A/N As promised, here's chapter 9, and sadly there will be no chapter next week on account of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the states. The next chapter will be posted the following Friday on Dec. 3rd, so with that…
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this
Chapter 9
July 18th: Gates of Destinyland, Early Afternoon…
Having finished their excursion in the Metaverse and seen to the handover of the two would-be victims to the proper authorities, the members of the Investigation Team and the Phantom Thieves found themselves at a theme park.
The sheer oddity of the situation prompted Yosuke to lean over towards Yu and Kanji, speaking in a voice just above a whisper.
"Either of you two think it's weird that we were just fighting Shadows and now we're at a theme park?"
"It seems pretty normal to me," Yu replied.
"It ain't that weird."
"What a life you two must live," he remarked sarcastically.
The would-be conversation was cut short as the esteemed detective among them started to speak.
"Alright," began Naoto as she addressed the team at large, Queen standing at her side. "I believe it best that we divide ourselves into groups with two members from each party."
"We'll be assigning the groups at random, and we'll switch after a few hours in order to ensure that everyone becomes as acclimated as possible with one another," spoke Makoto. "The only fixed pairing will be our leaders for obvious reasons."
As the two brainiacs of the group continued to go over the details, Ryuji felt his eyes start to droop and his brain start to shut down. It was as if he was in the middle of a lecture at school.
"Leave it to Queen to make a theme park feel like a boot-camp" Ryuji whispered over to his raven-haired friend. He couldn't help but snicker to himself. "We are at a theme park, right?"
"She's gonna hear you," Ren stated matter-of-factly.
"Nah, no way. She ain't gonna—"
"Problem, Ryuji?" Makoto asked pointedly.
"N-No, uh, I'm good!" he instantaneously replied.
As everyone's eyes drifted to him like the student the teacher had singled out for disrupting class, his cheeks naturally started to go crimson. It could have been far worse had Makoto opted to chew him out further, though thankfully for him, she moved right past it and continued speaking. His best friend, however, was by no means as merciful.
"No way, huh?" Ren muttered with a smirk.
Ann's subsequent giggle only added to his embarrassment. Needless to say, he was silent from that point forward. Although there was very little left to cover outside of the creation of the actual groups.
Naoto had opted to use an app to create the groups at random without much hassle. It took only a few clicks here and there to get everything to balance out.
"The first group: Yu and Ren-kun," she began, almost sighing before she continued on. "With Ann-chan and… Rise-san."
"Lucky me," Rise cooed, starring at the silver-haired young man with a captivating smile. "I guess we'll be getting plenty of time together today after all, huh, Yu?"
The nature of the look she was giving to the platinum blond had naturally piqued the curiosity of the Phantom Thieves. The other half was looking at Naoto as if questioning whether the draw was truly random. In response the detective just shrugged her shoulders and soldiered on.
"The second group is: Teddie and Morgana paired with Ryuji-kun and Yosuke-san."
The two humans quickly shouted out in unison, "No effin' way!"
"Aw, don't be mad that you have to share me, Yosuke~," Teddie cooed.
A vein popped in the brunette's forehead out of sheer frustration and disbelief. A sympathetic Kanji wished his friend the best of luck.
"I demand a redraft!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Oh just suck it up. It's not like I'm thrilled about it either…" Morgana grumbled.
"There will be no redrawing," Makoto said in a tone of finality.
"But I…! Uggh, whatever!"
With the gripes of the second group ignored, the announcing continued. The third group announced included Yusuke, Futaba, Chie, and Yukiko. Naturally, there was hardly a complaint said among them.
"Ooh, this will be fun!" Yukiko thought aloud.
"Yes, indeed. I look forward to it."
"I'll bet you do," Futaba said, rolling her eyes.
That left the last group to be Naoto, Kanji, Makoto, and Haru. Again, no one complained in the slightest. In fact, it was quite the opposite in the case of Kanji. From his expression, it was clear that he welcomed the drawing, which a certain someone couldn't help but pick up on.
"Someone seems happy. Have anything to do with getting to spend some time with Naoto?" Yosuke uttered quietly, albeit suggestively.
His reaction was predictable.
"Are you trying to get me to kick your ass so you can get out of spending time with Ted? Cuz' if so, your plan is about to work real, real well," Kanji shot back.
Yosuke quickly moved towards Teddie at break-neck speeds. While there didn't appear to be any serious intent behind the words, he wasn't willing to take the risk that Kanji wouldn't follow through.
Everyone started to walk off in separate directions of the park shortly thereafter. The second group, however, had stayed completely stationary. They were also awkwardly silent, which was likely a result of three out of the four of them having a clear distaste for the company they kept.
"So," spoke Teddie in his characteristic chipper tone. "Whatcha feel like doing?"
"Uh… roller coasters?" Yosuke suggested half-heartedly.
"Well, ya can't really go wrong with that," Ryuji said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Oooh, that does sound like fun!" Teddie exclaimed cheerfully. He however stopped and looked over at their feline companion with mild concern. "But then Mona-chan wouldn't be able to ride them with us, right? We ought to do something all of us can enjoy!"
"I-I can so ride the rollercoasters! Don't be so full of yourself just cuz' you can turn into a human!" Morgana grumbled. "So don't be so high and mighty got it?!"
The agitation on Morgana's face was visible, even if the tone of his response hadn't given it away well-enough. Yosuke appeared somewhat confused, and Teddie was totally unphased, still keeping an ever-present smile. Only one among them seemed to understand the root of the feline's frustration.
'Oh boy, here we go…' Ryuji internally sighed.
In all reality, he did have some sympathy for Morgana. After all, it sometimes felt like the feline wanted to be human so bad he'd do anything and everything to make it happen. To be in the presence of another Shadow that managed to do what he never had could not have been a pleasant experience.
That still didn't excuse his behavior, though. Ryuji was about to say something to cool the waters before things got too hot for comfort, but Teddie beat him to the punch.
"Well, we could probably sneak Mona-chan on, but ya know, with your body, you'd fly off the rollercoaster and maybe get hurt," he began. His soft smile widening, he continued, "That'd make me one sad bear to see you get hurt. So, let's find something we can all do together, yeah? Maybe you have a suggestion?"
