Author's Note: This chapter involves bit more bond building between characters and introduces the MUSES... I'm not sure if I'll already write this in previous notes but most battles are not going to written as it would be highly repetitive except for when they are boss battles. I'm sorry if any of characters are little out-of-character, there are a few changes to the original storyline thanks to Runa's presence in this part but hopefully the character still stay at their core themselves.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights go to their respective owners.
Chapter 10 - MUSES!?
The search for rumours was not hard. People who stand at street corner really do love to talk to people about gossip. Also it was a great opportunity to buy new armour and supplies.
Another thing is that people are very skilled at ignoring me… Persona world people are extremely oblivious though it does explain why the heroes in Persona 4 could enter the TV with weapons without anyone noticing. Though, still doesn't explain why some people notice Tatsuya has a sword in scar bard but never blink twice when I'm holding a naginata in hand. And no one notices my naginata unless I tell them it's there. Then they're all, 'how come I didn't see that before how silly of me,' and then they change the topic and forget about it… Again.
Anyhow the rumourmongers and other people around town were excited about the debut of an idol group called MUSES. The idol group was managed by Ginji Sasaki who Runa also knew was Prince Taurus and the group itself had three members; Mami 'Sheba,' Shibata, Miho 'Mee-ho,' Ogishima were the first two and were friends with Lisa. Concurrently the poster doesn't show the third member but rumours suggested it was Lisa and those rumours would be correct despite Lisa's lack of knowledge about the upcoming debut. Mami and Miho forgot to tell Lisa about it.
Chikarin had no new information apparent from the idol group's debut.
Also the abandon factory… Great place to grind in the game, stinking terrifying to place to go in real life. I swear if I hear another rumour about a cursed taxi or weird monster occupying that place I will break, Runa sighed.
Then somehow after they visited the Sumaru Gyspy, instead of going to the Honmaru Park to talk to the rumourmonger there they ended up in Konan Police Station.
Runa paused at her surroundings, why did the others want to come here? Ohh! Puppy dog statue!
Runa eyes lighten up. "Aw! It's absolutely adorable! I love this statue!"
"Woof-Woof!" The police uniform wearing dog statue barked.
"Oh! It barked! Awesome!" Runa was easily distracted by cute things. Keep in mind her definition of cute doesn't always match with everyone else's.
"At least she's not going gaga over what she thinks are cute demons," Lisa shrugged.
Eikichi complained about Runa. "Yeah, just how was that demon cute? It was trying to kill us and she just cooed at it."
"At least it stopped trying to eat you afterwards. Some of those demons like being adored and flattered by Runa-chan," Maya brightly reminded him.
"However there were demons who hated it and tried to rip her face off… So not exactly fool-proof method of demon negotiation," Eikichi argued.
Tatsuya groaned annoyed. "Why are we here? Can we go now?"
"Hm… Why did we come here?" Yukino wondered.
Lisa suggested that. "Hm… I guess we just got bored of asking people about rumours."
"That's a perfectly valid reason, of course why didn't I think of that," Tatsuya sarcastically grumbled.
"Tatsuya, Runa, it's odd for you both to come here," Katsuya approached them.
"Katsuya…!?" Runa jumped and shifted her attention to Katsuya.
Apparently this was her current incarnation's eldest brother. The police officer had neat brown hair that was styled in such a way it practically gave him sideburns. He wore a grey suit pants, an open grey suit jacket with a red shirt and a black tie underneath. At his hip his gun holster was attached to his belt. He had red-tinted sunglasses resting on his face.
Also Katsuya had a serious expression that made him somewhat intimidating for a girl trying to lie about everything. This is due to the fact his job partly consisted of knowing when people are lying. Runa smiled and said hello to Katsuya while in her mind she told herself to act natural and don't panic. You've haven't blown your cover yet Runa, you won't fail now…
At this point Runa wished she had more confidence. Katsuya gave both Runa and Tatsuya a suspicious look. He knew something was up. "There's no way you've only come to visit me, your older brother."
"I visit you here… Occasionally," Runa protested.
"Yes, but normally Tatsuya doesn't come," Katsuya crossed his arms. "What business do you two have at the police station? Did something happen?"
Runa glanced at Tatsuya for help. The senior Sevens High student turned and played with his lighter. "You're no help," Runa sweat-dropped as she grumbled to Tatsuya and then smiled awkwardly at the detective.
Katsuya directed his words at his brother. "Hm. Same as always. Honestly, Tatsuya how long do you intend to disappoint our parents?"
"…" Tatsuya remained silent.
"Even now, I don't think you'll ever understand myself or father. But you won't gain anything by just running away either," Katsuya informed him.
"… Right, if I told I was looking into an organisation called the Masked Circle, it's involvement with Joker and rumours. You would…" Tatsuya started.
Katsuya cut him off. "The Masked Circle? What's that? Don't try to fob such a dumb story off on me. All you ever do is wander around aimlessly. Sometimes I think I can't can any peace without tying you to a tree or something like that…"
"But he's not lying… He's telling the truth, there really is…" Runa began tying help Tatsuya.
Katsuya moved his head side to side. "Really Runa… You're just as bad, you think you can run around without ever considering the consequences of your actions and without getting hurt. You are always putting yourself into situations that are incredibly dangerous… You worry me more than our brother at times."
"I can take care of myself you know. I'm not a porcelain doll, I won't shatter into pieces. I'm tougher than everyone gives me credit for. You don't need to worry," Runa narrowed her eyes.
