what jail is like, he’d gladly take a life sentence.

#21 – Life
She’s never really thought about what she wanted to do with her future, beyond helping her sister, but she likes to pretend that she’ll build a happy life for herself one day; if it’s half as good as the temporary one she has with him, she knows she’ll be pretty satisfied—though it’s grown hard to separate “a happy life” from “being with Feenie.”

#22 – Jealousy
He’s not the possessive type, but he’d be lying if he said it doesn’t bother him that more than half the male population on campus is lusting after his sweet Dollie.

#23 – Hands
His hands are much larger than her own, and it gives her a somewhat childish, happy satisfaction to feel the warmth of his fingers surrounding hers entirely whenever they hold hands.

#24 – Taste
He’s never satisfied with just kissing her once; not even the finest desserts in the world could compare to the sweetness of her lips, and he always finds himself going back for seconds.

#25 – Devotion
Sometimes she feels sorry for him, watching him so blindly love a girl he think he knows, watching him declare that he would do anything for her, and watching him do anything for her—but the pity for him is really to keep from pitying and even hating herself, because after all, she’s doing the same thing for her sister.

#26 – Forever
He ponders how there’s so many different kinds of “forevers”, like the man-this-paper-is-taking-forever-to-type kind of forever, and the man-I-could-talk-to-Dollie-on-the-phone-forever kind of forever (the latter usually helping along the former, in that he had a tendency to want to talk to her instead of finish his homework).

#27 – Blood
Though she’s only in it for her sister, she finds herself worrying what would happen to him if the real Dahlia ever got fed up with waiting for the necklace; there are times that the worry overwhelms her so much that the red hair dye on her hands feels more like his blood.

#28 – Sickness
She was the one who’d suggested he try Coldkiller X in the first place, and he now he can’t imagine using anything else even if he wanted to; one day he ran out of the stuff and used a substitute brand he’d taken before, and yet this time it barely seemed to help with any of his symptoms.

#29 – Melody
She remembers the time he gave her a mix CD and he kept repeating over and over how he “knew it was cheesy”; but despite the fact that she didn’t recognize many of the songs, somehow she could hear him in it and thought it was some of the loveliest music she’d ever heard.

#30 – Star
When they learned a shooting star was supposed to pass over Ivy University they made plans to go see it, but he ended up missing it; when she asked him why he said he’d blinked, but the truth was he’d had his eyes open the whole time—he just kept watching her instead of the sky.

#31 – Home
She’s always considered the temple her home, and she probably always will, but she thinks that if it weren’t for all the complications, it wouldn’t be so bad to start over and get her own home—after all, then she could invite him over to her place any time she wanted.

#32 – Confusion
The only time he ever feels any uncertainty is when she asks for the necklace back; it always shakes him a little, but it’s easy to make excuses and explain it all away—though it never completely erases his confusion.

#33 – Fear
One day, he’s late for meeting her and won’t pick up his phone and a panic chokes her—she is of course scared that her sister could have made her move, but it’s laced with a silly, irrational fear that he might have forgotten her or maybe just didn’t care enough to show up, but she still waits; less than five minutes later he arrives and explains that his phone was dead and a teacher had held him up after class to discuss one of his projects.

#34 – Lightning/Thunder
He tries to pretend like thunder doesn’t bother him when they’re alone in his dorm room one stormy night, but when she whispers something in his ear and runs her hand over the prickly hair on the back of his head all he can hear is the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

#35 – Bonds
Surely she’ll be torn in half one of these days by the two people most important to her—one is him and the other is her sister, and they’re both pulling her in opposite directions, the binding so tight she can’t move an inch.

#36 – Market
He never even bothered to look at fruits and vegetables in the grocery store because he assumed they wouldn’t fit into his starving college student budget, but one day she says she can’t bear to watch him malnourish himself any longer and drags him to a store that sells the best food at the cheapest prices.

#37 – Technology
She’s discovered that he has an inability to work anything technological, and although she loves to gently tease him about it, she hasn’t a clue about that stuff, either; the two of them spent hours one night trying to fix a paper jam when he’d attempted to print out a term paper due the next day.

#38 – Gift
He used to think that the necklace was their one true symbol of their love, but now he’s come to realize ever since that fateful day in the courthouse, she’s given him so many more gifts than he ever could have imagined.

#39 – Smile
His smile is one his most endearing traits; she can’t help but smile back whenever he gives her one of his giant, unabashed grins, like he’s totally unconscious of how giddy he looks.

#40 – Innocence
Her purity is one of her most admirable traits; he knows his Dollie wouldn’t ever hurt a fly and he loves her for that.

#41 – Completion
She knows the entire point of pretending to date him is to get back the necklace for Dahlia, but sometimes her heart inexplicably aches when she thinks about what’ll happen when her task is completed and the façade comes to an end; on those days, she pretends to forget to ask him about it.

#42 – Clouds
He feels like he can see her everywhere, even in the clouds, and he wonders if she feels the same way; she seems puzzled by the delighted peck on the cheek he gives her when they’re out for a walk one day and she points out a particularly spiky cloud because she thinks it looks a lot like him.

#43 – Sky
She hates cloudless days; the blank blue canvas seems so pure and overwhelming it could drown her, and maybe that’s exactly why she loves those days, too.

#44 – Heaven
I’m in heaven, he thinks to himself every time she hears her say “I love you”; even after months of dating her, he still can’t believe he’s got such a wonderful girl.

#45 – Hell
I’m in hell, she thinks to herself every time she hears him say “I love you”; it took only a few months of fooling him for her to realize that she’s the fool, because she’s in love now, too.

#46 – Sun
He’d never really got Shakespeare when he had to read it for school, but now Romeo’s words seemed to ring true to him; his Juliet really was the Sun, just as gentle and warm and generous.

#47 – Moon
The moon always makes her feel lonely and guilty; it stares at her night after night through her window until it too is swallowed up in darkness.

#48 – Waves
He can hardly believe that she’s never been to the ocean and when he promises to take her there she mumbles puzzlingly, “If only we could, Feenie.”

#49 – Hair
She’d never considered herself to be a person particularly concerned with appearances, but after meeting him she starts to secretly hate the way her hair looks when she dyes it red—or maybe it’s more that she hates that she has to change herself so much when she’s around him she can’t even keep her natural hair color.

#50 – Supernova
"Like a supernova," she replies when he asks her to think of one word to describe their relationship; but though he agrees that it's definitely dazzling and bright, he knows they most certainly would outlast a quick and brief explosion.

“I’m ho~ome!” Maya sang out, kicking off her shoes and abandoning them in the entryway as she strode through the door. She walked into the living room of the modest apartment and threw her hands up into the air. “Didja guys miss me?”

“Mommy!” A toddler with short unruly black hair and bright blue eyes ran over, flinging her arms around her mother’s leg. “I missed you!”

“Hey, Meg!” Maya greeted with a giant grin, stooping down so she was at eyelevel with the girl. She planted a purposefully noisy, sloppy kiss on her daughter’s cheek, making her giggle, and then with a dramatic sigh hugged her tightly. “Oh, I wish I could take you to work with me sometimes, Meg! You’re so cute!”

“It’s too tight, Mommy,” Meg managed to say, her face partially squished against her mother’s shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry,” Maya said, laughing and releasing the youngster. She ruffled Meg’s hair, making it even spikier than before, and then stood up. She glanced around the living room, finding it empty. “Where’s your dad?”

“In the bafroom, with the stick!” Meg answered, waving around her fist like she was holding a wand.

“I’m right here,” Phoenix chimed in, appearing in the doorway in a plain white t-shirt and shorts. “And it’s called a toilet brush. Also, I don’t know if the people of Kurain would approve of the Master taking her daughter with her on the job.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Maya complained, leaning over to give him a kiss by way of greeting. “Everybody in the village loved her when we took her there just after she was born.”

“I wanna go to Crane Village,” Meg said, reaching up to tug on the hem of Maya’s robe. “Take me, Mommy!”

“It’s called ‘Kurain Village.’ And I’ll see what I can do, Meg,” Maya replied, smiling before she scooped up her daughter and took her over to the couch. “Let’s watch the Steel Samurai, okay?”

“Yeah!” The two settled comfortably on the sofa and Maya grabbed the television remote, but she froze at the sound of her husband’s voice.

“Hold on a sec, Maya…I was hoping you could help with dinner,” Phoenix said, sounding a little exasperated. He walked over to the couch, standing behind her. “You said you’d start giving me a hand.”

Maya craned her neck back so that she was looking at him upside down. She pouted, but he gave her a firm look. “Okay,” she sighed, twisting around so that she was facing him properly. “What did you want to make?”

“Well, I was thinking we would make spaghetti—it’s the only thing we have left since we haven’t gone shopping yet. And I thought we could also—”

“Spaghetti?” Maya broke in, scrunching up her nose. “Boooring! Let’s do something else!”

Phoenix paused, having a hunch on what “something else” could be. But he asked anyway. “…Any suggestions?”

“Burgers!” Maya cried, clenching her fists in excitement. “Doesn’t that sound great, Meg?”

“Yeah! I love burgers,” Meg said happily, affecting a pose similar to her mother’s.

“Wait…when have you had a burger, Megan?” Phoenix asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. He looked to his wife. “We haven’t given her burgers yet, Maya…have you?”

“D-don’t you mean ‘we’, Nick?” Maya responded, her tone sheepish. She pressed her hands together and smiled, trying to pretend like nothing was amiss.

