Chapter 3: New Friends, New Enemies

Monday, August 7th 20XX, Night
Velvet Room

The shame of her last failure, the combination of missing out on what should have been her first international competition and of having to combat her inner demons, left Sumire in a deep depression. She couldn't face the matter in any way, and shut herself off from all contact, apart from her parents and coach. Fearful about a potential relapse of her self-destructive tendencies, they did their best to console her, and even considered sending her to a new psychiatrist. Fortunately, before such a step was necessary, she managed to reason with herself and return to the outside world within a week's time. She even started talking with Ren again, although every time he tried to work her through what happened at the tryouts, she refused to discuss the subject and steered the conversation toward any other topic possible. Still, taking to heart the lessons instilled by her friend, her coach, and herself, she steeled her resolve and trained even harder over the next couple of months, in anticipation of another tryout competition. For her efforts, she and Hanako Natsuki earned the privilege to represent their team at the Madicce Gymnastics Cup in Sapporo.

That was the good news.

The bad news? A second team from Japan was also due to compete, and one of its representatives happened to be none other than the same girl who caused her downfall ahead of Saint Petersburg: Yuri Hikawa.

On the night of Monday the 7th, Sumire, Hanako, and Coach Hiraguchi had arrived at Sapporo by train. Thanks to the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the newest line in Japan's bullet train network, the ride from Tokyo took a total of seven hours, including one transfer to an express train at Hakodate. Sumire spent much of the long journey in silence, listening to her music and staring out at the mountainous landscapes of Tohoku and Hokkaido. Hanako, by her shy nature, kept to herself as well. Once the team disembarked at Sapporo Station, a prearranged driver took them to the nearby Wilton Hotel, the lodging chosen for attendees of the Madicce Cup. Sumire shared one room with Hanako, with their coach in another. And yet, sleep came with difficulty for her, as her mind continually buzzed with the excitement of her first world tournament, and the anxiety of what Yuri might be plotting.

Eventually, Sumire finally did fall asleep, only to wake up not long after, stirred by some indescribable sensation sprouting within her mind. She lifted her head and looked around, observing her new environment. Instead of the hotel room, she found herself inside a narrow, stone-walled jail cell, laying atop a hanging wooden board that served as a bed. Slowly, she rose up, noticing how her pink pajama set was replaced by a ragged, black-and-white striped prisoner uniform. The cell opened into a circular room, lined all around with similar cells. Even though the door to her cell was open, its entrance was blocked by a diminutive figure. "Lady Sumire Yoshizawa, child of the Faith…", the little woman said in a lilting voice, "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

"Velvet Room?" was all Sumire could ask, unable to comprehend the first thing about her situation.

"My apologies. Despite your close involvement with the Trickster, it appears we have not yet been introduced. My name is Lavenza." As the little woman curtsied, Sumire took a good look at her. Lavenza's appearance was elegant, clothed in a pretty blue-and-black dress, with black bloomers and white tights underneath. Crossing her long, pale hair was a lacy headband, colored to match her dress and decorated at each end with gold flowers and silver butterfly wings. The two strangest things Sumire noticed about her were the giant black book she carried, titled "Le Grimoire" in gold across its front cover, and her wide, bright-yellow eyes which stared at her intently. "I am the attendant of the Velvet Room," she continued, "serving in the absence of my master."

"But…" In her confused state, Sumire struggled to come up with a question to ask, even though she had many. "I am still dreaming, right?" she finally got out.

"This place exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter," Lavenza explained. "You need not worry, lady Sumire. Once our business is finished here, you shall return to your world exactly as you left it. I have summoned you here to deliver a warning. The Metaverse has returned, and the Desires of the people are being stolen by the power of corrupted individuals. Your assistance is required in order to safeguard the Trickster and his companions on their mission to stop them."

"But who is this Trickster you keep bringing up-" Just then, a sudden memory stopped Sumire in her tracks. She did recall something about the Phantom Thieves recently. About a week before she left for Sapporo, they broadcast a new message all around Shibuya to announce their return as well as their new target. At the time, she was busy preparing for her competition, and eventually let their presence escape her mind. But, reflecting back on it now, if the Phantom Thieves were back in action, then something serious must certainly be going down. "Senpai… Ren…"

Lavenza nodded. "Yes. The Trickster, whom you know as sir Ren Amamiya, has triumphed against two such opponents already. But a third has revealed herself, and is plotting a trap for which he and his allies are ill-prepared to overcome. She is a wicked lady whom you have, no doubt, crossed paths with before."

