October 7th.
In the arcade in Akihabara, Ren was watching a boy known as The King play the arcade game Gun About. The King's real name was Shinya Oda, and he was, as the name implied, the King of Gun About. It was his expertise in this game that allowed Ren to gain the necessary gun knowledge to defeat a rather troublesome foe in Mementos, but in exchange for his help, he wanted proof that Ren could contact the Thieves. An easy job and with some help of Futaba, it was easy to convince the young fan of the Phantom Thieves to help.
Right now, Shinya was engaged in a round of Gun About against the pro gamer known as Takekuma. It was an intense match and gathered an audience to observe as well. The King and Takekuma the pro going at it? A lot of people were curious to see the outcome of such a sudden, but hype match. Truthfully, however…Shinya was goaded into the match. Takekuma used sly words that got under the child's skin, such as being hesitant to bully a kid, and things like that. Shinya, who hated being perceived as weak, took the bait without even thinking about it…and now…
"I'm gonna win…I have to…!" Shinya told himself, focused on his screen. But he soon realized that the tide of the game was quickly shifting against him. "Huh!? How…!?"
"The King's getting destroyed…" An onlooker watched this one-sided beat down in awe. Shinya was usually the one destroying anyone who challenged him, but this was the rare occurrence that the complete opposite was happening!
"That's Takekuma, isn't it? He's awesome!" Another person said.
"This isn't look so great…" Ren thought to himself. Shinya made Ren look like an unexperienced loser when teaching him the tricks to beat that cheater, and now Takekuma was making Shinya look like a beginner!
"I missed…!?" Shinya gasped.
And with one final shot, Takekuma took the game. "And the King has lost…!" Someone exclaimed in shock.
Shinya couldn't believe it. He lost!? No way, that couldn't be right. "T-That doesn't count! One more game…!"
Takekuma shrugged. "Sure, why?" And he'd soon make Shinya regret this. One more game turned into two more…and then three more. But no matter how hard Shinya tried to overcome…
"Wow…that's ten losses in a row."
"The King got slaughtered! That's hilarious!"
The spectators were eating this up. This irritated and embarrassed Shinya. He couldn't go down like this! He had to win…! "One more game!" He demanded, but at this point, Takekuma shook his head.
"No matter how many times we play, the end result will be the same." Takekuma said smugly. "We should probably stop, for you sake." Extra salt in the wound as well.
"Shut up!" Shinya shouted. "You cheated, didn't you!?"
"Calm down, Shinya. You're being a sore loser." Ren told him. He understood that Shinya was extremely upset right now, but he couldn't watch as this was the attitude he decided to take.
"But…there's no way I could've lost!" Shinya protested.
Takekuma just sighed. "Man…I guess the King is just a little kid after all. Looks like I overestimated your ability. I'd feel bad beating you again, so I'm gonna go. Make sure you practice for when we play again." With those parting words, Takekuma left and the crowd dispersed, leaving Shinya and Ren alone in front of the Gun About console.
Shinya kicked the ground in frustration. "Dammit! I can't believe this…"
"Don't get so worked up…you just gotta get your revenge against him, right?" Ren said.
"That's right!" Shinya said, his voice filled with determination, yet somehow for all the wrong reasons. "If I lose, it's all over for me! I'm gonna beat him next time for sure. This isn't over. The strongest always win in the end, just like the Phantom Thieves. Watch, I'll win for sure next time!"
"Yeah, I'm sure you will." Ren was a little nervous at Shinya's wording,
.
.
Ann and Hifumi were walking together in Shibuya, the former enjoying a crepe that she brought mere moments ago. Hifumi watched with a nervous smile as Ann practically devoured the whole thing. "Mmm…so good…" Ann let out a content sigh.
"It amazes me how you can see those so often." Hifumi said with a small laugh. Just one crepe every so often was more than enough to satisfy her, but her friend's penchant for sweets truly was unending.