In an event that actually surprised Ryuji, Morgana became rather meek. It appeared that the aloof Shadow's positive attitude had him at a loss.
"Well, I mean… t-the house of mirrors, maybe?"
"That's a ways away from us, but maybe that's for the best!" Teddie exclaimed. "After all, I really wanna know how you can turn into a bus, Mona-chan! That's super amazing!"
"R-Really? You think so?" Morgana asked almost disbelievingly.
"Oh for sure! I'm actually a bit jealous if I'm being honest~," he replied.
Yosuke could only chuckle. Annoying as he was, it was hard to be mad at Teddie, especially for a prolonged period of time. Even he had to admit that. Something about his positive attitude just made it difficult.
After a healthy back and forth was done between the two, Teddie turned to the human members of their group as if suddenly realizing they exited.
"I totally forgot about you two though! Are you okay with the house of mirrors then?"
"Yeah, it's fine…" Ryuji answered uncaringly, not even bothering to shrug his shoulders as his tone all but did that for him.
"Are you okay, Ryuji-san?" asked Teddie, tilting his head confusedly.
"Ignore him. He's always a bit of a drag," Morgana answered.
He received a glare that was noticed and subsequently ignored.
"Oh, so he's like Yosuke?"
Teddie also received a glare, though he ignored it only as a result of having not noticed it in the first place.
The two mascots then proceeded forwards towards the house of mirrors, leaving two sighing young men in their wake.
Eastern Section of Destinyland
The third group of the selection walked in half-awkward silence. The 'half' was made entirely by Futaba, who was far less comfortable with silence than Chie, Yukiko, and Yusuke, each of whom were smiling along just enjoying the trip.
It didn't help that the massive crowds all over the place rose her anxiety levels to an uncomfortable level. Thankfully, one of the others decided to break the ice.
"So, Futaba-chan, you're really into computers and stuff, right?" Chie said conversationally.
Perking up, she answered, "Oh, uh, yeah!"
"Do you play any videogames then?"
She beamed so brightly it was as if she had momentarily become the sun manifested on the surface of the earth.
"All the time! D-Do you play any, Chie-san?" Futaba asked excitedly.
"You bet your ass I do!" she replied with a grin. "I'm not so into RPG's or anything like that though. My bread and butter are fighting games. I like to use them to get inspiration for my kung-fu moves."
"You know kung-fu?!" After receiving a nod, she exclaimed, "Woah, that's totally badass!"
"I dunno about that~," she replied with faux-humility. "Wanna see some moves I took out of Street Fighter?"
"Of course!"
As the display of the two quirky individuals went on, the other two members of the group couldn't help but be amused.
"Those two appear to be getting along quite well," Yusuke thought aloud.
"Leave it to Chie to instantly get along with someone," Yukiko said with a giggle. She turned to the young man at her side, asking, "So, Kitagawa-kun, what are your interests?"
"Please, there's no need for formalities. Addressing me as Yusuke is more than fine," he assured. "As for my interests, I'm actually an aspiring artist. So, naturally all things relating to art tend to catch my attention. To that end, your hometown is something I'm rather curious about. Even cursory research of the area has gained my interest."
"Oddly enough, I think I can understand why," Yukiko said with a smile. "It may be quiet and off-map, but it has a certain traditional beauty to it."
"The same could be said about you," Yusuke complimented.
"Why thank you," she replied with a giggle. "If you ever want to see it firsthand, I can get you a good deal on a room at my family's inn."
"I would very much like that. Tell me, is there—"
"—ari… Inari!"
Yusuke stopped mid-sentence and turned to see Futaba staring at him with narrowed eyes, leaning forward with her hands on her hips. Her annoyance would have been palpable to any other human being, but not to him.
"Yes?" asked the artist in an even tone of voice.
"Don't you 'yes' me! I've been trying to ask you what you feel like doing for a solid minute!" Futaba exclaimed.
Still not registering the orange-haired teen's emotional state, he stood in place stoically with a hand cupping his chin.
"Hmm, perhaps the riverboat ride?"
"Oooh, that sounds like fun!" said Yukiko in agreement.
"I'm game!" Chie added.
"And what say you, Futaba?" Yusuke asked evenly.
A part of her wanted to consider that Yusuke was messing with her, but she knew, sadly so, that this was him being genuine. She sighed and nodded her head, not wanting to make a mountain out of a mole-hill regardless of how annoyed she was.
"Y-Yeah, sounds good to me."
Western Section of Destinyland
"—which is why you should assume in that situation that the suspect is armed."
"I see, so then, would you suggest—"
It was no surprise whatsoever that Makoto and Naoto had very, very quickly started to discuss matters related to policing. The former knew of the latter's status as a legendary detective, and it took all of two seconds for the subject of Makoto becoming a police officer to be brought up.
Kanji and Haru didn't feel alienated in the slightest, however. If anything, they were happy that the two hit it off so well with one another. That being the case, they had still yet to decide on anything to do in the park.
"I don't think either of them will care much about what we decide to do…" Haru admitted with a girlish laugh. "What would you like to do, Tatsumi-san?"
"Just Kanji is fine. And, uh… I kinda wanted to check out the merry-go-round here," Kanji admitted, almost sheepishly.
"Actually, that sounds lovely!" Haru almost immediately chirped in agreement. "It's close by, too!"
"You two good with that?" Kanji asked evenly, glancing back at the two strategists.
Unsurprisingly, they hadn't even registered his response. Clearly their conversation was so engrossing that they were on auto-pilot.
"Let's just guide them there for now and maybe they'll snap out of it," suggested Haru.
"They uh… they won't keep doing this when we're on the ride, right?" Kanji asked.
He did not receive a response.
Northern Section of Destinyland
"Okay," spoke Ann cheerfully as her fingers pressed against a map of the park. "We're here, sooo it looks like our best bet is to go here, here, or here."
The other members observed the map and seemed to consider their options. There were a number of roller coasters, the Farris Wheel, and a flower garden. One of those options was very quickly picked up on by a certain mischievous songstress.
"The Ferris wheel sounds like it could be fun. How about it, Yu~?" Rise asked.
She nestled up to the arm of the rather tall young man, a coy smile crossing her lips. It didn't seem to affect him all that much, but the turn of events had Ann's eyes wide open in surprise.
