Hifumi found herself feeling nervous by what she was about to do. Her father laid beside her, still as weak, but determined as ever. His eyes, half opened, shone when he saw her, and his mouth forced itself to smile. Her hands tightened around the shogi board she brought with her.
"Hifumi. I'm glad you came to see me." He rasped.
"Hello father. I… have a favor I'd like to ask you."
"If it's within my power, then I will do so."
"I… I need you to let me beat you at shogi."
He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"Let you? Do you think you can't beat me with your own talents?"
"No, I fully believe I can. It's just… I think I found a way to make mother pay for her crimes. I can't explain it, but I need you to let me beat you, and for mother to see that."
"Why?"
"I can't explain it. Just… trust me. Please."
The shogi champion looked at her with an inquisitive look on his face. Finally, he gave a small nod, and Hifumi got to work. She had sent a text to her mother awhile ago, telling her that father had something important to tell her. Thanks to Mitsuyo's reply, Hifumi knew that she would be here, and the girl wanted to be ready. So rather than waste time playing a rigged game, she set up the pieces so that she automatically had victory. Her father looked at her with a smirk.
"Really sweetheart? You could at least make it look like I put up a fight."
Hifumi returned the smile, but knew that when she inevitably had to fight cognitive Kaito, his skill would probably be based on what her mother saw. If she gave the depiction that she won by the skin of her teeth, she could very well still lose. But if Mitsuyo saw that her husband lost totally to her daughter, then the cognition would adjust accordingly.
"I know father. But it needs to be like this."
"So what happens now?"
"Now… we wait for mother. When she asks what news you have for her, tell her that I finally managed to defeat you."
As if on cue, Mitusyo was led into the room by a doctor. She gave a sweet smile that once warmed Hifumi's heart, but now fills it with unbridled anger.
"Hello sweetheart. Hifumi, I didn't know that you'd be here."
"On the contrary, she's the reason I wanted you here."
"Oh really? Why? Did she finally find a boyfriend?"
"No, not that I know of. Look darling. Look at this." Kaito said, gesturing to the board in front of him. Mitsuyo looked, and lo and behold there it was.
"Our daughter finally bested me. And so thoroughly too. I'm so proud of her."
"That's… wonderful. But is this really the main reason why you brought me here?" Mitsuyo asked, annoyance starting to bubble to the surface.
"Yes, it is. Isn't this a good thing?"
Mitsuyo pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an exasperated sigh. She didn't even try to hide the disappointment.
"Honey, it's great that Hifumi was able to beat you in that little game you two love, but I'm very busy. I can't drop everything for something like this. Next time there's an emergency, it had better affect me, the company, or all of us."
With that, the business woman turned on her heel and left. But Hifumi smiled, despite the harsh tone her mother used. The damage had been done. The stage had been set. With that in mind, she thanked her father, and sent a text to her leader.
Hifumi: I did it.
Yu plopped himself down onto his bed, having finished writing down the latest entry in his fake diary. With that, and his homework done, his belly full of Makoto's food, he made one last check at his phone before changing and going to bed. What he saw made him smile.
Yu: Awesome. That means we can resume our infiltration.
Hifumi: I know. Looking forward to it.
Suddenly, an idea popped into the Trickster's head.
Yu: Actually, I got another idea. Are you available for Sunday afternoon?
Hifumi: Yea, I'm free. Why?
Yu: Because I want to scope out what we have left. Just the two of us.
Hifumi: Are you sure that's a good idea? What if there's Shadows?
Yu: Depends. If there's not that much, I'm sure I can deal with them alone. But I start to get overwhelmed, then we'll fall back and bring the rest of the team. But considering how close we'll be cutting the deadline, I want to make sure we get as far as we can.
Hifumi: … Alright. What time?
Yu: 2 PM. Don't want our respective guardians to get suspicious.
Hifumi: See you then.
Yu found himself disappointed that LeBlanc couldn't be closed a second time. According to Futaba, Sojiro absolutely refused to let a nasty fever keep him down and his cafe closed. Wakaba, however, would have none of it, and because both were supremely stubborn, the argument lasted for hours until they finally agreed on a compromise; Sojiro would work at the mornings, show Wakaba how it's done, and in the evening, she would take over. That last part required Futaba to intervene, but Sojiro wouldn't trust even his own family to run the store without his supervision. And so, here he was, frantically serving customers that, of course, had to choose today to come to the cafe in what could only be described as a frenzied drove.