"Yuri…" mused Sumire. "I always knew she was up to no good, but I never expected her to go this far…" To Lavenza, she spoke up. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Listen to your heart, lady Sumire, and you will know."

"To my heart? You don't suppose…" Trailing off, Sumire fell silent as she attempted to do just that. As she cleared away the various voices in her head, one remained, speaking with greater and greater clarity.

I am thou… and thou art I, it said, in a voice that sounded like her own, only more mature.

Sumire turned to face it, and found herself looking up at a tall being whose body was primarily composed of shimmering blue crystals. "Cendrillon!" she gasped. "But… I thought you had evolved! What happened to Ella, or Vanadis?"

It seems, in my absence, you have lost sight of that which made you strong, and with it, the connection to your inner self has weakened. Sumire reflected on this claim. Between the collapse of the Metaverse, the departure of her friends from the Phantom Thieves, and her more recent failures as a gymnast, what Cendrillon accused her of was true on multiple levels. But despair not, my child, she went on. So long as you hold within you the will to rebel against your fate, your rise from the cinders of your past mistakes shall be guaranteed. These words resonated with Sumire. She flashed back to what her coach imparted upon her, after her ill-fated tryouts: "Failure is just a practice run for success."

This combination of inspirational thoughts filled Sumire with a renewed vigor. "…I understand now. Cendrillon… Lavenza… Thank you. I will trust your judgment, and help the Phantom Thieves however I can!" Suddenly, the reality of her situation struck her. "I just hope my tournament won't get in the way… I know the Phantom - my friends are more important, but this means a lot to me, too."

"Remember, only you can find the true answers for which you seek," advised Lavenza. "Take your time, and they will come to you. Farewell, child of the Faith." And with that, Cendrillon faded away into nothingness, followed by Lavenza, and the entire Velvet Room. Engulfed by the void, Sumire finally managed to fall into the sleep she had so desperately sought that night.

Tuesday, August 8th 20XX, Daytime
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Toyohira Park

The next morning, all the teams were driven out to the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, the venue for the Madicce Gymnastics Cup, for training and for rehearsing the ceremonies. Commonly referred to as Toyohira Stadium, named after the neighboring park, the stadium consisted of a large arena, a smaller sub-arena, and various on-site training facilities. It hosted all kinds of events, from sports such as basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, and professional wrestling, to rock concerts and fashion shows. This was the first time a gymnastics tournament of this scale was held here. Normally the Sapporo Cup, as it was formerly known, was held at a smaller gymnasium on the other side of the city, but the cash influx provided by Madicce's sponsorship allowed the officials to reserve this larger and more centrally-located venue.

When they arrived, the gymnasts and their coaches were led to one of the secondary gym rooms, which had been reserved for them to train together. In the womens' locker room, Sumire changed into her workout gear, consisting of a hot-pink tank top, black hotpants, and grey half-calf tights. Once again she swapped out her glasses for contacts and held her hair back in a ponytail, in the style she used to use back when she visualized herself as Kasumi. Fully prepared, she entered the gym to find her peers training furiously. Some stretched themselves on a row of barres standing on one side, while others scattered themselves around the wide mat and practiced sequences with their apparatuses. Everyone kept near their teammates or coaches. Hanako was already present, currently being helped out by Coach Hiraguchi, so Sumire started warming up on her own.

As she conducted her exercises, Sumire continued to keep an eye out for Yuri, which had the unfortunate effect of splitting her concentration and leaving her even more prone to making mistakes. It was one of these mistakes, however, that led her to make her first new friend of the event. She was attempting an "illusion" turn - a move in which she would lean forward into a standing split, then pivot on one foot to appear as though her body was flipping forward - but in her attempt, she accidentally kicked away one of the two red clubs she had tossed up to catch. When she ran over and bent down to retrieve the club, she noticed someone else's hand reaching for it as well. Sumire drew back before knocking heads with the other girl, and suddenly made contact with her eyes. They were wide, almond-shaped, and their amber-brown irises sparkled with life.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the girl, "is that your club?" Her build and stature were similar to Sumire's, and her black hair was tied in two little ponytails, one draping from each side of her head. She wore a pink sleeveless leotard over black spandex shorts, along with pink wristbands and black knee-wraps.