“Maya,” Phoenix groaned, clapping a hand to his face in frustration. “We have to go slow with introducing her to new foods, you know you can’t just…”

“What’s wrong with burgers, Daddy?” Meg asked curiously, tilting her spiky head to one side.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with burgers?” Maya joined in, cheeks puffed out in defense. “Meg thinks they’re great, and so do I! I’ve been training her to love ‘em just like her mom.” She smiled at her daughter, tousling her hair again.

“Tr-training?!” Phoenix stammered, his jaw dropping in shock. “Urk! Stop teaching her such weird things!”

“Oh, hush. You know you loved it when I taught her how to point her finger and yell, ‘Objection!’ the way her dad does.”

To demonstrate, Meg pounded her tiny hands noiselessly against the soft cushion of the couch and thrust a finger at her father. “Ejection!”

Phoenix’s stern expression collapsed into a chuckling smile. “Oh, well. I guess our daughter is destined to have a strange life.”

“Her parents are certainly weird,” Maya replied with a relieved-looking grin, clearly pleased that he wasn’t too upset.

Phoenix leaned towards her face, cupping her chin. “Well, her mother is, that’s for sure,” he murmured, smiling into their kiss.

“What about Steel Samurai?” Meg questioned, kicking her feet impatiently as her parents pulled apart.

Maya lifted Meg onto her lap and scooted over, making room for Phoenix to join them. “Let’s all watch it together, and we’ll figure out dinner later, okay? I’ll help you out for sure, I promise.”

Phoenix conceded with a nod, taking the spot next to his wife on the couch. He slid an arm around her shoulders as she switched on the TV.

“Yay! This is my favorite episode,” Meg cheered, shifting on her mother’s legs to get comfortable. Her eyes were glued to the screen. “You like it too, right, Mommy?”

“Yup,” Maya answered, resting her head against Phoenix’s shoulder. “I love it. Right, Nick?”

“Yeah, me too,” he agreed, pressing his lips against the top of her head.

The sound of the alarm clock going off elicited a groan from Maya.

“Niiiick, nooo,” she whined, burying her face into his chest and squeezing him as tightly as she could. “I’m finally taking time off from Kurain, so let’s just sleep in, okay?”

“You know I can’t, Maya.” His tone was firm, and yet he didn’t budge or even open his eyes. “I’ve got a trial today. I need to be there.”

She let out another long groan in protest and grudgingly released him. He kissed her forehead and threw the blankets away from his body, tumbling out of bed to go fetch a clean suit from the closet.

Maya pulled herself into a sitting position and gathered all the bedding together, wrapping it around herself so she was a pouting cocoon peering at him as he pulled on his slacks.

“Oh, don’t look at me that way,” he complained with a half grin, starting on the buttons of his shirt. “I’m going to miss you and Meg, but you knew this was coming. I know you want to be there, but there was no one to watch Meg on such short notice…”

She let out a gloomy sigh, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “I know, I know. But we’re going to miss you, too. I already miss you.”

Phoenix heaved a sigh of his own, and then suddenly his face lit like he’d decided something. Moments later, he jumped on the bed and tackled her, not caring if his shirt got wrinkled in the process (even though it was the only clean one he could find.)

She let out a screech, the blankets falling away as he pinned her down against the mattress.

“How can I make it up to you?” he said, trying to go for a suggestive voice but probably failing.

“Grill me a burger,” was her blunt reply, not catching on. She stared up at him with a blank expression.

“No, no,” he said, feeling both disappointment and amusement at her response. “Something else. Think romantic, Maya.”

“Romantic?” She frowned in thought and fell silent for a while. “Um, how about steak, then? By candlelight? Just the two of us?” She grinned now, like she was on a roll with the perfect plan. “We could get a babysitter for Meg, and—”

She was forced to stop talking when he kissed her. When he finally pulled away, they were both blushing, but Phoenix tried to be nonchalant about it. He rolled off of her and hopped off of the bed, quickly immersing himself in a hunt for his tie. “Never mind. No steak for you, since you didn’t get what I meant,” he joked breezily, avoiding eye contact.

But she understood perfectly now. “W-wait!” she cried, sitting up again. Her hair was a bit more mussed and her cheeks were still pink. “You didn’t let me finish.”

He finally looked over at her in curiosity as he knotted his tie. “Hm?”

She cleared her throat. “As I was saying…we could get a babysitter for Meg. A-and then, after dinner, maybe we could reserve a room at the Gatewater Hotel, and we…” Her words were lost now; as she spoke, she’d pulled the blankets further and further up her face in embarrassment, until just her eyes were showing and her voice was too muffled by fabric and bashfulness to be properly heard.

Phoenix’s eyebrows shot up. He liked this idea, but there were a few problems. “Who could we get to watch Meg?”

“Um…Edgeworth!” She giggled at her husband’s dubious expression. “Or Gumshoe and Maggey, maybe? I don’t know! But the fact is, you owe me, right? So make it happen!”

Phoenix walked back over to the bed where Maya was still sitting cross-legged. He leaned down to give her another kiss. “Well, I need to get going now, but…I’ll do my best. Promise.”

“Good,” she said with a satisfied smile. “Have a good day! Sorry I can’t be there today, but good luck.”

“Thank you. I love you…and when she wakes up, tell Meg I love her, too,” he replied, putting a hand to her face before turning for the bedroom door.

“Love you. And I’m sure she she’ll say, ‘I love you, and good luck,’ too!” Maya called out after him, and then waited for the sound of the front door closing to signify his exit. When it didn’t come right away, she slipped out of the bedroom, still clad in just a purple nightgown, and tiptoed to Meg’s room.

Peeking inside, she saw him standing at the child’s crib side, not making a sound as he watched her sleep. Maya smiled goofily at the sweet sight and lingered outside in the hall for a few seconds longer before sneaking off to bed to avoid getting caught.

“Where’s Daddy?” Meg asked as Maya put her into her highchair. She looked up at her mother expectantly with wide blue eyes.

“He’s at work today, so it’s just me and you!” Maya tried to sound as cheerful as possible, hoping that Meg wouldn’t be upset her father was absent.

Meg’s lip jutted out a little in dissatisfaction. “When’s he coming home?”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Maya admitted, biting her lip and racking her mind for a distraction. “He’s going to be awfully busy—he’s gotta catch a bad guy!”

“Bad guy?” Meg repeated in an awestruck gasp, her eyes bulging. “You mean he’s like the Seal Stamurai?”

“Yup! That’s exactly it!” Maya answered with an enthusiastic nod. “He’s out fighting crime as we speak.”

As her daughter contemplated this is in an astounded silence, Maya went to scour the cabinets for food.

“Shoot, I forgot I’m supposed to go grocery shopping,” she muttered, pushing aside a few cans. She raised her voice so Meg would hear her. “What do you want for breakfast, kid? Is oatmeal all right?” She already had the box in hand and was getting a bowl.

Meg made a disgusted noise in disapproval. “I don’t like that,” she complained, squirming in her highchair a little.

Maya set the bowl in the microwave and punched a few buttons. “Well, if you eat this, then I promise we’ll have burgers for lunch—as long as you don’t tell your dad, okay?”

“Burgers?!” Meg shouted happily, kicking her legs in excitement. “Really, Mom?”

“Yup,” Maya affirmed, taking out the steaming bowl and bringing it over to her daughter. “As long as you eat your oatmeal.”

“Okay!” Meg answered immediately, despite her previously condemnation of the food. She earnestly grabbed at the spoon, but Maya held it back, chuckling.

“Not yet. It has to cool first.”



“When does Daddy come home?” It was the fourth time Meg had asked that day, and one of the only things she’d spoken; the rest of the time she fell into a listless silence.

“Soon,” Maya answered distractedly, sitting on the couch with Meg. Her daughter was watching the Pink Princess while she was trying to read an old scroll that had been given to her by one of the village elders. Apparently it’d recently been uncovered in one of the branch family’s houses, and contained a lot of important Fey history that Maya had read. But she found herself reading the same line of characters over and over again—not because she couldn’t understand it, but because she felt so preoccupied. She loved spending days with Meg, but she knew the both of them weren’t very good at functioning without Nick.

I suppose we got spoiled having him home all the time, Maya thought, feeling just a little gloomy. This is only the second case he’s taken since Meg was born. I’ve taken it for granted that he’d be here every day…

“What’s that?” Meg asked through a yawn, poking a chubby finger at the edge of the paper in Maya’s hands.

Maya finally looked away from the scroll and noticed Meg was blinking sleepily. She smiled at her daughter and ruffled her hair, rolling up the parchment and setting it aside. “Oh, nothing important,” she said, knowing that the elders back in Kurain would probably faint in horror if they heard the Master talking like that. She shifted so that she was lying down and gently pulled Meg down next to her so they both lying next to each other, barely fitting side-by-side on the small couch. “How about we take a nap now?” she suggested, shutting her eyes and giving the child a little squeeze.

“Too…tight…” Meg mumbled, but her eyes closed, too.



“I’m home!” Phoenix said, attempting to imitate Maya’s usual greeting as he walked through the door. “Miss me?”

He was met with silence—well, not quite; he could hear the TV blaring in the living room—but no living thing replied.

“Maya? Meg?” He moved quickly to the living room and was debating whether or not to be worried yet when he stopped over the couch. Maya’s arm was draped over Meg, who’d curled up into a ball and had her thumb in her mouth. Both were sound asleep.

Looks like they got on just fine without me, he thought with a smile, feeling relief at the sight of his wife and daughter. He’d been thinking about them all day, unable to stop fretting over leaving the two of them. He knew Meg would be fine with Maya, but his daughter had rarely been out of his sight since she was born. And even though Maya had to commute to Kurain almost every day, he never got accustomed to being unable to see her.

