A/N As promised, here's the latest chapter. Not a whole lot to say here outside of enjoy! Also, next chapter will be posted next Friday.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 4
July 18th: Sanshou Hotel, Naoto's Room
After an early rise, Naoto had been glued to her computer screen ensuring that the decryption of the phone's data went off without a hitch. To her immense surprise, there was particularly intricate security coding on the device that was well above her programming knowledge. The only reason she found herself just short of an impasse was due to special decryption software she'd procured for just such a scenario from one of her many special contacts.
A knock on her door broke Naoto out of her train of thought. She got up from her chair and walked over to her room's entrance and opened it, expecting to see Yu. She did in fact see him, but to her surprise he was flanked by a grinning Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko.
"…I suppose I should say good morning," Naoto mused. She shifted sights to her partner as if to tacitly ask for an explanation.
"They wanted to come with me and I couldn't really say no," Yu replied, a bit embarrassed by his own admission.
Wordlessly, the ace detective nodded in understanding before motioning them to come in. They each entered and circled around the large television that Naoto was utilizing as a second monitor to further parse our important information she was reviewing.
"Woah, cool!" Yosuke gleamed. "This is like some detective stuff out of a television show or something!"
"I'm more curious about what you're looking at," Yukiko thought aloud. She walked up to the screen and her attention was immediately grabbed by a few key words. "The Phantom Thieves…?"
"Hold on, like the Phantom Thieves?!" Chie exclaimed in excitement. The brunette rushed to her friend's side next to the television to get a better view. "Those guys that steal peoples' hearts? No way!"
Yosuke joined in on the action with just as much excitement as his girlfriend. Yukiko, ever the analytical member of the group, soon turned her sights towards the other two members of their group.
"I'll admit I have almost no idea what this is after just a glance, but why are you looking into them?" Yukiko asked.
"It's a long story…" Naoto replied. She turned to her partner. "And it'll be an even longer one, sadly. I'm data-mining the phone as best I can, but it would seem that there's an incredibly advanced piece of security software on it."
"I take you won't be able to get anything more off of it for a while?"
"At least a few more hours, yes."
"Could you at least try to act like we're here?" Yosuke groaned.
"Sorry, work stuff," Yu answered.
"I figured that much, partner."
"Buuut, I did hear that it'll be a few hours, right?" Chie mused.
"Well, yes, but—"
"Then you two should totally hang out with us! It's supposed to be your day off anyway, right?"
The energetic offer caught Naoto by surprise, though her partner seemed not to be similarly so.
"I don't see why not," Yu mused with a friendly smile. He turned over to the blue-haired young woman. "You did say a few hours, right?"
"Y-Yes, but…"
In that moment the ace detective wracked her brain for some form of a reason to stay behind so she could focus on the case at hand.
"Well, I'll understand if you'd prefer to stay back just in case. But whatever we do, it won't be the same if you're not with us," Yu stated.
On cue, a friendly and simultaneously charming smile that only Yu Narukami could make made an appearance. All Naoto could do from that point on was inwardly bemoan her position and resign to her fate.
'O-Oh come on, that's just not fair…!' Naoto thought, blushing somewhat.
"It's okay if you wanted to keep at it with your work, Naoto. We wouldn't want to—" Yukiko began.
"N-No, it's fine," interjected the detective, clearing her throat. "Work can wait. It's also been quite some time since we've been together like this, so perhaps it's better this way."
"There we go," Yosuke said excitedly. "So, anyone have anything in mind?"
"Well…" spoke Yukiko. "I heard that the new mall is opening up, right? I actually think it'd be pretty cool to head over there and check it out!"
"I'm game."
"No objections here."
"Sounds good to me too."
Shibuya Commercial Shopping Area: Outside Central Station
Ann sat on a park bench awaiting the arrival of a certain black-haired heart-stealing teen. She checked her phone, not seeing any notifications since their prior exchange thereabouts of twenty minutes ago.
Ann: Hey! So my photoshoot starts at 11:30 but I have to be there by 10:30. Let me know if you wanted to go there with me at the start or if you just wanted to show up a bit later.
Ren: No, that works for me. I'll head there with you. Morgana also begged me to come, so is it okay if he joins?
Ann: Okay, great! Yeah, that's fine with me… The mall's not that far from Shibuya station, so wanna meet just outside there?
Ren: Sounds good to me. I'll meet you there a little before 10:00
Ann: See you then!
As it was nearing ten o'clock on the dot, her thumbs reflexively made to text him again as she scanned over their dm's, but the blonde stopped herself. There was no point to it; Ren was coming and he'd get there when he got there.
'G-Geez, I'm getting nervous for some reason,' Ann thought.
Having nothing better to do, the aspiring model turned on her camera and glossed over her appearance. The outfit she'd chosen was something she classically wore for summer—a black tank top with denim shorts and a red and black flannel sweater tied around her waist. Her choice of outfit wasn't an issue, but her hair was a different story. She toyed with it a bit, giving an unsatisfied grunt of disapproval.
"Oh c'mon, really? Today of all days…?" Ann muttered to herself as she continued to stroke her bangs.
"Something wrong?"
And of course, as was the nature of the universe at times like these, Ren showed up exactly when she didn't want him to, pulling attention to something she wished he'd not heard her say. To her credit, Ann didn't lose her composure in spite of being initially startled.
"O-Oh, Ren! Hey!" Ann said, greeting the teen energetically. "It's nothing, really."
"Hmm, okay." A quick glance at his phone prompted him to add, "Sorry for being a few minutes later. Morgana—"
On cue, the aforementioned cat rapidly poked its head out of Ren's bag in an attempt to stave off an affront to his 'honor' in front of his crush.
"H-Hey, I will not allow you to make me out to be the reason we're late!"
"Hehe, it's all good," Ann said reassuringly, petting the cat's cheeks softly and eliciting an approving purr.
"Lady Ann, you're truly the best…!"
"Anyway," began Ren with a chuckle, "we should get going, yeah?"
"It's not far. Just follow my lead, okay?" Ann offered.
The two walked in relative silence as they set off on the correct path to get to the mall. In-between the crowds, the shoving, and the immeasurably loud noise that came with it, conversation wasn't all that possible anyway. After a while, they arrived within eye-sight of their destination after making their way down center street. The sight itself, however, was truly one to behold.
"Woah…" Ann uttered breathlessly.
A massive, incredibly sleek looking structure spread as far as the eye could see. Its height wasn't what was impressive—it only around seven or eight stories, which was dwarfed by many of the nearby financial buildings. In truth, it was the sheer landmass itself that the mall took up on the ground that was eye-catching. The amount of money that it must've taken in order to purchase such a lot had to have been in the tens of billions of yen.
Albeit a sight worthy of marvel, Ann had been starstruck a second too long. Without warning, a rather rude and impatient would-be patron of the new mall bumped roughly into her side. She was put off balance, but found her arm was gently caught by Ren before she started to truly fall. Her eyes reflexively drifted over to him and in turn he gave her a small, gentle, and reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I've got you."
