This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.
And No One Can Cloud The Sun When You Live Your Way
I Don't Wanna Run And Hide Underneath The Shame
No, No...
7/21 Tuesday
Afternoon
"So", Noel considered, faux-calm as twenty thousand people swarmed before his bedazzled eyes. "This would be why they call it 'the Scramble', yes?"
"I... don't know why they call it that", Aiko confessed, nearly as mesmerized by the crowd as he seemed to be. "Just another one of those things that started long ago until nobody remembers why. Don't worry. This isn't why we came here."
"Still the most famous landmark", he quipped. "If you can call it that. I suppose a trip to Tokyo wouldn't be complete without seeing it at least once."
"Yes, yes, it's very impressive. Let's go already."
Their necessary next change of plans had thankfully much less devastating than the last one. Noel and Julian's lack of experience with the city meant that they needed to have either Aiko or Reiha along with them at least for the first few days until they got their bearings. Aiko had assumed this meant she would be going with Julian, whose plans so far as she knew were nothing more than riding trains, sightseeing and thrill seeking.
She certainly hadn't expected for Noel to insist that it be the other way around when they split into two groups. As an added precaution, she'd asked for Pelagio to follow Reiha and Jiachi instead of her. Either way, it would prove a learning experience for their avian friend as well, and they always had their cell phones in case of another emergency.
"So what happened?", she prodded once they were far enough out of the scramble to hear each other's voices again. "I thought you'd want to go with Hayato-senpai for our first day."
She could sense his reluctance before he'd uttered a single word, but it was too late to go back. "I... I've spent the last few weeks around Hayato. Trying to heal her from what happened in the other world."
"She seemed to appreciate it", Ai remarked as they made their way over into Shibuya's entertainment district, the concrete pillars giving way to colorful pictures and advertisements for countless new shows and comics. "I know she doesn't show it much, but when you show her that you don't care about her scars or how she looks or her accent, she really likes it. I thought that you two were totally hitting it off back there. It means she spends less time bugging me about finding a cute boyfriend too."
He snickered at the last line. "That girl can be intrusive that way. For a long time, she had given up on her own happiness, and instead always tried to help others find it. Such as when she kept giving you help on avoiding the SDC's harassment of you, yes?"
"Yep! That's how I knew she was a good person", she beamed. "She didn't care about the council at all, actually. She was just there to help victims of their abuse, giving them ways to avoid it. And as soon as Tatsunoko-kun took over the council, she ditched it completely. I think she's happy to do so, not to have to pretend any more. Sooo... what's the problem then?"
"I'll tell you later", Noel muttered. They'd come to the studio he was looking for, a heavy-looking trapezoid of metal and glass decorated with large, professional sketches, or sometimes the moving picture frames that had become popular recently, blurring between several different 'stills' as they watched. "My time has finally arrived."
Seeing him produce his sketchbook again- a larger black one instead of the red one that had been lost to the water- still reminded her of when they'd first met, Noel praying in the face of the growing concerns about Ayano Furusato's disappearance. When that prayer had proven in vain and she'd shown up on the shore virtually dead, it had nearly broken him.
"Wait. Is that why?", she asked anxiously, watching him flip through each pencil sketch to review them one last time. "You still feel guilty about seeing other girls after what happened to Furusato-san?"
"Did I say that?", his voice rose in a rare show of annoyance. "No. I have made my peace with what happened to Furusato-san, and I know that... whatever dark thoughts made her do what she did, she still would not begrudge me moving on with my life after the fact."
"Sorry", she retracted. "I just thought..."
"I suppose you are like Hayato-san in that", he gave a light smile, to know he wasn't actually that aggravated. "You simply can't leave someone alone if they look miserable. Admirable. Father Shigetsu is the same... but he waits for people to come to him and confess their worries. You must realize that some people may take offense to your more aggressive approach, Tsuruga-chan."
"Oh, I know", she nodded wearily, easily bringing memories of such examples to mind. "Some people just can't admit when they need help. I met someone like that just the other day before we left. But if a person doesn't want to be helped, then I can't do anything."
"Nor should you", Noel concurred. "What is the phrase...? Never mind. The point is, it is not your duty to aid every single person in need, any more than it is Hayato-san's." Reaching down to touch his pocket, he made sure the wad of bills was still in there. "For one, you won't need to keep bringing extra food to Father Shigetsu's temple any longer. That's been taken care of now."
Surprised, her eyes widened. "Did you...?"
"Not me", he corrected. "Okumura-san took care of it. She insisted on giving me a bit of her salary, which is enough to cover his living expenses for several months at least. I'll do the shopping for him, and ensure that he gets plenty of nutritious things, not merely cheap ramen." Before departing, they had both worked together to leave behind a considerable food storage for the priest, ensuring it would last until they returned home.
"And... is he going to be okay with that? You know how stubborn he can be, even when he's starving."
"I spoke with Okumura-san about that as well", he murmured, pressing closer to his book to divert his eyes. "I would rather he be alive and upset with me than satisfied and dead. I will not let anyone else... well."
That was all he wanted to say before heading past her into the store, ignoring all the assorted manga and other novels to present his book to a bored-looking, bespectacled clerk at the counter. Aiko simply watched them from outside. She knew that a developer like this one must get a lot of such visitors, boys and girls alike who wanted to submit their personal art to be used in a light novel or similar work, but she also knew that she'd never met anyone else on Shikoku island who put the effort into that kind of work that Noel did.
After about fifteen minutes, she heard the door slam open again, Noel storming out with his sketchbook in tow, marching past her and nearly hitting a passerby until he stopped next to a lottery shop.
"That bad, huh?"
"Not all bad", he considered after a moment of hushed silence. "He seemed to like the sketches, the more realistic proportions. He said it might be good for a 'Josei' series. But... they... they don't accept art alone. It must be in book format. It must have paneling. Dialogue. Plot. I must have all of those things, before they would be willing to buy anything from me."
Remembering their previous conversation, Ai considered his situation before speaking again. Naturally, it would make it easier for publishers to only accept more complete works, despite the maxim she'd heard sometimes that some manga was purchased for the art alone, ignoring the other aspects as mere dressing.
"Hey", she tried at last, reaching for him. "It's not like you can't do any of those things, right?"
He stared into the bare concrete. "In a few years, maybe. But... I cannot write good dialogue in your language. I have tried. It always sounds terribly stilted... and I have no idea what the 'plot' would possibly be."
"You've got time to work it out", she encouraged him. "Make something up. You can't tell me that visiting Faraway Lands hasn't inspired you."
"That den of demons? No."
"Then just do something without any fantasy stuff. A lot of popular stories just do straight up high school drama... wait, I've got it!" She snapped her fingers, green eyes flashing. "You can make up a story about the Phantom Thieves! Just change the names to protect them. Maybe change Kurusu-kun's name to, say... Amamiya?"
He didn't seem completely convinced by that either, but the way he pried himself away from the wall and regained his composure was all the victory she needed. "A good idea... but someone else beat me to that. Someone who knows the Phantom Thieves far better than I do. He wrote it under an alias of course, but Okumura-san explained that Mishima was a good friend of theirs. Their former webmaster, in fact. I should not plagiarize his fine work, yes?"