"It is," answered Sumire. "What color was yours?"

"Pink. Hard to tell them apart, I guess. It must be around here somewhere…" Once the girl took a good look at Sumire's face, she gasped softly. "Wait a second. Are you Sumire Yoshizawa?"

"Yes…" Feeling caught off-guard, Sumire eyed the new girl curiously. "Have you heard of me?"

"Uh-huh, I've followed you and your sister for a while." Abruptly, she stuck out a hand. "Forgive me. My name's Yuna Seong, from Team Korea."

Sumire shook her hand and responded with a smile, "Pleasure meeting you, Seong-senpai! Your Japanese is very good, by the way."

Yuna grinned widely in return. "Please, call me Yuko. That's my Japanese name: Yuko Shinohara! I'm half-Japanese, by the way. Grew up in Seoul and Nagoya."

"Really? That's fascinating, Yuko-chan! What's it like?"

"Not great…" sighed Yuna. "Since I'm both Korean and Japanese, my parents and I have been bullied no matter where we live. People in Korea hate me for being Japanese, and over here they hate me because I'm Korean. I'd explain why, but it's a pretty heavy history lesson. In order to make a better name for myself, I tried out a whole bunch of sports. Baseball, soccer, swimming, diving, figure skating… But rhythmic gymnastics was the one I was best at, so I just stuck with it."

Sumire smiled. "Good for you, Yuko-chan! I've been dealing with my own troubles since my sister passed, but it's a bit much for me to talk about. For now, I'm actually really nervous. This is my first competition as a senior. I wanted to go to the Grand Prix in Saint Petersburg, but I..." The subject was still difficult for her to talk about. "I failed at the tryouts. Kind of a long story, but… something made me think about the day I… lost Kasumi."

Yuna planted a hand on Sumire's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, Sumire. Listen, if you need any help while we're here, if you need to talk about anything, I'll be there for you."

Touched by the gesture, Sumire closed her eyes and leaned in to give Yuna a hug. "Thank you so much, Yuna-san. Say, while you're here, do you think you could help me with something?"

"Hey! You think I'm gonna tell you all my secrets before we compete?" Startled by the confrontation, Sumire released her hug and jumped back, but Yuna just laughed. "Just kidding! I'd love to help you out. What do you need?"

"Well, I'm having trouble with my illusion turns; do you think you could…"

"Illusions? Ha! Those are my specialty! Now, watch me closely, Sumire." Over the course of their session together, they learned more about each other's styles and skill sets. In contrast to Sumire's graceful technique, or even the boldness she attempted to inherit from her sister, Yuna was a dynamo of energy and also possessed a great deal of flexibility, two traits which allowed her to perform many complex body skills. Among the apparatuses, she was most confident with the ball and clubs, but lagged behind with the ribbon, which happened to be Sumire's area of expertise. The skill sets of the two friends complemented each other, and with every piece of advice they exchanged, they could feel their relationship grow.

Meanwhile, Yuri Hikawa conducted her training alone. The memories of the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix were still fresh in her mind, and they were not pleasant. Until that point, she was used to victory, consistently coming out on top for many years. However, all that changed when she found herself up against a field of such professionals. What she saw as her best just wasn't good enough when stacked up to champions from the likes of Russia, Ukraine, and Israel. Yuri was utterly unprepared to deal with this unpleasant dose of reality, bringing her down when she had such high expectations for herself. This time, however, she would be prepared for anything.

As Yuri began with some V-ups, she scanned around the room and observed her opponents. The first lady whom her attention wandered to was a Russian, judging by her red team jacket. She instantly recognized her face, with its narrow, focused blue eyes and black hair held in a long ponytail. Larisa Lebedeva, she narrated in her head, eighteen years old and born in Kursk. She moved up to Moscow to train, and even did a stint in the Bolshoi Ballet not too long ago, playing Odile in Swan Lake. That, along with her graceful steps and spins, gave her the nickname "black swan". Yuri saw this style in practice as Larisa, standing on the ball of one foot while holding onto a nearby barre, alternated between lifting her leg in front of her, in a standing split, and behind her, in an arabesque, all while holding her other hand out in various graceful gestures. After repeating the set with the other leg, she repeated the sequence again, only without holding on to the barre. Those leg exercises, Yuri surmised, must be how she builds up strength and flexibility for her signature pivots. She can spin for six or even seven rotations at a time - just the thing to score big with the hoop! How the hell am I supposed to compete with a career like hers?

