This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.
Welcome Home, My Friend
Yeah, We're Gonna Have A Good Time
Welcome Home, Again
7/20 Monday
Lunch
"T to the O to the other O! To-Ky-Yo! Tokyo drift, T-O-K-Y-O! YEAH!"
In the dark-hued interior of the bus, Julian Rosea's singing seemed louder than usual, and Reiha grumpily rolled over in her seat to try and block the song out, found herself facing Aiko instead. "Tell me, is he always this hyper?"
"Today is a Monday", Aiko joked back, smiling back regardless. Goofy as he could be, Julian always had a way of making her do that when she needed to "Just wait until Tuesday."
"Assuming I haven't punched him out by then."
Hardly daunted by his position closer to Jiachi, Noel stretched out lazily. "Come now, let the man have his fun. Unlike you two, we've never been to Tokyo at all. I've certainly heard a million rumors and seem many images of it, but I've never felt the truth for myself."
"See?", Julian stopped rocking out to his song, gesturing to Noel. "This dude knows what's up. And he's only lived here for a few years. Tokyo... is the big city. The ultimate metropolis. Everyone in Japan who doesn't live there already knows all about it. It's the place that you go to make your dreams come true. This guy's prolly already got plans to go visit some manga studios, right?"
"A few", the blond boy nodding in admission. "What about you? What's your first stop?"
"Trains", he spoke the word at the same time that Aiko did, causing them to stare at each other and glibly call out 'Jinx!' and laugh before he turned back. "There's no trains at all on Shikoku island. Not one. You have to take buses freaking everywhere. Tokyo, on the other hand, has the coolest train system in the whole world."
"So you're just gonna be riding around on the subways for two weeks", Reiha murmured sarcastically. "Sure, why not?"
"Okay then, how 'bout you Hayato-senpai? What're you gonna be doing?"
This question earned a fair bit more attention than the last one, since everyone was well aware of the dark past that Reiha had left behind in Tokyo. While even Dr. Spica had admitted that the chances of anyone in the current Yakuza recognizing her as Junya Kaneshiro's daughter were beyond infinitesimal, there was also the chance that she might forget her promise to him and try visiting the clubs and shops she knew were controlled by them.
Emotion beats logic for most people, Aiko considered. Never mind her mother, just seeing signs of the syndicate's activities might make her forget herself, and everyone knows that Tokyo is the center of activity for them.
"I haven't forgotten my promise", Reiha told them emphatically. "It's not like beating 'em up is gonna stop their business."
"Just as long as you remember that", Noel placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Remember that attacking them would also place all of us at risk. As much as it may pain you to hold back, you cannot act against them here. That is the duty of the Tokyo police force."
"I know", she grumbled, teeth clenched. "Hex is gone. We burned the armor on the weekend."
Aiko sympathized. Now that they were older, it would be easy for Reiha to spot signs of it. The Dragon syndicate was a permanent fixture in Tokyo, anchored there by centuries of murderous traditions, and Tokyo's citizens had long ago given up any hope of trying to remove them. National finance groups they were part of had more than enough influence to cancel out any kind of concentrated effort to rout them, and even officer Makoto Nijima, a former Phantom Thief, had to admit that the only time the police could do anything impactful in that regard was when a clan member got too greedy and acted 'out of line', pushing narcotics, human trafficking or arms dealing more than the 'standard' level of illicit activities.
"I won't go near 'em", Reiha vowed, eyeing each of them in turn. "I know better than you do how dangerous that'd be." Eager to shed the gloom that had settled in, she waved one black gloved hand. "I might be interested in visiting a few clubs and restaurants that I've heard about, but they won't be syndicate-owned. Promise."
"That's fine", Aiko sounded relieved. The answer hardly surprised her; Reiha had both the look and attitude of a party girl when she wasn't dealing with the horrors of her past. In fact, the dress that she'd chosen for this trip was the same fancy patterned black and white one that Reiha had bought for her.
If the older girl noticed this coincidence, she didn't show it. "How 'bout you, Tsuruga-chan? What're you gonna be doin'?"
She shrugged. "I mean it seems way longer, but I've actually only been gone for, like, four months now. I'm afraid this trip isn't going to be nearly as exciting for me as for the rest of you. I just want to show you all around, and watch your reactions."
"Of course", Jiachi snorted. "For Tokyo girl, this is all normal."
She smirked back at the nickname. "What did you expect, 'Shikoku boy'? I told you, I chose to leave this city for a reason... but I also can't deny it's like nowhere else in the world. I just hope that you all enjoy it as much as you think you will. "
"Here, here!", Noel agreed. "So does that mean I am 'Berlin boy'?"
"Heh. That would make me 'Tokyo girl 2", Reiha joked, clasping her hands. "But on that subject... you all wanna try guessing my code name now?"
"Oh?", Jiachi nodded, checking around a moment to ensure no one was listening too closely. Likely unnecessary, but he didn't want to seen careless. "So it's official then? You're gonna be coming with us for that too?"
"That gate is a problem", Reiha answered, folding her arms together reservedly. "Vitienne-kun took me out to see it the other day. It's a problem that no one else but us can deal with, 'cause nobody else knows it exists. Rather they don't want to know that it exists. That's still so weird to me."
"It's true", Aiko nodded. "Anyone else we told about it would just think we're crazy. I mean, look at how Niyoga reacted. No one else can see it. The only time you can enter is after you've already been there... like the Isla de Muerta."
"Isla de...?"
"A mythical island", she explained hastily. "I read about it in a book once. Supposedly full of treasure, but no one can find it unless you already know where it is. Or, in this case, unless the voice calls out to you."
Having been the only one present to hear that voice, Julian wasn't surprised to feel the other's attention turned to him. "It sounded like my own voice talking to me", he remembered. "But there's no way. Sorano-chan said that it sounded like her voice when she heard it. Must be some effect of the place. Whoever's calling uses the voice of whoever they're talkin' to."
"Calling out for others to enter their dimension", Noel frowned. "Perhaps they're simply lonely, and desire company?"
"Maybe", Reiha sniffed, "but this loneliness is putting a lot of people's lives at risk. Whoever's doing this, we gotta find 'em, and get 'em to stop. By force, if we have to."
"When we get back", Aiko promised. "That's the next goal. It'll take a while, I'm sure. We've been to three Lands so far, but really, we've barely even scratched the surface. For all we know, this place could actually be the same size as our world's ocean... or maybe even bigger."
"I don't give a damn how big it is", Reiha claimed, "I'll be with you. Can't just sit back and let you do all the work, not after you all saved me. So! Who wants to guess first?"
"You sound awfully eager", Noel commented thoughtfully, "considering that we won't be using that name for another few weeks at least. Very well... erm... Maiden?"
Reiha made a rude noise. "Um, no. C'mon, you all saw my Persona, right?"
"Avenger?", Aiko palmed her chin.
"I told you already, Hex is gone. I'm done with that."
"Gothic?", Julian sounded strained.
Reiha shook her head, lips curling slightly. "Close, Rosea-kun, I'll give you that. But nah. I'm goin' with 'Witch'."
That earned a frown from Noel, who eyed her cautiously. "Hm? Why that name? You are not a witch, Hayato-senpai."
His disapproval only seemed to bring more light to her face though. "Not here, no. But over there... we can be who we want to be, right?"
"But you are beautiful", he protested. "Witches are ugly, vile crones who consort with evil powers."
"Nah. That's just the propaganda", Reiha insisted, turning to their leader. "Tsuruga-chan, you remember, right? When I told you that I love the city at night?"
She smiled back. That had been the first time they had ever gone to visit Dr. Spica in his lab, trying to recruit her for a deep-sea diving mission, harvesting plant life to determine the extent of how much the waters around Shikoku had been contaminated by an unknown agent. Unknown to him anyway. We know what it is now. "I remember."