"I see." Frustrated, she studied the cloudless skies above for a moment before inspiration struck. "Waaait, I know what you can write! You can write the story about three girls, two guys, and a talking bird. They live on a school campus on the outskirts of the country, on an island, but one of the girls is a fresh transfer student from the big city of Tokyo."
Noel looked back at her. She stared back at him.
They both burst into helpless laughter for several minutes.
"So, what's the deal?", Jiachi finally burst out. He'd demonstrated some admirable restraint so far, Reiha considered, but the question had obviously been weighing on his mind all day, distracting him from completely enjoying the landmarks they'd visited so far.
Apparently, the transparent glass deck of the much-storied tower called the Tokyo Skytree was the final straw for him. Most people found it nerve-wracking to look down, so it always drew their eyes up to the circular window running around it, which provided a panoramic view for miles, including the shorter red 'sky tower'. At least here, there was less chance of them being overheard.
"You're gonna have to be way more specific", she commented, staring out at the countless tiny dots below them as they moved around, always in a hurry to be somewhere else.
"Come on, senpai", he teased beside her. "You know what I mean. You and Vitienne. All of a sudden, you two don't want to be together any more? What gives?"
"That's our business", she snapped back, knowing already it wouldn't be that easy. Julian was almost as nosy as Tsuruga that way.
"Yes", he noted patiently, "and I'm askin' you about it now. You'd be fine confessing it to Tsuruga-chan, wouldn't you?"
Damn right, she considered. While the tour had been impressive at some points, it was clearly more so for him than her. No matter how she tried to ignore it, spending time here inevitably reminded her of the life she'd had, and all the signs she'd been too young to notice back then. The strange people who always followed her father home to discuss their 'business' on the scant nights that he was home. The obsequious way that certain shop owners acted around her mother when they went out shopping together. Not that Azusa Kaneshiro had ever taken advantage of it, but other women in the same position clearly did.
"As you know", she breathed, "Tsuruga is much easier to talk to."
"What, and I'm not? Come on."
That was worth contemplating as well. She'd never thought much about Jiachi Rosea before- no matter how he tried to show off, to stand out with his impressive manual dexterity, she was never interested. Mentally, he wasn't that far removed from any other guy his age, just a bit more egotistical, a bit more insecure than the average and a lot more sensitive about his name. Or rather, his two names.
Overcoming that blind spot was one thing, but if the others were right, he'd also overcome the grief of losing his grandfather, and his foolish grudge against his parents for moving to Japan instead of staying in America, which he'd been convinced was a much better place to live. In fact, he'd made it clear that his two current goals were to visit and take in the two nations' most legendary cities- Tokyo, and New York. After today, half of that goal would be achieved. No wonder he was ecstatic.
The fact that he'd joined the Dream Voyagers instead of succumbing to his Shadow's power over him suggested that there was perhaps a bit more to him than just another hormonally-charged monkey.
"You're not", she joked just to see a shocked expression cover his face, his empty fingers twitching in surprise. "You're in the same boat as me, Rosea, no pun intended. We're both older students, and yet Tsuruga-chan saved both our asses from our own dreams, from our despair."
"Sorano-chan helped too", he reminded her cheekily. His memories of his Land and what had gone on there would never leave him, any more than hers would. "I suppose she would know better than most, yeah?"
"She would", Reiha acknowledged, idly wondering what Mirambela was up to right now. "I guess that's the difference. Tsuruga-chan didn't have the repressed problems that we all did. She came to Shikoku island to escape from those problems. Then, there's Vititenne-kun."
"He's a good guy", Julian emphasized. "I'm an asshole. I'm the 'bad boy', but he's as squeaky-clean as they come."
"Yes", she sighed, looking up into the sun and shielding her eyes with one gloved arm. "And y'see, that's the problem. He has a very different idea about what we should do about Faraway Lands. To him, it's hell, and the Shadows there are demons."
"Sounds pretty damn close to me", Rosea murmured. "I mean, some of the ones I've seen are even based on mythical demons, yeah?"
"Don't be so narrow-minded, Rosea", she warned him. "It's not just demons. It's a mishmash of every folklore tale and mythical being imaginable. Fairies, beasts, kishin, spirits, angels... And that's just the ones I saw in my Land. A lot of 'em aren't even from Japanese myth."
Smirking at his consideration, she limbered her arms out. "Besides, isn't hell supposed to be a place where human souls go to suffer for their evil deeds in life? Does Faraway Lands sound like that to you? No. It's just the opposite, in fact. It traps people in worlds that they find pleasurable to live in, creatin' their own individual, private paradise. It's not to make 'em suffer. Or if it is, then it's doing a pretty piss-poor job of it."
"Maybe", the brown-haired boy considered, gazing out past the fountains dominating the tower's entry courtyard. "Maybe that's the point of it. Maybe the point is to teach us where we've gone wrong. To teach me that I shouldn't take my folks for granted, that my old man really does care about me, even if he doesn't always show it."
"Maybe", Reiha echoed. "But we're still a long way from being able to understand why that place exists, and what its purpose is. We know that somebody made it, but we have no real clue why, or how. And yet... Vitienne still wants us to just straight up destroy it. Purge it. Killin' every single Shadow and cognition there, indiscriminately. That's not justice. That's just fear."
"Most Shadows are pretty nasty customers", Rosea maintained before yielding. "But yeah, I do see where you're comin' from. I've seen the way that Tsuruga-chan negotiates with the Shadows sometimes, after we're got 'em on the ropes and she wants 'em to become a new mask for her to use. I know that they're not all completely evil. They're not all demons."
"No", she nodded approvingly. "They're not. And, even if they were... why should we destroy 'em all just 'cause of that? They're just doin' their job. Makin' sure that people don't escape the torment they deserve. Hell...", gesturing to the city spread below them, she shook her head. "Hell, if it really does exist, is the only place where true justice is served. Here, in our world? Justice is an afterthought at best."
"Hail horrors", Julian echoed, remembering something that both Reiha and her Shadow had said. "Hail, infernal world?"
"Got that right."
"Yeesh." He looked intimidated. "No wonder you chose the codename 'Witch'. And 'Hex' before that."
"I did", she nodded sternly. "And the way he got so upset about a tiny little thing like that tells you what you need to know about him and me."
"I guess. I thought you'd be a good match with each", he shrugged back. "You know, dark girl meets light guy, ying-yang, that kinda thing?"
"Eh. Maybe in fiction", she scoffed. "And really, I do appreciate that he's so willing to try to find the good in others, to redeem 'em. To try and redeem me, even, and heal my scars. But... he's got his own problems too. I didn't need to see his Awakening to know that much."
"Even Faraway Lands agrees with you on that", Rosea sniffed. "You haven't seen much action there yet, so I'll explain it. Y'see, we noticed early on that all of us have weaknesses to certain skills that the Shadows use. Or rather, our Personas do. Vitienne and his Dellingr are like, super weak to curses. And I'd bet good money that your 'Adrestia' is weak to 'bless' skills, yeah?"
