A Fool's Study into Witchcraft
Chapter 5: GOHO-M
"You teleported us to Japan!?" Sucy exclaimed, "HOW!?
"I exploited the Cognitive World!" Akko announces smugly. "You see, the Cognitive World doesn't exactly work like the real world. The concept of distance is a bit looser here. What I used to get us here is called a Goho-M. You can find them pretty easily in the Cognitive World or you can make it yourself. Just like the name suggests, it sends you "home"," she continues, "but where is "home" you might ask? Well that's simple! "Where the heart is"!"
Putting two and two together, Sucy responds, "so the cognition you set up yesterday...!"
"Yep! As long as I have enough Goho-M's, and trust me I have a mountain of them, I can teleport to anywhere I consider "home" regardless of distance!" Akko proudly announces, hands on her waist and a grin plastered across her face.
"That is incredible, Akko!" Lotte exclaims, "you can seriously travel anywhere you want?!"
"That's right! I'm so awesome, aren't I?!" Akko declares proudly.
"Tell me why you need a broom again when you can already do this?" Sucy asks raising an eyebrow.
"This still isn't the same as flying with my own magic!" Akko huffs, "It's neither thrilling or exciting! I want to fly between Japan and England one day, without any help from my Personas or the Cognitive World!"
"Thank god this girl is an utter moron. I shudder to think what this girl would've done if she was even the slightest bit more malicious," Sucy thought to herself. "This place, the Cognitive World... It would be a disaster if just anyone could come in and abuse this place for personal gain… What a gold mine this place is. It wouldn't be so bad if I profited off of it just a little, would it? Hehehe!"
"Anyway, let's get going," Akko says as she unpacks her backpack and pulls out an orange coat along with two hoodies. "Here, put these on first."
Accepting the hoodie, Lotte turns to Akko, "why do we need these?"
"Because it hides our uniforms," Akko explains. "It's around afternoon in Japan, which means that people are out and about. We can't just walk around in broad daylight in Luna Nova's uniforms. People will mistake us for cosplay!"
"You should've just told us earlier so we could grab our own clothes," Sucy tiredly replies.
"Sorry… I really wanted to surprise you guys," Akko frowned.
Sucy sighs. "So we're going to the real... Inaba is it?"
"Yep! We'll hang out in Inaba for an hour before we go back!" Akko nods. "I can't wait to show you all the interesting things in this town! I've always wanted to make foreign friends and show them around the countryside!"
"This is amazing! I've been dreaming of visiting Japan ever since Night Fall's samurai arc!" Lotte beams, "I can't believe I am finally able too! Thank you so much Akko!"
Putting on the articles of clothing, Sucy and Lotte find that Akko's spare hoodies fit them rather well, only being slightly baggy on their frames. "Uh oh, didn't account for the skirts and boots..." Akko frowns, stripping said items off her body, "good thing I have spare shorts and running shoes."
"You only have shorts?" Sucy deadpans.
"Pretty much... sorry. I also have a pair of flip flops, want them?"
Sucy grumbles in annoyance. "Remind me to loan you some of my clothes when we get back so this kind of thing doesn't happen ever again."
As the group finished changing, Sucy and Lotte's give each other a glance. With the shorts and running shoes, the girls look like they're getting ready to go to a laundromat.
"I really wish I had some socks right now," Lotte say in discomfort. "Wearing running shoes without them just feels awkward."
Sucy keeps her legs close together, clearly unused to baring her legs out in public. "Nope, not happening," she draws her wand and casts a quick spell on the shorts. Within seconds, the leggings lengthens and stretched to her ankles.
"That's amazing Sucy!" Akko exclaimed happily, "you made me a pair of new pants!"
"It's not permanent, idiot," Sucy deadpans, "it will only last for a few hours."
Akko nods. "Then let's not waste any more time! To the real Inaba! Follow me!" she calls out, leading her companions to another section of the beautiful Cognitive World.
Arriving at the exit, it looks not at all like what Sucy and Lotte expected. Standing before them were three red CRT TV's all stacked up.
"Why is the exit here different from Luna Nova's?" Lotte asks.
Akko shrugs. "Because not all Cognitive Worlds work the same way? That's my best guess, at least. There's still a lot of stuff about this place I don't know yet," with that, Akko eagerly walks behind her friends placing a hand on both their backs, "enough talk though. Here we go...!" Before Sucy and Lotte can process what's happening, Akko shoves them into the television screens, a familiar distorted feeling washing over them as they enter.