"I need the energy before the shoot!" Ann replied with a content smile.
"Oh, you did mention that before, didn't you?" Hifumi tilted her head. "What's the theme this time…?"
"It's a special on me and Mika! 'Up Close and Persona with Two Popular Models!" Ann replied before finishing off the crepe in her hands.
"Mika is part of it as well?" Hifumi blinked. This was the first time she was hearing about this. "She usually tells me when she has a shoot…" Maybe Mika just wanted that to be a surprise? She didn't know.
"I'm not gonna let her upstage me this time!" Ann said with a determined look. "I bet she's trying to find some way to make me look bad again, and working with your Mom too…" That made her bitter, but also more determined not to lose again either.
"I'm sorry about my Mother." Hifumi sighed. "She hasn't been answering my text too much either. So I think I'll go to the hospital myself and see if the doctors can tell me anything more about my Father's condition. I should've asked sooner…"
"I think it's good that you're taking that initiative now though." Ann says with a small smile. "I don't know why your mom is being so stubborn about you or this situation…"
Hifumi pondered on this for a moment. "I think it's because she wants me to stay focused. I'm going to make my return to shogi soon. I tried to tell my mother that an skilled doctor might be able to help, but since my father is already in the hospital, she didn't want to hear it. She thinks I'm being too optimistic and went on to say how she doesn't trust anything not involved with the hospital."
"Well…" Ann sighed at that news. "I kind of understand, but if I were in her shoes, I would give it a chance if it could save your dad's life."
"Even if she doesn't, I will! I won't stand idly by while my father is sick. If I can do something, then I will try with all my might." Hifumi got a little passionate for a moment, her voice even rose a bit. When she realized this, an embarrassed blush appeared on her cheeks. "Ah…that was loud, wasn't it?"
"A little. But I'm glad to hear you say something like that so passionately!" Ann grinned, "I'm proud of you, Fumi."
"Ehehe…" Hifumi wore a sheepish grin on her face, scratching her cheek. "T-That's enough about me…um, we were waiting for Ren, right?"
"Mhm. He's been a pretty big help on my journey so far, so I want him to be there when I show Mika up!" Ann said confidently. She was really placing all her bets on this shoot.
Speaking of Ren, he managed to catch up to the two girls. "Oh, there you two are. I hope I didn't keep you waiting?"
"Not at all! Fumi and I were having a nice chat about how I'm gonna crush Mika today." Ann said with a wide grin. "And I want you both to be here to see it."
"She's really fired up." Hifumi said with a small smile.
"Heh, I can't wait to see how this turns out." Ren had a smile of his own. "Where are we going?"
"It's over at Seaside Park! Now come on you two!" Ann was leading the charge. She was far too prepared to get this show on the road. Ren and Hifumi had to do their best to keep up, but they were happy to see Ann with this much energy in her goals. Though parting with Shiho was painful for Ann, it helped strengthen her resolve to see her ambitions through.
.
.
Upon arriving under the bridge in Seaside Park, the trio was met with a surprising scene: Mika frowning and getting reprimanded by an employee of the agency. "And don't pull a stunt like that again, okay?"
"Okay…I won't…" Mika said, her gaze lowered down to the ground. Everything from her voice to her body language was meek.
"Mika…?" Hifumi blinked. Something about Mika seemed different, but she couldn't place her finger on it.
"Is now a bad time?" Ren tilted his head.
"What's going on here?" Ann asked.
Upon hearing Hifumi's voice, Mika blinked, eyes widening a bit in surprise. She didn't expect to see Hifumi here today, but she didn't say anything. "…"
"Oh, uh…" The agency employee scratched his head when he saw Ann. "Oh, right. You fell victim to it too. Is it okay if I tell her, Mika-chan?"
"Yeah…" Mika nodded slowly.