"Glad I never found out", she considered. "I guess that kinda makes sense. I never was one much for the whole 'pure holy light' thing. I suppose we'll see. I'll have to make sure I don't ever accidentally hit him with Adrestia's dark power. So...", she reclaimed her satisfied smirk, "...what's Tsuruga-chan's weakness then? Inquiring minds want to know."
"It depends", he grinned back with equal mischief. Despite seeming to be an accidental mismatch, he could sense a bit of common ground between them. Maybe I have a chance after all? "It changes with her Persona. That's another reason why...", losing his new-found exuberance just quickly, he sat on the circular bench running around the tower, eyes downcast. "That's another reason why she's the captain. Y'see, she can switch Personas. She's got more combat options than the rest of us."
"And that makes you sad?", Reiha prodded him, surprised as anyone by how quick the boy had lost his energy as soon as their conversation changed the subject to Aiko Tsuruga. "It shouldn't, y'know. It means that you have a good leader, who can change it up depending on the situation. Remember, I saw her back when you were all fighting that psycho Prince Taurus guy too. Sure you didn't win, but the way she kept coming up with new attack plans, never giving up... I gotta say, that's impressive for someone almost four years younger than me, someone who's only been fighting for four months."
"I... No, I...", but whatever answer he had mind had been dismissed quickly and he slumped down, hands covering his face bracketed by his knees. "Whatevs. Never mind. You're right. She's... a good leader. Forget I said anything."
"If ya say so", she shrugged. Whatever problem it was she'd hit on was buried too deep in his mind to get a good idea of what exactly it was, and they'd been talking about Faraway Lands too much for her liking already. "C'mon, Rosea-kun. There's another landmark near here that I think you'll enjoy more- the Tokyo dome. Roller coasters all over the place."
Lifted from his bout of glumness- because he knew she would lift him physically if that was what it took- he sighed. "Sure. Right. Roller coasters are good."
Aiko enjoyed the surprise on Noel's face when they only had to walk a few blocks to reach their next destination- a multi-floor building with a logo depicting twin pegasi flanking a large ship wheel and a crown over top of it, all of it stark white on black. The long rows of rectangular windows and larger posters everywhere did nothing to hide that this studio was far more crowded than usual, many of the people gathered there talking excitedly that it would have been impossible to tell exactly what was happening without knowing beforehand.
Feeling overwhelmed by such a crowd, not to mention the noise, he looked even more uncertain. "Um, Tsuruga? What exactly is this?"
"This", she beamed, bringing up her phone to snap another picture, "is an idol singer tryout. They have one scheduled here today for Fortuna Entertainment, hence the commotion."
His lean eyes widened. "Fortuna? And you're going to try out for it? ...Interesting."
"Uh-huh. It's why I wore my best dress", she gestured proudly, indicating the black and white dress that Reiha had bought for her. "And I made sure that my hair and face was done up just right, and I-"
"I understand", he cut in. For the first time, he noticed the telltale blaring red of artificial blush applied to her cheeks. "So, that's why you were so late in arriving this morning. But why? This tryout is an evaluation of your singing abilities, yes? Not your hair and face?"
"Oh, it's more than that", she argued, pointing out several other girls in the frenzied crowd who were even more obviously there for the tryout, their hair done up in even more exotic styles and most of their faces buried under heavy layers of cosmetics, many of them wearing elaborate costumes better suited to a national cosplay convention. "The- the judges from Fortuna- evaluate every single part of you, not just the singing. Voice, body, poise, style, outfit... everything. So, sorry, but I did have to take the extra time today to get my hair ready."
"I'm not complaining", he protested. Now that he knew the real reason why she'd gotten so fancy today, he found himself looking closer at the fine details of his companion, the way that Aiko had carefully arranged her shimmering hair into perpetually swaying locks at the back, obviously trying to enhance its shine in the sunlight. She'd also brought the hairpin that Julian had gotten her, perhaps expecting him to be with her for this instead of him. "But I must say... this is certainly a side of you that I haven't yet seen before."
"I don't show it very often", she admitted with a shy smile, her hands nervously drifting down to the black hem of her dress. "There's just not enough time in the day, y'know? You of all people know that we're always busy at school. But if you need to look nice, then I figure I might as well go all the way."
"It shows", he complimented. "I just... I didn't ever that think someone who spends so much time cutting down evil Shadows and training in a fencing club would put quite this much effort into looking 'cute'."
It was much more than that, he knew. It almost felt like he was dealing with two completely different people here. No matter what else Ai might have said about her home city, being back in Tokyo seemed to give his normally fierce 'captain' the freedom to act as carefree and happy as anyone else her age could be. She'd smiled many times before, but he'd always sensed a certain reservation in those, like she wasn't sure if it was okay to be completely happy. No longer.
Small wonder, he decided. Here she doesn't have to worry about us, or whoever's imprisoned in their Land, or how we're going to survive the next battle against Shadows. When we're in that hell, her Persona's power is the greatest of us all. Thus, all responsibility for our safety falls on her. That must be how she thinks.
That's why she wanted this vacation. The fact that it was Tokyo was merely a coincidence. Anywhere but Shikoku.
"Hey", she gestured with one finger to draw his attention back up. "Maybe you should join me in the line! You've got a nice voice, and they accept male performers too."
"No thanks", he waved it away. "I didn't prepare for this, and even I know that male idols aren't as in demand." Also, everyone would hear my accent.
He felt two strong arms wrap around him then, trying to pull him further into the building. "Oh come on, Vitienne-kuuun~!"
He stared back at her face, this time not in admiration but perturbed shock. "Wh-What? What was that? You changed your voice."
"Uh-huh! I've been practicing that too. I researched it a bit before, and the data from past employment shows that the Fortuna Entertainment people tend to like 'cutesy' voices for their shows."
But he shook his head. Aiko's version of a 'cutesy' voice was so high pitched it was almost annoying to listen to. It hurt his ears. "I... I think that your normal voice is just fine, Tsuruga-chan. Besides, won't the other applicants be doing the same thing as you? Ones who are younger than you, who don't have to strain their vocal cords so much to sound that way, yes?"
"...Oh." Sensing her mounting hesitation and doubt as she slumped, he studied the other applicants as well. "You know, I have tried what you're speaking of as well. Giving my drawings much larger eyes, mouths and faces. Skewing the proportions to match the more 'deformed' style which seemed to be so popular in this country. But... I was never very happy with the end result. Those I showed my drawings to always preferred my usual, more realistic style."
"Because the one you showed it to was Niyoga-kun, right~?", she joked. She'd found out the hard way that his friend Shukiji hated cute things. If he went into this studio, he would probably have an aneurysm.
"Pretty much", he chuckled before becoming serious again. "Remember, you only get one chance at this audition. It's your decision to make, Tsuruga-chan, but I believe that these Fortuna talent agents would prefer someone who uses their true voice instead of merely chasing after trends."
Spending a minute deep in thought, she rose up again with a short laugh. "I guess one of you had to channel Mirambela while she was gone, right~? Thanks for the input. I think I have a better idea of what to do now."
"I will be watching", he nodded, waving. "Just do your best, yes?"
"Picture first", she demanded, offering him her phone. "I'll pose here, and you take the picture."
