8/21 Saturday
Everyone had gathered at Leblanc, trying to determine what they would do for Futaba next.
As they were thinking it over, Ann ran into Leblanc, holding some bags in her hands.
"Guess who went shopping?!" Ann said in a sing-song voice.
"You got something for Futaba?" Makoto asked.
Ann nodded. "Uh huh! I got her a swimsuit!" Ann exclaimed.
"Wha-Wha?!" Futaba gasped. "Why do I need a swimsuit?!"
"I thought that we could all go to the beach one of these days." Ann smiled.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Makoto smiled.
"That sounds like a horrible idea!" Futaba argued. "Don't you know how many people go to the beach?!"
"And that's why it's a good idea!" Ann pointed out. "If you can overcome this, you can overcome everything!"
"I-If it'll help…" Futaba mumbled.
"Great! Let's try it on right now!" Ann grinned.
"Wah!"
Ann rushed Futaba upstairs to try on her swimsuit.
"You know, maybe we could all share a meal together?" Ren suggested. "Think that could help Futaba?"
"I think it's worth a shot." Makoto nodded.
"So, you're all staying for lunch?" Sojiro smiled. "Alright, I'll start making your orders."
"I'll help you out, Boss." Ren offered.
"I can help too." Makoto offered.
The three of them entered the kitchen, preparing everyone's meals.
"Ahh…" Futaba sighed. I ate a tooooon!"
"Damn, Futaba, I'm impressed!" Ryuji exclaimed. "You ate more than Yusuke and me, and we ordered larges!"
"Indeed you did." Yusuke agreed. "Although I think it's much better for a young woman to have a healthy appetite."
"Eww, are you flirting with me?" Futaba frowned.
"Of course not." Yusuke scoffed. I-"
"Sojirooooo! Inari's being a weirdo towards me!"
Yusuke just glared at her while Futaba gave him a cheeky grin.
"She really is part gremlin." Ren laughed.
"Hush." Makoto urged.
"So, Futaba, do you have any idea what you want to do next?" Ann asked.
"Umm… I don't know." Futaba frowned. "Do any of you have an idea on what we should do next?"
"You sure that you don't want to go to the beach?" Ann asked.
"M-Maybe another time!" Futaba exclaimed. "When there's less people, like in winter!"
"Who goes to the beach in the winter?" Ryuji sighed.
"We only really made plans for this week, but I'm sure that we could brainstorm something together." Ren suggested.
"Kay." Futaba nodded.
Sojiro shook his head at their antics, a smile playing at his face.
"Heh… you kids sure do make lunch lively." Sojiro smiled.
"Uh-huh! It's a lot of fun!" Futaba beamed.
Makoto couldn't help but feel happy, and also a little proud, of Futaba. She seemed almost nothing like the same girl they had met a few weeks ago.
She wasn't just comfortable around then, she seemed more comfortable in general, with both herself and the outside world.
After finishing her meal, she said goodbye to the others before heading home for the day.
8/22 Sunday
When she arrived at Leblanc, she saw that Futaba and Ren were already waiting for her.
"Hey, Makoto." Futaba greeted. "Are we doing that whole brainstorming thing now?"
"If you'd like." Makoto replied.
"We should probably head upstairs for it though." Ren suggested. "We wouldn't want to bug Boss' customers.
Before they could head upstairs, however, Makoto heard the bell ringing, and quickly turned around.
"Welcome." Sojiro greeted.
To her surprise, the person at the door was none other than Akechi.
"Oh, hello, Akechi-kun." Makoto smiled.
"Hey." Ren greeted.
"Hello, Makoto-chan, Amamiya-san." Akechi greeted. "And you…" Akechi hummed, trying to remember. "Ah, you must be Wakaba's…"
Futaba quickly hid behind Makoto, and Sojiro cleared his throat, cutting Akechi off.
"Ah, that's right, you've been here a few times before." Sojiro realized, quickly changing the subject.
Akechi nodded. "Sae-san actually recommended this place to me."
Sojiro narrowed his eyes. "I'm not answering anymore questions and I'm not going to listen to anymore threats."
Akechi raised his hands in a sort of peace gesture. "There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding." Akechi said. "I only came here for a coffee, that's all."
Sojiro still looked a little skeptical, but went to make some coffee regardless.
"It seems I'm not welcome anywhere." Akechi sighed.
"Why do you say that?" Makoto asked.