"Sure, that sounds fine," Yu replied. His answer initially shocked the redhead, however said shock went away when he looked over at Ren and continued, "I don't think I'd mind riding the Ferris wheel with Ren."
"I've got no problems with that," answered the raven-haired teen.
Rise almost immediately deflated and Ann looked at the pair in utter disbelief. The two kept such straight faces that it was unclear, as ever, if they were doing it on purpose or not.
"…that was not what I meant," Rise sighed.
"But if I didn't ride with Ren then how would it be a cross-team bonding exercise?" Yu asked.
"Fair point," she admitted. "So, anyone have any real suggestions then?"
"Well," spoke Ann, gaining the others' attention. "I think it's probably best that we avoid super crowded spots so that Rise doesn't get recognized, so I suggest the flower garden."
"Good idea! Is that cool with you two?" A brief but firm nod of affirmation was given in response. With this, she turned over to her blonde friend once more. "Then it's settled. But I have to head to the ladies' room real quick before we head over."
"Oh, I'll go with you," Ann said.
"We'll wait right here then," Yu stated.
With that, the two girls headed off. In the wake of their departure was a comfortable silence between the two Wild Card users. It seemed as if this would continue until the other members of the group returned, that is until Ren spoke up.
"…so when you're talking to people, do you sometimes start randomly hearing music before seeing a tarot card pop up?"
"All the time."
"Oh thank god," Ren said, clear relief in his voice.
Yu couldn't help but chuckle.
"I thought I was crazy for a while too, but you get used to it."
Outside the Ladies' Room…
The two ladies had finished their business and were standing at the sinks, briefly glancing over themselves in the mirror before they headed back to meet up with the two Wild Card users.
"Okay," Rise uttered, turning to her friend. "Ready to go?"
"Yep!"
In a moment the two were out the door, and once they were outside of anyone's direct earshot, the aspiring model steeled herself to ask something that she had been dying to know the answer to.
Unsure of how to exactly phrase it politely, she opted to just be direct about it.
"H-Hey, so… are you and Yu-san… ya know, like that?" Ann asked.
"I wish," Rise sighed, a bit of frustration in her tone. "But despite my best efforts, no, we aren't. At least not yet."
Her answer caught Ann completely by surprise. She simply couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the Rise Kujikawa couldn't get someone she had her eyes on.
"Hey, what's with that look?!" she exclaimed, her face in a bit of a pout.
It was at that point that the blonde realized her expression perfectly reflected her thoughts.
"S-Sorry, I was just surprised," Ann replied, smiling somewhat awkwardly. "But you said 'not yet', right? So if you feel that way then is there a specific reason it hasn't happened, or…?"
The idol actually stopped dead in her tracks and adopted an expression of such deep consideration that it was worthy of an ancient philosopher. To be fair, the enigma that was Yu Narukami warranted as much.
"That's… a really long and difficult answer to give," Rise replied. Her brows quickly furrowed and her eyes narrowed as she continued, "Well, nothing really excuses him for being denser than a rock."
"I feel ya there…" Ann muttered absentmindedly.
She only realized what she'd said once she noticed Rise giving her a knowing smirk. Her cheeks became slightly reddened as a result of her own embarrassment.
"I had a hunch you would," Rise teased. She latched on to the blonde's arm and lead her forward. "Let's do our best, yeah?"
Ann nodded in affirmation as the two walked on. It wasn't long before they reached the other two members of their group.
Some Time Later…
Events in the flower garden had essentially moved along exactly as anyone could have predicted. Ren and Yu found solidarity in their comfortable silence meanwhile Rise and Ann were busy 'girl-ing' out over every pretty little thing they came across.
Although the two Lovers' Arcana holders were in the presence of their respective crushes, it seemed as if they were such fast friends that Ren and Yu may as well have been invisible.
"Look here at this one, it's so pretty!"
"Yeah! The color reminds me of an outfit I have at home—super cute, by the way~"
The Wild Card users shared a small smile, finding amusement and comfort in the two girls' enthusiastic tones. Neither said it, but it was clear, once again, that they thought along similar lines.
"Oh, shoot," Rise abruptly grumbled, looking at her phone screen. "I was having so much fun I totally lost track of the time."
Hearing this, Ann reflexively looked at her own phone and sighed disappointedly. "It looks like we've got time for one more exhibit though."
"Well, since I doubt they have any preference for our last stop," Rise said with a giggle, gesturing back to their male companions, "why not try the rose garden?"
"Count me in!" Ann chirped. She capped her own excitement and turned back to Ren and Yu almost apologetically. "I-If that's okay with you two, I mean."
Their responses were predictable, and said in unison.
"Fine by me."
"Lead the way."
With that matter settled, they headed over to what most would call the highlight of the flower garden. Upon entering the rose garden, itself, it immediately became apparent as to why that was the case.
Gorgeous, bright, colorful roses coated the area. It was a sight so pure it was almost blinding. Red, pink, white—there was so much variation it was difficult to believe that each of the flowers present actually was a type of rose.
Ann and Rise had quickly flocked to a cluster of red and pink roses that had caught their eye. In an effort to preserve the beautiful sight to some degree, they began taking pictures, beaming all the while.
"I gotta say, there were some really beautiful flowers here, but I think this exhibit takes the cake!" Ann proclaimed confidently.
"For sure. After all, roses really just can't be beat!" She turned to look back at Yu, her expression playfully coy. "And if anyone was curious, my favorite flowers are pink roses."
"Well, if that was directed at me, of course I know that," Yu stated in a knowing tone.
Though normally she would have continued on with some form of banter, Rise found herself frozen in thought. She couldn't recall a time when she'd ever actually mentioned that to the silver-haired layer.
Seeing her confusion, he explained himself.
"Your grandmother told me that at some point when I was visiting her store a few years back."
She looked at Yu almost warily for a moment. In truth she was now wondering what else her grandmother might have told him, but on some level she knew that was a question she didn't want answered right now. Thus, the famous idol turned her attention back to her younger counterpart, intent on changing the subject.
"A-Anyway, what's your favorite flower, Ann-chan?" Rise inquired. Regaining a bit of energy, she continued, "Wait, let me guess! It's definitely a rose too, right? Then as for the color… red! It's red, right?!"