7/21 Tuesday
Evening
"Late again", Reiha remarked as the four of them reunited at their designated spot; a mid-level restaurant in Shibuya that Akira had recommended to them. "Who was it that said 'I'll have no trouble navigating'?"
Knowing that she probably looked depressed, Akio threw it off and shrugged. "Give me a break. We're on vacation, it's my right to take as long as I want to do stuff."
"The audition", Noel explained knowingly, "took us slightly longer than anticipated."
"Audition?", Julian wondered, taking a seat to order with the rest of them. The place didn't seem as crowded as the others, making it easier to hear. "You went to an audition?"
"Uh-huh. An idol audition at Fortuna studios. You know, sing while posing."
"And you didn't tell us about it?!"
"Why should she?", Noel countered. "Besides, she wanted it to be a surprise. Just imagine what your reaction would be if she was able to come in here and announce that she had found a new job with the studio. I dare say it would be photo-worthy, yes?"
"But looking at her face", Reiha considered, "I think it's safe to say she didn't make the cut, right?"
"No", she admitted, deflating as she stared into the empty wooden table. "Not even the first one. They chose seven girls to come back for another take in a few days, but not me."
"A shame", Noel agreed beside her. "I was so impressed by her inspired idea too. She was singing a popular song, but she changed her voice between the verses, choosing her 'cute voice' for positive ones and her normal voice for the more serious ones."
"Cute voice? She has a cute voice now?"
Though her heart didn't feel in it as much, Aiko was still able to switch tone as she had practiced, to Reiha's amusement, batting her eyes to go with it. "Always a pleasure to serve you, masterrrr! Meowww~!"
"Wow", Jiachi stared, just as thrown by the change as Noel had been. "Damn. Now I wish I'd been there to see that."
"That was prolly the point", Reiha pointed out. "She only wanted one person to be watching, in case she screwed it up. Those things are nerve-wracking as hell."
"But she didn't", Noel was adamant. "I thought it was a good idea, myself. Demonstrate to the talent agents that you not only have good singing ability, but vocal range as well, for whatever song they might need someone to sing. A pity."
"You can watch the next take if you want", Ai suggested to Jiachi. "Those seven will be going at it again on Thursday, same time, same place. You should've seen them. One of them had this whole 'bunny' theme going, styling her hair to look like rabbit ears. Then there was this other one who had these huge-"
"And I did more than just snap a picture", Noel held up his phone triumphantly. "Listen to this!"
Despite the noise from the other patrons, the recorded singing managed to come through loud and clear:
"Where you and I go, there's no road
Where you and I go, there's no load
What do we see? This horizon's a mystery
What will we see? Let's decide, you and me
Infinite possibility!"
Aiko's face fell into desperation, reaching up to grab the phone and pause it. "N-no! Not here, please. Everyone will see it. And hear it."
"So? This is good. This is something you should be proud of!"
"Later", Reiha hushed him. "Not really the thing to do in a crowded public place, aight?"
Relenting for now, he pocketed the phone. "Well I for one think you did very well, Tsuruga-chan. Especially for your first-ever audition. It's not your fault if those agents are unable to recognize quality. Perhaps you can try again, after the school year is over."
"Thanks", she sighed. "I'd... like that. And I still think you should try too. There were a couple of guys auditioning who looked great. Sounded great too."
"Perhaps later", he muttered noncommittally before raising his phone like a drink cup. "Here's to a first day of vacation free of any further mishaps, yes?"
"Shhh. Don't jinx it now", Julian warned him, though he raised his phone as well in mock salute before lowering its screen back to match his eye level. "On that subject, you guys seen all the news about that? Seems like the cops caught the guy who did it."
Taking out her own phone, Aiko quickly checked the same search as the others followed suit. Formy Inn Arson Suspect Arrested in Akihabara.
No one spoke for a time, each processing the details of the arrest and suspect. "One guy", Reiha commented. "Seeing how that place was... I don't think that could be the work of just one person."
"They'll ask him", Noel pointed out. "Offer him a lighter sentence in exchange for giving up his accomplices, yes?"
Seeing the glower on the older girl's face, Aiko raised a hand to stop her anger. "What's important is, they got him. Anyone else who feels like doing that will realize they can't get away with it."
"Assuming they find him guilty", Reiha grunted irritably. "They might not."
Just as alarmed as Aiko about the sudden tension suffusing the table from both sides, Julian waved a hand in front of them. "Hey, hey, take it easy. Not like we can do anything here, right? It's the cops' job. If they're anything like that scary Nijima lady, no worries, yeah?"
Relenting, Reiha lowered her phone. "...Sorry. Didn't mean to bring the mood down. What's next?"
"Same arrangement tomorrow", Aiko claimed. "I want to go and visit Yongen-Jaya. That's apparently where Kurusu-kun stayed during his... you know."
"Ah, the LeBlanc cafe", Noel noted happily. "I'd like to see it for myself. Didn't you say you were going to a nightclub, Hayato-san?"
"Not tonight", she stretched out lazily. "Feeling a bit out of it. 'Jet lag', maybe. Besides, unless Rosea wants to go with you or just stay back at the Sakamotos' place..."
That earned a surprised glance from Jiachi. "What, you don't think I can handle it? Come on. You're only two years older than me."
Reiha stared back, focusing on the lopsided grin on his face, then taking in the rest of him until he got the disturbing impression that she was doing a Shukiji-style analysis of him. "Fine", she announced at last. "Tomorrow night. Don't blame me if you get bored though. Club Laveau is completely different from what you might be expecting."
"Long as it's not the Karma club, I'm good for it", he insisted impishly.
"We'll go back to our hosts for now", Aiko decided. "Kurusu-kun's house is interesting, and Mona-chan lives there too."
"We should trade up after tomorrow", Noel suggested. "Okumura-san's residence is far more luxurious. You should all be able to enjoy at least one night there." He neglected to mention the fact that there were times when he had found Haru herself to be a bit unnerving when it came to the subject of battling Shadows.
"Dinner first", Ai called, seeing a bored-looking waitress approaching. "We'll see what tomorrow brings."
The sound of the door creaking open roused Daisuke Kujou from his feeble impression of sleep. The closest approximation he could come up with was more of a 'trance', a state where he would try in futility to stop thinking for a while, to stop fearing and worrying about what had happened to his daughter.
There were some known ways of bleeding out this stress. Calling the police department for an update was the most reliable, but today their sympathy had run out, and they'd made it clear any further badgering could be qualified as nuisance calls. Lazy fools. They have time to harass me, yet no time to be looking for Beni-ka.
He had been supposed to leave for Tokyo days ago, but he'd already made necessary calls to his associates explaining the situation. Annoyingly, they also seemed more worried about who they were going to have speak at the rally in Shibuya than the reasons for his absence. Sanaki will have to manage without me, he decided. He's done it before.
He'd rushed to the doorway, yet it still opened up before he got there, Benihime stepping into their vacant foyer without preamble, as though she'd merely stepped out for a few hours. Her hair looked damp, but well-kept.
