A/N Alright, so this chapter is out a bit later than I wanted it to be. That's mainly because I got distracted playing Genshin 3.0 for anyone that knows what that is, so outlining the next section of the story took longer than I thought. Still, it's now done! The next chapter will be a big one though, and it'll take ~3-4 weeks until it's posted, though there won't be a delay this time xD.
Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 33
August 13th – Tokyo: Fukushima Towers
Ren stirred from his bed, his eyes gradually opening to the sight of his bedroom ceiling. To his surprise he felt somewhat wide away, or at least awake enough to know that even if he closed his eyes again, he wouldn't be falling back into a true sleep anytime soon.
Out of curiosity, he looked over towards the clock by his bedside, though he could only groan upon seeing the time.
It wasn't even six thirty yet.
With nothing else really left to do, he stretched his limbs before grabbing his phone to see if there were any new messages for him to read.
'Nothing new,' Ren thought.
The Wild Card couldn't help but look back at the latest from each of his group chats. Most of them were several days in without anyone sending anything at all, which though somewhat expected, was still a little weird to see.
"Maybe we're all still processing what happened with Sasaki," Ren muttered to himself.
Abruptly, he heard footsteps from outside his door in the main area of the apartment. Of course, that had to have been Yu, though Ren had no idea whatsoever why his fellow Fool would've been awake at this hour.
It went without saying that he went out to investigate.
Yu stood upright in his kitchen with his phone in hand talking to Naoto, sporting what appeared to be gym clothes as he did so.
"—so it'll be around ten or so this morning that everything will be in place," Naoto finished. "That in mind, shall we meet up around ten thirty?"
"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Yu replied.
"I insist."
"Well alright then," muttered Yu with a chuckle. "Yeah, ten thirty works great. I'll see you then."
As the silver-haired young man finished up on the phone, he went straight back to packing his bag for the gym. He didn't get very far though before he noticed Ren start to come out of his room before heading into the kitchen.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Yu asked.
Ren shook his head. "No, not at all. I just woke up randomly and then heard you out here a few minutes later."
"Gotcha."
"So," began Ren curiously as he glossed over his friend's appearance. "Are you headed out to the gym or somethin'?"
"Yeah, it's a necessary habit to go this early with the way my work schedule is," Yu explained. "Actually, since you're up, do you feel like going with me?"
"That sounds great, actually," Ren replied with a smile.
"Alright, then in that case, I'll wait here for you to change and we can head out."
"Sure thing," said Ren. He turned back towards his room, but then realized one important detail he was spotty on. "Oh, by the way, which gym are we going to?"
"This building's gym," he answered. "You'll love it. It's really high-end, and this early in the morning, it's basically empty."
The two Wild Cards stood in front of the locked doors to the Fukushima Towers' gym, which had a large notice sign plastered on its front that said: Closed down for urgent repairs.
"Well, you were right. It is empty," Ren commented cheekily.
"That it is," chuckled Yu. "But luckily for us, I do have a backup plan."
"And it that turns out to be closed?"
"Then we'll stare blankly at the door for about an hour and then go home."
"Sounds good," Ren said with a nod of approval. "Lead the way."
Tokyo – Shibuya Streetway
Futaba let loose a loud yawn as the crosswalk sign turned green, allowing both she and Ann to walk across the street alongside quite literally no one else. The orange-haired teen wasn't sure if she was still asleep and dreaming, or if there really were just that few people out and about this early in the morning.
Given how tired she felt, she understood why.
The pair continued to walk on for about another block or so, but for one of them in particular, it felt like at leastfive times that distance.
"So does walking to the gym qualify as the actual workout, or no?" Futaba questioned.
"C'mon, no whining. You've already made it this far, so you gotta see it through to the end," Ann replied good-naturedly.
"Considering that it took me three whole days just to be able to pry myself out of bed at this ungodly hour, I'll be lucky if I can make it past the first exercise," Futaba sighed.
"I get how that feels," Ann admitted. "It was super tough for me too when I first started off, especially since I'm not a morning person."
"Yeah, I can see that. In fact, you're lookin' super tired yourself," Futaba remarked, noting the slightly dark shade under the blonde's eyes. "Did you not sleep well or somethin'?"
"Yeah, but I'm fine. Just a rough night's sleep," Ann replied, trying to sound as upbeat as he could manage. "You know, just one of those nights."
Futaba yawned tiredly yet again. "Well, I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight."
After a few short seconds later, the two had finally reached their destination. However, right before they were about to walk in, something caught Futaba's attention. She squinted off into the distance down the street, though before the blonde could ask what she was doing, she spoke up.
"Hey, Ann…" Futaba uttered curiously.
"Yeah?"
"Am I so sleep-deprived I'm hallucinating, or is that actually Ren and Yu-san I'm seeing up ahead?"
Naturally the blonde then looked forwards to see exactly that—both of the Wild Cards were walking towards them from down the city street. She rubbed her own eyes, for a moment thinking that they were both hallucinating. At least until
"Hey there," Ren greeted as they walked up to one another. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you two this early in the morning."
"That's our line," Ann said in a surprised tone. "I didn't think you went to this gym, Ren."
"I don't," Ren answered. He gestured towards his fellow Wild Card. "We were going to use the gym at Yu's apartment building, but it was closed down and now we're here."
"And as for where he heard about it, I'll give you one guess."
The speaker hadn't been Yu, Ren, Ann, or Futaba, though all of them could recognize it was Sae's voice. They turned as a group to see the platinum blonde herself walking directly towards them with Makoto right alongside her.
"Well, you did give it a glowing review," Yu retorted playfully.
"That I did," Sae replied. "Though I'm still a bit surprised to see you here. Doesn't your building have a state-of-the-art gym?"
"It does, but it's closed down this morning."
"Ah," Sae muttered. "And what about you two?"
"I actually go to this gym regularly and I invited Futaba to come with me this morning," Ann replied. "Speaking of which, Sae-san, I'm kinda surprised I've never seen you here before."
"It's likely because I usually get here an hour and a half earlier than this on most weekdays," Sae explained. She gestured towards her younger sister, "Makoto wanted to come along with me this time, and this is when she typically does her morning workouts."
"I-I could've easily gotten up earlier if you'd wanted! Don't make it sound like your late or something because of me!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Easy there, you might wanna save your energy for your actual workout," Ren said through a chuckle. "Speaking of which, shall we?"