"Well, it's not the city... it's the night." The tall girl offered up an amused grin at their varied reactions. "Even now, after everything that's happened, even if I'm no longer Hex... Yeah. I feel it. The night is my time. I still sleep in the day, y'know."
"Which explains your grades", Julian winked. "Still, I get ya. Guess we know what kind of 'clubs' you'll be headin' to."
"Clubs open to minors", Reiha amended. "I'm not stupid. Even if I'm old enough, my ID says different. You're still welcome to join me, of course."
Noel, however, still looked betrayed, even hurt, by her words. "Why, Hayato? Why of all things, would you choose the identity of a witch? Knowing what we face in that other world?"
Initially annoyed, she had spent enough time with him recently to recognize the few things that could break his serenity, particularly when involving her. "Vitienne... I told you already. I don't think that the Shadows are really demons. We don't know enough about their world yet to decide that for ourselves."
"They are demons", he lamented, his normally pleasant eyes veiled in disgust. "And that dimension of theirs... is hell. Tsuruga said that herself, before."
That was enough for the bus driver, who shouted back for them to quiet down. Instead, after a few minutes, Aiko heard a different voice, one coming from the bag beneath her seat, so muffled that she had to carefully remove it and press it to her ear.
"It is not hell", Pelagio's stern voice came to her. "It is completely different from the human conception of that place as I understand it."
"I know", she agreed as quietly as she could, speaking into the bag. "We shouldn't have brought it up. He still suspects you."
"Suspects me?! I have only ever been your sworn protector, captain. You have more reason to trust me than you do him."
"I know, I know", she repeated apologetically. "It's because you're from that world, not human. He was the same way around Mona-chan, now that I think about it."
"Hmph. I am nothing like that flea-bitten mongrel!"
"Quiet down. Someone else might hear you."
While their avian friend had considered it a possibility, researching the real lengths involved in their trip had quickly dashed any idea that he might be able to simply follow behind their bus for the entire day as they traveled to the mainland and then to Tokyo. Normal falcons could make such a trip, but only with regular rest periods, during which it was more than likely that he would lose track of them. Having him inside her bag was risky, but preferable to the alternative. The other alternative, where he would simply remain behind in Tosashimizu, he had refused completely.
Besides, she considered, he deserves a vacation too. Seeing Tokyo up close is more of that exposure to humanity that he's been looking for.
"We shouldn't bother with this stuff for now", she announced carefully, so that her friends could hear it but the driver wouldn't. "We're on vacation, remember? We're here to enjoy ourselves, not argue with each other."
"Vengebung.", Noel nodded, eager to mend the gulf that had opened between him and Reiha. "I didn't mean to become so upset. You're right, captain. This can wait until we've returned home."
"I told you not to call me that", she rasped.
"Very well... Tokyo girl."
The silence made the rest of the trip feel longer.
7/20 Monday
Afternoon
As expected, Julian's hyperactivity ramped up further as more and more of Tokyo's famous towering skyscrapers came into view around the bend as the bus drew closer and closer. Even from a distance, it was impossible to take in the entire city at once, and the most famous landmark of all- the Scramble- could only be seen in its epicenter.
"Hotel first", she reminded him once his silent excitement grew too great to be contained. "We need to unload all our stuff. We can start sightseeing tomorrow."
Even that required a long train ride into Akihabara though, the familiar rail lines firing them hundreds of miles along in mere minutes, all of them carrying heavy bags with enough clothing and amenities to last them for two weeks, changing lines at vast crowded stations several times with only Aiko's knowledge of the city to prevent them from becoming completely lost. By the time 'Akihabara' finally rang in the ears, even Julian's exuberant energy was starting to flag.
"I told you", she couldn't help remarking. "These trains sound really neat when you hear other people talk about them, but it's really just a bunch of stuffed boxes in underground tunnels that people force themselves into every day."
"All these stations", he marveled as they stepped off the last train and headed for the stairs to the surface. "All these different lines, going all over the place... this place is bigger than I ever imagined. We could spend a freaking year here and not see everything."
"Some people spend their entire lives in this city", she pointed out. "There's a lot of jobs that don't need you to go anywhere else. Everything you could want is here, except..."
"Except?"
She smiled back at him. Despite her words, the familiarity of these streets was a comfort that helped her stay focused. "Except for everything that exists outside of Tokyo. Some people I see here... they just seem to dismiss the rest of the world completely. To them, Tokyo is the center of the universe, the only world worth considering. Everything else? Just backdrop. Myths."
Emerging from the subway station into the famed 'electric city' of Akihabara, she wasn't surprised when her friends all paused, blinded by the assault of kaleidoscopic neon lights, simply trying to take in the hundreds of sleek, modern buildings surrounding them, as well as the sheer number of people walking by. This late in the day, the lights were especially pronounced, the orange daylight panning along the street casting millions of shadows across. Every tenth person or so wore a plain white mask covering their mouth, a sure sign that flu season was already in full swing.
Remembering her promise, she raised up her phone to snap her first picture of the evening cityscape.
"It's beautiful", she remarked on their behalf. "Isn't it? Especially at night", here she winked at Reiha, who was the first one to recover from the initial shock. "If this city was a bubble in the abyss, and the rest of the world was nothing but a story, then wouldn't it be considered paradise?"
"It's awfully... crowded", Noel observed weakly. Just looking around the area, one could see enough people to equal a tenth of Tosashimizu city's total population.
"That's one thing every story you hear will agree on", Aiko nodded. "I find it annoying sometimes. And it just drives home the idea that this could be the only people worth paying attention to. But I didn't want to be that way for me. I didn't want to be just a big city 'Tokyo girl', knowing this city and nothing past it."
"You're not", Reiha reminded her. "You reached out, as an exchange student."
"For four months", she scoffed. "The rest of my life I've just lived here, in Akihabara, barely even visiting anywhere else. Heheh. I guess it would be more accurate to call me 'Akihabara girl'."
"Eh", Jiachi grunted, finally pulled out of his trance. "Doesn't have quite the same ring to it. This place is pretty crazy though. You could totally get lost and never find your way."
Aiko shrugged. "You get used to the landmarks. A lot of the electronics stores here have some big displays to catch people's eyes. Same goes for the maid cafes."
"Maid cafes...", Noel narrowed his eyes. Already, he could spot one, and was looking embarrassed just to be near it, putting a hand before his gaze as though that would erase it. "...Forgiveness."
But she merely snorted. "I told you Vitienne-kun, I grew up here. If I got offended by 'fanservice' or whatever you call it, then I would have been even more miserable than I was. You get used to it. I kinda like it, really. It's... cute. I almost ended up working at an Emma Muller's once actually."
"And arcades", Jiachi pointed out, rubbing his hands together eagerly. Naturally, the colorfully lit pavilion contained a far greater selection of games than the more run-down arcade in the basement of the Tenjincho mall.
"I'm pretty sure you didn't come all the way here just to play more video games", Reiha rolled her eyes. "So. Where to next?"
"To the Formy Inn", Aiko provided, bringing up the GPS map on her phone. "Nine blocks south of Naka-Okachimachi station."
"Nine blocks?", Julian whined. "Oh, come on!"
Taxis were a no go with so many large bags and people, but thankfully the flow of pedestrian traffic accommodated them, moving much more smoothly than its size first suggested. At this time, most people just wanted to get home and sleep, and their group was no different. In seemingly no time, they were out of the most packed part of Akihabara, and making their way across the street towards the inlet where the inn was supposed to be.
"Sorry about this", Aiko knelt down, carefully unzipping one of her bags. "That must have been tough for you."
Inside, Pelagio indeed looked like he'd been trying not to throw up for quite a while, but nothing else in the bag indicated that he had yielded to that impulse. "Urp... Enduring such things is the price that I pay for my duty."
"Maybe the return trip won't be so bad?", she suggested mildly. "Go on now, up you go."
His attempts at catching an updraft to take flight caught more than a few eyes, but none of them looked at her. For various reasons, a falcon taking flight in the middle of the sidewalk was a rare sight in the city. Finally, he found a spot the sun had baked thoroughly, blasting up into the air in a way that impressed even her.