The girls tumble back into reality and land in a heap on some rubber mats. Collecting themselves, they scan the area and find that they are now in a dark room littered with junk. Behind them sits an old flat screen TV about 40 inches wide, marking the entrance back into the cognitive world.
"Yes!" Akko shouts, quickly getting up and heading for the door. She retrieves a key from her belt pouch and unlocks it, "C'mon! Follow me!"
Sucy and Lotte shoot each other a glance before following the brunette out. As the sun hits their eyes, they shield their faces from the light. When their eyes finally adjust they are greeted with the breath taking sight of the Japanese countryside.
"Welcome to Inaba!" Akko proclaims as she locks the door to the shed behind them. "Let's have some fun!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Remember guys, stay close and don't talk to any cops. The last thing we want is for them to ask why you guys aren't in class or don't have Japanese ID."
"We get it," Sucy interrupts, annoyed. "It's not like we can just wander off without you. We can't speak Japanese."
"Akko, mind if I ask where we are heading?" Lotte asks.
"We are heading toward the central shopping district," Akko explains, "while that area looks dated, believe me when I say that that's where everything the town is famous for is."
The blonde nods. "Alright, Akko. Since this is your hometown, right? You must know this place like the back of your hand."
Akko waves her hand, giggling. "No Lotte, Inaba isn't my hometown. I was sent to live here. I just got really familiar with the town, that's all!"
"Sent to live here huh? What's the backstory? Want to share?" Sucy prods, narrowing her eyes
Akko's expression suddenly sours, avoiding eye contact. "... O-Oh, it's nothing! Just family issues that's all!" Akko cheers, a few drops of sweat forming on her brow. "-Hey look! We are almost there! Race you guys there!" she announces before running ahead of the duo, but always making sure to stay within sight.
Sucy and Lotte trade looks with each other.
"How much do you think I'd scam if I challenge her to a game of poker?" The gloomy witch asks with a smirk, increasing her walking speed.
"She's definitely hiding something..." Lotte frowns, matching Sucy's pace, "this is so weird. She's completely open when it comes to her Personas and the Cognitive World, but completely avoids the question when we ask about her past," Lotte wonders. "Then again we've only known each other for two days. But still, just what had happened to her?"
"Let's see..." Sucy adds up, "needle scars... a traumatic, life threatening event... Got sent to live somewhere else..." she processed the information before sighing, "I've got nothing. What do you think, Lotte?"
"Any guess you have is probably as good as mine," the blonde frowns. "I can't think of anything either."
"Hey guys!" Akko calls. "C'mon! We're here!"
"We will talk about this later," Sucy states.
Upon arriving at the central shopping district, the duo honestly expected to see a mall or something. But true to Akko's words, this place really was old, being just a simple street with store fronts lining both sides. Traffic was basically nonexistent with only a dozen or so people walking around.
"This is the shopping district right?" Sucy asks, "then why are there so little people?"
"Well there are a lot of reasons." Akko explains, counting her fingers, "for one, school is still in session right now. Two, Inaba is an isolated country town. And three, most people just go to Junes for their shopping, the mall I mentioned earlier," the brunette grins. "But I think this is a good thing, though. Less people means we can shop around and not deal with lines!"
"More like just look around," Sucy deadpans.
Lotte nods. "Yeah, we don't have any Japanese money."
"That's ok, I can just loan you guys some." Akko offers without hesitation, "in fact, you guys don't even have to pay me back. I earned plenty from just fighting Shadows."
Lotte shakes her head and quickly replies, "you don't have to do that Akko. I'm fine with just walking around."
Sucy just shrugs. "I don't think I'll be buying anything to be honest, unless they're selling rare mushrooms that is."
And with that, Akko leads the girls around the shopping district.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Konbanwa! Daidara-san!" Akko greets in Japanese
As the girls enter the metalwork shop, a wave of heat and the smell of metal washes over them. The shop's owner puts down his tools and walks from his forge to the counter. He is a balding old man with greying red hair, his sideburns snaking across his face to become his mustache. An intimidatingly large X-shaped scar mares his face. He is dressed in a white shirt, brown obi, and white pants. A thick, white towel tied with a small bow-shaped knot, wraps around his head like a bandana.
Sucy and Lotte watch in interest as Akko talks to the gruff old man with an air of familiarity. After a quick conversation, the girl takes off her backpack and drops a few items, shadow parts they presume, onto the counter.