With that, the six of them headed for the front doors.
The two female Phantom Thieves had made their way over to the stationary bikes, and even the gym 'newb' that Futaba was understood how they were supposed to be used.
She just couldn't understand that what they were about to do was classified as a 'warm up'.
"…wait, so let me get this straight," spoke Futaba in disbelief. "We're doing a workout before our workout, but it's somehow not part of it? How does that make sense?"
Ann rolled her eyes. "Like I said, it's just a light warmup. It's not really a big deal."
"You said we were gonna bike on these for half a mile, right?" Futaba asked.
"Yeah."
"I think we have very different definitions of 'light warmup'."
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad," Ann said reassuringly.
"If you say so…" Futaba muttered.
"I do say so," stated Ann with a warm smile. "C'mon, it won't take more than five minutes. I promise."
"Fine, but if I die, I'm haunting you."
"Noted."
The cross-generational Wild Cards had finished up their stretches and warmup routine, and of course with that out of the way, only one questioned was left to be asked.
"Alright, so what's up first?" asked Ren.
"Well, today happens to be my chest and back day. So, unless you'd prefer to do something else…"
"That's fine by me."
"I figured you'd say that," Yu said with a chuckle. "Anyway, the workout is three sets of four exercises, and then we rinse and repeat before winding down with a half mile run."
Ren nodded. "Sounds easy enough."
"Great, then on to the first exercise."
Without missing a beat, Yu walked over to the weight rack and grabbed one of the sixty-pound dumbbells without even batting an eyelash. Ren could only look at him with slightly wide eyes and a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek, though all he got in return was the young lawyer's classic deadpanned expression.
"We'll start off with lawnmowers," Yu stated casually. "I'll show you the exercise first, and then you can decide on your weight."
"Y-Yeah, sounds good…"
'This is it. This is where my story ends,' Futaba thought melodramatically.
She'd have said that out loud if only she could afford to tear her focus away from the kettle bell swings she was currently doing alongside Ann.
The pair had finished their warmup exercise some time ago, and as it turned out, Ann had been totally right—it wasn't that bad at all. In fact, Futaba was proud of herself for making it through without any real issues, but then came the actual workout…
Futaba gritted her teeth and grunted as she desperately tried to swing the kettlebell to keep up with her friend. However, she soon began to feel as if she were at her limit.
'No, come on, you can do this!' Futaba thought stubbornly. She peered over at her friend, taking notice of just how much effort she was putting into it. 'You can't stop now! Ann's using more than double the weight I'm using and she's still keeping at it! Body, don't fail me now!'
Despite her determination, the orange-haired teen was reaching her limit. She could feel herself barely able to keep at it, and though she had the will, she didn't know if she had the strength.
"A-Ann, are we almost done? Kinda at my limit here…" Futaba uttered weakly.
"Almost done, just a few more left," she replied.
"I don't know if I… if I can…!"
"Don't say that, I know you can! Come on, you said you wanted to build up your stamina, didn't you? I know it sucks, but this is how you do it! You've gotta fight to keep going, don't quit on me now!"
"Ghhh, fine! But you're such a sadist for pushing me like this, you know that?!"
Despite her words, she could feel energy rush through her that she didn't know she had. She was definitely going to fall onto the ground like a starfish the second she was done, but it was nice to know she'd at least finish.
The two Wild Cards were by the pullup bars, doing exactly what you'd expect them to do—standard pullups. They moved in perfect unison, but other than that there wasn't anything remarkable about their display.
At least, not yet.
"Nineteen… and twenty," Ren uttered.
He let himself hang on the bar as he looked over towards Yu, who had finished the exact same number of reps and was hanging exactly the same as he was. They made eye contact for a moment as if searching for whether or not the other was done…
And of course, Yu then immediately went back to doing pullups, and the raven-haired teen could swear he saw a small but taunting smirk crossing his lips.
'So, it's like that, huh?' Ren thought.
He didn't waste any time and went back to pumping out pullup after pullup. He knew he'd pay for that later on, but at the same time there wasn't a chance in hell he'd let himself be outdone if he could help it.
Many people around the gym in the nearby area started to stare, mainly because they continued at it for such a long time that no one could really believe the two of them were still going.
"You're starting to slow down a bit," Ren stated cheekily.
Yu didn't say a word at first. Instead, as he reached the top of his next pullup, he switched his grip on the bar, flipping his wrists onto the other side before going back down and repeating the process again and again with every rep he took.
He could tell that his younger counterpart was looking at him in disbelief.
"You were saying?" Yu shot back.
"…and they call me a showoff," Ren muttered.
"Not sure what you mean."
"Is that right?" Ren asked with a smirk.
It went without saying that he started to copy Yu as best as he could. Despite the growing crowd around them, neither of them really cared.
They were just far too focused at outdoing one another.
When Ann had first said that they were done lifting weights, Futaba could have cried tears of joy.
When the blonde had gone on to say that the rest of their workout was yoga, Futaba was confused.
Then when Ann had explained that yoga was mostly just stretching, Futaba was confident.
And now that she was actually doing it, she was somehow even more miserable than before.
"K-Kh…! Come on, just a little bit… more…!" Futaba grunted.
She tried her best to mimic a pose that Ann was patiently trying to walk her through. It looked as basic as it could be, but as always it was much more difficult to do in practice.
"Yeah, just like that!" Ann cheered energetically. "Hold that for thirty seconds, okay?"
"T-Thirty?!"
"Yep! Now come on, you've gotta focus!"
"Ghhh~!" Futaba grumbled.
After the amount of time had passed, the orange-haired teen carefully brought herself onto the ground, panting heavily and fighting the urge to just lay down like a starfish.
"See? That wasn't so bad," Ann said, offering a bright smile. "C'mon, don't rest too long. On to the next one!"
Futaba looked at her in disbelief. "J-Just how much more is there?"
"About ten more exercises."
The younger girl's jaw dropped.
"You really are the devil, you know that?!" Futaba exclaimed.
Ann rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, if you'd prefer, you could always go over and join Makoto and Sae-san in their workout."
As if to let a picture speak a thousand words, she stepped aside so that Futaba could get a full view of the other end of the gym. There, the Nijima sisters stood side by side in front of a set of punching bags, and in that moment, Futaba had never felt sorrier for inanimate objects in her entire life.