It was cliché. It was like something directly out of the start of a sappy and entirely too generic romance movie. It was something that she and Shiho would make fun of as being cheesy if they saw it play out in real life before their very eyes. In spite of all of that, Ann found herself captivated as he helped her regain her footing.
She was, by every meaning of the phrase, lost in the moment.
"You okay?" Ren asked evenly.
Those words were the very first thing that Ann had registered before bursting out of her stupor. She had no idea how long she had just been staring at his face, and that realization resulted in an embarrassed blush.
"Y-Yeah, thanks," Ann said, turning her head away towards the mall's entrance and away from her friend so as to hide her reddened cheeks. "We should get moving though. There's waaay too many people here, huh?"
"I'll say," muttered Ren. "You should stay close though. I don't want you to get bumped around by the crowd. So…"
The raven-haired teen casually extended his left elbow, offering the arm to Ann as an anchor to keep her grounded as they walked on. At first, she didn't seem to understand. Perhaps because it would have been too good to be true if he was offering the obvious.
"Hm… O-Oh, you mean…?!" Ann exclaimed, clearly surprised.
"What? Would that be awkward?" Ren asked, an ever-so-slight hint of embarrassment in his tone.
"No, no!" Ann said reassuringly. She soon wrapped her arms around his and energetically continued, "No problems here! Let's go!"
Just as Joker had hoped, the two experienced very little turbulence as they neared the entrance of the mall. They were bumped, of course, but there were no more falling scares to be sure.
They walked in relative silence—the only sound really being Morgana's jealous murmurs from within Ren's bag. Inwardly, however, Ann's thoughts were far from quiet. It seemed her earlier nerves were just a prelude of what was to come after all.
'G-Geez, I can't believe this is happening. Should I… should I squeeze a bit harder? But then would he think I'm used to this kind of thing? I don't want that, so… W-Wait, aren't I just overthinking this?! Aggh, dammit!' Ann thought.
It was moments like this that made Ren's characteristic quiet and enigmatic nature rage-inducing. Ann was beyond happy that she was this close with him in the moment, but the silence left her mind hyper-analyzing every little thing about it and she hated herself for it. For someone that was so carefree and cheerful ordinarily, it was a discomforting to experience and yet she couldn't help it.
She attempted to steal glances out from the corner of her eyes every-so-often, being greeted by what she expected: a very composed and perhaps slightly smiling Ren Amamiya. He didn't seem nervous in the slightest, but Ann was far too embarrassed to look at him directly to truly confirm as much.
As the two passed the threshold of the mall's entrance, the crowd started to thin, and with that so too did the overwhelming noise cloud that came with it. It was then, however, that Ann could hear murmurings of nearby people which seemed to be directed at the two of them. She could easily hear them but couldn't tell if Ren was able to.
"Are those models?"
"I don't know who's hotter, the guy or the girl. I dunno who I should make a pass at."
"Doubt it matters. They look like their together."
The hushed whispered from around the area went on, but Ann zoned them out given that she wanted to limit the redness on her cheeks to a level that wouldn't get Ren's attention.
Abruptly, Ren had stopped in a resting area just in front of a rather elegant fountain. He looked around as if to check for certain that they were safe to separate without anyone getting trampled.
"Alright, we should be good," Ren thought aloud.
"Y-Yeah," Ann replied. She released her hold on his arm and backed away slightly. With a bright, friendly smile, she looked to him. "Thanks, by the way. I'm sure my agency thanks you too for making sure I got here without getting trampled."
"Well, if you ever need an escort again, I do have a 100% success rate," Ren joked.
Morgana popped his head out of the teen's bag in a hurry.
"We have a 100% success rate, thank you very much!"
With a girlish laugh, she replied, "My heroes."
"Anyway, where to next?"
"Well, we… Aw, crap!" Ann said in a panic.
"H-Hm? What is it?"
"The time!" exclaimed Ann with chagrin, holding gup her phone for emphasis. "Getting through that crowd took longer than I thought. I've gotta be there in ten minutes!"
The blonde retracted her phone and scrolled through her e-mails before placing it back in her pocket. She looked around the immediate area, clearly surveying for something specific.
"They said to meet outside Roko Shira, sooo… Ah! There's a map right over there!"
It took no time at all for the two to rush over to the aforementioned map. They began scanning, and to the surprise of no one Ren almost immediately found the store they we relooking for.
"Store 386, so our best bet is to take the staircase over… here," he gestured off to the east of their current position. "Even if we walk, we should be able to make it there in eight minutes."
"Yes! And that's why I'm glad I brought you along," Ann cheered. "C'mon, let's go!"
"Right behind you, Lady Ann!"
Joker rolled his eyes at his cat speaking for the both of them, but nevertheless they were on their way. They did so at a leisurely pace, however, as it seemed Ann had taken his word for the timing estimate.
"But wow, this place really is huge… There're so many stores it's crazy." Ann said in awe, looking around. "I kinda wanna come back here and go on a shopping spree!"
"I-I'll gladly accompany you as well!" Morgana exclaimed with a sense of urgency.
"I want to get a better look around this place myself," Ren thought aloud. He glanced around the immediate area as they walked on. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."
"We'll have plenty of time to walk around and sightsee after my shoot," Ann chirped reassuringly. "If you wanted to, I mean."
"Yeah, sounds good to me," he answered. With a sly grin, he added, "Although I have a strict four-bag maximum policy, so don't expect me to bail you out if you go on a shopping spree."
"W-Wha…?! I wasn't—I mean, I was gonna shop, but—"
The chuckle and amused look her frantic response was met with caused her cheeks to redden.
"Just a little, okay! I was only planning on shopping a little!" Ann exclaimed. "Also, I can carry my own bags, so…!"
"Relax, I was just joking," Ren answered. "And I think we know each other well enough to know two things. Firstly, I don't mind carrying your things for you because I know you'll be able to enjoy your time here more if I do. And I'll end up having a good time regardless because I'm in good company."
"Aw, that's actually kinda sweet…" Ann cooed, her lips curling into a smile. "And the second thing?"
"You won't be able to control yourself anyway. And the four-bag maximum policy—"
"Oh shut up!" Ann playfully exclaimed. "I'm not that bad. And this is totally off-topic anyway! I didn't plan on shopping much today!"
The two continued on in silence for a brief period of time, that is until they happened upon another large crowd that stood between them and the shooting location. Needless to say, they groaned at the sight.
"Where are they even coming from…?" Morgana groaned, echoing the inner thoughts of his two friends.
Knowing the drill at this point, the leader of the Phantom Thieves extended out his elbow towards his friend to make an opening for her to latch onto his arm again.
"Round two?" offered Ren.
"Yeah, looks like it. Thanks," Ann replied, taking the arm that was offered.
Morgana mumbled jealously to himself as the pair made their way through the crowd. Thankfully, it was much less dense than their prior experience and went on for far less of a distance. They made it to the other side rather quickly and came apart just as before.
"If only I had a human body…!" Morgana quietly exclaimed.