He wondered if Maya ever thought that way and quickly dismissed it; she was pretty independent and generally didn’t get very sentimental. She probably didn’t spend all of her time thinking about him every time she was away.

Suddenly Maya stirred and opened her eyes slowly, peeking up at Phoenix through half-open lids. “Hi,” she whispered, trying not to disturb Meg as she carefully removed her arm from its position and sat up. “How did it go?”

“Not guilty,” he whispered back with a satisfied grin. “I’ll tell you the details later.”

“Sure. Congratulations,” she responded, reaching a hand up to Nick’s neck and pulling him in for a quick kiss. “I wish I could’ve seen you.”

“So do I. I…I missed you,” he admitted, hoping he didn’t sound too sappy. Maya sometimes liked to tease him whenever he got really corny.

“I missed you, too,” she said, but he noticed she didn’t meet his eyes. She seemed to be studying his attorney’s badge intently. “We both did. Meg wouldn’t stop talking about you today.”

Despite his attempts to avoid any cheesiness, he grinned as soon as he heard this. “Really? Well, I missed both of you, of course.” He blushed a little, searching for a subject change. He kept his voice low since Meg was still sleeping. “Do you know what we have for dinner? I could start it soon, if you want.”

“Ugh!” Maya groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. “I totally forgot to go grocery shopping. Again! I’m so sorry, Nick. I always need you to remind me of things.”

“It’s okay. We can all go today—just give me a chance to change.”

He tried to stop smiling as he went to the bedroom to change his clothes, but he couldn’t help but take a small pleasure in what Maya said—about needing him to remind her, and about missing him.

So I guess they do need me for some things after all.

“Are you sure still want to do this, Maya?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Even though you’ll have to commute by train every day?”

“I’ll have time to do my homework.”

“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. I can still cancel your admission form—”

“No, no! Please. I want to do it. I want to go to a regular high school. It’s just for one year, sis—don’t worry about me. Besides, you can keep an eye on me since you’re the principal of the school.”

“You’re right, you’re right. You’re almost an adult, after all. And once you graduate high school, you’ll…”

“Be stuck here as the Master. I know it’s my duty, but…that’s why I want to do this why I have the chance.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to stay ‘stuck’ but, yes, that’s true. Well, I’m on my way to meet with a new teacher—he’s the one I told you about before.”

“Ah, the one you said was naïve and had a weird hairdo? I wonder if he’ll be one of my teachers…”

“Haha, did I really say that? Yes, that’s the one. Who knows, maybe he will be. I’ll talk to you later, Maya.”

“Bye, sis.”

*click*




(I’m Maya Fey, seventeen-year-old spirit medium in training! And, starting tomorrow, I’ll be a high school student, too!)

(It’s all thanks to my older sister, Mia—she’s a principal at a high school and got me in. I’ve always wanted to try living an ordinary school life, and this is my last chance. Once I become an adult, I’ll have to take over as head of my village.)

(I don’t plan on skipping out my responsibilities—I love my village and its people—but I do want to be a normal teenager, at least for a little while, while I still can…)

I thought I’d be able to resist, but no, here I am, inside the burger joint Mia always takes me to when I visit her in the city. I had to walk past it on my way to meet her, and once I saw it I couldn’t just keep going.

I know I have some money in my pocket and I don’t bother to count it—I figure that I’ll have enough to pay for just one little burger; that’s all I really want, after all. I get in line behind a tall guy in a hoodie who’s still looking at the menu. I start scanning it myself out of habit, even though I’m only getting a burger. But that’s when I see it—the Steel Samurai action figure!

“Whoa!” The shout bursts out of me before I can stop myself. I can’t believe it—they’re giving out Steel Samurai toys with the kids’ meals! I run over to the poster advertising it to get a better look, not caring about my spot in line; it’s just me and the tall guy in the restaurant.

I practically had my nose pressed to the poster, taking in every inch of the Steel Samurai’s awesomeness, when I hear a snigger off to my left. I tear my eyes away to look who’s laughing at me and I see that tall guy with the hoodie. He’s smiling at me like I’m some little kid.

“Wh-what’s so funny?!” I cry, feeling the blush crawl up my face even though I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. Steel Samurai is serious business. I give him my best death glare, puffing out my cheeks and clenching my fists. Mia always tells me I look like a puffer fish when I do that, but I say it’s effective.

And it works, sort of—he gets this surprised look on his face, but I can tell he’s hiding a smile. “Nothing,” he answers, his tone full of innocence.

“Are either of you ready to order?” the bored cashier girl asks from behind the counter.

“You can go first,” the guy says to me, and I am soothed by his politeness. I can appreciate a gentleman.

“One kids’ meal, please,” I tell the cashier, and I swear I hear him smirking again but when I shoot him a quick glance over my shoulder his face is totally blank, though I think I might see the corner of his mouth twitching.

The cashier says the total and I dig around, fishing out the dollar bills and find I’m seventy-five cents short. My jaw drops—oh, the injustice of it all! How am I gonna get that Steel Samurai figure now?

Then three quarters drop down on the counter one by one and I turn to see it’s the tall guy that dropped them.

“Here,” he says, smiling at me. “I’ve got spare change.”

His face is kind of close for a second, and I finally get a good look at him. His hair’s a bit funny—smoothed down in the front and spiked up in the back, but he’s good-looking. And older. That blush is creeping back when I notice this.

“Wow, thanks! But…but…are you sure? I mean, I feel like I should pay you back somehow—”

He shook his head, waving my protest off. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure if it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way to pay me back.”

I smile at him and turn back to the cashier. She’s already scooped up the money and is pushing a bag and a drink towards me—my kids’ meal. “Here you go,” she says flatly.

I take my food and step aside so he can order. I still feel a little guilty, especially since I’d snapped at him at first. “Well…could you at least tell me your name? I’d feel better knowing it. I’m Maya.”

He looks at me for a moment, like he’s just realized something, and finally answers. “…I’m Phoenix. Phoenix Wright.”

The name stirs something in my memory, but I don’t know what. “‘Phoenix Wright’?” I repeat, trying it out. I still can’t think of what it reminds me of. “Wow, what a name! Really flashy—like a stage performer’s!” His face contorts a little, and I blush again. “O-or something else, like maybe…a hotshot attorney!”

He smiles at this and says, “Hm, maybe so. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah,” I reply, nodding my head. I’m a little sad that our meeting’s already coming to an end. “I’ll see you later…Nick!” His eyebrows jump up when he hears the nickname I invented on the spot. I grin at him as big as I can and then rush out of the restaurant clutching my food, the ice in my cup jostling noisily over the crinkling of the paper bag.

For some reason I can’t stop blushing and I don’t want to see—plus I’m late to meeting Mia.

I think each syllable of his name every time my sandals smack the pavement. Phoe-nix-wright-phoe-nix-wright-phoe-nix-wright, until it’s just a mess of jumbled sounds and the heat leaves my face.




(My name is Phoenix Wright, twenty-two years old, and I just got a job as a teacher. An old colleague of mine—Mia Fey—is the one who hooked me up. She’s the principal of the high school I’ll be teaching at.)

(I don’t know if I’d say teaching is my dream, but it’s what I’m doing now. It’s a long store. But I’m grateful for Mia’s help; I don’t know where I’d be without her.)

(Coincidentally, I think I just ran into her younger sister…)

When she first walked in, I’d taken note of her—she was wearing odd clothes; these weird purple robes like a Japanese shrine maiden or something. But then she just stared at the menu, glassy-eyed, and I forgot about her.

That is, until she shouted and ran over to the poster of the Steel Samurai—the lastest craze in cartoon characters for kids.

But she wasn’t a kid. She was in high school, probably, though she looked pretty underdeveloped. Short, with a childish looking topknot and the rest of her long black mane trailing down her back, tied at the end with a thick purple band. And she had the body of a wooden board—she could’ve even passed for a middle schooler without trying too hard.

Nevertheless, I could still tell she was way too old for the Steel Samurai’s demographic. I chuckled at her excitement over the toy, soft enough for only me to hear—or so I thought. Suddenly she’s turned on me and her cheeks were all puffed out and she looked like a blowfish. Her reaction took me by surprise, but I wasn’t too offended.

And now suddenly my hand has a mind of its own, dropping the change she needs for her order onto the counter without me even having to think about it. I can tell she’s dying to have that toy, so I take pity on her. Even if she is a bit immature, she’s cute, so I want to help her out.

She looks so grateful it’s like she’s about to burst into tears. “Wow, thanks! But…but…are you sure? I mean, I feel like I should pay you back somehow—”

I wave it off—it’s really not that big of a deal. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure if it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way to pay me back.”

The cashier interrupts us, tired of waiting. “Here you go.”

The girl takes her food and then stands there, edging over a little so I can order next, but she doesn’t leave. “Well…could you at least tell me your name? I’d feel better knowing it. I’m Maya.”

And then that’s when it all clicks together somehow—this is Mia’s sister. I’d met up with Mia just yesterday and she’d mentioned that her younger sister Maya was enrolling as a senior at the high school. She said something about how they came from a very traditional Japanese family, and that Maya had lived a sheltered life in their village.

This had to be her, I just knew it. It explained the strange clothing, anyway, and the childlike innocence.

I decided not to reveal that I knew of her and her sister; it wasn’t really that important. “…I’m Phoenix. Phoenix Wright.”

“‘Phoenix Wright’? Wow, what a name! Really flashy—like a stage performer’s!” I stare at her when she says this—she has the weirdest train of thought, but I know she’s not making fun of me. I guess she thinks she’s offended me, because she rushes quickly to correct herself. “O-or something else, like maybe…a hotshot attorney!”

