"Ren! I thought I told you to stay in bed!" Yukiko Amagi scolded her teammate as he entered the kitchen.
The man in question, dressed in a white T-shirt and red pajama pants, stumbled into the room.
"Juz wanned uh glaz uh wader." Came Ren's muddled reply, grabbing a cup from the cabinet.
"Then ask for one! How do you expect to get better if you don't get some rest!?" She asked rhetorically before forcing a handkerchief into his face. "And please use this."
Accepting the handkerchief, Ren blew into it loudly, clearing his nose. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now go to bed!" She ordered sternly. "You're sick, you need rest!"
"But I've been in bed all day!" Ren complained. "It's not fair! Junpei isn't sick!"
After being kicked out into the rain the previous day, the infamous Joker of the Phantom Thieves, stealer of hearts and slayer of gods, was put out of commission by the common cold. Despite his protests that he was fine and could still go on missions, he was ordered to stay at home until he recovered properly.
"You're a real brat when you're sick, you know that?" Yukiko berated him, though softly giggling to herself. She'd never gotten to see this side of Ren, always viewing him as a stoic, silent type before now. Seeing this more down to earth side...it was refreshing (and pretty entertaining too.)
Yukiko Amagi, while not on the Shadow Ops' current roster, had decided to drop by for a visit the day prior, wanting to catch up with Chie and the others during her time off from work. Now the acting manager of the Amagi Inn, she found herself too busy with finances, renovations, and remodeling to do much work fighting Shadows. But now, with tourist season at an end, she could finally relax a bit and do some travelling, a hobby she'd taken to after graduating high school.
"Sorry." Ren replied sheepishly, scratching at his unruly bedhead. "I know you wanted to spend this time with the others, but instead you're stuck watching over me and-"
"Ren, it's no problem, really." She assured him, giving a soft smile. "Honestly if you weren't here, I'd just be stuck here by myself all day. I'm glad to have the company."
"Really?" Ren raised an eyebrow curiously. "You wouldn't be out there with the rest of them?"
Yukiko laughed softly before shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. Sure, when I was young I enjoyed running around, shooting fire, and defeating Shadows, but now I'm pretty satisfied with my life. Running the inn and keeping others happy, it provides its own kind of excitement. Besides, I'm far too rusty and out of shape to be of any help on the battlefield, I'd only be a liability out there."
"What!? Of course not!" Ren argued. "I've seen you in action and you're powerful! Far from being a liability, that's for sure, and you definitely aren't out of shape."
It was true, despite Yukiko's claims to the contrary, the 24 year old was still in fantastic shape despite not having been on a mission in over 2 years. The compound's personal trainer, a close friend Akihiko made during his travels, had (through many, many hellish training sessions) instilled in each of the Shadow Ops, a psychological need to train even during their off-time. It was so bad that Ren once woke up slightly later than normal, only to find himself in the middle of doing sit-ups on the floor.
"Th-Thank you." Yukiko blushed slightly, looking away before a realization came over her. "Hey, wait a minute! You're still sick, you should be resting!" She scolded him once again before pushing him in the direction of his bedroom.
"But I don't wanna!" Ren whined. "It's boring!"
"Stop being a baby and go to bed!" Yukiko ordered, pushing him into his room before slamming the door shut. "Now go to sleep!"
Turning away, Yukiko walked straight to the nearby bathroom to wash her hands, not wanting to catch Ren's cold. As she turned the faucet on, Yukiko glanced up at herself in the mirror. Everyone at the inn kept telling her that she'd grown into quite the woman now, some drunken guests even asking her to marry them on the spot. She didn't quite see what they saw. Sure she'd grown out her bangs and let her naturally curly hair out, after seeing Mitsuru's hairstyle she'd been inspired. And with some fashion advice from Rise and Yukari, her wardrobe had a bit more style, her current outfit being a maroon sweater with an exposed shoulder and black jeans. But beneath all of that, she still saw herself as the same girl as before.
