August 16th.
After a pleasant day at the beach, the group decided to hop right back into Phantom Thief business! That started with heading right into Mementos. They had some catching up to do and a few new requests courtesy of Mishima. "So…this is Mementos…" Dragon wandered around the entrance cautiously. "Are you certain no Shadows will attack us up here?"
"It's safe." Fox reassured. "I've come here quite often to gain inspiration for my art. The collective human subconscious, gathered in once place."
"And Mona believes this is where his memories are hidden?" Dragon asked.
"Something like that." Mona said. "All I know is that I have to get to the bottom of here. It might even turn my back to my human self!"
"And along the way, we make sure to nip problems in the bud." Panther added. "Palaces can be born from here if things are left as is. We have to help as many people as we can!"
"Oh, hold on. I'm picking something up." Oracle said. There were four levels total in Mementos, but it seemed like the fourth level just recently appeared. "A new area just opened up!"
"A new area?" Dragon tilted her head.
"When we take down Palaces, it appears to make deeper areas in Mementos open." Joker said. "It's been pretty consistent so far."
"So we've just been killin' two birds with one stone!" Skull said confidently.
"Is that the case, though?" Queen placed her chin in her hand. "Perhaps it's the other way around, based on our reputation at this point."
"The other way around?" Panther turned to Queen.
"What if it isn't the Palaces' fall that grants us deeper access, but the people's reaction to the situation surrounding them? It wouldn't make sense for a new area to open if it was reliant on Oracle's palace alone, right? Nobody knew about her. But the fall of Medjed has pushed our name out there even more."
"Oh, I see!" Dragon was picking up on this. "This is the collective subconscious after all. Therefore, our actions in reality leave a lasting impression on the people of Japan. The more people who become aware of us, the deeper we dive into their cognition! I believe it is something to that effect."
"Wow, they sure picked that up fast." Joker was glad they did. Because they were working under a backwards assumption.
"So the more popular we become, the deeper we can get?" Skull was just grinning. "I bet we're gonna be able to go right to the bottom then! We're super popular now!"
"I think the hot summer air is inflating your head too much…" Mona grumbled.
"What was that!?" Skull stepped forward. But Dragon stepped between them again.
"Save the aggression for the enemy." Dragon said, staring at the staircase before them. "I sense many a foe lurking down below. This will be good exercise for my Persona!" With this in mind, the descent began.
"Oh yeah…are you still having trouble?" Skull asked.
"A little." Dragon admitted. "I'm still uncertain if long fights or short, continuous battles drain me more…"
"Don't worry, we're a team, so we'll make sure you don't push yourself." Joker said with a firm nod. With that, the Mementos Mission began!
.
.
Before they could descend into the lower depths of Mementos, they first had to traverse old ground. This gave Dragon. Oracle, and Queen a chance to observe the surroundings. "It is a surprisingly gloomy place…" Dragon mumbled. "Is this the collective subconscious? I see…"
"It paints desire in a certain way, does it not?" Fox remarked from the backseat.
"That's one way to put it…" Queen said. She was the one driving, since she actually had a license. No longer did the group have to worry about Joker's somewhat haphazard driving.
"Shadows are everywhere." Oracle was all the way in the back. But she had plenty of room for herself. It was awesome. "But you know what's really? The cat turns into a bus! That's awesome!"
"I'm not a cat!" Mona said. It was still weird to hear the car they were in talking to them.
"Right now, you're a bus." Oracle teased. Mona would roll his eyes if he could.
"Are there any Shadows we should be careful of?" Dragon asked.
"Most of the Shadows here are pretty easy take down." Skull said smugly. "They ain't anythin' we haven't taken down before!"
"I think there is one we haven't encountered yet, though…" Panther tilted her head. "What was it again?"
"The Reaper." Joker said, leaning back in his seat.
"…That doesn't sound ominous at all." Oracle said.
"The Reaper…? That sounds…yeah." Queen didn't really have to say anything, the name said it all.
"It's a very powerful Shadow. We haven't run into it yet, but that's a good thing." Mona explained. "Even at the level we're at now, I don't think we'd be able to survive an encounter with it."
"So a tactical retreat upon spotting the foe…I see." Dragon nodded.
"Yeah, I can detect some type of big power looming about here…somewhere." Oracle said. "But it's not approaching us, so I don't think we have to worry about it. At least for now."