This makes me smile. She could see me as a lawyer? It’s something I’d wanted to be—not that you could tell now since I’m teaching.

“Hm, maybe so. It was nice meeting you.” I know I’m being a little curt but I’m starved and want to order.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later…Nick!”

I raise my eyebrows at her words. Nick? So I’ve got a nickname now? But the door’s already swinging shut behind her so I can’t respond.

I turn to the cashier girl, who’s clearly almost out of patience. While I place my order, I think about Maya Fey. What an odd encounter, but I can’t help smile thinking about what just took place.




“Hello? Phoenix Wright speaking.”

“It’s Miles.”


“Oh, hey! What’s up?”

“I happen to be at the coffee shop right now and wondered if you wanted to meet and chat for a few minutes.”

“I just picked up burgers, actually, but I’m nearby, so I can still come.”

“Burgers?”

“Yeah, I got hungry, haha…but you’ll never believe who I ran into while I was getting them—Mia’s little sister!”

“Mia, as in Principal Mia Fey? But I thought her sister lived in Kurain Village.”

“Yeah, she does, but apparently she wants to go to high school here or something.”

“I see. Interesting. So, what was she like?”

“Who? Oh, right, you mean her sister. Maya. Well, she’s…she’s kind of odd.”

“Odd? How so?”

“I don’t know, exactly. She got all excited over a toy that came with the kids’ meal. And…and when I told her my name, she called me ‘Nick’—you know, short for ‘Phoenix.’”

“Looks like she’s already teacher’s pet, eh?”

“Th-that’s not—”

“Relax, Wright. I was kidding.”

“O-oh, of course. Well, anyway…she even said that I should be a lawyer. Just because of my name—she said it’s flashy.”

“Hmm, and I always thought the name Miles Edgeworth was better suited for a career in law…more sophisticated.”

“Miles…”

“Kidding again. Really though, I always thought you wanted to be an attorney instead of a teach—”

“Sorry, hold on—I’m about to walk into the coffee shop now, so I’ll talk to you in a second, alright?”

“Alright.”

*click*

To: Phoenix Wright <pwright@ihs.net>
From: Mia Fey <mfey@ihs.net>
Sent: September 5, 2016 - 8:17PM
Subject: Congratulations!

Phoenix,

Tomorrow is your first day as a teacher! I know that you weren’t completely confident in yourself when I offered you this job, but I can tell you’re going to do just fine. I’m proud to have you as part of the staff, and I’m sure the students are all going to love you as well.

This may be forward, but I have a favor to ask. I pulled up Maya’s schedule yesterday and saw that you’re going to have her in one of your classes, and I wanted to know if you would keep an eye on her for me. No matter what she says, I can tell she’s nervous about going to high school. She’s been home schooled all her life, and a real school is a completely different experience. She’s a sweet girl, but I’m worried about her fitting in. I know that you can’t do much about that, but I’d appreciate it if you could give her advice if it looks like she’s struggling. I don’t want to smother her, and besides—you two are both starting new things, so I think it’ll be good if you can support each other.

Good luck, Phoenix. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at school.

Mia




I almost told my sister about my meeting with Nick, but every time I had the chance I chickened out. There’s nothing to tell, when I really think about it—and besides, I like the idea of having one secret moment with one secret stranger all to myself.

…Well, not all to myself. Later that day when I get back to the village, I finally break down and tell my kid cousin Pearl. And boy, that was a mistake.

“Wow, Mystic Maya,” she says breathlessly when I’m finished, a dreamy look glazing her eyes. “It sounds like you and Mr. Nick were destined to meet!”

She’s calling him Mr. Nick? I hadn’t even realized that I’d been using his nickname all this time. Oops. When I first called him that, I meant it just to tease him, but already “Phoenix Wright” has transformed into “Nick” in my mind.

“I don’t think it’s destiny if it happens in line at a burger joint, Pearly,” I answer with a sigh, scratching my head. “I think that’s just good luck.”

“No, don’t say that! I believe in the two of you, Mystic Maya!”

Oh, jeez. She’s all worked up now, rolling up her sleeves like she’s getting ready for a brawl. I try to gently correct her. “You know, I don’t think there is a ‘two of us.’ I’m pretty sure I’m never gonna see him again.” My voice is surprisingly gloomy, even to me. I mean, I’d been thinking about him constantly for the past few hours, but I hadn’t realized what an impact he’d made on me.

“I believe in the two of you,” she insisted, her face scrunching up with assertion. “I believe.”

“…Thanks, Pearly,” I say, smiling in spite of myself.




I read Mia’s email twice as soon as I get it. At first, I am pleased by her praise, but when I get to the part about Maya, my heart suddenly skips. I don’t know why I feel so surprised about having her in my class. I am teaching a science class for seniors, after all. If anything, I should’ve expected it.

But now I’m supposed to watch over her? I wonder how exactly I’m supposed to do that. Maya seems just fine on her own—she doesn’t appear to be aware of her own oddity, and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself. I doubt she’d notice if the other kids thought she was weird.

Nevertheless, I owe Mia a lot, so I’ll do what I can. I just hope Maya isn’t going to be a handful.

I barely sleep that night. I keep going over my lesson plans and assignments and everything I want to say. I’ve got a horrible feeling that I’m going to forget it all as soon I get in front of the class.

I wake up the next day a total zombie and drag myself to work, but I perk right up as soon as the first bell rings. I stand stiffly at the front of the room, watching nervously as the students file in and fill up the desks, all staring at me expectantly. Maya isn’t among them—she’s in the period right before lunch.

I stumble through my introductory speech, making millions of mistakes that I hope were only noticed by me. Second period is better, and by third period I’ve fallen into a sort of rhythm, though my voice keeps cracking intermittently and I sometimes forget what I’d planned to say.

And then suddenly it’s Maya’s class period. She’s the last one in the door, and as soon as she sees me she stops in her tracks.

“Nick?!” she screeches, her jaw dropping to the floor. Her yelp makes me jump and I gulp nervously. I knew she’d probably be surprised to see me, but I didn’t think she’d be this surprised.

I flash her my best encouraging teacher smile (I practiced in the mirror for an hour last night) and this seems to snap her out of her daze. She blinks and then shuts her mouth quickly, turning bright red before scurrying over to an empty desk in the front row.

I launch into my introductory speech for the fourth time that day, but my attention keeps wandering over to Maya. I can feel her eyes boring into me whenever I’m looking elsewhere, but every time my gaze meets hers she looks quickly down at the desk or at a corner of the room, acting like she wasn’t just staring at me. I see the other students in the room giving her looks, but (as I predicted) she doesn’t seem to notice.

Though, to be fair, she actually looks pretty normal. The school has uniforms, so she’s wearing the same thing as all the other girls, and it’s pretty cute on her. It’s a step up from those wacky purple robes, at least, but in a way it also makes her look even younger. And she’s got her hair in the same updo, which is probably what’s attracting all those glances. Not to mention that scream she let out at the beginning of class.

It felt weird hearing that nickname again, but almost flattering, in a way. She remembers it, remembers me. And it kind of makes me feel that maybe I have a shot at being the cool teacher—I mean, nicknames are cool, right?

The class goes fairly smoothly, though it drags a little since Maya keeps doing the staring thing. When the bell for lunch rings and everyone hurries out of the room, I can see her hang back.

“Um, hey there,” she says once it’s just her and me in the room. She fidgets with the ends of hair with a nervous smile, looking a little shy. “This is a pretty weird coincidence, huh?”

I put on a puzzled expression. “Do we know each other?” I deadpan, because I feel like messing with her.

She actually believes me and looks horrified. “B-but Nick…you really don’t remember?!”

“I’m sorry, I was just kidding.” I almost feel bad since she seemed so panicked. “I know who you are, Maya. In fact…your sister told me about you.”

Her eyes go wide at this statement. “Huh? Really? When? And why?”

I decide now’s the best time to come clean about how I’d already known of her before yesterday. “It was a couple days ago, actually. She mentioned she had a sister that was coming to this school. And she…I mean, I wanted to let you know that if you need help with anything, you can ask me anything. I know adjusting to a different environment can be hard. This is my first day, too—as a teacher, that is..”

“Yeah, I could tell.” She says it with such childlike bluntness and with no trace of malice in her smile that I quickly forgive her. Or at least, try to. “But thanks a lot, Nick! That’s so nice of you.”

“Heh, no problem.” Okay, now I forgive her. I feel like my cool teacher chances are slowly increasing.

But then suddenly her brow furrows. “Wait a second—she told you a couple of days ago? Does that mean you knew who I was yesterday, and that you were going to be my teacher?”

I grin sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. “Well, I knew who you were, or at least I was pretty sure, but I didn’t know yet that I was going to—”

“What?! And you didn’t say anything? That’s no fair!”

“Er…I’m sorry?” Sheesh, who knew she’d get so angry? But there she is in her puffer fish pose again, glaring at me so intensely I feel myself break out in a cold sweat. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so sure about the cool teacher thing.

“I’ll forgive you if you make it up to me,” she says with sudden confidence, dropping her fists and switching to a smirk. “One burger should do it. And maybe a drink.”

She’s asking me to buy her lunch?! “W-wait a second! I’m not buying you food! You should at least pay me back my seventy-five cents first.”

Irritation seeps back into her voice. “What?! That was different—you owed me that seventy-five cents since you laughed at me in the restaurant. Now you owe me for concealing your identity! And I want food since it’s lunchtime.” She explains it all matter-of-factly, like it should be obvious to me.

I scowl in exasperation. When had this been decided? I sigh and snatch up my keys off my desk. “Look, forget it. Just go to the cafeteria and eat lunch there, like you’re supposed to.”