"You are so naive, little sister. You have Iron deficiency anaemia and the last surgery you had on you hand was only six months ago… I have to worry about you… Because evidently you don't seem worry about yourself as much as you should. You think everything will always turn out well but it doesn't always end like that. One of these days, neither Tatsuya nor I will be able to protect you," Katsuya sighed mentally exhausted. "The both of you need to grow a little."
"… Hmph, I don't need either of you to protect me. I can do that myself," Runa huffed.
"No… I may disagree about me but Katsuya's right about you. You're an accident prone disaster magnet. You always get yourself into trouble and he's unfortunately right… You think life's just a big game you can't lose but… You are strong in many ways but you're not invincible," Tatsuya said.
"What! You're on his side!? Ugh!" Runa yelled before she stormed out.
I can't deal this babying stuff, I'm 15 people! I'm a teenager not a bloody child, people! I can make my own choices just because most of them end up going badly doesn't mean I need to be shielded like some… Ugh! I don't like this! Runa walked as far as she could from the police station in around 15 minutes. She marched on still furious and to vent out her frustrations,shekicked at a bin.
It fell over. Runa noticed the rubbish on the ground and told herself she didn't care but she couldn't ignore it. She went and cleaned up her mess.
"Yeah, fierce aren't you? Can't even kick a bin over without feeling guilty about hurting the environment," Tatsuya observed as he leant on nearby wall, just as Runa was finishing off her clean up of the mess she caused.
"Go away Tatsuya… How long have you been there?" Runa grumbled and dusted her hands off.
"Long enough to see you cut yourself on some glass, you moron," Tatsuya eyes widen as he noticed blood on her hand.
"Oh… I didn't notice," Runa looked at her right hand with puzzlement. "How I'd miss that?"
"You forgot that your right hand doesn't have much feeling in it again, didn't you?" Tatsuya sighed when he grabbed her hand and examined the wound.
"I'll just heal it with my Persona, I guess," Runa shrugged and was kind of weird out that she could barely feel her right hand. She knew it was there but she knew she should be feeling at least some pain. The cut was pretty deep.
"It's got glass in it and probably rubbish… Ugh, this is what we were talking about. You always ran off and managed to do something stupid," Tatsuya glared at her.
"…" Runa frowned she had no defence, not noticing that cut was pretty dumb despite not being able to feel it. Though she never had to be careful of something like that before in her old life. She never really got injured much, people had always treated her like a caged baby bird, even the people who wanted her to get hurt.
"Don't use your Persona if you try to heal this while it's like this you'll make it worst. Normally I'll take you to the hospital but I think after it's cleaned up, you could fix it better than they could without the needle."
"Needle?"
"Yes, who knows were that stuff has been… Ugh, this worst than the time you got that snake."
"It was a cute snake though."
"… Sometimes I wonder about you… Seriously Runa, come on. I think there's a public bathroom around here somewhere…"
"… Why do you care?" Runa pondered accidentally aloud.
"That's a stupid question… You've been weird lately… Is everything okay with you?"
"Huh? Ah… No… I mean yes… I'm okay…"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow as the two of them walked to nearest bathroom.
"Fine, I'm not exactly okay but… There's a lot going on… And I hate being so useless all the time. I can heal and put on shields but my only attack does almost zero damage. I thought maybe I could prove that I'm strong but all I'm doing is looking like an idiot and being saved by everyone else."
"… You're the healer, that's 're an idiot, I already knew that but you saved us too, more than once. You're not a fighter, you don't have to be. The only reason why you're getting saved all the time is because you don't listen and you try to do everything by yourself."
"Ironic, coming from you."
"… Hmph, just shut up and get in there," Tatsuya gestured to the boys bathroom.
"But that's…!" Runa's maroon eyes widen.
"I'm not going in the girls, so suck it up, sunshine. You're the one who got herself hurt," Tatsuya dismissed her.
Runa reluctantly went inside the boy's bathroom. Tatsuya told her to sit on the counter and got some paper towel. He then began cleaning up the blood around the wound. After a while, Tatsuya started picking out shards of glass out of her palm.
"Um… Tatsuya where are the others?" Runa asked.
Tatsuya threw a bloody glass shard in the sink. "Oh… Now you remember about them."
"Er… Yeah… I kinda forgot about everyone," Runa admitted sheepishly.
"They are looking into the rumours going around at Honmaru Park like the fortune teller suggested. The rumourmonger Toku will probably give them something good."
"Right… Sorry, I didn't think that I would cause…"
"That's the point, you don't think…" Tatsuya took a breath to calm himself. "You need to consider others before you run off."
"I'll do that… Er… Is this going to take much longer? If you want, I can get out the glass. I'm sorry that I worried you but I can…"
"Again, shut up. I'm doing it already. Besides I'll be annoyed if you missed a shard. Thus I'm doing it so you sit there and be patient."
"…" Silence for a few seconds. "Can I talk to you? I'm just…"
"Bored, well so am I. Fine, we can talk," Tatsuya agreed before he cursed under his breath. "F#(%, just how much glass is in there?"
"Um… Tatsuya, I… I was wondering if it was okay to ask abo…"
Tatsuya interrupted her. "What's up with you? Stop being so formal all the time, I'm your brother. There's no need for it. If you're gong to ask me a question, ask it. Don't skate around it until the next ice age arrives."