"It's okay Morgana, it's the thought that counts," Ann said reassuringly. She then looked over at her human friend. "Thanks again, but you really shouldn't offer doing that so easily, y'know…?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I know you joked earlier about your hundred percent success rate, but you should know that a girl could get the wrong idea if you're not careful… o-or something like that," Ann stated, ending on a somewhat whispered note as she toyed with the ends of one of her twin-tails.
"Actually, that wasn't really a joke," Ren answered evenly, much to the blonde's shock.
"…huh?"
"Yeah, I do that with Futaba all the time when we come across crowds that are too big. So I figured as long as it was okay with you, it shouldn't be that big of a deal…" Ren thought aloud.
Although Ann's expression remained neutral, it was clear to anyone with eyes and a functional brain that her demeanor became somewhat prickly as a result of his answer. Morgana quickly voiced his concern.
"L-Lady Ann, are you okay…?"
"Oh, Mona, I'm fine~" Ann said in a voice of forced reassurance and with an overly-preppy smile.
Joker inwardly cringed at her tone and expression. He felt as if for some reason he'd stepped on a landmine, and he didn't need erudite knowledge to realize it.
"A-Are you sure? Did I say something—"
"Nope! Not at all!" Ann replied. She turned her back towards the cat and his keeper. "The shoot should be that way, right? Better get going~!"
He cringed again, and Morgana adopted an expression of horror that he could seldom be seen with. Sadly, he was totally clueless, although perhaps in his case it was willful ignorance.
Ren on the other hand was leagues above the feline when it came to deciphering puzzles and the like. He knew it had to have been the mentioning of a certain orange-haired gamer girl with social anxiety. That, however, was as far as he got.
'But why would mentioning Futaba make her get like this…?' Ren wondered confusedly.
'Futaba. I'm like Futaba,' thought Ann bitterly. 'She's basically his little sister! Yeah, cuz' that's me! That's definitely what I wanna be! At least that does explain why he was so calm about it, but still! Ghhh, son of a…!'
The harsh reality of the friend-zone aside, they neared their destination. As she was too preoccupied with her thoughts, the blonde-haired teen nearly passed the store. Luckily someone else was paying more attention.
"Ann," Ren called out. "It should be right here, right?"
"H-Hm?" she muttered. "Oh, yeah…! S-Sorry, I was just a bit distracted."
"No biggie," Ren answered.
It took almost no time at all for the two to come into contact with the camera crew and the director for the camera shoot. It was an elegant-looking man in his early thirties with well-kempt brown hair clad in a gray suit, though he sported no tie.
"Ah, Ann-chan!" the man greeted. "The large number of people clearly hasn't stopped you from getting here on time, so for that you have my thanks. And also, my apologies if the crowds were of any inconvenience."
"Not at all!" Ann replied energetically. "I assume I'll be heading over to the dressing rooms to change into today's piece?"
"Yes, indeed. I think you'll especially enjoy today's catalogue."
His tone was full of excitement as he handed over a brochure-like paper to the twin-tailed model. She glanced over it and her eyes immediately stuck to it like glue.
"Oh my god, these are so gorgeous…!" Ann cooed. She instinctively moved closer to Ren and adjusted to paper so he could get a good look as well. "I can't even decide which one looks best. They all look way too good, right?!"
"I thought you'd be excited," the director thought aloud, chuckling at her response. "The designer is actually an up-and-comer in the industry who was hand-selected by Omnia to design clothing for their luxury brands here in Japan. I believe they've called it the Tatsumi Collection."
"W-Will we be able to buy the clothing after the shoot?!" Ann inquired.
Her eyes were full of hope, only to then be full of sorrow once the director's own became downcast.
"Well, you see, that would be rather impossible…" he replied. In what appeared to be a fake-out, he picked his head up once more and had a beaming smile. "After all, we've been given the clothing for free. Compliments of Omnia for sporting their clothing line in our magazine shoot! You'll be able to take two outfits as our personal gift to you."
"Really?! Yes!"
An over-the-moon Ann grabbed onto Ren's arm and leaped up triumphantly into the air. She squeezed tight and looked over to him with a beaming smile expecting him to share at least a semblance of her joy. He was averting his eyes, his cheeks a near-undetectable shade of pink.
"Uh, Ann, I'm happy for you, but…"
The blonde quickly realized she was holding onto him so tightly that her chest was firmly pressed against his arm. She quickly stepped off a healthy distance and placed her arms behind her back.
"Ahaha… sorry… j-just caught up in the moment, is all!"
"No, I understand," Ren said, his composure fully restored. "And for what it's worth, the clothes really look amazing."
"Right?!"
"Ah, you know what, I've just realized I've forgotten my manners," spoke the brown-haired man. He extended a hand towards Ren. "My name is Akira Masashiro and I direct and manage many photoshoots for Vague. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"Ren Amamiya, and same to you," he replied.
"Feel free to stay for the shoot, although I hope that Ann-chan won't be distracted by the presence of her boyfriend."
"W-We're not like that!" Ann quickly exclaimed.
"Yeah, they totally aren't!" Morgana shouted form within Ren's bag.
"Hm? A cat?" Masahiro wondered aloud, looking around the immediate area.
"I didn't hear anything," Ren answered. He hit his bag with enough force to make his point known. "But Ann is right. We're just friends. Close friends."
"Yep, just… close friends."
"Hmm, is that so? My apologies then if I've been rude. However, I just thought given what happened after Ann-chan saw the clothing, that…"
The embarrassed chuckle that he got from the mentioned blonde told him everything that he needed to know. He gave her a sympathetic look.
"You know, sometimes I worry about you, Ann-chan…" he muttered. "In any case, I have a few matters to attend to around the set. We start shooting in thirty minutes, so please keep the time in mind."
As the director respectfully walked away, Ann went back to the clothing catalogue and leaned in towards her raven-haired friend again, clearly eager to mull over it with him.
"I don't know which two to take home with me. They all look so cute…!" Ann thought aloud. "Which ones do you prefer, Ren?"
"Hmm, it's hard to say without seeing you in them," he admitted. Humming in thought, he continued, "But honestly, if it's you, I don't think you can go wrong. It's kinda hard for me to imagine you looking bad in anything."
"G-Geez, you'll make me blush if you say things like that," Ann replied.
"Blegh…!"
A very audible sickened groan tore the pairs attention away from the clothing and towards a familiar face. Mika was standing a short distance away with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed in a glare.
"I see you're here with your boyfriend again. How enviable," she sneered.
"We aren't like that, and it'd be none of your business even if we were!" Ann clapped back.
"Hmph, fair enough, and perhaps I should have known better. After all, even he seems a tad out of your league."
On a normal day, Ann would have not clapped back. However, today that comment in particular really got under her skin.
"How's your boyfriend by the way, Mika? Ooh, right, you don't have one. But cheer up! I'm sure you'll find someone that'll tolerate your personality."
'Ouch…!' Ren thought, stifling a chuckle with everything he had.
"What was that…?!" Mika asked, a vein popping on her forehead.
"You tell her, Lady A—"
Ren hit his bag with even more force than prior, sending a clear message of 'shut the hell up' to the noisy feline.