"Incredible", he called down to them, his usual stuffiness replaced by wonder. "Captain, there are buildings in every direction, for as far as I can see!"
"Welcome to Tokyo", she called back, resuming their course past the gate, passing through an archway decorated with wind chimes made of old pipe.
Then the four of them stopped.
The four of them stared, trying to comprehend what exactly they were looking at.
"Tsuruga-chan", Reiha wondered, "Are you... sure this is the right place?"
The structure before them had been something else once, that much was obvious. Carefully-sculpted arches framed it like some ancient Roman design, an inlaid stone path leading up to it. The entrance, however, had collapsed inward, crushed beneath the several floors that had fallen on top of it, nearly every window shattered into ruin. The cause was easy to deduce- the floors had been partly held up by wooden supports, but along with all the wooden doors they had been reduced to piles of splintered black char, no longer able to hold the rest of the structure's weight up. As a final touch, lines of blaring yellow police tape covered it, completely failing to obscure the enormous kanji characters that had been painted in white onto the building's largest surviving stone surface:
GAI-JIN OUT!
"It's... it's burned down", Julian sounded hollow as the rest of them felt, picking up a stray bit of wood and feeling it crumble in his hands. "Did you know it was burned down?"
"Yes, and she decided we should try it anyway", Reiha snarled angrily at him. "Of course she didn't know. Duh. This must've happened just recently."
"I...", Aiko struggled to find words. To find anything other than loss and horror and mounting panic. "I called them three weeks ago, to book our reservation. I-I didn't hear anything about this happening!"
"One news story among tens of thousands", Noel found his breath to point out. "You can't watch the news every day. Still, they might have called their patrons to let them know to book elsewhere, yes?"
"They should have", she agreed shakily. "If they could. But if the computer systems they keep the addresses on were in there..."
Even Pelagio stopped to land then, talons perched on the archway and carefully observing the destruction for himself. "...This was to be your residence for your journey?"
"It was", Aiko nodded, rigidly holding back the tears of something she couldn't quite place. Was it fear of the people who had done this? Anger at them? Exhaustion from carrying their bags this far?
Or just shame that after all her careful planning for all this time, things had suddenly fallen apart like this?
Splendidly done, 'captain'. Such a fine leader.
Stopping to punch a wall seemed to cure Reiha of the fear that had gripped them. "We'll need another place to stay then. Everyone, get out your phones. Search and see if there's any place nearby with vacancies."
They all set about the task with gusto, eager to be able to take their minds off the crumbling ruin before them. It also didn't take long for them to collectively discover that vacancies in Akihabara at this time of night were a rare thing indeed.
"I have a hit in Yushima", Julian offered, raising his phone, "but it's just one little room, not enough for four of us."
"Try other hotels in Tokyo", Reiha suggested. "If we have to get back on the train, we will."
Half an hour later, they gave up. In hindsight, she considered, it was obvious that the loss of a hotel designed for hundreds of people would result in the others getting more visitors than they were used to... and they were usually accustomed to being overbooked. There were a few others, but they were all too expensive for their budget, too small for four people, didn't accept 'walk-ons', or all of the above.
"Never mind", Julian sighed, his head held between knees bent in defeat. "Fuck it. I'm stating to hate this city. Or at least, it hates us."
"This wasn't done by the people of Tokyo", Noel pointed out more calmly. "It was done by a handful of angry, deranged people. JCAP, most likely." Now that they knew about it, finding the article on the Formy Inn's destruction online was easy... as was the hypothesized reason for it- the owners were Korean.
"Yeah", Julian growled, "and everyone else just stood by and watched it happen."
"Enough!", Reiha cut him off. "This isn't helping anyone."
"We could... call it off", Aiko suggested, suddenly feeling like she'd turned into Mirambela. Indeed, if her Dada Yangyu been there, it was exactly what she would have said. "We have enough to buy a walk-on at one of those expensive Shibuya hotels if we only stay for one or two days. After that, we'll head back."
"And waste how much money?", Reiha asked. "Wait, what about your place, Tsuruga-chan?"
The instant change the idea brought to her face and posture made it very clear just how much she dreaded that decision. "Maybe. If we absolutely have to... But my old house isn't very big. There's only enough room for two of us, max."
"So the rest of us take a hotel in Shibuya and set up a meeting place for tomorrow?", Reiha offered in exasperation. "Look, I get that you don't wanna go back there, but we don't really have a lot of other options right now. It's gettin' late. If we don't hurry up and find a place-"
"Wait."
Everyone's eyes turned back to their captain, who had allowed a tiny, knowing smile to creep back onto her face, banishing her earlier tears. "I think I might know someone. Let's get back to the trains. This'll take a while."
She raised her phone to her lips.
7/21 Tuesday
Early Morning
The feel of the room was completely different, and so waking up in darkness still held that brief, fleeting moment of panic before Aiko could remember where she was. It certainly didn't smell anything like the dorm.
But it was a room. That was what was important. She hadn't had to spend the night trying in vain to sleep on the streets of Tokyo, praying no one would come along and take advantage of it, and neither had any of her friends.
Once again, the Phantom Thieves had saved them.
Even better, the cloying scent of coffee was wafting from downstairs. While she didn't drink the stuff much herself, the smell of it was divine, luring her down into Akira Kurusu's strange hybrid of kitchen area and living space, the man himself working away at a pot so brown it almost looked like liquid chocolate, his frizzy black hair grown out a bit longer than she remembered.
"Morning", he nodded. "You slept well, I guess?"
"Huh? What time is it?"
He smiled, the light of the morning coloring his glasses. "Past nine. I would've woken you up, but there was all that snoring..."
"Yeah. Funny." Throwing off the sour tone, she took a seat across the counter space to take breakfast. It reminded her of Jiachi's parent's house, but not quite as spacious. The place was designed for two people, and from the sound of it Akira enjoyed being able to have an occasional guest over to stay.
"The others?"
"They're fine", he assured her. "I called everyone to make sure they found each place okay. Rosea-kun's set up with Takamaki-san, Hayato's with Nijima-san, and Vititenne eventually found Okumura-san's place."
Once again, the relief felt like a hammer against her heart. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Kurusu-kun. I... I didn't know what we were going to do. We could've been stuck..."
"I'm sure you could've worked something else out", he smiled reassuringly as he polished an empty mug. "Even if you had to waste your funding for the trip, that's better than camping out on the street, especially these days."
"Definitely", she shuddered. Just the idea of having to sleep like that, praying some punk didn't mug them or worse, had been too horrible to think about. Reiha might claim to love the night, but even she hadn't been keen on the idea of keeping watch over them on unfamiliar streets.
Breakfast was also a pleasant surprise- a steaming plate of curry that was somehow better than what they served at the Starlight diner. "Where did you...?"
Apparently, Akira had been asked that question before. "...A friend. He really helped me out six years ago. As you've seen, I actually know quite a few people in this city, not just the former Phantom Thieves. I try to keep in touch with them when I can, keep tabs on what's been going on."
She smiled. Of course. Naturally, getting to know more people was crucial for a group who relied on corroborated information to determine those in need of a change of heart. She'd met many different people on Shikoku island during her time there who had helped her in various ways, but Akira might actually be more at home in the big city than she was, despite his not growing up there. So much for 'Tokyo girl'.
"It's weird", she remarked over the wonderful curry. "I know how to get around Tokyo better than the rest of my friends, but I feel more comfortable on Shikoku island. Everyone knows me there, while it would be impossible to get to know everyone in Tokyo."
"Not everyone here is kind-hearted", he warned her. "You saw that for yourself yesterday. But I think the people who are good stand out more for it. Another friend of mine actually did an article on the burning of the Formy Inn, along with a few other places in the city that got hit the same way."
"Other places?!" She nearly dropped her fork in shock. "I didn't know... what about the police? Why aren't they stopping it?!"