She frowned she was using rather formal Japanese and was kinda distant…. "Um, brother, why is it that can you change your Persona? Yet Igor always tells me that I great affinity for all of them but I'm not compatible any Persona save for Electra."
"Maybe you're not true to yourself. If you're only allowing one side of yourself be shown. Then maybe, until you can be true to yourself you'll only be able to summon Electra."
"Er… Wh-What!? I'm so totally being true to myself! What are you talking about?" Runa panicked.
"You're not… Don't deny it. Your acting strangely as hell. I'm not sure what's going on exactly but just don't try so hard to be yourself. Just figure it out. I know you can so stop doubting who you are and the perhaps your other potential Personas will too," Tatsuya checked her hand for more glass but couldn't find any. "Alright, I think we're good. You can heal it now."
Runa hesitated but nodded. She summoned Electra and healed her wound. Afterwards she told Tatsuya. "Thanks… Let me know if I can help in anyway in the future."
Tatsuya yawned and told her they should go meet up with the others at the Kuzunoha detective agency. Runa asked him why that location. He answered. "It where we arranged to met up after you stormed off."
"Oh…" Runa commented before she remained silent. That's coincidental, we actually needed to go there for the next story event. Huh…
Soon the duo arrived at the detective agency where Maya, Eikichi, Yukino and Lisa had just themselves entered. Yukino greated them. "Hi, you two! I see you managed to find your sister."
"Yep… I would of got here sooner if she didn't accidentally cut herself on some glass because she thought kicking a bin over was good idea," Tatsuya replied.
"Tatsuya!" Runa gaped at him.
"What? It's true," Tatsuya yawned.
Runa crossed her arms and huffed. She then notice the poster depicted the MUSES idol group, Mami and Miho were easy to recognise but the girl in the centre was a silhouette of someone spuriously like Lisa. Which was the intent of the poster's creator of course.
Tamaki was arguing with Tadashi already about the poster. "…You stole this from the station, didn't you? Go put this back right now!"
"What!? Nooo… I just found it! If you leave them there, they'll get snatched up by someone else just like that!" Tadashi argued. Tamaki groaned and threw her hands up in air.
"Sheesh… Those two are at it as usual… They haven't changed one bit," Yukino sweat-dropped.
"So I take it they knew about incident in Mikage-Cho as well," Tatsuya concluded.
Yukino grimaced and nodded. Maya however was informing Tamaki about the Masked Circle and had asked Tamaki about it.
At the same time Lisa was wondering what all the fuss about the poster was. "Huh…?" Lisa glanced the poster. "Those girls here… Oh, come on…"
"What's with the poster…? Oh, I get it," Tatsuya noticed the poster and could understand Lisa's reaction to it.
Tadashi saw Tatsuya looking at the poster and he boasted. "Heh-eh-e, whaddaya think of my poster? It's Muses! A genuine Muses poster! You know about Muses, right?
"Yes… Unfortunately the entire city is talking about it," Tatsuya tiredly answered.
"Heh-eh-e… What can I say? I'm a red-blooded male and a sucker for cute girls. I hope thy reveal the third girl soon," Tadashi admitted.
Eikichi shook his head at the entire scenario. "Honestly, a grown man going around stealing posters? He must have no self-control at all."
"I think you're right especially considering he said what he just said in front of his girlfriend. Is he stupid or…?" Runa grimaced.
Eikichi shrugged in response.
"Let's see if Chief Todoroki knows anything about what we've learnt. He might have some leads we could follow." Maya advised.
"We're already here, why not?" Tatsuya agreed.
Maya and Tatsuya told Chief Todoroki what they've learnt about the existence of Masked Circle. Afterwards, Chief Todoroki informed them that. "I get the gist of your story. But I'm sorry, I've never heard of this Masked Circle."
"Tamaki-san doesn't know either," Maya told Tatsuya.
Then Tadashi who had been chatting to Lisa exclaimed. "Huh!? These two in the photo here are your classmates!?"
Runa winced. "Ow… My ears…"
"Y-Yeah… I guess… That's Sheba and Mee-ho, all right…" Lisa grimaced.
Tadashi looked at poster then at Lisa then at the poster again before he announced. "Oho! I see. I get it. Mystery solved! Se that girl's silhouette in the centre! The last member, a closely guarded secret until now. It was you the whole time!"
Lisa's jaw dropped as Tadashi pointed at her. Eikichi scoffed at the concept. "Ginko? An idol? Dude, you can come up with better material than that."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Lisa whirled around to face Eikichi, her fist raised.
Tadashi the stepped closer to her causing her to spin around to face him again. Tadashi looked Lisa up and down. "No, there's no mistake! Rumour has it the third member is a blonde girl with an amazing body. You fit the bill, all right!"
"H-Hold on there…" Lisa felt uneasy about the whole notion.
"Gimme! Gimme an autograph! Please! You're gonna go to Mu now, huh? I heard they're hooding a video shoot there," Tadashi begged. Lisa shook her head. Tadashi continued to beg. "Are you going to meet up with the other two at Mu? Why'd you keep it a secret? C'mon, gimme an autograph! Autograph! Autograph! Autograph! Autograph! Autograph! Autograph!"
A vein in Tamaki's forehead throbbed before she moved forward and punch him in the arm. "That's enough, you god ^^#*& nitwit!"