Both of them were practicing some kind of martial art by the looks of it, and the power behind each of their movements was absolutely terrifying. Even from across the room, Futaba could feel every punch and every kick. It seemed to be even worse up-close given that she could see several muscular men gradually inching away from the sisters out of fear.
Neither of the two young women notice that, though. They were too focused on their workout.
"Come on, Makoto, you can do better than that," Sae remarked tauntingly.
Makoto smirked. "That's my line. You call that a kick? And your punches seem to be getting weaker."
The next set of swings the Nijima sisters threw at the poor, poor punching bags in front of them sent a shockwave across the room that shattered the ground and the foundation of the gym itself.
Of course, that didn't really happen, but from Futaba's perspective, it might as well have.
Futaba turned to her blonde friend and bowed her head. "I apologize profusely and beg your forgiveness. Please continue to teach me your ways, Ann-sensei!"
"That's what I thought," Ann replied with a chuckle. Her expression fell somewhat as she added, "Also, please don't call me that again. Like, ever."
"Roger that."
After quite some time, Ren and Yu found themselves sitting on workout benches panting heavily, though notably the younger of the two was sweating a bit more than the other. Neither of them really had much energy left in them, but they only had themselves to blame after a non-stop back and forth on every exercise that they did.
"Well don't you two look like you're out of breath," remarked Sae.
The silver-haired young woman alongside her younger sister approached from off to the side. They couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the state the two of them were in, mainly because they had a feeling, they knew why the two were so tired.
"I take it you two just couldn't stop trying to outdo each other?" Makoto guessed.
"Maybe," Yu replied with a shrug. "And for the record, I blame him."
"Shocking," Sae said through a giggle. "But really, if I were a betting woman, I'd place my money on you being the instigator."
"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that, sis. I mean, Ren might just be the biggest showoff Japan has ever seen," Makoto added.
"I feel judged here," Ren replied, though a good-natured smile betrayed his amusement.
"Well, please feel free to continue having this discussion, but the two of us still have one last thing to take care of," Yu said through a chuckle.
"Still a half mile run, right?" Ren uttered.
"Yep."
"Oh?" Makoto uttered curiously. "Would the two of you want any company? I think sis and I have a bit of energy to spare. Well, I do at least. I'm not entirely sure about her though."
Her sister's glare was immediate, as was the confident smirk that crossed her lips.
"If you'd care to race, I'd be more than glad to show you just how much energy I've got left in me," Sae replied. "Unless you're afraid to lose, of course."
"Bring it on," Makoto declared.
"Easy there, you two," Yu said good-naturedly. "Feel free to go at your own pace, but it's more of a cool down. It's not supposed to be a race."
The two sisters looked at one another hesitantly as their competitive fires started to die down. Their reaction mimicked one another adorably as each crossed their arms and cocked their heads to the side.
"Very well," Sae uttered. "The track is just upstairs. Here, follow me."
It didn't take much time if any at all for the squad to make their way upstairs, and once they did, they were greeted by the sight of a very well-maintained track that was brilliantly designed such that the vast second floor space could still be used for other machines and workout stations.
"Come on, Sakamoto! Five more!"
"But I—"
"Ten more."
"Ghhh!"
Makoto blinked. "Just now, was that…?"
The sound of a familiar groaning caught the attention of each of the Persona users as they stepped onto the main area of the floor. Their eyes quickly landed on Ryuji, who was off near one of the weight racks on the far end of the room, and even from that distance, they could tell he was dripping with sweat and half-dead.
After having finished his assigned exercise, Ryuji collapsed to his hands and knees, panting heavily and sweating even more so than he had before. Then and there, he would've traded a year off his life for just ten more seconds of rest…
However, it just wasn't meant to be.
"Come on, Sakamoto. Time to get up, we're not done," said Isane.
The blond-haired teen could've cried on the spot.
"Mercy…" Ryuji practically whispered.
"There is no mercy," Isane said. She knelt down, a vengeful fire lighting in her eyes that terrified the teenager to his very core. "Not when you skip out on my PT sessions, Sakamoto."
"L-Like I said, I had a good reason! I almost died for cryin' out loud!" Ryuji pleaded.
Isane smiled pleasantly. "Then the next time you miss one of my sessions, make sure you actually die. Because if you think thisis bad, you ain't seen nothing yet."
"B-But for real, I—!"
"I don't wanna hear it," Isane replied firmly. "And that's enough stalling, Sakamoto. You still owe me three more strip sets of weighted squats and a half mile jog."
"Is he still gonna be in one piece after all that?" Ren asked.
The blond perked up upon hearing his best friend's voice. He was surprised enough to know that he was somehow there at the gym that early in the morning, let alone with Yu, Sae, and Makoto who were all coming up towards him in one big group.
"Um… huh?" Ryuji muttered confusedly.
"Long story short, he dragged me to the gym with him this morning," said Ren, gesturing to his fellow Wild Card. He then pointed towards the Nijima sisters. "We just happened to run into them when we got here. Ann and Futaba are here too, actually. They're downstairs."
Ryuji stared at him strangely. "Wait, Futaba's here? Isn't she allergic to exercise?"
"I strongly advise that you not say that to her face…" said Makoto with a sigh.
Ren chuckled. "But to answer your question, yeah, she's here."
"Heh, hell of a coincidence, huh? I got dragged her because Isane-san wanted to torture me—I-I mean have me make up the PT session I skipped out on," Ryuji replied with a smile.
"Which you're still making up for, by the way," Isane interjected. "And in case that wasn't clear enough for you, that was my way of saying break's over, get to work."
"R-Right," Ryuji muttered, a bead of nervous sweat dripping down his cheek.
"We'll catch you later then," Ren stated. "Assuming you survive, of course."
Ryuji frowned annoyedly. "Ha. Ha."
Many gymgoers found themselves staring side-eyed as they passed a very exhausted Futaba Sakura, who was currently sprawled out like a starfish on the gym floor. It really looked like she actually couldn't move.
"Finally… done…" Futaba said through strained breaths.
"Yep, all done," Ann said with a laugh. She lightly toweled herself off, then asking, "So, how do you feel?"
