Chapter 10- I'm gonna Renovate your Scooter!
If I owned any aspects of Persona... I just don't
Souji is in my spell-check and I am not risking the Yu, "you" problems that might happen. For those who are not typical students of Yasogami, I made up their ages and if you don't like the ages I decided… well you know my rule about it. I expect ethical respect from my readers, but if you don't want to be a respectful reader; I want you to hit the back button. I hope you enjoy the story because my readers and reviewers are one of the main reasons I write.
P.S.: All sorts of OOC stuff. Persona rules on suffixes #7 S-links do not follow word for word and I changed the expected name of this chapter.
P.P.S.: You are free to give suggestions on pairings or whatever…
P.P.P.S.: Souji is meant to be indecisive (there is a reason, and if you can't figure out why…)
Souji's thoughts
Next Day: Afternoon- Southern Shopping District
Souji spent all of last night trying to ignore what Marie had supposedly had doled out to him as a punishment for losing an unwinnable game. He tried to ignore the fact that at any point, she could ask him to go out on a date, and because of an extremely stupid slip-up on his part at Junes; there was nothing he could do about it. He imagined that she could possibly hold the punishment over his head until his wedding day and then force him to go on a date on the day he was supposed to be joined in holy matrimony just to spite him. It sounded just like something Marie might do.
I really don't want to go on a date with Marie. That's a punishment, alright…
Souji's only other way of keeping his mind away from Marie's impending punishment, whenever it might be doled it out, was spending last night studying for the written motor scooter test. It was simple and the rules were simple and painfully obvious. No person should ever do half of the things that the booklet told you not to do.
He decided to put his however long he had looked at the booklet before he fell asleep to good use and headed straight from his temporary home towards the Shopping District. Souji walked past the tofu shop, the blacksmith, and the gas station to reach the bus station. It would be a few minutes until the next bus would arrive, so the silver-haired young man rested his back against the nearby pole.
As he rested his back against his pole, Souji popped the collar of his white polo. He took a deep breath and started to stretch out his arms. It reminded him that he never got to try out the food that Yukiko made for him and Chie. He almost closed his eyes, just to complete his relaxation before the bus arrived, when a familiar fluffy-haired young man called out, "Hey, buddy!"
It's Yosuke…
Souji pushed himself away from the pole and turned to his right one-hundred and eighty degrees to see an excited Yosuke standing nearby. There was no doubt he had come for the exact same reason Souji had pulled himself away from spending the day with his little cousin. However, he also had no doubt that Yosuke would be a better mood than he would be in even if the fluffy-haired young man did not go for his license today. Souji knew just how much he wanted to be able to drive a scooter. Yosuke wanted to go to the beach, and Souji knew in the back of Yosuke's mind… there was a lot more Yosuke felt he could accomplish with the ability to drive one of these things.
Souji gave a short acknowledgement of Yosuke's presence and said, "Hey…"
"Man… are you ready for this test?" Yosuke cut straight to the heart of the matter. "I mean… I read it front to back… like a…"
Souji finished with a somewhat lackluster tone, "You read it a lot of times…" He was not this tired-sounding when he left Nanako to watch over the house this morning.
"Right…," Yosuke nodded. He started fidgeting slightly. "I just can't wait to take this test, and then find the perfect scooter."
Find one that you'll be able to afford over the next twenty years considering Marie cleaned you out…
"I'm sure you'll find a great one," Souji told him. "One that will impress all of the ladies…"
Unless they're girls that are looking for guys with cars…
"Thanks…," Yosuke smiled. He drifted off into a dream world. "It'd be awesome… girls falling at my feet…"
I want to roll my eyes, but… why can't I?
Souji took a deep breath. There was something that had been nagging him since around the time of the announcement of the suicidal, no… sports match. Souji cleared his throat to get Yosuke's attention and then said, "Hey, Yosuke…"
"Hmm? What's up?" Yosuke focused his attention back on Souji after snapping out of his happy daydreams.
"I kind of left before I had a chance to see, but how did that conversation go with… Saki, right?" Souji asked. He decided to be rather blunt.
Yosuke's happy face fell slightly, but a false smile quickly reappeared. He responded to Souji's question, "Do you want to know the whole story?"
Souji shrugged, "Only if you want to tell me…"
"Well… originally, she just came over to ask me for the afternoon off," Yosuke explained. "But… after I explained that I would tell my dad about her request, I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie in Okina together… I had a pair of tickets to this new showing…"
"And her response?" Souji questioned. He had a good idea of Saki's answer.