"Well, as the Phantom Thieves grow in popularity, I'm afraid that my popularity shrinks, as I criticized them some time ago." Akechi exclaimed.
"I'm… sorry to hear that." Ren frowned.
"It's nothing personal." Makoto said. "The reason Boss was upset was because Wakaba… is a bit of a sore subject."
"Ah, of course… I'm sorry that I bothered you." Akechi apologized.
"Akechi-san… do you know that Futaba is…" Ren trailed off.
"Sae told me." Akechi answered. "And, while we're on the subject, I'd like to apologize for Sae-san's behavior as well. Sae has become… far more aggressive as of late."
Makoto but her lip.
"It must be terrible for you. After having to deal with what happened to your mother, and now this… I understand that it must be hard for you." Akechi said.
"You… understand…?" Futaba asked.
Akechi nodded. "I do. My mother was apparently in a relationship with some low-life of a man… he quickly left her the moment she found out she was pregnant."
Ren stiffened, which Akechi seemed to quickly pick up on.
"Something wrong?" Akechi asked.
"Oh, it's just… it was the same with me." Ren said. "My dad walked out as soon as he found out my mom was pregnant."
It was only for a moment, but she thought Akechi looked almost… irritated at Ren's confession.
Perhaps it was just her imagination…
"I think that my father leaving was a big part… of what pushed my mother to suicide." Akechi frowned.
"Akechi-kun… I'm so sorry." Makoto expressed.
"It's quite all right." Akechi told her, though he was still frowning. "It was tough being passed from foster home to foster home, but I do quite well for myself these days. Even so, I…"
"Can't forgive the guy responsible for your mom's death, right?" Futaba finished.
Akechi seemed surprised for a moment before nodding. "Yes. Exactly. If I were to run into that man… well… to be honest, I'm not sure what I'd do. What do you think, Makoto-chan?"
"Me?"
"It's interesting to think about, isn't it?" Akechi smiled. "I hope I'm not being insensitive, but I'm curious… if you were to come face to face with Kaneshiro… or that hitman he hired, what would you do?"
Makoto took a moment to reflect.
She had nearly killed Kaneshiro, and he had only ordered her father's death, not carried it out himself. If she had run into that hitman…"
"I don't know." Makoto admitted. "I'm not sure if I'd be able to control myself.
"Makoto…" Ren trailed off, giving a worried look.
"I appreciate the honesty, Makoto-chan." Akechi smiled. "Speaking to you is always interesting."
Akechi finished the rest of his coffee and said goodbye before leaving Leblanc.
"I guess… he's been through a lot too." Ren muttered.
"Yeah." Makoto nodded.
"Um, hey you two, are we gonna be doing that brainstorming thing or not?" Futaba asked.
"Oh, right, of course." Makoto nodded.
The three of them went upstairs to think of ways to help Futaba.
"You're really motivated Futaba." Ren complimented.
"That's cause I really do wanna change." Futaba insisted. "Even though Akihabara was really scary, it was really fun getting to go out with you guys. Sojiro's even started to notice how much I'm improving."
"I'm sure that he's very proud of you, Futaba." Ren smiled
Futaba nodded "I think Sojiro's gonna want to start going to school in person again now that I've been getting better. But online classes are so much better for studying! I wouldn't even have to leave the house. Wouldn't it be cool if I could just take all of my classes online?" Futaba grinned.
"Futaba…" Makoto gently said. "You know that wouldn't really solve anything, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Futaba grumbled.
"I'm serious. There are some things that you can't learn from a textbook." Makoto explained.
Ren gave an overdramatic gasp. "Makoto! How could you say such a thing?!"
Futaba giggled while Makoto just rolled her eyes at Ren's antics.
"To be honest… I really do wanna go back." Futaba admitted. "Do you think I'd be able to manage…?"
"I think that you'll definitely be ready by next school year." Makoto encouraged.
"Yeah." Futaba grinned. "Oh! I've got an idea! I should make a promise list!"
"A promise list?" Makoto repeated.
"My mom used to have me do that all the time!" Futaba explained. "She'd write down all my goals for the month, like finishing chores and stuff, and then she'd take a day off work to spend time with me when I finished."
"Oh, I get it." Ren said. "You think that would help you?"
"Yeah! I'll get started!" Futaba promised.
Futaba diligently worked on her promise list, showing it to them when she had finished.
"The first level is to go somewhere with lots of people!" Futaba explained. "I have to get used to big crowds!"
"Makes sense." Ren nodded.