With the go ahead, the employee began to explain. "Do you remember a while back when a bunch of models weren't showing up to our shoots? Well, apparently, Mika-chan was posing as our agency and telling them the shoot locations changed." This bit of news was a shock to Ren, Ann, and especially Hifumi. "We had heard rumors that she might have been doing it, but we thought people were just jealous of her. I mean, those shoots she filled in for really boosted her popularity. Anyway, I asked her about it today and all she had to say was 'I'm sorry'."
"What I did was really terrible. I caused so much trouble for everyone…" Mika's tone held regret. "But I'm gonna start working even harder from now on, I promise…"
The employee could only sigh. It wasn't like the agency could really do anything but slap Mika on the wrist for her actions at this point. "Anyway, we're going to get started soon. Are you ready?"
Mika's expression shifted to a smile immediately. "Yup!" And so the employee went off to prepare for the shoot.
Ann couldn't help but roll her eyes at learning what Mika did. "You really did something as lame as that?"
And then Mika's true face showed up. "What are you calling lame? This industry is overflowing with models. Without an in, your career will never even get off the ground. Chances don't come to those who wait. You have to make your own luck if you want to succeed."
"I don't…disagree with such a statement entirely." Hifumi rubbed her arm. Mika was always so nice to her, that she sometimes forgot she was really the type of person that really would do anything to boost her career.
"You really are something…" Ann was honestly amazed at the lengths Mika went to keep her name out there as a model.
"It's your own fault for getting the boot. If you can't crawl your way back up, you may as well go home." Mika scoffed. "And besides, it's not like I'm not talented. I just needed my shot and now I'm selling like crazy. You were a big part of that Hifumi-ch – er, Hifumi." She quickly corrected herself.
"Huh?" Hifumi blinked. Mika didn't call her Hifumi-chan? She was so used to that, it felt a bit odd not to hear it. Mika was acting strange and Hifumi couldn't help but wonder if she did something to make her upset.
"You talk big, but they still found out about your fake emails." Ann huffed in return.
"Sure, but all I had to do was offer a teensy apology. It would've been dumb to try and hide it from them." Mika waved her hand dismissively. She thought this through. "They can't sack me now. I'm already far too popular and it's only going to grow. Even if I'm detested for my actions, I'll continue my rise."
"Mika…that's so…" Hifumi stared at her friend, before giggling a bit. Oddly enough, hearing this didn't make her upset. She just giggled a bit…and so did Ann. Ren and Mika were both very confused at the giggle fit from the both of them.
"What's so funny?" Mika crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Ann more than Hifumi.
"You're just like the villains I used to admire when I was a kid. Beautiful, strong…and wicked. Honestly, I can't bring myself to hate you." Ann said with a smile.
Mika rolled her eyes at those words. She may have had an argument with Mitsuyo because of Ann, but that didn't have any bearing on her dislike of Ann at all. No, she still felt the same way about Ann for the same reasons. "Well, I don't have any trouble hating you. Call me wicked if you want, it's completely true." She replied in a heartbeat. Those compliments did nothing to soften her up towards Ann.
"Sorry Mika, but your hard work is only gonna get you to second place. I'm going to be the number one model." Ann said confidently. "You might be more popular right now, but I'll take that spot from you fair and square! You can get all the help in the world, but it still won't be enough at the end of the day."
A challenge? It sounded like Ann was really serious about modeling, which was the reason Mika despised her so much. It was practically just a hobby to Ann before, but now Ann was dead set on this and Mika could hear it in her voice. "Hm…" Mika thought about it for a moment. "All right then. I won't pull any more tricks. I'll beat you fair and square, with my own beauty."
"Sounds good to me!" Ann pumped a fist.
Mika then started to walk past them, stopping in front of Hifumi for a moment. "…Come find me when the shoot is over, I have to talk to you."
"Huh? O-Oh, okay." Hifumi nodded and Mika walked off. Something was really strange here about Mika's behavior.