"Yep!" answered Ann, mirroring her friendly tone. "Good guess!"
"Hmm…"
The introspective humming came courtesy of Ren, which quickly grabbed her attention.
"What's up?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing really. I was just thinking how much a red rose suits you," Ren answered. With a small but certainly playful smirk, he added, "Something about how a rose is beautiful but has thorns?"
Although it was in all likelihood a reference to the phrase she characteristically uttered when performing a finishing blow, Ann couldn't help but blush. She smiled almost goofily, rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner as she did so.
"Aww, t-thanks."
"You know," began Yu, starring directly at the songstress in disguise, "I was just thinking the same thing about you, Rise."
That wasn't a reference of any kind. It was either something he said to get back at her for all of her teasing thus far and/or because it was something he just couldn't help but say. Which it was, no one but Yu himself knew, but the end result was for Rise to be much the same as Ann, albeit she managed to keep a calm demeanor.
"Same old Yu Narukami, huh?" Rise playfully shot back, her cheeks still tinged a bit pink.
Abruptly, the cellphones of everyone present started to ring, which meant exactly one thing: it was about time for them to head out. A needless reading of the message courtesy of Naoto in their group chat confirmed as much.
"Looks like we should head back," Ren thought aloud.
"Actually, before we go, how about a group picture?" Rise offered.
Given that she quickly nestled up next to Yu's side, it was more of a statement of finality than it was an open question to the group. However, that worked out perfectly as each of them were immediately behind the idea.
In unison, they began to pose. Rise positioned her cellphone in front of them as they squeezed together to fit in the frame. The two rather tall young men were in the middle with the two girls on each flank respectively.
"Ah, hold on a sec," Rise muttered.
She quickly took off the pieces of her 'disguise' that were covering her face, namely her sunglasses and bandana. Yu was quick to voice his concern.
"Are you sure you—"
"It'll be fine, it's just a quick picture," assured the redhead. As she readied to take the actual photo, she decided a last second adjustment was 'necessary'. "Can you hold Ann-chan a bit closer, Ren-kun? She's a bit out of frame."
"Hm? Oh, uh, sure thing."
The initial feeling of being pulled in closer to Ren's chest had Ann a bit out of sorts. A quick glance at Ren, however, revealed that he seemed to share the feeling.
'Wait, is he…' Ann wondered, her eyes zoning in just under his glasses.
It was faint, but she could see Ren blushing ever-so-slightly. That fact did wonders for her confidence level, but before she could think any more on it, she found herself needing to focus on the actual picture that was to be taken.
"Smile!" Rise announced.
A short few seconds and a click of a button later and the photo was taken. The four dispersed, and Rise almost immediately held her phone out for everyone to see, smiling happily at the end result.
"Not too shabby if I do say so myself," Rise proudly remarked.
"Yeah, it came out really good," Yu commented. He turned to his raven-haired young friend. "Don't you think?"
"Y-Yeah, for sure," he replied.
"I think so too," Ann stated, her voice somewhat quiet. "Do you mind sending it to me?"
A buzzing on each of their phones sounded off once more. Yet again it was their group chat, though this time it wasn't a message from Naoto. It was the photo that Rise had sent with a caption saying that they were headed over to meet everyone now.
"No need, I already took care of that."
Western Section of Destinyland with Kanji, Naoto, Makoto, and Haru
The four teammates were walking back to the rendezvous point, speaking conversationally with one another about non-police matters when they were interrupted by their phones going off.
It had been a photo from Rise, which subsequently became the dominant topic of conversation for a number of reasons.
"And thus the lioness begins marking her territory again…" Naoto sighed in amusement, placing her phone back in her pocket rather quickly.
"Huh, ya know, gettin' a real sense of déjà vu here…" Kanji muttered, mirroring the detective's actions a second later. "That girl really doesn't do anything half-assed, does she?"
Out of habit, the two Yasogami graduates had spoken as if they were the only people within earshot. Their words, however, raised a few questions on the part of Haru, who looked at the photo almost scandalously.
"I can't help but ask at this point. Are Rise-san and Yu-san… w-well, how to put it?" Haru wondered aloud.
"Nah," Kanji said dismissively, waving off the prospect. "Rise's always been like that with him. But it ain't never been more than that."
"Oh, I see," Haru replied. She blushed and looked at the older duo almost frantically. "A-And it isn't as if I'm relieved or anything like that. I was just making an observation!"
"Uh, weird of you to say it like that, but… 'kay," replied Kanji, giving the heiress a look that could only be described as weirded-out.
His response only added to Haru's flustered demeanor. She reflexively looked over to Makoto, doing so only to calm herself down by conversing with a familiar face. In turn, however, she saw someone that seemed to need a friendly ear far more than herself.
Unlike the other three, Makoto was staring down at her phone, clearly glancing at the photo even now. It seemed as if she was doing so analytically, but the look in her eyes and expression betrayed far too much emotion for it to be as simple as that.
In fact, had it been anyone other than Haru—save for perhaps Joker or Makoto's sister—they probably wouldn't know quite what to make of her demeanor. She, however, knew that look to be a rare occurrence of when she was showing visible signs of stress.
Not wanting to draw the other two's attention, Haru whispered, "Makoto, is everything okay?"
Her change in body language was almost immediate. The aptly-named Queen stood upright, placing her phone in her back pocket as she directed a kind smile towards her friend.
"Yes, perfectly so," she replied.
She had lied, of course, to both Haru and herself. Even if both of them knew it, the heiress was at least kind enough to let it be for the time being. Experience told her that when Makoto shifted dispositions that quickly, it meant that what was stressing her was something she sincerely did not want to discuss with anyone at the moment.
"Okay, just making sure," replied Haru in a soft tone that conveyed a sense of understanding. "If it wasn't though, you know I'm here for you."
"Yes, I… I know."
Destinyland Food Court, Some Time Later…
After having gotten together for lunch and finished their meals, the Investigation Team and the Phantom Thieves stood at the ready to split up into the second batch of groups. Two individuals in particular—Yosuke and Ryuji—were all too happy that their assignments couldn't possibly include the two mascots this time around.