"Here's your curry sir, enjoy! Yes ma'am, your coffee is brewing right now! Sakura-san, I'll be right there!"
Needless to say, he was completely swamped, and if it wasn't for Futaba and Izanagi helping out, Yu was pretty sure he would've gotten some orders mixed up. So with this amount of stress, he was grateful he was able to deliver BroBro's Bizarre Adventure to the twins earlier.
"Hey mom! We're almost out of Blue Mountain beans!" Futaba cried out, drawing his attention to the here and now.
"Write it down Futaba! Soji and I will handle it later!"
As Yu continued to work at a frantic pace, he could tell that the day this cafe was to be resupplied was some time soon. The jars and the fridge were running dangerously low, and if this kept up, they might have to close on account of not being able to serve anyone, and if that happened, Sojiro might try to pin the missing supplies on him. While both he and Izanagi knew that Futaba and Wakaba would try to change his mind, in the end, it was Sojiro, not the girls, that Yu was employed to. He knew he'd have to do something to avert catastrophe.
"Futaba, do you think Sojiro-san's well enough to walk around?" Yu asked as he began to stir a fresh pot of curry.
"I think so. But if he tries to work, I'm not too sure." She replied, placing another dirty cup into a sink full of bubbles and other dirty dishes.
"What about groceries? We're almost out of supplies, but we just might be able to hold out if you and Sojiro-san make a rush to the store."
"I'll see what I can do, but there's no guarantee that mom will let him go."
"You have to try."
"You know that you'll also have to work on dishes too if I'm gone?"
"I can handle it. Tell Wakaba-san and go."
Futaba gave a small nod, drying off some dishes before running off to talk to Wakaba. The woman bit her lip in concern before giving a nod and motioning with her head encourage the girl to run to get her father, which she did. Izanagi spoke up.
Need me to go and check up on them?
No, I need you here. Besides, you can't do anything if something happens, and I can't just drop everything and make a mad dash to them if they get in trouble. And even then, if I somehow make it, I'll have to explain how I managed to find out what was happening. Just focus on helping me remember orders.
Alright. Looks like we got another couple coming in.
The day continued like that for a good while. Thankfully, it didn't get to the point where they had to turn away anyone, and when Sojiro had arrived with Futaba to restock, Yu could only compare the soreness and sweat to what he experienced after a hard day of infiltration. Sojiro did not look much better. His eyes had bags around them, his forehead glistened with sweat, and his face was gaunt. Yet despite that, he didn't appear weak or vulnerable.
"Alright, Futaba, you and I are gonna start unpacking the supplies. Narukami, you and Wakaba continue what you're doing." Sojiro ordered as he and his daughter went to the back room. Almost as if his arrival seemed to deter people, the tide slowly but surely lessened, and Yu let out a sigh of relief when the last one left and Sojiro flipped the sign to "CLOSED".
"Well… that was something." Wakaba voiced everyone's thoughts as the crew took a breather.
"Yea. If I knew this many customers were going to show up, I would've stayed here and sent Narukami to go get the food. But, on the bright side, we probably made more money today than we have the past few months combined."
Futaba let out a gasp.
"Does that mean we can update our game systems?!"
"Sure. You girls head out. Narukami and I will make sure I didn't forget anything."
Futaba and her mother left the cafe, and Sojiro turned to his employee. Yu expected a scowl, maybe a frown, but what he got was a calm and warm smile.
"Ok, I'll admit; I'm impressed."
Yu tilted his head back, puzzled.
"Heh. Yea, bet you weren't expecting that. But I am. When the surge hit, you kept your cool, and if what Futaba tells me is true, you didn't even mess up a single order, which is something not even I probably could've done."
"I had help."
Damn right you did.
"Heh. Modest too. Point is, you did good under extreme pressure that would've caused other people in your position to go crazy. You deserve a reward."
Sojiro walked behind the counter and opened the almost bursting cash register. He pulled out the appropriate bills to pay Yu's wage, but he stopped the teenager when he went to collect it. Sojiro then went and added another 200,000 yen to the pile, then handing it to Yu.