Tadashi realised he was in trouble, he fled to the back of the agency, Tamaki followed and proceed to give him a beating. Runa glanced briefly at the direction two went before following the other Persona-users as they examined the poster.
"Now I see… Those Sevens kids saw this poster and thought Lisa was making her debut…" Yukino mentioned.
"What Sevens kids?" Tatsuya puzzled.
"The ones they met at the park, while you were cleaning glass out of my hand," Runa informed.
"…Wait. How do you know that?" Tatsuya narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion.
Runa quickly made up a hopefully believable lie. "I-I heard them talk about it, w-when you were telling Chief Todoroki about the Masked Circle."
Tatsuya seemed satisfied with that lie. Thank goodness, Runa almost let out a breath of relief until she recalled that would be extremely suspicious.
"Heh-eh… An idol, eh?" Lisa said to herself and giggled.
"Lisa, this is no joke! Did you forget that rumours are coming true? You could actually end up debuting for real!" Maya reminded her. Lisa gulped. Maya then commented on the poster depicting the MUSES. "Something's odd about this poster. It's like they put these up specifically to make people speculate that Lisa's the third member."
"Another rumour… You think it's the Masked Circle?" Yukino hazarded a guess. Runa could still hear Tadashi being beaten up by Tamaki.
Maya held her hands up and shook her head. "I don't know why they'd do it, though… Guess we should look into this."
"Oh, Tamaki… I think he's learned his lesson by now…" Yukino called out to Tamaki.
Tamaki reluctantly agreed and stopped hitting Tadashi.
A bruised Tadashi limped out to the couches in the main room of the detective agency after about less than five minutes. Tadashi however acted like nothing happened and was focused on the case. "Hmm, I'm curious about Muses, but also about the Masked Circle… I get the feeling they're a dangerous bunch."
"Right…" Runa muttered.
"We're be looking into the Masked Circle, too. We'll let you know what we find," Tamaki informed the group.
She's not still mad at him anymore… That was quick, Runa commented without a word.
"What should we do first?" Tatsuya asked Yukino.
Yukino answered. "I think we should visit those friends of Lisa's from the poster first. Let's ask them what's going on."
Maya advised. "They're holding a video shoot for Muses at Mu, right? I wonder if we'll see Lisa's friends. We should head over there soon."
Lisa was off by herself away from the group. Runa was surprised when Tatsuya begrudgingly went to check on her. "You okay?"
"Yeah… I am… I'm just a little shocked, I guess," Lisa held one arm with her other hand. She admitted to Tatsuya. "I didn't notice at first because of what they were wearing… but what are Sheba and Mee-ho doing?"
"… That was rhetoric, right?" Tatsuya asked without expression.
Lisa laughed and nodded. "It was. But thanks I needed that."
Tatsuya half smiled before he wandered over to Runa. "How's the hand?"
"Hm? … Oh that, I don't feel a thing," Runa assured him.
"Let me look at it," Tatsuya told grabbing her hand and he checked it. "Not even a scar… Those techniques Trish taught you are quite effective."
Runa took her hand back off him. "Um… Yep."
Tatsuya gave her a look. "…"
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"No… It's just you're different than before. I can't place it though. It's like you're more yourself than before or something… Never mind, forget it. Sis, you hang out with Lisa-chan's friends occasionally. Did you ever hear about this idol group before?"
"Um, why ask me? I-I mean Lisa-senpai would know better," Runa protested.
Tatsuya readjusted his tie. "I know but you tend notice things most people don't."
"I can't recall anything specific, s-sorry," Runa mumbled.
This earn her another wary look from Tatsuya until Eikichi butted in on the conversation. "C'mon you two! Let's get this show on the road. I bet my lovely self could use this publicity to my advantage for my own music career."
Runa giggled at Eikichi's narcissism while she admired his enthusiasm. Tatsuya rolled his eyes and headed to the door. Once again Runa was saved by Tatsuya's tendency to be interrupted while having conversations or when he talked.
At Mu… The poker machines were plentiful and a sizeable crowd was visible. Maya exclaimed upon the group's entry to the building. "Wow! Look at this crowd… I'd say Muses' reputation precedes them."
"Looks like they're arguing over something," Yukino observed a man trying to contend with the crowd's whim.
A male crowd member started dancing, horribly. "Let me be an extra in this vid! Look, I'm a great dancer!"
Another crowd member who had long hair and a brown beanie. "I'm way better than that lames! I sing at the train station every night, so I know I can perform in front of a crowd!"
Runa felt a bead of sweat tickle down her face. That guy did sing at the train station… The thing was it was more like a dying cat than actual music. The guy got dragged away by the train station's security nearly every night… His singing might be terrible but one can admirable his determination. Hm, I should spread rumour about this guy being a good singer so he can achieve his dreams.
The man who was the assistant director of the upcoming video shoot groaned. "Who should I pick…? They told me to bring someone that catches my eye… I can't believe the director's making me do this… How am I supposed to find some extra on such short…" The assistant director paused when he noticed Runa, Lisa, Yukino, Eikichi, Maya and Tatsuya. "Wait! They'll do!"
"Maybe if we leave now we can get out…" Runa started.
The assistant director talked over her. "H-Hey, you guys! We're filming a music video for Muses right now! Wanna be extras in it?"
"Yeah! Finally, my chance to really rock this casbah! Everyone follow me!" Eikichi stepped forward and struck a pose before he moved to the direction the assistant director indicated.
"That idiot!" Lisa growled.