“What? But what happened to being able to ask you anything?” She frowns and tilts her head to the side, acting all pouty and innocent.

“Hah. That doesn’t count, sorry. Now go on, I need to lock the classroom.” I jangle the keys at her, and she stares at me, her mouth hanging open slightly in indignation. Then she grumbles something and turns on her heel, marching out of the classroom with her shoulders hunched up and her skirt swishing behind her.

I roll my eyes and shake my head before I gather up my things and follow her out a few minutes later, making sure to shut off the lights and lock the door behind me.



To: Mia Fey <mfey@ihs.net>
From: Phoenix Wright <pwright@ihs.net>
Sent: September 6, 2016 2:23PM
Subject: Maya

Mia-

I talked to Maya during class today. I didn’t mention this before, but I actually met her yesterday at a restaurant by coincidence. Things seemed to be fine then, but after today…well, I’m not so sure she likes me. Maybe you could talk to her about it?

But don’t worry, Chief, I won’t give up. I’m still going to look out for her—she’s your little sister, after all. It’s the least I can do.

Phoenix

I’m still a little annoyed with Nick by the time I reach the cafeteria (I ended up getting lost halfway there and had to ask another teacher for directions) but I’ve calmed down somewhat. I know it’s silly to get so upset over a burger, but that’s not why I’m mad—not really, anyway.

I’m mad that he had to be so dismissive with me, the way he shooed me off. “Just go to the cafeteria and eat lunch there, like you’re supposed to,” he said all snootily, just when I thought that maybe things would turn out differently.

I get that a teacher can’t show favoritism or whatever, but I guess I felt a little special. He was nice to me when we first met, after all, and he told me I could ask him anything.

Of course, I remind myself, that’s only because Mia put him up to it. He didn’t actually tell me that part, but I could tell. He probably thinks I’m just a little girl that needs protecting—a nuisance. Well, fine. All I asked for was a burger.

Suddenly I realize that I’m already out of the lunch line, standing in the middle of the cafeteria with my tray (I’d grabbed three burgers and some fries—high school lunch is awesome!). And I realize that I have no one to sit with.

I get this weird panicky feeling that I’ve never had before. Well, at least, I’d never had it before today; it seemed to be triggered every time I walked into a new classroom. Seeing the rooms full of people, rows and rows of unfamiliar faces all turned towards me…it's scary. And the cafeteria magnifies that by a hundred times, a giant gathering of strangers, none of whom care to get to know me, let alone have to share a table with me.

I take deep slow breaths like the kind I learned in spirit medium training and try to locate at least one familiar face. Finally, I see a girl sitting all by herself, stabbing at a salad and looking a little annoyed. I’m pretty sure I sat next to her in science class, though I can’t really remember since I kept staring at Nick the whole time in shock.

Even though she doesn't look like the friendliest person, I take my chances. What other choice do I have, after all? I walk over to where to she's sititng and hover there for a moment, waiting for her to notice me. When she doesn’t look up, I decide to get her attention.

“Hi,” I say, though it’s more of a squeak. Her head jerks up instantly, and I shrink under her gaze. She’s got a frosty blue bob and her eyes are just as icy as her hair.

“Can I help you?” she asks through a half-lidded glare, seeming horribly uninterested in me.

“You’re in my science class, right?” I ask, trying to sound cheerful instead of intimidated. “Is it okay if I sit here?”

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear with a flick of her wrist. “Do what you want,” she says shortly, and I feel relieved that she didn’t tell me to go away—yet.

I drop down into the chair, setting my tray on the table and unwrapping my first burger. “What’s your name?” I ask, trying to get a conversation going. Maybe she’s just shy and that’s why she’s sitting alone. Or she's new like me. No matter what the reason, I feel like we’re in the same boat one way or another and that I should try to get along with her.

She stares at me, like she’s surprised I’m being so insolent, and then apparently deems it appropriate to answer my question. “Franziska von Karma,” she says with more than a hint of pride. She’s got a bit of an accent, though I’m no good at that stuff so all I can tell is that it’s something European.

The look she gives me after she introduces herself makes me feel like I’m supposed to be impressed, so I raise my eyebrows. “Wow, that’s a cool name," I tell her, racking my brain for a good compliment. "I’m Maya Fey.”

Her mouth turns down a bit as soon as I introduce myself. “Are you related to the principal?”

I'm not surprised when she asks this; of course my last name would give it away. I beam at her and nod my head. “Yep! She’s my sister. And my guardian, sort of. She looks out for me. I’ve always been home schooled before this, so when I told her I wanted to go to high school, she helped me get in.” I smile a little thinking about it; this is actually a pretty elite school so I had to fill out tons of forms and even write an essay. I did most of it on my own, but Mia gave me a hand when it came to the signatures and tuition fees.

Franziska’s frown deepens. “Hmph. And here I thought you were a simply a fool with enough luck to get accepted at a school like this, but instead I find you’re just a fool with connections.”

I blink, trying to make sense of what she just said. A fool with connections? “No, that’s not it. Mia didn’t—”

“Of course, it’s this country’s school system,” she continues, completely ignoring my protest. “Something like that would never happen in Germany, where I come from. And besides, I, a von Karma, never rely on others to get what I want. I accomplish everything with my own merit, not by…”

I listen to her rant, too shocked to interject. What she says doesn’t anger me—it's kind of funny, in a way, though I wish she would listen. But I keep quiet and wait until she’s finished. Then I say, “So you’re from Germany? I wondered where your accent was from!”

She stares at me, her mouth still open like she was going to say more. But she quickly shuts it, obviously speechless for now, and looks down at her salad.

I sigh a little, taking a gigantic bite out of my burger. Looks like lunchtime isn’t going to be very easy if it’s with Franziska.

If only Nick had bought me that stupid burger like I asked him to.




As I walk to the staff break room I think about my conversation with Maya. Was she even aware of what she was asking? I mean, demanding that I buy her food—I’m her teacher, for goodness’ sake! I can’t buy food for my students! She’s so…infuriating.

I let out a silent exhale as I reach the break room and turn the knob. I can feel a headache coming on.

And yet I can’t really get mad at her, because I remember what Mia told me. Maya probably doesn’t know any better, probably doesn’t know that you can’t ask your teacher out on a date…

“Are you all right, pal? Your face looks kinda red.”

I shake my head to clear away the thoughts and turn to address the owner of the voice. It’s Dick Gumshoe, the gym teacher, and he’s sitting at a table right by the door. Miles Edgeworth is sharing the table with him—Miles is both an old friend of mine and an administrator of the school, and has worked here a lot longer than I have.

“I-I’m fine,” I answer quickly, rubbing the back of my neck and looking away. “Er…mind if I join you?”

“Please do, Wright,” Miles says, gesturing to the empty chair, in which I obediently sit down. “Or should I call you ‘Nick’?” He takes a sip from his cup right after he says this—probably to hide his smirk.

“Ugh,” I groan in response, the heat in my face refusing to fade. “Enough with that.”

“One of Wright’s students gave him a nickname,” Miles explains to Gumshoe, who’s looking at us with a confused expression. As soon as he hears that, however, he starts chuckling.

“Ohohoh, a nickname? That’s cute,” he says, his shoulders shaking with repressed laughter.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. But it’d be nice to be called ‘Mr. Wright’ for once. It’s kind of a perk of being a teacher, you know?” I’m only kidding when I say this, but Gumshoe nods vigorously in agreement.

“Yeah, pal! Why else would we be teachers?” He’s laughing again, and I join in, my own laughter a little feeble. I honestly can’t tell if he’s joking.

Miles swiftly comes to the rescue, changing the subject. “Come to think of it, Larry used to always call you ‘Nick.’ Remember?” He’s talking about our old childhood friend, Larry Butz—well, that is, if you can call him a “friend.”

“I know, don’t remind me,” I reply with a shudder, though I don’t really mean it. I never think of Larry whenever Maya calls me Nick. If anything, I see it as a compliment when she uses it.

“How’d you and this kid get so close, anyway, to have nicknames?” Gumshoe asks, his eyebrow scrunching together in curiosity.

Damn my irrational blushing, and Gumshoe's semi-suggestive questions. “We’re not close, exactly,” I correct him, shrugging my shoulders to show how nonchalant I am about it despite my heated face. “She just happens to be the principal’s little sister, and I’m supposed to look out for her or something. It's a favor for Mia.”

He lets out another chuckle. “I see, pal. Sounds like she’s gonna be a handful.”

I merely nod in agreement. He doesn’t even know the half of it—there’s no way I’m bringing up Maya’s burger request. I’d never here the end of it from these guys. Besides, I’m definitely not going down that road with a student. It’s only my first year, after all, and I don’t want to get myself into any trouble.

Though with Maya Fey in my class, I doubt that’s going to be very easy.

Phoenix was trying to get more information out of Gumshoe about the results of the current investigation, and, as usual, the detective wasn’t being as cooperative as he would’ve liked.

“Come on, Gumshoe! I promise Nick will buy you all the burgers you can eat if you tell us what you know!” Maya chimed in when it looked like things were going nowhere.

(U-urk! That’s not your money to promise, Maya!)

Sweat ran down his face as he wondered just how many burgers the poor, starving Gumshoe could eat, and it made him want to cry. “M-Maya…let’s not get hasty…” he said quickly, before Gumshoe had a chance to respond.

“Oh, Nick! Don’t be stingy! It’s for the good of the client! We need this information!” She had her hands pressed together and a giant grin on her face: full-on charm mode.

But Phoenix wasn’t falling for it. “I’m not being stingy! If I spend all my money on Gumshoe, how am I supposed to afford your burger consumption habits?!”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you? If you don’t give a little, you can’t expect to get anything back!”