"Sir… I… I can't-"
"You can. And you will." Sojiro told him, using the same ominous and authoritative voice he always used to order Yu to do something. It worked, the highschooler meekly taking the cash and walking out. Sojiro called him.
"And kid?"
"Hmmm?"
"I'll only say this once; I might've been wrong about you."
Yu felt himself smile before giving a reply.
"You probably were."
As Yu sat in his room finishing up his homework, he suddenly received a text from Haru.
Haru: Naru-chan, are you awake?
Yu: I am.
Haru: Excellent. I think I've finished the details of my plan.
Yu: Great. So what is it?
Haru: I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend.
Yu: …
Yu: I'm sorry, what?
Haru: The plan is simple. Father cares about my happiness more than the company. So if I tell him that I've fallen in love with someone (IE you), then he'll break off the engagement.
Yu: Ok, but what about your company?
Haru: I've been thinking about that, and did some research into Sugimura. Apparently, while he may be the heir to a wealthy company now, he's built a reputation for spending his money and his father's money recklessly. Perhaps that's why his father proposed the match to begin with; Sugimura's spending all the money, and his father needs a fresh supply.
Yu: So you're saying this marriage could be disastrous in the long-term.
Haru: Precisely.
Yu: Fine. But there's going to have to be an inner circle of people that know the truth.
Haru: Of course. I know we should bring Shiho in, since I've heard you two have started going out. Anyone else you have in mind?
Yu: Makoto
Haru: Really? Why?
Yu: Because if she finds out, and she will if we're going to make it public, she'll rat me out to my guardian, and Sae-san will have my hide.
Haru: Got it. Anyone else?
Yu: None. You?
Haru: None. Guess I'll see you, Mako-chan and Shiho-kun on Monday?
Yu: You got it.
Haru: Very well. Thank you for this Naru-chan. :)
Yu: Anytime.
Yu heard the sound of chains, and instantly knew where he was. But what caught him off guard was the sight that awaited him.
"AWAKEN OUR INMATE!" Caroline shouted while doing an unbelievably dramatic pose that reminded Yu of Akechi.
"Caroline? What in the world are you doing?" Yu asked in befuddlement.
"We have summoned you here to offer our thanks! And congratulations for emerging the victor!" Caroline began, her voice thunderous with passion, and striking another dramatic pose.
"I'm sorry, what?" Yu asked, utterly clueless.
"Remember that favor we asked you for? Well thanks to you bringing us the DvDs, we were able to win a bet we had with our sisters on whose guest could provide the best gift." Caroline noted with pride in her voice.
"Girls…" An intimidating voice rumbled.
Both of the twins suddenly froze and slowly turned around, and there was Igor, apparently having just arrived, as he was standing near a doorway. But what stood out the most was that usual face-splitting grin was nowhere to be found, and the man's eyes narrowed. This was the first time Yu saw the girls afraid, and if he was honest, he felt a sense of dread too. This was not going to end well.
"Y-y-yes master?" Carloine asked, all the bravado drained from her.
"What have I told you, your sisters, and your brother about using the guests for games?"
Both girls instantly went to their knees.
"P-please master! There are multiple guests this time around, it only seemed fair to have a competition!" Caroline begged, fresh tears beginning to make their way down her cheeks. Igor simply shook his head and raised his hand to snap his fingers.
"I-it wasn't our idea master! We were roped in by Elizabeth! She's the one that proposed the idea!" Justine reasoned, also on her knees, expressing emotion for perhaps the first time in her life.
"And yet, you could have turned her down. Your sister will receive her due, but you also broke the rules, knowing full well the consequences. You have no one to blame but yourselves."
With a snap of his fingers, the two kneeling women opened their mouths in a silent scream. Yu's eyes widened as their bodies began to change. Still as statues, the center of their chest began to transform into ash, and like an infection, the transformation spread throughout their bodies until there was no flesh left. Shortly afterwards, the piles of ash that were once Caroline and Justine crumbled, and their remains scattered to an invisible wind. Igor set his eyes on Yu, his trademark grin once again appearing.
"I do apologize for that. I was planning on summoning you myself, but since my assistants have taken care of that for me-"
"Did you just kill them?!" Yu yelled, half terrified, half furious.