"I wonder if Chie and the others are finished yet?" She asked herself, reaching for her phone, only to find it missing. "What?" Patting around, she was unable to find it anywhere on her person. "The kitchen maybe?"
She exited the bathroom, her gaze drifting to Ren's door as she walked.
'What if…No, he couldn't have.' She shook her head, yet felt her hand reach for the doorknob anyways. 'I'll just make sure he's alright.' She assured herself, opening the door. Inside, the room was dark save for the lamp on his nightstand.
The room had a surprising amount of decoration inside, Yukiko had expected a mysterious guy like Ren to keep his room bare, but that wasn't the case at all. Hanging on the wall over his bed, a large Phantom Thieves poster displayed their logo and the catchphrase 'Take Your Heart' on it. Sitting on his dresser was a neatly organized collection of strange knicknacks. And hanging on the eastern wall of his bedroom was a large painting with a dark background and a bright center shining like a star.
"Hey Ren, you didn't happen to see my-" She paused as she saw Ren's arm, poking out from above the sheets, holding her phone in his hand. "What!? You little thief!" She stomped over, snatching the object back.
It was a well known fact by all of the Shadow Operatives that Ren Amamiya had incredibly light fingers. Skilled at picking locks, as well as pockets, his talents had come in surprisingly handy several times during missions. That being said, he also had a bad habit of using said talents to play practical jokes, like right now.
"What's the big idea?" She asked, angrily pulling the covers back. "Why'd you steal my phone?"
"S'boring in here. There's no one to talk to!" He whined, his face buried in his pillow.
"So call someone from your own phone!" She argued. "You don't need mine!"
"There's no one to call, everyone's busy. I took the phone so you'd come back."
"What? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
"Hey," He shrugged, turning to face her. "It worked didn't it?"
Yukiko snorted, then let out a giggle, then burst out into a fit of laughter. "Ha! It totally did!" She fell onto the bed holding her side. As Ren sat up in his bed, Yukiko looked up at his face, finally noticing where she'd fallen. Lying on top of his legs, her head was mere inches away from his lap and his… Blushing fiercely, she dared not move her head too suddenly lest she draw attention to their awkward position.
"S-So, what um...what did you want to talk about?" She asked, averting her eyes from his.
"Huh?" Ren's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't actually expected her to stick around, much less converse. But this was an opportunity to get to know Yukiko better, so he wasn't going to waste it. Thinking quickly, he came up with a question. "What made you leave the Shadow Ops? You were a member for 3 years and then just left. What happened?" He asked before realizing what he'd said. "I-I mean, of course you don't have to answer if it's personal, I was just curious."
"Hmm? What made me leave?" She repeated the question, rolling away from Ren and onto her back. Ren couldn't help but notice the way her hair splayed out across the sheet. "No it's nothing personal." She assured him. "I just...never planned on sticking around forever is all. It's been my plan since high school to take over my family's inn. The Shadow Ops were a fun escape from day-to-day life, but when it comes down to it, Inaba's my home and I want to do my part to take care of it. Does that make sense?"
"...Yeah." Ren nodded. "I get that." The two of them sat in silence for another moment before Yukiko spoke.
"Alright then," She rolled onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hand and swinging her feet behind her. "It seems only fair that since you asked me a question, I get to do the same."
"What do you wanna know?" Ren asked, trying to ignore the fact that from this angle, he could see Yukiko's bra.
"What's got you curious about why I left?" She asked seriously. "Have you been having your own thoughts of leaving?"
"What?" Ren was caught off guard by the question. "N-No, of course not." He sighed before laying back against the wall. "I love my work with the Shadow Ops, really. But outside of it? I'm really not sure what else there is for me." He admitted sadly. "I mean look at me now, if I don't have a mission to go on, I'm practically worthless! What happens if I get too injured to fight anymore? Or what about when the threat of the Metaverse finally ends? What will be left for me then?"
"Wow. And here I thought you were smart." Yukiko snorted.
"Huh?" Ren looked up, confused.