"Doooon't put it like that…" Panther shuddered. "I don't want to fight against something called 'The Reaper' if we can avoid it." Moral of this conversation, beware The Reaper. The driving continued for a few moments, a comfortable silence amidst the group. So it was time for a little small talk.
"Oh! Oh! Dragon. I got an idea for you!" Oracle said excitedly. "When pulling your staff out to fight, you should shout 'Power Pole extend!' and see if it'll grow larger!"
"W-what, would something like that really work?" Dragon was clearly in shock and also considering it.
"I saw it in a show once. It's totally worth a shot." Oracle nodded.
"Something tells me that it won't work…" Queen said with a slight sweat drop.
"It is worth the effort!" Dragon already decided. "If I can boldly declare my Excalibur attacks or magic spells, this should be no problem!"
"You really shouldn't be doing either to begin with…." Queen let out a sigh.
"It's too late to convince her." Skull said.
"Skull is correct. I will not be swayed until I attempt it." Dragon nodded firmly. Her green eyes were sparkling at the thought of her staff extending outwards to strike foes from afar. The combat scenarios in her head were already multiplying.
"Annnnd you guys have encouraged her." Panther shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Panther, I may need your whip for some of these plans." Dragon turned to Panther.
"W-What!?" Panther was worried, because she did not know what was going through Dragon's mind.
"I will be sure to paint this moment." Fox said.
"…I wanna see how this turns out too." Joker said. Panther was roped into this likely impossible plan.
"You know, I was only sort of joking. But if this works, I'm a genius." Oracle was already prepared to pat herself on the back. "By the way, Dragon. Your Persona is a bit different than the others, isn't it?"
"Indeed so." Dragon nodded. "It may be due to lacking power somewhere, but casting magical spells does take its toll on me. Aegis doesn't take much out of me, though I am absorbing a lot of damage and reducing it. The spell Megidola is quite a drain, so I try not to use it too much…"
"I forgot she has high level magic despite not having full control of her powers…" Mona thought to himself.
"But in exchange for that, I have crafted numerous other spells that are not as exhausting! For example: Sword of Judgement, or my Ultimate Excalibur Attack!" Dragon said proudly. "Or one I wish to try at some point, Dragon Strike!"
"Those are your shogi moves…" Panther said with a somewhat nervous laugh.
"Precisely! When I don this mask, I feel as though I can and should go all out." Dragon stated. "I still apologize if my overexertion slows anyone down. I believe only that and my inexplicable weakness to flames is all that hold me back…but in exchange, I am resilient to physical attacks!"
"You don't gotta apologize, not like you haven't been pullin' your weight!" Skull said. "You've been more dependable than….some people I know."
"Yourself?" Mona said immediately, as if he was waiting for that shot. "I agree!"
"Alright, that's enough." Queen was still the one with her hands on the wheel. "We're almost there, so let's focus on that instead."
.
.
Phantom Thieves vs Burglary Ring.
Their target was a man by the name of Kazuya Makigami; he was in charge of a burglary ring and used violence against his own friends and brothers. Of course his Shadow did not take too kindly to the Phantom Thieves themselves coming to thwart his plans. "Me? Am I the one behind the burglary ring? Yeah, that's right!" Shadow Makigami said proudly. "I convinced my friends to do some part-time work for me, but I'm not in the wrong!"
"Trying to make excuses now? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Fox yelled.
"No! I just meant it as a way to have a little fun, but those idiots got cocky!" Shadow Makigami retorted. "And now I'm the one who's in trouble! Dammit! Why do bad things always happen to me!"
"Bad things…?" Panther asked tentatively. There was always a chance they could talk a Shadow down, so violence wasn't always the answer.
"Yeah, ever since I was a kid! School, society! Everyone treated me like I was dirt! My little brother was the smart one! Mom and Dad's favorite, they couldn't care less about me!" Shadow Makigami continued. "How can you expect me to live a normal live! I'm rebelling against this shitty society."
"That is not how that works." Dragon shook her head.
"You think violence 'n crime is rebelling? Don't be stupid." Skull shook his head.
"What did you say!? You guys are thieves, too! Don't think you're better than me, idiots! Go away!" Shadow Makigami had enough of this, transforming into his Shadow Self (Mithras). By his side, he summoned a Corpse Bird and a Chivalrous Fiend at his side.
"It seems he has taken out his anger on the wrong people. A shame." Dragon shook her head, now actually putting Oracle's suggestion to use and extended her staff. "Power pole, extend!" And nothing happened. She just looked like a fool for even trying it. "Well. It was worth a shot."