A smirk stretches across the owner's face as he examines each item in detail. He shoots Akko a satisfied smile and then walks back to the forge.
"... So… I suppose this is where you sell all of your loot?" Sucy asks.
"Yep. This guy is Master Daidara, Owner of Daidara Metalworks, and is the town's only blacksmith. He's the one who made all of the weapons I used in the Cognitive World. He is also the firework guy during the town's festivals," Akko explains.
"That's interesting. So he is in on the Persona stuff?" Sucy continues.
"Well… he knows I am using his weapons for something, but he's oblivious to the exact details." Akko shrugs. "He says he doesn't care as long as I bring him something interesting whenever I drop by."
As Akko finished her sentence, Daidara returned, a golden dagger with a crooked blade, edges dyed a sickly purple, in hand. The craftsmanship of the blade is nothing short of astonishing. From the curve of the blade to the aesthetics of the pommel, it was as if it were made by the divine.
Akko huffs in disappointment and says something in Japanese. Daidara replies back and gives her a smirk before returning the weapon to its sheath and passing it along to Akko alongside some money. With that, he gives Akko a wave and returns to his forge.
"Is there something wrong with the weapon?" Lotte asks, "it looks so well made!"
"No, this is perfectly fine," Akko frowns, "the problem is… this is the fourth dragger he's made for me. I don't use daggers!"
"Why didn't you just ask for the weapons you want in first place?" Sucy asks raising an eyebrow.
"It doesn't work like that... Daidara-san is awesome, but he only makes whatever he wants. When I give him the material, he gives me whatever weapon he feels like making at the time. I have no say in what will come out." Akko sighs as she opens her backpack, "this is too bad, to the pile you go-"
"Wait," Sucy suddenly grabs Akko's hand, "...Can I see that?"
"Huh?"
Sucy takes the dagger and sniffs it. "...! You are kidding me!"
"I-Is there something wrong?" Lotte asks.
"This is another poison I've never seen before! What did you kill for it this time?!" Sucy questions loudly.
Akko ponders. "Let me remember. He called himself… Pabilsag? He was this disgusting half-man, half-scorpion thing. Aradia said that he was some minor Sumerian god and the figure behind Sagittarius. This came from his tail."
"PA BIL SAG?!" Sucy exclaims, "the god that appeared in the Epic of Gilgamesh, acting as the gatekeeper between the human world and demon world?! The god that managed to make Gilgamesh recoil in fear?! How did you beat something like that?!"
"Really? I am not too familiar with the real thing in the legend, but the cognitive version was nowhere near that strong," Akko recalls, "during the fight, he kept on lecturing me with wise sounding words while trying to sting me with his tail. But once I flipped him onto his back, the fight was pretty much over. It was like a turtle trying to get back on its feet. Pixie ended his misery with a quick Zio."
The mental image of a beefy scorpion man unable to get up off the ground got a giggle out of Lotte despite the morbidness of the story. Akko really doesn't know how to show mercy to Shadows, does she?
"Anyway Sucy, of course you can have the dagger. It's not like I'll use it any time soon," Akko says as she hands the weapon to her friend. "Having a weapon in the Cognitive World is really important, so why not make this one yours?"
Sucy stares at the weapon in her hand.
"Poison of the gods, huh?" Sucy grins, "I can't wait to find even more poisons."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Konbanwa! Tatsumi obaa-san!" Akko greets as she enters the old shop a few buildings over. The interior is filled with various colorful fabrics and clothing, revealing the place to be a textile shop.
An older woman garbed in kimono walks out from the store. She nods politely at Akko and greets her with a soft, kind voice. The brunette chats with her for a bit before reaching into her backpack and pulling out both of her Luna Nova skirts. Lotte and Sucy both raise an eyebrow as Akko holds up the articles of clothing and folds away half of the blue skirt's length, her fingers imitating a pair of scissors. The woman nods in understanding and takes the skirts, as well as some money, from Akko before retreating to the inside of the shop.
"So, making changes to your uniforms huh?" Sucy comments.
"Yeah. The skirts are a bit too long for my liking," Akko replies. "Originally I was scared that Luna Nova would have issues with messing with the uniform like most Japanese high schools would. But thanks to you and that girl, Amanda I think, I figured that it would be ok!"
"Well I got a pass because lengthening the skirt is not a problem," Sucy deadpans. "Wearing a mini-skirt is going to tick off a few teachers though. I can bet you that redheaded, broom riding, loud mouth already got chastised over it."