"Well, I'm out of breath, covered in sweat, and I'm pretty sure I can see into the fourth dimension right now," Futaba replied. She turned her head over towards her blonde friend and smiled brightly. "But somehow, I feel really accomplished."
Ann nodded cheerfully. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. And of course, if you ever feel like tagging along again, just let me know, okay?"
"I'll do my best!" Futaba replied.
"And that's really all that matters," Ann said with a giggle.
"Right!" she replied energetically. "Oh, and, um… just one other thing I wanted to ask you."
"Hm? Yeah, sure thing, what is it?"
"…can you help me up?" Futaba asked.
Ann giggled. "Sure thing."
The squad of persona users had finished their run and found themselves toweling off and drinking some much-needed water. Thankfully there weren't any arguments of who'd 'won' or anything like that because neither of the two Wild Cards had the strength at that point to break up a fight between the Nijima sisters.
"Man, you guys look beat," Ryuji remarked as he walked up to the group.
"I could say the same about you," Makoto replied. "In fact, it looks like a strong wind could knock you over right about now."
"I'd say a gentle breeze," Ren added cheekily.
Ryuji scoffed. "Oh please, I'm fi—"
"Sakamoto," Isane's voice firmly interjected. "I sure hear a lot of talking and not a whole lot of running. Do you have any idea why that might be?"
"Just getting started, Isane-san!" Ryuji immediately replied.
Without even saying a single word more, the blond started his run on the track as if his very life depended on it.
"Isane-san must really terrify him," mused Yu.
"You think so?" Makoto wondered aloud. "He seems to be acting normal to me. I usually get a similar reaction whenever I ask him to do something."
"I agree, his behavior seems to be in-character from what I've seen," Sae added.
'That's because the two of you terrify him,' the Wild Cards thought in unison.
Neither of them was stupid enough to say that out loud.
"Well, anyway," began Yu good-naturedly. "Why don't we head downstairs and wait for him to finish up? No sense in leaving beforehand, right?"
"That's fine by me," Sae replied while her sister nodded in agreement.
"You guys go on ahead without me," Ren stated. "I'm gonna stay here for a sec."
"Alright, we'll see ya in a bit," Yu replied.
Elsewhere, Ryuji Sakamoto's physical therapist from hell looked on as he continued his run. Her eyes were steely and her body language screamed out a level of strictness that would've made Sae Nijima proud.
"Come on, Sakamoto, you can do better than that!" Isane exclaimed. "If you keep up that sloppy form, you're restarting, you got it?!"
A loud groan could be heard from the former delinquent, but despite that his form improved dramatically. The black-haired young woman looked on with a small smirk as he continued on.
"You're pretty hard on him, aren't you?"
Isane looked over her shoulder to see Ren walking towards her. He joined her moments later, at which point the pair started watching the blonde on his run side by side.
"I'm tough on him because I know he can take it," Isane replied. She shook her head amusedly, adding, "Actually, it's more correct to say he needs it. I try not to go overboard, but the truth is he's the type of person that responds best when push comes to shove."
"Well, no arguments here," Ren uttered.
Isane chuckled. "For better or for worse, I've never had a patient like him before. He's a blockhead, don't get me wrong, but he's really passionate about being able to run again like he used to."
"And do you think he'll be able to?" Ren inquired.
"I do," Isane replied, nodding her head firmly. "He's making great strides so far. Each time he comes in, he fights his hardest to do a bit better each time. No matter what, I'm gonna make sure he's got the best chance possible of getting his leg back to tip-top shape."
Ren stole a glance at the black-haired woman after she'd given her response. In her eyes, he could see a deep sense of commitment and a burning desire to make good on her words. In many ways, it was the same passion that he saw in Ryuji himself whenever it mattered most.
"Thank you," Ren abruptly stated, earning a curious glance. "I'm glad to see my friend is in such capable hands."
The genuine nature of his tone and the smile on his face caused the young woman turn her head away and awkwardly scratch the back of her head. Clearly, she'd not expected him to say that of all things.
"I'm just doin' my job," Isane replied.
Before the conversation could continue on, a very tired Ryuji ran up to the two of them after having finished up his half mile run. He was grabbing onto his knees, he was drenched in sweat, and it looked like a gentle breeze really would have knocked him over.
However, he was still standing.
"Fin… finished…!" Ryuji breathed out.
"Good work," Isane replied. She smiled proudly and patted him on the shoulder, though clearly she tried to do so as lightly as she could so that he wouldn't go crashing towards the ground. "You're done for the day, Sakamoto. Towel off and get a good rest in, okay?"
"Don't have… to tell me twice…" Ryuji replied, laughing even as he continued to be out of breath.
Isane started to walk away, though she peered over her shoulder before she left. "Oh, and I know I said this before, but I know you're a bad listener, so let me be crystal clear. If you miss another one of my PT sessions, then you'd better be dead, got it?"
The aura of killer intent that surrounded the black-haired young woman was worse than any Shadow the thuggish Phantom Thief had ever seen before. He didn't even want to know what'd happen to him if he actually missed another session, so much so that his response was automatic.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" Ryuji exclaimed.
Isane smiled. "Good."
With that, she was gone, and the blond let loose one large exhale of relief when she was finally out of eyesight.
"That woman is freakin' terrifying…" Ryuji muttered.
"Meh, she's not so bad," said Ren. He started to walk towards the stairs. "Anyway, you comin'? Everyone else is waiting downstairs."
Ryuji smiled. "Right behind ya my dude."
"—and so to sum it up, Ann was clearly trying to kill me, but I managed to survive," Futaba stated plainly. "She nearly succeeded two and a half times though."
"I see, that's good to hear," Yu replied, nodding along with a deadpanned expression.
Makoto sighed. "I swear, you and Ren really do have the same twisted sense of humor…"
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Ren's voice came from the nearby staircase as both he and Ryuji approached the group. The latter of the two started to stare in disbelief at one of them in particular.
"Wow, Futaba's seriously here," Ryuji commented absentmindedly.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Futaba questioned.
"Because I honestly didn't think you knew what a gym was in the first place," Ryuji answered.
Futaba's eyes narrowed. "If I weren't so tired, I'd kick you in the shin so hard right now."
"Please don't. Like, for real," Ryuji said almost pleadingly. "My legs are basically jelly right now. If you did that, I think I'd die."