Yosuke shook his head slightly, "Though she said, "Not this time…" I know it means that she just finds me annoying…"
Souji shrugged. There was not much he could say in this situation. He took in a breath and then said, "Well… if you think she finds you annoying, then…"
Yosuke interrupted Souji with a smile present, "It will be fine… just gives me all the more reason to enjoy our upcoming trip."
That smile was fake…
Souji heard the bus coming in the distance. He looked in that direction, looking for the red bus. While the silver-haired young man was gazing off to his right, Yosuke changed his tone slightly, "That soccer match was rough… my legs are sore. Not to mention one of those college jerks slid into the back of my legs."
The bus rolled in and stopped in front of the two of them just as Souji answered, "I think we all took a few dings during that match. I don't think anyone came out unscathed."
Yosuke stopped on the first step of the bus that had opened its door and with a real smile on his face he said, "In your case, it was psychological damage…"
No shit…
Souji coughed, "You could say something like that…"
He followed Yosuke onto to the bus and the two walked to seats near the back of the bus, about the fourth row from the back. They did not sit on the same side, Souji would only move if twenty or so more people entered in the next three stops. Yosuke looked back over to Souji as the silver-haired young man rested back in his seat and said, "At least he chose you to punish instead of us…"
"Oh… so… better me than you," Souji rolled his eyes. The bus closed its doors and started pulling away.
"Hey… I've gone through her punishments already," Yosuke held up his hands. "But you know…"
"What…?" Souji said.
"Going on a date with Marie-chan has its advantages…," Yosuke told him.
"Oh really?" Souji raised an eyebrow.
Yosuke started, "Well… I know she's manipulative, and she probably has probably has some weird ulterior motive…"
Souj cut Yosuke off, "I thought you were listing advantages, not bad things about it…"
"I was getting there…," Yosuke said. He took a breath and explained. "The good thing about having a date with Marie-chan is that… you can say you are going on a date with Mariko. It's that… and she's still pretty."
Our club is full of pretty girls…
"Yosuke…," Souji said seriously. "It doesn't matter if the rest of Inaba is in awe about me having a date with Marie-chan. You, me, the rest of the club know her true personality. The fact that she is using a date as a punishment is a chance for her to try and be manipulative."
"Good point…," Yosuke nodded. He asked. "Do you think we should keep an eye out for you when she finally calls for the date?"
Like spying on us?
Souji shook his head, "I'll be fine. She'd probably see anyone who tries to spy, anyways."
"You're probably right," Yosuke agreed. The fluffy-haired guy shook his head and relaxed in his bus seat. "Just push it out of your mind and try to think about the exciting trip coming up."
Yeah, yeah…
"It's supposed to push all the bad memories away, right?" Souji confirmed. "Girls in bikinis?"
"Exactly…," Yosuke nodded.
The bus ride to the testing site was not as long as the one to Okina, or the sports fields. Souji and Yosuke spent the rest of the trip just idly chatting away about anything and everything. Souji just kept away from the topic of Saki, and Yosuke kept away from the topic of Souji's upcoming forced date of Marie. The two stood up, walked to the front, and stepped off the bus at the designated stop. They entered the building and after waiting for a few minutes in a dreary gray building where lots of people were sitting around filling out documents to renew licenses and such; the two were finally able to take the written test.
Souji sat in a cubicle-like area with a pencil and his paper where he was separated from Yosuke by dividers so he could not cheat. There was no reason for him to cheat, though. The test was so incredibly easy that cheating would probably give him a worse score than if he did not. After wasting a few minutes of his life filling in his answers, he turned in the sheet. Yosuke soon followed, with a knowing look on his face. It was a look that said that he knew he passed the test.
The two sat back down in the waiting chairs as the people behind the counters graded their tests. A few minutes later, Yosuke and Souji were called back to receive their licenses. For the first time, Yosuke had tied him score-wise in a test of some sort. They both had perfect scores.
This was so easy… At least I got it over with…
Souji and Yosuke took similar seats on the bus on the way back. Yosuke made a comment when the bus started up again, "I don't think I needed to study as much as I did."
"Just how much did you study?" Souji questioned.
"All last night…," Yosuke smirked.
He pulled an all-nighter?
Souji chuckled, "Imagine if you spent that much time on your actual studies…"
Yosuke rolled his eyes, "I got my priorities straight…"
Of course you do…
Souji shrugged, "If you say so…" He changed the subject. "So now you just need to go get your scooter…"
"Yeah… I got one that I want in mind," Yosuke said. "What about you?"