Hearing that, Akko thinks for a bit before shrugging. "Oh well. I paid Tatsumi obaa-san already so what's done is done," Pressing her legs together, embarrassed, she continues. "I just can't get used to riding a broom with a long skirt. I'll take my chances with the teachers."
"Hey Akko," Lotte calls a few feet away, busy admiring the items on display. "The accessories they're selling here are so cute!" She says as she picks up a key chain with a crochet doll of a sea otter. "Wait…! Are these homemade?!"
"Yeah," Akko replies. "These are all made by Tatsumi obaa-san's son. His dolls and accessories are really popular in town," she explains. "You can place orders here and have him custom make you something too!"
"Really?" Lotte asks as she moves to return the key chain to its spot. As she hangs the keychain however, something catches her eye, "wait- is that- No way!" she gasps as she picks up a doll from the display.
"Is there something wrong-"
"OH MY GOD!" Lotte exclaims in disbelief. "This is the werewolf pup from Arthur's tribe!" she gushes, moving from doll to doll, "and this, this is this the flower fairy that helped Belle during the tensest moment of the Seven Sea saga!" she spots another doll and gushes even more, "Kyaaaaaa! They even made the goofy alien from the space arc!"
"Translation, I found things I want to buy," Sucy deadpans.
Walking up to her friend, Akko hands her a ¥5000 bill, "do you like them Lotte? Here, go wild."
Lotte pauses and looks at Akko, "but Akko… are you sure? This looks like a lot..."
"I said it already, it is fine," Akko shrugs, "I can earn this much back in like 15 minutes tops.
The two lock eyes before Lotte nods. "Thanks Akko," she says before going to pick out the dolls she wants.
The owner returns from the back of the store with Akko's newly shortened skirts in hand.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Tatsumi obaa-san! " The brunette takes the clothings back in happiness.
Sucy whistles. "Wow, that's impressive. That took barely five minutes."
"Don't underestimate Tatsumi obaa-san," Akko warns, "there's a reason why people call her the best tailor in Inaba. Rumor said that some rich people even come specifically for her kimonos." She replies before going off to help Lotte buy her picks.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
After leaving the textile store, the girls just hopped from store to store, checking out everything for sale. Lotte and, surprisingly, Sucy had a lot of fun walking around town and listening to Akko talk/translating about every detail of what they saw. Half an hour flew by completely unnoticed.
"So guys." Akko asks. "Did you both have fun?"
"Totally! This town is really interesting," Lotte reassures, playing with her spoils, "I can't wait to mail some of these dolls to my cousin. She'll love them!"
"I got a dagger coated with the poison of a god. Yeah, I had fun," Sucy remarks as she looks at her dagger's purple edges. "But I do have one problem. What's with the looks all those people were giving us?" Sucy complains, annoyed. "I feel like everyone in this town was looking at us like some kind of exotic species. It is getting on my nerves."
"It's a Japanese thing," Akko answers, "I can bet you most, if not everyone in this town, has literally never seen a foreigner from the Philippines or Finland before. They're just curious that's all."
"That makes sense," Sucy nods. "It's still annoying though."
"Oh c'mon, Sucy. Lighten up~" Akko playfully elbows her friend, "gaining more attention will help you get out of your shell!"
"Yeah, like I would want that," Sucy rolls her eyes. "Are you done with the shopping yet?
"Yeah I'm done," Akko smiles. "Now, how about we stop by at my favorite restaurant before we head back to Luna Nova? My treat!"
"Not unless you're buying," Sucy deadpans. "But sure, I suppose."
"I don't mind having an early dinner today," Lotte nods. "The Japanese restaurant from my home town was pretty good, but I can't wait to taste some authentic Japanese food!"
"Ah… Technically the restaurant is Chinese, but they still make some amazing Japanese food," the brunette points out. "All right! Let's go!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
According to Akko, the restaurant they've arrived at is apparently called "Aiya", an admittedly tiny and crowded place with the seat number barely passing thirty. But a few elements immediately stand out to both Sucy and Lotte as they enter through the sliding glass doors, like the fact the place was unusually warm or the aroma of delicious cooking caressing their nostrils.
"Irasshaimasu!" An old man, seemingly the owner, with reflective glasses and large nose greets from behind the kitchen counter.
Akko holds up 3 fingers. "Konbanwa! Sannindesu!"
A waitress walks up and helps the group to the seats. "Let's go to the corner," Akko says as the three girls quickly find their place on the wooden chairs.