Everyone shared a laugh at the brief back and forth. They were smiling warmly for a time, but after their laughter died down, the moment itself felt almost out of place. It wasn't because of what had been said or anything like that—it was because it had felt too long
As always, Skull was the one among them to voice what was on everyone's mind.
"Man, now that I think about it, this feels like the first time I've seen any of you guys in like forever," Ryuji said, finding his own words almost strange to say.
"I understand how you feel," stated Makoto. She looked around the group, adding, "Although in reality it's only been five days. I guess given how much time we've been spending together as a group, it just feels like it's been longer than that."
"Still, don't it kinda feel like everything's been radio silent?" Ryuji wondered aloud.
Futaba hummed in thought. "Yeah, you're right. The group chat's been kinda dead the last few days too."
On some level, each of them knew why that was the case. Everyone was probably just coping with the aftermath of the incident with Sasaki in their own way. Though none of them said it aloud, they all knew that the entire experience was more than they'd been expecting. They'd all nearly died several times, most had been drugged and kidnapped and forced to watch a twisted parlor show, and some of them were forced into a fight that was almost too personal for them.
"…I guess after everything, it kinda makes sense," Ann remarked. She perked up a bit, saying, "But maybe it's time to get together and try to raise everyone's mood a bit, yeah?"
"I was actually just thinking the same thing," Ren said in agreement. "What'd you have in mind?"
"Yeah, come on girl, don't leave us in suspense," Ryuji remarked, sporting a wide grin.
"Well, it's summer, right? How about a beach day?" Ann mused.
It didn't take long for everyone to immediately get behind her suggestion.
"I'm down," Futaba stated in agreement. "Um, provided we don't have to go tomorrow, of course. I'm not so sure my legs will be functional after this morning…"
"We'll probably need to plan it for a few days from now anyway," reasoned Yu. "I'm sure Yosuke and the others didn't pack swimwear when they came to Tokyo, so they'll probably need a day to get ready for a beach trip."
Sae nodded. "Same here. Although in my case, I simply haven't been to a beach for as long as I can remember."
Everyone immediately tried to move past that depressing little detail, especially her younger sister.
"Anyway, um, what beach were you thinking, Ann?" Makoto asked. "Maybe Odaiba like we did last year?"
"Actually, I think we can leave which beach to go to up to everyone," she replied.
"Sounds good! We should—" Futaba began.
"Ah, hang on, wait a sec'," interjected Ryuji, catching a few eyes with the doubt in his voice. "Ain't Rise-san's concert comin' up this week? That'd put a big-ass wrench in any plans for a beach trip, yeah?"
"Actually, it got pushed by a couple of weeks," Ann replied. She looked off almost nervously. "With the whole 'Rise's life being threatened' thing, it's not a real shocker it got moved…"
"Gotcha."
"But in any case, it sounds like our beach trip idea is a go," Makoto reasoned.
"Yep!" chirped Ann. "I'll message the group chat and see how everyone else feels about it, but I'm sure everyone will love the idea of a nice relaxing beach day."
"I'm sure you're right," said Yu with a slight laugh. "Anyway, I've gotta go hit the showers and change before I head off to take care of some work. Ren, are you good to head back to the apartment on your own?"
"Yeah, I should be fine," Ren said. He adopted a cheeky grin. "I even remembered my keycard this time."
With a slight laugh and a nod, the silver-haired Wild Card took his leave.
"We should probably head out too, Makoto," Sae mused, having checked her phone for the time.
The brunette nodded. "Right."
"And Ann and I should probably start heading back to Yongen," Futaba mused.
The blonde stared at her strangely. "Uh, I don't live in Yongen…"
"True, but I'll need someone to carry me home."
"That is all kinds of not happening."
Tokyo: Shinjuku, Later that Morning…
Yu Narukami walked the streets of southeastern Shinjuku, glancing every which way as he did so out of simply curiosity. There weren't many people out and about in that particular section of the city, but that wasn't altogether surprising.
He was there to visit a cemetery, after all.
After a short while, he arrived before a large somewhat old set of Torii gates. He looked at the sign at the front and nodded.
'Yep, this is the place,' Yu thought.
Without thinking much of it, he took out his phone and looked to see if he'd gotten any messages from Naoto. She'd told him to meet up with her there, and it went without saying that it was unlike her to be late.
"Ah, Yu, perfect timing."
The sound of Naoto's voice came from just down the street. He turned to greet her with a smile, only for that smile to fade in favor of a look of surprise upon seeing that none other than Rise was standing beside the blue-haired detective as she approached.
When they made their way up towards him, he kept a blank expression as if waiting for an explanation of some kind to be given.
"I'd offhandedly mentioned to her that the two of us were going to a cemetery today," spoke Naoto, clearing her throat somewhat awkwardly before she continued. "Inevitably I was forced to explain, and she insisted she come along. At the time, I… well—"
"Don't worry, it's not a problem at all," Yu said reassuringly. "I'm just… a bit surprised that you'd want to come, Rise."
The songstress looked at him as if she were a bit hurt by his comment.
"How could I not?" Rise countered. "But if you'd prefer that I leave…"
Yu shook his head. "No, like I said, it's totally fine."
"Good," she simply replied.
A silence ensued which as broken by the detective among them as she walked through the Torii gates.
"Then if you'll just follow me," instructed Naoto.
The trio made their way deeper into the cemetery, which thankfully was more of an open space as opposed to a sprawling labyrinth like some had a reputation for being. They passed a large monument at the graveyard's center, and a short distance thereafter, they arrived at a specific set of burial plots.
The tombstone they stopped in front of simply read: Tetsuo Jirikishi.
"This is it," stated Naoto.
Those three simple words were all that was spoken for quite some time. Each of them was deep in thought for one reason another, but none of them more so than Yu. He stood solemnly in place, staring at the name on the tombstone with his unblinking eyes.
To him, it still didn't feel real.
Time seemed to stand still as Yu continued to stare at the tombstone. The only reason he'd stopped was because he'd felt a comforting hand softly grip his own. He turned to see that it was Rise, who was looking up at him with concern breathing through her beautiful brown eyes.
"I know what you're thinking… but you're wrong," Rise said. Her grip tightened. "What happened wasn't your fault."
Yu found himself caught by surprise given that she was completely right. That was what was going through his head, and it was then and there that he realized why the redheaded young woman had insisted on coming.