His first instinct was scan her for other changes and changes he found, though none exactly helpful in determining what had happened. While he saw no blood, Benihime's sweater- the same elegant maroon wool sweater that she'd worn to class the last time he'd seen her- showed several gashes suggesting injury, as did the snow white T-shirt beneath it.
"Beni-ka", he whispered weakly, too relieved to be angry, yet too confused to embrace her in complete relaxation yet. "Beni-ka... What happened? Where did you go? I called you a dozen times, and you didn't answer! I called the school, and they had no idea where you'd gone! What happened?!"
His daughter's eyes had changed, he could see that much. Something had happened between the last time they'd talked and now, something he couldn't begin to imagine. Her only hesitation was deciding exactly how to word it. "I've... I've been reborn", she answered. "I see the truth now. I'm 'unmasked'. It's fine. You don't need to worry about me any more, dad. Really, you don't."
"Beni-ka..."
His next impulse to throw his arms around her was thwarted when she simply swayed back, out of his reach so that his grasp closed on nothing but air. "I'm just here to collect my things", she said simply, as if that explained the situation. "And to get you to stop trying to find me."
"Beni-ka", Daisuke began more dangerously now that the relief was giving way to anger. "You knew our schedule. You knew we were supposed to leave for Tokyo on Saturday-"
"Then you should have left then", she cut him off, an amused smirk creeping onto her normally pristine face at the look on his. "You should have gone to Tokyo to inspire our people. That's what you do, isn't it? Get more people to listen to your words. I thought you'd be thrilled. You don't have to take care of me any more. You can now focus all of your energy on saving Japan from all the evil gaijin invading it."
"You were missing!", he accused. "You disappeared, and wouldn't reply to my calls! God, I even used my contact in the communications industry to perform a satellite trace, but your phone's signal wouldn't even show up! Where are exactly have you been, and why did you not come home, young lady?!"
Displays of rage around Benihime were rare, but they had always frightened her into confessing to a misdeed before. Now, they just seemed to glance off her, empty air. "I told you, there's no need for you to worry. I just met some new friends. Friends who can help me get what I really want."
He became very still, trying to decipher her words and coming up with a number of alarming possibilities. "If you have been spending time with syndicate dregs..."
Then he realized that in the time he'd taken to formulate those answers, she'd waltzed past him without waiting for permission. She'd gone right through the dining room and TV area where they'd shared meals a thousand times, heading for her room to start grabbing clothes out of her dresser, absently stuffing them into a large duffel bag.
"I don't care who these people are", he tried again. "They are not your friends. We'll be leaving tonight, and I'll be calling the police on them."
His threats saw Benihime's previous veneer of pleasant mockery leave her, and behind it was a far more chilling gaze, like nothing he'd ever seen. "Sorry. Zero for three. They are my friends, I'll be staying with them now, and even if you knew who they were, you won't stop them."
"You must be on drugs", he growled. "Tell me what they did to you, Benihime. It doesn't matter; I will make them pay dearly for every single-"
"It is", she interjected again, "becoming kind of annoying that you keep on calling the police so often. They almost spotted me on the way over here. Some free advice: don't. Stop trying to bring me in. If you keep that up, I can make things much, much worse for you."
Daisuke stared at her, reeling. He wasn't used to anyone talking back to him this way- threatening him, like they held all the power, let alone his own daughter. "You aren't leaving this house, Benihime. Not until I figure out what's going on."
"I told you what's going on, dad", she countered, unashamedly glorying in his confusion. "I've grown up. I finally found a place where I belong. As for you stopping me... the same condition applies. Things will go very badly for you if you try to stop me from leaving."
That did it. He'd heard enough insolence from her, and it was all the more jarring considering that she'd never done anything remotely like this before. While the door to her room had no lock on it, his fear and anger combined to give him the strength necessary to topple the dresser right in front of it, blocking the exit.
"I've called the police", he declared, moving his body to bar the way further just in case. "While we wait for them to get here, let's try this again: Tell me exactly what happened, why you didn't call back, and who is responsible for this so we can send them to jail where they belong!"
The surge of violence he had hoped would finally shock some clarity into her seemed to achieve just the opposite; Benihime's lean eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, something he knew to be a common reaction for her when expressing silent contempt for someone.
"I warned you", she rasped. "If you'd just let me go, this wouldn't have to happen. Keep that in mind."
Trying not to explode again, he instead spoke to her very slowly and deliberately, almost but not quite coming across as tranquil. "Benihime, I am your father. Any halfway decent parent would do exactly what I am doing here. You disappeared for days with no warning and no call. You're not leaving my sight until I get a straight answer from you."
"I already gave you the answer", she replied, aggravatingly smooth. "You just don't want to understand that answer."
"Make me understand it, then."
A pause, a brief flash of indecision on her face. For the first time since her return, it felt like he might have actually been getting through, that he was actually talking to the daughter he loved again. Beni-ka, please... Please remember.
She needed only to remember all the time they'd spent together, how he'd always put her well-being first, above all of his other responsibilities, even JCAP. There had been times when she was younger when seeing her happy, seeing the joy on her face when she saw dinner or got new clothing, that made it all worth it.
Where?, he wondered. Where had that pure smile gone to? What had happened?
Now that person who had told him that she loved him countless times in her life stood before him, her elegant face reverting back to an indifferent slate. "I don't think you can. But sure. I'll give you a chance to try."
The crack and subsequent hissing noise was so sudden and sharp that it took him a moment to look around and determine where it had come from. A broken container lay in Benihime's hands, slightly larger than a baseball, some kind of clear fluid seeping out of it onto the floor. His protests halted when he saw that the fluid seeping out of it wasn't staining the floor, but instead spreading outwards along it, quickly generating an ankle-deep level of mist in the room.
"Benihime", he warned, speaking lightly to try and avoid inhaling too much of it. "If this is some kind of hallucinogen-"
"Just the opposite", she cut in again. She did look happy, but in a completely different way than what he remembered. "Dreamwine gets rid of this world's illusions. It lets you see your true self."
On instinct, he sniffed. Lost focus, then blinked through the strange mist to regain it. No matter what Benihime said, he was finding it difficult to focus, his vision occasionally blurring.
"Here", she inhaled deeply, as if she was enjoying the smell- although it had no smell- before turning to the window. "I'll show you."
As he watched, Benihime raised one hand to the window. "O Ravenous Rusalka, together we shall Dominate!"
There was nothing there. At least, that was what his eyes were telling him. Rather, he felt the abrupt shift in the room, as though something had risen up from the mist at her command. Something that he couldn't see. A phantom, invisible to the naked eye yet still felt through other ways.
He saw the results just fine, however. As if by magic, a thick line carved itself into the glass of the window, following quickly by three more perpendicular to it. The pane fell into pieces, shattering noisily on the awning below.
"Benihime... how? How did you just...?"
She looked back at him with wistfulness, perhaps the hint of a tear. "You can't see her, can you? You can sense her power, but you can't actually see her. Typical. Just what I expected. You never saw me as able to do anything on my own. And I was dumb enough to play along, and let you fight all my battles for me. Well... no more. I'm free now. I'm free from you."
Seeing her heading for the empty window, he darted forward, forcefully grabbing her arm, his eyes pleading. "Benihime. Stop this at once."