Sucy grumbles in annoyance after she scans through the menu. "No English letters, and it doesn't even have pictures. Great."
Akko smiles apologetically as she scratches her head. "Sorry. I forgot that the menus were in Japanese. I can read it for you guys if you want."
Sucy shrugs and closes the menu, "just order me something with a lot of mushrooms. I haven't had my daily serving yet."
Lotte closes her as well. "I am not a picky eater, Akko. So just recommend me something good. Since you like eating here so much, I'm sure that whatever you order me will be great."
"Mushrooms huh?" Akko wonders before snapping her fingers, "I know just the dish! As for Lotte, I'll get you the same thing I'm getting!" Calling the waitress back, Akko tells her the orders.
"While we wait..." Sucy looks at Akko. "Let's have a little talk, Akko."
"Eh?"
"I had a few questions since coming here," Sucy states. "Let's begin with why the Cognitive World in this town is so different."
"Yeah, Akko!" Lotte adds. "That Cognitive World was beautiful! Why isn't Luna Nova's the same?"
"That's simple really," Akko replies. "Remember, Cognitive Worlds are formed from people's perception of reality. So what do you think would happen if there's very few people, living very simple lives, in a given area? That is Cognitive Inaba in a nutshell," she explains. "My friend also had something to do with it, but that's beside the point."
"I guess that explains it," Sucy nods, letting the information soak in. "To summarize; the appearance of a Cognitive World depends on the population's emotions, and it can either be extremely beautiful or downright unsettling?"
"Does this mean Luna Nova's …?" Lotte wonders with worry.
"No. Cognitive Luna Nova's pretty average to be honest. Some of the worse ones would give people nightmares for weeks," Akko shuddered as a memory resurfaces. "I once visited deeper levels of Cognitive Tokyo out of curiosity and I haven't been back there since. Thank goodness for Traesto!"
"What could possibly be down there to scare you so much?" Sucy asks grinning.
Akko sighs. "... T-The Shadows there take the form of Ghouls- you know, Zombies. If you attack one of them, the rest will come after you. Three Ghouls per Shadow, and five to six Shadows will respond if I go after anyone. You do the math!" Akko closes her eyes in distress. "Aurgh! Not even Berith was able to burn through them quickly enough! I don't want to talk about it anymore!
Lotte starts shivering too, "I-I hope we never encounter something like that…!"
Sucy grins. "I hope we do. Zombie movies are my favorite. It'll be fun to see something like that."
Akko grumbles. "You are only saying that because you are not the one that has to fight them all!"
"Well you said we have the potential to get Personas too right? I will fight them with you when I get one," Sucy deadpans, "how exactly do you "awaken" one anyway? I'm still waiting for that explanation."
Akko frowns, avoiding eye contact with the Filipino. "It… will come to you, I am sure..."
Sucy's eyes narrow, but she lets it go for now. "So what's with the TV? Why is it connected to the Cognitive World's entrance? How does that work?"
"One of the ways to enter a Cognitive World is to find a connection to it. Those entrances are often connected to things like computers or TV screens," Akko says.
"... That makes a lot of sense actually," Lotte nods. "It reminds me of something Dr. Majolie once said in Vol 137, when she compared TV screens to windows of the soul."
"Who...?" Akko raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"Dr. Majolie! Belle's amazingly beautiful and smart psychology professor!" she beamed. "One of best characters of the smart woman archetype in all of fiction!"
"Of course she is," Sucy rolls her eyes.
Akko shrugs. "Anyway, back on topic. There exists other ways to enter the Cognitive World of course, but finding a TV screen big enough is the quickest," she crosses her arms. "I am so glad that tree stump is one too… I was worried when I heard that Luna Nova doesn't allow technology."
"Because machines doesn't work very well around Luna Nova. And you know; big televisions are expensive," Sucy nods. "Lucky for you I suppose."
"So… if we get a Persona one day, we should watch out for TV screens?" Lotte asks.
"Definitely! I once tripped and slammed my head into a smaller TV in a mall!" Akko frowns and rubs her shoulders and neck, "good thing I didn't get stuck and no one saw me!"
Sucy grins. "While that sounds painful, you have to admit that would've made an amazing news article."
Akko puffs up her cheeks, "that's not how I want to get famous!"
After a brief pause the three girls start chuckling.