"…a cat?" Mika uttered confusedly.
"Ehehe… nope, no cat here. I think you're hearing things. Might wanna get that checked out," Ann stated.
"Whatever," she said dismissively. "We need to get ready, so move your brainless behind towards the dressing rooms asap."
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Tch…!"
Predictably, Mika had stormed off in a flash leaving the pair alone together yet again. Ann made no secret of her feelings through letting out a deep annoyed sigh.
"Damn that Mika…! Khh, she really pisses me off sometime!"
"I see you two get along as well as ever," Ren chuckled.
"It's hard for me to hate her because of how capable she is, but man do I sometimes just wanna—"
"Any day now, airhead!" Mika shouted from a distance.
"Ghhh!" Ann growled.
With a huff and clenched fists, she too started to head towards the dressing rooms.
"Oh, wait, Ann!" Ren called out.
"Hm…?" muttered the blonde, turning around with what was clearly a surprised expression. "W-What is it? Do I have something on my back?!"
"No, nothing like that," Ren answered with a smile. "Your hair looks great today."
"Huh? W-Where did that come from?" Ann asked confusedly. "Not that I'm un-happy to hear it, it's just that it seems a bit random."
"When we first met up, you seemed like you were unhappy with how it looked," Ren clarified. His patented ever-so-slight but charming smile made an appearance. "I just wanted to say that it looks as great as it always does. I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Her response actually caught Ren completely off guard. The small blush on her cheeks aside, she was beaming from ear to ear as she looked back to him. It was remarkable how truly stunning her genuine smile was.
"Hehe, thanks, Ren!"
With that, she was off, though on the opposite end, it took the mentioned teen a moment to come back to reality. He cleared his throat and reflexively looked at his phone to see if he had any new messages.
"Lady Ann seems excited," Morgan quietly remarked, popping his head out of the bag as 'stealthily' as he could. "It's night and day compared to how she was just last year. I'm happy to see she's really found her passion."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," replied the teen with a smile.
"…b-by the way, Ren, do you think maybe—"
"If you're gonna ask to watch the photoshoot, the answer is no. I'd prefer not to cause trouble for Ann, which would happen if they found out her friend brought a cat onto the set."
"Aw man!" Morgana groaned. "Well, I understand, and I guess I should be grateful you brought me along today at all…"
"Cheer up. There's always after the shoot."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Abruptly, the camera crew started to move into place, prompting the leader of the Phantom Thieves to gently guide Mogana's head back inside his bag.
"Sorry, it should only be for an hour or so."
"J-Just be sure to pay close attention so you can describe it to me!"
A roll of the eyes was the only response he got.
Shibuya Commercial Shopping Area: Omnia Mega Mall, Some Time Later…
"Holy crap this place is huge…!" Chie raved, peering off the side of a nearby ledge.
The energetic country-girl seemed to be the only one interested as Yukiko, Naoto, Yu, and Yosuke stood behind her looking rather lackadaisical. Once she realized that fact, she predictably became rather embarrassed.
"W-What's with that reaction?! C'mon, this place is seriously amazing, y'know!"
"Well, it's big," Naoto conceded. "However, I've seen far more amazing sights from my travels across the world."
"W-Well for some of us, this is our first time seeing something like this!"
"Not really the case for Yu and I. We're both originally from the city, remember? Something like this isn't outside of our imagination."
"Then it must be nice to live lives as incredible as the three of yours," Chie muttered bitterly, crossing her arms. "But Yukiko, c'mon, show at least some excitement! We'd never get to see anything like this in Inaba."
"Well, Junes is kinda similar," mused the raven-haired beauty.
"In what possible way…?" Yosuke uttered.
"Ugh, never mind."
A deflated Chie took a seat at one of the nearby tables with the rest of the group. Yosuke did his best to try and cheer up his romantic partner while the others seemed to set their sights on the nearby food vendors.
"Hmm, there's so many different options. What seems good to you guys?" Yukiko questioned to the others.
"I think—"
Just as Naoto was about to speak, a set of very loud, and very familiar voices echoed throughout the immediate area in the form of a loud shout.
"Sensei?!"
"Huh, is that… Holy shit! No freakin' way!"
Everyone froze. It took a second for it to register, but none of them would ever, ever forget the sound of those two respective voices. They heard footsteps fast approaching and turned to see none other than Kanji and Teddie. The latter looked the same as ever while the former still held a look that felt unfamiliar to the group at large, black hair, glasses and all.
The pair were quite literally sprinting towards them from the next level up, each radiating joy.
Almost reflexively, everyone in the seated group got up and started to move towards them as well. It had the makings of a rather touching reunion, that was until they finally got close enough to one another and Teddie launched at Yu with everything he had.
"Sen-sei~~!" Teddie cooed angelically.
Much to everyone's surprise, Yosuke was the one to step in front of Yu and grab their bear-like comrade by the waste mid-air. The nonchalant expression on his face as he did so
"Nice catch, partner," complimented Yu.
"I'll say. You've gotten better at this, Yosuke," Teddie stated cheerfully.
"You might say he has some bear-riffic reflexes… Pfffft, hahaha!" Yukiko joked, cracking up at her own bit of humor.
"Please don't start with the bear puns," Yosuke groaned tiredly. "And the only reason I caught you was because I somehow knew this was what you were gonna do!"
"Dammit, Ted! Why'd you have ta' ruin the moment?!" Kanji exclaimed.
"It's not my fault! When I saw sensei and the others, my body moved all on its own!"
The blond-haired blue-eyed shadow turned pseudo-human was then gently placed down on his legs courtesy of Yosuke.
"Thank you," Teddie said, nodding politely.
He almost immediately turned his sights to Yu and captured him in what could only be described as a bear hug.
"It really is you, Sensei! I've missed you so much!"
The rather touching moment seemed to get to everyone present who could only look on at the reunion with nostalgic smiles. Yu couldn't stop his own lips from curling into one if he tried, but as he had no reason to, he simply let it take its place as he gently hugged his friend back. "Please don't start with the bear puns," Yosuke groaned tiredly. "And the only reason I caught you was because I somehow knew this was what you were gonna do!"
"I'm glad to see you too, Teddie."
"I-I'm glad to see you too y'know! It's great to see you again in person, senpai. It's great to see all of you guys!" Kanji cut in. He seemed to catch himself. "Sorry, Y-Yu. I meant to say Yu. Old habits, right?"
"No worries."
"You're as kind and patient as I remember!"
"What the—Ted! Wouldja let go of him already?!"
"Nope."
"Ghh, why you…!"
After the bear-sona user was pried off of the silver-haired young man, things became far more serene.
"Sorry about him. I still haven't managed to get him to calm down totally…" Kanji grumbled.
"I feel your pain, man…" Yosuke stated, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It's adorable the two of you even try in the first place. After all, no man can possibly control me!"
"Teddie being a dumbass aside…" began Kanji, giving a sideways glare at his blond friend. "What are you guys doin' here? I mean, running into one or two o' ya wouldn't be that crazy, but all of you here at once? Talk about a hell of a coincidence."