"Hm…" Ren noticed it as well. But he didn't say anything just yet and instead remained quiet about it.
The photoshoot soon started, with Ann and Mika were both giving it their all in front of the camera. Along with the camera crew, there were a few bystanders lucky enough to witness the shoot in person.
"It's Mika! Oh, and Ann too they're both so cute…" A passing college girl said with jealously.
"What must they eat to have bodies like that? The world is so unfair…" Another woman remarked enviously.
"They might have some natural beauty, but they've gotta be exercising those bods!"
"Oh yeah, that's the way! What a pose! Give me a few more, just like that!" The cameraman said to Ann and Mika. They were both beaming at the camera.
"Hey…doesn't Ann-chan seem different?" An employee whispered to another.
"Yeah, she's really amped up the sexiness. Maybe she's gained some confidence?"
"I think Ann's making an impact." Hifumi whispered to Ren.
"Yeah, she's come a pretty long way from before." Ren smiled. This was a vast improvement than before. Last time Mika completely took the camera's attention away from Ann, but this time it was a fierce duel to keep the camera on both of them. Ann's growing confidence was a wonderful thing to see, and this was only just the first step for her.
The shoot eventually came to a close some time later. Ann approached Ren with a great big smile. "Wow, that was great! I had so much fun! So how was I!?"
"You were great." Ren nodded. "You really gave it your all."
"Well, yeah! I had to work extra hard with you and Fumi watching, hehe!" Ann giggled, then realized that Hifumi wasn't actually there. "Huh, wait. Where'd she go?"
"Mika said she wanted to talk to her after the shoot. I think they're somewhere nearby…" Ren didn't actually notice Hifumi slip away until Ann mentioned it.
"Hmph!" Ann huffed. "Of course Mika would take her away after the shoot!"
"Although…hasn't Mika been acting a little weird today?" Ren asked.
"…Well, now that you mention it." Ann titled her head a bit. Something about Mika did seem a little off when she thought about it. "She didn't try teasing Fumi in front of me at all! I was so ready for that this time!"
"Yeah. That." Not exactly what Ren was going to say, but Ann wasn't entirely wrong about that either. "I wonder if something happened…"
.
Mika was sitting on a bench, looking out at the water after the shoot was over. Hifumi found her and slowly approached with a slight smile. "You were great out there." Hifumi started the conversation as best she could, looking towards Mika. She then noticed what was off about Mika's appearance now: the floral wristband was gone. "Um…is something wrong…?"
Mika turned her head to Hifumi, her expression neutral. "I've been thinking, and I think it's about time to end our relationship."
Hifumi was noticeably taken aback by that statement. Her mouth was open and she even let out a small gasp. "I-I'm sorry…? Did I…do something wrong? Are you mad at me?" If this was a joke, it was a poor one. But Mika also never lied to her either, she knew that. She didn't sense any type of lie in Mika's statements.
"You didn't do anything wrong." Mika stood up. "Surely you recall me saying that I'd do whatever I could to boost my popularity? Well, Hifumi-ch – ah, Hifumi, you and your mother were a big help in making me so popular. But I think I've squeezed out every last bit of popularity I could get from you."
"W-Well...even if that's true…aren't we friends?" Hifumi quickly replied.
"Friends?" Mika raised a brow. "I can't call myself your friend. I was just using you so I could get more popular. Could you really be friends with someone like that? I don't have anything else to gain from you, and you don't have anything more you could gain from me. So I think it's for the best we end things as they are."
"B-But…!" Hifumi was failing to find words. She was hoping that there was a hint of a lie within Mika's words somewhere, but they all rang true. "Even if that's true…even if I don't have anything to gain from being friends with you, I would still like to be. That just means you know I'm not trying to use you for anything, right?"
"Ah…" Hifumi's reply stunned Mika for a bit. It was so earnest. Hifumi was always so nice to her and for no bigger reason other than it being how she was. How was Hifumi so nice when her mother Mitsuyo was such a…well, that didn't make things any easier for Mika. But it was better this way. "That's nice of you, but things are just better this way."