"Oh! Almost forgot! It's something very important about entering through a TV!" Akko stats. "They're usually one way trips. So don't enter on your own or fall completely into one by accident! Just don't!"
Lotte and Sucy eyes Akko confused. "Then what about that exit then?"
"My friend set it up there for me," Akko replies. "Go in from any random TV you'll most likely get trapped in the Cognitive World until you find a similar exit. Which you most likely won't find because those don't exist naturally..." Her face morbidly darkens, "it's a horrible way to go… so don't do it."
Lotte nods fearfully, "g-got it!"
"Didn't your Persona- Aradia, rip her way in?" Sucy asks. "She can rip her way out too right?"
"Yeah, but that's because she is powerful," Akko answers. "Apparently, a strong Persona can travel freely between the Cognitive World at the right place. But newly awaken Personas though…"
"Ah, I get you," Sucy nods. "Just don't do anything stupid and remember to team up with you, understood."
"So Akko, you have been talking about your teddy bear friend for a while now. It seems that he's been very helpful to you. Can we meet him while we're here?" Lotte requests, earning Sucy's interest too.
Akko shakes her head. "He left town to go on a trip with his other friends outside of Inaba. He wouldn't be back until next month. Sorry. But I will be sure to introduce him to you both once he is back!"
"That's too bad," Sucy sighs in disappointment. "I wonder what kind of experiments I could do to a living teddy bear… I can't wait. Hehehe… "
Akko laughs awkwardly before mumbling to herself away from her friends' ears. "Gomenne… Kuma-kun…"
The group's conversation is put to a halt when the enthusiastic waitress arrives with the trio's orders.
"It's here!" Akko cheers excitedly, licking her lips.
"What is it, Akko?" Lotte asks, curiosity lacing her question. Each of the meals were apparently rice bowls. Both her's and Akko's appears to be beef based while Sucy's is filled entirely with mushrooms.
"Both of your's and mine are gyūdon- Beef bowls. It's Aiya's signature dish!" Akko explains. "Sucy's is Kinoko gohan- Mushroom rice! It is what she wanted, right?"
Raising an eyebrow, Sucy digs through her meal with her spoon. "Lyophyllum Shimeji? And… Lentinula Edodes?" the gloomy witch grins, "not bad."
Lotte takes a breath of the meat bowl's aroma. "It smells really good. I can already taste the beef…!"
"Then let's eat while it's hot! Itadakimasu!" Akko claps her hands. Swiftly grabbing her chopsticks, she wolves down the bowl like she hasn't eaten in days.
Lotte picks up her spoon and takes a bite. The dish was actually rather simple, consisting of stir fried beef with onions and mixed with white rice and eggs. Simple it may be, but it was made with incredible mastery. The beef was wonderfully tender, mouthwateringly juicy, and deliciously fatty, achieving a perfect balance of the best qualities of beef. The onion was sweet and served to add to the beef's favor along with the egg. Even the plain white rice was fluffy and existed to mediate the strong taste of the meat.
As Akko finished her bowl in under three minutes, she asked, still chewing. "Mumusheahs…?! (How's the taste?!)"
"Don't speak with your mouth full," Sucy says annoyed.
Swallowing her last bit of food Akko sighs. "Ah~! That hit the spot! No matter how much I eat it, I never get tired of it!" She waves to the waiter and holding up her perfectly clean bowl, "okawarionegaishimasu~!"
The enthusiastic waitress nods and walks off with the dish.
"This is wonderful Akko," Lotte replies, halfway through with her bowl.
"Mine's really good too," Sucy compliment with a small half-smile. "I usually eat my mushrooms raw, lightly lightly roasted, or boiled, but I don't mind this. It's great how they managed to bring out the flavors of the mushrooms without ruining anything," she shoves another spoon into her mouth, savoring the taste.
"Mhhhhmmmmm…!"
"Ah… Sucy?" Akko asks with her eyes widen. "Did you just moan?"
The gloomy witch freezes, "... no."
"Oh my god!" Akko exclaims joyously. "I never thought you could make such an adorable sound! We found it, Lotte! Good mushroom based cuisine! That's how we'll break Sucy out of her shell!"
"... I don't know what you are talking about," Sucy grumbles as she turns away in further annoyance
"Hehe! Look at that blush!" Akko continues, "that's it! We need to come here more often!"
