The applause that she hears is mediocre at best, jeez! She deserves better than this after the years she’s spent at Gallagher. Months of grueling lessons and a weird administration, Ai was done with it back in the fall of 2021. But now she’s officially done with it as she takes her diploma, refuses to shake hands with the President, and keeps walking.
“Narumi Kato.”
He’s right after her of course and is more respectful than her. Ai stands there, waiting for him to come despite professors telling to continue walking. She ignores them, eyes on the man before her. He stops in front of her, waiting for her to do something. She almost doesn’t, she considers turning her back on him and going back to walking. Instead, she lightly hits his chest with her fist, a smile on her face. “Nice job.”
It’s a surprise to hear his sister being so gentle and kind to him. Though Narumi doesn’t ignore the kindness, he takes it with much appreciation as he nods his head. “Same to you.”
Ai barely gets through Gallagher. She didn’t know Laura Sutton nor cared for the older woman, but she def loved the freedom of her being President. Now she has to deal with some lame-o and she H A T E S it!!! Can’t really leave because it’s a part of the deal if she wants to avoid jail. So she sticks through it.
Gets decent grades, though, she does watch her brother thrive at Gallagher. He’s the brains and she’s the brawns ( even though they’re both fighters ).
By the end of their second year, their fathers gives Narumi the option to leave Gallagher and come back home. “Since your sister hasn’t gotten into any trouble, you can come back.” Narumi declines which surprises everyone. Tells them that while she’s doing alright now, you’ll never know if it’ll truly continue.
Ai thinks it’s a load of crap but goes along with it. Honestly, she would’ve felt a bit upset if he had left her. Though she never tells him.
It’s by their last year in April that the two have a heart to heart. They’re drunk, thinking about their futures and what’s to happen next. Narumi pours out his heart and feelings about being the bastard child and how left out he felt. Ai listens for once and says how she felt annoyed about his presence. “Because you’re a prime example of our father’s deceitfulness. A child of a woman who he cheated with.” A pause, as she lets the words sink and settle. “But it’s wrong of me to take that out on you. You didn’t ask to be born, much less in our family.”
There’s no tears or words of apologies, that’s all that can be said by the two. It’s the mark of their new friendship and bond as siblings.
Ai does cry a little during graduation but ONLY in front of Nate and Tigs. Because this will be the last time they’ll ever be together almost every single day. They’ve known the two since they were teenagers, the two boys were their first group of real friends. Now they’re leaving and going back to Gallagher. Wipes away their tears, tells the two if they tell anyone of this moment, they’ll kill them.
Ai goes back to Japan with Narumi where the two take on jobs as Kendo instructors for their family. This lasts for about two years for Ai before they get a job as a bodyguard for political figures. It was a joke that they brought up when talking to Priya and now look at them, protecting others.
It’s a nice job and they genuinely enjoy it. Like a lot. Because of this, Ai goes to their father saying that they no longer want to take over as the family’s head. “Let Narumi do it, he actually deserves it. He’s not the oldest but he’s the only one here with his head on straight.” A surprise to hear from his oldest child but her father doesn’t question it.
Narumi becomes the Kato’s family head and Ai continues doing work as a professional bodyguard.
She meets a beautiful Japanese woman. They date, fall in love, and get married. They have a big family. Invites her few Gallagher friends to the wedding, it’s a freakin’ party!!!
“my legs are a little exhausted, so .. yeah, i probably don’t.” he looked up at her, an amused smile playing on his lips. “beer or donuts to keep you from being too disappointed at me?”
“Do I want to know why your legs are a little exhausted?” It was obvious that she forgot about his mission, a typical Ai thing. “Beer but understand that no matter what, I’ll always be disappointed with you.”
“so, beyonce. how much do you think they told her? actually, now that i’m thinking about it, is beyonce’s bodyguard a job you could get with a degree from here?”
“Maybe they told her everything,” she said. “Not like she’ll tell anyone about Gallagher. Isn’t she an extremely private person?”
“ so, you’ve been getting’ rejected? is that what it is? ” thethought of ai making moves in the first place is enough to make him scoff. theycould probably intimiate someone into a date with their sword, if they reallywanted to. “ you could always steal nate’s girl. ” just asuggestion. trinity, ai says, and tigs could burst out laughing but all he doesis bring his brows together, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “ what doesshe look like? ”
“Unfortunately which is devastating for me to admit.” A dramatic sigh left her lips. She couldn’t understand why no women tried to admit their love for her, she would reject them of course but still! Someone confess their love for her! She deserved it. “Maybe I should do that. We would be a hot couple,” Ai said, though, she doesn’t actually consider it. As if she’ll do that to her best friend. “She’s pretty and has curly hair.”