(Ouch! Way to make me feel guilty, Maya…)

(But then again…it’d be nice to be on the receiving end for once, instead of always giving my money away.)

(Come to think of it, when will it be her turn to give?!)

(*sigh* But it’s useless to think that way with her.)

“W-well, I’ll think about it…” Phoenix conceded, knowing that Maya had already won.

“Ohohoh, I remember puppy love,” Gumshoe suddenly interjected, his shoulders shaking with his enigmatic signature chuckle. It was always hard to tell if he was being ironic or idiotic.

“Wh-what was that?” Phoenix asked, feeling clammy again. He stared at Gumshoe with a half-lidded grimace; he had a feeling he already knew what he meant.

“Heh, you know what I’m talking about, pal. Puppy love. Like you and Maya, always going at it when you’re really….” He trailed off, his eyebrows jumping up suggestively.

(I knew it!)

“That’s—” he began, but Maya interrupted him.

“Huh?! Are you calling Nick a dog?” she exclaimed, clenching her fists and puffing out her cheeks.

(He would be calling you a dog, too, Maya, if that were the case.)

“Yeah…in a way…” Gumshoe replied, looking off to the side with a wry grin.

(But…that’s not what you were saying at all…)

(Ugh. Whatever.)

Suddenly Phoenix was socked in the arm. “Hey! Are you gonna let him talk about you that way, pal?!” Maya cried, though he couldn’t tell if she was actually upset or just trying to start trouble. He figured the latter.

(After all, it’s always the latter, it seems.)

“Just forget about it, Maya. Gumshoe doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Maya paused, seeming to consider it. Then Gumshoe was next to be given a punch.

“O-ouch! What was that for, pal?!”

“Are you gonna let him talk about you that way, pal?!”

“Well, I’ll let it slide this time.” Another chuckle.

Phoenix sighed wearily. They’d gotten so off track—and Gumshoe and Maya were to blame, as usual.

(At least those two forgot about Maya’s all-you-can-eat burger offer. I hope.)

Though he tried to push it out of his mind while he steered the detective back to the original topic, he couldn’t help but think about the comment Gumshoe had made. In fact, he kept thinking about it, even long after their conversation was over.

(Puppy love, huh? Is that how it looks?)

(I wonder…)

(No, no, wait! There’s no way I’m taking Gumshoe’s word for it when it comes to romantic matters! He probably doesn’t even know the meaning of ‘puppy love’…)

He heaved another sigh and thought of Maya’s reaction. He wondered if she’d just been playing dumb with Gumshoe, and if so, was it to hide something? She’d done a good job of it, if that’s what it was.

And even though he felt silly, he wondered what she really thought about it.

And then he let himself consider the possibility, just for a few seconds.

His face reddened.

(Puppy love, huh? I wonder…)

“Can I ask you something, Nick?” Maya tugged on the ends of her hair, at the moment having nothing to do but sit around and fidget.

“Mm?” Phoenix was going over paperwork for the upcoming case and was too busy to look up from what he was writing.

“Do you have…a type?”

“A ‘type’?” he echoed. His eyes were still trained on the paper in front of him, but his ears perked up a little in curiosity.

“Yeah, you know…like, I’ve never known you to have a girlfriend, so I was wondering what type of girl you go for?”

He stopped then and set down his pen. He seemed to be seriously considering her question, and it made her want to squirm in her anticipation. Finally, he answered, “…Red hair, I suppose.”

Maya’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Red hair?”

“Yeah, if she had red hair.” Phoenix picked up his pen and resumed writing once more.

“Oh.” This was strangely disappointing to her. “Isn’t that a little weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know…” She trailed off, looking for an explanation to justify her disappointment. “…It’s a hair color, for starters! And why red, of all things?”

“I think red hair’s pretty,” he replied quickly, and a little defensively, she noted, though he probably didn’t notice himself as his attention was focused back on his work.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess it is nice…” She paused, puzzling over this. “But what about other hair colors? Y’know, like brunette…or black…” It looked like he wasn’t listening to her anymore, so she didn’t get her hopes up.

“Mmm. Yeah, black’s nice,” he replied in an absent-minded tone. He reached over towards an open filing cabinet and began flipping through it, intent on finding whatever he was looking for.

Maya felt a giant smile creep onto her face. “And what about if she likes burgers?” she blurted before she could stop herself, taking advantage of his momentary distraction.

“Wait, what?” he paused in his search, giving her a bemused look. “What did you just ask me?”

She sighed noisily and pressed her hands to her pink cheeks, pretending that he was being the silly one.

“Oh, never mind, Nick. It’s nothing.”



The truth was, he’d heard every word she’d said, right down to her last question.

“And what about if she likes burgers?”

He feigned hardness of hearing and distraction just so he wouldn’t have to give real replies.

Because “Do you have a type?” had only one true answer, after all.

Her hair could be whatever color; he could care less. His “type” might like burgers, but not even that mattered.

No, none of it did. Because his “type” only needed one quality, and it wasn’t red hair: it was a person.

Specifically, one black-haired, burger-loving Maya Fey.

“Hey, Nick!”

“What is it?”

“What’s a ‘tower block’?”

He didn’t even bother to ask why she was asking; he was used to her endless and usually strange questions. “A tower block? It’s a type of apartment building—you know, the really really tall ones in big cities.”

“Whoa! Seriously?! No way!”

“Yeah…” He raised his eyebrows. She always got excited over the weirdest things. (What’s so unbelievable about it?)

“We’re totally going to move into a place like that someday, okay, Nick? Promise me! I want to live in a ‘tower block’! That sounds so cool!”

“Wh-what?! Do you even know how much a place like that must cost? I mean, we’d have to move to a more urban area of the city…”

“So? You’re gonna hit it big as a lawyer soon, I can feel it,” she said with a knowing smirk. “And once that happens, you’ll be rolling in cash. And then we can live wherever we want!”

He rolled his eyes at this, though he couldn’t help smiling at her faith in him—plus, it was kind of nice to hear the phrase “rolling in cash” associated with his name. But he remained stern. “Why would I want to pay for an expensive apartment just because you like the name for it?” (I already spend my money on far more pointless things, after all.) “And besides, ‘we’? Do you think we’re going to move in together or something?”

Her smile faded and was replaced by an irritated expression. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don’t want to live with me?”

He blinked, surprised by her question. He hadn’t realized she’d even been considering it. He certainly hadn’t. They’d always lived in separate apartments and he never saw any need for them to live together—after all, they saw each other nearly every day at the office. (Though, then again, she’s probably not really thinking about what she’s saying.) “W-well…I thought you liked having your own place?”

“Maybe so, but I’d be doing you a favor if we lived together! You may not want to admit it, but you need me, Nick. I couldn’t leave you alone even if I wanted.” The smug look quickly returned as she spoke and only grew as she pressed on. “As a matter of fact, you were barely scraping by before you met me. Gosh, what would you do without me?”

He paused and then smiled in amusement. (Good question.) “Not spend money on burgers and expensive apartments?” he guessed, half-jokingly. He knew she’d helped him out in ways that he didn’t always like to admit.

She nodded emphatically and pressed her hands together with an unfazed grin. “See? And what a tragedy that would be!”

“Welcome back, Nick!”

“Yes, welcome back, Mr. Nick!”

“Hey, you two,” Phoenix greeted the girls as he entered the office. He’d taken a trip down to the courthouse to file some documents and asked Maya and Pearl to watch things while he was away. “Any calls while I was gone?”

“Nope! But Pearly cleaned again, if you can’t tell by the sparkling toilet! She even remembered to water Charley and dusted your law books for you! Isn’t she the greatest?”

The younger girl pressed her hands to her face, clearly embarrassed but pleased. “Oh, Mystic Maya, I’m not…!”

“Heh, thanks, Pearls,” Phoenix said, stooping down to ruffle Pearl’s hair. “Though you don’t have to bother with the books next time…I doubt I’ll ever actually read them.”

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Nick!” Pearl replied with a glowing grin. “I’m happy to do it! It’s the least I could do!”

“Hey, Pearly? D-do you think I could talk to Nick? Alone?” Maya broke in suddenly, looking uncharacteristically tense.

Pearl smiled wider, clearly ecstatic. “Of course! I wouldn’t dream of coming between you two, especially on this special day! But remember: no fighting!”

(‘Special day…?’ I wonder what she meant by that…)

He was suddenly struck with the feeling he was forgetting something, but he couldn’t quite remember what. He decided to just forget about it for now and focus on whatever Maya had to tell him.

“Oh, Pearly…” Maya sighed, but Pearl had already skipped out of the room.

“What is it, Maya?” Phoenix asked curiously, slipping off his suit jacket and hanging it on the coat hook. “Is something the matter?”

“N-no, not at all! I just wanted to show you something.” She still seemed on edge, which only made him more intrigued. He watched her go behind the reception desk and pull something out from beneath counter. It was a gigantic goodie basket—one of the really extravagant ones, the kind found in supermarkets everywhere around holidays. At that moment, he remembered it was Valentine’s Day.

“W-wow!” He was speechless. “Maya, did you…?”

“N-n-no! Of course not! I mean…no!”

(A bit jumpy, aren’t we?)

“Well, then where did this come from?” he asked, rubbing his chin. “Is it really for me?”

“Yes! It…it was…delivered while you were out. And I don’t know who sent it. It was brought by some random delivery guy who said it was for you.”

“Wow,” he said again, although he felt a little suspicious. “There’s no tag or anything?”

“Nope! Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer,” she said, smirking—though it looked forced.