The split ended up being group one with Ren, Yu, Makoto, and Naoto, the second being Ann, Morgana, Yosuke, and Chie, the third being Ryuji, Futaba, Kanji, and Yukiko, and the fourth and final group being Yusuke, Haru, Rise, and Teddie.
Thankfully this time around, there was no bellyaching whatsoever. If anything, there was overwhelming joy on the part of some at the assignments. That may or may not have been Morgana due to being in the same group as Ann, but that was neither here nor there.
"Alright, with that—"
A ringtone that solely Yu recognized sounded from Naoto's phone. She paused in her speech and checked a message, her expression falling somewhat.
"Apologies," spoke the detective, "but duty calls. I'm afraid that I need to excuse myself."
"Anything you need me for?" inquired Yu.
"No, in fact I believe it best if you stay here," Naoto replied.
Just as the grey-eyed young woman was about to start heading off, one final request was made of her.
"If you have to head out, then do you mind if I take your place in the first group?" Futaba asked.
Her friends were somewhat surprised by the request, though didn't say anything directly. Naoto however considered it for a moment and seemed to be very keen on the change.
"That may actually work for the better. Having both of our navigators in tune with our leaders would be ideal," mused Naoto. She looked over at the other members of the third group. "I trust there are no objections?"
"None here," Yukiko replied with a smile. "It was nice spending time with you before, Futaba-chan."
"Same to you, Yukiko-san. And you too, Chie-san!" Futaba answered.
With that, the groups were settled and everyone headed off to different areas of the park. Those that stayed nearby to find something to do was the trio now short one Futaba.
"So, what do you two feel like doing?" Yukiko offered.
"I'm good with anything as long as it ain't a roller coaster," Kanji replied.
"Huh?" Ryuji uttered in surprise. Realizing he sounded rather rude, he apologized, saying, "O-Oh, my bad. I was just surprised hearin' that from a big, tough-lookin' guy like you."
"Meh, forget about it. No big deal."
The heiress of the Amagi inn couldn't help but giggle at the interaction.
"Kanji is actually pretty used to people saying stuff like that to him," Yukiko explained. "It was actually a lot worse when we were in high school. People used to think he was a thug because he had dyed blond hair and had all these piercings on his ear."
"W-Wait, for real?"
The former 'thug' himself nodded in affirmation, giving a good-natured chuckle at the recollection. Saying they were good-times was definitely a stretch, but it was nice to now how far he'd come from back then.
"The truth is, I used to be afraid of being judged for what I really liked. I could sew, knit, and I liked cute stuff. Still, everyone saw me as a big tough punk, so I figured that's what I'd give 'em. It took a while, but I eventually accepted who I was, or at least who I wanted to be."
Though Kanji had spoken plainly and as if stating a simple fact, Ryuji couldn't help but feel a bit sympathy for his previous situation. He didn't want to mention it directly though since he had a feeling the tall brunette wasn't looking for any to begin with.
"Man, if you say somethin' like that, really makes me think we're more similar than I woulda expected…" Ryuji quietly muttered as if to himself.
"Hm? What do ya mean?"
"I, uh… I kinda did the same thing. Sorta," Ryuji stated, rubbing the back of his head bashfully as he struggled to find the right words to use.
Emotions were nothing new to Skull, but conveying them through words was always something that he'd struggled with. Words in general, one could say, were not his strong suit. A sympathetic Yukiko noticed his struggle and tried to reassure him.
"It's fine if you don't want to explain, you know," Yukiko kindly offered.
She was politely waved off.
"Nah, it's fine. The truth is, I dyed my hair after my first year of high school. Back then, I was a big-shot on the track team, but this one piece of shi—" Realizing too much anger and passion were making its way into his voice, he tried to hold himself back as much as he could given, they were in public. "T-This asshat Kamoshida was the coach of the volleyball team and the school's big-time draw. He was jealous of our team's success, so he got rid of our coach and tried to drive our team into the ground by makin' us do BS drills that were just meant to make us suffer. It hit a point where he said somethin' about my parents and I just lost it and went at him. He was hopin' I would, so he broke my leg claiming self-defense and used that as an excuse to get me suspended and disband the track team. Everyone hung on his every word, so people thought I was a thug, and… I just cut my hair and dyed it figuring I should give 'em what they were expecting. That, and also because it made me look like the full-on outcast I was at that point."
"…Suguru Kamoshida, right?" Kanji asked.
The reflexive glare and flaring nostrils were confirmation enough that he'd been right, but Ryuji nodded all the same. Yukiko recognized the name as well, recalling it to be the first instance the Phantom Thieves of Hearts had taken action.
"Sorry, man. No one should have to go through shit like that," Kanji said.
"It ain't no one's fault but that asshole Kamoshida's," Ryuji stated. To the surprise of the other members of the trio, he managed to smile brightly from ear to ear. "Besides, lookin' back at it, I wouldn't change anything, y'know? It's cuz' of him that I also met Ren and eventually everyone else. It all worked out in a weird way."
"That is a good way of looking at it," stated Yukiko, sporting a gentle expression. "And for what it's worth, I think you look quite cute with blond hair."
With the innocence of a child, he chuckled nervously and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"I knew there was a reason I thought you two were similar, Kanji," Yukiko offhandedly stated
"Meh, outside of the dyed blond hair, not really," he replied.
Yukiko found the denial amusing and started laughing to herself, which was cause for concern for Ryuji but only made her former underclassman pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Before ya ask, yes, this is normal for her," stated Kanji. "And no, there's nothing that'll make her stop."
"…uh-huh," Ryuji muttered.
Southern Section of Destinyland with Ren, Futaba, Makoto, and Yu
Though they were the odd squad out with three members of the Phantom Thieves and a lone member of the Investigation Team, the squad walked on somewhat quietly. This wasn't due to Yu or Makoto—in fact the two were conversing rather openly. It was Futaba that stayed uncharacteristically quiet even as she moved alongside Ren. It didn't seem as if it was out of her usual social awkwardness either; she seemed verifiably mopey.
"…everything okay?" Ren asked, his concern masked by his smooth-sounding voice.
"Yeah, it's just one of those days, y'know?" Futaba replied with a sigh. She received a quirked brow, which alerted her to the fact that he may have misunderstood. With a blush on her cheeks, she frantically exclaimed. "N-Not like 'that day of the month' kinda day, just 'one of those days', okay?!"