Rise wanted to stand next to him, look him in the eyes, and from the bottom of her heart speak those five simple words. She wanted to be there when it mattered most, ready to stop him from blaming himself for what had happened because she knew that's exactly what he'd do.
She simply wanted to be there for him.
"I'll say it as many times as I have to. I'll say it again and again, a thousand times over if that's what it takes to get it through to your head," Rise went on, still holding onto his hand.
Yu smiled softly, feeling a tightness in his chest as his hand briefly squeezed her back in kind. It wasn't as if he'd meant to, though. It was simply a reflex that he couldn't stop even if he'd tried.
"I know," Yu replied quietly. "Thanks, Rise."
The songstress couldn't help but smile upon hearing the hints of honesty in his voice. She started to pull her hand away, though she did so with clear reluctance. After all, even if the circumstances weren't ideal, holding onto his hand had been like something out of a dream.
"Good," Rise said. She abruptly turned towards her blue-haired friend. "Naoto, would you mind coming back to the center of the courtyard with me?"
The translation was quickly taken by her other two friends. She wanted to give Yu some alone time in front of the grave without actually saying it aloud.
"Yes, I don't mind," Naoto replied.
She clearly meant that she agreed it was for the best.
"Thanks."
As the two started to walk off, the detective stopped in place briefly.
Naoto looked over her shoulder, quietly saying, "Just for the record… she's right, you know. You shouldn't blame yourself."
Yu smiled. "Like I said, I know. But thanks, Naoto, I appreciate it."
The blue-eyed beauty nodded before walking off with a bit of a blush on her cheeks as she and Rise walked away. Then, everything went quiet.
Yet again, Yu found himself staring at the tombstone.
After a short period of time, he reached into his jacket pocket, taking out the oddly-folded piece of paper that Jirikishi had given him moments before death had taken him. The drops of blood on it were enough of a reminder of that fact.
He'd wanted to read it at the right time, and he couldn't think of a better moment to do so then then and there.
Yu carefully started to unfold the note, and when he was finished, he immediately understood why it had been so oddly shaped. Wrapped within it near the center of the page was a coin. Without even needing to pick it up, Yu knew what it was. All the same, he took it within his hands and twirled it over on both sides several times to confirm it was in fact the double-sided coin he'd come to associated with the recently deceased detective.
"I guess I should've expected as much," said Yu in a bittersweet tone.
He placed the coin in his pocket for safe keeping before caressing out a few of the more crumpled bits of the note so that he could finally read it.
Kid, if you're reading this, then I'm probably dead. And honestly? If I am, I only hope that beforehand I managed to shut down the compound in the Metaverse. If I managed that, then I don't really care. Well, mostly…
I don't really have anything important to share information-wise. It'd be a waste of paper and I'm sure Hebiza has that covered anyway.
More than anything, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. There's a lot more that I could add on, but in the end, those two words are what it all comes down to. I wish I could've been strong enough to do something sooner. I wish I could've been strong enough to stand up when it mattered most. The truth is that I wasn't.
That's my biggest regret though. Knowing, I mean. I knew in the past what I should've done. I wasn't able to save Akashi Nijima. I wasn't able to stand up to my brother just because I was afraid it'd mean losing what's left of my family. I think you were right. If only I'd had the guts to flip the coin, if only I had the guts to see how I really felt… then maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Oh, I'm sure me dying isn't your fault. I've lived a life full of regrets, kid, but ironically, dying won't be one of 'em. Not if it means I can manage to save you and your friends. Not if it means my life can amount to at least something useful in the end.
I guess what I'm saying is don't feel too bad for me, kid.
Yu didn't feel a surge of emotion when he'd finished. He didn't feel numb, either. In fact, he found himself smiling softly as he digested what had been written. Despite everything, it seemed that Jirikishi probably was able to get some semblance of peace before passing away.
He peered down at the note again, though he caught a glimpse of more text further down on the paper. It was so far removed from the main body that it looked like it was supposed to be another part entirely.
One last thing, I want you to have my coin. You're maybe half my age and you're already a better man that I am, so maybe you don't need it. However, if you're ever in doubt, please use it. Don't make the same mistakes I did, Yu.
Even after Yu had finished reading the last words that Jirikishi had written, he continued to stare at them for minutes on end. That was the point that he started to feel numb.
Those words, even above everything else, had hit him the hardest.
Before Yu could think any more to himself, however, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, at which point he turned to see a familiar face fast approaching.
A solemn-looking Shun Yamada—the nightclub owner he'd met with Jirikishi some time ago—stepped towards the base of the grave and placed down a bouquet of flowers. He then took his place off to Yu's side, standing a noticeable distance away.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "I figured better now than when you were with those two friends of yours."
Yu shook his head. "It's not a problem."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it."
It seemed quite a bit was going through both of their heads, as yet again a fair period of silence settled in. Eventually, it was the former crime boss who would break the ice.
"When I'd heard the news, I didn't think it was real. All these years, I had no idea that he was in 'that' line of work. No one did. Not a damn person," Shun remarked. He gave off a bittersweet chuckle. "Heh, I gotta say, it shocked the shit out of me when I found out. He just never struck me as that kinda guy, ya know?"
"…yeah, I do," Yu replied.
The conversation took a pause as Shun reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette carton. He took out the lone cigarette in it, lit it up, and began to smoke, his expression unchanging all the while.
"You know, I've got a pretty good eye for bad people. It's a gift that served me pretty well back in my old career. And I've gotta say, every time I laid eyes on the rat bastard, I never once had the thought that he was a bad guy," Shun abruptly stated, his voice oddly calm. He looked towards the silver-haired young man, a somber look to his eyes. "You seem like the opposite—like you've got a good eye for good people. So, kid, I gotta ask… what did you see when you looked at him?"
That very question was one that Yu himself had been struggling to answer. It was one that had burned at the back of his mind from the second he'd stepped in front of the tombstone until now.
On the one hand there was the man that was complicit in any number of horrible things. On the other was a man that didn't want to be, the man that knew what he was doing was wrong and yet couldn't bring himself to confront that fact for so, so long. The fact was you could even argue that last part only made it worse.
"The truth is, I don't know," Yu admitted. "In his heart it seemed like he always knew what he was doing was wrong. In the end, maybe he was just caught in the middle, and because of that, he just kept getting dragged along."