"Level?" Makoto muttered.
"The second level is going to school… just to visit." Futaba said. "I gotta see what high school is like."
"I'm sure that I could give you a tour after school." Makoto offered.
Futaba nodded. "Level three is to learn more about my generation. I gotta be able to connect with them."
"Well, that's easy. All we have to do is find you a study partner to talk to." Ren grinned.
"…Try to stay away from any delinquents, however." Makoto said, getting a little teasing in.
"And finally, have a normal conversation with someone around my age… besides you guys." Futaba finished.
"Alright, that shouldn't be too bad." Makoto said. "Is there anything else you can think of?"
Futaba gave it some thought.
"Let's see… oh, I know!" Futaba exclaimed. "Traveling! I want to travel somewhere. Maybe even somewhere out of town!"
Ren and Makoto glanced at each other.
"Well…" Ren trailed off. "We were actually planning on taking a vacation to my hometown, since it's our summer break."
"Would you like to come with?" Makoto asked.
"W-Would that really be ok?" Futaba asked.
"Of course it would." Makoto beamed. "You're our friend too, so we'd love to have you come with us, but we'll understand if you don't want to come."
"T-Thanks…" Futaba mumbled. "But, um… how away is your home, anyway?"
"It's not that far." Ren told her. "It's only about an hour or two outside of town."
"Great! I can't wait!" Futaba grinned.
She felt a little closer to Futaba.
HERMIT CONFIDANT: RANK 2
After planning everything out, Makoto went home for the day and went to bed.
When she awoke, she found herself not in her room, but in the Velvet Room.
Wasting no time, she approached the bars of her cell.
"Igor?" Makoto questioned. "Did you want to see me again?"
"Indeed, he does." Justine stated. "Stand up straight and listen carefully, inmate."
"It seems you freed the heart of a frenzied girl and saved her from her haunted past." Igor chuckled. "Another step towards rehabilitation."
"Our master has praised you! You'd better feel honored." Caroline snapped.
"R-Right. Thank you." Makoto expressed. "How long do you think it'll be until I'm… rehabilitated?"
"I can only hazard a guess, but…" Igor trailed off. "I believe that you are well on your way. But do not falter… the worst is yet to come…"
"...I was beginning to think the same." Makoto admitted. "Things seem to go so much deeper than I originally thought."
"You refer to that scientist's stolen research, do you not?" Igor grinned. "It seems that this world may be known by others who would use it for nefarious deeds."
"What is it with you humans and turning everything into a tool of destruction?!" Carline snapped.
"Even your own distorted desires are nothing but another tool to exploit." Justine frowned.
"Such malice exists in the hearts of all of mankind." Igor explained. "But through proper guidance, such nefarious plots would be no more."
Makoto couldn't help but wonder what Igor meant by "proper guidance". Was it the help he was giving her now… or something else?
Despite her question, she still felt like she understood Igor a bit more.
HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 7
"Rest assured, we shall continue to assist you." Igor promised. "Now, it is time for you to return."
She climbed back into the bed in her cell, returning back to the real world…
8/23 Monday
Today was the day.
Today they'd be heading with Ren to his hometown.
As she entered Leblanc, Ren waved to her while eating some curry while Futaba and Sojiro were talking.
"You're really going to travel out of town?" Sojiro frowned.
"Uh-huh!" Futaba nodded.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Sojiro asked. "Maybe you should stay here…"
"But Sojiro, I want to go!" Futaba pleaded. "And I'll have everyone else with me."
Sojiro sighed. "Alright, alright. But stay out of trouble, ok? And call me if something comes up."
"Alright!" Futaba cheered, before turning towards them. "Come on, you guys! Let's make like a hedgehog and spin dash out of here!"
As Futaba left Leblanc, Makoto walked up to Sojiro to reassure him.
"We'll keep an eye on her." Makoto promised.
"Thanks." Sojiro nodded. "I know that she can be a bit of a handful."
"Of course." Makoto nodded. "You mentioned a camper van before, right?"
"Yeah, follow me."
Sojiro showed them the camper van that he had rented
It had more than enough space to fit all 7 of them. It was even bigger than Morgana's car form, in fact.
Honestly, aside from the train…
"I've never ridden anything this big before…" Makoto trailed off.
Ren nearly choked on his curry.
The other thieves soon arrived.
All of them climbed into the van, making themselves comfortable as Makoto started the car and drove off.
After about five minutes on the road, she felt like she was starting to get a hand of the camper van. Hopefully the drive would go smoothly.