Maya laughed and saw the bright side. "Well, this does save us the trouble of sneaking in. C'mon, guys! Next stop, Muses!"
"Hey, are we really going? I know what I said at the detective agency, but… Can we not go after all?" Lisa wondered hesitant to idea.
"Why? It is about idol gr…" Tatsuya asked her but was unable to finish the sentence before Lisa interrupted him.
Lisa shifted awkwardly. "It's just… It's not like I want to go into showbiz… And I'm not in the mood to see either of these two right now…"
"Well… Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If Masked Circle really is after you, Lisa, we need to know what they're up to," Maya pointed out.
"I guess," Lisa rubbed the back of her neck still uncomfortable with it all.
"Guess we're going to the video shoot then," Runa commented.
"A music video shoot, huh…?" Yukino muttered.
"You good with all this?" Tatsuya questioned her.
Yukino shrugged. "It's a little different than my type of camera, but I'm lucky to be able to watch pros at work."
"Are you guys coming or what?" Eikichi rushed back. Tatsuya and the others nodded. Eikichi grinned. "This is gonna be grand."
"It is?" Tatsuya raised an eyebrow at this.
"Hell yeah! A music video without me in it is a waste of time! Though if I ever were in one, I'd just steal the spotlight from anyway," Eikichi paused. "But this is a great opportunity, one of which, I'm not wasting!"
After fighting their way though demons the six heroes reached the location of the video shoot.
How did the director and other video shoot people get here without running into demons? Runa wondered as she stretched her arms. Boy demons are tough… Well at least the fairy type ones are easy to deal with. They mostly seem to like me. Why though…? Well, fairies traditionally like musically talented people. Maybe they believe I have some vague potential?
A man who was part of the camera crew approached them. "Hey, you six the extras the assistant director mentioned?"
They all nodded. The man smiled. "Great. You don't seem like crazed fans nor are you sleazy old perverts. This makes things easier. Hi, I'm the director."
"You're the…" Runa started.
"Yep, I like to blend in with the rest of the camera crew. We're a team not a dictatorship. Now, the clothes you six are wearing are fine. You, in the hat go…" The director gave them directions, funnily enough, about what he needed from them.
Mami (Sheba) and Miho (Mee-Ho) were wearing white outfits. Mami black hair styled in a bob with a long side fringe, she had naturally tanned skin and Runa recalled that Mami's mother had been of spanish descent. Mami was wearing a white skirt, a white choker and a mid-drift revealing top. Miho had red-brown hair a similar coloured to Runa's but darker and shorter. Miho was wearing a halter-neck white dress and both had matching white knee-high boots.
Yukino was seated in front of a gaming machine with Runa pretending to talk to her. Maya and Eikichi were at a fighting game machine. Then Tatsuya was told by the director to play the Dance Revolution machine while Lisa watched.
After a few practices the director announced. "Alright, this take's for real! And… Action!"
Mami and Miho danced and while everyone else did there intended roles as well.
It was actually kinda fun, Runa had to admit. As Mami and Miho eventually got the whole gaming arcade dancing with them for the video shoot.
At the end after the camera crews left, Miho approached Lisa with a worried expression. "Where've you been all this time, Lisa? We were looking all over for you!"
Runa remembered that while Miho was a bit ditzy at times, she always had a big heart and had not minded when Runa's unawakened self tagged along with her, Mami and Lisa.
"So it was true that you made your debut. Then the rumoured third member is…" Lisa gasped.
Mami and Miho glanced at each other and giggled.
Mami refreshed Lisa's memory. "Lisa, you remember that Print Club photo we took here? We posted it on the board with a wish for us three to become idols someday."
Mami according to unawakened Runa's memories had been always very tranquil and calm. She also had a lot pressure on her from her spanish grandmother to respect her ancestors social customs, quite the different from Lisa who was always being told to be more traditional Japanese by her family. Runa although recalled also that Mami was a great cook. Huh, a girl being a good cook in a JRPG… Rare.
"And the wish came true! That producer Sasaki saw the photo and recruited us!" Mami exclaimed.
Lisa protested. "W-Wait a sec! Sure, I remember posting that picture, but actually being an idol is…"
"Oh, and wait until you hear our debut song! There's a solo part in English for you, since you're bilingual!" Miho added.
Ah… Well, $#!^, Runa swore in her mind.
Tatsuya gave Lisa a worried glance knowing that her English is terrible. Lisa was panicked stuck.
Mami noticed Lisa's alarm. "Lisa? What's wrong?"
"This has gone far enough! I don't want to be an idol! You only want me to join because you know you two alone won't get enough press! Don't act like my friends when you're just using me!" Lisa snapped using anger to attempt to hide the truth and her insecurities.
"Wha…? That's horrible, Lisa… Do you not like us anymore?" Miho felt wounded. Lisa turned away not wanting to look at the duo.
Mami soften. "… I'm sorry we went ahead with it without asking you. We have a live radio performance at GiGa Macho now. If you change your mind, could you meet us there? Come on, Mee-ho…" She stopped suddenly and apologised to Runa. "Sorry Runa-chan, we kinda ignored you a bit there, but it's nice to see regardless."
"Yeah, I really hope you can come see us at Giga Macho!" Miho added with smile grabbing Runa's hands. She squeezed them lightly before she and Mami said goodbye.
Once the duo left Eikichi told Lisa. "I don't think you needed to be so harsh on them. Are you sure you want to just let them go?"