"We could ask you the same question!" Chie exclaimed cheerfully.
It was a fair point. After all, the last the group was aware, Kanji was in northern Japan working on the makings of an official fashion line of clothing and Teddie had 'volunteered' his services as a model for the would-be clothes. To the surprise of the group, Kanji became overtly bashful in response to Chie's words.
"Ya see, I kinda… well, how do I put it…?"
"Kanji's clothing line was such a hit that it got picked up by a big-name brand!" Teddie stated.
"Oh wow, that's awesome dude!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"You go, Kanji!" Chie cheered.
"Impressive," remarked Yukiko.
"Thanks guys," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. His mood seemed to sour as he turned to glare at Teddie. "And would it have killed you to let me be the one to tell them?! Dammit Ted, ya stole my thunder!"
"I'm sorry~"
"You're clearly not," sighed Naoto. She perked up and continued, "But that's great to hear, Kanji. I'm glad your hard work is paying off. It's much deserved."
"I can't really say I'm surprised after seeing those rough designs you showed me a few years ago," Yu chimed in.
"Thanks, it really means a lot hearing that from you guys," Kanji replied, unable to hide a large smile at what was honest praise. "A-Anyway, the company I sold my designs to liked me so much they ended up hiring me to design clothes for some high-end luxury brand as part of this mall's new opening."
"They're also paying him to design costumes for Rise-chan's show," Teddie remarked.
"I was gettin' to that part!" Kanji exclaimed annoyedly, glaring at the group's mascot. "But uh, yeah, I'm here for that too."
"Rise has a show here?!" Chie exclaimed.
"Uh, yeah…" Kanji replied in a deadpanned manner.
The black-haired young man pointed off towards a rather large poster off in the corner highlighting a concert that would be held in a few weeks' time at the mall to commemorate the start of its business. Naturally everyone deflated.
Collectively, they failed to understand how in unholy hell they managed to miss that.
"Posters like that are all over the mall. It's also on the news, so…"
"She's super busy right now though. She even had the nerve to shoo me away when all I wanted was to give her my love and affection!"
"Gee, I wonder why," Kanji muttered sarcastically.
"I know, right?!"
"That was sarcasm you dumb—ugh, never mind. Anyway, you guys wanna see if she has a few minutes to spare? I'm sure she'd love to see you all!"
Most immediately jumped at the prospect although Yu Narukami was not one of them. As the Yukiko and Chie started hammering away for details on where they needed to go and the like, he just smiled somewhat awkwardly.
In the excitement, only Yosuke managed to notice. Perhaps that was more a result of the fact he'd expected that reaction based on their talk the previous night.
"…hey, you gonna be okay with this?" he whispered.
"Yeah."
"Uh-huh…"
The disbelief was palpable, thus Yu repeated, "Really, I'll be fine."
"You sure? I mean you could always duck out. I could cover for ya, and—"
"Kanji, Teddie!"
The familiar voice calling out from the next floor up was none other than Rise Kujikawa. Everyone in the group knew this without even shifting their visions. Naturally their eyes reflexively shifted and once they had, they saw the superstar staring down at them with her mouth agape as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"W-Wait, no way! Is that everyone?!"
"Hey, Rise! Lookie what we found!" Kanji called out.
"C'mon over Rise-chan!" Teddie invited.
Without even a second thought, the popular singer dashed down the stair case and over to the group as quickly as she possibly could. A smile beamed from ear to ear much like with Kanji and Teddie just a few minutes prior.
Though Rise may well have been taller and had a much fuller figure at her current age, she was clearly still the same energetic, friendly, and cheerful girl they all remembered.
When she was finally up to the group, she was all but tackled by Chie and Yukiko who captured her in a bear hug that put Teddie's to shame.
"Rise!" Chie squealed girlishly.
"It's so good to see you, Rise!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"Aw, I missed you guys too!" Rise replied. She glanced over at the infamous detective with blue hair. "You get in here too, Naoto! C'mon, bring it in!"
"O-Oh, sorry but I—"
A wry-smiling Yosuke gave her a slight tap on the back, throwing her into the hug somewhat against her will. However, once she was captured in the embrace, she held on just as tightly as the other three.
"You're so cute, Naoto," Rise teased.
"G-Geez, cut it out…"
The four released after a short while and came apart. It was then that the inevitable occurred.
Her eyes locked with those of Yu's. Although it would only be for a brief few seconds, it felt like an eternity to both of them.
Rise's characteristic carefree and cheerful demeanor fell. She adopted what could only be described as a stone-cold visage that was nearly unreadable. Yu wasn't much better, and in truth he hadn't the slightest idea of what to say. He'd been trying to solve that puzzle while the girls were hugging it out and was entirely unsuccessful.
Regardless, and whether or not it would be considered luck or misfortune, he wouldn't get the chance to actually speak.
"Wait is that…?"
"She's totally Risette, right?"
"Holy shit, it's Risette!"
"No way!"
"Omigod, it's Risette!"
The murmurings of the nearby crowds of people very quickly grew loud enough to grab the groups attention. The acting idol chuckled nervously after her mind set back into reality.
"…aw dammit!" Rise muttered.
"Probably not a great idea to run down here calling out to us, huh?" Kanji mused.
His remarks earned him a slight glare.
"We should probably clear out," Naoto reasoned.
"Yeah, that'd be best," sighed Rise in agreement. "I'm sorry you guys. B-But I'll message you all when I can slip away to meet up! Don't you dare leave until then, okay?!"
"We wouldn't dream of it," Yukiko replied.
"Of course we won't!"
Nodding, the idol started running off to lure the crowd away while the others headed off to avoid being trampled.
"Rise's as popular as ever," Chie remarked.
"Pfft, try waaay more popular than she's ever been," stated Kanji. "Ted and I went out to get food with her at one of the shops on her break the other day and we got swarmed within seconds! It's frickin' insane…"
"The important thing is that she's doing well."
"She certainly seems it," Naoto said, nodding at the raven-haired Japanese beauty in agreement.
Towards the back of the group, Yosuke placed a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Hm?" Yu muttered blankly. He noted the concern in his friend's hushed tone and mustered a small smile. "Yeah, I am. Really."
"If you say so…" Yosuke replied. "Cuz', y'know, I imagine that was a bit…awkward."
That was a mild way of putting it. Clearly Yosuke had noticed when the two had made eye-contact and he was very likely the only one to do so. The only other one that may have was Naoto, but she was so hopelessly awkward with addressing such things that her still-cheerful demeanor was a dead giveaway she hadn't noticed.
"Like I said, I'm fine. This has been a long time coming, but I'll deal with it."
Shibuya Commercial Shopping Area: Omnia Mega Mall, Floor 3, East Side
"Hmhmhm~" Ann hummed pleasantly.
She glanced down at the bag of clothing containing the outfit of her choice from the photoshoot with a large smile beaming from ear to ear. Ren chuckled when he noticed her clearly uncontainable happiness.
Ren couldn't help but jokingly ask, "I take it you're happy?"