Yuri's abdominal exercises transitioned into straddle stretches, while her focus passed on to a woman from Ukraine. Yuliya Krylenko, age seventeen, from Odessa. Her best trait is her intense flexibility, hence her nickname, the "bendy beauty". Before enrolling as a gymnast, she was a circus contortionist, and still performs under the big top in-between competitions. At the moment, she was doing an oversplit stretch; with her hips square on the ground, one leg was hooked on the barre above her and the other stretched out behind her, forming a right angle. In this extreme position, she bent her upper body back and forth, her twin dirty-blonde ponytails flapping along with her motions. She makes it look so easy when she rolls and catches her ball on that snake-like body of hers. God, what a freak! I wish I was that flexible, though…

Now resting on her stomach in a neat straddle split, Yuri kept on scanning the field. The next person to capture her gaze was an Israeli woman with close-cropped black hair. Aliya Weiss, age eighteen, from Holon. They call her the "warrior princess" because of how strongly she throws her apparatuses, especially clubs. And for… other reasons. Although exacerbated by Yuri's low point of view, Aliya's tall stature and strong build, boasting a bit more muscle than the average rhythmic gymnast, made her an imposing presence by any standard. She was practicing front and back walkovers along the edge of the mat, drilling herself to execute them as quickly as she could manage. Those are some fast flips! If she can fit three of them in a single club toss, she'd earn some major points for sure, and I'd be done for!

Yuri let her legs slide back to a neutral position, then flexed her knees up and grasped them for a backbend stretch. As she did so, her eyes wandered towards the center of the room and lingered upon a tall, statuesque blonde whose team jacket indicated she was also from Russia. Like Aliya, she seemed to tower over Yuri in her floor-bound position, albeit slimmer and with longer legs. There was no mistaking this bombshell of a lady. Elena Plisetskaya, seventeen years old, from Nizhny Novgorod. She's the rhythmic gymnastics world's best and brightest star right now. She snagged a whole bunch of all-around golds in the past couple of years, from the last World Championship to the Saint Petersburg Grand Prix. Damn her… Yuri's inner monologue fell silent for a moment as she caught a glimpse of Elena's smiling face, framed by her short, golden hair punctuated by striking blue eyes. She's beautiful, though. Not like me… No! Focus, Yuri! What's she doing? Elena was practicing long sequences of steps and spins, incorporating everything from leg lifts and pirouettes to arabesques and penche splits. Each move flowed into the next with a graceful fluidity; seemingly, she never let her raised leg drop below a horizontal angle, and if she did wobble from standing on the tip of her foot for that long, Yuri couldn't tell. I've got to admit, that Elena really is something else… Being able to string together each move into one unbroken combo like that is what turns a great performance into a golden one! Russia's "golden girl"... don't make me laugh!

Larisa… Yuliya… Aliya… Elena… Such brilliant performers, Yuri summarized. ...They sicken me! Why couldn't I have been trained like them? Why should they get all the best training just because they were born in Russia or whatever? How is that fair for the rest of the world? …No matter. My plan is sure to take them out of the running, but I can't rest on that alone. If I'm going to become the world's star, I have to impress people where their precious champions will fail. Mark my words, ladies… I will work my very hardest to ensure that your time at the top is at an end!

As the day grew on, Yuri became the star of the show. Her skillful displays drew the attention of the other gymnasts, and as they crowded around and congratulated her, she began to strike up conversations with them, all without disrupting her training. Having all those eyes on her only made her perform even better, it seemed. They all watched silently as Yuri tossed her ball into the air, somersaulted forward, and stopped with her chest on the floor, her legs sticking straight above her head to form a C-shape with her body. When the ball came back down, she caught it with her feet, let it roll down her legs into her arms behind her, and finished by holding her legs open in an oversplit. The girls all applauded, and even Sumire and Yuna were impressed. "She's good…" whistled Yuna.