"Shut up! They'll do what they feel like. Just leave them be!" Lisa yelled at him.
"Cool down for a second, Lisa! You know… if they got a debut off just a Print Club photo, the Masked Circle might be involved," Maya concluded.
"We might be able to get some more details from those two. Let's head for Giga Macho," Yukino advised the group.
"So, Lisa-senpai. I get that you're under pressure because of English thing, but you really didn't need to…" Runa spoke to Lisa after the others left the room.
"Ugh! Why did I tell about that!? You're so annoying! You are just like everyone else! Using me to boost your own popularity," Lisa lashed out.
"Hey… I'm not using you!" Runa gasped appalled at the accusation.
"Oh really… Before you were 'friends' with me you were bullied every single day. Remember that, 'Runy the Loony.' Huh? You needed me and use my polarity to protect yourself! How is that not using me? You cannot be my real friend," Lisa scoffed.
"I… I…" Runa stuttered. What Lisa said wasn't exactly a lie, her unawakened self was 'friends,' with Lisa for the benefit of no longer being the target of bullying. People instead wanted to get into her good books thanks to her association with Lisa Silverman.
Before Runa's unawakened self endured bullying likely because of her past life's knowledge of future events interfered with her unawakened self's life. She remembered things and knew she shouldn't and couldn't possibly know. She had been on the outside at Sevens and the rest of her life even despite her brothers' and Anna-senpai's help. Before Lisa she was just that weird girl who got good grades and just happened to be Tatsuya's younger sister. She did use Lisa…
"See… You can't deny it," Lisa sighed and left.
Runa gazed downward and realised, her unawakened self wasn't exactly the nicest person. She was scared of being hurt by others thus she used Lisa's popularity. She may of eventually considered Lisa a friend but regardless kept using her. I'm not a very good friend, am I? I did this to my old friends too. Michelle, Naomi and Edward, the ones who betrayed me and abandoned me like everyone else.
They might of used her to achieve their own agenda, when she was just the foreign new girl and threw her away when they couldn't use her anymore to advance their reputations but… I had also used them so I wouldn't have to be alone and I lied to them about my past concerning Rais… Not to protect them, but to protect myself.
Rais had always chased her, if I had told them then they wouldn't of even spoken to me. They were the top of the food chain and often trampled the little guys.
I saw this but ignored it because I wanted 'friends…' But in reality maybe I had just got sick of being one of the little guys. I shouldn't of expected loyalty from them from the beginning. Runa hanged her head in shame, tears at her own selfishness stun her eyes.
Over at Giga Macho, Runa had caught up the with group ages ago but was more silent than usual and less excitable about the demons. Lisa had not talked to her since their argument. The others if they noticed the tension, they didn't mention it. By the time the group reached Giga's Macho's Fm viewing studio, Mami's and Miho's show had already begun.
The show's radio host, Meteor Masa was dressed in an orange jumpsuit with a hood and dark sunglasses. He announced. "… And that's that! We're waiting for more letters from YOU, the listeners! By the way, Ginji-san, you said you had an important announcement to make during our show today. You don't mean…?"
"Aha-hah… You've got me there. Yeah, I'd say it's about time. Looks like our last guest has just arrived," Ginji Sasaki, the producer for the Muses admitted. He had tanned skin, dark spiky hair, amber eyes and he was dressed a black shirt with a yellow-gold tie. The ex-one hit wonder, turned music producer, Ginji continued. "It's time I gave the people what they want and announced the third member of Muses! Lisa Silverman! There you are!"
Lisa spun to Tatsuya. "Oh, geez! What should I do, Tatsuya!? Kaumena! Help me!"
"Um…" Tatsuya grimaced unsure if anything he could do would actually help in this scenario.
"I don't think you have a choice! Time to bite the bullet and go do this! Try and pry out as much information as you can!" Maya revealed.
"Yeah, it's all you can do," Tatsuya agreed and gave Lisa a nod of encouragement.
"…" Lisa gulped but her eyes widen. She smiled and turned to Runa.
"… Um, yes?" Runa felt Lisa's stare was almost tangible.
Lisa told her. "You're coming with me."
"What!? No way!" Runa shook her head and hands.
"Uh-uh, you owe me. No way I'm going into this without another Persona-user to back me up. You can actually sing, so you are joining the Muses," Lisa informed her.
This didn't happen in the game… Runa paled and protested. "B-But in myth there are typically three or nine Muses and…"
"Ah-ah… Your own obsession with myths has came back to bite you, Runa-chan. While most traditions described three muses and in late traditions as nine muses. In-between those two trends at one point there was a tradition of how many Muses, Runa-chan?" Lisa prompted
Runa swore in English before she answered. "Fine… There were four. Thelxinoe, the muse of charm and the mind. Aoide, the muse of song and tune. Arche, muse of beginnings and power. And, Melete muse of thought and meditation."
"See, it works! Now come on, anyway it was you who suggested to Mami and Miho that those two, and I should be an idol group. It's your fault, so time to paid the price!" Lisa smiled triumphant.
"I suggested it…? Huh… I'm pretty sure it would of happened without me, though," Runa grumbled.
"Please, just help me out here," Lisa pleaded sincerely with her hands together.
"I… Oh, fine sign me up… And Lisa-senpai, I'm your friend, and not only because of…" Runa started to explain herself. If not for her sake, but for sake of her unawakened self, despite what little sense it all made.