"Damned thieves, thinking you're better than everyone else! Get out of my sight!" Shadow Makigami swiped his miniature blade to the side, creating a fierce gust of wind with Magarula to blow the Phantom Thieves away. Everyone held their ground, though Skull's innate weakness to the element did cause him to slide back farther than most.
Queen lowered her guard, sprinting forward for a few seconds before calling Johanna, riding her Persona forward to slam it into the Chivalrous Fiend's chest, pushing it backwards with the momentum she had. "Feel my rage!"
"These guys are only kinda strong, but you got this!" Oracle said, staying in the backlines.
"Then this should be simple enough, keep your guard up!" Joker told the others before rushing towards Shadow Makigami himself, drawing his knife. He swung a few times, but his knife was parried by his foe's sword. Undeterred, he ducked low, sliding under Shadow Makigami.
"Huh?" Shadow Makigami only saw Joker slide under him, but that left him open to Skull's attack.
"Goin' for the fences!" Skull swung his club at Shadow Makigami like a baseball. Even if the initial impact didn't do much, Seitan Taisei appeared, following up for Skull by crashing its cloud into the Shadow, actually forcing it backwards. "Hell yeah!" The hit was effective enough, so as Fox came running past, he lifted his hand, passing the baton to the katana user. "You're up!"
"I'll give this my all! Come, Kamu-Susano-o!" Fox unveiled his new Persona in the midst of a fight, the change catching everyone's attention. Before they could comment on it, Kamu-Susano aimed his blade at Shadow Makigami for a direct hit! There was plenty of damage inflicted and Fox believed that would be the end, but to his surprise, their target still stood! "Not enough!?"
"Hell no!" At the last second, Shadow Makigami casted Rakujaka on himself, increasing his defenses so he could withstand that attack.
"Even Fox…!?" Mona was shocked at how another member of the team had an improved Persona. Everyone was improving leaps and bounds so quickly, what was he supposed to do? How would he improve like them!? He was the veteran and everyone else was just…!?
Mona's mind being elsewhere left him open. The Corpse Bird took this chance to dive at him while he wasn't paying attention. "Mona, watch out!" Panther acted fast, pulling her gun and began to shoot. Her aim with the weapon was still a bit wild, but it did its job. The bullets kept the evil bird at bay and it flew off to avoid getting shot. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine after your help, Panther!" Mona said with heart eyes.
"I think he's fine." Oracle said.
Queen and Dragon were facing off against the Chivalrous Fiend, its gigantic dual bladed sword causing issues for them both. Dragon blocked one end with her staff, while Queen had to use her brass knuckles to avoid getting hit. The two of them pushed backwards, then forwards again in two separate directions. They jumped forward, striking the Fiend with their weapons, only to see it had little effect. "No damage!?" Dragon gasped.
"It's a strong one!" Queen jumped back.
Dragon didn't have the time to jump back, so she was struck by the Fiend's large fist. It sent her backwards a bit, but she wasn't recoiling as much as she expected. "Is that the best you can muster?! It will take far more than that to take down the Dragon!" That was the Corpse Bird's cue. It flew high into the air and flapped its wings, sending numerous balls of fire down towards the group.
"Incoming!" Joker exclaimed, leaping to the side as fire exploded all around them.
"I can defend this!" Half of Dragon's mask burned away as she summoned Belle Star. "Aegis!" Belle Star lifted her shield into the air, prepared to withstand the incoming pyre. It only lasted against the first two orbs before Belle Star was forced to retreat, leaving Dragon to take the damage at full force. "Kyah!" Dragon was thrown back from the flames, knocked down on her side and dazed. "Ugh…"
"Dragon…!" Panther ducked and weave through the falling flames, grabbing Dragon to keep her safe.
"Eep! Guess she can't block her own weakness!" Oracle was taking note of this.
Joker threw his grappling hook out, grabbing the Corpse Bird and roughly slammed it into the ground. Before it had the chance to recover, he pointed his pistol at its head and shot it, the bullet instantly killing the bird in one shot. "One down."
"Mwehehehe…" Oracle snickered, making herself comfortable in Necronomicon. "Now it's my turn! Speed up!" She pressed a few buttons, casting a party-wide buff on the team to increase their speed!
Just as Oracle did that, Shadow Makigami swung his blade forward, sending a potent wave of frost towards the Thieves to freeze them over. "Hah!"