"I would love to Akko," Lotte agrees, "eating this delicious meal here makes me miss my family's cooking…"
"I agree! I am so glad we get to do this," Akko nods. "I am a huge eater and to be honest, Luna Nova's servings are waaay too stingy!" she crosses her arms and grumbles, "I can't believe what they serve there are mostly potatoes! You don't know how much I've been craving for a nikudon since yesterday! I swear! Luna Nova's food is going to make me go berserk and start stealing their tarts one day!"
"You can tell it's a tart and not a pie?" Sucy asks, "I'm impressed."
"Yeah! Of course I can tell!" Akko proudly says.
"Tadaima~" The trio's discussion is put to a pause when a young woman with dark blue hair enters the restaurant. She seems to be an employee seeing she too is dressed in the same white uniform, apron, and sandals. She is carrying a metal box, which she is in the process of emptying some used bowls from it.
Akko looks away from her friends to wave at the new woman. "Oi~! Aika-chan!"
Realizing who the brunette is, the young woman waves back with a plain expression. She walks to their table to greet Akko. The two Japanese girls exchange some quick words before the young woman turns to greet Sucy and Lotte with a bow.
"Who is this, Akko?" Lotte asks with interest.
"This is Aika-chan! She works here as the delivery woman!" The brunette introduces, "she's pretty famous around Inaba!"
Aika nods. "My English is decent," the delivery woman answers plainly, "foreign tourists are increasing."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Aika. My name is Lotte Jansson and this is Sucy Mambavaran," the blonde introduces, "we're Akko's friends."
"Visiting for the first time?" Aika asks.
"Yeah."
"Like Inaba?"
"It's a nice place." Lotte answers, "we like it a lot here, especially your restaurant's food."
"Many more places to visit," Aika says. "Befriending Akko is right choice. She's most interesting in town."
Akko smiles at the comment.
"Next delivery coming. Excuse me. Nice to know you both." Aiko gives off a quick smile and then walks off, picking up her box at the counter and leaving the restaurant. A few moments later, the sound of a scooter shooting off into the distance echoes from outside.
"What was that…?" Sucy deadpans. "That was one of the driest conversations I've ever had in my life. Is she a robot?"
Akko chuckles awkwardly and waves her hand dismissively. "T-That's just how Aika is. She's a girl with few words."
"You said she is famous. I don't see it." Sucy questions.
"She's not famous because of her personality, Sucy. She's famous because of her delivery skills," Akko explains. "Aiya has a reputation; as long as you live in Inaba, they will deliver you your food, anywhere and everywhere. That reputation is upheld entirely by Aika-chan herself!"
"Really huh?"
"Yeah! She's so accurate, she doesn't even need to know your address," Akko says. "I swear she's either a witch or has a Persona. That's the only way I can see her pulling off all that!"
"Now that you put it that way… I want to see it for myself," Sucy states. "Let's order take out the next time we're here."
"Hey Akko," Lotte asks, "what time is it in England right now?"
The enthusiastic waitress returns with Akko's second nikudon.
"Don't worry Lotte, we still have an entire hour. We will return before six," Akko replies, picking up her chopsticks once again. "I have a meeting with Professor Ursula, of course I wouldn't want to be late! Itadakimasu!"
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"That girl is just a commoner from mundane Japanese peasants! She couldn't even cast the most basic of spells! What is there to fear about her, really?! Is it because she has one spell that I don't know?! Or is it because she has something that will ruin my image if she just posted it on twitter?!"
"Everything that happened today is entirely her fault! But also partially my own because I actually think I need to care for the opinions of ants under my shoes! My love for my idol is none of their business!"
"Hannah and Barbara were right! I need to get rid of her so-"
"SILENCE!" Diana screams into her mind. Pushing those deafening thoughts back into the darkest recesses of her mind. It was working, but her attempts are getting less and less effective by the hour. The voices, those dark thoughts clawing at the back of her mind were the cause of her inability to sleep. Dark Whispers of devilish deeds continue to echo in her ears, drawing her ever closer to the brink of insanity… Thank goodness she decided go out for a stroll, it would be terrible if Hannah and Barbara saw her slowly going mad.
"What is wrong with me today? Why am I having such horrible thoughts…?" Diana claws at her head. "I am not like that…! I refuse to sink to Aunt Daryl's level!" Diana grinds her teeth. "... No good, the sedatives I took are clearly not working. Did someone cast a curse on me…? Just why are those voices appearing in my head…?"
Sucy's grinning, taunting face flashes through her mind.