"Yep!" she chirped. "You wouldn't believe how good those outfits were! I had a hard time choosing which was the cutest, but I think I nailed it!"
"I'm sure you did."
"What's with the unenthusiastic response?" Ann asked with a pouting expression. "I'll have you know it's a knockout for sure!"
"Well, if it's you, I'm sure it'll look good regardless," he replied with a friendly smile.
"Aw, t-thanks. I told you though, you're gonna make me blush if you say stuff like that…"
"Oh brother," Morgana grumbled.
"So, what next?"
"I was thinking lunch."
"Sounds good, where—"
"Kyaaaaa~!"
A nearby crowd that was as large as it was loud interrupted their discussion on lunch. They both looked on in surprise, being caught completely off guard.
"W-What the…?" Ann muttered. "When did that get there?"
"And what could possibly gather up that many people so quickly?" Ren wondered aloud, adjusting his glasses nervously.
"Risete! Omigod, I love you~!"
"Rise Kujikawa, you're so amazing!"
"And hot!"
A series of like-minded shouts from the now-known gathering of fans sounded off along the same lines.
"Well, that answers that," Ren mused.
"But what's Rise Kujikawa doing… O-Oh, wait!" Ann exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I remember! Futaba said that she had a concert that was gonna be here in a few weeks, right?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah I remember her saying something like that."
"To think she's really just right there… I kinda want to go see if I can meet her."
"Sure, why not?" Ren thought aloud.
"Wait, are you serious? B-But that crowd is so huge!"
"One-hundred percent success rate, remember?" Ren said with a friendly smile, extended his left elbow out for emphasis.
The response made Ann's cheeks slightly pink but she nevertheless scowled due to the veiled implication.
"T-That won't be necessary," she replied.
The blonde started walking off, much to the bespectacled teen's surprise. He followed suit and they quickly neared the crowd. Sadly, it seemed that a group of security workers matched their timing.
"Sorry folks, please disperse. Kujikawa-san can only give so many autographs."
A series of groans could be heard from those that had gathered, but nevertheless they began to comply.
"Bad timing on our part," Ren blankly remarked.
"Yeah…" Ann replied, her tone holding a touch of disappointment.
The crowd started to thin more and more to the point that she actually caught a glimpse of the idol speaking to a few of the security personnel.
"Ah, but there she is! It sucks we only got this far, but just being this close to her is still pretty cool." With a smile, she turned towards Ren again. "Anyway, the food court is right over there. That should take care of lunch, right?"
"Yep, sounds good to me."
No sooner than the two had started to walk over did a voice call out to them. And stop them in their tracks.
"…Ann Takamaki?"
"Huh?" uttered a surprised Ann.
The red-loving Phantom Thief turned and looked every which way, not seeing anyone in particular that she knew. Not knowing what to make of the situation, her sights set back on Joker.
"Uh, did you hear someone call my name?"
"Yeah, and I think it was Rise Kujikawa," he answered in a deadpanned manner.
"What kind of joke is that?" Ann asked, laughing somewhat. "But seriously… w-wait, are you serious? I'll admit, I can't tell with you sometimes."
"I was being serious."
"How could you tell?"
"Well, the fact that she's walking straight towards us is kind of a dead giveaway."
"H-Huh…?"
The blonde turned to see the superstar idol almost right in front of them. Several members of her security group flanked her on either side, the sight of which only made the sight more unnerving for her.
"Ann Takamaki, right?" Rise asked, almost as if she was unsure.
"U-Um, yes…! Yes, that's me," she answered.
"I knew it!" Rise chirped with a beaming smile. "I remembered you from a feature in Vague a few months back. It really moved me!"
"O-Oh…!" Ann exclaimed.
She could hardly mutter anything else, which naturally drew laughter from Ren who didn't even attempt to hold it back. The fact that Rise joined in briefly only added to her embarrassment.
"Sorry to just ambush you like that, I just couldn't help myself," Rise stated kindly. "I'm Rise Kujikawa, by the way. I'm not sure if you know who I am, but—"
"O-Of course I know who you are! I was actually thinking of walking over to see if I could meet you in person," replied Ann, regaining her composure. "The truth is I look up to you. Whether it's acting, singing, dancing—you shine every time you do anything! It's my dream to shine like that one day too."
"Aw, thanks," Rise said, beaming at the genuine compliment. "But if I'm honest, I think you shine plenty as is. You're so cute~ And your skin and hair are so beautiful!"
"G-Geez, hearing that from someone like you is a bit embarrassing," Ann said, averting her gaze.
"It's true though, Takamaki-san!"
"Just Ann is fine," she replied.
"Hmm… Okay, Ann-chan then."
"B-By the way… do you think I could get a picture with you? It's okay if—"
"Sure, I don't mind."
"Really? Yes!" Ann cheered.
She quickly handed her phone over to Ren who naturally would be the photographer. The two posed closely next to each other in a similar manner, each winking and giving a peace sign. Within seconds, the picture was taken and the phone was returned to its owner.
"You really are super photogenic, Ann-chan."
"Aw, thanks~"
"By the way…" Rise began in a leading tone. "Do you happen to dance? We're still looking for a few backup dancers through auditions, and I just know you'll really glow up on stage!"
"D-Dance? Well, not really… I mean, I guess I can, sort of, but—"
"Then why not try out? Even if you don't make the cut, I'm sure it'll be fun!"
"Well…"
"I think you should go for it," Ren remarked. "I bet you'd be really good at it."
Ann looked back at the raven-haired young man, clearly surprised by his words. She just couldn't understand why he'd said what he had.
"Really? Why though? I've never really danced in front of anybody, let alone with you around…"
"Couldn't say," he replied with a shrug. His smile deepened as he continued, "I just have a feeling you'd be pretty good at it. Call it a hunch."
"I guess I could give it a try then. I might need a partner to practice though, so…" she replied with a small blush.
"I don't mind helping out if you'd like."
"T-Then I guess that settles that, huh?"
The blonde's lips curled into a girlish smile that seemed rather ordinary on the surface, however it quickly caught Rise's attention. It was oddly nostalgic to see that look as if she was gazing into a mirror of her own past. Perhaps it hit all the harder given recent events.
"Sorry, I just realized I'd been ignoring you this entire time. That wasn't my intent though," said the idol apologetically, clearly speaking to the bespectacled teen. "My name's Rise Kujikawa, what's yours?"
"Amamiya. Ren Amamiya," he replied in kind.
"Nice to meet you, Amamiya-kun. I guess I should also apologize for talking your girlfriend's ear off."
"O-Oh, he's not really… I mean, we're not…!"
"We're just good friends," Ren answered.
"…right, we're just friends."
The previously genuine smile Ann had sported morphed into one that was slightly forced. At this point the entire interaction was turning into a case study on déjà vu.
Needless to say, the sympathy that she felt for Ann in that moment was perhaps greater than she'd ever held for any other person she'd ever met or heard of.
"I see," Rise answered. "Well, I should get going."
"Yeah, us too. But it was really nice to meet you!" Ann chirped.