"Carmen!" Panther called forth her Persona, who fired off a wave of fire to clash with the incoming ice. The two elements clashed, but Panther was able to overpower the foe in the end, the flames washing over Shadow Makigami and the Chivlarious Fiend, burning them both in the process.
"Zorro!"
"Johanna!"
Queen and Mona took advantage of this situation. Zorro created a fierce gale of wind around the Fiend, while Queen had nuclear power explode around Shadow Makigami. Since they were both burned, the two suffered a high amount of damage due to the technical attacks! The Fiend was defeated and that only left Shadow Makigami weakened.
"Alright Fox, let's do it!" Skull exclaimed.
"Yes! Now is the perfect time to unleash our new technique!" Fox agreed. It was Showtime!
The scenery briefly changed, Skull walking into an old tavern, his rumbling stomach doing all the talking for him. He sat down at the counter where Fox was and groaned. "Man, I'm starvin'…"
"Leave it to me!" Fox had a bowl of rice, placing some various ginger and spices on it. "Now, behold!" He set the bowl on the counter for Skull to eat. Just before Skull could fully lift the chopsticks into his mouth, their foe burst through the doors.
"…" What terrible timing! "I'm tryna eat here!" Skull and Fox pulled out their guns, rapidly clicking the triggers to gun their target down. At the end of it all, Skull pulled out a grenade, unclipping the pin and threw it out the door, allowing it to explode on Shadow Makigami. With that done, Skull could finally go back to enjoying his meal.
Dragon lifted her head up at the absurdity of what she witnessed. At least she recovered from taking the fire damage, but she was still a little dazed. "These combo attacks hold the perfect amount of extravagance I wish to perform some day…" She mumbled that since she was still dizzy.
The Showtime was enough to defeat Shadow Makigami and force his Shadow to return to its normal self. "Just what are you Phantom Thieves anyway…? This is impossible…no, wait, I get it now. You must have heard from my brother…"
"That's right. Now think about what you've done." Joker dusted himself off.
"Wait, so you already knew how your brother felt, then!?" Skull asked.
"He did…this for me…" Shadow Makigami was having a realization. "Here, this is the key to the chest in my room. Give it to my brother. You're supposed to be the good kind of thieves, right?"
"Er…why would we…?" Skull was about to ask, but…
"Tell him to throw what's inside away or burn it…ahaha…" Shadow Makigami let out a dry laugh before breaking out into a sob. His Shadow faded, leaving an old key in its wake.
"…He's gone…?" Queen asked.
"That's his Treasure." Mona said, grabbing the key. "If we left this be, it could very well blossom into a Palace."
"What are we to do with it?" Dragon asked.
"We'll give it to his brother. We don't have any use for it." Joker said.
"Yeah. I'll sneak into his house and leave it there." Mona nodded. That was one mission down, but they still had plenty left…
.
.
The door to the current depths of Mementos was opened. It was looking exactly as Dragon and Queen surmised; the more popular and renowned the Phantom Thieves became, the deeper they were able to progress. The path of Akzeriyyuth was the last floor that Oracle was able to detect. Before they could even begin fully exploring, a small car drove them by and continued ahead in front of them. "…What was that?" Dragon asked.
"Oh, that was Jose." Joker responded casually.
"What do you mean there's another person here? Isn't it dangerous!?" Queen was concerned. She only saw Jose for a brief second, but she could tell that he was young.
"We thought the same thing, but he's been here longer than we have." Panther said. "But he's the cutest kid ever! I think we should say hello!"
"I-I'm cute too, right, Panther?" Mona asked.
"…Well, you are a car right now, so…" Panther wasn't really sure how else to answer that. If Mona could sigh he would. Perhaps the way the engine sounded would suffice.
"Would that be related to why there are flowers all over the place?" Oracle questioned.
"Somewhat. He drinks them." Fox said that so casually. For Joker, Skull, and Panther, it was a causal statement. Queen, Dragon, and Oracle needed a moment to digest this information. "In an effort to understand humanity better, I believe? It has been quite some time so I cannot remember clearly."
"Well. That's. Interesting." Queen didn't have any words. She just drove as usual, keeping an eye out for shadows.
"He's also the one who gave us the wishing stone." Skull nodded, nudging Joker with his elbow. Joker pulled out the stone in his pocket and Skull pointed at it. "Thanks to this bad boy, if we have an idea or wish for somethin' hard enough, it'll come true!"
"Wait, truly!?" Dragon turned around to gaze at the stone herself; Oracle poked her head up from the back to get a look. "That is an incredible power!"