"Of course not. I simply punished them for toying with you."
"They didn't toy with me. They asked for my help, which I gave willingly."
"That does not matter. The rules are that they are not allowed to use a guest of the Velvet Room for their own entertainment. They knew the consequences, yet they still disobeyed."
"Well what'd you expect? I don't know what the Velvet Room looks like normally, but they can't have much to do when no one's around."
Igor's throat rumbled with a small cackle.
"Yes I suppose it's true. This is not the first time they've done this with their guests, and I highly doubt it'll be the last time. Though the punishment should ensure that they don't pull it again until many years in the future."
"And if they do, you'll try to do the same thing?"
"I won't try , I will . And if the girls would behave themselves like their brother, I wouldn't have to discipline them."
"Their brother? How many siblings do they have?"
Igor gave a gentle chuckle, as if he was happy to have an excuse to talk about those who inhabited the Velvet Room with him.
"I have five assistants in total. The oldest, most powerful, and well-behaved is Theodore, the fine gentleman that gave you the contract you signed."
"Why did you create them? Every time I've seen you perform a fusion you've always done it yourself."
Igor gave another chuckle, but this one felt more like an old man reminiscing about the good old days.
"For a number of reasons; one, such an action wears you down after awhile. I learned that when the first guest for the Velvet Room arrived during the days of ancient Egypt. Second, their primary task is to manage the compendium. It would be incredibly exhausting to constantly call forth and then fuse Personas, especially if the guest desires one that's the highest of its arcana. Third, I learned that my appearance can be a bit... disturbing. The guests feel much more at ease if they with something that at least resembles a human. Finally, I have… other duties… outside of the Velvet Room, and I cannot be everywhere at once. As such, my assistants are also capable of performing the fusion."
"Wow. Wait, hold up, ancient Egypt? Just how long has this place been around?"
"Around what you humans call the Bronze Age, human beings had existed long enough to create figures of might, magic, and myth to give voice to both their desires, and the powers that affected their lives that they had no control over. There were also enough of them that their subconscious desires began to pool. Eventually, a realm known as the Collective Unconscious formed, and from that, human desires formed in what we call Shadows and Personas. But before them, two beings of colossal power were made from the soul of humanity. Nyarlathotep, and my master and maker, Philemon. My master represented everything good in humanity, and Nyarlathotep, everything evil."
"Let me guess, they chose to duke it out." Yu guessed.
"Not so. Instead of resorting to something as crude as combat, they chose to make a wager."
"A wager?" Yu asked, caught off guard.
"A gamble to see if humanity can rise above its faults and become something more, or if they'll succumb to their flaws and destroy themselves. To ensure the former comes about, I was made, and given the power to do whatever I could to aid those who held the potential to fight off mankind's ruin. And to aid me, I created Theodore. In time, as the human race grew in size, the threat of ruin continued to surface more and more often."
"I see. So, has the threat of ruin been on the rise for awhile now?"
"The threat of ruin is always there. Like the tide, it always returns, and when it does, fate always finds a Wild Card and we help them push it back."
"And it's returning more frequently?"
"Yes. Time has no meaning here in the Velvet Room, so before, it would feel like eons before another guest would arrive, but now, they are coming and going like the Velvet Room is a fast food restaurant." Igor answered, realizing that this was also the first time the Velvet Room had multiple contracts at once.
"Well, when you put it like that, are you really that surprised that the girls would try to take advantage of the new activity?"
Igor's smile never seemed more genuine than it did right then.
"No I suppose not. Especially if it was done as a contest. My assistants bark, bicker, and brawl constantly. And whenever a guest is involved, they always at least attempt to bring them in on the competition. And yet, when one of them is in danger, the others cannot rush fast enough to help. But the rules exist for a reason. If the assistants were too busy using the guest for entertainment rather than actually helping, it could cost our guest their life."
"Even so, does that really justify turning the twins to ash?"
"I already told you, they will both be alive and well. All I did was force them to another space where I will be able to discipline them properly. You have nothing to fear."
Before the conversation could continue further, they heard the alarm bell. Yu began to fall asleep again, and he heard Igor's final words.
"What a pity. I had such important matters to discuss."