"Same to you," Rise answered. She started to walk away but turned over her shoulder to say one last thing. "Oh, and good luck, Ann-chan. I think you're gonna need it."
She rushed towards the nearest staircase and was quickly out of sight. With the coast clear, Morgana poked his head out of the Ren's bag for the first time in what felt like forever.
"She seemed really down to earth for someone that's supposedly super famous…" commented the feline.
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. It took me by surprise," Ann admitted. She cupped her chin in thought. "I was actually super tense at first, but she was so nice that thankfully I snapped out of it."
"You were tense? I couldn't tell," Ren said.
The clear-cut joke earned him a glare from the now blushing beauty.
"That reminds me, why did you laugh back there?! Ughh, that made it so much worse!"
"Does it really get much worse than 'o-oh'?"
"Admittedly, that was not your best first impression Lady Ann," Morgana stated pointedly.
"S-Shut up! Let's just go get food, alright?!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Ren said, though his words earned only a dismissive huff in response. "It was nice of her to wish you luck with the dancing auditions though. I think she really wants you to be in the show."
There was a momentary silence as Ann stole a glance at her red-eyed friend. He was the same as ever with a calm demeanor and a small but cheerful smile. She clasped her hands together behind her back and looked at the ground reflectively.
"…I got the feeling that's not what she was wishing me luck on."
Both of their phones abruptly started buzzing, and in unison they assumed that it was relating to Phantom Thieves business. They checked to see a message from Futaba in their main group chat.
"Looks like we'll have to speed up lunch," Ren stated, putting his phone back in his pocket.
"Aww, and I wanted to go shopping after," Ann whined.
"I'll have to thank Futaba on behalf of my arms later."
"For the last time, I wasn't going to make you…!" she paused upon seeing a cheeky smirk from Ren. She crossed her arms as if annoyed yet still held a cheeky smirk of her own. "Just for that, you're paying for lunch."
"More than happy to as long as we hurry."
Shibuya Commercial Shopping Area: Omnia Mega Mall, Floor 4, East Side
The group formerly known as the Investigation Team sat in place with full stomachs in the wake of having to switch venues. Everyone except Chie, of course. She was still enjoying extra helpings of food.
"Well, that hit the spot," Yosuke remarked. "Shame we had to book it to another food court though."
"I'm just happy to got to eat some meat!" Chie exclaimed, chowing down on the remains of her beef bowl.
A peculiar buzzing sound emanated from Naoto's phone. The detective looked at it with a sense of urgency, almost immediately after which she turned and looked at Yu. She flashed him the phone message and he nodded curtly in response.
"As fun as it is watching you two have a telepathic conversation, the rest of us got no idea what's up," Yosuke remarked.
"Sorry, it's work stuff," Yu answered.
"Speaking of which," began Yukiko in a curious tone, "what is the case you two are currently working on? It wouldn't by chance be related to the Phantom Thieves and the TV world, would it?"
The incredibly specific question caught virtually everyone by surprise, chief among whom were Yu and Naoto. They looked at one another as if checking for a sign that they'd let something slip to the icy black-haired beauty.
"That reaction gives you away, so it looks like I was right," she mused with a self-satisfied smile.
"The Phantom Thieves? You mean those group of people that steal hearts?" Kanji wondered aloud. "And the TV world? Are they related?"
"I don't know. That's for them to explain," Yukiko stated.
Although her expression was a pleasant one overall, her eyes went icy and black as she stared back at the law-enforcement duo. It had been quite some time since either had been on the receiving end of it, which actually made it better due to a sense of nostalgia.
"Right on both counts. Still, Yukiko, how did you—"
"I caught a glimpse of the phone Naoto was analyzing before we left your room earlier and gathered the rest from introspection," she answered, cutting off the silver-haired lawyer. "Of course, I didn't want to press on it immediately. That wouldn't have been any fun."
"Fun, she says…" Naoto sighed. She looked to her partner and simply asked, "I suppose this is where we tell them, right?"
"Will ya quit it with the dramatic pause?! You both know you're gonna end up tellin' us anyway and I'm dyin' of curiosity over here!" Kanji exclaimed.
"Same!" Chie stated in agreement.
"Naoto, care to do the honors?" Yu asked with a chuckle.
Although she sighed tiredly, the smile on her face was unmistakable.
"Well, I suppose I should begin with…"
A short while had passed as the detective laid out the circumstances of her and Yu's investigation. The kidnappings, the disposed van, and the possible connection to the Phantom Thieves.
"Woah, no way…!" Chie muttered in excited disbelief. "So then, the Phantom Thieves are the real deal, right?! I knew it!"
"Yeah, yeah, you called it…" Yosuke grumbled. Having drawn several raised brows, he elaborated, "Oh, she bet me a thousand yen they were real. I maintained that they weren't."
"I believe I had made the same bet with you as well," Yukiko remarked with sadistic pleasure.
"Ugh, my wallet…!"
"Still, that stuff's crazy," Kanji chimed in. "You guys thinkin' these kidnappings and those masked dudes are related to that other world?"
"Something along those lines, yeah," replied Yu.
A chill pierced the air as Yukiko spoke up.
"And you were of course planning on telling us about all of this, right? Naturally you had no plans to leave us in the dark and investigate the other world on your own… right?"
"Well, I was planning on telling you guys," Yu admitted.
"Y-Yu!" Naoto exclaimed in shock.
"What?" He asked defensively.
"Don't you 'what' me! You know that something like that is…!"
She paused, feeling an aura of intimidation from Yukiko the likes of which she had never truly known before.
"Something like that is what, Naoto-kun?"
"W-Well, it's just that it's… police business, and, well… I, um…" she trailed off in a whisper.
"Um, hellooo~, Officer Satonaka here," Chie said with a grin. "And I hereby deputize everybody else here!"
"There, that settles that," Yukiko stated.
"Oh, so cool! Deputy Teddie is on the case!"
"More like Deputy Dumbass. Keep yer' voice down!" Kanji chastised.
"I can't win…"
With a defeated sigh, the ace detective slumped back in her chair. She looked to Yu for any amount of support but it was very clear by the look on his face that he had known where this was heading from the start.
"You and I both know that there's no way we can talk them out of helping us," Yu stated pointedly. He turned to the others, "And we'd be glad to have you backing us up."
"And there's no reason for you to worry, Naoto. We can take care of ourselves in that world no problem!" assured Chie energetically.
"You said it! Those Shadows don't stand a chance against—"
The blonde's sentence was cut off by a hand covering his mouth, which came courtesy of Kanji.
"I-Idiot, I said keep it down! We're in a public place, y'know?!"
"Mbbbmh fmmbh…"
"Pfft, hahahah!"
"Oh, wouldja calm down Yukiko?" Chie asked tiredly.
"Yukiko laughing hysterically for no reason really takes me back."
The voice that had just cut into the conversation belonged to a fresh arrival, and all eyes turned to see Rise approach the group with her trademark cheerful smile.
"Rise-chan!" Teddie greeted, freeing himself of his friend's hand.
"Ah, good, you got my message," Chie mused. "C'mon, grab a seat! We were just talkin' about some super important stuff!"