He chuckled at the absurdity of the idea. “Yeah, right. It’s probably a prank or something. I’ll bet Gumshoe or Larry or Edgeworth is spying on us right now, just waiting to see my reaction.” Without really meaning to, he shot a quick glance at the window, but there was no one there. He relaxed a little in relief.

“Hah, yeah, you’re probably right…” she answered, but her laugh was half-hearted. She looked down, not meeting his eyes. It was then he saw her face seemed a little red.

He was struck with an idea.

While she was still looking away, he quickly fished around in the pocket of the suit jacket still hanging on the coat hook and withdrew the Magatama. He kept his palm curled as he took it out, shielding it from view when he faced Maya again.

“Maya?”

“Y-yeah?” She looked up quickly with a startled expression.

“I want to ask you one more time…do you really not know who sent this?”

“Of…of course not! Why would I?” It happened instantaneously, as soon as she said the words—the chains shot out and the locks slammed down. Psyche Locks, of course. And she had three of them.

“Hmm…I have reason to believe that you do.”

“Wh-whaaaaaaat? Wh-why?!” With her shocked outburst, a lock shattered.

(Sheesh, that was easy…two more to go!)

“Well, look at how you’re acting, for one. I’d say it’s pretty suspect for a person who claims ignorance!” He had his hands on his hips like he was standing in the courtroom, and felt a tiny, familiar surge of confidence in spite of himself.

“Th-that’s crazy! You…you have no evidence!”

“Evidence?”

“Yeah! You can’t just go around accusing people without evidence!” Her cheeks swelled like a blowfish and her fists were up like she was ready to fight—classic infuriated Maya. “You should know that better than anyone, Nick!”

“Y-yeah…I guess you’re right…” he relented, feeling a giant, familiar drop in his gut.

“Hah! Got you there, didn’t I?!”

“Hold it! I didn’t say I didn’t have any proof.” He spoke his words with a renewed assurance as he regained his momentum.

“Ack!” She gulped audibly, her fists quickly falling back to her sides.

“I don’t know exactly what it means…but why did you ask Pearl to leave before you showed me the basket?”

“Um, well, that’s…”

“Clearly, it was because you didn’t want her to find out about the gift.”

“…!” Maya put a hand to her lips, not replying. Another lock was smashed.

(Phew…just one more…!)

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

She stayed silent for a few seconds longer before a grin suddenly creeped back onto her face. “Hah! Well, of course I wouldn’t want her to find out!”

“H-huh?” His shoulders slumped when he heard her remark. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple! After all, you know how she thinks we’re in love. She’d be really upset if she saw you got a Valentine’s Day present from another woman!”

“Objection! What makes you think it was a woman? After all, you said there was no tag!”

“Oh, objection yourself!” Maya shouted, getting into it just as much as he was. “I highly doubt you’d get a Valentine’s Day present from a man!”

“Objection! But earlier you agreed when I suggested it could be Larry or Gumshoe or Edgeworth!”

“O-objection! I…” She trailed off, looking like she’d finally run out of steam—and yet, the third and final Psyche Lock wasn’t budging. “Y-y-you’re being ridiculous, Nick! You’ve got it all wrong!” Her cheeks were once again puffed out and set aflame.

“Argh! Just tell me who it is already, Maya!”

“N-no!” She paused and bit her lip as if she were deliberating. “I know! If you’re so sure, why don’t you tell me who you think did it?!”

(Who I think did it…? How would I know?)

(…Oh, come on, Phoenix. Just look at the evidence! It’s right here in front of me, I know it!)

“Take that!” he cried, thrusting out his finger towards the culprit. “It’s got to be…you, Maya Fey, of course!”

“Gaaaah!” And with that, the final lock broke and the chains slid out of view. (Unlock Successful. Yes!) “Nooo! You’re wrong!”

“Oh, give it up, Maya. I know it was you. I just broke your last Psyche Lock.” He pinched her pink face with both hands and stretched it out, her embarrassed expression morphing into a comical one. “Just look at how red your face is! It was definitely you!”

“Wh-what? You used the Magatama on me?! How dare you!” She reached up, grabbing his cheeks and mimicking his actions. “I won’t forgive you, Nick!”

They stood frozen in a stalemate. He refused to stand down before she did, and knew she would be just as stubborn if not more.

“…How come you didn’t want Pearls to find out?” he asked finally, still pinching and pulling her face.

“Be-because…! It’s embarrassing, of course! Plus, if she knew, I doubt she’d ever give it a rest—and she’s bad enough already.”

He had to agree with that. “But…why’d you lie to me about it?”

“Oh, Nick,” she huffed, scowling as best she could with her face still temporarily warped. “I just said, it’s because it’s embarrassing, you dummy! Isn’t that obvious?!”

For the first time, he felt a blush heating up his own ears and neck. “W-well…I guess I didn’t think of that. You’re right. Sorry.”

“…” She stared at him, the mood turning suddenly serious. “Nick?”

“Y-yeah?” He felt himself break out into an anxious sweat, anticipating her next move.

“My face is getting sore.”

“Oh. Right.”

But before either them could release their grip, Pearl burst back in the room.

“Sorry, but I just couldn’t wait any longer! I had to see what you two were up to—oh!” She stopped, one hand flying to her mouth when she noticed their strange positions. “I-I…I didn’t realize…” She suddenly put on a conspiratorial grin. “I didn’t mean to interrupt a moment between you and Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya.”

(What the heck does Pearls think we’re doing?!)

He let go of Maya’s face at the same time Maya let go of his and he gave Pearl a sheepish grin. “It’s okay, Pearls…but it’s not what you’re think—” He halted abruptly, considering what he was about to say, because technically, it was what she was thinking this time, sort of. That is, if Maya’s gift meant what he thought it meant. And based on the evidence, he was pretty sure it did.

He looked quickly back at Maya, deciding to let her answer. She smiled at him, still looking flushed, and then turned to Pearl.

“It’s all right, Pearly! But do you think you could give Nick and I a few more minutes alone?”

“Certainly, Mystic Maya! It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. And you and Mr. Nick seemed to be getting along so well!” Pearl punctuated this with a vigorous nod and a giggle before taking her leave

Nick stared at Maya, waiting to see what would happen next.

(If I hadn’t had sufficient evidence before…)

“Hey, come down here for a second,” Maya said, yanking roughly on his tie and forcing him to comply with her demand.

But he couldn’t have cracked a joke about her nearly choking him with his own tie even if he’d wanted to, for he was silenced by a whisper in his ear and a quick peck on his cheek.

Which, after a shocked pause, he happily returned with a slightly lengthier peck on her mouth.

(…I certainly do now.)

It was one of the worst days of his life, but he knew the loss he felt wasn’t close to even half of what Maya Fey had to be going through.

Phoenix was amazed at the crowds that the funeral drew—he expected a few of Mia’s fellow attorneys to be in attendance, as well as other people from the precinct who’d worked with her before, but he never anticipated the vast sea of people that turned up to pay their respects. Even Miles Edgeworth and Detective Gumshoe were present, though the prosecutor’s face looked stonier than usual, and the creases between the detective’s eyebrows seemed deeper.

Everyone was dressed in black. Gumshoe shed his usual grubby attire for a surprisingly nice suit jacket, and Edgeworth traded his magenta garments for an ebony pea coat. Still, it was Maya’s outfit that seemed the most depressing to Phoenix. Though he had just met her shortly after the murder of her sister, he’d already grown accustomed to her seemingly inexhaustible wardrobe of bright purple acolyte robes. To see her in a simple but elegant black dress was almost otherworldly.

And he hated himself for noticing, but she looked really pretty—if only it didn’t have to be for this occasion.

The way her cloudy cobalt eyes remained trained on the ground the entire way to the funeral, threatening to leak tears onto the sidewalk at any moment, made him feel like his heart was breaking.

…No, breaking wasn’t quite the right word for it.

It was more like ripping.

When it came time for Maya to speak and she stepped up to the podium in front of the solemn audience and began, “I am Mia’s sister, Maya, and I’d like to share a few words with you about her…” her voice sounded so crackly and unsteady, like a worn-out gramophone, that it made Phoenix’s eyes sting with repressed grief.

He remembered the last time he’d cried in public—it was at his own trial years ago, when Mia had been his defense attorney and told him the truth about the murderous intents of his college girlfriend Dollie. For some reason, the memory made him want to laugh in spite of his grief, or maybe because of it. The sadness of everything was becoming unbearable.

Maya managed to keep it together long enough to get through her eulogy, but as soon as the coffin was lowered into the ground she started sobbing. She stiffened when Phoenix reached a hand out towards her, so he changed his mind and lowered his arm.

When the ceremony was over, he offered to walk her home. He didn’t know what else he was supposed to do.

“I-I…don’t want to go home yet…i-if that’s okay with you…” she murmured, hanging her head. Her hair, freed from its usual style for once, hung like a curtain across her cheek and obscured part of her face. Tears still dripped from her chin and her speech was quiet, though she was breathing normally now. “The thought of my apartment seems really…l-lonely right now…”

“Of course,” he said quickly, wanting to be as consoling as possible even though he was on the brink of his own breakdown. “Where would you like to go? Back to the office? Or somewhere to eat?” He cringed at his insensitivity; what kind of person offered food to a girl who’d just attended her sister’s funeral?

“Actually…” She lifted her head up and looked into his eyes. A hand rested on her stomach. “…I could really use a burger right now.”

“Huh?!” He’d said it louder than he meant, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t quite what he’d been expecting to hear.

“No…make it two burgers. Or three. Yes, that’s it. Three double cheeseburgers.” She still wasn’t quite smiling, but he could tell she wanted to distract herself. Her voice was growing a little bit stronger.