His glasses lowered, refracting the light. "You know it's not that easy, Tsuruga-chan. When someone decides to do something like that, they do it in secret, when no one's watching. Probably in the middle of the night. The police can't watch every corner all the time, and by the time the staff noticed it, it was too late to stop the fire from spreading. All they could do was evacuate the building. Thankfully, no one was killed."
"Thankfully", Aiko agreed, trying not to let her anger show through. Anne Bonny wanted to find the one responsible and punish them.
Hiding it from Akira, however, seemed like a futile gesture. Among his various other talents was an uncanny ability to read other people's expressions. "Big cities like this are built to shield people from a ruthless, chaotic outside world", he remarked. "But I've seen the other side of that coin too. Too much order limits the people's ability to think for themselves. It's just too bad some people still decide to use their freedom to do stuff like this."
"What about the Phantom Thieves? Didn't you do, like, a mass change of people's hearts so they would turn good?"
Akira chuckled warmly, remembering the old times. "It wasn't like that. You had to see it for yourself, really. It was more like... it was aimed at people's growing dependency on authority, on people wanting the freedom not to choose, not to think for themselves. That exposed Shido's crimes and all his allies too, and for the last few years we've seen a growing number of crimes committed by ranked officials being brought to light by investigations. Not", he emphasized, "by the Phantom Thieves directly. Just by people who saw it happening and found the courage to act for themselves to stop it, not letting them cover it up."
"I remember watching the news at home", Aiko considered. "There were a lot of scandals with the police and the SIU. Then there was that talent agent guy who got arrested..."
"Right", Akira remembered that story as well from a few years back. "It turned out that he was making his star actresses sleep with him in exchange for promotionals. But none of them dared speak out about it, because they would lose their jobs and get blacklisted... until suddenly, seven of them decided to go to a journalist, all together. Several major publications. Together, their story couldn't be snuffed out or denied. He got convicted and sentenced, exactly as he should've been. No calling card necessary." His glasses flashed. "That was all we were aiming for, in the end. For justice to work as it should."
"But the people who burned that hotel haven't gotten justice", she pouted.
"Not yet", he allowed. "Give it some time. The police won't let this slide. They'll be looking for any trace of the arsonists, and unlike with Shido, they won't be let off the hook. Not even if they're rich... and I doubt they are."
"We can hope", she sighed. This was hardly the way she had wanted to start their vacation. "Thank you again, Kurusu-kun, for taking us in for our time of need. I'll have to thank the others as well when I have the chance."
"No worries", he shrugged. "Honestly, my team seemed pretty interested when they learned about what's been happening on Shikoku island- another cognitive world appearing, making people vanish, and another team of Persona-users awakening to combat its distortion. They're probably grilling your team about it as we speak."
"No doubt", she laughed. "It's been quite the journey. We really needed a break from it, after last time."
"Last time", Akira echoed. "You know, I never did learn how that turned out in the end. I assume since she's here now, you saved the Hayato girl from her Land and her Shadow."
"We did. I'll tell you, if you want to hear about it. It got pretty ugly."
"One sec", he rose. "I just have to let Morgana in first. He'll want to hear about this too, I'm sure."
Opening the front door allowed her to hear the loud argument happening right outside of it, and hearing Pelagio's voice prompted her to follow after. "Who are you to accuse me of such treachery?!", he shouted from his perch on the awning of Akira's house. "I have only ever been the protector of my lady!"
Morgana seemed equally annoyed with him, meowing back from the walkway leading up to the front door. "Yeah, but you don't know why, do you? Besides, that's kinda creepy, the way you watch her all the time. A true gentleman would give a woman some privacy!"
"Hmph. And what would a feline mongrel know of being a 'gentleman'?"
"More than you, you pretentious jerk! I swear, you're worse than Yusuke!"
Fortunately, the two Wild Cards already knew how to handle this situation, both of them shouting: "Pelagio, stop!"
"Morgana, stop!"
Both the animals managed to look as embarrassed as any human could ever be, immediately freezing up and going silent. "Keep it down", Akira emphasized. "The neighbors don't like cats. I doubt they'd be excited to see such a noisy bird either."
"...Sorry, Akira", Morgana lowered his head in the closest thing to shame he was capable of.
"You have my sincere apologies, sir Kurusu", Pelagio seconded, bright wings folded up protectively around his chest. "I should have been more considerate of our surroundings. I shall avoid such misjudgments in the future."
"It's alright", he amended. Anyone else would simply hear loud squawking and meowing, but they might just decide to do something about it if they got angry enough. "Come on inside. Pelagio, you should probably stay out here and keep watch, if that's okay."
"You have proven trustworthy, sir Kurusu", the falcon pointed out. Even he was able to recognize that this act was simply to separate him from Morgana, to stop them from arguing. "Far more than your impudent pet."
Aiko watched as Morgana seemed to inflate and deflate as he silently fought against every instinct in his body not to snap back and start the argument all over again. She nodded over to Pelagio as well.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Just stay out here for now."
"As you say, captain."
If this is the result, Jiachi considered, then hotels should burn down more often.
That was a callous thing to think, he knew, but he couldn't help but admire his good fortune in this case. Instead of a stuffy hotel crowded with older folks, he'd been able to visit the great 'Ruby Ann' and her tall Olympian husband, who had proven equally interesting.
More amazingly, they'd actually been interested in talking to him, preparing a fresh meal of udon and ramen on an expensive-looking wood-grain table. The place looked dirty and disorganized in more than a few places, suggesting neither one of them was a neat freak or was snobbish enough to hire a cleaner, which suited him just fine. People who were so obsessed with cleaning and organizing made him antsy. Though they were on the 5th floor of a large building with good-sized square windows, he felt no trace of vertigo.
"So you actually heard a voice callin' to you?", Ryuji Sakamoto asked in earnest curiosity. "Man, that sounds weird... or maybe not. It was just like that with our Personas, right?"
"It was", Ann Sakamoto nodded beside him in equal energy. Carmen's violent awakening was one memory that would never leave her for as long as she lived. It would never leave any of them. "But this sounds totally different. This one was actually luring you into trouble."
"More like luring you into awesome!", Mr. Sakamoto gushed. "I mean, an effin' cowboy world? With trains and horses and everything? How cool is that? Man, why didn't we ever get to visit a western-style Palace?"
Julian sighed. As much as he wanted to play along with Mr. Sakamoto's infectious cheer, the subject of his Land wasn't something that he could ever really smile about, not when he knew its origins.
"I liked it too, yeah. For a while. It was everything I'd ever wanted. I was the sherriff there in 'Freedom City', and everyone in town liked me. Everyone thought I was the coolest person there, and gramps was still alive. And..."
Wincing, he paused. He couldn't quite find the courage to bring up the matter of the Aiko Tsuruga cognition yet. Particularly with all he'd heard about Ann and Ryuji's dealings with one Suguru Kamoshida. For all he knew, that would get him kicked out of their home. And rightfully so.
"It was so sweet that for a while, I didn't care how it happened", he explained. "Anything was better than accepting that gramps was really gone forever. But then, Tsuruga-chan and Sorano-chan showed up there, asking questions about me. And... I started wondering why this world existed."
"Why?", Ann asked, her clean hair ruffling. "Who would do that to you and the others?"
"No idea", he confessed. "We've got some theories, but nothing concrete yet. All I know is, they wanted us to stay forever. And when someone showed up to try and take me back home, my... Shadow... he made things difficult for 'em."
"Shadow...?", Mr. Sakamoto grew still. "Creepy gold-eyed thing, talks with some crazy reverb, yeah?"
"Pretty much", Julian nodded. "And when I decided I had to go home, he got even nastier. Started burnin' the whole place down. actually."
"Dude... am I glad I never had to deal with that."
"Me too", Mrs. Sakamoto agreed, momentarily subdued. "But you're here now. That means you got through it, right?"