"I know… I probably shouldn't of snapped at you, like I did. I would of done the same thing as you if I had been where you were… Just help me with this and I'll call us even," Lisa requested.
Runa relaxed then she and Lisa headed into the radio booth. Ginji Sasaki demanded. "Who's this?"
"The fourth member of Muses. Something was missing without her. So that's why I'm late." Lisa answered and nudged Runa in the ribs with her elbow when she didn't back her up.
"Oh… Yeah, um… I-I'm very sorry about making Lisa-senpai late but I'm a bit shy so…" Runa shrunk backwards and lied.
"I had almost thought, the fourth muse was a lost cause but it appears Lisa-chan has pulled though… I'm very sorry about not mentioning this prior but I couldn't revealed the news until I knew we had convinced this sweet girl of her talent. She is what the Muses was missing," Ginji Sasaki lied and took credit. Isn't he the nicest guy who ever met?
"Relax," Mami and Miho smiled at Runa. Miho then told Runa. "Sit down, join us. I'm sorry I never had any idea that you wanted to be idol, too. You should have said something."
"Um… Uh-uh," Runa blushed, she was so embarrassed. This was being broadcasted across the entire city. Runa sat down next to Ginji Sasaki, of whom had got a chair for her. Runa eyed the man carefully, she could not trust him.
Mami apologised "That must of be why you were so mad with us, Lisa. I'm sorry for not noticing sooner Lisa."
Lisa paled and winced with guilt as she took a seat between Mami and Runa.
Both Mami and Miho exclaimed. "For everyone tuning in now, Muses is now a improved quartet with our third and fourth muses joining us!"
"It's an honour to have you accept me so…. quickly," Runa added nervously. She had half-hoped they would completely reject the notion and kick her out immediately.
"Woah! Now that's what I call shock radio! Way to go, Ginji, you stylish bastard!" Meteor Masa commented with a grin. Meteor Masa then turned his attention to Runa. "Now, what's the name of the surprise fourth member of Muses?"
"It's… Runa Ya-" Runa coughed. Runa blushed again mortified. "Sorry I'm a little nervous… I'm Runa Suou, sir."
"It's alright, how old are you?" Meteor Masa waved off her concerns.
"I-I'm 15 and I'm a first year at Sevens," Runa replied and shifted awkwardly and then she sensed a Persona resonance from Ginji Sasaki. She gazed out of the radio booth to see Maya and Tatsuya were talking to each other on the edge of the crowd. She couldn't hear them however.
"Well then, let's move on to the third muses and to the burning question on all our male listeners' minds: Lisa-chan, are you single!?" Meteor Masa asked.
"Ng Hai! There is a certain gentleman! Actually, he's here today!" Lisa reported.
"Whoa! Lisa-chan drops a third bombshell o our audience! Who, may we ask, is this boyfriend of yours!?" Meteor Masa questioned.
"He's over there… The tall, cool guy! Eee, I said it!" Lisa announced as she stared at Tatsuya.
Tatsuya grimaced and sighed with annoyance at the announcement.
"… Me?" Eikichi assumed it was him when Lisa actually meant Tatsuya. "Aww, you should've said so before… Baby be mine! I'm gonna give you a whole lotta love!"
Lisa stood up and gritted her teeth. "Why… on Earth would I have meant you!?"
Lisa and Eikichi both raised their fists at each other. Runa slumped in her chair. Here we again…
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, okay, Lisa-chan? We're live, after all…" Meteor Masa intervened before things got more out of hand.
"My Chinyan, isn't a twisted narcissist like him!" Lisa huffed before she sat down.
"Uhh, okay!" Meteor Masa voice's was a little high-pitched before he quickly changed the topic. "Well then, Ginji-san? Lay it on us about the Muses' debut song we're all dying to hear!"
Ginji Sasaki replied with voice that was way to smooth not to be a villain's voice. "It's based on the 'Joker Game,' that's catching on with the kids today. It's called naturally, 'Joker!' And since Lisa-chan's so fluent in English. I've prepared an entire English solo part for her."
"…!" Lisa gulped and her eyes widen in panic. Runa swallowed in an attempt to not reveal Lisa's secret under more pressure.
"I see…! Alright then, Lisa-chan. Got a message in English for all your adoring fans out there today?" Meteror Masa wondered.
"I… Er… Aha!" Lisa stumbled before she had a lightbulb moment. These moments don't usually turn out well for Runa.
What are you planning? Runa worried silently.
"Actually wouldn't you prefer a sneak peak at the talent the Muses have to offer. Our newest member Runa-chan. Why don't you show the listeners why we needed you? Give them a little teaser, perhaps?" Lisa suggested sweetly yet at the same time deviously.
"Lisa-senpai! I… I couldn't possibly…" Runa attempted to get out of it.
"No, don't feel shy! Let us hear your voice. The mysterious new-comer should definitely give us an idea at the sort of person she is," Meteor Masa encouraged.
"Ah, do we had enough time left, you know for something like that?" Runa questioned.
"We'll make time for special live and exclusive performance from you, little lady," Meteor Masa shook his head and reassured her.
Runa gulped and paled as Meteor Masa gave her the nod a few minutes later to start singing…
She couldn't get out of it and on top of that, Ginji only was allowing her to sing, his reason is that to hear the rest of Muses they should go to their debut performance.