"Makotoooooo!" Futaba cried. "I have to go to the bathroom!"
Makoto sighed. It was going to be a long trip.
"That's enough, you two!" Makoto scolded. "If you two don't stop arguing I will turn this car around!"
"He started it!" Both Morgana and Ryuji shouted, pointing at each other.
"I don't care who started it. I'm ending it." Makoto declared.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever… Mamakoto." Ryuji grumbled.
The others started snickering at her nickname.
"I-I'm not- Ren, a little help, please?"
Ren smirked.
"Listen to your mother, you two." Ren joked.
Makoto sighed. She probably should have expected that.
In what felt much, much longer than a couple of hours, they had finally arrived at their destination.
"Woah, you live here, Ren?" Ann gasped.
"Um, yeah, that's my house." Ren nodded.
Yusuke started framing the house, while all the others took it in, too.
"Huh. I thought it'd be a little smaller." Ryuji admitted.
"Yeah, it's not huge, but there should be enough room for all of us." Ren modestly said. "Housing is a lot cheaper out here than in the city, at least."
As everyone climbed out of the van, Makoto noticed that Ren was still in his seat.
Before she could say anything, however, Ren seemed to already pick up on her concerned gaze.
"I'm fine." Ren assured her. "I just need a moment to collect myself. It's… been a while."
"Of course." Makoto nodded. "Take your time."
A minute or two later, Ren rose from his seat.
"Alright, let's go." Ren said.
Ren got out of the camper van and walked towards the door.
He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
After a few moments, a woman opened the door.
"Ren?" The woman said, barely a whisper.
"Hey, Mom. It's, um… been a bit." Ren said.
Silence…
"Um… you said I could bring some friends, so…" Ren trailed off, gesturing to them.
"Ah… 5 of them…" His mother muttered.
"And a cat." Ren added. "Is that ok…?"
His mother paused again, Makoto taking the time to study her expression.
Ren had let her know during the trip that his mother was young; not even 40, he had said.
She noticed that Ren's mother had noticeably grey hair, and her expression…
Tired was what it said to her.
"That's fine." his mother said. "The girls can stay in… the guest room. I'm making dinner right now… so why don't you get settled in."
They took her offer, entering the house and unpacking.
Exhausted from the long trip, Makoto decided to rest for a bit.
However, when she went into the guest room, she saw Futaba trembling in the corner.
The different environment must have been frightening for her…
She moved to comfort her, but someone beat her to the punch.
"Are you alright, Futaba?"
"Go away, Inari."
"It must be difficult, processing all of this so fast." Yusuke commented.
"What do you know about what I'm feeling…" Futaba muttered.
"Well, I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was very young." Yusuke bluntly answered.
"O-Oh… I'm sorry…" Futaba mumbled.
"It's fine." Yusuke told her. "… Until recently, I did not know the truth about her death. It was only a few months ago that I learned the truth."
"The truth? What was it?" Futaba asked.
"The man that I viewed as a mentor and role model… and even as a father figure… was responsible for my mother's death." Yusuke told her.
"W-What?!" Futaba gasped. "How?"
"He wanted to claim my mother's artwork for his own." Yusuke explained. "So he let her die while she had a seizure instead of fetching her medicine."
"That's horrible…" Futaba trailed off.
Yusuke nodded. "It was… difficult for me to accept the truth, but in order to move on, and avenge my mother, I had to do it."
"… So what you're saying is that I need to face the truth if I want revenge on the people responsible for my mom's death…" Futaba mumbled. "But I'll also need to adjust to regular life again before that."
"Yes, I suppose it does." Yusuke nodded. "But just as Makoto and the others were there to help me, we will be there to help you."
"Thanks, Inari. You're… actually pretty cool." Futaba said, before giving a mischievous grin. "Still a weirdo though."
"Wha- Why do people keep calling me a weirdo?!" Yusuke frowned.
"Cause you are one." Futaba laughed.
Yusuke sighed. "As if you're any better…"
Makoto smiled as she watched the two of them walk off.
Slowly but surely, they were getting Futaba to open up.
Satisfied that she was going to be ok, Makoto went to the guest room to rest…
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 8
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 7
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 7
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 6
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 6
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 5
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 7
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 5
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 5
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 5
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 5
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 3
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 3
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 4
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 5
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 4
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 5
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 6
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 4
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 3
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 4
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 5
THE COUNCILOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 5
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 55.4%