"Yeah", he considered. "That thing was just an exaggeration of my worst. The things I've thought whenever I was pissed off or depressed about stuff, but never carried through with. Seein' him like that, though... it really got to me. Made me realize what I was turnin' into, and that I didn't want to be that. Then, as soon as I did, I heard him. I heard Wild Bill."
"Your Persona", Mr. Sakamoto beamed. "Wicked. Wish I'd been there to see it happen!"
"No you don't", Ann reminded him, suddenly cold. "Didn't you hear him say how dangerous that world was? It sounds just as bad as Mementos."
"It was", Julian acknowledged. "At least, it was to anyone who tried to make me leave it. Apparently, if you don't, it was actually pretty chill. You could even go into the saloon and play cards with cognitions."
Trying not to look too excited in front of his wife, Mr. Sakamoto contented himself with a knowing smile. "I mean, I know the Palaces all grew from corrupt hearts, but even I can't say there weren't some parts of 'em that were kinda cool in a way."
"Ruby Ann", he interrupted, looking ashamed. "I... I can call you that, right? That's okay?"
Ann looked confused for a moment, but hardly offended. "Um. I haven't used that name for years. But sure, if you like. What's up?"
Amazingly, this was easier to get off his chest than anything related to Aiko Tsuruga. "How have you... been? I saw all the stories about you. Those ones about the sex scandals, but I knew they had to be lies, yeah?"
Her own wide smile seemed to him a perfect balance of forgotten sorrow and a burning will to remain happy no matter what got in her way; an eternal flame that would flicker at times but never gutter out. "I'm glad you know that, Rosea-kun. That... that was not a fun time of my life. For real. But I got over it. I had some pretty good support, after all."
She surprised them both then by rising and hugging Ryuji tight, her bright smile only growing. "It got me pretty pissed off too", he admitted flatly. "Those people were just makin' dirty shit up about her just 'cause she's quarter-American, making her look like some kinda two-timer. If it weren't for her, I woulda gone after them."
"Yes. That's why I made sure you didn't", she reminded him firmly. "It wouldn't have achieved anything. I've dealt with nasty gossip plenty of times before, back when I was a model. It actually surprised me that this was what stopped it."
"I knew", Julian forced the words out. "I knew that you weren't like that. You're..." he halted. Even he recognized the potential risks of calling a woman beautiful in front of her husband, though so far Mr. Sakamoto had been nothing but kindness itself to him.
But Ann had seen that thought as well, pushing her plate aside with a knowing smirk. "Don't worry. Ryuji is, like, the least jealous person ever. It's one thing I love about him."
"Jealous?", he wondered, not comprehending. "Why would I be jealous?"
"Exactly. And I'm really glad to meet a fan of my work."
"I'm half-American", Jiachi blurted nervously. "And... I know you've had to deal with the same shit I did. Worse actually, 'cause you were famous."
Far from bothered, Ann shrugged. "I don't let that stuff bother me either. You can't let it. All it ever does is make you mad, and getting violent with people like that is the last thing you should do. It just proves them right."
"Still pisses me off though", Mr. Sakamoto said darkly. "That hotel, and that ramen place in Shibuya too. Mishima's done more to alert people to what's going on than the national news did."
"I don't know how many people still watch the Phansite", Ann pointed out. "It's been a long time, even after he turned it into more of a mutual sharing thing."
"The Phansite?"
Producing her phone, Ann tapped a few buttons to bring up a website bearing the old Phantom Thieves' logo. While some concessions to time had been made, showing bars of advertising along the bottom, the rest looked remarkably well kept for a six year old site, with a forum that still showed some scattered signs of activity even now.
"This used to be used to tip the Phantom Thieves off about people who needed a change of heart", Mr. Sakamoto explained. "It was a total lifesaver. But even when we stopped, Mishima didn't. He kept the site up for people to share their problems and advice with each other, even if he made it clear that there wouldn't be any more changes of heart done by the Phantom Thieves. Pretty sweet, huh?"
"It's awesome", Jiachi agreed, struck by how simple and pure the idea sounded. "A million times better than some old help hotline."
"That's what we wanted", Ann smiled back, eyes tight. "People have the power to make the changes they want to see in the world. We just forget that sometimes. Even now, Mishima's been really good about blocking the haters."
"Not Mishima", Mr. Sakamoto corrected with a knowing grin. "Futaba-chan. He passed full ownership of the site to her last year, remember? People who put negative posts on that site now might have a nasty surprise in store for them."
Ann gave a mock shudder at the idea. "By negative, we mean people insulting posters, trying to make them feel worse about their problems instead of helping."
"Yeah, I get it", Julian shrugged helplessly. "You see that on any online forum these days, but it's nice that you have such a good moderator. Some sites don't even bother stopping shit like that."
"Uh-huh. Futaba-chan's the best!"
They both seemed so happy, reflecting on their old friends that he felt a bit guilty when his sudden stillness snapped them out of it, staring at him worriedly. "Rosea? You okay?"
"I'm fine", he stammered. "I just was thinkin' about... that voice I heard, the one that Sorano heard. Really... it's just like a hater comment, isn't it? The very worst kind of hater comment."
Mr. Sakamoto blinked, not understanding. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Maybe it's a little more kindly worded", he explained hastily. "But the meaning's still the same. 'Abandon this reality. It has nothing left for you.'" His face fell. "In other words... kill yourself."
No one knew quite what to say to that.
"Dude", Mr. Sakamoto scratched his head.
"Well", Reiha remarked over her steaming tea. "This is awkward. Good thing we made up earlier."
"Good thing", Makoto Nijima stirred her own cup. Her place seemed typical of the uptown neighborhoods in Shibuya- all carpets and wood paneling designed to make it seem custom made and more expensive than it was- but far more comfortable than the tiny condo where the Masked Circle had ambushed her.
"If you don't mind... how're things goin' with Enmikaeda?"
The detective's red eyes flashed annoyance. "Nothing's changed since I left. We can't find him or pinpoint his centers of operation. Every now and then we'll cuff a few syndicate people for narcotics or prostitution, but I remain convinced that these are merely ambitious lieutenants who reached out too far. Possibly even deliberately fed to us by Enmikaeda, so that people get the impression that we're making progress with him when we're really only chasing his tail."
"A 'normal level' of Yakuza activity", Reiha stared down into the mottled reflection in her cup. "That must really piss you off, huh?"
"It can be... frustrating, at times", Makoto sounded more thoughtful than upset. "But this work is what I signed on for, Hayato-san. I never expected to be the one who would finally crack the Dragon syndicate, which has existed for centuries ad survived the reign of Emperors... I am not that arrogant. It's enough for me that I am making a constructive difference in our police force, enacting justice wherever I can... and that some day, I might become a police commissioner."
"Some day", Reiha repeated. "Any idea when that might be? I mean, no offense, but I know how tough it must've been just to get your current position on the force. They treat you okay over there?"
But Makoto simply nodded. "My sister taught me all about that back when I was in high school. If I have to work twice as hard as any of my male colleagues to gain the same level of acclaim, then at least I'll know I have earned it legitimately. That, too, is the product of thousands of years of traditions that I don't expect to be able to overturn alone, and certainly not overnight."
Inwardly amazed at how calmly the detective was about the subject, Reiha turned to the window, gazing across the expanse of flats and tenements that stretched to the horizon. "I still don't like cops", she declared loudly. "Most of 'em I've seen are lazy and stupid. They're more concerned with busting minors for standing around than stoppin' the real crimes that go on. Worse, they take money from rich criminals and don't prosecute even when they know somethin' up."
Having heard similar words many times, Makoto simply sat and sipped her tea, not replying.
"But you?", the pale-faced girl marveled for the first time. "You're different. You're good. Is your sister like you? I'm startin' to wish I'd been a part of your family instead of... y'know."
"I have been told there is a certain resemblance", the detective acknowledged bemusedly. "We even both work in law enforcement. She's a defense lawyer, probably one of the most successful ones in the business."
"Is she here now?"