Hifumi bit her lip. She didn't understand why Mika was suddenly so – "Wait…did my mother put you up to this!?"
"No." Mika replied, shaking her head. "She didn't make me do this. I'm doing this on my own."
"…." Hifumi's gaze lowered to the ground. "I see…"
"That's all I wanted to say. Goodbye, Hifumi-ch…Hifumi." Mika nodded and started to walk off, resisting the urge to look back. Wicked was a good word to describe her. Had this been anyone else, she would've had no problem leaving them behind. It was a brutal world in the modeling industry, but Hifumi wasn't a part of that. Hifumi was the first person she actually almost connected with..
"Wait!" Hifumi exclaimed. "Is my mother involved in this at all…? Do you…think it's better like this?"
"No she isn't…and of course I do." Mika replied before walking off.
"…." Hifumi clenched a hand into a fist, biting her lower lip. She was…sad and angry. Sad because that was the first time Mika ever lied to her, and angry because her mother was involved in some way. This was precisely what she was afraid of happening: her mother being the reason she lost a friend.
"Fumi…!" Ann ran over to her, Ren following along. "I…are you okay?" They heard that conversation. "I can't believe Mika would just…!"
"It's not her fault…" Hifumi wiped her eyes. "…I don't know what happened between Mika and my mother, but…I'm really mad at her."
"I wonder what happened…" Ren stroked his chin. Mika and Mitsuyo were closely knit, at least in terms of Hifumi's career and pushing Ann out. Clearly, that had something to do with Mika's sudden turnaround on Hifumi.
"She said that she thinks it's better we aren't friends…" Hifumi mumbled. That was the truth she heard from Mika's lips, and her powers did not detect that as a lie. She was told once before that the truth was absolute and could not be changed, those were Akechi's words. But her father also told her to go beyond that truth if she wanted to seek something more. "I…I don't believe that at all…!"
"Ah…!" Hifumi's sudden outburst caught Ren and Ann by surprise.
"Mika is my friend, just as you two are…" Hifumi said. "I…I'm tired of my mother trying to take things away from me because she doesn't like them, or for whatever reason she has…!"
"Do you want to get to the bottom of it?" Ren asked. "We still have one option…"
"Wait…" Ann told Ren, before looking at the both of them. "I know how important this is to you, Fumi…I do. Back when Shiho saved me, I realized that personal relationships are something to be treasured. That's why I want to help you, Fumi…"
"You've already done so much…" Hifumi was able to smile slightly at Ann's words.
"Now…I may not like Mika that much, but I know she's important to you. If your mother is that determined to control everything in your life, I'm going to do everything as your friend to help you stand up to her!" Ann said this with resolve. Wanting to help inspire confidence in others with her modeling did not extent to just that, it extended to her friends and all of the important people in her life. This resolve caused a faint blue light to appear around Ann's body, her heart strengthening in response to the way she felt. Carmen underwent a change, evolving into Hecate.
"I'm here for you too. And I know the rest of the group is too." Ren added. "So…if you're ready to stand up to your mother, all you have to do is give the word. That state of that infiltration depends on you."
Hifumi thought about it for a moment. To stand up to her own mother and confront her. The last time they were in her mother's Palace, she completely crumbled from the crushing news that was delivered. It destroyed her confidence and sense of self for a little while…but thanks to her Father, Ann, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, it felt like she was able to stand up again. That voice inside of her was growing strong enough to properly see this through… "I want to confront my Mother's Shadow one more time. Will you all help me…?"
"Of course we will!" Ann said with a wide grin.
Ren pulled out his phone, already opening up the group chat. "Just say the word, and we'll get going."
"Tomorrow." Hifumi said firmly. "Tomorrow…I'll tell her how I feel and I will not hold back…!"