"I've got a good idea on one, too…," Souji said.
"Nice…," Yosuke nodded.
When the bus pulled into the Shopping District, Yosuke and Souji headed off a nearly empty bus. Yosuke wished him well as he headed off to an afternoon shift at Junes. Souji looked around as his friend left the Shopping District. To his left, he caught a familiar face in his peripheral vision.
Souji turned in that direction and headed towards the Moel Gas Station where the person he saw was filling up the gas tank of a scooter along with the actual attendant; it was the same gray scooter the silver-haired young man saw every day he came home from school or the Boredom Relief Club. Souji walked up to the person who was standing next to the scooter; he did not expect him to be there.
Why aren't you at work, overclocking… missing time with your daughter?
Only when Souji came within a meter of his uncle did Dojima notice him. Souji's uncle raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw him and took a step back. "Hey… I didn't notice you…"
Obviously…
His uncle continued, "What have you been up?"
"I just went to the testing site… to get my license and what not," Souji answered.
Dojima said, "Already?" He looked back at the scooter and then back at Souji. "I didn't think you would go get your license so quickly."
Souji responded, "This was something I could get done today, so I decided to go get my scooter license while I had some time."
"I should have expected this...," Dojima stifled a chuckle. "You don't like to waste time when it's something important."
Souji nodded, "I guess it could be considered important…"
"You must have something you really want to do that require a scooter license," Dojima said. Souji's uncle smiled as the attendant finished working on the vehicle. "I thought I should have this old thing tuned up before you got your license, but since you already have it. I want you to drive safe." Dojima picked up the gray helmet from the back of the scooter, took a step forward, and then handed it to Souji. "Remember to wear this…"
Souji nodded, "Of course…"
Dojima wished him the best and proceeded to leave the Shopping District to head back to work. Souji was not sure, but he had a feeling that he would be entertaining Nanako by himself tonight. He was extremely lucky to obtain his scooter with such little fuss, and even luckier that his uncle took care of the tune up himself.
He even provided me with a free tank of gas… Maybe it was because I keep getting the top scores on exams?
Souji knew he could not leave the scooter by the pump, so he strapped on his helmet, and with slight difficulty; he slid his leg over the side. With a little more difficulty, he started the ignition and grabbed the right handle to rev the engine. With even more difficulty, he managed to speed out of the gas station and head out towards the edge of the Southern Shopping District. He went at a somewhat slow speed because he was not quite sure of himself.
It's not exactly hard to drive, but I don't want to hit anyone. I just have to make sure I stay on the correct side of the road.
Souji slowly drove out of the Southern Shopping District, but he was flagged down by Kou and Daisuke just as he entered the Northern Shopping District. He slowed even more as he noticed the dark-haired Kou waving at him, and a realization settled in as soon as Daisuke motioned him towards Aiya's.
There is no place to park around here, and I don't think it's legal to idle.
Souji knew he could not go back and park at the gas station because he had no remaining business there. He was not exactly sure where to park his scooter to converse with the two members of the athletic clubs. He drove as slowly possible until he exploited the side entry to Aiya's. Souji finally found himself in a mix of the parking and the delivery area. He turned off the ignition as he threw down the kickstand.
After Souji removed his helmet and placed it on the back of his scooter, he headed towards the front of Aiya's. When he reached the front, Souji greeted the two young men still waiting in front of him.
"Kou… Daisuke…," Souji said.
"Yo…," Daisuke replied. "It's about time you fulfill your end of the promise."
"My end, eh?" Souji said.
Kou nodded, "You owe us some food…"
If I had to buy a scooter, then there would be no way for me to fulfill the Aiya half of the bargain. However, I didn't have to buy a scooter.
"Okay, okay…," Souji responded. "Let's get some food…"
The three of them, led by the tracksuit-wearing Daisuke, stepped into Aiya's and took three stools right in front of the chef. Daisuke sat far on the right, Kou in the middle, while Souji sat on the left. The three waited for the chef to wait on them, waiting to be served.
"What can I get ya?" the chef finally asked.
Those two had to order the most expensive items with a la carte items added on. If they order seconds… figures…
While the three ate, Kou looked over to Souji and said, "Even though we lost, it was pretty fun to play with you guys."
"Aren't you saying that because you got to play with Chie?" Daisuke said.
Kou rolled his eyes in Daisuke's direction before he denied Daisuke's statement. Daisuke then continued, "Kou's reasons aside. It was pretty fun." Daisuke smiled. "We got a free meal out of it, too."