"No. She has her own place. Besides, we both work often enough that we'd hardly see each other much anyway. We still keep in touch through the usual channels."
Satisfied, she added meeting Sae Nijima in person to the list of things she wanted to do in Tokyo. Surprising her again, Makoto leaned forward into a more professional, interrogative posture. "If you don't mind my asking..."
"I might've minded a month ago. But go ahead. I trust you."
Despite the encouragement, she still felt the need to prepare some more tea before continuing, the steam rising up to soothe nerves that suddenly seemed closer to fraying than she would admit. "...Are you Hex?"
Resignation and amusement combined to nullify any kind of significant reaction officer Nijima might've expected. Huh. So the world is ending. How about that. "Hm. I thought you might figure that out. You're frighteningly sharp, Nijima-san. How'd ya do it?"
"Intuition", the detective explained without flinching at the comment. "Your friend has developed some experience in deceit, but I've trained myself to recognize body language, facial expressions, micro-expressions, and other things like that, to recognize when a perp is lying to me. While she was worried about revealing your name to me, I could easily sense that there was another secret about you. Something that she was terrified to reveal to me."
"Sounds about right", Reiha acknowledged somberly. "What else?"
"Then there was the matter of your accent", Makoto continued. "As much as you might want to disassociate yourself from your past life here, despite an impressive effort on your part to conceal it... after thirteen years, you've picked up a certain way of speaking from the people around you at that time. Not necessarily from Kaneshiro, but from his associates, other members of his branch of the syndicate. The heavenly kings learn to hide it much better, so as to better blend in with high society, but the rank and file rather enjoy it. They flaunt it. They believe that it makes them sound 'tough'."
Reiha sighed in exasperation. Dr. Spica had warned her of that very thing many times as well, but unless she was making a conscious effort to avoid it, that particular drawl always crept back into her speech somehow. Even Aiko, when she'd first heard it, had found the sound a bit threatening. "And you recognized that accent in just one night?"
The junior detective veiled her eyes in pleased modesty. "Being able to recognize regional dialects is very important in police work. It helps you to identify perpetrators more easily. Your friend Mirambela Sorano speaks very good Japanese, but there's always just a little something carried over from her home. A mental reflex in speech that is quite difficult for anyone to remove without extensive verbal training. Moreover..." Opening up again, she shook her head apologetically. "I also spent a great deal of time around your father back when we were trying to change his heart. I will not lie- I was terrified back then. Kanehsiro's particular manner of speech, and that of his underlings, was branded on my mind, always associated with those unpleasant memories. I couldn't help but recognize it in someone else."
"So no matter how I try to erase it", Reiha grunted, folding her gloves in frustration, "I'm gonna sound like a gangster for the rest of my life. Fuckin' wonderful."
"You don't need to worry, Hayato-san", Makoto assured her. "As I explained, I'm something of an exception in that field. Even in Tokyo, only a handful of police would hear your accent and make that connection. I believe you're safe."
She threw up her hands in surrender. "And here I always laughed when Tsuruga-chan gets upset about me swearing so much. It's not like she didn't tell you, she just... she had a lot on her mind then. Still does. So... gonna report me, officer?"
Knowingly, Makoto clenched her own fists, suggesting a certain familiarity with using them. "I considered it briefly. However, I know that would likely result in your death. Along with your foster parent, and perhaps others as well. All for minor crimes against known felons." Watching her guest take a cautious sip, she regarded her carefully. "Hayato-san, I was a Phantom Thief. So I know exactly what it feels like, when it seems like the only way to bring criminals to justice is to act is outside of the law. All I ask is that you stop."
That earned a raucous bout of laughter from her guest that could have reached someone outside the house. "It's nothing so noble, Nijima-san. Me? I talked about justice, but the truth of it was, I just wanted to hurt people. People who deserved to be hurt. I wanted their pain, so that I didn't have to feel mine. That's done, though. We destroyed the armor just a few days ago before we left. No more Hex. I'll leave it to the honest cops like you from now on."
Biting her lip, Makoto narrowed her gaze. "By the way, your gloves. Can you... take them off for me?"
The guarded, catlike reaction to that was also predicted, and neither said anything for a moment. "...I suppose. You already know the reason."
Reiha carefully stripped off one black opera glove, then the other, both resulting in fresh pain. Just as intended. Both of them lay flat on the counter top, fingers splayed out as if in accusation.
Makoto studied the mangled flesh beneath them with a surgeon's precise detail, her eyes taking note of seemingly every scar and gash and cut accumulated over the last six years, mainly through self-mutilation. Likewise, blood and the openings it leaked from no longer had any terror for year after years training on the force.
"No wonder you wore those", she finally announced after a long pause. "While there is no hard and fast rule for such a thing, the principal would certainly have to make consideration for any student who would be too disgusted by such a sight to focus on their studies. At the very least, a responsible adult would ask questions about how your arms became so injured."
Staring down at them the same way, Reiha felt like she was viewing them for the first time, instead of every night when she went to bed. "...I know. I wasn't just hiding it from them, y'know."
"Of course", the policewoman nodded before focusing closer on the bandages wrapped along both sets of knuckles, seeing signs of blood trapped underneath. "That... looks like it could be infected. Here, I have some medicine for that. Iodine, isopropyl alcohol, and a numbing agent for the pain."
Any protest that she'd gotten used to the pain halted when she saw how quickly Nijima was able to pull those medicines out of a rear cabinet... or just how much she had stocked in there. "Police work can be very dangerous sometimes", she reminded Reiha with a bashful wink. "And before that, I was using Aikido against Shadows in the Metaverse. It wasn't long before I started to feel some pain develop in my knuckles from hitting enemies too hard. I couldn't risk showing any sign of it when my sister was around either, as she wasn't in on my secret yet."
"So you got the medicine", Reiha observed distantly. More than that; officer Nijima had an experienced healer's touch as well, someone who had dealt with injuries like this many times before.
"And I used to bandage my hands too, beneath my gloves. You wash yours, don't you?"
"Yep. Every time", she confirmed. "It's unsanitary enough already without me doing that. The doc warned me."
"'The doc?'" Makoto frowned.
Realizing what she'd almost done, Reiha froze up before gathering herself and staring back. "Just a friend back in Shikoku."
Which naturally, wasn't enough to fool the detective, but she seemed content not pursuing it any further. Once she was satisfied the medicine had been applied properly, she passed Reiha her gloves back, watching as she donned them. "I understand now. Those gloves are your 'security item'", she observed. "You feel vulnerable without them on at all times."
"I do", Reiha sighed, knowing that denying it would be pointless. "Nijima-san... you don't have very many friends, do ya?"
But she merely smiled. "I have plenty of friends. Granted, most of them are former Phantom Thieves, but I do have others." Sensing the other's hesitation, she drew a pace closer. "Go to them, Hayato-san. Not just Tsuruga, but the others on that crew. They don't care who your father was, or what a horror your life has been before now. They can be your friends."
"After seein' my Land?", she scoffed, pulling both gloves tight as if they were a shield against Nijima's warmth. "After meetin' my crazy masochist Shadow? No. They don't care for me. They pity me. And... I don't like bein' pitied. So, y'know... stop it."
"How unfortunate", Nijima remarked dryly, "that pity isn't a voluntary emotional response. And yet, even after seeing your ugliest side, they all continued fighting for you, putting their lives on the line against Shadows to help you, even when you didn't want their help. Why do you think that is, I wonder?"
Reiha folded her arms, chuckling. "That's easy. 'Cause Tsuruga-chan told 'em to."
"No", Makoto shook her head. "Though you might call her your leader, Tsuruga made it very clear that she isn't forcing anyone to help her, any more than Joker was coercing us to be Phantom Thieves along with him. We did it because we desired to. They still tried to help you because they've seen their Shadows too. They know that everyone's got that side they hide from others, the suppressed self. And when you see that, when you understand that ugliness for yourself... then there's no better balm than meeting people who've been through the same thing as you."