"Hmm, in that case, I know what'll cheer you up," mused Ren. Turning to the rest of the group he inquired, "Hey, how about we hit up the arcade area?"
Just as he'd hoped, the orange-haired navigator perked up almost immediately. Her eyes all but sparkled and her frown inverted. The other Fool Arcana present was quick to notice, evidenced by his amused chuckle.
"I take it you like games, Futaba?" Yu asked rhetorically.
"Do I ever! RPGs, FPSs, MMOs, Indies—you name a genre and I'm all for it," Futaba stated proudly. "What about you, Yu-san?"
"I'm definitely a big gamer. Although I don't have as much time to play as I used to," he admitted.
"Well don't just stop there! What's you're favorite genre? Top ten games? Ooh-ooh, and what platform do you prefer? Fair warning, if it isn't PC, I have a lecture prepared—"
Now it was Ren and Makoto's turn to find amusement in Futaba's demeanor. Granted, gaming was something that she was passionate about, but thereabouts of a year ago, even talking about games with someone she'd only just met was no easy task. There was also the fact that she did so with incredible comfort even as they walked through rather large crowds. It was comforting to see tangibly just how far she'd come.
Amidst a rather energetic conversation, the squad had made their way to the arcade's front. Almost immediately, the gamer-in-chief herself turned to Yu, giving him a cocky if not taunting look.
"Alright, pick your poison, Yu-san! Lemme see what you're made of!"
He turned to Ren, chuckling as he said, "Looks like I've been challenged."
"Seems so," answered Joker with a small smirk. "I'll leave it to you then, and good luck."
The two walked off towards the fighting game section of the arcade with the petite navigator leading the way. Now the remaining duo needed only to decide how they would spend their time.
"So," began Ren. "Any preference?"
Thinking on it for a moment, Makoto confidently answered, "Well, how about a shooter? It's been a while since we've played. We can even make it a friendly competition."
"Fine by me," he replied. A cocky smirk made its way onto face. "Your funeral though."
At first, Queen was surprised by his response, but soon enough her tried-and-true Nijima competitive nature came out in full force. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into an almost devilish smile.
Wordlessly, she walked dup to the nearest station for "Gun About". Beaming with confidence, she grabbed the gun from its holster and primed it at the screen. She waited for it to start, but after quite a few seconds, she became rather confused.
Her body language shifted and her expression gave away her puzzlement. Makoto eyed the machine curiously, though her thoughts were interrupted by Ren clearing his throat off to her side. She turned to see him walk up to the machine and hit a button on the console, at which point a prompt showed up with a ten-second countdown.
"Smooth," Ren said teasingly.
Her face crimson, she looked to her friend in order to defend herself, even as the machine was counting down.
"Ten…"
"T-The machine is different than the one at the arcade in Shibuya!" Makoto exclaimed.
Joker just nodded his head along as if to patronize her, which only added to her embarrassment.
"Stop doing that!"
"Doing what?"
"Four…"
"You know what I mean! And it was an honest mistake!"
"Oh sure, sure," Ren answered, still nodding his head in the same infuriating manner.
"S-Stop teasing me!"
"Two…"
As the countdown neared its end, the brunette's eyes and reddened face were fixed firmly in Ren's direction. He looked at the screen as if to draw her attention towards it before it started but he had no such luck in getting her to shift focus.
"Uh, Makoto, the game is about to—"
The 'start' signal sounded off, and in a split-second, the officer-to-be went to work. With astounding accuracy, she shot down target after target. Her posture was stone-solid and her eyes had the focus of a hawk about to dive down onto its prey.
Efficient and brutal was the only way to describe the sight.
'Okay, so she's definitely gotten better…' Ren thought, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek.
He wondered offhand if her practice at a shooting range had anything to do with her prowess. At the very least she seemed more comfortable with the gun in her hand than anyone realistically should for an arcade game.
When all was said and done, Makoto had crushed the high score on the machine by a factor of three. She couldn't help but give her friend a rather cheeky expression as it started proclaiming the new record holder.
"…the pose you're holding is unnecessary," Ren said jokingly.
"Oh please," she scoffed good-naturedly as she holstered the gun in the machine once more. "You're the last person I want to hear that from."
As if to further emphasize her point, she made a gesture with her hands as if pulling on the cuff of a glove, earning a chuckle from Ren.
"And where'd you ever manage to find a sense of humor?" he jibbed. "Well, either way, that was impressive. You're not making it easy for me, that's for sure."
Satisfied with the praise she'd received, Makoto nodded her head and offered her friend use of the game. He in turn hung his glasses on his shirt's collar before walking up and grabbing the gun. Shortly after, he adopted his classical shooting posture, his eyes holding a razor focus as they stared down the countdown on the screen.
Although she'd be hesitant to admit it, Makoto had expected to lose given Joker's experience on this particular game. What she did not expect was for the unbelievably stylish manner that this would occur.
Ren began taking down NPC after NPC with shot after shot, going so far as to switch the gun from his left to his right hand and making it look absolutely effortless. In truth, however, he appeared much more like his Metaverse-self. His cocky smirk, aura of natural and absolute confidence, and lack of glasses made it almost impossible notto see.
'If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was actually fighting Shadows right now,' Makoto thought amusedly.
Less amusing was the fact that when Ren had finally finished his run, he had beaten her previous score by a decent margin. He calmly holstered the gun and turned to her in much the same way that she had prior, his expression knowing.
"Okay, okay, you've proven your point," Makoto said, stifling a giggle. "That doesn't make you any less of a showoff though."
Before a response was given, the two noticed that they had attracted a number of onlookers. Albeit likely due to Ren's over-the-top and flashy performance, he himself became rather embarrassed at the sheer number of eyes on him. His cheeks turned ever-so-slightly red as he quickly put his glasses back on and cleared his throat.
"Why don't we try out something else?" Ren offered.
"Y-Yeah, good call," she replied, clearly wanting to avoid the crowd as much as he did.
Destinyland Arcade with Yu and Futaba
Futaba hung her head and growled angrily in the aftermath of what would prove to be yet another defeat at the hands of Yu Narukami. Her agitation seemed more directed at herself than anything else, but nevertheless her saltiness was all too apparent.