But there was no further recognition in her dour green eyes now, no further sign of regret in her voice. Merely a cold statement of fact and dismissal. "You are addressing Queen Aquarius. Mind your tongue, lest it be cut out."
He barely had a second to ponder those words when something heavy and wet blasted him in the chest, instantly propelling him all the way into the room wall and sending rivulets of pain shooting up his spine. His chest felt heavy and he looked down, eager to confirm that it wasn't blood.
He wasn't quite ready yet to accept that his only daughter would actually be willing to murder him on a whim.
She was lost to him now though, blowing him a kiss before vaulting through the broken window onto the awning. From there it would be simple to head over to the right side and take the parapets down.
Unable to stand just yet, he simply stared into the room's empty air where the 'phantom' had been, trying to focus.
Had he seen something there? Or had he only imagined it?
7/23 Thursday
Afternoon
Pelagio's raptor vision swam before his eyes, but he resolutely forced himself not to blink. It was the only way he had to get used to the impossible sensory overload that was watching the city of Tokyo from it's highest point; the top of the sky tower.
No wonder the captain wished to live somewhere else, he mused. He'd felt something like this only once before, when he'd tried perching on the roof of Koashimizu academy and listening to the entire audible student body, but even that noise was a trickle next to a flood. Millions on millions of people, all of them crowded together, many of them talking either to each other or into their phones. More cars packed into the streets than Tosashimizu city had people. Trains constantly zipping around on their rails, in and out of labyrinthine tunnels to reach their next stop. No wonder I am the only one of my 'kind' to come here.
Not that he had a choice. While Aiko had given him leave to do whatever he wanted so long as he was there for their rendezvous each evening, seeing what had happened to the Formy inn had reactivated his old protective instincts, and his mind inevitably began to worry again as soon as Aiko was out of his sight and hearing for more than a few minutes, leading him to resume his role as the team's supervisory 'eye in the sky'.
She wasn't alone, of course. He had spent a great deal of time with the others as well, and while he did not place as much priority on their safety as their captain, he could also recognize that their bonds had become close, so much that if Jiachi, Reiha, Noel or even Mira were to be injured, it would affect Aiko nearly as bad as if she herself were injured.
Human bonds, he considered, are very strange that way. It all seemed so foolish. Why would you intentionally develop something that makes you more emotionally vulnerable? Something that could potentially leave a person too depressed to function for a time, never mind being able to avenge their comrades' wounding? Certainly, he had seen one small advantage on occasion that had been best demonstrated during their most recent exploits in Reiha's Land- his teammates would fight harder when their comrades were at risk or became injured- but that temporary boost hardly seemed worth all the other disadvantages.
He had asked the captain to explain it to him, but their leader's answer had been difficult for him to understand. According to her, having friends made living more enjoyable. That, not the vulnerabilities, was the main concern in this world so chock-full of defenseless humans. There was more focus placed on making life enjoyable instead of worrying about losing it. Certainly, this world had shown far fewer dangers to life and limb than the one that he had come from, making the shift in priorities more understandable. Still, he couldn't quite grasp how being friends with Jiachi and the others made her life happier.
If he thought about it however, the evidence was there. If he thought back to all his memories of her in the past, he could certainly discern an upwards trend in her moods as time went on, as Sorano, Rosea and the Kaneshiro girl were rescued and pledged themselves to join the Dream Voyagers. After all, the only time she had ever exhibited true anger towards him was very early on, back when it had just been the two of them.
Doubtless, such anger would resurface if ever he expressed the idea that he had preferred that simpler arrangement of lady and bodyguard, which only lent more credence to the idea that having more friends made her happier. Being back in Tokyo only galvanized this trend for her- she seemed almost embarrassingly giddy at times, particularly in contrast to the more reserved Noel and Reiha.
Regardless, he was glad to see that the group's vacation had finally settled into a safer routine. They would head out in pairs each day after taking breakfast at the residence of one of the various citizens who had apparently once been part of the famous organization called the 'Phantom Thieves', and then explore various landmarks of the city they had expressed a desire to visit. When the day was over, they would reconvene, usually at a restaurant where they took dinner, and decide which of their hosts they would spend the night with.
Julian had been the one most eager to explore the city, and thus the one most in need of his supervision. In the last few days he had gone to over a dozen landmarks, gone go-karting, skating, ridden numerous roller coasters, and visited some kind of strange club with Reiha on the previous night. That was between all the train rides he'd been so insistent on taking, until he understood the rail system like a native.
Having been discouraged from his original objective, Noel had contented himself with similar goals, visiting various cultural landmarks in a city he'd only heard about in stories, Aiko content to behold his wonderment for now and only occasionally trying to convince him to go out together with Reiha after some kind of rift had opened up between the two of them.
That was another strange thing about humans- or at least about the captain- that he had come to notice. It wasn't just being friends with others which brought her joy, but also seeing those people develop relationships with each other, even if it had no direct effect on her. For some reason, it had become important for her to see the two of them get back together.
Of course, watching them meant he was inevitably close enough to hear them as well. And while he had been sometimes accused by the others of being slow to grasp most human concepts, even he could recognize that Noel Vitienne held none of the trust in him that the others had, often voicing his doubts in subtle yet undeniable ways to their captain.
Thus, when Aiko went into a large commercial building alone to take care of 'shopping' and left the blond boy sitting outside, Pelagio swooped down onto the roof of a taxi stand, calling down to their devout healer. "Mender. I hope that you've been enjoying yourself."
Startled by the sudden sound, he looked up to spot him. Humans had a tendency to look up last, he observed. "Vas ist... Pelagio...? Vengebung, I cannot speak to you here. Too many people."
"But I would like to speak with you, Mender. Privately." While no passerby had taken notice yet, perhaps a prolonged dialogue between a human and a 'bird' would attract unwanted attention. Reluctant to go too far away from their rendezvous, Noel ducked into a more narrow street around the corner of the mall, beckoning for him to follow and perch on some kind of brightly colored square human machine.
"Have you been watching over us?", he asked suspiciously once they were in less crowded place. "I thought that you were going to keep an eye on Hayato-san and Rosea-kun."
Pelagio shrugged his wings close together, a gesture he had picked up from humans indicating feigned innocence of a misdeed. "I alternate. Lady Hayato and sir Rosea were perfectly safe the last time I saw them. Unfortunately, this city is so large that even I cannot monitor you all at once. However, it is as the captain said; unlike Shirubashiti, this place only has a handful of true dangers in it."
Noel blinked. "Shirubash...? Oh, you mean Hayato's Land." Grinning lightly, he nodded. "I see I'm not the only one who made that connection. Perhaps that Land is partly a reflection of her early memories of Tokyo... though I don't recall ever seeing zeppelins in Tokyo, or quite so much darkness. This city is well-lit, even at night."
"Precisely", the falcon tightened his beak. Indeed, the lights of this city had proven to be nearly blinding to him at night, without the sun's light to balance them out. "Still, I shall most likely be watching them again tonight. The captain has trusted me to keep everyone safe."
"So she has", he agreed reluctantly.
"Yet, I cannot shake the feeling that you do not trust me."