"Junior detective, Phantom Thief, Aikido user, and a motivational speaker", Reiha remarked sarcastically. "Nice."
"Very", Nijima concurred, backing off to give her some space. "Sometimes I almost regret it... but I can't help but be who I am. None of us can. Now, I have to share something else that may upset you."
Seeing her brace for the worst, Nijima silently apologized. "Your grandfather, Mr. Azuto, was a heavenly king of the Dragon syndicate... and now he is dead."
That revelation hardly seemed to affect Reiha at all. If anything, her previously clenched muscles relaxed, slumping down. "I know. The d- someone told me. He was furious at what happened to me and my mom, made too much noise... so the others decided to remove him."
"Through traditional means", Nijima provided. "Thanks to us, they no longer had the ability to trigger mental shutdowns in targets, but they've been silencing people they find inconvenient for longer than any of us have lived. A heavy cargo truck crashing into his limousine at rush hour, supposedly an accident... but our investigation showed strong indications of a deliberate arrangement by the syndicate."
"...Good."
The word, so casually uttered, threw Makoto for a moment. "'Good'? That's all you have to say about it?"
Reiha laughed mockingly, the accent Makoto had mentioned earlier showing all the more through her anger. "What, did ya expect tears or somethin'? That'd ruin my makeup. He might not be as active as Enmikaeda, but he was still a heavenly king. He made his fortune runnin' jobs for the syndicate. His financial group is linked to 'em. Everything he's earned is dirty money, and everything bad that happened to me is 'cause of him. He's a criminal. Nothin' more than scum. If he was on fire, I wouldn't piss to put him out."
"I see", Nijima looked depressed, but only for a moment. "I suppose that you won't be going to Kotobuki prison to visit Kaneshiro then?"
"Don't hold your breath", Reiha growled, eyes darkening dangerously. "He's a criminal too. I hope he rots in there forever."
Looking deflated, the detective shrugged. "I suppose that's your choice to make. Understandable, even."
"Damn right." Still... the touch of regret in Nijima's gentle tone was unmistakable, and she returned her gaze with a bit more humor. "Well anyway... thanks for lettin' me stay here, Nijima-san. I really owe ya big. If you don't want me here, I can trade up with one of the others-"
"It's fine", Makoto promised, her own energy returning. "In fact, I rather enjoyed getting to know you better. We seem to have a lot more in common than either of us ever knew, Hayato-san."
"I told ya", she winked back, feeling a completeness that had nothing to do with having her gloves back on. "I don't trust cops. But... I know that can trust you."
"There are many different ways to express luxury in this world", Noel remarked over his coffee. "I think I much prefer yours, Okumura-san."
The man across the table from him raised a brow, hooked oily black beard twitching in confusion before chuckling, the pink tie of his slick business suit bagging slightly as he did, as thought it didn't quite fit him perfectly. "Me? Oh, no, no. I'm not her father. I'm more like... her business partner. The name is Sakura. Sojiro Sakura. But you can call me 'Boss', if you like."
Clad in a petite silken white dress, Haru Okumura looked amused by the mistake as well, enough to stop him from feeling too burned by his mistake as he bowed to her in contrition. "Vergebung! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize. I simply saw you and assumed..."
"It's quite alright", Mr. Sakura adjusted his glasses. "I suppose that you weren't around when the story broke. Mr. Okumura suffered a mental shutdown six years ago, in October."
"I see", the blond boy glumly looked into his mug, feeling even more out of place. "That must have been difficult for you."
"It was", Haru nodded, curly peach hair unfolding behind her. While her voice still sounded young and innocent, it failed to diffuse the gravity of the subject. "While my father and I never saw eye to eye on a great many things, it still hurt me to lose him."
"All family is precious", Noel agreed sullenly. "Even those we don't get along with. Still, all of this cannot merely be the result of your father's work."
They'd gathered to enjoy breakfast in a large, gorgeous pavilion with a flowers, a transparent roof, white tiling and paneling dominating the view. The table, too, was transparent, but its shape suggested something that had been carefully assembled, not mass produced in a factory. As he'd seen when taking the elevator up to his assigned guest quarters, this was merely the ground floor of a 30-floor building in the most upscale part of Shibuya, making even the Diet building's grandeur look shabby.
"It wasn't", Mr. Sakura noted with genuine pride in his voice. "Haru wanted to take Okumura Foods in a brand new direction following the scandals involving her father. Technically, she is my boss. I'm just an adviser. While it's not quite as far up the corporate food chain as it used to be, it's enough of an achievement that she's repaired the company's reputation for under-paying and abusing its workers."
"I've seen the coffee shops around", Noel acknowledged. "'Noir'. It's strange that you would use a French word for your franchise's name instead of a Japanese one, but I recognized it immediately."
"Sakura-san was so helpful getting everything set up", Haru beamed, equally proud of their success. Even six years later, her face, eyes and lips had the habit of pulling taut like a bow and forming the cutest, most heartwarming expression imaginable whenever she smiled. "Some of the other people in the company's board of directors protested, but I made him my main adviser. I wanted to open up a chain of small shops, similar to his own restaurant, LeBlanc. There's something about that place that I just enjoy so much, and not merely the scent of it. I wanted to share that warm feeling with everyone, so they could feel it too."
"I think it's more likely you've just spent a lot of time there", Mr. Sakura pointed out humbly. "Created a lot of good memories with the others. Well... I suppose that people who stop by to have a nice cup of joe with their friends often enough will create their own memories too. Still, I'm glad that 'Noir' is doing much better than my little hole in the wall. Thanks to this, I'm now set for retirement, even after paying Futaba's entire college tuition in one go. That's more than I could say six years ago."
"I wish I could've been there", Haru smiled, which she seemed to have realized always lit up the room better than any candle. "To see the look on Futaba-chan's face when you told her that she could go to any school of her choice, for as long as she wanted."
"Actually", he snorted, "all she said was 'kaythanks'. At least, I think that was what she said. She was busy with something else at the time."
Taking a deep sip of his cup, Noel spread his arms across the seat's expensive-looking leather cushions. Despite his earlier reservations, Sakura and Okumura seemed like genuinely nice, honest people. Their surrounding suggested the trappings of a major corporation, which invoked all sorts of oft-justified stereotypes, and yet these two shattered them completely.
It really was possible, he mused quietly, to be rich without losing your heart. Someone should tell my father that. Or better yet, show him.
"So", Mr. Sakura went on, "what's your problem, Mr. Vitienne?"
Nearly dropping the cup, he stared back, failing to remember the right word in his sometimes middle grasp of Japanese. "Entshuldigung?"
"Sakura-san", Haru warned him. "That's not exactly polite of you to say."
"Come on now", Sojiro scratched his balding scalp. "I'm an old man, give me a break. Besides, I can tell that I'm right. Everyone's got their own problems. I don't normally pry, but I can already tell there's something eating at you this morning. Something related to us. Something we can do?"
Taken aback by just how completely Sakura had read him, Noel paused to order his thoughts. "Oh, no. You've both been wonderful hosts to me. I haven't had a meal this good since leaving home, and the bed was excellent as well. I suppose... that's the problem. It's making me think of home."
"Your home country?", Mr. Sakura considered.
"Yes. You see... my family is wealthy. Not nearly so much as your company is, but enough that our house is a mansion, several times larger than it needs to be. And it's not because of a corporation. Not because we provide any kind of service to the people. No... It's because we are nobility. Ancient nobility, going back over a hundred years or more, to the time of the Ottoman."
If Mr. Sakura was offended by his describing one hundred years as 'ancient', he didn't show it. "So that's why this reminds you of your home. I suppose that kid made the perfect match then. Typical of him."
Finishing his cup, he grinned back. "Well, I would certainly like for my friends to be able to experience this luxury for a few nights as well. Perhaps we can trade. But you see, the problem was that our fortune has been steadily dwindling for many years now. My family's solution to this is to have us marry into other noble families, combining our wealth so that it might last longer."