"Important stuff?" Rise asked curiously. "Well, alright."
"Oh, here, I'll grab you a chair," Yu offered.
"No need," came the monotone response.
As the redhead grabbed a nearby chair so that she could formally join the group, most everyone expected her to claim a spot directly next to Yu as if marking her territory. Much to everyone's shock, she did the exact opposite, placing herself in-between Yukiko and Teddie who were on the opposite side and practically as far away as it got from their silver-haired leader. Needless to say, this coupled with her rather cold response to Yu's offer earned her several odd looks.
"What?" Rise uttered confusedly.
"U-Uh, nothin'," Kanji muttered in response.
"So anyway, what's this 'important stuff' you guys were talking about?"
Naoto spoke up and bit by bit they caught the redhead up to speed, going through the high-level details of the case and its likely-otherworldly nature. To say she had been surprised was an understatement.
"Crazy stuff, huh?" Chie asked good-naturedly, noticing her friend's reaction.
"I'll say," she replied with a smile. "But seriously, I've met up with you guys for all of ten minutes and something like this is the reason?"
"Sorta kinda but not really," Yosuke replied, earning himself a quirked brow on behalf of Rise. "Chie and I are here for work on a permanent basis for the time being. She got a job at one of the local police precincts and I'm managing a few of the local Junes stores."
"I'm here to meet with someone who wanted to donate to the Amagi Inn since it's a designated cultural landmark in Inaba."
"I'm here—"
"She knows why you're here, Teddie!" Kanji shouted.
"And of course, Yu and Naoto are the one's actually working the case. The rest of us only ran into them by chance the other day and here we are," remarked Yosuke.
"Yeah, and—"
The audible ring of his own cellphone cut Yu off before he even truly started speaking. He glanced at the caller ID and sighed.
"Sorry, I have to take this real quick," Yu said, his tone striking an apologetic note.
"Ah, I see," Rise began coldly, her expression deadpanned. "So your phone does work. Interesting."
The grey-eyed man didn't have a response for that, but everyone else clearly did. Collectively, with perhaps the sole exception of Yosuke, they looked at the two with their faces twisted in shock. The first to recover was the ace detective, who quickly came to her partner's aid.
"I-In any case, you go ahead and answer your phone. I'll plan out the details with everyone and we can meet up later."
"Thanks."
"Oh shoot! Sorry guys, I have to get going. Just message me the details, okay?" Rise asked.
Everyone watched as the two went their literal separate ways, and the very second they were outside of earshot they turned to one another with one thing collectively on their minds.
"Okay, so… what the hell was that?" Kanji asked in a dumbfounded tone. "It ain't just me, right?"
"I don't think I've seen Rise-chan act like that towards Sensei before…!" Teddie uttered scandalously. "Do you think someone kidnapped and replaced Rise-chan?!"
"I doubt that."
"Don't take him seriously, Yukiko," sighed Chie. "B-But that was totally weird! I mean normally she's all over him! And that bit about the phone. She was throwing some serious shade! Do you think something happened between those two?"
"Yeah, definitely," replied Kanji. His eyes briefly shifted towards Naoto. "What's your take on this?"
"M-Me?" stammered the detective. "Um, well, I don't really want to pry."
"You're not the least bit interested?" Yukiko pressed.
"Well, it was odd that Rise seemed to avoid even looking at Yu that entire time…" spoke Naoto absentmindedly. She realized her mind had reflexively moved to analyzing the interaction and tried to course-correct. "B-But really, it's none of our business."
"Hey, wait a minute…"
"Hm? What's wrong, Chie?"
"Something's not right."
It was in that moment that Chie turned to stare at the one person who had yet to say so much as a word on what was such a juicy gossip topic that had even Naoto interested. Everyone else seemed to follow suit, and to his credit Yosuke at least attempted to give off a calm demeanor.
"W-What?"
"Don't you give me that," Chie sharply replied, her eyes narrowing. "You haven't said a word yet, and normally you'd be aaaaall over something like this."
"Uh, I mean, that's… Y-You're point being?"
"You know something," Chie stated as if it were a matter of fact. "Spill it. What are you hiding from us, huh?!"
"Wow, go Officer Chie," Teddie quietly commented.
The brown-haired young man knew he was completely and utterly defeated. A part of him wondered if running away then and there would solve his current predicament, Obviously, the fatal flaw of that plan was that she would eventually catch him and he preferred his skin attached to his body.
"Alright, alright… yeah, something happened. But I'm not saying more than that, okay? Bro Code."
"…so you'll tell me later?" Kanji asked.
"Yeah, later."
"Gotcha."
"Hey, what the hell?!" Chie shouted.
"Sorry, Bro Code."
"Ugh, you are so lame!"
"Agreed," Yukiko chimed in.
"How am I being lame?!"
"Because you're gonna tell Kanji and he'll tell Teddie. We both know you'll crack when we're alone and tell me and I'll tell Yukiko and Naoto. So, all of us are gonna know soon enough anyway!"
"W-Well, you're not wrong…" Yosuke admitted. "But that's just gonna be how it plays out, okay?! Just deal with it."
"Lame."
"Definitely lame."
"Yeah, that is kinda lame…"
"Super lame!"
"You can all go to hell."
A/N Okay, so Yosuke being lame aside, that's where we end it for today. Next chapter will be next Friday as per usual.
Explanations:
Yu and Rise: No, you shouldn't expect any 'icy' relationship between the two for long. In fact, the next chapter will literally be when the two clear things up.
Ren: To be clear, Ren doesn't really feel any specific way about anyone or anything. Imagine literally having never thought about dating anyone ever, and that's what you get with him. Why is he like that though? Well, I will give you the hint that it has nothing to do with him being a silent protag in the base game with no personality. There is a legitimate reason for his 'density', but as it will not become relevant for a while, you'll just have to trust me on it.
Ann: For all the spotlight she got here, I know this chapter is a bit of an 'ouch' for her. I am more of a fan of slow-burn as far as the development of reciprocated feelings between two characters, so this will change in the future. As for the relationship itself, I think Ann's romance thematically is just very vanilla, and I expect that to be consistent as this story progresses. Nothing wrong with that though imo :]
The Investigation Team Reuniting: It is oddly coincidental, isn't it…?
Ren and Futaba: Yes, I know, I know. Ann's opinions do not reflect those of this author… except that in this case they do xD. Apologies to anyone that ships the two together, but I think the game kinda shoves the whole 'family dynamic' between Sojiro, Futaba, and Ren pretty heavily. It's my second favorite, maybe my favorite 3+ person dynamic in the game hands down. Futaba is also one of my favorite characters in P5, but it is what it is. This is to say nothing about Futaba as best girl/not best girl, it's just the relationship between her and Ren specifically.
The Fashion Show's Clothing Line: Yes, designed by Kanji. Just a fun easter egg I figured I'd include.
The Security System on the Phone: Courtesy of Futaba, obviously. A reviewer called this out I think, so props to them. I couldn't imagine Futaba leaving the phone without strong security either which is why I intended to/did call it out xD