"Winner: Yu Narukami!" announced the game.
The orange-haired young woman groaned audibly.
"God I hate that," Futaba muttered. "I already know I lost so why do it need to rub it in?!"
"Didn't you say you like Dark Souls though?" Yu asked.
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I enjoy the 'you died' message whenever I fall off a cliff," she replied. Her eyes became determined once again. "Again! One more!"
"Sure thing," replied Yu. "I've gotta take a bathroom break real quick though. I'll be right back."
The infamous hacker nodded in understanding and redirected her focus to the arcade version of Street Fighter, being dead-set on coming up with a strategy that would net her a win.
'Let's see, his playstyle is seemingly plane, but it's brutally efficient. Maybe…' Futaba thought.
She became so absorbed in analyzing the perfect way to get a win that she failed to notice the group of teenage boys waking up to her from behind.
"Hey," one of them called out.
"W-Waah?!" Futaba exclaimed.
She jolted in a panic at the sound of a voice that she didn't recognize. It did her little better to see that it was a group of three boys standing too close for her own comfort. They seemed to be friendly enough, but that still did little to quell her onset anxiety.
"Ah, sorry about that. Probably not a great idea to sneak up on someone like that," he said with a chuckle.
"Oh, um… yeah," she replied. It was clear beyond a doubt that she was nervous, which the two quieter boys seemed to sympathize with. "So, can I uh… h-help you?"
"That depends. Do you feel like hanging out with us for a while?" he offered.
The orange-haired teen stiffened, knowing the words she needed to say but, in the moment, lacking the ability to actually speak them. Thankfully, she would get to breathe a sigh of relief at her friend's return.
"Everything okay, Futaba?" Yu asked as he walked up, glancing passively at the trio of boys.
"Y-Yeah, they were just…"
"We were just asking if she wanted to hang out," one answered, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry if we were interrupting you two. We saw her alone and didn't know she was with someone."
"Not a problem," Yu replied.
Each of the teenage boys proceeded to make themselves scarce, snickering amusedly at one another in their collective embarrassment. When they were finally a fair distance away, Futaba took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"Everything okay?" Yu couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Futaba replied, trying her best to at least sound energized. "I uh… don't do too well with meeting new people."
"Social anxiety?"
"Yeeep," she replied with a tired sigh. "I'm a lot better than I used to be, but I'm still no good when people ambush me like that."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Yu stated, genuine sympathy showing in his voice. "And you're sure you're fine? If you want, we can always—"
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine," Futaba stated, almost chuckling at the excess of worry. At the very least, her lips had curled into a grin. "And tone down the big-brother routine. You might be even worse than Ren usually is."
"Sorry, it kinda just comes naturally to me," he replied.
"Hm? So then do you have a sister or something?"
A moment passed as Yu brought out his phone, bringing up a picture before he handed it over to the former shut-in. The photo was one of a relatively young-looking girl with long, shining brown hair and a pair of matching brown eyes. She wore a middle-school uniform and sported a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts.
"Nanako's my cousin, but after the time I spent living in Inaba, she may as well be my sister. We still talk at least once a week even after I moved away," Yu explained. "She's actually only a year or so younger than you now that I think about it."
"I hope I'm not acting as a substitute for some kinda siscon," Futaba said with a wry grin. "I don't do the whole 'big-bro' routine."
"Actually, the two of you are completely different people. She hardly touches her phone, let alone anything tech-heavy," Yu replied. He adopted an expression of deep thought that piqued Oracle's interest. "Although maybe you two do have one thing in common."
"What's that?"
"Neither of you can beat me in Street Fighter."
The glare he then received was beyond description, though judging by his almost taunting smirk, it didn't really affect him.
"You'll regret that," Futaba stated.
Elsewhere in the Arcade with Ren and Makoto…
The pair had shifted away from prying eyes towards the bowling games, thus far managing to make themselves inconspicuous. Makoto had just finished her turn, earning a fairly decent score.
She offered the use of the game to Ren, though she couldn't help but get a jab as she did so.
"Try not to showoff too much this time," quipped Makoto.
"Oh ha-ha," Ren replied, smirking amply. "Actually, I see an open table by the rest area over there. Feel like taking a break?"
"Sure thing."
Within moments the pair were seated and relaxed. Their solitude didn't last long as a female attendant was quick to come to their side.
"Hey there, can I get you two anything?"
The shared a look, knowing in an instant they were of one mind.
"We're fine, thanks," Makoto answered pleasantly.
"Sure thing, just let me know if that changes," she replied. "Oh, and just so that you know, we do have a few specials for couples, so—"
"T-That won't be necessary, thank you," Makoto quickly interjected, attempting to be as polite as she could.
The attendant nodded, her friendly smile ever-present even as she trotted off to tend to the other customers in the area. Makoto looked to her rave-haired friend almost embarrassedly, unable to keep back her curiosity as to how he reacted. He seemed the same as ever.
"Sorry about that," Makoto said.
"For the couples thing? Why would you be sorry about that?" Ren asked.
His confusion was evident, which only made her all the more embarrassed as she even she didn't fully understand why she'd said what she had. It had just reflexively slipped out.
"N-No reason," she replied, averting her eyes. "Though why they have couples-specials here of all place is beyond me."
"It makes sense to me," said Ren. "Destinyland is a pretty popular spot for couples after all."
"…oh, right. That it is."
"It does actually feel nostalgic though," Ren thought aloud. "It reminds me of that whole thing with Eiko last year. How's she doing, by the way?"
"Eiko is good!" Makoto exclaimed cheerfully, beaming at the mention of her friend's name. "She did manage to get into a university in Sapporo. She's studying to be a teacher if you can believe that."
"Actually, I can see it. Especially after you beat some serious sense, and I mean that literally," Ren joked.
"I have asked you to stop bringing that up, haven't I?" Makoto sighed, hanging her head in defeat at the memory. "To this day, I still think I hit her too hard…"
"If where her life is now is any indication, I think you hit her just hard enough," Ren countered.
"Fair point," she replied with a smile. "You know, as much as I hate to dwelling on it, that smack did me just as much good as it did her. That may have been the turning point when I decided what my own path would be as well."