"We're not entirely sure how it works though. Skull is just exaggerating a little bit." Panther placed her hands on her lap. "But it is true it's let our zany Showtime attacks come to fruition."
"I see…" Dragon returned to her original seating position. "I wonder if I could make a strong enough wish…"
"Speaking of children, I didn't know you were a babysitter, Joker." Fox turned to Joker.
"Er, babysitter?" Joker blinked.
"Just the other day, I saw you exiting the movie theater with two kids dressed in police uniforms. I didn't wish to intrude, but it was a surprising sight." Fox explained.
Oh. Now Joker understood. Caroline and Justine demanded he take them to movie so they could understand why humans enjoyed works of fiction. The movie ended up exciting them a bit too much, but they were never the types to admit that since it was for Joker's benefit. "Yeah…something like that."
They briefly decided to stop by and meet Jose, who was pretty excited to see Joker and friends once again. "Oh, hey Mister!" Jose waved Joker over and he sat down on a box. "Thanks for opening the way. I've been able to go even further here."
"It's not a problem. We both benefit from it." Joker nodded.
Jose then turned his gaze to Dragon, Queen, and Oracle. They weren't around the last time he saw Joker's team in Mementos. "Are those your new friends? Hello! I'm Jose. It is good to meet you!"
"Panther was right, he really is adorable…" Dragon said aloud.
"Thank you, pretty lady!" Jose said with a bright, innocent smile.
"Eheh…isn't he sweet, too?" Dragon giggled.
"He's a sweet talker alright." Oracle said.
"Do you have any more flowers for me to drink?" Jose asked Joker.
"Yup. We got some on the way here." Joker handed Jose some flowers they passed by. Without further ado, Jose took the flowers, turned them into a drink and downed them. "Ah…delicious."
"…H-He really does drink flowers." Queen thought it was an exaggeration. But no, this small boy drank the flowers. Today was just full of surprises.
.
.
Who's Muscling in Yogen-Jaya?
Sometimes a heart needed to be changed very close to home. The old couple that owned the motive theatre in Yogen was being threatened by a man named Jochi Yasuo to replace their business with his own. Naturally this was something the Thieves couldn't let slide since Yasuo was attempting to force the couple to move out, and shadow Yasuo was not too keen on letting this investment go to waste! Beating the Shadow down always seemed to be the only option, so the battle began!
Shadow Yasuo swung his gigantic mallet down on Skull, but he was able to fend it off with his club. Still, it proved to be a struggle. "Man, this guy's got an arm!"
"Getting rid of stubborn people in my way is part of the job!" Shadow Yasuo growled before spinning around, pushing Skull backwards with the sheer force of it. "You piss-smelling kids should've stopped playing hero in pre-school!"
"We very well can't let someone who enjoys causing trouble for others to roam free!" Queen yelled while throwing a solid punch at Solid Yasuo. He attempted to swing his hammer at her, but she was able to dodge out of the way by calling Johanna, circling around him as the hammer hit the ground. Queen then slammed Johanna into him, an explosion of nuclear magic throwing the shadow backwards.
"Guh, damned brats!" Shadow Yasuo growled before pumping himself up with Tarukaja, bolstering his physical capabilities.
"Careful, he powered himself up!" Oracle warned.
"Arsene!" Joker called Arsene forth, snapping his fingers to release a burst of curse magic towards Shadow Yasuo. Unfortunately this is how Joker found out the element of curse wasn't so effective on this one. "No dice…!"
With that done, Shadow Yasuo continued to increase his power, moving from Tarukaja to Charge, which amplified his physical prowess even more. And he continued with Rebellion, further increasing the power of his incoming attacks. "I'm gonna knock you kids down to size!"
"Watch out, he's gonna strike!" Oracle shouted.
"If he hits us now, it won't be good!" Fox exclaimed, sliding into a defensive stance.
"Leave this to me!" Dragon stood in front of everyone, calling out Belle Star yet again with her shield extended. "Give us your best shot! I assure you, it will not break down this shield!" She stated confidently.
"H-Hey, you don't have to…!" Panther said with a sweat drop. She was concerned since the last time Dragon attempted this, it did fail.
"I am certain I can withstand this!" Dragon told Panther. It was too late to argue since Shadow Yasuo was already moving in, slamming his mallet against Belle Star's shield. Dragon initially grimaced from the first blow, but she was able to tank it and grinned. "As I thought! You…shall not…break through me!" Despite how powerful Shadow Yasuo's attacks were, Dragon was correct. Her shield held strong as she absorbed and mitigated as much damage as she could.