"Are you serious? You're scared there's nothing else out there for you?" Yukiko asked rhetorically. "Ren, you're one of the most talented people I've ever met. I literally don't think I've ever seen you be bad at anything. You could honestly give Narukami a run for his money." She smiled, letting out another giggle. "But honestly, if you really don't know what there is for you out in the world, that's okay. It's exciting even. I went through the same thing when I was younger, I wanted to find a life outside of Inaba so I tried a bunch of different things to see what I liked. None of them ended up working out, but in the end I don't regret doing any of them, they helped push me along to where I am today and I can truly say that I'm happy with my life now."
"Huh." Ren responded, having received quite a bit of food for thought. "You're really happy with everything in your life?"
"Of course I am." She sat up, an image flashing in her mind of a silver-haired boy and a young blonde girl by the riverbank. Jealousy. Sadness. Heartbreak. "What else could I ask for?"
"I guess you're right." Ren smiled. "I'll definitely consider what you said. Thanks."
"Sure thing." She smiled back, standing up. "Now will you please get some rest?" She laughed, but patted her pockets to make sure everything was still there.
"Yes ma'am." Ren replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
As she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, Yukiko let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She hadn't thought about that day in years, having pushed it to the back of her mind long ago, why now? Was it something Ren had said? Was it Ren himself? He and Narukami were so alike in some ways, both being Wildcards, both being unreasonably handsome and suave. But at the same time, there were some differences. While Narukami was a typical boy scout, Ren was a bit of a rebel who marched to the beat of his own drum. Honestly, the latter was more Yukiko's type.
Wait, had she just thought that? Was...Was she into Ren? That couldn't be, they barely knew each other. Today was the most the two of them had ever spoken, she couldn't just fall for him that fast right? And yet...here she was.
She let out a sigh, sliding down the wall next to his room.
'Why did he have to ask that stupid question?' She thought angrily. She was supposed to be happy with how things are now. She'd forgotten about those buried emotions a long time ago. So why? Why did-
"Yukiko?" A familiar voice asked softly. Turning her gaze up, she saw a familiar pair of deep grey eyes, windswept silver hair, and the beginnings of stubble growing upon his face. "What are you doing down there?"
"H-Hey Yu!" She quickly stood up, giving her best smile. She'd forgotten how tall Narukami was, the tallest member of the team at nearly 6 and half feet tall. "What was I doing? I uh, I was just tired, so I decided to take a quick snooze in the hall." She lied horribly.
"Huh. You know your room is like, 20 feet away right?" He tilted his head. "We keep it unlocked in case you visit."
"Oh, r-right." She looked over at her door. "...Did not think of that."
"The 'patient' isn't causing you any trouble is he?" He gestured to Ren's door.
"Nonono, not at all!" She shook her head fiercely. "He's been perfectly kind, a little reluctant to rest, but otherwise very nice."
"Good, I'm glad." He smiled his winning smile. "The others are downstairs if you want to go see them."
"Oh! Right! I should go do that." She and Yu walked toward the stairs. "I'll make you all some dinner."
The two of them were silent before bursting into laughter.
"...Please don't."
[Shadow Operative File: 015]
Yukiko Amagi
Codename: Princess
Status: Standby
Species: Human
Age: 24
Sex: F
Persona: Sumeo-Okami, formerly Amaterasu, formerly Konohana Sakuya
Description: Former member of the Inaba Investigation Team, Yukiko Amagi joined the Shadow Ops unofficially following her team's meeting of the Operatives in 2012 and joined officially after graduating from high school. After 3 years on the team, Yukiko resigned from active duty, choosing to help with her family's inn instead. While she does still stay in touch with the other members, she has made it clear that she doesn't wish to participate in missions unless they require all members. Her Persona is skilled at wielding fire attacks as well as healing magic.
Notes: Yukiko is one of the few Shadow Operatives who has had no complaints written toward her by the staff. However, it has been noted by former Investigation Team members that she should not be allowed anywhere near kitchen appliances.