Naturally, he seemed to take it as an insult at first, before moving past how uncomfortable the question made him, looking deeper within and shrugging back. "You just gave me one more reason not to. You're considerably sharper than you let on, and I don't speak of your claws."
"Why, Mender? Why do you not trust me?"
A stern look took him over, staring up at the clenched talons and bright feathers in a suspicion unbecoming of him. "Because you are not human, Pelagio. While you've certainly set yourself apart from the other demons that dwell your world, even you cannot deny that you are most likely one of them, or perhaps some strange... what is the phrase? An offshoot. A different kind of demon, lacking their malice. Because of that I cannot trust you fully. I'm sorry if that is a problem, but I cannot just ignore my instincts."
Thrown by the accusation, he felt himself fluttering down to the ground, to look Noel closer in the eye. "I see. So your distrust comes from the fact that I come from the same dimension as the Shadows. Yet, our captain trusts me, and she has known me for considerably longer than you. Is that not reason enough for you to trust her judgment, Mender?"
"Stop that", he frowned. "Here, I am not Mender. We are here to get away from our duties in Faraway Lands, not to be reminded of them."
"...I apologize. Noel, then."
Satisfied, the blond healer regarded him more pensively. "I trust Tsuruga-chan's judgment in most things... but not this. I have voiced my concerns to her several times about you, but she always insists that you're trustworthy."
"It is strange", Pelagio acknowledged quietly, almost fearfully. "Mere months ago, I would not have cared if you trusted me or not. The only one whose trust I required- the only human who I cared about at all- was the captain. Yet... something has changed since then. I don't wish for any of you to feel uncomfortable around me. Not any more."
"I do appreciate that", he acknowledged calmly. "But to be honest, that will take some doing. You don't know who you are, Pelagio. You don't even know what you are. For all that any of us know, you are a special kind of demon designed to ingratiate themselves into a human's confidence before betraying them, taking advantage of their good faith."
It was his turn to be angry now, raptor's gaze piercing the young human's. "Hmph. I am the captain's sworn protector. I will never betray her. Neither will I betray any of you."
The return stare held no less venom. "You say that now, but how can you know for sure? How can any of us know? You said yourself that you can't."
For the first time in months, the raptor's fierce eyes broke down, refocusing to a dusty concrete wall. Despite what he knew of Noel, it felt like he had just been physically attacked. "You... you... may be right. I do not remember. But... In all my travels, I had one thing that I absolutely knew for certain. I had to protect her. I had to find and protect the captain. That became my magnetic north, my guide through the endless ocean of darkness, to find my destination. I cannot abandon it now. Never."
Distraught by what his own words had done, Noel bent down and gently stroked the falcon's head. "Vengebung. I didn't mean to make you sad, Pelagio. It's... merely an introspective habit I picked up from Niyoga-kun. On the contrary, you've shown every indication that you are very different from your brethren in important ways. The problem is that we don't know enough about Shadows yet to trust you completely. So... please don't take it personally, yes?"
Ordinarily, he would have pulled away. Only Aiko was supposed to be allowed to stroke the soft feathers on his head. But that simple sensation felt so good that instead he merely quivered, hovering on the edge of it, never quite doing it.
Until he opened his eyes again and saw a new arrival in the alley. "Oh no."
Unlike the other scattered passerby, this one seemed focused on him. A thin, pale-skinned young man in a neat collared shirt with dark blue hair coiffed into a luxuriant mod, streaks of it hanging down a slender neck. Unlike many his age, his attempt at facial hair was a complete success, forming an elegant bristled goatee beneath his mouth, almost like a younger Sojiro Sakura.
And for some unknown reason, he was standing with his arms raised, his slender fingers folded into a square shape aimed at Pelagio.
"Please don't move", he called out, calm despite his request. "This is a rare opportunity for me. I've never seen a wild saker falcon here in the city. They usually stay away from the noise."
Pelagio huffed. "Hmph. He has been following me around all day, making that strange shape with his hands. I have no idea why."
"Well", Noel palmed his chin, nervously grinning. "Perhaps he wanted to draw you?"
The stalker blinked his matching blue eyes in response. "Why, yes. That's exactly it. You... are you... talking to that bird?"
They both froze at that, letting the new arrival resume his 'sketching pose'. "He knows?", Pelagio wondered. "Wait... perhaps he is a spy sent by the Masked Circle! I shall tear him-"
"Unlikely", Noel cut him off before they could start a brawl in the alley. "Still, I would be interested in hearing an explanation of that as well."
Dropping his arms, the thin man looked around for a moment before casting his caution away. "Would you believe it if I said he wasn't the first talking animal I have met?"
"Ah. You are a friend of Akira Kurusu", Pelagio recognized, dropping his own guard a notch. "You have been to my world, and so you can understand my words, correct?"
Momentarily blinking at the mention of 'my world', the man recomposed himself. "I believe so. I am indeed a friend of Akira. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. Forgive my rudeness- I assumed that you were an ordinary bird."
Flapping back up onto the machine, he scrutinized 'Yusuke' more closely. "And you spotted me and decided to sketch me?"
"Yes, thanks to Morgana. He told me about you."
"And failed", Pelagio growled, talons beginning to grind into the metal, "to mention to you that I am not what you call 'ordinary'. Or that I was busy watching over our crew. That bratty mongrel cat is past due for retribution."
"So you are an artist?", Noel cut in, trying to break the tension. "Okumura-san mentioned you. You and Sakura-san are the only ones of your old team we haven't yet met."
Yusuke snapped his fingers in turn. "Of course. Akira did call us about this. A new team of Persona-users on Shikoku island?"
"Two of them, actually", a new voice called to them from the main street, Aiko appearing in a new light red jacket and pants better designed for casual movement than her dresses and skirts. "That's why Pelagio was so paranoid, you see. Did he tell you about the Masked Circle too?"
"Briefly", Yusuke shrugged. "But I gather that there's much more to learn about this situation. Fortunately, I know of just the place where we can remedy that."
7/23 Thursday
Afternoon
Yusuke surprised them once again by not bringing them to the obvious choice of Leblanc, but instead to another small restaurant that seemed run down on the outside, but held within it a retro look that Aiko immediately grew fond of even if the place hadn't been air conditioned enough to make one's skin tingle.
There was a lot of ground to cover, but unlike the other Phantom Thieves Yusuke didn't seem prone to asking many question until they were done, simply processing the information in silence without interrupting them.
"Evil Persona-users", he lamented when it was done, spreading his arms across the red-limned cushions of the seat. "People who use that power for selfish ends, to kill... I suppose that our mission initially began entirely because of one such individual's actions. Because of Goro Akechi aiding Masayoshi Shido."
Across the table, Aiko grimaced. She had already heard a fair bit about how things had gone with the supposed 'Second Coming of the Detective Prince'. How he'd used his Persona to infiltrate the Palaces of others, killing their Shadows to cause mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns in the real people. How he had all been doing it simply to fulfill some insane vendetta towards his absentee father, Masayoshi Shido.
She found herself more troubled by that story than she initially expected. "The Persona is the true self", she said. "But, what if the true self is evil? I mean, I've read some books by psychologists who say that no one is really evil at heart, but..." But Mr. Ishinagi doesn't agree, or at least he never said anything like that in our sessions.