Don't you get another one at some point, too?
"Well, I'm glad you had fun," Souji said somewhat sarcastically. It went better for everyone but him, after all.
Kou took another bite of his food and changed the subject, "Anyways… I saw your new scooter. Did you just get that?"
"Oh yeah… that thing looks cool…," Daisuke nodded. "Where'd you get that?"
"Family heirloom…," Souji responded as simply as possible.
"I see…," Kou said.
Souji explained, "I just got my scooter license, so the vehicle was kind of naturally passed along to me."
The meal continued, with Souji having to pay for more and more. It was turning into seconds and thirds. Souji started to believe he would not have enough money in his wallet and he would be washing bowls before the day was done.
Souji finished his bowl and set down his chopsticks. A few seconds later, Kou and then Daisuke put down their chopsticks. Souji dreaded the fact that the chef, Aiya, was coming over to administer the bill. The silver-haired young man pulled out of his wallet and prepared to check the paltry amount that was inside.
I don't want to wash bowls…
"Here you go…," Aiya put the bill down.
Souji pulled out his money and started rifling through his money, hoping he had enough. He went through each bill, one by one. He neared the end of his money pile, still short. He kept going, the note value decreasing as the counting went on. As the final bill was counted, it matched the bill to the exact amount. Souji just barely had enough to pay for all of the food the three had consumed.
Thank god…
Souji exhaled what constituted a huge sigh of relief. He wished Kou and Daisuke a good day and stood up. He turned to leave, slid open the door, and walked out of Aiya's.
Souji went straight for his scooter after he left the shop. He did not quite zoom out of the parking lot. In fact, before he could truly turn onto the main street of the Shopping District, Souji had to slow because a non-descript police officer facing down a young man who was much taller and much, much more imposing.
Is that Kanji?
Souji stopped his scooter right in front of Kanji and the officer. The officer immediately noticed because of the noise and then the sudden lack of it. Kanji also turned his head when the officer's attention left him. Souji pushed down the kickstand and left his scooter over away from any oncoming traffic. He walked over to the officer and Kanji to see what exactly was going on.
"Excuse me, officer…," Souji said as he walked up. "Do you mind if I ask what is going on?"
The policer officer glared at the second-year and responded, "This young man here has been accused of bullying…"
Souji raised an eyebrow. He glanced over to the younger member of the Boredom Relief Club with bleached hair who looked at Souji with a look of denial. Souji quickly replied to the officer, "Do you have any concrete proof of this bullying? Do you happen to have a warrant of some sort?"
The officer's glare turned volatile. He said to Souji, "Are you admitting to being part of his group?"
What group?
Souji inwardly rolled his eyes. Kanji, however, said angrily, "We're not bullying anyone!"
The police officer turned away from the silver-haired young man back to Kanji. Before he could say anything to him, though; the civil servant was interrupted by a young boy with a blue and red shirt who walked up from the direction of Konishi Liquors, "Mister… Mister…!"
Both Souji and the police officer immediately looked in the boy's direction as Kanji said, "I told you not to call me Mister!" The kid looked unmoved by Kanji's response.
The police officer looked down to the brown-haired boy and while gesturing over to Kanji, he asked, "Did this man here bully you?"
"Nope…," the kid vehemently shook his head in response. He then turned to Kanji and said. "My mom loved the little animal you made. She gave me some money for me to give to you…" He added. "Sana loved the one you made, too…"
The police officer looked beyond perplexed at the little kid's statement. Souji finally noticed the large bulge in his left pocket. The second-year quickly tried to clear any bad thoughts in his mind. He watched Kanji blush slightly as he pulled out a pink alligator, a blue elephant, and then another stuffed animal.
What the hell is this?
After pulling out the animals, Kanji handed them to the kid and said, "I'm glad you like them… I… made some more for you and… well…"
"You've been making stuffed animals?" the police officer looked astonished, his eyes going from the kid to Kanji, and then to the stuffed animals. "I thought it was money… Why are you making stuffed animals?"
"It's… it's…," Kanji stuttered. "It's because I love sewing shit, and making stuffed animals, damn it!"
So angry…
It took five more minutes to calm Kanji down, clear up everything with the police officer with a mix of first-hand accounts from the others, and refuse the money from the kid for the animals that Kanji made. Only when Kanji's mother showed up and made the police officer look out of place did he completely stop accusing the first-year, but not before warning him to be careful and watch himself. After Souji was told off by the officer for leaving the scooter in the street, the officer, Kanji's mother, and the kid finally left the two Boredom Relief Club members by Tatsumi Textiles.