Diana groans, her aggravation now at an all-time high. "I need to deal with this problem first… Professor Lukic should be able to help me make some stronger variant of the sedative potions-"
Suddenly, she feels a pulse, as if something were calling to her. She turns her head to slowly look behind her...
"Why am I here…?" Diana whispers in confusion. "How did I get here without noticing…?"
Before her is the Memorial Tree of the Hearts. It was said to be a tree planted in the name of a powerful spirit that was a great ally to the Nine Olde Witches. The original name of the tree and the spirit had been lost to the ages, and the bland title it currently bears derived from tales about the tree's supposed power to affect people's hearts. The tree is long gone now, struck down by a massive lightning storm centuries ago, leaving nothing more than a large stump as a tragic reminder for the school to always set up their lightning rod.
Also the very same place where Akko disappeared to yesterday.
Before Diana could ponder why she had somehow unconsciously walked to this place, the inside of the tree trunk begins to warp and distort right in before her eyes. The British girl gasps in shock, taking a step back and drawing her wand in self-defense. The distortion eventually rippled into a tear in reality, leading into a space of black and red.
"W-What is this?" Diana gasps, a hint of astonishment and curiosity in her eyes. With her wand still up in caution, she carefully inches toward the mysterious phenomenon.
"So you can't see it, Diana? The entrance that I made?" Akko's words from yesterday ring out in her mind.
"Is this… what Akko was talking about?" the honor student thought. "It seems I can see it after all. Perhaps I can find out what she did yesterday-"
Without warning, a hand gloved in an ornate fabric suddenly sprung from the tear, grabbing the honors student by the wrist. It proceeded to squeeze harshly and forced Diana to drop her wand. A pair of eyes stare straight into her own from the alien space, with yellow irises that pierce into her very soul and has a grasp on every fiber of her being.
"Come… We need to have a little conversation… me."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Daidara Metalworks Special:
Sagittarius Blade: A dagger forged from the stinger of Pabilsag. Medium chance to inflict Fear or SP Poison.
[]
Tatsumi Textiles Special:
Night Fall Custom Set: Crochet doll accessories created in the likeness of Night Fall's cutest characters. Increase Lotte's total SP and her magic efficiency by a small amount.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [0] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
AuthorNCS: God damn it, Diana. I told you to slowly go down the rabbit hole, not provoke the killer rabbit right away and get drag straight to hell immediately!
… Well, technically the killer rabbit found you... But my point still stand!
This chapter is a little shorter because this was originally the latter half of CH4. Not all tarts can be cut cleanly in half unfortunately. (44,444 words, lol- God damn it!)
At this rate, Sucy is going to encounter a Chernobog, and she will finally understand the meaning of X-mas.
Making up crap for Night Fall's "plot" is really fun actually. I can literally write in anything and can still BSing it in with out any issue. The perfect Twilight parody that is much more fun than the actual thing.
If you find flaws in my Japanese romaji, feel free to comment and I will change it immediately~
I watched too much Isekai Shokudō and read too much Isekai Izakaya "Nobu". Enough said.
I love Aika. So plain, yet so interesting. She will be sure to shine in the funny chapters, look forward to it!
One of my aims of this fic is to create Culture Shock; one of my favorite thing to do in fiction. In canon, Akko's wonderful experience is pretty one sided to her normie existence. In here though, it is Magical World's turn to be shocked… Muhahaha.
Since nobody cared about that poor forum on this site… This fic is now on Spacebattle as well. Where it has illustration from Artist741, colored text, no pesky AN, and… ten times less viewers because LWA isn't popular over there… TT_TT (Feel free to drop by there to discuss plot with me if you have an account.)
See y'all next time.
11/20/2017 Edit: Thank the people at Sufficient Velocity for grammar checking this. Should be free of grammar mistakes now. Unless you have god's eyes and find something else, this chapter is now grammatically perfect.
Looking at the statistics, only a small percentage of people who read this fic are actively engaging with it. If you are a massive fan of LWA and the Persona series, please give us support by reviewing or following. It's free after all, and it's free for you to unfollow at any point if you change your mind. If you want to support us further, the Patr eon information is down below. Hope you enjoy this story.
P.S. If you see Grammar mistakes, it will be helpful if you report it! Thanks!
Want to see more LWA contents where we picked up where TRIGGER left off?
Come support us at patr eon / Artist741and741AuthorNCS!
...
...
PLEASE!
AT LEAST RAISE IT TO THE POINT WHERE WE COULD PAY 1/10TH OF OUR ELECTRICITY BILL! T_T