"I am an artist", Yusuke pointed out, "not a psychologist. Still... I can say in faith that Goro Akechi might well have turned out very differently had he been given a proper parentage. The same can be said for", lowering his eyes couldn't hide the way they flashed, "for any of us."
In the opposite seat, Noel finished typing away at something on his phone before raising it so they all could see the screen. "This is you, isn't it? Artisan Kitagawa. You've made over fifty submissions to various Tokyo art exhibitions in the last six years. Won a few times too."
Yusuke's thin-lipped smile made it clear he was alternately joking and appreciating that anyone would bother to look him up online. "Recognition, at last."
"Only now?", Aiko pondered. "Over fifty pieces of great art, and no one recognizes you?"
"Mainly due to my own doing, actually", he explained to her calmly. "While I have had certain commercial offers from patrons in the past, I have summarily declined them. I have no desire to become a 'brand'. I..." His eyes limned shut, his head arced back as if reacting to a distant, phantom pain.
"How to explain? My... former teacher, Ichiryusei Madarame... he was the one renowned throughout the world as a master artist without peer. Few knew that he attained that prestige by plagiarizing the works of his pupils... including myself. That past experience has led me to be wary of such glory and fame, even if it might potentially result in a larger income for me. I only wish to create art for art's sake, not for money."
"Wow!", she marveled. "You're the real deal alright. Most painters would be eager for any way to earn more money."
"There are times when I am sorely tempted", Yusuke reached down to palm his stomach meaningfully. "Still, my prior submissions as an Artisan have earned enough to keep me from starving at least."
"Keep you from starving?", Noel folded his arms over the table to cover his irritation. "You deserve much more than that, Kitagawa-kun."
His serenity remained unshaken. "I told you. The pursuit of wealth for its own sake only corrupts one's ability to create true, pure art unblemished by commercial wants." Looking deeper into the younger man's gaze, he blinked, as if recognizing a quandary echoed in him. "You too?"
"I'm merely an aspiring manga artist", he confessed. "One who was just recently rejected for being too 'realistic'."
His despondent tone only seemed to intrigue Yusuke all the more, reaching out for his black sketchbook. "May I...?"
"You may. But... don't expect much."
Amused by the younger man's self-deprecation, he took it, leaving the two Dream Voyagers free to look up more about the infamous Madarame incident on their phones. Akira had made brief mention of the various people the Phantom Thieves had targeted, but the details on the that particular case had never come up.
"He's free now", Aiko remarked in abject shock after a few minutes of research. "Even after all that he did, after he confessed to stealing so many people's artwork?"
Diverted from Noel's book, the artist's face became bleak as stone. "He received a sentence of four years in prison. A lenient sentence perhaps, considering the number of people whose lives he had ruined... but I believe that it was due to a combination of two factors. Firstly, his advanced age. Men like Madarame do require certain amenities to survive."
"Yes. He was by far the eldest of all the Phantom Thieves' targets", Noel remembered. "I have heard that Japan is a country known for showing due respect to its upstanding senior citizens, or at least more than some other nations. I found that quite admirable, though of course an elderly criminal still must be duly punished for their crimes."
"Secondly", Yusuke continued without halting, "was the fact that the state was able to confiscate all of his financial assets, claiming them as illegally-generated wealth. It grieved me greatly to learn that much of it wound up lining the pockets of Masayoshi Shido's political allies."
"So", Aiko frowned, "where is he now?"
"In a prison by a different name", the artist joked before shaking his head. "Please forgive my penchant for melodrama. Actually, he now resides in a small but well-kept retirement center in Aoyama. Every month, I will send a small portion of my earnings to ensure that he is well looked after, or at least kept in better conditions than he was during his stay in prison."
She stared back in awe, not quite understanding. "You would do that for him, even after knowing what he's done?"
Yusuke stiffened up. "It is... difficult for me to explain. While I certainly have nothing but disgust for his past misdeeds, I cannot simply forget that Madarame raised me from the age of three. A substantial investment into someone he had no idea would develop their own artistic talents. 'Even the infintesimally small yet exists.' I cannot forgive him... but neither am I entirely comfortable with allowing him to starve on the streets, despite the potential irony of allowing him to share in the same fate he inflicted on so many of his unfortunate pupils."
"You have a kind heart, Kitagawa-kun", Noel observed. "It seems that we have much in common- I, too, must look after an aging mentor- Father Shigetsu- who has suffered a grievous misfortune casting him into poverty. Unlike Madarame, it's no fault of his own. And, thanks to Okumura-san, I can now do that."
The man's rakish blue beard curled with his smile. "You may call me kind, but in time I have found Okumura-san's heart to be the largest of us all. She has made it very clear that she would be happy to aid me should I ever find my own funds dwindling. Though certainly, I do have my pride as an artist to think about before accepting such base charity. Speaking of which..."
He slid the book back across the table. "There's some good work in here, for a novice. Very realistic proportions, as you said. Do you only ever draw people, Vitienne-san?"
"Yes", Noel admitted. "Landscapes always demand much more detail and precision, and I find people more attractive to draw."
"Mainly young women", Yusuke pointed out. "How amusing. For me, it's the complete opposite. I always find people the most difficult thing to capture well; most of my works are landscapes or surrealist. I would suggest that you try expanding outside of your comfort zone to better improve your technique. It's good that you carry your notebook with you- inspiration can strike at any time without warning."
"I know", the younger man half-bowed, merely grateful not to be torn down by the more experienced artist. His cross necklace dangled in the empty air. "Thank you for your input, Kitagawa-kun."
"You're welcome", he stood, content with a single order of black jelly. "If you'll excuse me, I must check back with your feathered friend Pelagio, and see if he would be willing to allow me to sketch his magnificent wingspan."
"Sure!", Aiko rose from her own snack, "We'll come and watch!" Noel grabbed her arm though, pulling her back down. "What?"
"Firstly", Noel explained, "we haven't finished paying for this food. Second, watching someone sketch is even less exciting than it sounds. You would only be a distraction to Pelagio, assuming that he agrees at all, yes?"
"Alright", she relented, sitting back down gamely. "What's the third thing?"
"Third", he grimaced. "There's something I want to share with you privately, before you find it out some other way."
"Hm? Find out?"
Despite his worries, he felt relaxed beside her in the cold air. Once again she'd effortlessly switched between being a giddy sixteen year old surrounded by a thousand wonderful shops into their responsible leader, the person who had orchestrated the defeat of hundreds of hideous monsters from another world. No matter what dread he felt, he was sure it was overstated. Better now than later.
"Hayato-san and I... went to visit Queen Aquarius", he blurted at last.
"You what?!"
A/N: Yep, more fluff. Good fluff, I hope. Been enjoying Persona 4 Golden release on Steam lately. It's good, but a bit jarring to have to deal with some of the conveniences in P5 that aren't there for P4G.
Someone here did express a desire for me to create a 'theme song' for this story, and the opening lyrics for Aiko's song here are a possible start of that. If asked, I might go ahead and do a whole original song, but it would take time.