Souji was a little uncertain of what to say to his fellow club member, but he took a step towards Kanji and said, "Well, that was eventful…"
Kanji looked a little embarrassed, "Sorry…"
"No… no…," Souji shook his head. "What is there to apologize for?"
"I caused you trouble, Senpai," Kanji explained. "You had to come and try and help explain everything for me…"
But I didn't know anything… I had no idea that you sewed…
Souji decided that refuting the apology any longer would just cause trouble. Instead, he inquired, "So… how long have you been sewing?"
Kanji again looked slightly embarrassed. He seemed to not want to answer that particular question. He took a breath and then said, "Well… I kind of always had an interest in things like sewing and artsy stuff. I mean… my mom is like, 'Cloth is alive' and stuff; it kind of made me interested in it, too."
"Carrying on the family business?" Souji nodded.
Kanji shook his head, "I… don't know about that." He quickly said. "I can't really tell people that I like this sorta stuff. I mean… people always look on me funny. It's always been that way."
Well…
"I just think… they don't know the whole you," Souji said. He sounded a little unsteady because he had not seen the whole situation. "Now, from what I saw, you helped that boy with something."
Kanji nodded, "That kid lost his friend's stuffed toy, and the only way I could help was to… I don't know…"
"Well, it sounded like whatever you did was rather nice," Souji said.
Kanji muttered, "If only everyone saw it that way…"
What'd he say? He's mumbling
Kanji looked past Souji to newly inherited silver scooter. Changing the subject with much relief on his face, he asked, "You got a scooter, right? That must have meant you got your license…"
It was Souji's turn to nod as he replied, "I just got my license today. This scooter… it was my father's."
Kanji looked really impressed by it, even after Souji mentioned the vehicle's age. Souji knew that Kanji would not be able get his license until well after the beach trip, but Kanji could at least admire it. He was unsure about the idea Kanji had of cycling all the way to the sandy shores.
Is he really going to bike all the way to Shichiri Beach?
"Hey… Senpai…?" Kanji interrupted Souji's thoughts.
"Hmm…?" Souji said.
"Are you planning on boosting the horsepower on that thing or anything?" Kanji referred to the scooter.
Souji shook his head, "I don't think so. I think it would be kind of wrong to mess with the set-up of what my uncle gave to me."
Kanji gave him a knowing look that the silver-haired young man did not quite understand, but he got the general idea that what he was doing was the right thing to do. Souji nodded in agreement, but stopped when it looked like Kanji wanted to change the subject.
"Do you want to hang out some more some other time? I mean… outside of our club…" Kanji asked. There was a little nervousness tinging his voice. "I mean… I kinda told you that I'm not very good with people, and I'd like someone to try and understand me…"
Huh? What's this about?
Souji shrugged, "Sure, we can hang out sometime, or whatever…"
I don't care…
"Cool…," Kanji nodded. He changed his tone and the subject. "I gotta go... Mom's making dinner…"
"Uhh… okay…," Souji wished him well. "See you later."
Souji watched Kanji turn around and head towards Tatsumi Textiles. Before he slid open the door, Kanji turned his head back to Souji and said, "Have fun on your date, Senpai…"
Never mind… I hate you, Kanji…
With Kanji finally back at Tatsumi Textiles, Souji finally listened to what the officer asked him to do minutes ago right before he left. Souji swung his leg over the scooter, started it up, and headed away from the Shopping District. As he headed towards the Residential District, he had learned a few things, accomplished a few things, and was generally… confused.
Souji was hoping for just a few things as he left the Shopping District riding his newly obtained scooter. Those hopes were that Marie would not call anytime soon. The other hope… was that Nanako would be home from Maki's house so that he could make dinner for her. He also somewhat wished that his uncle was home so he could at least try and show gratitude for Dojima giving his old scooter to him.
It's not the monetary worth of that old thing that my uncle probably cared about… it's about giving up lasting memories. I'm guessing… he wants me to make my own… he wants me to make similar memories.
Next Chapter: Chapter 11- Make me a Promise at Samegawa
I know this is short, and the next chapter will most likely be short, too (next chapter is not the date). I hate writing Kanji, but I have to give him some lines… occasionally. I have another story brewing after I finish this one. BRC may not be my last P4 story after all, but I might need help with the new one. Thanks for reading, everyone…