Runa stood and steadied herself, she liked singing sure but live on radio, solo… She's always been the back-up singer even when she was briefly in a high school band with Michelle, Edward and Naomi back in Australia. Additionally, Runa, of course had little to none knowledge of 90's Japanese pop music off the top of her head. She resorted to the decision to do an acapella version of "Voice," the ending theme of the first Persona game which was sung by Yumi Kawamura and composed by Shoji Meguro. Runahad re-read the manga for the game not too long before she met Philemon so it's been stuck in her head for awhile.
"You ready to begin, Suou?" Meteor Masa wondered.
Runa snapped her head up with alarm. "Oh, yep! S-Sorry I'm such a day-dreamer sometimes. I get so lost in my own thoughts at times and… Sorry about that, I'm rambling again…"
"When you feel comfortable, Runa-chan. Just relax, we are excited to hear you sing," Meteor Masa assured her.
She nodded and began to sing. She hummed the musical intervals when they occurred since she knew they wouldn't conveniently have the backing music to this song. "~I hear a voice to cause me arukidasou
sorezore no michi susumu tame ni ~"
She hummed for the brief music interval.
"~dare mo ga kitto mitsukeru hazu sa shounen no koro miteita yume wo
sore wo sagashi bokura wa wakare arukidasu ~"
"~mou bokura wa kodomo ja nai yo dakedo otona ni narikirezuite
sonna bimyou na hazama no naka demo ikiru~"
"~I hear a voice to cause me akiramezu ni
sorezore no michi ike~"
"~You hear a voice to cause your heart soba ni ite ne
sorezore no yume tsukamu tame ni~"
She hummed and clicked her fingers for the music interval as she grew more confident, she hoped she was in time.
"~bokura wa zutto kizukazu ni ita genjitsu ni aru yume no katachi wo
yatto wakatta toki ni wa otona datta no sa~"
"~yume ya kibou oitsuzuketeta kanashii koto mo takusan atta
dakedo sore wo norikoe waratte miseru kara~"
She lowered her voice slightly for this next part. "~ I pray, like a sacred virgin
I wish, like a white pilgrim
I look up, like a noble knight
I sing, like a beautiful poet ~"
And take your hand, we will walk eternally
"~Isn't it?~"
She raised her voice back to it's usual pitch again for the remainder of the song.
"~I hear a voice to cause me sora wo miage
sorezore no asu mite~"
"~You hear a voice to cause your heart tachimukatte
sorezore no yume tsukamu tame ni~"
"~I hear a voice to cause me sora wo miage
sorezore no asu mite~"
"~You hear a voice to cause your heart tachimukatte
sorezore no yume tsukamu tame ni. ~"
When Runa finished she gulped and blushed before hastily retaking her seat. "What that okay? It's a song that's been stuck in my head called "Voice". I didn't make it up but I forgotten where I know it from… So yep, I-I'm done."
"Sometimes, I forget how good a singer you are," Lisa commented which caused Runa to blink in surprise.
It was good…? Oh, thank goodness! I didn't embarrass myself too much… Thank goodness, Runa let out a sigh of relief. She was so relieved she could almost pass out.
"Now as Ginji Sasaki hinted at the Muses, ladies and gentlemen, will be kicking off their career with a mini-concert today at the outdoor concert hall in Aoba!" Meteor Masa proclaimed. "And that's a wrap for today's edition of Meteor Masa To The Max! Tune in next week for more of what you lo-o-o-ove!"
Mami and Miho left the radio booth and went out the door beside the booth. Runa gave Lisa a nervous glance. Lisa whispered. "You'll be fine, besides you're meant to be supporting me. Not the other way around."
"Uh-uh," Runa gulped and followed Lisa to the door. She had one last quick worried glance at Tatsuya before left.
Unawakened Runa's Ramblings In Her Journal…
I've been wondering about how I became friends with Lisa Silverman…. I started off using her to gain popularity so people wouldn't bully me so much anymore. It was easy, she is infatuated with my brother and used me as an excuse to go to my house to see him. I personally don't like the pairing but it's funny to annoy Tatsuya. Ha-aha! He's so funny when she *stares* at him. I break into laughter nearly every time. Which brings me to think, Lisa isn't just someone I use but a friend, I think… I do enjoy hanging out with her and her friends. I get along better with people who are older than me, I apparently have''an old soul,' or whatever that means… Lisa does get herself into trouble, though. On a few occasions I had to help her and got myself into trouble… Also I tend to do her English homework most weeks… I noticed she was horrible at and just opened my big mouth… She cried. I offered to help… I'll admit that I didn't come up with the best ideas, okay! I never said I was a genius. I think. I've offered to teach Lisa English but she always gets angry. So I tend to avoid the topic. Mami and Miho shown me this Print Club sticker the other day of them and Lisa. Then I jokingly suggested that those three should become idols together. Mami and Miho loved the idea and actually seriously considered it, oops. Lisa agreed but I don't think she took it seriously. So bit of a problem there but I get the feeling it would of came up without me. Still I feel that this will come back to bite me.
Thank you for reading and the "Voice,"sung by Yumi Kawamura and composed by Shoji Meguro, it's the ending theme of the first Persona game in the series which Runa sung an acapella version of. Sadly there's no acapella version to be found online to my knowledge but if you go to Youtube and type in "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona PSP 113 End Credits," you'll get a video by RedQueeny in which the "Voice," song plays. It's quite beautiful so I highly recommend it. Anyway until next chapter! Bye!