Even the perpetually cheery Haru looked momentarily discomfited by that image, brushing her long pastel hair aside. "I've... encountered certain members of old Japanese nobility that function similarly. I must admit, some them can be... a bit strange."
"That's Okumura-san's polite way of calling them snobbish", Mr. Sakura provided. "Doesn't that strategy cause problems though?"
"Several problems, yes", Noe agreed, his face growing more bitter than the coffee had been. "Yet, mein vater is too proud to have us work and earn new money like normal people. It has made life at home... difficult. More and more, his anger became easily triggered at the smallest provocation. And I..." His face fell. "I am no better than him. I once allowed my rage to control me, and do something that..."
"It's quite alright, Vititenne-kun", Haru cut him off understandingly, placing one hand, still warm from the coffee, over his on the seat. "We don't need to hear it if hurts too much to say. As I said, my dear father had certain ideas about how to run a business that I simply couldn't agree with."
"Which is her nice way of saying that Mr. Okumura treated his employees like slaves", Mr. Sakura translated, absently stroking his beard. "Unfortunately, working for this company has made me realize how just popular a trend that is here in Japan. Okumura Foods was just the biggest example of it. Emphasis on was."
"Exactly!", Haru nodded firmly. "I think that if we set a positive example to everyone, and prove that you don't need to cut corners or hurt your employees to turn a profit, then I hope that other corporations will learn from Okumura Foods and change their policies."
"Here's hoping", Mr. Sakura raised his mug in tribute.
Watching them, Noel nearly teared up. "My... You two are so admirable. It's no wonder that Kurusu-kun turned out so well."
Both of them looked at each other, seeming more amused than honored by his words. "I'd say that it was mutual", Mr. Sakura finally cracked. "I mean, when I first saw that crazy kid come into my restaurant looking for a place to stay, I thought that he was going to be nothing but trouble for me. I was completely right of course, but... he also helped us both in ways we could have only dreamed of before then."
"Kurusu-kun led the Phantom Thieves", Haru remarked. "While it didn't turn out as we planned, he helped me try to change my father's heart. That was more than I ever could have accomplished alone."
Could my father's heart have been changed? The question popped in easily, followed closely by the answer. And why should his heart have been changed? Why him, and not the many others in our family who are the same way?
"So that's why you decided to study abroad?", Mr. Sakura asked, jarring him out of his thoughts. "To escape from that situation?"
"Yes." It felt like a strange admission to make, but it was obvious in hindsight. "We have a few distant relatives in this country. That's why mein vater allowed me to travel here, though I hardly talk to them. Instead, I found another guide."
"Would that be your leader?", Haru guessed.
Noel laughed. "No. Tsuruga-chan is a wonderful friend, to be sure, but... Father Shigetsu helped me learn more about faith. It was what I needed. But recently, he had an incident which cost him his congregation. As a result, he's found it difficult to get by, and he still refuses to sell the land." This time, his amusement sounded more morose as he thought about it more. "I suppose in that alone, he is very much like my true father. Both of them are far too stubborn."
"People get attached to places", Mr. Sakura shrugged helplessly. "Heaven knows I'm never selling LeBlanc. I'm glad I never had to face that decision, thanks to Okumura-san's help."
"And that", he commented, "is the problem. I would gladly give Father Shigetsu some money, all that he needs to survive... but mein vater monitors all of my expenses very carefully. Explaining that I was giving money away to someone else would be impossible. He would cut me off immediately if he found out, leaving me no choice but to return home... and face his wrath."
"He sounds like a real miser, that one", Mr. Sakura grumbled.
"Then allow us to help you, Vitienne-kun", Haru remarked. "He lives on Shikoku island, correct? Near Tosashimizu city?"
Recognizing where she was going with this, he shook his head. "I cannot ask that of you. You've already given us so much. Besides, won't the people in charge of your company's budget notice?"
"We're a multinational corporation", Mr. Sakura remarked dryly. "Earmarking personal expenses as business is routine, no matter how much we try to prevent it from happening. We already give much more to public charities anyway. Enough food to feed one more person? That's nothing."
"It's a pity we never were able to open a store on Shikoku island", Haru considered thoughtfully. "Then he could just go there. We could just give him a card."
"I always hear the same old song from the suits", Mr. Sakura apologized to her. "'Not enough population density to guarantee a market profit'. Plus we'd be competing with all those seafood restaurants, already well-entrenched."
"I am sorry", Noel threw up his hands. "But I must refuse. This is... what... what is the phrase? A CEO giving away company money to their friends?"
"The word is 'favoritism'", Mr. Sakura provided. "And yes, we know that's been a major problem for most companies like us. But this? This is just food. Survival. It's not like we're buying a fancy yacht for some business tycoon who already has five."
"But it is still favoritism", Noel argued. "The amount doesn't matter, Okumura-san. It still tarnishes your oath to keep your company clean." Sighing, he stood and bowed deeply. "I am honored by your offer and I know that I cannot stop you if you insist. But... father Shigetsu will not approve."
"He doesn't have to like it", Mr. Sakura protested in annoyance. "He just has to live with it."
Haru stood, however, looking the boy directly in the eye before acquiescing. "If that's what you believe, Vitienne-kun, then we will honor your wishes. Here. Take this."
Looking down, he saw her forcing a small wad of crisp yen bills into his hands. "What is this? I told you-"
"This is not our corporation's money", Haru emphasized, her almond brown eyes suddenly looking so fiercely adamant that he actually felt intimidated despite her small stature. "This is from my own salary. There is a difference."
"No, I..." But seeing the stern look that had come onto Mr. Sakura's face made him realize that this was one fight he wasn't going to win. Not against the two of them. "I... thank you, Okumura-san. Vielen danke. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"It means that your faith just got rewarded", Mr. Sakura commented wryly. "Or maybe... bah. I'm no good at these kinds of metaphors."
"I think it's only fitting", Haru chipped in, "since he lost his congregation because of Shadows."
Noel gaped. "How did you know that?!"
"Your expression when you were mentioning his 'accident'", Mr. Sakura explained. "Kind of a giveaway. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, kid. Anyone can read you."
"Here's a way for you to pay for it", Haru suggested with a polite smile, folding her arms in excitement and taking his into them. "Tell us about the other world, Vitienne-kun! I want to know all about it!"
Surprised by the owner of Okumura Foods once again, he reeled. "You... really want to know about that dreadful place?"
"Of course!"
"I'll pass", Mr. Sakura rose from his seat. "Not really my thing. Okumura-san might not admit it, but I think there are times that she misses that life."
"I do", she countered gleefully before lowering her broad forehead, becoming more thoughtful. "Sometimes I do. I mean, it's not really proper for me to say so, but... there were some parts of it that I really did find fun! Like... when you beat the Shadows, and they beg for their lives!"
Not knowing quite how to respond to such an admission, Noel merely settled back into his seat, the curved leather welcoming him like a hug. "If that's your wish, Okumura-san. Anything for you. I'll tell you whatever you want to know about- oh."
Seeing him check his beeping phone, Haru giggled. "You were going to meet your friends, weren't you? It's alright. We can continue another time, when you return."
"Count on it", he agreed, for once simply allowing the quiet luxuries around them to comfort him instead of fill him with guilt.
Once upon a time, when he was young, he had viewed his home the same way.
A/N: Starting the vacation 'arc' with a bang. These might be the fluffiest chapters I have ever written for anything, but then I did say I wanted to challenge myself.
DELETEDFOREVERCENTURY: Thanks! Glad to hear I pulled it off, trying to make Rusalka close to Akechi's Loki- a Persona that fills its user with malevolence and murderous intent, even if they are normally more rational. Though we never saw what it was like when Loki Awakened for the first time, I imagine it would've been something like that, and of course Mithras, Cleopatra and Dagon are much the same way. While we won't see Mirambela for a while, she will be back when the Tokyo vacation ends.