"Yes…" sighed Sumire, "but she's mean, too."

Yuna looked at her new friend in confusion. "Hm? Looks like she's getting along with everyone quite nicely."

Sumire shook her head. "She's not always like this, Yuko. When we held our tryouts for the Grand Prix a couple of months ago, before I went up to perform, she said some nasty things about me and my sister. Things that… really hurt. After that, I couldn't think straight, and messed up my whole routine."

"So that's what happened? I'm sorry to hear that, Sumire," Yuna said with sadness and sympathy. "I don't think she'd have nice things to say about me, either, being Korean and all. Thanks for warning me about her. Although, come to think of it… Ever since I arrived in Sapporo, I've seen Yuri in a lot of ads. Not just for this cup, but for… EMMA, I think?"

"EMMA…" mused Sumire. "That's the virtual assistant app. It's all the rage here in Japan! Do they have it in South Korea, too?"

"Yeah, but a lot of people mock and complain about it, online and off. They say EMMA invades its users' privacy by collecting so much personal data from what they ask it. Granted, those kinds of people just don't trust the Japanese in general, but still, privacy is a big issue these days."

"Really…" Sumire looked up at her friend apologetically. "I hope you don't mind, Yuna, but I've started using EMMA myself. Ever since I lost the tryouts, I've had a lot of things weighing down on my mind. EMMA helped me manage my training and my life since then. Without it, I'd be even more of a nervous wreck than I am already," she nervously chuckled before, catching herself, she blushed and bowed in apology. "P-Please don't think any less of me for using it," she stammered. "In fact, I might just delete it once I'm back at my best."

Yuna planted a hand on Sumire's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Sumire. A little thing like that's not worth getting angry over." Appreciating the gratitude, Sumire repaid the gesture with a hug.

Their training session, and Yuri's impromptu show, ended when all the gymnasts were summoned out to the main arena, where they ran through rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies, judging procedures, and award ceremonies. After all the formalities were finished, the girls were let go. While some girls opted to get outside and see the sights, the majority of them, including Sumire and Yuna, chose to return to the gym for some extra training. But before they could change back into their workout gear, Yuri caught up with them. "Hey, Sumire-chan," she said with a less-than-subtle hint of condescension. "What are you doing, wasting your time with that dumb Korean?"

Speaking in Japanese, the term Yuri used for "dumb Korean" was an especially sharp slur. Yuna bristled at the language with which she had been belittled. "Being a better friend than you!" she shot back indignantly.

Yuri pretended to ignore her and went on. "Whatever. Sumire-chan, I'm hurt that you'd rather train with her than your own teammates. But, since you seem more concerned with making friends than winning, I have something to share that I think would interest you." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked back towards the sub-gym, attracting the attention of other gymnasts on her way.

Yuna scoffed and shook her head. "Let's go, Sumire."

But at that moment, Sumire's intuition kicked in. Clearing the thoughts out of her mind, the voice of Cendrillon soon emerged from the silence. A trap awaits them, lady Sumire. The snow-white witch who caused your own downfall is about to expand her wicked reach. You must stop her and save your new friends!

"No, wait," she whispered, grabbing her friend's wrist to stop her. "I think she's up to something, but I want to know what it is, at least. Follow me, but stay back, and don't draw attention to us."

Yuna acknowledged with a nod as the two friends headed over to the growing crowd. Every other gymnast who chose to stay on gathered around Yuri, listening intently. "Who here is familiar with EMMA?" she called out to the lot. Everyone's hands shot up in response; even Sumire and Yuna raised theirs meekly, if only not to stand out. "Wow! I had no idea it was that popular overseas!" Yuri was lying, of course. But, her demeanor syrupy with cheer, she went on. "Well, I've set up a community just for us gymnasts! We can exchange training tips, or just hang out and get to know each other better, even after the Madicce Cup! I'll give you the keyword to join now, so is everyone listening?" The crowd settled down, letting Yuri continue. "The keyword is… 'Snow Stadium!'"

The group buzzed with excitement as they dispersed and eagerly hunted for their smartphones. Standing by Sumire, Yuna asked, "So… that's it? A friend invitation on EMMA? What do you think, Sumire?"