Shun shrugged as he took in another breath from his cigarette. "If bad and good are black and white, then all that means is he's a thousand and one shades of gray."
"You might be right," Yu replied. "But in the end, I'm pretty sure he went out trying to do what he thought… no, what he knew was right."
"That's all you can really ask for then," Shun said with a nod, all the while a small but pleasant smile crossed his lips. "It makes me think that if he'd lived, he'd eventually have been able to walk the straight and narrow. Maybe not everyone can bring themselves to think that way, but speaking from personal experience, that's what I choose to believe."
The former gangster then took one last puff of his cigarette before casually letting it fall to the ground. He stomped it out with his foot as if fell before the grave, and then just as quickly as he'd arrived, he started to walk off.
"Take care of yourself, kid," Shun said. "Oh, and try not to stay in front of his grave thinkin' about him for too long. Something tells me he'd prefer you didn't stay on his account."
"You know, I think you're right about that," Yu replied with a bit of a chuckle.
It wasn't too much longer after Shun had left that Yu turned heel and headed towards his friends again. As he approached, it was clear they were still worried about him, though each of them was trying to hide it as best as they could.
"Everything okay?" Rise asked, attempting to sound as casual as she could manage.
"Yeah," Yu replied with a nod.
Even if his response had been simple, it still held a clear undertone of honesty that both of the young women could recognize. It filled each of them with relief, and it more than showed.
"Good to hear," said Naoto, unable to hold back a small smile. "Well, in that case, shall we take our leave?"
She'd received nods in response, at which point they headed for the main gates.
Shibuya: High-End Commercial District
The Nijima sisters hummed along as they searched through the swimwear section of an upscale store that they'd gone into at Sae's suggestion.
As they continued to browse, of the salespeople walked up with a warm smile.
"Excuse me, I just wanted to check if either of you two needed any assistance," she said politely.
"No, thank you," replied Makoto in much the same manner. "But if that changes, you'll be the first to know."
The young woman nodded and walked away, leaving the two to continue browsing through the almost overwhelming amount of swimwear that the store kept in stock.
'Hmm, this one's not bad,' Makoto thought.
She grabbed the swimsuit that had caught her eye and held it up for reference. It was a gray two-piece bikini with a nice style, though at the same time it wasn't too flashy or revealing.
For her, it was perfect.
"Sis, what do you think of this one?" Makoto asked.
All of her previous excitement vanished when she saw the way her sister was looking at the swimsuit. It didn't look like she hated it, but it was also beyond clear that she didn't approve of it either.
"Okay, so that's a 'no'," Makoto muttered to herself.
"Not necessarily," Sae replied, still cupping her chin in deep consideration. "I just think that if your goal is to… well, you know."
Makoto stared at her sister blankly, obviously having no idea what she was trying to say.
"Um, what?" she asked.
Just hearing the confusion in her voice nearly had Sae rolling her eyes in annoyed disbelief. Without saying a word more, she then walked to one of the nearby swim racks before immediately grabbing one of the suits and marching back over to her sister.
"Here," Sae simply stated.
The silver-haired Persona user all but tossed the bikini towards Makoto, who having not expected her to do so became a bit flustered even though she had managed to catch it. She then held it out in front of her, though just seeing it made her face a bit red.
It wasn't that it was too revealing, but it was beyond flashy by Makoto's standards.
"Wear that and you'll catch his attention," said Sae.
Makoto blinked. "Who?"
"Ren-kun, of course," Sae replied matter-of-factly. "And you're welcome."
Needles to say, the brunette's face went crimson in a heartbeat.
"Wait, I—hang on, that's not…!" Makoto stammered.
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I'm well aware of how you feel about him, and it's not as if I disapprove," Sae went on, her voice calm and her tone even. "And more to the point, you do want him to look at you 'like that' while we're at the beach, no?"
"W-Well, I wouldn't dis-like it, but—"
"Then if you want that to happen, wear that," Sae interjected. "And again, you're welcome."
Without even batting an eyelash, the elder of the Nijima sisters went back to looking for her own swimsuit. Makoto, however, just stood there absolutely stunned. Everything had happened so suddenly and so casually, and yet in the middle of it all was something that she couldn't help but cling to.
"…you know, that's the first time you've ever said something like that. About my potentially dating, I mean," Makoto thought aloud. "So, does 'not as if I disapprove' mean…?"
Sae noticed the uncertainty in her voice and sighed, being more disappointed in herself than anything else.
"That was a poor choice of words on my part," she admitted. "For however worried I might be… the truth is, as your sister, I want you to be happy. If you believe that being with Ren is what will make you happy, then I trust your judgment, and I'll help you in any way that I can."
It meant more to Makoto to hear those words than she could describe with words alone. However, the genuine joy that shined in her eyes showed her feelings well enough.
"Thanks, sis," Makoto simply replied.
"Don't mention it," said Sae with a sisterly smile.
With that, a silence gripped the conversation between the two. That was just as well though. Neither of them needed to say anything more for the time being.
Tokyo: Fukushima Towers
"—and Teddie really did that?" Yu uttered as the doors to the elevator opened.
"You bet," Rise said through a giggle.
The two of them stepped onto their floor and began walking down the hallway, and it was clear to anyone with eyes that they were moving much slower than they needed to.
"So then what happened?" Yu asked conversationally.
"Well, obviously I was super angry, but I was nothing compared to Kanji," Rise went on. "I don't think I've ever seen him so mad before. I swear he was about to kill Teddie."
"And why didn't he?"
"Too many witnesses around. You know, the usual reason."
They shared a laugh as they came up towards their apartments. Before either one of them even turned to their doors, however, Yu locked eyes with the idol, and it was clear by the look in his shimmering gray orbs that what he was about to say was of a far more serious note.
"Thanks for coming out there today, Rise," Yu said. "I'm… I'm really glad you were there."
The sincere gratitude in his voice caused the redhead's heart to tighten and her face to heat up. A sense of nervousness started to creep in, one that nearly forced her to look away though she fought against it with everything she had.
"You don't need to thank me, you know," Rise stated pointedly. "This is just what you do when you care about someone, right? I mean, if the roles were reversed, you'd be there for me, wouldn't you?"
"In a heartbeat," Yu replied.