“cheat off of me? i don’t think the test would be that difficult anyway.” which was a nerdy thing to say, he realized real quick. “plus i might use my test folder.”
“Don’t care, I just don’t want to do it.” If she applied herself properly then maybe she’ll do fine. But this was Ai, she didn’t want to do shit. “What’s a test folder?”
she laughs for many reasons. one because gallagher is having an event after its shit year and two, because the theme is saints and sinners! all a game and all good fun for her, ai takes it in as she struts out in her black dress and winged heels. jewelry is small and that’s fine, you don’t need a lot when you’re a kato. red eyeliner is worn and hair pencil straight down her back. here to get drunk and laugh with friends, narumi is also here ( as a saint, literally ) to make sure his sister doesn’t get into another fight.
“i mean… we look pretty nice and normal on the outside.” they don’t, actually, not to anyone who is even vaguely observant. ai definitely gives off could snap at any moment vibes, nate looks full of himself all the time because he is, and tigs just sort of always gives off the vibe of being high. “fallon is the only one they might take to.” but he’s biased.
“We do, Tigs does not.” If he actually let Ai have her way with him then maybe he would. What a project it would be, to turn her scruffy and inappropriate friend into the perfect gentleman. “You’re only saying that because she’s your girlfriend,” she said, singing the word girlfriend in a childish manner. “So your opinion doesn’t count.”
Trinity didn’t come over to chat, Ai’s sitting right next to the vending machine and she wants Doritos. Trinity deadpans, a hard and slow blink. “You talking to me just to be your usual annoying self or you got an agenda?” Regardless of if Ai is really Ai or pretending not to be Ai, Trinity ain’t a fan.
“Hm, I wonder why I’m talking to you.” Definitely to be her usual annoying self because she was Kato Ai. Annoying, unhinged, a bitch, a fake. Anything negative really. “Maybe because I’m bored and trying to avoid studying.” Exactly that. “Just want to bless you with my presence since everyone else is too busy to spend time with me.”
Hana’s eyebrows disappear into her purple bangs, always terrible at keeping much of a poker face. “I—” The gears in her head are working overtime to formulate an answer that will be to Ai’s liking, but inevitably, it’s too much thinking and she realizes she’s gone quiet. “Good. It feels good.” She answers honestly.
There was something cute about Hana, in how she shrunk into herself and how weird she was. She reminded Ai a lot of her own sisters, of how bashful and quiet they were. “I would hope so! I know that he’s a bit of an idiot but he’s not a bad guy,” she said. “Hopefully he hasn’t been giving you a tough time. If he has, just tell me and I’ll handle him.”
jae would argue he’s pretty damn good at picking up languages but ai’s right , arabic just wasn’t sticking for him , either . so he nods , but eyes remain on his own notes . “ you should’ve , mandarin’s easy — this is impossible . ”
“I’m glad that you understand me,” she said. “I’m not an idiot or anything but this? Makes no sense. The characters all look the same to me.”
“You tryna become a bodyguard, Kato? I hear that pays pretty well,” Priya teased, waggling her eyebrows with the air of someone who can pay that well. “See?” she grinned as the kid scurried off, tail tucked between his legs. “That’s how I do things. Cut ‘em with words, and I don’t have to lift a finger.” All in a day’s work!
“Depends on if you need one or not, and how much you’re paying.” Ai doesn’t need the money, she had more than enough from her family. But she couldn’t help but to join in the teasing antics that always happened between her and Priya. “It is very efficient but where’s the fun in only using your words?”
“as students of a difficult school, i believe the answer is yes.” he looked over. “wanna be study buddies or something?
“I hate that.” Why couldn’t their group get sent elsewhere? Why a difficult spy school like Gallagher? “Can’t I just cheat off on you during our final?”
LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : ANYWHERE W / @trinibarra
“Oh my, if it isn't Ai’s terrible Valentine's match,” Ai said, hands holding her cheeks as she smirked up at Trinity. Even months later, she was still playing into the whole ‘I’m not Ai’ farce. “If you still want a third try with Ai, I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.”