"You're still taking damage, Dragon! Be mindful!" Oracle exclaimed.
"Perhaps, but watch this…!" After the final strike, Belle Star flew off into the sky, lifting her sword into the air as it shone in a bright light. Dragon then pointed her hand forward. "Megidola!" She was putting all her magic in one shot, a brilliant explosion occurring on Shadow Yasuo as Belle Star swung her sword down. The results spoke for themselves: Shadow Yasuo was defeated.
"Whoa…her magic really is jacked!" Oracle stated.
"I wanted…to try it at least once." Dragon was so confident that things would turn out that way. But as stated before, that spell alone completely wiped her reserves. So she was already about to tip over from exhaustion, but Panther was able to keep her upright.
"…Don't do that if you can help it, please." Panther sighed. She was glad things worked out, but they didn't need Dragon acting so recklessly.
"Apologies, I just had the urge. I know we are nearing the end of this current floor anyway." Dragon gave a very tired grin. "I won't do it again."
"Wow, serious SP wipe." Oracle took note of this. Dragon was the type to put all her chips on the table when the end was in sight.
Joker slowly approached the defeated Shadow Yasuo with his hands in his pockets. "Are you done trying to kick people out?"
Shadow Yasuo sobbed weakly. "But if they don't give up the land, I'm going to get fired. Please, isn't there any way I can have that movie theatre."
"You had your chance to ask around nicely, but you wasted it." Joker said sternly. "Give it up and give out of Yogen."
"Yeah, stay out of our town!" Mona added.
Shadow Yasuo saw there was no victory here. "Okay, okay…I'll give it up. I'll be honest and tell my superiors no one has any interest in leaving Yogen."
"Not just Yogen!" Queen added sharply. "You should own up to all the other places you've wronged, too. I hope you consider the feelings of people who have their homes threatened next time." With nothing more to say after that, Shadow Yasuo faded, and Joker snagged the Treasure he left behind.
Skull rotated his shoulder, grinning as they approached the next door that barred the way deeper into Mementos. "Alright, are we all good to go? We should keep going!"
"Skull, Dragon's tired!" Panther said.
"I'm fine! I can stay behind in fights." Dragon shook her head adamantly.
"That is assuming we can continue onward, of course." Fox added. "Has the door not opened yet?"
"Er…no." Skull shook his head. He thought it would open by now.
"It appears this is as far as we can get." Queen stated, staring at the door. "Perhaps the public doesn't think enough of us yet.
"Huh!? How!?" Skull couldn't believe that. "Everyone's been talkin' about us after Medjed!? How much more popular do we gotta get!?"
"That's not really up to us, unfortunately." Joker said, placing his hands in his pockets. "We just have to keep showing our justice and it'll open up, I'm sure."
"Man…that's so lame." Skull deflated. "We came all this way and can't even get to the bottom…"
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with you for once." Mona was just as annoyed. He needed to get to the depths of Mementos no matter what. "So are we heading back, Joker?"
"Yeah, we've done all we can today." Joker nodded. "Let's go back home."
.
.
It was a fruitful endeavor in Mementos. Hifumi returned home, tired because of her own actions of dumping all her magic on a single target. It was worth it for the satisfaction, but she was going to be mindful not to do it again. When she returned home, she finally saw her mother, whom she had not seen since the day before her beach trip. "Oh, Mother. You're back. Is Father okay?"
"Oh, how was the beach?" Mitsuyo completely dodged the question, assuming hers was more important. "Did any men act untowardly?"
"Unfortunately." Hifumi admitted. "However, my friends and I were able to fend them off. Outside of that slight mishap, it was a very fun day…" She wouldn't forget such a day. She was already smiling thinking about it.
"…Hmph. Well, at least your friends didn't get you into any trouble." Mitsuyo had to concede that point for the time being, but that didn't mean she was any closer to liking the company Hifumi kept around her.
"Um. But about my question…" Hifumi said.
"Your father is fine; they simply wanted to keep him for a few more tests." Mitsuyo replied before pulling out her phone. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a call." And she left, leaving Hifumi alone.
Hifumi kept a fake smile, but her gaze soon wandered to the ground. Her mother just lied to her. That made Hifumi worry. "…Is Father truly okay…?" She pursued her lips, thinking to herself for a few seconds. "Well…clearly she doesn't intend to tell me the truth…at least in reality…"