“Th-three?” He let out a low chuckle, bewildered but amused. He was eager to be distracted, too. “Um…sure, I think we could manage that.”

“No, no, on second thought…I’m in the mood for steak. Let’s have a steak dinner, Nick, just the two of us.”

Phoenix paused, shocked for a few moments longer, before he grinned, a real grin now. He put his arm around her shoulders and felt relieved when she didn’t move away this time. “Steak, huh? Sounds good. I think I know a place.”

She nestled in under his arm and smiled just a little herself, the curving of her mouth barely perceptible to anyone but him.

“Good, because I’m starving.”



(Looking back on that day, when we went to Mia’s funeral…

…I think that was when I knew.

I could never leave this girl— this young woman.

I’d always be with her.

And I hoped she’d always be with me, too.)

“I’m ho~ome!” Maya sang out, kicking off her shoes and abandoning them in the entryway as she strode through the door. She walked into the living room of the modest apartment and threw her hands up into the air. “Didja guys miss me?”

“Mommy!” A toddler with short unruly black hair and bright blue eyes ran over, flinging her arms around her mother’s leg. “I missed you!”

“Hey, Meg!” Maya greeted with a giant grin, stooping down so she was at eyelevel with the girl. She planted a purposefully noisy, sloppy kiss on her daughter’s cheek, making her giggle, and then with a dramatic sigh hugged her tightly. “Oh, I wish I could take you to work with me sometimes, Meg! You’re so cute!”

“It’s too tight, Mommy,” Meg managed to say, her face partially squished against her mother’s shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry,” Maya said, laughing and releasing the youngster. She ruffled Meg’s hair, making it even spikier than before, and then stood up. She glanced around the living room, finding it empty. “Where’s your dad?”

“In the bafroom, with the stick!” Meg answered, waving around her fist like she was holding a wand.

“I’m right here,” Phoenix chimed in, appearing in the doorway in a plain white t-shirt and shorts. “And it’s called a toilet brush. Also, I don’t know if the people of Kurain would approve of the Master taking her daughter with her on the job.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Maya complained, leaning over to give him a kiss by way of greeting. “Everybody in the village loved her when we took her there just after she was born.”

“I wanna go to Crane Village,” Meg said, reaching up to tug on the hem of Maya’s robe. “Take me, Mommy!”

“It’s called ‘Kurain Village.’ And I’ll see what I can do, Meg,” Maya replied, smiling before she scooped up her daughter and took her over to the couch. “Let’s watch the Steel Samurai, okay?”

“Yeah!” The two settled comfortably on the sofa and Maya grabbed the television remote, but she froze at the sound of her husband’s voice.

“Hold on a sec, Maya…I was hoping you could help with dinner,” Phoenix said, sounding a little exasperated. He walked over to the couch, standing behind her. “You said you’d start giving me a hand.”

Maya craned her neck back so that she was looking at him upside down. She pouted, but he gave her a firm look. “Okay,” she sighed, twisting around so that she was facing him properly. “What did you want to make?”

“Well, I was thinking we would make spaghetti—it’s the only thing we have left since we haven’t gone shopping yet. And I thought we could also—”

“Spaghetti?” Maya broke in, scrunching up her nose. “Boooring! Let’s do something else!”

Phoenix paused, having a hunch on what “something else” could be. But he asked anyway. “…Any suggestions?”

“Burgers!” Maya cried, clenching her fists in excitement. “Doesn’t that sound great, Meg?”

“Yeah! I love burgers,” Meg said happily, affecting a pose similar to her mother’s.

“Wait…when have you had a burger, Megan?” Phoenix asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. He looked to his wife. “We haven’t given her burgers yet, Maya…have you?”

“D-don’t you mean ‘we’, Nick?” Maya responded, her tone sheepish. She pressed her hands together and smiled, trying to pretend like nothing was amiss.

“Maya,” Phoenix groaned, clapping a hand to his face in frustration. “We have to go slow with introducing her to new foods, you know you can’t just…”

“What’s wrong with burgers, Daddy?” Meg asked curiously, tilting her spiky head to one side.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with burgers?” Maya joined in, cheeks puffed out in defense. “Meg thinks they’re great, and so do I! I’ve been training her to love ‘em just like her mom.” She smiled at her daughter, tousling her hair again.

“Tr-training?!” Phoenix stammered, his jaw dropping in shock. “Urk! Stop teaching her such weird things!”

“Oh, hush. You know you loved it when I taught her how to point her finger and yell, ‘Objection!’ the way her dad does.”

To demonstrate, Meg pounded her tiny hands noiselessly against the soft cushion of the couch and thrust a finger at her father. “Ejection!”

Phoenix’s stern expression collapsed into a chuckling smile. “Oh, well. I guess our daughter is destined to have a strange life.”

“Her parents are certainly weird,” Maya replied with a relieved-looking grin, clearly pleased that he wasn’t too upset.

Phoenix leaned towards her face, cupping her chin. “Well, her mother is, that’s for sure,” he murmured, smiling into their kiss.

“What about Steel Samurai?” Meg questioned, kicking her feet impatiently as her parents pulled apart.

Maya lifted Meg onto her lap and scooted over, making room for Phoenix to join them. “Let’s all watch it together, and we’ll figure out dinner later, okay? I’ll help you out for sure, I promise.”

Phoenix conceded with a nod, taking the spot next to his wife on the couch. He slid an arm around her shoulders as she switched on the TV.

“Yay! This is my favorite episode,” Meg cheered, shifting on her mother’s legs to get comfortable. Her eyes were glued to the screen. “You like it too, right, Mommy?”

“Yup,” Maya answered, resting her head against Phoenix’s shoulder. “I love it. Right, Nick?”

“Yeah, me too,” he agreed, pressing his lips against the top of her head.

The sound of the alarm clock going off elicited a groan from Maya.

“Niiiick, nooo,” she whined, burying her face into his chest and squeezing him as tightly as she could. “I’m finally taking time off from Kurain, so let’s just sleep in, okay?”

“You know I can’t, Maya.” His tone was firm, and yet he didn’t budge or even open his eyes. “I’ve got a trial today. I need to be there.”

She let out another long groan in protest and grudgingly released him. He kissed her forehead and threw the blankets away from his body, tumbling out of bed to go fetch a clean suit from the closet.

Maya pulled herself into a sitting position and gathered all the bedding together, wrapping it around herself so she was a pouting cocoon peering at him as he pulled on his slacks.

“Oh, don’t look at me that way,” he complained with a half grin, starting on the buttons of his shirt. “I’m going to miss you and Meg, but you knew this was coming. I know you want to be there, but there was no one to watch Meg on such short notice…”

She let out a gloomy sigh, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “I know, I know. But we’re going to miss you, too. I already miss you.”

Phoenix heaved a sigh of his own, and then suddenly his face lit like he’d decided something. Moments later, he jumped on the bed and tackled her, not caring if his shirt got wrinkled in the process (even though it was the only clean one he could find.)

She let out a screech, the blankets falling away as he pinned her down against the mattress.

“How can I make it up to you?” he said, trying to go for a suggestive voice but probably failing.

“Grill me a burger,” was her blunt reply, not catching on. She stared up at him with a blank expression.

“No, no,” he said, feeling both disappointment and amusement at her response. “Something else. Think romantic, Maya.”

“Romantic?” She frowned in thought and fell silent for a while. “Um, how about steak, then? By candlelight? Just the two of us?” She grinned now, like she was on a roll with the perfect plan. “We could get a babysitter for Meg, and—”

She was forced to stop talking when he kissed her. When he finally pulled away, they were both blushing, but Phoenix tried to be nonchalant about it. He rolled off of her and hopped off of the bed, quickly immersing himself in a hunt for his tie. “Never mind. No steak for you, since you didn’t get what I meant,” he joked breezily, avoiding eye contact.

But she understood perfectly now. “W-wait!” she cried, sitting up again. Her hair was a bit more mussed and her cheeks were still pink. “You didn’t let me finish.”

He finally looked over at her in curiosity as he knotted his tie. “Hm?”

She cleared her throat. “As I was saying…we could get a babysitter for Meg. A-and then, after dinner, maybe we could reserve a room at the Gatewater Hotel, and we…” Her words were lost now; as she spoke, she’d pulled the blankets further and further up her face in embarrassment, until just her eyes were showing and her voice was too muffled by fabric and bashfulness to be properly heard.

Phoenix’s eyebrows shot up. He liked this idea, but there were a few problems. “Who could we get to watch Meg?”

“Um…Edgeworth!” She giggled at her husband’s dubious expression. “Or Gumshoe and Maggey, maybe? I don’t know! But the fact is, you owe me, right? So make it happen!”

Phoenix walked back over to the bed where Maya was still sitting cross-legged. He leaned down to give her another kiss. “Well, I need to get going now, but…I’ll do my best. Promise.”

“Good,” she said with a satisfied smile. “Have a good day! Sorry I can’t be there today, but good luck.”

“Thank you. I love you…and when she wakes up, tell Meg I love her, too,” he replied, putting a hand to her face before turning for the bedroom door.

“Love you. And I’m sure she she’ll say, ‘I love you, and good luck,’ too!” Maya called out after him, and then waited for the sound of the front door closing to signify his exit. When it didn’t come right away, she slipped out of the bedroom, still clad in just a purple nightgown, and tiptoed to Meg’s room.

Peeking inside, she saw him standing at the child’s crib side, not making a sound as he watched her sleep. Maya smiled goofily at the sweet sight and lingered outside in the hall for a few seconds longer before sneaking off to bed to avoid getting caught.