There it was again. The sincerity and the emotion in his voice caused Rise's chest to tighten all the more. She found herself staring ever-deeper into his eyes, all but getting lost in them. He seemed to do the same, and what followed thereafter was a deep silence.
An abrupt vibrating of each of their cell phones finally brought them back to reality, and it went without saying that each were filled with a bit of embarrassment as they realized what they were doing. Both Yu and Rise blinked awkwardly and brought out their cellphones at light-speed if only so that they could put their focus on literally anything else.
"Looks like it's the group chat," Rise thought aloud.
Chat: Persona Users Anonymous
Ann: Hey, everyone! So, since it's summer and all, who's interested in a beach trip later this week? Hopefully this isn't too last minute…
Chie: Oooh, that sounds awesome!
Yosuke: Hell yeah it does!
Ryuji: Right?
Haru: That's a great idea, Ann-chan! I can't speak for everyone else, but I can make this week work just fine!
Yukiko: Same here!
"Looks like everyone's plenty excited already," Rise said amusedly. "You know, it's funny… before now, I feel like the chat's been kinda dead the last few days."
"Ann-san said the same thing," Yu replied, catching a curious look from the idol. "Ren and I had randomly run into her at the gym. Long story short, she suggested the beach."
Rise giggled girlishly. "That sounds like Ann-chan alright. She's always so thoughtful."
"Reminds me of someone else I know," Yu replied, sporting a charming smile. "Anyway, I should get going. I'll talk to you later, Rise."
"See ya! And of course, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't."
"Good."
With that, the Wild Card was gone and the songstress focused her attention back on the group chat.
Rise: I'm all about a beach day! Where were we thinking?
Futaba: Us young'uns in the chat went to Odaiba last year, and from what I remember, it was a blast!
Yusuke: Did you just refer to us as 'young'uns'?
Ryuji: Dude, just move past it like the rest of us. I'm beggin' ya
Ann: Odaiba was fun! But if we're all up for a bit of a drive, I've also heard Kamakura is super nice!
Haru: I've heard that too!
Yosuke: I've actually been to Odaiba before, but never been to Kamakura.
Chie: Same! It's pretty good, but I dunno, I kinda like the idea of having a new beach experience
Yusuke: Do they have lobsters in Kamakura?
Ryuji: Dude.
Futaba: Ignoring that last question, it sounds like people wanna try out Kamakura?
Ren: That sounds good to me.
Yu: That sounds good to me.
Ann: Same!
Rise: Same!
Futaba: Oh god, it's happening again. Someone make it stop!
Yusuke: […]
Futaba: I will bet any amount of money that Inari is typing something about lobsters.
Ren: Yes, Yusuke, they probably have lobsters in Kamakura.
Yusuke: Thank you.
Rise put her phone back in her pocket all the while a large smile took its place on her features. The more she thought about a day at the beach, the more she started to look forward to it. She glanced at the doorway across the hall, her lips now curling into a bit of a devilish smirk.
"I wonder what I should wear…?" Rise uttered to herself.
Yu chuckled at the back and forth between some of the Phantom Thieves as he walked through his apartment. He put his phone away, then looking around to see if Ren was had gotten back yet, though the door to his room was open and it was clear he wasn't in it.
"Must've gone out," Yu mused.
He walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat, then staring out of the window with his mind deep in thought.
It was the first time since leaving the commentary that he'd had a moment to himself, and in that moment, he picked up right where he left off. The last words in Jirikishi's letter were still ringing through his head, and he knew exactly why.
It was because of a certain redheaded idol named Rise Kujikawa. Yu stared blankly at his front door with thoughts of her still fresh in his mind. It wasn't just here though—it was all of his friends, but when it came to her, he always felt most guilty when it came to hiding the truth.
Almost absentmindedly, the silver-haired Wild Card reached into his pocket, taking out the coin that he'd kept there since unraveling it at the cemetery.
"If I'm ever in doubt, huh…?" Yu wondered aloud.
He flipped it casually, allowing it to land on the table in front of him. Even though he knew what the result would be, he couldn't help but stare as it came to a rest.
"Yeah, that's about right," Yu muttered to himself as his mind reflexively gave him his answer. He slumped back into his chair with his head fixed towards the ceiling. "At this point, whether I want to or not, I should tell them. They deserve to know—I know that. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, Kanji, Naoto…"
A deep sigh once again escaped his lips as his eyes shifted back towards his doorway. Truthfully, he was looking through it. He was looking on the other side, through the door across the hall where he knew he'd find Rise Kujikawa.
In Yu's heart of hearts, he believed that she had more of a right to now than anyone else. However, she was the last person he wanted to tell. He'd imagined how the conversation would go with all of the others—be that as a group or individually. With her, however, it was different…
There were times he couldn't even bring himself to imagine what the conversation would be like with her.
"And that I think about it," Yu grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he realized one key detail. He let out another deep sigh, saying, "That probably applies to Sae too."
He knew without giving it much thought that it was probably going to be just as bad with her, if not somehow worse.
"As hard as it might be, I know I have to tell them," Yu muttered with a frown. "But… not now. I know it'll have to be sooner than later, but even so..."
He glanced back over at his doorway, the sight of Rise's smile—of all of his friends' smiles fresh in his head.
More than anything, he just wanted to see those smiles for just a little bit longer.
A/N Alright, and with that we're done for this chapter. Next one will drop in 3-4 weeks! So, until then…
Explanations:
Next Chapter: Yep, it'll be a beach day, and probably a suuuuper long chapter too. A lot of fanservice, hopefully enjoyable in the same way that the slice of life chapters so far have been.
Will There Be Lobsters at the Beach?: Yes. Yes there will be.
Ann and Futaba: I found it weird how easy it was to write bits with these two given that you don't see them interact too much in the actual game, but I think their personalities mesh pretty well. I see it as a big-sister little-sister sort of thing along the same lines as how Makoto and Futaba have a Momkoto-daughter vibe between them.
Rise: I think this chapter, along with a few other moments here and there, have shown just how well she actually knows Yu. Regardless of whether or not the two will end up together, I think that closeness between them is something that will always be an integral part to this story, and to be honest, it makes it feel super organic to write it out.
Yu: Obviously there's his bit at the end, and as to what exactly he's referring to, you won't find out for some time. Some of you may be able to guess based on a few things that've happened so far, but it'll still be a while before what he's sort-of hiding comes out into the open.