"I think it's a trap. I can't imagine how, but I have a feeling… I never trusted Yuri, so why would she try to make friends now, on the eve of our competition?"

"You know what? I'm starting to agree with you. Let's stay out of it."

"Actually, Yuna…" Sumire reflected upon the multiple warnings she had received. If both Lavenza and Cendrillon felt the need to get involved, then whatever Yuri was planning must have something to with the Metaverse. If so, this was something she might be able to confront on her own, but she couldn't risk putting her friends in that sort of danger. "I might have an idea of what this is," she told Yuna. "I'm going to look into it, but this is something I have to do for myself. Yuna-san, I need you to get away from here. Go back to the hotel, hang out in town, do whatever you want tonight. Just promise me one thing: whatever you do, do not use the Yuri's keyword with EMMA. In fact, if you can get in touch with anyone else from your team, or even other teams, pass my warning along to them, too."

"Okay, Sumire. I'll text my teammate Shion about what you said. Stay safe, and good luck."

"You too, Yuna." Sumire gave her new friend a good-bye hug and saw her off. After watching her friend depart, she reached for her smartphone, only to stop herself for a moment. Recalling her past incursions into Maruki's Palace, she reasoned, If this stadium is a Palace, then it'll be dangerous to enter right here. I'll have to find a safe place outside.

Heading out through the main entrance, an atrium topped by a glass cone-shaped structure, Sumire scanned her surroundings. About a hundred meters away stood a wide, curved concrete wall. She walked to the other side of the wall, and found herself in a bicycle parking lot. Before she could open EMMA, an idea suddenly struck her to warn her own teammate, Hanako, about the danger. She sent her a few text messages:

SUMIRE: Hanako! It's me, Sumire. I have to warn you about something important.

SUMIRE: I don't know if you've heard Yuri Hikawa share her EMMA keyword, but if you have, DO NOT use it for any reason.

SUMIRE: Knowing Yuri, I have a feeling that it's some kind of trap.

Upon sending the last text, Sumire breathed a sigh of relief. From what little she knew of Hanako, her teammate came across as antisocial, or at least not the type who would use EMMA. Even so, just warning her put her mind at ease. That was, of course, assuming Hanako managed to read her texts in time. Chasing the thought out of her head, Sumire brought up the EMMA app and, clearing her throat, clearly recited the keyword, "Snow Stadium."

EMMA beeped in recognition, and spoke in its synthetic feminine voice:

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation."

AN: Special thanks, as always, go to Deathmanstratos and SupremeKnight3 for editing and support. One of their earliest and biggest suggestions was to use the AEON Cup, an annual rhythmic gymnastics tournament held in Tokyo, as the basis for the fictional Madicce Cup. More similarities may become apparent as the event, and my story, progress. As for my own ideas, Toyohira Stadium is based on Hokkai Kitayell, a real-life sports arena located southeast of central Sapporo. I haven't found anything about the real Kitayell hosting any gymnastics events, but I felt its location and design were most suitable for me to use in this fic. Before that, I was planning instead to use the Mikaho Gymnasium, which was mentioned in another Sumi-centric fic, "The Alpha and The Omega" by intenzity9. I still wound up giving it a passing reference as the Sapporo Cup's former venue.

In order to help me write about the four champions, I also wish to thank the YouTube channels Mark's Vaulting & Gymnastics Videos and Alex RG. Essentially, they are amalgamations of other pro gymnasts including Dina & Arina Averina, Aleksandra Soldatova, Viktoria Mazur, and Linoy Ashram (in no particular order). While they are described from the perspective of Yuri, I originally wrote her monologues for Hanako Natsuki, a character from Deathman's "Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms" whom I got permission to use for a cameo. At first, they were rather specific and protective of how I wrote her. Which, fair enough. She is their intellectual property. But, as they gave me further advice, we eventually agreed that this segment was best left to Yuri's point of view instead. After all, she's a major character of this story, and Hanako is not.

Edit 2021/4/5: Updated the ending so that Yuna no longer joins Sumire in the Metaverse, to better mesh with the next chapter.

Characters from Persona 5 Royal TM & (c)2016 2019 Atlus
Characters from "Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms" TM 2020 Deathmanstratos
Text (c)2021 SpyHunter29