"I wonder what'll happen the next time you slap her," Ren couldn't help but remark.
The former student council president couldn't stifle her laugh in spite of her best efforts.
"Oh stop it," Makoto replied, a playful undertone to her voice.
"Still, it's weird to think that was almost a year ago at this point," Ren uttered.
"True, it does feel like forever ago. Though to be fair, a lot has happened since then…"
Metaverse events such as rescuing Sae, defeating Shido and killing a god aside, real life had changed so much for them since that point. Ren had moved twice and was now a third year in high school meanwhile she had moved into her own place outside of Tokyo University with Haru where the two were now attending college together.
"I'm glad you've at least been able to enjoy college too," Ren began conversationally. "I know we gave you a hard time about your one-party experience, but it's good that you're still putting yourself out of your comfort zone from time to time."
In response, she looked at him with a grateful look in her eyes.
"I have you to thank for that," Makoto replied.
"I didn't do anything all that special," he stated matter-of-factly. "You were the one that realized you were in a box of your own making, and you were also the one that had the courage and conviction to break free. I mainly just listened as you talked your way through it."
The brunette could only laugh internally at his words. It was just like Ren to be humble at the oddest times. He may not have been the only reason she was able to work up the courage to change, but nevertheless he had been her guiding light. Had it been anyone else but him, she truly didn't believe she could have gotten this far.
"Speaking of Eiko…" Ren muttered in realization. "Have you made any headway into learning about love?"
Predictably, Queen's eyes went wide as saucers. She at first believed she'd misheard on account of his ever-present casual emotionally-devoid expression. She quickly realized she had not.
"W-What?! No! I mean—no, n-not really at all," Makoto replied, her voice a bit of a higher pitch than normal. "W-Why do you ask?"
"Do you not remember?" asked Ren, quirking a brow. "After we got to the Bar Crossroads, you mentioned Eiko saying you didn't know anything about love, right? And about how you thought she was right and that you wanted to start trying…"
It took less than a second for Makoto's face to start turning vermillion. She perfectly recalled the conversation, though it was one she wished she could erase from both of their memories. Recalling that moment was always a mix of embarrassing and frustrating.
"Well, like I… Ehem, like I said, there's nothing to report on that front," Makoto answered, regaining her composure to a degree.
"Hmm, I see," Ren muttered. He flashed a charming smile. "Like I said before though, I'm completely sure you'll find someone."
Now was when the frustration came kicking in. Moments like these made Makoto question everything she knew about the male gender, though she would always remind herself than Ren was perhaps the furthest thing from a typical male as one could get.
'Even now it's clear you still haven't figured it out, huh?' Makoto thought, pinching herself to keep calm even as she kept a pleasant expression. 'Though I suppose he's not wrong. I have found someone, even if they are as blind as a bat in broad daylight.'
Still, even as frustrating as that memory was, it marked the first time the brown-haired beauty grazed romantic feelings of any kind. She hoped one day to be able to look back and smile at it.
"Well, we've been here a while at this point…" said Ren, getting up from his chair. "Feel like meeting back up with Yu and Futaba."
"Sure thing," she replied.
Tokyo: East Satagaya District
"…I see, anything else?" asked Naoto.
The middle-aged woman she had been speaking to shook her head, though her expression gave away the degree of thought she was giving into her response. Seeing that little else was to be gained from her questioning, the detective went with a direct approach to ending their interaction.
"Thank you for your time, I appreciate you speaking to me."
"I'm more than happy to help. If anything else comes to mind, I'll certainly let you know," she replied kindly.
With a slight bow, Naoto started to make her leave, waving kindly to the brunette housewife as she did so. The door closed within seconds, leaving Naoto to sigh to herself as she headed off to the train station.
'The propensity for gossip in this neighborhood was staggering…' Naoto thought with chagrin.
The experience was eye-opening to say the least. As an investigator, she was thankful, but as a person she much preferred the streets of Germany where people mostly kept to themselves.
Agnostic of how she felt about the gossip-happy nature of the East Satagaya district, she did get a handful of useful information that confirmed parts of a working theory.
Naoto quickly reached the train station and boarded her track back to the hotel. As she took her seat, she reflexively readied her phone to send Yu a message to update him on what she'd found only to stop herself just before any keys were pressed.
'No… better to not. At least, not yet,' she mused, placing the device back into her pocket.
Whether it was because she simply didn't want to share her still-rough theory with her partner or because she did not want to interrupt his bonding with the Phantom Thieves, she couldn't say.
Besides, by her estimation, she would have everything she needed before the day's end.
A/N Once again, no chapter next week on account of the US holiday, but there will be one the following week on Friday. The next chapter will again be more slice-of-lifey as well, look forward to it!
Explanations:
Ren and Yu: Yes, obviously the joke between the two of them is whenever they meet a new confidant, they hear the music play and a tarot card appears on the screen. Expect this kind of humor to be recurring in the series because I just think its comedy gold xD
Morgana and Teddie: I couldn't not have there be at least some animosity at first between the two on Morgana's part. After all, Teddie can literally do the one thing Morgana would trade almost anything for—and that's the ability to turn into a human. I also kinda just felt Teddie was so aloof that he wouldn't notice or be bothered by it and his overwhelming positivity kinda makes it hard to stay legit mad at him.
Yukiko and Yusuke: I honestly just see these two getting along quite well on account of one being a stereotypical Japanese beauty and the other being an admirer of classical Japanese things.
Futaba and Chie: Again, Chie has this ability to get along really well with introverts (see Yukiko) so I picture them hitting it off pretty well.
Makoto and Naoto: The two are naturally a good vibe with one another due to similar personalities in my mind and their shared interest in law enforcement. Feel like there's not a whole lot I need to add here since if the two were to meet in a social setting, I feel like this would immediately be what they'd discuss.
Ryuji and Kanji: Obviously their motivations were too similar for me not to include a bit of a personalized moment between them.
Yu and Futaba: Again, tough for me not to see the big 'brother sister' vibes which I think kinda comes naturally on account of Yu being Yu and Futaba being the youngest member of the group (and also older but still close-ish in age to Nanako by this point)
Naoto's Neighborhood Questioning: Will be more relevant in the near future, but it's a part of a working theory on her end as to why the White Masks have been taking who they have.